Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 4, 2011

Registration No. 333-

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   5810   20-4145825

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary standard industrial

classification code number)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification number)

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

(781) 737-3000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Nigel Travis

Chief Executive Officer

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

(781) 737-3000

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Craig E. Marcus    Richard Emmett   D. Rhett Brandon
Ropes & Gray LLP    Senior Vice President and General Counsel   Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Prudential Tower    Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.   425 Lexington Avenue
800 Boylston Street    130 Royall Street   New York, New York 10017
Boston, Massachusetts 02199-3600    Canton, Massachusetts 02021   Telephone: (212) 455-2000
Telephone: (617) 951-7000    Telephone: (781) 737-3360   Facsimile: (212) 455-2502
Facsimile: (617) 951-7050    Facsimile: (781) 737-4360  

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this registration statement becomes effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.   ¨

If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   ¨

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   ¨

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one).

 

Large accelerated Filer   ¨    Accelerated filer   ¨   Non-accelerated filer   x     Smaller reporting company   ¨
         (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)      

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of Each Class of

Securities to be Registered

 

Proposed

Maximum Aggregate
Offering Price(1)

  Amount of
Registration Fee

Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share

  $400,000,000   $46,440
 
 

(1) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to completion, dated May 4, 2011

Prospectus

            Shares

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Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.

Common stock

This is an initial public offering of common stock of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. is selling             shares of common stock.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. The estimated initial public offering price is between $             and $             per share. We intend to apply to have our shares of common stock listed on the The NASDAQ Global Select Market, subject to notice of issuance, under the symbol “DNKN.”

 

       Per share        Total  

Initial public offering price

   $                                    $                              

Underwriting discounts and commissions

   $           $     

Proceeds to us before expenses

   $           $     

Delivery of the shares of common stock is expected to be made on or about                     , 2011. We have granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days to purchase, on the same terms and conditions as set forth above, up to an additional             shares of our common stock to cover over-allotments.

Investing in our common stock involves substantial risk. Please read “ Risk factors ” beginning on page 11.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

J.P. Morgan   Barclays Capital   Morgan Stanley
BofA Merrill Lynch     Goldman, Sachs & Co.

 

                    , 2011


Table of Contents

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Table of Contents

Table of contents

 

Prospectus summary

     1   

Risk factors

     11   

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

     30   

The reclassification

     32   

Use of proceeds

     33   

Dividend policy

     34   

Capitalization

     35   

Dilution

     37   

Selected historical consolidated financial and other data

     39   

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations

     43   

Business

     68   

Management

     89   

Related party transactions

     123   

Description of indebtedness

     125   

Principal stockholders

     129   

Description of capital stock

     132   

Shares eligible for future sale

     136   

Material U.S. federal tax considerations for Non-U.S. Holders of common stock

     138   

Underwriting

     142   

Legal matters

     150   

Experts

     150   

Where you can find more information

     151   

Index to consolidated financial statements

     F-1   

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus that we authorize be distributed to you. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with additional or different information. This document may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus.

 

 

 

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Market and other industry data

In this prospectus, we rely on and refer to information regarding the restaurant industry, the quick service restaurant (“QSR”) segment of the restaurant industry and the QSR segment categories and subcategories that include coffee, donuts, muffins, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, hard serve ice cream, soft serve ice cream, frozen yogurt, shakes, malts and floats, all of which has been sourced from the industry research firms The NPD Group, Inc. (which prepares and disseminates Consumer Reported Eating Share Trends (“CREST ® data”)), Nielsen, Euromonitor International, or Technomic Information Services or compiled from market research reports, analyst reports and other publicly available information. Unless otherwise indicated in this prospectus, market data relating to the United States QSR segment and QSR segment categories and subcategories listed above, including Dunkin’ Donuts’ and Baskin-Robbins’ market positions in the QSR segment or such categories and subcategories, was prepared by, or was derived by us from, CREST ® data. CREST ® data with respect to each of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins and the QSR segment and the categories and subcategories in which each of them competes, unless otherwise indicated, is for the 12 months ended February 28, 2011. In addition, we refer to customer loyalty rankings prepared by Brand Keys, Inc. (“Brand Keys”), a customer loyalty research and strategic planning consultancy. Other industry and market data included in this prospectus are from internal analyses based upon data available from known sources or other proprietary research and analysis. We believe these data to be accurate as of the date of this prospectus. However, this information may prove to be inaccurate because this information cannot always be verified with complete certainty due to the limitations on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations and uncertainties. As a result, you should be aware that market and other similar industry data included in this prospectus, and estimates and beliefs based on that data, may not be reliable. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information contained in this prospectus.

Trademarks, service marks and copyrights

We own or have rights to trademarks, service marks or trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business, including our corporate names, logos and website names. Other trademarks, service marks and trade names appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Some of the trademarks we own include Dunkin’ Donuts ® and Baskin-Robbins ® . We also sell products under several licensed brands, including, but not limited to, Oreo ® and Reese’s ® . In addition, we own or have the rights to copyrights, patents, trade secrets and other proprietary rights that protect the content of our products and the formulations for such products. Solely for convenience, some of the trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights referred to in this prospectus are listed without the © , ® and ™ symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to our copyrights, trademarks, service marks and trade names.

 

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Prospectus summary

This summary highlights information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our common stock. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, including the financial data and related notes and the section entitled “Risk factors” before deciding whether to invest in our common stock. Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to the “Company,” “Dunkin’ Brands,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. References in this prospectus to our franchisees include our international licensees. References in this prospectus to years are to our fiscal years, which end on the last Saturday in December. Data regarding number of restaurants or points of distribution are calculated as of March 26, 2011, unless otherwise indicated. All share data assume a per share Class L preference amount of $             , which is the per share Class L preference amount that we used to estimate the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of our Class L common stock into our common stock as described under “The reclassification.” All information in this prospectus assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, unless otherwise noted.

Our company

We are the world’s leading franchisor of quick service restaurants (“QSRs”) serving hot and cold coffee and baked goods, as well as hard serve ice cream. We franchise restaurants under our Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands. With over 16,000 points of distribution in 57 countries, our portfolio has strong brand awareness in our key markets around the globe and has industry-leading market share in a number of growing categories of the QSR segment. Dunkin’ Donuts operates primarily in the breakfast daypart within the QSR segment of the restaurant industry which has experienced significantly better guest traffic trends than the overall QSR segment in recent years. Dunkin’ Donuts holds the #1 position in the U.S. by servings in each of the QSR subcategories of “Hot regular coffee,” “Iced coffee,” “Donuts,” “Bagels” and “Muffins” and holds the #2 position in the U.S. by servings in each of the QSR subcategories of “Total coffee” and “Breakfast sandwiches.” Baskin-Robbins is the #1 QSR chain in the U.S. for servings of hard serve ice cream and has established leading market positions in Japan as well as in the growing ice cream QSR markets in South Korea and the Middle East.

We believe that our nearly 100% franchised business model offers strategic and financial benefits. For example, because we do not own or operate a significant number of stores, our company is able to focus on menu innovation, marketing, franchisee coaching and support, and other initiatives to drive the overall success of our brand. Financially, our franchised model allows us to grow our points of distribution and brand recognition with limited capital investment by us and to maintain one of the leading cash flow margins in the QSR industry.

We operate our business in four segments: Dunkin’ Donuts U.S., Dunkin’ Donuts International, Baskin-Robbins International and Baskin-Robbins U.S. In 2010, our Dunkin’ Donuts segments generated revenues of $416.5 million, or 76% of our total segment revenues, of which $402.4 million was in the U.S. segment, and $14.1 million was in the international segment. In 2010, our Baskin-Robbins segments generated revenues of $134.2 million, of which $91.3 million was in the international segment and $42.9 million was in the U.S. segment. As of March 26, 2011, there were 9,805 Dunkin’ Donuts points of distribution, of which 6,799 were in the U.S. and 3,006 were international, and 6,482 Baskin-Robbins points of distribution, of which 3,959 were international and 2,523 were in the U.S. Our points of distribution consist of traditional end-cap, in-line and stand-alone restaurants, many with drive thrus, and gas and convenience locations, as well as alternative points of distribution (“APODs”), such as full- or self-service kiosks in grocery stores, hospitals, airports, offices, colleges and other smaller-footprint properties.

For fiscal year 2010, we generated total revenues and operating income of $577.1 million and $193.5 million, respectively.

 

 

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Our history and recent accomplishments

Both of our brands have a rich heritage dating back to the 1940s, when Bill Rosenberg founded his first restaurant, subsequently renamed Dunkin’ Donuts, and Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins each founded a chain of ice cream shops that eventually combined to form Baskin-Robbins. For many years, we operated as a subsidiary of Allied Domecq PLC, which was acquired in July 2005 by Pernod Ricard S.A. Pernod Ricard made the decision to divest Dunkin’ Brands in order to remain a focused global spirits company. As a result, in March of 2006, we were acquired by investment funds affiliated with Bain Capital Partners, LLC, The Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (collectively, the “Sponsors”).

Since 2001, we have grown our global Dunkin’ Donuts points of distribution and systemwide sales by compound annual growth rates of 6.9% and 8.7%, respectively. During the same period, we have also grown our global Baskin-Robbins total points of distribution and systemwide sales by compound annual growth rates of 4.0% and 6.8%, respectively. Until the first quarter of fiscal 2008, Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. had experienced 45 consecutive quarters of positive comparable store sales growth. During fiscal 2008 and 2009, we believe we demonstrated strong comparable store sales resilience during the recession, and we increased our overall profitability while investing for future growth. During fiscal 2010, Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. experienced sequential improvement in comparable store sales growth with comparable store sales growth of (0.6)%, 1.9%, 2.7% and 4.7% in the first through the fourth quarters, respectively. Positive comparable store sales growth has continued in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 despite adverse weather conditions in the Northeast region during the quarter.

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. comparable store sales growth (1)

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(1)   Data for fiscal year 2001 through fiscal year 2005 represent results for the fiscal years ended August. All other fiscal years represent results for the fiscal years ended the last Saturday in December.

Our competitive business strengths

We attribute our success in the QSR segment to the following strengths:

Strong and established brands with leading market positions

Our Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands have histories dating back more than 60 years, and have well-established reputations for delivering high-quality beverage and food products at a good value through convenient locations with fast and friendly service. Today both brands are leaders in their respective QSR categories, with aided brand awareness in excess of 95% in the U.S., and a strong, growing presence overseas.

In addition to our leading U.S. market positions, for the fifth consecutive year, Dunkin’ Donuts was recognized in 2010 by Brand Keys, a customer satisfaction research company, as #1 in customer loyalty in the coffee category. Our customer loyalty is particularly evident in New England, where we have our highest penetration per capita in the U.S. and where, according to CREST ® data, we hold a 52% market share of breakfast daypart visits and our market share of 57% of total QSR coffee based on servings is nearly six times greater than that of our nearest competitor. Further demonstrating the strength of our brand, in 2010, the Dunkin’ Donuts 12 oz. original blend bagged coffee was the #1 grocery stock-keeping unit nationally in the premium coffee category, with double the sales of our closest competitor, according to Nielsen.

 

 

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Similarly, Baskin-Robbins is the #1 QSR chain in the U.S. for servings of hard serve ice cream and has established leading market positions in Japan, South Korea and the Middle East.

Franchised business model provides an attractive platform for growth

Nearly 100% of our locations are franchised, allowing us to focus on our brand differentiation and menu innovation, while our franchisees expand our points of distribution. This expansion requires limited financial investment by us, given that new store development and substantially all of our store advertising costs are funded by franchisees. Consequently, we achieved a strong operating income margin of approximately 34% in fiscal 2010. With strong operating income margins and low capital requirements, we generate strong and consistent cash flow. For our domestic businesses, because our revenues are largely derived from royalties based on a percentage of franchisee revenues, as well as contractual lease payments and other franchise fees, we are not directly impacted by changes in restaurant-level profitability, including the impact of increases in commodity costs. We offer our franchisees significant operational support aiming to continuously improve restaurant profitability. One example is supporting their supply chain, where we believe we have facilitated approximately $220 million in cost reductions since 2008 through strategic sourcing and other initiatives.

Attractive store-level economics generate franchisee demand for new restaurants

We believe that our restaurants offer a compelling investment opportunity to our franchisees, which in turn generates franchisee demand for additional restaurants. In the U.S., new traditional format Dunkin’ Donuts stores opened during fiscal 2010, excluding gas and convenience locations, generated average weekly sales of approximately $16,400, or annualized unit volumes of approximately $855,000, while the average capital expenditure required to open a new traditional restaurant site in the U.S., excluding gas and convenience locations, was approximately $474,000 in 2010. Of our fiscal 2010 openings and existing commitments, approximately 90% have been made by existing franchisees that are able, in many cases, to use cash flow generated from their existing restaurants to fund a portion of their expansion costs.

As a result of Dunkin’ Donuts’ attractive franchisee store-level economics and strong brand appeal, we have a robust and growing new restaurant pipeline. During 2010, our franchisees opened 206 net new Dunkin’ Donuts points of distribution in the U.S. Based on the commitments we have secured or expect to secure, we anticipate the opening of approximately 200 to 250 net new points of distribution in the U.S. in 2011.

Experienced management team with proven track record in the industry

Our senior management team has significant QSR, foodservice and franchise company experience. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Donuts, our CEO Nigel Travis served as the CEO of Papa John’s International Inc. and previously held numerous senior positions at Blockbuster Inc. and Burger King Corporation. John Costello, our Chief Global Marketing & Innovation Officer, joined Dunkin’ Brands in 2009 having previously held leadership roles at The Home Depot, Sears, Yahoo!, Nielsen Marketing Research and Procter & Gamble. Paul Twohig, our Chief Operating Officer, joined Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. in October 2009 having previously held senior positions at Starbucks Corporation and Panera Bread Company. Neal Yanofsky, our new President of International, joined us in May 2011 after holding senior positions at Generation Mobile, Panera Bread Company, Fidelity Ventures and Au Bon Pain. Our CFO Neil Moses joined in November 2010, having previously held numerous senior positions with public companies, including, most recently, CFO of Parametric Technology Corporation.

 

 

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Our growth strategy

We believe there are significant opportunities to grow our brands globally, further support the profitability of our franchisees, expand our leadership in the coffee, baked goods and ice cream categories of the QSR segment of the restaurant industry and deliver shareholder value by executing on the following strategies:

Increase comparable store sales and profitability in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

We intend to continue building on our comparable store sales growth momentum and improve profitability through the following initiatives:

Further increase coffee and beverage sales. Since the late 1980s, we have transformed Dunkin’ Donuts into a coffee-focused brand and have developed a significantly enhanced menu of beverage products, including Coolattas ® , espressos, iced lattes and flavored coffees. Approximately 60% of U.S. systemwide sales for fiscal 2010 were generated from coffee and other beverages, which have attractive profit margins and, we believe, generate increased guest visits to our stores and higher unit volumes. We plan to increase our high-margin coffee and beverage revenue through continued new product innovations and related marketing, including highly recognizable advertising campaigns such as “America Runs on Dunkin’” and “What are you Drinkin’?” Beginning in the summer of 2011, Dunkin’ Donuts will offer Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in Keurig ® K-Cups, the leading single-serve brewing system in the U.S., exclusively at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants across the U.S.

Extend leadership in breakfast daypart while growing afternoon daypart. As we maintain and expand our current leading market position in the breakfast daypart through innovative bakery and breakfast sandwich products like the Big ‘N Toasty and the Wake-Up Wrap ® , we plan to expand Dunkin’ Donuts’ position in the afternoon daypart (between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.), which currently represents only approximately 12% of our franchisee-reported sales. We believe that our extensive coffee- and beverage-based menu, coupled with new “hearty snack” introductions, such as Bagel Twists, position us to grow share in this daypart. We believe this will require minimal additional capital investment by our franchisees.

Drive continued enhancements in restaurant operations. We will continue to maintain a highly operations-focused culture to help our franchisees maximize the quality and consistency of their guests’ in-store experience, as well as to drive franchisee profitability. To accomplish this, we have enhanced initial and ongoing restaurant manager and crew training programs and developed new in-store planning and tracking technology tools to assist our franchisees. As evidence of our recent success in these areas, the number of respondents to our Guest Satisfaction Survey program in March 2011 rating their overall experience as “Highly Satisfied” represented an all-time high and reflects a significant improvement over prior results.

Continue Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. contiguous store expansion

We believe there is a significant opportunity to grow our points of distribution for Dunkin’ Donuts in the U.S. given the strong potential outside of the Northeast region to increase our per-capita penetration to levels closer to those in our core markets. Our development strategy resulted in more than 200 net new U.S. openings in fiscal 2010, which was among the largest store count increases in the QSR industry that year. During fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012, we expect our franchisees to open approximately 200 to 250 net new points of distribution per year in the U.S., principally in existing developed markets. Our long-term goal is to more than double our U.S. footprint and reach a total of 15,000 points of distribution in the U.S. for Dunkin’ Donuts. The following table details our per-capita penetration levels in our U.S. regions.

 

 

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Region      Population
(in millions)
       Stores 1        Penetration  
   

New England and New York

       36.0           3,720           1:9,700   

Other Eastern U.S.

       142.5           2,943           1:48,400   

Western U.S.

       130.0           109           1:1,193,000   
   

 

1   As of December 25, 2010

The key elements of our future domestic development strategy are:

Increase penetration in existing markets. In our traditional core markets of New England and New York, we now have one Dunkin’ Donuts store for every 9,700 people. In the near term, we intend to focus our development on other existing markets east of the Mississippi River, where we currently, have only approximately one Dunkin’ Donuts store for every 48,400 people. In certain Eastern U.S. markets outside of our core markets, such as Philadelphia, Chicago and South Florida, we have already achieved per-capita penetration of greater than one Dunkin’ Donuts store for every 25,000 people.

Expand into new markets using a disciplined approach. We believe that the Western part of the U.S. represents a significant growth opportunity for Dunkin’ Donuts. However, we believe that a disciplined approach to development is the best one for our brand and franchisees. Specifically, in the near-term, we will focus on development in contiguous markets that are adjacent to our existing base, and generally move outward to less penetrated markets in progression, providing for marketing and supply chain efficiencies within each new market.

Focus on store-level economics. We believe our strong store-level economics have driven unit growth throughout our history. In recent years, we have undertaken significant initiatives to further enhance store-level economics for our franchisees, including reducing the cash investment for new stores, increasing beverage sales, lowering supply chain costs and implementing more efficient store management systems. We believe these initiatives have further increased franchisee profitability. For example, to open an end-cap restaurant with a drive-thru, we have reduced the upfront capital expenditure costs by approximately 23% between fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2010 and during that same period, we believe we have facilitated approximately $220 million in cost reductions through strategic sourcing and other initiatives. We will continue to focus on these initiatives to further enhance operating efficiencies.

Drive accelerated international growth of both brands

We believe there is a significant opportunity to grow our points of distribution for both brands in international markets. Our international expansion strategy has resulted in more than 3,100 net new openings in the last 10 years. During fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012, we expect our franchisees to open approximately 450 to 500 net new points of distribution per year internationally, principally in our existing markets.

The key elements of our future international development strategy are:

Grow in our existing core markets. Our international development strategy for both brands includes growth in our existing core markets. For the Dunkin’ Donuts brand, we intend to focus on growth in South Korea and the Middle East, where we currently have 875 and 204 points of distribution, respectively. For Baskin-Robbins, we intend to focus on Japan, South Korea, and the Middle East where, in 2010, we had the #1 market share positions in the Fast Food Ice Cream category in those markets. We intend to leverage our operational infrastructure to grow our existing store base of 2,499 Baskin-Robbins points of distribution in these markets.

 

 

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Capitalize on other markets with significant growth potential. We intend to expand in certain international focus markets where our brands do not have a significant store presence, but where we believe there is consumer demand for our products as well as strong franchisee partners. We plan to pursue opportunities for Dunkin’ Donuts to expand its presence primarily in China, Germany, Spain and Russia, and for Baskin-Robbins primarily in China, Russia, Mexico, Australia and Indonesia, which we believe are currently underserved markets. Through our disciplined process of identifying attractive new markets to enter each year, we recently announced an agreement with an experienced QSR franchisee to enter the Indian market with our Dunkin’ Donuts brand. The agreement calls for the development of at least 500 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants throughout India, the first of which are expected to open by early 2012. By teaming with local operators, we believe we are better able to adapt our brands to local business practices and consumer preferences.

Further develop our franchisee support infrastructure. We plan to increase our focus on providing our international franchisees with operational tools and services that can help them to efficiently operate in their markets and become more profitable. For each of our brands, we plan to focus on improving our native-language restaurant training programs and updating existing restaurants for our new international retail restaurant designs. To accomplish this, we are dedicating additional resources to our restaurant operations support teams in key geographies in order to assist international franchisees in improving their store-level operations.

Increase comparable store sales growth of Baskin-Robbins U.S.

In the U.S., Baskin-Robbins’ core strengths are its national brand recognition, 65 years of heritage, a well-established reputation for high quality ice cream and attractive margins. To capitalize on these strengths, we are focused on generating renewed excitement for the brand, which includes our recently introduced “More Flavors, More Fun TM ” marketing campaign. At the restaurant level, we seek to improve sales by focusing on operational and service improvements as well as by increasing cake and beverage sales through product innovation, marketing and technology.

In August 2010, we hired Bill Mitchell to lead our Baskin-Robbins U.S. operations. Mr. Mitchell currently serves as our Senior Vice President and Brand Officer of Baskin-Robbins U.S., and prior to joining us he served in a variety of management roles over a 10-year period at Papa John’s International, and before that at Popeyes, a division of AFC Enterprises. Since joining Dunkin’ Brands, Mr. Mitchell has led the introduction of technology improvements across the Baskin-Robbins system, which we believe will aid our franchisees in operating their restaurants more efficiently and profitably. Under Mr. Mitchell’s leadership, early Baskin-Robbins U.S. results include comparable store sales growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 of 0.5%. Further, the majority of respondents to our Guest Satisfaction Survey program in March 2011 rated their overall experience as “Extremely Satisfied,” representing an all-time high and a significant improvement from early 2010.

Risk factors

An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider all of the information set forth in this prospectus and, in particular, should evaluate the specific factors set forth under “Risk factors” in deciding whether to invest in our common stock.

Company information

Our principal executive offices are located at 130 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021, our telephone number at that address is (781) 737-3000 and our internet address is www.dunkinbrands.com. Our website, and the information contained on our website, is not part of this prospectus.

 

 

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The offering

 

Common stock offered by us

        shares (or          shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full)

 

Common stock to be outstanding immediately after completion of this offering

        shares (or          shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full)

 

Over-allotment option

We have granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional          shares to cover over-allotments.

 

Use of proceeds

We expect to receive net proceeds, after deducting estimated offering expenses and underwriting discounts and commissions, of approximately $         million (or $         million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full), based on an assumed offering price of $         per share (the mid-point of the price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus). We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with the net proceeds from our anticipated additional $100 million of term loan borrowings, as described under “Description of indebtedness—Senior credit facility,” to repay all amounts outstanding under the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. 9  5 / 8 % senior notes due 2018, and to use any remaining net proceeds for working capital and for general corporate purposes. As of April 30, 2011, there was approximately $475.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. 9  5 / 8 % senior notes outstanding. See “Use of proceeds.”

 

Principal stockholders

Upon completion of this offering, investment funds affiliated with the Sponsors will indirectly beneficially own a controlling interest in us. As a result, we currently intend to avail ourselves of the controlled company exemption under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules. For more information, see “Management—Board structure and committee composition.”

 

Risk factors

You should read carefully the “Risk factors” section of this prospectus for a discussion of factors that you should consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock.

 

Proposed NASDAQ Global Select Market symbol

“DNKN”

The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on the number of shares outstanding after giving effect to the reclassification (assuming an offering price of $         per share (the mid-point of the price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus)) and excludes         shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options at a weighted average exercise price equal to $         per share, of which options to purchase         shares were exercisable as of                     , 2011, and an additional                     shares of our common stock issuable under our 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan.

 

 

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Summary historical consolidated financial and other data

The following table sets forth our summary historical consolidated financial and other data as of the dates and for the periods indicated. The summary historical financial data as of December 26, 2009 and December 25, 2010 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 25, 2010 presented in this table have been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary historical financial data as of March 26, 2011 and for the three-month periods ended March 27, 2010 and March 26, 2011 have been derived from the unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary consolidated balance sheet data as of December 27, 2008 have been derived from our historical audited financial statements for such year, which are not included in this prospectus. The summary consolidated balance sheet data as of March 27, 2010 has been derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements for such period, which are not included in this prospectus. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for future periods and operating results for the three-month period ended March 26, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011. The data in the following table related to points of distribution, comparable store sales growth, franchisee-reported sales and systemwide sales growth are unaudited for all periods presented.

This summary historical consolidated financial and other data should be read in conjunction with the disclosures set forth under “Capitalization” and “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and the consolidated financial statements and the related notes therto appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

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      Fiscal year ended     Three months ended  
    December 27,
2008
    December 26,
2009
    December 25,
2010
    March 27,
2010
    March 26,
2011
 
   
    ($ in thousands, except per share data or as otherwise indicated)  

Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

         

Franchise fees and royalty income

  $ 349,047      $ 344,020      $ 359,927      $ 80,165      $ 85,959   

Rental income

    97,886        93,651        91,102        22,116        22,131   

Sales of ice cream products

    71,445        75,256        84,989        17,793        22,716   

Other revenues

    26,551        25,146        41,117        7,338        8,407   
       

Total revenues

    544,929        538,073        577,135        127,412        139,213   

Amortization of intangible assets

    37,848        35,994        32,467        8,823        7,082   

Impairment charges(1)

    331,862        8,517        7,075        1,414        653   

Other operating costs and expenses(2)(3)

    330,281        323,318        361,893        84,132        87,424   
       

Total operating costs and expenses

    699,991        367,829        401,435        94,369        95,159   

Equity in net income of joint ventures(4)

    14,169        14,301        17,825        3,642        782   
       

Operating income (loss)

    (140,893     184,545        193,525        36,685        44,836   

Interest expense, net(5)

    (115,944     (115,019     (112,532     (27,520     (33,767

Gain (loss) on debt extinguishment and refinancing transactions

           3,684        (61,955            (11,007

Other gains (losses), net

    (3,929     1,066        408        245        476   
       

Income (loss) before income taxes

    (260,766     74,276        19,446        9,410        538   

Net income (loss)

  $ (269,898   $ 35,008      $ 26,861      $ 5,938      $ (1,723

Earnings (loss) per share:

         

Class L—basic and diluted

  $ 4.17      $ 4.57      $ 4.87      $ 1.21      $ 0.85   

Class A—basic and diluted

  $ (1.96   $ (0.37   $ (0.45   $ (0.12   $ (0.11

Pro Forma Consolidated Statements of Operations Data(6):

         

Pro forma net income

      $          $     

Pro forma earnings per share:

         

Basic

      $          $     

Diluted

      $          $     

Pro forma weighted average shares outstanding:

         

Basic

         

Diluted

         

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

         

Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash(7)

  $ 251,368      $ 171,403      $ 134,504      $ 201,452      $ 120,850   

Total assets

    3,341,649        3,224,717        3,147,288        3,216,352        3,115,177   

Total debt(8)

    1,668,410        1,451,757        1,864,881        1,486,267        1,867,534   

Total liabilities

    2,614,327        2,454,109        2,841,047        2,439,924        2,802,360   

Common stock, Class L

    1,127,863        1,232,001        840,582        1,257,068        862,184   

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

    (400,541     (461,393     (534,341     (480,640     (549,367

Other Financial Data:

         

Capital expenditures

    27,518        18,012        15,358        3,465        3,734   

Points of Distribution (9) :

         

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

    6,395        6,566        6,772        6,599        6,799   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

    2,440        2,620        2,988        2,685        3,006   

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

    2,692        2,597        2,547        2,572        2,523   

Baskin-Robbins International

    3,321        3,610        3,886        3,650        3,959   
       

Total distribution points

    14,848        15,393        16,193        15,506        16,287   

Comparable Store Sales Growth (U.S. Only)(10):

         

Dunkin’ Donuts

    (0.8)%        (1.3)%        2.3%         (0.6)%        2.8%   

Baskin-Robbins

    (2.2)%        (6.0)%        (5.2)%        (7.9)%        0.5%   

Franchisee-Reported Sales ($ in millions)(11):

         

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

  $ 5,004      $ 5,174      $ 5,403      $ 1,233      $ 1,299   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

    529        508        584        139        153   

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

    560        524        494        102        102   

Baskin-Robbins International

    800        970        1,158        225        237   
       

Total Franchisee-Reported Sales

  $ 6,893      $ 7,176      $ 7,639      $ 1,699      $ 1,791   

Company-Owned Store Sales ($ in millions)(12):

         

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

  $      $ 2      $ 17      $ 2      $ 2   

Systemwide Sales Growth(13):

         

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

    4.4%         3.4%         4.7%         2.0%         5.3%   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

    11.1%         (4.0)%        15.0%         19.0%         10.0%   

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

    (2.1)%        (6.4)%        (5.5)%        (8.8)%        0.2%   

Baskin-Robbins International

    10.7%         21.3%         19.4%         28.3%         5.2%   
       

Total Systemwide Sales Growth

    5.0%         4.1%         6.7%         5.4%         5.4%   
   

 

 

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(1)    

Fiscal year 2008 includes $294.5 million of goodwill impairment charges related to Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. and Baskin-Robbins International, as well as a $34.0 million trade name impairment related to Baskin-Robbins U.S.

 

(2)    

Includes fees paid to the Sponsors of $3.0 million for each of the fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010 and $750,000 for each of the three months ended March 27, 2010 and March 26, 2011 under a management agreement, which will be terminated upon the consummation of this offering. See “Related party transactions—Arrangements with our investors.”

 

(3)  

Includes the following amounts:

 

     Fiscal year ended      Three months ended  
     December 27,      December 26,     December 25,      March 27,      March 26,  
     2008      2009     2010      2010      2011  
     (Unaudited, $ in thousands)                

Stock compensation expense

   $ 1,749       $ 1,745      $ 1,461       $ 612       $ 241   

Transaction costs (a)

     —           —          1,083         —           37   

Senior executive transition and severance (b)

     1,340         3,889        4,306         323         273   

Franchisee-related restructuring (c)

     —           12,180        2,748         474         —     

Legal reserves and related costs

     —           —          4,813         —           475   

Breakage income on historical gift certificates

     —           (3,166     —           —           —     

New market entry (d)

     7,239         1,735        —           —           275   

Technology and market related initiatives (e)

     —           134        2,066         430         1,509   

 

  (a)   Represents costs and expenses related to our 2010 refinancing and dividend transactions.
  (b)   Represents severance and related benefit costs associated with non-recurring reorganizations (fiscal 2010 includes the accrual of costs associated with our executive Chairman transition).
  (c)   Represents one-time costs of franchisee-related restructuring programs.
  (d)   Represents one-time costs and fees associated with entry into new markets.
  (e)   Represents costs associated with various franchisee information technology and one-time market research programs.

 

(4)    

Includes amortization expense, net of tax, related to intangible franchise rights established in purchase accounting of $907,000, $899,000, and $897,000 for fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively, and $219,000 for each of the three months ended March 27, 2010 and March 26, 2011, respectively.

 

(5)    

Interest expense, net, for fiscal 2010 and the three months ended March 26, 2011 on a pro forma basis would have been approximately $71.7 million and $17.9 million, respectively, after giving effect to the November 2010 refinancing, the February 2011 re-pricing transaction, a $100.0 million increase in term loans outstanding under the senior credit facility and the repayment of the senior notes in their entirety, as if these transactions had occurred on the first day of the respective periods.

 

(6)  

The pro forma consolidated statements of operations data for fiscal 2010 and the three months ended March 26, 2011 give effect to (a) the reclassification of our Class A common stock and the conversion of our Class L common stock, both into our common stock, as described in “The reclassification,” (b) the issuance of common stock in this offering and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in “Use of proceeds,” (c) our anticipated additional $100.0 million in term loan borrowings and corresponding repayment of senior notes and (d) the termination of our management agreement with the Sponsors in connection with this offering, as if each had occurred on the first day of the period presented. See “Description of indebtedness–Senior credit facility” and “Related party transactions.”

 

(7)    

Amounts as of December 27, 2008 and December 26, 2009 include cash held in restricted accounts pursuant to the terms of the securitization indebtedness. Following the redemption and discharge of the securitization indebtedness in fiscal year 2010, such amounts are no longer restricted. The amounts also include cash held as advertising funds or reserved for gift card/certificate programs. Our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash balance at December 27, 2008 increased primarily as a result of short-term borrowings.

 

(8)    

Includes capital lease obligations of $4.2 million, $5.4 million, $5.4 million, $5.4 million and $5.3 million as of December 27, 2008, December 26, 2009, December 25, 2010, March 27, 2010 and March 26, 2011, respectively.

 

(9)    

Represents period end points of distribution.

 

(10)    

Represents the growth in average weekly sales for franchisee- and company-owned restaurants that have been open at least 54 weeks that have reported sales in the current and comparable prior year week.

 

(11)    

Franchisee-reported sales include sales at franchisee restaurants, including joint ventures.

 

(12)    

Company-owned store sales include sales at restaurants owned and operated by Dunkin’ Brands. During all periods presented, Baskin-Robbins U.S. company-owned store sales were less than $500,000.

 

(13)  

Systemwide sales growth represents the percentage change in sales at both franchisee- and company-owned restaurants from the comparable period of the prior year. Changes in systemwide sales are driven by changes in average comparable store sales and changes in the number of restaurants.

 

 

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Risk factors

An investment in our common stock involves various risks. You should carefully consider the following risks and all of the other information contained in this prospectus before investing in our common stock. The risks described below are those which we believe are the material risks that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or which we currently consider immaterial may also adversely affect our company. The trading price of our common stock could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment in our common stock.

Risks related to our business and industry

Our financial results are affected by the operating results of our franchisees.

We receive a substantial majority of our revenues in the form of royalties, which are generally based on a percentage of gross sales at franchised restaurants, rent and other fees from franchisees. Accordingly, our financial results are to a large extent dependent upon the operational and financial success of our franchisees. If sales trends or economic conditions worsen for franchisees, their financial results may deteriorate and our royalty, rent and other revenues may decline and our accounts receivable and related allowance for doubtful accounts may increase. In addition, if our franchisees fail to renew their franchise agreements, our royalty revenues may decrease which in turn could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

Our franchisees could take actions that could harm our business.

Our franchisees are contractually obligated to operate their restaurants in accordance with the operations, safety and health standards set forth in our agreements with them. However, franchisees are independent third parties whom we do not control. The franchisees own, operate and oversee the daily operations of their restaurants. As a result, the ultimate success and quality of any franchised restaurant rests with the franchisee. If franchisees do not successfully operate restaurants in a manner consistent with required standards, franchise fees paid to us and royalty income will be adversely affected and brand image and reputation could be harmed, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

Although we believe we generally enjoy a positive working relationship with the vast majority of our franchisees, active and/or potential disputes with franchisees could damage our brand reputation and/or our relationships with the broader franchisee group.

Our success depends substantially on the value of our brands.

Our success is dependent in large part upon our ability to maintain and enhance the value of our brands, our customers’ connection to our brands and a positive relationship with our franchisees. Brand value can be severely damaged even by isolated incidents, particularly if the incidents receive considerable negative publicity or result in litigation. Some of these incidents may relate to the way we manage our relationship with our franchisees, our growth strategies, our development efforts in domestic and foreign markets, or the ordinary course of our, or our franchisees’, business. Other incidents may arise from events that are or may be beyond our ability to control and may damage our brands, such as actions taken (or not taken) by one or more franchisees or their employees relating to health, safety, welfare or otherwise; litigation and claims; security breaches or other fraudulent activities associated with our electronic payment systems; and illegal activity

 

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targeted at us or others. Consumer demand for our products and our brands’ value could diminish significantly if any such incidents or other matters erode consumer confidence in us or our products, which would likely result in lower sales and, ultimately, lower royalty income, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

The quick service restaurant segment is highly competitive, and competition could lower our revenues.

The QSR segment of the restaurant industry is intensely competitive. The beverage and food products sold by our franchisees compete directly against products sold at other QSRs, local and regional beverage and food operations, specialty beverage and food retailers, supermarkets and wholesale suppliers, many bearing recognized brand names and having significant customer loyalty. In addition to the prevailing baseline level of competition, major market players in noncompeting industries may choose to enter the restaurant industry. Key competitive factors include the number and location of restaurants, quality and speed of service, attractiveness of facilities, effectiveness of advertising, marketing and operational programs, price, demographic patterns and trends, consumer preferences and spending patterns, menu diversification, health or dietary preferences and perceptions and new product development. Some of our competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources than us, which may provide them with a competitive advantage. In addition, we compete within the restaurant industry and the QSR segment not only for customers but also for qualified franchisees. We cannot guarantee the retention of any, including the top-performing, franchisees in the future, or that we will maintain the ability to attract, retain, and motivate sufficient numbers of franchisees of the same caliber, which could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results. If we are unable to maintain our competitive position, we could experience lower demand for products, downward pressure on prices, the loss of market share and the inability to attract, or loss of, qualified franchisees, which could result in lower franchise fees and royalty income, and materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

We cannot predict the impact that the following may have on our business: (i) new or improved technologies, (ii) alternative methods of delivery or (iii) changes in consumer behavior facilitated by these technologies and alternative methods of delivery.

Advances in technologies or alternative methods of delivery, including advances in vending machine technology and home coffee makers, or certain changes in consumer behavior driven by these or other technologies and methods of delivery could have a negative effect on our business. Moreover, technology and consumer offerings continue to develop, and we expect that new or enhanced technologies and consumer offerings will be available in the future. We may pursue certain of those technologies and consumer offerings if we believe they offer a sustainable customer proposition and can be successfully integrated into our business model. However, we cannot predict consumer acceptance of these delivery channels or their impact on our business. In addition, our competitors, some of whom have greater resources than us, may be able to benefit from changes in technologies or consumer acceptance of alternative methods of delivery, which could harm our competitive position. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully respond to changing consumer preferences, including with respect to new technologies and alternative methods of delivery, or to effectively adjust our product mix, service offerings and marketing and merchandising initiatives for products and services that address, and anticipate advances in, technology and market trends. If we are not able to successfully respond to these challenges, our business, financial condition and operating results could be harmed.

Economic conditions adversely affecting consumer discretionary spending may negatively impact our business and operating results.

We believe that our franchisees’ sales, customer traffic and profitability are strongly correlated to consumer discretionary spending, which is influenced by general economic conditions, unemployment levels and the

 

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availability of discretionary income. Recent economic developments have weakened consumer confidence and impacted spending of discretionary income. Our franchisees’ sales are dependent upon discretionary spending by consumers; any reduction in sales at franchised restaurants will result in lower royalty payments from franchisees to us and adversely impact our profitability. If the economic downturn continues for a prolonged period of time or becomes more pervasive, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, the pace of new restaurant openings may be slowed and restaurants may be forced to close, reducing the restaurant base from which we derive royalty income. As long as the weak economic environment continues, our franchisees’ sales and profitability and our overall business and operating results could be adversely affected.

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition.

We have, and after this offering and the application of the net proceeds therefrom, will continue to have, a significant amount of indebtedness. As of March 26, 2011, on an as adjusted basis after giving effect to this offering and the upsize to our term loan, we would have had total indebtedness of approximately $1.5 billion, excluding $11.2 million of undrawn letters of credit and $88.8 million of unused commitments under our senior credit facility.

Subject to the limits contained in the credit agreement governing our senior credit facility and our other debt instruments, we may be able to incur substantial additional debt from time to time to finance working capital, capital expenditures, investments or acquisitions, or for other purposes. If we do so, the risks related to our high level of debt could intensify. Specifically, our high level of debt could have important consequences, including:

 

 

limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other general corporate requirements;

 

 

requiring a substantial portion of our cash flow to be dedicated to debt service payments instead of other purposes, thereby reducing the amount of cash flow available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

 

 

increasing our vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions;

 

 

exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates as certain of our borrowings, including borrowings under the senior credit facility, are at variable rates of interest;

 

 

limiting our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in the industry in which we compete;

 

 

placing us at a disadvantage compared to other, less leveraged competitors or competitors with comparable debt at more favorable interest rates; and

 

 

increasing our cost of borrowing.

Our variable rate debt exposes us to interest rate risk which could adversely affect our cash flow.

The borrowings under our senior credit facility bear interest at variable rates. Other debt we incur also could be variable rate debt. If market interest rates increase, variable rate debt will create higher debt service requirements, which could adversely affect our cash flow. While we may in the future enter into agreements limiting our exposure to higher interest rates, any such agreements may not offer complete protection from this risk.

 

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The terms of our indebtedness restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes or to take certain actions.

The credit agreement governing our senior credit facility contains a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and may limit our ability to engage in acts that may be in our long-term best interest, including restrictions on our ability to:

 

 

incur certain liens;

 

 

incur additional indebtedness and guarantee indebtedness;

 

 

pay dividends or make other distributions in respect of, or repurchase or redeem, capital stock;

 

 

prepay, redeem or repurchase certain debt;

 

 

make investments, loans, advances and acquisitions;

 

 

sell or otherwise dispose of assets, including capital stock of our subsidiaries;

 

 

enter into transactions with affiliates;

 

 

alter the businesses we conduct;

 

 

enter into agreements restricting our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends; and

 

 

consolidate, merge or sell all or substantially all of our assets.

In addition, the restrictive covenants in the credit agreement governing our senior credit facility require us to maintain specified financial ratios and satisfy other financial condition tests. Our ability to meet those financial ratios and tests can be affected by events beyond our control.

A breach of the covenants under the credit agreement governing our senior credit facility could result in an event of default under the applicable indebtedness. Such a default may allow the creditors to accelerate the related debt and may result in the acceleration of any other debt to which a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision applies. In addition, an event of default under the credit agreement governing our senior credit facility would permit the lenders under our senior credit facility to terminate all commitments to extend further credit under that facility. Furthermore, if we were unable to repay the amounts due and payable under our senior credit facility, those lenders could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness, which could force us into bankruptcy or liquidation. In the event our lenders accelerate the repayment of our borrowings, we and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness.

If our operating performance declines, we may in the future need to obtain waivers from the required lenders under our senior credit facility to avoid being in default. If we breach our covenants under our senior credit facility and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders. If this occurs we would be in default under our senior credit facility, the lenders could exercise their rights, as described above, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

Infringement, misappropriation or dilution of our intellectual property could harm our business.

We regard our Dunkin’ Donuts ® and Baskin-Robbins ® trademarks as having significant value and as being important factors in the marketing of our brands. We have also obtained trademark protection for several of

 

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our product offerings and advertising slogans, including “America Runs on Dunkin’ ® ” and “What are you Drinkin’?®” . We believe that these and other intellectual property are valuable assets that are critical to our success. We rely on a combination of protections provided by contracts, as well as copyright, patent, trademark, and other laws, such as trade secret and unfair competition laws, to protect our intellectual property from infringement, misappropriation or dilution. We have registered certain trademarks and service marks and have other trademark and service mark registration applications pending in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions. However, not all of the trademarks or service marks that we currently use have been registered in all of the countries in which we do business, and they may never be registered in all of those countries. Although we monitor trademark portfolios both internally and through external search agents and impose an obligation on franchisees to notify us upon learning of potential infringement, there can be no assurance that we will be able to adequately maintain, enforce and protect our trademarks or other intellectual property rights. We are aware of names and marks similar to our service marks being used by other persons in certain geographic areas in which we have restaurants. Although we believe such uses will not adversely affect us, further or currently unknown unauthorized uses or other infringement of our trademarks or service marks could diminish the value of our brands and may adversely affect our business. Effective intellectual property protection may not be available in every country in which we have or intend to open or franchise a restaurant. Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property rights could damage our brands and impair our ability to compete effectively. Even where we have effectively secured statutory protection for our trade secrets and other intellectual property, our competitors may misappropriate our intellectual property and our employees, consultants and suppliers may breach their contractual obligations not to reveal our confidential information including trade secrets. Although we have taken measures to protect our intellectual property, there can be no assurance that these protections will be adequate or that third parties will not independently develop products or concepts that are substantially similar to ours. Despite our efforts, it may be possible for third-parties to reverse-engineer, otherwise obtain, copy, and use information that we regard as proprietary. Furthermore, defending or enforcing our trademark rights, branding practices and other intellectual property, and seeking an injunction and/or compensation for misappropriation of confidential information, could result in the expenditure of significant resources and divert the attention of management, which in turn may materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

Although we monitor and restrict franchisee activities through our franchise and license agreements, franchisees may refer to our brands improperly in writings or conversation, resulting in the dilution of our intellectual property. Franchisee noncompliance with the terms and conditions of our franchise or license agreements may reduce the overall goodwill of our brands, whether through the failure to meet health and safety standards, engage in quality control or maintain product consistency, or through the participation in improper or objectionable business practices. Moreover, unauthorized third parties may use our intellectual property to trade on the goodwill of our brands, resulting in consumer confusion or dilution. Any reduction of our brands’ goodwill, consumer confusion, or dilution is likely to impact sales, and could materially and adversely impact our business and operating results.

Under certain license agreements, our subsidiaries have licensed to Dunkin’ Brands the right to use certain trademarks, and in connection with those licenses, Dunkin’ Brands monitors the use of trademarks and the quality of the licensed products. While courts have generally approved the delegation of quality-control obligations by a trademark licensor to a licensee under appropriate circumstances, there can be no guarantee that these arrangements will not be deemed invalid on the ground that the trademark owner is not controlling the nature and quality of goods and services sold under the licensed trademarks.

 

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The restaurant industry is affected by consumer preferences and perceptions. Changes in these preferences and perceptions may lessen the demand for our products, which could reduce sales by our franchisees and reduce our royalty revenues.

The restaurant industry is affected by changes in consumer tastes, national, regional and local economic conditions and demographic trends. For instance, if prevailing health or dietary preferences cause consumers to avoid donuts and other products we offer in favor of foods that are perceived as more healthy, our franchisees’ sales would suffer, resulting in lower royalty payments to us, and our business and operating results would be harmed.

If we fail to successfully implement our growth strategy, which includes opening new domestic and international restaurants, our ability to increase our revenues and operating profits could be adversely affected.

Our growth strategy relies in part upon new restaurant development by existing and new franchisees. We and our franchisees face many challenges in opening new restaurants, including:

 

 

availability of financing;

 

 

selection and availability of suitable restaurant locations;

 

 

competition for restaurant sites;

 

 

negotiation of acceptable lease and financing terms;

 

 

securing required domestic or foreign governmental permits and approvals;

 

 

consumer tastes in new geographic regions and acceptance of our products;

 

 

employment and training of qualified personnel;

 

 

impact of inclement weather, natural disasters and other acts of nature; and

 

 

general economic and business conditions.

In particular, because the majority of our new restaurant development is funded by franchisee investment, our growth strategy is dependent on our franchisees’ (or prospective franchisees’) ability to access funds to finance such development. We do not provide our franchisees with direct financing and therefore their ability to access borrowed funds generally depends on their independent relationships with various financial institutions. If our franchisees (or prospective franchisees) are not able to obtain financing at commercially reasonable rates, or at all, they may be unwilling or unable to invest in the development of new restaurants, and our future growth could be adversely affected. Our failure to add a significant number of new restaurants would adversely affect our ability to increase our revenues and operating income.

To the extent our franchisees are unable to open new stores as we anticipate, our revenue growth would come primarily from growth in comparable store sales. Our failure to add a significant number of new restaurants or grow comparable store sales would adversely affect our ability to increase our revenues and operating income and could materially and adversely harm our business and operating results.

Increases in commodity prices may negatively affect payments from our franchisees and licensees.

Coffee and other commodity prices are subject to substantial price fluctuations, stemming from variations in weather patterns, shifting political or economic conditions in coffee-producing countries and delays in the

 

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supply chain. If commodity prices rise, franchisees may experience reduced sales, due to decreased consumer demand at retail prices that have been raised to offset increased commodity prices, which may reduce franchisee profitability. Any such decline in franchisee sales will reduce our royalty income, which in turn may materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

Through our wholly-owned subsidiary Dunkin’ Brands Canada Ltd. (“DBCL”), we manufacture ice cream at a facility located in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada (the “Peterborough Facility”). We sell such ice cream to certain international franchisees for their resale. As a result, we are subject to risks associated with dairy products and sugar, the primary ingredients used in the production of ice cream at the Peterborough Facility, including price fluctuations and interruptions in the supply chain of these commodities. If the prices of these commodities rise, we may increase the cost of ice cream sold to such international franchisees, but only after a thirty day notice period, during which our margin on such sales would decline.

Our joint ventures in Japan and South Korea (the “International JVs”), as well as our licensees in Russia and India, do not rely on the Peterborough Facility and instead manufacture ice cream products independently. Each of the International JVs owns a manufacturing facility in its country of operation. The revenues derived from the International JVs differ fundamentally from those of other types of franchise arrangements in the system because the income that we receive from the International JVs are based in part on the profitability, rather than the gross sales, of the restaurants operated by the International JVs. Accordingly, in the event that the International JVs experience staple ingredient price increases that adversely affect the profitability of the restaurants operated by the International JVs, that decrease in profitability would reduce distributions by the International JVs to us, which in turn could materially and adversely impact our business and operating results.

Shortages of coffee could adversely affect our revenues.

If coffee consumption continues to increase worldwide or there is a disruption in the supply of coffee due to natural disasters, political unrest or other calamities, the global coffee supply may fail to meet demand. If coffee demand is not met, franchisees may experience reduced sales which, in turn, would reduce our royalty income. Such a reduction in our royalty income may materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

We and our franchisees rely on computer systems to process transactions and manage our business, and a disruption or a failure of such systems or technology could harm our ability to effectively manage our business.

Network and information technology systems are integral to our business. We utilize various computer systems, including our FAST System and our EFTPay System, which are customized, web-based systems. The FAST System is the system by which our U.S. and Canadian franchisees report their weekly sales and pay their corresponding royalty fees and required advertising fund contributions. When sales are reported by a U.S. or Canadian franchisee, a withdrawal for the authorized amount is initiated from the franchisee’s bank after 12 days (from the week ending or month ending date). The FAST System is critical to our ability to accurately track sales and compute royalties due from our U.S. and Canadian franchisees. The EFTPay System is used by our U.S. and Canadian franchisees to make payments against open, non-fee invoices (i.e., all invoices except royalty and advertising funds). When a franchisee selects an invoice and submits the payment, on the following day a withdrawal for the selected amount is initiated from the franchisee’s bank. Our systems, including the FAST System and the EFTPay System, are subject to damage and/or interruption as a result of power outages, computer and network failures, computer viruses and other disruptive software, security breaches, catastrophic events and improper usage by employees. Such events could have an adverse impact on us, including a disruption in operations, a need for a costly repair, upgrade or replacement of systems, or a decrease in, or in the collection of, royalties paid to us by our franchisees.

 

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Interruptions in the supply of product to franchisees and licensees could adversely affect our revenues.

In order to maintain quality-control standards and consistency among restaurants, we require through our franchise agreements that our franchisees obtain food and other supplies from preferred suppliers approved in advance. In this regard, we and our franchisees depend on an integral group of suppliers for ingredients, foodstuffs, beverages and disposable serving instruments including, but not limited to, Rich Products Corp., Dean Foods Co., Sara Lee Corporation and Silver Pail Dairy, Ltd. as well as four coffee roasters and two donut mix suppliers. To facilitate the efficiency of our franchisees’ supply chain, we have historically entered into several preferred-supplier arrangements for particular food or beverage items.

The Dunkin’ Donuts system is supported domestically by the franchisee-owned purchasing and distribution cooperative known as the National Distributor Commitment Program (the “NDCP”). We have a long-term agreement with the NDCP for the NDCP to provide substantially all of the goods needed to operate a Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant in the U.S. The NDCP also supplies some international markets. The NDCP aggregates the franchisee demand, sends requests for proposals to approved suppliers and negotiates contracts for approved items. The NDCP also inventories the items in its four regional distribution centers and ships products to franchisees at least one time per week. Other than through certain contractual rights, we have limited ability to control the NDCP. While the NDCP maintains contingency plans with its top tier suppliers and has a contingency plan for its own distribution function to restaurants, our franchisees bear risks associated with the timeliness, solvency, reputation, labor relations, freight costs, price of raw materials and compliance with health and safety standards of each supplier (including DBCL and those of the International JVs) including, but not limited to, risks associated with contamination to food and beverage products. We have little control over such suppliers other than DBCL, which produces ice cream for resale by us. Disruptions in these relationships may reduce franchisee sales and, in turn, our royalty income.

Overall difficulty of suppliers (including DBCL and those of the International JVs) meeting franchisee product demand, interruptions in the supply chain, obstacles or delays in the process of renegotiating or renewing agreements with preferred suppliers, financial difficulties experienced by suppliers, or the deficiency, lack, or poor quality of alternative suppliers could adversely impact franchisee sales which, in turn, would reduce our royalty income and could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

We may not be able to recoup our expenditures on properties we sublease to franchisees.

Pursuant to the terms of certain prime leases we have entered into with third-party landlords, we may be required to construct or improve a property, pay taxes, maintain insurance and comply with building codes and other applicable laws. The subleases we enter into with franchisees related to such properties typically pass through such obligations, but if a franchisee fails to perform the obligations passed through to them, we will be required to perform those obligations, resulting in an increase in our leasing and operational costs and expenses. Additionally, in some locations, we may pay more rent and other amounts to third-party landlords under a prime lease than we receive from the franchisee who subleases such property. Typically, our franchisees’ rent is based in part on a percentage of gross sales at the restaurant, so a downturn in gross sales would negatively affect the level of the payments we receive.

If the international markets in which we compete are affected by changes in political, social, legal, economic or other factors, our business and operating results may be materially and adversely affected.

As of March 26, 2011, we had 6,965 restaurants located in 56 foreign countries. The international operations of our franchisees may subject us to additional risks, which differ in each country in which our franchisees operate, and such risks may negatively affect our result in a delay in or loss of royalty income to us.

 

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The factors impacting the international markets in which restaurants are located may include:

 

 

recessionary or expansive trends in international markets;

 

 

changes in foreign currency exchange rates and hyperinflation or deflation in the foreign countries in which we or the International JVs operate;

 

 

the imposition of restrictions on currency conversion or the transfer of funds;

 

 

increases in the taxes paid and other changes in applicable tax laws;

 

 

legal and regulatory changes and the burdens and costs of local operators’ compliance with a variety of laws, including trade restrictions and tariffs;

 

 

interruptions in the supply of product;

 

 

increases in anti-American sentiment and the identification of the Dunkin’ Donuts brand and Baskin-Robbins brand as American brands;

 

 

political and economic instability; and

 

 

natural disasters and other calamities.

Any or all of these factors may reduce distributions from our International JVs or other international partners and/or royalty income, which in turn may materially and adversely impact our business and operating results.

Termination of an arrangement with a master franchisee could adversely impact our revenues.

Internationally, and in limited cases domestically, we enter into relationships with “master franchisees” to develop and operate restaurants in defined geographic areas. Master franchisees are granted exclusivity rights with respect to larger territories than the typical franchisee, and in particular cases, expansion after minimum requirements are met is subject to the discretion of the master franchisee. The termination of an arrangement with a master franchisee or a lack of expansion by certain master franchisees could result in the delay of the development of franchised restaurants, or an interruption in the operation of one of our brands in a particular market or markets. Any such delay or interruption would result in a delay in, or loss of, royalty income to us whether by way of delayed royalty income or delayed revenues from the sale of ice cream products by us to franchisees internationally, or reduced sales. Any interruption in operations due to the termination of an arrangement with a master franchisee similarly could result in lower revenues for us, particularly if we were to determine to close restaurants following the termination of an arrangement with a master franchisee.

Our contracts with the U.S. military are non-exclusive and may be terminated with little notice.

We have contracts with the U.S. military, including with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service and the Navy Exchange Service Command. These military contracts are predominantly between the U.S. military and Baskin-Robbins. We derive revenue from the arrangements provided for under these contracts mainly through the sale of ice cream to the U.S. military (rather than through royalties) for resale on base locations and in field operations. While revenues derived from arrangements with the U.S. military represented less than 2% of our total revenues and less than 6% of our international revenues for 2010, because these contracts are non-exclusive and cancellable with minimal notice and have no minimum purchase requirements, revenues attributable to these contracts may vary significantly year to year. Any changes in the U.S. military’s domestic or international needs, or a decision by the U.S. military to use a different supplier, could result in lower revenues for us.

 

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Fluctuations in exchange rates affect our revenues.

We are subject to inherent risks attributed to operating in a global economy. Most of our revenues, costs and debts are denominated in U.S. dollars. However, sales made by franchisees outside of the U.S. are denominated in the currency of the country in which the point of distribution is located, and this currency could become less valuable prior to calculation of our royalty payments in U.S. dollars as a result of exchange rate fluctuations. As a result, currency fluctuations could reduce our royalty income. Unfavorable currency fluctuations could result in a reduction in our revenues. Cost of ice cream produced in the Peterborough Facility in Canada as well as income we earn from our joint ventures are also subject to currency fluctuations. These currency fluctuations affecting our revenues and costs could adversely affect our business and operating results.

Adverse public or medical opinions about the health effects of consuming our products, as well as reports of incidents involving food-borne illnesses or food tampering, whether or not accurate, could harm our brands and our business.

Some of our products contain caffeine, dairy products, sugar and other active compounds, the health effects of which are the subject of increasing public scrutiny, including the suggestion that excessive consumption of caffeine, dairy products, sugar and other active compounds can lead to a variety of adverse health effects. There has also been greater public awareness that sedentary lifestyles, combined with excessive consumption of high-calorie foods, have led to a rapidly rising rate of obesity. In the U.S. and certain other countries, there is increasing consumer awareness of health risks, including obesity, as well as increased consumer litigation based on alleged adverse health impacts of consumption of various food products. While we offer some healthier beverage and food items, including reduced fat items, an unfavorable report on the health effects of caffeine or other compounds present in our products, or negative publicity or litigation arising from other health risks such as obesity, could significantly reduce the demand for our beverages and food products.

Similarly, instances or reports, whether true or not, of unclean water supply, food-borne illnesses and food tampering have in the past severely injured the reputations of companies in the food processing, grocery and QSR segments and could in the future affect us as well. Any report linking us or our franchisees to the use of unclean water, food-borne illnesses or food tampering could damage our brands’ value, immediately and severely hurt sales of beverages and food products and possibly lead to product liability claims. In addition, instances of food-borne illnesses or food tampering, even those occurring solely at the restaurants of competitors, could, by resulting in negative publicity about the foodservice or restaurant industry, adversely affect our sales on a regional or global basis. A decrease in customer traffic as a result of these health concerns or negative publicity could materially and adversely affect our brands and our business.

We may not be able to enforce payment of fees under certain of our franchise arrangements.

In certain limited instances, a franchisee may be operating a restaurant in the U.S. pursuant to an unwritten franchise arrangement. Such circumstances may arise where a franchisee arrangement has expired and new or renewal agreements have yet to be executed or where the franchisee has developed and opened a restaurant but has failed to memorialize the franchisor-franchisee relationship in an executed agreement as of the opening date of such restaurant. In certain other limited instances, we may allow a franchisee in good standing to operate domestically pursuant to franchise arrangements which have expired in their normal course and have not yet been renewed. There is a risk that either category of these franchise arrangements may not be enforceable under federal, state and local laws and regulations prior to correction or if left uncorrected. In these instances, the franchise arrangements may be enforceable on the basis of custom and assent of performance. If the franchisee, however, were to neglect to remit royalty payments in a timely fashion, we may

 

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be unable to enforce the payment of such fees which, in turn, may materially and adversely affect our business and operating results. While we generally require franchise arrangements in foreign jurisdictions to be entered into pursuant to written franchise arrangements, subject to certain exceptions, some expired contracts, letters of intent or oral agreements in existence may not be enforceable under local laws, which could impair our ability to collect royalty income, which in turn may materially and adversely impact our business and operating results.

Our business activities subject us to litigation risk that could affect us adversely by subjecting us to significant money damages and other remedies or by increasing our litigation expense.

In the ordinary course of business, we are the subject of complaints or litigation from franchisees, usually related to alleged breaches of contract or wrongful termination under the franchise arrangements. In addition, we are, from time to time, the subject of complaints or litigation from customers alleging illness, injury or other food-quality, health or operational concerns and from suppliers alleging breach of contract. We may also be subject to employee claims based on, among other things, discrimination, harassment or wrongful termination. Finally, litigation against a franchisee or its affiliates by third parties, whether in the ordinary course of business or otherwise, may include claims against us by virtue of our relationship with the defendant-franchisee. In addition to decreasing the ability of a defendant-franchisee to make royalty payments and diverting our management resources, adverse publicity resulting from such allegations may materially and adversely affect us and our brands, regardless of whether such allegations are valid or whether we are liable. A substantial unsatisfied judgment against us or one of our subsidiaries could result in bankruptcy, which would materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

Our business is subject to various laws and regulations and changes in such laws and regulations, and/or failure to comply with existing or future laws and regulations, could adversely affect us.

We are subject to state franchise registration requirements, the rules and regulations of the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”), various state laws regulating the offer and sale of franchises in the U.S. through the provision of franchise disclosure documents containing certain mandatory disclosures and certain rules and requirements regulating franchising arrangements in foreign countries. Although we believe that the Franchisors’ Franchise Disclosure Documents, together with any applicable state-specific versions or supplements, and franchising procedures that we use comply in all material respects with both the FTC guidelines and all applicable state laws regulating franchising in those states in which we offer new franchise arrangements, noncompliance could reduce anticipated royalty income, which in turn may materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

Our franchisees are subject to various existing U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws affecting the operation of the restaurants including various health, sanitation, fire and safety standards. Franchisees may in the future become subject to regulation (or further regulation) seeking to tax or regulate high-fat foods or requiring the display of detailed nutrition information, which would be costly to comply with and could result in reduced demand for our products. In connection with the continued operation or remodeling of certain restaurants, the franchisees may be required to expend funds to meet U.S. federal, state and local and foreign regulations. Difficulties in obtaining, or the failure to obtain, required licenses or approvals could delay or prevent the opening of a new restaurant in a particular area or cause an existing restaurant to cease operations. All of these situations would decrease sales of an affected restaurant and reduce royalty payments to us with respect to such restaurant.

The franchisees are also subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, and various other laws in the U.S. and in foreign countries governing such matters as minimum-wage requirements, overtime and other

 

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working conditions and citizenship requirements. A significant number of our franchisees’ food-service employees are paid at rates related to the U.S. federal minimum wage, and past increases in the U.S. federal minimum wage have increased labor costs, as would future increases. Any increases in labor costs might result in franchisees inadequately staffing restaurants. Understaffed restaurants could reduce sales at such restaurants, decrease royalty payments and adversely affect our brands.

Our and our franchisees’ operations and properties are subject to extensive U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulations, including those relating to environmental, building and zoning requirements. Our development of properties for leasing or subleasing to franchisees depends to a significant extent on the selection and acquisition of suitable sites, which are subject to zoning, land use, environmental, traffic and other regulations and requirements. Failure to comply with legal requirements could result in, among other things, revocation of required licenses, administrative enforcement actions, fines and civil and criminal liability. We may incur investigation, remediation or other costs related to releases of hazardous materials or other environmental conditions at our properties, regardless of whether such environmental conditions were created by us or a third party, such as a prior owner or tenant. We have incurred costs to address soil and groundwater contamination at some sites, and continue to incur nominal remediation costs at some of our other locations. If such issues become more expensive to address, or if new issues arise, they could increase our expenses, generate negative publicity, or otherwise adversely affect us.

Our tax returns and positions are subject to review and audit by federal, state and local taxing authorities and adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

The federal income tax returns of the Company for fiscal years 2006, 2007 and 2008 are currently under audit by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), and the IRS has proposed adjustments for fiscal years 2006 and 2007 to increase our taxable income as it relates to our gift card program, specifically to record taxable income upon the activation of gift cards. We have filed a protest to the IRS’ proposed adjustments, and we believe we have alternative grounds to appeal on should this position be denied (see Note 14 of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus). While we believe that the Company has properly reported taxable income and paid taxes in accordance with applicable laws and that the proposed adjustments are inconsistent with our franchisor model and the structure of our gift card program, no assurance can be made that we will prevail in the final resolution of this matter. An unfavorable outcome from any tax audit could result in higher tax costs, penalties and interest, thereby negatively and adversely impacting our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We are subject to a variety of additional risks associated with our franchisees.

Our franchise system subjects us to a number of risks, any one of which may impact our ability to collect royalty payments from our franchisees, may harm the goodwill associated with our brands, and/or may materially and adversely impact our business and results of operations.

Bankruptcy of U.S. Franchisees. A franchisee bankruptcy could have a substantial negative impact on our ability to collect payments due under such franchisee’s franchise arrangements and, to the extent such franchisee is a lessee pursuant to a franchisee lease/sublease with us, payments due under such franchisee lease/sublease. In a franchisee bankruptcy, the bankruptcy trustee may reject its franchise arrangements and/or franchisee lease/sublease pursuant to Section 365 under the United States bankruptcy code, in which case there would be no further royalty payments and/or franchisee lease/sublease payments from such franchisee, and there can be no assurance as to the proceeds, if any, that may ultimately be recovered in a bankruptcy proceeding of such franchisee in connection with a damage claim resulting from such rejection.

 

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Franchisee Changes in Control. The franchise arrangements prohibit “changes in control” of a franchisee without our consent as the franchisor, except in the event of the death or disability of a franchisee (if a natural person) or a principal of a franchisee entity. In such event, the executors and representatives of the franchisee are required by to transfer the relevant franchise arrangements to a successor franchisee approved by the franchisor. There is, however, no assurance that any such successor would be found or, if found, would be able to perform the former franchisee’s obligations under such franchise arrangements or successfully operate the restaurant. If a successor franchisee is not found, or if the successor franchisee that is found is not as successful in operating the restaurant as the then-deceased franchisee or franchisee principal, the sales of the restaurant could be adversely affected.

Franchisee Insurance. The franchise arrangements require each franchisee to maintain certain insurance types and levels. Certain extraordinary hazards, however, may not be covered, and insurance may not be available (or may be available only at prohibitively expensive rates) with respect to many other risks. Moreover, any loss incurred could exceed policy limits and policy payments made to franchisees may not be made on a timely basis. Any such loss or delay in payment could have a material and adverse effect on a franchisee’s ability to satisfy its obligations under its franchise arrangement, including its ability to make royalty payments.

Some of our Franchisees are Operating Entities. Franchisees may be natural persons or legal entities. Our franchisees that are operating companies (as opposed to limited purpose entities) are subject to business, credit, financial and other risks, which may be unrelated to the operations of the restaurants. These unrelated risks could materially and adversely affect a franchisee that is an operating company and its ability to make its royalty payments in full or on a timely basis, which in turn may materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

Franchise Arrangement Termination; Nonrenewal. Each franchise arrangement is subject to termination by us as the franchisor in the event of a default, generally after expiration of applicable cure periods, although under certain circumstances a franchise arrangement may be terminated by us upon notice without an opportunity to cure. The default provisions under the franchise arrangements are drafted broadly and include, among other things, any failure to meet operating standards and actions that may threaten the licensed intellectual property.

In addition, each franchise agreement has an expiration date. Upon the expiration of the franchise arrangement, we or the franchisee may, or may not, elect to renew the franchise arrangements. If the franchisee arrangement is renewed, the franchisee will receive a “successor” franchise arrangement for an additional term. Such option, however, is contingent on the franchisee’s execution of the then-current form of franchise arrangements (which may include increased royalty payments, advertising fees and other costs), the satisfaction of certain conditions (including modernization of the restaurant and related operations) and the payment of a renewal fee. If a franchisee is unable or unwilling to satisfy any of the foregoing conditions, the expiring franchise arrangements will terminate upon expiration of the term of the franchise arrangements.

Product Liability Exposure. We require franchisees to maintain insurance coverage to protect against the risk of product liability and demand strict franchisee compliance with health and safety regulations. However, franchisees may receive through the supply chain (from central manufacturing locations (CMLs), NDCP or otherwise), or produce defective food or beverage products, which may adversely impact our brands’ goodwill.

Americans with Disabilities Act. Restaurants located in the U.S. must comply with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (the “ADA”). Although we believe newer restaurants meet the ADA construction standards and, further, that franchisees have historically been diligent in the remodeling of older restaurants, a finding of noncompliance with the ADA could result in the imposition of injunctive relief, fines, an award of damages to private litigants or additional capital expenditures to remedy such noncompliance. Any

 

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imposition of injunctive relief, fines, damage awards or capital expenditures could adversely affect the ability of a franchisee to make royalty payments, or could generate negative publicity, or otherwise adversely affect us.

Franchisee Litigation. Franchisees are subject to a variety of litigation risks, including, but not limited to, customer claims, personal-injury claims, environmental claims, employee allegations of improper termination and discrimination, claims related to violations of the ADA, religious freedom, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) and intellectual-property claims. Each of these claims may increase costs and limit the funds available to make royalty payments and reduce the execution of new franchise arrangements.

Potential conflicts with franchisee organizations . Although we believe our relationship with our franchisees is open and strong, the nature of the franchisor-franchisee relationship can give rise to conflict. In the U.S., our approach is collaborative in that we have established district advisory councils, regional advisory councils and a national brand advisory council for each of the Dunkin’ Donuts brand and the Baskin-Robbins brand. The councils are comprised of franchisees and brand employees and executives, and they meet to discuss the strengths, weaknesses, challenges and opportunities facing the brands as well as the rollout of new products and projects. Internationally, our operations are primarily conducted through joint ventures with local licensees, so our relationships are conducted directly with our licensees rather than separate advisory committees. No material disputes exist in the U.S. or internationally at this time.

Failure to retain our existing senior management team or the inability to attract and retain new qualified personnel could hurt our business and inhibit our ability to operate and grow successfully.

Our success will continue to depend to a significant extent on our executive management team and the ability of other key management personnel to replace executives who retire or resign. We may not be able to retain our executive officers and key personnel or attract additional qualified management personnel to replace executives who retire or resign. Failure to retain our leadership team and attract and retain other important personnel could lead to ineffective management and operations, which could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

If we or our franchisees or licensees are unable to protect our customers’ credit card data, we or our franchisees could be exposed to data loss, litigation, and liability, and our reputation could be significantly harmed.

Privacy protection is increasingly demanding and the introduction of electronic payment methods exposes us and our franchisees to increased risk of privacy and/or security breaches as well as other risks. In connection with credit card sales, our franchisees (and we from our company-operated restaurants) transmit confidential credit card information by way of secure private retail networks. Although we use private networks, third parties may have the technology or know-how to breach the security of the customer information transmitted in connection with credit card sales, and our franchisees’ and our security measures and those of our technology vendors may not effectively prohibit others from obtaining improper access to this information. If a person is able to circumvent these security measures, he or she could destroy or steal valuable information or disrupt our operations. Any security breach could expose us to risks of data loss, litigation, and liability, and could seriously disrupt our operations. Any resulting negative publicity could significantly harm our reputation and could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

Catastrophic events may disrupt our business.

Unforeseen events, including war, terrorism and other international, regional or local instability or conflicts (including labor issues), embargos, public health issues (including tainted food, food-borne illnesses, food

 

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tampering, or water supply or widespread/pandemic illness such as the avian or H1N1 flu), and natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, or other adverse weather and climate conditions, whether occurring in the U.S. or abroad, could disrupt our operations or that of our franchisees, or suppliers; or result in political or economic instability. For example, the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan resulted in the temporary closing of a number of Baskin-Robbins restaurants, seven of which remain closed. These events could reduce traffic in our restaurants and demand for our products; make it difficult or impossible for our franchisees to receive products from their suppliers; disrupt or prevent our ability to perform functions at the corporate level; and/or otherwise impede our or our franchisees’ ability to continue business operations in a continuous manner consistent with the level and extent of business activities prior to the occurrence of the unexpected event or events, which in turn may materially and adversely impact our business and operating results.

Risks related to this offering and our common stock

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules and, as a result, we will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.

After completion of this offering, the Sponsors will continue to control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of The NASDAQ Global Select Market. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:

 

 

the requirement that a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors;

 

 

the requirement that we have a nominating/corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities, or otherwise have director nominees selected by vote of a majority of the independent directors;

 

 

the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

 

 

the requirement for an annual performance evaluation of the nominating/corporate governance and compensation committees.

Following this offering, we intend to utilize these exemptions. As a result, we will not have a majority of independent directors, our nominating and corporate governance committee and compensation committee will not consist entirely of independent directors and such committees will not be subject to annual performance evaluations. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of The NASDAQ Global Select Market.

The Sponsors, however, are not subject to any contractual obligation to retain their controlling interest, except that they have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, not to sell or otherwise dispose of any shares of our common stock or other capital stock or other securities exercisable or convertible therefor for a period of at least 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated. Except for this brief period, there can be no assurance as to the period of time during which any of the Sponsors will maintain their ownership of our common stock following the offering.

 

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Our stock price could be extremely volatile and, as a result, you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price you paid for them.

Since the time that we were acquired by Allied Domecq PLC in 1989, there has not been a public market for our common stock, and an active public market for our common stock may not develop or be sustained after this offering. In addition, the stock market in general has been highly volatile. As a result, the market price of our common stock is likely to be similarly volatile, and investors in our common stock may experience a decrease, which could be substantial, in the value of their stock, including decreases unrelated to our operating performance or prospects, and could lose part or all of their investment. The price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a number of factors, including those described elsewhere in this prospectus and others such as:

 

 

variations in our operating performance and the performance of our competitors;

 

 

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results;

 

 

publication of research reports by securities analysts about us or our competitors or our industry;

 

 

our failure or the failure of our competitors to meet analysts’ projections or guidance that we or our competitors may give to the market;

 

 

additions and departures of key personnel;

 

 

strategic decisions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs, joint ventures, strategic investments or changes in business strategy;

 

 

the passage of legislation or other regulatory developments affecting us or our industry;

 

 

speculation in the press or investment community;

 

 

changes in accounting principles;

 

 

terrorist acts, acts of war or periods of widespread civil unrest;

 

 

natural disasters and other calamities; and

 

 

changes in general market and economic conditions.

As we operate in a single industry, we are especially vulnerable to these factors to the extent that they affect our industry or our products, or to a lesser extent our markets. In the past, securities class action litigation has often been initiated against companies following periods of volatility in their stock price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, and could also require us to make substantial payments to satisfy judgments or to settle litigation.

Your percentage ownership in us may be diluted by future issuances of capital stock, which could reduce your influence over matters on which stockholders vote.

Following the closing of this offering, our board of directors has the authority, without action or vote of our stockholders, to issue all or any part of our authorized but unissued shares of common stock, including shares issuable upon the exercise of options, or shares of our authorized but unissued preferred stock. Issuances of common stock or voting preferred stock would reduce your influence over matters on which our stockholders vote, and, in the case of issuances of preferred stock, would likely result in your interest in us being subject to the prior rights of holders of that preferred stock.

 

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There may be sales of a substantial amount of our common stock after this offering by our current stockholders, and these sales could cause the price of our common stock to fall.

After this offering, there will be         shares of common stock outstanding. There will be         shares issued and outstanding if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares. Of our issued and outstanding shares, all the common stock sold in this offering will be freely transferable, except for any shares held by our “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Following completion of this offering, approximately     % of our outstanding common stock (or     % if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares from us) will be held by investment funds affiliated with the Sponsors and members of our management and employees.

Each of our directors, executive officers and significant equity holders (including affiliates of the Sponsors) have entered into a lock-up agreement with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated on behalf of the underwriters which regulates their sales of our common stock for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions and automatic extensions in certain circumstances. See “Shares eligible for future sale– Lock-up agreements.”

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market after this offering, or the perception that such sales will occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and make it difficult for us to raise funds through securities offerings in the future. Of the shares to be outstanding after the offering, the shares offered by this prospectus will be eligible for immediate sale in the public market without restriction by persons other than our affiliates. Our remaining outstanding shares will become available for resale in the public market as shown in the chart below.

 

Number of Shares   Date Available for Resale
                                                               180 days after this offering (             ,             ), subject to certain exceptions and                                                                automatic extensions in certain circumstances.

Beginning 180 days after this offering, subject to certain exceptions and automatic extensions in certain circumstances, holders of shares of our common stock may require us to register their shares for resale under the federal securities laws, and holders of additional shares of our common stock would be entitled to have their shares included in any such registration statement, all subject to reduction upon the request of the underwriter of the offering, if any. See “Related party transactions—Arrangements with our investors.” Registration of those shares would allow the holders to immediately resell their shares in the public market. Any such sales or anticipation thereof could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

In addition, after this offering, we intend to register shares of common stock that are reserved for issuance under our 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan. For more information, see “Shares eligible for future sale—Registration statements on form S-8.”

Provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law may deter takeover efforts that you feel would be beneficial to stockholder value.

In addition to the Sponsors’ beneficial ownership of a controlling percentage of our common stock, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law contain provisions which could make it harder for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so might be beneficial to our stockholders. These provisions include a classified board of directors and limitations on actions by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors has the right to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval that could be used to dilute a potential

 

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hostile acquiror. Delaware law also imposes some restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between us and any holder of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock. As a result, you may lose your ability to sell your stock for a price in excess of the prevailing market price due to these protective measures and efforts by stockholders to change the direction or management of the company may be unsuccessful. See “Description of capital stock.”

If you purchase shares in this offering, you will suffer immediate and substantial dilution.

If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution in the pro forma book value of your stock, which would have been $         per share as of March 26, 2011 based on an assumed initial public offering price of $         per share (the mid-point of the offering range shown on the cover of this prospectus), because the price that you pay will be substantially greater than the net tangible book value per share of the shares you acquire. You will experience additional dilution upon the exercise of options and warrants to purchase our common stock, including those options currently outstanding and those granted in the future, and the issuance of restricted stock or other equity awards under our stock incentive plans. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders will experience substantial additional dilution. See “Dilution.”

Requirements associated with being a public company will require significant company resources and management attention.

Prior to this offering, we were not subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the other rules and regulations of the SEC or any securities exchange relating to public companies. We are working with independent legal, accounting, financial and other advisors to identify those areas in which changes should be made to our financial and management control systems to manage our growth and our obligations as a public company. These areas include corporate governance, corporate control, internal audit, disclosure controls and procedures and financial reporting and accounting systems. We have made, and will continue to make, changes in these and other areas, including our internal controls over financial reporting. However, we cannot assure you that these and other measures we may take will be sufficient to allow us to satisfy our obligations as a public company on a timely basis.

In addition, compliance with reporting and other requirements applicable to public companies will create additional costs for us, will require the time and attention of management and will require the hiring of additional personnel and outside consultants. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of the additional costs we may incur, the timing of such costs or the degree to which our management’s attention will be consumed by these matters. In addition, being a public company could make it more difficult or more costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. The impact of these events could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees, or as executive officers.

The Sponsors will continue to have significant influence over us after this offering, including control over decisions that require the approval of stockholders, which could limit your ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, including a change of control.

We are currently controlled, and after this offering is completed will continue to be controlled, by the Sponsors. Upon completion of this offering, investment funds affiliated with the Sponsors will beneficially own     % of our outstanding common stock (    % if the underwriters exercise in full the option to purchase additional shares

 

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from us). For as long as the Sponsors continue to beneficially own shares of common stock representing more than 50% of the voting power of our common stock, they will be able to direct the election of all of the members of our board of directors and could exercise a controlling influence over our business and affairs, including any determinations with respect to mergers or other business combinations, the acquisition or disposition of assets, the incurrence of indebtedness, the issuance of any additional common stock or other equity securities, the repurchase or redemption of common stock and the payment of dividends. Similarly, these entities will have the power to determine matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders without the consent of our other stockholders, will have the power to prevent a change in our control and could take other actions that might be favorable to them. Even if their ownership falls below 50%, the Sponsors will continue to be able to strongly influence or effectively control our decisions. In addition, each of the Sponsors will have a contractual right to nominate two directors to our board for as long as such Sponsor owns at least 10% of our outstanding common stock (and one director for so long as such Sponsor owns at least 3% of our outstanding common stock) and the Sponsors will have certain contractual rights to have their nominees serve on our compensation committee and our nominating and governance committee. See “Related party transactions–Arrangements with our investors.”

Additionally, the Sponsors are in the business of making investments in companies and may acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. One or more of the Sponsors may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us.

Because we have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We may retain future earnings, if any, for future operation, expansion and debt repayment and have no current plans to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends may be limited by covenants of any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur, including our senior credit facility. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our common stock unless you sell our common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

 

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Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This prospectus includes statements that express our opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results and therefore are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “seeks,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this prospectus and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which we operate.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We believe that these risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in the “Risk factors” section of this prospectus, which include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

 

the ongoing level of profitability of our franchisees and licensees;

 

 

changes in working relationships with our franchisees and licensees and the actions of our franchisees and licensees;

 

 

the strength of our brand in the markets in which we compete;

 

 

changes in competition within the quick service restaurant segment of the food service industry;

 

 

changes in consumer behavior resulting from changes in technologies or alternative methods of delivery;

 

 

economic and political conditions in the countries where we operate;

 

 

our substantial indebtedness;

 

 

our ability to protect our intellectual property rights;

 

 

consumer preferences, spending patterns and demographic trends;

 

 

the success of our growth strategy and international development;

 

 

changes in commodity and food prices, particularly coffee, dairy products and sugar, and other operating costs;

 

 

shortages of coffee;

 

 

failure of our network and information technology systems;

 

 

interruptions or shortages in the supply of products to our franchisees and licensees;

 

 

inability to recover our capital costs;

 

 

changes in political, legal, economic or other factors in international markets;

 

 

termination of master franchisee agreement or contracts with the U.S. military;

 

 

currency exchange rates;

 

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the impact of food borne-illness or food safety issues or adverse public or medical opinions regarding the health effects of consuming our products;

 

 

our ability to collect royalty payments from our franchisees and licensees;

 

 

uncertainties relating to litigation;

 

 

changes in regulatory requirements or our and our franchisees and licensees ability to comply with current or future regulatory requirements;

 

 

review and audit of certain of our tax returns;

 

 

the ability of our franchisees and licensees to open new restaurants and keep existing restaurants in operation;

 

 

our ability to retain key personnel;

 

 

our inability to protect customer credit card data; and

 

 

catastrophic events.

Those factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read with the other cautionary statements in this prospectus.

Although we base these forward-looking statements on assumptions that we believe are reasonable when made, we caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.

Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement that we make in this prospectus speaks only as of the date of such statement, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of those statements to reflect future events or developments. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless specifically expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

 

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The reclassification

In connection with this offering, on                     , 2011, we reclassified our Class A common stock into common stock and effected a     -for-     reverse split of each class of our common stock. Immediately prior to this offering, we had two classes of common stock outstanding, common stock and Class L common stock. The Class L common stock was identical to the common stock, except that the Class L common stock was convertible into shares of our common stock as described below, and each share of Class L common stock was entitled to a preferential payment upon any distribution by us to holders of our capital stock, whether by dividend, liquidating distribution or otherwise, equal to the base amount for such share ($        ) plus an amount that accrued from March 1, 2006, the date that we were acquired by investment funds affiliated with the Sponsors, on the outstanding preference amount at a rate of 9% per annum, compounded quarterly. After payment of this preference amount, each share of common stock and Class L common stock shared equally in all distributions by us to holders of our common stock.

Immediately prior to this offering, we will convert each outstanding share of Class L common stock into one share of common stock plus an additional number of shares of common stock determined by dividing the Class L preference amount, currently estimated to be $         , by the initial public offering price of a share of our common stock in this offering net of the estimated underwriting discount and a pro rata portion, based upon the number of shares being sold in this offering, of the estimated offering-related expenses incurred by us.

References to the “reclassification” throughout this prospectus refer to the reclassification of our Class A common stock into our common stock, the     -for-     reverse stock split and the conversion of our Class L common stock into our common stock.

Assuming an initial public offering price of $         per share, which is the midpoint of the range set forth on the front cover of this prospectus,         shares of common stock will be outstanding immediately after the reclassification but before this offering. The actual number of shares of common stock that will be issued as a result of the reclassification is subject to change based on the actual initial public offering price and the closing date of this offering. See “Description of capital stock.”

 

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Use of proceeds

We estimate that the net proceeds we will receive from the sale of         shares of our common stock in this offering, after deducting underwriter discounts and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us, will be approximately $         million (or $         million, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). This estimate assumes an initial public offering price of $         per share, the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $         per share would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by $         million, assuming the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with the net proceeds from our additional $100 million of term loan borrowings, as described under “Description of indebtedness—Senior credit facility,” to repay all amounts outstanding under the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. 9  5 / 8 % senior notes due December 1, 2018, and to use any remaining net proceeds for working capital and for general corporate purposes. As of April 30, 2011, there was approximately $475.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. 9  5 / 8 % senior notes outstanding. The senior notes were issued on November 23, 2010, and the proceeds of the senior notes (together with borrowings under Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.’s senior credit facility and cash on hand) were used to repay indebtedness of certain of our indirect subsidiaries, to pay a cash dividend of $500.0 million on the outstanding shares of our Class L common stock and to pay related fees and expenses.

 

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Dividend policy

On December 3, 2010, we paid a cash dividend of $500.0 million on the outstanding shares of our Class L common stock. Our board of directors does not currently intend to pay regular dividends on our common stock. However, we expect to reevaluate our dividend policy on a regular basis following this offering and may, subject to compliance with the covenants contained in our senior credit facility and other considerations, determine to pay dividends in the future.

 

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Capitalization

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and our consolidated capitalization as of March 26, 2011 on (1) an actual basis and (2) an as adjusted basis to give effect to (w) the reclassification that will be effectuated prior to the closing of this offering as if it had occurred on March 26, 2011, (x) the issuance of common stock in this offering and the application of the net proceeds there from as described in “Use of proceeds” (y) our anticipated additional $100 million in term loan borrowings, and (z) the payment of approximately $14 million out of general funds in fees under our management agreement with the Sponsors in connection with this offering and the termination of the management agreement. See “Description of indebtedness—Senior credit facility” and “Related party transactions.”

This table should be read in conjunction with “Use of Proceeds,” “Selected historical consolidated financial and other data,” “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

         As of
March 26, 2011
 
       Actual        As
adjusted
 
   
       (Dollars in thousands)  

Cash and cash equivalents(1)(2)

     $ 120,508         $     
          

Long-term debt, including current portion;

         

Revolving credit facility(3)

     $         $     

Term loan facility

       1,394,146        

Capital leases

       5,316        
          

Total secured debt

       1,399,462        

9  5 / 8 % senior notes

       468,072        
          

Total long-term debt

       1,867,534        
          

Class L common stock $0.001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized and 23,060,006 shares issued and outstanding on an actual basis; no shares authorized, issued and outstanding on an as adjusted basis

       862,184        

Stockholders’ equity (deficit) :

         

Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; no shares authorized, issued and outstanding on an actual basis;          shares authorized and no shares issued and outstanding on an as adjusted basis

         

Common stock, $0.001 par value; 400,000,000 shares authorized and 192,219,311 shares issued and outstanding on an actual basis;                  shares authorized and                  shares issued and outstanding on an as adjusted basis

       192        

Additional paid-in capital

       196,245        

Treasury stock, at cost

       (1,919     

Accumulated deficit(4)

       (762,469     

Accumulated other comprehensive income

       18,584        
          

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

       (549,367     
          

Total capitalization

     $ 2,180,351         $                
   

 

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(1)   Amount includes an aggregate of $69.3 million of cash held for advertising funds or reserved for gift card/certificate programs.

 

(2)   A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $         per share of our common stock would increase (decrease) our as adjusted cash and cash equivalents by $         million, after deducting the estimated underwriters’ discounts and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us.

 

(3)   Excludes $11.2 million of undrawn letters of credit.

 

(4)  

In connection with the redemption of the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. 9  5 / 8 % senior notes with the net proceeds from this offering, accumulated deficit will be increased to reflect a non-recurring charge of approximately $         million relating to the redemption at a premium to their principal amount of approximately $         million principal amount of the senior notes, a non-recurring charge of approximately $         million relating to the elimination of discount on the notes redeemed and the elimination of approximately $         million of related deferred financing costs.

 

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Dilution

If you invest in our common stock, your ownership interest will be immediately diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per share of our common stock and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering. Dilution results from the fact the initial public offering price per share of the common stock is substantially in excess of the book value per share of common stock attributable to the existing stockholders for the presently outstanding shares of common stock. We calculate net tangible book value per share of our common stock by dividing the net tangible book value (total consolidated tangible assets less total consolidated liabilities) by the number of outstanding shares of our common stock.

Our net tangible book value at March 26, 2011 was approximately $        million, or $        per share of our common stock pro forma for the reclassification but before giving effect to this offering. Pro forma net tangible book value per share before the offering has been determined by dividing net tangible book value (total book value of tangible assets less total liabilities) by the number of shares of common stock outstanding at March 26, 2011, assuming that the reclassification had taken place on March 26, 2011. Dilution in net tangible book value per share represents the difference between the amount per share that you pay in this offering and the net tangible book value per share immediately after this offering.

After giving effect to the receipt of the estimated net proceeds from our sale of shares in this offering, assuming an initial public offering price of $        per share (the mid-point of the offering range shown on the cover of this prospectus), and the application of the estimated net proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of proceeds,” our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value at March 26, 2011 would have been approximately $        , or $         per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value per share of $         to existing stockholders and an immediate decrease in net tangible book value per share of $         to you. The following table illustrates this dilution per share.

 

                     

Assumed initial public offering price per share of common stock

      $                

Pro forma net tangible book value per share at March 26, 2011

   $                   

Increase per share attributable to new investors in this offering

     
           

Pro forma net tangible book value per share of common stock after this offering

      $     
           

Dilution per share to new investors

      $     
   

If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full to purchase additional shares, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock after giving effect to this offering would be $         per share of our common stock. This represents an increase in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of $         per share of our common stock to existing stockholders and dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of $         per share of our common stock to you.

A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $         per share of our common stock would increase (decrease) our pro forma net tangible book value after giving effect to the offering by $         million, or by $         per share of our common stock, assuming no change to the number of shares of our common stock offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and estimated expenses payable by us.

 

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The following table sets forth, as of March 26, 2011, the number of shares of common stock purchased from us, the total consideration paid to us and the average price per share paid by existing stockholders and to be paid by new investors purchasing shares of common stock in this offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

       Shares purchased      Total consideration     

Average

price Per
share

 
     Number      Percent      Amount      Percent     
   

Existing stockholders

                    %       $                                  %       $                

New investors

              
        

Total

        100%       $                      100%      
   

If the underwriters were to fully exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional shares of our common stock from us, the percentage of shares of our common stock held by existing stockholders would be     %, and the percentage of shares of our common stock held by new investors would be     %.

To the extent any outstanding options or other equity awards are exercised or become vested or any additional options or other equity awards are granted and exercised or become vested or other issuances of shares of our common stock are made, there may be further economic dilution to new investors.

 

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Selected historical consolidated financial and other data

The following table sets forth our selected historical consolidated financial and other data as of the dates and for the periods indicated. The selected historical financial data as of December 26, 2009 and December 25, 2010 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 25, 2010 presented in this table have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected historical financial data as of March 26, 2011 and for the three-month periods ended March 27, 2010 and March 26, 2011 have been derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected consolidated balance sheet data as of March 27, 2010 has been derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements as of such date, which are not included in this prospectus. The selected historical financial data as of December 30, 2006, December 29, 2007 and December 27, 2008 and for the ten month period ended December 30, 2006 and the year ended December 29, 2007 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements for such years and periods, which are not included in this prospectus. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for future periods and operating results for the three-month period ended March 26, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011. The data in the following table related to points of distribution, comparable store sales growth, franchisee-reported sales, and systemwide sales growth are unaudited for all periods presented.

This selected historical consolidated financial and other data should be read in conjunction with the disclosure set forth under “Capitalization” and “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and the consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

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      Ten months
ended
December 30,
2006(1)
    Fiscal year ended     Three months ended  
      December 29,
2007
    December 27,
2008
    December 26,
2009
    December 25,
2010
    March 27,
2010
    March 26,
2011
 
   
    ($ in thousands, except per share data or as otherwise noted)  

Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

             

Franchise fees and royalty income

  $ 255,654      $ 325,441      $ 349,047      $ 344,020      $ 359,927      $ 80,165      $ 85,959   

Rental income

    80,016        98,860        97,886        93,651        91,102        22,116        22,131   

Sales of ice cream products

    49,064        63,777        71,445        75,256        84,989        17,793        22,716   

Other revenues

    26,612        28,857        26,551        25,146        41,117        7,338        8,407   
       

Total revenues

    411,346        516,935        544,929        538,073        577,135        127,412        139,213   

Amortization of intangible assets

    33,050        39,387        37,848        35,994        32,467        8,823        7,082   

Impairment charges(2)

    1,525        4,483        331,862        8,517        7,075        1,414        653   

Other operating costs and expenses(3)(4)

    281,428        311,005        330,281        323,318        361,893        84,132        87,424   
       

Total operating costs and expenses

    316,003        354,875        699,991        367,829        401,435        94,369        95,159   

Equity in net income of joint ventures(5)

    11,219        12,439        14,169        14,301        17,825        3,642        782   
       

Operating income (loss)

    106,562        174,499        (140,893     184,545        193,525        36,685        44,836   

Interest expense, net(6)

    (131,827     (111,677     (115,944     (115,019     (112,532     (27,520     (33,767

Gain (loss) on debt extinguishment and refinancing transactions

                         3,684        (61,955            (11,007

Other gains (losses), net

    162        3,462        (3,929     1,066        408        245        476   
       

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

    (25,103     66,284        (260,766     74,276        19,446        9,410        538   

Income (loss) from continuing operations

    (14,354     39,331        (269,898     35,008        26,861        5,938        (1,723

Net income (loss)(7)

  $ (13,400   $ 34,699      $ (269,898   $ 35,008      $ 26,861      $ 5,938      $ (1,723

Earnings (loss) per share:

           

Class L—basic and diluted

  $ 6.50      $ 4.12      $ 4.17      $ 4.57      $ 4.87      $ 1.21      $ 0.85   

Class A—basic and diluted

  $ (0.89   $ (0.32   $ (1.96   $ (0.37   $ (0.45   $ (0.12   $ (0.11

Pro Forma Consolidated Statements of Operations Data(8):

             

Pro forma net income

          $          $     

Pro forma earnings per share:

             

Basic

          $          $     

Diluted

          $          $     

Pro forma weighted average shares outstanding:

             

Basic

             

Diluted

             

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

             

Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash(9)

  $ 127,558      $ 147,968      $ 251,368      $ 171,403      $ 134,504      $ 201,452      $ 120,850   

Total assets

    3,622,084        3,608,753        3,341,649        3,224,717        3,147,288        3,216,352        3,115,177   

Total debt(10)

    1,603,636        1,603,561        1,668,410        1,451,757        1,864,881        1,486,267        1,867,534   

Total liabilities

    2,569,294        2,606,011        2,614,327        2,454,109        2,841,047        2,439,924        2,802,360   

Common stock, Class L

    1,029,488        1,033,450        1,127,863        1,232,001        840,582        1,257,068        862,184   

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

    23,302        (30,708     (400,541     (461,393     (534,341     (480,640     (549,367

Other Financial Data:

             

Capital expenditures

    29,706        37,542        27,518        18,012        15,358        3,465        3,734   

Points of Distribution(11):

             

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

    5,368        5,769        6,395        6,566        6,772        6,599        6,799   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

    1,925        2,219        2,440        2,620        2,988        2,685        3,006   

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

    2,872        2,763        2,692        2,597        2,547        2,572        2,523   

Baskin-Robbins International

    3,021        3,111        3,321        3,610        3,886        3,650        3,959   
       

Total distribution points

    13,186        13,862        14,848        15,393        16,193        15,506        16,287   
   

 

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Ten months
ended
December 30,
2006(1)

    Fiscal year ended     Three months ended  
      December 29,
2007
    December 27,
2008
    December 26,
2009
    December 25,
2010
    March 27,
2010
    March 26,
2011
 
   
    ($ in thousands, except as otherwise noted)  

Comparable Store Sales Growth (U.S. Only)(12):

             

Dunkin’ Donuts

    4.1%        1.3%         (0.8)%        (1.3)%        2.3%         (0.6)%        2.8%   

Baskin-Robbins

    (2.2)%        0.3%         (2.2)%        (6.0)%        (5.2)%        (7.9)%        0.5%   

Franchisee-Reported Sales ($ in millions)(13):

             

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

  $ 3,842      $ 4,792      $ 5,004      $ 5,174      $ 5,403      $ 1,233      $ 1,299   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

    364        476        529        508        584        139        153   

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

    503        572        560        524        494        102        102   

Baskin-Robbins International

    575        723        800        970        1,158        225        237   
       

Total Franchisee-Reported Sales

  $ 5,284      $ 6,563      $ 6,893      $ 7,176      $ 7,639      $ 1,699      $ 1,791   

Company-Owned Store Sales ($ in millions)(14):

             

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

  $      $      $      $ 2      $ 17      $ 2      $ 2   

Systemwide Sales Growth(15):

             

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

      5.7%         4.4%         3.4%         4.7%         2.0%         5.3%   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

      8.5%         11.1%         (4.0)%        15.0%         19.0%         10.0%   

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

      (1.3)%        (2.1)%        (6.4)%        (5.5)%        (8.8)%        0.2%   

Baskin-Robbins International

      9.7%         10.7%         21.3%         19.4%         28.3%         5.2%   
       

Total Systemwide Sales Growth

      5.6%         5.0%         4.1%         6.7%         5.4%         5.4%   
   

 

(1)   Results relate to the ten months ended December 30, 2006 and do not represent a full fiscal year. We were acquired on March 1, 2006. The results reflect the period from March 1, 2006 through December 30, 2006.

 

(2)   Fiscal year 2008 includes $294.5 million of goodwill impairment charges related to Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. and Baskin-Robbins International, as well as a $34.0 million trade name impairment charge related to Baskin-Robbins U.S.

 

(3)   Includes fees paid to the Sponsors of $2.5 million for the ten months ended December 30, 2006, $3.0 million for each of fiscal 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and $750,000 for each of the three months ended March 27, 2010 and March 26, 2011, under a management agreement, which will be terminated upon the consummation of this offering. See “Related party transactions—Arrangements with our investors.”

 

(4)   Includes the following amounts:

 

   

Ten months

ended

December 30,

2006

    Fiscal year ended     Three months ended  
      December 29,     December 27,     December 26,     December 25,     March 27,      March 26,  
      2007     2008     2009     2010     2010      2011  
                                                        
    (Unaudited, $ in thousands)   

Stock compensation expense

  $ 3,086      $ 2,782      $ 1,749      $ 1,745      $ 1,461      $ 612       $ 241   

Transaction costs (a)

    18,466        1,323        —          —          1,083        —           37   

Senior executive transition and severance (b)

    740        —          1,340        3,889        4,306        323         273   

Franchisee-related restructuring (c)

    —          —          —          12,180        2,748        474         —     

Legal reserves and related costs

    —          —          —          —          4,813        —           475   

Breakage income on historical gift certificates

    —          —          —          (3,166     —          —           —     

New market entry (d)

    —          —          7,239        1,735        —          —           275   

Technology and market related initiatives (e)

    —          —          —          134        2,066        430         1,509   

 

  (a)   Represents costs and expenses related to our fiscal year end change, the securitization and other debt transactions, and our 2010 refinancing and dividend transactions.
  (b)   Represents severance and related benefit costs associated with non-recurring reorganizations (fiscal 2010 includes the accrual of costs associated with our executive Chairman transition).
  (c)   Represents one-time costs of franchisee-related restructuring programs.
  (d)   Represents one-time costs and fees associated with entry into new markets.
  (e)   Represents costs associated with various franchisee information technology and one-time market research programs.

 

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(5)   Includes amortization expense, net of tax, related to intangible franchise rights established in purchase accounting of $1.8 million, $907 thousand, $899,000, and $897,000 for fiscal years 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively, and $219,000 for each of the three months ended March 27, 2010 and March 26, 2011, respectively.

 

(6)   Interest expense, net, for fiscal 2010 and the three months ended March 26, 2011 on a pro forma basis would have been approximately $71.7 million and $17.9 million, respectively, after giving effect to the November 2010 refinancing, the February 2011 re-pricing transaction, a $100.0 million increase in term loans outstanding under the senior credit facility, and the repayment of the senior notes in their entirety, as if these transactions had occurred on the first day of the respective periods.

 

(7)   We completed the sale of our Togo’s brand on November 30, 2007. Net income for the ten months ended December 30, 2006 and the fiscal year ended December 29, 2007 includes income from discontinued operations of $1.0 million and a loss from discontinued operations of $4.6 million, respectively, related to the Togo’s operations and sale.

 

(8)   The pro forma consolidated statements of operations data for fiscal 2010 and the three months ended March 26, 2011 give effect to (a) the reclassification of our Class A common stock and the conversion of our Class L common stock, both into our common stock, as described in “The reclassification,” (b) the issuance of common stock in this offering and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in “Use of proceeds,” (c) our anticipated additional $100.0 million in term loan borrowings and corresponding repayment of senior notes, and (d) the termination of our management agreement with the Sponsors in connection with this offering, as if each had occurred on the first day of the period presented. See “Description of indebtedness-Senior credit facility” and “Related party transactions.”

 

(9)   Amounts as of December 30, 2006, December 29, 2007, December 27, 2008, and December 26, 2009 include cash held in restricted accounts pursuant to the terms of the securitization indebtedness. Following the redemption and discharge of the securitization indebtedness in fiscal year 2010, such amounts are no longer restricted. The amounts also include cash held for advertising funds or reserved for gift card/certificate programs. Our cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash balances at December 27, 2008 increased primarily as a result of short-term borrowings.

 

(10)   Includes capital lease obligations of $3.7 million, $3.6 million, $4.2 million, $5.4 million, $5.4 million, $5.4 million and $5.3 million as of December 30, 2006, December 29, 2007, December 27, 2008, December 26, 2009, December 25, 2010, March 27, 2010 and March 26, 2011, respectively.

 

(11)   Represents period end distribution points.

 

(12)   Represents the growth in average weekly sales for franchisee- and company-owned restaurants that have been open at least 54 weeks that have reported sales in the current and comparable prior year week.

 

(13)   Franchisee-reported sales include sales at franchisee restaurants, including joint ventures.

 

(14)   Company-owned store sales include sales at restaurants owned and operated by Dunkin’ Brands. During all periods presented, Baskin-Robbins U.S. company-owned store sales were less than $500,000.

 

(15)   Systemwide sales growth represents the percentage change in sales at both franchisee- and company-owned restaurants from the comparable period of the prior year. Changes in systemwide sales are driven by changes in average comparable store sales and changes in the number of restaurants.

 

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Management’s discussion and analysis of

financial condition and results of operations

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the “Selected historical consolidated financial data” and the audited and unaudited historical consolidated financial statements and related notes. This discussion contains forward-looking statements about our markets, the demand for our products and services and our future results and involves numerous risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and generally contain words such as “believes,” expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” or “anticipates” or similar expressions. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied by the forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and currently available data and are neither predictions nor guarantees of future events or performance. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. See “Risk factors” and “Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements” for a discussion of factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements.

Introduction and overview

We are the world’s leading franchisor of quick service restaurants (“QSRs”) serving hot and cold coffee and baked goods, as well as hard serve ice cream. We franchise restaurants under our Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands. With over 16,000 points of distribution in 57 countries, our portfolio has strong brand awareness in our key markets around the globe and has industry-leading market share in a number of growing categories of the QSR segment. Dunkin’ Donuts has 9,805 global points of distribution with restaurants in 36 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and in 31 foreign countries worldwide. Baskin-Robbins has 6,482 global points of distribution with restaurants in 45 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and in 46 foreign countries worldwide.

We are organized into four reporting segments: Dunkin’ Donuts U.S., Dunkin’ Donuts International, Baskin-Robbins U.S., and Baskin-Robbins International. We generate revenue from four primary sources: (i) royalty income and franchise fees associated with franchised restaurants, (ii) rental income from restaurant properties that we lease or sublease to franchisees, (iii) sales of ice cream products to franchisees in certain international markets, and (iv) other income including fees for the licensing of our brands for products sold in non-franchised outlets, the licensing of the right to manufacture Baskin-Robbins ice cream sold to U.S. franchisees, refranchising gains, transfer fees from franchisees, revenue from our company-owned restaurants, and online training fees.

Approximately 62% of our revenue for fiscal year 2010 was derived from royalty income and franchise fees. An additional 16% of our revenue for fiscal year 2010 was generated from rental income from franchisees that lease or sublease their properties from us. The balance of our revenue for fiscal year 2010 consisted of sales of ice cream products to Baskin-Robbins franchisees in certain international markets, license fees on sales of ice cream products to Baskin-Robbins franchisees in the U.S., refranchising gains, transfer fees from franchisees, revenue from our company-owned restaurants, and online training fees.

Franchisees fund the vast majority of the cost of new restaurant development. As a result, we are able to grow our system with lower capital requirements than many of our competitors. With only 17 company-owned restaurants as of March 26, 2011, we are less affected by store-level costs and profitability and fluctuations in commodity costs than other QSR operators.

 

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Our franchisees fund substantially all of the advertising that supports both brands. Those advertising funds also fund the cost of our marketing personnel. Royalty payments and advertising fund contributions typically are made on a weekly basis for restaurants in the U.S., which limits our working capital needs. For fiscal year 2010, franchisee contributions to the U.S. advertising funds were $289.5 million.

We operate and report financial information on a 52- or 53-week year on a 13-week quarter (or 14-week fourth quarter, when applicable) basis with the fiscal year ending on the last Saturday in December and fiscal quarters ending on the 13 th Saturday of each quarter (or 14 th Saturday of the fourth quarter, when applicable). The data periods contained within fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008 reflect the results of operations for the 52-week periods ending on December 25, 2010, December 26, 2009, and December 27, 2008, respectively. The data periods contained within the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010 reflect the results of operations for the 13-week periods ending on those dates. Operating results for the three months ended March 26, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011.

Critical accounting policies

Our significant accounting policies are more fully described under the heading “Summary of significant accounting policies” in Note 2 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements. However, we believe the accounting policies described below are particularly important to the portrayal and understanding of our financial position and results of operations and require application of significant judgment by our management. In applying these policies, management uses its judgment in making certain assumptions and estimates. These judgments involve estimations of the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and may have a significant impact on our quarterly and annual results of operations or financial condition. Changes in estimates and judgments could significantly affect our result of operations, financial condition, and cash flow in future years. The following is a description of what we consider to be our most significant critical accounting policies.

Revenue recognition

Initial franchise fee revenue is recognized upon substantial completion of the services required of us as stated in the franchise agreement, which is generally upon opening of the respective restaurant. Fees collected in advance are deferred until earned. Royalty income is based on a percentage of franchisee gross sales and is recognized when earned, which occurs at the franchisees’ point of sale. Renewal fees are recognized when a renewal agreement with a franchisee becomes effective. Rental income for base rentals is recorded on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Contingent rent is recognized as earned, and any amounts received from lessees in advance of achieving stipulated thresholds are deferred until such threshold is actually achieved. Revenue from the sale of ice cream is recognized when title and risk of loss transfers to the buyer, which is generally upon shipment. Licensing fees are recognized when earned, which is generally upon sale of the underlying products by the licensees. Retail store revenues at company-owned restaurants are recognized when payment is tendered at the point of sale, net of sales tax and other sales-related taxes. Gains on the refranchise or sale of a restaurant are recognized when the sale transaction closes, the franchisee has a minimum amount of the purchase price in at risk equity, and we are satisfied that the buyer can meet its financial obligations to us.

Allowances for franchise, license and lease receivables / guaranteed financing

We reserve all or a portion of a franchisee’s receivable balance when deemed necessary based upon detailed review of such balances, and apply a pre-defined reserve percentage based on an aging criteria to other

 

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balances. We perform our reserve analysis during each fiscal quarter or when events or circumstances indicate that we may not collect the balance due. While we use the best information available in making our determination, the ultimate recovery of recorded receivables is also dependent upon future economic events and other conditions that may be beyond our control.

In limited instances, we issue guarantees to financial institutions so that our franchisees can obtain financing with terms of approximately five to ten years for various business purposes. We recognize a liability and offsetting asset for the fair value of such guarantees. The fair value of a guarantee is based on historical default rates of our total guaranteed loan pool. We monitor the financial condition of our franchisees and record provisions for estimated losses on guaranteed liabilities of our franchisees if we believe that our franchisees are unable to make their required payments. As of March 26, 2011, if all of our outstanding guarantees of franchisee financing obligations came due simultaneously, we would be liable for approximately $7.7 million. As of March 26, 2011, there were no amounts under such guarantees that were contingently due. We generally have cross-default provisions with these franchisees that would put the franchisee in default of its franchise agreement in the event of non-payment under such loans. We believe these cross-default provisions significantly reduce the risk that we would not be able to recover the amount of required payments under these guarantees and, historically, we have not incurred significant losses under these guarantees due to defaults by our franchisees.

Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets

Goodwill and trade names (indefinite lived intangibles) have been assigned to our reporting units, which are also our operating segments, for purposes of impairment testing. Our reporting units, which have indefinite lived intangible assets associated with them, are Dunkin’ Donuts U.S., Dunkin’ Donuts International, Baskin-Robbins U.S., and Baskin-Robbins International.

We evaluate the remaining useful life of our trade names to determine whether current events and circumstances continue to support an indefinite useful life. In addition, all of our indefinite lived intangible assets are tested for impairment annually. The trade name intangible asset impairment test consists of a comparison of the fair value of each trade name with its carrying value, with any excess of carrying value over fair value being recognized as an impairment loss. The fair value of trade names is estimated using the relief from royalty method, an income approach to valuation, which includes projecting future systemwide sales and other estimates. The goodwill impairment test consists of a comparison of each reporting unit’s fair value to its carrying value. The fair value of a reporting unit is an estimate of the amount for which the unit as a whole could be sold in a current transaction between willing parties. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill is written down to its implied fair value. Fair value of a reporting unit is estimated based on a combination of comparative market multiples and discounted cash flow valuation approaches. Currently, we have selected the first day of our fiscal third quarter as the date on which to perform our annual impairment tests for all indefinite lived intangible assets. We also test for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the fair value of such indefinite lived intangibles has been impaired. We recorded a $294.5 million goodwill impairment charge related to Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. and Baskin-Robbins International, as well as a $34.0 million trade name impairment related to Baskin-Robbins U.S., during fiscal 2008. No impairment of indefinite lived intangible assets was recorded during fiscal 2009, fiscal 2010, or the three months ended March 26, 2011.

We have intangible assets other than goodwill and trade names that are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives or terms of their related agreements. Other intangible assets consist primarily of franchise and international license rights (franchise rights), ice cream manufacturing and territorial franchise agreement license rights (license rights) and operating lease interests acquired related to our prime leases and

 

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subleases (operating leases acquired). Franchise rights recorded in the consolidated balance sheets were valued using an excess earnings approach. The valuation of franchise rights was calculated using an estimation of future royalty income and related expenses associated with existing franchise contracts at the acquisition date. Our valuation included assumptions related to the projected attrition and renewal rates on those existing franchise arrangements being valued. License rights recorded in the consolidated balance sheets were valued based on an estimate of future revenues and costs related to the ongoing management of the contracts over the remaining useful lives. Favorable and unfavorable operating leases acquired were recorded on purchased leases based on differences between contractual rents under the respective lease agreements and prevailing market rents at the lease acquisition date. Favorable operating leases acquired are included as a component of other intangible assets in the consolidated balance sheets. Due to the high level of lease renewals made by our Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees, all lease renewal options for the Dunkin’ Donuts leases were included in the valuation of the favorable operating leases acquired. Amortization of franchise rights, license rights, and favorable operating leases acquired is recorded as amortization expense in the consolidated statements of operations and amortized over the respective franchise, license, and lease terms using the straight-line method. Unfavorable operating leases acquired related to our prime leases and subleases are recorded in the liability section of the consolidated balance sheets and are amortized into rental expense and rental income, respectively, over the base lease term of the respective leases using the straight-line method. Our amortizable intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the intangible asset may not be recoverable. An intangible asset that is deemed impaired is written down to its estimated fair value, which is based on discounted cash flow.

Income tax valuation and tax reserves

Our major tax jurisdictions are the U.S. and Canada. The majority of our legal entities were converted to limited liability companies (“LLCs”) on March 1, 2006 and a number of new LLCs were created on or about March 15, 2006. All of these LLCs are single member entities which are treated as disregarded entities and included as part of us in the consolidated federal income tax return. Dunkin’ Brands Canada Ltd. (DBCL) files separate Canadian and provincial tax returns and Dunkin Brands (UK) Limited files separate tax returns in the United Kingdom. The current income tax liability for DBCL and Dunkin Brands (UK) Limited is calculated on a stand-alone basis. The current federal tax liability for each entity included in our consolidated federal income tax return is calculated on a stand-alone basis, including foreign taxes, for which a separate company foreign tax credit is calculated in lieu of a deduction for foreign withholding taxes paid. As a matter of course, we are regularly audited by federal, state, and foreign tax authorities.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for the expected future tax consequences of items that have been included in our consolidated financial statements or tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and the respective tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates that are expected to apply in years in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse. The effects of changes in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations in the year in which the law is enacted. Valuation allowances are provided when we do not believe it is more likely than not that we will realize the benefit of identified tax assets.

A tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return is recognized in the financial statements when it is more likely than not that the position would be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. A recognized tax position is then measured at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Estimates of interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits are recorded in the provision for income taxes.

 

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In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and tax planning strategies in making this assessment.

Selected operating and financial highlights

 

       Three months ended     Fiscal year  
    

March 27,

2010

    

March 26,

2011

   
          2008     2009      2010  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Systemwide sales growth:

     5.4%         5.4%        5.0%        4.1%         6.7%    

Comparable store sales growth (U.S. only):

            

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

     (0.6)%         2.8%        (0.8)%        (1.3)%         2.3%    

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

     (7.9)%         0.5%        (2.2)%        (6.0)%         (5.2)%   

Total revenues

   $ 127,412       $ 139,213      $ 544,929      $ 538,073       $ 577,135   

Operating income (loss)

     36,685         44,836        (140,893     184,545         193,525   

Net income (loss)

     5,938         (1,723     (269,898     35,008         26,861   
   

Three months ended March 26, 2011 compared to the three months ended March 27, 2010

Our financial results are largely driven by changes in systemwide sales, which include sales by all points of distribution, whether owned by Dunkin’ Brands or by its franchisees and licensees. While we do not record sales by franchisees or licensees as revenue, we believe that this information is important in obtaining an understanding of our financial performance. We believe systemwide sales information aids in understanding how we derive royalty revenue, assists readers in evaluating our performance relative to competitors, and indicates the strength of our franchised brands. Comparable store sales growth represents the growth in average weekly sales for restaurants that have been open at least 54 weeks that have reported sales in the current and comparable prior year week.

Overall growth in systemwide sales of 5.4% for the three months ended March 26, 2011 resulted from the following:

 

 

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. systemwide sales growth of 5.3%, as the result of 200 net new restaurants opened since March 27, 2010 and comparable store sales growth of 2.8% driven by increased average ticket;

 

 

Baskin-Robbins International systemwide sales growth of 5.2% as a result of increased sales in South Korea and Japan, which resulted primarily from favorable foreign exchange, as well as Australia;

 

 

Dunkin’ Donuts International systemwide sales growth of 10.0%, which was driven by results in South Korea and Southeast Asia, as well as Russia and the Middle East; and

 

 

Baskin-Robbins U.S. systemwide sales growth of 0.2% resulting from comparable store sales growth of 0.5%, offset by a slightly reduced restaurant base.

The increase in total revenues of $11.8 million, or 9.3%, for the three months ended March 26, 2011 primarily resulted from increased franchise fees and royalty income of $5.8 million and sales of ice cream products of $4.9 million, both of which were driven by the overall increase in systemwide sales.

 

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Operating income increased $8.2 million, or 22.2%, for the three months ended March 26, 2011, driven by the revenue increases noted above, offset by a $2.9 million decline in equity in net income of joint ventures. Increases in costs of ice cream and general and administrative expenses were offset by reduced occupancy expenses for franchised restaurants and depreciation and amortization, resulting in relatively flat total operating costs and expenses as compared to the prior year comparable period.

The net loss for the three months ended March 26, 2011 was driven by an $11.0 million pre-tax loss related to the debt re-pricing transaction completed in the first quarter of 2011, as well as $6.2 million of additional net interest expense resulting from additional long-term debt obtained since the prior year. Offsetting these additional costs was an increase in operating income of $8.2 million.

Fiscal year 2010 compared to fiscal year 2009

Overall growth in systemwide sales of 6.7% for fiscal 2010 resulted from the following:

 

 

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. systemwide sales growth of 4.7%, which was the result of net restaurant development of 206 restaurants in 2010 and comparable store sales growth of 2.3% driven by both increased transaction counts and average ticket;

 

 

Baskin-Robbins International systemwide sales growth of 19.4% as a result of increased sales in South Korea and Japan, which resulted from both strong sales growth and favorable foreign exchange, as well as the Middle East;

 

 

Dunkin’ Donuts International systemwide sales growth of 15.0%, which resulted from results in South Korea and Southeast Asia driven by a combination of new restaurant development and comparable store sales growth; and

 

 

Baskin-Robbins U.S. systemwide sales decline of 5.5% resulting from a comparable store sales decline of 5.2% in addition to a slightly reduced restaurant base.

The increase in total revenues of $39.1 million, or 7.3%, for fiscal 2010 primarily resulted from increased franchise fees and royalty income of $15.9 million, driven primarily by the increase in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. systemwide sales, as well as a $16.0 million increase in other revenues resulting from additional company-owned restaurants held during the year.

Operating income increased $9.0 million, or 4.9%, for fiscal 2010 driven by the increase in franchise fees and royalty income noted above, as well as a $3.5 million increase in equity in net income of joint ventures. Increases in general and administrative expenses, excluding cost of sales for company-owned restaurants, offset the additional revenues and joint venture income.

Net income decreased $8.1 million for fiscal 2010 driven by a $62.0 million pre-tax loss on debt extinguishment, offset by a $46.7 million decrease in tax expense due to reduced profit before tax, as well as a $9.0 million increase in operating income.

Fiscal year 2009 compared to fiscal year 2008

Overall growth in systemwide sales of 4.1% for fiscal year 2009 resulted from the following:

 

 

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. systemwide sales growth of 3.4%, which was the result of net restaurant development of 171 restaurants in 2009, offset by a decrease in comparable store sales of 1.3% driven by increased discounting, which we believe was successful in driving traffic to our restaurants during the difficult economic climate;

 

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Baskin-Robbins International systemwide sales growth of 21.3% as a result of a combination of strong sales in South Korea, Japan, and the Middle East, partially offset by negative foreign exchange impact;

 

 

Dunkin’ Donuts International systemwide sales decline of 4.0% driven by negative foreign exchange related to the Korean won and lower sales in Colombia and the Philippines, partially offset by higher sales in the Middle East; and

 

 

Baskin-Robbins U.S. systemwide sales decline of 6.4% resulting from a comparable store sales decline of 6.0% in addition to a slightly reduced restaurant base.

The decline in total revenues of $6.9 million, or 1.3%, for fiscal 2009 primarily resulted from reduced franchise fees of $14.0 million due to fewer restaurant openings domestically as compared to the prior year. The decline in franchise fees was offset by an increase in royalty income of $9.0 million driven by the increase in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. systemwide sales.

Operating income increased $325.4 million for fiscal 2009 primarily as a result of fiscal 2008 including $328.5 million of impairment charges related to goodwill and trade name intangible asset. The $6.9 million reduction in revenues was offset by a $3.6 million reduction in occupancy expenses for franchised restaurants and a $3.4 million reduction in depreciation and amortization.

Net income increased $304.9 million for fiscal 2009 driven by the $325.4 million increase in operating income resulting from the goodwill and trade name impairment charges recorded in fiscal 2008. Offsetting the operating income decline was a $30.0 million increase in tax expense primarily resulting from 2008 including tax benefits related to the trade name impairment charge and changes in future state tax rates.

Results of operations

Three months ended March 26, 2011 compared to the three months ended March 27, 2010

Consolidated results of operations

 

       Three months ended                    
     March 27,
2010
     March 26,
2011
    

Increase (Decrease)

 
         $      %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Franchise fees and royalty income

   $ 80,165         85,959           5,794         7.2%   

Rental income

     22,116         22,131         15         0.1%   

Sales of ice cream products

     17,793         22,716         4,923           27.7%   

Other revenues

     7,338         8,407         1,069         14.6%   
        

Total revenues

   $ 127,412         139,213         11,801         9.3%   
   

Total revenues for the three months ended March 26, 2011 as compared to the corresponding period in the prior year increased by $11.8 million, or 9.3%. Royalty income increased $4.2 million, or 5.6%, mainly as the result of Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. systemwide sales growth. Sales of ice cream products also contributed to the increase in total revenues, which were primarily driven by strong sales in the Middle East and Australia, as well as a December 2010 price increase that was implemented to offset higher commodity costs. Other revenues

 

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also increased $1.1 million primarily as a result of increases in licensing income and refranchising gains, as well as a decline in subsidies paid to franchisees that are recorded as reductions in revenue.

 

       Three months ended                   
    

March 27,

2010

    

March 26,

2011

    

Increase (Decrease)

 
         $     %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Occupancy expenses—franchised restaurants

   $ 14,156         12,288         (1,868     (13.2)%   

Cost of ice cream products

     12,222         15,124         2,902        23.7%    

General and administrative expenses, net

     51,245         53,886         2,641        5.2%    

Depreciation and amortization

     15,332         13,208         (2,124     (13.9)%   

Impairment charges

     1,414         653         (761     (53.8)%   
        

Total operating costs and expenses

   $ 94,369         95,159         790        0.8%    
        

Equity in net income of joint ventures

   $ 3,642         782         (2,860     (78.5)%   

Operating income

     36,685         44,836         8,151        22.2%    
   

Occupancy expenses for franchised restaurants for the three months ended March 26, 2011 decreased $1.9 million from the prior year comparable period primarily as a result of lease reserves recorded in the prior year, as well as a decline in the number of leased properties.

Cost of ice cream products increased 23.7% from the corresponding period in the prior year, as compared to a 27.7% increase in sales of ice cream products. The higher percentage increase in sales of ice cream products was primarily the result of increases in selling prices.

The increase in general and administrative expenses of $2.6 million from the corresponding period in the prior year was driven by an increase in payroll and related benefit costs of $2.3 million, or 7.9%, as a result of merit increases, increased headcount, and higher projected incentive compensation payouts. General and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 26, 2011 also included $1.0 million related to the roll-out of a new point-of-sale system for Baskin-Robbins franchisees. Offsetting these increases was a $0.9 million decline in bad debt and other reserves. Upon completion of this offering, we expect to incur an expense of approximately $14 million within general and administrative expenses related to the termination of the Sponsor management agreement.

Depreciation and amortization declined a total of $2.1 million from the corresponding period in the prior year, primarily as a result of a license right intangible asset becoming fully amortized, as well as terminations of lease agreements in the normal course of business resulting in the write-off of favorable lease intangible assets, which thereby reduced future amortization. Additionally, depreciation declined from the prior year due to assets becoming fully depreciated and the write-off of leasehold improvements upon terminations of lease agreements.

The decrease in impairment charges resulted primarily from a $0.7 million impairment charge recorded in the corresponding period in the prior year related to corporate assets.

 

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Equity in net income of joint ventures decreased as a result of decreases in income from both our Japan and South Korea joint ventures. Joint venture income from Japan was negatively impacted by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Additionally, South Korea joint venture income declined as a result of increased operating expenses.

 

       Three months ended                  
    

March 27,

2010

   

March 26,

2011

   

Increase (Decrease)

 
       $     %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Interest expense, net

   $ (27,520     (33,767     (6,247     22.7%   

Loss on debt extinguishment and refinancing transaction

            (11,007     (11,007     n/m   

Other gains, net

     245        476        231        94.3%   
        

Total other expense

   $ (27,275     (44,298     (17,023     62.4%   
   

Net interest expense increased from the corresponding period in the prior year due to incremental interest expense related to net additional long-term debt of $429 million obtained since the corresponding period in the prior year, offset by a reduction in the average cost of borrowing.

The loss on debt extinguishment and refinancing for the three months ended March 26, 2011 resulted from the term loan re-pricing transaction completed in the first quarter of 2011. As the re-pricing transaction included the repayment of $150.0 million of senior notes utilizing the proceeds from the corresponding increase in the term loan, a $6.6 million loss on debt extinguishment was recorded related to the senior notes, which included the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs and original issue discount of $5.8 million and transaction related fees of $0.8 million. Additionally, a $4.4 million loss was recorded related to the re-pricing of the term loan, which consisted of $3.7 million of third-party fees incurred, the write-off of $0.5 million of unamortized debt issuance costs and original issue discount, and $0.2 million of call premiums paid to lenders that exited the term loan syndicate.

The increase in other gains resulted from $0.1 million of additional gains on investments sold, as well as $0.1 million of additional foreign exchange gains primarily as a result of additional weakening of the U.S. dollar against the Canadian dollar as compared to the corresponding period in the prior year.

 

       Three months ended  
     March 27, 2010      March 26, 2011  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Income before income taxes

   $ 9,410         538   

Provision for income taxes

     3,472         2,261   

Effective tax rate

     36.9%         420.3%   
   

The increased effective tax rate of 420.3% for the three months ended March 26, 2011 was primarily attributable to enacted increases in state tax rates, which resulted in additional deferred tax expense of approximately $1.9 million in the three months ended March 26, 2011. The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 26, 2011 was also impacted by a reduced income before income taxes, driven by the loss on debt extinguishment and refinancing transaction, which magnified the impact of permanent and other tax differences.

 

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Operating segments

We operate four reportable operating segments: Dunkin’ Donuts U.S., Dunkin’ Donuts International, Baskin-Robbins U.S., and Baskin-Robbins International. We evaluate the performance of our segments and allocate resources to them based on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, impairment charges, foreign currency gains and losses, other gains and losses, and unallocated corporate charges, referred to as segment profit. Segment profit for the Dunkin’ Donuts International and Baskin-Robbins International segments include equity in net income from joint ventures. For a reconciliation to total revenues and net income, see the notes to our consolidated financial statements. Revenues for Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. include royalties and rental income earned from company-owned restaurants. For purposes of evaluating segment profit, Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. includes the net operating income earned from company-owned restaurants. Revenues for all other segments include only transactions with unaffiliated customers and include no intersegment revenues. Revenues not included in segment revenues include retail sales from company-owned restaurants, as well as revenue earned through arrangements with third parties in which our brand names are used and revenue generated from online training programs for franchisees that are not allocated to a specific segment.

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

 

       Three Months Ended      Increase (Decrease)  
    

March 27,

2010

    

March 26,

2011

    
         $      %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 91,403         96,512         5,109         5.6%   

Segment profit

     63,563         70,707         7,144         11.2%   
   

The increase in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. revenue for the three months ended March 26, 2011 was primarily driven by an increase in royalty income of $3.3 million as a result of an increase in systemwide sales, as well as an increase in franchise fees of $1.1 million. Other revenues also increased $0.6 million due to an increase in refranchising gains and a decline in subsidies paid to franchisees that are recorded as reductions in revenue.

The increase in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. segment profit for the three months ended March 26, 2011 was primarily driven by the $5.1 million increase in total revenues. The increase in segment profit also resulted from a decline in total occupancy expenses of $1.8 million driven by additional lease reserves recorded in the prior year and a decline in the number of leased locations. The remaining increase in segment profit resulted from a $0.4 million decline in general and administrative expenses due to declines in bad debt provisions and legal settlements, offset by an increase in payroll-related costs due to merit increases, increased headcount, and higher projected incentive compensation.

Dunkin’ Donuts International

 

       Three months ended           
    

March 27,

2010

    

March 26,

2011

     Increase (Decrease)  
         $     %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 3,321         3,869         548        16.5%    

Segment profit

     3,712         3,181         (531     (14.3)%   
   

 

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The increase in Dunkin’ Donuts International revenue for the three months ended March 26, 2011 resulted primarily from an increase in royalty income of $0.3 million driven by the increase in systemwide sales. Also contributing to the increased revenue from the prior year was an increase of $0.3 million in franchise fees driven by a deposit retained from a former licensee in Mexico.

The decrease in Dunkin’ Donuts International segment profit for the three months ended March 26, 2011 was primarily driven by a decline in income from the South Korea joint venture of $0.7 million. The decrease in segment profit also resulted from a $0.3 million increase in general and administrative expenses primarily as a result of an increase in payroll-related costs due to increased headcount and merit increases. These declines in segment profit were offset by the $0.5 million increase in revenues.

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

 

       Three months ended           
    

March 27,

2010

    

March 26,

2011

     Increase (Decrease)  
         $     %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 9,032         9,045         13        0.1%    

Segment profit

     5,224         4,300         (924     (17.7)%   
   

Baskin-Robbins U.S. revenue for the three months ended March 26, 2011 remained flat to the prior year comparable period, which is consistent with the change in systemwide sales.

Baskin-Robbins U.S. segment profit declined as a result of increased general and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 26, 2011 including $1.0 million related to the roll-out of a new point-of-sale system for Baskin-Robbins franchisees.

Baskin-Robbins International

 

       Three months ended           
    

March 27,

2010

    

March 26,

2011

     Increase (Decrease)  
           $     %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 19,043         24,662         5,619        29.5%    

Segment profit

     8,527         8,164         (363     (4.3)%   
   

The growth in Baskin-Robbins International revenue for the three months ended March 26, 2011 resulted from an increase in sales of ice cream products of $5.0 million, which was primarily driven by strong sales in the Middle East and Australia. Royalty income also increased $0.6 million mainly as a result of higher sales and additional royalties earned in Australia due to the termination of a master license agreement.

The decline in Baskin-Robbins International segment profit resulted primarily from a decrease in joint venture income of $2.1 million for the Baskin-Robbins businesses in South Korea and Japan. The decline in joint venture income for Japan primarily resulted from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, while South Korea joint venture income declined as a result of increased operating expenses. Additionally, general and administrative expenses increased $0.9 million as a result of an increase in payroll-related costs due to additional headcount and merit increases, additional travel costs, and increased professional fees. Offsetting these declines in segment profit was a $2.1 million increase in net margin on ice cream sales driven by strong sales and price increases, as well as the increase in royalty income of $0.6 million.

 

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Fiscal year 2010 compared to fiscal year 2009

Consolidated results of operations

 

      

Fiscal year

2009

    

Fiscal year

2010

     Increase (Decrease)  
         $     %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Franchise fees and royalty income

   $ 344,020         359,927         15,907        4.6%    

Rental income

     93,651         91,102         (2,549     (2.7)%   

Sales of ice cream products

     75,256         84,989         9,733        12.9%    

Other revenues

     25,146         41,117         15,971        63.5%    
        

Total revenues

   $ 538,073         577,135         39,062        7.3%    
   

The increase in total revenues from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 was primarily driven by an increase in royalty income of $15.1 million, or 4.7%, from the prior year as the result of Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. systemwide sales growth. Other revenues also increased $16.0 million primarily as a result of the acquisition of company-owned restaurants, which contributed an additional $15.2 million of revenue in fiscal 2010. Sales of ice cream products also contributed to the increase in total revenues from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010, which were primarily driven by strong sales to the Middle East. These increases in revenue were offset by a decline in rental income of $2.5 million primarily as a result of a decline in the number of leased properties.

 

      

Fiscal year

2009

    

Fiscal year

2010

     Increase (Decrease)  
         $     %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Occupancy expenses—franchised restaurants

   $ 51,964         53,739         1,775        3.4%    

Cots of ice cream products

     47,432         59,175         11,743        24.8%    

General and administrative expenses, net

     197,005         223,620         26,615        13.5%    

Depreciation and amortization

     62,911         57,826         (5,085     (8.1)%   

Impairment charges

     8,517         7,075         (1,442     (16.9)%   
        

Total operating costs and expenses

   $ 367,829         401,435         33,606        9.1%    
        

Equity in net income of joint ventures

     14,301         17,825         3,524        24.6%    

Operating income

   $ 184,545         193,525         8,980        4.9%    
   

Occupancy expenses for franchised restaurants increased $1.8 million from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 resulting primarily from the impact of lease reserves, offset by a decline in the number of leased properties. Cost of ice cream products increased 24.8% from the prior year, as compared to a 12.9% increase in sales of ice cream products, primarily as the result of unfavorable commodity prices and foreign exchange.

The increase in other general and administrative expenses from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 was driven by increased cost of sales for company-owned restaurants acquired during 2010 of $15.0 million. Also contributing to the increase in general and administrative expenses was an increase in payroll and related benefit costs of $6.8 million, or 6.0%, as a result of higher incentive compensation payouts and 401(k) matching contributions. Increased professional fees and legal costs driven by information technology enhancements and legal settlement reserves also contributed approximately $10.6 million to the increase in general administrative expenses. These increased expenses were offset by a decrease in bad debt and other reserves of $6.7 million.

Depreciation and amortization declined a total of $5.1 million from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010. The decrease is due primarily to a license right intangible asset becoming fully amortized, as well as terminations of lease

 

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agreements in the normal course of business resulting in the write-off of favorable lease intangible assets, which thereby reduced future amortization. Additionally, depreciation declined from the prior year due to assets becoming fully depreciated, sales of corporate assets, and the write-off of leasehold improvements upon terminations of lease agreements.

The decrease in impairment charges from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 resulted from an impairment charge recorded in 2009 related to corporate assets, offset by additional impairment charges recorded in 2010 on favorable operating leases due to terminations of lease agreements.

Equity in net income of joint ventures increased from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 as a result of increases in income from both our Japan and South Korea joint ventures. The increases in Japan and South Korea joint venture income from 2009 were primarily driven by sales growth, as well as favorable impact of foreign exchange.

 

      

Fiscal year

2009

   

Fiscal year

2010

    Increase (Decrease)  
       $     %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Interest expense, net

   $ (115,019     (112,532     2,487        (2.2)%   

Gain (loss) on debt extinguishment

     3,684        (61,955     (65,639     (1,781.7)%   

Other gains, net

     1,066        408        (658     (61.7)%   
        

Total other expense (loss)

   $ (110,269     (174,079     (63,810     57.9%    
   

Net interest expense declined from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 due to the voluntary retirement of long-term debt with a face value of $99.8 million in the second quarter of 2010, reducing interest paid, insurer premiums, and the amortization of deferred financing costs. These decreases were slightly offset by incremental interest expense on approximately $528 million of additional long-term debt obtained in the fourth quarter of 2010.

The fluctuation in gains and losses on debt extinguishment resulted from the refinancing of existing long-term debt in the fourth quarter of 2010, which yielded a $58.3 million loss, as well as the voluntary retirement of long-term debt in the second quarter of 2010, which resulted in a $3.7 million loss. The gain on debt extinguishment of $3.7 million recorded in 2009 resulted from the voluntary retirement of long-term debt in the third quarter of 2009.

The decline in other gains from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 resulted from reduced net foreign exchange gains, primarily as a result of significant weakening of the U.S. dollar against the Canadian dollar in 2009.

 

      

Fiscal year

2009

    

Fiscal year

2010

 
     
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Income before income taxes

   $ 74,276         19,446   

Provision for income taxes

     39,268         (7,415

Effective tax rate

     52.9%         (38.1)%   
   

The negative effective tax rate of 38.1% in fiscal 2010 was primarily attributable to changes in state tax rates, which resulted in a deferred tax benefit of approximately $5.7 million in fiscal 2010. The effective tax rate for both years was also impacted by changes in reserves for uncertain tax positions, which are not driven by changes in income before income taxes. Reserves for uncertain tax positions were $9.1 million in fiscal 2009, as compared to a benefit of $3.1 million in fiscal 2010. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2010 was also impacted by a reduced income before income taxes, driven by the loss on debt extinguishment, which magnified the impact of permanent and other tax differences. Additionally, the higher effective tax rate in fiscal 2009 resulted from a $5.8 million additional valuation allowance recorded on capital loss carryforwards.

 

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Operating segments

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

 

      

Fiscal year

2009

    

Fiscal year

2010

     Increase (Decrease)  
         $      %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 387,595         402,394         14,799         3.8%   

Segment profit

     275,961         293,132         17,171         6.2%   
   

The increase in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. revenue from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 was driven by an increase in royalty income of $14.9 million as a result of an increase in systemwide sales.

The increase in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. segment profit from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 was primarily driven by the $14.9 million increase in royalty income. The increase in segment profit from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 also resulted from a decline in general and administrative expenses of $5.1 million primarily attributable to decreases in both bad debt provisions and franchisee-related restructuring activities, offset by an increase in legal settlements and payroll-related costs due primarily to increased incentive compensation. Additionally, higher total occupancy expenses of $2.9 million from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 resulted primarily from lease reserves recorded.

Dunkin’ Donuts International

 

      

Fiscal year

2009

    

Fiscal year

2010

     Increase (Decrease)  
         $      %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 12,326         14,128         1,802         14.6%   

Segment profit

     12,628         14,573         1,945         15.4%   
   

The increase in Dunkin’ Donuts International revenue from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 resulted primarily from an increase in royalty income of $1.2 million driven by the increase in systemwide sales. Also contributing to the increased revenue from the prior year was an increase of $0.9 million in franchise fees driven by development in China and Russia.

The increase in Dunkin’ Donuts International segment profit from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 was primarily driven by the increases in revenues of $1.8 million, as noted above.

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

 

      

Fiscal year

2009

    

Fiscal year

2010

     Increase (Decrease)  
         $      %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 46,293         42,920         (3,373)         (7.3)%   

Segment profit

     33,459         27,607         (5,852)         (17.5)%   
   

The decline in Baskin-Robbins U.S. revenue from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 was driven by the decline in systemwide sales, which impacted both royalty income, which declined $1.7 million, and licensing income earned through the sale of ice cream to franchisees by a third-party, which declined $0.6 million. Rental income also decreased $0.6 million in fiscal 2010 driven by a decline in the number of subleases, as well as revised sublease terms which resulted in adjustments of straight-line rental income.

 

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Baskin-Robbins U.S. segment profit declined from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 primarily as a result of the declines in royalty, licensing, and rental income. Also contributing to the decline in segment profit from 2009 was additional gift certificate breakage income recorded in 2009 of $2.6 million, as the Company determined during fiscal year 2009 that sufficient historical patterns existed to estimate breakage and therefore recognized a cumulative adjustment for all gift certificates outstanding.

Baskin-Robbins International

 

      

Fiscal year

2009

    

Fiscal year

2010

     Increase (Decrease)  
         $      %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 80,764         91,285         10,521         13.0%   

Segment profit

     41,212         41,596         384         0.9%   
   

The growth in Baskin-Robbins International revenue from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 resulted primarily from an increase in ice cream sales of $9.8 million, which was driven by higher sales in the Middle East. Royalty income also increased $1.2 million in fiscal 2010 due to growth in systemwide sales, specifically in Japan, South Korea, and Russia.

Baskin-Robbins International segment profit remained relatively flat from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010. Joint venture income from the Baskin-Robbins businesses in South Korea and Japan increased $3.3 million from 2009, driven by systemwide sales growth in both countries. Royalty income also increased $1.2 million, as noted above. Offsetting these increases in segment profit was a decline in net margin on ice cream sales of $1.9 million, primarily as the result of unfavorable commodity prices and foreign exchange. Also offsetting the increases in segment profit were increases in travel, professional fees, and other general and administrative costs totaling $1.8 million.

Fiscal year 2009 compared to fiscal year 2008

Consolidated results of operations

 

      

Fiscal year

2008

    

Fiscal year

2009

     Increase (Decrease)  
         $      %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Franchise fees and royalty income

   $ 349,047         344,020         (5,027)         (1.4)%   

Rental income

     97,886         93,651         (4,235)         (4.3)%   

Sales of ice cream products

     71,445         75,256         3,811          5.3%    

Other revenues

     26,551         25,146         (1,405)         (5.3)%   
        

Total revenues

   $ 544,929         538,073         (6,856)         (1.3)%   
   

The decline in total revenues from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 was primarily driven by reduced franchise fees of $14.0 million, resulting from the opening of 431 fewer restaurants domestically. Rental and sublease income decreased $4.2 million, or 4.3%, from the prior year, driven by declines in comparable store sales in locations where rent is earned based on a percentage of sales, as well as a reduction in the amortization of unfavorable operating leases acquired due to lease terminations in the prior year. Other revenues declined $1.4 million from fiscal 2008 primarily as a result of fewer refranchising transactions in fiscal 2009, offset by increased licensing fees. Offsetting these decreases was an increase in royalty income of $9.0 million, or 2.9%, from the prior year

 

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driven by Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. systemwide sales growth. Sales of ice cream products also increased $3.8 million, or 5.3%, from the prior year driven primarily by Baskin-Robbins store development internationally.

 

      

Fiscal year

2008

   

Fiscal year

2009

     Increase (Decrease)  
        $      %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Occupancy expenses—franchised restaurants

   $ 55,581        51,964         (3,617)         (6.5)%   

Cots of ice cream products

     49,407        47,432         (1,975)         (4.0)%   

General and administrative expenses, net

     196,841        197,005         164          0.1%    

Depreciation and amortization

     66,300        62,911         (3,389)         (5.1)%   

Impairment charges

     331,862        8,517         (323,345)         (97.4)%   
        

Total operating costs and expenses

   $ 699,991        367,829         (332,162)         (47.5)%   
        

Equity in net income of joint ventures

     14,169        14,301         132          0.9%    

Operating income

   $ (140,893     184,545         325,438          n/m    
   

Occupancy expenses for franchised restaurants declined $3.6 million from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 resulting primarily from the reversal of a lease reserve in 2009. Cost of ice cream and ice cream products decreased in fiscal 2009 despite higher sales volume primarily as the result of favorable commodity prices and foreign exchange.

General and administrative expenses, net, were flat from 2008 to 2009. Professional and legal costs declined primarily as a result of consulting fees incurred in 2008 related to entry into new markets that did not recur in 2009. Payroll and related benefit costs also declined from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 due primarily to the temporary suspension of 401(k) matching contributions in fiscal 2009. Additionally, income of $3.2 million related to cumulative breakage of historical gift certificate balances was recorded in 2009. A focus on cost reductions during fiscal 2009 resulted in lower travel, meeting, and other controllable expenses. Partially offsetting these decreases in expenses in fiscal 2009 were increases in franchisee-related restructuring activities and a decline in legal settlement income.

Depreciation and amortization declined a total of $3.4 million from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 due to terminations of lease agreements in the normal course of business, resulting in the write-off of favorable lease intangible assets which thereby reduced future amortization. Additionally, corporate assets were held for sale beginning in the third quarter of 2009, for which no depreciation was subsequently recorded.

The decrease in impairment charges from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 was driven by a goodwill impairment charge recorded in 2008 of $294.5 million related to the Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. and Baskin-Robbins International businesses, as well as a 2008 charge of $34.0 million related to the Baskin-Robbins trade name. These impairment charges were triggered by declines in fair value of the intangible assets due to the overall economic environment and declines in peer company market values. Partially offsetting these declines in impairment charges from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 was an impairment charge recorded in 2009 related to corporate assets.

Equity in net income of joint ventures increased slightly from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 as a result of an increase in income from our Japan joint venture, offset by a decrease in income from our South Korea joint venture. The increase in Japan joint venture income in fiscal 2009 resulted from an increase in the joint venture’s net income driven by sales growth, as well as a favorable impact of foreign exchange. The decrease in South Korea joint venture income in fiscal 2009 resulted from an unfavorable impact of foreign exchange, partially offset by an increase in the joint venture’s net income due to growth in sales.

 

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Fiscal year

2008

    

Fiscal year

2009

    Increase (Decrease)  
        $      %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Interest expense, net

   $ (115,944)         (115,019     925         (0.8)%   

Gain (loss) on debt extinguishment

     —          3,684        3,684         n/a   

Other gains, net

     (3,929)         1,066        4,995         (127.1)%   
        

Total other expense (loss)

   $ (119,873)         (110,269     9,604         (8.0)%   
   

Net interest expense declined from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 due to the voluntary retirement of long-term debt with a face value of $153.7 million in the third quarter of 2009, reducing interest paid, insurer premiums, and the amortization of deferred financing costs, partially offset by a decrease in interest income due to declining interest rates.

During fiscal 2009, gains on debt extinguishment of $3.7 million were recorded as a result of the voluntary retirement of long-term debt in the third quarter of 2009. No such gains or losses were recorded in fiscal 2008.

The fluctuation in other gains and losses resulted from additional net foreign exchange gains of $4.6 million recorded in 2009 as compared to 2008 as a result of the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the Canadian dollar in 2008, whereas the U.S. dollar weakened against the Canadian dollar in 2009. The remaining fluctuation resulted from gains and losses recorded on sales of available-for-sale securities.

 

      

Fiscal year

2008

   

Fiscal year

2009

 
    
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Income (loss) before income taxes

   $ (260,766     74,276   

Provision for income taxes

     9,132        39,268   

Effective tax rate

     (3.5 )%      52.9%   
   

The negative effective tax rate of 3.5% in fiscal 2008 resulted from the goodwill impairment charge of $294.5 million, which was not deductible for tax purposes and therefore no tax benefit was recorded. Excluding the goodwill impairment charge, the effective tax rate for fiscal 2008 would have been 27.1%. Contributing to the reduced effective tax rate in fiscal 2008 was a $4.4 million tax benefit related to changes in future tax rates in Massachusetts that were enacted in 2008. The effective tax rate for both years was also impacted by reserves recorded for uncertain tax positions, which were not driven by changes in income before income taxes. These reserves for uncertain tax positions were $3.5 million and $9.1 million in fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2009, respectively. Additionally, the higher effective tax rate in fiscal 2009 resulted from an additional valuation allowance of approximately $5.8 million recorded on capital loss carryforwards.

Operating segments

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

 

      

Fiscal year

2008

    

Fiscal year

2009

    Increase (Decrease)  
            $          %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 397,176         387,595        (9,581)         (2.4)%   

Segment profit

     288,009         275,961        (12,048)         (4.2)%   
   

The decline in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. revenue from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 was driven by a $12.4 million decline in franchise fees, resulting from the opening of 370 fewer restaurants compared to the prior year. Additionally,

 

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rental income decreased $3.4 million primarily as a result of the impact of negative comparable store sales on rent that is earned based on a percentage of sales. Also negatively impacting rental income were write-offs of unfavorable operating leases in fiscal 2008, which result in additional rental income at the time of write-off and reduce amortization to rental income in future periods. Other revenues declined $3.7 million from fiscal 2008 due to fewer refranchising transactions, as well as increased franchisee-related restructuring activities, which were recorded as reductions of revenue. Offsetting these declines in fiscal 2009 was an increase in royalty income of $9.9 million, or 3.7%, consistent with the increase in systemwide sales.

The decline in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. segment profit from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 was primarily driven by the declines in franchise fees and refranchising gains. Additionally, net rent margin declined $1.9 million from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 driven by a decline in net rental income that is earned based on a percentage of sales due to negative comparable store sales and prior year write-offs of unfavorable operating leases acquired, partially offset by the reversal of a lease reserve. The decrease in segment profit from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 also resulted from increases in both bad debt provisions and franchisee-related restructuring activities. Partially offsetting these declines in segment profit was an increase in royalty income of $9.9 million as noted above, as well as a decline in payroll-related costs of $4.5 million due to lower headcount and lower incentive compensation. Travel expenses and professional fees also declined $1.9 million in fiscal 2009 resulting from increased focus on cost management.

Dunkin’ Donuts International

 

      

Fiscal year

2008

    

Fiscal year

2009

    Increase (Decrease)  
              $          %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 13,241         12,326        (915)         (6.9)%   

Segment profit

     14,534         12,628        (1,906)         (13.1)%   
   

The decrease in Dunkin’ Donuts International revenue from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 resulted primarily from a $0.7 million decline in franchise fees due to fewer restaurant openings in fiscal 2009 as compared to the prior year. Additionally, other revenues declined $0.5 million in fiscal 2009 due to income generated in the prior year from company-owned operations in Spain, which were sold in fiscal 2009.

The decrease in Dunkin’ Donuts International segment profit from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 was driven by the declines in franchise fees and other revenues, as discussed above. In addition, income from the South Korea joint venture declined $0.7 million from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009, which was driven primarily by an unfavorable impact of foreign exchange.

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

 

      

Fiscal year

2008

    

Fiscal year

2009

    Increase (Decrease)  
              $          %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 50,499         46,293        (4,206)         (8.3)%   

Segment profit

     33,925         33,459        (466)         (1.4)%   
   

The decline in Baskin-Robbins U.S. revenue from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 was driven by the decline in systemwide sales due to negative comparable store sales in addition to a slightly smaller restaurant base, which impacted both royalty income and licensing income earned through the sale of ice cream to franchisees

 

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by a third-party. Franchise fees declined $1.6 million in fiscal 2009 due to 61 fewer restaurant openings. Rental income also declined $0.4 million in fiscal 2009 as the number of subleases declined.

Baskin-Robbins U.S. segment profit declined from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 primarily as a result of the declines in royalty income, franchise fees, and licensing income. Partially offsetting these declines was gift certificate breakage income recorded in 2009 of $3.2 million. All other general and administrative expenses included in segment profit for Baskin-Robbins U.S. declined in fiscal 2009 by approximately $0.6 million.

Baskin-Robbins International

 

      

Fiscal year

2008

    

Fiscal year

2009

    Increase (Decrease)  
              $          %  
   
     (In thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues

   $ 76,066         80,764        4,698         6.2%   

Segment profit

     33,257         41,212        7,955         23.9%   
   

The growth in Baskin-Robbins International revenue from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 resulted primarily from an increase of ice cream sales of $3.9 million, which was driven by higher sales in the Middle East, partially offset by unfavorable impacts of foreign exchange. Additionally, increased restaurant openings in China and Indonesia in fiscal 2009 resulted in higher franchise fees. Royalty income also increased $0.5 million in fiscal 2009 due to the growth in systemwide sales.

Baskin-Robbins International segment profit growth from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009 was primarily driven by an increase in net margin on sales of ice cream and ice cream related products of $5.9 million. This increase was driven by higher sales volumes in the Middle East, as well as significant commodity price declines during 2009. Also contributing to the increase in segment profit was an increase in franchise fees and royalty income of approximately $1.1 million. Additionally, joint venture income in Japan in fiscal 2009 increased $1.7 million driven by an increase in the joint venture’s net income driven by sales growth, and a favorable impact of foreign exchange. Partially offsetting these increases in segment profit in fiscal 2009 was a decrease in joint venture income in South Korea of $0.9 million as a result of unfavorable impact of foreign exchange, partially offset by an increase in the joint venture’s net income due to growth in sales.

Liquidity and capital resources

As of March 26, 2011, we held $120.5 million of cash and cash equivalents, which included $69.3 million of cash held for advertising funds and reserved for gift card/certificate programs. In addition, as of March 26, 2011, we had a borrowing capacity of $88.8 million under our $100.0 million revolving credit facility. During the three months ended March 26, 2011, net cash provided by operating activities was $3.6 million, as compared to $24.6 million for the three months ended March 27, 2010. During fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, net cash provided by operating activities was $229.0 million, $116.1 million, and $74.7 million, respectively.

Net cash provided by operating activities of $3.6 million during the three months ended March 26, 2011 was primarily driven by a net loss of $1.7 million (increased by depreciation and amortization of $13.2 million and $13.1 million of other net non-cash reconciling adjustments), offset by $21.0 million of changes in operating assets and liabilities. During the three months ended March 26, 2011, we invested $3.7 million in capital additions to property and equipment. Net cash used in financing activities was $13.8 million during the three months ended March 26, 2011, driven primarily by costs associated with the February 2011 re-pricing transaction of $17.0 million, offset by proceeds from the issuance of common stock of $3.2 million.

Net cash provided by operating activities of $229.0 million during fiscal 2010 was primarily driven by net income of $26.9 million (increased by depreciation and amortization of $57.8 million and $26.7 million of other

 

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net non-cash reconciling adjustments), $6.6 million of dividends received from international joint ventures, and $111.0 million of changes in operating assets and liabilities, including the release of approximately $101.7 million of restricted cash as a result of the November 2010 debt refinancing. During fiscal 2010, we invested $15.4 million in capital additions to property and equipment. Net cash used in financing activities was $132.6 million during fiscal 2010, which includes proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt, net of repayment and voluntary retirement of debt and debt issuance costs, of $353.4 million and a $16.1 million decrease in debt-related restricted cash balances, offset by dividends paid on common stock of approximately $500.0 million.

On November 23, 2010, we consummated a refinancing transaction whereby Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (i) issued and sold $625.0 million aggregate principal amount of 9  5 / 8 % senior notes due 2018 and (ii) borrowed $1.25 billion in term loans and secured a $100.0 million revolving credit facility from a consortium of banks. The senior secured credit facility was amended on February 18, 2011, primarily to obtain more favorable interest rate margins and to increase the term loan borrowings under the senior secured credit facility to $1.40 billion. The full $150.0 million increase in term loan borrowings under the senior secured credit facility was used to redeem an equal principal amount of the senior notes at a price of 100.5% of par on March 21, 2011. We expect to further increase the size of the term loan facility by an additional $100.0 million to approximately $1.50 billion prior to the consummation of this offering. Interest expense, net, for fiscal 2010 and the three months ended March 26, 2011 on a pro forma basis would have been approximately $71.7 million and $17.9 million, respectively, after giving effect to the November 2010 refinancing, the February 2011 re-pricing transaction, a $100.0 million increase in term loans outstanding under the senior credit facility, and the repayment of the senior notes, as if these transactions had occurred on the first day of the respective periods.

The senior notes require semi-annual interest payments, beginning June 1, 2011. We may redeem some or all of the senior notes at fixed redemption prices of 100.5% of par through November 30, 2011, 102.5% of par from December 1, 2011 through November 30, 2012, 102.0% of par from December 1, 2012 through November 30, 2013, and 100% of par commencing December 1, 2013 through maturity. In the event of a change in control, as defined in the indenture governing the senior notes, or certain asset sales we will be obligated to repurchase the senior notes tendered at the option of the holders at a fixed price. We expect to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with the net proceeds from our anticipated $100.0 million of additional term loan borrowings, to redeem approximately $475.0 million in principal amount of the senior notes. The senior notes are guaranteed by certain of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.’s wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries. The senior notes are unsecured and are effectively subordinated to the senior secured credit facility to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt.

The senior credit facility is guaranteed by certain of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.’s wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries and includes a term loan facility and a revolving credit facility. Following the February 2011 amendment, the aggregate borrowings available under the senior secured credit facility are $1.50 billion, consisting of a full-drawn $1.40 billion term loan facility and a $100.0 million revolving credit facility under which $11.2 million of letters of credit were outstanding as of March 26, 2011. Borrowings under the term loan bear interest, payable at least quarterly. The senior secured credit facility requires principal amortization repayments to be made on term loan borrowings equal to $14.0 million per calendar year, payable in quarterly installments through September 2017. The final scheduled principal payment on the outstanding borrowings under the term loan is due in November 2017.

The senior credit facility also provides for borrowings of up to $100.0 million under the revolving credit facility, of which up to $50.0 million is available for letter of credit advances. Borrowings under the revolving credit facility (excluding letters of credit) bear interest, payable at least quarterly. We also pay a 0.50% commitment fee per annum on the unused portion of the revolver. The fee for letter of credit amounts outstanding ranges from 3.75% to 4.25%. At March 26, 2011, the fee for letter of credit amounts outstanding was 4.25%. At

 

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March 26, 2011, there was $88.8 million in available borrowings under the revolving credit facility, with $11.2 million of letters of credit outstanding. The revolving credit facility expires in November 2015.

The senior credit facility includes covenants that require us to maintain a ratio of debt to adjusted EBITDA (the “leverage ratio”) and a ratio of adjusted EBITDA to interest expense (the “coverage ratio”), within a certain range that will adjust over time. Failure to comply with either of these covenants would result in an event of default under our senior credit facility unless waived by our senior credit lenders. An event of default under our senior credit facility can result in the acceleration of our indebtedness under the facility, which in turn can result in an event of default and possible acceleration of our other indebtedness. For fiscal 2011, our leverage ratio must be below 8.6 and our interest coverage ratio must be above 1.45. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure used to determine our compliance with certain covenants contained in our senior credit facility. Adjusted EBITDA is defined in our senior credit facility as net income/(loss) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and impairment of long-lived assets, as adjusted for the items summarized in the table below. Adjusted EBITDA is not a presentation made in accordance with GAAP, and our use of the term adjusted EBITDA varies from others in our industry due to the potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation and differences due to items subject to interpretation. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net income/(loss), operating income or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP, as a measure of operating performance or as an alternative to cash flows as a measure of liquidity. Adjusted EBITDA has important limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Because of these limitations we rely primarily on our GAAP results. However, we believe that presenting adjusted EBITDA is appropriate to provide additional information to investors to demonstrate compliance with our financing covenants. As of March 26, 2011, we were in compliance with our debt covenants with a leverage ratio of 6.3 and an interest coverage ratio of 2.2, which were calculated for the twelve months ended March 26, 2011 based upon the adjustments to EBITDA, as provided for under the terms of our senior credit facility. The following is a reconciliation of net income to adjusted EBITDA for the twelve months ended March 26, 2011 (in thousands):

 

       Twelve months ended
March 26, 2011
 
   

Net income

   $ 19,200   

Interest expense

     119,128   

Income tax expense (benefit)

     (8,626

Depreciation and amortization

     55,702   

Impairment of long-lived assets

     6,314   
        

EBITDA

   $ 191,718   

Adjustments:

  

Non-cash adjustments(a)

   $ 6,636   

Transaction costs(b)

     1,120   

Sponsor management fees(c)

     3,000   

Loss on debt extinguishment and refinancing transaction(d)

     72,962   

Senior executive transition and severance(e)

     4,256   

New market entry(f)

     275   

Franchisee-related restructuring(g)

     2,274   

Technology and market related initiatives(h)

     3,145   

Other(i)

     1,888   
        

Total adjustments

   $ 95,556   
        

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ 287,274   
   

 

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(a)   Represents non-cash adjustments, including stock compensation expense, legal reserves, and other non-cash gains and losses.

 

(b)   Represents cost and expenses related to the Company’s refinancing and dividend transactions.

 

(c)   Represents annual fees paid to the Sponsors under a management agreement, which will be terminated upon the consummation of this offering. See “Related party transactions – Arrangements with our investors.”

 

(d)   Represents gains/losses recorded and related transaction costs associated with the refinancing of long-term debt, including the write-off of deferred financing costs and original issue discount, as well as pre-payment premiums.

 

(e)   Represents severance and related benefits costs associated with non-recurring reorganizations (includes the accrual of costs associated with Executive Chairman transition).

 

(f)   Represents one-time costs and fees associated with entry into new markets.

 

(g)   Represents one-time costs of franchisee-related restructuring programs.

 

(h)   Represents costs associated with various franchisee information technology and one-time market research programs.

 

(i)   Represents the net impact of other non-recurring and individually insignificant adjustments.

Based upon our current level of operations and anticipated growth, we believe that the cash generated from our operations and amounts available under our revolving credit facility will be adequate to meet our anticipated debt service requirements, capital expenditures and working capital needs for at least the next twelve months. We believe that we will be able to meet these obligations even if we experience no growth in sales or profits. Our ability to continue to fund these items and continue to reduce debt could be adversely affected by the occurrence of any of the events described under “Risk factors.” There can be no assurances, however, that our business will generate sufficient cash flows from operations or that future borrowings will be available under our revolving credit facility or otherwise to enable us to service our indebtedness, including our senior secured credit facility, or to make anticipated capital expenditures. Our future operating performance and our ability to service, extend or refinance the senior secured credit facility will be subject to future economic conditions and to financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.

Off balance sheet obligations

We have entered into a third-party guarantee with a distribution facility of franchisee products that ensures franchisees will purchase a certain volume of product. As product is purchased by our franchisees over the term of the agreement, the amount of the guarantee is reduced. As of March 26, 2011, we were contingently liable for $8.4 million, under this guarantee. Based on current internal forecasts, we believe the franchisees will achieve the required volume of purchases, and therefore, we would not be required to make payments under this agreement. Additionally, the Company has various supply chain contracts that provide for purchase commitments or exclusivity, the majority of which result in the Company being contingently liable upon early termination of the agreement or engaging with another supplier. Based on prior history and the Company’s ability to extend contract terms, we have not recorded any liabilities related to these commitments. As of March 26, 2011, we were contingently liable under such supply chain agreements for approximately $20.3 million.

As a result of assigning our interest in obligations under property leases as a condition of the refranchising of certain restaurants and the guarantee of certain other leases, we are contingently liable on certain lease agreements. These leases have varying terms, the latest of which expires in 2024. As of March 26, 2011, the potential amount of undiscounted payments we could be required to make in the event of nonpayment by the primary lessee was $7.8 million. Our franchisees are the primary lessees under the majority of these leases. We generally have cross-default provisions with these franchisees that would put them in default of their franchise agreement in the event of nonpayment under the lease. We believe these cross-default provisions significantly reduce the risk that we will be required to make payments under these leases, and we have not recorded a liability for such contingent liabilities.

We do not have any other material off balance sheet obligations other than the guaranteed financing arrangements discussed above in “Critical accounting policies.”

 

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Inflation

Historically, inflation has not had a material effect on our results of operations. Severe increases in inflation, however, could affect the global and U.S. economies and could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Seasonality

Our revenues are subject to fluctuations based on seasonality, primarily with respect to Baskin-Robbins. The ice cream industry generally experiences an increase during the spring and summer months, whereas Dunkin’ Donuts hot beverage sales generally increase during the fall and winter months and iced beverage sales generally increase during the spring and summer months.

Quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk

Foreign exchange risk

We are subject to inherent risks attributed to operating in a global economy. Most of our revenues, costs and debts are denominated in U.S. dollars. Our investments in, and equity income from, joint ventures are denominated in foreign currencies, and are therefore subject to foreign currency fluctuations. For fiscal year 2010, a 5% change in foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar would have had a $0.9 million impact on equity in net income of joint ventures. Additionally, a 5% change in foreign currencies as of March 26, 2011 would have had an $8.8 million impact on the carrying value of our investments in joint ventures. In the future, we may consider the use of derivative financial instruments, such as forward contracts, to manage foreign currency exchange rate risks.

Interest rate risk

We are subject to interest rate risk in connection with our long-term debt. Our principal interest rate exposure mainly relates to the term loan outstanding under our new senior credit facility. We have a $1.40 billion term loan facility bearing interest at variable rates. Each eighth of a percentage point change in interest rates would result in a $1.8 million change in annual interest expense on our new term loan facility. We also have a revolving credit facility, which provides for borrowings of up to $100.0 million and bears interest at variable rates. Assuming the revolver is fully drawn, each eighth of a percentage point change in interest rates would result in a $0.1 million change in annual interest expense on our revolving loan facility.

In the future, we may enter into hedging instruments, involving the exchange of floating for fixed rate interest payments, to reduce interest rate volatility.

 

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Contractual obligations

The following table sets forth our contractual obligations as of December 25, 2010. There have been no significant changes to our contractual obligations since December 25, 2010, with the exception of the February 2011 re-pricing transaction, which is reflected in the long-term debt obligations below.

 

(In millions)   

Total

    

Less than

1 year

    

1-3

years

    

3-5

years

    

More than

5 years

 
              
   

Long-term debt(1)(2)

   $ 2,835.7         129.3         254.9         304.4         2,147.1   

Capital lease obligations

     9.7         0.7         1.4         1.5         6.1   

Operating lease obligations

     652.6         51.4         100.6         94.1         406.5   

Purchase obligations(3)(4)

                                       

Short and long-term obligations(5)

     19.5         3.9         6.6         6.0         3.0   
        

Total(6)

   $ 3,517.5         185.3         363.5         406.0         2,562.7   
   

 

(1)   Amounts include mandatory principal payments on long-term debt, as well as estimated interest of $115.3 million, $226.9 million, $276.4 million, and $342.1 million for less than 1 year, 1-3 years, 3-5 years, and more than 5 years, respectively. Amounts reflect the impact of the repricing and increase of our term loans completed in February 2011, and the corresponding redemption of senior notes. Interest on the $1.4 billion of term loans under our senior credit facility is variable, subject to an interest rate floor, and have been estimated based on a LIBOR yield curve. Our term loans also require us to prepay an amount equal to 50% of excess cash flow (as defined in the senior credit facility) for the preceding fiscal year beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2012, if our leverage ratio exceeds 5.25x at the end of such fiscal year. If the leverage ratio is less than 5.25x, then 25% of excess cash flow is required to be prepaid, and if the leverage ratio is less than 4.00x, then no excess cash flow prepayment is required. Excess cash flow prepayments have not been reflected in the contractual obligation amounts above.

 

(2)   We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with the net proceeds from our anticipated additional $100.0 million of term loan borrowings, to repay all amounts outstanding under the senior notes. See “Use of proceeds.”

 

(3)   We entered into a third-party guarantee with a distribution facility of franchisee products that ensures franchisees will purchase a certain volume of product. As of December 25, 2010, we were contingently liable for $8.6 million under this guarantee. We have various supply chain contracts that provide for purchase commitments or exclusivity, the majority of which result in our being contingently liable upon early termination of the agreement or engaging with another supplier. Based on prior history and our ability to extend contract terms, we have not recorded any liabilities related to these commitments. As of December 25, 2010, we were contingently liable under such supply chain agreements for approximately $16 million.

 

(4)   We are guarantors of and are contingently liable for certain lease arrangements primarily as the result of our assigning our interest. As of December 25, 2010, we were contingently liable for $7.2 million under these guarantees, which are discussed further above in “Off Balance Sheet Obligations.” Additionally, in certain cases, we issue guarantees to financial institutions so that franchisees can obtain financing. If all outstanding guarantees, which are discussed further above in “Critical accounting policies,” came due as of December 25, 2010, we would be liable for approximately $7.7 million.

 

(5)   Amounts include obligations to former employees, as well as Sponsor management fees, which are currently payable at $3.0 million per year. In connection with this offering and the termination of our agreement with the Sponsors, the contractual payments will be accelerated and we will be required to pay approximately $14 million to the Sponsors upon the consummation of this offering in lieu of future payments. See “Related party transactions – Arrangements with our investors.”

 

(6)   As of December 25, 2010, the Company has a liability for uncertain tax positions of $29.6 million for which the timing of payment, if any, for $28.5 million is unknown at this time. The Company expects to pay approximately $1.1 million related to these uncertain tax positions during fiscal 2011.

 

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Recently issued accounting standards

In December 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued new guidance to amend the criteria for performing the second step of the goodwill impairment test for reporting units with zero or negative carrying amounts and requires performing the second step if qualitative factors indicate that it is more likely than not that a goodwill impairment exists. This new guidance is effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2011. We do not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on our goodwill assessment or our consolidated financial statements.

In January 2010, the FASB issued new guidance and clarifications for improving disclosures about fair value measurements. This guidance requires enhanced disclosures regarding transfers in and out of the levels within the fair value hierarchy. Separate disclosures are required for transfers in and out of Levels 1 and 2 fair value measurements, and the reasons for the transfers must be disclosed. In the reconciliation for Level 3 fair value measurements, separate disclosures are required for purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements on a gross basis. The new disclosures and clarifications of existing disclosures were effective for the Company in fiscal year 2010, except for the disclosures about purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements in the roll forward of activity in Level 3 fair value measurements, which were effective for the Company in fiscal year 2011. The adoption of this guidance did not have any impact on our financial position or results of operations, as it only relates to disclosures.

 

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Business

Our company

We are the world’s leading franchisor of quick service restaurants (“QSRs”) serving hot and cold coffee and baked goods, as well as hard serve ice cream. We franchise restaurants under our Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands. With over 16,000 points of distribution in 57 countries, our portfolio has strong brand awareness in our key markets around the globe and has industry-leading market share in a number of growing categories of the QSR segment. Dunkin’ Donuts operates primarily in the breakfast daypart within the QSR segment of the restaurant industry which has experienced significantly better guest traffic trends than the overall QSR segment in recent years. Dunkin’ Donuts holds the #1 position in the U.S. by servings in each of the QSR subcategories of “Hot regular coffee,” “Iced coffee,” “Donuts,” “Bagels,” and “Muffins,” and holds the #2 position in the U.S. by servings in each of the QSR subcategories of “Total coffee” and “Breakfast sandwiches.” Baskin-Robbins is the #1 QSR chain in the U.S. for servings of hard serve ice cream and has established leading market positions in Japan as well as in the growing ice cream QSR markets in South Korea and the Middle East.

We believe that our nearly 100% franchised business model offers strategic and financial benefits. For example, because we do not own or operate a significant number of stores, our company is able to focus on menu innovation, marketing, franchisee coaching and support, and other initiatives to drive the overall success of our brand. Financially, our franchised model allows us to grow our points of distribution and brand recognition with limited capital investment by us and to maintain one of the leading cash flow margins in the QSR industry.

We operate our business in four segments: Dunkin’ Donuts U.S., Dunkin’ Donuts International, Baskin-Robbins International and Baskin-Robbins U.S. In 2010, our Dunkin’ Donuts segments generated revenues of $416.5 million, or 76% of our total segment revenues, of which $402.4 million was in the U.S. segment and $14.1 million was in the international segment. In 2010, our Baskin-Robbins segments generated revenues of $134.2 million, of which $91.3 million was in the international segment and $42.9 million was in the U.S. segment. As of March 26, 2011, there were 9,805 Dunkin’ Donuts points of distribution, of which 6,799 were in the U.S. and 3,006 were international, and 6,482 Baskin-Robbins points of distribution, of which 3,959 were international and 2,523 were in the U.S. Our points of distribution consist of traditional end-cap, in-line and stand-alone restaurants, many with drive thrus, and gas and convenience locations, as well as alternative points of distribution (“APODs”), such as full- or self-service kiosks in grocery stores, hospitals, airports, offices, colleges and other smaller-footprint properties.

We generate revenue from four primary sources: (i) royalties and fees associated with franchised restaurants; (ii) rental income from restaurant properties that we lease or sublease to franchisees; (iii) sales of ice cream and ice cream products to franchisees in certain international markets; and (iv) other income including fees for the licensing of the Dunkin’ Donuts brand for products sold in on-franchised outlets (such as retail packaged coffee) and the licensing of the rights to manufacture Baskin-Robbins ice cream to a third party for ice cream and related products sold to U.S. franchisees; as well as refranchising gains, transfer fees from franchisees, revenue from our company-owned restaurants and online training fees.

For fiscal year 2010, we generated total revenues and operating income of $577.1 million and $193.5 million, respectively.

Our history and recent accomplishments

Both of our brands have a rich heritage dating back to the 1940s, when Bill Rosenberg founded his first restaurant, subsequently renamed Dunkin’ Donuts, and Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins each founded a chain of ice cream shops that eventually combined to form Baskin-Robbins. Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts were

 

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individually acquired by Allied Domecq PLC in 1973 and 1989, respectively. The brands were organized under the Allied Domecq Quick Service Restaurants subsidiary, which was renamed Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. in 2004. Allied Domecq was acquired in July 2005 by Pernod Ricard S.A. Pernod Ricard made the decision to divest Dunkin’ Brands in order to remain a focused global spirits company. As a result, in March of 2006, we were acquired by investment funds affiliated with Bain Capital Partners, LLC, The Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (collectively, the “Sponsors”).

Since 2001, we have grown our global Dunkin’ Donuts points of distribution and systemwide sales by compound annual growth rates of 6.9% and 8.7%, respectively. During the same period, we have also grown our global Baskin-Robbins total points of distribution and systemwide sales by compound annual growth rates of 4.0% and 6.8%, respectively. Until the first quarter of fiscal 2008, Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. had experienced 45 consecutive quarters of positive comparable store sales growth. During fiscal 2008 and 2009, we believe we demonstrated strong comparable store sales resilience during the recession, and we increased our overall profitability while investing for future growth. During fiscal 2010, Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. experienced sequential improvement in comparable store sales growth with comparable store sales growth of (0.6)%, 1.9%, 2.7% and 4.7% in the first through fourth quarters, respectively. Positive comparable store sales growth has continued in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 despite adverse weather conditions in the Northeast region during the quarter.

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. comparable store sales growth (1)

LOGO

 

  (1)   Data for fiscal year 2001 through fiscal year 2005 represent results for the fiscal years ended August. All other fiscal years represent results for the fiscal years ended the last Saturday in December.  

Our competitive business strengths

We attribute our success in the QSR segment to the following strengths:

Strong and established brands with leading market positions

Our Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands have histories dating back more than 60 years, and have well-established reputations for delivering high-quality beverage and food products at a good value through convenient locations with fast and friendly service. Today both brands are leaders in their respective QSR categories, with aided brand awareness in excess of 95% in the U.S., and a strong, growing presence overseas.

In addition to our leading U.S. market positions, for the fifth consecutive year, Dunkin’ Donuts was recognized in 2010 by Brand Keys, a customer satisfaction research company, as #1 in customer loyalty in the coffee category. Our customer loyalty is particularly evident in New England, where we have our highest penetration per capita in the U.S. and where, according to CREST ® data, we hold a 52% market share of breakfast daypart visits and our market share of 57% of total QSR coffee based on servings is nearly six times greater than that of our nearest competitor. Further demonstrating the strength of our brand, in 2010 the Dunkin’ Donuts 12 oz. original blend bagged coffee was the #1 grocery stock-keeping unit nationally in the premium coffee category, with double the sales of our closest competitor, according to Nielsen.

Similarly, Baskin-Robbins is the #1 QSR chain in the U.S. for servings of hard serve ice cream and has established leading market positions in Japan, South Korea and the Middle East.

 

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Franchised business model provides an attractive platform for growth

Nearly 100% of our locations are franchised, allowing us to focus on our brand differentiation and menu innovation, while our franchisees expand our points of distribution. This expansion requires limited financial investment by us, given that new store development and substantially all of our store advertising costs are funded by franchisees. Consequently, we achieved a strong operating income margin of approximately 34% in fiscal 2010. With strong operating income margins and low capital requirements, we generate strong and consistent cash flow. For our domestic businesses, because our revenues are largely derived from royalties based on a percentage of franchisee revenues as well as contractual lease payments and other franchise fees, we are not directly impacted by changes in restaurant-level profitability, including the impact of increases in commodity costs. We offer our franchisees significant operational support by aiming to continuously improve restaurant profitability. One example is supporting their supply chain, where we believe we have facilitated approximately $220 million in cost reductions since 2008 through strategic sourcing and other initiatives.

Attractive store level economics generate franchisee demand for new restaurants

We believe that our restaurants offer a compelling investment opportunity to our franchisees, which in turn generates franchisee demand for additional restaurants. In the U.S., new traditional format Dunkin’ Donuts stores opened during fiscal 2010, excluding gas and convenience locations, generated average weekly sales of approximately $16,400, or annualized unit volumes of approximately $855,000, while the average capital expenditure required to open a new traditional restaurant site in the U.S., excluding gas and convenience locations, was approximately $474,000 in 2010. Of our fiscal 2010 openings and existing commitments, approximately 90% have been made by existing franchisees that are able, in many cases, to use cash flow generated from their existing restaurants to fund a portion of their expansion costs.

As a result of Dunkin’ Donuts’ attractive franchisee store-level economics and strong brand appeal, we have a robust and growing new restaurant pipeline. During 2010, our franchisees opened 206 net new Dunkin’ Donuts points of distribution in the U.S. Based on the commitments we have secured or expect to secure, we anticipate the opening of approximately 200 to 250 net new points of distribution in the U.S. in 2011. Consistent with our overall points of distribution mix, we expect that approximately 80% of our Dunkin’ Donuts openings in the U.S. will be traditional format restaurants; however, this percentage may be higher or lower in any given year as a result of specific development initiatives or other factors.

We believe our strong store-level economics and our track record of performance through economic cycles has resulted in a diverse and stable franchisee base, with the largest franchisee in the U.S. owning less than 3.5% of the U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts points of distribution and domestic franchisees operating, on average, 5.9 points of distribution in the U.S. Similarly, no Baskin-Robbins franchisee in the U.S. owns more than 1% of the U.S. Baskin-Robbins points of distribution, and domestic franchisees operate, on average, 1.85 points of distribution in the U.S. In addition, we believe the transfer rate of less than 4% per year in each of 2008, 2009 and 2010 for both our Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees and our Baskin-Robbins franchisees reflects the stability of our U.S. franchisee base.

Experienced management team with proven track record in the industry

Our senior management team has significant QSR, foodservice and franchise company experience. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Donuts, our CEO Nigel Travis served as the CEO of Papa John’s International Inc. and previously held numerous senior positions at Blockbuster Inc. and Burger King Corporation. John Costello, our Chief Global Marketing & Innovation Officer, joined Dunkin’ Brands in 2009 having previously held leadership roles at The

 

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Home Depot, Sears, Yahoo!, Nielsen Marketing Research and Procter & Gamble. Paul Twohig, our Chief Operating Officer, joined Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. in October 2009 having previously held senior positions at Starbucks Corporation and Panera Bread Company. Neal Yanofsky, our new President of International, joined us in May 2011 after holding senior positions at Generation Mobile, Panera Bread Company, Fidelity Ventures and Au Bon Pain. Our CFO Neil Moses joined in November 2010, having previously held numerous senior positions with public companies, including, most recently, CFO of Parametric Technology Corporation.

Our growth strategy

We believe there are significant opportunities to grow our brands globally, further support the profitability of our franchisees, expand our leadership in the coffee, baked goods and ice cream categories of the QSR segment of the restaurant industry and deliver shareholder value by executing on the following strategies:

Increase comparable store sales and profitability in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

We intend to continue building on our comparable store sales growth momentum and improve profitability through the following initiatives:

Further increase coffee and beverage sales. Since the late 1980s, we have transformed Dunkin’ Donuts into a coffee-focused brand and have developed a significantly enhanced menu of beverage products, including Coolattas ® , espressos, iced lattes and flavored coffees. Approximately 60% of U.S. systemwide sales for fiscal 2010 were generated from coffee and other beverages, which have attractive profit margins and, we believe, generate increased guest visits to our stores and higher unit volumes. We plan to increase our high-margin coffee and beverage revenue through continued new product innovations and related marketing, including highly recognizable advertising campaigns such as “America Runs on Dunkin’” and “What are you Drinkin’?”

Beginning in the summer of 2011, Dunkin’ Donuts will offer 14-count boxes of authentic Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in Keurig ® K-Cups, the leading single-serve brewing system in the U.S., exclusively at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants across the U.S. Using coffee sourced and roasted to Dunkin’ Donuts’ exacting specifications, Dunkin’ K-Cup portion packs will be available in five popular Dunkin’ Donuts flavors, including Original Blend, Dunkin’ Decaf, French Vanilla, Hazelnut and Dunkin’ Dark ® . In addition, participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants will, on occasion, offer Keurig Single-Cup Brewers for sale. Brewers with Keurig Brewed ® technology were the top five selling coffee makers in the U.S. on a dollar basis for the period of October through December 2010 and represented an estimated 49% of total coffee maker dollar sales for that period according to CREST ® data. We believe this alliance is a significant long-term growth opportunity that will generate incremental sales and profits for our Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees.

Extend leadership in breakfast daypart while growing afternoon daypart. As we maintain and expand our current leading market position in the breakfast daypart through innovative bakery and breakfast sandwich products like the Big ‘N Toasty and the Wake-Up Wrap ® , we plan to expand Dunkin’ Donuts’ position in the afternoon daypart (between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.), which currently represents only approximately 12% of our franchisee-reported sales. We believe that our extensive coffee- and beverage-based menu coupled with new “hearty snack” introductions, such as Bagel Twists, position us to grow share in this daypart. We believe this will require minimal additional capital investment by our franchisees.

Drive continued enhancements in restaurant operations. We will continue to maintain a highly operations-focused culture to help our franchisees maximize the quality and consistency of their guests’ in-store experience, as well as to drive franchisee profitability. To accomplish this, we have enhanced initial and ongoing restaurant manager and crew training programs and developed new in-store planning and tracking technology

 

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tools to assist our franchisees. As evidence of our recent success in these areas, the number of respondents to our Guest Satisfaction Survey program in March 2011 rating their overall experience as “Highly Satisfied” represented an all-time high and reflects a significant improvement over prior results.

Continue Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. contiguous store expansion

We believe there is a significant opportunity to grow our points of distribution for Dunkin’ Donuts in the U.S. given the strong potential outside of the Northeast region to increase our per-capita penetration to levels closer to those in our core markets. Our development strategy resulted in more than 200 net new U.S. openings in fiscal 2010, which was among the largest store count increases in the QSR industry that year. During fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012, we expect our franchisees to open approximately 200 to 250 net new points of distribution per year in the U.S., principally in existing developed markets. Our long-term goal is to more than double our U.S. footprint and reach a total of 15,000 points of distribution in the U.S. for Dunkin’ Donuts. The following table details our per-capita penetration levels in our U.S. regions.

 

Region    Population (in millions)      Stores 1      Penetration  
   

New England and New York

     36.0         3,720         1:9,700   

Other Eastern U.S.

     142.5         2,943         1:48,400   

Western U.S.

     130.0         109         1:1,193,000   
   

 

1   As of December 25, 2010

The key elements of our future domestic development strategy are:

Increase penetration in existing markets. In our traditional core markets of New England and New York, we now have one Dunkin’ Donuts store for every 9,700 people. In the near term, we intend to focus our development on other existing markets east of the Mississippi River, where we currently have only approximately one Dunkin’ Donuts store for every 48,400 people. In certain Eastern U.S. markets outside of our core markets, such as Philadelphia, Chicago and South Florida we have already achieved per-capita penetration of greater than one Dunkin’ Donuts store for every 25,000 people.

Expand into new markets using a disciplined approach . We believe that the Western part of the U.S. represents a significant growth opportunity for Dunkin’ Donuts. However, we believe that a disciplined approach to development is the best one for our brand and franchisees. Specifically, in the near term, we will focus on development in contiguous markets that are adjacent to our existing base, and generally move outward to less penetrated markets in progression, providing for marketing and supply chain efficiencies within each new market.

Focus on store-level economics. We believe our strong store-level economics have driven unit growth throughout our history. In recent years, we have undertaken significant initiatives to further enhance store-level economics for our franchisees, including reducing the cash investment for new stores, increasing beverage sales, lowering supply chain costs and implementing more efficient store management systems. We believe these initiatives have further increased franchisee profitability. For example, to open an end-cap restaurant with a drive-thru, we have reduced the upfront capital expenditure costs by approximately 23% between fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2010 and during that same period, we believe we have facilitated approximately $220 million in cost reductions through strategic sourcing and other initiatives. We will continue to focus on these initiatives to further enhance operating efficiencies.

 

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Drive accelerated international growth of both brands

We believe there is a significant opportunity to grow our points of distribution for both brands in international markets. Our international expansion strategy has resulted in more than 3,100 net new openings in the last 10 years. During fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012, we expect our franchisees to open approximately 450 to 500 net new points of distribution per year internationally, principally in our existing markets.

The key elements of our future international development strategy are:

Grow in our existing core markets. Our international development strategy for both brands includes growth in our existing core markets. For the Dunkin’ Donuts brand, we intend to focus on growth in South Korea and the Middle East, where we currently have 875 and 204 points of distribution, respectively. For Baskin-Robbins, we intend to focus on Japan, South Korea, and the Middle East where, in 2010, we had the #1 market share positions in the Fast Food Ice Cream category in those markets. We intend to leverage our operational infrastructure to grow our existing store base of 2,499 Baskin-Robbins points of distribution in these markets.

Capitalize on other markets with significant growth potential. We intend to expand in certain international focus markets where our brands do not have a significant store presence, but where we believe there is consumer demand for our products as well as strong franchisee partners. We plan to pursue opportunities for Dunkin’ Donuts to expand its presence primarily in China, Germany, Spain and Russia, and for Baskin-Robbins primarily in China, Russia, Mexico, Australia and Indonesia, which we believe are currently underserved markets. Through our disciplined process of identifying attractive new markets to enter each year, we recently announced an agreement with an experienced QSR franchisee to enter the Indian market with our Dunkin’ Donuts brand. The agreement calls for the development of at least 500 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants throughout India, the first of which are expected to open by early 2012. By teaming with local operators, we believe we are better able to adapt our brands to local business practices and consumer preferences.

Further develop our franchisee support infrastructure. We plan to increase our focus on providing our international franchisees with operational tools and services that can help them to efficiently operate in their markets and become more profitable. For each of our brands, we plan to focus on improving our native-language restaurant training programs and updating existing restaurants for our new international retail restaurant designs. To accomplish this, we are dedicating additional resources to our restaurant operations support teams in key geographies in order to assist international franchisees in improving their store-level operations.

Increase comparable store sales growth of Baskin-Robbins U.S.

In the U.S., Baskin-Robbins’ core strengths are its national brand recognition, 65 years of heritage, a well-established reputation for high quality ice cream and attractive margins. To capitalize on these strengths, we are focused on generating renewed excitement for the brand, which includes our recently introduced “More Flavors, More Fun TM ” marketing campaign. At the restaurant level, we seek to improve sales by focusing on operational and service improvements as well as by increasing cake and beverage sales through product innovation, marketing and technology.

In August 2010 we hired Bill Mitchell to lead our Baskin-Robbins U.S. operations. Mr. Mitchell currently serves as our Senior Vice President and Brand Officer of Baskin-Robbins U.S., and prior to joining us he served in a variety of management roles over a 10-year period at Papa John’s International, and before that at Popeyes, a division of AFC Enterprises. Since joining Dunkin’ Brands, Mr. Mitchell has led the introduction of technology improvements across the Baskin-Robbins system, which we believe will aid our franchisees in operating their

 

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restaurants more efficiently and profitably. Under Mr. Mitchell’s leadership, early Baskin-Robbins U.S. results include comparable store sales growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 of 0.5%. Further, the majority of respondents to our Guest Satisfaction Survey program in March 2011 rated their overall experience as “Extremely Satisfied,” representing an all-time high and a significant point improvement from early 2010.

Industry overview

According to Technomic, the QSR segment of the U.S. restaurant industry accounted for approximately $174 billion of the total $361 billion restaurant industry sales in the U.S. in 2010. The U.S. restaurant industry is generally categorized into segments by price point ranges, the types of food and beverages offered and service available to consumers. QSRs consist of establishments where customers generally order at a cash register or select items from a food bar and pay before the meal is eaten. QSRs generally seek to capitalize on consumer desires for quality and convenient food at economical prices. Technomic reports that, in 2010, QSRs comprised nine of the top ten chain restaurants by U.S. systemwide sales and ten of the top ten chain restaurants by number of units.

Our Dunkin’ Donuts brand competes in the QSR segment categories and subcategories that include coffee, donuts, muffins, bagels and breakfast sandwiches. In addition, in the U.S., our Dunkin’ Donuts brand has historically focused on the breakfast daypart, which we define to include the portion of each day from 5:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. While, according to CREST ® data, the compound annual growth rate for total QSR daypart visits in the U.S. have been flat or negative over the five-year period ended February 28, 2011, the compound annual growth rate for QSR visits in the U.S. during the breakfast daypart averaged 2.0% over the same five-year period.

In 2010, there were sales of more than 7.0 billion restaurant servings of coffee in the U.S., 80% of which were attributable to the QSR segment according to CREST ® data. Over the years, our Dunkin’ Donuts brand has evolved into a predominantly coffee-based concept, with approximately 60% of Dunkin’ Donuts’ U.S. systemwide sales for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010 generated from coffee and other beverages. We believe QSRs, including Dunkin’ Donuts, are attractively positioned to capture additional coffee market share through an increased focus on coffee offerings.

Our Baskin-Robbins brand competes primarily in QSR segment categories and subcategories that include hard serve ice cream as well as those that include soft serve ice cream, frozen yogurt, shakes, malts and floats. While both of our brands compete internationally, over 60% of Baskin-Robbins restaurants are located outside of the U.S. and represent the majority of our total international sales and points of distribution.

Our brands

Our brands date back to the 1940s when Bill Rosenberg founded his first restaurant, subsequently renamed Dunkin’ Donuts, and Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins each founded a chain of ice cream shops that eventually combined to form Baskin-Robbins. Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins share the same vision of delivering high-quality beverage and food products at a good value through convenient locations.

Dunkin’ Donuts—U.S.

Dunkin’ Donuts is a leading U.S. QSR concept, with leading market positions in each of the coffee, donut, bagel, muffin and breakfast sandwich categories. Since the late 1980s, Dunkin’ Donuts has transformed itself into a coffee and beverage-based concept and is the national leader in hot regular coffee, with sales of over 1 billion

 

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servings of coffee. From the fiscal year ended August 31, 2001 to the twelve months ended March 26, 2011 Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. systemwide sales have grown at an 8.6% compound annual growth rate. Total U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts points of distribution grew from the beginning of that period from 3,583 to 6,799 as of March 26, 2011. Approximately 86% of these points of distribution are traditional restaurants consisting of end-cap, in-line and stand-alone restaurants, many with drive-thrus, and gas and convenience locations. In addition, we have alternative points of distribution (“APODs”), such as full- or self-service kiosks in grocery stores, hospitals, airports, offices and other smaller-footprint properties. We believe that Dunkin’ Donuts continues to have significant growth potential in the U.S. given its strong brand awareness and variety of restaurant formats. For the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise system generated U.S. franchisee-reported sales of $5.4 billion, which accounted for approximately 70.7% of our global franchisee-reported sales, and had 6,772 U.S. points of distribution (including more than 2,900 restaurants with drive-thrus) at period end.

Baskin-Robbins—U.S.

Baskin-Robbins is the #1 QSR chain in the U.S. for servings of hard serve ice cream and develops and sells a full range of frozen ice cream treats such as cones, cakes, sundaes and frozen beverages. Baskin-Robbins enjoys 95% aided brand awareness in the U.S. and is known for its innovative flavors, popular “Birthday Club” program and ice cream flavor library of over 1,000 different offerings. Baskin-Robbins’ “31 flavors”, offering consumers a different flavor for each day of the month, is recognized by ice cream consumers nationwide. For the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, the Baskin-Robbins franchise system generated U.S. franchisee-reported sales of $494 million, which accounted for approximately 6.5% of our global franchisee-reported sales, and had 2,547 U.S. points of distribution at period end.

International operations

Our international business is primarily conducted via joint ventures and country or territorial license arrangements with “master franchisees”, who both operate and sub-franchise the brand within their licensed area. Our international franchise system of 6,874 restaurants, predominantly located across Asia and the Middle East, generated systemwide sales of $1.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, which represented 23% of Dunkin’ Brands’ global systemwide sales. Dunkin’ Donuts had 2,988 restaurants in 30 countries (excluding the U.S.), accounting for $584 million of international systemwide sales for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, and Baskin-Robbins had 3,866 restaurants in 46 countries (excluding the U.S.), accounting for approximately $1.2 billion of international systemwide sales for the same period. From August 31, 2000 to March 26, 2011, total international Dunkin’ Donuts points of distribution grew from 1,517 to 3,006 and total international Baskin-Robbins points of distribution grew from 2,109 to 3,959. We believe that we have opportunities to continue to grow our Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins concepts internationally in new and existing markets through brand and menu differentiation.

Overview of franchising

Franchising is a business arrangement whereby a service organization, the franchisor, grants an operator, the franchisee, a license to sell the franchisor’s products and services and use its system and trademarks in a given area, with or without exclusivity. In the context of the restaurant industry, a franchisee pays the franchisor for its concept, strategy, marketing, operating system, training, purchasing power and brand recognition.

 

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Franchisee relationships

One of the ways by which we seek to maximize the alignment of our interests with those of our franchisees is by not deriving additional income through serving as the supplier to our domestic franchisees. In addition because the ability to execute our strategy is dependent upon the strength of our relationships with our franchisees, we maintain a multi-tiered advisory council system to foster an active dialogue with franchisees. The advisory council system provides feedback and input on all major brand initiatives and is a source of timely information on evolving consumer preferences, which assists new product introductions and advertising campaigns.

Unlike certain other QSR franchise systems, we generally do not guarantee our franchisees’ financing obligations. As of March 26, 2011, if all of our outstanding guarantees of franchisee financing obligations came due, we would be liable for $7.7 million. We intend to continue our past practice of limiting our guarantee of financing for franchisees.

Franchise agreement terms

For each franchised restaurant, we enter into a franchise agreement covering a standard set of terms and conditions. A prospective franchisee may elect to open either a single-branded distribution point or a multi-branded distribution point. In addition, and depending upon the market, a franchisee may purchase the right to open a franchised restaurant at one or multiple locations (via a store development agreement, or “SDA”). When granting the right to operate a restaurant to a potential franchisee, we will generally evaluate the potential franchisee’s prior food-service experience, history in managing profit and loss operations, financial history and available capital and financing. We also evaluate potential new franchisees based on financial measures, including (for the smallest restaurant development commitment) a liquid asset minimum of $125,000 for the Baskin-Robbins brand, a liquid asset minimum of $250,000 for the Dunkin’ Donuts brand, a net worth minimum of $250,000 for the Baskin-Robbins brand and a net worth minimum of $500,000 for the Dunkin’ Donuts brand.

The typical franchise agreement in the U.S. has a 20-year term. The majority of our franchisees have entered into a prime lease with a third-party landlord. When we sublease properties to franchisees, the sublease generally follows the prime lease term structure. Our leases to franchisees are typically structured to provide a ten-year term and two five-year options to renew.

We help domestic franchisees select sites and develop restaurants that conform to the physical specifications of a typical restaurant. Each domestic franchisee is responsible for selecting a site, but must obtain site approval from us based on accessibility, visibility, proximity to other restaurants and targeted demographic factors including population density and traffic patterns. Additionally, the franchisee must also refurbish and remodel each restaurant periodically (typically every five and ten years, respectively).

We currently require each domestic franchisee’s managing owner and designated manager to complete initial and ongoing training programs provided by us, including minimum periods of classroom and on-the-job training. We monitor quality and endeavor to ensure compliance with our standards for restaurant operations through restaurant visits in the U.S. In addition, a formal restaurant review is conducted throughout our domestic operations at least once per year and comprises two separate restaurant visits. To complement these procedures, we use “Guest Satisfaction Surveys” in the U.S. to assess customer satisfaction with restaurant operations, such as product quality, restaurant cleanliness and customer service. Within each of our master franchisee and joint venture organizations, training facilities have been established by the master franchisee or joint venture based on our specifications. From those training facilities, the master franchisee or joint venture trains future staff members of the international restaurants. Our master franchisees and joint venture entities also periodically send their primary training managers to the U.S. for re-certification.

 

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Store development agreements

We grant domestic franchisees the right to open one or more restaurants within a specified geographic area pursuant to the terms of SDAs. An SDA specifies the number of restaurants and the mix of the brands represented by such restaurants that a franchisee is obligated to open. Each SDA also requires the franchisee to meet certain milestones in the development and opening of the restaurant and, if the franchisee meets those obligations, we agree, during the term of such SDA, not to operate or franchise new restaurants in the designated geographic area covered by such SDA. In addition to an SDA, a franchisee signs a separate franchise agreement for each restaurant developed under such SDA.

Master franchise model and international arrangements

Master franchise arrangements are used on a limited basis domestically (the Baskin-Robbins brand has five “territory” franchise agreements for certain Midwestern and Northwestern markets) but more widely internationally for both the Baskin-Robbins brand and the Dunkin’ Donuts brand. In addition, international arrangements include single unit franchises in Canada (both brands), the United Kingdom and Australia (Baskin-Robbins brand) as well as joint venture agreements in Korea (both brands) and Japan (Baskin-Robbins).

Master franchise agreements are the most prevalent international relationships for both brands. Under these agreements, the applicable brand grants the master franchisee the exclusive right to develop and operate a certain number of restaurants within a particular geographic area, such as selected cities, one or more provinces or an entire country, pursuant to a development schedule that defines the number of restaurants that the master franchisee must open annually. Those development schedules customarily extend for five to ten years. If the master franchisee fails to perform its obligations, the exclusivity provision of the agreement terminates and additional franchisee agreements may be put in place to develop restaurants.

The master franchisee is required to pay an upfront initial franchise fee for each developed restaurant and, for the Dunkin’ Donuts brand, royalties. For the Baskin-Robbins brand, the master franchisee is typically required to purchase ice cream from Baskin-Robbins or an approved supplier. In most countries, the master franchisee is also required to spend a certain percentage of gross sales on advertising in such foreign country in order to promote the brand. Generally, the master franchise agreement serves as the franchise agreement for the underlying restaurants operating pursuant to such model. Depending on the individual agreement, we may permit the master franchisee to subfranchise with its territory.

 

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Our brands have presence in the following countries:

 

Country    Dunkin’ Donuts    Baskin-Robbins
 

Aruba

   ü    ü

Australia

      ü

Azerbaijan

      ü

Bahamas

   ü   

Bahrain

      ü

Bangladesh

      ü

Bulgaria

   ü   

Canada

   ü    ü

Cayman Islands

   ü   

Chile

   ü   

China

   ü    ü

Colombia

   ü    ü

Curacao

      ü

Denmark

      ü

Dominican Republic

      ü

Ecuador

   ü    ü

Egypt

      ü

England

      ü

Georgia

      ü

Germany

   ü   

Honduras

   ü    ü

India

   ü    ü

Indonesia

   ü    ü

Jamaica

      ü

Japan

      ü

Kazakhstan

      ü

Korea

   ü    ü

Kuwait

   ü    ü

Latvia

      ü

Lebanon

   ü    ü

Malaysia

   ü    ü

Maldives

      ü

Mauritius

      ü

Mexico

      ü

Nepal

      ü

New Zealand

   ü   

Oman

   ü    ü

Pakistan

   ü   

Panama

   ü    ü

Peru

   ü   

Philippines

   ü   

Portugal

      ü

Qatar

   ü    ü

Russia

   ü    ü

Saudi Arabia

   ü    ü

Scotland

      ü

Singapore

   ü   

Sri Lanka

      ü

St. Maarten

      ü

Spain

   ü    ü

Taiwan

   ü    ü

Thailand

   ü    ü

United Arab Emirates

   ü    ü

Ukraine

      ü

United States

   ü    ü

Wales

      ü

Yemen

      ü
 

 

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Franchise fees

In the U.S., once a franchisee is approved, a restaurant site is approved and a franchise agreement is signed, the franchisee will begin to develop the restaurant. Franchisees pay us an initial franchise fee for the right to operate a restaurant for one or more franchised brands. The franchisee is required to pay all or part of the initial franchise fee upfront upon execution of the franchise agreement, regardless of when the restaurant is actually opened. Initial franchise fees vary by brand, type of development agreement and geographic area of development, but generally range from $10,000 to $90,000, as shown in the table below.

Dunkin’ Brands initial franchise fees as of March 26, 2011

 

Restaurant type    Initial franchise
fee*
 
   

Dunkin’ Donuts Single-Branded Restaurant

   $ 40,000-80,000   

Baskin-Robbins Single-Branded Restaurant

   $ 25,000   

Baskin-Robbins Express Single-Branded Restaurant

   $ 10,000   

Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins Multi-Branded Restaurant

   $ 50,000-90,000   
   

 

*   Excludes alternative points of distribution

In addition to the payment of initial franchise fees, our U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts brand franchisees and U.S. Baskin-Robbins brand franchisees and our international Dunkin’ Donuts brand franchisees pay us royalties on a percentage of the gross sales made from each restaurant. In the U.S., the majority of our franchise agreement renewals and the vast majority of our new franchise agreements require our franchisees to pay us a royalty of 5.9% of gross sales and the majority of our international arrangements that require royalty payments to us provide for a royalty of 5.0% of gross sales. We typically collect royalty payments on a weekly basis from our domestic franchisees. For the Baskin-Robbins brand in international markets, we do not generally receive royalty payments from our franchisees; instead we receive revenue from such franchisees as a result of our sale of ice cream products to them. In 2010, we supplemented and modified certain SDAs, and franchise agreements entered into pursuant to such SDAs, for restaurants located in certain new or developing markets, by (i) reducing the royalties for any one or more of the first four years of the term of the franchise agreements depending on the details related to each specific incentive program; (ii) reimbursing the franchisee for certain local marketing activities in excess of the minimum required; and (iii) providing certain development incentives. To qualify for any or all of these incentives, the franchisee must meet certain requirements, each of which are set forth in an addendum to the SDA and the franchise agreement. We believe these incentives will lead to accelerated development in our less mature markets.

Franchisees in the U.S. also pay advertising fees to the brand-specific advertising funds administered by us. Franchisees make weekly contributions, generally 5% of gross sales, to the advertising funds. Franchisees may elect to increase the contribution to support general brand-building efforts or specific initiatives. The advertising funds for the U.S., which received $289.5 million in contributions from franchisees in fiscal 2010, are almost exclusively franchisee-funded and cover all expenses related to marketing, advertising and promotion, including market research, production, advertising costs, public relations and sales promotions. We use no more than 20% of the advertising funds to cover the administrative expenses of the advertising funds and for other strategic initiatives designed to increase sales and to enhance the reputation of the brands. As the administrator of the advertising funds, we determine the content and placement of advertising, which is done through print, radio, television, the internet, billboards and other media, all of which is sourced by agencies. Under certain circumstances, franchisees are permitted to conduct their own local advertising, but must obtain our prior approval of content and promotional plans.

 

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Other franchise related fees

We lease and sublease properties to franchisees in the U.S. and in Canada, generating net rental fees when the cost charged to the franchisee exceeds the cost charged to us. For the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, we generated 15.8%, or $91.1 million, of our total revenue from rental fees from franchisees.

We also receive a license fee from Dean Foods Co. (“Dean Foods”) as part of an arrangement whereby Dean Foods manufactures and distributes ice cream products to Baskin-Robbins franchisees in the U.S. In connection with our Dean Foods Alliance Agreement, Dunkin’ Brands receives a license fee based on total gallons of ice cream sold. For the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, we generated 1.3%, or $7.6 million, of our total revenue from license fees from Dean Foods.

We manufacture and supply ice cream products to a majority of the Baskin-Robbins franchisees who operate Baskin-Robbins restaurants located in certain foreign countries and receive revenue associated with those sales. For the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, we generated 14.7%, or $85.0 million, of our total revenue from the sale of ice cream and ice cream products to franchisees in certain foreign countries.

Other revenue sources include income from restaurants owned by us, fees from the e-learning program, licensing fees earned from the sale of retail packaged coffee, net refranchising gains and other one-time fees such as transfer fees and late fees. For the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, we generated 7.1%, or $41.1 million, of our total revenue from these other sources.

International operations

Our international business is organized by brand and by country and/or region. Operations are primarily conducted through master franchise agreements with local operators. In certain instances, the master franchisee may have the right to sub-franchise. In addition, in Japan and South Korea we have joint ventures with local companies for the Baskin-Robbins brand, and in the case of South Korea, for the Dunkin’ Donuts brand as well. By teaming with local operators, we believe we are better able to adapt our concepts to local business practices and consumer preferences. We have had an international presence since 1961 when the first Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant opened in Canada. As of March 26, 2011, there were 3,959 Baskin-Robbins restaurants in 46 countries outside the U.S. and 3,006 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in 30 countries outside the U.S. Baskin-Robbins points of distribution represent the majority of our international presence and accounted for 67% of international franchisee reported sales and 87% of our international revenues for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010.

Our key markets for both brands are predominantly based in Asia and the Middle East, which accounted for approximately 72.1% and 14.0%, respectively, of international franchisee-reported sales for the same period. For the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, $1.7 billion of total franchisee-reported sales was generated by restaurants located in international markets, which represented 23% of total franchisee-reported sales, with the Dunkin’ Donuts brand accounting for $584 million and the Baskin-Robbins brand accounting for $1.2 billion of our international franchisee-reported sales. For the same period, our revenues from international operations totaled $105.4 million, with the Baskin-Robbins brand generating approximately 87% of such revenues.

 

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Overview of key markets

As of March 26, 2011, the top foreign countries and regions in which the Dunkin’ Donuts brand and/or the Baskin-Robbins brand operated were:

 

Country    Type    Franchised brand(s)    Number of restaurants  
   

South Korea

   Joint Venture    Dunkin’ Donuts      875   
      Baskin-Robbins      927   

Japan

   Joint Venture    Baskin-Robbins      1,052   

Middle East

   Master Franchise Agreements    Dunkin’ Donuts      204   
      Baskin-Robbins      520   
   

South Korea

Restaurants in South Korea accounted for approximately 37% of total franchisee-reported sales from international operations for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010. Baskin-Robbins accounted for 55% of such sales. In South Korea, we conduct business through a 33.3% ownership stake in a combination Dunkin’ Donuts brand/Baskin-Robbins brand joint venture, with South Korean shareholders owning the remaining 66.7% of the joint venture. The joint venture acts as the master franchisee for South Korea, sub-franchising the Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands to franchisees. There are 927 Baskin-Robbins restaurants and 875 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants as of March 26, 2011. The joint venture also manufactures and supplies the Baskin-Robbins franchisees operating restaurants located in South Korea with ice cream products.

Japan

Restaurants in Japan accounted for approximately 26% of total franchisee-reported sales from international operations for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, 100% of which came from Baskin-Robbins. We conduct business in Japan through a 43.3% ownership stake in a Baskin-Robbins brand joint venture. Fujiya Co. Ltd. also owns a 43.3% interest in the joint venture, with the remaining 13.4% owned by public shareholders. There were 1,052 Baskin-Robbins restaurants located in Japan as of March 26, 2011, with the joint venture manufacturing and selling ice cream to franchisees operating restaurants in Japan and acting as master franchisee for the country.

Middle East

The Middle East represents another key region for us. Restaurants in the Middle East accounted for approximately 14.0% of total franchisee-reported sales from international operations for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010. Baskin-Robbins accounted for approximately 80% of such sales. We conduct operations in the Middle East through master franchise arrangements.

 

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Competition

We compete primarily in the QSR segment of the restaurant industry and face significant competition from a wide variety of restaurants, convenience stores and other outlets that provide consumers with coffee, baked goods, sandwiches and ice cream on an international, national, regional and local level. We believe that we compete based on, among other things, product quality, restaurant concept, service, convenience, value perception and price. Our competition continues to intensify as competitors increase the breadth and depth of their product offerings, particularly during the breakfast daypart, and open new units. Although new competitors may emerge at any time due to the low barriers to entry, our competitors include: 7-Eleven, Burger King, Cold Stone Creamery, Dairy Queen, McDonald’s, Quick Trip, Starbucks, Subway, Tim Hortons, WaWa and Wendy’s, among others. Additionally, we compete with QSRs, specialty restaurants and other retail concepts for prime restaurant locations and qualified franchisees.

Licensing

We derive licensing revenue from agreements with Dean Foods for domestic ice cream sales, with The J.M. Smucker Co. (“Smuckers”) for the sale of packaged coffee in non-franchised outlets (primarily grocery retail) as well as from other licensees. Dean Foods manufactures and sells ice cream to U.S. Baskin-Robbins brand franchisees and pays us a royalty on each gallon sold. The Dunkin’ Donuts branded 12 oz. original blend coffee, which is distributed by Smuckers, is the #1 stock-keeping unit nationally in the premium coffee category for 12 oz. original blend coffee. According to Nielsen, for the 52 weeks ending December 31, 2010, sales of our 12 oz. original blend, as expressed in total equivalent units, were double that of the next closest competitor.

Marketing

We coordinate domestic advertising and marketing at the national and local levels. The goals of our marketing strategy include driving comparable store sales and brand differentiation, protecting and growing our morning daypart sales, growing our afternoon daypart sales and increasing our total coffee and beverage sales. Generally, our domestic franchisees contribute 5% of weekly gross retail sales to fund brand specific advertising funds. The funds are used for various national and local advertising campaigns including television, radio, print, online and sponsorships. Over the past ten years, our U.S. franchisees have invested approximately $1.9 billion on advertising to increase brand awareness and restaurant performance across both brands. Additionally, we have various pricing strategies, so that our products appeal to a broad range of customers.

The supply chain

Domestic

We do not typically supply products to our domestic franchisees. With the exception of licensing fees paid by Dean Foods on domestic ice cream sales, we do not typically derive revenues from product distribution. We periodically review our relationships with licensees and approved suppliers and evaluate whether those relationships continue to be on competitive or advantageous terms for us and our franchisees.

Purchasing

Purchasing for the Dunkin’ Donuts brand is facilitated by the Dunkin’ Donuts brand’s national distributor commitment program (“NDCP”), which is a Delaware limited liability company owned by four franchisee-owned regional distribution centers. The NDCP engages in purchasing, warehousing and distribution of food and

 

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supplies on behalf of participating restaurants and some international markets. The NDCP program provides franchisee members nationwide the benefits of scale while fostering consistent product quality across the Dunkin’ Donuts brand.

Manufacturing of Dunkin’ Donuts bakery goods

Centralized production is another element of our supply chain that is designed to support growth for the Dunkin’ Donuts brand. Centralized Manufacturing Locations (CMLs) are franchisee owned and operated facilities for the centralized production of donuts and bakery goods. The CMLs deliver freshly baked products to Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants on a daily basis and are designed to provide consistent quality products while simplifying restaurant level operations. As of March 26, 2011, there were 103 CMLs (of varying size and capacity) in the U.S. CMLs are an important part of franchise economics and the brand is supportive of profit building initiatives as well as protecting brand quality standards and consistency.

Certain of our Dunkin’ Donuts brand restaurants produce donuts and bakery goods on-site rather than relying upon CMLs. Many of such restaurants, known as full producers, also supply other local Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants that do not have access to CMLs. In addition, in newer markets, Dunkin’ Donuts brand restaurants rely on donuts and bakery goods that are finished in restaurants. We believe that this “just baked on demand” donut manufacturing platform enables the Dunkin’ Donuts brand to more efficiently expand its restaurant base in newer markets where franchisees may not have access to a CML.

Baskin-Robbins ice cream

Prior to 2000, we manufactured and sold ice cream products to substantially all of our Baskin-Robbins brand franchisees. Beginning in 2000, we made the strategic decision to outsource the manufacturing and distribution of ice cream products for the domestic Baskin-Robbins brand franchisees to Dean Foods. The transition to this outsourcing arrangement was completed in 2003. We believe that this outsourcing arrangement was an important strategic shift and served the dual purpose of further strengthening our relationships with franchisees and allowing us to focus on our core franchising operations.

International

Dunkin’ Donuts

International Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees are responsible for sourcing their own supplies, subject to compliance with our standards. They also produce their own donuts following the Dunkin’ Donuts brand’s approved processes. In certain countries, our international franchisees source virtually everything locally within their market while in others our international franchisees may source virtually everything from the NDCP. Where supplies are sourced locally, we help identify and approve those suppliers. Supplies that cannot be sourced locally are sourced through the NDCP. In addition, we assist our international franchisees in identifying regional and global suppliers with the goal of leveraging the purchasing volume for pricing and product continuity advantages.

Baskin-Robbins

The Baskin-Robbins global manufacturing network is comprised of 15 facilities (one of which, the Peterborough Facility, is owned and operated by us). These facilities supply both our international and our domestic markets with ice cream products. The Peterborough Facility serves many of our international markets, including the

 

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Middle East, Australia, China, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Certain international franchisees rely on third party owned facilities to supply ice cream and ice cream products to them, including a facility near Cork, Ireland, which supplies restaurants in Europe and the Middle East. The Baskin-Robbins brand restaurants in India and Russia are supported by master franchisee-owned facilities in those respective countries while the restaurants in Japan and South Korea are supported by the joint venture owned facilities located within each country.

Research and development

New product innovation is a critical component of our success. We believe the development of successful new products for both Brands attracts new customers, increases comparable store sales and allows franchisees to expand into other dayparts. New product research and development is located in a state-of-the-art facility at our headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts. The facility includes a sensory lab, a quality assurance lab and a demonstration test kitchen. We rely on our internal culinary team, which uses consumer research, to develop and test new products.

Operational support

Substantially all of our executive management, finance, marketing, legal, technology, human resources and operations support functions are conducted from our global headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts. In the U.S. and Canada, our franchise operations for both brands are organized into regions, each of which is headed by a regional vice president and directors of operations supported by field personnel who interact directly with the franchisees. Our international businesses, excluding Canada, are organized by brand, and each brand has dedicated marketing and restaurant operations support teams. These teams, which are organized by geographic regions, work with our master licensees and joint venture partners to improve restaurant operations and restaurant-level economics. Management of a franchise restaurant is the responsibility of the franchisee, who is trained in our techniques and is responsible for ensuring that the day-to-day operations of the restaurant are in compliance with our operating standards. We have implemented a computer-based disaster recovery program to address the possibility that a natural (or other form of) disaster may impact the IT systems located at our Canton, Massachusetts headquarters.

Regulatory matters

Domestic

We and our franchisees are subject to various federal, state and local laws affecting the operation of our respective businesses, including various health, sanitation, fire and safety standards. In some jurisdictions our restaurants are required by law to display nutritional information about our products. Each restaurant is subject to licensing and regulation by a number of governmental authorities, which include zoning, health, safety, sanitation, building and fire agencies in the jurisdiction in which the restaurant is located. Franchisee-owned NDCP and CMLs are licensed and subject to similar regulations by federal, state and local governments.

We and our franchisees are also subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act and various other laws governing such matters as minimum wage requirements, overtime and other working conditions and citizenship requirements. A significant number of food-service personnel employed by franchisees are paid at rates related to the federal minimum wage.

Our franchising activities are subject to the rules and regulations of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and various state laws regulating the offer and sale of franchises. The FTC’s franchise rule and various state laws

 

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require that we furnish a franchise disclosure document (“FDD”) containing certain information to prospective franchisees and a number of states require registration of the FDD with state authorities. We are operating under exemptions from registration in several states based on our experience and aggregate net worth. Substantive state laws that regulate the franchisor-franchisee relationship exist in a substantial number of states, and bills have been introduced in Congress from time to time that would provide for federal regulation of the franchisor-franchisee relationship. The state laws often limit, among other things, the duration and scope of non-competition provisions, the ability of a franchisor to terminate or refuse to renew a franchise and the ability of a franchisor to designate sources of supply. We believe that our FDDs for each of our Dunkin’ Donuts brand and our Baskin-Robbins brand together with any applicable state versions or supplements, and franchising procedures comply in all material respects with both the FTC franchise rule and all applicable state laws regulating franchising in those states in which we have offered franchises.

International

Internationally, we and our franchisees are subject to national and local laws and regulations that often are similar to those affecting us and our franchisees in the U.S., including laws and regulations concerning franchises, labor, health, sanitation and safety. International Baskin-Robbins brand and Dunkin’ Donuts brand restaurants are also often subject to tariffs and regulations on imported commodities and equipment, and laws regulating foreign investment. We believe that the international disclosure statements, franchise offering documents and franchising procedures for our Baskin-Robbins brand and Dunkin’ Donuts brand comply in all material respects with the laws of the applicable countries.

Environmental

Our operations, including the selection and development of the properties we lease and sublease to our franchisees and any construction or improvements we make at those locations, are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations, including environmental, zoning and land use requirements. Our properties are sometimes located in developed commercial or industrial areas, and might previously have been occupied by more environmentally significant operations, such as gasoline stations and dry cleaners. Environmental laws sometimes require owners or operators of contaminated property to remediate that property, regardless of fault. While we have been required to, and are continuing to, clean up contamination at a limited number of our locations, we have no known material environmental liabilities.

Employees

As of March 26, 2011, we employed 1,075 people, 995 of whom were based in the U.S. and 80 of whom were based in other countries. Of our domestic employees, 414 worked in the field and 581 worked at our corporate headquarters or our satellite office in California. 153 employees, who are almost exclusively in marketing positions, were paid by certain of our advertising funds. In addition, our Peterborough Facility employed 55 full-time employees as of March 26, 2011. Other than the 28 employees in our Peterborough Facility, who are represented by the National Automobile, Aerospace, Transportation & General Workers Union of Canada, Local 462, none of our employees is represented by a labor union, and we believe our relationships with our employees are healthy.

Our franchisees are independent business owners, so they and their employees are not included in our employee count.

 

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Properties

Our corporate headquarters, located in Canton, Massachusetts, houses substantially all of our executive management and employees who provide our primary corporate support functions: legal, marketing, technology, human resources, financial and research and development.

Our Peterborough Facility manufactures ice cream products for sale in certain international markets.

As of March 26, 2011, we owned 95 properties and leased 977 locations across the U.S. and Canada, a majority of which we leased or subleased to franchisees. For the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, we generated 15.8%, or $91.1 million, of our total revenue from rental fees from franchisees who lease or sublease their properties from us.

The remaining balance of restaurants selling our products are situated on real property owned by franchisees or leased directly by franchisees from third-party landlords. All international restaurants (other than 20 located in Canada) are owned by licensees and their sub-franchisees or leased by licensees and their sub-franchisees directly from a third-party landlord.

Nearly 100% of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins restaurants are owned and operated by franchisees. We have construction and site management personnel who oversee the construction of restaurants by outside contractors. The restaurants are built to our specifications as to exterior style and interior decor. As of March 26, 2011, the number of Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants totaled 9,805 worldwide, operating in 36 states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. and 30 foreign countries. Baskin-Robbins restaurants totaled 6,482 worldwide, operating in 45 states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. and 46 foreign countries. All but 17 of the Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins restaurants were franchisee-operated. The following table illustrates restaurant locations by brand and whether they are operated by the Company or our franchisees.

 

       Franchisee-owned restaurants      Company-owned restaurants  
   

Dunkin’ Donuts—US*

     6,783         16   

Dunkin’ Donuts—International

     3,006         0   
        

Total Dunkin’ Donuts*

     9,789         16   
        

Baskin-Robbins—US*

     2,522         1   

Baskin-Robbins—International

     3,959         0   
        

Total Baskin-Robbins*

     6,481         1   
        

Total US

     9,305         17   

Total International

     6,965         0   
   

 

*   Combination restaurants, as more fully described below, count as both a Dunkin’ Donuts and a Baskin-Robbins restaurant.

Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins restaurants operate in a variety of formats. Dunkin’ Donuts traditional restaurant formats include free standing restaurants, end-caps (i.e., end location of a larger multi-store building) and gas and convenience locations. A free-standing building typically ranges in size from 1,200 to 2,500 square feet, and may include a drive-thru window. An end-cap typically ranges in size from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet and may include a drive-thru window. Dunkin’ Donuts also has other restaurants designed to fit anywhere, consisting of small full-service restaurants and/or self-serve kiosks in offices, hospitals, colleges, airports, grocery stores and drive-thru-only units on smaller pieces of property (collectively referred to as alternative points of distributions or APODs). APODs typically range in size between 400 to 1,800 square feet. The majority of our Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants have their fresh baked goods delivered to them from franchisee owned and operated CMLs. Approximately 1,000 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants may have bakery production facilities on site.

 

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Baskin-Robbins traditional restaurant formats include free standing restaurants and end-caps. A free-standing building typically ranges in size from 600 to 1,200 square feet, and may include a drive-thru window. An end-cap typically ranges in size from 800 to 1,800 square feet and may include a drive-thru window. We also have other restaurants, consisting of small full-service restaurants and/or self-serve kiosks (collectively referred to as alternative points of distributions or APODs). APODs typically range in size between 400 to 1,000 square feet.

In the U.S., Baskin-Robbins can also be found in 1,177 combination restaurants (combos) that also include a Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant in either a free-standing or end-cap. These combos, which we count as both a Dunkin’ Donuts and a Baskin-Robbins point of distribution, typically range from 1,400 to 3,500 square feet.

Of the 9,305 U.S. franchised restaurants, 89 were sites owned by the Company and leased to franchisees, 933 were leased by us, and in turn, subleased to franchisees, with the remainder either owned or leased directly by the franchisee. Our land or land and building leases are generally for terms of 10 to 20 years, and often have one or more five-year or ten-year renewal options. In certain lease agreements, we have the option to purchase or right of first refusal to purchase the real estate. Certain leases require the payment of additional rent equal to a percentage (ranging from 2.0% to 13.5%) of annual sales in excess of specified amounts.

Of the sites owned or leased by the Company in the U.S., 34 are locations that no longer have a Dunkin’ Donuts or Baskin-Robbins restaurant (surplus properties). Some of these surplus properties have been sublet to other parties while the remaining are currently vacant.

We have 16 leased franchised restaurant properties and 4 surplus leased properties in Canada. We also have leased office space in Australia, China, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The following table sets forth the Company’s owned and leased office, warehouse, manufacturing and distribution facilities, including the approximate square footage of each facility. None of these owned properties, or the Company’s leasehold interest in leased property, is encumbered by a mortgage.

 

Location    Type    Owned/Leased    Approximate Sq. Ft.  
   

Peterborough, Ontario, Canada (ice cream facility)

   Manufacturing    Owned      52,000   

Canton, MA

   Office    Leased      175,000   

Braintree, MA (training facility)

   Office    Owned      15,000   

Burbank, CA (training facility)

   Office    Leased      19,000   

Various (regional sales offices)

   Office    Leased      Range of 150 to 300   
   

Legal proceedings

We are engaged in several matters of litigation arising in the ordinary course of our business as a franchisor. Such matters include disputes related to compliance with the terms of franchise and development agreements, including claims or threats of claims of breach of contract, negligence, and other alleged violations by us. At March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, contingent liabilities totaling $4.3 million and $4.2 million, respectively, were included in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets to reflect our estimate of the potential loss which may be incurred in connection with these matters. While we intend to vigorously defend our positions against all claims in these lawsuits and disputes, it is reasonably possible that the losses in connection with these matters could increase by up to an additional $8.0 million based on the outcome of ongoing litigation or negotiations.

 

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Intellectual property

We own many registered trademarks and service marks (“Marks”) in the U.S. and in other countries throughout the world, including Japan, Canada and South Korea. We believe that our Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins names and logos, in particular, have significant value and are important to our business. Our policy is to pursue registration of our Marks in the U.S. and selected international jurisdictions, monitor our Marks portfolio both internally and externally through external search agents and vigorously oppose the infringement of any of our Marks. We license the use of our registered Marks to franchisees and third parties through franchise arrangements and licenses. The franchise and license arrangements restrict franchisees’ and licensees’ activities with respect to the use of our Marks, and impose quality control standards in connection with goods and services offered in connection with the Marks and an affirmative obligation on the franchisees to notify us upon learning of potential infringement. In addition, we maintain a limited patent portfolio in the U.S. for bakery and serving-related methods, designs and articles of manufacture. We generally rely on common law protection for our copyrighted works. Neither the patents nor the copyrighted works are material to the operation of our business. We also license some intellectual property from third parties for use in certain of our products. Such licenses are not individually, or in the aggregate, material to our business.

 

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Management

Below is a list of the names, ages as of April 30, 2011, and positions, and a brief account of the business experience, of the individuals who serve as our executive officers and directors as of the date of this prospectus (except as otherwise noted below).

 

Name    Age    Position
 

Nigel Travis

   61    Chief Executive Officer, Dunkin’ Brands and President, Dunkin’ Donuts and Director

Neil Moses

   52    Chief Financial Officer

Paul Carbone

   45    Vice President, Financial Management

John Costello

   63    Chief Global Marketing & Innovation Officer

John Dawson

   47    Chief Development Officer

Christine Deputy

   45    Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Richard Emmett

   55    Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Srinivas Kumar

   48    President and Chief Operating Officer, Baskin-Robbins International

Bill Mitchell

   45    Senior Vice President and Brand Officer, Baskin-Robbins U.S.

Tony Pavese

   52    Chief Operating Officer, Dunkin’ Donuts International

Karen Raskopf

   56    Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications

Daniel Sheehan

   48    Chief Information Officer

Paul Twohig

   57    Chief Operating Officer, Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

Neal Yanofsky

   54    President-International, Dunkin’ Brands

Jon Luther

   67    Non-executive Chairman of the Board

Todd Abbrecht

   42    Director

Anita Balaji

   33    Director

Andrew Balson

   44    Director

Todd Cook

  

40

   Director

Anthony DiNovi

   48    Director

David Harkins

   69    Director

Sandra Horbach

   50    Director

Mark Nunnelly

   51    Director
 

Nigel Travis has served as Chief Executive Officer of Dunkin’ Brands since January 2009 and assumed the role of President of Dunkin’ Donuts in October 2009. From 2005 through 2008, Mr. Travis served as President and Chief Executive Officer, and on the board of directors of Papa John’s International, Inc., a publicly-traded international pizza chain. Prior to Papa John’s, Mr. Travis was with Blockbuster, Inc. from 1994 to 2004, where he served in increasing roles of responsibility, including President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Travis

 

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previously held numerous senior positions at Burger King Corporation. Mr. Travis currently serves on the board of directors of Lorillard, Inc. and formerly served on the board of Bombay Company, Inc.

Neil Moses joined Dunkin’ Brands as Chief Financial Officer in November 2010. Mr. Moses joined Dunkin’ Brands from Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC), a software company, where he had served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer since 2003. Prior to PTC, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, at Axcelis Technologies, a semiconductor capital equipment manufacturer, and as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Bradlees, Inc.

Paul Carbone was appointed to the role of Vice President, Financial Management of Dunkin’ Brands in 2008. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, he most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Tween Brands, Inc. Before Tween Brands, Mr. Carbone spent seven years with Limited Brands, Inc., where his roles included Vice President, Finance, for Victoria’s Secret.

John Costello joined Dunkin’ Brands in 2009 and currently serves as our Chief Global Marketing & Innovation Officer. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, Mr. Costello was an independent consultant and served as President and CEO of Zounds, Inc., an early stage developer and hearing aid retailer, from September 2007 to January 2009. Following his departure, Zounds filed for bankruptcy in March 2009. From October 2006 to August 2007, he served as President of Consumer and Retail for Solidus Networks, Inc. (d/b/a Pay By Touch), which filed for bankruptcy in March 2008. Mr. Costello previously served as the Executive Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing at The Home Depot, Senior Executive Vice President of Sears, and Chief Global Marketing Officer of Yahoo!. He has also held leadership roles at several companies, including serving as President of Nielsen Marketing Research U.S.

John Dawson has served as Chief Development Officer of Dunkin’ Brands since April 2005. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, he spent 17 years at McDonald’s Corporation, most recently as Vice President of Worldwide Restaurant Development.

Christine Deputy was named Dunkin’ Brands’ Senior Vice President of Human Resources in 2009. Previously, she served as Vice President, Partner Resources, Asia Pacific Region for Starbucks Corporation. Prior to Starbucks, Ms. Deputy spent eight years with Thomas Cook based in Canada, the U.S. and England. Ms. Deputy currently serves on the board of directors of McCormick and Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants, Inc.

Richard Emmett was named Senior Vice President and General Counsel in December 2009. Mr. Emmett joined Dunkin’ Brands from QCE HOLDING LLC (Quiznos) where he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary. Prior to Quiznos, Mr. Emmett served in various roles including as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Papa John’s International. Mr. Emmett currently serves on the board of directors of Francesca’s Holdings Corporation.

Srinivas Kumar joined Dunkin’ Brands in 1998 and was appointed to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer of Baskin-Robbins International, in August 2010. He previously served in various roles for Dunkin’ Brands, including Vice President of the Middle East, Vice President of Europe and Middle East, Interim Chief Operating Officer, Vice President International and Chief Brand Officer, Baskin-Robbins International. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, Mr. Kumar was General Manager for the Galadari Group—the master licensee for Baskin-Robbins.

Bill Mitchell joined Dunkin’ Brands in August 2010. Mr. Mitchell joined Dunkin’ Brands from Papa John’s International, where he had served in a variety of roles since 2000, including President of Global Operations, President of Domestic Operations, Operations VP, Division VP and Senior VP of Domestic Operations. Prior to Papa John’s, Mr. Mitchell was with Popeyes, a division of AFC Enterprises where he served in various capacities including Senior Director of Franchise Operations.

 

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Tony Pavese was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Dunkin’ Donuts International in January 2008. Mr. Pavese joined Dunkin’ Brands in 2004 as Vice President of International Asia-Pacific for Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, he spent 20 years with AFC Enterprises, which culminated in his serving as Chief Operating Officer for Popeyes. Mr. Pavese also served as Vice-President of Operations for Black Angus Steak House.

Karen Raskopf was named Dunkin’ Brands’ Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications in August 2009. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, she spent 12 years as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications for Blockbuster, Inc. She also served as head of communications for 7-Eleven, Inc.

Dan Sheehan was named Chief Information Officer of Dunkin’ Brands in March 2006. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, Mr. Sheehan served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for ADVO Inc., a full-service direct mail marketing services company, from 2000 to 2006.

Paul Twohig joined Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. in October 2009 and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, Mr. Twohig served as a Division Senior Vice President for Starbucks Corporation from December 2004 to March 2009. Mr. Twohig also previously served as Chief Operating Officer for Panera Bread Company.

Neal Yanofsky was appointed President-International of Dunkin’ Brands in May 2011. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, Mr. Yanofsky served as the Chief Executive Officer of Generation Mobile, a retailer of wireless products and services. From 2003 through 2008, Mr. Yanofsky was with Panera Bread Company, culminating in his service as President of Panera Bread from 2006 through 2008. Mr. Yanofsky also previously served as the senior marketing officer for Au Bon Pain.

Jon Luther has served as non-executive Chairman of the Board since July 2010 and prior to that as Chairman from January 2009. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Dunkin’ Brands from January 2003 to March 2006 and was appointed to the additional role of Chairman in March 2006. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, Mr. Luther was President of Popeyes, a division of AFC Enterprises, from February 1997 to December 2002. Prior to Popeyes, Mr. Luther was President of CA One Services, a subsidiary of Delaware North Companies, Inc. Mr. Luther is also a director of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and a director-elect of Brinker International, Inc.

Todd Abbrecht is a Managing Director at Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. Prior to joining Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. in 1992, Mr. Abbrecht worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions department of Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Abbrecht is currently a Director of Aramark Corporation, Intermedix Corporation, inVentiv Health, Inc., and Warner Chilcott plc. Mr. Abbrecht has also served on the boards of Michael Foods, Inc. and Simmons Bedding Company.

Anita Balaji is a Vice President at The Carlyle Group, where she focuses on buyout opportunities in the consumer and retail sector. Prior to joining Carlyle in 2006, Ms. Balaji worked at Behrman Capital, a private equity firm based in New York. Previously, she was with the mergers and acquisitions group at Goldman Sachs, focusing on consumer and retail transactions.

Andrew Balson is a Managing Director at Bain Capital Partners, LLC. Prior to joining Bain Capital Partners, LLC in 1996, Mr. Balson was a consultant at Bain & Company, where he worked in the technology, telecommunications, financial services and consumer goods industries. Previously, Mr. Balson worked in the Merchant Banking Group at Morgan Stanley & Co. and in the leveraged buyout group at SBC Australia. Mr. Balson serves on the Boards of Directors of OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC, Fleetcor Technologies, Inc. and Domino’s Pizza Inc. as well as a number of other private companies. Mr. Balson formerly served on the board of Burger King Holdings, Inc.

 

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Todd Cook is a Managing Director of Bain Capital Partners, LLC. Prior to becoming a managing director in December, 2008, Mr. Cook served in various capacities, most recently as a principal of Bain Capital Partners from 2003 to 2008. Prior to joining Bain Capital Partners in 1996, Mr. Cook was a consultant at Bain & Company. Mr. Cook serves as a director of Michaels Stores, Inc.

Anthony DiNovi is the Co-President of Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. Prior to joining Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. in 1988, Mr. DiNovi was in the corporate finance departments of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Wertheim Schroder & Co., Inc. Mr. DiNovi is a member of the board of directors of West Corporation, and formerly served on the boards of American Media Operations, Inc., Nortek, Inc., Michael Foods Group, Inc., US LEC, LLC and Vertis, Inc.

David Harkins is a Vice Chairman of Thomas H. Lee Partners. Mr. Harkins has been associated with Thomas H. Lee Partners since 1975. In addition, he has over 30 years experience in the investment and venture capital industries with the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company where he began his career, as well as TA Associates and Massachusetts Capital Corporation. He presently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee at Dana Farber. He also serves on the President’s Council at Massachusetts General Hospital. Mr. Harkins formerly served on the boards of Nortek, Inc. and National Dentex Corporation.

Sandra Horbach is a Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, where she serves as head of the Global Consumer and Retail team. Prior to joining Carlyle, Ms. Horbach was a General Partner at Forstmann Little, a private investment firm, and an Associate at Morgan Stanley. Ms. Horbach currently serves as a director of NBTY, Inc. and CVC Brasil Operadora e Agência de Viagens S.A., as well as a number of not-for-profit organizations. She has also served on the boards of Citadel Broadcasting Corporation and the Yankee Candle Company, Inc.

Mark Nunnelly is a Managing Director at Bain Capital Partners, LLC. Prior to joining Bain Capital Partners, LLC in 1990, Mr. Nunnelly was a Vice President of Bain & Company, with experience in the U.S., Asian and European strategy practices. Mr. Nunnelly managed client relationships in a number of areas, including manufacturing, consumer goods and information services. Previously, Mr. Nunnelly worked at Procter & Gamble in product management. He has also founded and had operating responsibility for several new ventures. Nunnelly is a member of the board of directors of Domino’s Pizza Inc., Warner Music Group Corp. and OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC, as well as a number of private companies and not-for-profit corporations.

Code of business ethics and conduct

We have adopted a written code of business ethics and conduct that applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. Following this offering, a current copy of the code will be posted on our website, which is located at www.dunkinbrands.com .

Board structure and committee composition

Upon the completion of this offering, we will have an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee with the composition and responsibilities described below. Each committee will operate under a charter that will be approved by our board of directors. The composition of each committee will be effective upon the closing of this offering. The members of each committee are appointed by the board of directors and serve until their successor is elected and qualified, unless they are earlier removed or resign. In addition, each of the Sponsors will have a contractual right to nominate two directors to our board for as long as such Sponsor owns at least 10% of our outstanding common stock (and

 

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one director for so long as such Sponsor owns at least 3% of our outstanding common stock) and the Sponsors will have certain contractual rights to have their nominees serve on our compensation committee and our nominating and governance committee. See “Related party transactions—Arrangements with our investors.” In addition, from time to time, special committees may be established under the direction of the board of directors when necessary to address specific issues.

Since we intend to avail ourselves of the “controlled company” exception under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules, we will not have a majority of independent directors, and neither our compensation committee nor our nominating and corporate governance committee will be composed entirely of independent directors as defined under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules. The controlled company exception does not modify the independence requirements for the audit committee, and we intend to comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules. These rules require that our audit committee be composed of at least three members, a majority of whom will be independent within 90 days of the date of this prospectus, and all of whom will be independent within one year of the date of this prospectus.

Audit Committee

The purpose of the audit committee will be set forth in the audit committee charter. The audit committee’s primary duties and responsibilities will be to:

 

 

Appoint, compensate, retain and oversee the work of any registered public accounting firm engaged for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attest services and review and appraise the audit efforts of our independent accountants;

 

 

Establish procedures for (i) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and (ii) confidential and anonymous submissions by our employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters;

 

 

Engage independent counsel and other advisers, as necessary;

 

 

Determine funding of various services provided by accountants or advisers retained by the committee;

 

 

Review our financial reporting processes and internal controls;

 

 

Review and approve related-party transactions or recommend related-party transactions for review by independent members of our board of directors; and

 

 

Provide an open avenue of communication among the independent accountants, financial and senior management and the board.

Upon completion of this offering, the audit committee will consist of                     ,                     and                     , and will have at least one independent director and at least one audit committee financial expert. Prior to the consummation of this offering, our board of directors will adopt a written charter under which the audit committee will operate. A copy of the charter, which will satisfy the applicable standards of the SEC and The NASDAQ Global Select Market, will be available on our website.

Compensation Committee

The purpose of the compensation committee is to assist the board of directors in fulfilling responsibilities relating to oversight of the compensation of our directors, executive officers and other employees and the Company’s benefit and equity-based compensation programs. The compensation committee reviews and recommends to our board of directors compensation plans, policies and programs and approves specific

 

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compensation levels for all executive officers. Upon completion of this offering, the compensation committee will consist of                     ,                     and                     . Prior to the consummation of this offering, our board of directors will adopt a written charter under which the compensation committee will operate. A copy of the charter, which will satisfy the applicable standards of the SEC and The NASDAQ Global Select Market, will be available on our website.

Nominating and Governance Committee

Upon completion of this offering, the nominating and corporate governance committee will consist of                     ,                     and                     . The nominating and governance committee will be responsible for recruiting and retaining qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, including proposing such individuals to the board of directors for nomination for election as directors, for evaluating the performance, size and composition of the board of directors and for oversight of our compliance activities. Prior to the consummation of this offering, our board of directors will adopt a written charter under which the nominating and governance committee will operate. A copy of the charter, which will satisfy the applicable standards of the SEC and the NASDAQ Global Select Market, will be available on our website.

Compensation committee interlocks and insider participation

None of our executive officers serves as a member of our board of directors or compensation committee, or other committee serving an equivalent function, of any other entity that has one or more of its executive officers serving as a member of our board of directors or compensation committee.

Compensation discussion and analysis

This section discusses the principles underlying our policies and decisions with respect to the compensation of our executive officers who are named in the “2010 Summary Compensation Table” and the most important factors relevant to an analysis of these policies and decisions. Our “named executive officers” for fiscal 2010 are:

 

 

Nigel Travis, Chief Executive Officer

 

 

Neil Moses, Chief Financial Officer (1)

 

 

John Costello, Chief Global Marketing & Innovation Officer

 

 

Paul Twohig, Chief Operating Officer, Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

 

 

Richard Emmett, Senior Vice President and General Counsel

 

 

Kate Lavelle, Former Chief Financial Officer, currently on special assignment to the office of the Chief Executive Officer

 

(1)     Mr. Moses joined Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. on November 16, 2010 replacing Ms. Lavelle, who resigned from her position as Chief Financial Officer on July 23, 2010.

 

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Overview of compensation and fiscal 2010 performance

Our compensation strategy focuses on providing a total compensation package that will attract and retain high-caliber executive officers and employees, incentivize them to achieve company and individual performance goals and align management, employee and shareholder interests over both the short-term and long-term. Our approach to executive compensation reflects our focus on long-term value creation. We believe that by placing a significant equity opportunity in the hands of executives who are capable of driving and sustaining growth, our shareholders will benefit along with the executives who helped create this value.

Compensation philosophy

Our compensation philosophy centers upon:

 

 

attracting and retaining industry-leading talent by targeting compensation levels that are competitive when measured against other companies within our industry;

 

 

linking compensation actually paid to achievement of our financial, operating, and strategic goals;

 

 

rewarding individual performance and contribution to our success; and

 

 

aligning the interests of our executive officers with those of our shareholders by delivering a substantial portion of an executive officer’s compensation through equity-based awards with a long-term value horizon.

Each of the key elements of our executive compensation program is discussed in more detail below. Our executive compensation program is designed to be complementary and to collectively serve the compensation objectives described above. We have not adopted any formal policies or guidelines for allocating compensation between short-term and long-term compensation, between cash and non-cash compensation or among different forms of cash and non-cash compensation. The compensation levels of our named executive officers reflect to a significant degree the varying roles and responsibilities of such executives.

Highlights of 2010 performance

We achieved strong financial performance in fiscal 2010, and we believe that our named executive officers were instrumental in helping us to achieve these results. Highlights of our fiscal 2010 performance include the following:

 

 

Drove profitable comparable store sales in Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. for our franchisees: Comparable store sales growth for Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. increased 2.3% for fiscal 2010 compared to fiscal 2009. This increase was due, in large part, to product and marketing innovation and an increased operational focus on the guest’s experience. This positive trend increased throughout the year, with fourth quarter comparable store sales increasing 4.7%, as compared to the prior year’s fourth quarter.

 

 

Expanded our presence in the United States: In 2010, Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees opened 206 net new restaurants in the U.S. alone, including in new markets such as St. Louis and Kansas City. Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. also signed agreements that provide for an additional 226 new domestic development commitments, representing a nearly 50% increase in commitments over 2009.

 

 

Drove accelerated international growth across brands : Baskin-Robbins International saw a systemwide sales increase of 19% year-over-year, driven primarily by results in South Korea, Japan and the Middle East. Dunkin’ Donuts International saw a systemwide sales increase of 15% year-over-year, driven primarily by results in South Korea and Southeast Asia. Dunkin’ Donuts also entered the Russia market, which at year’s end had seven newly-opened locations.

 

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Improved trends in Baskin-Robbins U.S.: Baskin-Robbins U.S. ended the year with improved trends in the fourth quarter. This improvement was as a result of operational and marketing efforts that we made in 2010, including introducing a value menu and renewing our focus on cakes, which is a key growth category for the brand.

In the context of the restaurant industry and taking into account the effects of a still-lagging economy at the start of 2010, we believe this was a good year. This performance translated into financial results that exceeded our budgeted expectations. As a result of the performance achieved during fiscal 2010, our Compensation Committee approved funding under our Dunkin’ Brands Short-Term Incentive Plan at 75% of target.

Compensation framework: policies and process

Roles of compensation committee and chief executive officer in compensation decisions

Our Compensation Committee oversees our executive compensation program and is responsible for approving the nature and amount of the compensation paid to, and any employment and related agreements entered into with, our executive officers, and, for all of our employees, administering our equity compensation plans and awards. Our Chief Executive Officer provides recommendations to our Compensation Committee with respect to salary adjustments, annual cash incentive bonus targets and awards and equity incentive awards for the named executive officers, excluding himself, and the other executive officers that report to him. Our Compensation Committee meets with our Chief Executive Officer at least annually to discuss and review his recommendations for compensation of our executive officers, excluding himself. When making individual compensation decisions for our named executive officers, the Compensation Committee takes many factors into account, including the officer’s experience, responsibilities, management abilities and job performance, our performance as a whole, current market conditions and competitive pay levels for similar positions at comparable companies. These factors are considered by the Compensation Committee in a subjective manner without any specific formula or weighting. Our Compensation Committee has, and it has exercised, the ability to increase or decrease amounts of compensation recommended by our Chief Executive Officer.

Competitive market data and use of compensation consultants

As part of our preparation to become a public company, management and our human resources department provided the Compensation Committee with survey data on our executive compensation levels and general information regarding executive compensation practices in our industry. This data included a review of total cash compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers in light of amounts paid and compensation targets at comparable companies gathered from published executive compensation surveys. While our Compensation Committee reviewed this data in 2010, it did not formally benchmark total executive compensation or individual compensation elements against a peer group, and it did not aim to set total compensation, or any compensation element, at a specified level as compared to the survey data that the Compensation Committee reviewed. In evaluating the compensation of our executive officers, the Compensation Committee considered the significant value opportunity created by equity grants in a non-public company. As we transition to a publicly-traded company, the Compensation Committee expects to use market data, and may decide to use the services of an independent compensation consultant, to provide input in establishing the level and types of certain elements of our compensation program. See “Changes to compensation approach post-IPO” below.

In addition, in connection with the hiring of Messrs. Travis, Costello, Emmett and Twohig in 2009 and Mr. Moses in 2010, the Compensation Committee considered the prior compensation level of each candidate and survey

 

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compensation data provided by management and our human resources department to obtain a general understanding of compensation trends when negotiating and ultimately setting the initial compensation levels of these individuals.

Elements of named executive officer compensation

The following is a discussion of the primary elements of the compensation for each of our named executive officers. Compensation for our named executive officers consists of the following elements for fiscal 2010:

 

Element   Description   Primary objectives
 

Base Salary

 

• Fixed cash payment

 

• Attract and retain talented individuals

• Recognize career experience and individual performance

• Provide competitive compensation

Short-Term Incentives

 

• Performance-based annual cash incentive

 

• Promote and reward achievement of the Company’s annual financial and strategic objectives and individualized personal goals

Long-Term Incentives

 

• Time and performance-based stock options

 

• Align executive interests with shareholder interests by tying value to long-term stock performance

• Attract and retain talented individuals

Retirement and Welfare Benefits

 

• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance and disability insurance (STD & LTD)

 

• Provide competitive benefits

 

• Retirement Savings / 401(k) Plan

 

• Provide tax efficient retirement savings vehicle

 

• Non-qualified deferred compensation plan

 

• Provide tax efficient opportunity to supplement retirement savings

Executive Perquisites

 

• Flexible allowance

• Executive physical for Vice Presidents and above

 

• Provide competitive benefits

• Promote health and well being of senior executives

 

Base salary

Base salaries of our named executive officers are reviewed periodically by our Chief Executive Officer (other than for himself) and are approved by our Compensation Committee. They are intended to be competitive in light of the level and scope of the executive’s position and responsibilities. Adjustments to base salaries are based on the level of an executive’s responsibilities and his or her individual contributions, prior experience and sustained performance. Decisions regarding salary increases may take into account the named executive officer’s current salary, equity holdings, including stock options, and the amounts paid to individuals in comparable positions as determined through the use of executive compensation surveys. No formulaic base

 

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salary increases are provided to our named executive officers, in line with our strategy of offering total compensation that is cost-effective, competitive and based on the achievement of performance objectives.

Short-term incentive plan

In addition to receiving base salaries, executives participate in the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Short-Term Incentive Plan (STI Plan), our annual management incentive plan. We believe that annual incentives should be based upon actual performance against specific business objectives. The funding of the STI Plan is based on the level of achievement of our global earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). EBITDA was selected as the funding mechanism for the plan in order to ensure that payments under the STI Plan are affordable and are linked to shareholder value creation. The Compensation Committee sets the EBITDA target at a level it believes is both challenging and achievable. By establishing a target that is challenging, the Compensation Committee believes that performance of our employees, and therefore our performance, is maximized. By setting a target that is also achievable, the Compensation Committee believes that employees remain motivated to perform at the high level required to achieve the target. The potential STI Plan payout for each eligible employee (based on the employee’s target bonus) is aggregated to create a STI Plan pool at target. The level of funding under the STI Plan ranges from 0% to 200% of that target pool based on performance relative to the global EBITDA goal, with a threshold funding level established by the Compensation Committee based on the minimum level of global EBITDA performance that would result in any funding under the STI Plan.

Once global EBITDA performance is determined after the close of the fiscal year, the funding level is established. This incentive plan funding is then allocated based on the achievement of relevant financial or operational business goals such as revenue, comparable store sales, systemwide sales and net development. These specific goals are chosen due to their impact on our profitability. These goals are categorized into three categories: Primary, Secondary and Personal. Primary business goals are key financial goals which are most relevant to the executive based on his or her role within the Company and ability to impact certain aspects of our business. Secondary business goals are financial goals which are influenced or impacted by the activities of a broader organization/group. This team goal is often shared among executives in order to create more cross-functional collaboration. Personal goals are measurable operational or business goals that relate directly to the duties and responsibilities of the executive. Performance against each goal category is measured separately. The goals are generally weighted as follows: Primary (35%), Secondary (30%) and Personal (35%). The achievement of personal goals is taken into account solely on a discretionary basis. During the year, regular communication takes place within the Company to ensure that all executives are aware of progress against the goals established.

 

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The table below lists the 2010 Primary and Secondary Business goals for each named executive officer. The Compensation Committee establishes these goals for Mr. Travis although, under the terms of his employment agreement, he is entitled to a bonus based on achievement of EBITDA. See “Narrative disclosure to summary compensation table and grants of plan-based awards table” for more information about the terms of Mr. Travis’ bonus entitlement.

 

Named executive officer

title

   Goal type    Metric
 

Nigel Travis

   Primary    Dunkin’ Brands Inc. Global Total Revenue

Chief Executive Officer

   Secondary    Dunkin’ Donuts Global Total Revenue

Neil Moses

  

Primary

   Dunkin’ Brands Inc. Global Total Revenue

Chief Financial Officer

  

Secondary

   Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. Comp Sales (70%)
      Baskin Robbins U.S. Comp Sales (30%)

Paul Twohig

  

Primary

   Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. Comp Sales

Chief Operating Officer

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

  

Secondary

   Dunkin’ Brands Inc. Global Total Revenue
     

John Costello

  

Primary

   Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. Comp Sales (70%)
Chief Global Marketing and Innovation Officer       Baskin Robbins U.S. Comp Sales (30%)
  

Secondary

   Dunkin’ Brands Inc. Global Total Revenue

Richard Emmett

  

Primary

   Dunkin’ Brands Inc. Global Total Revenue
Senior Vice President, General Counsel   

Secondary

   Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. Comp Sales (70%)
      Baskin Robbins U.S. Comp Sales (30%)

Kate Lavelle

  

Primary

   Dunkin’ Brands Inc. Global Total Revenue
Former Chief Financial Officer   

Secondary

   Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. Comp Sales (70%)
      Baskin Robbins U.S. Comp Sales (30%)
 

2010 personal goals included relevant strategic and operational goals for the respective named executive officer, including:

 

 

increasing guest satisfaction scores;

 

successful enrollment of Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees into our new retail technology platform;

 

increasing average transaction size; and

 

effective succession planning.

The achievement of personal goals under the STI Plan is reviewed after the close of the relevant fiscal year and is taken into account by the Compensation Committee on a discretionary basis.

At the conclusion of the fiscal year, EBITDA results are determined by our finance department based on audited financial results. These results are presented to the Compensation Committee for consideration and approval. The Compensation Committee retains the discretion to adjust (upwards or downwards) EBITDA results for the occurrence of extraordinary events affecting EBITDA performance. In addition, in setting the EBITDA thresholds and determining our achievement of such thresholds, our Compensation Committee may exclude revenue and expenses related to our business as it deems appropriate. After the Compensation Committee sets the bonus pool under the STI Plan based on its determination of the level of EBITDA achieved, the Chief Executive Officer then recommends amounts payable to each named executive officer under the incentive plan based on that individual’s performance against his or her Primary, Secondary and Personal business goals. These awards may

 

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be adjusted based on considerations deemed appropriate by our Compensation Committee, including personal performance.

Long-term equity incentive program

Our long-term equity program for executive officers in fiscal 2010 consisted of stock options that are more heavily weighted towards stock options with performance-based vesting requirements. Previously, from 2006 to 2008, we had used a combination of time- and performance-based restricted shares as our equity compensation vehicle. Of the named executive officers, only Kate Lavelle was granted restricted stock under this program. After July 2008, the Compensation Committee ceased to grant restricted stock, and instead developed a time- and performance-based stock option program for executives as a means of incentivizing the achievement of our long-term strategy and goals. The first grants under this executive stock option program were made in February 2010. The primary goals of our executive stock option program are to align the interests of our named executive officers with the interests of our shareholders and to encourage executive retention through the use of service-based vesting requirements. Stock option grants are divided so that 30% are time-vested options (tranche 4) and 70% are performance options that vest based on time and investment returns to the Sponsors (tranche 5). The combination of time- and performance-vesting of these awards is designed to compensate executives for their long-term commitment to the Company, while incentivizing sustained increases in our financial performance and helping to ensure that the Sponsors have received an appropriate return on their invested capital before executives receive significant value from these grants.

The tranche 4 options generally vest in equal installments of 20% on each of the first five anniversaries of the vesting commencement date, which is typically the date the option grants are approved by the Compensation Committee.

The tranche 5 options generally become eligible to vest in tandem with the vesting of tranche 4 options, but do not actually vest unless a pre-established performance condition is also achieved. The performance condition is satisfied by the Sponsors’ receipt of a targeted return on their initial investment in the Company, measured at the time of a sale or disposition by the Sponsors of all or a portion of the Company. If the Sponsors receive a specified level of investment return on such sale or disposition, the performance condition is met for a percentage of tranche 5 options equal to the percentage of shares sold by the Sponsors to that point. If the performance condition is achieved, but the service condition is not, the tranche remains subject to the time-based vesting schedule described above. We believe this vesting schedule appropriately supports our retention objective while allowing our executives to realize compensation in line with the value they have created for our shareholders.

Our named executive officers received grants of stock options in connection with the commencement of their employment. In determining the size of the long-term equity grant to be awarded to our executive officers, the Compensation Committee takes into account a number of factors such as long-term incentive values typically awarded to executives holding positions in similarly-situated companies and internal factors such as the individual’s responsibilities, position and the size and value of the long-term incentive awards of currently employed executives. To date, there has been no program for awarding annual grants, and our Compensation Committee retains discretion to make stock option awards to employees at any time, including in connection with promotion to reward an employee, for retention purposes or in other circumstances.

The exercise price of each stock option is set at the fair market value of our common stock on the grant date. For fiscal 2010, the determination of the appropriate fair market value was made by our Board in accordance with the 2006 Executive Incentive Plan. In the absence of a public trading market, our Board determined fair market value based on an independent, third-party valuation of our common stock.

 

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Equity purchase program

In addition to our long-term equity incentive program, our current named executive officers have further increased their ownership stakes in the Company by electing to purchase our shares pursuant to our management equity investment program in 2009, 2010 or 2011, as illustrated in the table below. For more information, please see “Principal stockholders.”

 

Named Executive Officer   

Personal investment in equity purchase

Program

 
  
   

Nigel Travis

   $ 2,900,000   

Neil Moses

   $ 250,000   

Paul Twohig

   $ 315,195   

John Costello

   $ 250,000   

Richard Emmett

   $ 150,000   
   

Retirement and welfare benefits

We provide our executive officers with access to the same benefits we provide all of our full-time employees. In addition to the standard company Long-Term Disability policy, we offer executives the opportunity to participate in a supplemental Long-Term Disability policy at no additional cost to them except for taxes on the imputed income associated with this benefit.

In addition to our standard 401(k) retirement savings plan available to all employees, we have established a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for senior employees, including our named executive officers. The plan allows participants to defer certain elements of their compensation with the potential to receive earnings on deferred amounts. We believe this plan is an important retention and recruitment tool because it helps facilitate retirement savings and financial flexibility for our key employees, and because many of the companies with which we compete for executive talent provide a similar plan to their key employees.

Executive perquisites

Perquisites are generally provided to help us attract and retain top performing employees for key positions. Our primary perquisite for current named executive officers is a flexible allowance in the amount of $20,000 per annum. While generally identified as a car allowance, this benefit is paid in cash and its utilization is at the discretion of the executive. In addition, executives are offered the opportunity to have a Company-paid annual physical examination, as a means of maintaining the health and well-being of our executives. We have also provided named executive officers with relocation benefits to facilitate their relocation, including loss on home sale protection and short-term cash supplements. We also provide our executives a limited number of sporting event tickets. The costs associated with all perquisites are included in the Summary Compensation table.

Fiscal 2010 compensation

Base salaries

None of our named executive officers, other than Ms. Lavelle, received an increase in base salary during 2010, after a joint determination by our Chief Executive Officer, the other named executive officers and our Compensation Committee that, in view of the uncertain direction of the economy and its effect on the business in 2009, there should be no general increases in base salaries for executives. Effective March 29, 2010, Ms. Lavelle received an adjustment in her annual base salary from $400,000 to $430,000, after an analysis of

 

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CFO compensation performed by the Company based on a review of available salary information revealed that her salary was below market. This increase was approved by the Compensation Committee.

The actual base salaries paid to all of our named executive officers during 2010 are set forth in the “2010 Summary compensation table” below.

Short-term incentive awards

The target incentive (as a percentage of base salary) established under the STI Plan and payable to each named executive officer if achievement relative to the 2010 global EBITDA target resulted in a fully funded plan and, if applicable, the named executive officer achieved each of his or her Primary, Secondary and Personal business goals was:

 

       Target STI as a % of base salary  
Named executive officer    Minimum %      Target %      Maximum %(1)  
   

Nigel Travis

     0%         100%         150%   

Neil Moses(2)

     0%         75%         150%   

Paul Twohig(3)

     0%         50%         100%   

John Costello

     0%         50%         100%   

Richard Emmett

     0%         50%         100%   

Kate Lavelle(4)

     0%         75%         125%   
   

 

(1)   Each of Mr. Travis’ and Ms. Lavelle’s maximum percentage is established by the terms of his or her respective employment agreement. For the other named executive officers, the maximum percentage is equal to 200% of the individual’s target incentive.

 

(2)   Mr. Moses joined the Company on November 16, 2010. The fiscal 2010 earnings on which his 2010 STI Plan was based were $43,698.

 

(3)   Mr. Twohig’s incentive target was increased from 40% to 50% effective October 1, 2010 in connection with his promotion to Chief Operating Officer, Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. His effective target percentage, used to calculate his 2010 STI Plan award, was pro-rated at 42.5%.

 

(4)   Ms. Lavelle became ineligible for a 2010 STI Plan award after she resigned from her position as Chief Financial Officer. Under her Transition Services Agreement, she was eligible for a pro-rated bonus at the time she transitioned to a non-executive role.

Full funding (100% of target) for the STI Plan was contingent on achievement of our global EBITDA target, although our STI Plan budget assumptions for 2010 were based on a lower level of funding due to the recessionary economic climate. The funding threshold level (30% of target) was contingent on achievement of 95.75% of the global EBITDA target, meaning that if EBITDA performance achievement fell below 95.75% of target, no funding would be achieved under the plan.

The actual performance objectives associated with our fiscal 2010 annual incentive awards have not been disclosed herein since the Compensation Committee has determined that the information regarding targets for fiscal 2010 would provide detailed information on business operations and forward-looking, strategic plans to our competitors and would therefore result in meaningful competitive harm. As described above, the Compensation Committee sets performance objectives at a level it believes are both challenging and achievable.

Our 2010 global EBITDA performance before adjustment was slightly over the threshold for funding. After considering and excluding one-time or unusual items, both positive and negative, from the EBITDA calculation, the Compensation Committee agreed to an adjusted EBITDA performance level of 98.1% of target EBITDA, which translated to an STI Plan funding level of 71.6% of target funding. Considering our strong finish in fiscal 2010, management requested consideration by the Compensation Committee for a discretionary pool to bring

 

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total STI Plan funding to 75% of target funding. The Compensation Committee approved the request to bring total STI Plan funding for fiscal 2010 to 75% of target.

Once the level of funding was established, the Chief Executive Officer then recommended amounts payable to each named executive officer (other than himself) under the incentive plan based on that individual’s performance against his or her Primary, Secondary and Personal business goals. The table below lists the payouts to each named executive officer as a percentage of eligible base salary earnings and as a percentage of the target award. Awards were based on the achievement against Primary and Secondary business goals for the respective named executive officer, taking into account the addition of the discretionary pool to the STI Plan funding level. Although the Chief Executive Officer and the Compensation Committee reviewed performance against Personal Business Goals, the Compensation Committee determined bonus amounts for fiscal 2010 solely based on the achievement of Primary and Secondary business goals.

 

Named executive officer   

Target STI plan % payout

(% of base salary)

    

Actual award %

(% of base salary)

    

Actual award %

(% of target award)

 
   

Nigel Travis

     100%         75.0%         75.0%   

Neil Moses

     75%         52.6%         70.1%   

Paul Twohig

     42.5%         40.6%         95.5%   

John Costello

     50%         36.4%         72.8%   

Richard Emmett

     50%         35.8%         71.6%   
   

Long-term equity incentive awards

With the exception of Mr. Moses who joined the Company in late 2010, long-term incentive awards were made on February 23, 2010 to named executive officers as part of the new executive performance stock option program that was adopted by the Board in February 2010 under the 2006 Executive Incentive Plan. The Compensation Committee determined that this new stock option program would incentivize eligible participants to increase shareholder value, which the Committee believed was an important goal for the Company, given the Company’s position and the possibility of strategic opportunities, such as this offering, in the future.

In determining the size of each named executive officer’s stock option grant, the Committee made a subjective judgment, taking into consideration a multitude of factors, including the scope and impact of the role of the respective named executive officer, the estimated value of the total grant based on share price projections, the vesting schedule under the program, competitive practice, the long-term incentive award values that had been delivered to similarly situated executive officers since 2006 and other elements of compensation as part of the total compensation package.

As described above, the stock option grants are apportioned into two “tranches” with the tranche 4 consisting of time-based options, and tranche 5 consisting of stock options containing both time- and performance-vesting criteria. The performance-based stock options are not scheduled to vest unless both the time and performance conditions have been satisfied.

The stock option awards granted on February 23, 2010 have an exercise price of $0.66 per share. This exercise price was determined in accordance with the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and was based on the most recent valuation of the Company as prepared by an independent, third-party valuation firm taking into consideration events that occurred and market conditions between the valuation date and the grant date. These stock options have a ten year maximum term.

 

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Grant values for the named executive officers are detailed below:

 

Named executive officer    Total stock options
granted
    

Tranche 4:

“time-based”

options

(30% of award)

    

Tranche 5:

“time and performance-based”
options

(70% of award)

 
   

Nigel Travis(1)

     12,500,000         3,750,000         8,750,000   

Neil Moses(2)

                       

Paul Twohig

     850,000         255,000         595,000   

John Costello

     1,000,000         300,000         700,000   

Richard Emmett

     750,000         225,000         525,000   

Kate Lavelle(3)

     900,000         270,000         630,000   
   

 

(1)   The Committee approved for Mr. Travis accelerated vesting of 20% of his tranche 4 stock options and accelerated eligibility for vesting of 20% of his tranche 5 stock options to reflect the time that had passed (over one year) between his hire date and the stock option grant date.

 

(2)   Mr. Moses joined the Company on November 16, 2010 and received a grant of 1,100,000 tranche 4 and tranche 5 stock options in March 2011.

 

(3)   Ms. Lavelle forfeited her stock option award upon her voluntary resignation from her position as Chief Financial Officer on July 23, 2010.

No long-term incentive awards, other than those included in the table above, were made to the named executive officers in fiscal 2010.

Employment and termination agreements

Employment agreements and letters

Each named executive officer (other than Ms. Lavelle) is entitled to certain payments and benefits upon a qualifying termination, including salary continuation, as more fully described under “Potential payments upon termination or change in control”. These benefits are provided pursuant to employment agreements or offer letters and/or our Executive Severance Pay Plan. Ms. Lavelle does not have an entitlement to severance payments under her Transition Services Agreement.

Equity compensation

As more fully described below in the section entitled “Potential payments upon termination or change in control,” certain executive stock option and restricted stock agreements also provide for accelerated vesting upon a change in control. Vesting of stock options does not accelerate solely upon an initial public offering.

Employment agreements with named executive officers

We have entered into employment contracts with Mr. Travis and Ms. Lavelle and offer letters with each of our other named executive officers. The material terms of these employment contracts and letters are summarized below.

Employment Agreement with Mr. Travis. In connection with this offering, we amended and restated Mr. Travis’ employment agreement to, among other things, extend the term to a five-year term commencing in May 2011. Under his amended and restated employment agreement, Mr. Travis receives an annual base salary of $861,000 and is eligible for a target annual incentive bonus of 100% of his base salary, which can be increased up to 150% if we achieve certain EBITDA goals. The amended and restated agreement also provides for certain payments and benefits to be provided upon a qualifying termination of Mr. Travis’ employment, as described below under “Potential payments upon termination or change of control.”

 

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Letter Agreements with Messrs. Moses, Twohig, Costello and Emmett. Messrs. Moses, Twohig, Costello and Emmett are parties to offer letter agreements with the Company that provide for a certain level of base salary, eligibility to participate in the Company’s STI Plan with specified target bonus opportunities under such plan, a flexible allowance, and, for certain executive officers, reimbursement for relocation expenses incurred in connection with the executive’s relocation to Massachusetts. The offer letters also provide for certain payments to be provided upon a termination of the named executive officer’s employment other than for cause, as described below under “Potential payments upon termination or change of control.”

Employment Agreement and Transition Agreement with Ms. Lavelle. Ms. Lavelle was party to an employment agreement with the Company that governed the terms and conditions of her employment as our Chief Financial Officer. This agreement entitled her to a base salary of at least $375,000 and annual incentives, the payment of which would be based on the achievement of performance goals. She was also entitled to certain payments and benefits upon a qualifying termination. This employment agreement terminated when Ms. Lavelle voluntarily resigned from her position as Chief Financial Officer. We entered into a Transition Services Agreement with Ms. Lavelle in connection with her transition to a part-time, non-executive employee role in July 2010. This agreement provides her with a reduced base salary of $100,000 per year. She is not entitled to any annual bonus or incentive-based compensation and does not receive any special termination pay or benefits under this agreement. The term of this Transition Services Agreement is one year, unless mutually extended by the parties.

Restrictive Covenants. Under the terms of their respective agreements, each named executive officer has agreed to confidentiality obligations during and after employment. Under his employment agreement, Mr. Travis has agreed to non-competition and non-solicitation obligations during and for two years following employment termination. Under her Transition Services Agreement, Ms. Lavelle has agreed to non-competition and non-solicitation obligations during and for two years following employment termination (which period will be reduced to one year if her employment terminates after July 23, 2011). Each other named executive officer has agreed to non-competition and non-solicitation obligations during and for one year following employment termination.

Employee benefits and perquisites

All of our full-time employees in the United States, including our named executive officers, are eligible to participate in our 401(k) plan. Pursuant to our 401(k) plan, employees, including our named executive officers, may elect to defer a portion of their salary and receive a Company match of up to 4% of salary for fiscal 2010, subject to Internal Revenue Code limits.

All of our full-time employees in the United States, including our named executive officers, are eligible to participate in our health and welfare plans. Generally, we share the costs for such plans with the employee. The Company cost of executive-level health and welfare benefits as well as the flexible allowance and other benefits and perquisites for our named executive officers for fiscal 2010 is reflected under the “All other compensation” column in the “2010 Summary compensation table.”

 

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Changes to compensation approach post-IPO

Use of compensation consultant

The Company retained Frederic W. Cook & Co., or Cook, an independent compensation consulting firm, to advise on executive compensation as part of our IPO planning. Cook developed and the Compensation Committee approved a peer group of companies against which to assess the three key components comprising our named executive officers’ compensation: base salary, cash bonus and equity incentives. This peer group consists of the following 14 publicly-traded restaurant companies:

 

Brinker International

   Darden Restaurants    Panera Bread    Wendy’s/Arby’s Group

Cheesecake Factory

   DineEquity    Ruby Tuesday    Yum! Brands

Chipotle Mexican Grill

   Domino’s Pizza    Starbucks   

Cracker Barrel

   Jack In The Box    Tim Horton’s   

In terms of size, our enterprise value as of February 2011 approximates the median of the peer companies and our 2010 EBITDA is between the 25 th percentile and the median.

The Company may determine to have the compensation consultant provide market data on this peer group of companies in the restaurant industry on an annual basis. Our Compensation Committee intends to review this peer group at least annually to ensure that it is appropriate, reflective of our company size and includes the companies against which we compete for executive talent. Our Compensation Committee intends to review market data and other information in light of the compensation we offer to help ensure that our compensation program is competitive. Our Compensation Committee may make adjustments in executive compensation levels in the future as a result of this more formal market comparison process. While we anticipate that we will take a more systematic approach to reviewing competitive data on executive compensation levels and practices, we expect to continue to apply compensation philosophies and strategies that we believe are appropriate for our business, and that focus executives more on long-term and performance-based incentive compensation than on fixed compensation.

Long-term incentives

It is our policy that stock options granted after the completion of this offering, when our common stock becomes publicly traded, will have a per share exercise price that is not less than the closing price of a share of our common stock on the date of grant.

Flexible allowance

Management has recommended and the Compensation Committee has approved the elimination of the $20,000 flexible allowance for our named executive officers and other direct reports of Mr. Travis. This allowance will be replaced with an increase in base salary of $11,000 for Mr. Travis (which is reflected in his amended and restated employment agreement), $13,000 for Mr. Moses and $15,000 for Messrs. Twohig, Costello and Emmett. This change will occur prior to our becoming a public company.

Compensation risk assessment

In consultation with the Compensation Committee, members of human resources, finance, legal, and internal audit management will conduct an assessment of whether the Company’s compensation policies and practices

 

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encourage excessive or inappropriate risk taking by our employees, including employees other than our named executive officers. This assessment will include a review of the risk characteristics of our business and the design of our incentive plans and policies. Although a significant portion of our executive compensation program is performance-based, the Compensation Committee will focus on further aligning the Company’s compensation policies with the long-term interests of the Company and avoiding rewards or incentive structures that could create unnecessary risks to the Company. The Compensation Committee intends to adopt a “clawback” policy once the SEC rules are finalized and to adopt an insider trading policy that will prohibit insiders from hedging their ownership of our common stock or pledging shares of common stock.

Tax and accounting considerations

Section 162(m) disallows a tax deduction for any publicly held corporation for individual compensation exceeding $1 million in any taxable year for a company’s named executive officers, other than its chief financial officer, unless compensation is performance-based. As we are not currently publicly traded, our Compensation Committee has not previously taken the deductibility limit imposed by Section 162(m) into consideration in setting compensation. Following this offering, at such time as we are subject to the deduction limitations of Section 162(m), we expect that our Compensation Committee will seek to qualify the variable compensation paid to our named executive officers for an exemption from the deductibility limitations of Section 162(m). However, our Compensation Committee may, in its judgment, authorize compensation payments that do not comply with the exemptions in Section 162(m) when it believes that such payments are appropriate to attract and retain executive talent.

Our Compensation Committee regularly considers the accounting implications of significant compensation decisions, especially in connection with decisions that relate to our equity incentive award plans and programs. As accounting standards change, we may revise certain programs to appropriately align accounting expenses of our equity awards with our overall executive compensation philosophy and objectives.

 

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2010 Summary compensation table

The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation paid to or earned by our named executive officers for fiscal 2010:

 

Name and principal position   Year    

Salary

($)(1)

   

Bonus

($)(2)

   

Option

awards

($)(3)

   

Non-equity

incentive plan

compensation

($)(4)

   

All other

compensation

($)(7)

   

Total

($)

 
   

Nigel Travis

Chief Executive Officer

    2010      $ 850,000      $      $ 4,012,500      $ 637,500      $ 37,250      $ 5,537,250   

Neil Moses(5) 

Chief Financial Officer

    2010      $ 43,698      $      $      $ 22,978      $ 1,846      $ 68,522   

Paul Twohig

Chief Operating Officer,

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

    2010      $ 375,000      $      $ 275,400      $ 152,144      $ 926,129      $ 1,728,673   

John Costello

Chief Global Marketing &

Innovation Officer

    2010      $ 500,000      $      $ 324,000      $ 182,000      $ 152,795      $ 1,158,795   

Richard Emmett

Senior Vice President, General Counsel

    2010      $ 400,000      $      $ 243,000      $ 143,220      $ 72,669      $ 858,889   

Kate Lavelle(6)

Former Chief Financial Officer

    2010      $ 288,654      $ 122,500      $ 291,600      $      $ 44,245      $ 746,999   
   
(1)   Amounts shown in this column are not reduced to reflect any deferrals under the Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan or 401(k) Plan.

 

(2)   The amount shown in this column reflects a pro-rata bonus payment to Ms. Lavelle pursuant to her Transition Services Agreement, as described in note (6) below, and is not reduced to reflect any deferrals under the 401(k) Plan.

 

(3)   Amounts shown in this column reflect the fair value of option awards on the grant date. These amounts do not reflect actual amounts paid to or realized by the named executive officers and exclude the effect of estimated forfeitures. The underlying valuation assumptions for option awards are further discussed in Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010 (the “2010 Financials”).

 

(4)   Amounts shown in this column represent the named executive officer’s bonus payment pursuant to the STI Plan (and, for Mr. Travis, his employment agreement) and are not reduced to reflect any deferrals under the Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan or 401(k) Plan. See “Compensation discussion & analysis – Elements of named executive officer compensation – Short-term incentive plan”.

 

(5)   Mr. Moses joined the Company as Chief Financial Officer on November 16, 2010. The amounts shown for Mr. Moses reflects his compensation for the portion of fiscal 2010 in which he was employed by the Company.

 

(6)   Ms. Lavelle voluntarily resigned as Chief Financial Officer on July 23, 2010. The amount shown as salary for Ms. Lavelle includes $248,269 for services as an executive officer during fiscal 2010 and $40,385 for services as a non-executive employee during fiscal 2010 following such resignation. The amount shown in the “Bonus” column reflects the pro-rata incentive Ms. Lavelle received under her Transition Services Agreement, and the amount shown in the “Option Awards” column reflects an option award that was granted to Ms. Lavelle during fiscal 2010. This option award was subsequently forfeited upon her resignation as Chief Financial Officer.

 

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(7)   Amounts shown in the “All Other Compensation” column include the following items, as applicable to each named executive officer, for fiscal 2010:

 

Name and principal position    Year     

Flexible

allowance

and event

tickets

($) (i)

    

Company-

Paid

premiums for

LTD coverage

($)

    

Relocation

expenses

($)

   

Executive

physicals

($)

    

401(k) company

match

contributions

($)

    

Other

($)

 
   

Nigel Travis

Chief Executive Officer

     2010       $ 24,000                      $ 3,450       $ 9,800           

Neil Moses

Chief Financial Officer

     2010       $ 1,846                                          

Paul Twohig

Chief Operating Officer,

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

     2010       $ 15,858       $ 3,564       $ 518,966 (ii)            $ 4,615       $ 383,126 (iii) 

John Costello

Chief Global Marketing & Innovation Officer

     2010       $ 22,000       $ 3,225       $ 119,263 (iv)            $ 8,307           

Richard Emmett

Senior Vice President, General

Counsel

     2010       $ 22,621       $ 2,570       $ 40,305 (v)    $ 3,450       $ 3,723           

Kate Lavelle

Former Chief Financial Officer

     2010       $ 13,920       $ 1,163                      $ 4,354       $ 24,808 (vi) 
   

 

  (i)   Amount shown consists of a cash allowance paid to each named executive officer at the rate of $20,000 per annum to be used at his or her discretion as a car allowance or otherwise (the flexible allowance) (Messrs. Travis and Costello, each $20,000; Mr. Moses, $1,846; Mr. Twohig, $13,858; Mr. Emmett, $20,621; and Ms. Lavelle, $11,920), plus the face value of sporting event tickets provided to the executives (Mr. Travis, $4,000; and Messrs. Twohig, Costello and Emmett and Ms. Lavelle, each $2,000). Mr. Emmett’s flexible allowance includes a retroactive payment made in 2010 as a result of an incorrect benefit paid at the end of 2009. As we transition to a public company, the flexible allowance will be eliminated.

 

  (ii)   Amount shown reflects costs associated with Mr. Twohig’s relocation to Massachusetts, consisting of $250,000 relating to his capital loss on the sale of his home, $516 for pre-move house hunting, $33,572 for temporary living, $5,827 for home purchase costs, $10,985 for loan origination fees, $10,000 for miscellaneous allowance, and a “gross-up” of $208,066 to cover taxes on his relocation benefits.

 

  (iii)   Amount shown reflects the forgiveness during fiscal 2010 of principal and interest on a loan extended to Mr. Twohig in connection with his settlement of a lawsuit regarding his alleged violation of a non-compete agreement with Starbucks Coffee.

 

  (iv)   Amount shown reflects costs associated with Mr. Costello’s relocation to Massachusetts, consisting of $100,000 relating to the reimbursement of the costs of rental housing in Boston, $2,585 for pre-move house hunting, $7,628 for temporary living, $48 for trips between locations, $960 for property management/rental assistance and a “gross-up” of $8,042 to cover taxes on his relocation benefits. The reimbursement of rental housing is scheduled to terminate on April 23, 2011.

 

  (v)   Amount shown reflects costs associated with Mr. Emmett’s relocation to Massachusetts, consisting of $1,725 for pre-move house hunting, $614 for mileage reimbursement, $528 for household goods storage, $5,500 for temporary living, $5,286 for trips between locations, $10,000 for miscellaneous relocation allowance, $4,000 for property management/rental assistance and a “gross-up” of $12,652 to cover taxes on his relocation benefits.

 

  (vi)   Amount shown reflects a payout of accrued vacation upon Ms. Lavelle’s resignation as Chief Financial Officer on July 23, 2010.

 

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Grants of plan-based awards in 2010

The following table sets forth information regarding grants of plan-based awards made to our executive officers during fiscal 2010:

 

        Estimated future
payouts under
non-equity

incentive plan
awards
    Estimated
future

payouts
under

equity
incentive
plans(3)
   

All other
option
awards:
number of
securities
underlying
options

(4)

   

Exercise
or base
price of
option
awards
($/Sh)

(5)

   

Grant date
fair value
of stock and
option
awards

($)(6)

 
Name   Type of award   Grant date     Target
($)(2)
   

Maxi-

mum
($)(2)

   

Target

(#)

       
   

Nigel Travis

  Annual Incentive(1)     2/23/2010        850,000        1,275,000           
  Stock Options           8,750,000        3,750,000      $ 0.66        4,012,500   

Neil Moses

  STI Plan       32,774        65,547                     

Paul Twohig

  STI Plan     2/23/2010        159,375        318,750           
  Stock Options           595,000        255,000      $ 0.66        275,400   

John Costello

  STI Plan     2/23/2010        250,000        500,000           
  Stock Options           700,000        300,000      $ 0.66        324,000   

Richard Emmett

  STI Plan     2/23/2010        200,000        400,000           
  Stock Options           525,000        225,000      $ 0.66        243,000   

Kate Lavelle

  Annual Incentive(1)(8)     2/23/2010        300,000        500,000           
  Stock Options(7)           630,000        270,000      $ 0.66        291,600   
   
(1)   Non-equity incentive plan compensation for Mr. Travis and Ms. Lavelle is paid according to the terms of his or her respective employment agreement, but is based on achievement against the performance targets established under the STI Plan.

 

(2)   Except for Mr. Travis and Ms. Lavelle as noted in (1) above, these figures represent target and maximum bonus opportunities under the STI Plan. For Mr. Travis, his target and maximum bonus opportunities are provided in his employment agreement. The actual amount of the bonus earned by each named executive officer for fiscal 2010 is reported in the summary compensation table. For a description of the performance targets relating to the STI Plan for fiscal 2010, please refer to the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Elements of named executive officer compensation—Short-term incentive plan” above.

 

(3)   All stock option awards are granted under the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and are options to purchase shares of Class A common stock. Stock options shown in this column are tranche 5 options subject to performance-based and service-based vesting conditions, and will only vest upon satisfaction of applicable performance criteria, as described below.

 

(4)   All stock option awards are granted under the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and are options to purchase shares of Class A common stock. Stock options shown in this column are tranche 4 options subject to service-based vesting conditions, as described below.

 

(5)   The exercise price of stock options is the fair market value of a share of Class A Common Stock on the grant date, determined by our Board under the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and based on a valuation provided by an independent valuation firm.

 

(6)   Amounts shown reflect the fair value of stock option awards on the grant date. These amounts do not reflect actual amounts paid to or realized by the named executive officers and exclude the effect of estimated forfeitures. The underlying valuation assumptions for option awards are further discussed in Note 13 to the 2010 Financials (attached as an exhibit to this prospectus).

 

(7)   Ms. Lavelle forfeited her stock option award upon her voluntary resignation as Chief Financial Officer on July 23, 2010.

 

(8)   Ms. Lavelle was granted a bonus opportunity under the STI Plan during fiscal 2010. Ms. Lavelle voluntarily resigned as Chief Financial Officer on July 23, 2010 and received a pro-rata bonus payment in connection with her Transition Services Agreement. At such time, her opportunity under the STI Plan was forfeited.

 

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Narrative disclosure to summary compensation table and grants of plan-based awards table

Each of our named executive officers is party to an employment agreement (in the case of Mr. Travis) or an offer letter (in the case of all other named executive officers other than Ms. Lavelle) that provides for a base salary and other benefits, as described above in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis. All of our named executive officers were eligible to participate in our Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan, the STI Plan, our 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and our benefit plans and programs for all or a portion of fiscal 2010. Mr. Travis’ annual incentive entitlement is set forth in his employment agreement. Under Mr. Travis’ employment agreement, he is entitled to receive a bonus based on an EBITDA target set by the Board, which has delegated this authority to the Compensation Committee for each year during the term of the agreement. If targeted EBITDA is achieved, he will be entitled to receive a bonus equal to 100% of base salary. If EBITDA for the year exceeds target by at least 5% or more, he will be entitled to receive a bonus of up to 150% of base salary. If target EBITDA is not achieved, but EBITDA for the year is greater than 95% of target, he may receive a bonus at the discretion of the Compensation Committee. The EBITDA targets for Mr. Travis’ bonus are established by the Compensation Committee under the STI Plan. All other named executive officers’ bonuses are established and determined under the STI Plan, as more fully described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis above. Ms. Lavelle is party to a Transition Services Agreement that governs the terms and conditions of her employment as a non-executive employee and pursuant to which she is entitled to receive an annual base salary of $100,000. This agreement provides that, as a non-executive employee, Ms. Lavelle is no longer entitled to participate in any of the Company’s equity and incentive compensation plans other than vesting of existing awards, but remains able to participate in other benefit plans in accordance with the terms of such plans.

All option awards are granted under the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and have a 10-year term. Options that are subject only to service-based vesting conditions (tranche 4 options) vest in equal annual installments over five years, beginning on the vesting commencement date (typically, the first anniversary of the grant date) or, if earlier, upon or following a change of control (as described below under “Potential payments upon termination or change of control”). Options that are subject to both performance-based and service-based vesting conditions (tranche 5 options) generally become eligible to vest in equal installments over five years, beginning on the vesting commencement date or, if earlier, upon or following a change of control (as described below under “Potential payments upon termination or change of control”), but will vest and become exercisable only if and when the applicable performance condition is satisfied. The performance condition is satisfied by the Sponsors’ receipt of a targeted return on their initial investment in the Company, measured at the time of a sale or disposition by the Sponsors of all or a portion of the Company. If the Sponsors receive a specified level of investment return on such sale or disposition, the performance condition is met for a percentage of tranche 5 options equal to the percentage of shares sold by the Sponsors to that point. If the performance condition is achieved, but the service condition is not, the tranche remains subject to the time-based vesting schedule described above. Mr. Travis was given vesting credit for both his time-based options and performance-based options for the period of time that elapsed between the date he commenced employment with us and the date his stock options were granted to him, which resulted in 20% of his tranche 4 stock options being fully vested and 20% of his tranche 5 stock options being fully eligible to vest on the date granted.

 

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Outstanding equity awards at fiscal-year end

The following table summarizes the number of shares of common stock underlying outstanding equity incentive plan awards for each named executive officer as of December 25, 2010:

 

      Option awards     Stock awards  
Name   Number of
securities
underlying
unexercised
options (#)
exercise-able
(1)
    Number of
securities
underlying
unexercised
options (#)
unexercise-able
(1)
   

Equity
incentive
plan
awards:
number of
securities
underlying
unexercised
unearned
options

(#)(2)

    Option
exercise
price
($)(3)
    Option
expiration
date (4)
    Number of
shares or
units of
stock that
have not
vested (#)(5)
    Market
value of
shares or
units of
stock that
have not
vested
($)(6)
    Equity
incentive
plan
awards:
number of
unearned
shares,
units or
other
rights
that
have not
vested
(#)(7)
    Equity
incentive
plan
awards:
market
or
payout
value of
unearned
shares,
units or
other
rights
that have
not
vested
($)(6)
 
   

Nigel Travis

    750,000        3,000,000        8,750,000      $ 0.66        2/23/2020                               

Neil Moses

                                

Paul Twohig

           255,000        595,000      $ 0.66        2/23/2020                               

John Costello

           300,000        700,000      $ 0.66        2/23/2020                               

Richard Emmett

           225,000        525,000      $ 0.66        2/23/2020                               

Kate Lavelle

                             183,194      $ 201,513        686,977      $ 755,675   
   

 

(1)   Reflects tranche 4 options subject to service-based vesting conditions that vest in accordance with the schedule described above. All options were granted on February 23, 2010.

 

(2)   Reflects tranche 5 options subject to performance-based and service-based vesting conditions for which the performance conditions had not been satisfied as of the end of fiscal 2010, and that will become eligible to vest in accordance with the schedule described above.

 

(3)   The exercise price of stock options is the fair market value of a share of Class A common stock on the grant date, determined by the Board under the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and based on a valuation provided by an independent valuation firm.

 

(4)   All options have a ten-year term.

 

(5)   Reflects restricted shares granted to Ms. Lavelle that are subject to time-based vesting and that vested on March 1, 2011. Ms. Lavelle’s stock award remained outstanding after her resignation as Chief Financial Officer, as she remained employed by the Company in a part-time capacity.

 

(6)   Market values reflect the fair market value of a share of Class A common stock on December 25, 2010, the last day of our fiscal year ($1.10), as determined by the Board based on a valuation provided by an independent valuation firm.

 

(7)   Reflects restricted shares granted to Ms. Lavelle that are no longer subject to time-based vesting conditions but that remain subject to performance-based vesting conditions. These shares will only vest if the Sponsors receive a certain internal rate of return on their initial investment in the Company.

 

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Option exercises and stock vested

The following table provides information relating to vesting of restricted stock for our named executive officers during fiscal 2010. None of our named executive officers exercised stock options during fiscal 2010.

 

Name    Option awards      Stock awards  
   Number of shares
acquired on exercise
(#)
     Value realized
on exercise
($)
    

Number of shares

acquired on
vesting (#) (1)

     Value realized on
vesting ($) (2)
 
   

Nigel Travis

                               

Neil Moses

                               

Paul Twohig

                               

John Costello

                               

Richard Emmett

                               

Kate Lavelle

                     183,194       $ 120,908   
   
(1)   Reflects time-based restricted shares that vested on March 1, 2010.

 

(2)   Value is based on the fair market value of a share of Class A common stock on the vesting date as determined by the Board based on a valuation provided by an independent valuation firm.

Nonqualified deferred compensation

The following table shows the amounts held by our named executive officers under the Company’s 2005 Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Deferred Compensation Plan”).

 

2010 NON-QUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION  
Name    Executive
contributions in last
fiscal year (1)
    

Registrant

contributions
in last fiscal
year (2)

    

Aggregate

earnings in
last fiscal year (3)

     Aggregate
withdrawals /
distributions
    

Aggregate

balance at
last fiscal
year end

 
   

Nigel Travis

   $ 106,000               $ 7,491               $ 207,248   

Neil Moses

                                       

Paul Twohig

                                       

John Costello

                                       

Richard Emmett

   $ 90,000               $ 10,994               $ 100,994   

Kate Lavelle

                                       
   

 

(1)   All amounts deferred by the named executive officers for fiscal 2010 have also been reported in the Summary Compensation Table.

 

(2)   No company contributions or credits were made into this plan for fiscal 2010.

 

(3)   Reflects market-based earnings on amounts credited to participants under the plan.

The Deferred Compensation Plan is an unfunded, nonqualified deferred compensation plan that is available to executives and key employees of the Company. Under the Deferred Compensation Plan, our named executive officers and other eligible employees can elect to defer each year up to 50% of base salary and up to 100% of the flexible allowance and annual cash incentive awards (with a minimum deferral amount of $5,000). Although the Company has the discretion to provide matching credits under the plan, no matching credits were provided for fiscal 2010. All amounts credited to a participant’s account under the plan are notionally invested in mutual funds or other investments available in the market. The Company does not provide above-market or preferential earnings on deferred compensation. Amounts under the plan are generally distributed in a lump sum upon a participant’s separation from service, disability or a date selected by the participant (at least three

 

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years after the year of deferral). A participant who separates from service at or after age 50 may elect to receive distributions in a lump sum or in installments and may defer commencement of distributions following separation up to age 65. The Company has established a rabbi trust to assist in meeting a portion of its obligations under the plan. Upon a change in control, the Company will appoint an independent trustee to administer the trust and will fund the trust in an amount sufficient to satisfy all obligations under the plan. In addition, during the 12-month period following a change in control, the Company will continue to maintain the notional investment options available under the plan including, if applicable, any fixed rate fund (using an annual interest equivalent factor equal to the highest factor in effect during the 24 months prior to the change in control).

Potential payments upon termination or change in control

Each of our named executive officers, other than Ms. Lavelle, is entitled to receive certain benefits upon a qualifying termination of employment. The benefits for Mr. Travis are set forth in his employment agreement and the benefits for the other named executive officers are set forth in their respective offer letters and/or our Executive Severance Pay Plan. Ms. Lavelle is not entitled to any severance pay or benefits under her Transition Services Agreement and is only entitled to accrued but unpaid base salary and benefits upon a termination of employment.

Employment Agreement with Mr. Travis. If Mr. Travis’ employment is terminated for performance-based cause, he is entitled to receive a lump sum cash payment equal to one year of his annual base salary as of the date of termination. Performance-based cause is defined in Mr. Travis’ agreement generally as a failure by Mr. Travis to perform his duties to the reasonable standards set by the Board, which failure does not rise to the level of “cause” If Mr. Travis’ employment is terminated other than for cause or performance-based cause or if he resigns for good reason, he is entitled to an amount equal to his average salary and performance-based cash bonus during the two years preceding the date his employment terminates and, if such termination or resignation occurs prior to January 20, 2012, the lump sum payment will be multiplied by two. He is also entitled to a pro-rata bonus for the year in which such termination occurs, determined based on actual performance. In addition, we will contribute to Mr. Travis’ premium costs for participation in our medical and dental plans for eighteen months following employment termination. Mr. Travis’ receipt of these severance benefits is conditioned on his signing and not revoking a full release of claims in favor of the Company.

Under Mr. Travis’ amended and restated employment agreement, if his employment is terminated other than for cause or performance-based cause or if he resigns for good reason, he is entitled to two times the average annual base salary paid to him during the two years preceding the date his employment terminates. If such termination occurs prior to January 6, 2012, he is also entitled to two times the average performance-based cash bonuses paid to him during the two years preceding such termination of employment. All other severance-related terms remain the same as under his original agreement described above.

Ms. Lavelle. As noted above, under Ms. Lavelle’s Transition Services Agreement, she is only entitled to accrued but unpaid base salary and benefits and unreimbursed business expenses upon a termination of employment for any reason.

All Other Named Executive Officers. Messrs. Moses, Twohig, Costello and Emmett participate in our Executive Severance Pay Plan. Under the terms of this plan, eligible participants are entitled to receive six months of base salary, payable in the same manner and at the same time as the Company’s payroll, upon an involuntary separation from service with the Company. As part of their employment letters, Messrs. Moses, Costello and Emmett have been granted 12 months of base salary as a severance benefit under this plan should

 

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their employment be terminated for a reason other than cause. In April 2011, we increased Mr. Twohig’s severance benefit to 12 months for termination for a reason other than cause. In addition, if a participant under this plan makes a timely election to receive COBRA health care continuation coverage, the individual’s monthly COBRA premium for the first three months following the date of termination will equal the premiums paid by an active employee for such coverage immediately prior to the termination date. A participant in the executive severance pay play is also entitled to 12 months of outplacement services following separation from service. Each named executive officer, upon his or her separation, is also entitled to receive any accrued but unpaid salary and vacation, as well as any earned but unpaid annual bonus for the preceding fiscal year.

A participant’s right to receive payments and benefits under the Executive Severance Pay Plan is conditioned upon his or her signing and not revoking a full release of claims in favor of the Company. Additionally, the Company has the ability to provide additional amounts of severance benefits in the Company’s sole discretion.

Restrictive Covenants. Under the terms of their respective agreements, each named executive officer has agreed to confidentiality obligations during and after employment. Under his employment agreement, Mr. Travis has agreed to non-competition and non-solicitation obligations during and for two years following employment termination. Under her Transition Services Agreement, Ms. Lavelle has agreed to non-competition and non-solicitation obligations during and for two years following employment termination (which period will be reduced to one year if her employment terminates after July 23, 2011). Each other named executive officer has agreed to non-competition and non-solicitation obligations during and for one year following employment termination.

Change in control

All outstanding stock options, including those held by our named executive officers, have change in control vesting provisions. According to the terms of each option grant, eligible participants are entitled to accelerated vesting, immediately upon a change in control, of 50% of their then-unvested time-based (tranche 4) stock options. Any remaining unvested time-based (tranche 4) stock options will vest on the first anniversary of the change in control (so long as the participant remains employed through that date). Similarly, up to 50% of the then-unvested performance-based (tranche 5) stock options would become eligible to vest immediately prior to the change in control, and the remaining performance-based (tranche 5) stock options would become eligible to vest on the first anniversary of the change in control (so long as the participant remains employed through that date). However, performance-based (tranche 5) stock options will only vest upon or following a change in control if the Sponsors realize a specified level of investment return on their initial investment in the Company. Ms. Lavelle’s time-based restricted shares would vest in full upon a change in control, and her performance-based restricted shares will only vest upon a change in control if the Sponsors realize a specified internal rate of return on their initial investment in the Company.

As described above under “Nonqualified deferred compensation”, a change in control will have certain consequences under our Deferred Compensation Plan, including a requirement that the Company contribute additional amounts to the rabbi trust established to satisfy its obligations under this plan.

The Company does not provide tax “gross-ups” on amounts payable in connection with a change of control that are subject to an excise tax on golden parachute payments.

 

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Summary of potential payments

The following tables summarize the payments that would have been made to our named executive officers upon the occurrence of a qualifying termination of employment or change in control, assuming that each named executive officer’s termination of employment with our Company or a change in control of the Company occurred on December 24, 2010 (the last business day of our fiscal year). Should a change in control occur following this offering, there is a possibility of significant payouts of long-term equity incentives as described above and illustrated below. Amounts shown do not include (i) accrued but unpaid salary or bonus and vested benefits, and (ii) other benefits earned or accrued by the named executive officer during his or her employment that are available to all salaried employees and that do not discriminate in scope, terms or operations in favor of executive officers.

None of our named executive officers was entitled to receive any severance payments or benefits upon a voluntary termination (including retirement) or a termination due to death, disability or cause on December 24, 2010, except for earned by unpaid salary, accrued and vested benefits and benefits under any applicable insurance policies.

 

Termination of Mr. Travis’ employment    Cash severance
(salary continuation)
     Cash incentive plan      Health benefit      Total  
   

Voluntary Termination for Good Reason or Involuntary Termination (other than for Cause or Performance-Based Cause)

   $ 1,700,000       $ 600,000       $ 23,864       $ 2,323,864   

Involuntary Termination (for Performance-Based Cause)

   $ 850,000                       $ 850,000   
   

 

Termination by the company other than for cause    Cash severance
(Salary continuation)
     Health benefit      Outplacement
benefit(1)
     Total  
   

Neil Moses

   $ 475,000       $ 4,094       $ 20,000       $ 499,094   

John Costello

   $ 500,000       $ 2,724       $ 20,000       $ 522,724   

Paul Twohig

   $ 187,500       $ 2,724       $ 20,000       $ 210,224   

Richard Emmett

   $ 400,000       $ 1,394       $ 20,000       $ 421,394   
   

 

Change in control   

Acceleration of

unvested stock
options(2)

     Acceleration of
unvested restricted
stock(2)
     Total  
   

Nigel Travis

   $ 660,000               $ 660,000   

Neil Moses

                       

John Costello

   $ 66,000               $ 66,000   

Paul Twohig

   $ 56,100               $ 56,100   

Richard Emmett

   $ 49,500               $ 49,500   

Kate Lavelle

           $ 201,513       $ 201,513   
   

 

(1)   Represents the maximum amount payable to each named executive officer for outplacement services under the Executive Severance Plan.

 

(2)   Includes outstanding time-based options and time-based restricted shares that would immediately vest upon a change in control. Amounts shown in respect of options assume that the options are cashed out for a payment equal to the difference between the fair market value of a share of Class A common stock ($1.10 per share) and the per share exercise price of the respective options, and that the restricted shares are cashed out at fair market value ($1.10 per share). Although a portion of the performance-based options and restricted shares would have become eligible to vest immediately upon a change in control, the performance conditions associated with such options and restricted shares would not have been satisfied if a change in control had occurred on December 24, 2010.

 

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2010 director compensation

The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation earned by our directors during 2010. Directors who are employees of the Company or the Sponsors do not receive any fees for their services as directors. Mr. Travis’ compensation is included above with that of our other named executive officers.

 

Name    Fees earned or paid
in cash($)(1)
     Total ($)  
   

Jon Luther

     525,000         525,000   
   

 

(1)  

Represents quarterly payments earned in fiscal 2010 under Mr. Luther’s Transition Agreement for services as an outside director and as non-executive Chairman in the amounts of $25,000 and $500,000, respectively.

Mr. Luther is a party to a Transition Agreement with the Company pursuant to which he is entitled to receive compensation in respect of his service as a member and non-executive Chairman of the Board. The term of this agreement began on July 1, 2010 and ends on June 30, 2013. This agreement entitles him to an outside director’s fee at the rate of $50,000 per year and a fee for serving as Chairman. The Chairman’s fee is equal to $1,000,000 for the period from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011, $500,000 for the period from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012 and $250,000 for the period from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. The Company accrued in 2010 for the entire amount of fees under this agreement except for the outside director’s fee and each fee is paid quarterly in arrears. The Company has also agreed to reimburse Mr. Luther for certain insurance-related costs during the term of the agreement, including the cost of a Medicare supplemental insurance policy for Mr. Luther and his wife, monthly premium costs for dental insurance and premium costs for basic term life insurance, executive life insurance and whole life insurance. The Company has also agreed to provide him with reimbursement of all reasonable business expenses and administrative support in his role as Chairman. If we terminate Mr. Luther’s service without cause or he ceases to serve as a director due to his death or a failure to be re-elected to the Board and no circumstances exist which would constitute cause, we are obligated to pay the balance of the Board and Chairman fees that would otherwise have been payable through the end of the term. Our obligation to pay such severance benefit is expressly conditioned upon the execution (without revocation) of a timely and effective release of claims. Mr. Luther has agreed not to compete with us and not to solicit our employees and franchisees during his service and for two years following a termination of such service and to not disclose confidential information during and after his service with the Company.

Our board of directors intends to adopt a director compensation program to be effective upon the completion of this offering. Pursuant to this program, each member of our board of directors who is not an employee of the Company will be eligible to receive compensation for his or her service as a director as follows. Each director will receive an annual retainer of $60,000 for Board services. The chair of the Audit Committee will receive an additional annual retainer of $15,000, the chair of the Compensation Committee will receive an additional annual retainer of $12,500, and the Chair of the Nominating/Governance Committee will receive an additional retainer of $7,500. Directors may elect to take deferred stock units in lieu of cash retainers. In addition, directors will receive an annual grant of restricted stock units with a fair market value equal to $85,000. While we are a “controlled company” for purposes of the NASDAQ Global Select Market, none of the directors affiliated with the Sponsors will be compensated for board service.

Equity incentive plans

2006 Executive Incentive Plan

The following is a description of the material terms of our 2006 Executive Incentive Plan, which we refer to in this summary as the “Plan”. This summary is not a complete description of all provisions of the Plan and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Plan, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of

 

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which this prospectus is a part. Upon adoption of our new incentive plan in connection with this offering, we will no longer make awards under the Plan.

Purpose . The purpose of the Plan is to advance the Company’s interests by providing for the grant to participants of equity and other incentive awards. The awards are intended to align the incentives of our executives and investors and to improve Company performance.

Plan Administration . The Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has the authority, among other things, to interpret the Plan, to determine eligibility for awards under the Plan, to determine the terms of and grant awards under the Plan, and to do all things necessary to carry out the purposes of the Plan. The Compensation Committee’s determinations under the Plan are conclusive and binding.

Authorized Shares . Subject to adjustment, the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock that may be delivered in satisfaction of awards under the Plan is 55,689,151 (with up to 22,899,228 shares of Class A common stock awarded as restricted stock and up to 32,789,923 shares of Class A common stock delivered in satisfaction of stock options). Shares of common stock to be issued under the Plan may be authorized but unissued shares of common stock or previously-issued shares acquired by the Company or its subsidiaries. Any shares of Class A common stock that do not vest and are forfeited, or that are withheld by the Company in payment of the exercise price of an award or in satisfaction of tax withholding, will again be available for issuance under the Plan.

Eligibility . The Compensation Committee selects participants from among the key employees, directors, consultants and advisors of the Company or its affiliates who are in a position to make a significant contribution to our success. Eligibility for stock options intended to be incentive stock options (ISOs) is limited to employees of the Company or certain affiliates.

Types of Awards . The Plan provides for grants of stock options, restricted and unrestricted stock and stock units, performance awards, and other awards.

 

 

Stock options: The exercise price of an option is not permitted to be less than the fair market value (or, in the case of an ISO granted to a 10% shareholder, 110% of the fair market value) of a share of common stock on the date of grant. The Compensation Committee determines the time or times at which stock options become exercisable and the terms on which stock options remain exercisable.

 

 

Restricted and unrestricted stock: A restricted stock award is an award of common stock subject to forfeiture restrictions, while an unrestricted stock award is not subject to restrictions under the Plan.

 

 

Stock units: A stock unit award is denominated in shares of common stock and entitles the participant to receive stock or cash measured by the value of the shares in the future. The delivery of stock or cash under a stock unit may be subject to the satisfaction of performance conditions or other vesting conditions.

 

 

Performance awards: The granting, exercise or vesting of an award may be conditioned on the satisfaction of specified performance criteria.

 

 

Other awards: Other awards that may be settled in stock and cash awards may be granted under the Plan.

Vesting . The Compensation Committee has the authority to determine the vesting schedule applicable to each award, and to accelerate the vesting or exercisability of any award.

Termination of Employment . Unless otherwise provided by the Compensation Committee or an award agreement, upon a termination of employment all unvested options and other awards requiring exercise will terminate and all other unvested awards will be forfeited. Vested options remain exercisable for one year

 

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following death or disability and three months following any other termination except a termination for cause (or, if shorter, for the remaining term of the option). If a participant’s service is terminated for cause, all options and other awards requiring exercise, whether or not vested, will terminate upon such termination of service.

Transferability . Awards under the Plan may not be transferred except through will or by the laws of descent and distribution, unless (for awards other than ISOs) otherwise provided by the Compensation Committee.

Additional Restrictions . All awards under the Plan and all shares of common stock issued under the plan are subject to the Stockholders Agreement, described below.

Corporate Transactions . In the event of certain corporate transactions (including the sale of substantially all of the assets or change in ownership of the stock of the Company, reorganization, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, exchange, or other restructuring), the Compensation Committee may provide for continuation or assumption of outstanding awards, for new grants in substitution of outstanding awards, or for the accelerated vesting or delivery of shares under awards, in each case on such terms and with such restrictions as it deems appropriate. Except as otherwise provided in an award agreement, awards not assumed will terminate upon the consummation of such corporate transaction.

Adjustment . The Compensation Committee will adjust the maximum number of shares that may be delivered under the Plan in order to prevent enlargement or dilution of benefits as a result of a stock dividend or similar distribution, stock split or combination, recapitalization, conversion, reorganization, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, merger, exchange, redemption, repurchase, any change in capital structure, or other transaction or event. The Compensation Committee will also make proportionate adjustments to the number and kind of shares of stock or securities subject to awards and any exercise prices or other affected provisions, and may make similar adjustments to take into account distributions or other events to avoid distortion and preserve the value of awards.

In addition, a performance award may provide that performance criteria will be subject to appropriate adjustments reflecting the effect of significant corporate transactions and similar events for the purpose of maintaining the probability that the criteria will be satisfied. Any such adjustment will be made only in the amount deemed reasonably necessary, after consultation with the Company’s accountants, to reflect the direct and measurable effect of such event.

Amendment and Termination . The Compensation Committee may amend the Plan or outstanding awards, or terminate the Plan as to future grants of awards, except that the Compensation Committee may not alter the terms of an award if it would affect adversely a participant’s rights under the award without the participant’s consent (unless expressly provided in the Plan or reserved by the Compensation Committee).

2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan

Prior to the completion of this offering, our board of directors intends to adopt an incentive plan to be named the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Omnibus Plan”). The Omnibus Plan will replace our current Plan, described above under “2006 Executive Incentive Plan” and following this offering, all equity-based awards will be granted under the Omnibus Plan. The Omnibus Plan will also replace our Short-Term Incentive Plan described below. As of the date of this prospectus, no awards have been made under the Omnibus Plan. However, in connection with the closing of the offering, we expect to grant Mr. Yanofsky, our new President-International,              shares of restricted stock and an option to purchase              shares of our common stock at an exercise price per share equal to the public offering price. The following summary describes what we anticipate to be the material terms of the Omnibus Plan.

 

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Purpose . The purpose of the Omnibus Plan is to advance the Company’s interests by providing for the grant to participants of equity and other incentive awards.

Plan Administration . The Omnibus Plan will be administered by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee will have the authority, among other things, to interpret the Omnibus Plan, to determine eligibility for, grant and determine the terms of awards under the Omnibus Plan, and to do all things necessary to carry out the purposes of the Omnibus Plan. The Compensation Committee’s determinations under the Omnibus Plan will be conclusive and binding.

Authorized Shares . Subject to adjustment, the maximum number of shares of common stock that may be delivered in satisfaction of awards under the Omnibus Plan will be                  Shares of common stock to be issued under the Omnibus Plan may be authorized but unissued shares of common stock or previously-issued shares acquired by the Company or its subsidiaries. Any shares of common stock underlying awards that are settled in cash or otherwise expire or become unexercisable without having been exercised or are forfeited to or repurchased by the Company as a result of not having vested, or that are withheld by the Company in payment of the exercise price of an award or in satisfaction of tax withholding, will again be available for issuance under the Omnibus Plan.

Individual Limits . The maximum number of shares for which stock options may be granted and the maximum number of shares of stock subject to stock appreciation rights to any person in any calendar year will each be                  shares. The maximum number of shares subject to other awards granted to any person in any calendar year will be                  shares. The maximum amount payable to any person in any calendar year under cash awards will be $            .

Eligibility . The Compensation Committee will select participants from among the key employees, directors, consultants and advisors of the Company or its affiliates who are in a position to make a significant contribution to our success. Eligibility for stock options intended to be incentive stock options (ISOs) is limited to employees of the Company or certain affiliates.

Types of Awards . The Omnibus Plan will provide for grants of stock options, restricted and unrestricted stock and stock units, performance awards, and cash awards. Dividend equivalents may also be provided in connection with an award under the Omnibus Plan.

 

   

Stock options: The exercise price of an option is not permitted to be less than the fair market value (or, in the case of an ISO granted to a ten-percent shareholder, 110% of the fair market value) of a share of common stock on the date of grant. The Compensation Committee will determine the time or times at which stock options become exercisable and the terms on which stock options remain exercisable.

 

   

Restricted and unrestricted stock: A restricted stock award is an award of common stock subject to forfeiture restrictions, while an unrestricted stock award is not subject to restrictions under the Omnibus Plan.

 

   

Stock units: A stock unit award is denominated in shares of common stock and entitles the participant to receive stock or cash measured by the value of the shares in the future. The delivery of stock or cash under a stock unit may be subject to the satisfaction of performance conditions or other vesting conditions.

 

   

Performance awards: A performance award is an award the vesting, settlement or exercisability of which is subject to specified performance criteria. Performance awards may be stock-based or cash-based.

 

   

Cash awards: An award that is settled in cash.

 

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Vesting . The Compensation Committee will have the authority to determine the vesting schedule applicable to each award, and to accelerate the vesting or exercisability of any award.

Termination of Employment . The Compensation Committee will determine the effect of termination of employment or service on an award. Unless otherwise provided by the Compensation Committee or in an award agreement, upon a termination of employment all unvested options and other awards requiring exercise will terminate and all other unvested awards will be forfeited.

Performance Criteria. The Omnibus Plan will provide that grants of performance awards, including cash-denominated awards and stock-based awards, will be made based upon, and subject to achieving, “performance objectives” over a performance period, which may be one or more periods of not less than 12 months. Performance objectives with respect to those awards that are intended to qualify as “performance-based compensation” for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code are limited to an objectively determinable measure of performance relating to any or any combination of the following (measured either absolutely or by reference to an index or indices and determined either on a consolidated basis or, as the context permits, on a divisional, subsidiary, line of business, project or geographical basis or in combinations thereof): net sales; revenue; revenue growth or product revenue growth; operating income (before or after taxes); pre- or after-tax income or loss (before or after allocation of corporate overhead and bonus); earnings or loss per share; net income or loss (before or after taxes); return on equity; total stockholder return; return on assets or net assets; appreciation in and/or maintenance of the price of the shares or any other publicly-traded securities of the Company; market share; gross profits; earnings or losses (including earnings or losses before taxes, before interest and taxes, or before interest, taxes, depreciation and/or amortization); economic value-added models or equivalent metrics; comparisons with various stock market indices; reductions in costs; cash flow or cash flow per share (before or after dividends); return on capital (including return on total capital or return on invested capital); cash flow return on investment; improvement in or attainment of expense levels or working capital levels, including cash, inventory and accounts receivable; operating margin; gross margin; year-end cash; cash margin; debt reduction; stockholders equity; operating efficiencies; market share; customer satisfaction; customer growth; employee satisfaction; supply chain achievements (including establishing relationships with manufacturers or suppliers of component materials and manufacturers of the Company’s products); co-development, co-marketing, profit sharing, joint venture or other similar arrangements; financial ratios, including those measuring liquidity, activity, profitability or leverage; cost of capital or assets under management; financing and other capital raising transactions (including sales of the Company’s equity or debt securities; factoring transactions; sales or licenses of the Company’s assets, including its intellectual property, whether in a particular jurisdiction or territory or globally; or through partnering transactions); implementation, completion or attainment of measurable objectives with respect to research, development, manufacturing, commercialization, products or projects, production volume levels, acquisitions and divestitures; factoring transactions; and recruiting and maintaining personnel.

To the extent consistent with the requirements for satisfying the performance-based compensation exception under Section 162(m), the Compensation Committee may provide in the case of any award intended to qualify for such exception that one or more of the performance objectives applicable to an award will be adjusted in an objectively determinable manner to reflect events (for example, the impact of charges for restructurings, discontinued operations, mergers, acquisitions, extraordinary items, and other unusual or non-recurring items, and the cumulative effects of tax or accounting changes, each as defined by generally accepted accounting principles) occurring during the performance period of such award that affect the applicable performance objectives.

Transferability . Awards under the plan may not be transferred except through will or by the laws of descent and distribution, unless (for awards other than ISOs) otherwise provided by the Compensation Committee.

 

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Corporate Transactions . In the event of a consolidation, merger or similar transaction, a sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets or a dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Compensation Committee may, among other things, provide for continuation or assumption of outstanding awards, for new grants in substitution of outstanding awards, or for the accelerated vesting or delivery of shares under awards, in each case on such terms and with such restrictions as it deems appropriate. Except as otherwise provided in an award agreement, awards not assumed will terminate upon the consummation of such corporate transaction.

Adjustment . In the event of certain corporate transactions (including a stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization or other change in the Company’s capital structure that constitutes an equity restructuring within the meaning of FASB ASC 718), the Compensation Committee will make appropriate adjustments to the maximum number of shares that may be delivered under the Omnibus Plan and the individual limits included in the Omnibus Plan, and will also make appropriate adjustments to the number and kind of shares of stock or securities subject to awards, the exercise prices of such awards or any other terms of awards affected by such change. The Compensation Committee will also make the types of adjustments described above to take into account distributions and other events other than those listed above if it determines that such adjustments are appropriate to avoid distortion and preserve the value of awards.

Amendment and Termination . The Compensation Committee will be able to amend the plan or outstanding awards, or terminate the plan as to future grants of awards, except that the Compensation Committee will not be able alter the terms of an award if it would affect materially and adversely a participant’s rights under the award without the participant’s consent (unless expressly provided in the plan or reserved by the Compensation Committee). Shareholder approval will be required for any amendment that would reduce the exercise price of any outstanding option or constitute a repricing that requires shareholder approval under the rules of The NASDAQ Global Select Market.

Short-term incentive plan

We have established the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Short-Term Incentive Plan (the “STI Plan”) for certain of our employees, including our named executive officers, under which performance-based annual bonuses are granted. Annual bonuses under this plan are expressed as a percentage of base salary. Although this plan by its terms will terminate on December 31, 2015, starting with our 2012 fiscal year, annual bonuses to our named executive officers and other key employees will be granted under the 2011 Omnibus Plan, described above.

The Compensation Committee administers the STI Plan, as it relates to our executive officers, and the Senior Vice President, Human Resources administers the STI Plan for all other eligible employee participants. Although the STI Plan does not mandate the use of any particular performance goal, the funding of the bonus pool under this plan has been based on achievement of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. global EBITDA for the relevant fiscal year. The Compensation Committee establishes the EBITDA targets under the STI Plan at the beginning of the fiscal year and determines the size of the pool available for bonuses to be paid under this plan. The Compensation Committee then determines the amounts of the bonuses payable to our executive officers based on the achievement of the EBITDA goal, together with other pre-established financial or operational business goals as well as each executive officer’s achievement of his or her personal goals. The Senior Vice President, Human Resources, has the authority to do the same for the other participants.

An individual must generally be employed by us on the payment date for the relevant performance period to be entitled to incentive compensation under the STI Plan. If an executive’s employment is terminated prior to such date as a result of death, retirement or extended disability, a pro-rata amount of the bonus may be paid.

As noted above in the discussion following the “Grants of plan-based awards in 2010” table, Mr. Travis’ bonus is determined in connection with the terms of his employment agreement.

 

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Related party transactions

Arrangements with our investors

In 2006, in connection with the consummation of our acquisition by investment funds affiliated with the Sponsors (the “Acquisition”), we entered into a stockholder agreement, an investor agreement and a registration rights and coordination agreement with certain of the stockholders of the Company. These agreements contained agreements among the parties with respect to election of directors, participation rights, restrictions on transfer of shares, tag along rights, drag along rights, a call right exercisable by us upon departure of a manager, a right of first offer upon disposition of shares, registration rights and other actions requiring the approval of stockholders. In addition, we entered into a management agreement with certain affiliates of each of the Sponsors for the provision of certain consulting and management advisory services to us .

Investor agreement

In connection with the Acquisition, we entered into an investor agreement with the Sponsors. In connection with the consummation of this offering, the investor agreement will be amended and restated, effective upon the closing of this offering. The investor agreement as amended will grant each of the Sponsors the right, subject to certain conditions, to name representatives to our board of directors and committees of our board of directors. Each Sponsor will have the right to designate two nominees for election to our board of directors until such time as that Sponsor owns less than 10% of our outstanding common stock, and then may designate one nominee for election to our board of directors until such time as that Sponsor’s ownership level falls below 3% of our outstanding common stock. In addition, the Sponsors will have certain contractual rights to have their nominees serve on our compensation committee and our nominating and governance committee. Subject to the terms of the investor agreement, each Sponsor agrees to vote its shares in favor of the election of the director nominees designated by the other Sponsors pursuant to the investor agreement. In addition, the investor agreement will provide each of the Sponsors with certain tag along rights in the event of certain transfers by any of the Sponsors of shares of our common stock held by them.

Stockholders agreement

In connection with the Acquisition, we entered into a stockholder agreement with the Sponsors and certain other investors, stockholders and executive officers. In connection with the consummation of this offering, all of the provisions of the stockholder agreement, other than those relating to lock-up obligations in connection with registered offerings of our securities, will have been terminated in accordance with the terms of the stockholder agreement and the agreement will be amended and restated to eliminate the terminated provisions.

Registration rights and coordination agreement

In connection with the Acquisition, we entered into a registration rights and coordination agreement with the Sponsors and certain other stockholders. In connection with the consummation of this offering, the registration rights and coordination agreement will be amended, effective upon the closing of this offering. The registration rights and coordination agreement, as amended, will provide the Sponsors with certain demand registration rights following the expiration of the 180-day lockup period in respect of the shares of our common stock held by them. In addition, in the event that we register additional shares of common stock for sale to the public

 

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following the consummation of this offering, we will be required to give notice of such registration to the Sponsors and the other stockholders party to the agreement of our intention to effect such a registration, and, subject to certain limitations, the Sponsors and such holders will have piggyback registration rights providing them with the right to require us to include shares of common stock held by them in such registration. We will be required to bear the registration expenses, other than underwriting discounts and commissions and transfer taxes, associated with any registration of shares by the Sponsors or other holders described above. The registration rights and coordination agreement will also contain certain restrictions on the sale of shares by the Sponsors. Following this offering, each of the Sponsors may not effect a transfer of its shares of our common stock pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act or by block sale to a financial institution without notifying each of the other Sponsors, who shall then have the right to participate in such sale or transfer pro rata based on their percentage ownership at the time of such event. The registration rights and coordination agreement includes customary indemnification provisions in favor of any person who is or might be deemed a controlling person within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, who we refer to as controlling persons, and related parties against liabilities under the Securities Act incurred in connection with the registration of any of our debt or equity securities. These provisions provide indemnification against certain liabilities arising under the Securities Act and certain liabilities resulting from violations of other applicable laws in connection with any filing or other disclosure made by us under the securities laws relating to any such registrations. We have agreed to reimburse such persons for any legal or other expenses incurred in connection with investigating or defending any such liability, action or proceeding, except that we will not be required to indemnify any such person or reimburse related legal or other expenses if such loss or expense arises out of or is based on any untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information provided by such person.

Management agreement

In connection with the Acquisition, we entered into a management agreement with certain affiliates of each of the Sponsors (the “Management Companies”), pursuant to which the Management Companies provide us with certain consulting and management advisory services. In exchange for these services, we pay the Management Companies an aggregate annual management fee equal to $3.0 million, and we reimburse the Management Companies for out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them, their members, or their respective affiliates in connection with the provision of services pursuant to the management agreement. In addition, the Management Companies are entitled to a transaction fee in connection with any financing, acquisition, disposition or change of control transaction equal to 1% of the gross transaction value, including assumed liabilities, for such transaction. In connection with the termination of the management agreement, the Management Companies will waive any right to receive a transaction fee under the management agreement in connection with this offering. The management agreement includes customary exculpation and indemnification provisions in favor of the Management Companies, the Sponsors and their respective affiliates. The management agreement may be terminated by any two of the Management Companies at any time and will terminate immediately prior to an initial public offering or a change of control, in any such case unless two of the Management Companies determine otherwise. In connection with this offering, the management agreement will be terminated in exchange for a payment to the Management Companies of approximately $14 million, which amount is approximately equal to the net present value of the aggregate amount of the annual management fees that would have been payable in the five years following such termination. The indemnification and exculpation provisions in favor of the Management Companies will survive such termination.

 

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Description of indebtedness

We and our subsidiaries have debt outstanding under a senior credit facility and the senior notes.

Senior credit facility

General

On November 23, 2010, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (“DBI”) entered into a $1.35 billion senior credit facility with Barclays Bank PLC as administrative agent and the other lenders party thereto. The senior credit facility originally consisted of a $1.25 billion term loan facility and a $100.0 million revolving credit facility. On February 18, 2011, we amended the senior credit facility to increase the size of the term loan facility to $1.40 billion and to make certain other changes to the pricing terms and certain covenants. We expect to further increase the size of the term loan facility by an additional $100 million to approximately $1.50 billion prior to the consummation of this offering. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to complete this increase to the size of the term loan facility on terms acceptable to us or at all.

The senior credit facility provides that DBI has the right at any time to request additional loans and commitments, and to the extent that the aggregate amount of such additional loans and commitments exceeds $350 million, the incurrence thereof is subject to a first lien leverage ratio being no greater than 3.75 to 1.00 or, in the case of loans secured by junior liens, a senior secured leverage ratio being no greater than 4.00 to 1.00. The lenders under these facilities are not under any obligation to provide any such additional term loans or commitments, and any additional term loans or increase in commitments are subject to several conditions precedent and limitations.

Interest rates and fees

Borrowings under the senior credit facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to an applicable margin plus, at our option, either (1) a base rate determined by reference to the highest of (a) the Federal Funds rate plus  1 / 2 of 1%, (b) the prime rate of Barclays Bank PLC (c) the LIBOR rate plus 1% and (d) 2.25% in the case of term loans or 2.50% in the case of swing line or revolving credit loans or (2) a LIBOR rate determined by reference to the costs of funds for U.S. dollar deposits for the interest period relevant to such borrowing adjusted for certain additional costs provided that LIBOR shall not be lower than 1.25% in the case of term loans or 1.50% in the case of revolving credit loans. The applicable margin under the term loan facility is 2.00% for loans based upon the base rate and 3.00% for loans based upon the LIBOR rate. The applicable margin under the revolving credit facility ranges from 2.75% to 3.25% for loans based upon the base rate and ranges from 3.75% to 4.25% for loans based upon the LIBOR rate, in each case based upon on specified leverage ratios.

In addition to paying interest on outstanding principal under the senior credit facility, we are required to pay a commitment fee to the lenders under the revolving credit facility in respect of the unutilized commitments thereunder at a rate of 0.50% per annum. We also pay customary letter of credit and agency fees.

Mandatory repayments

The credit agreement governing the senior credit facility requires DBI to prepay outstanding term loans, subject to certain exceptions, with: (1) 100% of the net cash proceeds of any incurrence of indebtedness by DBI or its restricted subsidiaries other than certain indebtedness permitted under the senior credit facility, (2) commencing with the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, 50% (which percentage will be reduced to 25% if our total leverage ratio is less than 5.25 to 1.00 and to 0% if our total leverage ratio is less than 4.00 to 1.00) of annual excess cash flow (as defined in the credit agreement governing the senior credit facility), and (3) 100% of the net cash proceeds of non-ordinary course asset sales or other dispositions of assets (including casualty events) by DBI or its restricted subsidiaries, subject to reinvestment rights and certain other exceptions.

 

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In general, the mandatory prepayments described above are applied first, in direct order of maturities, to scheduled principal amortization payments due in the next twelve months, second, pro rata to the remaining scheduled principal amortization payments, and third, to the principal payment due on the final maturity date in November 2017.

Voluntary repayments

We may voluntarily repay outstanding loans under the senior credit facility at any time subject to customary “breakage” costs with respect to LIBOR loans and a prepayment premium on the senior credit facility equal to 1% in connection with a refinancing of all or a portion of the term loan facility prior to February 18, 2012 or the revolving credit loans prior to November 23, 2011, in each case with loans bearing a lower effective interest cost or weighted average yield or a similar repricing transaction; provided that no such prepayment premium shall be required with respect to a refinancing or similar transaction that is consummated substantially concurrently with or after an underwritten registered primary public offering of our common stock.

Amortization and final maturity

The term loan facility amortizes each year in an amount equal to 1% per annum in equal quarterly installments for the first six and three quarter years, with the balance payable on the seventh anniversary of the closing date of the senior credit facility. The principal amount outstanding of the loans under the revolving credit facility becomes due and payable on the fifth anniversary of the closing date of the senior credit facility.

Guarantees and security

The senior credit facility is guaranteed by us, DBI, and certain of DBI’s direct and indirect wholly owned domestic subsidiaries (excluding certain immaterial subsidiaries and subject to certain other exceptions), and is required to be guaranteed by certain of DBI’s future domestic wholly owned subsidiaries. All obligations under the senior credit facility and the guarantees of those obligations, subject to certain exceptions, including that mortgages will be limited to owned real property with a fair market value above a specified threshold, are secured by substantially all of our assets and substantially all the assets of DBI and the subsidiary guarantors, including a first-priority pledge of 100% of certain of the capital stock or equity interests held by us, DBI or any subsidiary guarantor (which pledge, in the case of the stock of any foreign subsidiary (each such entity, a “Pledged Foreign Sub”) (with certain agreed-upon exceptions) and the equity interests of certain U.S. subsidiaries that hold capital stock of foreign subsidiaries and are disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes (each such entity, a “Pledged U.S. DE”) (with certain agreed-upon exceptions), is limited to 65% of the stock or equity interests of such Pledged Foreign Sub or Pledged U.S. DE, as the case may be), in each case excluding any interests in non-wholly owned restricted subsidiaries (including joint ventures) to the extent such a pledge would violate the governing documents thereof and certain other exceptions; and a first-priority security interest in substantially all other tangible and intangible assets of us, DBI and each subsidiary guarantor.

Covenants and other matters

The senior credit facility contains a number of covenants that, among other things and subject to certain exceptions, restrict the ability of DBI and its restricted subsidiaries to:

 

 

incur certain liens;

 

 

make investments, loans, advances and acquisitions;

 

 

incur additional indebtedness;

 

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pay dividends on capital stock or redeem, repurchase or retire capital stock or certain other indebtedness;

 

 

engage in transactions with affiliates;

 

 

sell assets, including capital stock of its subsidiaries;

 

 

alter the business we conduct;

 

 

enter into agreements restricting our restricted subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends; and

 

 

consolidate or merge.

In addition, the credit agreement governing the senior credit facility requires DBI and its restricted subsidiaries to comply on a quarterly basis with the following financial covenants:

 

 

a maximum total leverage ratio; and

 

 

a minimum interest coverage ratio.

These financial covenants become more restrictive over time.

The credit agreement governing the senior credit facility contains certain customary affirmative covenants and events of default.

This summary describes the material provisions of the senior credit facility, but may not contain all information that is important to you. We urge you to read the provisions of the credit agreement governing the senior credit facility, which has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. See “Where you can find more information.”

Senior notes

General

On November 23, 2010, DBI issued $625.0 million face amount of 9  5 / 8 % senior notes that mature on December 1, 2018. On February 18, 2011, DBI increased its term loan facility by $150.0 million and used the proceeds to redeem an equal amount of senior notes. Interest on the outstanding senior notes is payable semi-annually at a rate of 9  5 / 8 % in arrears on June 1 and December 1 of each year, commencing on June 1, 2011. The outstanding senior notes are guaranteed, jointly and severally, on an unsecured basis by certain of the existing and future wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries of DBI.

Covenants

The indenture governing the outstanding senior notes contain a number of covenants that, among other things and subject to certain exceptions, restrict DBI’s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries to:

 

 

incur certain liens;

 

 

make investments, loans, advances and acquisitions;

 

 

incur additional indebtedness;

 

 

pay dividends on capital stock or redeem, repurchase or retire capital stock or any subordinated indebtedness;

 

 

engage in transactions with affiliates;

 

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sell assets, including capital stock of DBI’s subsidiaries;

 

 

enter into agreements restricting DBI’s restricted subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends; and

 

 

consolidate, merge or transfer all or substantially all of DBI’s assets and the assets of its subsidiaries.

The senior notes were originally issued in a private placement. DBI has agreed to file a registration statement with the SEC to permit either the exchange of the original notes for registered notes having substantially the same terms, or the registered resale of the original notes. The exchange of notes or registration covering resales of the original notes must be completed by November 2011 or additional interest may accrue, not to exceed 1.0% per annum.

Optional redemption

DBI may redeem the outstanding senior notes, in whole or in part, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount of senior notes to be redeemed) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the redemption date, if redeemed on or after any of the dates below until the subsequent date below:

 

Year    Percentage  
   

November 23, 2010

     100.50%   

December 1, 2011

     102.50%   

December 1, 2012

     102.00%   

December 1, 2013 and thereafter

     100.00%   
   

If DBI experiences certain kinds of changes in control, DBI must offer to purchase the outstanding senior notes at 101% of their principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest.

Asset sales

If DBI or its restricted subsidiaries engage in certain asset sales, DBI generally must either invest the net cash proceeds from such sales in its business within a period of time, prepay certain debt or make an offer to purchase a principal amount of the outstanding senior notes equal to the excess net cash proceeds, subject to certain exceptions. The purchase price of the outstanding senior notes will be 100% of their principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest.

This summary describes the material provisions of the senior notes but may not contain all information that is important to you. We urge you to read the provisions of the indenture governing these senior notes, which has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. See “Where you can find more information.”

 

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Principal stockholders

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of             , 2011 by (i) such persons known to us to be beneficial owners of more than 5% of our common stock, (ii) each of our directors and named executive officers, and (iii) all of our directors and executive officers as a group.

Prior to this offering, our stockholders agreements provided that significant corporate decisions, including the election of directors, were required to be taken in accordance with the direction of investment funds affiliated with the Sponsors. In connection with this offering, many of these provisions of the stockholders agreements will terminate. See “Related party transactions – Arrangements with our investors.”

Unless otherwise indicated below, the address for each listed director, officer and stockholder is c/o Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. 130 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021. Beneficial ownership has been determined in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. The information is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose. Under these rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares as to which the individual or entity has sole or shared voting or investment power and any shares as to which the individual or entity has the right to acquire beneficial ownership within 60 days after             , 2011 through the exercise of any stock option, warrant or other right. For purposes of calculating each person’s or group’s percentage ownership, shares of common stock issuable pursuant to stock options exercisable within 60 days after                 , 2011 are included as outstanding and beneficially owned for that person or group but are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person or group. The inclusion in the following table of those shares, however, does not constitute an admission that the named stockholder is a direct or indirect beneficial owner. To our knowledge, except under applicable community property laws or as otherwise indicated, the persons named in the table have sole voting and sole investment control with respect to all shares shown as beneficially owned. For more information regarding the terms of our common stock, see “Description of capital stock.” For more information regarding our relationship with certain of the persons named below, see “Related party transactions.”

 

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The numbers listed below are based on             shares of our common stock outstanding as of                     , 2011 after giving effect to the reclassification as if it occurred on that date. The actual number of shares of common stock to be issued to each holder of Class L common stock in the reclassification is subject to change based on any changes to the initial public offering price and the date of the pricing of this offering. See “The reclassification.”

 

Name and address of
beneficial owner
   Shares owned
before the offering
     Shares owned
after the offering
 
   Number      Percentage      Number      Percentage  
                                     

Beneficial owners of 5% or more of our common stock:

           

Bain Capital Integral Investors 2006, LLC
and Related Funds (1)

           

Carlyle Partners IV, L.P.
and Related Funds (2)

           

Thomas H. Lee Equity Fund V, L.P.
and Related Funds (3)

           

Directors and Named Executive Officers:

           

Nigel Travis (4)

           

Neil Moses (5)

           

John Costello (6)

           

Richard Emmett (7)

           

Kate Lavelle (8)

           

Paul Twohig (9)

           

Jon Luther (10)

           

Todd Abbrecht (11)

           

Andrew Balson (12)

           

Todd Cook (12)

           

Anita Balaji (13)

           

Anthony DiNovi (11)

           

David Harkins (11)

           

Sandra Horbach (13)

           

Mark Nunnelly (12)

           

All executive officers and directors as a group (23 persons) (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)

           
   

 

*   Indicated less than 1%

 

(1)   The shares included in the table consist of: (i)              shares of common stock owned by Bain Capital Integral Investors 2006, LLC, whose administrative member is Bain Capital Investors, LLC (“BCI”); (ii)              shares of common stock owned by BCIP TCV, LLC, whose administrative member is BCI; and (iii)              shares of common stock held by BCIP Associates-G, whose managing general partner is BCI. As a result of the relationships described above, BCI may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the shares held by each of Bain Capital Integral Investors 2006, LLC, BCIP TCV, LLC and BCIP Associates-G (collectively, the “Bain Capital Entities”). Voting and investment determinations with respect to the shares held by the Bain Capital Entities are made by an investment committee comprised of the following managing directors of BCI: Andrew Balson, Steven Barnes, Joshua Bekenstein, John Connaughton, Todd Cook, Paul Edgerley, Christopher Gordon, Blair Hendrix, Jordan Hitch, Matthew Levin, Ian Loring, Philip Loughlin, Mark Nunnelly, Stephen Pagliuca, Mark Verdi, Michael Ward and Stephen Zide. As a result, and by virtue of the relationships described in this footnote, the investment committee of BCI may be deemed to exercise voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares held by the Bain Capital Entities. Each of the members of the investment committee of BCI disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares. Each of the Bain Capital Entities has an address c/o Bain Capital Partners, LLC, 111 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02199.

 

(2)   The shares included in the table consist of: (i)              shares of common stock owned by Carlyle Partners IV, L.P.; and (ii)              shares of common stock owned by CP IV Coinvestment, L.P. (collectively, the “Carlyle Funds”). TC Group IV, L.P. is the sole general partner of Carlyle Partners IV, L.P. and CP IV Coinvestment, L.P. TC Group IV Managing GP, L.L.C. is the sole general partner of TC Group IV, L.P. TC Group, L.L.C. is the sole managing member of TC Group IV Managing GP, L.L.C. TCG Holdings, L.L.C. is the managing member of TC Group, L.L.C. Accordingly, TC Group IV, L.P., TC Group IV Managing GP, L.L.C., TC Group, L.L.C. and TCG Holdings, L.L.C. each may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the shares of our common stock owned of record by each of the Carlyle Funds, William E. Conway, Jr., Daniel A. D’Aniello and David M. Rubenstein are managing members of TCG Holdings, L.L.C. and, in such capacity, may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by TCG Holdings, L.L.C. Such individuals expressly disclaim any such beneficial ownership. Each of the Carlyle Funds has an address c/o The Carlyle Group, 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 200 South, Washington, D.C. 20004-2505.

 

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(3)   The shares included in the table consist of: (A)(i)              shares of common stock owned by Thomas H. Lee Equity Fund V, L.P.; (ii)              shares of common stock owned by Thomas H. Lee Parallel Fund V, L.P.; and (iii)              shares of common stock owned by Thomas H. Lee Equity (Cayman) Fund V, L.P. (collectively, the “THL Funds”), (B)              shares of common stock owned by Thomas H. Lee Investors Limited Partnership (the “THL Co-Invest Fund”), and (C)(i)              shares of common stock owned by Putnam Investments Employees’ Securities Company I, LLC; (ii)              shares of common stock owned by Putnam Investments Employees’ Securities Company II, LLC; and (iii)              shares of common stock owned by Putnam Investment Holdings, LLC (collectively, the “Putnam Funds”). The THL Funds’ general partner is THL Equity Advisors V, LLC, whose sole member is Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., whose general partner is Thomas H. Lee Advisors, LLC (collectively, the “THL Advisors”). Shares held by the THL Funds may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the THL Advisors. The THL Advisors disclaim any beneficial ownership of any shares held by the THL Funds. The general partner of the THL Co-Invest Fund is THL Investment Management Corp. The Putnam Funds are co-investment entities of the THL Funds. Putnam Investment Holdings, LLC (“Holdings”) is the managing member of Putnam Investments Employees’ Securities Company I, LLC (“ESC I”) and Putnam Investments Employees’ Securities Company II, LLC (“ESC II”). Holdings disclaims any beneficial ownership of any shares held by ESC I or ESC II. Putnam Investments LLC, the managing member of Holdings, disclaims beneficial ownership of any shares held by the Putnam Funds. The Putnam Funds and the THL Co-Invest Fund are contractually obligated to co-invest (and dispose of securities) alongside the THL Funds on a pro rata basis. Voting and investment control over securities that the THL Funds own are acted upon by majority vote of the members of a ten-member committee, the members of which are Todd M. Abbrecht, Charles A. Brizius, Anthony J. DiNovi, Thomas M. Hagerty, Scott L. Jaeckel, Seth W. Lawry, Soren L. Oberg, Scott A. Schoen, Scott M. Sperling and Kent R. Weldon, each of whom disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock included in the table. Each of the THL Funds and the THL Co-Invest Fund has an address c/o Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., 100 Federal Street, 35th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02110. Each of the Putnam Funds has an address c/o Putnam Investment, Inc., 1 Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.

 

(4)   Includes              shares of common stock that can be acquired upon the exercise of outstanding options and              shares of restricted common stock subject to vesting conditions.

 

(5)   Includes              shares of restricted common stock subject to vesting conditions.

 

(6)   Includes              shares of common stock that can be acquired upon the exercise of outstanding options and              shares of restricted common stock subject to vesting conditions.

 

(7)   Includes              shares of common stock that can be acquired upon the exercise of outstanding options and              shares of restricted common stock subject to vesting conditions.

 

(8)   Includes              shares of restricted common stock subject to vesting conditions.

 

(9)   Includes              shares of common stock that can be acquired upon the exercise of outstanding options and              shares of restricted common stock subject to vesting conditions.

 

(10) Includes              shares of restricted common stock subject to vesting conditions.

 

(11)   Does not include shares of common stock held by the THL Funds, the THL Co-Invest Fund or the Putnam Funds. Each of Messrs. Abbrecht, DiNovi and Harkins is a Managing Director of Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and Mr. DiNovi is the Co-President of Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. In addition, each of Messrs. Abbrecht and DiNovi serves on the ten-member committee that determines voting and investment control decisions over securities that the THL Funds own and as a result, and by virtue of the relationships described in footnote (3) above, may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the shares held by the THL Funds. Each of Messrs. Abbrecht, DiNovi and Harkins disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares referred to in footnote (3) above. The address for Messrs. Abbrecht, DiNovi and Harkins is c/o Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., 100 Federal Street, 35th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02110.

 

(12) Does not include shares of common stock held by the Bain Capital Entities. Each of Messrs. Balson, Cook and Nunnelly is a Managing Director and serves on the investment committee of BCI and as a result, and by virtue of the relationships described in footnote (1) above, may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the shares held by the Bain Capital Entities. Each of Messrs. Balson, Cook and Nunnelly disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by the Bain Capital Entities. The address for Messrs. Balson, Cook and Nunnelly is c/o Bain Capital Partners, LLC, 111 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02199.

 

(13) Does not include shares of common stock held by the Carlyle Funds, each of which is an affiliate of The Carlyle Group. Ms. Horbach is a Managing Director, and Ms. Balaji is a Vice President, of The Carlyle Group. Each of Ms. Horbach and Ms. Balaji disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by the Carlyle Funds. The address for Ms. Horbach and Ms. Balaji is c/o The Carlyle Group, 520 Madison Avenue, Floor 43, New York, NY 10022.

 

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Description of capital stock

General

Upon the closing of this offering, the total amount of our authorized capital stock will consist of             shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share and             shares of undesignated preferred stock. As of March 26, 2011, we had outstanding 192,219,311 shares of Class A common stock and 23,060,006 shares of Class L common stock. In connection with the reclassification, all of the outstanding Class A common stock and Class L common stock was reclassified into             shares of common stock. See “The reclassification.” As of March 26, 2011, we had 55 stockholders of record of Class A common stock and 52 stockholders of record of Class L common stock and had outstanding options to purchase 24,959,750 shares of Class A common stock, which options were exercisable at a weighted average exercise price of $0.81 per share.

After giving effect to this offering, we will have             shares of common stock and no shares of preferred stock outstanding. The following summary describes all material provisions of our capital stock. We urge you to read our certificate of incorporation and our by-laws, which are included as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws will contain provisions that are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of the board of directors and which may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a future takeover or change in control of our company unless such takeover or change in control is approved by our board of directors. These provisions include a classified board of directors, elimination of stockholder action by written consents (except in limited circumstances), elimination of the ability of stockholders to call special meetings (except in limited circumstances), advance notice procedures for stockholder proposals and supermajority vote requirements for amendments to our certificate of incorporation and by-laws.

Common stock

Dividend Rights. Subject to preferences that may apply to shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, holders of outstanding shares of common stock will be entitled to receive dividends out of assets legally available at the times and in the amounts as the board of directors may from time to time determine.

Voting Rights. Each outstanding share of common stock will be entitled to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. Holders of shares of our common stock shall have no cumulative voting rights.

Preemptive Rights. Our common stock will not be entitled to preemptive or other similar subscription rights to purchase any of our securities.

Conversion or Redemption Rights. Our common stock will be neither convertible nor redeemable.

Liquidation Rights. Upon our liquidation, the holders of our common stock will be entitled to receive pro rata our assets which are legally available for distribution, after payment of all debts and other liabilities and subject to the prior rights of any holders of preferred stock then outstanding.

Nasdaq Listing. We intend to list our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “DNKN.”

 

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Preferred stock

Our board of directors may, without further action by our stockholders, from time to time, direct the issuance of shares of preferred stock in series and may, at the time of issuance, determine the designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights as well as the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of the common stock. Satisfaction of any dividend preferences of outstanding shares of preferred stock would reduce the amount of funds available for the payment of dividends on shares of our common stock. Holders of shares of preferred stock may be entitled to receive a preference payment in the event of our liquidation before any payment is made to the holders of shares of our common stock. Under specified circumstances, the issuance of shares of preferred stock may render more difficult or tend to discourage a merger, tender offer or proxy contest, the assumption of control by a holder of a large block of our securities or the removal of incumbent management. Upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the total number of directors then in office, our board of directors, without stockholder approval, may issue shares of preferred stock with voting and conversion rights which could adversely affect the holders of shares of our common stock and the market value of our common stock. Upon consummation of this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock outstanding, and we have no present intention to issue any shares of preferred stock.

Anti-takeover effects of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws

Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws will contain certain provisions that are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of the board of directors and which may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a future takeover or change in control of the company unless such takeover or change in control is approved by the board of directors.

These provisions include:

Classified Board. Our certificate of incorporation will provide that our board of directors will be divided into three classes of directors, with the classes as nearly equal in number as possible. As a result, approximately one-third of our board of directors will be elected each year. The classification of directors will have the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of our board. Our certificate of incorporation will also provide that, subject to any rights of holders of preferred stock to elect additional directors under specified circumstances, the number of directors will be fixed in the manner provided in the by-laws. Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws will provide that the number of directors will be fixed from time to time solely pursuant to a resolution adopted by two-thirds of our directors then in office. Upon completion of this offering, our board of directors will have             members.

Action by Written Consent; Special Meetings of Stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation will provide that stockholder action can be taken only at an annual or special meeting of stockholders and cannot be taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting once investment funds affiliated with the sponsors cease to beneficially own more than 50% of our outstanding shares. Our certificate of incorporation and the by-laws will also provide that, except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of the stockholders can only be called by the chairman of the board, or pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the board of directors or, until the date that investment funds affiliated with the Sponsors cease to beneficially own more than 50% of our outstanding shares, at the request of holders of 50% or more of our outstanding shares. Except as described above, stockholders will not be permitted to call a special meeting or to require the board of directors to call a special meeting.

 

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Advance Notice Procedures. Our by-laws will establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to the board of directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting will only be able to consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the board of directors or by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has given our Secretary timely written notice, in proper form, of the stockholder’s intention to bring that business before the meeting. Although the by-laws will not give the board of directors the power to approve or disapprove stockholder nominations of candidates or proposals regarding other business to be conducted at a special or annual meeting, the by-laws may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or deter a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the company.

Super Majority Approval Requirements. The Delaware General Corporation Law generally provides that the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on any matter is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or by-laws, unless either a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or by-laws require a greater percentage. Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws will provide that the affirmative vote of holders of at least 75% of the total votes eligible to be cast in the election of directors will be required to amend, alter, change or repeal specified provisions. This requirement of a supermajority vote to approve amendments to our certificate of incorporation and by-laws could enable a minority of our stockholders to exercise veto power over any such amendments.

Authorized but Unissued Shares. Our authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock will be available for future issuance without stockholder approval. These additional shares may be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, corporate acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of a majority of our common stock by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Anti-takeover effects of Delaware law

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides that, subject to exceptions specified therein, an “interested stockholder” of a Delaware corporation shall not engage in any “business combination,” including general mergers or consolidations or acquisitions of additional shares of the corporation, with the corporation for a three-year period following the time that such stockholder becomes an interested stockholder unless:

 

 

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

 

 

upon consummation of the transaction which 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 specified shares); or

 

 

at or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation 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 not owned by the interested stockholder.

Under Section 203, the restrictions described above also do not apply to specified business combinations proposed by an interested stockholder following the announcement or notification of one of specified

 

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transactions involving the corporation and a person who had not been an interested stockholder during the previous three years or who became an interested stockholder with the approval of a majority of the corporation’s directors, if such transaction is approved or not opposed by a majority of the directors who were directors prior to any person becoming an interested stockholder during the previous three years or were recommended for election or elected to succeed such directors by a majority of such directors.

Except as otherwise specified in Section 203, an “interested stockholder” is deemed to include:

 

 

any person that is the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation, or is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and was the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation at any time within three years immediately prior to the date of determination; and

 

 

the affiliates and associates of any such person.

However, our Sponsors and their respective affiliates will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders,” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them.

Under some circumstances, Section 203 makes it more difficult for a person who is an interested stockholder to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period. We have not elected to be exempt from the restrictions imposed under Section 203.

Corporate opportunities

Our restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce any interest or expectancy of the Company in the business opportunities of the Sponsors and of their officers, directors, agents, shareholders, members, partners, affiliates and subsidiaries and each such party shall not have any obligation to offer us those opportunities unless presented to a director or officer of the Company in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company.

Limitations on liability and indemnification of officers and directors

Our restated certificate of incorporation will limit the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law and provides that we will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by such law. We expect to enter into indemnification agreements with our current directors and executive officers prior to the completion of this offering and expect to enter into a similar agreement with any new directors or executive officers. We expect to increase our directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage prior to the completion of this offering.

Transfer agent and registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock will be American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. Its address is 6201 15 th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219. Its telephone number is (718) 921-8200.

 

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Shares eligible for future sale

Immediately prior to this offering, there was no public market for our common stock, and we cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of shares of common stock or the availability of shares of common stock for sale will have on the market price of our common stock prevailing from time to time. Nevertheless, sales of substantial amounts of common stock, including shares issued upon the exercise of outstanding options and warrants, in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock and could impair our future ability to raise capital through the sale of our equity or equity-related securities at a time and price that we deem appropriate.

Upon the closing of this offering, we will have outstanding an aggregate of approximately             shares of common stock. In addition, options to purchase an aggregate of approximately             shares of our common stock will be outstanding as of the closing of this offering. Of the outstanding shares, the shares sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except any shares purchased by our “affiliates”, as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act, may be sold only in compliance with the limitations described below. The remaining outstanding shares of common stock will be deemed restricted securities, as defined under Rule 144. Restricted securities may be sold in the public market only if registered or if they qualify for an exemption from registration, generally under Rules 144 or 701 under the Securities Act, which we summarize below. All of these shares will be subject to lock-up agreements described below.

Taking into account the lock-up agreements described below and assuming J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated do not release stockholders from these agreements, the following shares will be eligible for sale in the public market at the following times:

 

Date available for resale    Shares eligible
for sale
   Comment
 

180 days (            ,            ), as such period may be extended as described below

      Lock-up released, shares eligible for sale under Rule 144 (subject, in some instances, to volume limitations) and Rule 701
 

Rule 144

In general, under Rule 144, beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, a person who is not our affiliate and has not been our affiliate at any time during the preceding three months will be entitled to sell any shares of our common stock that such person has beneficially owned for at least six months, including the holding period of any prior owner other than one of our affiliates, without regard to volume limitations. Sales of our common stock by any such person would be subject to the availability of current public information about us if the shares to be sold were beneficially owned by such person for less than one year.

Approximately             shares of our common stock that are not subject to the lock-up agreements described above will be eligible for sale under Rule 144 immediately upon the closing of this offering.

Beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, our affiliates who have beneficially owned shares of our common stock for at least six months, including the holding period of any prior owner other than one of our affiliates, would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of:

 

 

1% of the number of shares of our common stock then outstanding, which will equal approximately             shares immediately after this offering, assuming an initial public offering price of $             per share, which is the mid-point of the range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus; and

 

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the average weekly trading volume in our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market during the four calendar weeks preceding the date of filing of a Notice of Proposed Sale of Securities Pursuant to Rule 144 with respect to the sale.

Sales under Rule 144 by our affiliates are also subject to manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

Rule 701

In general, under Rule 701 as currently in effect, any of our employees, directors, officers, consultants or advisors who purchase shares from us in connection with a compensatory stock or option plan or other written agreement before the effective date of this offering is entitled to sell such shares 90 days after the effective date of this offering in reliance on Rule 144, in the case of affiliates, without having to comply with the holding period requirements of Rule 144 and, in the case of non-affiliates, without having to comply with the public information, holding period, volume limitation or notice filing requirements of Rule 144.

Lock-up agreements

Our officers, directors and other stockholders owning an aggregate of             shares of our common stock, will be subject to lock-up agreements with the underwriters that will restrict the sale of the shares of our common stock held by them for 180 days, subject to certain exceptions. See “Underwriting” for a description of these lock-up agreements.

Registration statements on Form S-8

Immediately after the completion of this offering, we intend to file a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register all of the shares of common stock issued or reserved for future issuance under our 2006 Executive Incentive Plan and our 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan. This registration statement would cover approximately             shares. Shares registered under the registration statement will generally be available for sale in the open market after the 180-day lock-up period immediately following the date of this prospectus (as such period may be extended in certain circumstances).

Registration rights

Beginning 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions and automatic extensions in certain circumstances, holders of             shares of our common stock will be entitled to the rights described under “Related party transactions—Arrangements with our investors.” Registration of these shares under the Securities Act would result in these shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act immediately upon effectiveness of the registration.

 

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Material U.S. federal tax considerations for Non-U.S. Holders of common stock

The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income and estate tax considerations relating to the purchase, ownership and disposition of our common stock by Non-U.S. Holders (defined below). This summary does not purport to be a complete analysis of all the potential tax considerations relevant to Non-U.S. Holders of our common stock. This summary is based upon the Internal Revenue Code, the Treasury regulations promulgated or proposed thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as of the date hereof and all of which are subject to change at any time, possibly on a retroactive basis.

This summary assumes that shares of our common stock are held as “capital assets” within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code. This summary does not purport to deal with all aspects of U.S. federal income and estate taxation that might be relevant to particular Non-U.S. Holders in light of their particular investment circumstances or status, nor does it address specific tax considerations that may be relevant to particular persons (including, for example, financial institutions, broker-dealers, insurance companies, partnerships or other pass-through entities, certain U.S. expatriates, tax-exempt organizations, pension plans, “controlled foreign corporations”, “passive foreign investment companies”, corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax, persons in special situations, such as those who have elected to mark securities to market or those who hold common stock as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion transaction, synthetic security or other integrated investment, or holders subject to the alternative minimum tax). In addition, except as explicitly addressed herein with respect to estate tax, this summary does not address estate and gift tax considerations or considerations under the tax laws of any state, local or non-U.S. jurisdiction.

For purposes of this summary, a “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of common stock that for U.S. federal income tax purposes is not treated as a partnership and is not:

 

 

an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

 

a corporation or any other organization taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

 

an estate, the income of which is included in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or

 

 

a trust, if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of the trust’s substantial decisions or (2) the trust has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

If an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our common stock, the tax treatment of persons treated as its partners for U.S. federal income tax purposes will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships and other entities that are classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes and persons holding our common stock through a partnership or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes are urged to consult their own tax advisors.

There can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) will not challenge one or more of the tax consequences described herein, and we have not obtained, nor do we intend to obtain, a ruling from the IRS with respect to the U.S. federal income or estate tax consequences to a Non-U.S. Holder of the purchase, ownership or disposition of our common stock.

 

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THIS SUMMARY IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE TAX ADVICE. NON-U.S. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME AND ESTATE TAXATION, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. TAXATION AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK.

Distributions on our common stock

As discussed under “Dividend policy” above, we do not currently expect to pay regular dividends on our common stock. In the event that we do make a distribution of cash or property with respect to our common stock, any such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. If a distribution exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, the excess will constitute a return of capital and will first reduce the holder’s basis in our common stock, but not below zero. Any remaining excess will be treated as capital gain, subject to the tax treatment described below in “Gain on sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our common stock.” Any such distribution would also be subject to the discussion below under the section titled “Additional withholding requirements.”

Dividends paid to a Non-U.S. Holder generally will be subject to a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax unless such Non-U.S. Holder provides us or our agent, as the case may be, with the appropriate IRS Form W-8, such as:

• IRS Form W-8BEN (or successor form) certifying, under penalties of perjury, a reduction in withholding under an applicable income tax treaty, or

• IRS Form W-8ECI (or successor form) certifying that a dividend paid on common stock is not subject to withholding tax because it is effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States of the Non-U.S. Holder (in which case such dividend generally will be subject to regular graduated U.S. tax rates as described below).

The certification requirement described above also may require a Non-U.S. Holder that provides an IRS form or that claims treaty benefits to provide its U.S. taxpayer identification number. Special certification and other requirements apply in the case of certain Non-U.S. Holders that are intermediaries or pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Each Non-U.S. Holder is urged to consult its own tax advisor about the specific methods for satisfying these requirements. A claim for exemption will not be valid if the person receiving the applicable form has actual knowledge or reason to know that the statements on the form are false.

If dividends are effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States of a Non-U.S. Holder (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment), the Non-U.S. Holder, although exempt from the withholding tax described above (provided that the certifications described above are satisfied), generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on such dividends on a net income basis in the same manner as if it were a resident of the United States. In addition, if a Non-U.S. Holder is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Non-U.S. Holder may be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” equal to 30% (unless reduced by an applicable income treaty) of its earnings and profits in respect of such effectively connected dividend income.

If a Non-U.S. Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. federal withholding tax pursuant to an income tax treaty, the holder may obtain a refund or credit of any excess amount withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS.

 

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Gain on sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our common stock

Subject to the discussion below under the section titled “Additional withholding requirements”, in general, a Non-U.S. Holder will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax or withholding tax on gain realized upon such holder’s sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of shares of our common stock unless (i) such Non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition, and certain other conditions are met, (ii) we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation”, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code (a “USRPHC”), at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition and the Non-U.S. Holder’s holding period in the shares of our common stock, and certain other requirements are met, or (iii) such gain is effectively connected with the conduct by such Non-U.S. Holder of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by such Non-U.S. Holder in the United States).

If the first exception applies, the Non-U.S. Holder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or at a reduced rate under an applicable income tax treaty) on the amount by which such Non-U.S. Holder’s capital gains allocable to U.S. sources (including gain, if any, realized on a disposition of our common stock) exceed capital losses allocable to U.S. sources during the taxable year of the disposition. If the third exception applies, the Non-U.S. Holder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to such gain on a net income basis in the same manner as if it were a resident of the United States and a Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes may also be subject to a branch profits tax with respect any earnings and profits attributable to such gain at a rate of 30% (or at a reduced rate under an applicable income tax treaty).

Generally, a corporation is a USRPHC only if the fair market value of its U.S. real property interests (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests plus its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business. Although there can be no assurance in this regard, we believe that we are not, and do not anticipate becoming, a USRPHC. However, because the determination of whether we are a USRPHC depends on the fair market value of our U.S. real property relative to the fair market value of other business assets, there can be no assurance that we will not become a USRPHC in the future. Even if we became a USRPHC, a Non-U.S. Holder would not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our common stock by reason of our status as a USRPHC so long as our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market at any time during the calendar year in which the disposition occurs and such Non-U.S. Holder does not own and is not deemed to own (directly, indirectly or constructively) more than 5% of our common stock at any time during the shorter of the five year period ending on the date of disposition and the holder’s holding period. However, no assurance can be provided that our common stock will be regularly traded on an established securities market for purposes of the rules described above. Prospective investors are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible consequences to them if we are, or were to become, a USRPHC.

Additional withholding requirements

Recently enacted legislation generally will impose a U.S. federal withholding tax of 30% on dividends and the gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our common stock paid after December 31, 2012 to (i) a “foreign financial institution” (as defined under these rules), unless the institution meets certain requirements, including entering into an agreement with the United States government to collect and report information regarding United States account holders of the institution (which includes certain equity and debt holders of the institution, as well as certain account holders that are foreign entities with U.S. owners), or (ii) a “non-financial foreign entity” that is the beneficial owner of the payment (or that holds the stock on behalf of another

 

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non-financial foreign entity that is the beneficial owner) unless the entity (or the beneficial owner) meets certain requirements, including certifying that it does not have any “substantial United States owner” (as defined under these rules) or providing the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each substantial United States owner. The scope of these rules remains unclear and potentially subject to material changes resulting from any future guidance. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible impact of this legislation on their investment in our common stock.

Backup withholding and information reporting

We must report annually to the IRS and to each Non-U.S. Holder the gross amount of the distributions on our common stock paid to the holder and the tax withheld, if any, with respect to the distributions.

Non-U.S. Holders may have to comply with specific certification procedures to establish that the holder is not a United States person (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) in order to avoid backup withholding at the applicable rate, currently 28% and scheduled to increase to 31% for taxable years 2013 and thereafter, with respect to dividends on our common stock. Dividends paid to Non-U.S. Holders subject to the U.S. withholding tax, as described above under the section titled “Distributions on our common stock,” generally will be exempt from U.S. backup withholding.

Information reporting and backup withholding will generally apply to the proceeds of a disposition of our common stock by a Non-U.S. Holder effected by or through the U.S. office of any broker, U.S. or foreign, unless the holder certifies its status as a Non-U.S. Holder and satisfies certain other requirements, or otherwise establishes an exemption. Generally, information reporting and backup withholding will not apply to a payment of disposition proceeds to a Non-U.S. Holder where the transaction is effected outside the United States through a non-U.S. office of a broker. However, for information reporting purposes, dispositions effected through a non-U.S. office of a U.S. broker or a non-U.S. broker with substantial U.S. ownership or operations generally will be treated in a manner similar to dispositions effected through a U.S. office of a broker. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of the information reporting and backup withholding rules to them.

Copies of information returns may be made available to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-U.S. Holder resides or in which the Non-U.S. Holder is incorporated under the provisions of a specific treaty or agreement.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules from a payment to a Non-U.S. Holder can be refunded or credited against the Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that an appropriate claim is timely filed with the IRS.

Federal estate tax

Common stock owned (or treated as owned) by an individual who is not a citizen or a resident of the United States (as defined for U.S. federal estate tax purposes) at the time of death will be included in the individual’s gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes, unless an applicable estate or other tax treaty provides otherwise, and, therefore, may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax.

 

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Underwriting

We are offering the shares of common stock described in this prospectus through a number of underwriters. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Goldman, Sachs & Co. are acting as joint book-running managers of the offering and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Goldman, Sachs & Co. are acting as representatives of the underwriters. We have entered into an underwriting agreement with the underwriters. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and each underwriter has severally agreed to purchase, at the public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, the number of shares of common stock listed next to its name in the following table:

 

Name    Number of
shares
 
   

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

  

Barclays Capital Inc.

  

Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated

  

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith 
               Incorporated

  

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

  
        

Total

  
   

The underwriters are committed to purchase all the common shares offered by us if they purchase any shares. The underwriting agreement also provides that if an underwriter defaults, the purchase commitments of non-defaulting underwriters may also be increased or the offering may be terminated.

The underwriters propose to offer the common shares directly to the public at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and to certain dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of $            per share. After the initial public offering of the shares, the offering price and other selling terms may be changed by the underwriters. Sales of shares made outside of the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriters. The offering of the shares by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part. The underwriters have informed us that they do not intend to confirm sales to discretionary accounts that exceed 5% of the total number of shares offered by them.

The underwriters have an option to buy up to             additional shares of common stock from us to cover sales of shares by the underwriters which exceed the number of shares specified in the table above. The underwriters have 30 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this over-allotment option. If any shares are purchased with this over-allotment option, the underwriters will purchase shares in approximately the same proportion as shown in the table above. If any additional shares of common stock are purchased, the underwriters will offer the additional shares on the same terms as those on which the shares are being offered.

 

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The underwriting fee is equal to the public offering price per share of common stock less the amount paid by the underwriters to us per share of common stock. The underwriting fee is $            per share. The following table shows the per share and total underwriting discounts and commissions to be paid to the underwriters assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.

 

       Without
over-allotment
exercise
    

With
full over-allotment
exercise

 
   

Per Share

   $                    $                

Total

   $         $     
   

We estimate that the total expenses of this offering, including registration, filing and listing fees, printing fees and legal and accounting expenses, but excluding the underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $            .

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the web sites maintained by one or more underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in the offering. The underwriters may agree to allocate a number of shares to underwriters and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the representatives to underwriters and selling group members that may make Internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.

At our request, the underwriters have reserved for sale, at the initial public offering price, up to 6% of the shares offered by this prospectus for sale to some of our directors, officers, employees, franchisees and certain other persons who are otherwise associated with us through a directed share program. If these persons purchase reserved shares, this will reduce the number of shares available for sale to the general public. Any reserved shares that are not so purchased will be offered by the underwriters to the general public on the same terms as the other shares offered by this prospectus.

We have agreed that we will not (i) offer, pledge, announce the intention to sell, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any shares of our common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any shares of our common stock, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing (other than filings on Form S-8 relating to our employee benefit plans), or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers all or a portion of the economic consequences associated with the ownership of any shares of common stock or any such other securities (regardless of whether any of these transactions are to be settled by the delivery of shares of common stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise), in each case without the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the 180-day restricted period, we issue an earnings release or announce material news or a material event relating to our company; or (2) prior to the expiration of the 180-day restricted period, we announce that we will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 180-day period, the restrictions described above shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the announcement of the material news or material event unless J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated waive, in writing, such extension.

 

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Our directors and executive officers, and the Sponsors have entered into lock-up agreements with the underwriters prior to the commencement of this offering pursuant to which each of these persons or entities, with limited exceptions, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, may not, without the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, (1) offer, pledge, announce the intention to sell, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock (including, without limitation, common stock or such other securities which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by such directors, executive officers, managers and members in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and securities which may be issued upon exercise of a stock option or warrant) or (2) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the common stock or such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of common stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, or (3) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any shares of our common stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the 180-day restricted period, we issue an earnings release or announce material news or a material event relating to our company; or (2) prior to the expiration of the 180-day restricted period, we announce that we will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 180-day period, the restrictions described above shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the announcement of the material news or material event unless J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated waive, in writing, such extension.

We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933.

We will apply to have our common stock approved for listing/quotation on The NASDAQ Global Select Market, subject to notice of official issuance, under the symbol “DNKN.”

In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, which involves making bids for, purchasing and selling shares of common stock in the open market for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the common stock while this offering is in progress. These stabilizing transactions may include making short sales of the common stock, which involves the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of shares of common stock than they are required to purchase in this offering, and purchasing shares of common stock on the open market to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales may be “covered” shorts, which are short positions in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ over-allotment option referred to above, or may be “naked” shorts, which are short positions in excess of that amount. The underwriters may close out any covered short position either by exercising their over-allotment option, in whole or in part, or by purchasing shares in the open market. In making this determination, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market compared to the price at which the underwriters may purchase shares through the over-allotment option. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common stock in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering. To the extent that the underwriters create a naked short position, they will purchase shares in the open market to cover the position.

 

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The underwriters have advised us that, pursuant to Regulation M of the Securities Act of 1933, they may also engage in other activities that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the common stock, including the imposition of penalty bids. This means that if the representatives of the underwriters purchase common stock in the open market in stabilizing transactions or to cover short sales, the representatives can require the underwriters that sold those shares as part of this offering to repay the underwriting discount received by them.

These activities may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of the common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the common stock, and, as a result, the price of the common stock may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. If the underwriters commence these activities, they may discontinue them at any time. The underwriters may carry out these transactions on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. The initial public offering price will be determined by negotiations between us and the representatives of the underwriters. In determining the initial public offering price, we and the representatives of the underwriters expect to consider a number of factors including:

 

 

the information set forth in this prospectus and otherwise available to the representatives;

 

 

our prospects and the history and prospects for the industry in which we compete;

 

 

an assessment of our management;

 

 

our prospects for future earnings;

 

 

the general condition of the securities markets at the time of this offering;

 

 

the recent market prices of, and demand for, publicly traded common stock of generally comparable companies; and

 

 

other factors deemed relevant by the underwriters and us.

Neither we nor the underwriters can assure investors that an active trading market will develop for our common shares, or that the shares will trade in the public market at or above the initial public offering price.

Other than in the United States, no action has been taken by us or the underwriters that would permit a public offering of the securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. The securities offered by this prospectus may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the offer and sale of any such securities be distributed or published in any jurisdiction, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this prospectus comes are advised to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to the offering and the distribution of this prospectus. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or a solicitation is unlawful.

 

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Notice to prospective investors in United Kingdom

This document is only being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) to investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) or (iii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling with Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). The securities are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

Each underwriter has agreed that:

(a) it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of the shares in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to the Company; and

(b) it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the shares in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

European Economic Area

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “Relevant Member State”), including each Relevant Member State that has implemented the 2010 PD Amending Directive with regard to persons to whom an offer of securities is addressed and the denomination per unit of the offer of securities (each, an “Early Implementing Member State”), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State (the “Relevant Implementation Date”), no offer of shares which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus will be made to the public in that Relevant Member State (other than offers (the “Permitted Public Offers”) where a prospectus will be published in relation to the shares that has been approved by the competent authority in a Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive), except that with effect from and including that Relevant Implementation Date, offers of shares may be made to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time:

(a) to “qualified investors” as defined in the Prospectus Directive, including:

(i) (in the case of Relevant Member States other than Early Implementing Member States), legal entities which are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities, or any legal entity which has two or more of (A) an average of at least 250 employees during the last financial year; (B) a total balance sheet of more than €43,000,000 and (C) an annual turnover of more than €50,000,000 as shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts; or

(ii) (in the case of Early Implementing Member States), persons or entities that are described in points (1) to (4) of Section I of Annex II to Directive 2004/39/EC, and those who are treated on request as professional clients in accordance with Annex II to Directive 2004/39/EC, or recognized as eligible counterparties in accordance with Article 24 of Directive 2004/39/EC unless they have requested that they be treated as non-professional clients; or

 

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(b) to fewer than 100 (or, in the case of Early Implementing Member States, 150) natural or legal persons (other than “qualified investors” as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted in the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or

(c) in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, provided that no such offer of shares shall result in a requirement for the publication by the Company or any underwriter of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or of a supplement to a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

Any person making or intending to make any offer within the European Economic Area of shares which are the subject of the offering contemplated in this prospectus should only do so in circumstances in which no obligation arises for the Company or any of the underwriters to produce a prospectus for such offer. Neither the Company nor the underwriters have authorized, nor do they authorize, the making of any offer of shares through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriters which constitute the final offering of shares contemplated in this prospectus.

Each person in a Relevant Member State (other than a Relevant Member State where there is a Permitted Public Offer) who initially acquires any shares or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, warranted and agreed to and with each underwriter and the Company that: (a) it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of the law in that Relevant Member State implementing Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive and (b) in the case of any shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, (i) the shares acquired by it in the offering have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Relevant Member State other than “qualified investors” as defined in the Prospectus Directive, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the representatives has been given to the offer or resale or (ii) where shares have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any Relevant Member State other than qualified investors, the offer of those shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus Directive as having been made to such persons.

For the purpose of the above provisions, the expression “an offer to the public” in relation to any shares in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer of any shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase any shares, as the same may be varied in the Relevant Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in the Relevant Member State and the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71 EC (including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, in the case of Early Implementing Member States) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State and the expression “2010 PD Amending Directive” means Directive 2010/73/EU.

Notice to prospective investors in Hong Kong

The shares may not be offered or sold by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong), and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the shares may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to shares which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

 

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Notice to prospective investors in Singapore

This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the shares may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the shares be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the shares are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person which is: (a) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or (b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest in that trust shall not be transferable for 6 months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares under Section 275 except: (1) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA; (2) where no consideration is given for the transfer; or (3) by operation of law.

Notice to prospective investors in Japan

The securities have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law) and each underwriter has agreed that it will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

Notice to prospective investors in Switzerland

The shares may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the shares or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company, the shares have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of shares will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of shares has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of shares.

 

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Notice to prospective investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre

This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The shares to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the shares offered should conduct their own due diligence on the shares. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.

Other relationships

The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities.

Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates have provided in the past to us and our affiliates and may provide from time to time in the future certain commercial banking, financial advisory, investment banking and other services for us and such affiliates in the ordinary course of their business, for which they have received and may continue to receive customary fees and commissions. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated acted as initial purchasers in connection with the offering of senior notes. In addition, the underwriters and their affiliates act in various capacities under our senior credit facility. Barclays Bank PLC, an affiliate of Barclays Capital Inc., acts as administrative agent; Barclays Capital Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC, an affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & Co., act as lead arrangers and joint bookrunners and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acts as syndication agent; Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC, an affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & Co., act as co-documentation agents. Affiliates of each of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated also act as lenders under our senior credit facility. In addition, from time to time, certain of the underwriters and their affiliates may effect transactions for their own account or the account of customers, and hold on behalf of themselves or their customers, long or short positions in our debt or equity securities or loans, and may do so in the future.

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of the issuer. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

 

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Legal matters

The validity of the issuance of the shares of common stock to be sold in this offering will be passed upon for us by Ropes & Gray LLP, Boston, Massachusetts. Some partners of Ropes & Gray LLP are members in RGIP, LLC, which owns less than 1% of our common stock. RGIP, LLC is also an investor in certain investment funds affiliated with Bain Capital Partners, LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners L.P. The validity of the common stock offered hereby will be passed upon on behalf of the underwriters by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, New York.

Experts

The consolidated financial statements of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. as of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, and for the years ended December 25, 2010, December 26, 2009 and December 27, 2008, have been included herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The audit report covering the December 25, 2010 consolidated financial statements refers to a change in the method of accounting for contingent rental income.

The financial statements of BR Korea Co., Ltd. (our joint venture entity in Korea) as of December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, and for each of the three fiscal years in the period ended December 31, 2010, including the reconciliation of such financials required by Regulation S-X, included in this prospectus have been audited by Deloitte Anjin LLC, an independent auditor, as stated in their report appearing herein and elsewhere in the registration statement (which report expresses an unqualified opinion on the financial statements and includes an explanatory paragraph referring to the nature and effect of difference between accounting principles generally accepted in the Republic of Korea from those in the United States of America). Such financial statements have been so included in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

The financial statements of B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd. (our joint venture entity in Japan) as of and for the year ended December 31, 2010 included in this registration statement have been so included in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata, independent accountants, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

The financial statements of BR Korea Co., Ltd. and B-R Ice Cream Co., Ltd. referred to above are included herein in accordance with the requirements of Rule 3-09 of Regulation S-X.

 

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Where you can find more information

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of our common stock being offered by this prospectus. This prospectus, which forms a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement. For further information with respect to us and the shares of our common stock, reference is made to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part thereof. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document are not necessarily complete. We are not currently subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. As a result of the offering of the shares of our common stock, we will become subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, will file reports and other information with the SEC. The registration statement, such reports and other information can be inspected and copied at the Public Reference Room of the SEC located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such materials, including copies of all or any portion of the registration statement, can be obtained from the Public Reference Room of the SEC at prescribed rates. You can call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 to obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room. Such materials may also be accessed electronically by means of the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov .

 

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Index to consolidated financial statements

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.

     Page  

Audited financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 25, 2010, December 26, 2009 and December 27, 2008

  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     F—2   

Consolidated balance sheets as of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

     F—3   

Consolidated statements of operations for the fiscal years ended December 25, 2010, December  26, 2009 and December 27, 2008

     F—4   

Consolidated statements of stockholders’ equity (deficit) and comprehensive income (loss) for the fiscal years ended December 25, 2010, December 26, 2009 and December 27, 2008

     F—5   

Consolidated statements of cash flows for the fiscal years ended December 25, 2010, December  26, 2009 and December 27, 2008

     F—6   

Notes to consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 25, 2010, December  26, 2009 and December 27, 2008

     F—7   

Unaudited financial statements for the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

  

Consolidated balance sheets as of March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010 (unaudited)

     F—51   

Consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March  27, 2010 (unaudited)

     F—52   

Consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March  27, 2010 (unaudited)

     F—53   

Notes to consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March  27, 2010 (unaudited)

     F—54   
BR Korea Co., Ltd.   
        

Audited financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2010, December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008

  

Report of Independent Auditors

     F—68   

Statements of financial position as of December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009

     F—69   

Statements of income for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2010, December  31, 2009 and December 31, 2008

     F—70   

Statements of appropriations of retained earnings for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

     F—71   

Statements of changes in shareholders’ equity for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and
2008

     F—72   

Statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

     F—73   

Notes to financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009

     F—75   

Reconciliation as of and for the years ended December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009

     F—93   
B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.   
        

Financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2010, December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008

  

Report of Independent Auditors

     F—97   

Balance sheets as of December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009

     F—98   

Statements of income for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2010, December  31, 2009 and December 31, 2008

     F—100   

Statements of changes in net assets for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

     F—101   

Statements of cash flows for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

     F—103   

Notes to the financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

     F—104   

Reconciliation for the years ended December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009

     F—120   

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Stockholders

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficit) and comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows for the years ended December 25, 2010, December 26, 2009 and December 27, 2008. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the years ended December 25, 2010, December 26, 2009 and December 27, 2008, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

As discussed in note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has elected to change its method of accounting for contingent rental income in 2010 and has applied the change retrospectively to all prior periods presented.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

May 2, 2011

 

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Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Consolidated balance sheets

(In thousands)

 

       December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
 
   
           (As adjusted)  

Assets

    

Current assets:

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 134,100       53,210  

Restricted cash

            109,799  

Accounts receivable, net

     35,239       32,893  

Notes and other receivables, net

     44,704       38,030  

Assets held for sale

     4,328       9,425  

Deferred income taxes, net

     12,570       14,707  

Restricted assets of advertising funds

     25,113       24,482  

Prepaid income taxes

     7,641       19,786  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     20,682       19,773  
        

Total current assets

     284,377       322,105  

Property and equipment, net

     193,273       209,659  

Investments in joint ventures

     169,276       147,902  

Goodwill

     888,655       887,850  

Other intangible assets, net

     1,535,657       1,570,176  

Restricted cash

     404       8,394  

Other assets

     75,646       78,631  
        

Total assets

   $ 3,147,288       3,224,717  
        

Liabilities, Common Stock, and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

    

Current liabilities:

    

Current portion of long-term debt

   $ 12,500         

Capital lease obligations

     205       221  

Accounts payable

     9,822       10,716  

Liabilities of advertising funds

     48,213       47,815  

Deferred income

     26,221       26,547  

Other current liabilities

     183,594       159,272  
        

Total current liabilities

     280,555       244,571  
        

Long-term debt, net

     1,847,016       1,446,319  

Capital lease obligations

     5,160       5,217  

Unfavorable operating leases acquired

     24,744       29,085  

Deferred income

     21,326       35,129  

Deferred income taxes, net

     586,337       618,324  

Other long-term liabilities

     75,909       75,464  
        

Total long-term liabilities

     2,560,492       2,209,538  
        

Commitments and contingencies (note 15)

    

Common stock, Class L, $0.001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 22,994,523 and 22,980,333 shares issued and outstanding at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, respectively

     840,582       1,232,001  

Stockholders’ equity (deficit):

    

Common stock, Class A, $0.001 par value; 400,000,000 shares authorized; 196,146,998 and 198,936,101 shares issued and outstanding at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, respectively

     191       190  

Additional paid-in capital

     195,063       192,352  

Treasury stock, at cost

     (1,807     (1,114

Accumulated deficit

     (741,415     (657,250

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     13,627       4,429  
        

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     (534,341     (461,393 )
        

Total liabilities, common stock, and stockholders’ equity (deficit)

   $ 3,147,288       3,224,717  
   

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

 

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Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Consolidated statements of operations

(In thousands)

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
    December 27,
2008
 
   
           (As adjusted)     (As adjusted)  

Revenues:

      

Franchise fees and royalty income

   $ 359,927       344,020       349,047  

Rental income

     91,102       93,651       97,886  

Sales of ice cream products

     84,989       75,256       71,445  

Other revenues

     41,117       25,146       26,551  
        

Total revenues

     577,135       538,073       544,929  
        

Operating costs and expenses:

      

Occupancy expenses—franchised restaurants

     53,739       51,964       55,581  

Cost of ice cream products

     59,175       47,432       49,407  

General and administrative expenses, net

     223,620       197,005       196,841  

Depreciation and amortization

     57,826       62,911       66,300  

Goodwill impairment

                   294,478  

Other impairment charges

     7,075       8,517       37,384  
        

Total operating costs and expenses

     401,435       367,829       699,991  
        

Equity in net income of joint ventures

     17,825       14,301       14,169  
                        

Operating income (loss)

     193,525        184,545       (140,893
        

Other income (expense):

      

Interest income

     305       386       3,512  

Interest expense

     (112,837     (115,405     (119,456

Gain (loss) on debt extinguishment

     (61,955     3,684         

Other gains (losses), net

     408       1,066       (3,929
        

Total other expense

     (174,079     (110,269     (119,873
        

Income (loss) before income taxes

     19,446       74,276       (260,766

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     (7,415     39,268       9,132  
        

Net income (loss)

   $ 26,861       35,008       (269,898

Earnings (loss) per share:

      

Class L-basic and diluted

   $ 4.87        4.57        4.17   

Class A-basic and diluted

   $ (0.45     (0.37     (1.96
   

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

 

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Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Consolidated statements of stockholders’ equity (deficit) and comprehensive income (loss)

(In thousands)

 

      Common stock,
Class A
     Additional
paid-in
capital
     Treasury
stock, at cost
    Accumulated
deficit
    Accumulated
other
comprehensive
income (loss)
    Total  
               
   

Shares

    

Amount

             
   

Balance at December 29, 2007 (as adjusted)

    185,387      $ 185        187,027         (299     (222,348     4,727       (30,708

Net loss (as adjusted)

                                   (269,898            (269,898

Effect of foreign currency translation, net of deferred

taxes of $5,356

                                          (6,110     (6,110

Other

                                          (181     (181
                      

Comprehensive loss (as adjusted)

                   (276,189

Accretion of Class L common stock

                                   (95,452            (95,452

Share-based compensation expense

    1,795        2        1,747                             1,749  

Repurchases of common stock

                            (428                   (428

Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation

                    487                             487  
       

Balance at December 27, 2008 (as adjusted)

    187,182        187        189,261         (727     (587,698     (1,564     (400,541

Net income (as adjusted)

                                   35,008              35,008  

Effect of foreign currency translation, net of deferred

taxes of $411

                                          5,986       5,986  

Other

                                          7       7  
                      

Comprehensive income (as adjusted)

                   41,001  

Accretion of Class L common stock

                                   (104,560            (104,560

Issuance of common stock

    565        1        236                              237   

Share-based compensation expense

    1,970        2        1,743                             1,745  

Repurchases of common stock

                            (387                   (387

Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation

                    1,112                             1,112  
       

Balance at December 26, 2009 (as adjusted)

    189,717        190        192,352         (1,114     (657,250     4,429       (461,393

Net income

                                   26,861              26,861  

Effect of foreign currency translation, net of deferred

taxes of $390

                                          9,624       9,624  

Other

                                          (426     (426
                      

Comprehensive income

                   36,059  

Accretion of Class L common stock

                                   (111,026            (111,026

Issuance of common stock

    128                141                              141   

Share-based compensation expense

    1,341        1        1,460                             1,461  

Repurchases of common stock

                            (693                   (693

Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation

                    1,110                             1,110  
       

Balance at December 25, 2010

    191,186      $ 191        195,063         (1,807     (741,415     13,627       (534,341
   

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

 

F-5


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Consolidated statements of cash flows

(In thousands)

 

      Fiscal year ended  
    December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
    December 27,
2008
 
   
          (As adjusted)     (As adjusted)  

Cash flows from operating activities:

     

Net income (loss)

  $ 26,861       35,008       (269,898

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:

     

Depreciation and amortization

    57,826       62,911       66,300  

Amortization of deferred financing costs and original issue discount

    6,523       7,394       7,051  

Loss (gain) on debt extinguishment

    61,955       (3,684       

Impact of unfavorable operating leases acquired

    (4,320     (5,027     (5,995

Deferred income taxes

    (28,389     18,301       (24,147

Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation

    (1,110              

Goodwill impairment

                  294,478  

Other impairment charges

    7,075       8,517       37,384  

Provision for bad debt

    1,505       7,363       5,891  

Share-based compensation expense

    1,461       1,745       1,749  

Equity in net income of joint ventures

    (17,825     (14,301     (14,169

Dividends received from joint ventures, net

    6,603       5,010       5,457  

Other

    (137     123       504  

Change in operating assets and liabilities:

     

Restricted cash

    101,675       (32,520     6,003  

Accounts, notes, and other receivables, net

    (11,815     (17,509     (25,765

Other current assets

    6,701       1,832       7,388  

Accounts payable

    (1,115     3,008       (815

Other current liabilities

    29,384       16,698       357  

Liabilities of advertising funds, net

    (346     19,681       (5,477

Income taxes payable, net

    1,341       5,737       (18,650

Deferred income

    (12,809     (4,190     2,665  

Other, net

    (2,040     (18     4,370  
       

Net cash provided by operating activities

    229,004       116,079       74,681  
       

Cash flows from investing activities:

     

Additions to property and equipment

    (15,358     (18,012     (27,518

Other, net

    (249            90  
       

Net cash used in investing activities

    (15,607     (18,012     (27,428
       

Cash flows from financing activities:

     

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

    1,859,375                

Repayment and repurchases of long-term debt

    (1,470,985     (145,183       

Proceeds from (repayment of) short-term debt

           (64,190     64,190  

Proceeds from issuance of common stock

    895       2,885         

Repurchases of common stock

    (3,890     (3,457     (1,467

Dividends paid on Class L common stock

    (500,002              

Payments on capital lease obligations

    (251     (183     (203

Deferred financing costs

    (34,979     (613     (6

Change in restricted cash

    16,144       2,276       1,756  

Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation

    1,110              487  
       

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

    (132,583     (208,465     64,757  
       

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

    76       (29     (451
       

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

    80,890       (110,427     111,559  

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year

    53,210       163,637       52,078  
       

Cash and cash equivalents, end of year

  $ 134,100       53,210       163,637  
       

Supplemental cash flow information:

     

Cash paid for:

     

Income taxes

  $ 19,206       15,920       51,609  

Interest

    100,629       107,038       112,785  

Noncash investing activities:

     

Property and equipment included in accounts payable and accrued expenses

    1,822       1,596       1,323  

Purchase of leaseholds in exchange for capital lease obligation

    178       1,381       860  
   

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

 

F-6


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

(1) Description of business and organization

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (DBGI) and subsidiaries (collectively, the Company), through its brand companies, is one of the world’s largest franchisors of restaurants serving coffee and baked goods as well as ice cream within the quick service restaurant segment of the restaurant industry. We develop, franchise, and license a system of both traditional and nontraditional quick service restaurants and, in limited circumstances, own and operate individual locations. Through our Dunkin’ Donuts brand, we develop and franchise restaurants featuring coffee, donuts, bagels, and related products. Through our Baskin-Robbins brand, we develop and franchise restaurants featuring ice cream, frozen beverages, and related products. Additionally, our subsidiaries located in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) manufacture and/or distribute Baskin-Robbins ice cream products to Baskin-Robbins franchisees and licensees in various international markets.

DBGI is owned by funds controlled by Bain Capital Partners, LLC, The Carlyle Group, and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (collectively, the Sponsors or BCT).

Throughout these financial statements, “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and “management” refer to DBGI and subsidiaries taken as a whole.

(2) Summary of significant accounting policies

(a) Fiscal year

The Company operates and reports financial information on a 52 or 53-week year on a 13-week quarter basis with the fiscal year ending on the last Saturday in December and fiscal quarters ending on the 13th Saturday of each quarter. The data periods contained within fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008 reflect the results of operations for the 52-week periods ended December 25, 2010, December 26, 2009, and December 27, 2008, respectively.

(b) Basis of presentation and consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of DBGI and subsidiaries and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). All significant transactions and balances between subsidiaries and affiliates listed above have been eliminated in consolidation.

We consolidate entities in which we have a controlling financial interest, the usual condition of which is ownership of a majority voting interest. We also consider for consolidation an entity, in which we have certain interests, where the controlling financial interest may be achieved through arrangements that do not involve voting interests. Such an entity, known as a variable interest entity (VIE), is required to be consolidated by its primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is the entity that possesses the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance and has the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that are significant to it. The principal entities in which we possess a variable interest include franchise entities, the advertising funds (see note 5), and our investments in joint ventures. We do not possess any ownership interests in franchise entities, except for our investments in various joint ventures that are accounted for under the equity method. Additionally, we generally do not provide financial

 

  F-7   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

support to franchise entities in a typical franchise relationship. As our franchise and license arrangements provide our franchisee and licensee entities the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact their economic performance, we do not consider ourselves the primary beneficiary of any such entity that might be a VIE. Based on the results of our analysis of potential VIEs, we have not consolidated any franchise or other entities. The Company’s maximum exposure to loss resulting from involvement with potential VIEs is attributable to aged trade and notes receivable balances, outstanding loan guarantees (see note 15(b)), and future lease payments due from franchisees (see note 11).

(c) Accounting estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the use of estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and for the period then ended. Significant estimates are made in the calculations and assessments of the following: (a) allowance for doubtful accounts and notes receivables, (b) impairment of tangible and intangible assets, (c) income taxes, (d) real estate reserves, (e) lease accounting estimates, (f) gift certificate breakage, and (g) contingencies. Estimates are based on historical experience, current conditions, and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. These estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities when they are not readily apparent from other sources. We adjust such estimates and assumptions when facts and circumstances dictate. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Illiquid credit markets, volatile equity and foreign currency markets, and declines in consumer spending have combined to increase the uncertainty inherent in such estimates and assumptions.

(d) Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash

The Company continually monitors its positions with, and the credit quality of, the financial institutions in which it maintains its deposits and investments. As of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, we maintained balances in various cash accounts in excess of federally insured limits. All highly liquid instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less are considered cash equivalents.

As part of the securitization transaction (see note 9), certain cash accounts were established in the name of Citibank, N.A. (the Trustee) for the benefit of Ambac Assurance Corporation (Ambac), the Trustee, and the holders of our ABS Notes, and were restricted in their use. The Company held restricted cash of $118.2 million as of December 26, 2009, which primarily represented (i) cash collections held by the Trustee, (ii) interest, insurer premiums, and commitment fee reserves held by the Trustee related to our ABS Notes (see note 9), (iii) product sourcing and real estate reserves used to pay ice cream product obligations to affiliates and real estate obligations, respectively, (iv) cash collections related to the advertising funds and gift card/certificate programs, and (v) cash collateral requirements associated with our Canadian guaranteed financing arrangements (see note 15(b)). Changes in restricted cash held for interest, insurer premiums, commitment fee reserves, or other financing arrangements are presented as a component of cash flows from financing activities in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows. Other changes in restricted cash are presented as a component of operating activities. In connection with the repayment of the ABS Notes in December 2010 (see

 

  F-8   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

note 9), the cash restrictions associated with the ABS Notes were released. Cash held related to the advertising funds and the Company’s gift card/certificate programs are classified as unrestricted cash as of December 25, 2010 as there are no legal restrictions on the use of these funds; however, the Company intends to use these funds solely to support the advertising funds and gift card/certificate programs rather than to fund operations. Total cash balances related to the advertising funds and gift card/certificate programs as of December 25, 2010 were $82.3 million. The Company held restricted cash of $404 thousand as of December 25, 2010, which represents cash collateral requirements associated with our Canadian guaranteed financing arrangements (see note 15(b)).

(e) Fair value of financial instruments

The carrying amounts of accounts receivable, notes and other receivables, assets and liabilities related to the advertising funds, accounts payable, other payables, and accrued expenses approximate fair value because of their short-term nature. For long-term receivables, we review the creditworthiness of the counterparty on a quarterly basis, and adjust the carrying value as necessary. We believe the carrying value of long-term receivables of $4.8 million and $1.4 million as of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, respectively, approximates fair value.

Financial assets and liabilities are categorized, based on the inputs to the valuation technique, into a three-level fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to the quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities and lowest priority to unobservable inputs. Observable market data, when available, is required to be used in making fair value measurements. When inputs used to measure fair value fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the level within which the fair value measurement is categorized is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 25, 2010 are summarized as follows (in thousands):

 

       Quoted prices
in active
markets for
identical assets
(Level 1)
     Significant
other
observable
inputs
(Level 2)
 
   

Assets:

     

Mutual funds

   $ 2,283          
        

Total assets

   $ 2,283          
        

Liabilities:

     

Deferred compensation liabilities

   $         7,397  
        

Total liabilities

   $         7,397  
   

The mutual funds and deferred compensation liabilities relate to the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP Plan), which allows for pre-tax salary deferrals for certain qualifying employees (see note 16). Changes in the fair value of the deferred compensation liabilities are derived using quoted prices in active markets of the asset selections made by the participants. The deferred compensation

 

  F-9   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

liabilities are classified within Level 2, as defined under U.S. GAAP, because their inputs are derived principally from observable market data by correlation to the hypothetical investments. The Company holds mutual funds, as well as money market funds, to partially offset the Company’s liabilities under the DCP Plan. The changes in the fair value of the mutual funds are derived using quoted prices in active markets for the specific funds. As such, the mutual funds are classified within Level 1, as defined under U.S. GAAP.

The carrying value and estimated fair value of long-term debt at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009 was as follows (in thousands):

 

       December 25, 2010      December 26, 2009  
Financial liabilities    Carrying
value
     Estimated
fair value
     Carrying
value
     Estimated
fair value
 
   

Term B Loans

   $ 1,243,823         1,266,250                   

Senior Notes

     615,693         631,250                   

Series 2006-1 Class A-2 Notes

                     1,346,320         1,279,018   

Series 2006-1 Class M-1 Notes

                     99,999         84,000   
        
   $ 1,859,516         1,897,500         1,446,319         1,363,018   
   

The estimated fair values of our Term B Loans and Senior Notes are estimated based on bid and offer prices for the same or similar instruments. The estimated fair values of our A-2 and M-1 Notes are based on current market rates for debt with similar terms and remaining maturities, and do not consider the third-party guarantee of our principal and interest payments. The estimated fair value of our A-2 Notes is also based on executed transactions. Considerable judgment is required to develop these estimates.

(f) Inventories

Inventories consist of ice cream and ice cream products. Cost is determined by the first-in, first-out method. Finished products are valued at the lower of cost or estimated net realizable value. Raw materials are valued at the lower of actual or replacement cost. Inventories are included within prepaid expenses and other current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

(g) Assets held for sale

Assets held for sale primarily represent costs incurred by the Company for store equipment and leasehold improvements constructed for sale to franchisees, as well as restaurants formerly operated by franchisees waiting to be resold. The value of such restaurants and related assets is reduced to reflect net recoverable values, with such reductions recorded to general and administrative expenses, net in the consolidated statements of operations. Internal specialists estimate the amount to be recovered from the sale of such assets based on their knowledge of the (a) market in which the store is located, (b) results of the Company’s previous efforts to dispose of similar assets, and (c) current economic conditions. The actual cost of such assets held for sale is affected by specific factors such as the nature, age, location, and condition of the assets, as well as the economic environment and inflation. At December 26, 2009, assets held for sale also included $3.9 million of corporate assets, which were sold during fiscal year 2010.

 

  F-10   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

We classify restaurants and their related assets as held for sale and suspend depreciation and amortization when (a) we make a decision to refranchise or sell the property, (b) the stores are available for immediate sale, (c) we have begun an active program to locate a buyer, (d) significant changes to the plan of sale are not likely, and (e) the sale is probable within one year.

(h) Property and equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful life or the remaining lease term of the related asset. Estimated useful lives are as follows:

 

       Years  
   

Buildings

     20 – 35   

Leasehold improvements

     5 – 25   

Store, production, and other equipment

     3 – 12   
   

Routine maintenance and repair costs are charged to expense as incurred. Major improvements, additions, or replacements that extend the life, increase capacity, or improve the safety or the efficiency of property are capitalized at cost and depreciated. Major improvements to leased property are capitalized as leasehold improvements and depreciated.

(i) Leases

When determining lease terms, we begin with the point at which the Company obtains control and possession of the leased properties and we include option periods for which failure to renew the lease imposes a penalty on the Company in such an amount that the renewal appears, at the inception of the lease, to be reasonably assured, which generally includes option periods through the end of the related franchise agreement term. We also include any rent holidays in the determination of the lease term.

We record rent expense and rent income for leases and subleases, respectively, that contain scheduled rent increases on a straight-line basis over the lease term as defined above. In certain cases, contingent rentals are based on sales levels of our franchisees, in excess of stipulated amounts. Contingent rentals are included in rent income and rent expense as they are earned or accrued, respectively.

We occasionally provide to our sublessees, or receive from our landlords, tenant improvement dollars. Tenant improvement dollars paid to our sublessees are recorded as a deferred rent asset. For fixed asset and/or leasehold purchases for which we receive tenant improvement dollars from our landlords, we record the property and equipment and/or leasehold improvements gross and establish a deferred rent obligation. The deferred lease assets and obligations are amortized on a straight-line basis over the determined sublease and lease terms, respectively.

Management regularly reviews sublease arrangements, where we are the lessor, for losses on sublease arrangements. We recognize a loss, discounted using risk-free credit rates, when costs expected to be incurred under an operating prime lease exceed the anticipated future revenue stream of the operating sublease.

 

  F-11   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Furthermore, for properties where we do not currently have an operational franchise or other third-party sublessee and are under long-term lease agreements, the present value of any remaining liability under the lease, discounted using risk-free credit rates and net of estimated sublease recovery, is recognized as a liability and charged to operations at the time we cease use of the property. The value of any equipment and leasehold improvements related to a closed store is assessed for potential impairment (see note 2(j)).

(j) Impairment of long-lived assets

Long-lived assets that are used in operations are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable through undiscounted future cash flows. Recognition and measurement of a potential impairment is performed on assets grouped with other assets and liabilities at the lowest level where identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. An impairment loss is the amount by which the carrying amount of a long-lived asset or asset group exceeds its estimated fair value. Fair value is generally estimated by internal specialists based on the present value of anticipated future cash flows or, if required, by independent third-party valuation specialists, depending on the nature of the assets or asset group.

(k) Investments in joint ventures

The Company accounts for its joint venture interests in B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd. (BR Japan) and BR-Korea Co., Ltd. (BR Korea) in accordance with the equity method. As a result of the acquisition of the Company by BCT on March 1, 2006 (BCT Acquisition), the Company recorded a step-up in the basis of our investments in BR Japan and BR Korea. The basis difference is comprised of amortizable franchise rights and related tax liabilities and nonamortizable goodwill. The franchise rights and related tax liabilities are amortized in a manner that reflects the estimated benefits from the use of the intangible asset over a period of 14 years. The franchise rights were valued based on an estimate of future cash flows to be generated from the ongoing management of the contracts over their remaining useful lives.

(l) Goodwill and other intangible assets

Goodwill and trade names (indefinite lived intangibles) have been assigned to our reporting units, which are also our operating segments, for purposes of impairment testing. All of our reporting units have indefinite lived intangibles associated with them.

We evaluate the remaining useful life of our trade names to determine whether current events and circumstances continue to support an indefinite useful life. In addition, all of our indefinite lived intangible assets are tested for impairment annually. The trade name intangible asset impairment test consists of a comparison of the fair value of each trade name with its carrying value, with any excess of carrying value over fair value being recognized as an impairment loss. The goodwill impairment test consists of a comparison of each reporting unit’s fair value to its carrying value. The fair value of a reporting unit is an estimate of the amount for which the unit as a whole could be sold in a current transaction between willing parties. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill is written down to its implied fair value. We have selected the first day of our July fiscal month as the date on which to perform our annual impairment test for all indefinite lived intangible assets. We also test for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the fair value of such indefinite lived intangibles has been impaired.

 

  F-12   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Other intangible assets consist primarily of franchise and international license rights (franchise rights), ice cream manufacturing and territorial franchise agreement license rights (license rights), and operating lease interests acquired related to our prime leases and subleases (operating leases acquired). Franchise rights recorded in the consolidated balance sheets were valued using an excess earnings approach. The valuation of franchise rights was calculated using an estimation of future royalty income and related expenses associated with existing franchise contracts at the acquisition date. Our valuation included assumptions related to the projected attrition and renewal rates on those existing franchise arrangements being valued. License rights recorded in the consolidated balance sheets were valued based on an estimate of future revenues and costs related to the ongoing management of the contracts over the remaining useful lives. Favorable and unfavorable operating leases acquired were recorded on purchased leases based on differences between contractual rents under the respective lease agreements and prevailing market rents at the lease acquisition date. Favorable operating leases acquired are included as a component of other intangible assets in the consolidated balance sheets. Due to the high level of lease renewals made by Dunkin’ Donuts’ franchisees, all lease renewal options for the Dunkin’ Donuts leases were included in the valuation of the favorable operating leases acquired. Amortization of franchise rights, license rights, and favorable operating leases acquired is recorded as amortization expense in the consolidated statements of operations and amortized over the respective franchise, license, and lease terms using the straight-line method.

Unfavorable operating leases acquired related to our prime and subleases are recorded in the liability section of the consolidated balance sheets and are amortized into rental expense and rental income, respectively, over the base lease term of the respective leases using the straight-line method. The weighted average amortization period for all unfavorable operating leases acquired is 13 years.

Management makes adjustments to the carrying amount of such intangible assets and unfavorable operating leases acquired if they are deemed to be impaired using the methodology for long-lived assets (see note 2(j)), or when such license or lease agreements are reduced or terminated.

(m) Contingencies

The Company records reserves for legal and other contingencies when information available to the Company indicates that it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Predicting the outcomes of claims and litigation and estimating the related costs and exposures involve substantial uncertainties that could cause actual costs to vary materially from estimates.

(n) Foreign currency translation

We translate assets and liabilities of non-U.S. operations into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange in effect at the balance sheet date and revenues and expenses at the average exchange rates prevailing during the period. Resulting translation adjustments are recorded as a separate component of comprehensive income (loss) and stockholders’ equity, net of deferred taxes. Foreign currency translation adjustments primarily result from subsidiaries located in Canada, the UK, Australia, and Spain, as well as our joint ventures. Business transactions resulting in foreign exchange gains and losses are included in the consolidated statements of operations.

 

  F-13   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

(o) Revenue recognition

Franchise fees and royalty income

Domestically, the Company sells individual franchises as well as territory agreements in the form of store development agreements (SDA agreements) that grant the right to develop restaurants in designated areas. Our franchise and SDA agreements typically require the franchisee to pay an initial nonrefundable fee and continuing fees (royalty income) based upon a percentage of sales. The franchisee will typically pay us a renewal fee if we approve a renewal of the franchise agreement. Such fees are paid by franchisees to obtain the rights associated with these franchise or SDA agreements. Initial franchise fee revenue is recognized upon substantial completion of the services required of the Company as stated in the franchise agreement, which is generally upon opening of the respective restaurant. Fees collected in advance are deferred until earned, with deferred amounts expected to be recognized as revenue within one year classified as current deferred income in the consolidated balance sheets. Royalty income is based on a percentage of franchisee gross sales and is recognized when earned, which occurs at the franchisees’ point of sale. Renewal fees are recognized when a renewal agreement with a franchisee becomes effective. Occasionally, the Company offers incentive programs to franchisees in conjunction with a franchise, SDA, or renewal agreement and, when appropriate, records the costs of such programs as reductions of revenue.

For our international business, we sell master territory and/or license agreements that typically allow the master licensee to either act as the franchisee or to sub-franchise to other operators. Master license and territory fees are generally recognized over the term of the development agreement or as stores are opened, depending on the specific terms of the agreement. Royalty income is based on a percentage of franchisee gross sales and is recognized when earned, which generally occurs at the franchisees’ point of sale. Renewal fees are recognized when a renewal agreement with a franchisee or licensee becomes effective.

Rental income

Rental income for base rentals is recorded on a straight-line basis over the lease term, including the amortization of any tenant improvement dollars paid (see note 2(i)). The difference between the straight-line rent amounts and amounts receivable under the leases are recorded as deferred rent assets in current or long-term assets, as appropriate. Contingent rental income is recognized as earned, and any amounts received from lessees in advance of achieving stipulated thresholds are deferred until such threshold is actually achieved. Deferred contingent rentals are recorded as deferred income in current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.

Sales of ice cream products

Our subsidiaries in Canada and the UK manufacture and/or distribute Baskin-Robbins ice cream products to Baskin-Robbins franchisees and licensees in Canada and other international locations. Revenue from the sale of ice cream is recognized when title and risk of loss transfers to the buyer, which is generally upon shipment.

Other revenues

Other revenues include fees generated by licensing our brand names and other intellectual property, retail stores sales at company-owned restaurants, and gains, net of losses and transactions costs, from the sales of

 

  F-14   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

our restaurants to new or existing franchisees. Licensing fees are recognized when earned, which is generally upon sale of the underlying products by the licensees. Retail store revenues at company-owned restaurants are recognized when payment is tendered at the point of sale, net of sales tax and other sales-related taxes. Gains on the refranchise or sale of a restaurant are recognized when the sale transaction closes, the franchisee has a minimum amount of the purchase price in at-risk equity, and we are satisfied that the buyer can meet its financial obligations to us. If the criteria for gain recognition are not met, we defer the gain to the extent we have any remaining financial exposure in connection with the sale transaction. Deferred gains are recognized when the gain recognition criteria are met.

(p) Allowance for doubtful accounts

We monitor the financial condition of our franchisees and licensees and record provisions for estimated losses on receivables when we believe that our franchisees or licensees are unable to make their required payments. While we use the best information available in making our determination, the ultimate recovery of recorded receivables is also dependent upon future economic events and other conditions that may be beyond our control. Included in the allowance for doubtful notes and accounts receivables is a provision for uncollectible royalty, lease, and licensing fee receivables.

(q) Share-based payment

We measure compensation cost at fair value on the date of grant for all stock-based awards and recognize compensation expense over the service period that the awards are expected to vest. The Company has elected to recognize compensation cost for graded-vesting awards subject only to a service condition over the requisite service period of the entire award.

(r) Income taxes

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for the expected future tax consequences of items that have been included in our consolidated financial statements or tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and the respective tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates that are expected to apply in years in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse. The effects of changes in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations in the year in which the law is enacted. Valuation allowances are provided when the Company does not believe it is more likely than not that it will realize the benefit of identified tax assets.

A tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return is recognized in the financial statements when it is more likely than not that the position would be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. A recognized tax position is then measured at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than fifty percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Estimates of interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits are recorded in the provision for income taxes.

 

  F-15   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

(s) Comprehensive income (loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) is primarily comprised of net income, foreign currency translation adjustments, unrealized gains and losses on investments, and pension adjustments for changes in funded status, and is reported in the consolidated statements of stockholders’ equity and comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes, for all periods presented.

(t) Deferred financing costs

Deferred financing costs primarily represent capitalizable costs incurred related to the issuance of the Company’s long-term debt (see note 9). Deferred financing costs are being amortized over a weighted average period of approximately 7 years, based on projected required repayments, using the effective interest rate method.

(u) Concentration of credit risk

The Company is subject to credit risk through its accounts receivable consisting primarily of amounts due from franchisees and licensees for franchise fees and royalty income. In addition, we have note and lease receivables from certain of our franchisees and licensees. The financial condition of these franchisees and licensees is largely dependent upon the underlying business trends of our brands and market conditions within the quick service restaurant industry. This concentration of credit risk is mitigated, in part, by the large number of franchisees and licensees of each brand and the short-term nature of the franchise and license fee and lease receivables. No individual franchisee or master licensee accounts for more than 10% of total revenues or accounts and notes receivable.

(v) Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share is computed on the basis of the weighted average number of common shares that were outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share includes the dilutive effect of common stock equivalents consisting of restricted stock and stock options, using the treasury stock method. Performance-based restricted stock and stock options are considered dilutive when the related performance criterion has been met. As the Company has both Class L and Class A common stock outstanding and Class L has preference with respect to all distributions, earnings per share is calculated using the two-class method, which requires the allocation of earnings to each class of common stock.

The numerator in calculating Class L basic and diluted earnings per share is the Class L preference amount accrued during the year presented plus, if positive, a pro rata share of an amount equal to consolidated net income less the Class L preference amount. The Class L preferential distribution amounts accrued during fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008 were $111.0 million, $104.6 million, and $95.5 million, respectively.

The numerator in calculating Class A basic and diluted earnings per share is an amount equal to consolidated net income less the Class L preference amount and Class L pro rata share amount, if any.

 

  F-16   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

The computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share is as follows (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
    December 27,
2008
 
                          

Net income (loss) - basic and diluted

   $ 26,861        35,008        (269,898

Allocation of net income (loss) to common stockholders - basic and diluted:

      

Class L

   $ 111,026        104,560        95,452   

Class A

     (84,165     (69,552     (365,350

Weighted average number of common shares - basic and diluted:

      

Class L

     22,806,796        22,859,274        22,879,304   

Class A

     188,639,517        187,728,324        186,395,629   

Earnings (loss) per common share - basic and diluted:

      

Class L

   $ 4.87        4.57        4.17   

Class A

     (0.45     (0.37     (1.96
                          

The weighted average number of common shares in the Class A diluted earnings per share calculation excludes all restricted stock and stock options outstanding during the respective periods, as they would be antidilutive. As of December 25, 2010, there were 4,960,059 unvested Class A restricted stock awards and 22,084,970 options to purchase Class A common stock outstanding that may be dilutive in the future. Of those amounts, there were 4,405,590 Class A restricted stock awards and 14,308,000 options to purchase Class A common stock that were performance-based and for which the performance criteria have not yet been met. There were no Class L common stock equivalents outstanding during fiscal years 2010, 2009, or 2008.

(w) Recent accounting pronouncements

In January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued new guidance and clarifications for improving disclosures about fair value measurements. This guidance requires enhanced disclosures regarding transfers in and out of the levels within the fair value hierarchy. Separate disclosures are required for transfers in and out of Level 1 and 2 fair value measurements, and the reasons for the transfers must be disclosed. In the reconciliation for Level 3 fair value measurements, separate disclosures are required for purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements on a gross basis. The new disclosures and clarifications of existing disclosures were effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2009, except for the disclosures about purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements in the roll forward of activity in Level 3 fair value measurements, which are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2010. The adoption of this guidance did not have any impact on our financial position or results of operations, as it only relates to disclosures.

In June 2009, the FASB amended the consolidation guidance applicable to VIEs by eliminating exceptions to consolidating qualifying special-purpose entities, changing the approach to determining a VIE’s primary beneficiary, and requiring a company to more frequently reassess whether VIEs must be consolidated. This amended guidance was effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2010. The adoption of this guidance did not have any impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-17   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

(X) Reclassifications

In fiscal year 2010, the Company revised the presentation of certain captions within the consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of operations and cash flows to provide a more concise presentation. Prior period financial statements have been revised to conform to the current year presentation.

Consolidated balance sheets

The Company has combined inventories and prepaid income taxes into the prepaid and other current assets caption. Additionally, the Company combined notes and other long-term receivables, deferred rent receivables, and deferred financing costs, net into the other assets caption.

The current portion of deferred income was historically classified within deferred income and other current liabilities. Deferred income, which also reflects the impact of the change in accounting for contingent rent (see note 3), is now separated from other current liabilities. Additionally, accrued expenses have been combined with other current liabilities.

Within long-term liabilities, the Company has combined deferred rent obligations into other long-term liabilities. The revised presentation of the balance sheet captions had no impact on total current assets, total assets, total current liabilities, or total long-term liabilities.

Consolidated statements of operations

Licensing fees and refranchising gains have been combined with the other revenues caption. Additionally, the Company combined depreciation and amortization into one caption. The changes made to other captions within operating costs and expenses were as follows:

 

 

Payroll and related benefit costs, professional services, travel expenses, and other operating costs and expenses, net were combined into a new caption, general and administrative expenses, net;

 

 

Rental expense related to general and administrative locations of $5.7 million and $5.6 million for fiscal years 2009 and 2008, respectively, was reclassified to general and administrative expenses, net; and

 

 

Non-rent occupancy costs of $2.1 million and $3.0 million for fiscal years 2009 and 2008, respectively, related to franchised locations was reclassified from general and administrative expenses, net to rental expense, which was renamed occupancy expenses—franchised restaurants.

Equity in net income of joint ventures has been reclassified within the consolidated statements of operations from other income (expense) to operating income (loss), as these investments in joint ventures represent our business model for operating our brands in Japan and Korea and are our primary source of income generation from restaurants operating in these markets. The Company also combined foreign currency gain (loss), net with gain (loss) on sale of available-for-sale securities to form a new caption, other gains (losses).

The reclassification of equity in net income of joint ventures resulted in an increase in operating income and a corresponding increase in total other expense of $14.3 million and $14.2 million for the fiscal years ended December 26, 2009 and December 27, 2008, respectively. All other revisions to the presentation of the consolidated statements of operations had no impact on total revenues, operating income (loss), income (loss) before income taxes, or net income (loss).

 

  F-18   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Consolidated statements of cash flows

The Company reclassified certain activity within the operating section of the consolidated statements of cash flows to correspond to the changes in presentation made to the consolidated balance sheets. The reclassifications had no impact on net cash provided by (used in) operating, investing, or financing activities.

(y) Subsequent events

Subsequent events have been evaluated up through the date that these consolidated financial statements were filed (see note 19).

(3) Change in accounting for contingent rental income

In certain cases, rental income is contingent on a franchisee’s sales level, in excess of a stipulated amount. Historically, the Company recognized contingent rental income prior to achieving the stipulated threshold based on the probability of achieving the threshold, which is permissible for private companies that are not subject to the guidance prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For companies subject to SEC interpretations, contingent rental income should not be recognized until the stated threshold is achieved, at which point the revenue is actually earned. As the Company is now required under its senior credit facility and Senior Notes agreements to provide financial statements that comply with SEC regulations, we elected to change our method of accounting for contingent rental income to comply with the SEC requirements. This change in accounting does not have a significant impact on our results of operations or financial position, as it only impacts the timing of revenue recognition over, typically, a one-year period within each lease agreement. Cash flows were not impacted by this change in accounting.

This change in accounting principle has been applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented. The following financial statement line items for fiscal years 2009 and 2008 were impacted by this accounting change (in thousands):

 

       December 26, 2009  
     As originally
reported
    As
adjusted
 
   

Accounts receivable, net

   $ 34,435       32,893  

Deferred income taxes, net (current)

     12,598       14,707  

Total current assets

     321,538       322,105  

Goodwill

     884,673       887,850  

Total assets

     3,220,973       3,224,717  

Deferred income(a)

     33,161       26,547  

Total current liabilities

     240,886       244,571  

Accumulated deficit

     (657,309     (657,250

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     (461,452     (461,393

Total liabilities, common stock, and stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     3,220,973       3,224,717  
   

 

(a)   Deferred income, as originally reported, of $22.9 million was combined with $14.0 million of other current liabilities in the fiscal year 2009 issued financial statements, under one caption titled deferred income and other current liabilities, which totaled $36.9 million (see note 2(x)).

 

  F-19   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

 

       December 26, 2009      December 27, 2008  
     As originally
reported
     As
adjusted
     As originally
reported
    As
adjusted
 
   

Rental income

   $ 93,182        93,651        97,662       97,886  

Total revenues

     537,604        538,073        544,705       544,929  

Operating income (loss)

     184,076         184,545         (141,117     (140,893

Income (loss) before income taxes

     73,807        74,276        (260,990     (260,766

Provision for income taxes

     39,070        39,268        9,042       9,132  

Net income (loss)

     34,737        35,008        (270,032     (269,898
   

Goodwill was increased by $3.2 million, which represents the cumulative deferral of income, net of deferred taxes, as of March 1, 2006 (the date of the BCT Acquisition). As a result of the accounting change, retained earnings as of December 29, 2007 was reduced by $346 thousand, reflecting the cumulative impact on net income through that date since the BCT Acquisition.

(4) Franchise fees and royalty income

Franchise fees and royalty income consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   

Royalty income

   $ 332,770         317,692         308,742   

Initial franchise fees, including renewal income

     27,157         26,328         40,305   
        

Total franchise fees and royalty income

   $ 359,927         344,020         349,047   
   

(5) Advertising funds

On behalf of certain Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins advertising funds, the Company collects a percentage, which typically ranges from 1.0% to 6.0%, of gross retail sales from Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisees, to be used for various forms of advertising for each brand. In most of our international markets, franchisees manage their own advertising expenditures, which are not included in the advertising fund results.

The Company administers and directs the development of all advertising and promotion programs in the advertising funds for which it collects advertising fees, in accordance with the provisions of our franchise agreements. The Company acts as, in substance, an agent with regard to these advertising contributions. We consolidate and report all assets and liabilities held by these advertising funds as restricted assets of advertising funds and liabilities of advertising funds within current assets and current liabilities, respectively, in the consolidated balance sheets. The assets and liabilities held by these advertising funds consist primarily of receivables, accrued expenses, and other liabilities related specifically to the advertising funds. The revenues, expenses, and cash flows of the advertising funds are not included in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations or consolidated statements of cash flows because the Company does not have complete discretion over the usage of the funds. Contributions to these advertising funds are restricted to advertising, product development, public relations, merchandising, and administrative expenses and programs to increase sales and further enhance the public reputation of each of the brands.

 

  F-20   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

At December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, the Company had a net payable of $23.1 million and $23.3 million, respectively, to the various advertising funds.

To cover administrative expenses of the advertising funds, the Company charges each advertising fund a management fee for such items as rent, accounting services, information technology, data processing, product development, legal, administrative support services, and other operating expenses, which amounted to $5.6 million, $6.2 million, and $6.0 million for fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively. Such management fees are included in the consolidated statements of operations as a reduction in general and administrative expenses, net.

The Company also made discretionary contributions to certain advertising funds, which amounted to $1.2 million, $1.2 million, and $698 thousand for fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively, for the purpose of supplementing national and regional advertising in certain markets.

(6) Property and equipment

Property and equipment at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009 consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
 
   

Land

   $ 30,485       30,738  

Buildings

     40,093       43,105  

Leasehold improvements

     160,369       159,208  

Store, production, and other equipment

     49,072       51,260  

Construction in progress

     3,917       4,062  
        
     283,936       288,373  

Accumulated depreciation and amortization

     (90,663     (78,714
        
   $ 193,273       209,659  
   

Total depreciation expense was $25.3 million, $26.9 million, and $28.5 million for fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively. The Company recognized impairment charges on leasehold improvements, typically due to termination of the underlying lease agreement, and other corporately-held assets of $4.8 million, $6.8 million, and $2.0 million during fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively, which are included in other impairment charges in the consolidated statements of operations.

(7) Investments in joint ventures

The Company’s ownership interests in its joint ventures as of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009 were as follows:

 

       Ownership  
Entity    December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
 
   

BR Japan

     43.3%         43.3%   

BR Korea

     33.3         33.3   
   

 

  F-21   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Summary financial information for the joint venture operations on an aggregated basis was as follows (in thousands):

 

       December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
 
   

Current assets

   $ 184,608        151,863  

Current liabilities

     86,969        78,977  
        

Working capital

     97,639        72,886  

Property, plant, and equipment, net

     102,405        81,919  

Other assets

     141,574        125,119  

Long-term liabilities

     19,084        14,814  
        

Joint venture equity

   $ 322,534        265,110  
   

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   

Revenues

   $ 580,671         495,146         463,140   

Net income

     47,664         41,577         40,130   
   

The comparison between the carrying value of our investments and the underlying equity in net assets of investments is presented in the table below (in thousands):

 

       BR Japan      BR Korea  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
 
   

Carrying value of investment

   $ 94,326         82,812         74,950         65,090   

Underlying equity in net assets of investment

     49,854         39,994         69,037         57,503   
        

Carrying value in excess of the underlying equity in net assets(a)

   $ 44,472         42,818         5,913         7,587   
   

 

(a)   The excess carrying values over the underlying equity in net assets of our joint ventures is primarily comprised of amortizable franchise rights and related tax liabilities and nonamortizable goodwill, all of which were established in the BCT Acquisition.

Equity in net income of joint ventures in the consolidated statements of operations for fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008 includes $897 thousand, $899 thousand, and $907 thousand, respectively, of net expense related to the amortization of intangible franchise rights and related deferred tax liabilities noted above. As required under the equity method of accounting, such net expense is recorded in the consolidated statements of operations directly to equity in net income of joint ventures and not shown as a component of amortization expense.

 

  F-22   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Total estimated amortization expense, net of deferred tax benefits, to be included in equity in net income of joint ventures for fiscal years 2011 through 2015 is as follows (in thousands):

 

Fiscal year:         

2011

   $ 867  

2012

     789  

2013

     705  

2014

     615  

2015

     519  
   

(8) Goodwill and other intangible assets

The changes and carrying amounts of goodwill by reporting unit were as follows (in thousands):

 

Goodwill    Dunkin’
Donuts U.S.
    Dunkin’
Donuts
International
     Baskin-
Robbins
International
    Total  
   

Balance at December 27, 2008

(as adjusted):

         

Goodwill

   $ 1,148,016       10,186        24,037       1,182,239  

Accumulated impairment charges

     (270,441             (24,037     (294,478
        

Balance at December 27, 2008

     877,575       10,186               887,761  

Effects of foreign currency adjustments

            89               89  
        

Balance at December 26, 2009

(as adjusted):

         

Goodwill

     1,148,016       10,275        24,037       1,182,328  

Accumulated impairment charges

     (270,441             (24,037     (294,478
        

Balance at December 26, 2009

     877,575       10,275               887,850  

Goodwill acquired

     780                      780  

Effects of foreign currency adjustments

            25               25  
        

Balance at December 25, 2010:

         

Goodwill

     1,148,796       10,300        24,037       1,183,133  

Accumulated impairment charges

     (270,441             (24,037     (294,478
        

Balance at December 25, 2010

   $ 878,355       10,300               888,655  
   

 

  F-23   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Other intangible assets at December 25, 2010 consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       Weighted
average
amortization
period
(years)
     Gross
carrying
amount
     Accumulated
amortization
    Net
carrying
amount
 
   

Definite lived intangibles:

          

Franchise rights

     20       $ 385,309        (100,296     285,013  

Favorable operating leases acquired

     13         90,406        (33,965     56,441  

License rights

     10         6,230        (2,997     3,233  

Indefinite lived intangible:

          

Trade names

     N/A         1,190,970               1,190,970  
           
      $ 1,672,915        (137,258     1,535,657  
   

Other intangible assets at December 26, 2009 consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       Weighted
average
amortization
period
(years)
     Gross
carrying
amount
     Accumulated
amortization
    Net
carrying
amount
 
   

Definite lived intangibles:

          

Franchise rights

     20       $ 385,088        (79,496     305,592  

Favorable operating leases acquired

     12         98,696        (32,201     66,495  

License rights

     6         31,190        (24,071     7,119  

Indefinite lived intangible:

          

Trade names

     N/A         1,190,970               1,190,970  
           
      $ 1,705,944        (135,768     1,570,176  
   

During the fourth quarter of 2008, management concluded that indicators of potential impairment were present and that an evaluation of the carrying value of goodwill and trade names was therefore required. The indicators that triggered the interim impairment tests included the economic environment and declines in peer company market values. Accordingly, the Company performed an interim test for impairment as of December 27, 2008.

The impairment test of the Baskin-Robbins trade name resulted in an impairment charge of $34.0 million, which was recorded during fiscal year 2008 to the Baskin-Robbins U.S. reporting unit, and is included in other impairment charges in the consolidated statements of operations. Fair value of the Baskin-Robbins trade name was estimated using the relief from royalty method, an income approach to valuation. As the estimated fair value of the Dunkin’ Donuts trade name exceeded its carrying value, the Company did not record any impairment on the Dunkin’ Donuts trade name.

For goodwill, an indication of impairment existed for the Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. and Baskin-Robbins International reporting units. Based on the interim results of the goodwill impairment test, a total goodwill impairment charge of $294.5 million was recorded during fiscal year 2008. Fair value of the reporting units was estimated based on a combination of market multiples and discounted cash flows to determine the implied fair value of goodwill.

 

  F-24   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

In connection with the recognition of the fiscal year 2008 noncash impairment charge for trade name intangible assets of $34.0 million, the Company recorded a deferred tax benefit of approximately $13.8 million to reduce a previously established deferred tax liability related to the above-noted intangible assets. There was no deferred tax impact as a result of the goodwill impairment charge as the goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes.

The changes in the gross carrying amount of other intangible assets from December 26, 2009 to December 25, 2010 is due to the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and the impairment of favorable operating leases acquired resulting from lease terminations. Impairment of favorable operating leases acquired totaled $2.3 million, $1.7 million, and $1.4 million for fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively, and is included in other impairment charges in the consolidated statements of operations. Additionally, during fiscal year 2010, the Company wrote off a fully amortized license right intangible asset with a gross carrying amount of $25.0 million.

Total amortization expense was $32.5 million, $36.0 million, and $37.8 million for fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively. Total estimated amortization expense for other intangible assets for fiscal years 2011 through 2015 is as follows (in thousands):

 

Fiscal year:         

2011

   $ 27,984  

2012

     26,911  

2013

     26,321  

2014

     25,778  

2015

     25,422  
   

(9) Debt

Debt at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009 consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
 
   

Term B Loans

   $ 1,243,823          

Senior Notes

     615,693          

Series 2006-1 Class A-2 Notes

             1,346,320  

Series 2006-1 Class M-1 Notes

             99,999  
        

Total debt

     1,859,516        1,446,319  

Less current portion of long-term debt

     12,500          
        

Total long-term debt

   $ 1,847,016        1,446,319  
   

Senior credit facility

The Company’s senior credit facility consists of $1.25 billion aggregate principal amount Term B Loans and a $100.0 million revolving credit facility, which were entered into by DBGI’s subsidiary, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (DBI) in November 2010. The Term B Loans and revolving credit facility mature in November 2017 and November 2015, respectively. As of December 25, 2010, $11.2 million of letters of credit were outstanding against the revolving credit facility.

 

  F-25   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Borrowings under our senior credit facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at our option, either a base rate or a Eurodollar rate. The base rate is equal to an applicable rate ranging from 2.75% to 3.25% based on a leverage ratio plus the highest of (a) the Federal Funds rate plus 0.50%, (b) a prime rate, (c) one-month LIBOR rate plus 1.00%, and (d) 2.50%. The Eurodollar rate is equal to an applicable rate ranging from 3.75% to 4.25% based on a leverage ratio plus the higher of (a) a LIBOR rate and (b) 1.50%. In addition, we are required to pay a commitment fee on our revolving credit facility for unutilized commitments at a rate of 0.50% per annum. The effective interest rate for Term B Loans, including the amortization of original issue discount and deferred financing costs, is 6.1% at December 25, 2010.

Repayments are required to be made under the Term B Loans equal to $12.5 million per calendar year, payable in quarterly installments through September 2017, with the remaining principal balance due in November 2017. Additionally, following the end of each fiscal year, if the Company’s leverage ratio, which is a measure of the Company’s cash income to outstanding debt, exceeds 5.25x, the Company is required to prepay an amount equal to 50% of excess cash flow (as defined in the senior credit facility) for such fiscal year. The first excess cash flow payment would be due in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012 based on fiscal year 2011 excess cash flow and leverage ratio. Other events and transactions, such as certain asset sales and incurrence of debt, may trigger additional mandatory prepayments. The senior credit facility requires a 1.0% prepayment premium in the event the Term B Loans or revolving credit facility is voluntarily refinanced by the Company at a reduced interest rate prior to November 2011.

The senior credit facility contains certain financial and nonfinancial covenants, which include restrictions on liens, investments, additional indebtedness, asset sales, certain dividend payments, and certain transactions with affiliates. At December 25, 2010, the Company was in compliance with all of its covenants under the senior credit facility.

Certain of the Company’s wholly owned domestic subsidiaries guarantee the senior credit facility. All obligations under the senior credit facility, and the guarantees of those obligations, are secured, subject to certain exceptions, by substantially all assets of DBI and the subsidiary guarantors.

The Term B Loans were issued with an original issue discount of $6.3 million, resulting in cash proceeds upon issuance of $1.24 billion. Total debt issuance costs incurred and capitalized in relation to the senior credit facility were $20.4 million. Total amortization of original issue discount and debt issuance costs related to the senior credit facility was $323 thousand for fiscal year 2010, which is included in interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations.

Subsequent to fiscal year 2010, the Company re-priced its senior credit facility and increased the amount of term loans outstanding to $1.40 billion (see note 19).

Senior notes

DBI issued $625.0 million face amount Senior Notes in November 2010 that mature in December 2018. Interest is payable semi-annually at a rate of 9.625% per annum. The effective interest rate for the Senior Notes, including the amortization of original issue discount and deferred financing costs, is 10.2%.

Certain of DBI’s subsidiaries have jointly and severally, irrevocably and unconditionally guaranteed the payment of the amounts due under the Senior Notes. The Senior Notes are unsecured and are effectively subordinated to the senior credit facility to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt.

 

  F-26   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

The Senior Notes contain certain covenants, which include restrictions on liens, investments, additional indebtedness, asset sales, certain dividend payments, and certain transactions with affiliates. Optional redemptions may be made at 100.0% to 102.5% of par, depending upon the timing of such redemptions. Upon a change of control, the Company must offer to purchase the Senior Notes at 101% of par. At December 25, 2010, the Company was in compliance with all of its covenants under the Senior Notes.

The Senior Notes were originally issued through a private transaction. The Company has agreed to file a registration statement with the SEC to permit either the exchange of the original notes for registered notes having substantially the same term, or the registered resale of the original notes. The exchange of notes or registration covering resales of the original notes must be completed by November 2011 or additional interest may accrue, not to exceed 1.0% per annum.

The Senior Notes were issued with an original issue discount of $9.4 million, resulting in cash proceeds upon issuance of $615.6 million. Total debt issuance costs incurred and capitalized in relation to the Senior Notes were $15.6 million. Total amortization of original issue discount and debt issuance costs related to the Senior Notes was $182 thousand for fiscal year 2010, which is included in interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations.

Subsequent to fiscal year 2010, the Company will repay $150.0 million of the Senior Notes utilizing the proceeds from the increased term loans under the senior credit facility (see note 19).

ABS Notes

On May 26, 2006, certain of the Company’s subsidiaries (the Co-Issuers) entered into a securitization transaction. In connection with this securitization transaction, the Co-Issuers issued 5.779% Fixed Rate Series 2006-1 Senior Notes, Class A-2 (Class A-2 Notes) with an initial principal amount of $1.5 billion and 8.285% Fixed Rate Series 2006-1 Subordinated Notes, Class M-1 (Class M-1 Notes) with an initial principal amount of $100.0 million. In addition, the Company also issued Class A-1 Notes (the Class A-1 Notes, together with the Class A-2 Notes and the Class M-1 Notes, the ABS Notes), which permitted the Co-Issuers to draw up to a maximum of $100.0 million on a revolving basis. As of December 26, 2009, $34.3 million of letters of credit were outstanding related to the Class A-1 Notes.

Total debt issuance costs incurred and capitalized in relation to the ABS Notes were $72.9 million, of which $6.0 million, $7.4 million, and $7.0 million was amortized to interest expense during fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively.

The ABS Notes were secured by a pledge of substantially all of the assets of the Co-Issuers. In addition, certain subsidiaries unconditionally and irrevocably guaranteed the obligations of the Co-Issuers under the ABS Notes, and such guarantee was secured by a pledge of substantially all of the assets of those subsidiaries. In addition, the payment of interest payable on the Class A-1 Notes and the Class A-2 Notes on each payment date (subject to certain limitations) and the outstanding principal amount of the Class A-1 Notes and the Class A-2 Notes on the legal final maturity date (June 20, 2031) was unconditionally and irrevocably guaranteed by Ambac.

During fiscal year 2009, the Company repurchased and retired outstanding Class A-2 Notes with a total face value of $153.7 million. The Class A-2 Notes were repurchased using available cash for a total repurchase price

 

  F-27   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

of $142.7 million. As a result of these repurchases, the Company recorded a net gain on debt extinguishment of $3.7 million, which includes the write-off of deferred financing costs of $4.8 million and pre-payment premiums paid to Ambac of $2.5 million.

In June 2010, the Company repurchased and retired outstanding Class A-2 Notes with a total face value of $99.8 million. The Class A-2 Notes were repurchased at par using available cash. As a result of this repurchase, the Company recorded a net loss on debt extinguishment of $3.7 million, which includes the write-off of deferred financing costs of $2.7 million and pre-payment premiums paid to Ambac of $1.0 million.

In December 2010, all outstanding ABS Notes were repaid in full with proceeds from the Term B Loans and Senior Notes. As a result, a net loss on debt extinguishment of $58.3 million was recorded, which includes the write-off of deferred financing costs of $34.7 million, make whole payments of $22.6 million, and other professional and legal costs.

Maturities of long-term debt

The aggregate maturities of long-term debt for each of the next five calendar years are $14.0 million per year, based on the amended senior credit facility (see note 19).

(10) Other current liabilities

Other current liabilities at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009 consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
 
   

Gift card/certificate liability

   $ 123,078        101,949  

Accrued salary and benefits

     21,307        18,753  

Accrued professional and legal costs

     9,839        6,590  

Accrued interest

     6,129        1,652  

Other

     23,241        30,328  
        

Total other current liabilities

   $ 183,594        159,272  
   

During fiscal year 2010 and 2009, the Company recognized $521 thousand and $3.2 million, respectively, of income related to gift certificate breakage within general and administrative expenses, net. The gift certificate breakage amount recognized was based upon historical redemption patterns and represents the remaining balance of gift certificates for which the Company believes the likelihood of redemption by the customer is remote. The Company determined during fiscal year 2009 that sufficient historical patterns existed to estimate breakage and therefore recognized a cumulative adjustment for all gift certificates outstanding as of December 26, 2009.

(11) Leases

The Company is the lessee on certain land leases (the Company leases the land and erects a building) or improved leases (lessor owns the land and building) covering restaurants and other properties. In addition, the Company has leased and subleased land and buildings to others. Many of these leases and subleases provide for

 

  F-28   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

future rent escalation and renewal options. In addition, contingent rentals, determined as a percentage of annual sales by our franchisees, are stipulated in certain prime lease and sublease agreements. The Company is generally obligated for the cost of property taxes, insurance, and maintenance relating to these leases. Such costs are typically charged to the sublessee based on the terms of the sublease agreements. The Company also leases certain office equipment and a fleet of automobiles under noncancelable operating leases.

Included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets are the following amounts related to capital leases (in thousands):

 

       December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
 
   

Leased property under capital leases (included in property and equipment)

   $ 5,303       5,150  

Less accumulated depreciation

     (1,379     (1,020
        
   $ 3,924       4,130  
        

Capital lease obligations:

    

Current

   $ 205       221  

Long-term

     5,160       5,217  
        
   $ 5,365       5,438  
   

Capital lease obligations exclude that portion of the minimum lease payments attributable to land, which is classified separately as operating leases. Interest expense associated with the capital lease obligations is computed using the incremental borrowing rate at the time the lease is entered into and is based on the amount of the outstanding lease obligation. Depreciation on capital lease assets is included in depreciation expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Interest expense related to capital leases for fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, was $505 thousand, $493 thousand, and $418 thousand, respectively.

Included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets are the following amounts related to assets leased to others under operating leases, where the Company is the lessor (in thousands):

 

       December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
 
   

Land

   $ 26,914       27,750  

Buildings

     37,680       40,727  

Leasehold improvements

     147,139       143,823  

Store, production, and other equipment

     245       2,650  

Construction in progress

     1,403       677  
        
     213,381       215,627  

Accumulated depreciation and amortization

     (58,341     (51,836
        
   $ 155,040       163,791  
   

 

  F-29   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Future minimum rental commitments to be paid and received by the Company at December 25, 2010 for all noncancelable leases and subleases are as follows (in thousands):

 

       Payments      Receipts
Subleases
    Net
leases
 
     Capital
leases
     Operating
leases
      
   

Fiscal year:

          

2011

   $ 686        51,363        (59,822     (7,773

2012

     691        50,812        (58,740     (7,237

2013

     702        49,757        (57,325     (6,866

2014

     721        49,200        (56,232     (6,311

2015

     754        44,878        (55,150     (9,518

Thereafter

     6,186        406,549        (425,408     (12,673
        

Total minimum rental commitments

     9,740      $ 652,559        (712,677     (50,378
           

Less amount representing interest

     4,375          
                

Present value of minimum capital lease obligations

   $ 5,365          
   

Rental expense under operating leases associated with franchised locations is included in occupancy expenses—franchised restaurants in the consolidated statements of operations. Rental expense under operating leases for all other locations, including corporate facilities and company-owned restaurants, is included in general and administrative expenses, net, in the consolidated statements of operations. Total rental expense for all operating leases consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   

Base rentals

   $ 53,704         51,819         54,038   

Contingent rentals

     4,093         3,711         4,127   
        
   $ 57,797         55,530         58,165   
   

Total rental income for all subleases consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   
            (As adjusted)      (As adjusted)  

Base rentals

   $ 66,630         67,825         69,459   

Contingent rentals

     24,472         25,826         28,427   
        
   $ 91,102         93,651         97,886   
   

 

  F-30   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

The impact of the amortization of our unfavorable operating leases acquired resulted in an increase in rental income and a decrease in rental expense as follows (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   

Increase in rental income

   $ 1,806         2,157         3,271   

Decrease in rental expense

     2,514         2,870         2,724   
        

Total increase in operating income

   $ 4,320         5,027         5,995   
   

Following is the estimated impact of the amortization of our unfavorable operating leases acquired for each of the next five years (in thousands):

 

       Decrease in
rental expense
     Increase in
rental income
     Total increase
in operating
income
 
   

Fiscal year:

        

2011

   $ 1,603        1,208        2,811  

2012

     1,325        1,056        2,381  

2013

     1,141        957        2,098  

2014

     1,084        871        1,955  

2015

     980        813        1,793  
   

(12) Segment information

The Company is strategically aligned into two global brands, Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, which are further segregated between U.S. operations and international operations. As such, the Company has determined that it has four operating segments, which are its reportable segments: Dunkin’ Donuts U.S., Dunkin’ Donuts International, Baskin-Robbins U.S., and Baskin-Robbins International. Dunkin’ Donuts U.S., Baskin-Robbins U.S., and Dunkin’ Donuts International primarily derive their revenues through royalty income, franchise fees, and rental income. Baskin-Robbins U.S. also derives revenue through license fees from a third-party license agreement. Baskin-Robbins International primarily derives its revenues from the manufacturing and sales of ice cream products, as well as royalty income, franchise fees, and license fees. The operating results of each segment are regularly reviewed and evaluated separately by the Company’s senior management, which includes, but is not limited to, the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, and worldwide brand officers. Senior management primarily evaluates the performance of its segments and allocates resources to them based on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, impairment charges, foreign currency gains and losses, other gains and losses, and unallocated corporate charges, referred to as segment profit. When senior management reviews a balance sheet, it is at a consolidated level. The accounting policies applicable to each segment are consistent with those used in the consolidated financial statements.

Revenues for Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. include royalties and rental income earned from company-owned restaurants. Revenues for all other segments include only transactions with unaffiliated customers and include no intersegment revenues. Revenues reported as “Other” include retail sales for company-owned restaurants,

 

  F-31   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

as well as revenue earned through arrangements with third parties in which our brand names are used and revenue generated from online training programs for franchisees that are not allocated to a specific segment. Revenues by segment were as follows (in thousands):

 

       Revenues  
     Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
    December 27,
2008
 
   
           (As adjusted)     (As adjusted)  

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

   $ 402,394        387,595        397,176   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

     14,128        12,326        13,241   

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

     42,920        46,293        50,499   

Baskin-Robbins International

     91,285        80,764        76,066   
        

Total reportable segments

     550,727        526,978        536,982   

Other

     28,465        11,428        7,947   

Elimination of company-owned restaurants’ royalties and rental income

     (2,057     (333       
        

Total revenues

   $ 577,135        538,073        544,929   
   

Revenues for foreign countries are represented by the Dunkin’ Donuts International and Baskin-Robbins International segments above. No individual foreign country accounted for more than 10% of total revenues for any fiscal year presented.

For purposes of evaluating segment profit, Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. includes the net operating income earned from company-owned restaurants. Expenses included in “Corporate and other” in the segment profit table below include corporate overhead costs, such as payroll and related benefit costs and professional services. Segment profit by segment was as follows (in thousands):

 

       Segment profit  
     Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
    December 27,
2008
 
   
           (As adjusted)     (As adjusted)  

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

   $ 293,132        275,961        288,009   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

     14,573        12,628        14,534   

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

     27,607        33,459        33,925   

Baskin-Robbins International

     41,596        41,212        33,257   
        

Total reportable segments

     376,908        363,260        369,725   

Corporate and other

     (118,482     (107,287     (112,456

Interest expense, net

     (112,532     (115,019     (115,944

Depreciation and amortization

     (57,826     (62,911     (66,300

Goodwill impairment

                   (294,478

Other impairment charges

     (7,075     (8,517     (37,384

Gain (loss) on debt extinguishment

     (61,955     3,684          

Other gains (losses), net

     408        1,066        (3,929
        

Income (loss) before income taxes

   $ 19,446        74,276        (260,766
   

 

  F-32   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Equity in net income of joint ventures, including amortization on intangibles resulting from the BCT Acquisition, is included in segment profit for the Dunkin’ Donuts International and Baskin-Robbins International reportable segments. Equity in net income of joint ventures by reportable segment was as follows (in thousands):

 

       Equity in net income of joint ventures  
     Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

   $ 3,913         3,718         4,385   

Baskin-Robbins International

     13,912         10,583         9,784   
        

Total equity in net income of joint ventures

   $ 17,825         14,301         14,169   
   

Depreciation and amortization is not included in segment profit for each reportable segment. However, depreciation and amortization is included in the financial results regularly provided to the Company’s senior management. Depreciation and amortization by reportable segments was as follows (in thousands):

 

       Depreciation and amortization  
     Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

   $ 21,802         24,035         25,475   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

     129         143         222   

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

     760         1,079         1,590   

Baskin-Robbins International

     1,183         1,173         1,294   
        

Total reportable segments

     23,874         26,430         28,581   

Corporate and other

     33,952         36,481         37,719   
        

Total depreciation and amortization

   $ 57,826         62,911         66,300   
   

Property and equipment, net by geographic region as of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009 are based on the physical locations within the indicated geographic regions and are as follows (in thousands):

 

       December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
 
   

United States

   $ 187,862        204,708  

International

     5,411        4,951  
        
   $ 193,273        209,659  
   

(13) Stockholders’ equity

(a) Common Stock

Our charter authorizes the Company to issue two classes of common stock, Class A and Class L. The rights of the holders of Class A and Class L common stock are identical, except with respect to priority in the event of a distribution, as defined. The Class L common stock is entitled to a preference with respect to all distributions by

 

  F-33   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

the Company until the holders of Class L common stock have received an amount equal to the Class L base amount of approximately forty-one dollars and seventy-five cents per share, plus an amount sufficient to generate an internal rate of return of 9% per annum on the Class L base amount, compounded quarterly. Thereafter, the Class A common stock and Class L common stock share ratably in all distributions by the Company. In the event of a change of control or an initial public offering of the Company, each share of Class L common stock is convertible into a number of shares of Class A common stock based on the fair market value of a Class A share at such time. Class L common stock is classified outside of permanent equity in the consolidated balance sheets at its preferential distribution amount, as the Class L stockholders control the timing and amount of distributions. The Class L preferred return of 9% per annum, compounded quarterly, is added to the Class L preferential distribution amount each period and recorded as an increase to accumulated deficit. Dividends paid on the Class L common stock reduce the Class L preferential distribution amount.

On December 3, 2010, the board of directors declared an aggregate dividend in the amount of $500.0 million, or $21.93 per share, payable on that date in accordance with the Company’s charter to the holders of Class L common stock as of that date. The dividend was recorded as a reduction to Class L common stock.

Class A shares issued and outstanding included in the consolidated balance sheets include vested and unvested restricted shares. Class A shares of common stock in the consolidated statement of stockholders’ equity and comprehensive income (loss) exclude unvested restricted shares.

(b) Treasury stock

During fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, the Company repurchased a total of 885,280 shares, 919,869 shares, and 359,836 shares, respectively, of Class A common stock and 65,414 shares, 72,859 shares, and 24,789 shares, respectively, of Class L common stock that were originally sold and granted to former employees of the Company. The Company accounts for treasury stock under the cost method, and as such has recorded a total of $1.8 million in Class A treasury stock as of December 25, 2010 based on the fair market value of the shares on the respective dates of repurchase. Repurchases of Class L common stock are recorded as reductions to Class L common stock.

(c) Equity incentive plans

The Company’s 2006 Executive Incentive Plan, as amended, (the 2006 Plan), provides for the grant of stock-based and other incentive awards. A maximum of 55,689,151 shares of Class A common stock may be delivered in satisfaction of awards under the 2006 Plan, of which a maximum of 22,899,228 shares may be awarded as nonvested (restricted) shares and a maximum of 32,789,923 may be delivered in satisfaction of stock options.

 

  F-34   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Total share-based compensation expense, which is included in general and administrative expenses, net, consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   

Restricted shares

   $ 639         1,684         1,700   

Stock options—executive

     703                   

Stock options—nonexecutive

     119         61         49   
        

Total share-based compensation

   $ 1,461         1,745         1,749   
        

Total related tax benefit

   $ 619         676         699   
   

Nonvested (restricted) shares

The Company has issued restricted shares of Class A common stock to certain executive officers of the Company. The restricted shares generally vest in three separate tranches with different vesting conditions. In addition to the vesting conditions described below, all three tranches of the restricted shares provide for partial or full accelerated vesting upon change in control. Restricted shares that do not vest are forfeited to the Company.

Tranche 1 shares generally vest in four or five equal annual installments based on a service condition. The weighted average requisite service period for the Tranche 1 shares is approximately 4.4 years, and compensation cost is recognized ratably over this requisite service period.

For the restricted shares granted in May 2006, the Tranche 2 shares generally vest in installments on August 31, 2006, December 29, 2007, and continuing annually through December 25, 2010 based on a service condition and performance conditions linked to specific financial targets. As the Tranche 2 shares vest in installments and contain a performance condition, these shares are treated as five separate awards with five separate vesting dates and requisite service periods. The requisite service periods for the Tranche 2 shares are approximately 0.3 years for the shares that vested on August 31, 2006, 1.3 years for the shares that vested on December 29, 2007, and approximately 1.0 year for the remaining vesting periods. Total compensation cost for the Tranche 2 shares is determined based on the most likely outcome of the performance conditions and the number of awards expected to vest based on those outcomes.

For all other restricted shares granted, the Tranche 2 shares generally vest in five annual installments beginning on the last day of the fiscal year of grant based on a service condition and performance conditions linked to specific financial targets. These shares are also treated as five separate awards with five separate vesting dates and requisite service periods. The requisite service periods for these Tranche 2 shares range from 0.2 to 0.5 years for the shares that vest in the year of grant and approximately 1.0 year for the remaining vesting periods.

Tranche 3 shares generally vest in four annual installments based on a service condition, a performance condition, and market conditions linked to investor internal rate of return metrics as defined in the restricted stock awards. However, the Tranche 3 shares do not begin to vest until the achievement of an initial public offering or change of control (performance condition), which is not yet probable of occurring. Once the

 

  F-35   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

occurrence of the performance condition is deemed probable, the derived service period of the market condition will be determined based on a valuation model. As the Tranche 3 shares require the satisfaction of multiple vesting conditions, the requisite service period will be the longest of the explicit, implicit, and derived service periods of the service, performance, and market conditions. As the performance condition cannot currently be deemed probable of occurring, no compensation cost has been recognized related to the Tranche 3 shares.

A summary of the changes in the Company’s restricted shares during fiscal year 2010 is presented below:

 

       Number of
shares
    Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
 
   

Restricted shares at December 26, 2009

     9,218,019     $ 0.95   

Granted

              

Vested

     (1,341,142     1.00   

Forfeited

     (2,916,818     1.00   
          

Restricted shares at December 25, 2010

     4,960,059       0.94   
   

The fair value of each restricted share was estimated on the date of grant based on recent transactions and third-party valuations of the Company’s common stock. As of December 25, 2010, there was $184 thousand of total unrecognized compensation cost related to the Tranche 1 restricted shares granted under the 2006 Plan. Unrecognized compensation cost related to the Tranche 1 shares is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.3 years. The total potential unrecognized compensation cost related to the Tranche 2 shares is $170 thousand. As the performance condition for Tranche 2 shares is not deemed probable of occurring, it is unlikely the compensation cost will be recognized. The total potential unrecognized compensation cost related to the Tranche 3 shares is $3.9 million, and no compensation cost will be recognized until the related performance condition is deemed probable of occurring. The total grant-date fair value of shares vested during fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008 was $1.3 million, $1.9 million, and $1.8 million, respectively.

Stock options—executive

During fiscal year 2010, the Company granted options to executives to purchase 21,700,000 shares of Class A common stock under the 2006 Plan. The executive options vest in two separate tranches, 30% allocated as Tranche 4 and 70% allocated as Tranche 5, each with different vesting conditions. In addition to the vesting conditions described below, both tranches provide for partial accelerated vesting upon change in control. The maximum contractual term of the executive options is ten years.

The Tranche 4 executive options generally vest in equal annual amounts over a five-year period subsequent to the grant date, and as such are subject to a service condition. Certain options provide for accelerated vesting at the date of grant, with 20% of the Tranche 4 options vesting on each subsequent anniversary of the grant date over a three or four-year period. The requisite service periods over which compensation cost is being recognized ranges from three to five years.

 

  F-36   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

The Tranche 5 executive options generally vest based on continued service over a five-year period and achievement of specified investor returns upon a sale, distribution, or dividend. Certain options provide for eligible vesting over a three or four-year period with a portion of the options being eligible to vest at the date of grant, subject to a liquidity event and the achievement of the specified investor returns. As such, the Tranche 5 options are subject to service, performance, and market conditions. As the Tranche 5 options require the satisfaction of multiple vesting conditions, the requisite service period will be the longest of the explicit, implicit, and derived service periods of the service, performance, and market conditions. As the performance condition cannot currently be deemed probable of occurring, no compensation cost has been recognized related to the Tranche 5 options.

The fair value of the Tranche 4 options was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The fair value of the Tranche 5 options was estimated on the date of grant using a combination of lattice models and Monte Carlo simulations. These models are impacted by the Company’s stock price and certain assumptions related to the Company’s stock and employees’ exercise behavior. Additionally, the value of the Tranche 5 options is impacted by the probability of achievement of the market condition. The following weighted average assumptions were utilized in determining the fair value of executive options granted during fiscal years 2010:

 

       Fiscal year
ended
December 25,
2010
 

Weighted average grant-date fair value of share options granted

   $0.33

Significant assumptions:

  

Tranche 4 options:

  

Risk-free interest rate

   2.0%–2.8%

Expected volatility

   58.0%

Dividend yield

  

Expected term (years)

   5.6–6.5

Tranche 5 options:

  

Risk-free interest rate

   2.3%–3.4%

Expected volatility

   43.1%–66.4%

Dividend yield

  
 

The expected term of the Tranche 4 options was estimated utilizing the simplified method. The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on yields of U.S. Treasury securities in effect at the date of grant with terms similar to the expected term. Expected volatility was estimated based on historical volatility of peer companies over a period equivalent to the expected term. Additionally, the Company does not currently anticipate paying dividends on the underlying Class A common stock.

As share-based compensation expense recognized is based on awards ultimately expected to vest, it has been reduced for estimated forfeitures of generally 10% per year. Forfeitures are required to be estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates. Forfeitures were estimated based on historical and forecasted turnover.

 

  F-37   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

A summary of the status of the Company’s executive stock options as of December 25, 2010 and changes during fiscal year 2010 are presented below:

 

       Number of
shares
    Weighted
average
exercise
price
     Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term (years)
 
   

Share options outstanding at December 26, 2009

          $           

Granted

     21,700,000       0.68           

Exercised

                      

Forfeited or expired

     (1,260,000     0.66           
             

Share options outstanding at December 25, 2010

     20,440,000       0.68         9.2   
             

Share options exercisable at December 25, 2010

     819,000       0.66         9.2   
   

As of December 25, 2010, there was $1.7 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to executive stock options granted under the 2006 Plan. Unrecognized compensation cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 3.7 years.

Stock options—nonexecutive

During fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, the Company granted options to nonexecutives to purchase 1,015,000 shares, 68,100 shares, and 318,000 shares, respectively, of Class A common stock under the 2006 Plan. The nonexecutive options vest in equal annual amounts over a five-year period subsequent to the grant date, and as such are subject to a service condition, and also fully vest upon a change of control. The requisite service period over which compensation cost is being recognized is five years. The maximum contractual term of the nonexecutive options is ten years.

The fair value of nonexecutive options was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. This model is impacted by the Company’s stock price and certain assumptions related to the Company’s stock and employees’ exercise behavior. The following weighted average assumptions were utilized in determining the fair value of nonexecutive options granted during fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008:

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   

Weighted average grant-date fair value of share options granted

   $ 0.63         0.17         0.45   

Weighted average assumptions:

        

Risk-free interest rate

     2.1%         2.3%         3.6%   

Expected volatility

     58.0         37.0         30.0   

Dividend yield

                       

Expected term (years)

     6.5         6.5         6.5   
   

The expected term was estimated utilizing the simplified method. The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on yields of U.S. Treasury securities in effect at the date of grant with terms similar to the expected term.

 

  F-38   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

Expected volatility was estimated based on historical volatility of peer companies over a period equivalent to the expected term. Additionally, the Company does not currently anticipate paying dividends on the underlying Class A common stock.

As share-based compensation expense recognized is based on awards ultimately expected to vest, it has been reduced for annualized estimated forfeitures of 13%. Forfeitures are required to be estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates. Forfeitures were estimated based on historical and forecasted turnover.

A summary of the status of the Company’s nonexecutive stock options as of December 25, 2010 and changes during fiscal year 2010 is presented below:

 

       Number of
shares
    Weighted
average
exercise
price
     Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term (years)
 
   

Share options outstanding at December 26, 2009

     786,850     $ 1.03         7.6   

Granted

     1,015,000       1.10      

Exercised

                 

Forfeited or expired

     (156,880     1.04      
             

Share options outstanding at December 25, 2010

     1,644,970       1.07         8.5   
             

Share options exercisable at December 25, 2010

     374,080       1.04         6.3   
   

As of December 25, 2010, there was $452 thousand of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonexecutive stock options granted under the 2006 Plan. Unrecognized compensation cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 4.2 years.

(d) Accumulated other comprehensive income

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income were as follows (in thousands):

 

       December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
 
   
           (As adjusted)  

Effect of foreign currency translation

   $ 14,350        4,726   

Other

     (723     (297
        

Total accumulated other comprehensive income

   $ 13,627        4,429   
   

 

  F-39   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

(14) Income taxes

Income (loss) before income taxes was attributed to domestic and foreign taxing jurisdictions as follows (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   
            (As adjusted)      (As adjusted)  

Domestic operations

   $ 2,270         54,804         (269,867

Foreign operations

     17,176         19,472         9,101   
        

Income (loss) before income taxes

   $ 19,446         74,276         (260,766
   

The components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes were as follows (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   
           (As adjusted)      (As adjusted)  

Current:

       

Federal

   $ 11,497        8,575         22,606   

State

     5,339        8,585         7,498   

Foreign

     4,138        3,807         3,175   
        

Current tax provision

     20,974        20,967         33,279   
        

Deferred:

       

Federal

     (16,916     15,773         (15,656

State

     (10,397     2,239         (8,461

Foreign

     (1,076     289         (30
        

Deferred tax provision (benefit)

     (28,389     18,301         (24,147
        

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

   $ (7,415     39,268         9,132   
   

 

  F-40   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

The provision for income taxes from continuing operations differed from the expense computed using the statutory federal income tax rate of 35% due to the following:

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   
            (As adjusted)      (As adjusted)  

Computed federal income tax expense, at statutory rate

     35.0%          35.0%         35.0%    

Permanent differences:

        

Goodwill impairment

     —              —              (39.5)       

Other permanent differences

     1.7              0.5              (0.2)       

State income taxes

     (25.4)             4.8              0.9        

Benefits and taxes related to foreign operations

     (33.4)             (6.9)             1.6        

Change in valuation allowance

     —              7.8              —       

Uncertain tax positions

     (16.1)             12.3              (1.3)       

Other

     0.1              (0.6)             —       
        
     (38.1)%         52.9%          (3.5)%   
   

During the year ended December 25, 2010, the Company recognized a deferred tax benefit of $5.7 million, due to changes in the estimated apportionment of income among the states in which the Company earns income and enacted changes in future state income tax rates. During the year ended December 27, 2008, the Company recognized a deferred tax benefit of $4.4 million, due to enacted changes in future state income tax rates. These changes in estimates and enacted tax rates affect the tax rate expected to be in effect in future periods when the deferred tax assets and liabilities reverse.

 

  F-41   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

The components of deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in thousands):

 

      December 25, 2010     December 26, 2009  
    Deferred tax
assets
    Deferred tax
liabilities
    Deferred tax
assets
    Deferred tax
liabilities
 
   
                (As adjusted)        

Current:

       

Allowance for doubtful accounts

  $ 1,774              2,238         

Deferred gift certificates

    2,544              2,644         

Rent

    2,147              2,111         

Deferred revenue

    7,757              8,248         

Accrued expenses

    3,142              3,875         

Other

    998              2,117         
       
    18,362              21,233         

Valuation allowance

    (5,792            (6,526       
       

Total current

    12,570              14,707         
       

Noncurrent:

       

Capital leases

    492              438         

Rent

    1,465              855         

Property and equipment

           11,992              14,936  

Deferred compensation and long-term incentive accrual

    1,825              171         

Deferred revenue

    7,833              13,221         

Real estate reserves

    1,669              1,565         

Franchise rights and other intangibles

           600,481              619,509  

Capital loss

    18,876              18,876         

Other

    7,060                     6,655  
       
    39,220       612,473       35,126       641,100  

Valuation allowance

    (13,084            (12,350       
       

Total noncurrent

    26,136       612,473       22,776       641,100  
       
  $ 38,706       612,473       37,483       641,100  
   

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. Based upon the level of historical taxable income, and projections for future taxable income over the periods for which the deferred tax assets are deductible, management believes, as of December 25, 2010, it is more likely than not that the Company will realize the benefits of the deferred tax assets.

 

  F-42   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

As of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets was $18.9 million. These valuation allowance amounts relate to deferred tax assets for capital loss carryforwards. During fiscal year 2009, the Company recognized no change in this specific deferred tax asset and an increase to the related valuation allowance of $5.8 million, which represents a full valuation allowance against the asset. The Company recorded the valuation allowance at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009 because it is more likely than not that there will not be sufficient capital gain income in future periods to utilize the remaining capital loss carryforwards. Any future reversal of the valuation allowance related to these capital loss carryforwards will be recorded to the provision for income taxes in the consolidated statements of operations. The capital loss carryforwards will expire in 2012.

The Company has not recognized a deferred tax liability of $8.7 million for the undistributed earnings of foreign operations, net of foreign tax credits, relating to our foreign joint ventures that arose in 2010 and prior years because the Company currently does not expect those unremitted earnings to reverse and become taxable to the Company in the foreseeable future. A deferred tax liability will be recognized when the Company is no longer able to demonstrate that it plans to permanently reinvest undistributed earnings. As of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, the undistributed earnings of these joint ventures were approximately $97.9 million and $80.0 million, respectively.

At December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions was $17.5 million and $27.1 million, respectively. Of the total unrecognized tax benefits at December 25, 2010, $13.5 million would impact the effective tax rate if recognized. At December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, the Company had approximately $12.1 million and $12.0 million, respectively, of accrued interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions. During fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, the Company recorded $0.6 million, $6.2 million, and $0.9 million, respectively, in income tax expense to accrue for potential interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions.

The Company’s major tax jurisdictions are the United States and Canada. For Canada, the Company has open tax years dating back to tax years ended August 2001. In the United States, the Company is currently under audit in certain state jurisdictions for tax periods after August 2003 and has agreed to statute extensions in certain jurisdictions, including New York State and New York City. It is uncertain that these audits will conclude in 2011 and quantification of an estimated impact on the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits cannot be made at this time. For U.S. federal taxes, the Company has open tax years dating back to 2006. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is conducting an examination of certain tax positions related to the utilization of capital losses. During 2010, the Company made a payment of approximately $6.0 million to the IRS for this issue. The payment did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position.

On August 12, 2010, the Company received a Revenue Agent Report (RAR) from the IRS relating to its field examination of our U.S. federal income tax returns for fiscal years 2006 and 2007. The IRS has proposed adjustments for these periods to increase our taxable income as it relates to our gift card program, specifically to record taxable income upon the activation of gift cards. The proposed adjustment would result in additional taxable income of approximately $58.9 million for these years and approximately $26.0 million of additional federal and state taxes and interest owed, net of federal and state benefits. If the IRS prevails, a cash payment would be required and the additional taxable income would represent temporary differences that will be deductible in future years. Therefore, the potential tax expense impact attributable to the IRS adjustments for

 

  F-43   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

2006 and 2007 would be limited to $2.1 million, consisting of federal and state interest, net of federal and state benefits. Furthermore, if the IRS prevails it is likely to make similar claims for years subsequent to fiscal 2007 and our fiscal 2008 U.S. federal income tax return is currently being reviewed by the IRS. The potential additional federal and state taxes and interest owed, net of federal and state benefits, for these later years, through 2010, computed on a similar basis to the IRS method used for 2006 and 2007, and factoring in for the timing of our gift card uses and activations, would be approximately $19.2 million. The corresponding potential tax expense impact attributable to these later fiscal years, 2008 through 2010, would be $0.3 million, consisting of federal and state interest, net of federal and state benefits.

We believe that the Company has properly reported taxable income and paid taxes in accordance with applicable laws and that the proposed adjustment is inconsistent with our franchisor model and the structure of our gift card program. Since the inception of our gift card program, the Company and its franchisees have understood that gift card funds would be utilized specifically for the gift card program and cash related to the program has been segregated and treated as a bona fide liability due to franchisees for such use. We have filed a protest to the IRS’ proposed adjustments on such basis; in addition, we believe we have alternative grounds to appeal on should this position be denied. We intend to vigorously defend our position. At December 25, 2010, we have not recorded additional tax liability within our consolidated balance sheets for the proposed adjustments, as we believe it is more likely than not that we will prevail in our appeal. However, no assurance can be made that we will prevail in the final resolution. The Company does not expect resolution of this matter within the next fiscal year and cannot predict with certainty the timing of such resolution.

A summary of the changes in the Company’s unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
    December 27,
2008
 
   

Balance at beginning of year

   $ 27,092        16,861        16,757   

Increases related to prior year tax positions

     792        8,580        1,112   

Increases related to current year tax positions

     1,373        1,823        1,721   

Decreases related to prior year tax positions

     (4,721            (84

Decreases related to settlements

     (6,622            (127

Lapses of statutes of limitations

     (534     (828     (1,612

Effect of foreign currency adjustments

     169        656        (906
        

Balance at end of year

   $ 17,549        27,092        16,861   
   

(15) Commitments and contingencies

(a) Lease commitments

The Company is party to various leases for property, including land and buildings, leased automobiles and office equipment under noncancelable operating and capital lease arrangements (see note 11).

(b) Guarantees

The Company has established agreements with certain financial institutions whereby the Company’s franchisees can obtain financing with terms of approximately five to ten years for various business purposes. Substantially

 

  F-44   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

all loan proceeds are used by the franchisees to finance store improvements, new store development, new central production locations, equipment purchases, related business acquisition costs, working capital, and other costs. In limited instances, the Company guarantees a portion of the payments and commitments of the franchisees, which is collateralized by the store equipment owned by the franchisee. Under the terms of the agreements, in the event that all outstanding borrowings come due simultaneously, the Company would be contingently liable for $7.7 million and $8.8 million at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, respectively. At December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, there were no amounts under such guarantees that were due. The fair value of the guarantee liability and corresponding asset recorded on the consolidated balance sheets was $1.0 million and $1.5 million, respectively, at December 25, 2010 and $1.5 million and $2.6 million, respectively, at December 26, 2009. The Company assesses the risk of performing under these guarantees for each franchisee relationship on a quarterly basis. As of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, the Company had recorded reserves for such guarantees of $1.2 million and $790 thousand, respectively.

The Company has entered into a third-party guarantee with a distribution facility of franchisee products that ensures franchisees will purchase a certain volume of product over a ten-year period. As product is purchased by the Company’s franchisees over the term of the agreement, the amount of the guarantee is reduced. As of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, the Company was contingently liable for $8.6 million and $9.3 million, respectively, under this guarantee. Based on current internal forecasts, the Company believes the franchisees will achieve the required volume of purchases, and therefore, the Company would not be required to make payments under this agreement. Additionally, the Company has various supply chain contracts that provide for purchase commitments or exclusivity, the majority of which result in the Company being contingently liable upon early termination of the agreement or engaging with another supplier. Based on prior history and the Company’s ability to extend contract terms, we have not recorded any liabilities related to these commitments. As of December 25, 2010, we were contingently liable under such supply chain agreements for approximately $16 million.

As a result of assigning our interest in obligations under property leases as a condition of the refranchising of certain restaurants and the guarantee of certain other leases, we are contingently liable on certain lease agreements. These leases have varying terms, the latest of which expires in 2024. As of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, the potential amount of undiscounted payments the Company could be required to make in the event of nonpayment by the primary lessee was $7.2 million and $6.9 million, respectively. Our franchisees are the primary lessees under the majority of these leases. The Company generally has cross-default provisions with these franchisees that would put them in default of their franchise agreement in the event of nonpayment under the lease. We believe these cross-default provisions significantly reduce the risk that we will be required to make payments under these leases. Accordingly, we do not believe it is probable that the Company will be required to make payments under such leases, and we have not recorded a liability for such contingent liabilities.

(c) Letters of credit

At December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, the Company had standby letters of credit outstanding for a total of $11.2 million and $34.3 million, respectively. There were no amounts drawn down on these letters of credit.

 

  F-45   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

(d) Legal matters

The Company is engaged in several matters of litigation arising in the ordinary course of its business as a franchisor. Such matters include disputes related to compliance with the terms of franchise and development agreements, including claims or threats of claims of breach of contract, negligence, and other alleged violations by the Company. At December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, contingent liabilities totaling $4.2 million and $810 thousand, respectively, were included in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets to reflect the Company’s estimate of the potential loss which may be incurred in connection with these matters. While the Company intends to vigorously defend its positions against all claims in these lawsuits and disputes, it is reasonably possible that the losses in connection with these matters could increase by up to an additional $8.0 million based on the outcome of ongoing litigation or negotiations.

(16) Retirement plans

401(k) Plan

Employees of the Company, excluding employees of certain international subsidiaries, participate in a defined contribution retirement plan, the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. 401(k) Retirement Plan (401(k) Plan), under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). Under the 401(k) Plan, employees may contribute up to 50% of their base salary as a pre-tax deduction, not to exceed the annual limits set by the IRS. The 401(k) Plan allows the Company to match participants’ contributions in an amount determined in the sole discretion of the Company. The Company matched participants’ contributions during fiscal year 2010, January through February 2009, and fiscal year 2008, up to a maximum of 4% of the employee’s salary. The Company provided a 1% match for participants’ contributions that were made between March and December 2009. Employer contributions for fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008 amounted to $2.1 million, $1.1 million, and $2.6 million, respectively. The 401(k) Plan also provides for an additional discretionary contribution of up to 2% of eligible wages for eligible participants based on the achievement of specified performance targets. Based on the level of achievement of such performance targets, the Company recorded no expense for fiscal years 2010 and 2009, and $656 thousand for fiscal year 2008 related to such additional matching contributions.

Deferred compensation plan

The Company, excluding employees of certain international subsidiaries, also offers to a limited group of management and highly compensated employees, as defined by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the ability to participate in the DCP Plan. The DCP Plan allows for pre-tax contributions of up to 50% of a participant’s base annual salary and other forms of compensation, as defined. The Company credits the amounts deferred with earnings based on the investment options selected by the participants and holds investments to partially offset the Company’s liabilities under the DCP Plan. The DCP Plan liability, included in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets, was $7.4 million and $7.3 million at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, respectively. As of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, total investments held for the DCP Plan were $4.3 million and $4.8 million, respectively, and have been recorded in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets.

Canadian pension plan

The Company sponsors a contributory defined benefit pension plan in Canada, The Baskin-Robbins Employees’ Pension Plan (Canadian Pension Plan), which provides retirement benefits for the majority of its employees.

 

  F-46   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

The components of net pension expense are as follows (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
    December 27,
2008
 
   

Service cost

   $ 155        99        174   

Interest cost

     316        276        272   

Expected return on plan assets

     (287     (242     (319

Amortization of net actuarial loss

     26                 
        

Net pension expense

   $ 210        133        127   
   

The table below summarizes other balances for fiscal years 2010 and 2009 (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
    December 26,
2009
 
   

Change in benefit obligation:

    

Benefit obligation, beginning of year

   $ 5,087       3,532  

Service cost

     155       99  

Interest cost

     316       276  

Employee contributions

     69       51  

Benefits paid

     (218     (196

Actuarial loss

     417       675  

Foreign currency loss, net

     216       650  
        

Benefit obligation, end of year

   $ 6,042       5,087  
        

Change in plan assets:

    

Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year

   $ 4,247       3,162  

Actual return on plan assets

     287       395  

Employer contribution

     310       278  

Employee contributions

     69       51  

Benefits paid

     (218     (196

Actuarial loss

     (74       

Foreign currency gain, net

     176       557  
        

Fair value of plan assets, end of year

   $ 4,797       4,247  
        

Reconciliation of funded status:

    

Funded status

   $ (1,245     (840
        

Net amount recognized at end of period

   $ (1,245     (840
        

Amounts recognized in the balance sheet consist of:

    

Accrued benefit cost

   $ (1,245     (840
        

Net amount recognized at end of period

   $ (1,245     (840
   

 

  F-47   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

The investments of the Canadian Pension Plan consisted of one pooled investment fund (pooled fund) at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009. The pooled fund is comprised of numerous underlying investments and is valued at the unit fair values supplied by the fund’s administrator, which represents the fund’s proportionate share of underlying net assets at market value determined using closing market prices. The pooled fund is considered Level 2, as defined by U.S. GAAP, because the inputs used to calculate the fair value are derived principally from observable market data. The objective of the pooled fund is to generate both capital growth and income, while maintaining a relatively low level of risk. To achieve its objectives, the pooled investment invests in a number of underlying funds that have holdings in a number of different asset classes while also investing directly in equities and fixed instruments issued from around the world. The Canadian Pension Plan assumes a concentration of risk as it is invested in only one investment. The risk is mitigated as the pooled investment consists of a diverse range of underlying investments. The allocation of the assets within the pooled fund consisted of the following:

 

       December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
 
   

Equity securities

     59%         58%   

Debt securities

     40         38   

Other

     1         4   
   

The actuarial assumptions used in determining the present value of accrued pension benefits at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009 were as follows:

 

       December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
 
   

Discount rate

     5.50%         6.00%   

Average salary increase for pensionable earnings

     3.25         3.25   
   

The actuarial assumptions used in determining the present value of our net periodic benefit cost were as follows:

 

       December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
 
   

Discount rate

     6.00%         7.25%   

Average salary increase for pensionable earnings

     3.25         3.25   

Expected return on plan assets

     6.50         7.00   
   

The accumulated benefit obligation was $5.0 million and $4.3 million at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, respectively. We recognize a net liability or asset and an offsetting adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive income to report the funded status of the Canadian Pension Plan.

 

  F-48   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

We anticipate contributing approximately $317 thousand to this plan in 2011. Expected benefit payments for the next five years and thereafter are as follows (in thousands):

 

Fiscal year:         

2011

   $ 222  

2012

     231  

2013

     244  

2014

     259  

2015

     278  

Thereafter

     1,785  
        
   $ 3,019  
   

Baskin-Robbins SERP

In 1991, we established a supplemental executive retirement plan (SERP) for a select group of Baskin-Robbins executives who constitute a “top hat” group as defined by ERISA. Assets of the SERP are held in a Rabbi Trust (Trust). The SERP assets are invested in money market funds and are included in our consolidated balance sheets within other assets since the Trust permits our creditors to access our SERP assets in the event of our insolvency. The SERP assets of $909 thousand and $1.0 million, and corresponding liabilities of $1.6 million and $1.6 million, at December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, respectively, are included in other assets, and other long-term liabilities, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

(17) Related-party transactions

(a) Sponsors

The Company is charged an annual management fee by the Sponsors of $1.0 million per Sponsor, payable in quarterly installments. The Company recognized $3.0 million of expense per year during fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008 related to Sponsor management fees, which is included in general and administrative expenses, net in the consolidated statements of operations. At December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, the Company had $500 thousand of prepaid management fees to the Sponsors, which were recorded in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the consolidated balance sheets.

At December 25, 2010, certain affiliates of the Sponsors held $70.6 million of term loans, net of original issue discount, issued under the Company’s senior credit facility. The terms of these loans are identical to all other term loans issued to lenders in the senior credit facility.

(b) Joint ventures

The Company received royalties from its joint ventures as follows (in thousands):

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 25,
2010
     December 26,
2009
     December 27,
2008
 
   

BR Japan

   $ 2,110         1,786         1,387   

BR Korea

     2,990         2,637         2,471   
        
   $ 5,100         4,423         3,858   
   

 

  F-49   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to consolidated financial statements—(continued)

December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009

 

The Company made payments to BR Korea and BR Japan totaling approximately $1.5 million, $409 thousand, and $221 thousand in fiscal years 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively, primarily for the purchase of ice cream products.

(18) Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts were as follows (in thousands):

 

       Accounts
Receivable
    Notes and Other
Receivable
 
   

Balance at December 29, 2007

   $ 2,215       302  

Provision for doubtful accounts, net

     4,682       1,209  

Write-offs and other

     (1,520     (1,257
                

Balance at December 27, 2008

     5,377       254  

Provision for doubtful accounts, net

     3,792       3,571  

Write-offs and other

     (3,401     (2,480
                

Balance at December 26, 2009

     5,768       1,345  

Provision for doubtful accounts, net

     13       1,492  

Write-offs and other

     (263     (394
                

Balance at December 25, 2010

   $ 5,518       2,443  
   

(19) Subsequent event

On February 18, 2011, the Company completed a re-pricing of its senior credit facility, as well as increased the size of the term loans from $1.25 billion to $1.40 billion. The incremental proceeds of the term loans were used to repay $150.0 million of the Company’s Senior Notes. As a result of this transaction, the Company recorded a loss on debt extinguishment and refinancing transaction in the first quarter of 2011 of $11.0 million, including partial write-offs of original issue discounts and deferred financing costs, as well as related transaction costs.

Term loan borrowings under the amended senior credit facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at our option, either a base rate or a Eurodollar rate. The base rate is equal to an applicable rate of 2.00% plus the highest of (a) the Federal Funds rate plus 0.50%, (b) a prime rate, (c) one-month LIBOR rate plus 1.00%, and (d) 2.25%. The Eurodollar rate is equal to an applicable rate of 3.00% plus the higher of (a) a LIBOR rate and (b) 1.25%. The interest rate on the revolving credit facility remained unchanged. Repayments are required to be made on term loan borrowings equal to $14.0 million per calendar year, payable in quarterly installments through September 2017.

 

  F-50  


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Consolidated balance sheets

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

       March 26,
2011
    December 25,
2010
 
   
Assets     

Current assets:

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 120,508       134,100  

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $5,170 and $5,518 as of March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, respectively

     38,141       35,239  

Notes and other receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $3,237 and $2,443 as of March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, respectively

     9,780       44,704  

Assets held for sale

     1,473       4,328  

Deferred income taxes, net

     12,613       12,570  

Restricted assets of advertising funds

     32,787       25,113  

Prepaid income taxes

     11,767       7,641  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     21,111       20,682  
        

Total current assets

     248,180       284,377  

Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $95,024 and $90,663 as of March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, respectively

     189,693       193,273  

Investments in joint ventures

     175,107       169,276  

Goodwill

     888,675       888,655  

Other intangible assets, net

     1,528,752       1,535,657  

Restricted cash

     342       404  

Other assets

     84,428       75,646  
        

Total assets

   $ 3,115,177       3,147,288  
        

Liabilities, Common Stock, and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

  

Current liabilities:

    

Current portion of long-term debt

   $ 14,000       12,500  

Capital lease obligations

     212       205  

Accounts payable

     9,478       9,822  

Liabilities of advertising funds

     48,965       48,213  

Deferred income

     24,492       26,221  

Other current liabilities

     142,247       183,594  
        

Total current liabilities

     239,394       280,555  
        

Long-term debt, net

     1,848,218       1,847,016  

Capital lease obligations

     5,104       5,160  

Unfavorable operating leases acquired

     23,866       24,744  

Deferred income

     21,543       21,326  

Deferred income taxes, net

     587,124       586,337  

Other long-term liabilities

     77,111       75,909  
        

Total long-term liabilities

     2,562,966       2,560,492  
        

Commitments and contingencies (note 11)

    

Common stock, Class L, $0.001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 23,060,006 and 22,994,523 shares issued and outstanding at March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, respectively

     862,184       840,582  

Stockholders’ equity (deficit):

    

Common stock, Class A, $0.001 par value; 400,000,000 shares authorized; 192,219,311 and 196,146,998 shares issued and outstanding at March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, respectively

     192        191   

Additional paid-in capital

     196,245       195,063  

Treasury stock, at cost

     (1,919     (1,807

Accumulated deficit

     (762,469     (741,415

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     18,584       13,627  
        

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     (549,367     (534,341
        

Total liabilities, common stock, and stockholders’ equity (deficit)

   $ 3,115,177       3,147,288  
                  

See accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Consolidated statements of operations

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

       Three months ended  
     March 26,
2011
    March 27,
2010
 
                  
           (As adjusted)  

Revenues:

    

Franchise fees and royalty income

   $ 85,959       80,165  

Rental income

     22,131       22,116  

Sales of ice cream products

     22,716       17,793  

Other revenues

     8,407       7,338  
                

Total revenues

     139,213       127,412  
                

Operating costs and expenses:

    

Occupancy expenses—franchised restaurants

     12,288       14,156  

Cost of ice cream products

     15,124       12,222  

General and administrative expenses, net

     53,886       51,245  

Depreciation and amortization

     13,208       15,332  

Impairment charges

     653       1,414  
                

Total operating costs and expenses

     95,159       94,369  

Equity in net income of joint ventures

     782       3,642  
                

Operating income

     44,836       36,685  
                

Other income (expense):

    

Interest income

     115       71  

Interest expense

     (33,882     (27,591

Loss on debt extinguishment and refinancing transaction

     (11,007      

Other gains, net

     476       245  
                

Total other expense

     (44,298     (27,275
                

Income before income taxes

     538       9,410  

Provision for income taxes

     2,261       3,472  
                

Net income (loss)

   $ (1,723     5,938  
        

Earnings (loss) per share:

    

Class L—basic and diluted

   $ 0.85       1.21  

Class A—basic and diluted

   $ (0.11     (0.12
                  

See accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

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Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Consolidated statements of cash flows

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

       Three months ended  
     March 26,
2011
    March 27,
2010
 
                  
           (As adjusted)  

Cash flows from operating activities:

    

Net income (loss)

   $ (1,723     5,938  

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Depreciation and amortization

     13,208       15,332  

Amortization of deferred financing costs and original issue discount

     1,582       1,797  

Loss on debt extinguishment and refinancing transaction

     11,007        

Impact of unfavorable operating leases acquired

     (852     (972

Deferred income taxes

     726       (1,887

Impairment charges

     653       1,414  

Provision for bad debt

     602       1,183  

Share-based compensation expense

     241       612  

Equity in net income of joint ventures

     (782     (3,642

Other, net

     (118     5  

Change in operating assets and liabilities:

    

Restricted cash

           22,661  

Accounts, notes, and other receivables, net

     31,480       25,594  

Other current assets

     2,679       1,430  

Accounts payable

     381       (3,169

Other current liabilities

     (41,696     (41,117

Restricted liabilities of advertising funds, net

     (6,926     (3,783

Income taxes payable, net

     (3,819     4,447  

Deferred income

     (1,520     (1,737

Other, net

     (1,529     487  
                

Net cash provided by operating activities

     3,594       24,593  
                

Cash flows from investing activities:

    

Additions to property and equipment

     (3,734     (3,465

Other, net

     301        
                

Net cash used in investing activities

     (3,433     (3,465
                

Cash flows from financing activities:

    

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

     150,000        

Repayment of long-term debt

     (150,750      

Proceeds from short-term debt

           34,564  

Proceeds from issuance of common stock

     3,213        

Repurchases of common stock

     (112     (2,959

Payments on capital lease obligations

     (49     (54

Deferred financing and other debt-related costs

     (16,209      

Change in restricted cash

     73       420  
                

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     (13,834     31,971  
                

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

     81       9  
                

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     (13,592     53,108  

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     134,100       53,210  
                

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 120,508       106,318  
                

Supplemental cash flow information:

    

Cash paid for:

    

Income taxes

   $ 5,303       899  

Interest

     20,827       25,467  

Noncash investing activity:

    

Property and equipment included in accounts payable and accrued expenses

     1,130       842  
                  

See accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

(1) Description of Business and Organization

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (DBGI) and subsidiaries (collectively, the Company), through its brand companies, is one of the world’s largest franchisors of restaurants serving coffee and baked goods as well as ice cream within the quick service restaurant segment of the restaurant industry. We develop, franchise, and license a system of both traditional and nontraditional quick service restaurants and, in limited circumstances, own and operate individual locations. Through our Dunkin’ Donuts brand, we develop and franchise restaurants featuring coffee, donuts, bagels, and related products. Through our Baskin-Robbins brand, we develop and franchise restaurants featuring ice cream, frozen beverages, and related products. Additionally, our subsidiaries located in Canada and the United Kingdom manufacture and/or distribute Baskin-Robbins ice cream products to Baskin-Robbins franchisees and licensees in various international markets.

DBGI is owned by funds controlled by Bain Capital Partners, LLC, The Carlyle Group, and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (collectively, the Sponsors or BCT).

Throughout these financial statements, “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and “management” refer to DBGI and subsidiaries taken as a whole.

(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(a) Unaudited Financial Statements

The consolidated balance sheet as of March 26, 2011 and the consolidated statements of operations and cash flows for the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010 are unaudited.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of DBGI and subsidiaries and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). All significant transactions and balances between subsidiaries and affiliates have been eliminated in consolidation. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of such financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been recorded. Such adjustments consisted only of normal recurring items. The accompanying consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s most recently issued consolidated financial statements as of and for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010.

(b) Fiscal Year

The Company operates and reports financial information on a 52 or 53-week year on a 13-week quarter basis with the fiscal year ending on the last Saturday in December and fiscal quarters ending on the 13 th Saturday of each quarter. The data periods contained within our three months ended March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010 reflect the results of operations for the 13-week periods ending on those dates. Operating results for the three months ended March 26, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011.

 

  F-54   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

(c) Accounting Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the use of estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and for the period then ended.

(d) Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying amounts of accounts receivable, notes and other receivables, assets and liabilities related to the advertising funds, accounts payable, other payables, and accrued expenses approximate fair value because of their short-term nature. For long-term receivables, we review the creditworthiness of the counterparty on a quarterly basis, and adjust the carrying value as necessary. We believe the carrying value of long-term receivables of $5.6 million and $4.8 million as of March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, respectively, approximates fair value.

Financial assets and liabilities are categorized, based on the inputs to the valuation technique, into a three-level fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to the quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities and lowest priority to unobservable inputs. Observable market data, when available, is required to be used in making fair value measurements. When inputs used to measure fair value fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the level within which the fair value measurement is categorized is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 26, 2011 are summarized as follows (in thousands):

 

       Quoted prices
in active
markets for
identical assets
(Level 1)
     Significant
other
observable
inputs
(Level 2)
 
   

Assets:

     

Mutual funds

   $ 3,030     
                 

Total assets

   $ 3,030          
                 

Liabilities:

     

Deferred compensation liabilities

   $           7,764  
                 

Total liabilities

   $         7,764  
   

The mutual funds and deferred compensation liabilities primarily relate to the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP Plan), which allows for pre-tax salary deferrals for certain qualifying employees. Changes in the fair value of the deferred compensation liabilities are derived using quoted prices in active markets of the asset selections made by the participants. The deferred compensation liabilities are classified within Level 2, as defined under U.S. GAAP, because their inputs are derived principally

 

  F-55   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

from observable market data by correlation to the hypothetical investments. The Company holds mutual funds, as well as money market funds, to partially offset the Company’s liabilities under the DCP Plan as well as other benefit plans. The changes in the fair value of the mutual funds are derived using quoted prices in active markets for the specific funds. As such, the mutual funds are classified within Level 1, as defined under U.S. GAAP.

The carrying value and fair value of long-term debt were as follows (in thousands):

 

       March 26, 2011  
Financial liabilities    Carrying
value
     Fair value  
   

Term B-1 Loans

   $ 1,394,146         1,403,500   

Senior Notes

     468,072         484,500   
                 
   $ 1,862,218         1,888,000   
   

The fair values of our Term B-1 Loans and Senior Notes are estimated based on bid and offer prices for the same or similar instruments. Considerable judgment is required to develop these estimates.

(e) Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company is subject to credit risk through its accounts receivable consisting primarily of amounts due from franchisees and licensees for franchise fees and royalty income. In addition, we have note and lease receivables from certain of our franchisees and licensees. The financial condition of these franchisees and licensees is largely dependent upon the underlying business trends of our brands and market conditions within the quick service restaurant industry. This concentration of credit risk is mitigated, in part, by the large number of franchisees and licensees of each brand and the short-term nature of the franchise and license fee and lease receivables. No individual franchisee or master licensee accounts for more than 10% of total revenues or accounts and notes receivable.

 

  F-56   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

(f) Earnings per Share

The computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share is as follows (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):

 

       Three months ended  
     March 26,
2011
    March 27,
2010
 
   

Net income (loss)—basic and diluted

   $ (1,723     5,938   

Allocation of net income (loss) to common stockholders—basic and diluted:

    

Class L

     19,331        27,657   

Class A

     (21,054     (21,719

Weighted average number of common shares—basic and diluted:

    

Class L

     22,817,115        22,821,102   

Class A

     188,979,719        188,224,884   

Earnings (loss) per common share—basic and diluted:

    

Class L

     0.85        1.21   

Class A

     (0.11     (0.12
   

The weighted average number of common shares in the Class A diluted earnings per share calculation excludes all restricted stock and stock options outstanding during the respective periods, as they would be antidilutive. As of March 26, 2011, there were 4,407,689 unvested Class A restricted stock awards and 24,959,750 options to purchase Class A common stock outstanding that may be dilutive in the future. Of those amounts, there were 4,323,689 Class A restricted stock awards and 16,275,000 options to purchase Class A common stock that were performance-based and for which the performance criteria have not yet been met. There were no Class L common stock equivalents outstanding during the three months ended March 26, 2011 or March 27, 2010.

(g) Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued new guidance to amend the criteria for performing the second step of the goodwill impairment test for reporting units with zero or negative carrying amounts and requires performing the second step if qualitative factors indicate that it is more likely than not that a goodwill impairment exists. This new guidance is effective for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2011. We do not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on our goodwill assessment or our consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-57   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

In January 2010, the FASB issued new guidance and clarifications for improving disclosures about fair value measurements. This guidance requires enhanced disclosures regarding transfers in and out of the levels within the fair value hierarchy. Separate disclosures are required for transfers in and out of Levels 1 and 2 fair value measurements, and the reasons for the transfers must be disclosed. In the reconciliation for Level 3 fair value measurements, separate disclosures are required for purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements on a gross basis. The new disclosures and clarifications of existing disclosures were effective for the Company in fiscal year 2010, except for the disclosures about purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements in the roll forward of activity in Level 3 fair value measurements, which were effective for the Company in fiscal year 2011. The adoption of this guidance did not have any impact on our financial position or results of operations, as it only relates to disclosures.

(h) Reclassifications

The Company has revised the presentation of certain captions within the consolidated statements of operations and cash flows to provide a more concise presentation. Additionally, the Company reclassified equity in net income of joint ventures within the consolidated statements of operations from other income (expense) to operating income, as these investments in joint ventures represent our business model for operating our brands in Japan and Korea and are our primary source of income generation from restaurants operating in these markets. Prior period financial statements have been revised to conform to the current period presentation. The revisions to the presentation of the consolidated statements of operations resulted in an increase in operating income and a corresponding increase in other expenses of $3.6 million for the three months ended March 26, 2010. The revisions had no impact on total revenues, income before income taxes, or net income. The revisions to the consolidated statements of cash flows had no impact on net cash provided by (used in) operating, investing, or financing activities.

(i) Subsequent Events

Subsequent events have been evaluated through the date these consolidated financial statements were filed.

 

  F-58   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

(3) Change in Accounting for Contingent Rental Income

In fiscal year 2010, we elected to change our method of accounting for contingent rental income to comply with the guidance prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This change in accounting principle has been applied retrospectively to the prior period presented. The following financial statement line items for the three months ended March 27, 2010 were impacted by this accounting change (in thousands):

 

       March 27, 2010  
     As originally
reported
    

As

adjusted

 
   

Rental income

   $ 22,287        22,116  

Total revenues

     127,583        127,412  

Operating income

     36,856         36,685   

Income before income taxes

     9,581        9,410  

Provision for income taxes

     3,532        3,472  

Net income

     6,049        5,938  
   

(4) Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The changes in the gross carrying amount of goodwill from December 25, 2010 to March 26, 2011 are due to the impact of foreign currency fluctuations.

Other intangible assets at March 26, 2011 consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       Weighted
average
amortization
period
(years)
     Gross
carrying
amount
     Accumulated
amortization
    Net carrying
amount
 
   

Definite-lived intangibles:

          

Franchise rights

     20         $383,942        (103,946     279,996  

Favorable operating leases acquired

     13         90,101        (35,391     54,710  

License rights

     6         6,230        (3,154     3,076  

Indefinite-lived intangible:

          

Trade names

     N/A         1,190,970               1,190,970  
                            
      $ 1,671,243        (142,491     1,528,752  
   

 

  F-59   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

Other intangible assets at December 25, 2010 consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       Weighted
average
amortization
period
(years)
     Gross
carrying
amount
     Accumulated
amortization
    Net
carrying
amount
 
   

Definite lived intangibles:

          

Franchise rights

     20       $ 385,309        (100,296     285,013  

Favorable operating leases acquired

     13         90,406        (33,965     56,441  

License rights

     10         6,230        (2,997     3,233  

Indefinite lived intangible:

          

Trade names

     N/A         1,190,970               1,190,970  
                            
      $ 1,672,915        (137,258     1,535,657  
   

The changes in the gross carrying amount of other intangible assets from December 25, 2010 to March 26, 2011 are due to the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and the impairment of favorable operating leases acquired resulting from lease terminations. Impairment of favorable operating leases acquired totaled $12 thousand and $700 thousand for the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010, respectively, and is included within impairment charges in the consolidated statements of operations.

Total estimated amortization expense for fiscal years ending December 2011 through 2015 is presented below (in thousands). The amount reflected below for the fiscal year ending December 2011 includes year-to-date amortization.

 

Fiscal year:         

2011

   $ 28,012  

2012

     26,943  

2013

     26,350  

2014

     25,806  

2015

     25,450  
   

The impact of our unfavorable leases acquired resulted in an increase in rental income and a decrease in rental expense as follows (in thousands):

 

       Three months ended  
     March 26,
2011
     March 27,
2010
 
   

Increase in rental income

   $ 374        461  

Decrease in rental expense

     478        511  
                 

Total increase in operating income

   $ 852        972  
   

 

  F-60   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

(5) Debt

On February 18, 2011, the Company completed a re-pricing of its term loans under the senior credit facility, as well as increased the size of the term loans from $1.25 billion to $1.40 billion. The incremental proceeds of the term loans were used to repay $150.0 million of the Company’s Senior Notes.

As a result of the re-pricing of the term loans, the Company recorded a loss on debt extinguishment and refinancing transaction of $4.4 million, which includes a debt extinguishment of $465 thousand related to the write-off of original issuance discount and deferred financing costs, and $3.9 million of costs related to the refinancing, including a prepayment premium and fees paid to third-party creditors. In conjunction with the repurchase of Senior Notes, the Company recorded a loss on debt extinguishment of $6.6 million, which includes the write-off of original issuance discount and deferred financing costs totaling $5.8 million, as well as a prepayment premium and third-party costs of $758 thousand.

Term loan borrowings under the amended senior credit facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at our option, either a base rate or a Eurodollar rate. The base rate is equal to an applicable rate of 2.00% plus the highest of (a) the Federal Funds rate plus 0.50%, (b) a prime rate, (c) one-month LIBOR rate plus 1.00%, and (d) 2.25%. The Eurodollar rate is equal to an applicable rate of 3.00% plus the higher of (a) a LIBOR rate and (b) 1.25%. The interest rate on the revolving credit facility remained unchanged. Repayments are required to be made on term loan borrowings equal to $14.0 million per calendar year, payable in quarterly installments through September 2017.

(6) Other Current Liabilities

Other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       March 26,
2011
     December 25,
2010
 
   

Gift card/certificate liability

   $ 80,898        123,078  

Accrued salary and benefits

     16,173        21,307  

Accrued professional and legal costs

     9,257        9,839  

Accrued interest

     17,292        6,129  

Other

     18,627        23,241  
                 

Total other current liabilities

   $ 142,247        183,594  
   

 

  F-61   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

(7) Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income for the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010 consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

       Three months ended  
     March 26,
2011
    March 27,
2010
 
   

Net income (loss)

   $ (1,723     5,938  

Effect of foreign currency translation

     5,033       2,148  

Other

     (76     81  
                

Total comprehensive income

   $ 3,234       8,167  
   

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income were as follows (in thousands):

 

       March 26,
2011
    December 25,
2010
 
   

Effect of foreign currency translation

   $ 19,383        14,350   

Other

     (799     (723
                

Total accumulated other comprehensive income

   $ 18,584        13,627   
   

(8) Segment Information

The Company is strategically aligned into two global brands, Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, which are further segregated between U.S. operations and international operations. As such, the Company has determined that it has four operating segments, which are its reportable segments: Dunkin’ Donuts U.S., Dunkin’ Donuts International, Baskin-Robbins U.S., and Baskin-Robbins International. Dunkin’ Donuts U.S., Baskin-Robbins U.S., and Dunkin’ Donuts International primarily derive their revenues through royalty income, franchise fees, and rental income. Baskin-Robbins U.S. also derives revenue through license fees from a third-party license agreement. Baskin-Robbins International primarily derives its revenues from the manufacturing and sales of ice cream products, as well as royalty income, franchise fees, and license fees. The operating results of each segment are regularly reviewed and evaluated separately by the Company’s senior management, which includes, but is not limited to, the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, and worldwide brand officers. Senior management primarily evaluates the performance of its segments and allocates resources to them based on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, impairment charges, foreign currency gains and losses, other gains, and unallocated corporate charges referred to as segment profit. When senior management reviews a balance sheet, it is at a consolidated level. The accounting policies applicable to each segment are consistent with those used in the consolidated financial statements.

Revenues for Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. include royalties and rental income earned from company-owned restaurants. Revenues for all other segments include only transactions with unaffiliated customers and include no intersegment revenues. Revenues reported as “Other” include retail sales for company-owned restaurants, as well as revenue earned through arrangements with third parties in which our brand names are used and

 

  F-62   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

revenue generated from online training programs for franchisees that are not allocated to a specific segment. Revenues by segment were as follows (in thousands):

 

       Revenues  
     Three months ended  
     March 26,
2011
    March 27,
2010
 
   
           (As adjusted)  

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

   $ 96,512       91,403  

Dunkin’ Donuts International

     3,869       3,321  

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

     9,045       9,032  

Baskin-Robbins International

     24,662       19,043  
                

Total reportable segment revenues

     134,088       122,799  

Other

     5,412       4,837  

Elimination of company-owned restaurants’ royalties and rental income

     (287     (224
                

Total revenues

   $ 139,213       127,412  
   

For purposes of evaluating segment profit, Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. includes the net operating income earned from company-owned restaurants. Expenses included in “Corporate and other” in the segment profit table below include corporate overhead costs, such as payroll and related benefit costs and professional services. Segment profit by segment was as follows (in thousands):

 

       Segment profit  
     Three months ended  
     March 26,
2011
    March 27,
2010
 
   
           (As adjusted)  

Dunkin’ Donuts U.S.

   $ 70,707       63,563  

Dunkin’ Donuts International

     3,181       3,712  

Baskin-Robbins U.S.

     4,300       5,224  

Baskin-Robbins International

     8,164       8,527  
                

Total reportable segment profit

     86,352       81,026  

Corporate and other

     (27,655     (27,595

Interest expense, net

     (33,767     (27,520

Depreciation and amortization

     (13,208     (15,332

Impairment charges

     (653     (1,414

Loss on debt extinguishment and refinancing transaction

     (11,007       

Other gains, net

     476       245  
                

Income before income taxes

   $ 538       9,410  
   

 

  F-63   (Continued)


Table of Contents

DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

Equity in net income of joint ventures is included in segment profit for the Dunkin’ Donuts International and Baskin-Robbins International reportable segments. Equity in net income of joint ventures by reportable segment was as follows (in thousands):

 

       Three months ended  
     March 26,
2011
     March 27,
2010
 
   

Dunkin’ Donuts International

   $ 388        1,136  

Baskin-Robbins International

     394        2,506  
                 

Total equity in net income of joint ventures

   $ 782        3,642  
   

(9) Stockholders’ Equity

(a) Treasury Stock

During the three months ended March 26, 2011, the Company repurchased a total of 69,720 shares of Class A common stock that was originally sold and/or granted to former employees of the Company. There were no repurchases of Class L common stock during the three months ended March 26, 2011. The Company accounts for treasury stock under the cost method, and as such recorded $112 thousand in treasury stock during the three months ended March 26, 2011 based on the cost of the shares on the respective dates of repurchase.

(b) Equity Incentive Plans

The Company’s 2006 Executive Incentive Plan, as amended, (the 2006 Plan) provides for the grant of stock-based and other incentive awards. A maximum of 55,689,151 shares of Class A common stock may be delivered in satisfaction of awards under the 2006 Plan, of which a maximum of 22,899,228 shares may be awarded as nonvested (restricted) shares and a maximum of 32,789,923 may be delivered in satisfaction of stock options.

In March 2011, the Company granted options to purchase a total of 2,910,000 shares of Class A common stock to certain executives under the 2006 Plan. The stock options vest in two separate tranches, which have been designated as Tranche 4 and Tranche 5. Tranche 4 options vest in equal annual amounts over a five-year period subsequent to the grant date. Tranche 5 options vest based on continued service over a five-year period and achievement of specified investor returns upon a sale, distribution, or dividend. Both Tranche 4 and Tranche 5 options provide for partial accelerated vesting upon change in control. The maximum contractual term of the options is ten years.

The Company estimated the fair value of the Tranche 4 options on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The fair value of the Tranche 5 options was estimated on the date of grant using a combination of lattice models and Monte Carlo simulations. The estimated fair value of awards granted is based upon certain assumptions, including probability of achievement of performance and market conditions for certain awards, stock price, expected term, expected volatility, dividend yield, and a risk-free interest rate.

 

  F-64   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

Total compensation expense related to all share-based awards was $241 thousand and $612 thousand for the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010, respectively, and is included in general and administrative expenses, net in the consolidated statements of operations.

(10) Income Taxes

During the three months ended March 26, 2011, the Company recognized deferred tax expense of $1.9 million, due to enacted changes in future state income tax rates. This change in enacted tax rates affects the tax rate expected to be in effect in future periods when the deferred tax assets and liabilities reverse.

(11) Commitments and Contingencies

(a) Lease Commitments

The Company is party to various leases for property, including land and buildings, leased automobiles, and office equipment under noncancelable operating and capital lease arrangements.

(b) Guarantees

The Company has established agreements with certain financial institutions whereby the Company’s franchisees can obtain financing with terms of approximately five to ten years for various business purposes. Substantially all loan proceeds are used by the franchisees to finance store improvements, new store development, new central production locations, equipment purchases, related business acquisition costs, working capital, and other costs. In limited instances, the Company guarantees a portion of the payments and commitments of the franchisees, which is collateralized by the store equipment owned by the franchisee. Under the terms of the agreements, in the event that all outstanding borrowings come due simultaneously, the Company would be contingently liable for $7.7 million at March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010. At March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, there were no amounts under such guarantees that were due. The fair value of the guarantee liability and corresponding asset recorded on the consolidated balance sheets was $966 thousand and $1.4 million, respectively, at March 26, 2011 and $1.0 million and $1.5 million, respectively, at December 25, 2010. The Company assesses the risk of performing under these guarantees for each franchisee relationship on a quarterly basis. As of March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, the Company had recorded reserves for such guarantees of $837 thousand and $1.2 million, respectively.

The Company has entered into a third-party guarantee with a distribution facility of franchisee products that ensures franchisees will purchase a certain volume of product over a ten-year period. As product is purchased by the Company’s franchisees over the term of the agreement, the amount of the guarantee is reduced. As of March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, the Company was contingently liable for $8.4 million and $8.6 million, respectively, under this guarantee. Based on current internal forecasts, the Company believes the franchisees will achieve the required volume of purchases, and therefore, the Company would not be required to make payments under this agreement. Additionally, the Company has various supply chain contracts that provide for purchase commitments or exclusivity, the majority of which result in the Company being contingently liable upon early termination of the agreement or engaging with another supplier. Based on prior history and the

 

  F-65   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

Company’s ability to extend contract terms, we have not recorded any liabilities related to these commitments. As of March 26, 2011, we were contingently liable under such supply chain agreements for approximately $20.3 million.

As a result of assigning our interest in obligations under property leases as a condition of the refranchising of certain restaurants and the guarantee of certain other leases, we are contingently liable on certain lease agreements. These leases have varying terms, the latest of which expires in 2024. As of March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, the potential amount of undiscounted payments the Company could be required to make in the event of nonpayment by the primary lessee was $7.8 million and $7.2 million, respectively. Our franchisees are the primary lessees under the majority of these leases. The Company generally has cross-default provisions with these franchisees that would put them in default of their franchise agreement in the event of nonpayment under the lease. We believe these cross-default provisions significantly reduce the risk that we will be required to make payments under these leases. Accordingly, we do not believe it is probable that the Company will be required to make payments under such leases, and we have not recorded a liability for such contingent liabilities.

(c) Letters of Credit

At March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, the Company had standby letters of credit outstanding for a total of $11.2 million. There were no amounts drawn down on these letters of credit.

(d) Legal Matters

The Company is engaged in several matters of litigation arising in the ordinary course of its business as a franchisor. Such matters include disputes related to compliance with the terms of franchise and development agreements, including claims or threats of claims of breach of contract, negligence, and other alleged violations by the Company. At March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, contingent liabilities totaling $4.3 million and $4.2 million, respectively, were included in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets to reflect the Company’s estimate of the potential loss which may be incurred in connection with these matters. While the Company intends to vigorously defend its positions against all claims in these lawsuits and disputes, it is reasonably possible that the losses in connection with these matters could increase by up to an additional $8.0 million based on the outcome of ongoing litigation or negotiations.

(12) Related-Party Transactions

(a) Advertising Funds

At March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, the Company had a net payable of $16.2 million and $23.1 million, respectively, to the various advertising funds.

To cover administrative expenses of the advertising funds, the Company charges each advertising fund a management fee for items such as facilities, accounting services, information technology, data processing, product development, legal, administrative support services, and other operating expenses, which amounted to

 

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Table of Contents

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—(continued)

March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010

(Unaudited)

 

$1.5 million and $1.4 million for the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010, respectively. Such management fees are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations as a reduction in general and administrative expenses, net.

(b) Sponsors

The Company is charged an annual management fee by the Sponsors of $1.0 million per Sponsor, payable in quarterly installments. The Company recognized $750 thousand of expense related to Sponsor management fees during the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010, which is included in general and administrative expenses, net in the consolidated statements of operations. At March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, the Company had $500 thousand of prepaid management fees to the Sponsors, which were recorded in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the consolidated balance sheets.

At March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, certain affiliates of the Sponsors held $65.7 million and $70.6 million, respectively, of term loans, net of original issue discount, issued under the Company’s senior credit facility. The terms of these loans are identical to all other term loans issued to lenders in the senior credit facility.

(c) Joint Ventures

The Company received royalties from its joint ventures as follows (in thousands):

 

       Three months ended  
     March 26,
2011
     March 27,
2010
 
   

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd (BR Japan)

   $ 348        305  

Baskin-Robbins Co., Ltd Korea (BR Korea)

     869        840  
                 
   $ 1,217        1,145  
   

At March 26, 2011 and December 25, 2010, the Company had $1.2 million and $962 thousand, respectively, of royalties receivable from its joint ventures which were recorded in accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, in the consolidated balance sheets.

The Company made payments to its joint ventures totaling approximately $109 thousand and $455 thousand during the three months ended March 26, 2011 and March 27, 2010, respectively, primarily for the purchase of ice cream products and incentive payments.

 

  F-67   (Continued)


Table of Contents

Independent Auditors’ Report

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of

BR KOREA CO., LTD.:

We have audited the accompanying statements of financial position of BR KOREA CO., LTD. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the related statements of income, appropriations of retained earnings, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2010, all expressed in Korean won. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of BR KOREA CO., LTD. as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the results of its operations, changes in its retained earnings and its shareholders’ equity, and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2010, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the Republic of Korea (See Note 2).

Accounting principles generally accepted in the Republic of Korea vary in certain significant respects from accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Information relating to the nature and effect of such differences is presented in Notes 25 to the financial statements.

April 29, 2011

/s/ Deloitte Anjin LLC

Notice to Readers

This report is effective as of April 29, 2011, the auditors’ report date. Certain subsequent events or circumstances may have occurred between the auditors’ report date and the time the auditors’ report is read. Such events or circumstances could significantly affect the accompanying financial statements and may result in modifications to the auditors’ report.

 

F-68


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

ASSETS    2010      2009  
   
CURRENT ASSETS:    (In thousands)  

Cash and cash equivalents (Notes 8 and 13)

   (Won) 10,435,234       (Won) 6,403,088   

Short-term financial instruments

     40,500,000         35,000,000   

Trade accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of (Won) 170,149 thousand for 2010 and (Won) 165,518 thousand for 2009 (Note 14)

     16,844,763         16,386,253   

Inventories (Notes 3 and 8)

     28,308,117         29,750,658   

Securities (Notes 5,8 and 24)

     5,600         4,390   

Other current assets (Note 4)

     6,541,307         6,194,658   
        
     102,635,021         93,739,047   
        

NON CURRENT ASSETS:

     

Securities under the equity method (Note 6)

     677,340           

Securities (Notes 5 and 8)

     62,985         68,585   

Other investments

     184,085         411,007   

Tangible assets, net (Notes 7 and 8)

     62,200,625         64,259,915   

Intangible assets (Note 9)

     9,338,876         11,031,813   

Guarantee deposits paid (Note 10)

     112,647,141         97,554,090   

Membership certificates

     2,277,527         1,687,980   

Deferred income tax assets (Note 17)

     1,310,229         1,094,695   
        
     188,698,808         176,108,085   
        

Total Assets

   (Won) 291,333,829       (Won) 269,847,132   
        

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

     

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

     

Trade accounts payable (Note 14)

   (Won) 15,308,691       (Won) 14,441,821   

Accounts payable-other (Note 14)

     8,843,013         7,182,563   

Income tax payable

     5,912,523         7,821,942   

Advances from customers

     2,068,757         1,892,870   

Guarantee deposits received

     17,373,276         15,188,989   

Deferred income tax liabilities (Note 17)

     108,745         107,070   

Other current liabilities (Notes 11 and 14)

     6,964,772         10,698,956   
        
     56,579,777         57,334,211   
        

NON- CURRENT LIABILITIES:

     

Accrued severance indemnities, net of deposits of (Won) 11,572,261 thousand for 2010 and (Won) 8,955,686 thousand for 2009 (Note 12)

     3,995,292         3,817,228   

Allowance for unused points (Note 22)

     1,428,034         2,163,071   
        
     5,423,326         5,980,299   
        

TOTAL LIABILITIES

     62,003,103         63,314,510   
        

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

     

Common stock (Note 15)

     6,000,000         6,000,000   

Appropriated retained earnings (Note 15)

     24,234,977         24,234,977   

Retained earnings before appropriations

     199,095,749         176,297,645   
        

Total Shareholders’ Equity

     229,330,726         206,532,622   
        

Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

   (Won) 291,333,829       (Won) 269,847,132   
   

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

STATEMENTS OF INCOME

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010, 2009 AND 2008

 

 

       2010     2009     2008  
                          
     (In thousands, except per share amounts)  

SALES (Notes 14 and 23)

   (Won) 426,063,145      (Won) 406,214,174      (Won) 351,667,723   

COST OF SALES (Note 14)

     205,865,736        206,622,944        173,886,013   
        

GROSS PROFIT

     220,197,409        199,591,230        177,781,710   

SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE

      

EXPENSES

      

(Notes 20 and 21)

     181,504,761        155,286,246        138,606,261   
        

OPERATING INCOME

     38,692,648        44,304,984        39,175,449   
        

NON OPERATING INCOME (EXPENSES):

      

Interest income

     2,112,109        1,353,475        2,883,872   

Gain (Loss) on foreign currency translation, net

      

(Note 13)

     (17,252     (74,007     8,532   

Gain (Loss) on foreign currency transactions, net

     4,310        (5,061     23,777   

Commission income

     5,199,869        5,685,017        2,949,689   

Gain (Loss) on disposal of tangible assets, net

     17,414        (598,839     (54,916

Gain on disposal of intangible assets

     309,350        177,975        528,706   

Donations (Note 16)

     (1,983,239     (2,261,554     (1,484,498

Miscellaneous, net (Note 16)

     (336,130     (1,168,736     767,170   
        
     5,306,431        3,108,270        5,622,332   
        

INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX

     43,999,079        47,413,254        44,797,781   

INCOME TAX EXPENSE (Note 17)

     10,586,975        12,050,772        11,911,138   
        

NET INCOME

   (Won) 33,412,104      (Won) 35,362,482      (Won) 32,886,643   
        

NET INCOME PER SHARE (Note 18)

   (Won) 55,687      (Won) 58,937      (Won) 54,811   
   

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

  F-70  


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

STATEMENTS OF APPROPRIATIONS OF RETAINED EARNINGS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010, 2009 AND 2008

 

       2010      2009      2008  
   
     (In thousands)         

RETAINED EARNINGS BEFORE APPROPRIATIONS:

        

Unappropriated retained earnings brought forward from prior year

   (Won) 165,683,645       (Won) 140,935,163       (Won) 117,936,520   

Net income

     33,412,104         35,362,482         32,886,643   
        
     199,095,749         176,297,645         150,823,163   
        

APPROPRIATIONS:

        

Dividends (Note 19)

     10,032,000         10,614,000         9,888,000   
        

UNAPPROPRIATED RETAINED EARNINGS TO BE CARRIED FORWARD TO SUBSEQUENT YEAR

   (Won) 189,063,749       (Won) 165,683,645       (Won) 140,935,163   
   

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010, 2009 AND 2008

 

 

       Korean Won  
     Common Stock        

 

(In thousands

Retained Earnings


  

 

 
Total   
   

Balance at January 1, 2008

   (Won) 6,000,000       (Won) 150,193,497      (Won) 156,193,497   

Annual dividends

        (8,022,000     (8,022,000

Balance after appropriations

        142,171,497        148,171,497   

Net income

        32,886,643        32,886,643   
        

Balance at December 31, 2008

   (Won) 6,000,000       (Won) 175,058,140      (Won) 181,058,140   
        

Balance at January 1, 2009

   (Won) 6,000,000       (Won) 175,058,140      (Won) 181,058,140   

Annual dividends

        (9,888,000     (9,888,000
           

Balance after appropriations

        165,170,140        171,170,140   

Net income

        35,362,482        35,362,482   
        

Balance at December 31, 2009

   (Won) 6,000,000       (Won) 200,532,622      (Won) 206,532,622   
        

Balance at January 1, 2010

   (Won) 6,000,000       (Won) 200,532,622      (Won) 206,532,622   

Annual dividends

        (10,614,000     (10,614,000
           

Balance after appropriations

        189,918,622        195,918,622   

Net income

        33,412,104        33,412,104   
        

Balance at December 31, 2010

   (Won) 6,000,000       (Won) 223,330,726      (Won) 229,330,726   
   

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010, 2009 AND 2008

 

       2010     2009     2008  
   
     (In thousands)  
   

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

      

Net income

   (Won) 33,412,104      (Won) 35,362,482      (Won) 32,886,643   

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

      

Depreciation

     18,899,166        19,914,400        14,587,093   

Provision for severance indemnities

     6,695,012        4,015,539        4,062,087   

Amortization of lease premium

     3,604,761        3,229,923        2,779,148   

Provision for doubtful accounts

     31,982        21,800        43,845   

Disposal of tangible assets, net

     (17,414     598,839        54,916   

Disposal of intangible assets, net

     (309,350     (177,975     (528,706

Payment of severance indemnities

     (4,074,977     (2,299,625     (1,614,433

Transfer of severance indemnities from related parties

     174,604        176,542        120,889   

Change in trade accounts receivable

     (463,142     (137,154     (3,845,630

Change in accounts receivable-other

     537,197        (2,091,922     (538,878

Change in accrued income

     17,600        166,021        977,050   

Change in advanced payments

     (1,030,369     1,152,192        (1,691,811

Change in prepaid expenses

     101,573        (69,533     (117,813

Change in inventories

     1,442,542        1,944,500        (18,632,710

Change in deferred income tax assets

     (215,534     (612,949     (481,746

Change in trade accounts payable

     866,869        487,801        5,827,758   

Change in accounts payable-other

     1,660,450        (7,837,644     7,211,259   

Change in withholdings

     (752,033     2,638,929        (1,333,912

Change in accrued expenses

     (2,982,152     3,563,367        814,065   

Change in income tax payable

     (1,909,418     (140,325     2,098,945   

Change in deferred income tax liabilities

     1,675        (60,151     (392,269

Change in advances from customers

     188,042        (983,082     (45,404

Change in allowance for unused points

     (735,036     (69,893     793,218   

Change in gift certificate discounts

     (12,156     (3,629     (10,843

Transferred to the national pension fund

     7,208            

Severance indemnities

     (2,623,783     (3,269,803     301,186   
        

Net cash provided by operating activities

     52,515,421        55,518,650        43,323,947   
   

 

  F-73   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010, 2009 AND 2008

 

 

       2010     2009     2008  
   
     (In thousands)  

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

      

Withdrawal of short-term financial instruments

   (Won) 157,000,000      (Won) 78,678,865      (Won) 69,000,000   

Proceeds from disposal of securities

     4,390        16,945        39,290   

Disposal of tangible assets

     327,457        3,923,898        437,449   

Refund of guarantee deposits paid

     4,752,250        7,684,153        7,464,884   

Collection of long-term loans

     226,922        167,330        184,805   

Disposal of lease premium

     352,600        190,454        772,320   

Disposal of membership certificates

            362,810     

Acquisition of short-term financial instruments

     (162,500,000     (96,678,865     (23,000,000

Purchase of securities under the equity method

     (677,340            (3,950

Purchase of securities

            (2,370     (5,600

Payment of guarantee deposits paid

     (19,845,301     (17,863,614     (32,423,544

Acquisition of tangible assets

     (17,149,920     (25,082,537     (46,746,940

Purchase of membership certificates

     (589,546     (157,081     (311,711

Payment of lease premium

     (1,955,074     (2,056,515     (7,860,587
        

Net cash used in investing activities

     (40,053,562     (50,816,527     (32,453,584
        

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

      

Refund of guarantee deposits received

     5,074,855        5,978,607        3,671,219   

Dividends paid

     (10,614,000     (9,888,000     (8,022,000

Payment of guarantee deposits received

     (2,890,568     (4,340,270     (2,169,275
        

Net cash used in financing activities

     (8,429,713     (8,249,663     (6,520,056
        

NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

     4,032,146     

 
(3,547,540

    4,350,307   

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF YEAR

     6,403,088        9,950,628        5,600,322   
        

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF YEAR (Note 23)

   (Won) 10,435,234      (Won) 6,403,088      (Won) 9,950,629   
   

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

  F-74  


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

1. GENERAL:

BR KOREA CO., LTD. (the “Company”) was incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Korea on June 10, 1985 in accordance with the joint venture agreement dated April 19, 1985 between three Korean shareholders represented by Mr. Young In Hur and Dunkin’ Brands Inc. Under such agreement, the Company engages in the production, distribution and sale of ice cream, ice cream treats and donuts and other related activities. Sales are made through the Company’s distribution network under its direct management and franchise stores under the brand names of Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts.

As of December 31, 2010, the Company’s common stock amounts to (Won) 6,000 million, and the issued and outstanding shares of the Company are owned 66.67% by those Korean shareholders and 33.33% by Dunkin’ Brands Inc.

2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES:

Basis of Financial Statement Presentation

The Company maintains its official accounting records in Korean won and prepares its statutory financial statements in the Korean language (Hangul) in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the Republic of Korea. Certain accounting principles applied by the Company that conform with the financial accounting standards and accounting principles in the Republic of Korea may not conform with generally accepted accounting principles in other countries. Accordingly, the accompanying financial statements are intended for use by those who are informed about Korean accounting principles and practices. The accompanying financial statements have been condensed, restructured and translated into English (with certain expanded descriptions) from the Korean language financial statements. Certain information included in the Korean language financial statements, but not required for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position, result of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity or cash flows, is not presented in the accompanying financial statements.

The accompanying financial statements to be presented at the annual shareholders’ meeting were approved by the board of directors on March 3, 2011.

Significant accounting policies followed by the Company in the preparation of its financial statements are summarized below.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents includes cash, checks issued by others, checking accounts, ordinary deposits and financial instruments, which can be easily converted into cash and whose value changes due to changes in interest rates are not material, with maturities (or date of redemption) of three months or less from acquisition.

Revenue Recognition

The Company revenue consists of an initial franchise fee, sales of ice cream and donuts to franchisees and to customers (for its retail stores) and other.

 

  F-75   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

The Company sells individual franchise agreements, under which a franchisee pays an initial nonrefundable fee and subsequently purchases ice cream and donuts from the Company. The initial franchise fee is recognized as Commission income, upon substantial completion of the services required of the Company as stated in the franchise agreement, which is generally upon the opening of the respective franchise. Subsequently, once the franchise begins operations, the Company recognizes revenue from the sale of ice cream and donuts to a franchise as Sales during the period. Revenue generated from the sale of ice cream and donuts to franchisees is recognized upon delivery; however, revenue is recognized when the sales terms have been fully met if there are sales terms related with post-delivery. Retail store revenues at company-owned stores are recognized at the point of sale, net of sales tax and other sales-related taxes.

The Company offers customer loyalty programs – bonus points, under which customers can earn from 1.5% ~ 5% of any purchase amount above (Won) 1,000, as points to use in the future. Such points expire within one year from the date the customer earns them. When a customer earns bonus points under the program, the Company recognizes selling, general and administrative expense in the same amount and a corresponding liability under Allowance for unused points. When points are used, the Company reduces Allowance for unused points and recognizes revenue. At the end of the period, 100% of the unused points are recognized as Allowance for unused points (Note 22), in the Company’s statements of financial position.

Gift Certificates

Gift certificates are stated at face value, net of any discounts given, at the time of issuance and accounted for as Advances from Customers. The gift certificates generally expire within 5 years of issuance. The redemption of gift certificates is reflected as sales at the time the certificates are redeemed at stores by the portion of advances, net of discounts for the relative amount of redemption. Any expired gift certificates are recognized as Non-operating income.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The Company provides an allowance for doubtful accounts to cover estimated losses on receivables, based on collection experience and analysis of the collectibility of individual outstanding receivables.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at cost which is determined by using the moving average method. The Company maintains perpetual inventory, which is adjusted to physical inventory counts performed at year end. When the market value of inventories (net realizable value for finished goods or merchandise and current replacement cost for raw materials) is less than the carrying value, carrying value is stated at the lower of cost or market. The Company applies the lower of cost or market method by each group of inventories and loss on inventory valuation is presented as a deduction from inventories and charged to cost of sales.

Classification of Securities

At acquisition, the Company classifies securities into one of the following categories: trading, available-for-sale, held-to-maturity and securities accounted for under the equity method, depending on marketability, purpose of

 

  F-76   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

acquisition and ability to hold. Debt and equity securities that are bought and held for the purpose of selling them in the near term and actively traded are classified as trading securities. Debt securities with fixed and determinable payments and fixed maturity that the Company has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity are classified as held-to-maturity securities. Investments in equity securities over which the Company exercises significant influence, are accounted for under the equity method. Securities accounted for under the equity method are presented as securities accounted for using the equity method in the statement of financial position. Debt and equity securities not classified as the above are categorized as available-for-sale securities. The average method is used to determine the cost of debt and equity securities for the calculation of gain (loss) on disposal of those securities.

Valuation of Securities

Debt securities that have fixed or determinable payments with a fixed maturity are classified as held-to-maturity securities only if the Company has both the positive intent and ability to hold those securities to maturity. However, debt securities, whose maturity dates are due within one year from the period end date, are classified as current assets.

After initial recognition, held-to-maturity securities are stated at amortized cost in the statements of financial position. When held-to-maturity securities are measured at amortized costs, the difference between their acquisition cost and face value is amortized using the effective interest rate method and the amortization is included in the cost and interest income.

When the possibility of not being able to collect the principal and interest of held-to-maturity securities according to the terms of the contracts is highly likely, the difference between the recoverable amount (the present value of expected cash flows using the effective interest rate upon acquisition of the securities) and book value is recorded as loss on impairment of held-to-maturity securities included in the non-operating expense and the held-to-maturity securities are stated at the recoverable amount after impairment loss. If the value of impaired securities subsequently recovers and the recovery can be objectively related to an event occurring after the impairment loss was recognized, the reversal of impairment loss is recorded as reversal of impairment loss on held-to-maturity securities included in non-operating income. However, the resulting carrying amount after the reversal of impairment loss shall not exceed the amortized cost that would have been measured, at the date of the reversal, if no impairment loss was recognized.

Tangible Assets

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost (acquisition cost or manufacturing cost plus expenditures directly related to preparing the assets ready for use). Assets acquired from investment-in-kind, received through donations or acquired free of charge in other ways are stated at the market value of the item which is considered as the fair value. However, certain assets, for which the revaluation method in accordance with the Asset Revaluation Act of Korea or the amended Statement of Korea Accounting Standards No. 5, Property, Plant and Equipment is elected, are recorded at revalued amounts, up to December 31, 2000 (last allowable revaluation date), net of accumulated depreciation to date.

 

  F-77   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

Expenditures after acquisition or completion that increase future economic benefit in excess of the most recently assessed capability level of the asset are capitalized and other expenditures are charged to expense as incurred.

In accordance with the Company’s policy, borrowing costs in relation to the manufacture, purchase, construction or development of assets are capitalized as part of the cost of those assets.

When the expected future cash flow from use or disposal of the property, plant and equipment is lower than the carrying amount due to obsolescence, physical damage or other causes, the carrying amount is adjusted to the recoverable amount (the higher of net sales price or value in use) and the difference is recognized as an impairment loss. When the recoverable amount subsequently exceeds the carrying amount of the impaired asset, the excess is recorded as a reversal of impairment loss to the extent that the reversed asset does not exceed the carrying amount before previous impairment as adjusted by depreciation.

Depreciation is computed using the declining-balance method, except for buildings and structures using straight-line method, over the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows:

 

Assets    Useful lives (Years)
 
Buildings    30
Structures    15
Machinery and equipment    8
Vehicles    4
Others    4

Intangible Assets

Intangible asset amount represents lease premiums paid, which is amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of 5 years. A lease premium is an amount a lessee pays to the previous lessee related to the property. A long-term lease contract with a contract period of 5 years or more is amortized over the actual contract years. When the leasing right is transferred to a sub-lessee before the end of the lease period, the gain or loss on disposal of the lease premium is recognized in the amount of the difference between the lease premium previously paid and the lease premium received from the sub-lessee.

Accrued Severance Indemnities

In accordance with the Company’s policy, all employees with more than one year of service are entitled to receive a lump-sum severance payment upon termination of their employment, based on their current salary rate and length of service. The accrual for severance indemnities is computed as if all employees were to terminate at the period end dates and amounted to (Won) 15,568 million and (Won) 12,773 million for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. In accordance with the National Pension Law of Korea, a portion of its severance indemnities which has been transferred in cash to the National Pension Fund through March 1999 is presented as a deduction from accrued severance indemnities. Additionally, the Company has insured a portion of its obligations for severance indemnities by making deposits that will be directly paid to employees with Shinhan Bank Co. and others, and records them as severance insurance deposits which are directly deducted from accrued severance indemnities. Actual payments for severance indemnities amounted to (Won) 4,075 million and (Won) 2,300 million for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

 

  F-78   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

Income Tax Expense

The Company recognizes deferred income tax assets or liabilities for the temporary differences between the carrying amount of an asset and liability and tax base. A deferred tax liability is generally recognized for all taxable temporary differences with some exceptions and a deferred tax asset is recognized to the extent when it is probable that taxable income will be available against which the deductible temporary difference can be utilized in the future. Deferred income tax asset (liability) is classified as current or non-current asset (liability) depending on the classification of related asset (liability) in the statements of financial position. Deferred income tax asset (liability), which does not relate to specific asset (liability) account in the statements of financial position such as deferred income tax asset recognized for tax loss carryforwards, is classified as current or non-current asset (liability) depending on the expected reversal period. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities in the same tax jurisdiction and in the same current or non-current classification are presented on a net basis. Current and deferred income tax expense are included in income tax expense in the statements of income and additional income tax or tax refunds for the prior periods are included in income tax expense for the current period when recognized. However, income tax resulting from transactions or events, which was directly recognized in shareholders’ equity in current or prior periods, or business combinations, is directly adjusted to equity account or goodwill (or negative goodwill).

Accounting for Foreign Currency Translation

The Company maintains its accounts in Korean won. Monetary accounts with balances denominated in foreign currencies are recorded and reported in the accompanying financial statements at the exchange rates prevailing at the period end dates. The balances have been translated using the market exchange rate announced by Seoul Money Brokerage Services Ltd., which is (Won) 1,138.90 and (Won) 1,167.60 to US $1.00 at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The translation gains or losses are reflected in non operating income (expense).

Reclassification

Initial franchise fee was recognized as Miscellaneous income in prior year which has been reclassified to Commission income. In addition, the liability related to unused points was recorded as net of Advance for customers in previous year, which has been reclassified and is presented separately under Allowance for unused point. These reclassifications of the prior period are to conform to the current period’s presentation for comparative purposes; however, such reclassifications have no effect on the previously prior period’s net income or shareholders’ equity of the Company.

3. INVENTORIES:

Inventories as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 consist of the following:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009  
   

Merchandise

   (Won) 8,116,884       (Won) 9,099,921   

Finished goods

     4,941,342         3,710,784   

Semi finished goods

     219,911         306,626   

Raw materials

     10,693,639         11,912,133   

Materials in transit

     4,336,341         4,721,194   
                 

Total

   (Won) 28,308,117       (Won) 29,750,658   
   

 

  F-79   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

4. OTHER CURRENT ASSETS:

Other current assets as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 consist of the following:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009  
   

Accounts receivable–other

   (Won) 3,503,628       (Won) 4,068,176   

Accrued income

     498,843         516,444   

Advanced payments

     2,267,233         1,236,864   

Prepaid expenses

     271,603         373,174   
        

Total

   (Won) 6,541,307       (Won) 6,194,658   
          

5. SECURITIES:

Securities as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 are all classified as held-to-maturities securities and consist of following:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009  
   

Held-to-maturity securities Government & public bonds

   (Won) 68,585       (Won) 72,975   
   

Held-to-maturity securities whose maturity are within one year from the period end date in the amount of (Won) 5,600 thousand and (Won) 4,390 thousand as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, are classified as securities in the current assets.

In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 no impairment loss or reversal of any previously recognized impairment loss on securities occurred.

6. SECURITIES UNDER THE EQUITY METHOD:

Details of securities accounted for under the equity method as of December 31, 2010 are as follow:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
    

Number of

shares

     Ownership     

Acquisition

cost

    

Net asset

value

     Book value  
   

NEXGEN FOOD RESEARCH(NFR)

     6,000         100%       (Won) 677,340       (Won) 677,340       (Won) 677,340   
   

As of December 31, 2010, the Company does not reflect its proportionate share of operational results or equity adjustments of NFR as the monetary impact on the Company’s financial statements are insignificant. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 no impairment loss or reversal of any previously recognized impairment loss on securities under the equity method occurred.

 

  F-80   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

7. TANGIBLE ASSETS:

(1) Tangible assets as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 consist of the following:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009  
   

Land

   (Won) 11,103,689       (Won) 11,103,689   

Buildings

     21,571,820         22,532,797   

Structures

     752,500         748,657   

Machinery

     8,080,418         11,214,919   

Vehicles

     113,898         46,327   

Other

     20,578,300         18,613,526   
        

Total

   (Won) 62,200,625       (Won) 64,259,915   
   

(2) Disclosure of Land Price and Valuation of Land

The Korean government annually announces the public price of domestic land by address and type of purpose pursuant to the laws on Disclosure of Land Price and Valuation of Land. This is determined based on the comprehensive consideration including market price, surrounding road condition, possibility of future development and others. As of December 31, 2010 and 2009, the public price of Company-owned land is (Won) 8,960,541 thousand and (Won) 8,806,694 thousand, respectively.

(3) Changes in book values of tangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 consist of the following:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010  
    

January 1,

2010

     Acquisition      Disposal      Transfer      Depreciation     

December 31,

2010

 
                                                       

Land

   (Won) 11,103,689       (Won)       (Won)       (Won)       (Won)       (Won) 11,103,689   

Buildings

     22,532,797                                 960,977         21,571,820   

Structures

     748,657         101,200                         97,357         752,500   

Machinery

     11,214,919         529,247                         3,663,748         8,080,418   

Vehicles

     46,327         129,632         8                 62,053         113,898   

Others

     18,613,526         16,389,840         310,035                 14,115,031         20,578,300   
                                            

Total

   (Won) 64,259,915       (Won) 17,149,919       (Won) 310,043       (Won)       (Won) 18,899,166       (Won) 62,200,625   
   

 

  F-81   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2009  
    

January 1,

2009

     Acquisition      Disposal      Transfer     Depreciation     

December 31,

2009

 
                                                      

Land

   (Won) 11,004,631       (Won) 99,058       (Won)       (Won)      (Won)       (Won) 11,103,689   

Buildings

     10,251,203         2,211,290         210,085         11,211,800        931,411         22,532,797   

Structures

     705,393         131,000                        87,736         748,657   

Machinery

     9,324,879         9,478,153         3,390,510                4,197,603         11,214,919   

Vehicles

     98,141                 7                51,807         46,327   

Others

     21,018,468         13,163,035         922,134                14,645,843         18,613,526   

Construction in progress

     11,211,800                         (11,211,800               
        

Total

   (Won) 63,614,515       (Won) 25,082,536       (Won) 4,522,736       (Won)      (Won) 19,914,400       (Won) 64,259,915   
   

During the year ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 no impairment loss or reversal of any previously recognized impairment loss on property, plant and equipment occurred.

8. INSURED ASSETS:

As of December 31, 2010, the Company’s buildings and structures, machinery, equipment and inventories are insured up to (Won) 94,613,388 thousand for fire and (Won) 2,280,000 thousand for gas casualty insurance, and (Won) 200,000 thousand for the theft of securities and cash. In addition, the Company carries general insurance for vehicles, product liability insurance, business liability insurance and workers’ compensation and casualty insurance for employees.

9. INTANGIBLE ASSETS:

Change in intangible asset which consists of lease premiums for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009  
   

Beginning balance

   (Won) 11,031,813       (Won) 12,217,700   

Increase

     1,955,074         2,056,515   

Amortization

     3,604,761         3,229,922   

Disposal

     43,250         12,480   
                 

Ending balance

   (Won) 9,338,876       (Won) 11,031,813   
   

10. GUARANTEE DEPOSITS:

Guarantee deposits paid as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009  
   

Rental deposits

   (Won) 112,622,634       (Won) 97,529,235   

Other

     24,507         24,855   
                 

Total

   (Won) 112,647,141       (Won) 97,554,090   
   

 

  F-82   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

The Company obtained lien rights for the amount of (Won) 77,995 million related to its guarantee deposits as of December 31, 2010.

11. OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES:

Other current liabilities as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 consist of the following:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009  
   

Withholdings

   (Won) 3,279,270       (Won) 4,031,303   

Accrued expenses

     3,685,502         6,667,653   
        
   (Won) 6,964,772       (Won) 10,698,956   
   

12. ACCRUED SEVERANCE INDEMNITIES:

(1) Employees with more than one year of service are entitled to receive severance indemnities, based on their length of service and salary rate upon termination of their employment. The severance indemnities that would be payable assuming all eligible employees were to resign amount to (Won) 15,567,553 thousand and (Won) 12,772,914 thousand as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The changes in accrued severance indemnities for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010     2009  
   

Beginning accrued severance indemnities

   (Won) 12,772,914      (Won) 10,880,458   

Provision for severance indemnities for the period

     6,695,012        4,015,539   

Transferred-in from affiliates

     174,604        176,542   

Actual payment

     (4,074,977     (2,299,625
        

Ending accrued severance indemnities

   (Won) 15,567,553      (Won) 12,772,914   
        

Deposits in National Pension Fund

   (Won) (26,810     (34,018

Deposits in financial institutions

     (11,545,451     (8,921,668
        

Total severance deposits

   (Won) (11,572,261   (Won) (8,955,686
        

Accrued severance indemnities, net of deposits

   (Won) 3,995,292      (Won) 3,817,228   
   

(2) The Company has insured a portion of its obligations for severance indemnities, in order to obtain the related tax benefits, by making deposits with Shinhan Bank Co. and others. Withdrawal of these deposits, in the amount of (Won) 11,545,451 thousand and (Won) 8,921,668 thousand as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, is restricted to the payment of severance indemnities. In addition, a part of severance liabilities has been transferred to the national pension fund under the relevant regulation, which is no longer effective. The amounts of the national pension fund benefit transferred are (Won) 26,810 thousand and (Won) 34,018 thousand as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The severance insurance deposits and the national pension fund benefit transferred and outstanding are presented as a deduction from accrued severance indemnities.

 

  F-83   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

13. ASSETS IN FOREIGN CURRENCY:

Assets denominated in foreign currency as of December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 are as follows:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009      2008  
   
     Foreign
currency
     Korean
Won
     Foreign
currency
     Korean
Won
     Foreign
currency
     Korean
Won
 
   

Cash and cash equivalents

     USD 715,149       (Won) 814,483         USD 314,460       (Won) 367,163         USD 32,893       (Won) 41,362   
   

The Company recorded (Won) (17,252) thousand, (Won) (74,007) thousand and (Won) 8,532 thousand of Gain(Loss) on foreign currency translation in Non-operating incomes(expenses) for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively.

14. TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PARTIES:

(1) Transactions with affiliated companies and other related parties in 2010, 2009 and 2008 are as follows:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009      2008  
   
     Revenues     

Purchases

and others

     Revenues     

Purchases

and others

     Revenues     

Purchases

and others

 
   

Shany Co., Ltd.

   (Won) 1,083,848       (Won) 11,853,327       (Won) 1,150,848       (Won) 8,382,872       (Won) 1,524,853       (Won) 9,205,397   

Honam Shany Co., Ltd.

     —           79,844         —           75,770         —           72,651   

Paris Croissant Co., Ltd.

     322,424         6,969,578         175,654         4,586,953         364,698         4,702,673   

Samlip General Food Co., Ltd.

     1,250,728         3,493,164         980,148         4,071,503         1,064,070         3,589,294   

SPC Co., Ltd.

     2,050,502         4,409,849         —           2,674,935         114         1,644,123   

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

     —           3,448,705         —           3,193,370         —           2,754,578   

Paris Baguette Bon Doux, Inc.

     —           23,482,273         —           33,281,213         —           34,917,510   
        
   (Won) 4,707,502       (Won) 53,736,740       (Won) 2,306,650       (Won) 56,266,616       (Won) 2,953,735       (Won) 56,886,226   
   

 

  F-84   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

(2) Related balances of receivables and payables with related parties as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 are summarized below.

 

      Korean Won (In thousands)  
    2010      2009  
   

Receivables

    

Shany Co., Ltd.

  (Won) 786       (Won)   

Paris Croissant Co., Ltd.

    27,215           

Samlip General Food Co., Ltd.

    209,348           

SPC Co., Ltd.

    154,120           
       
  (Won) 391,469       (Won)   
       

Allowance for doubtful accounts

         

Payables (*1)

    

Shany Co., Ltd.

  (Won) 167,480       (Won) 190,175   

Honam Shany Co., Ltd.

    14,529         6,477   

Paris Croissant Co., Ltd.

    478,588         248,177   

Samlip General Food Co., Ltd.

    271,371         303,091   

SPC Co., Ltd.

    497,234         266,025   

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

    1,126,000         1,049,036   
       
  (Won) 2,555,202       (Won) 2,062,981   
   

 

(*1)   Payables consists of trade accounts payable, accrued expenses and accounts payable—other.

15. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

Capital Stock

As of December 31, 2010, the Company has 3,000,000 authorized shares of common stock with a (Won) 10,000 par value, of which 600,000 shares were issued and outstanding as of December 30, 2010.

Appropriated Retained Earnings

Appropriated retained earnings as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, which are maintained by the Company in accordance with tax and other relevant regulations, consist of the following:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009  
   

Legal reserve (*1)

   (Won) 3,000,000       (Won) 3,000,000   

Reserve for business rationalization (*2)

     3,493,977         3,493,977   

Reserve for business development (*3)

     17,741,000         17,741,000   
        
   (Won) 24,234,977       (Won) 24,234,977   
   

 

(*1)   The Korean Business Law requires the Company to appropriate at least 10 percent of cash dividends paid to legal reserve until such reserve equals 50 percent of its paid-in capital. This reserve is not available for cash dividends and can only be transferred to capital or can be used to reduce deficit.

 

  F-85   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

 

(*2)   In accordance with the Tax Exemption and Reduction Control Law, the amount of tax benefit associated with certain tax credits are appropriated as a reserve for business rationalization.

 

(*3)   In order to obtain a tax credit on excess retained earnings’ tax, the Company previously accrued for a reserve for business development. However, as the relevant tax regulation concerning excess retained earnings’ tax was repealed in early 2002, the Company has not accrued for any additional reserve for business development since 2002. The remaining reserve can be used to offset deficit or transferred to paid-in capital. However, if this reserve is used for other purposes, the amount used is subject to additional corporate tax.

16. DONATIONS AND MISCELLENEOUS EXPENSE

The Company donates donuts to the Food Bank on a daily basis as part of its Corporate social responsibility.

The Company recognized miscellaneous income and expense related to various types of other income offset by mainly inventory scrap expenses. Gross presentation of miscellaneous income and expense is as follows:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010     2009     2008  
   

Miscellaneous income

   (Won) 864,534      (Won) 848,083      (Won) 1,365,637   

Miscellaneous (expense)

     (1,200,664     (2,016,819     (598,467
        

Miscellaneous, net

   (Won) (336,130   (Won) (1,168,736   (Won) 7,67,170   
   

17. INCOME TAX EXPENSE AND DEFERRED TAXES:

(1) Income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 is as follows:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010     2009     2008  
   

Income tax currently payable

   (Won) 10,800,834      (Won) 12,723,873      (Won) 12,785,153   

Changes in deferred income tax assets due to temporary differences:

      

End of year

     1,201,484        987,625        314,525   

Beginning of year

     987,625        314,526        (559,490
        
     (213,859     (673,101     (874,015
        

Income tax expense

   (Won) 10,586,975      (Won) 12,050,772      (Won) 11,911,138   
   

If the amount in the actual tax return differs from the amount used for the calculation of tax expenses for financial reporting purposes above, the Company reflects such difference in the following fiscal period.

Income tax currently payable as of December 31, 2009 includes additional payment arising from a tax assessment for prior years’ corporate income taxes amounting to (Won) 2,133,542 thousand.

 

  F-86   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

(2) The reconciliations between income before income tax and income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010     2009     2008  
        

Income before income tax

   (Won) 43,999,079      (Won) 47,413,254      (Won) 44,797,781   

Income tax payable by statutory income tax rate

     10,623,577        11,449,808        12,288,590   

Tax reconciliations:

       (377,452

Non-deductible expense

     55,479        193,957        85,310   

Special tax

     9,294        170,405        112,020   

Tax credit (a)

     (152,850     (1,015,551     (672,629

Additional payment from the tax assessment (b)

            2,133,542          

Adjustment in beginning balance of deferred tax assets from the tax assessment (b)

            (902,429       

Other (c)

     51,475        21,040        97,847   
        

Income tax expense

   (Won) 10,586,975      (Won) 12,050,772      (Won) 11,911,138   
        

Effective tax rate

     24.06%        25.42%        26.59%   
   

 

(a)   Tax credit consists of research and human resource development tax credit, temporarily investment tax credit, and other tax credits applicable under the special tax control laws of Korea.
(b)   Adjustment to the temporary differences arising from the prior period tax returns and the final tax assessment and the amount reported in the financial statements are included within the increase or decrease columns.
(c)   Other represents the effect from change in the applied corporate tax rate.

 

  F-87   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

(3) Details of changes in accumulated temporary differences for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 

      Korean Won (In thousands)  
    2010  
Descriptions   Beginning
Balance
    Decrease     Increase    

Ending

Balance

 
   

Temporary differences to be deducted :

       

Accrued severance indemnities

  (Won) 9,611,773      (Won) 1,177,583      (Won) 5,252,798      (Won) 13,686,988   

Foreign currency translation

    74,007        74,007        17,252        17,252   

Amortization of lease premium

    304,709        11,364        132,214        425,559   

Advertising

    614,883        434,392               180,491   

Allowance for doubtful accounts

                  32,232        32,232   

Accumulated depreciation—Structures

    3,985,468        511,419        510,001        3,984,050   

Accumulated depreciation

    81,032        12,006               69,026   
       

Total

    14,671,872        2,220,771        5,944,497        18,395,598   
       

Tax rate (*1)

    22.0%,24.2%            22.0%,24.2%   
                   

Deferred income tax assets

    3,229,440            4,048,120   
                   

Temporary differences to be added :

       

Severance insurance deposits

    (8,921,668     (1,177,583     (3,801,367     (11,545,452

Accrued income

    (516,444     (516,444     (498,843     (498,843

Lease premium

    (304,709     (11,364     (132,214     (425,559

Special accumulated depreciation

    (395,604     (26,435     (50,348     (419,517
       

Total

    (10,138,425     (1,731,826     (4,482,772     (12,889,371
       

Tax rate

    22.0%,24.2%            22.0%,24.2%   
                   

Deferred income tax liabilities

    (2,241,815         (2,846,636
                   

Deferred income tax assets, net

  (Won) 987,625          (Won) 1,201,484   
   

 

  F-88   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

      Korean Won (In thousands)  
    2009  
Descriptions   Beginning
Balance
    Decrease     Increase    

Ending

Balance

 
   

Temporary differences to be deducted :

       

Accrued severance indemnities

  (Won) 8,132,534      (Won) 940,692      (Won) 2,419,932      (Won) 9,611,773   

Foreign currency translation

    (8,532     (8,532     74,007        74,007   

Amortization of lease premium

    219,782        64,182        149,109        304,709   

Advertising

    683,455        68,572               614,883   

Accumulated depreciation- Structures

    3,418,496        194,522        761,494        3,985,468   

Accumulated depreciation

    86,086        9,471        4,417        81,032   
       

Total

    12,531,821        1,268,907        3,408,959        14,671,872   
       

Tax rate

    22.0%,24.2%            22.0%,24.2%   
                   

Deferred income tax assets

    2,756,813            3,229,440   
                   

Temporary differences to be added :

       

Severance insurance deposits

    (5,651,865     (940,692     (4,210,495     (8,921,668

Accrued income

    (682,464     (682,464     (516,444     (516,444

Lease premium

    (219,782     (64,182     (149,109     (304,709

Special accumulated depreciation

    (377,001     (32,768     (51,371     (395,604
       

Total

    (6,931,112     (1,720,106     (4,927,419     (10,138,425
       

Tax rate (*1)

    22.0%,24.2%            22.0%,24.2%   
                   

Deferred income tax liabilities

    (1,539,859         (2,241,815
                   

Deferred income tax assets, net

  (Won) 1,216,954          (Won) 987,625   
   

 

(*1)   Based on tax rates announced in 2010, the tax rates expected to be applicable to the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities are 24.2 % in 2011 and 22% after 2012 and thereafter.

(4) Balances of income tax payable and prepaid income tax before offsetting as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 

Description    Korean Won (In thousands)  
   2010      2009  
   

Before offsetting

     

Prepaid income tax

   (Won) 4,888,309       (Won) 4,952,082   

Income tax payable

     10,800,834         12,774,024   
        

Income tax payable after offsetting

   (Won) 5,912,523       (Won) 7,821,942   
   

 

  F-89   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

18. NET INCOME PER SHARE:

Net income per share for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 are computed as follows (In thousands except per share amounts and number of shares):

 

       2010      2009      2008  
   

Net income

   (Won) 33,412,104       (Won) 35,362,482       (Won) 32,886,643   

Weighted average number of outstanding shares(*)

     600,000         600,000         600,000   
        

Net income per share

   (Won) 55,687       (Won) 58,937       (Won) 54,811   
   

 

(*)   The number of outstanding shares did not change for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008.

19. DIVIDENDS:

(1) Dividends for the years December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 are as follows:

 

       Korean Won  
     2010      2009      2008  
   

Dividend per share

   (Won) 16,720       (Won) 17,690       (Won) 16,480   

Number of shares

     600,000         600,000         600,000   
        

Dividends

   (Won) 10,032,000,000       (Won) 10,614,000,000       (Won) 9,888,000,000   
   

(2) The calculation of dividend to net income ratio for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 is as follows:

 

       Korean Won  
     2010      2009      2008  
   

Dividend

   (Won) 10,032,000,000       (Won) 10,614,000,000       (Won) 9,888,000,000   

Net income

     33,412,104,480         35,362,481,645         32,886,642,641   
        

Dividend ratio

     30.03%         30.01%         30.07%   
   

20. SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FOR COMPUTATION OF VALUE ADDED:

The accounts and amounts needed for calculation of value added for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 are as follows:

 

       Korean won (In thousands)  
     2010  
     SG & A
expenses
    

Manufacturing

cost

     Total
expenses
 
   

Salaries

   (Won) 34,303,927       (Won) 3,543,584       (Won) 37,847,511   

Provision for severance indemnities

     6,209,530         485,482         6,695,012   

Employee benefits

     5,850,725         795,384         6,646,109   

Rent

     22,564,643         964,233         23,528,876   

Depreciation

     11,659,293         7,239,873         18,899,166   

Amortization of lease premium

     3,604,761                 3,604,761   

Taxes and dues

     1,736,351         194,801         1,931,152   
        

Total

   (Won) 85,929,230       (Won) 13,223,357       (Won) 99,152,587   
   

 

  F-90   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

 

       Korean won (In thousands)  
     2009  
     SG & A
expenses
    

Manufacturing

cost

     Total
expenses
 
   

Salaries

   (Won) 30,876,952       (Won) 3,380,604       (Won) 34,257,556   

Provision for severance indemnities

     3,514,136         501,403         4,015,539   

Employee benefits

     5,403,641         748,302         6,151,943   

Rent

     18,163,520         1,042,299         19,205,819   

Depreciation

     12,128,425         7,786,368         19,914,793   

Amortization of lease premium

     3,229,923                 3,229,923   

Taxes and dues

     1,542,840         180,437         1,723,277   
        

Total

   (Won) 74,859,437       (Won) 13,639,413       (Won) 88,498,850   
   

 

       Korean won (In thousands)  
     2008  
     SG & A
expenses
    

Manufacturing

cost

     Total
expenses
 
   

Salaries

   (Won) 27,429,905       (Won) 2,953,351       (Won) 30,383,256   

Provision for severance indemnities

     3,671,679         390,407         4,062,086   

Employee benefits

     5,702,784         678,002         6,380,786   

Rent

     16,648,373         883,007         17,531,380   

Depreciation

     11,552,897         3,034,196         14,587,093   

Amortization of lease premium

     2,779,148                 2,779,148   

Taxes and dues

     1,667,408         145,664         1,813,072   
        

Total

   (Won) 69,452,194       (Won) 8,084,627       (Won) 77,536,821   
   

21. SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES:

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 consist of the following:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009      2008  
   

Salaries (*1)

   (Won) 34,303,927       (Won) 30,876,952       (Won) 27,429,905   

Provision for severance indemnities (*1)

     6,209,531         3,514,136         3,671,679   

Other salaries

     3,847,903         3,867,808         3,602,118   

Employee benefits (*1)

     5,850,725         5,403,641         5,702,784   

Rent (*1)

     22,564,643         18,163,520         16,648,373   

Depreciation (*1)

     11,659,293         12,128,425         11,552,897   

Amortization of lease premium (*1)

     3,604,760         3,229,923         2,779,148   

Taxes and dues (*1)

     1,736,351         1,542,840         1,667,408   

Advertising

     30,235,596         26,201,518         20,619,359   

Research

     550,848         402,720         320,529   

Provision for doubtful accounts

     31,982         21,800         43,845   

Commission

     32,672,470         25,861,672         22,027,088   

Others

     28,236,732         24,071,291         22,541,128   
                          
   (Won) 181,504,761       (Won) 155,286,246       (Won) 138,606,261   
   

 

  F-91   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

 

(*1)   Other amounts of expenses under the same categorization are considered as manufacturing costs and recognized as Cost of Sales in the statements of income. See Note 20 for the breakout between selling, general and administrative expenses and manufacturing costs for the above categories of expenses.

22. COMMITMENTS AND LITIGATIONS:

(1) Commitments

The Company established an import documentary letter of credit up to US $3 million with two commercial banks of Korea as of December 31, 2010. In addition, as of December 31, 2010, the Company is provided with a line of credit of (Won) 10 billion under a factoring agreement with Shinhan Bank.

(2) Litigation

Seoul Metro filed two lawsuits against the Company both in relation to sublease from Seoul Express Bus & Central City (2 cases with aggregate claims of (Won) 264 million). Seoul Metro is a building owner and subleased a part of the building with a rent free period to Seoul Express Bus & Central City, which subsequently subleased the property to the Company. The Company’s lease payments made to Seoul Express Bus & Central City after the end of the rent free period to the present has been deposited with the courts. The litigations are currently pending in the second round decision at the Supreme Courts. However, the Seoul Express Bus & Central City will be liable for the lease payments made by the Company if the court rules in favor of the plaintiff. Thus, the Company believes that the likelihood of loss is remote. The Company believes the outcome of the lawsuits will likely not adversely affect the Company’s financial statements and therefore no amounts for litigation uncertainties are accrued for as of December 31, 2010.

(3) Allowance for unused points

Customer loyalty programs are operated by the Company to provide customers with incentives to buy their goods and services. Under the programs, customers can earn from 1.5% ~ 5% of any purchase amount above (Won) 1,000, as points to use in the future. Such points expire within one year from the date the customer earns them. As the Company’s obligation to provide such awards are in the future, any unused program points as of the period end date, are recognized as Allowance for unused points and amounts to (Won) 1,428,034 thousand and (Won) 2,163,071 thousand as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 respectively.

23. SEGMENT INFORMATION:

The Company has two operating divisions, ice cream and donut, in which sales are made through the Company’s distribution network consisting of stores under the Company’s direct management and under the franchise agreement.

The divisions’ sales for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 

       Korean Won (In millions)  
     2010      2009      2008  
   

Ice Cream

   (Won) 209,367       (Won) 197,608       (Won) 168,792   

Donut

     216,696         208,606         182,876   
        
   (Won) 426,063       (Won) 406,214       (Won) 351,668   
   

 

  F-92   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

24. CASH FLOW STATEMENTS:

Significant transactions not involving cash flows are as follows:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009      2008  
   

Transfer to current assets from held-to-maturity securities

   (Won) 5,600       (Won) 4,390       (Won) 16,945   

Transfer from construction in progress to buildings

             11,211,800           
   

25. RECONCILIATION TO UNITED STATES GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES:

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in Korea (“Korean GAAP”), which differ in certain respects from accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The significant differences are described in the reconciliation tables below. Other differences do not have a significant effect on either net income or shareholders’ equity.

The effects of the significant adjustments to net income for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 which would be required if U.S. GAAP were to be applied instead of Korean GAAP are summarized as follows :

 

       Korean Won  
     (In thousands except earnings per share)  
     Note
reference
     2010     2009  
   

Net income based on Korean GAAP

      (Won) 33,412,104      (Won) 35,362,482   

Adjustments:

       

Retirement and severance benefits

     25.a         3,003,808        1,063,693   

Compensated absences

     25.b         (116,766     (5,797

FIN 48 effect

     25.c         (8,766     (10,099

Tax effect of the reconciling items

     25.e         (632,580     (232,610
           

Net income based on U.S. GAAP

      (Won) 35,657,800      (Won) 36,177,669   
           

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding

        600,000        600,000   

Basic and Diluted Earnings per share based on US GAAP

      (Won) 59,430      (Won) 60,296   
   

The effects of the significant adjustments to shareholders’ equity for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 which would be required if U.S. GAAP were to be applied instead of Korean GAAP are summarized as follows :

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     Note
reference
     2010     2009  
   

Shareholders’ equity based on Korean GAAP

      (Won) 229,330,726      (Won) 206,532,622   

Adjustments:

       

Retirement and severance benefits

     25.a         (1,710,408     (568,374

Compensated absences

     25.b         (643,345     (526,579

FIN 48 effect

     25.c         (18,865     (10,099

Tax effect of the reconciling items

     25.e         531,979        252,475   
           

Shareholder’s equity based on U.S. GAAP

      (Won) 227,490,087      (Won) 205,680,045   
           

 

  F-93   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

a. Retirement and Severance Benefits

Under the Korean labor law, employees with more than one year of service are entitled to receive a lump sum payment upon voluntary or involuntary termination of their employment. The amount of the benefit is based on the terminated employee’s length of employment and rate of pay prior to termination. Korean GAAP requires that a company record the vested benefit obligation at the balance sheet date assuming all employees were to terminate their employment as of that date. The change in the vested benefit obligation during the year is recorded as the current year’s severance expense.

U.S. GAAP generally requires the use of actuarial methods for measuring annual employee benefit costs including the use of assumptions as to the rate of salary progression and discount rate, the amortization of prior service costs over the remaining service period of active employees and the immediate recognition of a liability when the accumulated benefit obligation exceeds the fair value of plan assets. Under U.S. GAAP, actuarial gains or losses, which result from a change in the value of either the projected benefit obligation or the plan assets resulting from experience different from that assumed or from a change in an actuarial assumption, that are not recognized as a component of net income or loss are recognized as increases or decreases to other comprehensive income, net of tax, in the period they arise. As a minimum, amortization of a net actuarial gain or loss included in accumulated other comprehensive income is included as a component of net pension cost for a year if, as of the beginning of the year, that net actuarial gain or loss exceeds 10 percent of the greater of the projected benefit obligation or the market-related value of plan assets. If amortization is required, the minimum amortization shall be that excess divided by the average remaining service period of active employees expected to receive benefits under the plan.

b. Compensated absences

Under U.S. GAAP, a liability for amounts to be paid as a result of employee’s rights to compensated absences shall be accrued in the year in which earned. Under Korean GAAP, while there is no specific provision for the accounting treatment of accruing the compensated absences, the Company accrues such liability in the following year pursuant to industry practice.

c. Income Taxes

Under U.S. GAAP, effective January 1, 2009, the Company adopted accounting guidance which clarifies the accounting guidance for uncertainties in income taxes. The guidance requires that the tax effect(s) of a position be recognized only if it is “more-likely-than-not” to be sustained based solely on its technical merits as of the reporting date. The more-likely-than-not threshold represents a positive assertion by management that a company is entitled to the economic benefits of a tax position. If a tax position is not considered more-likely-than-not to be sustained based solely on its technical merits, no benefits of the tax position are to be recognized. The more-likely-than-not threshold must continue to be met in each reporting period to support continued recognition of a benefit. With the adoption of the accounting guidance, companies are required to adjust their financial statements to reflect only those tax positions that are more-likely-than-not to be sustained. Any necessary adjustment would be recorded directly to retained earnings and reported as a change in accounting principle.

Under Korean corporation tax law, the cost of executive bonuses which is paid without related executive bonuses payment policy is not recognized as a tax deduction. The Company paid (Won) 30,084 thousand in 2010

 

  F-94   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

and (Won) 37,939 thousand in 2009 as executive bonuses without the bonus payment policy and the income tax expenses for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 increased by (Won) 8,766 thousand and (Won) 10,099 thousand, respectively.

d. Scope of consolidation

Under Korean GAAP, majority-owned subsidiaries with total assets below (Won) 10 billion at prior year end are not consolidated. Under U.S. GAAP, a company is required to consolidate all majority-owned subsidiaries regardless of total asset size if it has control of the subsidiary. However, the reconciliation to US GAAP does not include the consolidate of a majority-owned subsidiary with total assets below (Won) 10 billion as the Company believes such amounts are immaterial.

e. Tax effect of the reconciling items

The applicable statutory tax rate used to calculate the tax effect of the reconciling items on the net income reconciliation between Korean GAAP and U.S. GAAP for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 was 24.2%. Such tax rates are inclusive of resident surtax of 2.2%. The following is a reconciliation of the tax effect of the reconciling items on net income:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010      2009  
   

Net income based on U.S.GAAP

   (Won) 35,657,800       (Won) 36,177,669   

Net income based on Korean GAAP

     33,412,104         35,362,482   
        

Total GAAP adjustments on net income

     2,245,696         815,187   

Adjustments related to tax items:

     

FIN 48 effect

     8,766         10,099   

Tax effect of the reconciling items

     632,580         232,610   
        

Taxable GAAP adjustment

     2,887,042         1,057,896   

Applicable tax rate(*)

     24.2%, 22%         24.2%, 22.0%   
        

Tax effect of the reconciling items

   (Won) 632,580       (Won) 232,610   
   

 

(*)   The Company applied tax rates that are expected to apply in the period in which the liability is expected to settled, based on tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the end of the reporting period. Hence, since the adjustment in compensated absences for the year ended December 31, 2010 amounting to (Won) (116,766) thousands is expected to be settled in 2011, the Company applied 24.2% which is an enacted tax rate for fiscal year 2011. In addition, since the adjustment in retirement and severance benefits for the year ended December 31, 2010 amounting to (Won) 3,003,808 thousands is expected to be settled in 2012 and thereafter, the Company applied 22.0% which is an enacted tax rate for fiscal year 2012 and thereafter. The same rule was applied to fiscal year 2009.

 

  F-95   (Continued)


Table of Contents

BR KOREA CO., LTD.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009

 

The following is a reconciliation of the tax effect of the reconciling items on shareholders’ equity:

 

       Korean Won (In thousands)  
     2010     2009  
   

Shareholders’equity based on U.S.GAAP

   (Won) 227,490,087      (Won) 205,680,045   

Shareholders’equity based on Korean GAAP

     229,330,726        206,532,622   
        

Total GAAP adjustments on net income

     (1,840,639     (852,577

Adjustments related to tax items:

    

FIN 48 effect

     18,865        10,099   

Tax effect of the reconciling items

     (531,979     (252,475
        

Taxable GAAP adjustment

     (2,353,753     (1,094,953

Applicable tax rate (*)

     24.2%, 22.0%        24.2%, 22.0%   
        

Tax effect of the reconciling items

   (Won) (531,979   (Won) (252,475
   

 

(*)   The Company applied tax rates that are expected to apply in the period in which the liability is expected to be settled, based on tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the end of the reporting period. Hence, since the adjustment in compensated absences as of December 31, 2010 amounting to (Won) (643,345) thousands is expected to be settled in 2011, the Company applied 24.2% which is an enacted tax rate for fiscal year 2011. In addition, since the adjustment in retirement and severance benefits as of December 31, 2010 amounting to (Won)  (1,710,408) thousands is expected to be settled in 2012 and thereafter, the Company applied 22.0% which is an enacted tax rate for fiscal year 2012 and thereafter. The same rule was applied to fiscal year 2009.

f. Subsequent event

ASC 855 (formerly, SFAS Statement No. 165), Subsequent Events, was issued in May 2009 and is effective for interim or annual financial periods ending after June 15, 2009. ASC 855 establishes principles and requirements for subsequent events by setting forth the period after the balance sheet date during which management of a reporting entity shall evaluate events or transactions that may occur for potential recognition or disclosure in the financial statements, the circumstances under which an entity shall recognize events or transactions occurring after the balance sheet date in its financial statements, and the disclosures that an entity shall make about events or transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date. The Company has adopted ASC 855 and management has performed its evaluation of subsequent events through April 29, 2011, the date these financial statements are issued and has determined that there are no subsequent events requiring adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

  F-96  


Table of Contents

LOGO

Report of Independent Auditors

To the board of Directors and Shareholders of

B-R 31 ICE CREAM CO., LTD.:

In our opinion, the accompanying balance sheet and the related statement of income, changes in net assets and cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of B-R31 ICE CREAM CO., LTD. at December 31, 2010, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in Japan. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit of these statements in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Accounting principles generally accepted in Japan vary in certain significant respects from accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Information relating to the nature and effect of such differences is presented in Note 18 to the financial statements.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata

Tokyo, Japan

April 29, 2011

 

F-97


Table of Contents

B-R 31 ICE CREAM CO., LTD.

Balance Sheets

(In thousands)

 

       December 31,
2010
    (Not covered
by Auditors’
Report)
December 31,
2009
 
   

Assets

    

Current assets:

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   ¥ 3,912,939      ¥ 3,233,199   

Accounts receivable-trade

     2,797,245        2,434,001   

Finished products

     528,830        365,758   

Raw materials

     254,757        244,487   

Supplies

     200,306        125,914   

Advance payments

     56,987        113,307   

Prepaid expenses

     82,720        69,513   

Deferred tax assets

     131,590        95,643   

Accounts receivable-other

     20,038        24,408   

Other current assets

     19,689        35,678   

Allowance for doubtful accounts

     (23,873     (19,169
        

Total current assets

     7,981,228        6,722,739   
        

Non-current assets:

    

Tangible fixed assets

    

Buildings

     1,495,756        1,492,807   

Accumulated depreciation

     (1,057,432     (1,045,581
        

Buildings, net

     438,324        447,226   

Structures

     195,248        195,248   

Accumulated depreciation

     (154,183     (151,395
        

Structures, net

     41,065        43,853   

Machinery and equipment

     2,042,838        1,939,585   

Accumulated depreciation

     (1,578,672     (1,520,706
        

Machinery and equipment, net

     464,166        418,879   

Store leasehold improvements

     2,612,281        2,382,675   

Accumulated depreciation

     (1,397,189     (1,293,535
        

Store leasehold improvements, net

     1,215,092        1,089,140   

Retail store equipment

     188,127        173,601   

Accumulated depreciation

     (60,558     (40,936
        

Retail store equipment, net

     127,569        132,665   

Vehicles and transportation equipment

     18,627        18,627   

Accumulated depreciation

     (16,544     (15,405
        

Vehicles and transportation equipment, net

     2,083        3,222   

Tools, furniture and fixtures

     582,697        540,933   

Accumulated depreciation

     (388,598     (325,441
        

Tools, furniture and fixtures, net

     194,099        215,492   

Land

     226,363        226,363   

Construction in progress

     117,682        2,148   
        

Total tangible fixed assets

     2,826,443        2,578,988   

Intangible assets

    

Software

     216,138        315,154   

Telephone subscription rights

     17,065        17,065   
        

Total intangible assets

     233,203        332,219   

Investments and other assets

    

Investment securities

     25,672        20,766   

Loans receivable

     11,206        22,330   

Loans receivable from employees

     20,000        22,005   

Other receivables

     117,449        128,986   

Prepaid expenses

     517,068        514,946   

Deferred tax assets

     116,808        138,171   

Lease deposits

     1,943,612        1,802,716   

Other non-current assets

     19,685        3,220   

Allowance for doubtful accounts

     (83,933     (94,289
        

Investments and other assets

     2,687,567        2,558,851   
        

Total non-current assets

     5,747,213        5,470,058   
        

Total assets

   ¥ 13,728,441      ¥ 12,192,797   
   

 

F-98


Table of Contents

B-R 31 ICE CREAM CO., LTD.

Balance Sheets (Continued)

(In thousands)

 

       December 31,
2010
    (Not covered
by Auditors’
Report)
December 31,
2009
 
   

Liabilities and Net assets

    

Current liabilities:

    

Accounts payable-trade

   ¥ 494,760      ¥ 494,143   

Accounts payable-other

     1,226,993        1,015,360   

Accrued expenses

     25,427        23,579   

Provision for income taxes

     812,790        640,381   

Accrued consumption taxes

     41,718        80,085   

Gift card liability

     295,528        255,538   

Deposits received

     139,794        93,694   

Employees’ bonuses

     34,352        30,168   

Directors’ bonuses

     17,000        14,000   

Other current liabilities

     83,404        27,126   
        

Total current liabilities

     3,171,766        2,674,074   
        

Non-current liabilities:

    

Employees’ retirement benefits

     132,108        119,600   

Directors’ retirement benefits

     54,000        43,900   

Long-term deposits received

     1,009,692        899,686   
        

Total non-current liabilities

     1,195,800        1,063,186   
        

Total liabilities

     4,367,566        3,737,260   
        

Net Assets:

    

Stockholders’ equity:

    

Common stock

     735,286        735,286   

Capital surplus

    

Legal capital surplus

     241,079        241,079   
        

Total capital surplus

     241,079        241,079   
        

Retained earnings

    

Legal reserve

     168,677        168,677   

Other

    

Other reserves

     4,140,000        4,140,000   

Retained earnings

     4,122,041        3,192,893   
        

Total retained earnings

     8,430,718        7,501,570   
        

Treasury stock

     (16,793     (16,793
        

Total stockholders’ equity

     9,390,290        8,461,142   

Valuation and translation adjustments:

    

Net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax

     1,144        (229

Net gains (losses) on deferred hedges, net of tax

     (30,559     (5,376
        

Total valuation and translation adjustments

     (29,415     (5,605
        

Total net assets

     9,360,875        8,455,537   
        

Total liabilities and net assets

   ¥ 13,728,441      ¥ 12,192,797   
   

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

F-99


Table of Contents

B-R 31 ICE CREAM CO., LTD.

Statements of Income

(In thousands)

 

       Year ended
December 31, 2010
    (Not covered by
Auditors’ Report)
Year ended
December 31, 2009
    (Not covered by
Auditors’ Report)
Year ended
December 31, 2008
 
   

Revenues:

      

Sales of finished products

   ¥ 14,696,644      ¥ 12,939,121      ¥ 11,438,062   

Royalty income

     3,150,990        2,826,902        2,578,475   

Rental income of store equipment

     930,737        893,773        843,316   
        

Total revenues

     18,778,371        16,659,796        14,859,853   
        

Cost of sales:

      

Finished products at the beginning of the year

     365,758        367,260        296,507   

Cost of products manufactured during the year

     7,006,948        6,135,411        5,688,374   
        

Total

     7,372,706        6,502,671        5,984,881   
        

Transfers to other accounts

     (45,364     (32,440     (48,204

Finished products at the end of the year

     (528,830     (365,758     (367,260
        

Cost of finished products sold

     6,798,512        6,104,473        5,569,417   
        

Cost of store equipment

     439,665        422,465        421,348   
        

Total cost of sales

     7,238,177        6,526,938        5,990,765   
        

Gross profit

     11,540,194        10,132,858        8,869,088   
        

Selling, general and administrative expenses:

      

Delivery and storage charges

     1,255,453        1,125,538        1,049,239   

Advertising expenses

     2,306,586        2,099,743        1,949,924   

Royalties

     184,387        163,255        141,650   

Rental expenses

     352,524        363,083        288,427   

Salaries, allowances and bonuses

     980,201        905,626        796,477   

Provision for bonuses

     28,966        25,418        62,931   

Employees’ retirement benefits

     59,880        55,094        47,092   

Directors’ retirement benefits

     10,100        10,100        22,100   

Other wages

     187,517        163,264        144,967   

Sales promotion expenses

     673,778        573,540        494,141   

Franchise general expenses

     490,461                 

Depreciation

     562,282        586,890        460,226   

Inventory write-off

            31,293          

Other

     1,551,556        1,692,952        1,538,155   
        

Total selling, general and administrative expenses

     8,643,691        7,795,796        6,995,329   
        

Operating income

     2,896,503        2,337,062        1,873,759   
        

Non-operating income:

      

Interest income

     1,082        1,549        1,535   

Gain on sales of fixed assets

     45,342        33,897        39,566   

Gain on unused gift card

     15,208        15,595        11,868   

Other

     6,339        8,493        15,436   
        

Total non-operating income

     67,971        59,534        68,405   
        

Non-operating expenses:

      

Inventory write-off

                   30,179   

Loss on disposals of fixed assets

     20,710        19,900        22,390   

Other

     2,654        803        5,240   
        

Total non-operating expenses

     23,364        20,703        57,809   
        

Ordinary income

     2,941,110        2,375,893        1,884,355   
        

Extraordinary gains:

      

Gain on reversal of allowance for doubtful accounts

     5,249                 

Compensation on lease termination

     20,029                 

Refund of consumption taxes

     4,203                 

Other

     1,154                 
        

Total extraordinary income

     30,635                 
        

Extraordinary losses :

      

Loss on disposals of other fixed assets

     24,137        34,720        38,246   
        

Total extraordinary losses

     24,137        34,720        38,246   
        

Income before income taxes

     2,947,608        2,341,173        1,846,109   
        

Income taxes-current

     1,294,000        1,048,000        808,060   

Income taxes-deferred

     1,758        (14,127     (21,844

Total income taxes

     1,295,758        1,033,873        786,216   
        

Net income

   ¥ 1,651,850      ¥ 1,307,300      ¥ 1,059,893   
                        

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

F-100


Table of Contents

B-R 31 ICE CREAM CO., LTD.

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

(In thousands)

 

       December 31,
2010
    (Not covered
by Auditors’
report)
December 31,
2009
    (Not covered
by Auditors’
report)
December 31,
2008
 
   

Shareholders’ equity

      

Common stock

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

   ¥ 735,286        735,286        735,286   

Changes during the year

      

Total changes during the year

                     
        

Balance at the end of the year

     735,286        735,286        735,286   
        

Capital surplus

      

Legal capital surplus

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     241,079        241,079        241,079   

Changes during the year

      

Total changes during the year

                     
        

Balance at the end of the year

     241,079        241,079        241,079   
        

Total capital surplus

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     241,079        241,079        241,079   

Changes during the year

      

Total changes during the year

                     
        

Balance at the end of the year

     241,079        241,079        241,079   
        

Retained earnings

      

Legal Reserve

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     168,677        168,677        168,677   

Changes during the year

      

Total changes during the year

                     
        

Balance at the end of the year

     168,677        168,677        168,677   
        

Other retained earnings

      

Reserve for special depreciation

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

                   223   

Changes during the year

      

Reversal of reserve for special depreciation

                   (223
        

Total changes during the year

                   (223
        

Balance at the end of the year

                     
        

General reserves

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     4,140,000        4,140,000        4,140,000   

Changes during the year

      

Total changes during the year

                     
        

Balance at the end of the year

     4,140,000        4,140,000        4,140,000   
        

Retained earnings brought forward

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     3,192,893        2,463,754        2,078,160   

Changes during the year

      

Reversal of reserve for special depreciation

                   223   

Dividends

     (722,702     (578,161     (674,522

Net income

     1,651,850        1,307,300        1,059,893   
        

Total changes during the year

     929,148        729,139        385,594   
        

Balance at the end of the year

     4,122,041        3,192,893        2,463,754   
        

Total retained earnings

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     7,501,570        6,772,431        6,387,060   

Changes during the year

      

Dividends

     (722,702     (578,161     (674,522

Net income

     1,651,850        1,307,300        1,059,893   
        

Total changes during the year

     929,148        729,139        385,371   
        

Balance at the end of the year

     8,430,718        7,501,570        6,772,431   

 

F-101


Table of Contents

B-R 31 ICE CREAM CO., LTD.

Statements of Changes in Net Assets (Continued)

(In thousands)

 

       December 31,
2010
    (Not covered
by Auditors’
report)
December 31,
2009
    (Not covered
by Auditors’
report)
December 31,
2008
 
   

Treasury stock

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     (16,793     (16,793     (16,793

Changes during the year

      

Total changes during the year

                     
        

Balance at the end of the year

     (16,793     (16,793     (16,793
        

Total shareholders’ equity

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     8,461,142        7,732,003        7,346,632   

Changes during the year

      

Dividends

     (722,702     (578,161     (674,522

Net income

     1,651,850        1,307,300        1,059,893   
        

Total changes during the year

     929,148        729,139        385,371   
        

Balance at the end of the year

     9,390,290        8,461,142        7,732,003   
        

Valuation and translation adjustments

      

Net unrealized gains(losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     (229     834        1,448   

Changes during the year

      

Net changes of items other than shareholders’ equity

     1,373        (1,063     (614
        

Total changes during the year

     1,373        (1,063     (614
        

Balance at the end of the year

     1,144        (229     834   
        

Deferred gains or losses on hedges

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     (5,376     (34,949     19,504   

Changes during the year

      

Net changes of items other than shareholders’ equity

     (25,183     29,573        (54,453
        

Total changes during the year

     (25,183     29,573        (54,453
        

Balance at the end of the year

     (30,559     (5,376     (34,949
        

Total valuation and translation adjustments

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     (5,605     (34,115     20,952   

Changes during the year

      

Net changes of items other than shareholders’ equity

     (23,810     28,510        (55,067
        

Total changes during the year

     (23,810     28,510        (55,067
        

Balance at the end of the year

     (29,415     (5,605     (34,115
        

Total net asset

      

Balance at the beginning of the year

     8,455,537        7,697,888        7,367,584   

Changes during the year

      

Dividends

     (722,702     (578,161     (674,522

Net income

     1,651,850        1,307,300        1,059,893   

Net changes of items other than shareholders’ equity

     (23,810     28,510        (55,067
        

Total changes during the year

     905,338        757,649        330,304   
        

Balance at the end of the year

   ¥ 9,360,875        8,455,537        7,697,888   
        

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

F-102


Table of Contents

B-R 31 ICE CREAM CO., LTD.

Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands)

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 31,
2010
    (Not covered
by Auditors’
Report)
December 31,
2009
    (Not covered
by Auditors’
Report)
December 31,
2008
 
   

Cash flows from operating activities

      

Income before income taxes

   ¥ 2,947,608      ¥ 2,341,173      ¥ 1,846,109   

Adjustments to reconcile income before income taxes to net cash provided by operating activities:

      

Depreciation and amortization

     953,594        942,221        746,526   

Compensation on lease termination

     (20,029              

Refund of consumption taxes

     (4,203              

Loss on disposals of fixed assets

     20,710        19,900        22,390   

Loss on devaluation of supplies

            31,293        30,179   

Loss on disposals of other fixed assets

     24,137        34,720        38,246   

Increase (decrease) in allowance for doubtful accounts

     (5,651     27,714        37,008   

Increase (decrease) in provision for bonuses

     4,183        (43,356     2,049   

Increase (decrease) in provision for retirement benefits

     12,508        19,723        5,545   

Increase (decrease) in provision for directors’ retirement benefits

     10,100        (67,400     22,100   

Interest income

     (1,081     (1,549     (1,535

Decrease (increase) in accounts receivable-trade

     (363,244     (27,226     (291,724

Decrease (increase) in other receivables

     11,537        (59,825       

Decrease (increase) in inventories

     (242,658     (5,198     46,834   

Increase (decrease) in accounts payable-trade

     617        10,961        20,749   

Decrease (increase) in advance payments

     48,291               (50,600

Decrease (increase) in prepaid expenses

     (13,206              

Increase (decrease) in accounts payable

     132,622        97,468        114,723   

Increase (decrease) in gift card liability

     39,991               93,542   

Increase (decrease) in provision for directors’ bonuses

     3,000        4,000        (2,000

Increase (decrease) in deposits received

     46,099                 

Increase (decrease) in accrued consumption taxes

     (38,366     50,124          

Payments for officers’ bonuses

                   (12,000

Other

     (844     (20,869     (44,338
        

Subtotal

     3,565,715        3,353,874        2,623,803   

Interest and dividends income

     1,289        1,731        1,702   

Proceeds from compensation on lease termination

     20,029                 

Income taxes paid

     (1,159,831     (871,402     (831,213
        

Net cash provided by operating activities

     2,427,202        2,484,203        1,794,292   
        

Cash flows from investing activities:

      

Payments for investments in securities

     (2,590     (2,562     (2,551

Payments for tangible fixed assets

     (626,402     (431,877     (558,551

Proceeds from sales of tangible fixed assets

     16,777                 

Payments for intangible fixed assets

     (29,269     (112,953     (147,084

Payments for long-term prepaid expenses

     (370,929     (306,154     (285,330

Payments for lease deposits

     (200,990     (113,025     (222,066

Proceeds from lease deposits

     31,273        21,791        26,312   

Proceeds from loans receivable

     9,889        15,065        14,994   

Proceeds from long-term deposits

     135,713        110,012        114,412   

Other

     (9,670     (33,849     (66,265
        

Net cash used in investing activities

     (1,046,198     (853,552     (1,126,129
        

Cash flows from financing activities

      

Cash dividends paid

     (701,264     (577,468     (673,287
        

Net cash used in financing activities

     (701,264     (577,468     (673,287
        

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

     679,740        1,053,183        (5,124
        

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year

     3,233,199        2,180,016        2,185,140   
        

Cash and cash equivalents, end of year

   ¥ 3,912,939      ¥ 3,233,199      ¥ 2,180,016   
                        

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

F-103


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

(1) Organization and Description of Business

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd. (the “Company”) was incorporated in 1978 under the laws of Japan. The Company is engaged in the manufacture and sale of ice cream products mainly through franchise stores under the Baskin-Robbins brand.

(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(a) Financial Statements Basis and Presentation

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in Japan (“Japanese GAAP”). Japanese GAAP vary in certain significant respects from accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”). Information relating to the nature and effect of such differences is presented in Note 18 to the financial statements.

In preparing these financial statements, certain reclassifications and rearrangements, including additions of narrative footnote disclosures, have been made to the financial statements issued domestically in order to present them in a form which is more familiar to readers outside Japan. The financial statements are stated in Japanese yen.

The accompanying financial statements as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 and for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 have been prepared on the assumption that the Company is a going concern.

(b) Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents is comprised of cash on hand, bank deposits on demand, and highly liquid short-term investments, generally with original maturities of three months or less, that are readily convertible to cash for which risk of changes in value is insignificant.

(c) Inventories

Inventories consist of finished products, raw materials and supplies. Supplies consist of stand-by store equipment and advertising goods.

Until December 31, 2008, inventories were stated at acquisition cost, principally determined by the first-in, first-out method. Effective for fiscal year 2009, inventories are stated at the lower of acquisition cost or net selling value. Cost is principally determined by the first-in, first-out method, except for stand-by store equipment which is determined by the specific identification method.

In July 2006, the Accounting Standard Board of Japan (“ASBJ”) issued ASBJ Statement No. 9 “Accounting Standard for Measurement of Inventories”. This Standard requires that inventories held for sale in the ordinary course of business be measured at the lower of cost or net selling value, which is defined as the selling price less additional estimated manufacturing costs and estimated direct selling expenses. The replacement cost may be used in place of the net selling value, if appropriate.

 

  F-104   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

The standard was effective for fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2008. The adoption of ASBJ Statement No.9 did not have an impact on the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

(d) Tangible Fixed Assets

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed by using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the corresponding asset. Estimated useful lives for major assets are as follows:

Buildings: 15—35 years

Machinery and equipment: 9 years

Store leasehold improvements: 6—10 years

Through December 31, 2007, the Company used the double-declining method to depreciate tangible fixed assets (excluding buildings other than the accompanying facilities, that were acquired on and after April 1, 1998). Effective for fiscal year 2008, the straight-line method was applied prospectively for all tangible fixed assets.

The declining-balance method was applied to accelerate depreciation in light of the following:

 

(i)   uncertainties surrounding expected production levels and revenues in future periods and

 

(ii)   expected accelerated economic obsolescence of tangible fixed assets primarily due to technological obsolescence.

In fiscal year 2007, the Company re-assessed the application of the reasonableness of the double-declining depreciation method when developing its mid-term business plan and concluded that the straight-line method more appropriately reflects the Company’s use of its fixed tangible assets, and the change would be applied prospectively effective fiscal year 2008.

As a result of this change, for fiscal year 2008 depreciation expenses decreased by ¥272,058 thousand while gross profit increased by ¥43,598 thousand and operating income, ordinary income, and income before income taxes increased by ¥272,058 thousand, comparing to the previous depreciation method.

(e) Leased Assets

In March 2007, the ASBJ issued ASBJ No.13 “Revised Accounting Standard for Lease Transactions” and ASBJ Guidance No.16 “Revised Implementation Guidance on Accounting Standard for Lease Transactions”. The new standard and related implementation guidance eliminated a transitional rule where companies were allowed to account for finance leases that do not transfer ownership of the leased property to the lessee as operating lease transactions and instead required that such transactions be recorded as finance leases on the balance sheet effective for fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2008. In accordance with this new standard, starting fiscal year 2009 the Company capitalized all finance leases on its balance sheet and depreciates the lease assets using the straight-line method, assuming a residual value of zero, over the lease term. However, finance leases that do not transfer ownership which were entered into before December 31, 2008 are accounted for as operating leases with required disclosures in footnotes.

 

  F-105   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

The effect of the change did not have a material impact on operating income, ordinary income, and income before income taxes for fiscal year 2009.

(f) Software for Internal Use

Software for internal use is stated at cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of 5 years.

(g) Long-term Prepaid Expenses

Long-term prepaid expenses mainly consist of store signage used for advertising purposes. These assets are depreciated using the straight-line method.

(h) Investment Securities

 

  i)   Marketable available-for-sale securities

Marketable available-for-sale securities are stated at fair value, primarily based on market prices at the balance sheet date. Unrealized gains or losses, net of applicable taxes, are recorded as a component in “Net Assets”. Cost of marketable securities sold is determined using the moving-average cost method.

 

  ii)   Non-marketable available-for-sale securities

Non-marketable available-for-sale securities are stated at cost. Cost of non-marketable securities sold is determined using the moving-average cost method.

(i) Derivatives and hedges

Derivatives are carried at fair value. The Company utilizes derivative instruments to reduce its exposures to the fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rate associated with purchases denominated in foreign currencies. The Company enters into foreign exchange forward contracts on forecasted import transactions, mainly for the purchase of raw materials.

The Company applies hedge accounting to account for its foreign exchange forward contracts because of high correlation and effectiveness. The Company does not perform a detailed effectiveness test as all of foreign currency forward transactions are based on forecasted transactions which are probable, and variability of the hedged items and hedging instruments is perfectly matched during the period that the hedges is designated.

Gains and losses on hedging instruments are deferred until maturity of the hedged transactions.

(j) Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The Company records an allowance for doubtful accounts on accounts receivable to cover probable credit losses, based on specific cases and past write-off experience.

 

  F-106   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

(k) Employees’ Bonuses

Employees’ bonuses are accrued at the end of the year to which such bonuses are attributable.

During fiscal year 2009, the Company changed its bonus payment policy. The periods for which bonus payments relates were changed as follow:

 

       Summer bonus    Winter bonus

Until fiscal year 2008

   Previous year October through March    April through September

Effective fiscal year 2009

   January through June    July through December
 

Furthermore, under the new policy, approximately 80% of annual bonuses are paid in June and December and the remaining portion is paid in February in the following fiscal year. The change in policy did not have any impact to results of operations.

(l) Directors’ Bonuses

Directors’ bonuses are accrued at the end of the year to which such bonuses are attributable.

(m) Employees’ Retirement Benefits

The Company accounts for a pension liability based on the pension obligations and the fair value of the plan assets at the balance sheet date. Pension benefit obligations are determined to be the total amount payable if all eligible employees voluntarily retired at the balance sheet date less the amounts that the Company would be entitled to under the “Gaishoku Sangyo JF Fund” to pay such obligations. See Note 7. Plan assets in the Company’s cash balance fund are stated at fair value.

(n) Directors’ Retirement Benefits

The Company records a liability for directors’ retirement benefits which is determined to be the total amount payable if all directors retired at the balance sheet date.

(o) Consumption Taxes

Consumption tax and local consumption tax on goods and services paid or collected are not included in revenue or expense accounts subject to such taxes in the accompanying statements of income.

(3) Changes in Presentations

The Company made the following changes in presentation. Prior year financial statements are not reclassified to conform to the current presentation.

 

  F-107   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

(a) Statement of Income

For the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, franchise general expenses were included in “Other” within selling, general and administrative expenses. Due to materiality for the year ended December 31, 2010, franchise general expenses were presented as a separate line item within selling, general and administrative expenses. Such expense amounted to ¥237,370 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2009.

For the year ended December 31,2009 inventory write-off was presented in a separate line item within selling, general and administrative expenses . For the year ended December 31, 2010 inventory write-off of ¥1,868 thousand is included in advertising expenses in selling, general and administrative expenses.

(b) Statements of Cash Flows

For the year ended December 31, 2008 increase or decrease in allowance for other receivables was included in increase or decrease in accounts receivable-trade. Due to materiality for the year ended December 31, 2009, it is presented as a separate line item in “Cash flows from operating activities”. Increase in allowance for other receivables amounted to ¥6,539 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Increase or decrease in advance payments and advances received was presented as a separate line item in “Cash flows from operating activities” for the year ended December 31, 2008. Due to materiality for the year ended December 31, 2009, it is included in “Other” within “Cash flows from operating activities” . Decrease in advance payments and gift card liability amounted to ¥910 thousand and ¥8,974 thousand, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2009.

For the year ended December 31, 2008 increase or decrease in accrued consumption taxes was included in “Other” within “Cash flows from operating activities”. Due to materiality for the year ended December 31, 2009, it is separately presented as a line item. Decrease in accrued consumption taxes amounted to ¥3,885 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2008.

For the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, inventory write-off was presented as a separate line item in “Cash flows from operating activities”. For the year ended December 31, 2010, inventory write-off of ¥1,868 thousand is included in “Other” of “Cash flows from operating activities”.

For the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, increase or decrease in advance payments and advances received was included in “Other” of “Cash flows from operating activities”. For the year ended December 31, 2010, it is presented as a separate line item. Decrease in advance payments and advances received amounted to ¥910 thousand and ¥8,974 thousand, respectively for the year ended December 31, 2009.

For the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, increase or decrease in prepaid expenses was included in “Other” within “Cash flows from operating activities”. Due to immateriality, for the year ended December 31, 2010, it is presented as a separate line item. Decrease in prepaid expenses amounted to ¥697 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2009.

For the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, increase or decrease in gift card liability was included in “Other” within “Cash flows from operating activities”. Due to materiality, for the year ended December 31,

 

  F-108   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

2010, it is presented as a separate line item. Increase in gift card liability amounted to ¥8,644 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2009.

For the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, proceeds from sales of tangible fixed assets were included in “Other” within “Cash flows from investing activities”. Due to materiality, for the year ended December 31, 2010, it is presented as a separate line item. Proceeds from sales of tangible fixed assets amounted to ¥772 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2009.

(4) Financial instruments

(a) Company’s Policy for Financial Instruments

The Company invests in short-term deposits only and generates financing through operating cash flows. Derivatives are used for foreign exchange forward contracts with the purpose of hedging the exposure to exchange rate fluctuation risks in relation to the import of raw materials.

(b) Nature and Extent of Risks Arising from Financial Instruments and Risk Management

Accounts receivable are subject to credit risks of customers. Their collection periods are generally one month. The Company manages these risks through periodic review of due dates and outstanding balances for each customer.

Investments in securities are subject to market volatility risks. These investments are related to capital and/or operating alliances with business partners, and are subject to market value volatility risk. The Company periodically monitors their fair values.

Lease deposits primarily relate to security deposits paid to the lessor for the lease of ice-cream stores. The Company periodically assesses the financial condition of the counterparties as appropriate.

“Long-term deposits received” are security deposit received from franchisees of ice-cream stores for the sublease of the property where the store is located.

Most of trade payables such as accounts payable-trade, accounts payable-other and deposits received are settled within one month.

(c) Supplemental Information on Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair values of financial instruments are based on quoted market prices. When quoted market prices are not available, other rational valuation techniques are used instead. Such rational valuation techniques contain certain assumptions. Results may differ if different assumptions are used in the valuation.

(d) Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Effective fiscal 2010, the Company applied the ASBJ Statement No. 10 “Accounting Standard for Financial Instruments” which was issued on March 10, 2008 and the ASBJ Guidance No. 19 “Guidance on Accounting Standard for Financial Instruments and Related Disclosures” which was issued on March 10, 2008.

 

  F-109   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

The carrying amounts, fair values and unrealized gains (losses) of financial instruments whose fair value is readily determinable as of December 31, 2010 are as follows:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31, 2010  
     Carrying
Amount
    Fair Value     Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
 
   

Assets:

      

(1) Cash and cash equivalent

   ¥ 3,912,939        3,912,939          

(2) Accounts receivable-trade

     2,797,245       

Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts

     (23,873    
        
     2,773,372        2,773,372          

(3) Investment securities

     25,672        25,672          

(4) Lease deposits

     1,698,903        1,532,000        (166,903
        

Total

   ¥ 8,410,886        8,243,983        (166,903
        

Liabilities:

      

(1) Accounts payable-trade

   ¥ (494,760     (494,760       

(2) Accounts payable-other

     (1,226,993     (1,226,993       

(3) Provision for income taxes

     (812,790     (812,790       

(4) Deposits received

     (139,794     (139,794       

(5) Long-term deposits received

     (983,362     (909,533     73,829   
        

Total

   ¥ (3,657,699     (3,583,870     73,829   
        

Derivative instruments under hedge accounting

   ¥ (51,533     (51,533       
                        

The methods and assumptions used to estimate the fair value are as follows:

Assets:

(1) Cash and cash equivalent and (2) Accounts receivable-trade

Because of their short maturities, the fair value of these items approximate their carrying amounts, therefore, they are measured at their carrying amounts.

(3) Investment securities

The fair value of equity securities is based on quoted market prices.

(5) Lease deposits

The fair value of lease deposits is calculated by grouping the deposits by maturity and calculating their present value using the yield of government bonds adjusted for credit risk.

 

  F-110   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

Carrying amounts in the above table do not include unamortized balance of lease deposits not required to be returned. Furthermore, lease deposits totaling ¥232,000 thousand are not included in the table above since these lease deposits do not have quoted market prices and their fair value cannot be determined as their future cash flows cannot be estimated.

Liabilities:

(1) Accounts payable-trade, (2) Accounts payable-other, (3) Accrued income taxes, and (4) Deposits received

Because of their short maturities, the fair values of these items approximate their carrying amounts, therefore, they are measured at their carrying amounts.

(5) Long-term deposits received

The fair value of long-term deposits received is calculated by grouping the deposits by maturity and calculating their present value using the yield of government bonds adjusted for credit risk. Carrying amounts shown in the above table do not include unamortized balance of long-term lease deposits not required to be returned.

Derivative Transactions:

Fair value of derivatives is obtained from financial institutions. All the derivative transactions are foreign exchange forward contracts entered into by the Company with the purpose of hedging the exposure to exchange rate fluctuation risks in relation to the import of raw materials.

The contract amount does not represent the Company’s exposure to market risk associated with the derivative transactions.

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31, 2010  
     Contract
Amount
     Contract
Amount due
after one year
     Fair
Value
 
   

Foreign exchange forward contracts—to buy U.S. dollars

   ¥ 539,088                 (51,533
   

 

  F-111   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

(5) Investment Securities

Marketable available-for-sale securities are stated at fair value based on quoted market prices at the balance sheet date. Unrealized gains or losses, net of applicable taxes, are recorded as a component of “Net assets”. Investment securities are summarized as follow:

December 31, 2010

 

              Thousands of Yen  
         

Carrying

Amount

     Acquisition
Cost
     Unrealized
Gain(Loss)
 
   

Securities with carrying amounts in excess of acquisition costs

   Equity securities      15,140         12,721         2,419   
  

Other securities

                       
                             
   Subtotal      15,140         12,721         2,419   
                             

Securities with carrying amounts below acquisition costs

   Equity securities      10,532         11,021         (489
  

Other securities

                       
                             
  

Subtotal

     10,532         11,021         (489
                             
  

Total

     25,672         23,742         1,930   
                             

December 31, 2009

 

              Thousands of Yen  
         

Carrying

Amount

     Acquisition
Cost
     Unrealized
Gain(Loss)
 
   

Securities with carrying amounts in excess of acquisition costs

   Equity securities      12,009         13,867         1,858   
  

Other securities

                       
                             
  

Subtotal

     12,009         13,867         1,858   
                             

Securities with carrying amounts below acquisition costs

   Equity securities      9,143         6,899         (2,244
  

Other securities

                       
                             
  

Subtotal

     9,143         6,899         (2,244
                             
  

Total

     21,152         20,766         (386
                             

 

  F-112   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

(6) Leases

Leases entered into on or before December 31, 2008 that do not transfer ownership of the leased property to the lessee are accounted for as operating lease transactions. Pro forma information on an “as if capitalized” basis for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 is as follows:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31, 2010      December 31, 2009  
     Acquisition
cost
     Accumulated
depreciation
    

Balance at

end of year

     Acquisition
cost
     Accumulated
depreciation
     Balance at end
of year
 
   

Vehicles, transportation equipment

   ¥ 37,719         30,708         7,011                           

Tools, furniture and fixtures

     27,667         16,667         10,999         64,064         40,595         23,468   

Software

     3,363         2,794         568         25,452         22,378         3,074   
        

Total

   ¥ 68,750         50,171         18,579         89,517         62,974         26,542   
                                                     

Future minimum lease payments outstanding at the end of the year are as follow:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31,
2010
     December 31,
2009
 
   

Due within one year

   ¥ 11,143         15,314   

Due after one year

     8,520         12,196   
        

Total

   ¥ 19,664         27,510   
                 

Lease payments, depreciation expense and interest expense are as follow:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     Fiscal year ended  
     December 31,
2010
    

December 31,

2009

     December 31,
2008
 
   

Lease payments

   ¥ 25,865         30,080         33,957   

Depreciation expense (*1)

     23,824         27,922         31,592   

Interest expense (*2)

     1,154         1,575         1,988   
                          

 

(*1)   Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the lease term assuming a residual value of zero.

 

(*2)   Interest expense is computed and allocated to each period using the interest method assuming interest expense to be the excess of total lease payments over the acquisition cost.

 

  F-113   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

(7) Employees’ Retirement Benefits

The Company has a defined benefit plan under which the amount of pension benefit that an employee will receive on retirement, is determined based on various factors such as age, years of service and individual performance.

The Company is responsible for the fulfillment of the pension obligations.

The pension benefits are payable at the option of the retiring employee either in a lump-sum amount or annuity payments.

The funded status of the Company’s benefit plan as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31,
2010
    December 31,
2009
 
   

Retirement benefit obligations

   ¥ (565,309     (517,603

Fair value of plan assets

     433,201        398,003   
        

Employees’ retirement benefits

   ¥ (132,108     (119,600
                

The Company accounts for a pension liability based on the pension obligations and the fair value of the plan assets at the balance sheet date. Pension obligations are determined to be the total amount payable if all eligible employees voluntarily retired at the balance sheet date less the amounts that the Company would be entitled to under the “Gaishoku Sangyo JF Pension Fund” to pay such obligations.

The Company’s retirement benefit expenses for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008 amounted to ¥76,897 thousand, ¥70,832 thousand, and ¥59,906 thousand, respectively.

In October 2009 the Company transferred its Japanese tax-qualified pension plan to a cash balance plan, due to changes in the Japanese Corporate Tax law. This transfer was accounted for in accordance with ASBJ Guidance No.1, “Accounting for Transfer of Retirement Benefit Plans” and did not have a material impact in the Company’s results of operations.

In addition, the Company makes contributions to a “Gaishoku Sangyo JF Pension Fund” under which the assets contributed by the Company are not segregated in a separate account or restricted to provide benefits only to employees of the Company. For the 12 month period ended March 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 contributions to such plan amounted to ¥32,581 thousand, ¥29,070 thousand and ¥21,880 thousand, respectively. Such contributions are recorded as net pension cost. The amounts that Company would be entitled to under the “Gaishoku Sangyo JF Pension Fund” to pay retirement benefit obligations is all eligible employees voluntarily retired at the balance sheet date.

The proportionate amount of plan assets of the welfare pension fund corresponding to the number of participants was ¥399,778 thousand, ¥298,139 thousand and ¥338,663 thousand as of March 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively. The Company’s contribution to the welfare pension fund for the years ended March 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008 was ¥32,581 thousand, ¥29,070 thousand and ¥21,880 thousand, respectively.

 

  F-114   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

The estimated fund status of the total “Gaishoku Sangyo JF Pension Fund” is as follow:

 

       Millions of Yen  
     March 31,
2010
     March 31,
2009
     March 31,
2008
 
   

Plan assets

   ¥ 112,959         92,971         111,833   

Estimated benefit obligations

     123,946         123,473         118,217   
                          

Fund status

   ¥ (10,987)         (30,501)         (6,383)   
                          

As of March 31, 2010, the “Gaishoku Sangyo JF Pension Fund” had ¥842 million of unrecognized past service. As of March 31, 2009, the “Gaishoku Sangyo JF Pension Fund” had ¥990 million of unrecognized past service liability and ¥16,921 million of deficits. As of March 31, 2008, the “Gaishoku Sangyo JF Pension Fund” had ¥1,111 million of unrecognized past service liability and ¥6,892 million of deficits.

The Company’s fund contribution ratio to the “Gaishoku Sangyo JF Pension Fund” for the years ended March 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008 was 0.57%, 0.47%, and 0.45%, respectively.

(8) Stock Options

The Company did not grant any stock options for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008 and there were no outstanding option as of December 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008.

(9) Production Cost

The breakdown of production cost is as follows:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     Fiscal 2010      (Not covered
by Auditors’
Report)
Fiscal 2009
     (Not covered
by Auditors’
Report)
Fiscal 2008
 
   

Cost of raw materials

   ¥ 6,212,453         5,507,902         5,119,972   

Labor cost

     418,249         337,772         296,727   

Other production costs

     376,245         289,736         271,674   
        

Total production cost during the year

   ¥ 7,006,948         6,135,411         5,688,374   
                          

Production cost is determined through process costing based on actual costs.

 

  F-115   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

The breakdown of other production cost is as follows:

Breakdown of other production cost

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     Fiscal
2010
     (Not
covered
by
Auditors’
Report)
Fiscal
2009
     (Not
covered
by
Auditors’
Report)
Fiscal
2008
 
   

Depreciation

   ¥ 49,416         44,819         45,727   

Utilities

     28,880         28,219         62,729   

Factory supplies cost

     54,591         44,116         33,814   

Machinery maintenance and repair cost

     46,160         39,919         24,859   

Other

     197,195         132,661         104,543   
        

Total

   ¥ 376,245         289,736         271,674   
   

(10) Transfer to other account

“Transfer to other account” include amounts initially charged to cost of sales but reclassified to selling, general and administrative expenses as they represent the cost of sample products for sales promotion and finish goods used for training of store employees.

(11) Cost of store equipment

Cost of store equipment is mainly comprised of the following:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     Fiscal year ended  
     December 31,
2010
     December 31,
2009
     December 31,
2008
 
   

Depreciation

   ¥ 212,720         181,879         138,593   

Maintenance and repair cost of store equipment

     108,371         112,953         130,132   

Rental expense

     27,337         30,029         33,030   

Supplies

     31,646         31,724         51,121   

Transportation

     13,889         18,890         23,111   

Storage charges

     18,703         21,304         21,151   
   

 

  F-116   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

(12) Extraordinary Gain

“Other” included in extraordinary income represents gains on sales of fixed assets of ¥1,154 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2010.

(13) Loss on Disposal of Fixed Assets

Loss on disposal of fixed assets is comprised of the following:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     For the year ended  
     December 31,
2010
     December 31,
2009
     December 31,
2008
 
   

Loss on disposals of store equipment arising from store closing and related restoration

   ¥ 23,814         30,512         32,433   

Loss on disposals of factory equipment

     323         4,208         5,813   
        

Total

   ¥ 24,137         34,720         38,246   
   

(14) Income Taxes

The components of the deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31, 2010      December 31, 2009  
     Deferred
tax assets
     Deferred
tax
liabilities
     Deferred
tax
assets
     Deferred
tax
liabilities
 
   

Allowance for doubtful accounts

   ¥ 37,338                 44,659           

Directors’ retirement benefits

     21,978                 17,867           

Employees’ retirement benefits

     53,768                 48,677           

Accrued enterprise tax

     61,409                 49,982           

Accrued employees’ bonuses

     13,981                 12,278           

Deferred loss on hedges

     20,973                 3,689           

Impairment loss on investment property

     9,737                 9,737           

Amortization of software

                     2,341           

Amortization of long-term prepaid expenses

     3,806                 23,290           

Inventory write-down

     11,253                 18,146           

Other

     14,155                 3,148           
                                   

Total

   ¥ 248,398                 233,814           
   

 

  F-117   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

Reconciliations between the Japanese statutory income tax rate and the Company’s effective income tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 are as follows:

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 31,
2010
    December 31,
2009
    December 31,
2008
 
   

Japanese statutory income tax rate

     40.7     40.7     40.7

Permanent differences, including entertainment expenses

     3.2        3.4        3.2   

Corporate inhabitant tax

     0.1        0.1        0.2   

Other

     (0.1     (0.1     (1.5
        

Effective income tax rate

     44.0     44.2     42.6
                        

(15) Changes in Net Assets

Number of shares issued and treasury stock is as follow:

 

       Common Stock  
     Shares
issued
     Treasury
Stock
 
   

Number of shares at December 31, 2008

     9,644,554         8,524   

Increase in shares during the year

               

Decrease in shares during the year

               
        

Number of shares at December 31, 2009

     9,644,554         8,524   

Increase in shares during the year

               

Decrease in shares during the year

               
                 

Number of shares at December 31, 2010

     9,644,554         8,524   
   

(16) Per Share Information

The Company has no outstanding potentially dilutive stock.

 

       December 31,
2010
     December 31,
2009
     December 31,
2008
 
   

Net book value per share

   ¥ 971.45         877.49         798.87   
                          

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 31,
2010
     December 31,
2009
     December 31,
2008
 
   

Net income per share

   ¥ 171.42         135.67         109.99   
                          

 

  F-118   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

The information to compute net income per share is as follow:

 

       Fiscal year ended  
     December 31,
2010
     December 31,
2009
     December 31,
2008
 
   

Net income per share

        

Net income (in thousands)

   ¥ 1,651,850         1,307,300         1,059,893   

Amount not attributable to common shareholders (in thousands)

                       
                          

Net income attributable to common stock (in thousands)

     1,651,850         1,307,300         1,059,893   
                          

Average number of shares

     9,636,030         9,636,030         9,636,030   
   

(17) Subsequent Events

Due to the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, certain finished products and raw materials stored in the Company’s Fuji Oyama Factory and external warehouses as well as part of the store equipment leased to franchisees have been damaged. While the amount of damage is currently being assessed, the Company estimates the loss on inventory and equipment to be approximately ¥37 million and ¥64 million, respectively.

 

  F-119   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

(18) Summary of Certain Significant Differences between Japanese GAAP and U.S. GAAP

The Company maintains its books and records in conformity with Japanese GAAP, which differs in certain respects from generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). Reconciliations of net income and equity under Japanese GAAP with the corresponding amounts under U.S. GAAP, along with a description of those significant differences, statements of comprehensive income, related balance sheet and cash flow effects are summarized below.

Net income reconciliation

 

                Thousands of Yen  
     Note      December 31,
2010
    December 31,
2009
 
   

Net income under Japanese GAAP

      ¥ 1,651,850        1,307,300   

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

       

Asset retirement obligations

     a         (81,226     (77,579

Capitalized lease assets

     c         (118     911   

Compensated absence

     b         (2,400     (3,600

Lease obligation

     c         (2,449     (20,109

Employees’ retirement benefit

     d         (7,146     (23,175

Hedge accounting

     e         (25,183     29,573   

Tax effect on adjustments

     f         37,989        50,286   
                   

Net income under U.S. GAAP

      ¥ 1,571,317        1,263,607   
   

Net income per share under U.S. GAAP

 

       December 31,
2010
     December 31,
2009
 
   

Net income attributable to the Company’s common shareholders–basic undiluted

   ¥ 163.06         131.13   

Weighted average shares outstanding—basic undiluted

     9,636,030         9,636,030   
   

 

  F-120   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

Statements of comprehensive income

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31,
2010
     December 31,
2009
 
   

Net income under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ 1,571,317         1,263,607   

Other comprehensive income, net of tax:

     

Unrealized gain (loss) on available for sale securities, net of tax

     1,372         (1,062
                 

Comprehensive income under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ 1,572,689         1,262,545   
                 

Equity reconciliation

 

                Thousands of Yen  
     Note      December 31,
2010
    December 31,
2009
 
   

Equity under Japanese GAAP

      ¥ 9,360,875        8,455,537   

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

       

Asset retirement obligations

     a         (478,805     (397,580

Capitalized lease assets

     c         (1,085     (967

Compensated absence

     b         (24,200     (21,800

Lease obligation

     c         233,644        236,093   

Employees’ retirement benefit

     d         76,554        83,700   

Hedge accounting

     e                  

Other

        (17,065     (17,065

Tax effect on adjustments

     f         85,859        47,871   
                   

Equity under U.S. GAAP

      ¥ 9,235,777        8,385,789   
                   

Balance sheet items according to J GAAP and US GAAP

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     JGAAP     US GAAP  
     2010     2009     2010     2009  
   

Current assets

     7,981,228        6,722,739        7,981,228        6,722,739   

Non-current assets

     5,747,213        5,470,058        7,775,685        7,481,787   
                                

Total Assets

     13,728,441        12,192,797        15,756,913        14,204,526   
                                

Current liabilities

     (3,171,766     (2,674,074     (3,195,966     (2,695,874

Non-current liabilities

     (1,195,800     (1,063,186     (3,325,170     (3,122,862

Total equity

     (9,360,875     (8,455,537     (9,235,777     (8,385,790
                                

Total liabilities and equity

     (13,728,441     (12,192,797     (15,756,913     (14,204,526
                                

 

  F-121   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

(a) Asset retirement obligations

On March 31, 2008, the Accounting Standard Board of Japan (“ASBJ”) issued a new accounting standard for asset retirement obligations, ASBJ Statement No. 18 “Accounting Standard for Asset-Retirement Obligations” which is effective for fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2010. This new accounting standard requires all entities to recognize legal obligations associated with the retirement of a tangible fixed assets that result from the acquisition, construction or development and (or) the normal operation of a long-lived asset. A legal obligation is an obligation that an entity is required to settle as a result of an existing or enacted law, statute, ordinance, or written or oral contract or by legal construction of a contract. The Company will adopt this new accounting standard from the fiscal year beginning on January 1, 2011. Prior to the adoption of the standard, the Company did not recognize any asset retirement cost until the tangible fixed asset was retired and the Company was required to settle such cost.

Under U.S. GAAP, obligations associated with the retirement of tangible fixed assets and the associated asset retirement costs are accounted and reported under FASB ASC Subtopic 410-20, “Asset Retirement Obligations”. Generally, there are no material differences between the new Japanese Standard and current U.S. GAAP, except that under Japanese GAAP asset retirement obligations are not recognized in situations where the entity can provide assurance that another party will ultimately reimburse the entity for the asset retirement cost. Under U.S. GAAP an asset retirement obligation would need to be recognized as such assurance would not extinguish the entity’s legal obligation.

The Company leases several properties in which leasehold improvements, such as counters, partitions, telephone and air conditioning systems have been installed. Most lease agreements in Japan require the lessee to restore the lease property to its original condition, including removal of the leasehold improvements that the lessee has installed, when the lessee moves out of the leased property. As a result, the Company will incur certain future costs for the restoration that is required under the lease arrangements.

 

  F-122   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

The following table summarizes the activities for asset retirement obligations for the years ended December, 2010 and 2009 under U.S. GAAP:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31,
2010
    December 31,
2009
 
   

i) Asset retirement obligation

    

Balance under Japanese GAAP

   ¥          

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

    

Beginning balance adjustments

     (771,388     (707,368

Changes for the year

     (64,951     (64,020
                

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     (836,339     (771,388
                

Balance under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ (836,339     (771,388
                

ii) Asset retirement costs capitalized in tangible fixed assets

    

Balance under Japanese GAAP

   ¥          

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

    

Beginning balance adjustments

     373,808        387,367   

Changes for the year

     (16,274     (13,559
                

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     357,534        373,808   
                

Balance under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ 357,534        373,808   
   

(b) Compensated absences

Under Japanese GAAP, there is no specific accounting standard that requires an entity to accrue a liability for future compensated absences. Under U.S. GAAP, FASB ASC Topic 710, “Compensation—General” requires the accrual of a liability for employees’ future compensated absences.

The following table summarizes the balance of accrued compensated absences and the changes during the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 under U.S. GAAP:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31,
2010
    December 31,
2009
 
   

Balance at under Japanese GAAP

   ¥          

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

    

Beginning balance adjustments

     (21,800     (18,200

Adjustments for the year

     (2,400     (3,600
                

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     (24,200     (21,800
                

Balance at under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ (24,200     (21,800
   

 

  F-123   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

(c) Leases

In March 2007, the ASBJ issued ASBJ Statement No.13, “Accounting Standard for Lease Transactions,” which replaced the previous accounting standard for lease transactions issued in June 1993. The revised accounting standard requires that all finance lease transactions be capitalized. It also permits leases which existed at the transition date and do not transfer ownership of the leased property to the lessee to continue to be accounted for as operating lease transactions. The Company adopted this revised accounting standard as of January 1, 2009, and capitalizes in the balance sheet all finance lease transactions in which the Company is the lessee, except for those that existed at the transition date and do not transfer ownership, which continue to be accounted for as operating leases with require disclosure in the notes to the financial statements. As of December 31, 2010 and 2009, there were no leased assets to be capitalized under Japanese GAAP.

Under U.S. GAAP, FASB ASC Topic 840, “Leases” is applied in order to determine whether the lessee should account for a lease transaction as an operating or a capital lease and whether the lessor should account for a lease transaction as an operating lease, a direct financing lease, a sales type lease or a leverage lease. ASC Topic 840 requires the lessee to record a capital lease as an asset and an obligation and the lessor to record a direct financing lease as a receivable representing the minimum lease payments along with the derecognition of the lease property from the balance sheet. The Company analyzed its leases in accordance with the criteria specified in ASC 840 and determined that certain leases in which the Company is the lessee should be capitalized, and certain leases in which the Company is the lessor should be classified as direct financing leases.

In addition, the statement of cash flows prepared under Japanese GAAP present cash flows from capital lease and direct finance lease transactions, which are accounted for as operating lease transactions in accordance with Japanese GAAP, as operating cash flows. Such lease cash flows are included in operating activities whereas such transactions qualify as capital lease transactions or a direct financing lease transaction and deemed repayments of lease obligation or cash received from lease receivables are presented as financing activities under U.S. GAAP.

 

  F-124   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

The following table summarizes the differences between Japanese GAAP and U.S. GAAP for capital leases and direct finance leases as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the changes for the years then ended:

Capital leases

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31,
2010
    December 31,
2009
 
   

i) Capitalized lease assets

    

Balance under Japanese GAAP

   ¥          

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

    

Beginning balance adjustments

     26,543        55,948   

Changes for the year

     (7,964     (29,405
        

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     18,579        26,543   
        

Balance under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ 18,579        26,543   
        

ii) Lease obligation

    

Balance under Japanese GAAP

   ¥          

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

    

Beginning balance adjustments

     (27,510     (57,826

Changes for the year

     7,846        30,316   
        

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     (19,664     (27,510
        

Balance under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ (19,664     (27,510
   

 

  F-125   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

Direct finance leases

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31,
2010
    December 31,
2009
 
   

i) Lease accounts receivable

    

Balance under Japanese GAAP

   ¥          

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

    

Beginning balance adjustments

     2,025,729        2,055,234   

Changes for the year

     64,068        (29,505
        

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     2,089,797        2,025,729   
        

Balance under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ 2,089,797        2,025,729   
        

ii) Tangible fixed assets under direct finance leases

    

Balance under Japanese GAAP

   ¥ 506,233        445,159   

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

    

Beginning balance adjustments

     (445,159     (409,904

Changes for the year

     (61,074     (35,255
        

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     (506,233     (445,159
        

Balance under U.S. GAAP

   ¥          
        

iii) Unearned interest

    

Balance under Japanese GAAP

   ¥          

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

    

Beginning balance adjustments

     (1,344,478     (1,389,128

Changes for the year

     (5,443     44,650   
        

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     (1,349,921     (1,344,478
        

Balance under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ (1,349,921     (1,344,478
   

(d) Pension

Under Japanese GAAP, the Company accounts for a pension liability based on the pension obligations and the fair value of the plan assets at the balance sheet date. Pension obligations are determined to be the total amount payable if all eligible employees voluntarily retired at the balance sheet date, minus the amounts that the Company would be entitled to under the “Japanese Multiemployer plan” to pay such obligations. See Note 7.

Under U.S. GAAP, FASB ASC Topic 715, “Compensation-Retirement Benefits” is applied to employees retirement benefits. If the projected benefit obligation exceeds the fair value of plan assets, the employer shall recognize in its balance sheet a liability that equals the unfunded projected benefit obligation. If the fair value of plan assets exceeds the projected benefit obligation, the employer shall recognize in its statement of financial position an asset that equals the overfunded projected benefit obligation.

 

  F-126   (Continued)


Table of Contents

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

The projected benefit obligation as of a date is the actuarial present value of all benefits attributed by the plan’s benefit formula to employee service rendered before that date. Recognizing the funded status of an entity’s benefit plans as a net liability or asset requires an offsetting adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) in shareholders’ equity. The amounts to be recognized in AOCI representing unrecognized gains/losses, prior service costs/credits, and transition assets/obligations are amortized over certain period. Those amortized amounts are reported as net periodic pension cost in the income statement.

The following table summarizes the differences between Japanese GAAP and U.S. GAAP for accrued pension and severance liabilities as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the changes for the years then ended:

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31,
2010
    December 31,
2009
 
   

Accrued pension and severance liabilities

    

Balance under Japanese GAAP

   ¥ (132,108     (119,600

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

    

Beginning balance adjustments

     83,700        106,875   

Changes for the year

     (7,146     (23,175
        

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     76,554        83,700   
        

Balance under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ (55,554     (35,900
   

(e) Hedge accounting

The Company utilizes foreign exchange forward contracts in order to hedge foreign exchange risk for forecasted import transactions denominated in foreign currencies. Under Japanese GAAP, the Company records the foreign exchange forward contracts at fair value at a balance sheet date. The resulting foreign exchange forward contracts’ gain or loss is initially reported as a component of valuation and translation adjustments in net assets and subsequently reclassified into earnings when the forecasted transaction affects earnings. The accounting treatment is similar to the cash flow hedge of U.S. GAAP. However, U.S. GAPP requires an entity to meet specific criteria, such as formal documentation of the hedging relationship and assessment of hedging instrument’s effectiveness for derivative instruments to qualify for hedge accounting. The Company’s hedging relationship of the foreign exchange forward contracts and the forecasted import transactions denominated in foreign currencies did not meet the specific criteria for cash flow hedge accounting under U.S. GAAP. As such, forward contracts’ gain and losses reported as a component of net assets under Japanese GAAP have been reclassified to net income under U.S. GAAP.

 

  F-127   (Continued)


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B-R 31 Ice Cream Co., Ltd.

Notes to the Financial Statements—(Continued)

Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008

(Information as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for the years ended December 31, 2009 and

2008, not covered by Auditors’ report included herein)

 

The following table summarizes the differences between Japanese GAAP and U.S. GAAP for the hedge accounting as of December 31, 2010 and 2009.

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31,
2010
    December 31,
2009
 
   

Accumulated other comprehensive income

    

Balance under Japanese GAAP

   ¥ (30,559     (5,376

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

    

Beginning balance adjustments

     5,376        34,949   

Changes for the year

     25,183        (29,573
        

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     30,559        5,376   
        

Balance under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ —          —     
   

(f) Tax effect on adjustments

Except for the accounting treatment of uncertainty in income taxes, accounting for income taxes in accordance with Japanese GAAP is substantially similar to accounting for income taxes in accordance with ASC Topic 740. The following tables summarize the impact on the Japanese GAAP deferred tax assets and liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as a result of the U.S. GAAP adjustments as of December 31, 2010 and 2009.

 

       Thousands of Yen  
     December 31,
2010
     December 31,
2009
 
   

Deferred tax assets, net of deferred tax liabilities

     

Balance under Japanese GAAP

   ¥ 248,398         233,814   

U.S. GAAP adjustments:

     

Beginning balance adjustments

     47,870         (2,415

Changes for the year

     37,989         50,286   
        

Total U.S. GAAP adjustments

     85,859         47,871   
        

Balance under U.S. GAAP

   ¥ 334,257         281,685   
   

 

  F-128  


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             shares

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Common stock

Prospectus

 

J.P. Morgan   Barclays Capital   Morgan Stanley
BofA Merrill Lynch     Goldman, Sachs & Co.

                    , 2011

You should rely on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, common shares only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of our common shares.

No action is being taken in any jurisdiction outside the United States to permit a public offering of the common shares or possession or distribution of this prospectus in that jurisdiction. Persons who come into possession of this prospectus in jurisdictions outside the United States are required to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions as to this offering and the distribution of the prospectus applicable to that jurisdiction.

Until                     , 2011, all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.


Table of Contents

Part II

Information not required in prospectus

Item 13. Other expenses of issuance and distribution.

The following table sets forth the estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the sale and distribution of the securities registered hereby, other than underwriting discounts or commissions. All amounts are estimates except for the SEC registration fee and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority filing fee.

 

   

SEC registration fee

   $  46,440  

FINRA filing fee

     40,500   

Stock exchange listing fees

     *   

Blue sky fees and expenses

     *   

Printing and engraving expenses

     *   

Accounting fees and expenses

     *   

Legal fees and expenses

     *   

Transfer agent and registrar fees

     *   

Miscellaneous fees and expenses

     *   
        

TOTAL

   $ *   
   

 

*   To be completed by amendment.

Item 14. Indemnification of directors and officers.

Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware provides as follows:

A corporation shall have the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interest of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.

A corporation shall have the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless

 

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and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, we have included in our restated certificate of incorporation a provision to eliminate the personal liability of our directors for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties as directors, subject to certain exceptions. In addition, our restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that we are required to indemnify our officers and directors under certain circumstances, including those circumstances in which indemnification would otherwise be discretionary, and we are required to advance expenses to our officers and directors as incurred in connection with proceedings against them for which they may be indemnified.

We intend to enter into indemnification agreements with our directors and officers. These agreements will provide broader indemnity rights than those provided under the Delaware General Corporation Law and our restated certificate of incorporation and by-laws. The indemnification agreements are not intended to deny or otherwise limit third party or derivative suits against us or our directors or officers, but to the extent a director or officer were entitled to indemnity or contribution under the indemnification agreement, the financial burden of a third party suit would be borne by us, and we would not benefit from derivative recoveries against the director or officer. Such recoveries would accrue to our benefit but would be offset by our obligations to the director or officer under the indemnification agreement.

The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters are obligated, under certain circumstances, to indemnify our directors, officers and controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Reference is made to the form of underwriting agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 hereto.

We maintain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for the benefit of our directors and officers.

Item 15. Recent sales of unregistered securities.

Equity securities

During the year ended December 26, 2009, we issued and sold 565,316.79 shares of Class A Common Stock and 62,812.98 shares of Class L Common Stock for aggregate consideration of $2,885,000. These shares were issued without registration in reliance on the exemptions afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Rules 506 and 701 promulgated thereunder.

During the year ended December 25, 2010, we issued and sold 127,715.24 shares of Class A Common Stock and 14,190.58 shares of Class L Common Stock for aggregate consideration of $895,000. These shares were issued without registration in reliance on the exemptions afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Rules 506 and 701 promulgated thereunder.

Through March 26, 2011, we have issued and sold 589,342.89 shares of Class A Common Stock and 65,482.54 shares of Class L Common Stock in 2011 for aggregate consideration of $3,213,883. These shares were issued without registration in reliance on the exemptions afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Rules 506 and 701 promulgated thereunder.

Debt securities

On November 23, 2010, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., our wholly-owned subsidiary (“DBI”), issued $625.0 million aggregate principal amount of 9  5 / 8 % senior notes due 2018 at a price of 98.5% of their face value resulting in approximately $615.6 million of gross proceeds. The proceeds were used, together with borrowings under DBI’s

 

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senior credit facility and cash on hand, to repay outstanding indebtedness, to distribute cash proceeds to us for payment of a dividend and to pay related fees and expenses. The initial purchasers for the senior notes were J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Citigroup Global Capital Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated. The aggregate amount of the initial purchasers’ discount on the senior notes was approximately $9.4 million.

The senior notes were offered and sold to the initial purchasers in reliance on the exemption afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Rule 506 promulgated thereunder and were offered and resold by the initial purchasers to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act and to non-U.S. investors outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S of the Securities Act.

Item 16. Exhibits and financial statement schedules.

(a)Exhibits

 

Exhibit

Number

   Exhibit Title
 
  1.1*    Form of Underwriting Agreement
  3.1*    Form of Second Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.
  3.2*    Form of Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.
  4.1*    Form of Amended and Restated Registration Rights and Coordination Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.), Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and Certain Stockholders of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.
  4.2    Registration Rights Agreement among Dunkin’ Finance Corp, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Citigroup Global Capital Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated dated as of November 23, 2010
  4.3    Indenture among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., the Guarantors party thereto from time to time, Citibank, N.A. as Indenture Administrator and Wilmington Trust Company, as Trustee, dated as of November 23, 2010
  4.4    Form of 9.625% Senior Note due 2018 (filed with Exhibit 4.3 hereto)
  4.5    Supplemental Indenture among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., the Guarantors named therein, Citibank, N.A., as indenture administrator and Wilmington Trust Company as trustee, dated as of December 3, 2010
  4.6*    Specimen Common Stock certificate of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.
  5.1*    Opinion of Ropes & Gray LLP
10.1    Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.) Amended and Restated 2006 Executive Incentive Plan
10.2    Form of Option Award under 2006 Executive Incentive Plan
10.3    Form of Restricted Stock Award under 2006 Executive Incentive Plan
10.4*    Form of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan
10.5*    Amended and Restated Executive Separation Pay Plan
10.6    Amended and Restated 2005 Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan
10.7    Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Short Term Incentive Plan
 

 

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Exhibit

Number

   Exhibit Title
 
10.8    Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.), and Jon Luther, dated as of December 31, 2008
10.9    Transition Agreement of Jon Luther, dated as of June 30, 2010
10.10    First Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement between Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and Nigel Travis
10.11    Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.), and Kate Smith Lavelle, dated as of January 1, 2008
10.12    Transition Agreement of Kate Smith Lavelle, dated as of July 19, 2010
10.13    Offer Letter to Neil Moses dated September 27, 2010
10.14    Offer Letter to Richard Emmett dated November 23, 2009
10.15    Offer Letter to John Costello dated September 30, 2009
10.16    Offer Letter to Paul Twohig dated September 10, 2009
10.17    Form of Non-Competition/Non-Solicitation/Confidentiality Agreement
10.18*    Form of Amended and Restated Investor Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.), Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and the Investors named therein
10.19*    Form of Amended and Restated Stockholders Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.), Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and the Stockholders named therein
10.20    Credit Agreement among Dunkin’ Finance Corp, Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Barclays Bank PLC and the other lenders party thereto, dated as of November 23, 2010
10.21    Joinder to Credit Agreement dated as of December 3, 2010
10.22    Amendment 1, dated as of February 18, 2011, to the Credit Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Barclays Bank PLC and the other lenders party thereto
10.23    Security Agreement among the Grantors identified therein and Barclays Bank PLC, dated as of December 3, 2010
10.24*    Form of Director and Officer Indemnification Agreement
10.25    Lease between LSF3 Royall Street, LLC and Dunkin’ Donuts Incorporated, dated as of October 29, 2003
10.26    Assignment of Lease between Dunkin’ Donuts Incorporated and Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., dated as of July 22, 2005
10.27    Guaranty delivered with LSF3 Royall Street, LLC Lease dated as of October 29, 2003
21.1    Subsidiaries of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.
23.1    Consent of KPMG LLP
23.2    Consent of Deloitte Anjin LLC
23.3    Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata
23.4*    Consent of Ropes & Gray LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
24.1    Powers of Attorney (included in signature page)
 

 

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*   To be filed by amendment.

(b) Financial Statement Schedules

All schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the required information is included in the financial statements or notes thereto.

 

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Item 17. Undertakings.

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) That for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(2) That for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Canton, Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the 4th day of May, 2011.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP, INC. (Registrant)

By:

 

/s/ Nigel Travis

Name:

Title:

 

Nigel Travis

Chief Executive Officer

Power of attorney

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Nigel Travis, Neil Moses, and Richard J. Emmett, and each of them singly (with full power to each of them to act alone), our true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution in each of them for him and in his name, place and stead, and in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and any other registration statement for the same offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in and about the premises, as full to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or their or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities held on the dates indicated.

 

Signature   Title   Date

/s/    Nigel Travis        

Nigel Travis

 

Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

  May 4, 2011

/s/    Neil Moses        

Neil Moses

 

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  May 4, 2011

/s/    Jon Luther        

Jon Luther

  Director   May 4, 2011

/s/    Todd Abbrecht        

Todd Abbrecht

  Director   May 4, 2011

/s/    Anita Balaji        

Anita Balaji

  Director   May 4, 2011

/s/    Andrew B. Balson        

Andrew B. Balson

  Director   May 4, 2011

/s/    Todd M. Cook        

Todd M. Cook

  Director   May 4, 2011

 

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Signature   Title   Date

/s/    Anthony J. DiNovi        

Anthony J. DiNovi

  Director   May 4, 2011

/s/    David V. Harkins        

David V. Harkins

  Director   May 4, 2011

/s/    Sandra J. Horbach        

Sandra J. Horbach

  Director   May 4, 2011

/s/    Mark Nunnelly        

Mark Nunnelly

  Director   May 4, 2011

 

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Exhibit list

Exhibits and financial statements schedules.

 

Exhibit

number

   Exhibit title
 
  1.1*    Form of Underwriting Agreement
  3.1*    Form of Second Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.
  3.2*    Form of Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.
  4.1*    Form of Amended and Restated Registration Rights and Coordination Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.), Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and Certain Stockholders of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.
  4.2    Registration Rights Agreement among Dunkin’ Finance Corp, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Citigroup Global Capital Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated dated as of November 23, 2010
  4.3    Indenture among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., the Guarantors party thereto from time to time, Citibank, N.A. as Indenture Administrator and Wilmington Trust Company, as Trustee, dated as of November 23, 2010
  4.4    Form of 9.625% Senior Note due 2018 (filed with Exhibit 4.3 hereto)
  4.5    Supplemental Indenture among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., the Guarantors named therein, Citibank, N.A., as indenture administrator and Wilmington Trust Company as trustee, dated as of December 3, 2010
  4.6*    Specimen Common Stock certificate of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.
  5.1*    Opinion of Ropes & Gray LLP
10.1    Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.) Amended and Restated 2006 Executive Incentive Plan
10.2    Form of Option Award under 2006 Executive Incentive Plan
10.3    Form of Restricted Stock Award under 2006 Executive Incentive Plan
10.4*    Form of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan
10.5*    Amended and Restated Executive Separation Pay Plan
10.6    Amended and Restated 2005 Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan
10.7    Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Short Term Incentive Plan
10.8    Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.), and Jon Luther, dated as of December 31, 2008
10.9    Transition Agreement of Jon Luther, dated as of June 30, 2010
10.10    First Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement between Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and Nigel Travis
10.11    Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.), and Kate Smith Lavelle, dated as of January 1, 2008
10.12    Transition Agreement of Kate Smith Lavelle, dated as of July 19, 2010
10.13    Offer Letter to Neil Moses dated September 27, 2010
10.14    Offer Letter to Richard Emmett dated November 23, 2009
10.15    Offer Letter to John Costello dated September 30, 2009
 


Table of Contents

Exhibit

number

   Exhibit title
 
10.16    Offer Letter to Paul Twohig dated September 10, 2009
10.17    Form of Non-Competition/Non-Solicitation/Confidentiality Agreement
10.18*    Form of Amended and Restated Investor Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.), Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and the Investors named therein
10.19*    Form of Amended and Restated Stockholders Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (f/k/a Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.), Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and the Stockholders named therein
10.20    Credit Agreement among Dunkin’ Finance Corp, Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Barclays Bank PLC and the other lenders party thereto, dated as of November 23, 2010
10.21    Joinder to Credit Agreement dated as of December 3, 2010
10.22    Amendment 1, dated as of February 18, 2011, to the Credit Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Barclays Bank PLC and the other lenders party thereto
10.23    Security Agreement among the Grantors identified therein and Barclays Bank PLC, dated as of December 3, 2010
10.24*    Form of Director and Officer Indemnification Agreement
10.25    Lease between LSF3 Royall Street, LLC and Dunkin’ Donuts Incorporated, dated as of October 29, 2003
10.26    Assignment of Lease between Dunkin’ Donuts Incorporated and Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., dated as of July 22, 2005
10.27    Guaranty delivered with LSF3 Royall Street, LLC Lease, dated as of October 29, 2003
21.1    Subsidiaries of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.
23.1    Consent of KPMG LLP
23.2    Consent of Deloitte Anjin LLC
23.3    Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata
23.4*    Consent of Ropes & Gray LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
24.1    Powers of Attorney (included in signature page)
 

 

*   To be filed by amendment.

Exhibit 4.2

Execution Copy

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

This REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT dated November 23, 2010 (this “ Agreement ”) is entered into by and among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“ Escrow Issuer ”), Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (“ J.P. Morgan ”), Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Citigroup Global Capital Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated (the “Initial Purchasers”).

Escrow Issuer, the Company and the Initial Purchasers are parties to the Purchase Agreement dated November 15, 2010 (the “ Purchase Agreement ”), which provides for the sale by Escrow Issuer to the Initial Purchasers of $625,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Escrow Issuer’s 9.625% Senior Notes due 2018 (the “ Securities ”).

The Securities will be initially issued by Escrow Issuer and an amount equal to the gross proceeds from the issuance of the Securities, plus certain additional amounts, will initially be deposited into an escrow account pursuant to the Escrow and Security Agreement. Immediately following the redemption of the Series 2006-1 Variable Funding Notes, Class A-1, the 5.779% Fixed Rate Series 2006-1 Senior Notes, Class A-2, and the 8.285% Fixed Rate Series 2006-1 Subordinated Notes, Class M-1 (collectively, the “ABS Notes”) issued by bankruptcy-remote indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company and discharge of the related indenture (i) the Company will assume all of the Escrow Issuer’s obligations under the Securities and the Indenture (the “Assumption”) by entering into the Supplemental Indenture pursuant to which the Company will become a party to the Indenture, (ii) each of the guarantors required to guarantee the Securities pursuant to the Indenture (the “Guarantors”), which the Company expects will include the subsidiaries of the Company listed on Exhibit 1 hereto, will enter into the Supplemental Indenture pursuant to which each Guarantor will become a party to the Indenture as a Guarantor thereunder and will guarantee the Securities on a senior unsecured basis, and (iii) following the Assumption, the Escrow Issuer will merge with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving corporation (the “Merger”).

Immediately after the Assumption, each of the Guarantors will enter into a joinder agreement to this Agreement, to be dated the Escrow Release Date and substantially in the form attached hereto as Annex A (the “Joinder Agreement”), pursuant to which each Guarantor will become a party to this Registration Rights Agreement.

The representations, warranties, authorizations, acknowledgments, terms, conditions, obligations, appointments, duties, promises, liabilities, covenants and agreements of each Guarantor set forth in this Agreement shall only be undertaken and made by such Guarantor as of the date of such Guarantor’s


execution of the Joinder Agreement and shall not become effective as to such Guarantor until such execution by such Guarantor of the Joinder Agreement, at which time such representations, warranties, authorizations, acknowledgments, terms, conditions, obligations, appointments, duties, promises, liabilities, covenants and agreements shall become effective as to such Guarantor as if made on the date hereof pursuant to the terms of the Joinder Agreement; provided, however, that any representation, warranty, authorization, acknowledgment, term, condition, obligation, appointment, duty, promise, liability, covenant or agreement that is made or given (or deemed to have been made or given) by the Company or any Guarantor as of a date or time prior to the redemption and discharge of the ABS Notes and related indenture shall be read and construed assuming that the redemption and discharge of the ABS Notes and related indenture shall have occurred prior to the making or giving (or deemed making or giving) of such representation, warranty, authorization, acknowledgment, term, conditions, obligation, appointments, duty, promise, liability, covenant or agreement; and provided, further, however, that any reference or qualification in any such representation, warranty, authorization, acknowledgment, term, condition, obligation, appointment, duty, promise, liability, covenant or agreement to the knowledge or belief of any Guarantor (or similar reference) shall not be applicable until such time as such Guarantor executes the Joinder Agreement and such representation, warranty, authorization, acknowledgment, term, condition, obligation, appointment, duty, promise, liability, covenant or agreement is effective as to such Guarantor.

As an inducement to the Initial Purchasers to enter into the Purchase Agreement, Escrow Issuer, the Company and, upon execution and delivery of the Joinder Agreement, the Guarantors have agreed to provide to the Initial Purchasers and their direct and indirect transferees the registration rights set forth in this Agreement. The execution and delivery of this Agreement by Escrow Issuer and the Company is a condition to the closing under the Purchase Agreement.

In consideration of the foregoing, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. Definitions . As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

Additional Guarantor ” shall mean any subsidiary of the Company that executes a Guarantee under the Indenture after the date of this Agreement.

Agreement ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.

Business Day ” shall mean any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York City are authorized or required by law to remain closed.

 

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Company ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble and shall also include the Company’s successors.

Escrow and Security Agreement ” shall mean the Senior Notes Escrow and Security Agreement dated as of November 23, 2010, by and among Escrow Issuer, the Company and Wilmington Trust Company, as escrow agent and trustee under the Indenture.

Escrow Issuer ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.

Escrow Release Date ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section [1.4(b)] of the Escrow and Security Agreement.

Exchange Act ” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.

Exchange Dates ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(ii) hereof.

Exchange Offer ” shall mean the exchange offer by the Company and the Guarantors of Exchange Securities for Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof.

Exchange Offer Registration ” shall mean a registration under the Securities Act effected pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof.

Exchange Offer Registration Statement ” shall mean an exchange offer registration statement on Form S-4 (or, if applicable, on another appropriate form) and all amendments and supplements to such registration statement, in each case including the Prospectus contained therein or deemed a part thereof, all exhibits thereto and any document incorporated by reference therein.

Exchange Securities ” shall mean senior notes issued by the Company and guaranteed by the Guarantors under the Indenture containing terms identical to the Securities (except that the Exchange Securities will not be entitled to registration rights hereunder and will not be subject to restrictions on transfer or to any increase in annual interest rate for failure to comply with this Agreement) and to be offered to Holders of Securities in exchange for Securities pursuant to the Exchange Offer.

FINRA ” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.

Free Writing Prospectus ” means each free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) prepared by or on behalf of the Company or used or referred to by the Company in connection with the sale of the Securities or the Exchange Securities.

 

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Guarantees ” shall mean the guarantees of the Securities and guarantees of the Exchange Securities by the Guarantors under the Indenture.

Guarantors ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble and shall also include any Guarantor’s successors and any Additional Guarantors.

Holders ” shall mean the Initial Purchasers, for so long as they own any Registrable Securities, and each of their successors, assigns and direct and indirect transferees who become owners of Registrable Securities under the Indenture; provided that, for purposes of Section 4 and Section 5 hereof, the term “Holders” shall include Participating Broker-Dealers.

Indemnified Person ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c) hereof.

Indemnifying Person ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c) hereof.

Indenture ” shall mean the Indenture relating to the Securities dated as of November [ ], 2010 among Escrow Issuer and Wilmington Trust Company, as trustee, and as the same may be amended and supplemented from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof.

Initial Purchasers ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.

Inspector ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a)(xiv) hereof.

Issuer Information ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(a) hereof.

Joinder Agreement ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.

J.P. Morgan ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.

Majority Holders ” shall mean the Holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Registrable Securities; provided that whenever the consent or approval of Holders of a specified percentage of Registrable Securities is required hereunder, any Registrable Securities owned directly or indirectly by the Company or any of its affiliates shall not be counted in determining whether such consent or approval was given by the Holders of such required percentage or amount; and provided , further , that if the Company shall issue any additional Securities under the Indenture prior to consummation of the Exchange Offer or, if applicable, the effectiveness of any Shelf Registration Statement, such additional Securities and the Registrable Securities to which this Agreement relates shall be treated together as one class for purposes of determining whether the consent or approval of Holders of a specified percentage of Registrable Securities has been obtained.

 

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Merger ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.

Notice and Questionnaire ” shall mean a notice of registration statement and selling security holder questionnaire distributed to a Holder by the Company upon receipt of a Shelf Request from such Holder.

Participating Broker-Dealers ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4(a) hereof.

Participating Holder ” shall mean, as to a particular Registration Statement, any Holder of Registrable Securities that has returned a completed and signed Notice and Questionnaire to the Company in accordance with Section 2(b) hereof and has included Registrable Securities held by such Participating Holder in such Registration Statement.

Person ” shall mean an individual, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, trust or unincorporated organization, or a government or agency or political subdivision thereof.

Prospectus ” shall (i) mean the prospectus included in, or, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities Act, deemed a part of, a Registration Statement, including any preliminary prospectus, and (ii) any such prospectus as amended or supplemented by any prospectus supplement, including a prospectus supplement with respect to the terms of the offering of any portion of the Registrable Securities covered by a Shelf Registration Statement, and by all other amendments and supplements to such prospectus, and in each case including any document incorporated by reference therein.

Purchase Agreement ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.

Registrable Securities ” shall mean the Securities; provided that the Securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities (i) when a Registration Statement with respect to such Securities has become effective under the Securities Act and such Securities have been exchanged or disposed of pursuant to such Registration Statement, (ii) when such Securities are sold pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act (or any similar provision then in force, but not Rule 144A), if following such resale such Securities do not bear any restrictive legend relating to the Securities Act and do not bear a restricted CUSIP number, (iii) when such Securities cease to be outstanding, (iv) as of the first date on or after the two year anniversary of the Closing Date that such Security is eligible for sale pursuant to Rule 144 under the 1933 Act, or (v) except in the case of Securities that are held by an Initial Purchaser and that are ineligible to be exchanged in the Exchange Offer, when the Exchange Offer is consummated.

Registration Default ” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following: (i) the Exchange Offer is not completed on or prior to the Target Registration Date, (ii) the Shelf Registration Statement, if required pursuant to Section 2(b)(i) or Section 2(b)(ii) hereof, has not become effective on or prior to the Target

 

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Registration Date, (iii) if the Company receives a Shelf Request pursuant to Section 2(b)(iii), the Shelf Registration Statement required to be filed thereby has not become effective by the later of (a) the Target Registration Date and (b) 90 days after delivery of such Shelf Request, or (iv) the Shelf Registration Statement, if required by this Agreement, has become effective and thereafter ceases to be effective or the Prospectus contained therein ceases to be usable, in each case whether or not permitted by this Agreement, at any time during the Shelf Effectiveness Period, and such failure to remain effective or usable exists for more than 30 days (whether or not consecutive) in any 12-month period.

Registration Expenses ” shall mean any and all expenses incident to performance of or compliance by the Company and the Guarantors with this Agreement, including without limitation: (i) all SEC, stock exchange or FINRA registration and filing fees, (ii) all fees and expenses incurred in connection with compliance with state securities or blue sky laws (including reasonable fees and disbursements of one counsel for any Underwriters or Holders in connection with blue sky qualification of any Exchange Securities or Registrable Securities), (iii) all expenses of any Persons approved by the Company in preparing or assisting in preparing, word processing, printing and distributing any Registration Statement, any Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, any underwriting agreements, securities sales agreements or other similar agreements and any other documents relating to the performance of and compliance with this Agreement, (iv) all rating agency fees relating to the Securities or the Exchange Securities, (v) all fees and disbursements relating to the qualification of the Indenture under applicable securities laws, (vi) the fees and disbursements of the Trustee and its counsel relating to the Indenture, the Securities or the Exchange Securities, (vii) the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company and the Guarantors and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the reasonable fees and disbursements of one counsel for the Participating Holders (which counsel shall be selected by the Participating Holders holding a majority of the aggregate principal amount of Registrable Securities held by such Participating Holders and which counsel may also be counsel for the Initial Purchasers) and (viii) the fees and disbursements of the independent registered public accountants of the Company and the Guarantors, including the expenses of any special audits or “comfort” letters required by or incident to the performance of and compliance with this Agreement, but excluding fees and expenses of counsel to the Underwriters (other than fees and expenses set forth in clause (ii) above) or the Holders and underwriting discounts and commissions, brokerage commissions and transfer taxes, if any, relating to the sale or disposition of Registrable Securities by a Holder.

Registration Statement ” shall mean any registration statement of the Company and the Guarantors that covers any of the Exchange Securities or Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement and all amendments and supplements to any such registration statement, including post-effective amendments, in each case including the Prospectus contained therein

 

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or deemed a part thereof, all exhibits thereto and any document incorporated by reference therein.

SEC ” shall mean the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Securities ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.

Securities Act ” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.

Shelf Effectiveness Period ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(b) hereof.

Shelf Registration ” shall mean a registration effected pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof.

Shelf Registration Statement ” shall mean a “shelf” registration statement of the Company and the Guarantors that covers all or a portion of the Registrable Securities (but no other securities unless approved by a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities held by the Participating Holders) on an appropriate form under Rule 415 under the Securities Act, or any similar rule that may be adopted by the SEC, and all amendments and supplements to such registration statement, including post-effective amendments, in each case including the Prospectus contained therein or deemed a part thereof, all exhibits thereto and any document incorporated by reference therein.

Shelf Request ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(b) hereof.

Staff ” shall mean the staff of the SEC.

Supplemental Indenture ” shall mean the supplemental indenture dated as of the Escrow Release Date, to be entered into by the Company and each of the Guarantors.

Target Registration Date ” shall mean the date which is 365 days from November [ ] 2010.

Trust Indenture Act ” shall mean the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended from time to time.

Trustee ” shall mean the trustee with respect to the Securities under the Indenture.

Underwriter ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(e) hereof.

Underwritten Offering ” shall mean an offering in which Registrable Securities are sold to an Underwriter for reoffering to the public.

 

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2. Registration Under the Securities Act . (a) To the extent not prohibited by any applicable law or applicable interpretations of the Staff, the Company and the Guarantors shall use their reasonable best efforts to (x) cause to be filed an Exchange Offer Registration Statement covering an offer to the Holders to exchange all the Registrable Securities for Exchange Securities and (y) have such Registration Statement become and remain effective until the earlier of (1) 180 days after the last Exchange Date for use by one or more Participating Broker-Dealers, and (2) such time as no Participating Broker-Dealer that receives Exchange Securities in exchange for Securities in the Exchange Offer holds any such Exchange Securities. The Company and the Guarantors shall commence the Exchange Offer promptly after the Exchange Offer Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC and use their reasonable best efforts to complete the Exchange Offer not later than 60 days after such effective date.

The Company and the Guarantors shall commence the Exchange Offer by mailing the related Prospectus, appropriate letters of transmittal and other accompanying documents to each Holder stating, in addition to such other disclosures as are required by applicable law, substantially the following:

 

(i) that the Exchange Offer is being made pursuant to this Agreement and that all Registrable Securities validly tendered and not properly withdrawn will be accepted for exchange;

 

(ii) the dates of acceptance for exchange (which shall be a period of at least 20 Business Days from the date such notice is mailed) (the “ Exchange Dates ”);

 

(iii) that any Registrable Security not tendered will remain outstanding and continue to accrue interest but will not retain any rights under this Agreement, except as otherwise specified herein;

 

(iv) that any Holder electing to have a Registrable Security exchanged pursuant to the Exchange Offer will be required to (A) surrender such Registrable Security, together with the appropriate letters of transmittal, to the institution and at the address and in the manner specified in the notice, or (B) effect such exchange otherwise in compliance with the applicable procedures of the depositary for such Registrable Security, in each case prior to the close of business on the last Exchange Date; and

 

(v)

that any Holder will be entitled to withdraw its election, not later than the close of business on the last Exchange Date, by (A) sending to the institution and at the address specified in the notice, a telegram, facsimile transmission or letter setting forth the name of such Holder, the principal amount of Registrable Securities delivered for exchange and a statement that such Holder is withdrawing its election to have such Securities

 

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exchanged or (B) effecting such withdrawal in compliance with the applicable procedures of the depositary for the Registrable Securities.

As a condition to participating in the Exchange Offer, a Holder (including any Participating Broker-Dealer) will be required to represent to the Company and the Guarantors that (1) any Exchange Securities to be received by it will be acquired in the ordinary course of its business, (2) it is not engaged in, and at the time of the commencement of the Exchange Offer it has no arrangement or understanding with any Person to participate in, any distribution (within the meaning of the Securities Act) of the Exchange Securities in violation of the provisions of the Securities Act, (3) it is not an “affiliate” (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act) of the Company or any Guarantor and (4) if such Holder is a broker-dealer that will receive Exchange Securities for its own account in exchange for Registrable Securities that were acquired as a result of market-making or other trading activities, then such Holder will deliver a Prospectus (or, to the extent permitted by law, make available a Prospectus to purchasers) in connection with any resale of such Exchange Securities.

As soon as practicable after the last Exchange Date, the Company and the Guarantors shall:

 

(I) accept for exchange Registrable Securities or portions thereof validly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the Exchange Offer; and

 

(II) deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Trustee for cancellation all Registrable Securities or portions thereof so accepted for exchange by the Company and issue, and cause the Trustee to promptly authenticate and deliver to each Holder, Exchange Securities equal in principal amount to the principal amount of the Registrable Securities tendered by such Holder.

The Company and the Guarantors shall use their reasonable best efforts to complete the Exchange Offer as provided above and shall comply with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and other applicable laws and regulations in connection with the Exchange Offer. The Exchange Offer shall not be subject to any conditions, other than that the Exchange Offer does not violate any applicable law or applicable interpretations of the Staff and other customary conditions for exchange offers like the Exchange Offer.

(b) In the event that (i) the Company and the Guarantors determine that the Exchange Offer Registration provided for in Section 2(a) hereof is not available or the Exchange Offer may not be completed as soon as practicable after the last Exchange Date because it would violate any applicable law or applicable interpretations of the Staff, (ii) the Exchange Offer is not for any other reason completed by the Target Registration Date or (iii) upon receipt of a written request (a “ Shelf Request ”) from any Initial Purchaser representing that it holds

 

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Registrable Securities that are or were ineligible to be exchanged in the Exchange Offer, the Company and the Guarantors shall use their reasonable best efforts to cause to be filed as soon as practicable after such determination, date or Shelf Request, as the case may be, a Shelf Registration Statement providing for the sale of all the Registrable Securities by the Holders thereof and to have such Shelf Registration Statement become effective; provided that no Holder will be entitled to have any Registrable Securities included in any Shelf Registration Statement, or entitled to use the prospectus forming a part of such Shelf Registration Statement, until such Holder shall have delivered a completed and signed Notice and Questionnaire and provided such other information regarding such Holder to the Company as is contemplated by Section 3(b) hereof. To the extent a Shelf Registration Statement is required to be filed pursuant to clause (ii) above and the Exchange Offer is completed on a date later than the Target Registration Date, upon the completion of the Exchange Offer, the Company and the Guarantors will no longer be required to file, make effective or continue the effectiveness of the Shelf Registration Statement, except as may be required pursuant to clause (i) or (iii).

In the event that the Company and the Guarantors are required to file a Shelf Registration Statement pursuant to clause (iii) of the preceding sentence, the Company and the Guarantors shall use their reasonable best efforts to file and have become effective both an Exchange Offer Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof with respect to all Registrable Securities and a Shelf Registration Statement (which may be a combined Registration Statement with the Exchange Offer Registration Statement) with respect to offers and sales of Registrable Securities held by the Initial Purchasers after completion of the Exchange Offer.

The Company and the Guarantors agree to use their reasonable best efforts to keep the Shelf Registration Statement continuously effective until the Securities cease to be Registrable Securities (the “ Shelf Effectiveness Period” ). The Company and the Guarantors further agree to supplement or amend the Shelf Registration Statement, the related Prospectus and any Free Writing Prospectus if required by the rules, regulations or instructions applicable to the registration form used by the Company for such Shelf Registration Statement or by the Securities Act or by any other rules and regulations thereunder or if reasonably and timely requested by a Holder of Registrable Securities with respect to information relating to such Holder, and to use their reasonable best efforts to cause any such amendment to become effective, if required, and such Shelf Registration Statement, Prospectus or Free Writing Prospectus, as the case may be, to become usable as soon as thereafter practicable. The Company and the Guarantors agree to furnish to the Participating Holders copies of any such supplement or amendment promptly after its being used or filed with the SEC.

(c) The Company and the Guarantors shall pay all Registration Expenses in connection with any registration pursuant to Section 2(a) or

 

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Section 2(b) hereof. Each Holder shall pay all underwriting discounts and commissions, brokerage commissions and transfer taxes, if any, relating to the sale or disposition of such Holder’s Registrable Securities pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement.

(d) An Exchange Offer Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof will not be deemed to have become effective unless it has been declared effective by the SEC. A Shelf Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof will not be deemed to have become effective unless it has been declared effective by the SEC or is automatically effective upon filing with the SEC as provided by Rule 462 under the Securities Act.

If a Registration Default occurs, the interest rate on the Registrable Securities eligible to be included in the Registration Statement giving rise to such Registration Default will be increased by (i) 0.25% per annum for the first 90-day period beginning on the day immediately following such Registration Default and (ii) an additional 0.25% per annum with respect to each subsequent 90-day period, in each case until and including the date such Registration Default ends, up to a maximum increase of 1.00% per annum. A Registration Default ends when the Securities cease to be Registrable Securities or, if earlier, (1) in the case of a Registration Default under clause (i) of the definition thereof, when the Exchange Offer is completed, (2) in the case of a Registration Default under clause (ii) or clause (iii) of the definition thereof, when the Shelf Registration Statement becomes effective or (3) in the case of a Registration Default under clause (iv) of the definition thereof, when the Shelf Registration Statement again becomes effective or the Prospectus again becomes usable. If at any time more than one Registration Default has occurred and is continuing, then, until the next date that there is no Registration Default, the increase in interest rate provided for by this paragraph shall apply as if there occurred a single Registration Default that begins on the date that the earliest such Registration Default occurred and ends on such next date that there is no Registration Default.

(e) Without limiting the remedies available to the Initial Purchasers and the Holders, the Company and the Guarantors acknowledge that any failure by the Company or the Guarantors to comply with their obligations under Section 2(a) and Section 2(b) hereof may result in material irreparable injury to the Initial Purchasers or the Holders for which there is no adequate remedy at law, that it will not be possible to measure damages for such injuries precisely and that, in the event of any such failure, the Initial Purchasers or any Holder may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, obtain such relief as may be required to specifically enforce the Company’s and the Guarantors’ obligations under Section 2(a) and Section 2(b) hereof.

3. Registration Procedures . (a) In connection with their obligations pursuant to Section 2(a) and Section 2(b) hereof, the Company and the Guarantors shall:

 

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(i) prepare and file with the SEC a Registration Statement on the appropriate form under the Securities Act, which form (A) shall be selected by the Company and the Guarantors, (B) shall, in the case of a Shelf Registration, be available for the sale of the Registrable Securities by the Holders thereof and (C) shall comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the applicable form and include all financial statements required by the SEC to be filed therewith; and use their reasonable best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and remain effective for the applicable period in accordance with Section 2 hereof;

(ii) prepare and file with the SEC such amendments and post-effective amendments to each Registration Statement as may be necessary to keep such Registration Statement effective for the applicable period in accordance with Section 2 hereof and cause each Prospectus to be supplemented by any required prospectus supplement and, as so supplemented, to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act; and keep each Prospectus current during the period described in Section 4(3) of and Rule 174 under the Securities Act that is applicable to transactions by brokers or dealers with respect to the applicable Registrable Securities or Exchange Securities;

(iii) to the extent any Free Writing Prospectus is used, file with the SEC any Free Writing Prospectus that is required to be filed by the Company or the Guarantors with the SEC in accordance with the Securities Act and to retain any Free Writing Prospectus not required to be filed;

(iv) in the case of a Shelf Registration, furnish to each Participating Holder, to counsel for the Initial Purchasers, to the one counsel for such Participating Holders and to each Underwriter of an Underwritten Offering of Registrable Securities, if any, without charge, as many copies of each Prospectus, preliminary prospectus or Free Writing Prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, as such Participating Holder, counsel or Underwriter may reasonably request in order to facilitate the sale or other disposition of the Registrable Securities thereunder; and, subject to Section 3(c) hereof, the Company and the Guarantors consent to the use of such Prospectus, preliminary prospectus or such Free Writing Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto in accordance with applicable law by each of the Participating Holders and any such Underwriters in connection with the offering and sale of the Registrable Securities covered by and in the manner described in such Prospectus, preliminary prospectus or such Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto in accordance with applicable law;

(v) use their reasonable best efforts to register or qualify the Registrable Securities under all applicable state securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as any Participating Holder shall reasonably request in writing by the time the applicable Registration Statement becomes effective; cooperate with such Participating Holders in connection with any filings required to be made with FINRA; and do any and all other acts and things that may be reasonably

 

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necessary or advisable to enable each Participating Holder to complete the disposition in each such jurisdiction of the Registrable Securities owned by such Participating Holder; provided that neither the Company nor any Guarantor shall be required to (1) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (2) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (3) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not so subject;

(vi) notify counsel for the Initial Purchasers and, in the case of a Shelf Registration, notify each Participating Holder and the one counsel for such Participating Holders promptly and, if requested by any such Participating Holder or counsel, confirm such advice in writing (1) when a Registration Statement has become effective, when any post-effective amendment thereto has been filed and becomes effective, when any Free Writing Prospectus has been filed or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or any Free Writing Prospectus has been filed, (2) of any request by the SEC or any state securities authority for amendments and supplements to a Registration Statement, Prospectus or any Free Writing Prospectus or for additional information after the Registration Statement has become effective, (3) of the issuance by the SEC or any state securities authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of a Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose, including the receipt by the Company of any notice of objection of the SEC to the use of a Shelf Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act, (4) if, between the applicable effective date of a Shelf Registration Statement and the closing of any sale of Registrable Securities covered thereby, the Company or any Guarantor receives any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation of any proceeding for such purpose, (5) of the happening of any event during the period a Registration Statement is effective that makes any statement made in such Registration Statement or the related Prospectus or any Free Writing Prospectus untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in such Registration Statement or Prospectus or any Free Writing Prospectus in order to make the statements therein (in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, in the case of the Prospectus) not misleading and (6) of any determination by the Company or any Guarantor that a post-effective amendment to a Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or any Free Writing Prospectus would be required;

(vii) use their reasonable best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of a Registration Statement or, in the case of a Shelf Registration, the resolution of any objection of the SEC pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act, including by filing an amendment to such Registration Statement on the proper form, as promptly as practicable and provide prompt notice to each Participating Holder of the withdrawal of any such order or such resolution;

 

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(viii) in the case of a Shelf Registration, if requested, furnish to each Participating Holder, without charge, at least one conformed copy of the Shelf Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto (without any documents incorporated therein by reference or exhibits thereto, unless requested in writing);

(ix) in the case of a Shelf Registration, cooperate with the Participating Holders to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates representing Registrable Securities to be sold and not bearing any restrictive legends and enable such Registrable Securities to be issued in such denominations and registered in such names (consistent with the provisions of the Indenture) as such Participating Holders may reasonably request at least one Business Day prior to the closing of any sale of Registrable Securities;

(x) upon the occurrence of any event contemplated by Section 3(a)(vi)(5) hereof, use their reasonable best efforts to prepare and file with the SEC a supplement or post-effective amendment to the applicable Exchange Offer Registration Statement or Shelf Registration Statement or the related Prospectus or any Free Writing Prospectus or any document incorporated therein by reference or file any other required document so that, as thereafter delivered (or, to the extent permitted by law, made available) to purchasers of the Registrable Securities, such Prospectus or Free Writing Prospectus, as the case may be, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the Company and the Guarantors shall notify the Participating Holders to suspend use of the Prospectus or any Free Writing Prospectus as promptly as practicable after the occurrence of such an event, and such Participating Holders hereby agree to suspend use of the Prospectus or any Free Writing Prospectus, as the case may be, until the Company and the Guarantors have amended or supplemented the Prospectus or the Free Writing Prospectus, as the case may be, to correct such misstatement or omission;

(xi) a reasonable time prior to the filing of any Registration Statement, any Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus, any amendment to a Registration Statement or amendment or supplement to a Prospectus or a Free Writing Prospectus or of any document that is to be incorporated by reference into a Registration Statement, a Prospectus or a Free Writing Prospectus after initial filing of a Registration Statement, provide copies of such document to the Initial Purchasers and their counsel (and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, to the Participating Holders and their counsel) and make such of the representatives of the Company and the Guarantors as shall be reasonably requested by the Initial Purchasers or their counsel (and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the Participating Holders or their one counsel) available for a reasonable period of time for discussion of such document; and the Company and the Guarantors shall not, at any time after initial filing of a Registration Statement, use or file any Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus,

 

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any amendment of or supplement to a Registration Statement or a Prospectus or a Free Writing Prospectus, or any document that is to be incorporated by reference into a Registration Statement, a Prospectus or a Free Writing Prospectus, of which the Initial Purchasers and their counsel (and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the Participating Holders and their counsel) shall not have previously been advised and furnished a copy or to which the Initial Purchasers or their counsel (and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the Participating Holders or their counsel) shall reasonably object in writing within five Business Days after receipt thereof;

(xii) use reasonable best efforts to obtain a CUSIP number for all Exchange Securities or Registrable Securities, as the case may be, not later than the initial effective date of a Registration Statement;

(xiii) use reasonable best efforts to cause the Indenture to be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act in connection with the registration of the Exchange Securities or Registrable Securities, as the case may be; cooperate with the Trustee and the Holders to effect such changes to the Indenture as may be required for the Indenture to be so qualified in accordance with the terms of the Trust Indenture Act; and execute, and use their reasonable best efforts to cause the Trustee to execute, all documents as may be required to effect such changes and all other forms and documents required to be filed with the SEC to enable the Indenture to be so qualified in a timely manner;

(xiv) in the case of a Shelf Registration, make available for inspection by a representative of the Participating Holders (an “ Inspector ”), any Underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to such Shelf Registration Statement, one attorney and one accountant designated by a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities held by the Participating Holders and one attorney and one accountant designated by such Underwriter, at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner, all pertinent financial and other records, documents and properties of the Company and the Guarantors, and cause the respective officers, directors and employees of the Company and the Guarantors to supply all information reasonably requested by any such Inspector, Underwriter, attorney or accountant in connection with a Shelf Registration Statement; provided that if any such information is identified by the Company or any Guarantor as being confidential or proprietary, each Person receiving such information shall take such actions as are reasonably necessary to protect the confidentiality of such information to the extent such action is otherwise not inconsistent with, an impairment of or in derogation of the rights and interests of any Inspector, Holder or Underwriter);

(xv) in the case of a Shelf Registration, use their reasonable best efforts to cause all Registrable Securities to be listed on any securities exchange or any automated quotation system on which similar securities issued or guaranteed by the Company or any Guarantor are then listed if requested by the Majority

 

15


Holders, to the extent such Registrable Securities satisfy applicable listing requirements;

(xvi) if reasonably requested by any Participating Holder and required by applicable law or SEC rules, promptly include in a Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment such information with respect to such Participating Holder as such Participating Holder reasonably requests to be included therein and make all required filings of such Prospectus supplement or such post-effective amendment as soon as practicable after the Company has received notification of the matters to be so included in such filing;

(xvii) in the case of a Shelf Registration, enter into such customary agreements and take all such other actions in connection therewith (including those reasonably requested in writing by the Participating Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Registrable Securities covered by the Shelf Registration Statement) in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Securities including, but not limited to, entering into an underwriting agreement in connection with an Underwritten Offering and in such connection, (1) to the extent possible, make such representations and warranties to any Underwriters of such Registrable Securities with respect to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries and the Registration Statement, Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus and documents incorporated by reference or deemed incorporated by reference, if any, in each case, in form, substance and scope as are customarily made by issuers to underwriters in underwritten offerings and confirm the same if and when requested, (2) use reasonable best efforts to obtain opinions of counsel to the Company and the Guarantors (which counsel and opinions, in form, scope and substance, shall be reasonably satisfactory to the such Underwriters and their counsel) addressed to each Underwriter of such Registrable Securities, covering the matters customarily covered in opinions requested in underwritten offerings, (3) use reasonable best efforts to obtain “comfort”, “agreed upon procedures” or similar letters from the independent registered public accountants of the Company and the Guarantors (and, if necessary, any other registered public accountant of any subsidiary of the Company or any Guarantor, or of any business acquired by the Company or any Guarantor for which financial statements and financial data are or are required to be included in the Registration Statement) addressed to each Underwriter of such Registrable Securities, such letters to be in customary form and covering matters of the type customarily covered in “comfort” letters in connection with underwritten offerings and (4) deliver such documents and certificates as may be reasonably requested by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Registrable Securities being sold or the Underwriters, and which are customarily delivered in underwritten offerings, to evidence the accuracy as of the closing date of the representations and warranties of the Company and the Guarantors made pursuant to clause (1) above and to evidence compliance with any customary conditions contained in the underwriting agreement; and

 

16


(xviii) so long as any Registrable Securities remain outstanding, cause each Additional Guarantor upon the creation or acquisition by the Company of such Additional Guarantor, to execute a counterpart to this Agreement in the form attached hereto as Annex A and to deliver such counterpart to the Initial Purchasers no later than five Business Days following the execution thereof.

(b) In the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the Company may require each Holder of Registrable Securities to furnish to the Company a Notice and Questionnaire and such other information regarding such Holder and the proposed disposition by such Holder of such Registrable Securities as the Company and the Guarantors may from time to time reasonably request in writing; provided that if such Holder fails to provide the Notice and Questionnaire or such other requested information within 20 days after receipt of a request therefor, the Company may exclude such Holder’s Registrable Securities from such Shelf Registration Statement until such time as the information is provided. Each Holder agrees to promptly furnish to the Company additional information required to be disclosed in order to make the information previously furnished to the Company by such Holder not misleading. No Holder who fails to comply with the requirements of this Section 3(b) within the timeframe specified shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 2(d) of this Agreement unless and until such Holder shall have provided all such information (it being understood that no change in the interest rate on the Registrable Securities shall be effective for the benefit of any Holder until such Holder provides such information).

(c) Each Participating Holder agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the Company and the Guarantors of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(a)(vi)(3) or Section 3(a)(vi)(5) hereof, such Participating Holder will forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement until such Participating Holder’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended Prospectus and any Free Writing Prospectus contemplated by Section 3(a)(x) hereof and, if so directed by the Company and the Guarantors, such Participating Holder will deliver to the Company and the Guarantors all copies in its possession, other than permanent file copies then in such Participating Holder’s possession which such Holder agrees will not be used thereafter, of the Prospectus and any Free Writing Prospectus covering such Registrable Securities that is current at the time of receipt of such notice. In addition, the Company may give notice of the suspension of the offering and sale under a Shelf Registration Statement for a period or periods upon the occurrence or existence of any pending corporate development that, in the good faith judgment of the Board of Directors of the Company, makes such suspension necessary and not for the purpose of avoidance of its obligations under this Agreement.

(d) If the Company and the Guarantors shall give any notice to suspend the disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement, the Company and the Guarantors shall extend the period during which such Registration Statement shall be maintained effective pursuant to this

 

17


Agreement by the number of days during the period from and including the date of the giving of such notice to and including the date when the Holders of such Registrable Securities shall have received copies of the supplemented or amended Prospectus or any Free Writing Prospectus necessary to resume such dispositions or the Company advises the Holders that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed. Any such suspensions shall not exceed 60 days during any 365-day period.

(e) The Participating Holders in a Shelf Registration Statement who desire to do so may sell such Registrable Securities in an Underwritten Offering. In any such Underwritten Offering, the investment bank or investment banks and manager or managers (each an “ Underwriter ”) that will administer the offering will be selected by the Participating Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Registrable Securities included in such offering and reasonably acceptable to the Company. However, each Holder agrees that, neither such Holder nor any Underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to any Registration Statement on such Holder’s behalf, will make any offer relating to the Registrable Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) required to be filed by the Company with the SEC or retained by the Company under Rule 433 of the Securities Act, unless it has obtained the prior written consent of the Company.

4. Participation of Broker-Dealers in Exchange Offer . (a) The Staff has taken the position that any broker-dealer that receives Exchange Securities for its own account in the Exchange Offer in exchange for Securities that were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market-making or other trading activities (a “ Participating Broker-Dealer ”) may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and must deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of such Exchange Securities.

The Company and the Guarantors understand that it is the Staff’s position that if the Prospectus contained in the Exchange Offer Registration Statement includes a plan of distribution containing a statement to the above effect and the means by which Participating Broker-Dealers may resell the Exchange Securities, without naming the Participating Broker-Dealers or specifying the amount of Exchange Securities owned by them, such Prospectus may be delivered by Participating Broker-Dealers (or, to the extent permitted by law, made available to purchasers) to satisfy their prospectus delivery obligation under the Securities Act in connection with resales of Exchange Securities for their own accounts, so long as the Prospectus otherwise meets the requirements of the Securities Act.

(b) In light of the above, and notwithstanding the other provisions of this Agreement, the Company and the Guarantors agree to use their reasonable

 

18


best efforts to amend or supplement the Prospectus contained in the Exchange Offer Registration Statement for the period specified in Section 2(a)(y) of this Agreement (as such period may be extended pursuant to Section 3(d) hereof), in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of any Exchange Securities by Participating Broker-Dealers consistent with the positions of the Staff recited in Section 4(a) above. The Company and the Guarantors further agree that Participating Broker-Dealers shall be authorized to deliver such Prospectus (or, to the extent permitted by law, make available) during such period in connection with the resales contemplated by this Section 4.

(c) The Initial Purchasers shall have no liability to the Company, any Guarantor or any Holder with respect to any request that they may make pursuant to Section 4(b) hereof.

5. Indemnification and Contribution . (a) The Company and each Guarantor, jointly and severally, agree to indemnify and hold harmless each Initial Purchaser and each Holder, their respective affiliates, directors and officers and each Person, if any, who controls any Initial Purchaser or any Holder within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, legal fees and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, (1) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, or (2) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” (“ Issuer Information ”) filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Initial Purchaser or information relating to any Holder furnished to the Company in writing either directly or through J.P. Morgan or any selling Holder, respectively, expressly for use therein. In connection with any Underwritten Offering permitted by Section 3, the Company and the Guarantors, jointly and severally, will also indemnify the Underwriters, if any, their respective affiliates and each Person who controls such Persons (within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act) to the same extent as provided above with respect to the indemnification of the Holders, if requested in connection with any Registration Statement, any Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus or any Issuer Information.

 

19


(b) Each Holder agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Guarantors, the Initial Purchasers and the other selling Holders, their respective affiliates, the directors of the Company and the Guarantors, each officer of the Company and the Guarantors who signed the Registration Statement and each Person, if any, who controls the Company, the Guarantors, any Initial Purchaser and any other selling Holder within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to such Holder furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of such Holder expressly for use in any Registration Statement, any Prospectus or any Free Writing Prospectus.

(c) If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any Person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to either paragraph (a) or (b) above, such Person (the “ Indemnified Person ”) shall promptly notify the Person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the “ Indemnifying Person ”) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under paragraph (a) or (b) above except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided , further , that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under paragraph (a) or (b) above. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person to represent the Indemnified Person and any others entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Section 5 that the Indemnifying Person may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the

 

20


reasonable fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such reasonable fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. Any such separate firm (x) for any Initial Purchaser, its affiliates, directors and officers and any control Persons of such Initial Purchaser shall be designated in writing by J.P. Morgan, (y) for any Holder, its affiliates, directors and officers and any control Persons of such Holder shall be designated in writing by the Majority Holders and (z) in all other cases shall be designated in writing by the Company. The Indemnifying Person shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (A) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (B) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.

(d) If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein (other than as a result of the limitations imposed on indemnification described in such sections), then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Guarantors from the offering of the Securities and the Exchange Securities, on the one hand, and by the Holders from receiving Securities or Exchange Securities registered under the Securities Act, on the other hand, or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) but also the relative fault of the Company and the Guarantors on the one hand and the Holders on the other in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the Company and the Guarantors on the one hand and the Holders on the other shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company and the Guarantors or by the Holders and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

 

21


(e) The Company, the Guarantors and the Holders agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 5 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Holders were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (d) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (d) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Person in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5, in no event shall a Holder be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities or Exchange Securities sold by such Holder exceeds the amount of any damages that such Holder has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No Person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any Person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Holders’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 5 are several and not joint.

(f) The remedies provided for in this Section 5 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies that may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.

(g) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 5 shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of the Initial Purchasers or any Holder or any Person controlling any Initial Purchaser or any Holder, or by or on behalf of the Company or the Guarantors or the officers or directors of or any Person controlling the Company or the Guarantors, (iii) acceptance of any of the Exchange Securities and (iv) any sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Shelf Registration Statement.

6. General .

(a) No Inconsistent Agreements. The Company and the Guarantors represent, warrant and agree that (i) the rights granted to the Holders hereunder do not in any way conflict with and are not inconsistent with the rights granted to the holders of any other outstanding securities issued or guaranteed by the Company or any Guarantor under any other agreement and (ii) neither the Company nor any Guarantor has entered into, or on or after the date of this Agreement will enter into, any agreement that is inconsistent with the rights granted to the Holders of Registrable Securities in this Agreement or otherwise conflicts with the provisions hereof.

(b) Amendments and Waivers. The provisions of this Agreement, including the provisions of this sentence, may not be amended, modified or supplemented, and waivers or consents to departures from the provisions hereof

 

22


may not be given unless the Company and the Guarantors have obtained the written consent of Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Registrable Securities affected by such amendment, modification, supplement, waiver or consent; provided that no amendment, modification, supplement, waiver or consent to any departure from the provisions of Section 5 hereof shall be effective as against any Holder of Registrable Securities unless consented to in writing by such Holder. Any amendments, modifications, supplements, waivers or consents pursuant to this Section 6(b) shall be by a writing executed by each of the parties hereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a waiver or consent to departure from the provisions hereof that relates exclusively to the rights of Holders whose Securities are being tendered pursuant to the Exchange Offer, and that does not affect directly or indirectly the rights of other Holders whose Securities are not being tendered pursuant to such Exchange Offer, may be given by the Holders of a majority of the outstanding principal amount of Registrable Securities subject to such Exchange Offer.

(c) Notices. All notices and other communications provided for or permitted hereunder shall be made in writing by hand-delivery, registered first-class mail, telecopier, or any courier guaranteeing overnight delivery (i) if to a Holder, at the most current address given by such Holder to the Company by means of a notice given in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6(c), which address initially is, with respect to the Initial Purchasers, the address set forth in the Purchase Agreement and with respect to each other Holder, the address set forth in the records of the Trustee under the Indenture; (ii) if to the Company and the Guarantors, initially at the Company’s address set forth in the Purchase Agreement and thereafter at such other address, notice of which is given in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6(c); and (iii) to such other persons at their respective addresses as provided in the Purchase Agreement and thereafter at such other address, notice of which is given in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6(c). All such notices and communications shall be deemed to have been duly given: at the time delivered by hand, if personally delivered; five Business Days after being deposited in the mail, postage prepaid, if mailed; when receipt is acknowledged, if telecopied; and on the next Business Day if timely delivered to an air courier guaranteeing overnight delivery. Copies of all such notices, demands or other communications shall be concurrently delivered by the Person giving the same to the Trustee, at the address specified in the Indenture.

(d) Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors, assigns and transferees of each of the parties, including, without limitation and without the need for an express assignment, subsequent Holders; provided that nothing herein shall be deemed to permit any assignment, transfer or other disposition of Registrable Securities in violation of the terms of the Purchase Agreement or the Indenture. If any transferee of any Holder shall acquire Registrable Securities in any manner, whether by operation of law or otherwise, such Registrable Securities shall be held subject to all the terms of this Agreement, and by taking and holding such

 

23


Registrable Securities such Person shall be conclusively deemed to have agreed to be bound by and to perform all of the terms and provisions of this Agreement and such Person shall be entitled to receive the benefits hereof. The Initial Purchasers (in their capacity as Initial Purchasers) shall have no liability or obligation to the Company or the Guarantors with respect to any failure by a Holder (other than such Initial Purchasers) to comply with, or any breach by any Holder of, any of the obligations of such Holder under this Agreement.

(e) Third Party Beneficiaries. Each Holder shall be a third party beneficiary to the agreements made hereunder between the Company and the Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Initial Purchasers, on the other hand, and shall have the right to enforce such agreements directly to the extent it deems such enforcement necessary or advisable to protect its rights or the rights of other Holders hereunder.

(f) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

(g) Headings. The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only, are not a part of this Agreement and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.

(h) Governing Law. This Agreement, and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Agreement, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

(j) Entire Agreement; Severability. This Agreement contains the entire agreement between the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all oral statements and prior writings with respect thereto. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction contained in this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable or against public policy, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions contained herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated. The Company, the Guarantors and the Initial Purchasers shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the invalid, void or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the invalid, void or unenforceable provisions.

[ Signature Pages Follow ]

 

24


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

DUNKIN’ FINANCE CORP.
By  

/s/ Anita Balaji

Name: Anita Balaji
Title: Chief Executive Officer and President
DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.
By  

/s/ Bonnie Monahan

Name: Bonnie Monahan
Title: Vice President and Treasurer

 

[Registration Rights Agreement]


Confirmed and accepted as of the date first above written:

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC

For itself and on behalf of the

several Initial Purchasers

 

By  

/s/ David A. Dwyer

Name: David A. Dwyer
Title: Executive Director

 

[Registration Rights Agreement]


Exhibit 1

List of Guarantors

 

Name

  

Jurisdiction of Organization

Baskin-Robbins Flavors LLC    DE
Baskin-Robbins Franchised Shops LLC    DE
Baskin-Robbins Franchising LLC    DE
Baskin-Robbins International LLC    DE
Baskin-Robbins LLC    DE
Baskin-Robbins USA LLC    CA
BR IP Holder LLC    DE
BR Japan Holdings LLC    DE
DB Canadian Supplier Inc.    DE
DB Canadian Holding Company Inc.    DE
DB Franchising Holding Company LLC    DE
DB International Franchising LLC    DE
DB Master Finance LLC    DE
DB Mexican Franchising LLC    DE
DB Real Estate Assets I LLC    DE
DB Real Estate Assets II LLC    DE
DB UK Franchising LLC    DE
DBI Stores LLC    DE
DD IP Holder LLC    DE
Dunkin’ Donuts Franchised Restaurants LLC    DE
Dunkin’ Donuts Franchising LLC    DE
Dunkin’ Donuts LLC    DE
Dunkin’ Donuts Realty Investment LLC    DE
Dunkin’ Donuts USA LLC    DE
Dunkin’ Ventures LLC    DE
Mister Donut of America LLC    DE
Third Dunkin’ Donuts Realty LLC    DE

 

[Registration Rights Agreement]


Annex A

Counterpart to Registration Rights Agreement

The undersigned hereby absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably agrees as a Guarantor (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement, dated November [ ], 2010 by and among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware Corporation, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, on behalf of itself and the other Initial Purchasers) to be bound by the terms and provisions of such Registration Rights Agreement.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this counterpart as of                      , 201      .

 

[GUARANTOR]
By  

 

Name:
Title:

Exhibit 4.3

EXECUTION VERSION

INDENTURE

Dated as of November 23, 2010

Among

DUNKIN’ FINANCE CORP.,

the Guarantors party hereto from time to time,

CITIBANK, N.A.,

as Indenture Administrator

and

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,

as Trustee

9.625% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2018


CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE*

 

Trust Indenture Act Section

   Indenture Section
310(a)(1)    7.10
(a)(2)    7.10
(a)(3)    N.A.
(a)(4)    N.A.
(a)(5)    7.10
(b)    7.10
(c)    N.A.
311(a)    7.11
(b)    7.11
(c)    N.A.
312(a)    2.05
(b)    12.03
(c)    12.03
313(a)    7.06
(b)(1)    N.A.
(b)(2)    7.06; 7.07
(c)    7.06; 12.02
(d)    7.06
314(a)    12.05
(b)    N.A.
(c)(1)    N.A.
(c)(2)    N.A.
(c)(3)    N.A.
(d)    N.A.
(e)    12.05
(f)    N.A.
315(a)    N.A.
(b)    N.A.
(c)    N.A.
(d)    N.A.
(e)    N.A.
316(a)(last sentence)    N.A.
(a)(1)(A)    N.A.
(a)(1)(B)    N.A.
(a)(2)    N.A.
(b)    N.A.
(c)    N.A.
317(a)(1)    N.A.
(a)(2)    N.A.
(b)    N.A.
318(a)    N.A.
(b)    N.A.
(c)    12.01

N.A. means not applicable.

* This Cross-Reference Table is not part of this Indenture.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page  
ARTICLE 1   
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE   

Section 1.01.

   Definitions      1   

Section 1.02.

   Other Definitions      32   

Section 1.03.

   Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act      33   

Section 1.04.

   Rules of Construction      33   

Section 1.05.

   Acts of Holders      34   
ARTICLE 2   
THE NOTES   

Section 2.01.

   Form and Dating; Terms      35   

Section 2.02.

   Execution and Authentication      36   

Section 2.03.

   Registrar, Transfer Agent and Paying Agent      37   

Section 2.04.

   Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust      37   

Section 2.05.

   Holder Lists      37   

Section 2.06.

   Transfer and Exchange      37   

Section 2.07.

   Replacement Notes      50   

Section 2.08.

   Outstanding Notes      50   

Section 2.09.

   Treasury Notes      50   

Section 2.10.

   Temporary Notes      50   

Section 2.11.

   Cancellation      51   

Section 2.12.

   Defaulted Interest      51   

Section 2.13.

   CUSIP/ISIN Numbers      51   
ARTICLE 3   
REDEMPTION   

Section 3.01.

   Notices to Indenture Administrator and Trustee      51   

Section 3.02.

   Selection of Notes to Be Redeemed      52   

Section 3.03.

   Notice of Redemption      52   

Section 3.04.

   Effect of Notice of Redemption      53   

Section 3.05.

   Deposit of Redemption or Purchase Price      53   

Section 3.06.

   Notes Redeemed in Part      53   

Section 3.07.

   Optional Redemption      53   

Section 3.08.

   Special Mandatory Redemption      54   

Section 3.09.

   Offers to Repurchase by Application of Excess Proceeds      54   
ARTICLE 4   
COVENANTS   

Section 4.01.

   Payment of Notes      56   

Section 4.02.

   Maintenance of Office or Agency      56   

Section 4.03.

   Reports and Other Information      57   

Section 4.04.

   Compliance Certificate      58   

Section 4.05.

   Taxes      59   

Section 4.06.

   Stay, Extension and Usury Laws      59   

Section 4.07.

   Limitation on Restricted Payments      59   

Section 4.08.

   Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries      66   

 

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          Page  

Section 4.09.

   Limitation on Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Disqualified Stock and Preferred Stock      68   

Section 4.10.

   Asset Sales      73   

Section 4.11.

   Transactions with Affiliates      75   

Section 4.12.

   Liens      78   

Section 4.13.

   Company Existence      78   

Section 4.14.

   Offer to Repurchase Upon Change of Control      78   

Section 4.15.

   Limitation on Guarantees of Indebtedness by Restricted Subsidiaries      79   

Section 4.16.

   Activities Prior to the Escrow Release Date.      80   

Section 4.17.

   Covenant Suspension      81   
ARTICLE 5   
SUCCESSORS   

Section 5.01.

   Merger, Consolidation or Sale of All or Substantially All Assets      82   

Section 5.02.

   Successor Person Substituted      84   
ARTICLE 6   
DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES   

Section 6.01.

   Events of Default      84   

Section 6.02.

   Acceleration      86   

Section 6.03.

   Other Remedies      86   

Section 6.04.

   Waiver of Past Defaults      86   

Section 6.05.

   Control by Majority      87   

Section 6.06.

   Limitation on Suits      87   

Section 6.07.

   Rights of Holders to Receive Payment      87   

Section 6.08.

   Collection Suit by Trustee      87   

Section 6.09.

   Restoration of Rights and Remedies      87   

Section 6.10.

   Rights and Remedies Cumulative      87   

Section 6.11.

   Delay or Omission Not Waiver      88   

Section 6.12.

   Trustee May File Proofs of Claim      88   

Section 6.13.

   Priorities      88   

Section 6.14.

   Undertaking for Costs      88   
ARTICLE 7   
INDENTURE ADMINISTRATOR AND TRUSTEE   

Section 7.01.

   Duties of the Indenture Administrator and Trustee      89   

Section 7.02.

   Rights of the Indenture Administrator and Trustee      90   

Section 7.03.

   Individual Rights of the Indenture Administrator and Trustee      92   

Section 7.04.

   Disclaimer of the Indenture Administrator and Trustee      92   

Section 7.05.

   Notice of Defaults      92   

Section 7.06.

   Reports by Trustee to Holders      92   

Section 7.07.

   Compensation and Indemnity      92   

Section 7.08.

   Replacement of Indenture Administrator or the Trustee      93   

Section 7.09.

   Successor Indenture Administrator or Trustee by Merger, etc.      94   

Section 7.10.

   Eligibility; Disqualification      94   

Section 7.11.

   Preferential Collection of Claims Against Issuer      95   
   ARTICLE 8   
   LEGAL DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE   

Section 8.01.

   Option to Effect Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance      95   

Section 8.02.

   Legal Defeasance and Discharge      95   

 

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          Page  

Section 8.03.

   Covenant Defeasance      95   

Section 8.04.

   Conditions to Legal or Covenant Defeasance      96   

Section 8.05.

   Deposited Money and Government Securities to be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions      97   

Section 8.06.

   Repayment to Issuer      97   

Section 8.07.

   Reinstatement      97   
ARTICLE 9   
AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER   

Section 9.01.

   Without Consent of Holders      98   

Section 9.02.

   With Consent of Holders      99   

Section 9.03.

   Compliance with Trust Indenture Act      100   

Section 9.04.

   Revocation and Effect of Consents      100   

Section 9.05.

   Notation on or Exchange of Notes      100   

Section 9.06.

   Indenture Administrator and Trustee to Sign Amendments, etc.      100   
ARTICLE 10   
GUARANTEES   

Section 10.01.

   Guarantee      101   

Section 10.02.

   Limitation on Guarantor Liability      102   

Section 10.03.

   Execution and Delivery      102   

Section 10.04.

   Subrogation      102   

Section 10.05.

   Benefits Acknowledged      103   

Section 10.06.

   Release of Guarantees      103   
   ARTICLE 11   
   SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE   

Section 11.01.

   Satisfaction and Discharge      103   

Section 11.02.

   Application of Trust Money      104   
ARTICLE 12   
MISCELLANEOUS   

Section 12.01.

   Trust Indenture Act Controls      104   

Section 12.02.

   Notices      104   

Section 12.03.

   Communication by Holders with Other Holders      106   

Section 12.04.

   Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent      106   

Section 12.05.

   Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion      106   

Section 12.06.

   Rules by Trustee and Agents      106   

Section 12.07.

   No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees, Incorporators and Stockholders      106   

Section 12.08.

   Governing Law      107   

Section 12.09.

   Waiver of Jury Trial      107   

Section 12.10.

   Force Majeure      107   

Section 12.11.

   No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements      107   

Section 12.12.

   Successors      107   

Section 12.13.

   Severability      107   

Section 12.14.

   Counterpart Originals      107   

Section 12.15.

   Table of Contents, Headings, etc.      107   

Section 12.16.

   Qualification of Indenture      107   

 

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EXHIBITS

  

Exhibit A

   FORM OF NOTE

Exhibit B

   FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER

Exhibit C

   FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF EXCHANGE

Exhibit D

   FORM OF SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE TO BE DELIVERED BY THE SUCCESSOR ISSUER AND GUARANTORS ON THE ESCROW RELEASE DATE

Exhibit E

   FORM OF SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE TO BE DELIVERED BY SUBSEQUENT GUARANTORS

Exhibit F

   FORM OF CERTIFICATE FROM INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR

 

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INDENTURE, dated as of November 23, 2010, among Dunkin Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation, the Guarantors (as defined herein) and any other entities party hereto from time to time, Citibank, N.A., as Indenture Administrator and Wilmington Trust Company, as Trustee.

W I T N E S S E T H

WHEREAS, the Issuer (as defined herein) has duly authorized the creation of an issue of $625,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Escrow Issuer’s 9.625% Senior Notes due 2018 (the “ Initial Notes ”);

WHEREAS, the Issuer and each of the Guarantors party hereto from time to time has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture (as defined herein);

NOW, THEREFORE, the Issuer, the Guarantors party hereto from time to time, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee agree as follows for the benefit of each other and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders (as defined herein).

ARTICLE 1

D EFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Section 1.01. Definitions .

144A Global Note ” means a Global Note substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto bearing the Global Note Legend, the Private Placement Legend and the ERISA Legend and deposited with or on behalf of, and registered in the name of, the Depositary or its nominee, issued in a denomination equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Notes sold in reliance on Rule 144A.

ABS Notes ” means the Series 2006-1 Variable Funding Notes, Class A-1, the 5.779% Fixed Rate Series 2006-1 Senior Notes, Class A-2, and the 8.285% Fixed Rate Series 2006-1 Subordinated Notes, Class M-1 issued by bankruptcy-remote indirect Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries of DBI.

Acquired Indebtedness ” means, with respect to any specified Person,

(a) Indebtedness of any other Person existing at the time such other Person is merged, amalgamated or consolidated with or into or became a Restricted Subsidiary of such specified Person, including Indebtedness incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such other Person merging, amalgamating or consolidating with or into or becoming a Restricted Subsidiary of, such specified Person, and

(b) Indebtedness secured by a Lien encumbering any asset acquired by such specified Person.

Additional Interest ” means all additional interest then owing pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement.

Additional Notes ” means any additional Notes issued under this Indenture (other than the Initial Notes, or any Exchange Notes issued in exchange for such Initial Notes) issued from time to time in accordance with Sections 2.01 and 4.09 hereof.

Affiliate ” of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlling,” “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used with respect to any Person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by agreement or otherwise.


Affiliated Organization ” means (i) The Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation, Inc., Dunkin Brands Disaster Relief Fund, Inc., Dunkin Donuts Charitable Trust and any charitable organization that is an Affiliate of the Issuer or any Subsidiary that meets the requirements of Section 501(c)(3) of the Code to the extent, and only for so long as, such organization is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Section 170 of the Code and (ii) Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Political Action Committee and any non-profit political association qualifying as a separate, segregated fund, as that term is used in the Federal Election Campaign Act whose connected organization is the Issuer and that is independent of, and not affiliated with, any political party, candidate for elective office, or other political organization.

Agent ” means any Registrar, Transfer Agent, co-registrar, Paying Agent or additional paying agent.

Agent’s Message ” means a message transmitted by DTC to, and received by, the Depositary and forming a part of the book-entry confirmation, which states that DTC has received an express acknowledgment from each participant in DTC tendering the Notes and that such participants have received the Letter of Transmittal and agree to be bound by the terms of the Letter of Transmittal and the Issuer may enforce such agreement against such participants.

Applicable Procedures ” means, with respect to any transfer or exchange of or for beneficial interests in any Global Note, the rules and procedures of the Depositary, Euroclear and Clearstream that apply to such transfer or exchange.

Asset Sale ” means:

(a) the sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions, of property or assets (including by way of a Sale and Lease-Back Transaction) of the Issuer (other than Equity Interests of the Issuer) or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (each referred to in this definition as a “disposition”); or

(b) the issuance or sale of Equity Interests of any Restricted Subsidiary (other than Preferred Stock of Restricted Subsidiaries issued in compliance with Section 4.09 hereof or directors’ qualifying shares and shares issued to foreign nationals as required under applicable law), whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions;

in each case, other than:

(i) any disposition of Cash Equivalents or Investment Grade Securities or obsolete or worn out equipment in the ordinary course of business or any disposition of inventory or goods (or other assets) held for sale or no longer used in the ordinary course of business of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries (it being understood that the sale of inventory or goods (or other assets other than real property interests) in bulk in connection with the closing of any number of retail locations in the ordinary course of business shall be considered a sale in the ordinary course of business);

(ii) the disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Issuer in a manner permitted pursuant to the provisions of Section 5.01 hereof or any disposition that constitutes a Change of Control pursuant to this Indenture;

(iii) the making of any Restricted Payment that is permitted to be made, and is made, under Section 4.07 hereof and the making of any Permitted Investments;

(iv) any disposition of assets or issuance or sale of Equity Interests of any Restricted Subsidiary in any transaction or series of transactions with an aggregate fair market value of less than $10.0 million;

 

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(v) any disposition of property or assets or issuance of securities by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Issuer to the Issuer or by the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Issuer to another Restricted Subsidiary of the Issuer;

(vi) to the extent allowable under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, any exchange of like property (excluding any boot thereon) for use in a Similar Business;

(vii the lease, assignment, sub-lease, license or sublicense of any real or personal property in the ordinary course of business;

(viii) any issuance or sale of Equity Interests in, or Indebtedness or other securities of, an Unrestricted Subsidiary;

(ix) foreclosures, condemnation or any similar action on assets;

(x) any disposition of Securitization Assets in connection with any Qualified Securitization Financing, or the disposition of an account receivable in connection with the collection or compromise thereof in the ordinary course of business;

(xi) the granting of a Lien that is permitted under Section 4.12 hereof;

(xii) the sale or issuance by a Restricted Subsidiary of Preferred Stock or Disqualified Stock that is permitted under Section 4.09 hereof;

(xiii) any disposition in connection with financing transactions with respect to property constructed, acquired, replaced, repaired or improved (including any reconstruction, refurbishment, renovation and/or development of real property) by the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary after the Issue Date, including Sale and Lease-Back Transactions and asset securitizations, permitted by this Indenture;

(xiv) any surrender or waiver of contractual rights or the settlement, release or surrender of contractual rights or other litigation claims in the ordinary course of business;

(xv) sales, transfers, leases or other dispositions of restaurants and related assets (other than Core Marks, except to the extent constituting non-exclusive licenses of such Core Marks and non-exclusive rights to use such Core Marks) to Franchisees, including through the sale of Equity Interests of Persons owning such assets, in the ordinary course of business;

(xvi) sales, transfers and other dispositions of Investments in joint ventures to the extent required by, or made pursuant to, customary buy/sell arrangements between the joint venture parties set forth in joint venture arrangements and similar binding arrangements;

(xvii) Refranchising Transactions in the ordinary course of business;

(xviii) the sale or discount of inventory, accounts receivable or notes receivable in connection with collection or compromise thereof in the ordinary course of business or the conversion of accounts receivable to notes receivable;

(xiv) the licensing or sub-licensing of intellectual property or other general intangibles in the ordinary course of business, other than the exclusive licensing of intellectual property on a long-term basis;

(xx) the abandonment of intellectual property rights in the ordinary course of business, which in the reasonable good faith determination of the Issuer are not material to the conduct of the business of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;

 

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(xxi) the issuance of directors’ qualifying shares and shares issued to foreign nationals as required by applicable law; and

(xxii) the Issuer Merger and the Recapitalization.

Assumption ” means the assumption by DBI on the Escrow Release Date of all of the Escrow Issuer’s obligations under this Indenture.

Bankruptcy Law ” means Title 11 of the United States Code, as amended.

Business Day ” means each day which is not a Legal Holiday.

Capital Stock ” means:

(a) in the case of a corporation, corporate stock;

(b) in the case of an association or business entity, any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of capital stock;

(c) in the case of a partnership or limited liability company, partnership or membership interests (whether general or limited); and

(d) any other interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of assets of, the issuing Person,

provided , that debt securities convertible into Capital Stock shall not constitute Capital Stock unless and until such conversion actually occurs.

Capitalized Lease Obligation ” means, at the time any determination thereof is to be made, the amount of the liability in respect of a capital lease that would at such time be required to be capitalized and reflected as a liability on a balance sheet (excluding the footnotes thereto) prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Cash Equivalents ” means:

(a) United States dollars;

(b) (i) euro, or any national currency of any participating member state of the EMU; or

(ii) any other foreign currency held by the Issuer and the Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;

(c) securities issued or directly and fully and unconditionally guaranteed or insured by the U.S. government or any agency or instrumentality thereof the securities of which are unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation of such government with maturities of 24 months or less from the date of acquisition;

(d) certificates of deposit, time deposits and eurodollar time deposits with maturities of one year or less from the date of acquisition, bankers’ acceptances with maturities not exceeding one year and overnight bank deposits, in each case with any commercial bank having capital and surplus of not less than $500.0 million in the case of U.S. banks and $100.0 million (or the U.S. dollar equivalent as of the date of determination) in the case of non-U.S. banks, and in each case in a currency permitted under clause (a) or (b) above;

 

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(e) repurchase obligations for underlying securities of the types described in clauses (c) and (d) entered into with any financial institution meeting the qualifications specified in clause (d) above, and in each case in a currency permitted under clause (a) or (b) above;

(f) commercial paper rated at least P-2 by Moody’s or at least A-2 by S&P and in each case maturing within 24 months after the date of creation thereof, and in each case in a currency permitted under clause (a) or (b) above;

(g) marketable short-term money market and similar securities having a rating of at least P-2 or A-2 from either Moody’s or S&P, respectively (or, if at any time neither Moody’s nor S&P shall be rating such obligations, an equivalent rating from another Rating Agency) and in each case maturing within 24 months after the date of creation thereof and in a currency permitted under clause (a) or (b) above;

(h) investment funds investing 95% or more of their assets in securities of the types described in clauses (a) through (g) above;

(i) readily marketable direct obligations issued by any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof having an Investment Grade Rating from either Moody’s or S&P with maturities of 24 months or less from the date of acquisition;

(j) Indebtedness or Preferred Stock issued by Persons with a rating of “A” or higher from S&P or “A2” or higher from Moody’s with maturities of 24 months or less from the date of acquisition and in each case in a currency permitted under clause (a) or (b) above;

(k) Investments with average maturities of 12 months or less from the date of acquisition in money market funds rated AAA- (or the equivalent thereof) or better by S&P or Aaa3 (or the equivalent thereof) or better by Moody’s and in each case in a currency permitted under clause (a) or (b) above;

(l) credit card receivables and debit card receivables so long as such are considered cash equivalents under GAAP and are so reflected on the Issuer’s balance sheet; and

(m) Investments permitted to be made pursuant to the Escrow Agreement and the New Credit Facilities Escrow Agreement prior to the Escrow Release Date.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Cash Equivalents shall include amounts denominated in currencies other than those set forth in clauses (a) and (b) above, provided that such amounts are converted into any currency listed in clauses (a) and (b) as promptly as practicable and in any event within ten Business Days following the receipt of such amounts.

Cash Management Services ” means any of the following to the extent not constituting a line of credit (other than an overnight overdraft facility that is not in default): ACH transactions, treasury and/or cash management services, including, without limitation, controlled disbursement services, overdraft facilities, foreign exchange facilities, deposit and other accounts and merchant services.

Change of Control ” means the occurrence of any of the following after the Issue Date:

(a) the sale, lease or transfer, in one or a series of related transactions (other than by way of merger, amalgamation or consolidation), of all or substantially all of the assets of the Issuer and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to any Person other than to (i) one or more Permitted Holders or (ii) any Subsidiary Guarantor; or

(b) the Issuer becomes aware of (by way of a report or any other filing pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, proxy, vote, written notice or otherwise) the acquisition by any Person or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act, or any successor provision), including any group acting for the purpose of acquiring, holding or disposing of securities

 

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(within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act), other than one or more Permitted Holders, in a single transaction or in a related series of transactions, by way of merger, amalgamation, consolidation or other business combination or purchase of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, or any successor provision) of 50% or more of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of the Issuer or any of its direct or indirect parent companies holding directly or indirectly 100% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of the Issuer;

provided , that notwithstanding the foregoing, the Assumption, the Issuer Merger and the other Transactions shall not constitute a “Change of Control” hereunder.

Clearstream ” means Clearstream Banking, Société Anonyme and its successors.

Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or any successor thereto.

Consolidated Depreciation and Amortization Expense ” means, with respect to any Person for any period, the total amount of depreciation and amortization expense, including the amortization of deferred financing fees of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period on a consolidated basis and otherwise determined in accordance with GAAP.

Consolidated Interest Expense ” means, with respect to any Person for any period, without duplication, the sum of:

(a) consolidated interest expense in respect of Indebtedness of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent such expense was deducted (and not added back) in computing Consolidated Net Income (including (a) amortization of original issue discount resulting from the issuance of Indebtedness at less than par, (b) all commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit or bankers acceptances, (c) non-cash interest payments (but excluding any non-cash interest expense attributable to the movement in the mark to market valuation of Hedging Obligations or other derivative instruments pursuant to GAAP), (d) the interest component of Capitalized Lease Obligations, and (e) net payments, if any, pursuant to interest rate Hedging Obligations with respect to Indebtedness, and excluding (v) penalties and interest related to taxes, (w) any Additional Interest and any “additional interest” or “liquidated damages” with respect to other securities for failure to timely comply with applicable registration rights obligations, (x) amortization of deferred financing fees, debt issuance costs, discounted liabilities, commissions, fees and expenses, (y) any expensing of bridge, commitment and other financing fees and (z) commissions, discounts, yield and other fees and charges (including any interest expense) related to any Securitization Facility); plus

(b) consolidated capitalized interest in respect of Indebtedness of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, whether paid or accrued; less

(c) interest income for such period.

For purposes of this definition, interest on a Capitalized Lease Obligation shall be deemed to accrue at an interest rate reasonably determined by such Person to be the rate of interest implicit in such Capitalized Lease Obligation in accordance with GAAP.

Consolidated Net Income ” means, with respect to any Person for any period, the aggregate of the Net Income, of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, on a consolidated basis, and otherwise determined in accordance with GAAP; provided, however, that, without duplication,

(a) any net after-tax effect of extraordinary, non-recurring or unusual gains or losses, costs, charges or expenses (including any such amounts relating to the Transactions to the extent incurred on or prior to the date that is the one year anniversary of the Issue Date), severance, relocation costs and curtailments or modifications to pension and post-retirement employee benefit plans shall be excluded,

 

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(b) the Net Income for such period shall not include the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles (or a change as a result of the adoption or modification of accounting policies) during such period,

(c) any net after-tax effect of income (loss) from disposed, abandoned or discontinued operations and any net after-tax gains or losses on disposal of disposed, abandoned or discontinued operations shall be excluded,

(d) any net after-tax effect of gains or losses attributable to asset dispositions (including sales or other dispositions of assets under a Securitization Facility) other than in the ordinary course of business, as determined in good faith by the Issuer, shall be excluded,

(e) the Net Income for such period of any Person that is an Unrestricted Subsidiary, shall be excluded; provided that Consolidated Net Income of the Issuer shall be increased by the amount of dividends or distributions or other payments that are actually paid in cash or Cash Equivalents (or to the extent converted into cash or Cash Equivalents) to the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary thereof in respect of such period (without duplication for purposes of clause (C)(4)(i) of Section 4.07(a)),

(f) solely for the purpose of determining the amount available for Restricted Payments under clause (C)(1) of Section 4.07(a) hereof, the Net Income for such period of any Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Subsidiary Guarantor) shall be excluded to the extent the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary of its Net Income is not at the date of determination permitted without any prior governmental approval (which has not been obtained) or, directly or indirectly, is otherwise restricted by the operation of the terms of its charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule, or governmental regulation applicable to that Restricted Subsidiary or its stockholders (other than restrictions in the Notes or this Indenture), unless such restriction with respect to the payment of dividends or similar distributions has been legally waived, provided that Consolidated Net Income of the Issuer will be increased by the amount of dividends or other distributions or other payments actually paid in cash (or to the extent converted into cash) to the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary thereof in respect of such period, to the extent not already included therein,

(g) effects of adjustments (including the effects of such adjustments pushed down to the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries) in such Person’s consolidated financial statements, including adjustments to the inventory, property and equipment, software and other intangible assets (including favorable and unfavorable leases and contracts), deferred revenue and debt line items in such Person’s consolidated financial statements pursuant to GAAP resulting from the application of purchase accounting in relation to the Transactions or any consummated acquisition or joint venture investment or the amortization or write-off or write-down of any amounts thereof, net of taxes, shall be excluded,

(h) any after-tax effect of income (loss) from the early extinguishment or cancellation of Indebtedness or Hedging Obligations or other derivative instruments shall be excluded,

(i) any impairment charge, asset write-off or write-down, in each case, pursuant to GAAP and the amortization of intangibles and other assets arising pursuant to GAAP shall be excluded,

(j) any (i) non-cash compensation charge or expense recorded from grants of stock appreciation or similar rights, stock options, restricted stock or other rights and (ii) income (loss) attributable to deferred compensation plans or trusts shall be excluded,

(k) any fees, costs and expenses incurred during such period, or any amortization thereof for such period, in connection with any acquisition, Investment, Asset Sale or other disposition, issuance, tender, exchange or repayment of Indebtedness, issuance of Equity Interests, refinancing transaction or amendment or modification of any debt instrument (in each case, including any such transaction consummated prior to the Issue Date and any such transaction undertaken but not completed) and any

 

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charges or non-recurring costs incurred during such period as a result of any such transaction shall be excluded,

(l) accruals and reserves that are established within twelve months after the closing of any acquisition that are so required to be established as a result of such acquisition in accordance with GAAP, shall be excluded,

(m) any net unrealized gain or loss resulting from currency translation and transactional gains or losses related to currency remeasurements of Indebtedness (including any unrealized net loss or gain resulting from hedge agreements for currency exchange risk),

(n) any net unrealized gains and losses resulting from Hedging Obligations or embedded derivatives that require similar accounting treatment and the application of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 815 and related pronouncements shall be excluded,

(o) effects of adjustments to accruals and reserves during a prior period relating to any change in the methodology of calculating reserves for returns, rebates and other chargebacks shall be excluded, and

(p) any expenses, charges or losses that are covered by (i) indemnification or other reimbursement provisions in connection with any investment, acquisition or any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of assets permitted under this Indenture, to the extent actually reimbursed, or, so long as the Issuer has made a determination that a reasonable basis exists for indemnification or reimbursement and only to the extent that such amount is (A) not denied by the applicable carrier (without any right of appeal thereof) within 180 days and (B) in fact indemnified or reimbursed within 365 days of such determination (with a deduction in the applicable future period for any amount so added back to the extent not so indemnified or reimbursed within such 365 days), shall be excluded, and (ii) insurance and actually reimbursed, or, so long as the Issuer has made a determination that there exists reasonable evidence that such amount will in fact be reimbursed by the insurer and only to the extent that such amount is in fact reimbursed within 365 days of the date of such determination (with a deduction in the applicable future period for any amount so added back to the extent not so reimbursed within such 365-day period), expenses, charges or losses with respect to liability or casualty events or business interruption shall be excluded.

In addition, to the extent not already included in the Net Income of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the foregoing, Consolidated Net Income shall include the amount of proceeds received from business interruption insurance and reimbursements of any expenses and charges that are covered by indemnification or other reimbursement provisions in connection with any Permitted Investment or any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of assets permitted under this Indenture.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, for the purpose of Section 4.07 hereof only (other than clause (a)(C)(4) thereof), there shall be excluded from Consolidated Net Income any income arising from any sale or other disposition of Restricted Investments made by the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries, any repurchases and redemptions of Restricted Investments from the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries, any repayments of loans and advances which constitute Restricted Investments by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, any sale of the stock of an Unrestricted Subsidiary or any distribution or dividend from an Unrestricted Subsidiary, in each case only to the extent such amounts increase the amount of Restricted Payments permitted under clause (C)(4) of Section 4.07(a) hereof.

Consolidated Secured Debt Ratio ” means, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Total Indebtedness of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries that is secured by Liens as of the end of the most recent fiscal period for which internal financial statements are available immediately preceding the date on which such event for which such calculation is being made shall occur to (b) the Issuer’s EBITDA for the most recently ended four full fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available immediately preceding the date on which such event for which such calculation is being made shall occur, in each case with such pro forma

 

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adjustments to Consolidated Total Indebtedness and EBITDA as are appropriate and consistent with the pro forma adjustment provisions set forth in the definition of Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio.

Consolidated Total Indebtedness ” means, as at any date of determination, an amount equal to the sum of (a) the aggregate amount of all outstanding Indebtedness of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis consisting of Indebtedness for borrowed money, Obligations in respect of Capitalized Lease Obligations and obligations evidenced by promissory notes and similar instruments in respect of Indebtedness (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, all obligations relating to Qualified Securitization Financings and all undrawn amounts under revolving credit facilities or lines), as determined in accordance with GAAP, and (b) the aggregate amount of all outstanding Disqualified Stock of the Issuer and all Disqualified Stock and Preferred Stock of its Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, with the amount of such Disqualified Stock and Preferred Stock equal to the greater of their respective voluntary or involuntary liquidation preferences and maximum fixed repurchase prices, in each case determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP; provided that (x) Consolidated Total Indebtedness shall not include Indebtedness in respect of (A) any letter of credit, except to the extent of unreimbursed amounts under standby letters of credit, or (B) Hedging Obligations existing on the Issue Date or otherwise permitted by clause (x) of Section 4.09(b) hereof and (y) Indebtedness of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries under any revolving credit facility or line of credit as at any date of determination shall be determined using the Average Quarterly Balance of such Indebtedness for the most recently ended four fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available as of such date of determination (the “Reference Period”). For purposes hereof, (a) the “maximum fixed repurchase price” of any Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock that does not have a fixed repurchase price shall be calculated in accordance with the terms of such Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock as if such Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock were purchased on any date on which Consolidated Total Indebtedness shall be required to be determined pursuant to this Indenture, and if such price is based upon, or measured by, the fair market value of such Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock, such fair market value shall be determined reasonably and in good faith by the Issuer, (b) “Average Quarterly Balance” means, with respect to any Indebtedness incurred by the Issuer or its Restricted Subsidiaries under a revolving facility or line of credit, the quotient of (x) the sum of each Individual Quarterly Balance for each fiscal quarter ended on or prior to such date of determination and included in the Reference Period divided by (y) 4, and (c) “Individual Quarterly Balance” means, with respect to any Indebtedness incurred by the Issuer or its Restricted Subsidiaries under a revolving credit facility or line of credit during any fiscal quarter of the Issuer, the quotient of (x) the sum of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of all such Indebtedness at the end of each day of such quarter divided by (y) the number of days in such fiscal quarter.

Contingent Obligations ” means, with respect to any Person, any obligation of such Person guaranteeing any leases, dividends or other obligations that do not constitute Indebtedness (“primary obligations”) of any other Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, including, without limitation, any obligation of such Person, whether or not contingent,

(a) to purchase any such primary obligation or any property constituting direct or indirect security therefor,

(b) to advance or supply funds

(i) for the purchase or payment of any such primary obligation, or

(ii) to maintain working capital or equity capital of the primary obligor or otherwise to maintain the net worth or solvency of the primary obligor, or

(c) to purchase property, securities or services primarily for the purpose of assuring the owner of any such primary obligation of the ability of the primary obligor to make payment of such primary obligation against loss in respect thereof.

Controlled Investment Affiliate ” means, as to any Person, any other Person, other than any Sponsor, which directly or indirectly is in control of, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person and is

 

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organized by such Person (or any Person controlling such Person) primarily for making direct or indirect equity or debt investments in the Issuer and/or other companies.

Corporate Trust Office ” means (a) with respect to the Trustee, Wilmington Trust Company, Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19890-0001, Attention: Corporate Capital Market Services -Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and (b) with respect to the Indenture Administrator, (i) for Notes transfer purposes and for purposes of presentment and surrender of Notes for the final distributions thereon, Citibank, N.A., 111 Wall Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10005, Attention: 15th Floor Window and (ii) for all other purposes, Citibank, N.A., 388 Greenwich Street, 14th Floor, New York, New York, 10013, Attention: Global Transaction Services - Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.; or any other address that the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee may designate with respect to itself from time to time by notice to the Issuer and the Holders.

Core Marks ” means the Dunkin’ Donuts® and Baskin-Robbins® trademarks.

Custodian ” means the Indenture Administrator, as custodian with respect to the Notes, each in global form, or any successor entity thereto.

DBI ” means Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Debt Facilities ” means, with respect to the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, one or more debt facilities, including the New Credit Facilities, or other financing arrangements (including, without limitation, commercial paper facilities or indentures) providing for revolving credit loans, term loans, letters of credit or other indebtedness, including any notes, mortgages, guarantees, collateral documents, instruments and agreements executed in connection therewith, and any amendments, supplements, modifications, extensions, renewals, restatements or refunding thereof, in whole or in part, and any indentures or credit facilities or commercial paper facilities that replace, refund or refinance, in whole or in part, any part of the loans, notes, other credit facilities or commitments thereunder, including any such amendment, supplement, modification, extension, renewal, restatement, replacement, refunding or refinancing facility or indenture that increases the amount permitted amendment be borrowed or issued under any of the foregoing or alters the maturity thereof ( provided that such increase in borrowings is permitted under Section 4.09 hereof or adds Restricted Subsidiaries as additional borrowers or guarantors thereunder and whether by the same or any other agent, trustee, lender or investor or group of lenders or investors.

Default ” means any event that is, or with the passage of time or the giving of notice or both would be, an Event of Default; provided that any Default that results solely from the taking of an action that would have been permitted but for the continuation of a previous Default will be deemed to be cured if such previous Default is cured prior to becoming an Event of Default.

Definitive Note ” means a certificated Note registered in the name of the Holder thereof and issued in accordance with Section 2.06(c) hereof, substantially in the form of Exhibit A except that such Note shall not bear the Global Note Legend and shall not have the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto.

Depositary ” means, with respect to the Notes issuable or issued in whole or in part in global form, the Person specified in Section 2.03 hereof as the Depositary with respect to the Notes, and any and all successors thereto appointed as Depositary hereunder and having become such pursuant to the applicable provision of this Indenture.

Designated Non-cash Consideration ” means the fair market value of non-cash consideration received by the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary in connection with an Asset Sale that is so designated as Designated Non-cash Consideration pursuant to an Officer’s Certificate, setting forth the basis of such valuation, executed by the principal financial officer of the Issuer, less the amount of cash or Cash Equivalents received in connection with a subsequent sale of or collection on such Designated Non-cash Consideration.

 

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Designated Preferred Stock ” means Preferred Stock of the Issuer or any parent company thereof (in each case other than Disqualified Stock) that is issued for cash (other than to a Restricted Subsidiary or an employee stock ownership plan or trust established by the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries) and is so designated as Designated Preferred Stock, pursuant to an Officer’s Certificate executed by the principal financial officer of the Issuer or the applicable parent company thereof, as the case may be, on the issuance date thereof, the cash proceeds of which are excluded from the calculation set forth in clause (C) of Section 4.07(a) hereof.

Disqualified Stock ” means, with respect to any Person, any Capital Stock of such Person which, by its terms, or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible or for which it is putable or exchangeable, or upon the happening of any event, matures or is mandatorily redeemable (other than solely as a result of a change of control or asset sale) pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or is redeemable at the option of the holder thereof (other than solely as a result of a change of control or asset sale), in whole or in part, in each case prior to the date 91 days after the earlier of the maturity date of the Notes or the date the Notes are no longer outstanding; provided , however , that if such Capital Stock is issued to any plan for the benefit of employees of the Issuer or its Subsidiaries or by any such plan to such employees, such Capital Stock shall not constitute Disqualified Stock solely because it may be required to be repurchased by the Issuer or its Subsidiaries in order to satisfy applicable statutory or regulatory obligations.

EBITDA ” means, with respect to any Person for any period, the Consolidated Net Income of such Person for such period

(a) increased (without duplication) by:

(i) provision for taxes based on income or profits or capital, including, without limitation, federal, state, provincial, franchise, excise and similar taxes and foreign withholding taxes of such Person (including any future taxes or other levies which replace or are intended to be in lieu of such taxes) paid or accrued during such period deducted (and not added back) in computing Consolidated Net Income; plus

(ii) Fixed Charges of such Person for such period (including (x) net losses on Hedging Obligations or other derivative instruments entered into for the purpose of hedging interest rate risk net of interest income and gains with respect to such obligations and (y) costs of surety bonds in connection with financing activities, plus amounts excluded from the definition of “Consolidated Interest Expense” pursuant to clauses (a)(v) through (a)(z) thereof, to the extent the same were deducted (and not added back) in calculating such Consolidated Net Income); plus

(iii) Consolidated Depreciation and Amortization Expense of such Person for such period to the extent the same were deducted (and not added back) in computing Consolidated Net Income; plus

(iv) any charges, expenses or costs (other than depreciation or amortization expense) related to any Equity Offering, Investment, acquisition, disposition, recapitalization or the incurrence of Indebtedness, in each case, permitted to be incurred by the Indenture (including a refinancing thereof), whether or not successful, including fees, expenses or charges related to,

(i) the offering of the Notes and the New Credit Facilities and any Securitization Fees, and

(ii) any amendment or other modification of the Notes, the New Credit Facilities and any Securitization Fees, in each case, deducted (and not added back) in computing Consolidated Net Income; plus

(v) the amount any charges, expenses or costs related to integration, transition, facilities openings, vacant facilities, consolidations, relocations and closings, pre-openings, openings, permitted acquisitions, joint venture investments, dispositions, strategic initiatives,

 

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business optimization (including relating to systems design and upgrade and implementation costs and franchisee information technology programs), earn-out and similar obligations in connection with acquisitions accrued after consummation of the related acquisitions, restructuring, franchisee-related restructuring programs, severance, and curtailments or modifications to pension and postretirement employee benefit plans deducted (and not added back) in such period in computing Consolidated Net Income; plus

(vi) non-cash charges, expenses, losses, accruals and reserves reducing Consolidated Net Income for such period (including any impairment charges or the impact of purchase accounting), excluding any such charge, expense, loss, accrual or reserve that represents an accrual or reserve for a cash expenditure for a future period; plus

(vii) the amount of management, monitoring, consulting and advisory fees (including termination and transaction fees) and related indemnities and expenses paid or accrued in such period to the Sponsors to the extent otherwise permitted under Section 4.11 hereof; plus

(viii) (A) the amount of “run-rate” cost savings and synergies projected in good faith by the Issuer to result from actions either taken or expected to be taken within 12 months after the end of such period (which cost savings and synergies shall be subject only to certification by management as being reasonably identifiable and reasonably anticipated to result from such actions of the Issuer and calculated on a pro forma basis as though such cost savings and synergies had been realized on the first day of such period), net of the amount of actual benefits realized from such actions (it is understood and agreed that “run-rate” means the full recurring benefit that is associated with any action taken or expected to be taken within 12 months (which adjustments, without duplication, may be incremental to pro forma cost savings and synergies adjustments made pursuant to the definition of “Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio”)), and (B) charges, costs, expenses and losses relating to entry into new markets (including market research programs); provided that the aggregate amounts added back pursuant to subclause (A) and subclause (B) of this clause (viii) shall not exceed 10.0% of EBITDA for the applicable period prior to giving effect to such add backs; plus

(ix) the amount of loss on sale of Securitization Assets and related assets to the Securitization Subsidiary in connection with a Qualified Securitization Financing; plus

(x) any charges, expenses, losses, accruals and reserves incurred by the Issuer (or any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer to the extent included in Consolidated Net Income solely by reason of push down accounting under GAAP) or a Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to any management equity plan or stock option plan or any other management or employee benefit plan or agreement or any stock subscription or shareholder agreement, to the extent that such cost or expenses are funded with cash proceeds contributed to the capital of the Issuer or net cash proceeds of an issuance of Equity Interest of the Issuer (other than Disqualified Stock) solely to the extent that such net cash proceeds are excluded from the calculation set forth in clause (C) of Section 4.07(a) hereof; plus

(xi) cash receipts (or any netting arrangements resulting in reduced cash expenditures) not representing EBITDA or Net Income in any period to the extent non-cash gains relating to such income were deducted in the calculation of EBITDA pursuant to clause (b) below for any previous period and not added back; plus

(A) rent expense as determined in accordance with GAAP not actually paid in cash during such period; plus

(B) realized foreign exchange losses resulting from the impact of foreign currency changes on the valuation of assets or liabilities on the balance sheet of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

 

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(C) net realized losses from Hedging Obligations or embedded derivatives that require similar accounting treatment and the application of Accounting Standard Codification Topic 815 and related pronouncements; plus

the amount of any expense or deduction consisting of Subsidiary income attributable to non-controlling interests or minority interests of third parties in any non-Wholly-Owned Subsidiary.

(b) decreased (without duplication) by: (i) non-cash gains increasing Consolidated Net Income of such Person for such period, excluding (A) amounts attributable to investments accounted for using the equity method, (B) any non-cash gains to the extent they represent the reversal of an accrual or reserve for a potential cash item that reduced EBITDA in any prior period and (C) any non-cash gains with respect to cash actually received in a prior period so long as such cash did not increase EBITDA in such prior period; plus (ii) realized foreign exchange income or gains resulting from the impact of foreign currency changes on the valuation of assets or liabilities on the balance sheet of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries; plus (iii) any net realized income or gains from Hedging Obligations or embedded derivatives that require similar accounting treatment and the application of Accounting Standard Codification Topic 815 and related pronouncements, plus (iv) rent expense actually paid in cash during such period to the extent exceeding rent expense determined in accordance with GAAP; and

(c) increased or decreased by (without duplication), as applicable, any adjustments resulting from the application of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 460 or any comparable regulation.

EMU ” means economic and monetary union as contemplated in the Treaty on European Union.

Equity Interests ” means Capital Stock and all warrants, options or other rights to acquire Capital Stock, but excluding any debt security that is convertible into, or exchangeable for, Capital Stock.

Equity Offering ” means any public or private sale of common stock or Preferred Stock of the Issuer or any of its direct or indirect parent companies (excluding Disqualified Stock), other than:

(a) public offerings with respect to the Issuer’s or any direct or indirect parent company’s common stock registered on Form S-4 or Form S-8;

(b) issuances to any Subsidiary of the Issuer; and

(c) any such public or private sale that constitutes an Excluded Contribution.

ERISA Legend ” means the legend set forth in Section 2.06(g)(iv) hereof.

Escrow Account ” means a segregated account, under the sole control of the Escrow Agent, that includes proceeds of the Notes issued on the Issue Date, Investments of such proceeds in Cash Equivalents and the proceeds thereof and interest or other income earned thereon as well as additional cash amounts deposited into the Escrow Account by the Escrow Issuer on the Issue Date, free from all Liens other than the Lien in favor of the Trustee for the benefit of the Holders.

Escrow Agent ” means Wilmington Trust Company in its capacity as escrow agent under the Escrow Agreement.

Escrow Agreement ” means the Senior Notes Escrow and Security Agreement dated as of November 15, 2010 by and among the Escrow Issuer, DBI, the Escrow Agent, the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator.

Escrow Issuer ” means Dunkin’ Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation.

Escrow Release Date ” means the date upon which the Escrow Property (as defined in the Escrow Agreement) is released from the Escrow Account in accordance with the Escrow Agreement.

 

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euro ” means the single currency of participating member states of the EMU.

Euroclear ” means Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear system, and its successors.

Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder.

Exchange Notes ” means the Notes of the Issuer issued in an Exchange Offer pursuant to Section 2.06(f) hereof.

Exchange Offer ” has the meaning set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

Exchange Offer Registration Statement ” means an Exchange Offer Registration Statement as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement.

Excluded Contribution ” means net cash proceeds, marketable securities or Qualified Proceeds received by the Issuer from

(a) contributions to its common equity capital, and

(b) the sale (other than to a Subsidiary of the Issuer or to any management equity plan or stock option plan or any other management or employee benefit plan or agreement of the Issuer) of Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock and Designated Preferred Stock) of the Issuer,

in each case designated as Excluded Contributions pursuant to an Officer’s Certificate executed by the principal financial officer of the Issuer on the date such capital contributions are made or the date such Equity Interests are sold, as the case may be, which are excluded from the calculation set forth in clause (C) of Section 4.07(a) hereof.

Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio ” means, with respect to any Person for any period, the ratio of EBITDA of such Person for such period to the Fixed Charges of such Person for such period. In the event that the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary incurs, assumes, guarantees, redeems, retires, repays or extinguishes any Indebtedness (other than Indebtedness incurred or repaid under any revolving credit facility (unless such Indebtedness has been permanently repaid and has not been replaced)) or issues or redeems Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock subsequent to the commencement of the period for which the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is being calculated but prior to or simultaneously with the event for which the calculation of the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is made (the “ Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio Calculation Date ”), then the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio shall be calculated giving pro forma effect to such incurrence, assumption, guarantee, redemption, retirement, repayment or extinguishment of Indebtedness, or such issuance or redemption of Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock, as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period.

For purposes of making the computation referred to above, Investments, acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, amalgamations, consolidations and discontinued operations (as determined in accordance with GAAP) that have been made by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries during the four-quarter reference period or subsequent to such reference period and on or prior to or simultaneously with the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio Calculation Date shall be calculated on a pro forma basis assuming that all such Investments, acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, amalgamations, consolidations and discontinued operations (and the change in any associated fixed charge obligations and the change in EBITDA resulting therefrom) had occurred on the first day of the four-quarter reference period. If since the beginning of such period any Person that subsequently became a Restricted Subsidiary or was merged with or into the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries since the beginning of such period shall have made any Investment, acquisition, disposition, merger, amalgamation, consolidation or discontinued operations that would have required adjustment pursuant to this definition, then the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio shall be calculated giving pro forma effect thereto for such period as if such Investment, acquisition, disposition, merger, amalgamation, consolidation or discontinued operations had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period.

 

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For purposes of this definition, whenever pro forma effect is to be given to any transaction, the pro forma calculations shall be made in good faith by a responsible financial or accounting officer of the Issuer and may include, for the avoidance of doubt, cost savings, synergies and operating expense reductions resulting from such Investment, acquisition, merger, amalgamation, consolidation or discontinued operations which is being given pro forma effect that have been or are expected to be realized. If any Indebtedness bears a floating rate of interest and is being given pro forma effect, the interest on such Indebtedness shall be calculated as if the rate in effect on the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio Calculation Date had been the applicable rate for the entire period (taking into account any Hedging Obligations applicable to such Indebtedness). Interest on a Capitalized Lease Obligation shall be deemed to accrue at an interest rate reasonably determined by a responsible financial or accounting officer of the Issuer to be the rate of interest implicit in such Capitalized Lease Obligation in accordance with GAAP. For purposes of making the computation referred to above, interest on any Indebtedness under a revolving credit facility computed on a pro forma basis shall be computed based upon the average daily balance of such Indebtedness during the applicable period except as set forth in the first paragraph of this definition. Interest on Indebtedness that may optionally be determined at an interest rate based upon a factor of a prime or similar rate, a eurocurrency interbank offered rate, or other rate, shall be deemed to have been based upon the rate actually chosen, or, if none, then based upon such optional rate chosen as the Issuer may designate.

Fixed Charges ” means, with respect to any Person for any period, the sum of:

(a) Consolidated Interest Expense of such Person for such period;

(b) all cash dividends or other distributions paid (excluding items eliminated in consolidation) on any series of Preferred Stock during such period; and

(c) all cash dividends or other distributions paid (excluding items eliminated in consolidation) on any series of Disqualified Stock during such period.

Foreign Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person, any Restricted Subsidiary of such Person that is not organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, the District of Columbia, or any territory thereof and any Restricted Subsidiary of such Foreign Subsidiary.

Franchisee ” means any Person, other than the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary, that directly or indirectly owns or operates or is approved by the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary to own or operate a store, restaurant or point of distribution that is branded as Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin-Robbins or any other brand operated by the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary.

GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America which are in effect on the Issue Date.

Global Note Legend ” means the legend set forth in Section 2.06(g)(ii) hereof, which is required to be placed on all Global Notes issued under this Indenture.

Global Notes ” means, individually and collectively, each of the Restricted Global Notes and the Unrestricted Global Notes, substantially in the form of Exhibit A issued in accordance with Section 2.01, 2.06(b), 2.06(d) or 2.06(f) hereof.

Government Securities ” means securities that are:

(a) direct obligations of the United States of America for the timely payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged; or

(b) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America the timely payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America,

 

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which, in either case, are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuers thereof, and shall also include a depository receipt issued by a bank (as defined in Section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act), as custodian with respect to any such Government Securities or a specific payment of principal of or interest on any such Government Securities held by such custodian for the account of the holder of such depository receipt; provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depository receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the Government Securities or the specific payment of principal of or interest on the Government Securities evidenced by such depository receipt.

guarantee ” means a guarantee (other than by endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the ordinary course of business), direct or indirect, in any manner (including letters of credit and reimbursement agreements in respect thereof), of all or any part of any Indebtedness or other obligations.

Guarantee ” means the guarantee by any Guarantor of the Issuer’s Obligations under this Indenture and the Notes.

Guarantor ” means each Subsidiary Guarantor.

Hedging Obligations ” means, with respect to any Person, the obligations of such Person under any interest rate swap agreement, interest rate cap agreement, interest rate collar agreement, commodity swap agreement, commodity cap agreement, commodity collar agreement, foreign exchange contract, currency swap agreement or similar agreement providing for the transfer or mitigation of interest rate, commodity price or currency risks either generally or under specific contingencies.

Holder ” means the Person in whose name a Note is registered on the registrar’s books.

IAI ” means an institutional “accredited investor” as described in Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) under the Securities Act.

Immediate Family Members ” means with respect to any individual, such individual’s child, stepchild, grandchild or more remote descendant, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, former spouse, qualified domestic partner, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law and daughter-in-law (including adoptive relationships) and any trust, partnership or other bona fide estate-planning vehicle the only beneficiaries of which are any of the foregoing individuals or any private foundation or fund that is controlled by any of the foregoing individuals or any donor-advised fund of which any such individual is the donor.

Indebtedness ” means, with respect to any Person, without duplication:

(a) any indebtedness (including principal and premium) of such Person, whether or not contingent:

(i) in respect of borrowed money;

(ii) evidenced by bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments or letters of credit or bankers’ acceptances (or, without duplication, reimbursement agreements in respect thereof);

(iii) representing the balance deferred and unpaid of the purchase price of any property (including Capitalized Lease Obligations) due more than twelve months after such property is acquired, except (A) any such balance that constitutes an obligation in respect of a commercial letter of credit, a trade payable or similar obligation to a trade creditor, in each case accrued in the ordinary course of business (and with respect to commercial letters of credit repaid in a timely manner) and (B) any earn-out obligations until such obligation becomes a liability on the balance sheet of such Person in accordance with GAAP and is not paid after becoming due and payable; or

 

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(iv) representing the net obligations under any Hedging Obligations;

if and to the extent that any of the foregoing Indebtedness (other than letters of credit and Hedging Obligations) would appear as a liability upon a balance sheet (excluding the footnotes thereto) of such Person prepared in accordance with GAAP; provided, that Indebtedness of any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer appearing upon the balance sheet of the Issuer solely by reason of push down accounting under GAAP shall be excluded;

(b) to the extent not otherwise included, any obligation by such Person to be liable for, or to pay, as obligor, guarantor or otherwise, on the obligations of the type referred to in clause (a) of a third Person (whether or not such items would appear upon the balance sheet of such obligor or guarantor), other than by endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the ordinary course of business; and

(c) to the extent not otherwise included, the obligations of the type referred to in clause (a) of a third Person secured by a Lien on any asset owned by such first Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by such first Person;

provided , however , that notwithstanding the foregoing, Indebtedness shall be deemed not to include (i) Contingent Obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business and (ii) obligations under or in respect of any Qualified Securitization Financing. For the avoidance of doubt, Indebtedness does not include Cash Management Services.

Indenture ” means this Indenture, as amended or supplemented from time to time.

Indenture Administrator ” means Citibank, N.A., as indenture administrator, until a successor replaces it in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture and thereafter means the successor serving hereunder.

Independent Financial Advisor ” means an accounting, appraisal, investment banking firm or consultant to Persons engaged in Similar Businesses of nationally recognized standing that is, in the good faith judgment of the Issuer, qualified to perform the task for which it has been engaged.

Indirect Participant ” means a Person who holds a beneficial interest in a Global Note through a Participant.

Initial Notes ” has the meaning set forth in the recitals hereto.

Initial Purchasers ” means J. P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Goldman Sachs & Co., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated.

Institutional Accredited Investor Global Note ” means a permanent Global Note substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto bearing the Global Note Legend, the Private Placement Legend and the ERISA Legend and deposited with or on behalf of, and registered in the name of, the Depositary or its nominee, issued in a denomination equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Notes sold in accordance with the transfer and certification requirements described herein for exchanges of interests in Global Notes.

Interest Payment Date ” means June 1 and December 1 of each year to stated maturity.

Investment Grade Rating ” means a rating equal to or higher than Baa3 (or the equivalent) by Moody’s and BBB- (or the equivalent) by S&P, or, in either case, an equivalent rating by any other Rating Agency.

Investment Grade Securities ” means:

(a) securities issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States government or any agency or instrumentality thereof (other than Cash Equivalents);

 

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(b) debt securities or debt instruments with an Investment Grade Rating, but excluding any debt securities or instruments constituting loans or advances among the Issuer and its Subsidiaries;

(c) investments in any fund that invests exclusively in investments of the type described in clauses (a) and (b) which fund may also hold immaterial amounts of cash pending investment or distribution; and

(d) corresponding instruments in countries other than the United States customarily utilized for high quality investments.

Investments ” means, with respect to any Person, all investments by such Person in other Persons (including Affiliates) in the form of loans (including guarantees), advances or capital contributions (excluding accounts receivable, credit card and debit card receivables, trade credit, advances to customers, commission, travel and similar advances to officers and employees, in each case made in the ordinary course of business), purchases or other acquisitions for consideration of Indebtedness, Equity Interests or other securities issued by any other Person and investments that are required by GAAP to be classified on the balance sheet (excluding the footnotes) of the Issuer in the same manner as the other investments included in this definition to the extent such transactions involve the transfer of cash or other property. For purposes of the definition of “Unrestricted Subsidiary” and Section 4.07 hereof:

(a) “Investments” shall include the portion (proportionate to the Issuer’s equity interest in such Subsidiary) of the fair market value of the net assets of a Subsidiary of the Issuer at the time that such Subsidiary is designated an Unrestricted Subsidiary; provided , however , that upon a redesignation of such Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary, the Issuer shall be deemed to continue to have a permanent “Investment” in an Unrestricted Subsidiary in an amount (if positive) equal to:

(i) the Issuer’s “Investment” in such Subsidiary at the time of such redesignation; less

(ii) the portion (proportionate to the Issuer’s equity interest in such Subsidiary) of the fair market value of the net assets of such Subsidiary at the time of such redesignation; and

(b) any property transferred to or from an Unrestricted Subsidiary shall be valued at its fair market value at the time of such transfer, in each case as determined in good faith by the Issuer.

Issue Date ” means November 23, 2010.

Issuer ” means, prior to the consummation of the Assumption, the Escrow Issuer, and from and after the consummation of the Assumption and the execution of the supplemental indenture substantially in the form attached of Exhibit D attached hereto, DBI and its permitted successors.

Issuer Merger ” means the merger of the Escrow Issuer and DBI following the Assumption.

Issuer’s Order ” means a written request or order signed on behalf of the Issuer by an Officer of the Issuer, who must be the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer, the treasurer or the principal accounting officer of the Issuer, and delivered to the Indenture Administrator and/or the Trustee, as the case may be.

Legal Holiday ” means a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which commercial banking institutions are not required to be open in the State of New York.

Letter of Transmittal ” means the letter of transmittal to be prepared by the Issuer and sent to all Holders for use by such Holders in connection with an Exchange Offer.

Lien ” means, with respect to any asset, any mortgage, lien (statutory or otherwise), pledge, hypothecation, charge, security interest, preference, priority or encumbrance of any kind in respect of such asset, whether or not

 

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filed, recorded or otherwise perfected under applicable law, including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature thereof, any option or other agreement to sell or give a security interest in and any filing of or agreement to give any financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code (or equivalent statutes) of any jurisdiction; provided that in no event shall an operating lease be deemed to constitute a Lien.

Moody’s ” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and any successor to its rating agency business.

Net Income ” means, with respect to any Person, the net income (loss) of such Person, determined in accordance with GAAP and before any reduction in respect of Preferred Stock dividends.

Net Proceeds ” means the aggregate cash proceeds received by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of any Asset Sale, including any cash received upon the sale or other disposition of any Designated Non-cash Consideration received in any Asset Sale, net of the direct costs relating to such Asset Sale and the sale or disposition of such Designated Non-cash Consideration, including legal, accounting and investment banking fees, payments made in order to obtain a necessary consent or required by applicable law, and brokerage and sales commissions, any relocation expenses incurred as a result thereof, taxes paid or payable as a result thereof (after taking into account any available tax credits or deductions and any tax sharing arrangements), amounts required to be applied to the repayment of principal, premium, if any, and interest on Senior Indebtedness secured by a Lien on the assets disposed of required (other than required by clause (i) of Section 4.10(b) hereof) to be paid as a result of such transaction and any deduction of appropriate amounts to be provided by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries as a reserve in accordance with GAAP against any liabilities associated with the asset disposed of in such transaction and retained by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries after such sale or other disposition thereof, including pension and other post-employment benefit liabilities and liabilities related to environmental matters or against any indemnification obligations associated with such transaction.

New Credit Facilities ” means the Credit Facility under the Credit Agreement to be entered into as of the Issue Date by and among Dunkin Brands Holdings, Inc., the Issuer, the lenders party thereto in their capacities as lenders thereunder and Barclays Bank PLC, as Administrative Agent, including any guarantees, collateral documents, instruments and agreements executed in connection therewith, and any amendments, supplements, modifications, extensions, renewals, restatements, refundings or refinancings thereof and any indentures or credit facilities or commercial paper facilities with banks or other institutional lenders or investors that replace, refund or refinance any part of the loans, notes, other credit facilities or commitments thereunder, including any such replacement, refunding or refinancing facility or indenture that increases the amount borrowable thereunder or alters the maturity thereof ( provided that such increase in borrowings is permitted under Section 4.09 hereof).

New Credit Facilities Escrow Account ” means a segregated account, under the sole control of the New Credit Facilities Escrow Agent, that includes the cash proceeds of any borrowings under the New Credit Facilities on the Issue Date, Investments of such proceeds in Cash Equivalents and the proceeds thereof and interest or other income earned thereon as well as additional cash amounts deposited into the New Credit Facilities Escrow Account by or on behalf of the Escrow Issuer on the Issue Date, free from all Liens other than the Lien in favor of the collateral agent for the benefit of the lenders and other liens permitted thereunder.

New Credit Facilities Escrow Agent ” means Wilmington Trust Company in its capacity as escrow agent under the New Credit Facilities Escrow Agreement.

New Credit Facilities Escrow Agreement ” means the Escrow and Security Agreement among the Escrow Issuer, Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent, and the New Credit Facilities Escrow Agent, dated as of November 23, 2010 pursuant to which the proceeds of the term loans and revolving credit loans made on the Issue Date will be deposited into the New Credit Facilities Escrow Account.

Non-Guarantor Subsidiary ” means any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor.

Non-U.S. Person ” means a Person who is not a U.S. Person.

 

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Notes ” means the Initial Notes and more particularly means any Note authenticated and delivered under this Indenture. For all purposes of this Indenture, the term “Notes” shall include any Additional Notes that may be issued under any supplemental indenture.

Obligations ” means any principal, interest (including any interest accruing subsequent to the filing of a petition in bankruptcy, reorganization or similar proceeding at the rate provided for in the documentation with respect thereto, whether or not such interest is an allowed claim under applicable state, federal or foreign law), premium, penalties, fees, indemnifications, reimbursements (including reimbursement obligations with respect to letters of credit and bankers’ acceptances), damages and other liabilities, and guarantees of payment of such principal, interest, penalties, fees, indemnifications, reimbursements, damages and other liabilities, payable under the documentation governing any Indebtedness.

Offering Memorandum ” means the offering memorandum, dated November 15, 2010, relating to the sale of the Initial Notes.

Officer ” means the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, any Executive Vice President, Senior Vice President or Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the Issuer or any other Person, as the case may be.

Officer’s Certificate ” means a certificate signed on behalf of the Issuer by an Officer of the Issuer or on behalf of any other Person, as the case may be, who must be the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer, the treasurer or the principal accounting officer of the Issuer or such other Person, that meets the requirements set forth in this Indenture.

Opinion of Counsel ” means a written opinion from legal counsel who is acceptable to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator and that meets the requirements set forth in the indenture. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Issuer, the Trustee or the Indenture Administrator.

Participant ” means, with respect to the Depositary, a Person who has an account with the Depositary (and, with respect to DTC, shall include Euroclear and Clearstream).

Participating Broker-Dealer ” has the meaning set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

Permitted Asset Swap ” means the concurrent purchase and sale or exchange of Related Business Assets or a combination of Related Business Assets and cash or Cash Equivalents between the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and another Person; provided that any cash or Cash Equivalent received must be applied in accordance with Section 4.10 hereof.

Permitted Holders ” means the Sponsors and members of management of the Issuer (or its direct parent) who are holders of Equity Interests of the Issuer (or any of its direct or indirect parent companies) on the Issue Date and any group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act or any successor provision) of which any of the foregoing are members; provided that, in the case of such group and without giving effect to the existence of such group or any other group, the Sponsors and members of management, collectively, have beneficial ownership of more than 50% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of the Issuer or any of its direct or indirect parent companies held by such group. Any Person or group whose acquisition of beneficial ownership constitutes a Change of Control in respect of which a Change of Control Offer is made in accordance with the requirements of this Indenture will thereafter, together with its Affiliates, constitute an additional Permitted Holder.

Permitted Investments ” means:

(a) any Investment in the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(b) any Investment in cash and Cash Equivalents or Investment Grade Securities;

 

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(c) any Investment by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in a Person (including, to the extent constituting an Investment, in assets of a Person that represent substantially all of its assets or a division, business unit or product line, including research and development and related assets in respect of any product) that is engaged in a Similar Business (including through entities that will become Restricted Subsidiaries as a result of such Investment) if as a result of such Investment:

(i) such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary; or

(ii) such Person, in one transaction or a series of related transactions, is merged, amalgamated or consolidated with or into, or transfers or conveys substantially all of its assets (or a division, business unit or product line, including any research and development and related assets in respect of any product) to, or is liquidated into, the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary;

and, in each case, any Investment held by such Person; provided that such Investment was not acquired by such Person in contemplation of such acquisition, merger, amalgamation, consolidation or transfer;

(d) any Investment in securities or other assets not constituting cash, Cash Equivalents or Investment Grade Securities and received in connection with an Asset Sale made pursuant to Section 4.10 hereof or any other disposition of assets not constituting an Asset Sale;

(e) any Investment existing on the Issue Date or made pursuant to binding commitments in effect on the Issue Date and any extension, modification, replacement or renewal of any such Investments or binding commitment existing on the Issue Date, but only to the extent not involving additional advances, contributions or other Investments of cash or other assets or other increases thereof other than (i) as a result of the accrual or accretion of interest or original issue discount or the issuance of pay-in-kind securities, in each case, pursuant to the terms of such Investment as in effect on the Issue Date (or as subsequently amended or otherwise modified in a manner not disadvantageous to the Holders of the Notes in any material respect), or (ii) as otherwise permitted under this Indenture;

(f) any Investment acquired by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries:

(i) in exchange for any other Investment or accounts receivable held by the Issuer or any such Restricted Subsidiary in connection with or as a result of a bankruptcy, workout, reorganization or recapitalization of the issuer of such other Investment or accounts receivable; or

(ii) in satisfaction of judgments against other Persons or as a result of a foreclosure by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to any secured Investment or other transfer of title with respect to any secured Investment in default;

(g) Hedging Obligations permitted under Section 4.09(b)(x) hereof;

(h) any Investment in a Similar Business having an aggregate fair market value, taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (h) that are at that time outstanding, not to exceed the greater of (i) $75.0 million and (ii) 2.5% of Total Assets at the time of such Investment (with the fair market value of each Investment being measured at the time made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value);

(i) Investments the payment for which consists of Equity Interests (exclusive of Disqualified Stock) of the Issuer, or any of its direct or indirect parent companies; provided , however , that such Equity Interests will not increase the amount available for Restricted Payments under clause (C) of Section 4.07(a) hereof;

(j) guarantees of Indebtedness permitted under Section 4.09 hereof;

 

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(k) any transaction to the extent it constitutes an Investment that is permitted by and made in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.11(b) hereof (except transactions described in clauses (ii), (v), (ix) and (xv) thereof);

(l) Investments consisting of purchases and acquisitions of inventory, supplies, material or equipment;

(m) additional Investments having an aggregate fair market value, taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (m) that are at that time outstanding, not to exceed the greater of (i) $50.0 million and (ii) 1.5% of Total Assets at the time of such Investment (with the fair market value of each Investment being measured at the time made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value);

(n) Investments relating to a Securitization Subsidiary that, in the good faith determination of the Issuer are necessary or advisable to effect any Qualified Securitization Financing;

(o) advances to, or guarantees of Indebtedness of, officers, directors and employees not in excess of $15.0 million outstanding at any one time, in the aggregate;

(p) loans and advances to (i) officers, directors, employees and consultants for business-related travel expenses, moving expenses and other similar expenses, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business, and (ii) future, present or former officers, directors, employees and consultants of the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries (and their respective Controlled Investment Affiliates and Immediate Family Members) to finance the purchase or redemption of Equity Interests of the Issuer or any direct or indirect parent thereof, to the extent the proceeds of any such loans and advances to purchase Equity Interests under this clause (p)(i) are either received by the Issuer or contributed by such direct or indirect parent company to the Issuer;

(q) Investments consisting of licensing of intellectual property pursuant to joint marketing arrangements with other Persons;

(r) Investments (i) in any Franchisee or joint venture in connection with marketing and advertising arrangements or related activities arising in the ordinary course of business, (ii) in any Franchisee or joint venture in connection with intercompany cash management arrangements or related activities arising in the ordinary course of business, and (iii) consisting of guarantees of obligations (other than Indebtedness), including lease obligations, of Franchisees and joint ventures in the ordinary course of business;

(s) Investments consisting of loans, advances and extensions of trade credit in the ordinary course of business;

(t) contributions to a “rabbi” trust for the benefit of employees within the meaning of Revenue Procedure 92-64 or other grantor trust subject to the claims of creditors in the case of a bankruptcy of the Issuer;

(u) Investments in any Affiliated Organization;

(v) repurchases of Notes and obligations under Debt Facilities and other Indebtedness of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries so long as such Indebtedness is cancelled or otherwise retired in connection with such repurchase;

(w) Investments in the ordinary course of business consisting of Uniform Commercial Code Article 3 endorsements for collection of deposit and Article 4 customary trade arrangements with customers; and

 

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(x) Refranchising Transactions.

Permitted Liens ” means, with respect to any Person:

(a) pledges, deposits or security by such Person under workmen’s compensation laws, unemployment insurance, employers’ health tax, and other social security laws or similar legislation or other insurance related obligations (including, but not limited to, in respect of deductibles, self insured retention amounts and premiums and adjustments thereto) or indemnification obligations of (including obligations in respect of letters of credit or bank guarantees for the benefit of) insurance carriers providing property, casualty or liability insurance, or good faith deposits in connection with bids, tenders, contracts (other than for the payment of Indebtedness) or leases to which such Person is a party, or deposits to secure public or statutory obligations of such Person or deposits of cash or U.S. government bonds to secure surety or appeal bonds to which such Person is a party, or deposits as security for contested taxes or import duties or for the payment of rent, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business;

(b) Liens imposed by law, such as landlords’, carriers’, warehousemen’s, materialmen’s, repairmen’s and mechanics’ Liens, in each case for sums not yet overdue for a period of more than 30 days or being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings or other Liens arising out of judgments or awards against such Person with respect to which such Person shall then be proceeding with an appeal or other proceedings for review if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of such Person in accordance with GAAP;

(c) Liens for taxes, assessments or other governmental charges not yet overdue for a period of more than 30 days or which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of such Person in accordance with GAAP, or for property taxes on property that the Issuer or one of its Subsidiaries has determined to abandon if the sole recourse for such tax, assessment, charge, levy or claims is to such property, or for property taxes on property that the Issuer or one of its Subsidiaries has determined to abandon if the sole recourse for such tax, assessment, charge, levy or claims is to such property;

(d) Liens in favor of issuers of performance, surety, bid, indemnity, warranty, release, appeal or similar bonds or with respect to other regulatory requirements or letters of credit or bankers’ acceptances issued, and completion guarantees provided for, in each case pursuant to the request of and for the account of such Person in the ordinary course of its business;

(e) minor survey exceptions, minor encumbrances, ground leases, easements or reservations of, or rights of others for, licenses, rights-of-way, servitudes, sewers, electric lines, drains, telegraph and telephone and cable television lines, gas and oil pipelines and other similar purposes, or zoning, building codes or other restrictions (including, without limitation, minor defects or irregularities in title and similar encumbrances) as to the use of real properties or Liens incidental, to the conduct of the business of such Person or to the ownership of its properties which were not incurred in connection with Indebtedness and which do not in the aggregate materially impair their use in the operation of the business of such Person;

(f) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted to be incurred pursuant to clauses (iv), (xii)(B), (xiii) or (xviii) of Section 4.09(b) hereof; provided that (A) Liens securing Refinancing Indebtedness permitted to be incurred pursuant to clause (xiii) extend only to the assets securing the Indebtedness being extended, replaced, refunded, refinanced, renewed or defeased by such Refinancing Indebtedness, and (B) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted to be incurred pursuant to clause (xviii) of Section 4.09(b) shall extend only to the assets of Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries;

(g) Liens existing on the Issue Date;

(h) Liens on property or shares of stock or other assets of a Person at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary; provided, however, such Liens are not created or incurred in connection with, or in

 

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contemplation of, such other Person becoming such a Subsidiary; provided , further , however, that such Liens may not extend to any other property owned by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(i) Liens on property or other assets at the time the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary acquired the property or other assets, including any acquisition by means of a merger, amalgamation or consolidation with or into the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; provided , however , that such Liens are not created or incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such acquisition, merger, amalgamation or consolidation; provided , further , that the Liens may not extend to any other property owned by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(j) Liens securing Indebtedness or other obligations of a Restricted Subsidiary owing to the Issuer or another Restricted Subsidiary permitted to be incurred in accordance with Section 4.09 hereof;

(k) Liens securing Hedging Obligations and Cash Management Services so long as (a) related Indebtedness is, and is permitted to be under this Indenture, secured by a Lien on the same property securing such Hedging Obligations or (b) such obligations are secured by the property securing any Debt Facilities so long as such obligations are owed to lenders (or affiliates thereof) under such Debt Facilities;

(l) Liens on specific items of inventory or other goods and proceeds of any Person securing such Person’s obligations in respect of bankers’ acceptances or trade letters of credit issued or created for the account of such Person to facilitate the purchase, shipment or storage of such inventory or other goods;

(m) leases, subleases, licenses or sublicenses granted to others in the ordinary course of business which do not materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and do not secure any Indebtedness;

(n) Liens arising from Uniform Commercial Code (or comparable foreign statute) financing statement filings regarding operating leases or consignments entered into by the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;

(o) Liens in favor of the Issuer or any Subsidiary Guarantor;

(p) Liens on equipment of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries granted in the ordinary course of business to the Issuer’s clients;

(q) Liens on Securitization Assets and related assets incurred in connection with a Qualified Securitization Financing;

(r) Liens to secure any modification, refinancing, refunding, extension, renewal or replacement (or successive refinancing, refunding, extensions, renewals or replacements) as a whole, or in part, of any Indebtedness secured by any Lien referred to in the foregoing clauses (g), (h) and (i); provided , however , that (i) such new Lien shall be limited to all or part of the same property that secured the original Lien (plus improvements on such property), and (ii) the Indebtedness secured by such Lien at such time is not increased to any amount greater than the sum of (A) the outstanding principal amount or, if greater, committed amount of the Indebtedness described under clauses (g), (h) and (i) at the time the original Lien became a Permitted Lien under this Indenture, and (B) an amount necessary to pay any fees and expenses, including premiums, related to such refinancing, refunding, extension, renewal or replacement;

(s) deposits made or other security provided to secure liabilities to insurance carriers under insurance or self-insurance arrangements in the ordinary course of business;

(t) other Liens securing obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business which obligations do not exceed $50.0 million at any one time outstanding;

 

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(u) Liens securing judgments for the payment of money not constituting an Event of Default under clause (v) of Section 6.01(a) hereof so long as such Liens are adequately bonded and any appropriate legal proceedings that may have been duly initiated for the review of such judgment have not been finally terminated or the period within which such proceedings may be initiated has not expired;

(v) Liens in favor of customs and revenue authorities arising as a matter of law to secure payment of customs duties in connection with the importation of goods in the ordinary course of business;

(w) Liens (i) of a collection bank arising under Section 4-210 of the Uniform Commercial Code on items in the course of collection, (ii) attaching to commodity trading accounts or other commodity brokerage accounts incurred in the ordinary course of business, and (iii) in favor of banking institutions arising as a matter of law encumbering deposits (including the right of set-off) and which are within the general parameters customary in the banking industry;

(x) Liens deemed to exist in connection with Investments in repurchase agreements permitted under Section 4.09 hereof; provided that such Liens do not extend to any assets other than those that are the subject of such repurchase agreement;

(y) Liens encumbering reasonable customary initial deposits and margin deposits and similar Liens attaching to commodity trading accounts or other brokerage accounts incurred in the ordinary course of business and not for speculative purposes;

(z) Liens that are contractual rights of set-off (i) relating to the establishment of depository relations with banks not given in connection with the issuance of Indebtedness, (ii) relating to pooled deposit or sweep accounts of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to permit satisfaction of overdraft or similar obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries or (iii) relating to purchase orders and other agreements entered into with customers of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;

(aa) Liens solely on any cash earnest money deposits made by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with any letter of intent or purchase agreement permitted under this Indenture;

(bb) the rights reserved or vested in any Person by the terms of any lease, license, franchise, grant or permit held by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or by a statutory provision, to terminate any such lease, license, franchise, grant or permit, or to require annual or periodic payments as a condition to the continuance thereof;

(cc) restrictive covenants affecting the use to which real property may be put; provided, however, that the covenants are complied with;

(dd) security given to a public utility or any municipality or governmental authority when required by such utility or authority in connection with the operations of that Person in the ordinary course of business;

(ee) zoning by-laws and other land use restrictions, including, without limitation, site plan agreements, development agreements and contract zoning agreements;

(ff) Liens arising out of conditional sale, title retention, consignment or similar arrangements for sale of goods entered into by the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business;

(gg) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted to be incurred under Debt Facilities, including any letter of credit facility relating thereto, that was permitted by the terms of this Indenture to be incurred pursuant to Section 4.09(b)(i) hereof;

 

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(hh) Liens incurred to secure Obligations in respect of any Indebtedness permitted to be incurred pursuant to Section 4.09 hereof; provided that, with respect to Liens securing Obligations permitted under this clause (hh), at the time of incurrence and after giving pro forma effect thereto, the Consolidated Secured Debt Ratio would be no greater than 4.0 to 1.0;

(ii) any encumbrance or restriction (including put and call arrangements) with respect to Capital Stock of any joint venture or similar arrangement pursuant to any joint venture or similar agreement;

(jj) Liens on Capital Stock of an Unrestricted Subsidiary that secure Indebtedness or other obligations of such Unrestricted Subsidiary;

(kk) Liens on the assets of Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries securing Indebtedness of such Subsidiaries that was permitted by the terms of this Indenture to be incurred;

(ll) Liens on vehicles arising from Capitalized Lease Obligations entered into with respect to such vehicles so long as such leases are permitted under Section 4.09 hereof; and

(mm) prior to the Escrow Release Date, Liens created under the Escrow Agreement and the New Credit Facilities Escrow Agreement.

For purposes of this definition, the term “Indebtedness” shall be deemed to include interest on such Indebtedness.

Person ” means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, association, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or any other entity.

Preferred Stock ” means any Equity Interest with preferential rights of payment of dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution, or winding up.

Private Placement Legend ” means the legend set forth in Section 2.06(g)(i) hereof to be placed on all Notes issued under this Indenture, except where otherwise permitted by the provisions of this Indenture.

QIB ” means a “qualified institutional buyer” as defined in Rule 144A.

Qualified Proceeds ” means assets that are used or useful in, or Capital Stock of any Person engaged in, a Similar Business; provided that the fair market value of any such assets or Capital Stock shall be determined in good faith by the Issuer.

Qualified Securitization Financing ” means any Securitization Facility of a Securitization Subsidiary that meets the following conditions: (i) the board of managers or directors of the Issuer shall have determined in good faith that such Qualified Securitization Financing (including financing terms, covenants, termination events and other provisions) is in the aggregate economically fair and reasonable to the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries, (ii) all sales of Securitization Assets and related assets by the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary to the Securitization Subsidiary or any other Person are made at fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Issuer), (iii) the financing terms, covenants, termination events and other provisions thereof shall be market terms (as determined in good faith by the Issuer) and may include Standard Securitization Undertakings and (iv) the Obligations under such Securitization Facility are non-recourse (except for customary representations, warranties, covenants and indemnities made in connection with such facilities) to the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than a Securitization Subsidiary). The grant of a security interest in any Securitization Assets of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than a Securitization Subsidiary) to secure Indebtedness under Debt Facilities shall not be deemed a Qualified Securitization Financing.

 

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Rating Agencies ” means Moody’s and S&P or if Moody’s or S&P or both shall not make a rating on the Notes publicly available, a nationally recognized statistical rating agency or agencies, as the case may be, selected by the Issuer which shall be substituted for Moody’s or S&P or both, as the case may be.

Recapitalization ” means (1) the redemption and discharge of the ABS Notes and the payment of associated premiums, accrued interest and all related fees and expenses, (2) the Assumption, (3) the payment of a dividend or distribution and other application of the net proceeds of the Notes and the New Credit Facilities as described under “Use of proceeds” in the Offering Memorandum and (4) the release and application of any funds held in escrow in order to effect any of the foregoing.

Record Date ” for the interest payable on any applicable Interest Payment Date means the May 15 and November 15 (whether or not a Business Day) immediately preceding such Interest Payment Date.

Refranchising Transaction ” means any acquisition of one or more franchises (including stores, store development agreements, real estate and other related assets and rights) and the subsequent sale or other disposition of such franchises to one or more Franchisees to the extent such franchises are classified as “assets held for sale” on the balance sheet of the Issuer and the Restricted Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP or are expected to be, and are actually, sold or otherwise disposed of within 365 days of such acquisition.

Registration Rights Agreement ” means (i) the Registration Rights Agreement related to the Notes dated as of the Issue Date, among the Escrow Issuer, DBI and the Initial Purchasers, as amended or supplemented from time to time, and (ii) any other registration rights agreement entered into in connection with the issuance of Additional Notes in a private offering by the Issuer after the Issue Date.

Regulation S ” means Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act.

Regulation S Global Note ” means a Regulation S Temporary Global Note or Regulation S Permanent Global Note, as applicable.

Regulation S Permanent Global Note ” means a permanent Global Note in the form of Exhibit A bearing the Global Note Legend, the Private Placement Legend and the ERISA Legend and deposited with or on behalf of, and registered in the name of, the Depositary or its nominee, issued in a denomination equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Regulation S Temporary Global Note upon expiration of the applicable Restricted Period.

Regulation S Temporary Global Note ” means a temporary Global Note in the form of Exhibit A bearing the Global Note Legend, the Private Placement Legend, the Regulation S Temporary Global Note Legend and the ERISA Legend and deposited with or on behalf of, and registered in the name of, the Depositary or its nominee, issued in a denomination equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Notes initially sold in reliance on Rule 903.

Regulation S Temporary Global Note Legend ” means the legend set forth in Section 2.06(g)(iii) hereof.

Related Business Assets ” means assets (other than cash or Cash Equivalents) used or useful in a Similar Business, provided that any assets received by the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary in exchange for assets transferred by the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary shall not be deemed to be Related Business Assets if they consist of securities of a Person, unless upon receipt of the securities of such Person, such Person would become a Restricted Subsidiary.

Responsible Officer ” means, with respect to the Trustee or the Indenture Administrator, as the case may be, any officer within the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee or the Indenture Administrator, as applicable, with direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture and also, with respect to a particular matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of such officer’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.

 

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Restricted Definitive Note ” means a Definitive Note bearing, or that is required to bear, the Private Placement Legend.

Restricted Global Note ” means a Global Note bearing, or that is required to bear, the Private Placement Legend.

Restricted Investment ” means an Investment other than a Permitted Investment.

Restricted Period ” means the 40-day distribution compliance period as defined in Regulation S applicable to the Notes.

Restricted Subsidiary ” means, at any time, any direct or indirect Subsidiary of the Issuer (including any Foreign Subsidiary) that is not then an Unrestricted Subsidiary; provided , however , that upon the occurrence of an Unrestricted Subsidiary ceasing to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary, such Subsidiary shall be included in the definition of “Restricted Subsidiary.”

Rule 144 ” means Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act.

Rule 144A ” means Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act.

Rule 903 ” means Rule 903 promulgated under the Securities Act.

Rule 904 ” means Rule 904 promulgated under the Securities Act.

S&P ” means Standard & Poor’s, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and any successor to its rating agency business.

Sale and Lease-Back Transaction ” means any arrangement providing for the leasing by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of any real or tangible personal property, which property has been or is to be sold or transferred by the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary to a third Person in contemplation of such leasing.

SEC ” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Secured Indebtedness ” means any Indebtedness of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries secured by a Lien.

Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder.

Securitization Asset ” means any accounts receivable or participation therein, real estate asset, mortgage receivables, franchise fee payments and other revenue related to franchise agreements, royalty and similar payments made related to the use of trade names and other intellectual property, business support, training and other services and revenues relating to distribution and merchandising of the products of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries, or related assets, in each case subject to a Securitization Facility.

Securitization Facility ” means any of one or more securitization financing facilities as amended, supplemented, modified, extended, renewed, restated or refunded from time to time, pursuant to which the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries sells its Securitization Assets to either (a) a Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary or (b) a Securitization Subsidiary that in turn sells Securitization Assets to a Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary.

Securitization Fees ” means distributions or payments made directly or by means of discounts with respect to any Securitization Asset or participation interest therein issued or sold in connection with, and other fees paid to a Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary in connection with, any Qualified Securitization Financing.

 

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Securitization Repurchase Obligation ” means any obligation of a seller of Securitization Assets in a Qualified Securitization Financing to repurchase Securitization Assets arising as a result of a breach of a representation, warranty or covenant or otherwise, including, without limitation, as a result of a receivable or portion thereof becoming subject to any asserted defense, dispute, off set or counterclaim of any kind as a result of any action taken by, any failure to take action by or any other event relating to the seller.

Securitization Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary formed for the purpose of, and that solely engages in, one or more Qualified Securitization Financings and other activities reasonably related thereto.

Senior Indebtedness ” means:

(a) all Indebtedness of the Issuer or any Subsidiary Guarantor outstanding under the New Credit Facilities or Notes and related Guarantees (including interest accruing on or after the filing of any petition in bankruptcy or similar proceeding or for reorganization of the Issuer or any Guarantor (at the rate provided for in the documentation with respect thereto, regardless of whether or not a claim for post-filing interest is allowed in such proceedings)), and any and all other fees, expense reimbursement obligations, indemnification amounts, penalties, and other amounts (whether existing on the Issue Date or thereafter created or incurred) and all obligations of the Issuer or any Subsidiary Guarantor to reimburse any bank or other Person in respect of amounts paid under letters of credit, acceptances or other similar instruments;

(b) all Hedging Obligations (and guarantees thereof) owing to a Lender (as defined in the New Credit Facilities) or any Affiliate of such Lender (or any Person that was a Lender or an Affiliate of such Lender at the time the applicable agreement giving rise to such Hedging Obligation was entered into), provided that such Hedging Obligations are permitted to be incurred under the terms of this Indenture;

(c) any other Indebtedness of the Issuer or any Subsidiary Guarantor permitted to be incurred under the terms of this Indenture, unless the instrument under which such Indebtedness is incurred expressly provides that it is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or any related Guarantee; and

(d) all Obligations with respect to the items listed in the preceding clauses (a), (b) and (c);

provided , however , that Senior Indebtedness shall not include any Indebtedness or other Obligation of such Person which is contractually subordinate or junior in right of payment to any other Indebtedness or Obligation of such Person.

Senior Management ” means the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Issuer.

Shelf Registration Statement ” means a Shelf Registration Statement as defined in the applicable Registration Rights Agreement.

Significant Subsidiary ” means any Restricted Subsidiary that would be a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Article 1, Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X, promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act, as such regulation is in effect on the Issue Date.

Similar Business ” means any business conducted or proposed to be conducted by the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries on the Issue Date or any business that is similar, reasonably related, complementary, incidental or ancillary thereto.

Sponsor Management Agreement ” means the management agreement between certain of the management companies associated with the Sponsors, the Issuer, Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc, a Delaware corporation, as in effect on the Issue Date and as such agreement may be amended, restated, modified, supplemented, replaced or substituted from time to time.

 

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Sponsors ” means Bain Capital Partners, L.P., The Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and each of their respective Affiliates and funds or partnerships managed or advised by it or its Affiliates, but excluding, however, any portfolio companies of any of the foregoing.

Standard Securitization Undertakings ” means representations, warranties, covenants and indemnities entered into by the Issuer or any Subsidiary of the Issuer which the Issuer has determined in good faith to be customary in a Securitization Financing, including, without limitation, those relating to the servicing of the assets of a Securitization Subsidiary, it being understood that any Securitization Repurchase Obligation shall be deemed to be a Standard Securitization Undertaking.

Subordinated Indebtedness ” means,

(a) with respect to the Notes, any Indebtedness of the Issuer which is by its terms subordinated in right of payment to the Notes, and

(b) with respect to the Guarantees, any Indebtedness of any Subsidiary Guarantor which is by its terms subordinated in right of payment to the Guarantee of such entity of the Notes.

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person:

(a) any corporation, association, or other business entity (other than a partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or similar entity) of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time of determination owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof or is consolidated under GAAP with such Person at such time; and

(b) any partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or similar entity of which

(i) more than 50% of the capital accounts, distribution rights, total equity and voting interests or general or limited partnership interests, as applicable, are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof whether in the form of membership, general, special or limited partnership or otherwise, and

(ii) such Person or any Restricted Subsidiary of such Person is a controlling general partner or otherwise controls such entity.

“Subsidiary” shall not include any Affiliated Organization.

Subsidiary Guarantor ” means each Restricted Subsidiary of the Issuer that provides a Guarantee of the Notes.

Total Assets ” means, as of any date, the total consolidated assets of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, as shown on the most recent consolidated balance sheet of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries, determined on a pro forma basis in a manner consistent with the pro forma adjustment provisions contained in the definition of Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio.

Transactions ” means (a) the issuance of the Notes and the borrowings under the New Credit Facilities on the Issue Date, (b) the issuance of the Subordinated Note, (c) the Recapitalization and (d) the other transactions, including payment of fees and expenses, in connection with or incidental to any of the foregoing.

Trust Indenture Act ” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (15 U.S.C. §§ 77aaa-77bbbb).

 

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Trustee ” means Wilmington Trust Company, as trustee, until a successor replaces it in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture and thereafter means the successor serving hereunder.

Uniform Commercial Code ” means the New York Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time.

Unrestricted Definitive Note ” means one or more Definitive Notes that do not bear and are not required to bear the Private Placement Legend.

Unrestricted Global Note ” means a permanent Global Note, substantially in the form of Exhibit A that bears the Global Note Legend and that has the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto, and that is deposited with or on behalf of and registered in the name of the Depositary, representing Notes that do not bear the Private Placement Legend.

Unrestricted Subsidiary ” means:

(a) any Subsidiary of the Issuer which at the time of determination is an Unrestricted Subsidiary (as designated by the Issuer, as provided below); and

(b) any Subsidiary of an Unrestricted Subsidiary.

The Issuer may designate any Subsidiary of the Issuer (including any existing Subsidiary and any newly acquired or newly formed Subsidiary) to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary unless such Subsidiary or any of its Subsidiaries owns any Equity Interests or Indebtedness of, or owns or holds any Lien on, any property of, the Issuer or any Subsidiary of the Issuer (other than solely any Subsidiary of the Subsidiary to be so designated); provided that

(a) any Unrestricted Subsidiary must be an entity of which the Equity Interests entitled to cast at least a majority of the votes that may be cast by all Equity Interests having ordinary voting power for the election of directors or Persons performing a similar function are owned, directly or indirectly, by the Issuer;

(b) such designation complies with Section 4.07 hereof; and

(c) each of:

(i) the Subsidiary to be so designated; and

(ii) its Subsidiaries has not at the time of designation, and does not thereafter, create, incur, issue, assume, guarantee or otherwise become directly or indirectly liable with respect to any Indebtedness pursuant to which the lender has recourse to any of the assets of the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary.

The Issuer may designate any Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary; provided that, immediately after giving effect to such designation, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and the Issuer or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary would be able to incur such Indebtedness pursuant to Section 4.09 hereof, on a pro forma basis taking into account such designation.

Any such designation by the Issuer shall be notified by the Issuer to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator by promptly filing with the Trustee a copy of the resolution of the board of directors of the Issuer or any committee thereof giving effect to such designation and an Officer’s Certificate certifying that such designation complied with the foregoing provisions.

U.S. Person ” means a U.S. person as defined in Rule 902(k) under the Securities Act.

 

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Voting Stock ” of any Person as of any date means the Capital Stock of such Person that is at the time entitled to vote in the election of the board of directors of such Person.

Weighted Average Life to Maturity ” means, when applied to any Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock, as the case may be, at any date, the quotient obtained by dividing:

(a) the sum of the products of the number of years from the date of determination to the date of each successive scheduled principal payment of such Indebtedness or redemption or similar payment with respect to such Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock multiplied by the amount of such payment; by

(b) the sum of all such payments.

Wholly-Owned Subsidiary ” of any Person means a Subsidiary of such Person, 100% of the outstanding Equity Interests of which (other than directors’ qualifying shares and shares issued to foreign nationals as required by applicable law) shall at the time be owned by such Person or by one or more Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries of such Person.

Section 1.02. Other Definitions .

 

Term

   Defined
in Section

“Acceptable Commitment”

   4.10

“Affiliate Transaction”

   4.11

“Asset Sale Offer”

   4.10

“Authentication Order”

   2.02

“Automatic Exchange”

   2.06

“Automatic Exchange Date”

   2.06

“Automatic Exchange Notice”

   2.06

“Automatic Exchange Notice Date”

   2.06

“Change of Control Offer”

   4.14

“Change of Control Payment”

   4.14

“Change of Control Payment Date”

   4.14

“Covenant Defeasance”

   8.03

“DTC”

   2.03

“Escrow Period”

   4.10

“Escrow Termination Date”

   3.08

“Event of Default”

   6.01

“Excess Proceeds”

   4.10

“incur”

   4.09

“Initial Lien

   4.12

“Legal Defeasance”

   8.02

“Note Register”

   2.03

“Offer Amount”

   3.09

“Offer Period”

   3.09

“Optional Redemption”

   4.14

“Pari Passu Indebtedness”

   4.10

“Paying Agent”

   2.03

“Purchase Date”

   3.09

“Redemption Date”

   3.01

“Refinancing Indebtedness”

   4.09

“Refunding Capital Stock”

   4.07

“Registrar”

   2.03

“Reinstatement Date”

   4.17

“Restricted Payments”

   4.07

“Second Commitment”

   4.10

 

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Term

   Defined
in Section

“Special Redemption Date”

   3.08

“Subordinated Note”

   4.16

“Successor Company”

   5.01

“Successor Person”

   5.01

“Suspended Covenants”

   4.17

“Suspension Period”

   4.17

“Taxes”

   4.05

“Transfer Agent”

   2.03

“Treasury Capital Stock”

   4.07

Section 1.03. Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act . Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the Trust Indenture Act, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture.

The following Trust Indenture Act terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings:

“indenture securities” means the Notes and the Guarantees;

“indenture security Holder” means a Holder of a Note;

“indenture to be qualified” means this Indenture;

“indenture trustee” or “institutional trustee” means the Trustee; and “obligor” on the Notes and the Guarantees means the Issuer and the Guarantors, respectively, and any successor obligor upon the Notes and the Guarantees, respectively.

All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the Trust Indenture Act, defined by Trust Indenture Act reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule under the Trust Indenture Act have the meanings so assigned to them.

Section 1.04. Rules of Construction . Unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) a term has the meaning assigned to it;

(b) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;

(c) “or” is not exclusive;

(d) “including,” “includes” and similar words means including without limitation;

(e) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular;

(f) “will” shall be interpreted to express a command;

(g) provisions apply to successive events and transactions;

(h) references to sections of, or rules under, the Securities Act shall be deemed to include substitute, replacement or successor sections or rules adopted by the SEC from time to time;

(i) unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to an “Article,” “Section” or “clause” refers to an Article, Section or clause, as the case may be, of this Indenture;

 

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(j) the words “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder” and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not any particular Article, Section, clause or other subdivision;

(k) the principal amount of any non-interest bearing or other discount security at any date shall be the principal amount thereof that would be shown on a balance sheet of the Issuer dated such date prepared in accordance with GAAP;

(l) the principal amount of any Preferred Stock shall be (i) the maximum liquidation value of such Preferred Stock or (ii) the maximum mandatory redemption or mandatory purchase price with respect to such Preferred Stock, whichever is greater; and

(m) all references to any interest or other amount payable on or with respect to the Notes shall be deemed to include any Additional Interest.

Section 1.05. Acts of Holders .

(a) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by this Indenture to be given or taken by Holders may be embodied in and evidenced by one or more instruments of substantially similar tenor signed by such Holders in person or by an agent duly appointed in writing. Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, such action shall become effective when such instrument or instruments is delivered to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee, as applicable, and, where it is hereby expressly required, to the Issuer. Proof of execution of any such instrument or of a writing appointing any such agent, or the holding by any Person of a Note, shall be sufficient for any purpose of this Indenture and conclusive in favor of the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee and the Issuer, if made in the manner provided in this Section 1.05.

(b) The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing may be proved by the affidavit of a witness of such execution or by the certificate of any notary public or other officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments of deeds, certifying that the individual signing such instrument or writing acknowledged to him the execution thereof. Where such execution is by or on behalf of any legal entity other than an individual, such certificate or affidavit shall also constitute proof of the authority of the Person executing the same. The fact and date of the execution of any such instrument or writing, or the authority of the Person executing the same, may also be proved in any other manner that the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee deems sufficient.

(c) The ownership of Notes shall be proved by the Note Register.

(d) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action by the Holder of any Note shall bind every future Holder of the same Note and the Holder of every Note issued upon the registration of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof, in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee or the Issuer in reliance thereon, whether or not notation of such action is made upon such Note.

(e) The Issuer (or the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee) may, in the circumstances permitted by the Trust Indenture Act, set a record date for purposes of determining the identity of Holders entitled to give any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or take any other act, or to vote or consent to any action by vote or consent authorized or permitted to be given or taken by Holders. Unless otherwise specified, if not set by the Issuer prior to the first solicitation of a Holder made by any Person in respect of any such action, or in the case of any such vote, prior to such vote, any such record date shall be the later of 10 days prior to the first solicitation of such consent or the date of the most recent list of Holders furnished to the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee prior to such solicitation.

(f) Without limiting the foregoing, a Holder entitled to take any action hereunder with regard to any particular Note may do so with regard to all or any part of the principal amount of such Note or by one or more duly appointed agents, each of which may do so pursuant to such appointment with regard to all or any part of such principal amount. Any notice given or action taken by a Holder or its agents with regard to different parts of such

 

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principal amount pursuant to this paragraph shall have the same effect as if given or taken by separate Holders of each such different part.

(g) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, a Holder, including DTC, that is a Holder of a Global Note, may make, give or take, by a proxy or proxies duly appointed in writing, any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided in this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders, and any Person, that is a Holder of a Global Note, including DTC, may provide its proxy or proxies to the beneficial owners of interests in any such Global Note through such depositary’s standing instructions and customary practices.

(h) The Issuer (or the Indenture Administrator or Trustee) may fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Persons who are beneficial owners of interests in any Global Note held by DTC entitled under the procedures of such depositary to make, give or take, by a proxy or proxies duly appointed in writing, any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided in this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders. If such a record date is fixed, the Holders on such record date or their duly appointed proxy or proxies, and only such Persons, shall be entitled to make, give or take such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, whether or not such Holders remain Holders after such record date. No such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action shall be valid or effective if made, given or taken more than 90 days after such record date.

ARTICLE 2

THE NOTES

Section 2.01. Form and Dating; Terms .

(a) General . The Notes and the Indenture Administrator’s certificate of authentication shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A. The Notes may have notations, legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rules or usage. Each Note shall be dated the date of its authentication. The Notes shall be issued in minimum denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiples of $1,000 in excess of $2,000.

(b) Global Notes . Notes issued in global form shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto (including the Global Note Legend thereon and the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto). Notes issued in definitive form shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto (but without the Global Note Legend thereon and without the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto). Each Global Note shall represent such of the outstanding Notes as shall be specified in the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto and each shall provide that it shall represent up to the aggregate principal amount of Notes from time to time endorsed thereon and that the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby may from time to time be reduced or increased, as applicable, to reflect exchanges and redemptions. Any endorsement of a Global Note to reflect the amount of any increase or decrease in the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby shall be made by the Indenture Administrator or the Custodian, at the direction of the Indenture Administrator, in accordance with instructions given by the Holder thereof as required by Section 2.06 hereof.

(c) Temporary Global Notes . Notes offered and sold in reliance on Regulation S shall be issued initially in the form of the Regulation S Temporary Global Note, which shall be deposited on behalf of the purchasers of the Notes represented thereby with the Custodian and registered in the name of the Depositary or the nominee of the Depositary for the accounts of designated agents holding on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, duly executed by the Issuer and authenticated by the Indenture Administrator as hereinafter provided.

Following (i) the termination of the Restricted Period and (ii) the receipt by the Indenture Administrator of (A) a certification or other evidence in a form reasonably acceptable to the Issuer of non-United States beneficial ownership of 100% of the aggregate principal amount of each Regulation S Temporary Global Note (except to the extent of any beneficial owners thereof who acquired an interest therein during the Restricted Period pursuant to another exemption from registration under the Securities Act and who shall take delivery of a beneficial ownership interest in a 144A Global Note bearing a Private Placement Legend, all as contemplated by Section 2.06(b) hereof)

 

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and (B) an Officer’s Certificate from the Issuer, the Indenture Administrator shall remove the Regulation S Temporary Global Note Legend from the Regulation S Temporary Global Note, following which temporary beneficial interests in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note shall automatically become beneficial interests in the Regulation S Permanent Global Note pursuant to the Applicable Procedures.

The aggregate principal amount of a Regulation S Temporary Global Note and a Regulation S Permanent Global Note may from time to time be increased or decreased by adjustments made on the records of the Indenture Administrator and the Depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, in connection with transfers of interest as hereinafter provided.

(d) Terms . The aggregate principal amount of Notes that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Initial Notes issued on the Issue Date shall be in the aggregate principal amount of $625.0 million. In addition, the Issuer may issue, from time to time, Additional Notes (as provided herein) and Exchange Notes.

The terms and provisions contained in the Notes shall constitute, and are hereby expressly made, a part of this Indenture and the Issuer, the Guarantors, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee, by their execution and delivery of this Indenture, expressly agree to such terms and provisions and to be bound thereby. However, to the extent any provision of any Note conflicts with the express provisions of this Indenture, the provisions of this Indenture shall govern and be controlling.

The Notes shall be subject to repurchase by the Issuer pursuant to an Asset Sale Offer as provided in Section 4.10 hereof or a Change of Control Offer as provided in Section 4.14 hereof. The Notes shall not be redeemable, other than as provided in Article 3 hereof.

Additional Notes ranking pari passu with the Initial Notes may be created and issued from time to time by the Issuer without notice to or consent of the Holders and shall be consolidated with and form a single class with the Initial Notes and shall have the same terms as to status, redemption or otherwise as the Initial Notes except that interest may accrue on the Additional Notes from their date of issuance (or such other date specified by the Issuer); provided that the Issuer’s ability to issue Additional Notes shall be subject to the Issuer’s compliance with Section 4.09 hereof. Any Additional Notes may be issued with the benefit of an indenture supplemental to this Indenture.

(e) Euroclear and Clearstream Applicable Procedures . The provisions of the “Operating Procedures of the Euroclear System” and “Terms and Conditions Governing Use of Euroclear” and the “General Terms and Conditions of Clearstream Banking” and “Customer Handbook” of Clearstream shall be applicable to transfers of beneficial interests in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note and the Regulation S Permanent Global Notes that are held by Participants through Euroclear or Clearstream.

Section 2.02. Execution and Authentication . At least one Officer of the Issuer shall execute the Notes on behalf of the Issuer by manual, facsimile or electronic (including “.pdf”) signature.

If an Officer of the Issuer whose signature is on a Note no longer holds that office at the time the Indenture Administrator authenticates the Note, the Note shall nevertheless be valid.

A Note shall not be entitled to any benefit under this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose until authenticated substantially in the form of Exhibit A, by the manual signature of the Indenture Administrator. The signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Note has been duly authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.

On the Issue Date, the Indenture Administrator shall, upon receipt of an Issuer’s Order (an “ Authentication Order ”), authenticate and deliver the Initial Notes in the aggregate principal amount or amounts specified in such Authentication Order. In addition, at any time, from time to time, the Indenture Administrator shall, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, authenticate and deliver any Additional Notes or Exchange Notes (but only upon completion of an Exchange Offer or in a sale under a Shelf Registration Statement) for an aggregate

 

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principal amount specified in such Authentication Order for such Additional Notes or Exchange Notes issued or increased hereunder.

The Indenture Administrator may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Issuer to authenticate Notes. An authenticating agent may authenticate Notes whenever the Indenture Administrator may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Indenture Administrator includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with Holders or an Affiliate of the Issuer.

Section 2.03. Registrar, Transfer Agent and Paying Agent . The Issuer shall maintain (i) an office or agency where Notes may be presented for registration (“ Registrar ”), an office or agency where Notes may be presented for transfer or for exchange (“ Transfer Agent ”) and (ii) an office or agency where Notes may be presented for payment (“ Paying Agent ”). The Registrar shall keep a register of the Notes (“ Note Register ”) and of their transfer and exchange. The registered Holder of a Note will be treated as the owner of the Note for all purposes. The Issuer may appoint one or more co-registrars, one or more co-transfer agents and one or more additional paying agents. The term “Registrar” includes any co-registrar, the term “Transfer Agent” includes any co-transfer agent and the term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agents. The Issuer may change any Paying Agent, Transfer Agent or Registrar without prior notice to any Holder. The Issuer shall notify the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee in writing of the name and address of any Agent not a party to this Indenture. If the Issuer fails to appoint or maintain another entity as Registrar, Transfer Agent or Paying Agent, the Indenture Administrator shall, to the extent that it is capable, act as such. The Issuer or any of its domestic Subsidiaries may act as Paying Agent, Transfer Agent or Registrar.

The Issuer initially appoints The Depository Trust Company (“ DTC ”) to act as Depositary with respect to the Global Notes representing the Notes.

The Issuer initially appoints the Indenture Administrator to act as the Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar for the Notes and to act as Custodian with respect to the Global Notes.

Section 2.04. Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust . The Issuer shall require each Paying Agent other than the Indenture Administrator to agree in writing that the Paying Agent shall hold in trust for the benefit of Holders or the Indenture Administrator all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal, premium, if any, interest or Additional Interest, if any, on the Notes, and will notify the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee of any default by the Issuer in making any such payment. While any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent (other than the Trustee) to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Issuer at any time may require a Paying Agent (other than the Indenture Administrator) to pay all money held by it to the Indenture Administrator. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Issuer or a Subsidiary or the Trustee) shall have no further liability for the money. If the Issuer or a Subsidiary acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate and hold in a separate trust fund for the benefit of the Holders all money held by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings relating to the Issuer, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee shall serve as Paying Agent for the Notes.

Section 2.05. Holder Lists . The Indenture Administrator shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of all Holders and shall otherwise comply with Section 312(a) of the Trust Indenture Act. If the Indenture Administrator is not the Registrar, the Issuer shall furnish to the Indenture Administrator at least two Business Days before each Interest Payment Date and at such other times as the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee may request in writing, a list in such form and as of such date as the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee may reasonably require of the names and addresses of the Holders and the Issuer shall otherwise comply with Section 312(a) of the Trust Indenture Act.

Section 2.06. Transfer and Exchange .

(a) Transfer and Exchange of Global Notes . Except as otherwise set forth in this Section 2.06, a Global Note may be transferred, in whole and not in part, only to another nominee of the Depositary or to a successor thereto or a nominee of such successor thereto. A beneficial interest in a Global Note may not be exchanged for a Definitive Note unless (i) the Depositary (x) notifies the Issuer that it is unwilling or unable to

 

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continue as Depositary for such Global Note or (y) has ceased to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and, in either case, a successor Depositary is not appointed by the Issuer within 120 days, (ii) the Issuer, at its option, notifies the Indenture Administrator in writing that it elects to cause the issuance of Definitive Notes (although Regulation S Temporary Global Notes may not be exchanged for Definitive Notes prior to (A) the expiration of the Restricted Period and (B) the receipt of any certificate required pursuant to Rule 903(b)(3)(ii)(B)), (iii) upon the request of a Holder if there shall have occurred and be continuing a Default or Event of Default or (iv) upon the request of DTC in accordance with customary DTC procedures. Upon the occurrence of any of the preceding events in (i) above, Definitive Notes delivered in exchange for any Global Note or beneficial interests therein will be registered in the names, and issued in any approved denominations, requested by or on behalf of the Depositary (in accordance with its customary procedures). Global Notes also may be exchanged or replaced, in whole or in part, as provided in Sections 2.07 and 2.10 hereof. Every Note authenticated and delivered in exchange for, or in lieu of, a Global Note or any portion thereof, pursuant to this Section 2.06 or Sections 2.07 or 2.10 hereof, shall be authenticated and delivered in the form of, and shall be, a Global Note, except for Definitive Notes issued subsequent to any of the preceding events in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above and pursuant to Section 2.06(c) hereof. A Global Note may not be exchanged for another Note other than as provided in this Section 2.06(a); provided , however , beneficial interests in a Global Note may be transferred and exchanged as provided in Section 2.06(b), (c) or (f) hereof.

(b) Transfer and Exchange of Beneficial Interests in the Global Notes . The transfer and exchange of beneficial interests in the Global Notes shall be effected through the Depositary in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture and the Applicable Procedures. Beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Notes shall be subject to restrictions on transfer comparable to those set forth herein to the extent required by the Securities Act. Transfers of beneficial interests in the Global Notes also shall require compliance with either subparagraph (i) or (ii) below, as applicable, as well as one or more of the other following subparagraphs, as applicable:

(i) Transfer of Beneficial Interests in the Same Global Note . Beneficial interests in any Restricted Global Note may be transferred to Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in the same Restricted Global Note in accordance with the transfer restrictions set forth in the Private Placement Legend; provided that prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period, transfers of beneficial interests in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note may not be made to a U.S. Person or for the account or benefit of a U.S. Person other than pursuant to Rule 144A or to IAIs other than in accordance with the transfer and certification requirements described herein for exchanges of interests in a Global Note. Beneficial interests in any Unrestricted Global Note may be transferred to Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note. No written orders or instructions shall be required to be delivered to the Registrar to effect the transfers described in this Section 2.06(b)(1).

(ii) All Other Transfers and Exchanges of Beneficial Interests in Global Notes . In connection with all transfers and exchanges of beneficial interests that are not subject to Section 2.06(b)(i) hereof, the transferor of such beneficial interest must deliver to the Registrar either (A) (1) a written order from a Participant or an Indirect Participant given to the Depositary in accordance with the Applicable Procedures directing the Depositary to credit or cause to be credited a beneficial interest in another Global Note in an amount equal to the beneficial interest to be transferred or exchanged and (2) instructions given in accordance with the Applicable Procedures containing information regarding the Participant account to be credited with such increase or (B) (1) a written order from a Participant or an Indirect Participant given to the Depositary in accordance with the Applicable Procedures directing the Depositary to cause to be issued a Definitive Note in an amount equal to the beneficial interest to be transferred or exchanged and (2) instructions given by the Depositary to the Registrar containing information regarding the Person in whose name such Definitive Note shall be registered to effect the transfer or exchange referred to in (1) above; provided that in no event shall Definitive Notes be issued upon the transfer or exchange of beneficial interests in a Regulation S Temporary Global Note prior to (A) the expiration of the applicable Restricted Period therefor and (B) the receipt by the Registrar of any statement of beneficial interest required pursuant to Rule 903(b)(3)(ii)(B). Upon consummation of an Exchange Offer by the Issuer in accordance with Section 2.06(f) hereof, the requirements of this Section 2.06(b)(ii) shall be deemed to have been satisfied upon receipt by the Registrar of the instructions contained in the applicable Letter of Transmittal or in an Agent’s Message delivered by the Holder of such beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Notes. Upon

 

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satisfaction of all of the requirements for transfer or exchange of beneficial interests in Global Notes contained in this Indenture and the Notes or otherwise applicable under the Securities Act, the Indenture Administrator shall adjust the principal amount of the relevant Global Note(s) pursuant to Section 2.06(h) hereof.

(iii) Transfer of Beneficial Interests to Another Restricted Global Note . A beneficial interest in any Restricted Global Note may be transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Restricted Global Note if the transfer complies with the requirements of Section 2.06(b)(ii) hereof and the Registrar receives the following:

(A) if the transferee will take delivery in the form of a beneficial interest in a 144A Global Note, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof; or

(B) if the transferee will take delivery in the form of a beneficial interest in a Regulation S Global Note, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof.

(iv) Transfer and Exchange of Beneficial Interests in a Restricted Global Note for Beneficial Interests in an Unrestricted Global Note . A beneficial interest in any Restricted Global Note may be exchanged by any holder thereof for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note if the exchange or transfer complies with the requirements of Section 2.06(b)(ii) hereof and:

(A) such exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to an Exchange Offer in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement and the holder of the beneficial interest to be transferred, in the case of an exchange, or the transferee, in the case of a transfer, certifies in the applicable Letter of Transmittal that it is not (1) a Participating Broker-Dealer, (2) a Person participating in the distribution of the Exchange Notes or (3) a Person who is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuer;

(B) Notes are sold or exchanged pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act;

(C) such transfer is effected by a Participating Broker-Dealer pursuant to an Exchange Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement; or

(D) the Registrar receives the following:

(1) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such holder substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(a) thereof; or

(2) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

and, in each such case set forth in this subparagraph (D), if the Issuer or Registrar so requests or if the Applicable Procedures so require, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.

 

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If any such transfer is effected pursuant to subparagraph (B) or (D) above at a time when an Unrestricted Global Note has not yet been issued, the Issuer shall issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof, the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate one or more Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of beneficial interests transferred pursuant to subparagraph (B) or (D) above.

Beneficial interests in an Unrestricted Global Note cannot be exchanged for, or transferred to Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of, a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note.

(c) Transfer or Exchange of Beneficial Interests for Definitive Notes .

(i) Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes to Restricted Definitive Notes . If any holder of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Restricted Definitive Note or to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a Restricted Definitive Note, then, upon the occurrence of any of the events in subsection (A) of Section 2.06(a) hereof and receipt by the Registrar of the following documentation:

(A) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Restricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such holder substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (2)(a) thereof;

(B) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to a QIB in accordance with Rule 144A, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof;

(C) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to a Non-U.S. Person in an offshore transaction in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof;

(D) if such beneficial interest is being transferred pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act in accordance with Rule 144, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(a) thereof;

(E) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(b) thereof; or

(F) if such beneficial interest is being transferred pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(c) thereof,

the Indenture Administrator (upon written confirmation of the above from the Registrar if it is not also acting as the Registrar) shall cause the aggregate principal amount of the applicable Global Note to be reduced accordingly pursuant to Section 2.06(h) hereof, and the Issuer shall execute and the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate and mail to the Person designated in the instruction substantially in the form of Exhibit B or Exhibit C, as the case may be, a Definitive Note in the applicable principal amount. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note pursuant to this Section 2.06(c) shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denomination or denominations as the holder of such beneficial interest shall instruct the Registrar through instructions from the Depositary and the Participant or Indirect Participant. The Indenture Administrator (upon written confirmation of the above from the Registrar if it is not also acting as the Registrar) shall mail such Definitive Notes to the Persons in whose names such Notes are so registered. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note pursuant to this Section 2.06(c)(i) shall bear the Private Placement Legend and shall be subject to all restrictions on transfer contained therein.

 

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(ii) Beneficial Interests in Regulation S Temporary Global Note to Definitive Notes . Notwithstanding Section 2.06(c)(i)(A) hereof, a beneficial interest in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note may not be exchanged for a Definitive Note or transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a Definitive Note prior to (A) the expiration of the applicable Restricted Period therefor and (B) the receipt by the Registrar of any statements of beneficial interest required pursuant to Rule 903(b)(3)(ii)(B), except in the case of a transfer pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than Rule 903 or Rule 904.

(iii) Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes . A holder of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note may exchange such beneficial interest for an Unrestricted Definitive Note or may transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note only upon the occurrence of any of the events in subsection (A) of Section 2.06(a) hereof and if:

(A) such exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to an Exchange Offer in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement and the holder of such beneficial interest, in the case of an exchange, or the transferee, in the case of a transfer, certifies in the applicable Letter of Transmittal that it is not (1) a Participating Broker-Dealer, (2) a Person participating in the distribution of the Exchange Notes or (3) a Person who is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuer;

(B) such transfer is effected pursuant to a Shelf Registration Statement in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement;

(C) such transfer is effected by a Participating Broker-Dealer pursuant to an Exchange Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement; or

(D) the Registrar receives the following:

(1) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such holder substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(b) thereof; or

(2) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such holder substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

and, in each such case set forth in this subparagraph (D), if the Registrar or the Issuer so requests or if the Applicable Procedures so require, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.

(iv) Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes . If any holder of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Definitive Note or to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a Definitive Note, then, upon the occurrence of any of the events in clause (ii) of Section 2.06(a) hereof and satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 2.06(b)(ii) hereof, the Indenture Administrator (upon written confirmation by the Registrar of the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 2.06(b)(ii) if it is not also acting as Registrar) shall cause the aggregate principal amount of the applicable Global Note to be reduced accordingly pursuant to Section 2.06(h) hereof, and the Issuer shall execute and the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate and mail to the Person designated in the instructions a

 

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Definitive Note in the applicable principal amount. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest pursuant to this Section 2.06(c)(iv) shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denomination or denominations as the holder of such beneficial interest shall instruct the Registrar through instructions from or through the Depositary and the Participant or Indirect Participant. The Indenture Administrator shall mail such Definitive Notes to the Persons in whose names such Notes are so registered. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest pursuant to this Section 2.06(c)(iv) shall not bear the Private Placement Legend.

(d) Transfer and Exchange of Definitive Notes for Beneficial Interests .

(i) Restricted Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes . If any Holder of a Restricted Definitive Note proposes to exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note or to transfer such Restricted Definitive Note to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note, then, upon receipt by the Registrar of the following documentation:

(A) if the Holder of such Restricted Definitive Note proposes to exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (2)(b) thereof;

(B) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to a QIB in accordance with Rule 144A, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof;

(C) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to a Non-U.S. Person in an offshore transaction in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof;

(D) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act in accordance with Rule 144, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(a) thereof;

(E) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(b) thereof; or

(F) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(c) thereof,

the Indenture Administrator (upon written confirmation of the above from the Registrar if it is not also acting as the Registrar) shall cancel the Restricted Definitive Note and increase or cause to be increased the aggregate principal amount of, in the case of clause (A) above, the applicable Restricted Global Note, in the case of clause (B) above, the applicable 144A Global Note, in the case of clause (C) above, the applicable Regulation S Global Note and in the case of clause (D) above, the applicable Institutional Accredited Investor Global Note.

(ii) Restricted Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global Notes . A Holder of a Restricted Definitive Note may exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transfer such Restricted Definitive Note to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note only if:

(A) such exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to an Exchange Offer in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement and the Holder, in the case of an exchange, or the transferee, in the case of a transfer, certifies in the applicable Letter of Transmittal that it is not (1) a Participating Broker-Dealer, (2) a Person participating in the

 

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distribution of the Exchange Notes or (3) a Person who is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuer;

(B) such transfer is effected pursuant to a Shelf Registration Statement in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement;

(C) such transfer is effected by a Participating Broker-Dealer pursuant to an Exchange Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement; or

(D) the Registrar receives the following:

(1) if the Holder of such Definitive Notes proposes to exchange such Notes for a beneficial interest in the Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(c) thereof; or

(2) if the Holder of such Definitive Notes proposes to transfer such Notes to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in the Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

and, in each such case set forth in this subparagraph (D), if the Registrar or the Issuer so requests or if the Applicable Procedures so require, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.

Upon satisfaction of the conditions of this Section 2.06(d)(ii), the Indenture Administrator (upon written confirmation of the above from the Registrar if it is not also acting as the Registrar) shall cancel the Restricted Definitive Note and increase or cause to be increased the aggregate principal amount of the Unrestricted Global Note.

(iii) Unrestricted Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global Notes . A Holder of an Unrestricted Definitive Note may request from the Registrar to exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transfer such Definitive Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note at any time. Upon receipt of a request by the Registrar for such an exchange or transfer, the Registrar shall instruct the Indenture Administrator to cancel the applicable Unrestricted Definitive Note and increase or cause to be increased the aggregate principal amount of one of the Unrestricted Global Notes.

If any such exchange or transfer from a Definitive Note to a beneficial interest is effected pursuant to subparagraph (ii)(B), (ii)(D) or (iii) above at a time when an Unrestricted Global Note has not yet been issued, the Issuer shall issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof, the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate one or more Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of Definitive Notes so transferred.

(e) Transfer and Exchange of Definitive Notes for Definitive Notes . Upon request by a Holder of Definitive Notes and such Holder’s compliance with the provisions of this Section 2.06(e), the Registrar shall register the transfer or exchange of Definitive Notes. Prior to such registration of transfer or exchange, the requesting Holder shall present or surrender to the Registrar the Definitive Notes duly endorsed or accompanied by a written instruction of transfer in form satisfactory to the Registrar duly executed by such Holder or by its attorney, duly authorized in writing. In addition, the requesting Holder shall provide any additional certifications, documents and information, as applicable, required pursuant to the following provisions of this Section 2.06(e):

 

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(i) Restricted Definitive Notes to Restricted Definitive Notes . Any Restricted Definitive Note may be transferred to and registered in the name of Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a Restricted Definitive Note if the Registrar receives the following:

(A) if the transfer will be made pursuant to Rule 144A, then the transferor must deliver a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof;

(B) if the transfer will be made pursuant to Rule 903 or Rule 904 then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof; or

(C) if the transfer will be made pursuant to any other exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications required by item (3) thereof, if applicable.

(ii) Restricted Definitive Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes . Any Restricted Definitive Note may be exchanged by the Holder thereof for an Unrestricted Definitive Note or transferred to a Person or Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note if:

(A) such exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to an Exchange Offer in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement;

(B) any such transfer is effected pursuant to a Shelf Registration Statement in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement;

(C) any such transfer is effected by a Participating Broker-Dealer pursuant to an Exchange Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement; or

(D) the Registrar receives the following:

(1) if the Holder of such Restricted Definitive Notes proposes to exchange such Notes for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such Holder substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(d) thereof; or

(2) if the Holder of such Restricted Definitive Notes proposes to transfer such Notes to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such Holder substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

and, in each such case set forth in this subparagraph (D), if the Registrar or the Issuer so requests, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.

(iii) Unrestricted Definitive Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes . A Holder of Unrestricted Definitive Notes may transfer such Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note. Upon receipt of a request to register such a transfer, the Registrar shall register the Unrestricted Definitive Notes pursuant to the instructions from the Holder thereof.

(f) Exchange Offer . Upon the occurrence of an Exchange Offer in accordance with the applicable Registration Rights Agreement, the Issuer shall issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance

 

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with Section 2.02 hereof, the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate (i) one or more Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Notes tendered for acceptance by Persons that certify in the applicable Letters of Transmittal or in an Agent’s Message that (x) they are not Participating Broker-Dealers, (y) they are not participating in a distribution of the Exchange Notes and (z) they are not affiliates (as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuer, and accepted for exchange in an Exchange Offer and (ii) Unrestricted Definitive Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Restricted Definitive Notes tendered for acceptance by Persons that certify in the applicable Letters of Transmittal that (x) they are not Participating Broker-Dealers, (y) they are not participating in a distribution of the Exchange Notes and (z) they are not affiliates (as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuer, and accepted for exchange in an Exchange Offer. Concurrently with the issuance of such Notes, the Indenture Administrator shall cause the aggregate principal amount of the applicable Restricted Global Notes to be reduced accordingly, and the Issuer shall execute and the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate and mail to the Persons designated by the Holders of Definitive Notes so accepted Unrestricted Definitive Notes in the applicable principal amount. Any Notes that remain outstanding after the consummation of an Exchange Offer, and Exchange Notes issued in connection with such Exchange Offer, shall be treated as a single class of securities under this Indenture.

(g) Legends . The following legends shall appear on the face of all Global Notes and Definitive Notes issued under this Indenture unless specifically stated otherwise in the applicable provisions of this Indenture:

(i) Private Placement Legend .

(A) Except as permitted by subparagraph (B) below, each Global Note and each Definitive Note (and all Notes issued in exchange therefor or substitution thereof) shall bear the legend in substantially the following form:

“THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, SUCH REGISTRATION. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY, BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF, AGREES ON ITS OWN BEHALF AND ON BEHALF OF ANY INVESTOR ACCOUNT FOR WHICH IT HAS PURCHASED SECURITIES, TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER SUCH SECURITY, PRIOR TO THE DATE (THE “RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION DATE”) THAT IS [IN THE CASE OF THE RULE 144A GLOBAL NOTE AND THE INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR GLOBAL NOTE: ONE YEAR AFTER THE LATER OF THE ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE HEREOF, THE ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE OF THE ISSUANCE OF ANY ADDITIONAL NOTES AND THE LAST DATE ON WHICH THE ISSUER OR ANY AFFILIATE OF THE ISSUER WAS THE OWNER OF THIS SECURITY (OR ANY PREDECESSOR OF SUCH SECURITY),] [IN THE CASE OF THE REGULATION S GLOBAL NOTE: 40 DAYS AFTER THE LATER OF THE ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE HEREOF AND THE DATE ON WHICH THIS SECURITY (OR ANY PREDECESSOR OF SUCH SECURITY) WAS FIRST OFFERED TO PERSONS OTHER THAN DISTRIBUTORS (AS DEFINED IN RULE 902 OF REGULATION S) IN RELIANCE ON REGULATION S], ONLY (A) TO THE ISSUER OR ANY SUBSIDIARY THEREOF, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) FOR SO LONG AS THE SECURITIES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT (“RULE 144A”), TO A PERSON IT REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A “QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER” AS DEFINED IN RULE 144A THAT PURCHASES FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER TO WHOM NOTICE IS GIVEN THAT THE TRANSFER IS BEING MADE IN RELIANCE ON RULE 144A, (D) PURSUANT TO OFFERS AND SALES TO NON-U.S. PERSONS THAT OCCUR OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE

 

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MEANING OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF RULE 501(a)(1), (2), (3) OR (7) UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS NOT A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER AND THAT IS PURCHASING FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF ANOTHER INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, IN EACH CASE IN A MINIMUM PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF THE SECURITIES OF $250,000, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH ANY DISTRIBUTIN IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANOTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE ISSUER’S AND THE REGISTRAR’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER PURSUANT TO CLAUSES (D), (E) OR (F) TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/ OR OTHER INFORMATION DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE AND OTHERWISE SATISFACTORY TO EACH OF THEM. THIS LEGEND WILL BE REMOVED UPON THE REQUEST OF THE HOLDER AFTER THE RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION DATE. [IN THE CASE OF THE REGULATION S GLOBAL NOTE: BY ITS ACQUISITION HEREOF, THE HOLDER HEREOF REPRESENTS THAT IT IS NOT A U.S. PERSON NOR IS IT PURCHASING FOR THE ACCOUNT OF A U.S. PERSON AND IS ACQUIRING THIS SECURITY IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT.]

(B) Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Global Note or Definitive Note issued pursuant to subparagraph (b)(iv), (c)(iii), (c)(iv), (d)(ii), (d)(iii), (e)(ii), (e)(iii) or (f) of this Section 2.06 (and all Notes issued in exchange therefor or substitution thereof) shall not bear the Private Placement Legend.

(ii) Global Note Legend . Each Global Note shall bear a legend in substantially the following form (with appropriate changes in the last sentence if DTC is not the Depositary):

“THIS GLOBAL NOTE IS HELD BY THE DEPOSITARY (AS DEFINED IN THE INDENTURE GOVERNING THIS NOTE) OR ITS NOMINEE IN CUSTODY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BENEFICIAL OWNERS HEREOF, AND IS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANY PERSON UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EXCEPT THAT (I) THE INDENTURE ADMINISTRATOR MAY MAKE SUCH NOTATIONS HEREON AS MAY BE REQUIRED PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06(h) OF THE INDENTURE, (II) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE EXCHANGED IN WHOLE BUT NOT IN PART PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06(a) OF THE INDENTURE, (III) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE DELIVERED TO THE INDENTURE ADMINISTRATOR FOR CANCELLATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.11 OF THE INDENTURE AND (IV) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE ISSUER. UNLESS AND UNTIL IT IS EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR NOTES IN DEFINITIVE FORM, THIS NOTE MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY. UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY (55 WATER STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK) (“DTC”) TO THE ISSUER OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR SUCH OTHER NAME AS MAY BE REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS MAY BE REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED

 

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REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.”

(iii) Regulation S Temporary Global Note Legend . The Regulation S Temporary Global Note shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:

“THIS SECURITY IS A TEMPORARY GLOBAL NOTE. PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE RESTRICTED PERIOD APPLICABLE HERETO, BENEFICIAL INTERESTS HEREIN MAY NOT BE HELD BY ANY PERSON OTHER THAN (1) A NON-U.S. PERSON OR (2) A U.S. PERSON THAT PURCHASED SUCH INTEREST IN A TRANSACTION EXEMPT FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”). BENEFICIAL INTERESTS HEREIN ARE NOT EXCHANGEABLE FOR PHYSICAL NOTES OTHER THAN A PERMANENT GLOBAL NOTE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF THE INDENTURE. TERMS IN THIS LEGEND ARE USED AS USED IN REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT.”

(iv) ERISA Legend . Each Global Note and each Definitive Note and all Notes issued in exchange therefor or substitution thereof shall bear the legend in substantially the following:

“BY ITS ACQUISITION OF THIS SECURITY THE HOLDER AND ANY SUBSEQUENT TRANSFEREE HEREOF WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED AND WARRANTED THAT EITHER (I) NO PORTION OF THE ASSETS USED BY SUCH HOLDER OR ANY TRANSFEREE TO ACQUIRE AND HOLD THIS SECURITY CONSTITUTES THE ASSETS OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN THAT IS SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE U.S. EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OF A PLAN, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER ARRANGEMENT THAT IS SUBJECT TO SECTION 4975 OF THE U.S. INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”), OR PROVISIONS UNDER ANY FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, NON-U.S. OR OTHER LAWS OR REGULATIONS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO SUCH PROVISIONS OF ERISA OR THE CODE (“SIMILAR LAWS”), OR OF AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS ARE CONSIDERED TO INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” OF SUCH PLAN, ACCOUNT OR ARRANGEMENT, OR (II) THE ACQUISITION AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY BY SUCH HOLDER OR TRANSFEREE WILL NOT CONSTITUTE A NON-EXEMPT PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE OR A SIMILAR VIOLATION UNDER ANY APPLICATION SIMILAR LAWS.”

(h) Automatic Exchange from Restricted Global Note to Unrestricted Global . Upon the Issuer’s satisfaction that the Private Placement Legend shall no longer be required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act, beneficial interests in a Restricted Global Note may be automatically exchanged into beneficial interests in an “Unrestricted Global Note” without any action required by or on behalf of the Holder (the “ Automatic Exchange ”) at any time on or after the date that is the 366th calendar day after (A) with respect to the Notes issued on the Issue Date, the Issue Date or (B) with respect to Additional Notes, if any, the issue date of such Additional Notes, or, in each case, if such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day (the “ Automatic Exchange Date ”). Upon the Issuer’s satisfaction that the Private Placement Legend shall no longer be required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act, the Issuer may pursuant to the rules and procedures (i) provide written notice to DTC at least fifteen calendar days prior to the Automatic Exchange Date, instructing DTC to exchange all of the outstanding beneficial interests in a particular Restricted Global Note to the Unrestricted Global Note, which the Issuer shall have previously otherwise made eligible for exchange with the DTC, (ii) provide

 

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prior written notice (the “ Automatic Exchange Notice ”) to each Holder at such Holder’s address appearing in the register of Holders at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior to the Automatic Exchange Date (the “ Automatic Exchange Notice Date ”), which notice must include (w) the Automatic Exchange Date, (x) the section of the Indenture pursuant to which the Automatic Exchange shall occur, (y) the “CUSIP” number of the Restricted Global Note from which such Holder’s beneficial interests shall be transferred and the (z) “CUSIP” number of the Unrestricted Global Note into which such Holder’s beneficial interests shall be transferred, and (iii) on or prior to the Automatic Exchange Date, deliver to the Indenture Administrator for authentication upon receipt of an Authentication Order, one or more Unrestricted Global Notes, duly executed by the Issuer, in an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of Restricted Global Notes to be exchanged. At the Issuer’s request on no less than seven calendar days’ notice prior to the Automatic Exchange Notice Date, the Indenture Administrator shall deliver, in the Issuer’s name and at its expense, the Automatic Exchange Notice to each Holder at such Holder’s address appearing in the register of Note Register. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 2.06(h), during the fifteen day period prior to the Automatic Exchange Date, no transfers or exchanges other than pursuant to this Section 2.06(h) shall be permitted without the prior written consent of the Issuer. As a condition to any Automatic Exchange, the Issuer shall provide, and the Indenture Administrator shall be entitled to rely upon, an Officer’s Certificate in form reasonably acceptable to the Indenture Administrator to the effect that the Automatic Exchange shall be effected in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Restricted Notes Legend shall no longer be required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and that the aggregate principal amount of the particular Restricted Global Note is to be transferred to the particular Unrestricted Global Note by adjustment made on the records of the Indenture Administrator, as custodian for the Depositary to reflect the Automatic Exchange. Upon such exchange of beneficial interests pursuant to this Section 2.06(h), the aggregate principal amount of the Global Notes shall be increased or decreased by adjustments made on the records of the Indenture Administrator, as custodian for the Depositary, to reflect the relevant increase or decrease in the principal amount of such Global Note resulting from the applicable exchange. The Restricted Global Note from which beneficial interests are transferred pursuant to an Automatic Exchange shall be canceled following the Automatic Exchange.

(i) Cancellation and/or Adjustment of Global Notes . At such time as all beneficial interests in a particular Global Note have been exchanged for Definitive Notes or a particular Global Note has been redeemed, repurchased or cancelled in whole and not in part, each such Global Note shall be returned to or retained and cancelled by the Indenture Administrator in accordance with Section 2.11 hereof. At any time prior to such cancellation, if any beneficial interest in a Global Note is exchanged for or transferred to a Person who will take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Global Note or for Definitive Notes, the principal amount of Notes represented by such Global Note shall be reduced accordingly and an endorsement shall be made on such Global Note by the Indenture Administrator or by the Depositary at the direction of the Indenture Administrator to reflect such reduction; and if the beneficial interest is being exchanged for or transferred to a Person who will take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Global Note, such other Global Note shall be increased accordingly and an endorsement shall be made on such Global Note by the Indenture Administrator or by the Depositary at the direction of the Indenture Administrator to reflect such increase.

(j) General Provisions Relating to Transfers and Exchanges .

(i) To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Issuer shall execute and the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate Global Notes and Definitive Notes upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof or at the Registrar’s request.

(ii) No service charge shall be made to a holder of a beneficial interest in a Global Note or to a Holder of a Definitive Note for any registration of transfer or exchange, but the Issuer may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer taxes or similar governmental charge payable upon exchange or transfer pursuant to Sections 2.07, 2.10, 3.06, 3.09, 4.10, 4.14, and 9.05 hereof).

(iii) Neither the Registrar nor the Issuer shall be required (A) to issue, to register the transfer of or to exchange any Notes during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of any selection of Notes for redemption under Section 3.02 hereof and ending at the close of business on the

 

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day of selection or (B) to register the transfer of or to exchange a Note between a Record Date with respect to such Note and the next succeeding Interest Payment Date with respect to such Note.

(iv) Neither the Registrar nor the Issuer shall be required to register the transfer of or exchange any Note selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part.

(v) All Global Notes and Definitive Notes issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Global Notes or Definitive Notes shall be the valid obligations of the Issuer, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Global Notes or Definitive Notes surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.

(vi) Prior to due presentment for the registration of a transfer of any Note, the Indenture Administrator, any Agent, the Trustee and the Issuer may deem and treat the Person in whose name any Note is registered as the absolute owner of such Note for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on such Notes and for all other purposes, and none of the Indenture Administrator, any Agent, the Trustee or the Issuer shall be affected by notice to the contrary. So long as the Depositary or its nominee is the registered owner of a Global Note, the Depositary or such nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or Holder represented by the Global Note for all purposes under this Indenture. Owners of beneficial interests in respect of a Global Note will not be entitled to have Notes represented by such Global Note registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificated Notes, and will not be considered the owners or holders thereof under the Indenture for any purpose, including with respect to the giving of any direction, instruction or approval to the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee thereunder. Accordingly, each Holder owning a beneficial interest in respect of a Global Note must rely on the procedures of the Depositary and, if such Holder is not a participant or an indirect participant, on the procedures of the participant through which such Holder owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a Holder of Notes under this Indenture or such Global Note.

(vii) Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Note at the office or agency of the Issuer designated pursuant to Section 4.02 hereof, the Issuer shall execute, and the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate and mail, in the name of the designated transferee or transferees, one or more replacement Notes of any authorized denomination or denominations of a like aggregate principal amount.

(viii) At the option of the Holder, subject to Section 2.06(a) hereof, Notes may be exchanged for other Notes of any authorized denomination or denominations of a like aggregate principal amount upon surrender of the Notes to be exchanged at such office or agency. Whenever any Global Notes or Definitive Notes are so surrendered for exchange, the Issuer shall execute, and the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate and mail, the replacement Global Notes and Definitive Notes which the Holder making the exchange is entitled to in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.02 hereof.

(ix) All certifications, certificates and Opinions of Counsel required to be submitted to the Registrar pursuant to this Section 2.06 to effect a registration of transfer or exchange may be submitted by facsimile.

(x) The Indenture Administrator and/or the Registrar shall be entitled to request such evidence reasonably satisfactory to it documenting the identity and/or signatures of the transferor and the transferee.

(xi) None of the Indenture Administrator, the Registrar or the Trustee shall have any obligation or duty to monitor, determine or inquire as to compliance with any restrictions on transfer imposed under this Indenture or Applicable Procedures with respect to any transfer of any interest in any Note (including any transfers between or among Holders) other than to require delivery of such certificates and other documentation or evidence as are expressly required by, and to do so if and when expressly

 

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required by, this Indenture, and to examine the same to determine material compliance as to form with the express requirements hereof.

Section 2.07. Replacement Notes . If any mutilated Note is surrendered to the Indenture Administrator, the Registrar or the Issuer and the Indenture Administrator receives evidence to its satisfaction of the ownership and destruction, loss or theft of any Note, the Issuer shall issue and the Indenture Administrator, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, shall authenticate a replacement Note if the Indenture Administrator’s requirements are met. If required by the Indenture Administrator or the Issuer, an indemnity bond must be supplied by the Holder that is sufficient in the judgment of both (i) the Indenture Administrator to protect the Indenture Administrator and (ii) the Issuer to protect the Issuer, the Indenture Administrator, any Agent and any authenticating agent from any loss that any of them may suffer if a Note is replaced. The Issuer and the Indenture Administrator may charge the Holder for their expenses in replacing a Note.

Every replacement Note is a contractual obligation of the Issuer and shall be entitled to all of the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with all other Notes duly issued hereunder.

Section 2.08. Outstanding Notes . The Notes outstanding at any time are all the Notes authenticated by the Indenture Administrator except for those cancelled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation, those reductions in the interest in a Global Note effected by the Indenture Administrator in accordance with the provisions hereof and those described in this Section 2.08 as not outstanding. Except as set forth in Section 2.09 hereof, a Note does not cease to be outstanding because the Issuer or a Guarantor or an Affiliate of the Issuer or a Guarantor holds the Note.

If a Note is replaced pursuant to Section 2.07 hereof, it ceases to be outstanding unless the Indenture Administrator receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Note is held by a protected purchaser (as defined in Section 8-303 of the Uniform Commercial Code).

Notes in exchange for or in lieu of which other Notes have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to this Indenture shall not be deemed to be outstanding for purposes hereof.

If the principal amount of any Note is considered paid under Section 4.01 hereof, it ceases to be outstanding and interest on it ceases to accrue.

If the Paying Agent (other than the Issuer or a Guarantor or an Affiliate of the Issuer or a Guarantor) holds, on a Redemption Date or maturity date, money sufficient to pay Notes (or portions thereof) payable on that date, then on and after that date such Notes (or portions thereof) shall be deemed to be no longer outstanding (including for accounting purposes) and shall cease to accrue interest.

Section 2.09. Treasury Notes . In determining whether the Holders of the required principal amount of Notes have concurred in any direction, waiver or consent, Notes owned by the Issuer or by any Affiliate of the Issuer, shall be considered as though not outstanding, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such direction, waiver or consent, only Notes that a Responsible Officer of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as the case may be, knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. Notes so owned which have been pledged in good faith shall not be disregarded if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as the case may be, the pledgee’s right to deliver any such direction, waiver or consent with respect to the Notes and that the pledgee is not the Issuer or a Guarantor or any Affiliate of the Issuer or a Guarantor.

Section 2.10. Temporary Notes . Until certificates representing Notes are ready for delivery, the Issuer may prepare and the Indenture Administrator, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, shall authenticate temporary Notes. Temporary Notes shall be substantially in the form of certificated Notes but may have variations that the Issuer considers appropriate for temporary Notes and as shall be in form reasonably acceptable to the Indenture Administrator. Without unreasonable delay, the Issuer shall prepare and the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate definitive Notes in exchange for temporary Notes.

 

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Holders and beneficial holders, as the case may be, of temporary Notes shall be entitled to all of the benefits accorded to Holders, or beneficial holders, respectively, of Notes under this Indenture.

Section 2.11. Cancellation . The Issuer at any time may deliver Notes to the Indenture Administrator for cancellation. The Registrar and Paying Agent shall forward to the Indenture Administrator any Notes surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Indenture Administrator or, at the direction of the Indenture Administrator, the Registrar or the Paying Agent and no one else shall cancel all Notes surrendered for registration of transfer, exchange, payment, replacement or cancellation and shall dispose of such cancelled Notes in its customary manner. Certification of the disposal of all cancelled Notes shall be delivered to the Issuer upon its request therefor. The Issuer may not issue new Notes to replace Notes that it has paid or that have been delivered to the Indenture Administrator for cancellation.

Section 2.12. Defaulted Interest . If the Issuer defaults in a payment of interest on the Notes, it shall pay the defaulted interest in any lawful manner plus, to the extent lawful, interest payable on the defaulted interest, in each case at the rate provided in the Notes and in Section 4.01 hereof. The Issuer may pay the defaulted interest to the Persons who are Holders on a subsequent special record date. The Issuer shall promptly notify the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee in writing of the amount of defaulted interest proposed to be paid on each Note and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Issuer shall deposit with the Indenture Administrator an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such defaulted interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Indenture Administrator for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such defaulted interest as provided in this Section 2.12. The Trustee shall (or the Indenture Administrator on its behalf shall) fix or cause to be fixed any such special record date and payment date; provided that no such special record date shall be less than 10 days prior to the related payment date for such defaulted interest. The Trustee (or the Indenture Administrator on its behalf) shall promptly notify the Issuer of any such special record date. At least 15 days before any such special record date, the Issuer (or, upon the written request of the Issuer, the Indenture Administrator in the name and at the expense of the Issuer) shall mail or cause to be mailed, first-class postage prepaid, to each Holder, with a copy to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee, a notice at his or her address as it appears in the Note Register that states the special record date, the related payment date and the amount of such interest to be paid.

Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.12 and for greater certainty, each Note delivered under this Indenture upon registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Note shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, which were carried by such other Note.

Section 2.13. CUSIP/ISIN Numbers . The Issuer in issuing the Notes may use CUSIP and ISIN numbers (in each case, if then generally in use) and, if so, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee shall use CUSIP and ISIN numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Notes or as contained in any notice of redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Notes, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Issuer will as promptly as practicable notify the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee in writing of any change in the CUSIP and ISIN numbers.

ARTICLE 3

R EDEMPTION

Section 3.01. Notices to Indenture Administrator and Trustee . If the Issuer elects to redeem Notes, as the case may be, pursuant to Section 3.07 hereof, it shall furnish to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee, no later than three Business Days prior to the date that notice of redemption is required to be mailed or cause to be mailed to Holders pursuant to Section 3.03 hereof but not more than 60 days before the date of redemption (the “ Redemption Date ”), an Officer’s Certificate setting forth (i) the paragraph or subparagraph of such Note and/or Section of this Indenture pursuant to which the redemption shall occur, (ii) the Redemption Date, (iii) the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed and (iv) the redemption price.

 

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Section 3.02. Selection of Notes to Be Redeemed . If the Issuer elects to redeem less than all of the Notes issued by it at any time, the Indenture Administrator shall select the Notes to be redeemed (a) if the Notes are listed on any national securities exchange, in compliance with the requirements of the principal national securities exchange on which the Notes are listed, (b) on a pro rata basis (to the extent practicable) or (c) by lot or by such other similar method in accordance with the procedures of DTC (if the Notes are Global Notes). In the event of partial redemption by lot, the particular Notes to be redeemed shall be selected, unless otherwise provided herein, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date by the Indenture Administrator in accordance with the procedures of DTC from the outstanding Notes not previously called for redemption.

The Indenture Administrator shall promptly notify the Issuer in writing of the Notes selected for redemption and, in the case of any Note selected for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. No Notes of $2,000 or less can be redeemed or purchased in part, except that if all of the Notes of a Holder are to be redeemed or purchased, the entire outstanding amount of Notes held by such Holder even if not in a principal amount of at least $2,000 or an integral multiple thereof, may be redeemed or purchased. Except as provided in this Indenture, provisions of this Indenture that apply to Notes called for redemption or purchase also apply to portions of Notes called for redemption or purchase.

Section 3.03. Notice of Redemption . The Issuer shall deliver electronically or mail or cause to be mailed by first-class mail, postage prepaid, notices of redemption at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before the Redemption Date to each Holder of Notes to be redeemed at such Holder’s registered address or otherwise in accordance with Applicable Procedures, except that redemption notices may be mailed more than 60 days prior to a Redemption Date if the notice is issued in connection with Article 8 or Article 11 hereof. Notices of redemption may, at the Issuer’s discretion, be conditional.

The notice shall identify the Notes to be redeemed and shall state:

(a) the Redemption Date;

(b) the redemption price;

(c) if any Definitive Note is to be redeemed in part only, the portion of the principal amount of that Note that is to be redeemed and that, after the Redemption Date upon surrender of such Note, a new Note or Notes in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original Note representing the same indebtedness to the extent not redeemed will be issued in the name of the Holder upon cancellation of the original Note;

(d) the name and address of the Paying Agent;

(e) that Notes called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price;

(f) that, unless the Issuer defaults in making such redemption payment, interest on Notes called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the Redemption Date;

(g) the paragraph or subparagraph of the Notes and/or Section of this Indenture pursuant to which the Notes called for redemption are being redeemed;

(h) the CUSIP and ISIN number, if any, printed on the Notes being redeemed and that no representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of any such CUSIP and ISIN number that is listed in such notice or printed on the Notes; and

(i) any condition to such redemption.

At the Issuer’s request, the Indenture Administrator shall give the notice of redemption in the Issuer’s name and at its expense; provided that the Issuer shall have delivered to the Indenture Administrator, no later than three

 

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Business Days prior to the date that the notice of redemption is required to be mailed or caused to be mailed to Holders pursuant to this Section 3.03 (unless a shorter notice shall be agreed to by the Indenture Administrator), an Officer’s Certificate requesting that the Indenture Administrator give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in such notice as provided in the preceding paragraph.

If the Notes are listed on an exchange, and the rules of such exchange so require, the Issuer will notify the exchange of any such redemption and, if applicable, of the principal amount of any Notes outstanding following any partial redemption of Notes.

Section 3.04. Effect of Notice of Redemption . A notice of redemption, if mailed in a manner herein provided, shall be conclusively presumed to have been given, whether or not the Holder receives such notice. In any case, failure to deliver such notice or any defect in the notice to the Holder of any Note designated for redemption in whole or in part shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Note. Subject to Section 3.05 hereof, on and after the Redemption Date, interest ceases to accrue on Notes or portions of Notes called for redemption.

Section 3.05. Deposit of Redemption or Purchase Price .

(a) Prior to 11:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the Redemption Date, the Issuer shall deposit with the Indenture Administrator or with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the redemption or purchase price of and accrued and unpaid interest (included Additional Interest, if any) on all Notes to be redeemed or purchased on that Redemption Date. The Indenture Administrator or the Paying Agent shall promptly return to the Issuer any money deposited with the Indenture Administrator or the Paying Agent by the Issuer in excess of the amounts necessary to pay the redemption price of, and accrued and unpaid interest (including Additional Interest, if any) on, all Notes to be redeemed or purchased.

(b) If the Issuer complies with the provisions of the preceding paragraph (a), on and after the Redemption Date, interest shall cease to accrue on the Notes or the portions of Notes called for redemption. If a Note is redeemed on or after a Record Date but on or prior to the related Interest Payment Date, then any accrued and unpaid interest to the Redemption Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Note was registered at the close of business on such Record Date. If any Note called for redemption shall not be so paid upon surrender for redemption because of the failure of the Issuer to comply with the preceding paragraph, interest shall be paid on the unpaid principal, from the Redemption Date until such principal is paid, and to the extent lawful on any interest accrued to the Redemption Date not paid on such unpaid principal, in each case at the rate provided in the Notes and in Section 4.01 hereof.

Section 3.06. Notes Redeemed in Part . Upon surrender of a Definitive Note that is redeemed in part, the Issuer shall issue and the Indenture Administrator shall authenticate for the Holder at the expense of the Issuer a new Note equal in principal amount to the unredeemed portion of the Note surrendered representing the same indebtedness to the extent not redeemed; provided that each new Note will be in a principal amount of $2,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess of $2,000. It is understood that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Indenture, only an Authentication Order and not an Opinion of Counsel or Officer’s Certificate is required for the Indenture Administrator to authenticate such new Note.

Section 3.07. Optional Redemption .

(a) The Issuer may redeem the Notes at any time, in whole or in part, upon notice in accordance with Sections 3.02 and Section 3.03 hereof, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon and Additional Interest, if any, to, but excluding the applicable Redemption Date, subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date, if redeemed on or after any of the dates indicated below until the subsequent date indicated below:

 

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Year

   Percentage  

November 23, 2010

     100.50

December 1, 2011

     102.50

December 1, 2012

     102.00

December 1, 2013 and thereafter

     100.00

(b) Any redemption pursuant to this Section 3.07 shall be made pursuant to the provisions of Sections 3.01 through Section 3.06 hereof. Any redemption or notice of any redemption may, at the Issuer’s discretion, be subject to one or more conditions precedent, including, but not limited to, completion of an Equity Offering (in the case of an Equity Offering), other offering or other corporate transaction or event. Notice of any redemption in respect of an Equity Offering may be given prior to the completion thereof.

(c) The Indenture Administrator shall select the Notes to be redeemed in the manner described under Section 3.02 hereof.

Section 3.08. Special Mandatory Redemption .

(a) All of the Notes then outstanding will be redeemed on the Special Redemption Date (as defined below) at a redemption price equal to 98.5% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes issued on the Issue Date plus accrued interest on the Notes to, but excluding, the Special Redemption Date if:

(i) irrevocable notice for the redemption of all of the outstanding ABS Notes has not been given under the indenture governing the ABS Notes on or prior to December 17, 2010,

(ii) the closing documents required to be escrowed under the Documentation Escrow Agreement (as defined in the Escrow Agreement) have not been deposited with the documentation escrow agent under the Documentation Escrow Agreement on or prior to December 17, 2010, or

(iii) the Escrow Issuer notifies the Escrow Agent in writing that it will not pursue the consummation of the Recapitalization on or prior to December 21, 2010

(the date of any such occurrence, the “ Escrow Termination Date ”).

If the Escrow Termination Date occurs, then the Notes will be redeemed on the first Business Day after release of the escrowed funds by the Escrow Agent to the Indenture Administrator (the “ Special Redemption Date ”), without the requirement of notice to the Trustee, the Indenture Administrator, any Holder or any other Person. The foregoing provisions will cease to apply if the Escrow Termination Date has not occurred on or prior to December 21, 2010.

(b) Except as described in Section 3.08(a) hereof, the Issuer shall not be required to make any mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the Notes.

Section 3.09. Offers to Repurchase by Application of Excess Proceeds .

(a) In the event that, pursuant to Section 4.10 hereof, the Issuer shall be required to commence an Asset Sale Offer, it shall follow the procedures specified below.

(b) The Asset Sale Offer shall remain open for a period of 20 Business Days following its commencement and no longer, except to the extent that a longer period is required by applicable law (the “ Offer Period ”). No later than five Business Days after the termination of the Offer Period (the “ Purchase Date ”), the Issuer shall apply all Excess Proceeds (the “ Offer Amount ”) to the purchase of Notes and, if required, Pari Passu Indebtedness (on a pro rata basis, if applicable, with adjustments as necessary so that no Notes or Pari Passu Indebtedness will be repurchased in part in an unauthorized denomination), or, if less than the Offer Amount has

 

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been tendered, all Notes and Pari Passu Indebtedness tendered in response to the Asset Sale Offer. Payment for any Notes so purchased shall be made in the same manner as interest payments are made.

(c) If the Purchase Date is on or after a Record Date and on or before the related Interest Payment Date, any accrued and unpaid interest, up to but excluding the Purchase Date, shall be paid to the Person in whose name a Note is registered at the close of business on such Record Date, and no additional interest shall be payable to Holders who tender Notes pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer.

(d) Upon the commencement of an Asset Sale Offer, the Issuer shall deliver electronically or send, by first-class mail a notice to each of the Holders, with a copy to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee. The notice shall contain all instructions and materials necessary to enable such Holders to tender Notes pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer. The Asset Sale Offer shall be made to all Holders and holders of such Pari Passu Indebtedness. The notice, which shall govern the terms of the Asset Sale Offer, shall state:

(i) that the Asset Sale Offer is being made pursuant to this Section 3.09 and Section 4.10 hereof and the length of time the Asset Sale Offer shall remain open;

(ii) the Offer Amount, the purchase price and the Purchase Date;

(iii) that any Note not tendered or accepted for payment shall continue to accrue interest;

(iv) that, unless the Issuer defaults in making such payment, any Note accepted for payment pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer shall cease to accrue interest after the Purchase Date;

(v) that any Holder electing to have less than all of the aggregate principal amount of its Notes purchased pursuant to an Asset Sale Offer may elect to have Notes purchased in an amount not less than $2,000;

(vi) that Holders electing to have a Note purchased pursuant to any Asset Sale Offer shall be required to surrender the Note, with the form entitled “Option of Holder to Elect Purchase” attached to the Note completed, or transfer by book-entry transfer, to the Issuer, the Depositary, if appointed by the Issuer, or a Paying Agent at the address specified in the notice at least two Business Days before the Purchase Date;

(vii) that Holders shall be entitled to withdraw their election if the Issuer, the Depositary or the Paying Agent, as the case may be, receives, not later than the close of business on the expiration date of the Offer Period, a facsimile transmission or letter setting forth the name of the Holder, the principal amount of the Note the Holder delivered for purchase and a statement that such Holder is withdrawing his election to have such Note purchased;

(viii) that, if the aggregate principal amount of Notes and/or the Pari Passu Indebtedness surrendered by the holders thereof exceeds the Offer Amount, the Notes and such Pari Passu Indebtedness shall be purchased on a pro rata basis based on the accreted value or principal amount of the Notes or such Pari Passu Indebtedness tendered (with such adjustments as may be deemed appropriate by the Indenture Administrator so that only Notes in an amount not less than $2,000 are purchased); and

(ix) that Holders whose Definitive Notes were purchased only in part shall be issued new Notes equal in principal amount to the unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered (or transferred by book-entry transfer) representing the same indebtedness to the extent not repurchased.

(e) On or before the Purchase Date, the Issuer shall, to the extent lawful, (1) accept for payment, on a pro rata basis as described in clause (d)(viii) of this Section 3.09, the Offer Amount of Notes or portions thereof validly tendered pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer, or if less than the Offer Amount has been tendered, all Notes tendered and (2) deliver or cause to be delivered to the Indenture Administrator the Notes properly accepted,

 

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together with an Officer’s Certificate stating the aggregate principal amount of Notes or portions thereof so tendered.

(f) The Issuer, the Depositary or the Paying Agent, as the case may be, shall promptly mail or deliver to each tendering Holder an amount equal to the purchase price of the Notes properly tendered by such Holder and accepted by the Issuer for purchase, and the Issuer shall promptly issue a new Note, and the Indenture Administrator, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, shall authenticate and mail or deliver (or cause to be transferred by book-entry) such new Note to such Holder (it being understood that, notwithstanding anything in this Indenture to the contrary, no Opinion of Counsel or Officer’s Certificate is required for the Indenture Administrator to authenticate and mail or deliver such new Note) in a principal amount equal to any unpurchased portion of the Note surrendered representing the same indebtedness to the extent not repurchased. Any Note not so accepted shall be promptly mailed or delivered by the Issuer to the Holder thereof. The Issuer shall publicly announce the results of the Asset Sale Offer on or as soon as practicable after the Purchase Date.

(g) Prior to 11:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the purchase date, the Issuer shall deposit with the Indenture Administrator or with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the purchase price of and accrued and unpaid interest on all Notes to be purchased on that purchase date. The Indenture Administrator or the Paying Agent shall promptly return to the Issuer any money deposited with the Indenture Administrator or the Paying Agent by the Issuer in excess of the amounts necessary to pay the purchase price of, and accrued and unpaid interest on, all Notes to be redeemed.

Other than as specifically provided in this Section 3.09 or Section 4.10 hereof, any purchase pursuant to this Section 3.09 shall be made pursuant to the applicable provisions of Sections 3.01 through 3.06 hereof, and references therein to “redeem,” “redemption” and similar words shall be deemed to refer to “purchase,” “repurchase” and similar words, as applicable.

ARTICLE 4

C OVENANTS

Section 4.01. Payment of Notes . The Issuer shall pay or cause to be paid the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes on the dates and in the manner provided in the Notes. Principal, premium, if any, and interest shall be considered paid on the date due if the Paying Agent, if other than the Issuer or a Guarantor or an Affiliate of the Issuer or a Guarantor, holds as of 11:00 a.m. New York City time on the due date money deposited by the Issuer in immediately available funds and designated for and sufficient to pay all principal, premium, if any, and interest then due.

The Issuer shall pay all Additional Interest, if any, in the same manner on the dates and in the amounts set forth in the applicable Registration Rights Agreement.

The Issuer shall pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue principal at the rate equal to the then applicable interest rate on the Notes to the extent lawful; the Issuer shall pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue installments of interest (without regard to any applicable grace period) at the same rate to the extent lawful.

Section 4.02. Maintenance of Office or Agency . The Issuer shall maintain the offices or agencies (which may be an office of the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee or an affiliate of the Indenture Administrator or Trustee, Trustee, Registrar, co-registrar or Transfer Agent) required under Section 2.03 hereof where Notes may be surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange or presented for payment. The Issuer shall give prompt written notice to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such office or agency. If at any time the Issuer shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations and surrenders may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Indenture Administrator.

The Issuer may also from time to time designate one or more other offices or agencies where the Notes may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes and may from time to time rescind such designations;

 

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provided that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Issuer of its obligation to maintain such offices or agencies as required by Section 2.03 hereof for such purposes. The Issuer shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency.

The Issuer hereby designates the Corporate Trust Office of the Indenture Administrator as one such office or agency of the Issuer in accordance with Section 2.03 hereof.

Section 4.03. Reports and Other Information.

(a) Notwithstanding that the Issuer may not be subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or otherwise report on an annual and quarterly basis on forms provided for such annual and quarterly reporting pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC, the Issuer shall file with the SEC, within 15 days after the dates set forth below:

(i) within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year commencing with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011 (and 120 days for the fiscal year ending December 25, 2010), all financial information that would be required to be contained in an annual report on Form 10-K, or any successor or comparable form, filed with the SEC, including a “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and a report on the annual financial statements by the Issuer’s independent registered public accounting firm;

(ii) within 45 days after the end of each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year, all financial information that would be required to be contained in a quarterly report on Form 10-Q, or any successor or comparable form, filed with the SEC; and

(iii) all current reports that would be required to be filed with the SEC on Form 8-K if the Issuer were required to file such reports;

in each case, in a manner that complies in all material respects with the requirements specified in such form. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Issuer shall not be so obligated to file such reports with the SEC (A) if the SEC does not permit such filing or (B) prior to the consummation of an exchange offer or the effectiveness of a shelf registration statement as required by the Registration Rights Agreement, so long as if clause (A) or (B) is applicable, the Issuer makes available such information to prospective purchasers of Notes, in addition to providing such information to the Trustee, the Indenture Administrator and the Holders of the Notes, in each case, at the Issuer’s expense and by the applicable date the Issuer would be required to file such information pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence. To the extent any such information is not so filed or furnished, as applicable, within the time periods specified above and such information is subsequently filed or furnished, as applicable, the Issuer shall be deemed to have satisfied its obligations with respect thereto at such time and any Default with respect thereto shall be deemed to have been cured; provided that such cure shall not otherwise affect the rights of the Holders under Article 6 hereof if Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then total outstanding Notes have declared the principal, premium, if any, interest and any other monetary obligations on all the then outstanding Notes to be due and payable immediately and such declaration shall not have been rescinded or cancelled prior to such cure. In addition, to the extent not satisfied by the foregoing, for so long as any Notes are outstanding, the Issuer shall furnish to Holders and to securities analysts and prospective investors, upon their request, the information required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act. The Issuer shall not be required to deliver the financial statements and information of the type required to be delivered pursuant to clause (ii) of this Section 4.03(a) with respect to the fiscal quarter ended September 25, 2010.

(b) In lieu of furnishing or making such information available to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator pursuant to Section 4.03(a) hereof the Issuer may, at its option, post copies of such information required by Section 4.03(a) hereof on a website (which may be nonpublic and may be maintained by the Issuer or a third party) to which access will be given to Holders, prospective investors in the Notes (which prospective investors shall be limited to “qualified institutional buyers” within the meaning of Rule 144A of the Securities Act or non-U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) that certify their status as such to the reasonable

 

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satisfaction of the Issuer), and securities analysts and market making financial institutions that are reasonably satisfactory to the Issuer. The Issuer shall hold quarterly conference calls that are publicly accessible after the Issuer’s financial statements for the prior fiscal period have been made available, provided that such conference calls shall be held no later than 5 Business Days after the date that such financial statements are actually made available.

(c) The Issuer shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this section if any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer files and provides reports, documents and information of the types otherwise so required, in each case within the applicable time periods, and the Issuer shall not be required to file such reports, documents and information separately under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC (after giving effect to any exemptive relief) because of the filings by such parent company; provided that such financial statements are accompanied by consolidating financial information for such parent company, on the one hand, and for the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a standalone basis, on the other hand.

(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, such requirements shall be deemed satisfied prior to the commencement of the exchange offer or the effectiveness of the shelf registration statement by the filing with the SEC of any registration statement or other filing, and any amendments thereto, with such financial information that satisfies Regulation S-X of the Securities Act.

(e) Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator is for informational purposes only and their respective receipt of such reports shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Issuer’s, any Guarantor’s or any other Person’s compliance with any of its covenants under this Indenture or the Notes (as to which the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator are entitled to rely exclusively on Officer’s Certificates).

(f) Neither the Trustee nor the Indenture Administrator shall be obligated to monitor or confirm, on a continuing basis or otherwise, the Issuer’s, any Guarantor’s or any other Person’s compliance with the covenants described in this Indenture or with respect to any reports or other documents filed under this Indenture.

(g) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, failure by the Issuer to comply with any of its obligations under this Section 4.03 for purposes of clause (iii) of Section 6.01(a) hereof will not constitute an Event of Default thereunder until 90 days after the receipt of the written notice delivered thereunder.

Section 4.04. Compliance Certificate.

(a) The Issuer shall deliver to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year ending after the Issue Date (or such later date as may be permitted pursuant to Section 4.03(a) for the delivery of the Issuer’s annual report required under subclause (i) therein), and upon request, a certificate from the principal executive officer, principal financial officer, treasurer or principal accounting officer stating that a review of the activities of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries during the preceding fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officer with a view to determining whether the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries have kept, observed, performed and fulfilled their obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to such Officer signing such certificate, that to the best of his or her knowledge the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries have kept, observed, performed and fulfilled in all material respects each and every condition and covenant contained in this Indenture during such fiscal year no Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to any of the terms, provisions, covenants and conditions of this Indenture (or, if a Default shall have occurred and is continuing, describing all such Defaults of which he or she may have knowledge and what action the Issuer is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto).

(b) When any Default has occurred and is continuing under this Indenture, or if the Trustee or the holder of any other evidence of Indebtedness of the Issuer or any Subsidiary gives any notice or takes any other action with respect to a claimed Default, the Issuer shall promptly (which shall be within ten Business Days after becoming aware of such Default) deliver to the Trustee by registered or certified mail or by facsimile transmission an Officer’s Certificate specifying such event and what action the Issuer proposes to take with respect thereto.

 

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Section 4.05. Taxes . The Issuer shall pay or discharge, and shall cause each of its Restricted Subsidiaries to pay or discharge, prior to delinquency, all material taxes, assessments, and governmental levies except such as are contested in good faith and by appropriate negotiations or proceedings or where the failure to effect such payment or discharge is not adverse in any material respect to the Holders or for which appropriate reserves, if necessary, are maintained in accordance with GAAP.

Section 4.06. Stay, Extension and Usury Laws . The Issuer and each of the Guarantors covenant (to the extent that they may lawfully do so) that they shall not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, that may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture and the Notes; and the Issuer and each of the Guarantors (to the extent that they may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waive all benefit or advantage of any such law, and (to the extent that they may lawfully do so) covenant that they shall not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but shall suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.

Section 4.07. Limitation on Restricted Payments .

(a) The Issuer will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly:

(i) declare or pay any dividend or make any payment or distribution on account of the Issuer’s, or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries’ Equity Interests, including any dividend or distribution payable in connection with any merger or consolidation other than:

(A) dividends or distributions by the Issuer payable solely in Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Issuer; or

(B) dividends or distributions by a Restricted Subsidiary, so long as, in the case of any dividend or distribution payable on or in respect of any class or series of securities issued by a Restricted Subsidiary other than a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary, the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary receives at least its pro rata share of such dividend or distribution in accordance with its Equity Interests in such class or series of securities;

(ii) purchase, redeem, defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value any Equity Interests of the Issuer or any direct or indirect parent of the Issuer, including in connection with any merger or consolidation involving the Issuer;

(iii) make any principal payment on, or redeem, repurchase, defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value, in each case, prior to any scheduled repayment, sinking fund payment or maturity, any Subordinated Indebtedness, other than:

(A) Indebtedness permitted under clauses (vii) and (viii) of Section 4.09(b) hereof; or

(B) the purchase, repurchase or other acquisition of Subordinated Indebtedness purchased in anticipation of satisfying a sinking fund obligation, principal installment or final maturity, in each case due within one year of the date of purchase, repurchase or acquisition; or

(iv) make any Restricted Investment

(all such payments and other actions set forth in clauses (i) through (iv) above being collectively referred to as “ Restricted Payments ”), unless, at the time of such Restricted Payment:

(A) no Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would occur as a consequence thereof;

 

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(B) immediately after giving effect to such transaction on a pro forma basis, the Issuer could incur $1.00 of additional Indebtedness under Section 4.09(a) hereof; and

(C) such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate amount of all other Restricted Payments made by the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries after the Issue Date (including Restricted Payments permitted by clauses (i), (ix) and (xiv) (but, in the case of clause (xiv), only with respect to the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of Preferred Stock) of Section 4.07(b) hereof, but excluding all other Restricted Payments permitted by Section 4.07(b) hereof), is less than the sum of (without duplication):

(1) 50% of the Consolidated Net Income of the Issuer for the period (taken as one accounting period) commencing October 1, 2010 to the end of the Issuer’s most recently ended fiscal quarter for which internal financial statements are available at the time of such Restricted Payment, or, in the case such Consolidated Net Income for such period is a deficit, minus 100% of such deficit; plus

(2) 100% of the aggregate net cash proceeds and the fair market value, as determined in good faith by the Issuer, of marketable securities or other property received by the Issuer since immediately after the Issue Date (other than net cash proceeds to the extent such net cash proceeds have been used to incur Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock pursuant to clause (xii)(A) of Section 4.09(b) hereof from the issue or sale of:

(i) (A) Equity Interests of the Issuer (or any direct or indirect parent of the Issuer to the extent the proceeds are actually contributed to the Issuer), including Treasury Capital Stock (as defined below), but excluding cash proceeds and the fair market value, as determined in good faith by the Issuer, of marketable securities or other property received from the sale of:

(x) Equity Interests to any members of management, members of the board of managers or directors, employees, or consultants of the Issuer, any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer and the Issuer’s Subsidiaries after the Issue Date to the extent such amounts have been applied to Restricted Payments made in accordance with clause (iv) of Section 4.07(b) hereof; and

(y) Designated Preferred Stock; and

(B) to the extent such net cash proceeds are actually contributed to the Issuer, Equity Interests of the Issuer’s direct or indirect parent companies (excluding contributions of the proceeds from the sale of Designated Preferred Stock of such companies or contributions to the extent such amounts have been applied to Restricted Payments made in accordance with clause (iv) of Section 4.07(b) hereof); or

(ii) debt securities of the Issuer that have been converted into or exchanged for such Equity Interests of the Issuer or any direct or indirect parent of the Issuer;

(provided , however, that in addition to clauses (x) and (y) referred to above, this clause (2) shall not include the proceeds from (W) Refunding Capital Stock, (X) Equity Interests or convertible debt securities of the Issuer sold to a Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, (Y) Disqualified Stock or debt securities that have been converted into Disqualified Stock or (Z) Excluded Contributions); plus

 

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(3) 100% of the aggregate amount of cash and the fair market value, as determined in good faith by the Issuer, of marketable securities or other property contributed to the capital of the Issuer following the Issue Date (other than net cash proceeds to the extent such net cash proceeds (i) have been used to incur Indebtedness or issue Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock pursuant to clause (xii)(A) of Section 4.09(b) hereof, (ii) are contributed by a Restricted Subsidiary or (iii) constitute Excluded Contributions); plus

(4) 100% of the aggregate amount received in cash and the fair market value, as determined in good faith by the Issuer, of marketable securities or other property received by means of:

(i) the sale or other disposition (other than to the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary) of Restricted Investments made by the Issuer or its Restricted Subsidiaries and repurchases and redemptions of such Restricted Investments from the Issuer or its Restricted Subsidiaries and repayments of loans or advances, and releases of guarantees, and returns on other Investments to the extent such returns are not included in Consolidated Net Income, which constitute Restricted Investments by the Issuer or its Restricted Subsidiaries, in each case after the Issue Date; or

(ii) the sale (other than to the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary) of the stock of an Unrestricted Subsidiary or a distribution from an Unrestricted Subsidiary (other than in each case to the extent of the amount of the Investment in such Unrestricted Subsidiary made by the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to clauses (vii) or (xi) of Section 4.07(b) hereof or to the extent of the amount of the Investment that constituted a Permitted Investment) or a dividend from an Unrestricted Subsidiary after the Issue Date; plus

(5) in the case of the redesignation of an Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary or the merger or consolidation of an Unrestricted Subsidiary into the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary or the transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of an Unrestricted Subsidiary to the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary after the Issue Date, the fair market value of the Investment in such Unrestricted Subsidiary (or the assets transferred) (which if the fair market value of such Investment shall exceed $50.0 million, shall be approved by the board of directors of the Issuer) at the time of the redesignation of such Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary or at the time of such merger or consolidation or transfer of assets (after taking into consideration any Indebtedness associated with the Unrestricted Subsidiary so designated or merged or consolidated or Indebtedness associated with the assets so transferred), other than to the extent of the amount of the Investment in such Unrestricted Subsidiary made by the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to clauses (vii) or (xi) of Section 4.07(b) hereof or to the extent of the amount of the Investment that constituted a Permitted Investment.

(b) The foregoing provisions of Section 4.07(a) hereof will not prohibit:

(i) the payment of any dividend or distribution within 60 days after the date of declaration thereof if at the date of declaration such payment would have complied with the provisions of this Indenture or the redemption, repurchase or retirement of Indebtedness if, at the date of any irrevocable redemption notice such payment would have complied with the provisions of this Indenture;

(ii)(A) the redemption, repurchase, retirement or other acquisition of any Equity Interests (“ Treasury Capital Stock ”) or Subordinated Indebtedness of the Issuer or any Equity Interests of any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer, in exchange for, or out of the proceeds of, the substantially concurrent sale or issuance (other than to a Restricted Subsidiary) of, Equity Interests of the

 

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Issuer or any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer to the extent contributed to the Issuer (in each case, other than any Disqualified Stock) (“ Refunding Capital Stock ”), (B) the declaration and payment of dividends on Treasury Capital Stock out of the proceeds of the substantially concurrent sale or issuance (other than to a Subsidiary of the Issuer or to an employee stock ownership plan or any trust established by the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries) of Refunding Capital Stock, and (C) if immediately prior to the retirement of Treasury Capital Stock pursuant to sub-clause (A) of this clause (ii), the declaration and payment of dividends thereon was permitted under clause (vi) of this Section 4.07(b), the declaration and payment of dividends on the Refunding Capital Stock (other than Refunding Capital Stock the proceeds of which were used to redeem, repurchase, retire or otherwise acquire any Equity Interests of any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer) in an aggregate amount per year no greater than the aggregate amount of dividends per annum that were declarable and payable on such Treasury Capital Stock immediately prior to such retirement;

(iii) the redemption, repurchase, defeasance or other acquisition or retirement for value of (1) Subordinated Indebtedness of the Issuer or any Subsidiary Guarantor made by exchange for, or out of the proceeds of, the substantially concurrent sale of, new Indebtedness of the Issuer or any Subsidiary Guarantor, as the case may be, and (2) Disqualified Stock of the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary made by exchange for, or out of the proceeds of, the substantially concurrent sale of, new Disqualified Stock of the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, in each case which is incurred in compliance with Section 4.09 hereof so long as:

(A) the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of such new Indebtedness, or the liquidation preference of such new Disqualified Stock, as the case may be, does not exceed the principal amount of (or accreted value, if applicable), plus any accrued and unpaid interest on, the Subordinated Indebtedness, or the liquidation preference of, plus any accrued and unpaid dividends on, the Disqualified Stock, as the case may be, being so redeemed, repurchased, defeased, exchanged, acquired or retired for value, plus the amount of any premium (including any tender premiums), defeasance costs and any fees and expenses incurred in connection with such redemption, repurchase, defeasance, exchange, acquisition or retirement and the issuance of such new Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock, as the case may be;

(B) such new Indebtedness is subordinated to the Notes or the applicable Guarantee at least to the same extent as such Subordinated Indebtedness so repurchased, defeased, exchanged, redeemed, acquired or retired for value;

(C) such new Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock has a final scheduled maturity date equal to or later than the earlier of (i) the final scheduled maturity date of the Subordinated Indebtedness being so redeemed, repurchased, defeased, exchanged, acquired or retired, and (ii) the maturity date of the Notes; and

(D) such new Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity equal to or greater than the remaining Weighted Average Life to Maturity of the Subordinated Indebtedness being so redeemed, repurchased, defeased, exchanged, acquired or retired;

(iv) a Restricted Payment to pay for (1) the repurchase, retirement or other acquisition or retirement for value of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Issuer or any of its direct or indirect parent companies held by any future, present or former employee, member of the board of directors, member of management or consultant of the Issuer, any of its Subsidiaries or any of its direct or indirect parent companies (and the permitted transferees, assigns, Controlled Investment Affiliates and Immediate Family Members estates or heirs of such employee, director or consultant), pursuant to any management equity plan or stock option plan or any other management or employee benefit plan or agreement or (2) payments made or expected to be made by the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary in respect of withholding or similar taxes payable on the exercise of Equity Interests by any future, present or former employee, member of the board of directors or consultant of the Issuer, any of its Subsidiaries or

 

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any of its direct or indirect parent companies (and the permitted transferees, assigns, Controlled Investment Affiliates, Immediate Family Members, estates or heirs of such employee, director or consultant); provided , however , that the aggregate Restricted Payments made under this clause (iv) do not exceed in any calendar year $12.5 million (which shall increase to $25.0 million subsequent to the consummation of an underwritten public Equity Offering by the Issuer or any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer) with unused amounts in any calendar year being carried over to succeeding calendar years subject to a maximum (without giving effect to the following proviso) of $20.0 million in any calendar year (which shall increase to $40.0 million subsequent to the consummation of an underwritten public Equity Offering by the Issuer or any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer); provided further that such amount in any calendar year may be increased by an amount not to exceed:

(A) the cash proceeds from the sale of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Issuer and, to the extent contributed to the Issuer, Equity Interests of any of the Issuer’s direct or indirect parent companies, in each case to any employee, member of the board of directors, members of management, or consultant of the Issuer, any of its Subsidiaries or any of its direct or indirect parent companies that occurs after the Issue Date, to the extent the cash proceeds from the sale of such Equity Interests have not otherwise been applied to the payment of Restricted Payments by virtue of clause (C) of Section 4.07(a) and have not been used to incur Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock pursuant to clause (12)(A) of Section 4.09(b) hereof; plus

(B) the amount of any cash bonuses otherwise payable to members of management, directors or consultants of the Issuer, any of its Subsidiaries or any direct or indirect parent company thereof in connection with the Recapitalization that are foregone in exchange for the receipt of Equity Interests of the Issuer or any direct or indirect parent company thereof pursuant to any deferred compensation plan of such company; plus

(C) the cash proceeds of key man life insurance policies received by the Issuer or its Restricted Subsidiaries (including proceeds of such insurance policies of any direct or indirect parent contributed to the Issuer) after the Issue Date; less

(D) the amount of any Restricted Payments previously made with the cash proceeds described in clauses (A) and (B) of this clause (iv);

and provided further that cancellation of Indebtedness owing to the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary by any employee, member of the board of directors or consultant of the Issuer, any of the Issuer’s direct or indirect parent companies or any of the Issuer’s Restricted Subsidiaries incurred in connection with a purchase of Equity Interests of the Issuer or any of its direct or indirect parent companies will not be deemed to constitute a Restricted Payment for purposes of this Section 4.07 or any other provision of this Indenture;

(v) the declaration and payment of dividends to holders of any class or series of Disqualified Stock of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries issued in accordance with Section 4.09 hereof to the extent such dividends are included in the definition of “Fixed Charges”;

(vi) (A) the declaration and payment of dividends and distributions to holders of any class or series of Designated Preferred Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) issued by the Issuer after the Issue Date; provided that the amount of dividends paid pursuant to this clause (A) shall not exceed the aggregate amount of cash actually received by the Issuer from the sale of such Designated Preferred Stock;

(A) the declaration and payment of dividends and distributions to a direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer, the proceeds of which will be used to fund the payment of dividends to holders of any class or series of Designated Preferred Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of such parent company issued after the Issue Date; provided that the amount of dividends paid pursuant to this clause (B) shall not exceed the aggregate amount of cash actually contributed to the Issuer from the sale of such Designated Preferred Stock; or

 

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(B) the declaration and payment of dividends and distributions on Refunding Capital Stock that is Preferred Stock in excess of the dividends declarable and payable thereon pursuant to clause (ii) of this Section 4.07(b);

provided , however , in the case of each of (A), (B) and (C) of this clause (vi), that for the most recently ended four full fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available immediately preceding the date of issuance of such Designated Preferred Stock, after giving effect to such issuance or declaration on a pro forma basis, the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis would have had a Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of at least 2.00 to 1.00;

(vii) Investments in Unrestricted Subsidiaries taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (vii) that are at the time outstanding, without giving effect to the sale of an Unrestricted Subsidiary to the extent the proceeds of such sale do not consist of cash or marketable securities, not to exceed the greater of (x) $30.0 million and (y) 1.0% of Total Assets;

(viii) repurchases of Equity Interests deemed to occur upon exercise of stock options or warrants if such Equity Interests represent a portion of the exercise price of such options or warrants;

(ix) the declaration and payment of dividends and distributions on the Issuer’s common stock (or the payment of dividends to any direct or indirect parent entity of the Issuer to fund a payment of dividends on such entity’s common stock), following the consummation of the first public offering of the Issuer’s common stock or the common stock of any of its direct or indirect parent companies after the Issue Date, of up to 6% per annum of the net cash proceeds received by or contributed to the Issuer in or from any such public offering, other than public offerings with respect to the Issuer’s common stock registered on Form S-4 or Form S-8 and other than any public sale constituting an Excluded Contribution;

(x) Restricted Payments that are made with Excluded Contributions;

(xi) other Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount, taken together with all other Restricted Payments made pursuant to this clause (xi), that are at the time outstanding (without giving effect to the sale of an Investment to the extent the proceeds of such sale do not consist of, or have not been subsequently sold or transferred for, cash or marketable securities) not to exceed the greater of (x) $45.0 million and (y) 1.5% of Total Assets at the time made;

(xii) distributions or payments of Securitization Fees, sales contributions and other transfers of Securitization Assets and purchases of Securitization Assets pursuant to a Securitization Repurchase Obligation, in each case in connection with a Qualified Securitization Financing;

(xiii) the Recapitalization and any other Restricted Payment made in connection with the Transactions and the fees and expenses related thereto or used to fund amounts owed to Affiliates, in each case, as described in the Offering Memorandum and to the extent permitted by Section 4.11 hereof provided that payments to Affiliates due to the termination of agreements with the Sponsors described under “Certain relationships and related party transactions” or similar agreements shall be permitted by this clause (xiii) only to the extent such termination is attributable to an underwritten registered public offering of common stock of the Issuer or any direct or indirect parent of the Issuer or to a Change of Control;

(xiv) the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of any Preferred Stock or Subordinated Indebtedness pursuant to in accordance with the provisions similar to those described under Section 4.10 and Section 4.14 hereof; provided that all Notes tendered by Holders in connection with a Change of Control Offer or Asset Sale Offer, as applicable, have been repurchased, redeemed or acquired for value;

(xv) the declaration and payment of dividends by the Issuer to, or the making of loans to, any direct or indirect parent company in amounts required for any direct or indirect parent companies to pay, in each case without duplication,

 

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(A) franchise and excise taxes and other fees, taxes and expenses required to maintain their corporate existence;

(B) foreign, federal, state and local income and similar taxes, to the extent such income taxes are attributable to the income of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries and, to the extent of the amount actually received from its Unrestricted Subsidiaries, in amounts required to pay such taxes to the extent attributable to the income of such Unrestricted Subsidiaries; provided that in each case the amount of such payments in any fiscal year does not exceed the amount that the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries would be required to pay in respect of foreign, federal, state and local taxes for such fiscal year were the Issuer, its Restricted Subsidiaries and its Unrestricted Subsidiaries (to the extent described above) to pay such taxes separately from any such parent entity;

(C) customary salary, bonus and other benefits payable to officers, directors and employees of any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer to the extent such salaries, bonuses and other benefits are attributable to the ownership or operation of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(D) general corporate operating and overhead costs and expenses of any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer to the extent such costs and expenses are attributable to the ownership or operation of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(E) amounts required for any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer to pay fees and expenses incurred by any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer related to (i) the maintenance by such parent entity of its corporate or other entity existence and performance of its obligations under the New Credit Facilities and (ii) any unsuccessful equity or debt offering of such parent company;

(F) taxes with respect to income of any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer derived from funding made available to the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries by such direct or indirect parent company;

(G) amounts necessary to finance Investments that would otherwise permitted to be made pursuant to this Section 4.07 if made by the Issuer; provided that (i) such Restricted Payment shall be made substantially concurrently with the closing of such Investment, (ii) such direct or indirect parent company shall, immediately following the closing thereof, cause (x) all property acquired (whether assets or Equity Interests) to be contributed to the capital of the Issuer or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries or (y) the merger or amalgamation of the Person formed or acquired into the Issuer or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries (to the extent not prohibited by Section 5.01 hereof in order to consummate such Investment, (iii) such direct or indirect parent company and its Affiliates (other than the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary) receives no consideration or other payment in connection with such transaction except to the extent the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary could have given such consideration or made such payment in compliance with this Indenture, (iv) any property received by the Issuer shall not increase amounts available for Restricted Payments pursuant to clause (C) of Section 4.07(a) hereof and (v) such Investment shall be deemed to be made by the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to another provision of this Section 4.07 (other than pursuant to clause (x) of this Section 4.07(b)) or pursuant to the definition of “Permitted Investments” (other than clause (i) thereof); and

(H) amounts that would be permitted to be paid by the Issuer under clauses (iv), (vii), (viii), (xii), (xiii) (but, in the case of clause (xiii), only in respect of indemnities and expenses) and (xvi) of Section 4.11(b) hereof; provided that the amount of any dividend or distribution under this clause (xv)(H) to permit such payment shall reduce, without duplication, Consolidated Net Income of the Issuer to the extent, if any, that such payment would have

 

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reduced Consolidated Net Income of the Issuer if such payment had been made directly by the Issuer and increase (or, without duplication of any reduction of Consolidated Net Income, decrease) EBITDA to the extent, if any, that EBITDA is reduced under this clause (xv)(H) and such payment would have been added back to (or, to the extent excluded from EBITDA, would have been deducted from) EBITDA if such payment had been made directly by the Issuer, in each case, in the period such payment is made;

(xvi) the distribution, by dividend or otherwise, of shares of Capital Stock of, or Indebtedness owed to the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary by, Unrestricted Subsidiaries (other than Unrestricted Subsidiaries, the primary assets of which are cash and/or Cash Equivalents); and

(xvii) cash payments in lieu of the issuance of fractional shares or interests in connection with the exercise of warrants, options or other rights or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Capital Stock of the Issuer or any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer; provided that any such cash payment shall not be for the purpose of evading the limitation of this covenant.

provided , however , that at the time of, and after giving effect to, any Restricted Payment permitted under clauses (vii), (ix), (xi) and (xvi) of this Section 4.07(b), no Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would occur as a consequence thereof.

(c) The amount of all Restricted Payments (other than cash) will be the fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Issuer) on the date of such Restricted Payment of the assets or securities proposed to be paid, transferred or issued by the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, pursuant to such Restricted Payment.

As of the Issue Date, all of the Issuer’s Subsidiaries shall be Restricted Subsidiaries. The Issuer shall not permit any Unrestricted Subsidiary to become a Restricted Subsidiary except pursuant to the last sentence of the definition of “Unrestricted Subsidiary.” For purposes of designating any Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, all outstanding Investments by the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries (except to the extent repaid) in the Subsidiary so designated shall be deemed to be Investments in an amount determined as set forth in the last sentence of the definition of “Investment.” Such designation shall be permitted only if a Restricted Payment in such amount would be permitted at such time, whether pursuant to this Section 4.07 or pursuant to the definition of “Permitted Investments,” and if such Subsidiary otherwise meets the definition of an Unrestricted Subsidiary. Unrestricted Subsidiaries shall not be subject to any of the restrictive covenants set forth in this Indenture.

Section 4.08. Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries .

(a) The Issuer shall not, and shall not permit any of its Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create or otherwise cause or suffer to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or consensual restriction on the ability of any such Non-Guarantor Subsidiary to:

(i) (A) pay dividends or make any other distributions to the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries on its Capital Stock or with respect to any other interest or participation in, or measured by, its profits, or

(B) pay any Indebtedness owed to the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that are Guarantors;

(ii) make loans or advances to the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; or

(iii) sell, lease or transfer any of its properties or assets to the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries,

 

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(b) except (in each case) for such encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by reason of:

(i) contractual encumbrances or restrictions in effect on the Issue Date, including pursuant to the New Credit Facilities and the related documentation and related Hedging Obligations and Cash Management Services with banks which are party to the foregoing;

(ii) this Indenture, the Notes and the Guarantees (including any exchange notes and related guarantees);

(iii) purchase money obligations for property acquired in the ordinary course of business and Capitalized Lease Obligations that impose restrictions of the nature discussed in clause (iii) of Section 4.08(a) hereof on the property so acquired;

(iv) applicable law or any applicable rule, regulation or order;

(v) any agreement or other instrument of a Person acquired by the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary in existence at the time of such acquisition (or at the time it merges, amalgamates or consolidates with or into the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary or assumed in connection with the acquisition of assets from such Person (but, in each case, not created in contemplation thereof)), which encumbrance or restriction is not applicable to any Person, or the properties or assets of any Person, other than the Person and its Subsidiaries, or the property or assets of the Person and its Subsidiaries, so acquired;

(vi) contracts for the sale of assets, including customary restrictions with respect to a Subsidiary of the Issuer pursuant to an agreement that has been entered into for the sale or disposition of all or substantially all of the Capital Stock or assets of such Subsidiary;

(vii) Secured Indebtedness otherwise permitted to be incurred pursuant to Section 4.09 and Section 4.12 hereof that limit the right of the debtor to dispose of the assets securing such Indebtedness;

(viii) restrictions on cash or other deposits or net worth imposed by customers under contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business or arising in connection with Permitted Liens;

(ix) other Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries permitted to be incurred or issued subsequent to the Issue Date pursuant to the provisions of Section 4.09 hereof that impose restrictions solely on the Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries party thereto or their Subsidiaries;

(x) customary provisions in joint venture agreements or arrangements and other similar agreements relating solely to such joint venture;

(xi) customary provisions contained in leases, subleases, licenses, sublicenses, franchise agreements or other agreements, in each case, entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(xii) any agreement or instrument (A) relating to any Indebtedness or preferred stock of a Restricted Subsidiary permitted to be incurred subsequent to the Issue Date pursuant to Section 4.09 hereof if the encumbrances and restrictions are not materially more disadvantageous, taken as a whole, to the Holders than is customary in comparable financings (as determined in good faith by the Issuer) or is otherwise in effect on the Issue Date and (B) either (x) the Issuer determines that such encumbrance or restriction will not adversely affect the Issuer’s ability to make principal and interest payments on the Notes as and when they come due or (y) such encumbrances and restrictions apply only during the continuance of a default in respect of a payment or financial maintenance covenant relating to such Indebtedness;

(xiii) any encumbrances or restrictions of the type referred to in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) of Section 4.08(a) hereof imposed by any amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of the contracts, instruments or obligations referred

 

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to in clauses (i) through (xii) of this Section 4.08(b); provided that such amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings are, in the good faith judgment of the Issuer, no more restrictive in any material respect with respect to such encumbrance and other restrictions taken as a whole than those prior to such amendment, modification, restatement, renewal, increase, supplement, refunding, replacement or refinancing; and

(xiv) restrictions created in connection with any Qualified Securitization Financing that, as determined in good faith by the Issuer, are necessary or advisable to effect such Securitization Facility.

Section 4.09. Limitation on Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Disqualified Stock and Preferred Stock .

(a) The Issuer shall not, and shall not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, issue, assume, guarantee or otherwise become directly or indirectly liable, contingently or otherwise (collectively, “ incur ” and collectively, an “ incurrence ”) with respect to any Indebtedness (including Acquired Indebtedness) and the Issuer shall not issue any shares of Disqualified Stock and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to issue any shares of Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock; provided , however , that the Issuer may incur Indebtedness (including Acquired Indebtedness) or issue shares of Disqualified Stock, and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries may incur Indebtedness (including Acquired Indebtedness), issue shares of Disqualified Stock and issue shares of Preferred Stock, if the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio on a consolidated basis for the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries’ most recently ended four fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available immediately preceding the date on which such additional Indebtedness is incurred or such Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock is issued would have been at least 2.0 to 1.0, determined on a pro forma basis (including a pro forma application of the net proceeds therefrom), as if the additional Indebtedness had been incurred, or the Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock had been issued, as the case may be, and the application of proceeds therefrom had occurred at the beginning of such four-quarter period; provided , further, that Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries may not incur Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock if, after giving pro forma effect to such incurrence or issuance (including a pro forma application of the net proceeds therefrom), more than an aggregate of the greater of (x) $60.0 million and (y) 2.0% of Total Assets of Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries would be outstanding pursuant to this paragraph at such time.

(b) The foregoing provisions of Section 4.09(a) hereof shall not apply to:

(i) the incurrence of Indebtedness under Debt Facilities by the Issuer or any of the Subsidiary Guarantors and the issuance and creation of letters of credit and bankers’ acceptances thereunder (with letters of credit and bankers’ acceptances being deemed to have a principal amount equal to the face amount thereof), up to an aggregate principal amount of $1,700.0 million outstanding at any one time;

(ii) the incurrence by the Issuer and any Subsidiary Guarantor of Indebtedness represented by the Notes (including any Guarantee) (other than any Additional Notes) and exchange notes issued in respect of such Notes and any Guarantee thereof;

(iii) Indebtedness of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries in existence on the Issue Date (other than Indebtedness described in clauses (i) and (ii) of this Section 4.09(b));

(iv) Indebtedness (including Capitalized Lease Obligations) incurred or, Disqualified Stock and Preferred Stock issued by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, to finance the purchase, lease or improvement of property (real or personal) or equipment that is used or useful in a Similar Business, whether through the direct purchase of assets or the Capital Stock of any Person owning such assets; provided that the aggregate amount of Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock and Preferred Stock incurred pursuant to this clause (iv), when aggregated with the outstanding amount of Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock and Preferred Stock under clause (xiii) incurred to refinance Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock and Preferred Stock initially incurred in reliance on this clause (iv), does not exceed the greater of (x) $75.0 million and (y) 2.5% of the Issuer’s Total Assets at any one time outstanding;

 

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(v) Indebtedness incurred by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries constituting reimbursement obligations with respect to letters of credit issued in the ordinary course of business, including, without limitation, letters of credit in respect of workers’ compensation claims, health, disability or other employee benefits or property, casualty or liability insurance or self insurance, or other Indebtedness with respect to reimbursement type obligations regarding workers’ compensation claims; provided, however, that upon the drawing of such letters of credit or the incurrence of such Indebtedness, such obligations are reimbursed within 30 days following such drawing or incurrence;

(vi) Indebtedness arising from agreements of the Issuer or its Restricted Subsidiaries providing for indemnification, adjustment of purchase price, earn-outs or similar obligations, in each case, incurred or assumed in connection with the acquisition or disposition of any business, assets or a Subsidiary, other than guarantees of Indebtedness incurred by any Person acquiring all or any portion of such business, assets or a Subsidiary for the purpose of financing such acquisition; provided, however, that

(A) such Indebtedness is not reflected on the balance sheet of the Issuer, or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries prepared in accordance with GAAP (contingent obligations referred to in a footnote to financial statements and not otherwise reflected on the balance sheet shall not be deemed to be reflected on such balance sheet for purposes of this clause (vi)(A)); and

(B) with respect to a disposition, the maximum assumable liability in respect of all such Indebtedness shall at no time exceed the gross proceeds including non-cash proceeds (the fair market value of such non-cash proceeds being measured at the time received and without giving effect to any subsequent changes in value) actually received by the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with such disposition;

(vii) Indebtedness of the Issuer to a Restricted Subsidiary; provided that any such Indebtedness owing to a Non-Guarantor Subsidiary is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Notes; provided , further , that any subsequent issuance or transfer of any Capital Stock or any other event which results in any Restricted Subsidiary ceasing to be a Restricted Subsidiary or any other subsequent transfer of any such Indebtedness (except to the Issuer or another Restricted Subsidiary) shall be deemed, in each case, to be an incurrence of such Indebtedness not permitted by this clause;

(viii) Indebtedness of a Restricted Subsidiary owing to the Issuer or another Restricted Subsidiary; provided that if a Subsidiary Guarantor incurs such Indebtedness owing to a Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor, such Indebtedness is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Guarantee of the Notes of such Subsidiary Guarantor; provided further that any subsequent issuance or transfer of any Capital Stock or any other event which results in any such Restricted Subsidiary ceasing to be a Restricted Subsidiary or any subsequent transfer of any such Indebtedness (except to the Issuer or another Restricted Subsidiary) shall be deemed, in each case, to be an incurrence of such Indebtedness not permitted by this clause;

(ix) shares of Preferred Stock of a Restricted Subsidiary issued to the Issuer or another Restricted Subsidiary; provided that any subsequent issuance or transfer of any Capital Stock or any other event which results in any such Restricted Subsidiary ceasing to be a Restricted Subsidiary or any other subsequent transfer of any such shares of Preferred Stock (except to the Issuer or another of its Restricted Subsidiaries) shall be deemed in each case to be an issuance of such shares of Preferred Stock not permitted by this clause;

(x) Hedging Obligations (excluding Hedging Obligations entered into for speculative purposes) for the purpose of limiting interest rate risk, exchange rate risk or commodity pricing risk;

(xi) obligations in respect of performance, bid, appeal and surety bonds and performance, completion guarantees and similar obligations and obligations in respect of letters of credit or bank guarantees related thereto provided by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;

 

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(xii) (A) Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of the Issuer and Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary in an aggregate principal amount (together with any Refinancing Indebtedness thereof (solely to the extent of the refinancing of the principal amount or the accreted value thereof) incurred under clause (xiii below) equal to 100.0% of the net cash proceeds received by the Issuer since immediately after the Issue Date from the issue or sale of Equity Interests of the Issuer or cash contributed to the capital of the Issuer (in each case, other than Excluded Contributions or proceeds of Disqualified Stock or Designated Preferred Stock or sales of Equity Interests to the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries or amounts applied to make a Restricted Payment in accordance with clause (ii) or clause (iv)(A) of Section 4.07(b) hereof as determined in accordance with clauses (C)(2) and (C)(3) of Section 4.07(a) hereof to the extent such net cash proceeds or cash have not been applied pursuant to such clauses to make Restricted Payments or to make other Investments, payments or exchanges pursuant to Section 4.07(b) hereof or to make Permitted Investments (other than Permitted Investments specified in clauses (a), (b) and (c) of the definition thereof) and (B) Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of the Issuer and Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of any Restricted Subsidiary in an aggregate principal amount or liquidation preference, which when aggregated with the principal amount and liquidation preference of all other Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock and Preferred Stock then outstanding and incurred pursuant to this clause (xii)(B), does not at any one time outstanding exceed the greater of (x) $100.0 million and (y) 3.25% of Total Assets (it being understood that any Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock incurred pursuant to this clause (xii) (including any related Refinancing Indebtedness in the case of clause (xii)(A)) shall cease to be deemed incurred or outstanding for purposes of this clause (xii) but shall be deemed incurred for the purposes of Section 4.09(a) hereof from and after the first date on which the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary could have incurred such Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock under Section 4.09(a) hereof without reliance on this clause (xii);

(xiii) the incurrence or issuance by the Issuer of Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock or the incurrence or issuance by a Restricted Subsidiary of Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock which serves to extend, replace, renew, defease, refund or refinance any Indebtedness incurred or Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock issued as permitted under Section 4.09(a) hereof and clauses (ii), (iii), (iv) and (xii)(A), this clause (xiii) and clause (xiv) of this Section 4.09(b) or any Indebtedness incurred or Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock issued to so extend, replace, renew, defease, refund or refinance such Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock plus additional Indebtedness incurred or Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock issued to pay premiums (including tender premiums), defeasance costs, accrued interest and fees and expenses in connection with any of the foregoing (the “ Refinancing Indebtedness ”) prior to its respective maturity; provided , however , that such Refinancing Indebtedness:

(A) has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity at the time such Refinancing Indebtedness is incurred which is not less than the remaining Weighted Average Life to Maturity of the Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock being extended, replaced, renewed, defeased, refunded or refinanced,

(B) to the extent such Refinancing Indebtedness refinances (i) Indebtedness subordinated or pari passu in right of payment to the Notes or any Guarantee thereof, such Refinancing Indebtedness is subordinated or pari passu to the Notes or the Guarantee at least to the same extent as the Indebtedness being extended, replaced, renewed, defeased, refinanced or refunded or (ii) Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock, such Refinancing Indebtedness must be Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock, respectively,

(C) shall not include:

(1) Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of a Non-Guarantor Subsidiary that refinances Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of the Issuer;

 

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(2) Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of a Non-Guarantor Subsidiary that refinances Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of a Subsidiary Guarantor; or

(3) Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary that refinances Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of an Unrestricted Subsidiary;

(D) shall not be in a principal amount in excess of the principal amount of, premium (including tender premiums), if any, accrued interest on and related fees and expenses of, and defeasance costs related to, the Indebtedness being refunded or refinanced;

and provided further that subclause (A) of this clause (xiii) will not apply to any refunding or refinancing of any Indebtedness outstanding under Debt Facilities or Secured Indebtedness.

(xiv) Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock of (x) the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary incurred or issued to finance an acquisition or (y) Persons that are acquired by the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary or merged, amalgamated into or consolidated with the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary in accordance with the terms of this Indenture; provided that after giving effect to such acquisition, merger, amalgamation or consolidation, either

(1) the Issuer would be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in Section 4.09(a) hereof, or

(2) the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Issuer and the Restricted Subsidiaries is greater than immediately prior to such acquisition, merger, amalgamation or consolidation;

(xv) Indebtedness arising from the honoring by a bank or other financial institution of a check, draft or similar instrument drawn against insufficient funds in the ordinary course of business; provided that such Indebtedness is extinguished within five Business Days of its incurrence;

(xvi) Indebtedness of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries supported by a letter of credit issued pursuant to Debt Facilities, in a principal amount not in excess of the stated amount of such letter of credit;

(xvii) (A) any guarantee by the Issuer or a Subsidiary Guarantor of Indebtedness or other obligations of any Restricted Subsidiary so long as the incurrence of such Indebtedness is permitted under the terms of this Indenture; provided that if such Indebtedness is by its express terms subordinated in right of payment to the Guarantee of such Restricted Subsidiary, any such guarantee of the Issuer or such Subsidiary Guarantor with respect to such Indebtedness shall be subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or such Subsidiary Guarantors’ Guarantee with respect to the Notes substantially to the same extent as such Indebtedness is subordinated to the Guarantee of such Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable;

(B) any guarantee by a Subsidiary Guarantor of Indebtedness of the Issuer so long as such guarantee is incurred in accordance with Section 4.15 hereof provided that if such Indebtedness is by its express terms subordinated in right of payment to the Notes, any such guarantee of such Subsidiary Guarantor with respect to such Indebtedness shall be subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or such Subsidiary Guarantors’ Guarantee with respect to the Notes substantially to the same extent as such Indebtedness is subordinated to the Notes, as applicable; or

(C) any guarantee by a Non-Guarantor Subsidiary of Indebtedness of another Non-Guarantor Subsidiary incurred in accordance with the terms of the Indenture;

 

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(xviii) Indebtedness of Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries of the Issuer incurred not to exceed the greater of (x) $60.0 million and (y) 2.0% of Total Assets at any one time outstanding (it being understood that any Indebtedness incurred pursuant to this clause (xviii) shall cease to be deemed incurred or outstanding for the purpose of this clause (xviii) but shall be deemed incurred for the purposes of Section 4.09(a) hereof from and after the first date on which such Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries could have incurred such Indebtedness under Section 4.09(a) hereof without reliance on this clause (xviii));

(xix) Indebtedness of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries consisting of (i) the financing of insurance premiums or (ii) take-or-pay obligations contained in supply arrangements, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business;

(xx) Indebtedness consisting of Indebtedness issued by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to future, present and former officers, members of the board of directors, employees and consultants thereof, including their respective estates, Controlled Investment Affiliates and Immediate Family Members, in each case to finance, either directly or through promissory notes issued to such persons, the purchase or redemption of Equity Interests of the Issuer or any direct or indirect parent company of the Issuer to the extent described in clause (iv) of Section 4.07(b) hereof;

(xxi) Guarantees of or the assumption of up to the greater of (x) $45.0 million and (y) 1.5% of Total Assets at any time outstanding of Indebtedness of Franchisees, suppliers, distributors or licensees of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries, in each case to the extent such guarantee or assumption constitutes a Permitted Investment;

(xxii) Indebtedness of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries undertaken in connection with cash management and related activities with respect to any Subsidiary or joint venture in the ordinary course of business;

(xxiii) to the extent constituting Indebtedness, (A) customer deposits and advance payments (including progress premiums) received in the ordinary course of business from customers for goods purchased in the ordinary course of business, and (B) obligations to Franchisees and joint ventures in respect of gift cards and gift certificates, in each case, to the extent the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary shall have received cash or other assets corresponding to such obligations;

(xxiv) Indebtedness in respect of Cash Management Services with banks which are party to the New Credit Facilities; and

(xxv) prior to the Assumption, the Subordinated Note.

(c) For purposes of determining compliance with this Section 4.09:

(i) in the event that an item of Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock (or any portion thereof) meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of permitted Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock described in clauses (i) through (xxv) of Section 4.09(b) hereof or is entitled to be incurred pursuant to Section 4.09(a) hereof, the Issuer, in its sole discretion, will classify or reclassify such item of Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock (or any portion thereof) and shall only be required to include the amount and type of such Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock in one of the above clauses or Section 4.09(a) hereof. Additionally, all or any portion of any item of Indebtedness may later be classified as having been incurred pursuant to any category of permitted Indebtedness described in clauses (i) through (xxv) of Section 4.09(b) hereof or pursuant to Section 4.09(a) so long as such Indebtedness is permitted to be incurred pursuant to such provision at the time of reclassification. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all Indebtedness outstanding under the New Credit Facilities on the Issue Date will be treated as incurred on the Issue Date under clause (i) of Section 4.09(b) hereof and may not later be reclassified; and

 

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(ii) the Issuer shall be entitled to divide and classify an item of Indebtedness in more than one of the types of Indebtedness described in Section 4.09(a) and Section 4.09(b) hereof.

Accrual of interest or dividends, the accretion of accreted value, the accretion or amortization of original issue discount and the payment of interest or dividends in the form of additional Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock shall not be deemed to be an incurrence or issuance of Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock for purposes of this Section 4.09.

For purposes of determining compliance with any U.S. dollar-denominated restriction on the incurrence of Indebtedness, the U.S. dollar-equivalent principal amount of Indebtedness denominated in a foreign currency shall be calculated based on the relevant currency exchange rate in effect on the date such Indebtedness was incurred, in the case of term debt, or first committed, in the case of revolving credit debt; provided that if such Indebtedness is incurred to refinance other Indebtedness denominated in a foreign currency, and such refinancing would cause the applicable U.S. dollar denominated restriction to be exceeded if calculated at the relevant currency exchange rate in effect on the date of such refinancing, such U.S. dollar-denominated restriction shall be deemed not to have been exceeded so long as the principal amount of such refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the principal amount of such Indebtedness being refinanced plus the aggregate amount of fees and expenses incurred in connection with such refinancing.

The principal amount of any Indebtedness incurred to refinance other Indebtedness, if incurred in a different currency from the Indebtedness being refinanced, shall be calculated based on the currency exchange rate applicable to the currencies in which such respective Indebtedness is denominated that is in effect on the date of such refinancing.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary the Issuer shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary Guarantor to, directly or indirectly, incur any Indebtedness (including Acquired Indebtedness) that is subordinated or junior in right of payment to any Indebtedness of the Issuer or such Subsidiary Guarantor, as the case may be, unless such Indebtedness is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or such Subsidiary Guarantor’s Guarantee to the extent and in the same manner as such Indebtedness is subordinated to other Indebtedness of the Issuer or such Subsidiary Guarantor, as the case may be.

This Indenture shall not treat (1) unsecured Indebtedness as subordinated or junior to Secured Indebtedness merely because it is unsecured or (2) Senior Indebtedness as subordinated or junior to any other Senior Indebtedness merely because it has a junior priority with respect to the same collateral or is secured by different collateral or guaranteed, if at all, by different guarantors.

Section 4.10. Asset Sales .

(a) The Issuer shall not, and shall not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to consummate an Asset Sale, unless:

(i) the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, receives consideration at the time of such Asset Sale at least equal to the fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Issuer) of the assets sold or otherwise disposed of; and

(ii) except in the case of a Permitted Asset Swap, at least 75% of the consideration therefor received by the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, is in the form of cash or Cash Equivalents; provided that the amount of:

(A) any liabilities (as shown on the Issuer’s or such Restricted Subsidiary’s most recent balance sheet or in the footnotes thereto, or if incurred or accrued subsequent to the date of such balance sheet, such liabilities that would have been shown on the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary’s balance sheet or in the footnotes thereto if such incurrence or accrual had taken place on or prior to the date of such balance sheet, as determined in good faith by the Issuer) of the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary, other than liabilities that are by their terms subordinated

 

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to the Notes, that are assumed by the transferee of any such assets and for which the Issuer and all of its Restricted Subsidiaries have been validly released by all creditors in writing,

(B) any securities or other obligations received by the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary from such transferee that are converted by the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary into cash or Cash Equivalents (to the extent of the cash or Cash Equivalents received) within 180 days following the closing of such Asset Sale, and

(C) any Designated Non-cash Consideration received by the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary in such Asset Sale having an aggregate fair market value, taken together with all other Designated Non-cash Consideration received pursuant to this clause (C) that is at that time outstanding, not to exceed the greater of (x) $40.0 million and (y) 1.25% of Total Assets at the time of the receipt of such Designated Non-cash Consideration, with the fair market value of each item of Designated Non-cash Consideration being measured at the time received and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value,

shall be deemed to be Cash Equivalents for purposes of this provision and for no other purpose.

(b) Within 450 days after the receipt of any Net Proceeds of any Asset Sale, the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary, at its option, may apply the Net Proceeds from such Asset Sale,

(i) to reduce or repay:

(A) Obligations under the New Credit Facilities, and to correspondingly reduce commitments with respect thereto;

(B) Obligations under Indebtedness (other than Subordinated Indebtedness) that is secured by a Lien, which Lien is permitted by this Indenture, and to correspondingly reduce commitments with respect thereto;

(C) Obligations under other Indebtedness (other than Subordinated Indebtedness) (and to correspondingly reduce commitments with respect thereto); provided that, to the extent the Issuer reduces Obligations under such Indebtedness, the Issuer shall equally and ratably reduce Obligations under the Notes as provided under “Section 3.07 hereof,” through open-market purchases (to the extent such purchases are at or above 100% of the principal amount thereof) or by making an offer (in accordance with the procedures set forth below for an Asset Sale Offer) to all Holders to purchase their Notes at 100% of the principal amount thereof, plus the amount of accrued but unpaid interest, if any, and Additional Interest, if any, on the amount of Notes that would otherwise be prepaid; or

(D) Indebtedness of a Non-Guarantor Subsidiary, other than Indebtedness owed to the Issuer or another Restricted Subsidiary (and correspondingly reduce commitments with respect thereto);

(ii) to make (A) an Investment in any one or more businesses, provided that such Investment in any business is in the form of the acquisition of Capital Stock and results in the Issuer or another of its Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, owning an amount of the Capital Stock of such business such that it constitutes a Restricted Subsidiary, (B) capital expenditures or (C) acquisitions of other properties or assets, in the case of each of (A), (B) and (C), used or useful in a Similar Business; or

(iii) to make (A) an Investment in any one or more businesses, provided that such Investment in any business is in the form of the acquisition of Capital Stock and results in the Issuer or another of its Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, owning an amount of the Capital Stock of such business such that it constitutes a Restricted Subsidiary, or (B) acquisitions of other properties or assets that, in the case of each of (A) and (B), replace the businesses, properties or assets that are the subject of such Asset Sale;

 

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provided that, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) of this Section 4.10(b), a binding commitment shall be treated as a permitted application of the Net Proceeds from the date of such commitment so long as the Issuer or such other Restricted Subsidiary enters into such commitment with the good faith expectation that such Net Proceeds will be applied to satisfy such commitment within the later of (x) 450 days after the receipt of such Net Proceeds and (y) 180 days of such commitment (an “ Acceptable Commitment ”) and, in the event any Acceptable Commitment is later cancelled or terminated for any reason before the Net Proceeds are applied in connection therewith, the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary enters into another Acceptable Commitment (a “ Second Commitment ”) within 180 days of such Second Commitment; provided further that if any Second Commitment is later cancelled or terminated for any reason before such Net Proceeds are applied, then such Net Proceeds shall constitute Excess Proceeds if not otherwise invested or applied pursuant to clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above within 450 days of the receipt of such Net Proceeds.

(c) Any Net Proceeds from the Asset Sale that are not invested or applied as provided and within the time period set forth in Section 4.10(b) hereof will be deemed to constitute “ Excess Proceeds .” When the aggregate amount of Excess Proceeds exceeds $25.0 million, the Issuer shall make an offer to all Holders of the Notes and, if required by the terms of any Indebtedness that is pari passu with the Notes (“ Pari Passu Indebtedness ”), to the holders of such Pari Passu Indebtedness (an “ Asset Sale Offer ”), to purchase the maximum aggregate principal amount of the Notes and such Pari Passu Indebtedness that is equal to $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof that may be purchased out of the Excess Proceeds at an offer price in cash in an amount equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, if any, to the date fixed for the closing of such offer, in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Indenture. The Issuer will commence an Asset Sale Offer with respect to Excess Proceeds within ten Business Days after the date that Excess Proceeds exceed $25.0 million by mailing the notice required pursuant to the terms of this Indenture, with a copy to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator or otherwise in accordance with the procedures of DTC. The Issuer may satisfy the foregoing obligations with respect to such Net Proceeds from an Asset Sale by making an Asset Sale Offer with respect to such Net Proceeds prior to the expiration of the Application Period.

To the extent that the aggregate amount of Notes and such Pari Passu Indebtedness tendered pursuant to an Asset Sale Offer is less than the Excess Proceeds, the Issuer may use any remaining Excess Proceeds for general corporate purposes. If the aggregate principal amount of Notes or the Pari Passu Indebtedness surrendered by such holders thereof exceeds the amount of Excess Proceeds, the Issuer shall purchase such Notes and Pari Passu Indebtedness on a pro rata basis based on the accreted value or principal amount of the Notes or such Pari Passu Indebtedness tendered. Upon completion of any such Asset Sale Offer, the amount of Excess Proceeds shall be reset at zero.

(d) Pending the final application of any Net Proceeds pursuant to this Section 4.10, the holder of such Net Proceeds may apply such Net Proceeds temporarily to reduce Indebtedness outstanding under any revolving credit facility or otherwise use such Net Proceeds in any manner not prohibited by this Indenture.

(e) The Issuer shall comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent such laws or regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the Notes pursuant to an Asset Sale Offer. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the provisions of this Indenture, the Issuer shall comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and shall not be deemed to have breached its obligations described in this Indenture by virtue thereof.

The provisions of this Section 4.10 may be waived or modified with the written consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding.

Section 4.11. Transactions with Affiliates .

(a) The Issuer shall not, and shall not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, make any payment to, or sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its properties or assets to, or purchase any property or assets from, or enter into or make or amend any transaction, contract, agreement, understanding, loan, advance or guarantee with, or for the benefit of, any Affiliate of the Issuer (each of the foregoing, an “ Affiliate Transaction ”) involving aggregate payments or consideration in excess of $7.5 million, unless:

 

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(i) such Affiliate Transaction is on terms that are not materially less favorable to the Issuer or its relevant Restricted Subsidiary than those that would have been obtained in a comparable transaction by the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary with an unrelated Person on an arm’s-length basis; and

(ii) the Issuer delivers to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series of related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate payments or consideration in excess of $25.0 million, a resolution adopted by the majority of the board of directors of the Issuer approving such Affiliate Transaction and set forth in an Officer’s Certificate certifying that such Affiliate Transaction complies with clause (i) of this Section 4.11(a).

(b) The provisions of Section 4.11(a) hereof shall not apply to the following:

(i) transactions between or among the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or any entity that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of such transaction;

(ii) Restricted Payments permitted by Section 4.07 hereof and Investments in the definition of “Permitted Investments;”

(iii) the payment of management, consulting, monitoring, transaction and advisory fees and related expenses to the Sponsors (including indemnification and other similar amounts and any unpaid management, consulting, monitoring, advisory and other fees and related expenses accrued in any prior year) and the termination fees pursuant to the Sponsor Management Agreement, as in effect on the Issue Date or any amendment thereto or replacement thereof so long as any such amendment or replacement is not materially disadvantageous, in the good faith judgment of the board of directors of the Issuer, to the Holders when taken as a whole as compared to the Sponsor Management Agreement in effect on the Issue Date;

(iv) the payment of reasonable and customary fees and compensation paid to, and indemnities and reimbursements and employment and severance arrangements provided for or on behalf of the benefit of, former, current or future officers, directors, employees or consultants of the Issuer, any of its direct or indirect parent companies or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(v) transactions in which the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, delivers to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator a letter from an Independent Financial Advisor stating that such transaction is fair to the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary from a financial point of view or stating that the terms are not materially less favorable to the Issuer or its relevant Restricted Subsidiary than those that would have been obtained in a comparable transaction by the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary with an unrelated Person on an arm’s-length basis;

(vi) any agreement or arrangement as in effect as of the Issue Date (other than the Sponsor Management Agreement), or any amendment thereto (so long as any such amendment is not materially disadvantageous to the Holders when taken as a whole as compared to the applicable agreement as in effect on the Issue Date);

(vii) the existence of, or the performance by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of its obligations under the terms of, any stockholders’ agreement (including any registration rights agreement or purchase agreement related thereto) to which it is a party as of the Issue Date and any similar agreements which it may enter into thereafter; provided, however, that the existence of, or the performance by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of obligations under any future amendment to any such existing agreement or under any similar agreement entered into after the Issue Date shall only be permitted by this clause (vii) to the extent that the terms of any such existing agreement, together with all amendments thereto, taken as a whole, are not otherwise disadvantageous in any material respect to the Holders when taken as a whole as compared to the original agreement in effect on the Issue Date;

 

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(viii) the Transactions and the payment of all fees and expenses related to the Transactions, in each case as contemplated in the Offering Memorandum;

(ix) transactions with customers, clients, suppliers, contractors, joint venture partners or purchasers or sellers of goods or services, in each case in the ordinary course of business and otherwise in compliance with the terms of this Indenture which are fair to the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries, in the reasonable determination of the board of directors of the Issuer or the senior management thereof, or are on terms at least as favorable as might reasonably have been obtained at such time from an unaffiliated party;

(x) if otherwise permitted under this Indenture, the issuance or transfer of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) to Affiliates of the Issuer and the granting of registration and other customary rights in connection therewith or any contribution to the capital of direct or indirect parent companies, the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary;

(xi) any customary transaction with a Securitization Subsidiary effected as part of a Qualified Securitization Financing;

(xii) payments by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to the Sponsors made for any financial advisory, financing, underwriting or placement services or in respect of other investment banking activities, including, without limitation, in connection with acquisitions or divestitures which payments are approved by a majority of the board of directors of the Issuer in good faith;

(xiii) payments or loans (or cancellation of loans) to employees or consultants of the Issuer, any of its direct or indirect parent companies or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and employment agreements, stock option plans, restricted stock plans, bonus programs and other similar arrangements with such employees or consultants which, in each case, are approved in good faith by the Issuer;

(xiv) (i) investments by Permitted Holders in securities of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (and the payment of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such Permitted Holders in connection therewith) so long as (A) the investment is being offered by the Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary generally to other investors on the same or more favorable terms and (B) the investment constitutes less than 5.0% of the proposed or outstanding issue amount of such class of securities, and (ii) payments to Permitted Holders in respect of securities of the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries contemplated in the foregoing subclause (i) or that were acquired from Persons other than the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries, in each case, in accordance with the terms of such securities;

(xv) transactions with a Person (other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary of the Issuer) that is an Affiliate of the Issuer solely because the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Issuer owns an equity interest in or otherwise controls such Person;

(xvi) payments by the Issuer (and any direct or indirect parent company thereof) and its Subsidiaries pursuant to tax sharing agreements among the Issuer (and any such parent company) and its Subsidiaries; provided that in each case the amount of such payments in any fiscal year does not exceed the amount that the Issuer, its Restricted Subsidiaries and its Unrestricted Subsidiaries (to the extent of amount received from Unrestricted Subsidiaries) would be required to pay in respect of foreign, federal, state and local taxes for such fiscal year were the Issuer, its Restricted Subsidiaries and its Unrestricted Subsidiaries (to the extent described above) to pay such taxes separately from any such parent entity;

(xvii) any lease entered into between the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary and any Franchisee or joint venture partner of the Issuer in the ordinary course of business, which is approved in good faith by the Issuer; and

(xviii) Refranchising Transactions and intellectual property licenses in the ordinary course of business.

 

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Section 4.12. Liens . The Issuer will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary Guarantor to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien (except Permitted Liens) (each, an “ Initial Lien ”) that secures obligations under any Indebtedness or any related guarantee, on any asset or property of the Issuer or any Subsidiary Guarantor, or any income or profits therefrom, unless:

(a) in the case of Liens securing Subordinated Indebtedness, the Notes and related Guarantees are secured by a Lien on such property, assets or proceeds that is senior in priority to such Liens; or

(b) in all other cases, the Notes or the Guarantees are equally and ratably secured, except that the foregoing shall not apply to Liens securing the Notes and the related Guarantees.

Any Lien created for the benefit of the Holders of the Notes pursuant to the preceding paragraph shall provide by its terms that such Lien shall be automatically and unconditionally released and discharged upon the release and discharge of the Initial Lien that gave rise to the obligation to so secure the Notes and Guarantees.

Section 4.13. Company Existence . Subject to Article 5 hereof, the Issuer shall do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect (i) its company existence, and the corporate, partnership or other existence of each of its Restricted Subsidiaries, in accordance with the respective organizational documents (as the same may be amended from time to time); provided that the Issuer shall not be required to preserve the corporate, partnership or other existence of its Restricted Subsidiaries, if the Issuer in good faith shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

Section 4.14. Offer to Repurchase Upon Change of Control .

(a) If a Change of Control occurs, unless the Issuer has previously or concurrently delivered a redemption notice with respect to all the outstanding Notes as described under Section 3.07 hereof, the Issuer shall make an offer to purchase all of the Notes pursuant to the offer described below (the “ Change of Control Offer ”) at a price in cash (the “ Change of Control Payment ”) equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, if any, to the date of purchase, subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date. Within 30 days following any Change of Control, the Issuer shall deliver notice of such Change of Control Offer electronically or by first-class mail, with a copy to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator, to each Holder of Notes to the address of such Holder appearing in the Security Register or otherwise in accordance with the procedures of DTC, with the following information:

(i) that a Change of Control Offer is being made pursuant to this Section 4.14 and that all Notes properly tendered pursuant to such Change of Control Offer will be accepted for payment by the Issuer;

(ii) the purchase price and the purchase date, which will be no earlier than 30 days nor later than 60 days from the date such notice is delivered (the “ Change of Control Payment Date ”);

(iii) that any Note not properly tendered will remain outstanding and continue to accrue interest;

(iv) that unless the Issuer defaults in the payment of the Change of Control Payment, all Notes accepted for payment pursuant to the Change of Control Offer shall cease to accrue interest on the Change of Control Payment Date;

(v) that Holders electing to have any Notes purchased pursuant to a Change of Control Offer will be required to surrender such Notes, with the form entitled “Option of Holder to Elect Purchase” on the reverse of such Notes completed, to the paying agent specified in the notice at the address specified in the notice prior to the close of business on the third Business Day preceding the Change of Control Payment Date;

 

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(vi) that Holders shall be entitled to withdraw their tendered Notes and their election to require the Issuer to purchase such Notes, provided that the Paying Agent receives, not later than the expiration time of the Change of Control Offer, a telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter setting forth the name of the Holder of the Notes, the principal amount of Notes tendered for purchase, and a statement that such Holder is withdrawing its tendered Notes and its election to have such Notes purchased;

(vii) that if the Issuer is redeeming less than all of the Notes, the Holders of the remaining Notes shall be issued new Notes and such new Notes will be equal in principal amount to the unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered. The unpurchased portion of the Notes must be equal to $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof;

(viii) if such notice is delivered prior to the occurrence of a Change of Control, stating that the Change of Control Offer is conditional on the occurrence of such Change of Control; and

(ix) the other instructions, as determined by us, consistent with this Section 4.14.

The notice, if mailed in a manner herein provided, shall be conclusively presumed to have been given, whether or not the Holder receives such notice. If (a) the notice is mailed in a manner herein provided and (b) any Holder fails to receive such notice or a Holder receives such notice but it is defective, such Holder’s failure to receive such notice or such defect shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the purchase of the Notes as to all other Holders that properly received such notice without defect. The Issuer shall comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent such laws or regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of Notes pursuant to a Change of Control Offer. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the provisions of this Section 4.14, the Issuer will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and shall not be deemed to have breached its obligations described in this Indenture by virtue thereof.

(b) On the Change of Control Payment Date, the Issuer will, to the extent permitted by law,

(i) accept for payment all Notes issued by it or portions thereof properly tendered pursuant to the Change of Control Offer;

(ii) deposit with the Paying Agent an amount equal to the aggregate Change of Control Payment in respect of all Notes or portions thereof so tendered; and

(iii) deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Indenture Administrator for cancellation the Notes so accepted together with an Officer’s Certificate to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator stating that such Notes or portions thereof have been tendered to and purchased by the Issuer.

(c) The issuer shall not be required to make a Change of Control Offer following a Change of Control if a third party makes the Change of Control Offer in the manner, at the times and otherwise in compliance with the requirements set forth in this Indenture applicable to a Change of Control Offer made by the Issuer and purchases all Notes validly tendered and not withdrawn under such Change of Control Offer.

(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, a Change of Control Offer may be made in advance of a Change of Control, conditional upon such Change of Control, if a definitive agreement is in place for the Change of Control at the time of making of the Change of Control Offer.

(e) The provisions of this Section 4.14 may be waived or modified with the written consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes.

Section 4.15. Limitation on Guarantees of Indebtedness by Restricted Subsidiaries . The Issuer shall not permit any of its Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries (and non-Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries if such non-Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries guarantee other capital markets debt securities of the Issuer or any Subsidiary Guarantor or guarantee all or a portion of the New Credit Facilities (solely to the extent

 

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relating to obligations of the Issuer or any Subsidiary Guarantor)), other than a Subsidiary Guarantor or a Foreign Subsidiary, to guarantee the payment of any Indebtedness of the Issuer or any other Subsidiary Guarantor unless:

(a) such Restricted Subsidiary within 30 days after the guarantee of such Indebtedness executes and delivers a supplemental indenture to this Indenture the form of which is attached as Exhibit E hereto and joinder providing for a senior Guarantee by such Restricted Subsidiary; provided that

(i) if such Indebtedness is by its express terms subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or such Subsidiary Guarantor’s Guarantee, any such guarantee by such Restricted Subsidiary with respect to such Indebtedness shall be subordinated in right of payment to such Guarantee with respect to the Notes substantially to the same extent as such Indebtedness is subordinated to the Notes or such Subsidiary Guarantor’s Guarantee of the Notes; and

(ii) if the Notes or such Subsidiary Guarantor’s Guarantee are subordinated in right of payment to such Indebtedness, the Guarantee under the supplemental indenture shall be subordinated to such Restricted Subsidiary’s guarantee with respect to such Indebtedness substantially to the same extent as the Notes or the Subsidiary Guarantor’s Guarantee are subordinated to such Indebtedness; and

(b) such Restricted Subsidiary waives and shall not in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any rights of reimbursement, indemnity or subrogation or any other rights against the Issuer or any other Restricted Subsidiary as a result of any payment by such Restricted Subsidiary under its Guarantee until payment in full of Obligations under this Indenture;

provided that this Section 4.15 shall not be applicable to any guarantee of any Restricted Subsidiary that existed at the time such Person became a Restricted Subsidiary and was not incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such Person becoming a Restricted Subsidiary.

The Issuer may elect, in its sole discretion, to cause any Subsidiary that is not otherwise required to be a Subsidiary Guarantor to become a Guarantor, in which case, such Subsidiary shall only be required to comply with the 30-day period described in clause (a) above.

Section 4.16. Activities Prior to the Escrow Release Date.

(a) Prior to the earlier of the Escrow Release Date or the Escrow Termination Date, the Escrow Issuer’s primary activities will be restricted to issuing the Notes, borrowings under the New Credit Facilities, issuing a subordinated note to DBI representing an amount equal to the amount of cash and/or Cash Equivalents received by the Escrow Issuer from DBI on the Issue Date (the “ Subordinated Note ”), performing its obligations in respect of the Notes under this Indenture, the New Credit Facilities, the Escrow Agreement and the New Credit Facilities Escrow Agreement, consummating the Recapitalization and redeeming the Notes pursuant to Section 3.08 hereof, if applicable, and conducting such other activities and transactions in connection with, or as are necessary or appropriate to carry out, the activities described above. Prior to the earlier of the Escrow Release Date or the Escrow Termination Date, the Escrow Issuer will not own, hold or otherwise have any interest in any assets other than the Escrow Account and cash and Cash Equivalents.

(b) Prior to the earlier of the Escrow Release Date or the Escrow Termination Date, the Escrow Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall not engage in any activity or enter into any transaction or agreement (including, without limitation, making any Restricted Payment, incurring any Indebtedness or other obligation, incurring any Liens (except in favor of the Holders of the Notes or the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee and in favor of the collateral agent under the New Credit Facilities), entering into any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of its assets or engaging in any transaction with its Affiliates) except for the activities, transactions and agreements in the ordinary course of business or necessary to effectuate the Transactions substantially in accordance with the description of the Transactions set forth in the Offering Memorandum, together with such modifications or alterations that are not, individually or in the aggregate, materially adverse to DBI and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (after giving effect to the consummation of the Transactions), or to the Holders.

 

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(c) If the Escrow Release Date occurs, any activity engaged in or transaction or agreement entered into by DBI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries during the period from and including the Issue Date and ending on the Escrow Release Date (the “ Escrow Period ”), which would have been subject to Section 3.09 hereof and Article 4 hereof had DBI and the Restricted Subsidiaries been party to this Indenture during the Escrow Period shall be deemed to have occurred on the Issue Date as if all such covenants had been applicable to DBI and the Restricted Subsidiaries since the Issue Date and all calculations made under this Indenture shall be made as if such covenants had been applicable to DBI and its Restricted Subsidiaries since the Issue Date; provided , that notwithstanding anything to the contrary, any activity engaged in or transaction or agreement entered into by DBI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries during the Escrow Period that are required to be performed by them pursuant to, or necessary to fulfill their obligations under, the indenture governing the ABS Notes and all documentation related thereto and the issuance of the Notes shall be permitted and shall not be the basis for any Default hereunder.

Section 4.17. Covenant Suspension .

(a) If following the first day, (i) the Notes have an Investment Grade Rating from both of the Ratings Agencies; and (ii) no Default has occurred and is continuing under this Indenture, the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries will not be subject to the covenants (collectively, the “ Suspended Covenants ”) described under:

(i) Section 3.09;

(ii) Section 4.07;

(iii) Section 4.08;

(iv) Section 4.09;

(i) Section 4.10;

(v) Section 4.11;

(ii) Section 4.14; and

(vi) Section 5.01(a)(iv).

(b) If at any time the Notes’ credit rating is downgraded from an Investment Grade Rating by any Rating Agency or if a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing, then the Suspended Covenants will thereafter be reinstated as if such covenants had never been suspended (the “ Reinstatement Date ”) and be applicable pursuant to the terms of this Indenture (including in connection with performing any calculation or assessment to determine compliance with the terms hereof), unless and until the Notes subsequently attain an Investment Grade Rating and no Default or Event of Default is in existence (in which event the Suspended Covenants shall no longer be in effect for such time that the Notes maintain an Investment Grade Rating and no Default or Event of Default is in existence); provided, however , that no Default, Event of Default or breach of any kind shall be deemed to exist under this Indenture, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Notes or the Guarantees with respect to the Suspended Covenants based on, and none of the Issuer nor any of its Subsidiaries shall bear any liability for, any actions taken or events occurring during the Suspension Period (as defined below), or any actions taken at any time pursuant to any contractual obligation arising prior to the Reinstatement Date, regardless of whether such actions or events would have been permitted if the applicable Suspended Covenants remained in effect during such period. The period of time between the date of suspension of the covenants and the Reinstatement Date is referred to as the “ Suspension Period .

(c) On the Reinstatement Date, all Indebtedness incurred during the Suspension Period will be classified to have been incurred pursuant to Section 4.09(a) hereof or one of the clauses set forth in Section 4.09(b) hereof (to the extent such Indebtedness would be permitted to be incurred thereunder as of the Reinstatement Date and after giving effect to Indebtedness incurred prior to the Suspension Period and outstanding on the Reinstatement Date). To the extent such Indebtedness would not be so permitted to be incurred pursuant to Section 4.09(a) or

 

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Section 4.09(b) hereof, such Indebtedness will be deemed to have been outstanding on the Issue Date, so that it is classified as permitted under clause (iii) of Section 4.09(b) hereof. Calculations made after the Reinstatement Date of the amount available to be made as Restricted Payments under Section 4.07 hereof will be made as though the covenants described under Section 4.07 hereof had been in effect since the Issue Date and throughout the Suspension Period. Accordingly, Restricted Payments made during the Suspension Period will reduce the amount available to be made as Restricted Payments under Section 4.07(a) hereof.

(d) During any period when the Suspended Covenants are suspended, the board of directors of the Issuer may not designate any of the Issuer’s Subsidiaries as Unrestricted Subsidiaries pursuant to this Indenture.

ARTICLE 5

S UCCESSORS

Section 5.01. Merger, Consolidation or Sale of All or Substantially All Assets .

(a) The Issuer may not consolidate, merge or amalgamate with or into or wind up into (whether or not the Issuer is the surviving corporation), or sell, assign, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its properties or assets, in one or more related transactions, to any Person unless:

(i) the Issuer is the surviving Person or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation, merger or amalgamation (if other than the Issuer) or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition will have been made is a Person organized or existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of organization of the Issuer or the laws of the United States, any state thereof, the District of Columbia or any territory thereof (such Person, as the case may be, being herein called the “ Successor Company ”); provided that in the case where the surviving Person is not a corporation, a co-obligor of the Notes is a corporation;

(ii) the Successor Company, if other than the Issuer, expressly assumes all the obligations of the Issuer hereunder and the Notes pursuant to supplemental indentures or other documents or instruments;

(iii) immediately after such transaction, no Default exists;

(iv) immediately after giving pro forma effect to such transaction and any related financing transactions, as if such transactions had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period,

(A) the Successor Company or the Issuer would be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in Section 4.09(a) hereof or

(B) the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for the Successor Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries would be greater than the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries immediately prior to such transaction;

(v) each Guarantor, unless it is the other party to the transactions described above, in which case Section 5.01(c)(i)(B) shall apply, shall have by supplemental indenture confirmed that its Guarantee shall apply to such Person’s obligations under this Indenture, the Notes and the Registration Rights Agreement; and

(vi) the Issuer shall have delivered to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, amalgamation or transfer and such supplemental indentures, if any, comply with this Indenture.

(b) The Successor Company shall succeed to, and be substituted for, the Issuer, as the case may be, under this Indenture, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Guarantees and the Notes, as applicable. The foregoing

 

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clauses (iii), (iv), (v) and (vi) of Section 5.01(a) hereof shall not apply to the Issuer Merger and the Recapitalization. Notwithstanding the foregoing clauses (iii) and (iv) of Section 5.01(a) hereof,

(i) any Non-Guarantor Subsidiary may consolidate or amalgamate with or merge into or transfer all or part of its properties and assets to the Issuer or another Restricted Subsidiary,

(ii) the Issuer or any Subsidiary Guarantor may consolidate or amalgamate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties and assets to the Issuer or a Subsidiary Guarantor, as applicable, and

(iii) the Issuer may consolidate, amalgamate or merge with an Affiliate of the Issuer, as the case may be, solely for the purpose of reincorporating or reorganizing the Issuer in any state of the United States, the District of Columbia or any territory thereof so long as the amount of Indebtedness of the Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries is not increased thereby; provided that in the case where the Issuer is reorganized as a Person that is not a corporation, a co-obligor of the Notes is a corporation.

(c) In addition, the Issuer will not permit any Subsidiary Guarantor to, consolidate, amalgamate or merge with or into or wind up into (whether or not the Subsidiary Guarantor is the surviving corporation), or sell, assign, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its properties or assets, in one or more related transactions, to any Person unless:

(i) (A) such Guarantor is the surviving corporation or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than such Guarantor) or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition will have been made is a Person organized or existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of organization of such Guarantor, or the laws of the United States, any state thereof, the District of Columbia or any territory thereof (such Guarantor or such Person, as the case may be, being herein called the “ Successor Person ”);

(B) the Successor Person, if other than such Guarantor, expressly assumes all the obligations of such Guarantor under this Indenture and such Guarantor’s related Guarantee pursuant to supplemental indentures or other documents or instruments;

(C) immediately after such transaction, no Default exists; and

(D) the Issuer shall have delivered to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, amalgamation or transfer and such supplemental indentures, if any, comply with this Indenture;

(ii) the transaction is made in compliance with Section 4.10 hereof or is not subject to Section 4.10; or

(iii) such property or assets constitute Equity Interests of Restricted Subsidiaries that are not Guarantors, which Equity Interests are sold, assigned, transferred, leased, conveyed or otherwise disposed to the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary.

(d) Subject to the provisions of this Indenture, the Successor Person shall succeed to, and be substituted for, such Guarantor under this Indenture, such Guarantor’s Guarantee and the Registration Rights Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Subsidiary Guarantor may (i) merge into or with or wind up into or transfer all or part of its properties and assets to a Subsidiary Guarantor or the Issuer, (ii) merge with an Affiliate of the Issuer solely for the purpose of reincorporating or reorganizing the Guarantor in the United States, any state thereof, the District of Columbia or any territory thereof or (iii) convert into a corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability corporation or trust organized or existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of organization of such Guarantor.

(e) For purposes of this Section 5.01, the sale, lease, conveyance, assignment, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the properties and assets of one or more Subsidiaries of the Issuer, which

 

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properties and assets, if held by the Issuer instead of such Subsidiaries, would constitute all or substantially all of the properties and assets of the Issuer on a consolidated basis, shall be deemed to be the transfer of all or substantially all of the properties and assets of the Issuer.

(f) The predecessor company will be released from its obligations under this Indenture and the Successor Company will succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Issuer under this Indenture, but, in the case of a lease of all or substantially all its assets, the predecessor will not be released from the obligation to pay the principal of and interest on the Notes.

Section 5.02. Successor Person Substituted . Upon any consolidation, amalgamation or merger, or any sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Issuer or a Guarantor in accordance with Section 5.01 hereof, the successor Person formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Issuer or such Guarantor, as applicable, is merged or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such consolidation, merger, sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition, the provisions of this Indenture referring to the Issuer or such Guarantor, as applicable, shall refer instead to the Successor Person and not to the Issuer or such Guarantor, as applicable), and may exercise every right and power of the Issuer or such Guarantor, as applicable, under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor Person had been named as the Issuer or a Guarantor, as applicable, herein; provided that the predecessor Issuer shall not be relieved from the obligation to pay the principal of and interest on the Notes except in the case of a sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all of the Issuer’s assets that meets the requirements of Section 5.01 hereof.

ARTICLE 6

D EFAULTS AND R EMEDIES

Section 6.01. Events of Default .

(a) An “ Event of Default ,” wherever used herein, means any one of the following events:

(i) default in payment when due and payable, upon redemption, acceleration or otherwise, of principal of, or premium, if any, on the Notes;

(ii) default for 30 days or more in the payment when due of interest or Additional Interest on or with respect to the Notes;

(iii) failure by the Issuer or any Guarantor for 60 days after receipt of written notice given by the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Notes to comply with any of its obligations, covenants or agreements (other than a default referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) above) contained in this Indenture or the Notes;

(iv) default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there is issued or by which there is secured or evidenced any Indebtedness for money borrowed by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or the payment of which is guaranteed by the Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, other than Indebtedness owed to the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary, whether such Indebtedness or guarantee now exists or is created after the issuance of the Notes, if both:

(A) such default either results from the failure to pay any principal of such Indebtedness at its stated final maturity (after giving effect to any applicable grace periods) or relates to an obligation other than the obligation to pay principal of any such Indebtedness at its stated final maturity and results in the holder or holders of such Indebtedness causing such Indebtedness to become due prior to its stated maturity; and

(B) the principal amount of such Indebtedness, together with the principal amount of any other such Indebtedness in default for failure to pay principal at stated final maturity (after giving effect

 

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to any applicable grace periods), or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, aggregate $40.0 million or more at any one time outstanding;

(v) failure by the Issuer or any Significant Subsidiary (or group of Restricted Subsidiaries that together (determined as of the most recent consolidated financial statements of the Issuer for a fiscal period end provided as required under Section 4.03) would constitute a Significant Subsidiary), to pay final judgments aggregating in excess of $40.0 million other than any judgments covered by indemnities provided by, or insurance policies issued by, reputable and creditworthy companies, which final judgments remain unpaid, undischarged and unstayed for a period of more than 60 days after such judgment becomes final, and in the event such judgment is covered by insurance, an enforcement proceeding has been commenced by any creditor upon such judgment or decree which is not promptly stayed;

(vi) the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary (or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary) (in each case determined as of the most recent consolidated financial statements of the Issuer for a fiscal quarter end provided as required under Section 4.03 hereof), pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law:

(A) commences proceedings to be adjudicated bankrupt or insolvent;

(B) consents to the institution of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings against it, or the filing by it of a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief under applicable Bankruptcy Law;

(C) consents to the appointment of a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator or other similar official of it or for all or substantially all of its property;

(D) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors; or

(E) generally is not paying its debts as they become due;

(vii) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:

(A) is for relief against the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary (or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary)(in each case determined as of the most recent consolidated financial statements of the Issuer for a fiscal quarter end provided as required under Section 4.03 hereof), in a proceeding in which the Issuer or any such Subsidiary or such group of Restricted Subsidiaries is to be adjudicated bankrupt or insolvent;

(B) appoints a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator or other similar official of the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary (or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary) (in each case determined as of the most recent consolidated financial statements of the Issuer for a fiscal quarter end provided as required under Section 4.03 hereof), or for all or substantially all of the property of the Issuer or any such Subsidiary or such group of Restricted Subsidiaries; or

(C) orders the liquidation of the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary (or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary) (in each case determined as of the most recent consolidated financial statements of the Issuer for a fiscal quarter end provided as required under Section 4.03 hereof);

and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 consecutive days; or

 

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(viii) the Guarantee of any Significant Subsidiary (or group of Subsidiaries that together (determined as of the most recent consolidated financial statements of the Issuer for a fiscal period end provided as required under Section 4.03) would constitute a Significant Subsidiary) shall for any reason cease to be in full force and effect or be declared null and void or any responsible officer of any Subsidiary Guarantor that is a Significant Subsidiary (or the responsible officers of any group of Restricted Subsidiaries that, taken together (determined as of the most recent consolidated financial statements of the Issuer for a fiscal period end provided as required under Section 4.03 hereof) would constitute a Significant Subsidiary), as the case may be, denies in writing that it has any further liability under its or their Guarantee(s) or gives written notice to such effect, other than by reason of the termination of this Indenture or the release of any such Guarantee in accordance with this Indenture.

(b) In the event of any Event of Default specified in clause (iv) of Section 6.01(a) hereof, such Event of Default and all consequences thereof (excluding any resulting payment default, other than as a result of acceleration of the Notes) shall be annulled, waived and rescinded, automatically and without any action by the Trustee or the Holders, if within 30 days after such Event of Default arose:

(i) the Indebtedness or guarantee that is the basis for such Event of Default has been discharged;

(ii) holders thereof have rescinded or waived the acceleration, notice or action (as the case may be) giving rise to such Event of Default; or

(iii) the default that is the basis for such Event of Default has been cured.

Section 6.02. Acceleration . If any Event of Default (other than of a type specified in clause (vi) and clause (vii) of Section 6.01(a)) occurs and is continuing under this Indenture, the Trustee (acting at the direction of the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes) shall or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then total outstanding Notes may declare the principal, premium, if any, interest and any other monetary obligations on all the then outstanding Notes to be due and payable immediately.

Upon the effectiveness of such declaration, such principal and interest will be due and payable immediately. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of an Event of Default arising under clause (vi) and clause (vii) of Section 6.01(a) hereof, all outstanding Notes will become due and payable without further action or notice. The Trustee may withhold from the Holders notice of any continuing Default of which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has actual knowledge, except a Default relating to the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, if a committee of its trust officers determines that withholding notice is in the Holders’ interest.

The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by notice to the Trustee may on behalf of the Holders of all of the Notes waive any existing Default and its consequences under this Indenture (except a continuing Default in the payment of interest on, premium, if any, or the principal of any Note held by a non-consenting Holder) and rescind any acceleration and its consequences with respect to the Notes, provided such rescission would not conflict with any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.

Section 6.03. Other Remedies . If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may pursue any available remedy to collect the payment of principal, premium, if any, interest and Additional Interest, if any, on the Notes or to enforce the performance of any provision of the Notes or this Indenture.

The Trustee may maintain a proceeding even if it does not possess any of the Notes or does not produce any of them in the proceeding. A delay or omission by the Trustee or any Holder of a Note in exercising any right or remedy accruing upon an Event of Default shall not impair the right or remedy or constitute a waiver of or acquiescence in the Event of Default. All remedies are cumulative to the extent permitted by law.

Section 6.04. Waiver of Past Defaults . Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by notice to the Trustee (with a copy to the Issuer; provided that any waiver or rescission under this Section 6.04 shall be valid and binding notwithstanding the failure to provide a copy

 

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of such notice to the Issuer) may on behalf of all the Holders waive any existing Default and its consequences hereunder (except a continuing Default in the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on, any Note held by a non-consenting Holder) (including in connection with an Asset Sale Offer or a Change of Control Offer) and rescind any acceleration with respect to the Notes and its consequences (except if such rescission would conflict with any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction). Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

Section 6.05. Control by Majority . Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then total outstanding Notes may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or of exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee. The Trustee, however, may refuse to follow any direction that conflicts with law or this Indenture or that the Trustee determines is unduly prejudicial to the rights of any other Holder of a Note or that would involve the Trustee in personal liability.

Section 6.06. Limitation on Suits . Except to enforce the right to receive payment of principal, premium (if any) or interest when due, no Holder of a Note may pursue any remedy with respect to this Indenture or the Notes unless:

(a) such Holder has previously given the Trustee notice that an Event of Default is continuing;

(b) Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the total outstanding Notes have requested the Trustee to pursue the remedy;

(c) Holders of the Notes have offered and, if requested, provide to the Trustee indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee against any loss, liability or expense;

(d) the Trustee has not complied with such request within 60 days after the receipt thereof and the offer of security or indemnity; and

(e) Holders of a majority in principal amount of the total outstanding Notes have not given the Trustee a direction inconsistent with such request within such 60-day period.

Section 6.07. Rights of Holders to Receive Payment . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, the right of any Holder of a Note to receive payment of principal, premium, if any, and Additional Interest, if any, and interest on the Note, on or after the respective due dates expressed in the Note (including in connection with an Asset Sale Offer or a Change of Control Offer), or to bring suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such Holder.

Section 6.08. Collection Suit by Trustee . If an Event of Default specified in Section 6.01(a)(i) or (ii) hereof occurs and is continuing, the Trustee is authorized to recover judgment in its own name and as trustee of an express trust against the Issuer for the whole amount of principal of, premium, if any, Additional Interest, if any, and interest remaining unpaid on the Notes and interest on overdue principal, if applicable, and, to the extent lawful, interest and such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.

Section 6.09. Restoration of Rights and Remedies . If the Trustee or any Holder has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case, subject to any determination in such proceedings, the Issuer, the Trustee and the Holders shall be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding has been instituted.

Section 6.10. Rights and Remedies Cumulative . Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Notes in Section 2.07 hereof, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders is intended to be exclusive of any other right or

 

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remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.

Section 6.11. Delay or Omission Not Waiver . No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Note to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article 6 or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Holders, as the case may be.

Section 6.12. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim . The Trustee is authorized to file such proofs of claim and other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee and their respective agents and counsel) and the Holders allowed in any judicial proceedings relative to the Issuer (or any other obligor upon the Notes including the Guarantors), its creditors or its property and shall be entitled and empowered to participate as a member in any official committee of creditors appointed in such matter and to collect, receive and distribute any money or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and any custodian in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder to make such payments to the Trustee, and in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee and their respective agents and counsel any amount due to it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee and their respective agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee under Section 7.07 hereof. To the extent that the payment of any such compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee and their respective agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Indenture Administrator and Trustee under Section 7.07 hereof out of the estate in any such proceeding, shall be denied for any reason, payment of the same shall be secured by a Lien on, and shall be paid out of, any and all distributions, dividends, money, securities and other properties that the Holders may be entitled to receive in such proceeding whether in liquidation or under any plan of reorganization or arrangement or otherwise. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Notes or the rights of any Holder, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.

Section 6.13. Priorities . If the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee, their respective agents and counsel, or any Agent collects any money or property pursuant to this Article 6, it shall pay out the money or property in the following order:

(a) to the Indenture Administrator, Trustee, their respective agents and counsel, or such Agent, their agents and attorneys for amounts due under Section 7.07 hereof, including payment of all compensation, expenses and liabilities incurred, and all advances made, by the Indenture Administrator, Trustee or such Agent and the costs and expenses of collection;

(b) to Holders for amounts due and unpaid on the Notes for principal, premium, if any, and Additional Interest, if any, and interest, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on the Notes for principal, premium, if any, and interest, respectively; and

(c) to the Issuer or to such party as a court of competent jurisdiction shall direct including a Guarantor, if applicable.

The Trustee (or the Indenture Administrator on its behalf) may fix a record date and payment date for any payment to Holders pursuant to this Section 6.13.

Section 6.14. Undertaking for Costs . In any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as a Trustee, a court in its

 

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discretion may require the filing by any party litigant in the suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of the suit, and the court in its discretion may assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in the suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by the party litigant. This Section 6.14 does not apply to a suit by the Trustee, a suit by a Holder of a Note pursuant to Section 6.07 hereof, or a suit by Holders of more than 10% in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes.

ARTICLE 7

I NDENTURE A DMINISTRATOR AND T RUSTEE

Section 7.01. Duties of the Indenture Administrator and Trustee .

(a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

(b) The Trustee, except during the continuance of an Event of Default, and the Indenture Administrator:

(i) need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee; and

(ii) in the absence of bad faith, willful misconduct or negligence on its part, may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as the case may be, and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions which by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as the case may be, shall examine the certificates and opinions to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein).

(c) Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee may be relieved from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:

(i) this paragraph does not limit the effect of paragraph (a) of this Section 7.01;

(ii) neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer thereof, unless it is proved in a court of competent jurisdiction that the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as the case may be, was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts; and

(iii) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in accordance with a direction received by it pursuant to Section 6.05 hereof.

(d) Every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Indenture Administrator or to the Trustee is subject to the provisions of this Section 7.01.

(e) Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be liable for interest on any money received by it except as the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as the case may be, may agree in writing with the Issuer. Money held in trust by the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee shall be segregated from other funds as directed in writing by the Issuer or as required by law and shall be invested by the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, pursuant to the written instructions of the Issuer reasonably satisfactory to the Indenture Administrator or Trustee, as applicable.

 

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Section 7.02. Rights of the Indenture Administrator and Trustee .

(a) Subject to Section 7.01, each of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee may conclusively rely on any document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper Person. Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee need investigate any fact or matter stated in the document. If however, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled during normal business hours of the Issuer to examine the relevant books, records and premises of the Issuer, personally or by agent or attorney upon reasonable prior notice.

(b) Before the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both. Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel. No such Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel shall be at the expense of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee.

(c) Any request or direction of the Issuer mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Issuer’s Order, and any resolution of the board of directors shall be sufficiently evidenced by a board resolution.

(d) Each of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee may consult with counsel, and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection from liability in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon.

(e) Each of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee may act through agents or attorneys, and neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent or attorney appointed with due care.

(f) Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be liable for any action it takes, suffers or omits to take in good faith which it believes to be authorized or within its discretion, rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture.

(g) Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee (except with respect to Section 6.01 shall have any duty to inquire as to the performance of the Issuer with respect to the covenants contained in Article IV. In addition, neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be deemed to have knowledge of a Default or Event of Default, except (i) with respect to the Indenture Administrator any Default or Event of Default occurring pursuant to Section 6.01(a)(i) or Section 6.01(a)(ii) (the Indenture Administrator agrees to promptly notify the Trustee of such a Default or Event of Default upon a Responsible Officer of the Indenture Administrator acquiring actual knowledge of such Default or Event of Default) or (ii) any Default or Event of Default of which a Responsible Officer of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as the case may be, shall have received written notification or obtained actual knowledge. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee may, in the absence of such actual knowledge or receipt of such written notification, conclusively assume that there is no Default or Event of Default. Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Indenture Administrator or to the Trustee under Article IV (other than Section 4.04) is for informational purposes only and the receipt by the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Issuer’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which each of the Indenture Administrator and Trustee is entitled to rely on Officer’s Certificates).

(h) Subject to Section 7.01(a), neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be under any obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders pursuant to this Indenture unless such Holders shall have offered to the Indenture Administrator or to the Trustee, as applicable, security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, against any loss, costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

 

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(i) The rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder.

(j) The Indenture Administrator or the Trustee may request that the Issuer deliver an Officer’s Certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture, which Officer’s Certificate may be signed by any person authorized to sign an Officer’s Certificate including any person specified as so authorized in any such certificate previously delivered and not superceded.

(k) Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be required to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur financial liability for the performance of any of its duties hereunder or the exercise of any of its rights or powers if there is reasonable ground for believing that the repayment of such funds or reasonably adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not assured to it.

(l) Neither the Indenture Trustee nor the Indenture Administrator shall have any duty (i) to see to any recording, filing or depositing of this Indenture or any Indenture referred to herein or any financing statement or continuation statement evidencing a security interest, or to see to the maintenance of any such recording or filing or depositing or to any rerecording, refiling or redepositing of any thereof or (ii) to see to any insurance.

(m) In the event the Issuer is required to pay Additional Interest, the Issuer will provide written notice to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee of the Issuer’s obligation to pay Additional Interest no later than 15 days prior to the next Interest Payment Date, which notice shall set forth the amount of the Additional Interest to be paid by the Issuer. Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall at any time be under any duty or responsibility to any Holders to determine whether the Additional Interest is payable to the amount thereof.

(n) Delivery of reports, information and documents (including without limitation reports contemplated under Section 4.03 hereof) to the Indenture Administrator or to the Trustee is for informational purposes only and receipt by the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, of such shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Issuer’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, is entitled to rely exclusively on Officer’s Certificates).

(o) The rights of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee to perform any discretionary act enumerated in this Indenture shall not be construed as a duty, and neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be answerable other than for its negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of such act.

(p) Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the execution of the powers granted hereunder.

(q) Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations under this Indenture arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including without limitation, acts of God; earthquakes; fires; floods; wars; civil or military disturbances; sabotage; epidemics; riots; interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, computer (hardware or software) or communications service, accidents; labor disputes; acts of civil or military authority or governmental actions (it being understood that the Indenture Trustee and the Indenture Administrator shall use commercially reasonable efforts to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances).

(r) In accordance with Section 326 of the U.S.A. Patriot Act, to help fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, the Indenture Administrator will obtain, verify, and record information that identifies individuals or entities that establish a relationship or open an account with the Indenture Administrator. The Indenture Administrator will ask for the name, address, tax identification number and other information that will allow the Indenture Administrator to identify the individual or entity who is establishing the relationship or

 

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opening the account. The Indenture Administrator may also ask for formation documents such as articles of incorporation, an offering memorandum, or other identifying documents to be provided.

(s) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, any and all communications (both text and attachments) by or from the Indenture Administrator that the Indenture Administrator in its sole discretion deems to contain confidential, proprietary, and/or sensitive information and sent by electronic mail will be encrypted. The recipient of the email communication will be required to complete a one-time registration process. Information and assistance on registering and using the email encryption technology can be found at the Indenture Administrator’s secure website www.citigroup.com/citigroup/citizen/privacy/email.htm or by calling (866) 535-2504 (in the U.S.) or (904) 954-6181 at any time.

Section 7.03. Individual Rights of the Indenture Administrator and Trustee . The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Notes and may otherwise deal with the Issuer or any of its Affiliates with the same rights the Trustee would have if it were not Trustee. However, in the event that the Trustee acquires any conflicting interest it must eliminate such conflict within 90 days, apply to the SEC for permission to continue or resign. The Indenture Administrator and any Agent may do the same with like rights and duties. The Trustee, however, is also subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11 hereof.

Section 7.04. Disclaimer of the Indenture Administrator and Trustee . Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee makes any representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Notes. Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be accountable for the Issuer’s use of the proceeds from the Notes or any money paid to the Issuer or upon the Issuer’s direction under any provision of this Indenture, it shall not be responsible for the use or application of any money received by any Paying Agent (other than, with respect to the Indenture Administrator, the Indenture Administrator), and it shall not be responsible for any statement or recital herein or any statement in the Notes or any other document in connection with the sale of the Notes or pursuant to this Indenture other than, with respect to the Indenture Administrator, its certificate of authentication.

Section 7.05. Notice of Defaults . If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing as to which the Trustee has received notice pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, or as to which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have actual knowledge, then the Trustee shall mail to each Holder a notice of the Default or Event of Default within 90 days after receipt of such notice or after acquiring such knowledge, as applicable, unless such Default or Event of Default shall have been cured or waived. Except in the case of a Default or an Event of Default relating to the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest on any Note, the Trustee may withhold from the Holders notice of any continuing Default or Event of Default if and so long as a committee of its Responsible Officers in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of the Holders.

Section 7.06. Reports by Trustee to Holders . Within 60 days after each November 1st, beginning November 1, 2011, and for so long as Notes remain outstanding, the Trustee shall mail to the Holders a brief report dated as of such reporting date that complies with Trust Indenture Act Section 313(a) (but if no event described in Trust Indenture Act Section 313(a) has occurred within the twelve months preceding the reporting date, no report need be transmitted). The Trustee also shall comply with Trust Indenture Act Section 313(b)(2). The Trustee shall also transmit by mail all reports as required by Trust Indenture Act Section 313(c).

A copy of each report at the time of its mailing to the Holders shall be mailed to the Issuer and filed by the Trustee with the SEC and each stock exchange, if any, on which the Notes are listed in accordance with Trust Indenture Act Section 313(d). The Issuer shall promptly notify the Trustee of the listing or delisting of the Notes on or from any stock exchange.

Section 7.07. Compensation and Indemnity . The Issuer shall pay to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee from time to time such compensation for their services hereunder as the parties shall agree in writing from time to time. Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee’s compensation shall be limited by any law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Issuer shall reimburse the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee upon request for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them pursuant to,

 

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and in accordance with, any provision hereof. Such expenses shall include the reasonable compensation, and out-of-pocket expenses of the agents and counsel of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee.

The Issuer and the Guarantors, jointly and severally, shall indemnify each of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee and its officers, directors, employees, agents and any predecessor trustee and its officers, directors, employees and agents for, and hold each of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee harmless against any and all loss, liability damage, claim, or expense (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel and taxes other than those based upon the income of the Indenture Administrator or Trustee) incurred by it in connection with the acceptance or administration of this trust and the performance of its duties hereunder (including the reasonable costs and expenses of enforcing this Indenture against the Issuer or any of the Guarantors (including this Section 7.07) or defending itself against any claim whether asserted by the Issuer, any Holder, any Guarantor, or any other Person, or liability in connection with the acceptance, exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder). The Issuer need not pay any settlement made without its consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. Each of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee shall notify the Issuer promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnification. Failure by the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee to so notify the Issuer shall not relieve the Issuer or any of the Guarantors of their obligations hereunder. The Issuer or such Guarantor shall defend, the claim and the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee will cooperate in the defense. The Indenture Administrator and the Trustee may have separate counsel and the Issuer shall pay the fees and expenses of such counsel. Neither the Issuer nor any Guarantor need pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned. Neither the Issuer nor any of the Guarantors need reimburse any expense or indemnify against any loss or liability incurred by the Indenture Administrator or by the Trustee through the negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable.

Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, to the extent permitted by the Trust Indenture Act, in no event shall the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee be liable for special, indirect or consequential losses or damages of any kind whatsoever( including, without limitation, lost-profits), even if the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, has been advised of the likelihood of such losses or damages and regardless of the form of action.

To secure the payment obligations of the Issuer and the Guarantors in this Section 7.07, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee shall have a Lien prior to the Notes on all money or property held or collected by the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, except money or property held in trust to pay principal and interest on particular Notes. Such Lien shall survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture. The indemnity obligations of the Issuer with respect to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee provided for in this Section 7.07 shall survive any resignation or removal of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable.

When the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in Section 6.01(a)(vi) or Section 6.01(a)(vii) hereof occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services (including the fees and expenses of its agents and counsel) are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.

Section 7.08. Replacement of Indenture Administrator or the Trustee . A resignation or removal of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee and appointment of a successor Indenture Administrator or successor Trustee shall become effective only upon such successor’s acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section 7.08. Each of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee may resign by so notifying the Issuer in writing 30 Business Days prior to such resignation. The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding may remove the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee by so notifying the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, and the Issuer in writing and may appoint a successor Indenture Administrator or successor Trustee with the Issuer’s consent. The Issuer may remove the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee if:

(a) the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, fails to comply with the applicable provisions of Section 7.10 hereof or the Trustee fails to comply with the Trust Indenture Act Section 310;

 

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(b) the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Indenture Administrator or Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law;

(c) a receiver or other public officer takes charge of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, or its property; or

(d) the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, becomes incapable of acting.

If the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, for any reason, the Issuer shall promptly appoint a successor Indenture Administrator or Trustee, as the case may be. Within one year after the successor Indenture Administrator or successor Trustee, as applicable, takes office, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may appoint a successor Indenture Administrator or successor Trustee, as applicable to replace the successor Indenture Administrator or successor Trustee, as applicable, appointed by the Issuer.

If a successor Indenture Administrator or successor Trustee, as applicable, does not take office within 60 days after the retiring Indenture Administrator or retiring Trustee, as applicable, resigns or is removed, the retiring Indenture Administrator or retiring Trustee, as applicable (at the Issuer’s expense), the Issuer or the Holders of at least 10% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Indenture Administrator or a successor Trustee, as applicable.

If the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, after written request by any Holder who has been a Holder for at least six months, fails to comply with Section 7.10 hereof, the Issuer or such Holder may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable and the appointment of a successor Indenture Administrator or successor Trustee, as applicable.

Each successor Indenture Administrator or successor Trustee, as applicable, shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Indenture Administrator or retiring Trustee, as applicable, and to the Issuer. Thereupon, the resignation or removal of the retiring Indenture Administrator or the retiring Trustee, as applicable, shall become effective, and the successor Indenture Administrator or successor Trustee, as applicable, shall have all the rights, powers and duties of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, under this Indenture. The successor Indenture Administrator or the successor Trustee, as applicable, shall mail a notice of its succession to Holders. The retiring Indenture Administrator or the retiring Trustee, as applicable, shall promptly transfer all property held by it as Indenture Administrator or as Trustee, as applicable, to the successor Indenture Administrator or successor Trustee, as applicable, subject to the lien provided for in Section 7.07 hereof. Notwithstanding the replacement of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.08, the Issuer’s obligations under Section 7.07 hereof shall continue for the benefit of the retiring Indenture Administrator or retiring Trustee, as applicable.

Section 7.09. Successor Indenture Administrator or Trustee by Merger, etc . If the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee consolidates with, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially all of its corporate trust business to, another corporation, the successor corporation without any further act shall be the successor Indenture Administrator or Trustee, as applicable, if such successor corporation is otherwise eligible hereunder.

Section 7.10. Eligibility; Disqualification . There shall at all times be a Indenture Administrator and a Trustee hereunder, each of which (a) is an entity organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or of any state thereof, (b) is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trustee power, (c) is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authorities and (d) has, together with its parent, a combined capital and surplus of at least $50.0 million as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition. The Trustee shall comply with Trust Indenture Act Section 310(b). Nothing in this Indenture shall prevent the Trustee from filing with the SEC the application referred to in the penultimate paragraph of the Trust Indenture Act Section 310(b). This Indenture shall always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of Trust Indenture Act Sections 310(a)(1), (2) and (5).

 

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Section 7.11. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Issuer . The Trustee shall comply with Trust Indenture Act Section 311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in Trust Indenture Act Section 311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to Trust Indenture Act Section 311(a) to the extent indicated therein.

ARTICLE 8

L EGAL D EFEASANCE AND C OVENANT D EFEASANCE

Section 8.01. Option to Effect Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance . The Issuer may, at its option and at any time, elect to have either Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof applied to all outstanding Notes and all obligations of the Guarantors with respect to the Guarantees upon compliance with the conditions set forth below in this Article 8.

Section 8.02. Legal Defeasance and Discharge . Upon the Issuer’s exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.02, the Issuer and the Guarantors shall, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, be deemed to have been discharged from their obligations with respect to all outstanding Notes and Guarantees and all Events of Default cured on the date the conditions set forth below are satisfied (“ Legal Defeasance ”). For this purpose, Legal Defeasance means that the Issuer and the Guarantors shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire Indebtedness represented by the outstanding Notes, which shall thereafter be deemed to be “outstanding” only for the purposes of Section 8.05 hereof and the other Sections of this Indenture referred to in (a) and (b) below (it being understood that such Notes shall not be deemed outstanding for accounting purposes), and to have satisfied all their other obligations under such Notes and this Indenture including that of the Guarantors (and the Trustee, on demand of and at the expense of the Issuer, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same) and to have cured all then existing Events of Default, except for the following provisions which shall survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder:

(a) the rights of Holders to receive payments in respect of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes when such payments are due solely out of the trust created pursuant to this Indenture referred to in Section 8.04 hereof;

(b) the Issuer’s obligations with respect to Notes concerning issuing temporary Notes, registration of such Notes, mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Notes and the maintenance of an office or agency for payment and money for security payments held in trust;

(c) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator, and the Issuer’s obligations in connection therewith; and

(d) the Legal Defeasance provisions of this Indenture.

Subject to compliance with this Article 8, the Issuer may exercise its option under this Section 8.02 notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under Section 8.03 hereof.

Section 8.03. Covenant Defeasance . Upon the Issuer’s exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.03, the Issuer and the Guarantors shall, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, be released from their obligations under the covenants contained in Sections 4.03, 4.04, 4.05, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 4.14, 4.15, and 4.16 hereof and clauses (iv) and (v) of Section 5.01(a), Section 5.01(c) and 5.01(d) and Article 13 hereof with respect to the outstanding Notes on and after the date the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof are satisfied (“ Covenant Defeasance ”), and the Notes shall thereafter be deemed not “outstanding” for the purposes of any direction, waiver, consent or declaration or act of Holders (and the consequences of any thereof) in connection with such covenants, but shall continue to be deemed “outstanding” for all other purposes hereunder (it being understood that such Notes shall not be deemed outstanding for accounting purposes). For this purpose, Covenant Defeasance means that, with respect to the outstanding Notes and the Guarantees, the Issuer and the Guarantors may omit to comply with and shall have no liability in respect of any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such covenant or by reason of any reference in any such covenant to any other

 

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provision herein or in any other document and such omission to comply shall not constitute a Default or an Event of Default under Section 6.01 hereof, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Notes and the Guarantees shall be unaffected thereby. In addition, upon the Issuer’s exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.03 hereof, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, Section 6.01(a)(iii) (solely with respect to the covenants that are released upon a Covenant Defeasance), 6.01(a)(iv), 6.01(a)(v), 6.01(a)(vi) (solely with respect to a Restricted Subsidiary that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Subsidiaries that taken together would constitute a Significant Subsidiary), 6.01(a)(vii) (solely with respect to a Restricted Subsidiary that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Subsidiaries that taken together would constitute a Significant Subsidiary) and 6.01(a)(viii) hereof shall not constitute Events of Default.

Section 8.04. Conditions to Legal or Covenant Defeasance . The following shall be the conditions to the application of either Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof to the outstanding Notes:

In order to exercise either Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance with respect to the Notes:

(a) the Issuer must irrevocably deposit with the Trustee, in trust, for the benefit of the Holders, cash in U.S. dollars, Government Securities, or a combination thereof, in such amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and interest due on the Notes on the stated maturity date or on the Redemption Date, as the case may be, of such principal, premium, if any, or interest on such Notes and the Issuer must specify whether such Notes are being defeased to maturity or to a particular redemption date;

(b) in the case of Legal Defeasance, the Issuer shall have delivered to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel confirming that, subject to customary assumptions and exclusions,

(i) the Issuer has received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or

(ii) since the issuance of the Notes, there has been a change in the applicable U.S. federal income tax law,

in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel shall confirm that, subject to customary assumptions and exclusions, the Holders will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as applicable, as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred;

(c) in the case of Covenant Defeasance, the Issuer shall have delivered to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel confirming that, subject to customary assumptions and exclusions, the Holders will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to such tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred;

(d) no Default (other than that resulting from borrowing funds to be applied to make such deposit and any similar and simultaneous deposit relating to other Indebtedness, and, in each case the granting of Liens in connection therewith) shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit;

(e) such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under the New Credit Facilities or any other material agreement or instrument (other than this Indenture) to which the Issuer or any Guarantor is a party or by which, the Issuer or any Guarantor is bound (other than that resulting from borrowing funds to be applied to make such deposit and any similar and simultaneous deposit relating to other Indebtedness and, in each case, the granting of Liens in connection therewith);

(f) the Issuer shall have delivered to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that, as of the date of such opinion and subject to customary assumptions and exclusions

 

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following the deposit, the trust funds will not be subject to the effect of Section 547 of Title 11 of the United States Code;

(g) the Issuer shall have delivered to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator an Officer’s Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Issuer with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any creditors of the Issuer or any Guarantor or others; and

(h) the Issuer shall have delivered to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel (which Opinion of Counsel may be subject to customary assumptions and exclusions) each stating that all conditions precedent provided for or relating to the Legal Defeasance or the Covenant Defeasance, as the case may be, have been complied with

Section 8.05. Deposited Money and Government Securities to be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions . Subject to Section 8.06 hereof, all money and Government Securities (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee, collectively for purposes of this Section 8.05, the “ Trustee ”) pursuant to Section 8.04 hereof in respect of the outstanding Notes shall be held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such Notes and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through the Indenture Administrator or any Paying Agent (including the Issuer or a Guarantor acting as Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Holders of such Notes of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal, premium and interest, but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

The Issuer shall pay and indemnify the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against the cash or Government Securities deposited pursuant to Section 8.04 hereof or the principal and interest received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of the outstanding Notes.

Anything in this Article 8 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee, the Indenture Administrator or Paying Agent, as the case may be, shall deliver or pay to the Issuer from time to time upon the request of the Issuer any money or Government Securities held by it as provided in Section 8.04 hereof which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee (which may be the opinion delivered under Section 8.04(a) hereof), are in excess of the amount thereof that would then be required to be deposited to effect an equivalent Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

Section 8.06. Repayment to Issuer . Subject to any applicable abandoned property law, any money deposited with the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Issuer, in trust for the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Note and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal, and premium, if any, or interest has become due and payable shall be paid to the Issuer on its request or (if then held by the Issuer) shall be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Note shall thereafter look only to the Issuer for payment thereof, and all liability of the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Issuer as trustee thereof, shall thereupon cease.

Section 8.07. Reinstatement . If the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee or Paying Agent is unable to apply any United States dollars or Government Securities in accordance with Section 8.02 or Section 8.03 hereof, as the case may be, by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, then the Issuer’s and the Guarantors’ obligations under this Indenture and the Notes and the Guarantees shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.02 or Section 8.03 hereof until such time as the Indenture Administrator, Trustee or Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money in accordance with Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof, as the case may be; provided that, if the Issuer makes any payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Note following the reinstatement of its obligations, the Issuer shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Notes to receive such payment from the money held by the Indenture Administrator, Trustee or Paying Agent.

 

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ARTICLE 9

A MENDMENT , S UPPLEMENT AND W AIVER

Section 9.01. Without Consent of Holders . Notwithstanding Section 9.02 hereof, the Issuer, any Guarantor (with respect to a Guarantee or this Indenture to which it is a party), the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture and any Guarantee or Notes without the consent of any Holder:

(a) to cure any ambiguity, omission, mistake, defect or inconsistency;

(b) to provide for uncertificated Notes in addition to or in place of certificated Notes;

(c) to comply with Section 5.01 hereof;

(d) to provide for the assumption of the Issuer’s or any Guarantor’s obligations to the Holders in a transaction that complies with this Indenture;

(e) to make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the Holders or that does not materially adversely affect the legal rights under this Indenture of any such Holder;

(f) to add covenants for the benefit of the Holders or to surrender any right or power conferred upon the Issuer or any Guarantor;

(g) to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of this Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;

(h) to evidence and provide for the acceptance and appointment under this Indenture of a successor trustee or indenture administrator hereunder pursuant to the requirements hereof;

(i) to provide for the issuance of exchange notes or private exchange notes, which are identical to exchange notes except that they are not freely transferable;

(j) to effect the Assumption;

(k) to add a Guarantor under this Indenture or release a Guarantor in accordance with the terms of this Indenture;

(l) to conform the text of this Indenture, Guarantees or the Notes to any provision of the “Description of notes” section of the Offering Memorandum to the extent that such provision in such “Description of notes” section of the Offering Memorandum was intended to be a verbatim recitation of a provision of this Indenture, Guarantee or Notes;

(m) to make any amendment to the provisions of this Indenture relating to the transfer and legending of Notes as permitted by this Indenture, including, without limitation to facilitate the issuance and administration of the Notes; provided, however , that (i) compliance with this Indenture as so amended would not result in Notes being transferred in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable securities law and (ii) such amendment does not materially and adversely affect the rights of Holders to transfer Notes; or

(n) to provide for the issuance of Additional Notes in accordance with the terms of this Indenture.

Upon the request of the Issuer accompanied by a resolution of its board of directors authorizing the execution of any such amended or supplemental indenture, and upon receipt by the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee of the documents described in Section 9.06 hereof, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee shall join with the Issuer and the Guarantors in the execution of any amended or supplemental indenture authorized or permitted by the terms of this Indenture and to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations that may be therein contained, but the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee each shall have the right, but not be obligated to,

 

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enter into such amended or supplemental indenture that affects its own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither an Opinion of Counsel nor an Officer’s Certificate shall be required in connection with the addition of a Guarantor after the Escrow Release Date under this Indenture upon execution and delivery by such Guarantor, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee of a supplemental indenture to this Indenture, the form of which is attached as Exhibit E hereto.

Section 9.02. With Consent of Holders . Except as provided in Section 9.01 and this Section 9.02, the Issuer, the Guarantors, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture, the Notes and the Guarantees with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding, including consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, and, subject to Section 6.04 and 6.07 hereof, Notes, and any existing Default or Event of Default (other than a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Notes, except a payment default resulting from an acceleration that has been rescinded) or compliance with any provision of this Indenture or the Notes issued thereunder may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes (including consents obtained in connection with a purchase of or tender offer or exchange offer for the Notes). Section 2.08 hereof and Section 2.09 hereof shall determine which Notes are considered to be “outstanding” for the purposes of this Section 9.02.

Without the consent of each affected Holder of Notes, an amendment or waiver under this Section 9.02 may not, with respect to any Notes held by a non-consenting Holder:

(a) reduce the principal amount of such Notes whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

(b) reduce the principal of or change the fixed final maturity of any such Note or alter or waive the provisions with respect to the redemption of such Notes (other than provisions relating to Section 3.09, Section 4.10 and Section 4.14 hereof or notice periods (to the extent consistent with applicable requirements of clearing and settlement systems) and conditions to redemption);

(c) reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of interest on any Note;

(d) waive a Default in the payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the Notes, except a rescission of acceleration of the Notes by the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration, or in respect of a covenant or provision contained in this Indenture or any Guarantee which cannot be amended or modified without the consent of all Holders;

(e) make any Note payable in money other than that stated therein;

(f) make any change in the provisions of this Indenture relating to waivers of past Defaults or the rights of Holders to receive payments of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the Notes;

(g) make any change in these amendment and waiver provisions;

(h) impair the right of any Holder to receive payment of principal of, or interest on such Holder’s Notes on or after the due dates therefor or to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or with respect to such Holder’s Notes;

(i) make any change to or modify the ranking of the Notes that would adversely affect the Holders; or

(j) except as expressly permitted by this Indenture, modify the Guarantees of any Significant Subsidiary (or group of Restricted Subsidiaries that together (determined as of the most recent consolidated financial statements of the Issuer for a fiscal period end provided as required under Section 4.03 hereof) would constitute a Significant Subsidiary), in any manner adverse to the Holders.

 

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Upon the request of the Issuer accompanied by a resolution of its board of directors authorizing the execution of any such amended or supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee of evidence satisfactory to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee of the consent of the Holders as aforesaid, the Indenture Administrator and Trustee shall join with the Issuer and the Guarantors in the execution of such amended or supplemental indenture unless such amended or supplemental indenture directly affects the Indenture Administrator’s or the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, as applicable, may in its discretion, but shall not be obligated to, enter into such amended or supplemental indenture.

It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders under this Section 9.02 to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof.

After an amendment, supplement or waiver under this Section 9.02 becomes effective, the Issuer shall mail to the Holders affected thereby a notice briefly describing the amendment, supplement or waiver. Any failure of the Issuer to mail such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such amended or supplemental indenture or waiver.

Section 9.03. Compliance with Trust Indenture Act . Every amendment or supplement to this Indenture or the Notes shall be set forth in an amended or supplemental indenture that complies in all material respects with the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect.

Section 9.04. Revocation and Effect of Consents . Until an amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Note is a continuing consent by the Holder of a Note and every subsequent Holder of a Note or portion of a Note that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Note, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Note. However, any such Holder of a Note or subsequent Holder of a Note may revoke the consent as to its Note if the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee receives written notice of revocation before the date the waiver, supplement or amendment becomes effective. An amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective in accordance with its terms and thereafter binds every Holder.

The Issuer may, but shall not be obligated to, fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders entitled to consent to any amendment, supplement, or waiver. If a record date is fixed, then, notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, those Persons who were Holders at such record date (or their duly designated proxies), and only such Persons, shall be entitled to consent to such amendment, supplement, or waiver or to revoke any consent previously given, whether or not such Persons continue to be Holders after such record date. No such consent shall be valid or effective for more than 120 days after such record date unless the consent of the requisite number of Holders has been obtained.

Section 9.05. Notation on or Exchange of Notes . The Indenture Administrator may place an appropriate notation about an amendment, supplement or waiver on any Note thereafter authenticated. The Issuer in exchange for all Notes may issue and the Indenture Administrator shall, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, authenticate new Notes that reflect the amendment, supplement or waiver.

Failure to make the appropriate notation or issue a new Note shall not affect the validity and effect of such amendment, supplement or waiver.

Section 9.06. Indenture Administrator and Trustee to Sign Amendments, etc . The Indenture Administrator and the Trustee shall sign any amendment, supplement or waiver authorized pursuant to this Article 9 if the amendment or supplement does not adversely affect the rights, duties, liabilities or immunities of the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee. The Issuer may not sign an amendment, supplement or waiver until the board of directors of the Issuer approves it. In executing any amendment, supplement or waiver, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee shall be provided with, upon request, and shall be fully protected in relying upon, in addition to the documents required by Section 12.04 hereof, an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel each stating that the execution of such amended or supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture and that such amendment, supplement or waiver is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Issuer and any Guarantors party thereto, enforceable against them in accordance with its terms, subject to customary exceptions, and complies with

 

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the provisions hereof (including Section 9.03 hereof). Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Opinion of Counsel shall not be required for the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee to execute the supplemental indenture to this Indenture, the form of which is attached as Exhibit D hereto, adding DBI and the Subsidiary Guarantors party thereto on the Escrow Release Date and any supplemental indenture to this Indenture, the form of which is attached as Exhibit E hereto, adding a new Guarantor under this Indenture.

ARTICLE 10

G UARANTEES

Section 10.01. Guarantee . Subject to this Article 10, each of the Guarantors hereby, jointly and severally, irrevocably and unconditionally, guarantees to each Holder of a Note authenticated and delivered by the Indenture Administrator and to the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee and their respective successors and assigns, irrespective of the validity and enforceability of this Indenture, the Notes or the Obligations of the Issuer hereunder or thereunder, that: (a) the principal of and interest and premium, if any, on the Notes shall be promptly paid in full when due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, redemption or otherwise, and interest on the overdue principal of and interest on the Notes, if any, if lawful, and all other obligations of the Issuer to the Holders, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee hereunder or thereunder shall be promptly paid in full, all in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof; and (b) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any Notes or any of such other obligations, that same shall be promptly paid in full when due in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise. Failing payment when due of any amount so guaranteed for whatever reason, the Guarantors shall be jointly and severally obligated to pay the same immediately. Each Guarantor agrees that this is a guarantee of payment and not a guarantee of collection.

The Guarantors hereby agree that their obligations hereunder shall be unconditional, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Notes or this Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the same, any waiver or consent by any Holder with respect to any provisions hereof or thereof, the recovery of any judgment against the Issuer, any action to enforce the same or any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a guarantor (other than payment in full of all of the Obligations of the Issuer hereunder or under the Notes). Each Guarantor hereby waives diligence, presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Issuer, any right to require a proceeding first against the Issuer, protest, notice and all demands whatsoever and covenants that this Guarantee shall not be discharged except by full payment of the obligations contained in the Notes and this Indenture or by release in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture.

Each Guarantor also agrees to pay any and all costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee or any Holder in enforcing any rights under this Section 10.01.

If any Holder, the Indenture Administrator, or the Trustee is required by any court or otherwise to return to the Issuer, the Guarantors or any custodian, trustee, liquidator or other similar official acting in relation to either the Issuer or the Guarantors, any amount paid to the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee or such Holder, this Guarantee, to the extent theretofore discharged, shall be reinstated in full force and effect.

Each Guarantor agrees that it shall not be entitled to any right of subrogation in relation to the Holders in respect of any obligations guaranteed hereby until payment in full of all obligations guaranteed hereby. Each Guarantor further agrees that, as between the Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Holders, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee, on the other hand, (x) the maturity of the obligations guaranteed hereby may be accelerated as provided in Article 6 hereof for the purposes of this Guarantee, notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such acceleration in respect of the obligations guaranteed hereby, and (y) in the event of any declaration of acceleration of such obligations as provided in Article 6 hereof, such obligations (whether or not due and payable) shall forthwith become due and payable by the Guarantors for the purpose of this Guarantee. The Guarantors shall have the right to seek contribution from any nonpaying Guarantor so long as the exercise of such right does not impair the rights of the Holders under the Guarantees.

Each Guarantee shall remain in full force and effect and continue to be effective should any petition be filed by or against the Issuer for liquidation, reorganization, should the Issuer become insolvent or make an

 

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assignment for the benefit of creditors or should a receiver or trustee be appointed for all or any significant part of the Issuer’s assets, and shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment of the Notes are, pursuant to applicable law, rescinded or reduced in amount, or must otherwise be restored or returned by any obligee on the Notes or Guarantees, whether as a “voidable preference,” “fraudulent transfer” or otherwise, all as though such payment had not been made. In the event that any payment or any part thereof, is rescinded, reduced, restored or returned, the Notes shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be reinstated and deemed reduced only by such amount paid and not so rescinded, reduced, restored or returned.

In case any provision of any Guarantee shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

The Guarantee issued by any Guarantor shall be a general unsecured senior obligation of such Guarantor and shall rank equally in right of payment with all existing and future Senior Indebtedness of such Guarantor, if any.

Each payment to be made by a Guarantor in respect of its Guarantee shall be made without set-off, counterclaim, reduction or diminution of any kind or nature.

Section 10.02. Limitation on Guarantor Liability . Each Guarantor, and by its acceptance of Notes, each Holder, hereby confirms that it is the intention of all such parties that the Guarantee of such Guarantor not constitute a fraudulent transfer or conveyance for purposes of Bankruptcy Law, the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act or any similar federal or state law to the extent applicable to any Guarantee. To effectuate the foregoing intention, the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee, the Holders and the Guarantors hereby irrevocably agree that the obligations of each Guarantor shall be limited to the maximum amount as will, after giving effect to such maximum amount and all other contingent and fixed liabilities of such Guarantor that are relevant under such laws and after giving effect to any collections from, rights to receive contribution from or payments made by or on behalf of any other Guarantor in respect of the obligations of such other Guarantor under this Article 10, result in the obligations of such Guarantor under its Guarantee not constituting a fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer under applicable law or being void or voidable under any law relating to insolvency of debtors.

Section 10.03. Execution and Delivery . To evidence its Guarantee set forth in Section 10.01 hereof, each Guarantor hereby agrees that this Indenture shall be executed on behalf of such Guarantor by one of its authorized Officers.

Each Guarantor hereby agrees that its Guarantee set forth in Section 10.01 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the absence of the endorsement of any notation of such Guarantee on the Notes.

If an Officer whose signature is on this Indenture no longer holds that office at the time the Indenture Administrator authenticates the Note, the Guarantee shall be valid nevertheless.

The delivery of any Note by the Indenture Administrator, after the authentication thereof hereunder, shall constitute due delivery of the Guarantee set forth in this Indenture on behalf of the Guarantors.

If required by Section 4.15 hereof, the Issuer shall cause any Restricted Subsidiary to comply with the provisions of Section 4.15 hereof and this Article 10, to the extent applicable.

Section 10.04. Subrogation . Each Guarantor shall be subrogated to all rights of Holders against the Issuer in respect of any amounts paid by any Guarantor pursuant to the provisions of Section 10.01 hereof; provided that, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, no Guarantor shall be entitled to enforce or receive any payments arising out of, or based upon, such right of subrogation until all amounts then due and payable by the Issuer under this Indenture or the Notes shall have been paid in full.

 

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Section 10.05. Benefits Acknowledged . Each Guarantor acknowledges that it will receive direct and indirect benefits from the financing arrangements contemplated by this Indenture and that the guarantee and waivers made by it pursuant to its Guarantee are knowingly made in contemplation of such benefits.

Section 10.06. Release of Guarantees . Each Guarantee by a Guarantor shall provide by its terms that it shall be automatically and unconditionally released and discharged, and shall thereupon terminate and be of no further force and effect, and no further action by such Guarantor, the Issuer, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee is required for the release of such Guarantor’s Guarantee, upon:

(a) (i) in the case of a Subsidiary Guarantor, any sale, exchange, disposition or transfer (by merger or otherwise) of (x) the Capital Stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor, after which the applicable Subsidiary Guarantor is no longer a Restricted Subsidiary, or (y) all or substantially all the assets of such Subsidiary Guarantor, which sale, exchange, disposition or transfer in each case is made in compliance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture;

(ii) the release or discharge of the guarantee by such Guarantor of the New Credit Facilities or the guarantee which resulted in the creation of such Guarantee, except a discharge or release by or as a result of payment under such guarantee, including a release subject to a contingent reinstatement ( provided that if any such guarantee is so reinstated, such Guarantee shall also be reinstated to the extent that such Guarantor would then be required to provide a Guarantee pursuant to Section 4.15 hereof);

(iii) the proper designation of any Restricted Subsidiary that is a Guarantor as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in compliance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture; or

(iv) the Issuer exercising its Legal Defeasance option and Covenant Defeasance option in accordance with Article 8 hereof or the Issuer’s obligations under this Indenture being discharged in accordance with the terms of this Indenture; and

(b) such Guarantor delivering to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture relating to such transaction have been complied with.

ARTICLE 11

S ATISFACTION AND D ISCHARGE

Section 11.01. Satisfaction and Discharge . This Indenture shall be discharged and shall cease to be of further effect as to all Notes, when either:

(a) all Notes theretofore authenticated and delivered, except lost, stolen or destroyed Notes which have been replaced or paid and Notes for whose payment money has heretofore been deposited in trust, have been delivered to the Indenture Administrator for cancellation; or

(b) (i) all Notes not theretofore delivered to the Indenture Administrator for cancellation have become due and payable by reason of the making of a notice of redemption or otherwise, will become due and payable within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator for the giving of notice of redemption by the Indenture Administrator in the name, and at the expense, of the Issuer and the Issuer or any Guarantor has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Indenture Administrator as trust funds in trust solely for the benefit of the Holders, cash in U.S. dollars, Government Securities, or a combination thereof, in such amounts as will be sufficient without consideration of any reinvestment of interest to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on the Notes not theretofore delivered to the Indenture Administrator for cancellation for principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest to the date of maturity or redemption;

(ii) no Default (other than that resulting from borrowing funds to be applied to make such deposit and any similar and simultaneous deposit relating to other Indebtedness and, in each case, the granting of Liens in connection therewith) with respect to this Indenture or the Notes shall have occurred

 

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and be continuing on the date of such deposit or shall occur as a result of such deposit and such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, the New Credit Facilities or any other material agreement or instrument (other than this Indenture) to which the Issuer or any Guarantor is a party or by which the Issuer or any Guarantor is bound (other than that resulting from borrowing funds to be applied to make such deposit and any similar and simultaneous deposit relating to other Indebtedness and, in each case, the granting of Liens in connection therewith);

(i) the Issuer has paid or caused to be paid all sums payable by it under this Indenture; and

(ii) the Issuer has delivered irrevocable instructions to the Indenture Administrator to apply the deposited money toward the payment of the Notes at maturity or the redemption date, as the case may be.

In addition, the Issuer must deliver an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the Trustee and the Indenture Administrator stating that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have been satisfied (other than in the case of a redemption of the Notes in full under Section 3.08 hereof).

Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, if money shall have been deposited with the Indenture Administrator pursuant to subclause (i) of clause (b) of this Section 11.01, the provisions of Section 11.02 and Section 8.06 hereof shall survive such satisfaction and discharge.

Section 11.02. Application of Trust Money . Subject to the provisions of Section 8.06 hereof, all money deposited with the Indenture Administrator pursuant to Section 11.01 hereof shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Notes and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Issuer or a Guarantor acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Indenture Administrator may determine, to the Persons entitled thereto, of the principal (and premium, if any) and interest for whose payment such money has been deposited with the Indenture Administrator; but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

If the Indenture Administrator or Paying Agent is unable to apply any money or Government Securities in accordance with Section 11.01 hereof by reason of any legal proceeding or by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, the Issuer’s and any Guarantor’s obligations under this Indenture and the Notes shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 11.01 hereof; provided that if the Issuer has made any payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Notes because of the reinstatement of its obligations, the Issuer shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders to receive such payment from the money or Government Securities held by the Indenture Administrator or Paying Agent.

ARTICLE 12

M ISCELLANEOUS

Section 12.01. Trust Indenture Act Controls . If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by Trust Indenture Act Section 318(c), the imposed duties shall control.

Section 12.02. Notices . Any notice or communication by the Issuer, any Guarantor, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee to the others is duly given if in writing and delivered in person or mailed by first-class mail (registered or certified, return receipt requested), fax or overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery, to the others’ address:

 

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If to the Issuer and/or any Guarantor:

c/o Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Facsimile: 781-737-3802

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

with a copy to:

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Facsimile: 781-737-4360

Attention: General Counsel

If to the Trustee:

Wilmington Trust Company

Rodney Square North

1100 N. Market Street

Wilmington, Delaware 19890

Facsimile: (302) 636-4145

Attention: Corporate Capital Markets Services – Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

If to the Indenture Administrator:

Citibank, N.A.

388 Greenwich Street, 14 th Floor

New York, New York 10013

Facsimile: (212) 816-5527

Attention: Global Transaction Services – Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

The Issuer, any Guarantor, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee, by notice to the others, may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.

All notices and communications (other than those sent to Holders) shall be deemed to have been duly given: at the time delivered by hand, if personally delivered; five calendar days after being deposited in the mail, postage prepaid, if mailed by first-class mail; when receipt acknowledged, if faxed or sent electronically; and the next Business Day after timely delivery to the courier, if sent by overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery; provided that any notice or communication delivered to the Indenture Administrator or to the Trustee shall be deemed effective upon actual receipt thereof and, subject to compliance with the Trust Indenture Act, on the final date on which publication is made, if given by publication.

Any notice or communication to a Holder shall be electronically delivered, mailed by first-class mail, certified or registered, return receipt requested, or by overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery to its address shown on the Note Register kept by the Registrar. Any notice or communication shall also be so mailed to any Person described in Trust Indenture Act Section 313(c), to the extent required by the Trust Indenture Act. Failure to deliver a notice or communication to a Holder or any defect in it shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Holders.

If a notice or communication is mailed or otherwise delivered in the manner provided above within the time prescribed, it is duly given, whether or not the addressee receives it.

 

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If the Issuer mails a notice or communication to Holders, it shall mail a copy to the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee and each Agent at the same time.

Section 12.03. Communication by Holders with Other Holders . Holders may communicate pursuant to Trust Indenture Act Section 312(b) with other Holders with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Notes. The Issuer, the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of Trust Indenture Act Section 312(c).

Section 12.04. Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent . Upon any request or application by the Issuer or any of the Guarantors to the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Issuer or such Guarantor, as the case may be, shall furnish to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee:

(a) An Officer’s Certificate in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee (which shall include the statements set forth in Section 12.05 hereof) stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent and covenants, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been satisfied; and

(b) An Opinion of Counsel in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee (which shall include the statements set forth in Section 12.05 hereof) stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent and covenants have been satisfied.

Section 12.05. Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion . Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than a certificate provided pursuant to Section 4.04 hereof or Trust Indenture Act Section 314(a)(4)) shall comply with the provisions of Trust Indenture Act Section 314(e) and shall include:

(a) a statement that the Person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;

(b) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;

(c) a statement that, in the opinion of such Person, he or she has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with (and, in the case of an Opinion of Counsel, may be limited to reliance on an Officer’s Certificate as to matters of fact); and

(d) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such Person, such condition or covenant has been complied with; provided , however , that with respect to matters of fact an Opinion of Counsel may rely on an Officer’s Certificate or certificates of public officials.

Section 12.06. Rules by Trustee and Agents . The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or at a meeting of Holders. The Registrar, Indenture Administrator or Paying Agent may make reasonable rules and set reasonable requirements for its functions.

Section 12.07. No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees, Incorporators and Stockholders . No director, officer, employee, incorporator or stockholder of the Issuer or any Guarantor or any of their parent companies shall have any liability for any obligations of the Issuer or the Guarantors under the Notes, the Guarantees or this Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of such obligations or their creation. Each Holder by accepting Notes waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes.

 

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Section 12.08. Governing Law . THIS INDENTURE, THE NOTES AND ANY GUARANTEE WILL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

Section 12.09. Waiver of Jury Trial . EACH OF THE ISSUER, THE GUARANTORS, THE INDENTURE ADMINISTRATOR AND THE TRUSTEE (1) AGREE TO SUBMIT TO THE NON-EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF ANY UNITED STATES FEDERAL OR STATE COURT LOCATED IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK IN ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE OR THE NOTES AND (2)HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE NOTES OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

Section 12.10. Force Majeure . In no event shall the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations under this Indenture arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its reasonable control, including without limitation strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software or hardware) services.

Section 12.11. No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements . This Indenture may not be used to interpret any other indenture, loan or debt agreement of the Issuer or its Restricted Subsidiaries or of any other Person. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.

Section 12.12. Successors . All agreements of the Issuer in this Indenture and the Notes shall bind its successors. All agreements of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee in this Indenture shall bind their respective successors. All agreements of each Guarantor in this Indenture shall bind its successors, except as otherwise provided in Section 10.06 hereof.

Section 12.13. Severability . In case any provision in this Indenture or in the Notes shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

Section 12.14. Counterpart Originals . The parties may sign any number of copies of this Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all of them together represent the same agreement. This Indenture may be executed in multiple counterparts which, when taken together, shall constitute one instrument.

Section 12.15. Table of Contents, Headings, etc. The Table of Contents, Cross-Reference Table and headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part of this Indenture and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.

Section 12.16. Qualification of Indenture . The Issuer and the Guarantors shall qualify this Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Registration Rights Agreement and shall pay all reasonable costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses for the Issuer, the Guarantors, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee) incurred in connection therewith, including, but not limited to, costs and expenses of qualification of this Indenture and the Notes and printing this Indenture and the Notes. The Indenture Administrator and the Trustee shall be provided with such Officer’s Certificates, Opinions of Counsel or other documentation as it may request and as is necessary in connection with any such qualification of this Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act.

[ Signatures on following page ]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

DUNKIN’ FINANCE CORP.
By:  

/s/ Anita Balaji

  Name:   Anita Balaji
  Title:   Chief Executive Officer

 

Signature page to Indenture


WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
By:  

/s/ Geoffrey J. Lewis

  Name:   Geoffrey J. Lewis
  Title:   Assistant Vice President
  Date:   November 23, 2010

 

Signature page to Indenture


CITIBANK, N.A., as Indenture Administrator
By:  

/s/ Kristen Driscol

  Name:   Kristen Driscoll
  Title:   Vice President
  Date:   November, 23, 2010

 

Signature page to Indenture


EXHIBIT A

[Face of Note]

[Insert the Global Note Legend, if applicable pursuant to the provisions of the Indenture]

[Insert the Private Placement Legend, if applicable pursuant to the provisions of the Indenture]

[Insert the Regulation S Temporary Global Note Legend, if applicable pursuant to the provisions of the Indenture]

[Insert ERISA Legend]

 

A-1


CUSIP   [ ] [ ]
ISIN   [ ] [ ]

[RULE 144A][REGULATION S][IAI][GLOBAL] NOTE

representing up to

$[            ]

9.625% Senior Note due 2018

 

No.      

  [$              ]

Dunkin’ Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation, promises to pay to                      or registered assigns the principal sum [set forth on the Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note attached hereto] [of                      United States Dollars] on December 1, 2018.

Interest Payment Dates: June 1 and December 1, commencing on June 1, 2011

Record Dates: May 15 and November 15

 

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IN WITNESS HEREOF, the Issuer has caused this instrument to be duly executed.

Dated:

 

DUNKIN’ FINANCE CORP.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

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  This is one of the Notes referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture:
CITIBANK, N.A., as Indenture Administrator
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
  Date:

 

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[Back of Note]

9.625% Senior Note due 2018

Capitalized terms used herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture referred to below unless otherwise indicated.

1. Interest . Dunkin’ Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation, promises to pay interest on the principal amount of this Note at a rate per annum of 9.625% from November 23, 2010 until maturity and to pay the Additional Interest, if any, payable pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement referred to below. The Issuer will pay interest on this Note semi-annually in arrears on June 1 and December 1 of each year, beginning June 1, 2011, or, if any such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day (each, an “ Interest Payment Date ”). The Issuer will make each interest payment to the Holder of record of this Note on the immediately preceding May 15 and November 15 (each, a “ Record Date ”). Interest on this Note will accrue from the most recent date to which interest has been paid or, if no interest has been paid, from and including November 23, 2010. The Issuer will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue principal and premium, if any, from time to time on demand at the rate borne by this Note; it shall pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue installments of interest (without regard to any applicable grace periods) from time to time on demand at the rate borne by this Note. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.

2. Method of Payment . The Issuer will pay interest on this Note to the Person who is the registered Holder of this Note at the close of business on the Record Date (whether or not a Business Day) next preceding the Interest Payment Date, even if this Note is cancelled after such record date and on or before such Interest Payment Date, except as provided in Section 2.12 of the Indenture with respect to defaulted interest. Principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes will be payable at the office or agency of the Issuer maintained for such purpose or, at the option of the Issuer, payment may be made by the Indenture Administrator by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Holders or, if no such account is specified, payment of principal, premium, if any, and interest may be made by check mailed to Holders at their respective addresses set forth in the register of Holders; provided that all payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest with respect to the Notes represented by one or more global notes registered in the name of or held by DTC or its nominee will be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Holder or Holders thereof. Such payment shall be in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts. Until otherwise designated by the Issuer, the Issuer’s office or agency will be the office of the Indenture Administrator maintained for such purpose.

3. Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar . Initially, Citibank, N.A., the Indenture Administrator under the Indenture, will act as Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar. The Issuer may change any Paying Agent, Transfer Agent or Registrar without notice to the Holders. The Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries may act in any such capacity.

4. Indenture . The Issuer issued the Notes under an Indenture, dated as of November 23, 2010 (the “ Indenture ”), among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., the Guarantors party thereto from time to time, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee. This Note is one of a duly authorized issue of notes of the Issuer designated as its 9.625% Senior Notes due 2018. The Issuer shall be entitled to issue Additional Notes pursuant to Sections 2.01 and 4.09 of the Indenture. The terms of the Notes include those stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “ Trust Indenture Act ”). The Notes are subject to all such terms, and Holders are referred to the Indenture and such Act for a statement of such terms. To the extent any provision of this Note conflicts with the express provisions of the Indenture, the provisions of the Indenture shall govern and be controlling.

5. Optional Redemption .

(a) The Issuer may redeem the Notes at any time, in whole or in part, upon notice in accordance with Sections 3.02 and Section 3.03 hereof, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount of the

 

A-5


Notes to be redeemed) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon and Additional Interest, if any, to, but excluding the applicable Redemption Date, subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date, if redeemed on or after any of the dates indicated below until the subsequent date indicated below:

 

Year

   Percentage  

November 23, 2010

     100.50

December 1, 2011

     102.50

December 1, 2012

     102.00

December 1, 2013 and thereafter

     100.00

(b) Any redemption pursuant to this paragraph 5 shall be made pursuant to the provisions of Sections 3.01 through Section 3.06 of the Indenture. Notice of any redemption whether in connection with an Equity Offering or otherwise may be given prior to the completion thereof, and any such redemption or notice may, at the Issuer’s discretion, be subject to one or more conditions precedent, including, completion of an Equity Offering (in the case of an Equity Offering), other offering or other corporate transaction or event.

(c) The Indenture Administrator shall select the Notes to be redeemed in the manner described under Section 3.02 of the Indenture.

6. Mandatory Redemption .

(a) All of the Notes then outstanding will be redeemed on the Special Redemption Date (as defined below) at a redemption price equal to 98.5% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes issued on the Issue Date plus accrued interest on the Notes to, but excluding, the Special Redemption Date if:

(i) irrevocable notice for the redemption of all of the outstanding ABS Notes has not been given under the indenture governing the ABS Notes on or prior to December 17, 2010,

(ii) the closing documents required to be escrowed under the Documentation Escrow Agreement (as defined in the Escrow Agreement) have not been deposited with the documentation escrow agent under the Documentation Escrow Agreement on or prior to December 17, 2010, or

(iii) the Escrow Issuer notifies the Escrow Agent in writing that it will not pursue the consummation of the Recapitalization on or prior to December 21, 2010

(the date of any such occurrence, the “ Escrow Termination Date ”).

If the Escrow Termination Date occurs, then the Notes will be redeemed on the first Business Day after release of the escrowed funds by the Escrow Agent to the Indenture Administrator (the “ Special Redemption Date ”), without the requirement of notice to the Trustee, the Indenture Administrator, any Holder or any other Person. The foregoing provisions will cease to apply if the Escrow Termination Date has not occurred on or prior to December 21, 2010.

(b) Except as described in Section 3.08(a) hereof, the Issuer shall not be required to make any mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the Notes.

7. Notice of Redemption . Subject to Section 3.03 of the Indenture, notice of redemption will be delivered electronically or mailed by first-class mail at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before the Redemption Date (except that redemption notices may be delivered electronically or mailed more than 60 days prior to a Redemption Date if the notice is issued in connection with Article 8 or Article 11 of the Indenture) to each Holder whose Notes are to be redeemed at its registered address. No Notes of less than $2,000 can be redeemed or purchased in part, except that if all the Notes of a Holder are to be redeemed or purchased, the entire amount of

 

A-6


Notes held by such Holder even if not in a principal amount of at least $2,000 or an integral multiple thereof, shall be redeemed or purchased. On and after the Redemption Date, interest ceases to accrue on this Note or portions thereof called for redemption.

8. Offers to Repurchase . Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control, the Issuer shall make a Change of Control Offer in accordance with Section 4.14 of the Indenture. In connection with certain Asset Sales, the Issuer shall make an Asset Sale Offer as and when provided in accordance with Sections 3.09 and 4.10 of the Indenture.

9. Denominations, Transfer, Exchange . The Notes are in registered form without coupons in denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess of $2,000. The transfer of Notes may be registered and Notes may be exchanged as provided in the Indenture. The Registrar and the Indenture Administrator may require a Holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents and the Issuer may require a Holder to pay any taxes and fees required by law or permitted by the Indenture. The Issuer need not exchange or register the transfer of any Note or portion of a Note selected for redemption, except for the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part. Also, neither the Issuer nor the Registrar shall be required to exchange or register the transfer of any Notes for a period of 15 days before a selection of Notes to be redeemed.

10. Persons Deemed Owners . The registered Holder of a Note shall be treated as its owner for all purposes.

11. Amendment, Supplement and Waiver . The Indenture, the Guarantees or the Notes may be amended or supplemented as provided in the Indenture.

12. Defaults and Remedies . The Events of Default relating to the Notes are defined in Section 6.01 of the Indenture. If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25.0% in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by notice to the Issuer and the Trustee, in either case specifying in such notice the respective Event of Default and that such notice is a “notice of acceleration” may declare the principal, premium, if any, interest and any other monetary obligations on all the then outstanding Notes to be due and payable immediately. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of an Event of Default arising from certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency, all outstanding Notes will become due and payable immediately without further action or notice. Holders may not enforce the Indenture, the Notes or the Guarantees except as provided in the Indenture. Subject to certain limitations, Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may direct the Trustee in its exercise of any trust or power. The Trustee may withhold from Holders notice of any continuing Default (except a Default relating to the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest) if it determines that withholding notice is in their interest. The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding by notice to the Trustee (with a copy to the Issuer, provided that any waiver or rescission under Section 6.04 of the Indenture shall be valid and binding notwithstanding the failure to provide a copy of such notice to the Issuer) may on behalf of all the Holders waive any existing Default or and its consequences under the Indenture (except a continuing Default in payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on, any of the Notes held by a non-consenting Holder) (including in connection with an Asset Sale Offer or a Change of Control Offer) and rescind any acceleration with respect to the Notes and its consequences (except if such rescission would conflict with any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction). The Issuer is required to deliver to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee annually a statement regarding compliance with the Indenture, and the Issuer is required within ten Business Days after becoming aware of any Default, to deliver to the Trustee a statement specifying such Default and what action the Issuer proposes to take with respect thereto.

13. Authentication . This Note shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose until authenticated by the manual signature of the Indenture Administrator.

14. Additional Rights of Holders of Restricted Global Notes and Restricted Definitive Notes . In addition to the rights provided to Holders under the Indenture, Holders of Restricted Global Notes and Restricted Definitive Notes shall have all the rights set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, including the right to receive Additional Interest (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement).

 

A-7


15. Governing Law . THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SHALL GOVERN AND BE USED TO CONSTRUE THE INDENTURE, THE NOTES AND THE GUARANTEES.

16. CUSIP and ISIN Numbers . Pursuant to a recommendation promulgated by the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures, the Issuer has caused CUSIP and ISIN numbers to be printed on the Notes and the Trustee may use CUSIP and ISIN numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders. No representation is made as to the accuracy of such numbers either as printed on the Notes or as contained in any notice of redemption and reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers placed thereon.

 

A-8


The Issuer will furnish to any Holder upon written request and without charge a copy of the Indenture and/or the Registration Rights Agreement. Requests may be made to the Issuer at the following address:

If to the Issuer and/or any Guarantor:

c/o Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Facsimile: 781-737-3802

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

with a copy to:

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Facsimile: 781-737-4360

Attention: General Counsel

 

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ASSIGNMENT FORM

To assign this Note, fill in the form below:

 

(I) or (we) assign and transfer this Note to:   

 

  
   (Insert assignee’s legal name)   

 

 

(Insert assignee’s soc. sec. or tax I.D. no.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Print or type assignee’s name, address and zip code)

 

and irrevocably appoint  

 

to transfer this Note on the books of the Issuer. The agent may substitute another to act for him.

Date:                     

 

Your Signature:

 

 

  (Sign exactly as your name appears on the face of this Note)

 

Signature Guarantee*:

 

 

 

* Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor acceptable to the Trustee).

 

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OPTION OF HOLDER TO ELECT PURCHASE

If you want to elect to have this Note purchased by the Issuer pursuant to Section 4.10 or 4.14 of the Indenture, check the appropriate box below:

 

[    ] Section 4.10    [    ] Section 4.14

If you want to elect to have only part of this Note purchased by the Issuer pursuant to Section 4.10 or Section 4.14 of the Indenture, state the amount you elect to have purchased:

$             

Date:                     

 

Your Signature:

 

 

  (Sign exactly as your name appears on the face of this Note)

 

Signature Guarantee*:

 

 

 

* Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor acceptable to the Trustee).

 

A-11


SCHEDULE OF EXCHANGES OF INTERESTS IN THE GLOBAL NOTE*

The initial outstanding principal amount of this Global Note is $              . The following exchanges of a part of this Global Note for an interest in another Global Note or for a Definitive Note, or exchanges of a part of another Global or Definitive Note for an interest in this Global Note, have been made:

 

Date of Exchange

   Amount of
decrease in
Principal Amount
of this Global Note
     Amount of increase
in Principal Amount
of this Global Note
     Principal Amount of
this Global Note
following such
decrease or increase
     Signature of
authorized officer
of Trustee or
Custodian
 
           
           
           

 

* This schedule should be included only if the Note is issued in global form.

 

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EXHIBIT B

FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER

c/o Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Facsimile: 781-737-3802

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

with a copy to:

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Facsimile: 781-737-4360

Attention: General Counsel

Citibank, N.A.

111 Wall Street, 15 th Floor Window

New York, New York 10005

Attention: Window

 

  Re: 9.625% Senior Notes due 2018

Reference is hereby made to the Indenture, dated as of November 23, 2010 (the “ Indenture ”), among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., the Guarantors party thereto from time to time, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Indenture.

                     (the “ Transferor ”) owns and proposes to transfer the Note[s] or interest in such Note[s] specified in Annex A hereto, in the principal amount of $              in such Note[s] or interests (the “ Transfer ”), to                      , having an address at                      (the “ Transferee ”), as further specified in Annex A hereto. In connection with the Transfer, the Transferor hereby certifies that:

[CHECK ALL THAT APPLY]

1. [    ] CHECK IF TRANSFEREE WILL TAKE DELIVERY OF A BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN THE RELEVANT 144A GLOBAL NOTE OR RELEVANT DEFINITIVE NOTE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A. The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 144A under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”), and, accordingly, the Transferor hereby further certifies that the beneficial interest or Definitive Note is being transferred to a Person that the Transferor reasonably believes is purchasing the beneficial interest or Definitive Note for its own account, or for one or more accounts with respect to which such Person exercises sole investment discretion, and such Person and each such account is a “qualified institutional buyer” within the meaning of Rule 144A in a transaction meeting the requirements of Rule 144A and such Transfer is in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

2. [    ] CHECK IF TRANSFEREE WILL TAKE DELIVERY OF A BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN THE RELEVANT REGULATION S GLOBAL NOTE OR RELEVANT DEFINITIVE NOTE PURSUANT TO REGULATION S. The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 and, accordingly, the Transferor hereby further certifies that (i) the Transfer is not being made to a person in the United States and (x) at the time the buy order was originated, the Transferee was outside the United States or such Transferor and any Person acting on its behalf reasonably believed and believes that the Transferee was outside the

 

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United States or (y) the transaction was executed in, on or through the facilities of a designated offshore securities market and neither such Transferor nor any Person acting on its behalf knows that the transaction was prearranged with a buyer in the United States, (ii) no directed selling efforts have been made in contravention of the requirements of Rule 903(b) or Rule 904(b) of Regulation S, (iii) the transaction is not part of a plan or scheme to evade the registration requirements of the Securities Act and (iv) if the proposed transfer is being made prior to the expiration of the applicable Restricted Period, the transfer is not being made to a U.S. Person or for the account or benefit of a U.S. Person (other than an Initial Purchaser). Upon consummation of the proposed transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will be subject to the restrictions on Transfer enumerated in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

3. [    ] CHECK AND COMPLETE IF TRANSFEREE WILL TAKE DELIVERY OF A BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN THE RELEVANT RESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTE OR RESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTE PURSUANT TO ANY PROVISION OF THE SECURITIES ACT OTHER THAN RULE 144A OR REGULATION S. The Transfer is being effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to beneficial interests in Restricted Global Notes and Restricted Definitive Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States, and accordingly the Transferor hereby further certifies that (check one):

(a) [    ] such Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act; or

(b) [    ] such Transfer is being effected to the Issuer or a subsidiary thereof; or

(c) [    ] such Transfer is being effected pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act and in compliance with the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act; or

(d) [    ] such Transfer is being effected to an IAI and pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than Rule 144A, Rule 144 or Rule 904, and the Transferor hereby further certifies that the Transfer complies with the transfer restrictions applicable to book-entry interests in a Restricted Global Note or Restricted Definitive Note and the requirements of the exemption claimed, which certification is supported by a certificate executed by the Transferee in the form of Exhibit F to the Indenture. If requested by the Issuer or the Registrar, the Transferor shall deliver an opinion of counsel, certification and/or other information satisfactory to the Issuer and the Registrar in connection with the Transfer.

4. [    ] CHECK IF TRANSFEREE WILL TAKE DELIVERY OF A BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN AN UNRESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTE OR OF AN UNRESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTE.

(a) [    ] CHECK IF TRANSFER IS PURSUANT TO RULE 144. (i) The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act and in compliance with the transfer restrictions contained in the Indenture and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States and (ii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will no longer be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Global Notes, on Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture.

(b) [    ] CHECK IF TRANSFER IS PURSUANT TO REGULATION S. (i) The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 and in compliance with the transfer restrictions contained in the Indenture and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States and (ii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will no longer be subject to the

 

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restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Global Notes, on Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture.

(c) [    ] CHECK IF TRANSFER IS PURSUANT TO OTHER EXEMPTION. (i) The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in compliance with an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than Rule 144, Rule 903 or Rule 904 and in compliance with the transfer restrictions contained in the Indenture and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any State of the United States and (ii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act. A beneficial interest in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note may not be exchanged for a Definitive Note or transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a Definitive Note prior to (A) the expiration of the applicable Restricted Period therefor and (B) the receipt by the Registrar of any statements of beneficial interest required pursuant to Rule 903(b)(3)(ii)(B), except in the case of a transfer pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than Rule 903 or Rule 904. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will not be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Global Notes or Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture.

 

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This certificate and the statements contained herein are made for your benefit and the benefit of the Issuer.

 

[Insert Name of Transferor]

By:

 

 

  Name:
  Title:

Dated:                     

 

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ANNEX A TO CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER

 

1. The Transferor owns and proposes to transfer the following:

[CHECK ONE OF (a) OR (b)]

 

  (a) [    ] a beneficial interest in the:

 

  (i) [    ] 144A Global Note ([CUSIP:             ]), or

 

  (ii) [    ] Regulation S Global Note ([CUSIP:             ]), or

 

  (iii) [    ] Institutional Accredited Investor Global Note ([CUSIP:             ]), or

 

  (b) [    ] a Restricted Definitive Note.

 

2. After the Transfer the Transferee will hold:

[CHECK ONE]

 

  (a) [    ] a beneficial interest in the:

 

  (i) [    ] 144A Global Note ([CUSIP:             ]), or

 

  (ii) [    ] Regulation S Global Note ([CUSIP:             ])or

 

  (iii) [    ] Unrestricted Global Note ([         ] [         ]); or

 

  (iv) [    ] Institutional Accredited Investor Global Note ([CUSIP:             ]), or

 

  (b) [    ] a Restricted Definitive Note; or

 

  (c) [    ] an Unrestricted Definitive Note, in accordance with the terms of the Indenture.

 

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EXHIBIT C

FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF EXCHANGE

c/o Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Facsimile: 781-737-3802

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

with a copy to:

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Facsimile: 781-737-4360

Attention: General Counsel

Citibank, N.A.

111 Wall Street, 15 th Floor Window

New York, New York 10005

Attention: Window

 

  Re: 9.625% Senior Notes due 2018

Reference is hereby made to the Indenture, dated as of November 23, 2010 (the “ Indenture ”), among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., the Guarantors party thereto from time to time, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Indenture.

                     , having an address at                                          (the “ Owner ”) owns and proposes to exchange the Note[s] or interest in such Note[s] specified herein, in the principal amount of $              in such Note[s] or interests (the “ Exchange ”). In connection with the Exchange, the Owner hereby certifies that:

1) EXCHANGE OF RESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTES OR BENEFICIAL INTERESTS IN A RESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTE FOR UNRESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTES OR BENEFICIAL INTERESTS IN AN UNRESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTE

a) [    ] CHECK IF EXCHANGE IS FROM BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN A RESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTE TO BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN AN UNRESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTE. In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note in an equal principal amount, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the beneficial interest is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the Global Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act” ), ( iii )  the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

b) [    ] CHECK IF EXCHANGE IS FROM BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN A RESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTE TO UNRESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTE. In connection with the Exchange of the

 

C-1


Owner’s beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the Definitive Note is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the Restricted Global Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the Definitive Note is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

c) [    ] CHECK IF EXCHANGE IS FROM RESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTE TO BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN AN UNRESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTE. In connection with the Owner’s Exchange of a Restricted Definitive Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the beneficial interest is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to Restricted Definitive Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the beneficial interest is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

d) [    ] CHECK IF EXCHANGE IS FROM RESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTE TO UNRESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTE. In connection with the Owner’s Exchange of a Restricted Definitive Note for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the Unrestricted Definitive Note is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to Restricted Definitive Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the Unrestricted Definitive Note is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

2) EXCHANGE OF RESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTES OR BENEFICIAL INTERESTS IN RESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTES FOR RESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTES OR BENEFICIAL INTERESTS IN RESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTES

a) [    ] CHECK IF EXCHANGE IS FROM BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN A RESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTE TO RESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTE. In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note for a Restricted Definitive Note with an equal principal amount, the Owner hereby certifies that the Restricted Definitive Note is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer. Upon consummation of the proposed Exchange in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the Restricted Definitive Note issued will continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Definitive Note and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

b) [    ] CHECK IF EXCHANGE IS FROM RESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTE TO BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN A RESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTE. In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s Restricted Definitive Note for a beneficial interest in the [CHECK ONE] [ ] 144A Global Note [ ] Regulation S Global Note, with an equal principal amount, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the beneficial interest is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer and (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the Restricted Global Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, and in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States. Upon consummation of the proposed Exchange in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the beneficial interest issued will be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the relevant Restricted Global Note and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

 

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This certificate and the statements contained herein are made for your benefit and the benefit of the Issuer and are dated

 

[Insert Name of Transferor]

By:

 

 

  Name:
  Title:

Dated:                     

 

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EXHIBIT D

[FORM OF SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE TO BE DELIVERED BY THE SUCCESSOR ISSUER AND

GUARANTORS ON THE ESCROW RELEASE DATE]

SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

THIS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE (the “ Supplemental Indenture ”), entered into as of December 3, 2010, among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. , a Delaware corporation (the “ Successor Issuer ”), each of the Guarantors listed on the signature pages hereto, (each a “ Supplemental Guarantor ” and, collectively, the “ Supplemental Guarantors ”), Citibank, N.A. , as indenture administrator (the “ Indenture Administrator ”) and Wilmington Trust Company , as trustee (the “ Trustee ”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein are used as defined in the Indenture.

RECITALS

WHEREAS, Dunkin’ Finance Corp. (the “ Escrow Issuer ”) has heretofore executed and delivered to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee that certain Indenture, dated as of November 23, 2010 (the “ Indenture ”), relating to the 9.625% senior notes of the Company due 2018 in aggregate principal amount of $625,000,000 (the “ Notes ”);

WHEREAS, on the date hereof, the Successor Issuer will assume all of the Escrow Issuer’s obligations under the Indenture and the Notes;

WHEREAS, on the date hereof the Escrow Issuer is merging with and into the Successor Issuer, with the Successor Issuer being the surviving person of such merger (the “ Merger ”); and

WHEREAS, each Supplemental Guarantor is to become a Guarantor under the Indenture.

AGREEMENT

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties to this Supplemental Indenture hereby agree as follows:

Section 1. Effective upon the execution hereof, the Successor Issuer, in accordance with Article 5 of the Indenture, expressly assumes all of the obligations of the Company under the Indenture and the Notes.

Section 2. Effective upon the execution hereof, each Supplemental Guarantor shall be a Guarantor under the Indenture and be bound by the terms thereof applicable to “Guarantors” (as defined in the Indenture), including, but not limited to, Article 10 thereof.

Section 3. This Supplemental Indenture is an amendment supplemental to the Indenture, and the Indenture and this Supplemental Indenture will henceforth be read together.

Section 4. Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be responsible in any manner whatsoever for or in respect of the validity or sufficiency of this Supplemental Indenture or for or in respect of the recitals contained herein, all of which recitals are made solely by the Supplemental Guarantor. In entering into this Supplemental Indenture, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee shall each be entitled to the benefit of every provision of the Indenture relating to the conduct of or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee.

 

D-1


Section 5. All agreements of the Supplemental Guarantors in this Supplemental Indenture shall bind their respective successors, except as otherwise provided in this Supplemental Indenture. All agreements of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee in this Supplemental Indenture shall bind their respective successors and assigns.

Section 6. This Supplemental Indenture shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Section 7. This Supplemental Indenture may be signed in various counterparts, which together will constitute one and the same instrument.

[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed, all as of the date first above written.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.

By:

 

 

  Name:
  Title:

[SUPPLEMENTAL GUARANTORS]

By:

 

 

  Name:
  Title:

CITIBANK, N.A., as Indenture Administrator

By:

 

 

  Name:
  Title:

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee

By:

 

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

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EXHIBIT E

[FORM OF SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

TO BE DELIVERED BY SUBSEQUENT GUARANTORS]

Supplemental Indenture (this “ Supplemental Indenture ”), dated as of                      , among                      (the “ Guaranteeing Subsidiary ”), a subsidiary of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Issuer ”), Citibank, N.A., as indenture administrator (the “ Indenture Administrator ”) and Wilmington Trust Company, as trustee (the “ Trustee ”).

W I T N E S S E T H

WHEREAS, Dunkin’ Finance Corp. has heretofore executed and delivered to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee an Indenture (the “ Indenture ”), dated as of November 23, 2010, providing for the issuance of an unlimited aggregate principal amount of 9.625% Senior Notes due 2018;

WHEREAS, the Indenture provides that under certain circumstances the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall execute and deliver to the Indenture Administrator and to the Trustee a supplemental indenture pursuant to which the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall unconditionally guarantee all of the Issuer’s Obligations under the Notes and the Indenture on the terms and conditions set forth herein and under the Indenture (the “ Guarantee ”); and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 9.01 of the Indenture, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee are authorized to execute and deliver this Supplemental Indenture.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties mutually covenant and agree for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders as follows:

(1) Capitalized Terms . Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

(2) Agreement to Guarantee . The Guaranteeing Subsidiary hereby agrees as follows:

(a) Along with all other Guarantors named in the Indenture (including pursuant to any supplemental indentures), to jointly and severally unconditionally guarantee to each Holder of a Note authenticated and delivered by the Indenture Administrator and to the Indenture Administrator, the Trustee and their respective successors and assigns, irrespective of the validity and enforceability of the Indenture, the Notes or the obligations of the Issuer hereunder or thereunder, that:

(i) the principal of and interest and premium, if any, on the Notes shall be promptly paid in full when due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, redemption or otherwise, and interest on the overdue principal of and interest on the Notes, if any, if lawful, and all other obligations of the Issuer to the Holders, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee thereunder shall be promptly paid in full, all in accordance with the terms thereof; and

(ii) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any Notes or any of such other obligations, that same shall be promptly paid in full when due in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise. Failing payment when due of any amount so guaranteed for whatever reason, the Guarantors and the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall be jointly and severally obligated to pay the same immediately. This is a guarantee of payment and not a guarantee of collection.

 

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(b) The obligations hereunder shall be unconditional, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Notes or the Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the same, any waiver or consent by any Holder with respect to any provisions hereof or thereof, the recovery of any judgment against the Issuer or any other Guarantor, any action to enforce the same or any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a guarantor.

(c) The Guaranteeing Subsidiary hereby waives: diligence, presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Issuer, any right to require a proceeding first against the Issuer, protest, notice and all demands whatsoever.

(d) This Guarantee shall not be discharged except by full payment of the obligations contained in the Notes, the Indenture and this Supplemental Indenture. The Guaranteeing Subsidiary accepts all obligations applicable to a Guarantor under the Indenture, including Article 10 of the Indenture (which is deemed incorporated in this Supplemental Indenture and applicable to this Guarantee). The Guaranteeing Subsidiary acknowledges that by executing this Supplemental Indenture, it will become a Guarantor under the Indenture and subject to all the terms and conditions applicable to Guarantors contained therein.

(e) If any Holder, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee is required by any court or otherwise to return to the Issuer, the Guarantors (including the Guaranteeing Subsidiary), or any custodian, trustee, liquidator or other similar official acting in relation to either the Issuer or the Guarantors, any amount paid to the Indenture Administrator, Trustee or such Holder, this Guarantee, to the extent theretofore discharged, shall be reinstated in full force and effect.

(f) The Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall not be entitled to any right of subrogation in relation to the Holders in respect of any obligations guaranteed hereby until payment in full of all obligations guaranteed hereby.

(g) As between the Guaranteeing Subsidiary, on the one hand, and the Holders, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee, on the other hand, (x) the maturity of the obligations guaranteed hereby may be accelerated as provided in Article 6 of the Indenture for the purposes of this Guarantee, notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such acceleration in respect of the obligations guaranteed hereby, and (y) in the event of any declaration of acceleration of such obligations as provided in Article 6 of the Indenture, such obligations (whether or not due and payable) shall forthwith become due and payable by the Guaranteeing Subsidiary for the purpose of this Guarantee.

(h) The Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall have the right to seek contribution from any non-paying Guarantor so long as the exercise of such right does not impair the rights of the Holders under this Guarantee.

(i) Pursuant to Section 10.02 of the Indenture, after giving effect to all other contingent and fixed liabilities that are relevant under any applicable Bankruptcy or fraudulent conveyance laws, and after giving effect to any collections from, rights to receive contribution from or payments made by or on behalf of any other Guarantor in respect of the obligations of such other Guarantor under Article 10 of the Indenture, this new Guarantee shall be limited to the maximum amount permissible such that the obligations of such Guarantor under this Guarantee will not constitute a fraudulent transfer or conveyance.

(j) This Guarantee shall remain in full force and effect and continue to be effective should any petition be filed by or against the Issuer for liquidation, reorganization, should the Issuer become insolvent or make an assignment for the benefit of creditors or should a receiver or trustee be appointed for all or any significant part of the Issuer’s assets, and shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment and performance of the Notes are, pursuant to applicable law, rescinded or reduced in amount, or must otherwise be restored or returned by any obligee on the Notes and Guarantee, whether as a “voidable preference,” “fraudulent transfer” or

 

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otherwise, all as though such payment or performance had not been made. In the event that any payment or any part thereof, is rescinded, reduced, restored or returned, the Note shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be reinstated and deemed reduced only by such amount paid and not so rescinded, reduced, restored or returned.

(k) In case any provision of this Guarantee shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

(l) This Guarantee shall be a general unsecured senior obligation of such Guaranteeing Subsidiary, ranking equally in right of payment with all existing and future Senior Indebtedness of the Guaranteeing Subsidiary, if any.

(m) Each payment to be made by the Guaranteeing Subsidiary in respect of this Guarantee shall be made without set-off, counterclaim, reduction or diminution of any kind or nature.

(3) Execution and Delivery . The Guaranteeing Subsidiary agrees that the Guarantee shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the absence of the endorsement of any notation of such Guarantee on the Notes.

(4) Merger, Consolidation or Sale of All or Substantially All Assets .

(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 5.01(c) of the Indenture, the Guaranteeing Subsidiary may not consolidate, amalgamate or merge with or into or wind up into (whether or not such Guaranteeing Subsidiary is the surviving Person), or sell, assign, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its properties or assets, in one or more related transactions, to any Person unless:

(i) (A) such Guaranteeing Subsidiary is the surviving Person or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation, amalgamation or merger (if other than such Guaranteeing Subsidiary) or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition will have been made is a Person organized or existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of organization of such Guaranteeing Subsidiary, as applicable, or the laws of the United States, any state thereof, the District of Columbia, or any territory thereof (such surviving Guaranteeing Subsidiary or such Person, as the case may be, being herein called the “ Successor Person ”);

(B) the Successor Person, if other than such Guaranteeing Subsidiary, expressly assumes all the obligations of such Guaranteeing Subsidiary under the Indenture and such Guaranteeing Subsidiary’s related Guarantee pursuant to supplemental indentures or other documents or instruments as necessary;

(C) immediately after such transaction, no Default exists; and

(D) the Issuer shall have delivered to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, amalgamation or transfer and such supplemental indentures, if any, comply with this Indenture; or

(ii) the transaction is made in compliance with Section 4.10 of the Indenture or is not subject to Section 4.10; or

(iii) property or assets constitute Equity Interests of Restricted Subsidiaries that are not Guarantors, which Equity Interests are sold, assigned, transferred, leased, conveyed or otherwise disposed to the Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary.

 

E-3


(b) Subject to certain limitations described in the Indenture, the Successor Person will succeed to, and be substituted for, such Guaranteeing Subsidiary under the Indenture and the Guaranteeing Subsidiary’s Guarantee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, such Guaranteeing Subsidiary may merge or consolidate with or into, wind up into or transfer all or part of its properties and assets to another Guaranteeing Subsidiary or the Issuer.

(5) Releases . The Guarantee of the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall be automatically and unconditionally released and discharged, and no further action by the Guaranteeing Subsidiary, the Issuer, the Indenture Administrator or the Trustee is required for the release of the Guaranteeing Subsidiary’s Guarantee, upon:

(a) (i) any sale, exchange, disposition or transfer (by merger, amalgamation, consolidation or otherwise) of (x) the Capital Stock of such Guaranteeing Subsidiary, after which the applicable Guaranteeing Subsidiary is no longer a Restricted Subsidiary, or (y) all or substantially all the assets of such Guarantor which sale, exchange, disposition or transfer is made in compliance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture;

(ii) the release or discharge of the guarantee by such Guaranteeing Subsidiary of Indebtedness under the New Credit Facilities, or such other guarantee that resulted in the creation of such Guarantee, except a discharge or release by or as a result of payment under such guarantee , including a release subject to a contingent reinstatement (provided that if any such Guarantee is so reinstated, such Guarantee shall also be reinstated to the extent that such Guaranteeing Subsidiary would then be required to provide a Guarantee pursuant to Section 4.15 in the Indenture);

(iii) the proper designation of any Restricted Subsidiary that is a Guaranteeing Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Indenture; or

(iv) the exercise by the Issuer of its Legal Defeasance option or Covenant Defeasance option in accordance with Article 8 of the Indenture or the discharge of the Issuer’s obligations under the Indenture in accordance with the terms of the Indenture; and

(b) such Guaranteeing Subsidiary delivering to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture relating to such transaction have been complied with.

(6) No Recourse Against Others . No past, present or future director, officer, employee, incorporator, member, partner or stockholder of the Guaranteeing Subsidiary (other than the Issuer and the Guarantors) shall have any liability for any obligations of the Issuer or the Guarantors (including the Guaranteeing Subsidiary) under the Notes, any Guarantees, the Indenture or this Supplemental Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder by accepting Notes waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes.

(7) Governing Law . THIS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE WILL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

(8) Counterparts . The parties may sign any number of copies of this Supplemental Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all of them together represent the same agreement.

(9) Effect of Headings . The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

(10) The Indenture Administrator and the Trustee . Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be responsible in any manner whatsoever for or in respect of the validity or sufficiency of this Supplemental Indenture or for or in respect of the recitals contained herein, all of which recitals are made solely by the Guaranteeing Subsidiary. In entering into this Supplemental Indenture, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee

 

E-4


shall each be entitled to the benefit of every provision of the Indenture relating to the conduct of or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee.

(11) Subrogation . The Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall be subrogated to all rights of Holders against the Issuer in respect of any amounts paid by the Guaranteeing Subsidiary pursuant to the provisions of Section 2 hereof and Section 10.01 of the Indenture; provided that, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall not be entitled to enforce or receive any payments arising out of, or based upon, such right of subrogation until all amounts then due and payable by the Issuer under the Indenture or the Notes shall have been paid in full.

(12) Benefits Acknowledged . The Guaranteeing Subsidiary’s Guarantee is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Indenture. The Guaranteeing Subsidiary acknowledges that it will receive direct and indirect benefits from the financing arrangements contemplated by the Indenture and this Supplemental Indenture and that the guarantee and waivers made by it pursuant to this Guarantee are knowingly made in contemplation of such benefits.

(13) Successors . All agreements of the Guaranteeing Subsidiary in this Supplemental Indenture shall bind its Successors, except as otherwise provided in this Supplemental Indenture. All agreements of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee in this Supplemental Indenture shall bind their respective successors and assigns.

 

E-5


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed, all as of the date first above written.

 

[GUARANTEEING SUBSIDIARY]

By:

 

 

  Name:
  Title:

CITIBANK, N.A., as Indenture Administrator

By:

 

 

  Name:
  Title:

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee

By:

 

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

E-6


EXHIBIT F

[FORM OF CERTIFICATE FROM

ACQUIRING INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR]

c/o Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Facsimile: 781-737-3802

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

with a copy to:

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Facsimile: 781-737-4360

Attention: General Counsel

Citibank, N.A.

111 Wall Street, 15 th Floor Window

New York, New York 10005

Attention: Window

 

  Re: 9.625% Senior Notes due 2018

This certificate is delivered to request a transfer of $[              ] principal amount of the 9.625% Senior Notes due 2018 (the “ Notes ”) of Dunkin’ Finance Corp. (the “ Issuer ”).

In connection with the proposed transfer of Notes, the undersigned represents and warrants to you that:

1. We are an institutional “accredited investor” (as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”)) purchasing for our own account or for the account of such an institutional “accredited investor” at least $250,000 principal amount of the Notes, and we are acquiring the Notes not with a view to, or for offer or sale in connection with, any distribution in violation of the Securities Act. We have such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risk of our investment in the Notes and we invest in or purchase securities similar to the Notes in the normal course of our business. We and any accounts for which we are acting are each able to bear the economic risk of our or its investment.

2. We understand that the Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act and, unless so registered, may not be sold except as permitted in the following sentence. We agree on our own behalf and on behalf of any investor account for which we are purchasing Notes to offer, sell or otherwise transfer such Notes prior to the date that is one year after the later of the date of original issue and the last date on which the Issuer or any affiliate of the Issuer was the owner of such Notes (or any predecessor thereto) (the “ Resale Restriction Termination Date ”) only (a) to the Issuer or any Subsidiary thereof, (b) pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, (c) in a transaction complying with the requirements of Rule 144A under the Securities Act, to a person we reasonably believe is a “qualified institutional buyer” under Rule 144A of the Securities Act (a “ QIB ”) that is purchasing for its own account or for the account of a QIB and to whom notice is given that the transfer is being made in reliance on Rule 144A, (d) pursuant to offers and sales to non-U.S. persons that occur outside the United States within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act, (e) to an institutional “accredited investor” within the meaning of Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) under the Securities Act that is purchasing for its own account or for the account of such an institutional “accredited investor,” in each case in a

 

F-1


minimum principal amount of Notes of $250,000 for investment purposes and not with a view to or for offer or sale in connection with any distribution in violation of the Securities Act or (f) pursuant to any other available exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, subject in each of the foregoing cases to any requirement of law that the disposition of our property or the property of such investor account or accounts be at all times within our or their control and in compliance with any applicable state securities laws. The foregoing restrictions on resale shall not apply subsequent to the Resale Restriction Termination Date. If any resale or other transfer of the Notes is proposed to be made pursuant to clause (e) above prior to the Resale Restriction Termination Date, the transferor shall deliver a letter from the transferee substantially in the form of this letter to the Issuer and the Registrar, which shall provide, among other things, that the transferee is an institutional “accredited investor” (within the meaning of Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) under the Securities Act) and that it is acquiring such Notes for investment purposes and not for distribution in violation of the Securities Act. Each purchaser acknowledges that the Issuer and the Registrar reserve the right prior to any offer, sale or other transfer prior to the Resale Termination Date of the Notes pursuant to clauses (d), (e) or (f) above to require the delivery of an opinion of counsel, certifications and/or other information satisfactory to the Issuer and the Registrar.

3. We [are][are not] an Affiliate of the Issuer.

 

TRANSFEREE:

 

 

 

BY:

 

 

 

F-2

Exhibit 4.5

EXECUTION VERSION

SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

THIS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE (the “ Supplemental Indenture ”), entered into as of December 3, 2010, among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. , a Delaware corporation (the “ Successor Issuer ”), each of the Guarantors listed on the signature pages hereto, (each a “ Supplemental Guarantor ” and, collectively, the “ Supplemental Guarantors ”), Citibank, N.A. , as indenture administrator (the “ Indenture Administrator ”) and Wilmington Trust Company , as trustee (the “ Trustee ”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein are used as defined in the Indenture.

RECITALS

WHEREAS, Dunkin’ Finance Corp. (the “ Escrow Issuer ”) has heretofore executed and delivered to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee that certain Indenture, dated as of November 23, 2010 (the “ Indenture ”), relating to the 9.625% senior notes of the Company due 2018 in aggregate principal amount of $625,000,000 (the “ Notes ”);

WHEREAS, on the date hereof, the Successor Issuer will assume all of the Escrow Issuer’s obligations under the Indenture and the Notes;

WHEREAS, on the date hereof the Escrow Issuer is merging with and into the Successor Issuer, with the Successor Issuer being the surviving person of such merger (the “ Merger ”); and

WHEREAS, each Supplemental Guarantor is to become a Guarantor under the Indenture.

AGREEMENT

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties to this Supplemental Indenture hereby agree as follows:

Section 1. Effective upon the execution hereof, the Successor Issuer, in accordance with Article 5 of the Indenture, expressly assumes all of the obligations of the Company under the Indenture and the Notes.

Section 2. Effective upon the execution hereof, each Supplemental Guarantor shall be a Guarantor under the Indenture and be bound by the terms thereof applicable to “Guarantors” (as defined in the Indenture), including, but not limited to, Article 10 thereof.

Section 3. This Supplemental Indenture is an amendment supplemental to the Indenture, and the Indenture and this Supplemental Indenture will henceforth be read together.

Section 4. Neither the Indenture Administrator nor the Trustee shall be responsible in any manner whatsoever for or in respect of the validity or sufficiency of this Supplemental Indenture or for or in respect of the recitals contained herein, all of which recitals are made solely by the Supplemental Guarantor. In entering into this Supplemental Indenture, the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee shall each be entitled to the benefit of every provision of the Indenture relating to the conduct of or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee.

Section 5. All agreements of the Supplemental Guarantors in this Supplemental Indenture shall bind their respective successors, except as otherwise provided in this Supplemental Indenture. All agreements of the Indenture Administrator and the Trustee in this Supplemental Indenture shall bind their respective successors and assigns.


Section 6. This Supplemental Indenture shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Section 7. This Supplemental Indenture may be signed in various counterparts, which together will constitute one and the same instrument.

[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed, all as of the date first above written.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.
By:  

/s/ Bonnie Monahan

  Name: Bonnie Monahan
  Title: Vice President and Treasurer

BASKIN-ROBBINS FLAVORS LLC

BASKIN-ROBBINS FRANCHISED SHOPS LLC

BASKIN-ROBBINS FRANCHISING LLC

BASKIN-ROBBINS INTERNATIONAL LLC

BASKIN-ROBBINS USA LLC

BR IP HOLDER LLC

BR JAPAN HOLDINGS LLC

DB CANADIAN SUPPLIER INC.

DB CANADIAN HOLDING COMPANY INC.

DB FRANCHISING HOLDING COMPANY LLC

DB INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISING LLC

DB MASTER FINANCE LLC

DB MEXICAN FRANCHISING LLC

DB REAL ESTATE ASSETS I LLC

DB REAL ESTATE ASSETS II LLC

DB UK FRANCHISING LLC

DBI STORES LLC

DD IP HOLDER LLC

DUNKIN’ DONUTS FRANCHISED RESTAURANTS LLC

DUNKIN’ DONUTS FRANCHISING LLC

DUNKIN’ DONUTS LLC

DUNKIN’ DONUTS REALTY INVESTMENT LLC

DUNKIN’ DONUTS USA LLC

DUNKIN’S VENTURES LLC

MISTER DONUT OF AMERICA LLC

THIRD DUNKIN’ DONUTS REALTY LLC

By:  

/s/ Bonnie Monahan

  Name: Bonnie Monahan
  Title: Vice President and Treasurer
CITIBANK, N.A., as Indenture Administrator
By:  

/s/ Kristen Driscoll

  Name: Kristen Driscoll
  Title: Vice President

Signature Page to Supplemental Indenture


WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
By:  

/s/ Geoffrey J. Lewis

  Name: Geoffrey J. Lewis
  Title: Assistant Vice President

 

-4-

Exhibit 10.1

DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.

2006 AMENDED AND RESTATED EXECUTIVE INCENTIVE PLAN

 

1. DEFINED TERM

Exhibit A, which is incorporated by reference, defines the terms used in the Plan and sets forth certain operational rules related to those terms.

 

2. PURPOSE

The Plan has been established to advance the interests of the Company and its Affiliates by providing for the grant to Participants of Stock-based and other incentive Awards. Awards under the Plan are intended to align the incentives of the Company’s executives and investors and to improve the performance of the Company. Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, Awards under the Plan are intended to be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, either because they constitute private placements under Regulation D or because they are exempt offers pursuant to a compensatory benefit plan in accordance with Rule 701.

 

3. ADMINISTRATION

The Administrator has discretionary authority, subject only to the express provisions of the Plan and the Award Agreements, to interpret the Plan; determine eligibility for and grant Awards; determine, modify or waive the terms and conditions of any Award; prescribe forms, rules and procedures; and otherwise do all things necessary to carry out the purposes of the Plan. Except as otherwise provided by the express terms of an Award Agreement, all determinations of the Administrator made under the Plan will be conclusive and will bind all parties.

 

4. LIMITS ON AWARDS UNDER THE PLAN

(a) Number of Shares . A maximum of 55,689,151 shares of Class A Common may be delivered in satisfaction of Awards under the Plan, of which total, a maximum of 22,899,228 shares of Class A Common may be Awarded as Restricted Stock and a maximum of 32,789,923 shares of Class A Common may be delivered in satisfaction of Stock Options under the Plan. The number of shares of Stock delivered in satisfaction of Awards shall, for purposes of the preceding sentence, be determined net of shares of Stock withheld by the Company in payment of the exercise price of the Award or in satisfaction of tax withholding requirements with respect to the Award. Any shares of Class A Common that do not vest and are forfeited to the Company will be available for re-grant under the Plan. The limits set forth in this Section 4(a) shall be construed to comply with Section 422 of the Code and the regulations thereunder. To the extent consistent with the requirements of Section 422 of the Code and regulations thereunder, Stock issued under awards of an acquired company that are converted, replaced or adjusted in connection with the acquisition shall not reduce the number of shares available for Awards under the Plan.

(b) Type of Shares . Stock delivered under the Plan may be authorized but unissued Stock or previously issued Stock acquired by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.


5. ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION

The Administrator will select Participants from among those key Employees and directors of, and consultants and advisors to, the Company or its Affiliates who, in the opinion of the Administrator, are in a position to make a significant contribution to the success of the Company and its Affiliates. Eligibility for ISOs is limited to employees of the Company or of a “parent corporation” or “subsidiary corporation” of the Company as those terms are defined in Section 424 of the Code.

 

6. RULES APPLICABLE TO AWARDS

 

  (a) All Awards

(1) Award Provisions . The Administrator will determine the terms of all Awards, subject to the limitations provided herein, and shall furnish to each Participant an Award Agreement setting forth the terms applicable to the Participant’s Award. By entering into an Award Agreement, the Participant agrees to the terms of the Award and of the Plan, to the extent not inconsistent with the express terms of the Award Agreement. Notwithstanding any provision of this Plan to the contrary, awards of an acquired company that are converted, replaced or adjusted in connection with the acquisition may contain terms and conditions that are inconsistent with the terms and conditions specified herein, as determined by the Administrator.

(2) Transferability . Neither ISOs, nor, except as the Administrator otherwise expressly provides, other Awards may be transferred other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and during a Participant’s lifetime ISOs (and, except as the Administrator otherwise expressly provides, other non-transferable Awards requiring exercise) may be exercised only by the Participant.

(3) Vesting, Etc. The Administrator may determine the time or times at which an Award will vest or become exercisable and the terms on which an Award requiring exercise will remain exercisable. Without limiting the foregoing, the Administrator may at any time accelerate the vesting or exercisability of an Award, regardless of any adverse or potentially adverse tax consequences resulting from such acceleration. Unless the Administrator or the terms of an Award Agreement expressly provide otherwise, however, the following rules will apply if a Participant’s Employment ceases: Immediately upon the cessation of Employment, an Award requiring exercise will cease to be exercisable and will terminate, and all other Awards to the extent not already vested will be forfeited, except that:

(A) subject to (B) and (C) below, all Stock Options and other Awards requiring exercise held by the Participant or the Participant’s permitted transferees, if any, immediately prior to the cessation of the Participant’s Employment, to the extent then exercisable, will remain exercisable for the shorter of (i) a period of three months or (ii) the period ending on the latest date on which such Award could have been exercised without regard to this Section 6(a)(3), and will thereupon terminate;

(B) all Stock Options and other Awards requiring exercise held by a Participant or the Participant’s permitted transferees, if any, immediately prior to the Participant’s death or disability, to the extent then exercisable, will remain exercisable for

 

2


the shorter of (i) the one year period ending with the first anniversary of the Participant’s death or disability, as the case may be, or (ii) the period ending on the latest date on which such Award could have been exercised without regard to this Section 6(a)(3), and will thereupon terminate; and

(C) all Stock Options and other Awards requiring exercise held by a Participant or the Participant’s permitted transferees, if any, immediately prior to the cessation of the Participant’s Employment will immediately terminate upon such cessation if such cessation of Employment has resulted in connection with an act or failure to act constituting Cause.

(4) Taxes . The Administrator will make such provision for the withholding of taxes as it deems necessary. The Administrator may, but need not, hold back shares of Stock from an Award or permit a Participant to tender previously owned shares of Stock in satisfaction of tax withholding requirements (but not in excess of the applicable minimum statutory withholding rate).

(5) Rights Limited . Nothing in the Plan will be construed as giving any person the right to continued Employment with the Company or its Affiliates, or any rights as a stockholder except as to shares of Stock actually issued under the Plan. The loss of potential appreciation in Awards will not constitute an element of damages in the event of termination of Employment for any reason, even if the termination is in violation of an obligation of the Company or its Affiliate to the Participant.

(6) Stockholders Agreement . Unless otherwise specifically provided, all Awards issued under the Plan and all Stock issued thereunder will be subject to the Stockholders Agreement.

(7) Section 409A . Awards under the Plan are intended either to be exempt from the rules of Section 409A of the Code or to satisfy those rules, and the Plan and such Awards shall be construed accordingly. Granted Awards may be modified at any time, in the Administrator’s discretion, so as to increase the likelihood of exemption from or compliance with the rules of Section 409A of the Code.

 

  (b) Awards Requiring Exercise

(1) Time And Manner Of Exercise . Unless the Administrator expressly provides otherwise, an Award requiring exercise by the holder will not be deemed to have been exercised until the Administrator receives a notice of exercise (in form acceptable to the Administrator) signed by the appropriate person and accompanied by any payment required under the Award. If the Award is exercised by any person other than the Participant, the Administrator may require satisfactory evidence that the person exercising the Award has the right to do so.

(2) Exercise Price . The Administrator will determine the exercise price, if any, of each Award requiring exercise. Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, and in all events in the case of a Stock Option (except as otherwise permitted pursuant to Section 7(b)(1) hereof), the exercise price of an Award requiring exercise will not be less than the fair market

 

3


value of the Stock subject to the Award, determined as of the date of grant, and in the case of an ISO granted to a ten-percent shareholder within the meaning of Section 422(b)(6) of the Code, the exercise price will not be less than 110% of the fair market value of the Stock subject to the Award, determined as of the date of grant.

(3) Payment Of Exercise Price . Where the exercise of an Award is to be accompanied by payment, the Administrator may determine the required or permitted forms of payment, subject to the following: (a) all payments will be by cash or check acceptable to the Administrator, or (b) if so permitted by the Administrator, (i) through the delivery of shares of Stock that have a fair market value equal to the exercise price, except where payment by delivery of shares would adversely affect the Company’s results of operations under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or where payment by delivery of shares outstanding for less than six months would require application of securities laws relating to profit realized on such shares, (ii) at such time, if any, as the Stock is publicly traded, through a broker-assisted exercise program acceptable to the Administrator, (iii) by other means acceptable to the Administrator, or (iv) by any combination of the foregoing permissible forms of payment. The delivery of shares in payment of the exercise price under clause (b)(i) above may be accomplished either by actual delivery or by constructive delivery through attestation of ownership, subject to such rules as the Administrator may prescribe.

(4) ISOs . No ISO may be granted under the Plan after March 1, 2016, but ISOs previously granted may extend beyond that date.

 

  (c) Awards Not Requiring Exercise

Awards of Restricted Stock and Unrestricted Stock, whether delivered outright or under Awards of Stock Units or other Awards that do not require exercise, may be made in exchange for such lawful consideration, including services, as the Administrator determines.

 

7. EFFECT OF CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

 

  (a) Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement:

(1) Assumption or Substitution . In the event of a Corporate Transaction in which there is an acquiring or surviving entity, the Administrator may, unless the Administrator determines that doing so is inappropriate or unfeasible, provide for the continuation or assumption of some or all outstanding Awards, or for the grant of new awards in substitution therefor, by the acquiror or survivor or any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the acquiror or survivor, in each case on such terms and subject to such conditions (including vesting or other restrictions) as the Administrator determines are appropriate. Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, the continuation or assumption shall be done on terms and conditions consistent with Section 409A of the Code.

(2) Acceleration of Certain Awards . In the event of a Corporate Transaction (whether or not there is an acquiring or surviving entity) in which there is no assumption or substitution as to some or all outstanding Awards, the Administrator may provide (unless the Administrator determines otherwise, on terms and conditions consistent with Section 409A of

 

4


the Code) for (i) treating as satisfied any vesting condition on any such Award or for (ii) the accelerated delivery of shares of Stock issuable under each such Award consisting of Restricted Stock Units, in each case on a basis that gives the holder of the Award a reasonable opportunity, as determined by the Administrator, following exercise of the Award or the issuance of the shares, as the case may be, to participate as a stockholder in the Corporate Transaction.

(3) Termination of Awards . Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, each Award (unless assumed pursuant to the Section 7(a)(1)), will terminate upon consummation of the Corporate Transaction, provided that Restricted Stock Units accelerated pursuant to clause (ii) of Section 7(a)(2) shall be treated in the same manner as other shares of Stock (subject to Section 7(a)(4)).

(4) Additional Limitations . Any share of Stock delivered pursuant to Section 7(a)(2) above with respect to an Award may, in the discretion of the Administrator, contain such restrictions, if any, as the Administrator deems appropriate to reflect any performance or other vesting conditions to which the Award was subject and that did not lapse in connection with the Corporate Transaction. In the case of Restricted Stock, the Administrator may require that any amounts delivered, exchanged or otherwise paid in respect of Stock in connection with the Corporate Transaction be placed in escrow or otherwise made subject to such restrictions as the Administrator deems appropriate to carry out the intent of the Plan.

 

  (b) Changes In, Distributions With Respect To And Redemptions Of The Stock

(1) Basic Adjustment Provisions . In the event of any stock dividend or other similar distribution of stock or other securities of the Company, stock split or combination of shares (including a reverse stock split), recapitalization, conversion, reorganization, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, merger, exchange of stock, redemption or repurchase of all or part of the shares of any class of stock or any change in the capital structure of the Company or an Affiliate or other transaction or event, the Administrator shall, as appropriate in order to prevent enlargement or dilution of benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, make proportionate adjustments to the maximum number of shares that may be delivered under the Plan under Section 4(a) and shall also make appropriate, proportionate adjustments to the number and kind of shares of stock or securities subject to Awards then outstanding or subsequently granted, any exercise prices relating to Awards and any other provision of Awards affected by such change. Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, any adjustments hereunder shall be done on terms and conditions consistent with Section 409A of the Code.

(2) Certain Other Adjustments . The Administrator may also make adjustments of the type described in paragraph (1) above to take into account distributions to stockholders or any other event, if the Administrator determines that adjustments are appropriate to avoid distortion in the operation of the Plan and to preserve the value of Awards made hereunder, having due regard for the qualification of ISOs under Section 422 of the Code, where applicable.

(3) Continuing Application of Plan Terms . References in the Plan to shares of Stock will be construed to include any stock or securities resulting from an adjustment

 

5


pursuant to this Section 7.

 

8. LEGAL CONDITIONS ON DELIVERY OF STOCK

The Company shall use best efforts to ensure, prior to delivering shares of Stock pursuant to the Plan or removing any restriction from shares of Stock previously delivered under the Plan, that (a) all legal matters in connection with the issuance and delivery of such shares have been addressed and resolved, and (b) if the outstanding Stock is at the time of delivery listed on any stock exchange or national market system, the shares to be delivered have been listed or authorized to be listed on such exchange or system upon official notice of issuance. Neither the Company nor any Affiliate will be obligated to deliver any shares of Stock pursuant to the Plan or to remove any restriction from shares of Stock previously delivered under the Plan until the conditions set forth in the preceding sentence have been satisfied and all other conditions of the Award have been satisfied or waived. If the sale of Stock has not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Company may require, as a condition to exercise of the Award, such representations or agreements as counsel for the Company may consider appropriate to avoid violation of such Act. The Company may require that certificates evidencing Stock issued under the Plan bear an appropriate legend reflecting any restriction on transfer applicable to such Stock, and the Company may hold the certificates pending lapse of the applicable restrictions.

 

9. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION

The Administrator may at any time or times amend the Plan or any outstanding Award for any purpose which may at the time be permitted by law, and may at any time terminate the Plan as to any future grants of Awards; provided , that except as otherwise expressly provided in the Plan the Administrator may not, without the Participant’s consent, alter the terms of an Award so as to affect adversely the Participant’s rights under the Award, unless the Administrator expressly reserved the right to do so at the time of the Award. The Administrator expressly reserves the right to amend or alter the terms of any Award if such Award or a portion thereof would be reasonably likely to be treated as a “liability award” under guidance issued or provided by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), provided that the Administrator may not make any such amendment or alteration unless the Chief Executive Officer of the Company has provided prior written consent thereto. Any amendments to the Plan shall be conditioned upon stockholder approval only to the extent, if any, such approval is required by applicable law (including the Code), as determined by the Administrator.

 

10. OTHER COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS

The existence of the Plan or the grant of any Award will not in any way affect the right of the Company or an Affiliate to Award a person bonuses or other compensation in addition to Awards under the Plan.

 

11. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL

(a) Waiver of Jury Trial . By accepting an Award under the Plan, each Participant waives any right to a trial by jury in any action, proceeding or counterclaim concerning any rights under the Plan and any Award, or under any amendment, waiver, consent, instrument,

 

6


document or other agreement delivered or which in the future may be delivered in connection therewith, and agrees that any such action, proceedings or counterclaim shall be tried before a court and not before a jury. By accepting an Award under the Plan, each Participant certifies that no officer, representative or attorney of the Company or any Affiliate has represented, expressly or otherwise, that the Company would not, in the event of any action, proceeding or counterclaim, seek to enforce the foregoing waivers.

(b) Arbitration . In the event the waiver in Section 11(a) is held to be invalid or unenforceable, if requested by the Company, the parties shall attempt in good faith to resolve any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Plan or any Award hereunder promptly by negotiations between themselves or their representatives who have authority to settle the controversy. If the matter has not been resolved within sixty (60) days of the initiation of such procedure, the Company may require that the parties submit the controversy to arbitration by one arbitrator mutually agreed upon by the Parties, and if no agreement can be reached within 30 days after names of potential arbitrators have been proposed by the American Arbitration Association (the “ AAA ”), then by one arbitrator having reasonable experience in corporate incentive plans of the type provided for in this Plan and who is chosen by the AAA. The arbitration shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. Section 1, et seq., and judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. The place of arbitration shall be Boston, Massachusetts, or any other location mutually agreed to between the parties. The arbitrator shall apply the law as established by decisions of the Delaware federal and/or state courts in deciding the merits of claims and defenses under federal law or any state or federal anti-discrimination law. The arbitrator is required to state, in writing, the reasoning on which the award rests. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this paragraph shall not preclude either party from pursuing a court action for the sole purpose of obtaining a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction in circumstances in which such relief is appropriate.

 

12. GOVERNING LAW

Except as otherwise provided by the express terms of an Award Agreement, the provisions of the Plan and of Awards under the Plan shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.

 

7


EXHIBIT A

Definitions of Terms

The following terms, when used in the Plan, will have the meanings and be subject to the provisions set forth below:

“Administrator”: The Board or, if one has been appointed, the Compensation Committee. The Administrator may delegate ministerial tasks to such persons as it deems appropriate.

“Affiliate”: Any corporation or other entity that stands in a relationship to the Company that would result in the Company and such corporation or other entity being treated as one employer under Section 414(b) or Section 414(c) of the Code, except that in determining eligibility for the grant of a Stock Option by reason of service for an Affiliate, Sections 414(b) and 414(c) of the Code shall be applied by substituting “at least 50%” for “at least 80%” under Section 1563(a)(1), (2) and (3) of the Code and Treas. Regs. § 1.414(c)-2; provided , that to the extent permitted under Section 409A of the Code, “at least 20%” shall be used in lieu of “at least 50%”; and further provided , that the lower ownership threshold described in this definition (50% or 20% as the case may be) shall apply only if the same definition of affiliation is used consistently with respect to all compensatory stock options or stock awards (whether under the Plan or another plan). The Company may at any time by amendment provide that different ownership thresholds (consistent with Section 409A of the Code) apply but any such change shall not be effective for twelve (12) months. In addition, any Affiliate must also meet the requirements of subsection (c) under Rule 701.

“Award”: Any or a combination of the following:

 

  (i) Stock Options;

 

  (ii) Restricted Stock;

 

  (iii) Unrestricted Stock;

 

  (iv) Stock Units, including Restricted Stock Units;

 

  (v) Awards (other than Awards described in (i) through (iv) above) that are convertible into or exchangeable for Stock on such terms and conditions as the Administrator determines;

 

  (vi) Performance Awards; and/or

 

  (vii) Current or deferred grants of cash (which the Company may make payable by any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries) or loans, made in connection with other Awards.

“Award Agreement”: A written agreement between the Company and the Participant evidencing the Award.

 

8


“Board”: The Board of Directors of Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.

“Cause”: With respect to any Participant, shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in any employment agreement, severance or other similar agreement between such Participant and the Company or and of its Affiliates, or, if no such agreement exists, the following events or conditions, as determined by the Board in its reasonable judgment: (i) the refusal or failure to perform (other than by reason of disability), or material negligence in the performance of such employee’s duties and responsibilities to the Company or any of its Affiliates, or refusal or failure to follow or carry out any reasonable direction of the Board, and the continuance of such refusal, failure or negligence for a period of ten days after notice to such Participant; (ii) the material breach by such Participant of any provision of any material agreement between such employee and the Company or any of its Affiliates; (iii) fraud, embezzlement, theft or other dishonesty by such Participant with respect to the Company or any of its Affiliates; (iv) the conviction of, or a plea of nolo contendere by, such Participant to any felony or any other crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude; and (v) any other conduct that involves a breach of fiduciary obligation on the part of such Participant or otherwise could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect upon the business, interests or reputation of the Company or any of its Affiliates.

“Class A Common”: Class A Common Stock of Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., par value $.001 per share.

“Class L Common”: Class L Common Stock of Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., par value $.001 per share.

“Code”: The U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as from time to time amended and in effect, or any successor statute as from time to time in effect. For the avoidance of doubt, any reference to any section of the Code includes reference to any regulations (including proposed or temporary regulations) promulgated under that section and any IRS guidance thereunder.

“Company”: Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, formerly known as BCT Coffee Acquisition Holdings, Inc.

“Compensation Committee”: The Compensation Committee of the Board.

“Corporate Transaction”: Any of the following: any sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, change in the ownership of the capital stock of the Company, reorganization, recapitalization, merger (whether or not the Company is the surviving entity), consolidation, exchange of capital stock of the Company or other restructuring involving the Company, provided , that, in each case, to the extent any amount constituting “nonqualified deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A of the Code would become payable under an Award by reason of a Corporate Transaction, it shall become payable only if the event or circumstances constituting the Corporate Transaction would also constitute a change in the ownership or effective control of the Company, or a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets, within the meaning of subsection (a)(2)(A)(v) of Section 409A of the Code.

“Employee”: Any person who is employed by the Company or an Affiliate.

 

9


“Employment”: A Participant’s employment or other service relationship with the Company and its Affiliates. Unless the Administrator provides otherwise: A change in the capacity in which a Participant is employed by or renders services to the Company and/or its Affiliates, whether as an Employee, director, consultant or advisor, or a change in the entity by which the Participant is employed or to which the Participant rendered services, will not be deemed a termination of Employment so long as the Participant continues providing services in a capacity and to an entity described in Section 5. If a Participant’s relationship is with an Affiliate and that entity ceases to be an Affiliate, the Participant will be deemed to cease Employment when the entity ceases to be an Affiliate unless the Participant transfers Employment to the Company or its remaining Affiliates.

“ISO”: A Stock Option intended to be an “incentive stock option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code. Each option granted pursuant to the Plan will be treated as providing by its terms that it is to be a non-incentive stock option unless, as of the date of grant, it is expressly designated as an ISO.

“Participant”: A person who is granted an Award under the Plan.

“Performance Award” : An Award subject to Performance Criteria.

“Performance Criteria” : Specified criteria the satisfaction of which is a condition for the grant, exercisability, vesting or full enjoyment of an Award. If a Performance Award so provides, such criteria may be made subject to appropriate adjustments taking into account the effect of significant corporate transactions or similar events for the purpose of maintaining the probability that the specified criteria will be satisfied. Such adjustments shall be made only in the amount deemed reasonably necessary, after consultation with the Company’s accountants, to reflect accurately the direct and measurable effect of such event on such criteria.

“Plan”: Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc. 2006 Executive Incentive Plan as from time to time amended and in effect.

“Restricted Stock”: An Award of Stock for so long as the Stock remains subject to restrictions under this Plan or such Award requiring that it be redelivered or offered for sale to the Company if specified conditions are not satisfied.

“Restricted Stock Unit”: A Stock Unit that is, or as to which the delivery of Stock or cash in lieu of Stock is, subject to the satisfaction of specified performance or other vesting conditions.

“Stock”: Class A Common and Class L Common.

“Stockholders Agreement”: Stockholders Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2006 and amended from time to time, among the Company and certain Affiliates, stockholders and Participants.

“Stock Option”: An option entitling the recipient to acquire Stock upon payment of the exercise price.

 

10


Stock Unit : An unfunded and unsecured promise, denominated in shares of Stock, to deliver Stock or cash measured by the value of the Stock in the future.

“Unrestricted Stock”: An Award of Stock not subject to any restrictions under the Plan.

 

11

Exhibit 10.2

FORM OF OPTION CERTIFICATE

Optionee:

This Option and any securities issued upon exercise of this Option are subject to restrictions on transfer and requirements of sale and other provisions as set forth in the Stockholders Agreement among Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., certain of its subsidiaries, and certain investors, dated as of March 1, 2006, as amended from time to time (the “Stockholders Agreement”). This Option and any securities issued upon exercise of this Option constitute Management Shares as defined therein.

DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.

STOCK OPTION

CERTIFICATE

This stock option is granted by Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), to the Optionee, pursuant to the Company’s 2006 Executive Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time (the “Plan”), and the terms of this certificate (the “Agreement”). For the purpose of this Agreement, the “Grant Date” shall mean [            ], 2010.

 

1. Grant of Option . This Agreement evidences the grant by the Company on the Grant Date to the Optionee of an option to purchase (the “Option”), in whole or in part, on the terms provided herein and in the Plan, the number of shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company, par value $.001 per share (the “Shares”), as set forth below:

 

  (a) [            ] Shares at $0.66 per Share (the “Tranche 4 Option Shares”);

 

  (b) [            ] Shares at $0.66 per Share (the “Tranche 5 Option Shares”)

The Option evidenced by this Agreement is not intended to qualify as an incentive stock option under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the “Code”) and is granted to the Optionee in connection with the Optionee’s employment by the Company and its qualifying subsidiaries. For purposes of the immediately preceding sentence, “qualifying subsidiary” means a subsidiary of the Company as to which the Company has a “controlling interest” as described in Treas. Regs. §1.409A-1(b)(5)(iii)(E)(1).

 

2. Vesting . The Option, unless earlier terminated, will become vested and exercisable with respect to the Shares as follows.

 

  (a)

Tranche 4 . The Option will vest and become exercisable (i) with respect to 20% of the Tranche 4 Option Shares on [the first anniversary of] 1 the Grant Date and

 

1   Note: Include bracketed language for those grants which have initial vesting on first anniversary of Grant Date, rather than on Grant Date.


 

20% of the Tranche 4 Option Shares on each [subsequent] anniversary of the Grant Date until the Option is vested with respect to 100% of the Tranche 4 Option Shares and (ii) upon a Change of Control, if earlier, with respect to 50% of the Tranche 4 Option Shares as to which the Option is not then vested, and with respect to the remaining Tranche 4 Option Shares, on the first anniversary of such Change of Control, in each case with respect to each of clause (i) and (ii), subject to the Optionee remaining in continuous Employment on the applicable vesting date.

 

  (b) Tranche 5 . At any time, the portion of the Option that has vested and become exercisable with respect to the Tranche 5 Option Shares shall be equal to the Eligibility Percentage multiplied by the Performance Percentage multiplied by the number of Tranche 5 Option Shares.

 

  (i)

The Eligibility Percentage (the “Eligibility Percentage”) shall start at [zero] 2 and (i) shall increase to [20%] 2 on the first anniversary of the Grant Date and shall increase an additional 20% on each subsequent anniversary of the Grant Date until the Eligibility Percentage shall equal 100%, and (ii) upon a Change of Control, if earlier, the Eligibility Percentage shall increase by an amount equal to fifty percent of the difference between 100% and the Eligibility Percentage immediately prior to such Change of Control and shall increase to 100% on the first anniversary of such Change of Control, in each case with respect to each of clause (i) and (ii), subject to the Optionee remaining in continuous Employment on the applicable vesting date.

 

  (ii) The Performance Percentage (the “Performance Percentage”) shall start at zero. If at any time the Investor Group sells Investor Shares (an “Investor Liquidity Event”) and after giving effect to such event, the Proportional Returned Multiple of Money is equal to or greater than 2.00, as determined by the Board in good faith, then the Performance Percentage shall increase to equal the Sponsor Liquidated Percentage as of such time, subject to the Optionee remaining in continuous Employment on the date of such determination.

 

  (iii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Performance Percentage shall increase to 100% when the Investor Group Multiple of Money is first equal to at least 2.00, as determined by the Board in good faith, subject to the Optionee remaining in continuous Employment on the date of such determination.

 

  (iv) The Performance Percentage shall not be decreased during the term of the Optionee’s continuous Employment even if following a subsequent

 

2   For those grants which have initial time-based vesting on Grant Date, rather than on the first anniversary of the Grant Date, change bracketed numbers to 20% and 40%, respectively.

 

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Investor Liquidity Event the Proportional Returned Multiple of Money falls below 2.00.

 

3. Exercise of Option . Each election to exercise this Option shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and shall be in writing, signed by the Optionee or by his or her executor or administrator or by the person or persons to whom this Option is transferred by will or the applicable laws of descent and distribution (the “Legal Representative”), and made pursuant to and in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Plan. The latest date on which this Option may be exercised (the “Final Exercise Date”) is the date which is the tenth (10th) anniversary of the Grant Date, subject to earlier termination in accordance with the terms and provisions of the Plan and this Agreement.

 

4. Other Agreements . Optionee acknowledges and agrees that the Shares received upon exercise of this Option shall be subject to the Stockholders Agreement and the transfer and other restrictions, rights, and obligations set forth therein. By executing this Agreement, Optionee hereby becomes a party to and bound by the Stockholders Agreement as a Manager (as such term is defined in the Stockholders Agreement), without any further action on the part of Optionee, the Company or any other person.

 

5. Legends . Certificates evidencing any Shares issued upon exercise of the Option granted hereby may bear any legends which may be required by the Stockholders Agreement.

 

6. Withholding . No Shares will be transferred pursuant to the exercise of this Option unless and until the person exercising this Option shall have remitted to the Company an amount sufficient to satisfy any federal, state, or local withholding tax requirements, or shall have made other arrangements satisfactory to the Company with respect to such taxes.

 

7. Nontransferability of Option . Except as provided below, this Option is not transferable by the Optionee other than by will or the applicable laws of descent and distribution, and is exercisable during the Optionee’s lifetime only by the Optionee. Subject to the Stockholders Agreement, this Option shall be transferable to the extent permitted by Rule 701 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

8. Status Change . Upon the termination of the Optionee’s Employment, this Option shall continue or terminate, as and to the extent provided in the Plan.

 

9. Effect on Employment . Neither the grant of this Option, nor the issuance of Shares upon exercise of this Option, shall give the Optionee any right to be retained in the employ of the Company or its Affiliates, affect the right of the Company or its Affiliates to discharge or discipline such Optionee at any time, or affect any right of such Optionee to terminate his or her Employment at any time.

 

10.

Provisions of the Plan . This Option is subject in its entirety to the provisions of

 

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the Plan, which are incorporated herein by reference. A copy of the Plan as in effect on the date of the grant of this Option has been furnished to the Optionee. By exercising all or any part of this Option, the Optionee agrees to be bound by the terms of the Plan and this Option. In the event of any conflict between the terms of this Option and the Plan, the terms of the Plan shall control.

 

11. Definitions . The initially capitalized term Optionee shall have the meaning set forth on the first page of this Agreement; except as otherwise provided below, initially capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning provided in the Plan, and, as used herein, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

“Affiliate” shall mean, with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with such Person.

“Change of Control” shall mean the occurrence of (a) any consolidation or merger of the Company with or into any other corporation or other Person, or any other corporate reorganization or transaction (including the acquisition of capital stock of the Company), whether or not the Company is a party thereto, in which the Investor Group owns capital stock either (i) representing directly, or indirectly through one or more entities, less than fifty percent (50%) of the economic interests in or voting power of the Company or other surviving entity immediately after such consolidation, merger, reorganization or transaction or (ii) that does not directly, or indirectly through one or more entities, have the power to elect a majority of the entire board of directors of the Company or other surviving entity immediately after such consolidation, merger, reorganization or transaction; or (b) any stock sale or other transaction or series of related transactions, whether or not the Company is a party thereto, after giving effect to which in excess of fifty percent (50%) of the Company’s voting power is owned directly, or indirectly through one or more entities, by any Person and its “affiliates” or “associates” (as such terms are defined in the rules adopted by the Commission under the Exchange Act), other than the Investor Group and their respective Affiliated Funds, excluding, in any case referred to in clause (a) or (b) the Initial Public Offering or any bona fide primary or secondary public offering following the occurrence of the Initial Public Offering.

The terms “Affiliated Funds”, “Commission”, “Exchange Act”, “Initial Public Offering” and “Investor Group” shall have the meanings set forth in the Stockholders Agreement.

“Investor Group Multiple of Money” shall mean a fraction equal to (i) the aggregate amount received in cash by the Investor Group whether in sales of, distributions or dividends in respect of their Investor Shares divided by (ii) the initial purchase price paid by the Investor Group to the Company for all Investor Shares.

“Investor Shares” has the meaning set forth in the Stockholders Agreement and shall include any stock, securities or other property or interests received by the Investor Group in respect of Investor Shares in connection with any stock dividend or other similar distribution, stock split or combination of shares, recapitalization, conversion, reorganization, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, merger, exchange of stock or other transaction or event that affects the Company’s capital stock

 

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occurring after the date of issuance.

“Person” shall mean any individual, partnership, corporation, association, trust, joint venture, unincorporated organization or other entity.

“Proportional Returned Multiple of Money” shall mean a fraction equal to (i) the aggregate amount received in cash by the Investor Group in Investor Liquidity Events and in dividends or distributions in respect of Investor Shares that have been sold in Investor Liquidity Events divided by (ii) the initial purchase price paid by the Investor Group to the Company for all Investor Shares that have been sold in Investor Liquidity Events.

“Sponsor Liquidated Percentage” shall mean a fraction equal to (i) the number of Investor Shares sold divided by (ii) the total number of Investor Shares.

 

12. Governing Law. This Agreement and all claims or disputes arising out of or based upon this Agreement or relating to the subject matter hereof will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to any choice or conflict of laws provision or rule that would cause the application of the domestic substantive laws of any other jurisdiction.

 

13. General. For purposes of this Option and any determinations to be made by the Administrator hereunder, the determinations by the Administrator shall be binding upon the Optionee and any transferee.

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Option to be executed under its corporate seal by its duly authorized officer. This Option shall take effect as a sealed instrument.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
By:    
  Name:  
  Title:  

 

Dated:
Acknowledged and Agreed:
   

Exhibit 10.3

Name of Grantee: «First_Name» «Last_Name»

DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.

Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement

Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Attention: Stephen Horn

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned Grantee (i) acknowledges receipt of an award (the “ Award ”) of restricted stock from Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), under the Company’s 2006 Executive Incentive Plan (the “ Plan ”), subject to the terms set forth below and in the Plan, a copy of which Plan, as in effect on the date hereof, is attached hereto as Exhibit A ; and (ii) agrees with the Company as follows:

1. Effective Date . This Agreement shall take effect as of May 26, 2006, which is the date of grant of the Award (the “ Grant Date ”).

2. Shares Subject to Award . The Award consists of a total of «Total_Shares» shares (the “ Shares ”) of Class A Common Stock, par value $.001 per share, of the Company (“ Stock ”) with a fair market value on the Grant Date of $1.00 per Share and «Total_Value» in the aggregate. Of the Shares subject to the Award:

A. 40% of the Shares shall be “ Tranche 1 Shares ”;

B. 30% of the Shares shall be “ Tranche 2 Shares ”; and

C. 30% of the Shares shall be “ Tranche 3 Shares .”

The Grantee’s rights to the Shares are subject to the restrictions described in this Agreement and the Plan (which is incorporated herein by reference with the same effect as if set forth herein in full) in addition to such other restrictions, if any, as may be imposed by law.

3. Nontransferability of Shares . The Shares acquired by the Grantee pursuant to this Agreement shall not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned or otherwise encumbered or disposed of except as provided below and in the Plan, subject to compliance with the restrictions set forth in the Stockholders Agreement dated as of March 1, 2006 among the Grantee, the Company, certain of the Company’s subsidiaries and certain of the Company’s stockholders (the “ Stockholders Agreement ”).

4. Forfeiture Risk . If the Grantee ceases to be employed by the Company and its subsidiaries for any reason, including death, then (subject to any contrary provision of this


Agreement or any other written agreement between the Company and the Grantee with respect to vesting and termination of Shares granted under the Plan) any and all outstanding and unvested Shares acquired by the Grantee hereunder shall be automatically and immediately forfeited. Upon a Change of Control, the Tranche 2 Shares and Tranche 3 Shares will vest to the extent provided in Section 6 below. Any and all outstanding Tranche 2 Shares and Tranche 3 Shares that have not previously vested and do not vest as a result of a Change of Control shall be automatically and immediately forfeited following such Change of Control. Any and all outstanding Tranche 2 Shares that have not previously vested and do not vest on or prior to August 31, 2010 shall be automatically forfeited following the determination of the Company’s Adjusted EBITDA for the year then ended. The Grantee hereby (i) appoints the Company as the attorney-in-fact of the Grantee to take such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate a transfer of the record ownership of any such shares that are unvested and forfeited hereunder, (ii) agrees to deliver to the Company, as a precondition to the issuance of any certificate or certificates with respect to unvested Shares hereunder, one or more stock powers, endorsed in blank, with respect to such Shares, and (iii) agrees to sign such other powers and take such other actions as the Company may reasonably request to accomplish the transfer or forfeiture of any unvested Shares that are forfeited hereunder.

5. Certificates . The Company will issue the Grantee a certificate representing the Shares. If unvested Shares are held in book entry form at any time thereafter, the Grantee agrees that the Company may give stop transfer instructions to the depositary, stock transfer agent or other keeper of the Company’s stock records to ensure compliance with the provisions hereof.

6. Vesting of Shares . The Shares acquired hereunder shall vest during the Grantee’s employment by the Company or its subsidiaries in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6 and applicable provisions of the Plan, as follows:

A. Tranche 1 : The Tranche 1 Shares will vest (i) with respect to 20% of the Tranche 1 Shares on March 1, 2007 and 20% of the Tranche 1 Shares on each subsequent March 1 st until 100% of the Tranche 1 Shares are vested and (ii) if earlier, with respect to 100% of the unvested Tranche 1 Shares upon a Change of Control.

B. Tranche 2 : Prior to a Change of Control, the Tranche 2 Shares will vest in installments on August 31, 2006, August 31, 2007, August 31, 2008, August 31, 2009 and August 31, 2010 with respect to a number of Shares equal to (i) the EBITDA Vesting Percentage for the fiscal year ended on such August 31 st multiplied by the number of Tranche 2 Shares plus (ii) any Catch-up Vesting Shares that are vesting on such date. The determination of whether Tranche 2 Shares vest for any year in the Performance Period will be made at the time that the Company’s independent auditors issue a report on the Company’s financial statements for such year, and in any event on or prior to November 30 th of such year, in either case effective as of August 31. In addition, upon the consummation of a Change of Control prior to August 31, 2010, a sufficient number of Tranche 2 Shares will vest so that the total number of vested Tranche 2 Shares (including any previously vested Tranche 2 Shares) is at least equal to the Tranche 2 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage following such Change of Control multiplied by the number of Tranche 2 Shares. Tranche 2 Shares that vest pursuant to the first sentence of

 

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this Section 6.B shall remain vested notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the second sentence of this Section 6.B.

C. Tranche 3 : The Tranche 3 Shares will become eligible to vest (subject to meeting the Investor IRR hurdles described below) (i) with respect to 25% of the Tranche 3 Shares on March 1, 2007 and 25% of the Tranche 3 Shares on each subsequent March 1 st until 100% of the Tranche 3 Shares have become eligible to vest and (ii) if earlier, with respect to 100% of the unvested Tranche 3 Shares upon a Change of Control. But even after becoming eligible to vest (as described herein), actual vesting will depend on satisfaction of the following performance criteria. On any Tranche 3 Measurement Date, any unvested Tranche 3 Shares that have become eligible to vest pursuant to the previous sentence will vest so that the total number of vested Tranche 3 Shares (including any previously vested Tranche 3 Shares) is at least equal to the highest current or historic Tranche 3 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage multiplied by the number of Tranche 3 Shares that have become eligible to vest at such time. For example, if, following an Initial Public Offering, the Tranche 3 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage is equal to 100%, but only 25% of the Tranche 3 Shares have become eligible to vest, then the remaining 75% of the Tranche 3 Shares would vest over three years as they become eligible to vest, subject only to the continued employment of the Grantee, but without regard to any subsequent decline in the Market Value or the Investor IRR measured at a subsequent Change of Control.

Notwithstanding the foregoing (but subject to any contrary provision of this Agreement or any other written agreement between the Company and the Grantee with respect to vesting and termination of Shares granted under the Plan), no Shares shall vest on any date specified above unless the Grantee is then, and since the Grant Date has continuously been, employed by the Company or its subsidiaries.

7. Representations and Warranties of the Grantee . The Grantee represents and warrants that:

A. Authorization . The Grantee has full legal capacity, power, and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform the Grantee’s obligations hereunder. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by Grantee and is the legal, valid, and binding obligation of Grantee enforceable against Grantee in accordance with the terms hereof.

B. No Conflicts . The execution, delivery, and performance by the Grantee of this Agreement and the consummation by the Grantee of the transactions contemplated hereby will not, with or without the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both (i) violate any provision of law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Grantee is subject, (ii) violate any order, judgment or decree applicable to the Grantee, or (iii) conflict with, or result in a breach of default under, any term or condition of any agreement or other instrument to which the Grantee is a party or by which the Grantee is bound.

C. Review, etc . The Grantee has thoroughly reviewed this Agreement in its entirety. The Grantee has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel (other than counsel to

 

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the Company or its Affiliates) prior to executing this Agreement, and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and this Agreement.

D. Investment Intent . The Grantee is acquiring the Shares solely for the Grantee’s own account for investment and not with a view to or for sale in connection with any distribution of the Shares or any portion thereof and not with any present intention of selling, offering to sell or otherwise disposing of or distributing the Shares or any portion thereof in any transaction other than a transaction exempt from registration under the Securities Act. The Grantee further represents that the entire legal and beneficial interest of the Shares is being acquired, and will be held, for the account of the Grantee only and neither in whole nor in part for any other person.

E. Information Concerning the Company . The Grantee is aware of the Company’s business affairs and financial condition and has acquired sufficient information about the Company to reach an informed and knowledgeable decision to acquire the Shares. The Grantee further represents and warrants that the Grantee has discussed the Company and its plans, operations and financial condition with its officers, has received all such information as the Grantee deems necessary and appropriate to enable the Grantee to evaluate the financial risk inherent in acquiring the Shares and has received satisfactory and complete information concerning the business and financial condition of the Company in response to all inquiries in respect thereof.

F. Capacity to Protect Interests . The Grantee has either (i) a preexisting personal or business relationship with the Company or any of its officers, directors, or controlling persons, consisting of personal or business contacts of a nature and duration to enable the Grantee to be aware of the character, business acumen and general business and financial circumstances of the person with whom such relationship exists, or (ii) such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters as to make the Grantee capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Shares and to protect the Grantee’s own interests in the transaction, or (iii) both such relationship and such knowledge and experience.

8. Company Representations .

A. Authorization . The Company has full legal capacity, power, and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform the Company’s obligations hereunder. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and is the legal, valid, and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with the terms hereof.

B. No Conflicts . The execution, delivery, and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby will not, with or without the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both (i) violate any provision of law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject, (ii) violate any order, judgment or decree applicable to the Company, or (iii) conflict with, or result in a breach of default under, any term or condition of any agreement or other instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound.

 

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9. Legend . Any certificates representing Shares shall contain a legend substantially in the following form:

THE TRANSFERABILITY OF THIS CERTIFICATE AND THE SHARES OF STOCK REPRESENTED HEREBY ARE SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS (INCLUDING FORFEITURE) OF THE COMPANY’S 2006 EXECUTIVE INCENTIVE PLAN AND A RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT ENTERED INTO BETWEEN THE REGISTERED OWNER AND DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP HOLDINGS, INC. COPIES OF SUCH PLAN AND AGREEMENT ARE ON FILE IN THE OFFICES OF DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.

Upon the request of the Grantee, as soon as practicable following the vesting of any such Shares the Company shall cause a certificate or certificates covering such Shares, without the aforesaid legend, to be issued and delivered to the Grantee. If any Shares are held in book-entry form, the Company may take such steps as it deems necessary or appropriate to record and manifest the restrictions applicable to such Shares.

10. Dividends, etc . The Grantee shall be entitled to (i) receive any and all dividends or other distributions paid with respect to those vested and unvested Shares of which the Grantee is the record owner on the record date for such dividend or other distribution, and (ii) subject to the terms of the Stockholders Agreement, vote any Shares of which the Grantee is the record owner on the record date for such vote; provided, however, that any property (other than cash) distributed with respect to a share of Stock (the “ Associated Share ”) acquired hereunder, including without limitation a distribution of Stock by reason of a stock dividend, stock split or otherwise, or a distribution of other securities with respect to an Associated Share, shall be subject to the restrictions of this Agreement in the same manner and for so long as the Associated Share remains subject to such restrictions, and shall be promptly forfeited if and when the Associated Share is so forfeited; and further provided, that the Administrator may require that any cash distribution with respect to the Shares other than a normal cash dividend be placed in escrow or otherwise made subject to such restrictions as the Administrator deems appropriate to carry out the intent of the Plan. Any amount so placed in escrow shall be paid to the Grantee promptly upon the vesting, if any, of the Associated Shares. References in this Agreement to the Shares shall refer, mutatis mutandis, to any such restricted amounts.

11. Sale of Vested Shares . The Grantee understands that the sale of any Share, once it has vested, will remain subject to (i) satisfaction of applicable tax withholding requirements, if any, with respect to the vesting or transfer of such Share; (ii) the completion of any administrative steps (for example, but without limitation, the transfer of certificates); (iii) applicable requirements of federal and state securities laws; and (iv) the terms and conditions of the Stockholders Agreement to the extent that they are then in effect.

12. Certain Tax Matters and Special Bonus . The Grantee expressly acknowledges the following:

A. The Grantee has been advised to confer promptly with a professional tax advisor to consider whether the Grantee should make a so-called “83(b) election” with respect to the

 

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Shares. Any such election, to be effective, must be made in accordance with applicable regulations and within thirty (30) days following the date of this Award. The Company has made no recommendation to the Grantee with respect to the advisability of making such an election.

B. The award or vesting of the Shares acquired hereunder, and the payment of dividends with respect to such Shares, may give rise to “wages” subject to withholding.

C. The Company hereby agrees that if, and only if, the Grantee makes a timely 83(b) election with respect to all of the Shares, the Company will pay to the Grantee a special bonus (the “ Special Bonus ”) equal to 65% of the value of the Shares on the date hereof as such value is set forth in Section 2 above. If the value of the Shares is finally adjudicated to be higher than the value set forth in Section 2 above after a successful challenge by the IRS in a proceeding in which the Company shall have a meaningful opportunity to defend its determination of the value of the Shares, then the Company will pay to the Grantee an additional amount equal to 65% of the increase in the value of the Shares over the amount set forth in Section 2. The Company shall apply a portion of any such Special Bonus to satisfy in full any required withholding or other taxes required to be withheld in connection with the Award or such Special Bonus and shall pay the remaining portion on or prior to April 15 th of the year following the year of the Grant Date.

13. Definitions . The initially capitalized term Grantee shall have the meaning set forth on the first page of this Agreement; initially capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning provided in the Plan and the Stockholders Agreement, and, as used herein, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

“Adjusted EBITDA” means, with respect to a fiscal year, the Company’s consolidated net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization expense of the Company on a consolidated basis for such year, determined based on the Company’s audited financial statements. Adjusted EBITDA shall also exclude (i) amortization expense and other expenses (including severance costs) arising out of the closing of the acquisition of DBI by the Investors, (ii) amortization expense and other expenses arising out of the closing of the asset-backed security financing used to repay indebtedness incurred in connection with the acquisition of DBI by the Investors, (iii) compensation expense or amortization expense arising out of grants by the Company of restricted stock, stock options, and bonuses under any restricted stock award and special bonus agreement, (iv) the effect of purchase accounting adjustments made in connection with the acquisition of DBI by the Investors, (v) expense for management fees paid to the Investors or their affiliates, and (vi) compensation expense arising out of payments made under DBI’s Medium Term Incentive Program.

“Affiliate” shall mean, with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with such Person.

“Catch-up Vesting Shares” means the number of Tranche 2 Shares, if any, that (i) did not vest in a previous fiscal year in the Performance Period because the EBITDA Vesting Percentage in such fiscal year was less than 20%, (ii) have not since vested, and (iii) would have vested if all or a portion of the Excess EBITDA in the current fiscal year were “carried back” and added to

 

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the Total EBITDA for such previous fiscal year in the Performance Period in determining the EBITDA Vesting Percentage for such year, provided , however , that any portion of the Excess EBITDA for any fiscal year that is so “carried back” and included in the calculation of Total EBITDA for any other fiscal year shall not be counted included in the calculation of Total EBITDA for any other fiscal year (i.e. it shall not be double-counted).

“Change of Control” has the meaning set forth in the Stockholders Agreement.

“EBITDA Vesting Percentage” means, with respect to a fiscal year in the Performance Period, the percentage, which shall not be less than 0% and shall not exceed 20%, resulting from the following formula:

 

20% (the annual maximum) x

 

 

Total EBITDA – Minimum EBITDA

  
    
  Maximum EBITDA – Minimum EBITDA

“Excess EBITDA” means, with respect to a fiscal year, the difference, if a positive number, between (i) the Adjusted EBITDA for such fiscal year minus (ii) the Maximum EBITDA for such fiscal year.

“Initial Public Offering” means the initial public offering of the common stock of the Company.

“Investor IRR” means the internal rate of return of all of the Investors, measured in the aggregate, on their cash investment to purchase Investor Shares of the Company. The internal rate of return shall take into account the amount and timing of all cash dividends and distributions to such Investors in respect of their Investor Shares, all cash proceeds from the sale or other disposition of such Investor Shares and the fair market value, as determined in good faith by the Board, of any other property, securities or other consideration received by the Investors in respect of such Investor Shares. On any Tranche 3 Measurement Date following the Initial Public Offering, the Investor IRR shall be measured as if the Investors had sold all of the Investor Shares then held by the Investors at their Market Value on such Tranche 3 Measurement Date.

“Investor Shares” has the meaning set forth in the Stockholders Agreement and shall include any stock, securities or other property or interests received by the Investors in respect of Investor Shares in connection with any stock dividend or other similar distribution, stock split or combination of shares, recapitalization, conversion, reorganization, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, merger, exchange of stock or other transaction or event that affects the Company’s capital stock occurring after the date of issuance.

“Investors” shall have the meaning set forth in the Stockholders Agreement.

“Market Value” shall mean with respect to any Common Stock of the Company publicly traded on a national exchange or the Nasdaq National Market or any comparable system, the lower of (i) the average of the 60 highest average intra-day trading prices during the previous 180 days on the exchange or market on which the Company’s Common Stock is traded or quoted and (ii) the lowest average intra-day trading price on any of the 20 consecutive trading days prior

 

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to the Tranche 3 Measurement Date, provided , that for purposes of clause (ii), the lowest average intra-day trading price in the first fifteen days in such 20 day period prior to the Tranche 3 Measurement Date shall be ignored.

“Maximum EBITDA” means, with respect to a specified fiscal year within the Performance Period, the Adjusted EBITDA target for the Company for such fiscal year, which target shall be adjusted from time to time in good faith by the Compensation Committee to reflect the consequences of material acquisitions or dispositions or any series of immaterial acquisitions or dispositions that, in the aggregate, would be material, and changes in GAAP promulgated by FASB or the SEC. Such adjustment by the Compensation Committee shall be made for the purpose of providing a consistent basis from year to year for computing the relationship of Adjusted EBITDA to Maximum EBITDA in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of the Grantee’s rights under this Agreement. The initial Adjusted EBITDA targets for the Company are set forth below:

 

     Fiscal Year Ended August 31 st  

Maximum EBITDA

   2006      2007      2008      2009      2010  
(in millions)                                   

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ 217.322       $ 247.389       $ 279.280       $ 314.462       $ 352.820   

For the avoidance of doubt, the target for year 2006 is a target for Adjusted EBITDA earned during all of fiscal year 2006.

“Minimum EBITDA” means, with respect to a specified fiscal year within the Performance Period, the minimum amount of Adjusted EBITDA at which Tranche 2 Shares will begin to vest, which shall be an amount of Adjusted EBITDA calculated as a percentage of the then Maximum EBITDA as set forth below:

 

Fiscal Year

  

Minimum EBITDA

   Dollar Amount  
          (in millions)  

2006

   98% of Maximum EBITDA    $ 212.975   

2007

   95% of Maximum EBITDA    $ 235.019   

2008

   95% of Maximum EBITDA    $ 265.316   

2009

   95% of Maximum EBITDA    $ 298.739   

2010

   95% of Maximum EBITDA    $ 335.179   

“Performance Period” means the five (5) year period ending on August 31, 2010.

“Person” shall mean any individual, partnership, corporation, association, trust, joint venture, unincorporated organization or other entity.

“Total EBITDA” means, with respect to a fiscal year in the Performance Period, the sum of (i) the Adjusted EBITDA for such fiscal year plus (ii) any Excess EBITDA for the previous fiscal year that was not included in the calculation of Catch-up Vesting Shares for any prior fiscal year. In no event will Total EBITDA include Excess EBITDA that is carried forward by

 

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more than one year, nor shall Total EBITDA count the same Excess EBITDA as being earned in more than one year.

“Tranche 2 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage” means a percentage determined as follows:

 

  (i) 100%, if, after giving effect to any vesting of the Tranche 2 Shares on a Change of Control, the Investor IRR is equal to or greater than 20%;

 

  (ii) 0%, if the Investor IRR is equal to or less than 18%; and

 

  (iii) if, after giving effect to any vesting of the Tranche 2 Shares on a Change of Control, the Investor IRR is greater than 18% and less than 20%, then the Tranche 2 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage will be a percentage between 0% and 100% determined on a straight line basis as the Investor IRR increases from 18% to 20%. That is, the Tranche 2 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage = (Investor IRR after giving effect to any vesting of the Tranche 2 Shares - 18%)/2%. For example, if the Investor IRR is 19.5%, the Tranche 2 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage would equal 75%, and if Investor IRR is 18.5%, the Tranche 2 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage would equal 25%.

Thus, in the event a Change of Control prior to November 30, 2010 at a price that (a) would result in an Investor IRR of over 18% after giving effect to any applicable vesting of Tranche 1 Shares but before giving effect to the acceleration or satisfaction of performance vesting requirements applicable to Tranche 2 Shares under the formula described above but (b) would result in an Investor IRR of less than 18% after giving effect to any such vesting of Tranche 2 Shares triggered by such Change of Control pursuant to the formula described above, then only a portion of the Tranche 2 Shares that would otherwise vest under such formula will be deemed vested in a manner that will permit, to the maximum extent consistent with satisfaction of such 18% Investor IRR threshold (after giving effect to the vesting of Tranche 1 Shares), vesting of Tranche 2 Shares under that formula. In calculating the Tranche 2 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage under clause (iii) above, it will therefore be necessary to iterate until a reasonably precise percentage is arrived at that both (i) takes into account the dilution to the Investors and reduction in the Investor IRR as a result of the vesting of Tranche 2 Shares and (ii) arrives at a percentage that satisfies the formula set forth in clause (iii) above.

“Tranche 3 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage” means a percentage determined as follows:

 

  (i) 100%, if, after giving effect to any vesting of the Tranche 3 Shares on a Tranche 3 Measurement Date, the Investor IRR is equal to or greater than 24%;

 

  (ii) 0%, if the Investor IRR is less than 20%;

 

  (iii) 20%, if the Investor IRR is 20%; and

 

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  (iv) if, after giving effect to any vesting of the Tranche 3 Shares on a Tranche 3 Measurement Date, the Investor IRR is greater than 20% and less than 24%, then the Tranche 3 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage will be a percentage between 20% and 100% determined on a straight line basis as the Investor IRR increases from 20% to 24%. That is, if after giving effect to any vesting, the Investor IRR is between 20% and 24%, the Tranche 3 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage = 20% + [80% x (Investor IRR after giving effect to any vesting of the Tranche 2 Shares and any vesting of the Tranche 3 Shares - 20%)/4%]. For example, if the Investor IRR is 23%, the Tranche 3 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage would equal 80%, and if Investor IRR is 21%, the Tranche 3 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage would equal 40%.

In the event a Change of Control at a price that (a) would result in an Investor IRR of over 20% after giving effect to any applicable vesting of Tranche 1 Shares and Tranche 2 Shares but before giving effect to the acceleration or satisfaction of performance vesting requirements applicable to Tranche 3 Shares under the formula described above but (b) would result in an Investor IRR of less than 20% after giving effect to any such vesting of Tranche 3 Shares triggered by such Change of Control pursuant to the formula described above, then only a portion of the Tranche 3 Shares that would otherwise vest under such formula will be deemed vested in a manner that will permit, to the maximum extent consistent with satisfaction of such 20% Investor IRR threshold (after giving effect to the vesting of Tranche 1 Shares and Tranche 2 Shares), vesting of Tranche 3 Shares under that formula. Thus, in calculating the Tranche 3 Investor IRR Vesting Percentage under clause (iv) above, it will therefore be necessary to iterate until a reasonably precise percentage is arrived at that both (i) takes into account the dilution to the Investors and reduction in the Investor IRR as a result of the vesting of Tranche 3 Shares and (ii) arrives at a percentage that satisfies the formula set forth in clause (iv) above.

“Tranche 3 Measurement Date” means (i) the six month anniversary of an Initial Public Offering, (ii) each three month anniversary thereafter and (iii) the date of a Change of Control.

“Vest” as used herein with respect to any Share means the lapsing of the restrictions described herein with respect to such Share.

14. General . For purposes of this Agreement and any determinations to be made by the Administrator or Compensation Committee, as the case may be, hereunder, the determinations by the Administrator or Compensation Committee, as the case may be, shall be binding upon the Grantee and any transferee.

[Remainder of the page intentionally left blank]

 

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Very truly yours,

 

«First_Name» «Last_Name»

Address:
«Street»
«City», «State» «Zip»

Dated: May 26, 2006

The foregoing Restricted Stock

Award and Special Bonus Agreement is hereby accepted:

 

D UNKIN ’ B RANDS G ROUP H OLDINGS , I NC .

 

Name:
Title:


Section 83(b) Election

May 26, 2006

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service Center

Andover, MA 05501-0002

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I hereby make an election pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The following information is submitted as required by Treas. Reg. § 1.83-2(e):

 

1.    Name of Taxpayer:    «First_Name» «Last_Name»
   Home Address:    «Street»
      «City», «State» «Zip»
  

Social Security No.:

   ______________________
2.    Property for which election is made:    «Total_Shares» Shares of Class A Common Stock of Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.
3.    Date of Transfer:    May 26, 2006
4.    Taxable year for which election is made:    Calendar year 2006
5.    Restrictions to which property is subject:    The shares are subject to vesting, accelerated vesting and forfeiture provisions as specified in a restricted stock award agreement and are restricted as to transfer in accordance with a stockholders agreement. The shares will be forfeited if employment ceases prior to vesting.
6.    The fair market value of the property at the time of its transfer to me (without regard to restrictions) was:    «Total_Value»
7.    Amount paid for the property:    $0.00

A copy of this election has been furnished to the Company and to each other person, if any, required to receive the election pursuant to Treas. Reg. § 1.83-2(d).

 

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Please acknowledge receipt of this Section 83(b) Election by signing or stamping the enclosed copy of this letter and return it in the enclosed, self-addressed, stamped envelope.

 

Very truly yours,

 

«First_Name» «Last_Name»

 

cc: Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc.

 

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Exhibit 10.6

[LOGO]

2005 DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC. NON-QUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION

PLAN DOCUMENT

AMENDED AND RESTATED

January 1, 2009


ARTICLE 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF PLAN

     4   

ARTICLE 2. DEFINITIONS

     4   

ARTICLE 3. ADMINISTRATION

     6   

3.1.      Committee

  

3.2.      Delegation by Committee

  

3.3.      Uniformity of Discretionary Acts

  

3.4.      Claims Review Procedure

  

3.5.      Indemnification

  

ARTICLE 4. SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS

     9   

ARTICLE 5. DEFERRAL OF COMPENSATION

     9   

5.1.      Eligible Deferral Compensation

  

5.2.      Deferral Elections

  

5.3.      Annual Company Matching Amount

  

ARTICLE 6. INTEREST EQUIVALENT FACTOR & MEASUREMENT FUNDS

     10   

6.1.      Measurement Funds

  

6.2.      Upon Change of Control

  

6.3.      Crediting/Debiting of Account Balances

  

ARTICLE 7. PARTICIPANT ACCOUNTS

     13   

7.1.      Establishment of Accounts

  

7.2.      Adjustments to Accounts

  

ARTICLE 8. DISTRIBUTION OF ACCOUNT BENEFITS

  

8.1.      Following Separation from Service

  

8.2.      In-Service Distribution at Specified Date as Elected by the Participant

  

8.3.      Unforeseen Financial Emergency

  

8.4.      Disability

  

8.5.      Change of Control

  

8.6.      Tax Withholding

  

8.7.      Compliance with Section 409A

  

ARTICLE 9. BENEFICIARY BENEFITS

     13   

ARTICLE 10. NATURE OF CLAIM FOR PAYMENTS

  

ARTICLE 11. ASSIGNMENT OR ALIENATION

     16   

11.1.    Prohibition on Assignment

  

11.2.    Domestic Relations Orders

  

ARTICLE 12. NO CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT

     17   


ARTICLE 13. AMENDMENT OR TERMINATION OF PLAN

     17   

13.1.    Right to Amend

  

13.2.    Amendment Required By Law

  

ARTICLE 14. TERMINATION

     18   

14.1.    Right to Terminate Future Accruals

  

14.2.    Termination and Liquidation of the Plan

  

ARTICLE 15. MISCELLANEOUS

     18   

15.1.    Entire Agreement

  

15.2.    Payment for the Benefit of an Incapacitated Individual

  

15.3.    Governing Law

  

15.4.    Severability

  

15.5.    Headings and Subheadings

  


ARTICLE 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF PLAN

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. established the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan effective as of January 1, 2005. The purpose of the Plan is to attract, retain and motivate certain executive employees, as well as those of its subsidiaries and affiliates, by providing them with the opportunity to defer receipt of certain amounts of compensation. The Plan is intended to be an unfunded plan maintained by the employer primarily for the purpose of providing deferred compensation for a select group of management or highly compensated employees within the meaning of Sections 201(2), 301(a)(3), 401(a)(1) and 4021(b)(6) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”). It is also intended to be compliant with the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”). The Plan shall be administered in a manner consistent with those intents.

The Plan is hereby and amended and restated, effective as of January 1, 2009, to comply with final regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) under Code Section 409A.

ARTICLE 2. DEFINITIONS

As used herein, the masculine pronoun shall include the feminine gender, and the singular shall include the plural, and the plural, the singular, and the following terms shall have the following meanings unless a different meaning is clearly required by the context.

“Account” means the separate account for a Participant established pursuant to Article VII, §7.1 which consists of the Participant’s Deferrals, the Annual Company Matching Amounts and earnings thereon, which may pass to a Beneficiary pursuant to Article 9.

“Administrator” means the Committee who is responsible for the administration and operation of the Plan.

“Annual Company Matching Amount” for any one Plan Year shall be the amount determined in accordance with Article V, §5.3.

“Beneficiary” means any person or persons so designated in accordance with the provision of Article 9.

“Cash Balance Plan” means the qualified Cash Balance Plan offered to employees of the Company hired before March 1, 2005.

“Change of Control” means one of the following circumstances, determined in accordance with Section 409A and IRS regulations issued thereunder: (1) A change in ownership , which occurs when one person (or more than one person acting as a group) acquires ownership of corporate stock constituting more than 50% of the total fair market value or total voting power of stock of the corporation. (2) A change in effective control , which occurs when any one person (or more than one person acting as a group) acquires (during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition) ownership of corporate stock constituting 35% or more of the total voting power of stock of the corporation, or when a majority of the Board of Directors is replaced during a 12-month period and such new appointments are not supported by a majority of the


members of the current Board. (3) A change in ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the corporation , which occurs when one person (or more than one person acting as a group) acquires (during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person) assets from the corporation that have a gross fair market value of at least 40% of the total gross fair market value of all assets of the corporation immediately prior to such acquisitions.

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

“Committee” means a committee of no less that two and no more than five persons appointed from time to time by the Chief Executive Officer or President who are responsible for the administration of the plan.

“Company” or “the Corporation” means Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

“Deferral Compensation” is defined in Section 5.1.

“Deferral Date” is defined in Section 8.2.

“Deferrals” means Deferral Compensation credited to a Participant’s Account during a calendar year as a result of a Participant’s elections pursuant to Section 5.2, plus, except where the context otherwise requires, amounts attributable to amounts deferred during such calendar year ( i.e. , earnings and losses).

“Eligible Deferral Compensation” is defined in Section 5.1.

“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.

“Fixed Rate Fund” means a Measurement Fund, as may be selected by the Committee from time to time, that measures investment performance by an annual interest equivalent factor established by the Committee from time to time.

“401(k) Savings Plan” means the qualified 401(k) Savings Plan offered by the Company to employees meeting the proper service requirements.

“Measurement Funds” means the funds, as selected by the Committee, to be used as a performance measure when designated by a Participant for investment of amounts in the Participant’s Account in accordance with Article VI.

“Participant” means an executive who becomes eligible to participate in the Plan, and who elects to participate in the Plan, in accordance with Article 4.

“Performance-Based Compensation” means compensation, the amount of which or entitlement to which, is contingent on the satisfaction of pre-established organizational or individual performance criteria relating to a performance period of at least 12 consecutive months; provided that such performance criteria are established in writing not later than 90 days after the commencement of the performance period to which the criteria relate and that the outcome is not substantially certain at the time the criteria are established.


“Plan” means the 2005 Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan as set forth herein and in all subsequent amendments hereto. On and after October 1, 2010 ‘Plan’ means the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan as set forth herein and in all subsequent amendments hereto.

“Plan Year” means the calendar year.

“Trust” means the trust fund established pursuant to the Plan under the Trust Agreement.

“Trust Agreement” means the Trust Agreement dated as of May 17, 1999, as subsequently amended, or any successor trust agreement, as in effect from time to time.

“Trustee” means the trustee named in the Trust Agreement establishing the Trust and such successor and/or additional trustees, as may be named thereafter establishing the Trust.

ARTICLE 3. ADMINISTRATION


3.1. Committee . The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. The Committee is the Administrator of the Plan and shall have full discretionary authority to interpret the provisions of the Plan, determine the amount of various types of Deferral Compensation that may be deferred for the Plan Year, and decide all questions and settle all disputes which may arise in connection with the Plan, including the power to determine the rights of Participants and Beneficiaries, and to remedy any ambiguities, inconsistencies, or omissions in the Plan. All interpretations, decisions and determinations made by the Committee shall be binding on all persons concerned. No action of the Committee may reduce the amount of a Participant’s Account below the amount of such Account immediately before such action. No member of the Committee who is a Participant in the Plan may vote or otherwise participate in any decision or act with respect to a matter relating solely to himself (or to his Beneficiaries). The Committee may adopt such rules of procedure and regulations as may be necessary for the proper and efficient administration of the Plan.

3.2. Delegation by Committee . Except as the Committee may otherwise provide by written resolution, the Committee expressly delegates its duties and responsibilities under Section 3.1 (except for the duty to establish eligibility criteria under Article 4) to the Vice President Human Resources or such other person or persons as may be nominated by the Committee, who may further expressly delegate certain of such duties and responsibilities to other employees of the Company or outside persons or entities. For purposes of the Plan, any action taken by any such delegate pursuant to such delegation shall be considered to have been taken by the Committee.

3.3. Uniformity of Discretionary Acts . Whenever in the administration or operation of the Plan discretionary acts by the Committee are required or permitted, such actions shall be consistently and uniformly applied to all persons similarly situated, and no such actions shall be taken that shall discriminate in favor of any particular person or group of persons.

3.4. Claims Review Procedure .

(a) The Committee (as Administrator) shall notify Participants and, where appropriate, Beneficiaries, of their right to claim benefits under the claims procedures, and may, if appropriate, make forms available for filing of such claims, and shall provide the name of the person(s) with whom such claims should be filed.

(b) The Committee shall establish procedures for action upon claims initially made and the communication of a decision to the claimant promptly and, in any event, not later than 60 days after the claim is received by the Committee, unless special circumstances require an extension of time for processing the claim. If an extension is required, notice of the extension shall be furnished to the claimant prior to the end of the initial 60-day period, which notice shall indicate the reasons for the extension and the expected decision date. The extension shall not exceed 60 days. The claim may be deemed by the claimant to have been denied for purposes of further review described below in the event a decision is not furnished to the claimant within the period described in the three preceding sentences.


Every claim for benefits which is denied shall be denied by written notice setting forth in a manner calculated to be understood by the claimant (i) the specific reason or reasons for the denial, (ii) specific reference to any provisions of the Plan on which denial is based, (iii) description of any additional material or information necessary for the claimant to perfect his claim with an explanation of why such material or information is necessary, and (iv) an explanation of the procedure for further reviewing the denial of the claim under the Plan.

(c) The Committee shall establish a procedure for review of claim denials, such review to be undertaken by the Committee. The review given after denial of any claim shall be a full and fair review with the claimant (or his duly authorized representative) having 60 days after receipt of denial of his claim or after the date of the deemed denial, to request in writing to the Committee a review of the denial notice. Upon such request for review, the claim shall be reviewed by the Committee (or its designated representative). In connection with such review, the Claimant has the right to review all pertinent documents and the right to submit documents, records, issues, comments and other information in writing, all of which shall be taken into account regardless of whether it was submitted in the initial benefit determination. The claimant shall be provided upon request, and at no charge, reasonable access to, and copies of, all documents, records and other information relevant to the claimant’s claim for benefits.

(d) The Committee shall establish a procedure for issuance of a decision by the Committee not later than 30 days after receipt of a request for review from a claimant unless special circumstances, such as the need to hold a hearing, require a longer period of time, in which case a decision shall be rendered as soon as possible but not later than 60 days after receipt of the claimant’s request for review. The decision on review shall be in writing and shall include specific reasons for the decision written in a manner calculated to be understood by the claimant with specific reference to any provisions of the Plan on which the decision is based. The written decision on review shall be given to the claimant within the 30 day (or if applicable, the 60 days) time limit discussed above. If the decision on review is not communicated within the time periods described in the three preceding sentences, the claim shall be deemed to have been denied upon review. All discussions on review shall be final and binding with respect to all concerned parties.

3.5. Indemnification . The Company agrees to indemnify and to defend to the fullest possible extent permitted by law any member of the Committee and any Company employee delegatee (including any persons who formerly served as a member of the Committee) against any and all liabilities, damages, costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees and amounts paid in settlement of any claims approved by the Company) occasioned by any act or omission to act in connection with the Plan, if such act or omission was made in good faith.

3.6. Benefit Funding . Except as herein provided, the Company shall not be required to set aside or segregate any assets of any kind to meet its obligations hereunder.

To assist in meeting its obligations under the Plan, the Company has caused the Trust to be established, of which the Company is treated as the owner under Subpart E of Subchapter J, Chapter I of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and may deposit funds with the


Trustee of the Trust. The Trust is a rabbi trust which allows its assets to be subject to the Company’s creditors in the event of dissolution or insolvency.

Upon a Change of Control, the Company shall promptly appoint an independent discretionary Trustee (which may not be the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate) for the Trust, and, if at the time of a Change of Control, the Trust has not been fully funded, the Company shall, within the time and manner specified under such Trust, deposit in such Trust amounts sufficient to satisfy all obligations under the Plan as of the date of deposit.

In all events, the Company shall remain ultimately liable for the benefits payable under this Plan, and to the extent the assets at the disposal of the Trustee are insufficient to enable the Trustee to satisfy all benefits, the Company shall pay all such benefits necessary to meet its obligations under this Plan.

The obligations of the Company hereunder shall be binding upon its successors and assigns, whether by merger, consolidation or acquisition of all or substantially all of its business or assets.

ARTICLE 4. SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS

The Committee shall select, or shall establish the applicable criteria for determining, the employees of the Company (or its subsidiaries or affiliates) who are eligible to participate in the Plan. When an executive has been selected to participate in the Plan, he will be notified by the Committee in writing and given the opportunity to elect to defer compensation under the Plan. An executive who makes such an election is hereinafter referred to as a “Participant.” The initial election to defer must be made within the first 30 days of participation in the Plan and may only apply to compensation earned after the election.

ARTICLE 5. DEFERRAL OF COMPENSATION

5.1. Eligible Deferral Compensation . Prior to each Plan Year, the Committee shall establish if or to what extent base compensation or incentives under one or more incentive or other bonus programs may be deferred under the Plan (“Eligible Deferral Compensation”).

5.2. Deferral Elections . Prior to December 31st, a Participant may irrevocably elect, in accordance with this Article and Article 8, to defer receipt of all or part of his/her Eligible Deferral Compensation to be earned in the succeeding year; provided, however, that unless the Committee consents, such deferred amount for the year may not be less than $5,000. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Participant’s election to defer Performance-Based Compensation may be made no later than 6 months before the end of the performance period to which the Performance-Based Compensation relates but in no event after such compensation has become readily ascertainable. A Participant’s election to defer his/her sign-on bonus must be made at the time the amount of the award is determined under the applicable program or thirty days following his/her hire date and, as a condition to deferring the sign-on bonus, the Participant


must be required to perform services for the Company for a period of at least 12 months from the date of the election to defer or receive the sign-on bonus.

5.3. Annual Company Matching Amount . For each Plan Year, the Company, in its sole discretion, may, but is not required to, credit Annual Company Matching Amounts to the account of any Participant. A Participant’s Annual Company Matching Amount for a Plan Year shall be equal to (a) a contribution of 5% of the amount of his/her Deferrals for the Plan Year that, if not made, would have been taken into account as eligible compensation under the 401(k) Savings Plan, plus (b) the contributions that would have been made to the Cash Balance Plan on his/her behalf for the plan year of the Cash Balance Plan that corresponds to the Plan Year if the Participant had made no Deferrals and had been credited the maximum contribution to the Cash Balance Plan for such plan year, reduced by the amount of any contributions that were actually made to the Cash Balance Plan on his/her behalf for such plan year. If a Participant is not employed by the Company as of the last day of a Plan Year other than by reason of his or her retirement, disability or death, the Annual Company Matching Amount for such Plan Year shall be zero. In the event that a Participant is not employed by the Company on the last day of the Plan Year by reason of retirement, disability or death, a Participant shall be credited with the Annual Company Matching Amount for the Plan Year in which he/she retires, becomes disabled, or dies.

ARTICLE 6. INTEREST EQUIVALENT FACTOR & MEASUREMENT FUNDS


6.1. Measurement Funds . The Participant may elect one or more of the Measurement Funds selected by the Committee from time to time. As necessary, the Committee may, in its sole discretion discontinue, substitute, add or delete a Measurement Fund. Each such action will take effect as of the first day of the calendar quarter that follows by thirty (30) days the day on which the Committee gives Participants advance written notice of such change. Notwithstanding the above, the platform provider may substitute measurement funds at any time as it deems necessary and appropriate for growth or performance reasons.

6.2. Upon Change of Control . For the first 12 months after a Change of Control, the annual interest equivalent factor applied to a Fixed Rate Fund, if a Fixed Rate Fund is selected by the Committee prior to a Change of Control, shall not be less than the highest annual interest equivalent factors applicable during the 24 months prior to the Change of Control. Further, for the first 12 months after a Change of Control, any Measurement Funds in existence prior to a Change in Control shall continue to be made available.

6.3. Crediting/Debiting of Account Balances . In accordance with, and subject to, the rules and procedures that are established from time to time by the Committee, in its sole discretion, amounts shall be credited or debited to a Participant’s Account in accordance with the following rules:

(a) Election of Measurement Funds. A Participant, in connection with his or her initial deferral election in accordance with Section 5.2 above, shall designate, on an Investment Designation Form, one or more Measurement Fund(s) to be used to determine the additional amounts to be credited or debited to his or her Account starting with the first day on which the Participant commences participation in the Plan and continuing thereafter for each subsequent day that the Participant participates in the Plan, unless changed in accordance with the next sentence. On each day that the Participant participates in the Plan, the Participant may (but is not required to) elect, by submitting an Investment Designation Form to the Committee that is accepted by the Committee, to add or delete one or more Measurement Fund(s) to be used to determine the additional amounts to be credited to his or her Account Balance, or to change the portion of his or her Account Balance allocated to each previously or newly elected Measurement Fund. If an election is made in accordance with the previous sentence, it shall apply to the next day and continue thereafter for each subsequent day in which the Participant participates in the Plan, unless changed in accordance with the previous sentence.

(b) Proportionate Allocation. In making any investment designation described in Section 6.3(a) above, the Participant shall specify on the Investment Designation Form, in increments of 1 percentage points (i.e., 1%), the percentage of his Account Balance to be allocated to a Measurement Fund (as if the Participant was making an investment in that Measurement Fund with that portion of his or her Account Balance)

(c) Crediting or Debiting Method. The performance of each elected Measurement Fund (either positive or negative) will be determined, by the Committee, in its sole discretion, based on the performance of the Measurement Funds themselves. A Participant’s Account


balance shall be credited or debited on a daily basis based on the performance of each Measurement Fund designated by the Participant, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, as though (a) his Account balance were invested in the Measurement Fund(s) designated by the Participant, in the percentages applicable to such calendar quarter, as of the close of business on the first business day of such calendar quarter, at the closing price on such date; (b) the portion of the Annual Deferral Amount that was actually deferred during any calendar quarter were invested in the Measurement Fund(s) selected by the Participant, in the percentages applicable to such calendar quarter, no later than the close of business on the third business day after the day on which such amounts are actually deferred from the Participant’s base annual salary through reductions in his or her payroll, at the closing price on such date; (c) the Participant’s Annual Company Matching Amount were invested in the Measurement Fund(s) selected by the Participant, in the percentages applicable to such calendar quarter, as of the close of business on the first business day of the Plan Year following the Plan Year to which it relates; and (d) any distribution made to a Participant that decreases such Participant’s Account Balance ceased being invested in the Measurement Fund(s), in the percentages applicable to such calendar quarter, on the seventh business day prior to the requested distribution date, at the closing price on such date.

(d) If the Committee receives a Participant’s Investment Designation Form which it finds to be incomplete, unclear or improper, the Participant’s investment designation then in effect shall remain in effect until the next calendar quarter unless the Committee provides for or permits the application of corrective action before that date.

(e) If the Committee does not receive an Investment Designation Form from the Participant at the time the initial deferral amounts are credited into the Participant’s Account or if the Committee possesses at any time designations as to the investment of less than all of a Participant’s Account balance, the Participant shall be considered to have designated that the undesignated portion of the Account be deemed to be invested in the investment option selected by the Committee from time to time, and the Committee shall not be liable for the investment option(s) it selects.

(f) No Actual Investment. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan that may be interpreted to the contrary, the Measurement Funds are to be used for measurement purposes only, and a Participant’s designation of any such Measurement Fund, the allocation to his or her Account balance thereto, the calculation of additional amounts and the crediting or debiting of such amounts to a Participant’s Account shall not be considered or construed in any manner as an actual investment of his or her Account in any such Measurement Fund. In the event that the Company or the Trustee (as that term is defined in the Trust), in its own discretion, decides to invest funds in any or all of the Measurement Funds, no Participant shall have any rights in or to such investments themselves. Without limiting the foregoing, a Participant’s Account Balance shall at all times be a recordkeeping entry only and shall not represent any investment made on his or her behalf by the Company or the Trust. The Participant shall at all times remain an unsecured creditor of the Company. No provision in the Plan shall be interpreted so as to give any Participant or Beneficiary any right in any of assets of the Company or the Trust which right it greater than the rights of any general unsecured creditor of the Employer.


ARTICLE 7. PARTICIPANT ACCOUNTS

7.1. Establishment of Accounts . The Committee shall establish a separate Account for each Participant reflecting the amounts due the Participant under the Plan and shall cause the Company to establish on its books Accounts reflecting the Company’s obligation to pay Participants the amounts due under the Plan.

7.2. Adjustments to Accounts . From time to time, the Committee shall adjust each Participant’s Account to credit amounts (i) the Participant has elected to defer under Article 5; (ii) the Annual Company Matching Amounts the Company has contributed under Article 5; and (iii) amounts based on the annual interest equivalent factors for a Fixed Rate Fund, if a Fixed Rate Fund is selected by the Committee and elected by the Participant, and / or gains or losses based on the applicable allocations in the other Measurement Funds, determined under Article 6. A Participant’s Account shall also be adjusted to reflect benefit payments and withdrawals under Article 8. A Participant’s Account shall continue to be adjusted under this Article 7 until the entire amount credited to the Account has been paid to the Participant or his/her Beneficiary.

ARTICLE 8. DISTRIBUTION OF ACCOUNT BENEFITS

The Participant’s Account benefits may not be distributed earlier than: (i) a separation from service; (ii) disability; (iii) unforeseen financial emergency; (iv) a Change in Control; or (v) a specified date as elected by the Participant under the terms of the Plan. The manner and form of payment of the Account benefits with respect to each event is described below.

8.1 Following Separation from Service

(a) Forms of Distribution. Subject to Sections 8.1(b), (c), (d) and (e), a Participant may elect in writing the manner in which his/her entire Account (other than amounts distributed prior to separation from service in accordance with the provisions of Sections 8.2, 8.3, or 8.4) is to be distributed, from among the following options:

 

  (i) A lump sum within 90 days after the Participant’s separation from service;

 

  (ii)

A lump sum within 90 days after the later of (1) the Participant’s separation from service or (2) a specified date which date is not later than the Participant’s 65 th birthday;

 

  (iii) In up to 15 annual installments, commencing within 90 days after the Participant’s separation from service; or

 

  (iv)

In up to 15 annual installments, commencing within 90 days after the later of (1) the Participant’s separation from service or (2) a specified date which date is not later than the Participant’s 65 th birthday.

(b) Timing of Distribution Election. A distribution election under Section 8.1(a) must be submitted to the Committee at the time a Participant makes an initial election to defer. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Participant who has elected to receive payment at a time and in a form described in Section 8.1(a) may file a changed election with the Committee; provided, however, that: (i) the election is filed with the Committee at least 12 months before the


initial distribution date (i.e. , the date the lump sum or the first installment is supposed to be paid); (ii) the changed election does not take effect for 12 months after the date on which the changed election was filed and (iii) the changed election provides that the initial distribution date (i.e., the date the lump sum or the first installment is supposed to be paid) is deferred at least five years from the date it was otherwise scheduled.

(c) Termination Before Age 50. Notwithstanding Sections 8.1(a) and (b), if a Participant separates from service before age 50, the Participant’s Account will be paid in a lump sum within 90 days after the Participant’s separation from service.

(d) Automatic Lump Sums. In the event a Participant’s Account is equal to or less than $10,000 as of the date of separation from service, the Participant’s Account shall be fully paid within 90 days after the Participant’s separation from service.

(e) Delay of Distribution to Specified Employees. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, if a Participant is a “specified employee,” as defined in Section 409A of the Code and IRS regulations issued thereunder, as of the Participant’s separation from service, then the payment of any amounts payable under the Plan shall be postponed in compliance with Section 409A and IRS regulations issued thereunder (without any reduction in such payments ultimately paid or provided to the Participant) until the first payroll date that occurs after the date that is six months following the Participant’s separation from service. Any such postponed payments will be paid in a lump sum to the Participant on the first payroll date that occurs after the date that is six months following the Participant’s separation from service. If the Participant dies during the postponement period prior to the payment of the postponed amount, the amounts withheld under this Section 8.1(e) shall be paid pursuant to Article 9.

8.2 In-Service Distribution at Specified Date as Elected by the Participant . At the time of the initial or annual deferral election in accordance with Article 5, a Participant may elect to receive payment in a lump sum of a selected amount or percentage of the total amounts deferred pursuant to such election and interest earnings credited thereto in accordance with Article 6 at a specified date (“Deferral Date”). Such election shall be effective only if the Participant is an employee of the Employer on the Deferral Date. Thus, if the Participant separates from service prior to the Deferral Date, any amount subject to an election made pursuant to this Section 8.2 shall be paid in accordance with the election made by the Participant under Sections 8.1(a) or 8.1(b), if any. If the Participant has not made any election under Section 8.1(a) or 8.1(b), or if the Participant’s separation from service occurs prior to his 50 th birthday, any amount subject to an election made pursuant to this Section 8.2 shall be paid to the Participant in a lump sum within 90 days following his separation from service.

Each In-Service Distribution elected shall be paid in the month and Plan Year designated by the Participant that is at least three (3) Plan Years after the Plan Year in which the Annual Deferral Amount is actually deferred. By way of example, if a three year In-Service Distribution is elected for Annual Deferral Amounts that are deferred in the Plan Year commencing January 1, 2005, the three year In-Service Distribution would become payable during the designated month commencing in 2009.


Participants may file a changed election with the Committee to further defer their In-Service Distributions, provided that: (i) the election is filed with Committee at least 12 months before the initial distribution date; (ii) the changed distribution date is at least 5 years from the date the payment was to be made under the initial election; and (iii) the changed election shall not take effect for 12 months after the date on which the changed election was filed.

8.3 Unforeseen Financial Emergency . If prior to separation from service a Participant suffers an unforeseeable emergency due to circumstances beyond his control, the Participant may receive a distribution of all or any part of his Account if he has no other assets available to meet his financial hardship or the financial hardship cannot be relieved through reimbursement or compensation from insurance or otherwise. An unforeseeable emergency is defined as a severe financial hardship to the Participant resulting from an illness or accident of the Participant, the Participant’s spouse, or a dependent of the Participant, loss of the Participant’s property due to casualty, or other similar extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances arising as a result of events beyond the control of the Participant. In no event shall the aggregate amount of the distribution exceed the amount determined by the Committee to be reasonably necessary to alleviate the Participant’s financial hardship and the anticipated taxes thereon.

8.4 Disability . Notwithstanding Section 8.1. and 8.2, if prior to separation from service, a Participant becomes totally disabled, the Participant shall within 90 days thereafter receive a lump sum distribution of his Account. For purposes of the Plan, a Participant is totally disabled when the employee is unable to engage in substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.

8.5 Change of Control . If upon a Change of Control, the Committee or Company determines to terminate and liquidate the Plan as permitted in Article 14, §14.2 distributions may be made in accordance with that section.

8.6 Tax Withholding . To the extent required by applicable law, Federal, State, and other taxes shall be withheld from a distribution.

8.7 Default Election . If a Participant has an Account hereunder but the Administrator, for any reason whatsoever, does not have an election made by the Participant under Section 8.1 or 8.2 after reasonable due diligence to locate same, such Participant’s Account shall be paid to him in a lump sum within 90 days following his separation from service.

8.8 Compliance with Section 409A . If the implementation of any of the foregoing provisions of the Plan would subject the Participants to taxes or penalties under Section 409A of the Code, the implementation of such provision shall be modified to avoid such taxes and penalties to the maximum extent possible while preserving to the maximum extent possible the benefits intended to be provided to Participants under the Plan.”


ARTICLE 9. BENEFICIARY BENEFITS

A Participant, on a form approved by the Committee, may designate a Beneficiary, or change any prior designation, to receive the remaining balance of his Account upon his death. A distribution election for payment of death benefits under Article 9 must be submitted to the Committee at the time the Participant makes the initial election to defer. Payments to a Beneficiary under this Article 9 shall be made in a lump sum or, if the Participant so elects for his Beneficiary, in a series of up to 15 annual installment payments, commencing as soon as administratively feasible following the Participant’s death.

Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, if a Participant dies after annual installments have commenced, the Beneficiary shall receive any remaining installments in accordance with the Participant’s installment election.

Notwithstanding the preceding two sentences, if a Beneficiary survives the Participant but dies before the Participant’s entire Account has been distributed, the remaining balance of the Participant’s Account shall be distributed in a lump sum to the Beneficiary’s estate as soon as practicable following receipt of notice of the Beneficiary’s death. If no Beneficiary is designated (or if a designated Beneficiary does not survive the Participant), the Participant’s Account balance shall be paid to the Participant’s estate in a lump sum as soon as practicable following receipt of notice of the Participant’s death.

ARTICLE 10. ARTICLE 10. NATURE OF CLAIM FOR PAYMENTS

A Participant shall have no right on account of the Plan in or to any specific assets of the Company or the Trust. Any right to any payment the Participant may have on account of the Plan shall be solely that of a general, unsecured creditor of the Company.”

ARTICLE 11. ASSIGNMENT OR ALIENATION

11.1. Prohibition on Assignment . Except as provided in Section 11.2 or as otherwise required by law, the interest hereunder of any Participant or Beneficiary shall not be alienable by the Participant or Beneficiary by assignment or any other method and will not be subject to be taken by his creditors by any process whatsoever, and any attempt to cause such interest to be so subjected shall not be recognized.

In the event that a Participant’s Account is garnished or attached by order of any Court, the Company may bring an action for a declaratory judgment in a court of competent jurisdiction to determine the proper recipient of the benefits to be paid under the Plan. During the pendency of said action, any benefits that become payable shall be held as credits to the Participant’s Account or, if the Company prefers, paid into the court to be distributable to the proper recipient.

11.2. Domestic Relations Orders

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Article 9, if the Committee receives a Qualified Domestic Relations Order as described in Section 11.2(b) prior to the Participant’s


Account balance being distributed, all or portion of the Participant’s Account balance under the Plan may be paid to the person as specified in such order.

(b) A “Qualified Domestic Relations Order” means a judgment, decree, or order (including the approval of a settlement agreement) which:

 

  (i) is issued pursuant to a State’s domestic relations law;

 

  (ii) relates to the provision of child support, alimony payments or marital property rights to a spouse, former spouse, child or other dependent of the Participant;

 

  (iii) creates or recognizes the right of a spouse, former spouse, child or other dependent of the Participant to receive all or a portion of the Participant’s benefits under the Plan;

 

  (iv) clearly specifies the name of the Plan to which such order applies and the name and the last known mailing address of the Participant and each alternate payee covered by the order;

 

  (v) clearly specifies the amount or percentage of the Participant’s benefits to be paid by the Plan to each such alternate payee, or the manner in which such amount or percentage is to be determined;

 

  (vi) does not require the payment of benefits to an alternate payee which are required to be paid to another alternate payee under another order previously determined to be a Qualified Domestic Relations order; and

 

  (vii) meets such other requirements as established by the Committee.

(c) The Committee shall determine whether any order received by it is a Qualified Domestic Relations Order within the meaning of Article 11, §11.2. In making this determination, the Committee may consider (but is not required to):

 

  (i) the rules applicable to “domestic relations orders” under section 414(p) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and section 206(d) of ERISA;

 

  (ii) the procedures used under the 401(k) Savings Plan to determine the qualified status of domestic relations orders; and

 

  (iii) such other rules and procedures as it deems relevant.

ARTICLE 12. NO CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT

The Plan shall not be deemed to constitute a contract of employment between the Company and any Participant, or to be consideration for the employment of any Participant. Nothing contained herein shall give any Participant the right to be retained in the employment of the Company or affect the right of the Company to terminate any Participant’s employment.

ARTICLE 13. AMENDMENT OR TERMINATION OF PLAN


13.1. Right to Amend . The Plan may be altered or amended in writing by the Committee or the Company, in any manner and at any time and all parties hereto or claiming any interest hereunder shall be bound by such amendment. However, no such alteration or amendment shall reduce the amount of a Participant’s Account or his or her rights to such Account as determined under the provisions of the Plan in effect immediately prior to such alteration or amendment

13.2. Amendment Required By Law . Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13.1, the Committee or the Company may amend the Plan any time, retroactively if required, if found necessary in the opinion of legal counsel to the Committee or the Company to ensure that: (i) the Plan is characterized as a non-tax-qualified plan of deferred compensation under §409A of the Code; (ii) the Participants do not incur tax penalties under §409A; (iii) the Trust is characterized as a grantor trust as described in Code §§671-679 and a rabbi trust as described in Rev. Proc. 92- 64; and (iv) the Plan and the Trust conform to the provisions and requirements of any other applicable law.

ARTICLE 14. TERMINATION

14.1. Right to Terminate Future Accruals . The Committee and Company reserve the right, at any time, to terminate future accruals under the Plan; provided, however, that no such termination shall deprive any Participant or Beneficiary of a right accrued hereunder prior to the date of termination.

14.2. Termination and Liquidation of the Plan . The Committee and Company reserve the right to terminate and liquidate the Plan through the payment of all benefits hereunder in the circumstances permitted under IRS regulations issued under Section 409A and any such other circumstances specified in guidance of general applicability issued by the Internal Revenue Commissioner.

ARTICLE 15. MISCELLANEOUS


15.1. Entire Agreement . This plan document for the Plan contains the entire agreement between the Company and the Participants regarding the Plan and there are no promises or understandings of any kind regarding the Plan other than those stated herein.

15.2. Payment for the Benefit of an Incapacitated Individual . If the Committee of the 401(k) Savings Plan determines that payments due to a Participant under the 401(k) Savings Plan must be paid to another individual because of a Participant’s incapacitation, benefits under the Plan will be paid to that same individual designated for that purpose under the applicable provisions of the 401(k) Savings Plan.

15.3. Governing Law . The Plan will be construed, administered, and governed under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to the extent not preempted by federal law.

15.4. Severability . If any provision of this Plan is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue to be fully effective.

15.5. Headings and Subheadings . Headings and subheadings are inserted for convenience only and are not to be considered in the construction of the provisions of the Plan.

[Signature page follows]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Plan, as amended and restated hereunder, is adopted by the Committee or the Company on January 1, 2009, and is executed by a duly authorized officer of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. as of the date indicated below.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.

130 Royall Street

Canton, MA 02021

 

By:   /s/ Paul Leech
Title:   C.A.O
Date:   12/9/08

 

By:   /s/ Kate Lavelle
Title:   CFO
Date:   12/9/08

Exhibit 10.7

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

Short-Term Incentive Plan

Section 1: Purpose

The following plan is established by Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “Company”). The name of the plan shall be the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Short-Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).

The purpose of the Plan is to promote the interests of the Company and its stockholders by (i) motivating designated Company employees, by means of performance-related incentives, to achieve financial and other important goals; (ii) attracting and retaining employees of outstanding caliber and ability; (iii) providing annual incentive compensation opportunities that are competitive in the industry; and (iv) enabling designated employees to participate in the growth and financial success of the Company.

Section 2: Selected Definitions

“Award” means the actual cash payment determined by Management to be received by a Participant if the goals and terms set out in one or more Performance Schedules are achieved for the applicable Performance Period.

“Award Opportunity”, with respect to a Performance Period, means an opportunity for a Participant to earn a cash payment if, and only if, the goal(s) associated with that Performance Period are achieved.

“Bonus Goals” means any other goal(s) for the Performance Period with respect to the Award Opportunity.

“Bonus Target” means the percentage of a Participant’s base salary for a Performance Period as established by Management.

“Designated Beneficiary” means the beneficiary designated by the Participant, in a manner determined by Management, to receive payments due the Participant in the event of the Participant’s death.

“Employee” means a regular full-time or a regular part-time employee of the Company.

“Incentive Letter” is a letter sent by the Company to a Participant confirming his/her participation in the Plan for the Performance Period.

“Management” means the Senior Vice President, Human Resources or his/her designee and/or the person or persons selected from time to time by the Senior Vice President, Human Resources to administer the Plan.

“Participant” means a person who is selected by Management to participate in the Plan pursuant to the rules of the Plan, who receives an Incentive Letter indicating their eligibility as a Participant for the Performance Period, who achieves their Personal Performance during the


Performance Period, and who maintains their performance and employment status throughout the Performance Period.

“Percent Attainment” means the percentage of a Participant’s Bonus Target determined by Management to have been earned by the Participant for a Performance Period.

“Performance Goals” means the financial and strategic goal(s) for the Performance Period with respect to the Award Opportunity.

“Performance Period”, with respect to an Award Opportunity, means the period over which achievement of Performance Goals is to be measured, as established by Management.

“Performance Schedule” means the schedule(s) created by Management for a Performance Period that sets forth the Performance Goals and the amounts, or the formula for determining the amounts, of Awards for that period.

“Personal Performance” includes the execution of all general job responsibilities and the achievement of specific in-year focused initiatives and projects, including business goals, development goals, and management/leadership goals, all as determined by Management. It also includes behaving in a way consistent with the Company’s core values and competencies, and exhibiting appropriate business conduct.

Section 3: Participation

Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, Management in its sole and absolute discretion may designate from time to time from among the eligible Employees, those persons who will be granted one or more Award Opportunities under the Plan, and thereby become Participants in the Plan for the designated Performance Period. The Company shall provide such designation by issuing an Incentive Letter to each eligible Participant.

If an individual becomes a Participant after the commencement of a Performance Period, the Award Opportunity for that Performance Period, if any, may be prorated based on the length of time remaining in the Performance Period.

Section 4: Grant of Award Opportunities

a) The Incentive Letter for each Participant and Performance Period shall establish, with respect to each Award Opportunity, (i) a Bonus Target, expressed as a percentage of the Participant’s base salary earnings for such Performance Period; (ii) the Performance Goals for the Performance Period with respect to the Award Opportunity; (iii) and the Performance Schedule that sets forth the amounts, or the formula for determining the amounts, of awards with respect to various levels of achievement of the Performance Goals for the Performance Period.

b) Performance Goals may be particular to a business unit, or other unit or may be based on goals of the Company generally.


Section 5: Determination of Award Amount

a) Payment of Awards, following approval by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors that the Company has met its Performance Goals, shall be determined in accordance with the Performance Schedule established by Management, subject to the following:

 

  i) Subject to Section 8 and the provisions of this Section 5, Management may adjust such Award based on the individual’s Personal Performance or behavior on the basis of such quantitative and qualitative personal performance measures and evaluations as Management deems appropriate. Management may also make such adjustments to Awards or Bonus Targets as it deems appropriate in the case of a Participant whose position in the Company has changed during the applicable Performance Period.

 

  ii) Management shall have the discretion to adjust Performance Goals, Bonus Goals, and the methodology used to measure the attainment of such goals.

Section 6: Payment of Awards

All payments under the Plan are entirely discretionary and are controlled by Management. Payments with respect to any Award shall be paid in a cash lump sum or deferred at such time as is determined by Management. Subject to Section 7 herein, if a Participant to whom an Award has been made dies prior to the payment of the Award, any such payment shall be delivered to the Participant’s Designated Beneficiary. If the Participant does not effectively designate a Designated Beneficiary, in the event of the Participant’s death payment due the Participant will be made to the Participant’s surviving spouse, or if there is no surviving spouse, the Participant’s estate. All authorized and legally required deductions shall be applied to all Awards taking into account whether the payment of the Award is in lump sum or is deferred under the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Deferred Compensation Plan.

Section 7: Termination of Employment

a) Participants are not generally eligible for an Award unless they are employed by the Company at the end of the Performance Period. Except to the extent required by law or otherwise provided in this Section, if a Participant ceases to be an Employee due to voluntary or involuntary termination of employment prior to the end of the Performance Period, such individual shall not be eligible for any Award.

b) Management may elect to make a prorata payment to the Participant or, in the case of death, the Participant’s Designated Beneficiary, if prior to the end of the Performance Period, a Participant ceases to be an Employee for any of the following reasons:

 

  i) the Participant dies;

 

  ii) the Participant retires from active employment by the Company;

 

  iii) the Participant goes on extended disability (such as entitles the Participant to disability payments under the applicable plans of the Company);

 

  iv) for any reason other than termination as determined by Management.


Proration of the payment, if any, shall be determined by the number of full days, which have elapsed from the beginning of the Performance Period to the date on which the Participant ceases to be an Employee.

Section 8: Adjustments

In the event of a reorganization, re-capitalization, merger, acquisition or an addition or loss of a brand in the Company’s portfolio, Management may make adjustments to the Bonus Goals, Performance Goals, Performance Schedule, Performance Period and/or any other components of the Plan, if any, as he/she, in his/her sole and absolute discretion, deems appropriate. Any adjustments made pursuant to this Section 8 shall not be considered amendments of the Plan for purposes of Section 14.

Section 9: Transferability

To the extent permitted by law, any payment to which a Participant may be entitled under the Plan shall be free from the control or interference of any creditor of such Participant and shall not be subject to attachment or susceptible to anticipation or alienation. To the extent permitted by law, the interest of a Participant shall not be transferable except by beneficiary designation, will, or the laws of descent and distribution.

Section 10: No Right to Participate; Employment

Management shall have complete discretion in designating Plan Participants. No Employee or other person shall have any claim or right to participate in the Plan. Neither the Plan nor any action taken thereunder shall be construed as giving any Participant any right to be retained in the employ of the Company or otherwise changing the at-will nature of the Participant’s employment with the Company.

Section 11: Non-exclusivity of the Plan

This Plan is not intended to and shall not preclude the Company from adopting, continuing, amending or terminating such additional compensation arrangements as it deems desirable for Participants under this Plan, including, without limitation, any thrift, savings, investment, stock purchase, stock option, restricted stock, profit sharing, pension, retirement, insurance or other incentive plan.

Section 12: Administration

The authority to control and manage the operation and administration of the Plan shall be vested in Management.

Administration of the Plan shall be subject to the following:

a) Subject to the provisions of the Plan, Management will have the sole authority and discretion to select from among the Participants those persons who shall receive Award Opportunities, to establish the terms, conditions, performance goals, restrictions, and other provisions of such Award Opportunities, and to cancel or suspend Award Opportunities.


b) Management shall have the sole authority and discretion to interpret the Plan, to establish, amend, and rescind any rules and regulations relating to the Plan, to determine the terms and provisions of all Award Opportunities and Awards made pursuant to the Plan, and to make all other determinations that may be necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan.

Section 13: Information Furnished To Management

The Company and its business units shall furnish Management with such data and information as it determines may be required for it to discharge its duties. The records of the Company as to an Employee’s or Participant’s employment, termination of employment, leave of absence, reemployment and compensation shall be conclusive on all persons unless determined to be incorrect.

Section 14: Amendment and Termination

Except as otherwise provided in Section 8, Management may, at any time, amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan, provided that no amendment or termination may be made effective without sixty (60) days written notice to Participants and any achievement of goals up to that point in the Performance Period is duly considered in determining the compensation impact of the amendment or termination.

Section 15: General Provisions

a) The rights or interest of a Participant or Designated Beneficiary capable of being transferred under the Plan may not be assigned, encumbered or transferred with respect to a Performance Period until after the Performance Period has ended, except to the extent rights pass upon death of a Participant to a Designated Beneficiary pursuant to the terms of this Plan.

b) Awards shall not be deemed compensation in determining the amount of any entitlement under any retirement or other employee benefit plan of the Company, except as may be specifically stated in the plan documents of any such plan.

c) Management may adopt and apply rules that will ensure that the Company will be able to comply with applicable provisions of Federal, state or local law relating to the withholding and payment of tax, including but not limited to the withholding of tax on the amount, if any, including income of a Participant after the expiration of the Performance Period.

d) Any disputes arising from the administration or interpretation of this Plan will be resolved in the sole and absolute discretion of the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, whose decision will be final and binding.

e) This Plan shall become effective on December 27, 2009 and shall expire, unless amended, on December 31, 2015. Nothing herein shall imply any Employee’s participation in the Plan beyond the term set forth in his/her Incentive Letter.

f) The Plan shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Exhibit 10.8

AMENDED AND RESTATED EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT made and entered into by and between Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “ Company ”), a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business at Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc. (“ Holdings ”), a Delaware corporation, and Jon Luther (the “ Executive ”), effective as of December 31, 2008.

WHEREAS, the operations of the Company and its Affiliates are a complex matter requiring direction and leadership in a variety of arenas, including financial, strategic planning, regulatory, community relations and others;

WHEREAS, the Executive is possessed of certain experience and expertise that qualify him to provide the direction and leadership required by the Company and its Affiliates;

WHEREAS, the Executive has been employed by the Company and Holdings pursuant to a written employment agreement dated as of March 1, 2006 (the “ March 2006 Employment Agreement ”), which document superseded the Executive’s previous written employment agreement with Allied Domecq plc (“ Previous Employment Agreement ”); and

WHEREAS, the Company and the Executive desire to make certain amendments to the March 2006 Employment Agreement for purposes of compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and guidance issued thereunder, including exemptive and transition relief provisions (“ Section 409A ”);

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to Section 19 of the March 2006 Employment Agreement and in consideration of the foregoing premises and the mutual promises, terms, provisions and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the parties hereby agree:

1. Employment . Effective as of December 31, 2008 and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Company hereby offers, and the Executive hereby accepts, continued employment.

2. Term . Subject to earlier termination as hereinafter provided, the Executive’s employment hereunder commenced on March 1, 2006 and shall be for a term of five (5) years, provided that such term automatically extended for an additional year on March 1, 2007 and March 1, 2008 and shall automatically extend for an additional year on each anniversary of March 1, 2008 hereafter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may terminate the employment term on any renewal date by providing the other with at least six (6) months prior written notice, provided that if the Company elects not to renew the term hereof, the Executive shall be deemed to have been terminated by the Company Other than for Cause in accordance with Section 5(d), with such termination taking effect upon expiration of the then-current term. The term of this Agreement is hereafter referred to as “the term of this Agreement” or “the term hereof.”


3. Capacity and Performance .

(a) During the term hereof, the Executive shall serve as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Holdings, reporting to the Boards of Directors of Holdings and the Company (the “ Board ”). At all times during the term hereof, the Executive shall be the Chairman of the Board and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board. In addition, and without further compensation, the Executive shall serve as a director and/or officer of one or more of the Company’s Affiliates, if so elected or appointed from time to time All executives of the Company shall report to the Executive.

(b) During the term hereof, the Executive shall be employed by the Company on a full-time basis and shall perform the duties consistent with his position for the Company and its Affiliates, when and as requested by the Board.

(c) During the term hereof, the Executive shall devote substantially all of his business time and efforts, business judgment, skill and knowledge to the performance of his duties hereunder, provided, however, that the Executive may devote reasonable amounts of time to serving as (i) as a director or a member of any industry, trade, professional, governmental, religious, educational or charitable organization; (ii) in any academic position; or (iii) in such activities and positions as may be expressly approved by the Board of Directors of Holdings; so long as, in each case, the services do not interfere with the performance of Executive’s services hereunder.

4. Compensation and Benefits . As compensation for all services performed by the Executive during the term hereof, the Executive shall receive the following:

(a) Base Salary . During the term hereof, the Company shall pay the Executive a base salary at the rate of Seven Hundred And Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000) per annum, payable in accordance with the Company’s payroll practices for its executives and subject to increase (but not decrease) from time to time by the Board, in its sole discretion. Such base salary, as from time to time increased, is hereafter referred to as the “ Base Salary ”.

(b) Special Signing Date Compensation .

(i) Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement . Holdings previously made a grant of restricted stock to the Executive under Holding’s 2006 Executive Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). Except as otherwise provided herein, the terms and conditions of such restricted stock grant continue to be subject to the terms of the Plan and the Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement (the “ Restricted Stock Award ”) executed by the Executive contemporaneous with such grant.

(ii) CEO Signing Bonus and Co-invest . At the Closing, the Company paid the Executive a bonus of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000) (the “ Signing Bonus ”). At Closing, the Executive used a portion of such Signing Bonus to purchase 510,878.33 shares of Class A Common Stock of Holdings, at a price of $1.00 per share of Class A Common Stock, and 64,671.63 shares of Class L Common Stock of Holdings, at a price of $38.49 per share of Class L Common Stock, (collectively, the “ Purchased Restricted Stock ”) on the terms and

 

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conditions set forth on Exhibit B to the March 2006 Employment Agreement. All of the Purchased Restricted Stock shares are currently vested.

(c) Incentive and Bonus Compensation .

(i) During the term hereof and beginning with the first full fiscal year after March 1, 2006, Executive shall be entitled to receive a bonus based on the achievement of a targets based on the Company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“ EBITDA ”) for such year, as determined by the Company’s independent accountants. If the targeted EBITDA is achieved, the Executive will receive a bonus equal to his Base Salary. If the targeted EBITDA is exceeded by 5%, but less than 10%, the Executive will receive a bonus of One Hundred Fifty Percent (150%) of his Base Salary. If the targeted EBITDA is exceeded by 10% or more, the Executive will receive a bonus of Two Hundred Percent (200%) of his Base Salary. For purposes of this section, the fiscal year shall mean the current fiscal year, even if the Company changes its fiscal year during the term hereof.

(ii) Any bonus due hereunder shall be payable not later than two and one half months following the end of the fiscal year for which the bonus was earned.

(d) Business Expenses . The Company shall pay or reimburse the Executive for all reasonable business expenses incurred or paid by the Executive in the performance of his duties hereunder, upon submission of documentation in accordance with the Company’s then regular procedures for substantiation of expenses.

(e) Life Insurance . The Company has arranged for the purchase of a whole life insurance for the Executive with a face amount of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000) and shall continue to pay the premiums for such coverage up to an annual cost of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) per year. The Executive shall be the owner of this policy.

(f) Costs related to Employment Agreement and Management Interest . The Company will reimburse the Executive for all fees and expenses he incurs in negotiating this Agreement, the Executive’s ownership interest in the Company, and all other employment or employment-related agreements, subject to receipt of reasonable substantiation and documentation of such fees and expenses by the Company.

(g) Vacations . During the term hereof, the Executive shall be entitled to six (6) weeks vacation per year, to be taken at such times and intervals as shall be determined by the Executive.

(h) Other Benefits . During the term hereof, the Executive shall be entitled to participate in any and all Employee Benefit Plans from time to time in effect for employees of the Company generally, and in all fringe benefits and perquisite programs or arrangements generally available to senior executives of the Company but without duplication of any benefit or class of benefits provided for separately under this Agreement (e.g., car allowance, pension, expense reimbursement, etc.). Such participation shall be subject to the terms of the applicable plan documents and generally applicable Company policies. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, the Company may alter, modify, add to or delete its Employee Benefit Plans at any time as it, in its sole judgment, determines to be appropriate, without recourse by the Executive.

 

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For purposes of this Agreement, “ Employee Benefit Plan ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(3) of ERISA, as amended from time to time.

(i) Transportation . During the term hereof; the Executive shall continue to have use of a car and driver and private plane in accordance with current Company policy, which may be amended from time to time with Executive’s prior approval. In addition, during the term hereof, the Company will pay the Executive an automobile allowance of Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000) per year.

(j) Retirement Benefit Equivalent . With respect to each year of the term hereof, the Company shall pay Executive an amount in cash equal to Twenty Five Percent (25%) of the Executive’s Base Salary, payable semi-monthly during the term hereof; in lieu of making an equivalent contribution to a tax-qualified or other retirement plan. Any amounts payable under this Section 4(j) shall in no event be considered Base Salary or bonus for purposes of the other provisions of this Agreement.

(k) Any reimbursements or in-kind benefits provided under (d), (I) or (i) of this Section 4, or otherwise provided under this Agreement, that would constitute nonqualified deferred compensation subject to Section 409A shall be subject to the following additional rules: (i) no reimbursement of any such expense shall affect the Executive’s right to reimbursement of any other such expense in any other taxable year; (ii) reimbursement of the expense shall be made not later than the end of the Executive’s taxable year following the taxable year in which the expense was incurred; and (iii) the right to reimbursement shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for any other benefit.

5. Termination of Employment and Severance Benefits . Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2 hereof; the Executive’s employment hereunder shall terminate prior to the expiration of the term hereof under the following circumstances:

(a) Death . Upon the Executive’s death during the term hereof the Executive’s employment hereunder shall immediately and automatically terminate and, within thirty (30) days of the date of death, the Company shall pay to the Executive’s designated beneficiary or, if no beneficiary has been designated by the Executive in writing, to his estate, a lump sum cash payment of (i) any Base Salary earned but not paid during the final payroll period of the Executive’s employment through the date of termination, (ii) any vacation accrued but not used through the date of termination, (iii) any bonus earned for the fiscal year preceding that in which termination occurs, but unpaid on the date of termination, and (iv) any business expenses reasonably incurred by the Executive but un-reimbursed on the date of termination, provided that such expenses and required substantiation and documentation are submitted within a reasonable period following the Executive’s termination (all of the foregoing, “ Final Compensation ”). In addition, (i) the Purchased Restricted Stock and all Tranche I shares held by the Executive under the Company’s Restricted Stock Plan shall immediately vest, (ii) the Tranche 2 Shares shall remain eligible to vest (subject to meeting the vesting targets described in the Executive’s Restricted Stock Agreement) until the end of the Company’s then current fiscal year, at which time any unvested Tranche 2 Shares shall be automatically forfeited, (iii) the Tranche 3 Shares shall continue to become eligible to vest and shall remain eligible to vest (subject to meeting the Investor IRR hurdles described in the Executive’s Restricted Stock Agreement) until the end of

 

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the Company’s then current fiscal year, at which time any unvested Tranche 3 Shares shall be automatically forfeited, and (iv) the Executive or his estate or beneficiary shall have the put rights described in Section 11 with respect to all Vested Shares. In the event of termination of employment due to death, upon satisfaction of the applicable terms of this Agreement (but subject to the Company also complying with terms of the Stockholders Agreement dated March 1, 2006 as amended from time to time, among Holdings, the Company, the Executive, other stockholders of Holdings and certain other parties (the “ Stockholders Agreement ”), the Registration Rights and Coordination Agreement dated March 1, 2006 as amended from time to time, among Holdings, the Company, the Executive, other stockholders of Holdings and certain other parties and any restricted stock agreement entered into with the Executive on or after March 1, 2006), the Company will have no further obligations to the Executive or his estate.

(b) Disability .

(i) The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder, upon at least ten (10) days’ prior notice to the Executive, in the event that the Executive becomes disabled during his employment hereunder through any illness, injury, accident or condition of either a physical or psychological nature and, as a result, is unable to perform substantially all of his duties and responsibilities hereunder, notwithstanding the provision of any reasonable accommodation, for one hundred and eighty (180) consecutive days during any period of three hundred and sixty-five (365) consecutive calendar days. In the event of such termination, the Company shall provide the Executive with a lump sum cash payment of Final Compensation upon such termination. In addition, (i) the Purchased Restricted Stock and all Tranche 1 shares held by the Executive under the Company’s Restricted Stock Plan shall immediately vest, (ii) the Tranche 2 Shares shall remain eligible to vest (subject to meeting the vesting targets described in the Executive’s Restricted Stock Agreement) until the end of the Company’s then current fiscal year, at which time any unvested Tranche 2 Shares shall be automatically forfeited, (iii) the Tranche 3 Shares shall continue to become eligible to vest and shall remain eligible to vest (subject to meeting the Investor IRR hurdles described in the Executive’s Restricted Stock Agreement) until the end of the Company’s then current fiscal year, at which time any unvested Tranche 3 Shares shall be automatically forfeited, and (iv) the Executive or his estate or beneficiary shall have the put rights described in Section 11 with respect to all Vested Shares, The Executive or his representative will execute and not revoke a separation agreement in a form mutually satisfactory to the Company and the Executive or his representative, which shall include a general release of claims, in exchange for and as a condition to the accelerated vesting and the ability to exercise such put rights.

(ii) Any payments made to the Executive under the Company’s long-term disability income plan shall reduce the Base Salary otherwise payable for the period covered by such disability payment, provided that the Executive shall continue to participate in all Employee Benefit Plans until the termination of his employment.

(iii) If any question shall arise as to whether during any period the Executive is disabled the Executive may, and at the request of the Company shall, submit to a medical examination by a physician mutually selected by the Board and the Executive and a written determination by such physician shall for the purposes of this Agreement be conclusive of the issue. If the Board and the Executive cannot agree on a physician, the Board may select a

 

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physician who is a chairman of a department of medicine at a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. If such question shall arise and the Executive shall fail to submit to such medical examination, the Company’s determination of the issue shall be binding on the Executive.

(c) By the Company for Cause . The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause at any time upon thirty (30) days’ prior written notice to the Executive setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Cause, including any act or failure to act that is the basis for the decision to terminate. The following, as determined by the Board in its reasonable judgment, shall constitute “ Cause ” for termination:

(i) The Executive’s conviction of (or pleading nolo contendere to) a crime of moral turpitude, breach of trust or unethical business conduct, or any crime involving the Company, in each case that constitutes a felony;

(ii) The Executive’s continuing willful and material breach of any of Sections 8, 9, or 10 of this Agreement; or

(iii) The Executive’s engagement in the performance of his duties hereunder, or otherwise to the material and demonstrable detriment of the Company, in willful gross misconduct, fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement.

Within thirty (30) days of the aforesaid notice from the Company and prior to any such termination pursuant to clauses (ii) or (iii) above, the Executive shall be given an opportunity to make a presentation to the Board (accompanied by counsel or other representative if so desired) at a meeting of the Board. Following such meeting, the Board shall determine whether to terminate the Executive and shall notify the Executive of its determination. Upon the termination of the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause, the Company shall have no further obligation to the Executive, other than to pay Final Compensation immediately upon such termination, and there shall be no acceleration of or further vesting of the Executive’s unvested shares, and the Executive shall not have any put rights under Section 11 or otherwise.

For purposes of this provision, no act or failure to act, on the part of the Executive, shall be considered “willful” unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in bad faith or without reasonable belief that his action or omission is in the best interests of the Company. Any act or failure to act that is based upon authority given by a resolution duly adopted by the Board or based upon the advice of counsel for the Company, shall be conclusively presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in good faith and in the best interests of the Company.

(d) By the Company Other than for Cause . The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder other than for Cause at any time upon sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the Executive. In the event of such termination, in addition to Final Compensation, which shall be payable immediately upon termination, the Company shall make a lump sum cash payment sixty (60) days following such termination to the Executive equal to three (3) times the average annual base salary and regular performance-based cash bonus (i.e., including only bonus payment amounts under Section 4(c); and specifically excluding any stay pay, retention, transaction or other special bonuses) paid or payable to the Executive during the

 

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three years preceding the date of such termination (including salary and such regular bonus paid under the STI for periods prior to March 1, 2006 if termination occurs before March 1, 2009). In addition:

(i) for the three years following the date of termination, the Executive shall continue to participate in the Employee Benefit Plans, at the Company’s expense, provided that, if the Executive is unable to participate in any such plan by its terms, the Company shall pay the Executive the amount needed to provide such coverage or its equivalent under an alternative arrangement of the Executive’s choice; provided, however, that any reimbursements or in-kind benefits provided under this Section 5(d)(i) that would constitute nonqualified deferred compensation subject to Section 409A shall be subject to the rules described in Section 4(k) above;

(ii) the Company shall pay the Executive a lump sum cash payment between January 1 and March 15 of the year following the year of termination in an amount equal to the excess, if any, of (a) a pro rata share of any bonus due under Section 4(c) based on actual performance for the fiscal year in which the termination occurs (determined by pro-rating the bonus for the fiscal year in which the termination occurs through the date of termination) over (b) the amount otherwise payable under Section 6 below;

(iii) the treatment of Tranche 1, Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 Shares held by the Executive shall be governed by the terms of the Company’s Restricted Stock Plan and Executive’s Restricted Stock Agreement thereunder, except that to the extent the following terms are more favorable to the Executive, the following terms shall apply in the case of termination under this Section 5(d) or Section 5(e) below:

(1) Executive will be fully vested in (x) the Purchased Restricted Stock and (y) all Tranche 1 Shares;

(2) all Tranche 3 Shares shall become eligible to vest (subject to meeting the Investor IRR hurdles described in such agreement) and shall remain eligible to vest until the later of (x) the second anniversary of the Executive’s termination and (y) March 1, 2011, at which time any unvested Tranche 3 Shares shall be automatically forfeited;

(3) the Executive may elect within 30 days of such termination with respect to the unvested Tranche 2 Shares to either (x) vest a sufficient number of Tranche 2 Shares such that the total number of vested Tranche 2 Shares (including any previously vested Tranche 2 Shares) is equal to the average of the EBITDA Vesting Percentages actually determined for any previous year(s) in the Performance Period multiplied by the total number of Tranche 2 Shares, following which no further Tranche 2 Shares shall vest or (y) not accelerate any portion of the Tranche 2 Shares but (notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Restricted Stock Award) continue to hold the Tranche 2 Shares subject to the vesting and forfeiture requirements through November 30, 2010; and

 

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(4) the Executive shall have the put rights described in Section 11 with respect to all Vested Shares.

Upon the payment of such benefits, the Company shall have no further obligation to the Executive. Any benefits payable hereunder will be reduced by any benefits payable to the Executive under any separate severance agreement as a result of the Executive’s termination. Any obligation of the Company to the Executive hereunder is conditioned, however, upon the Executive signing (and not revoking) and returning to the Company a separation agreement, which shall include a timely and effective release of claims, in the form mutually satisfactory to the Company and the Executive. The payments and benefits under this Section 5(d), excluding the payment of Final Compensation, shall be conditioned upon and subject to the Executive’s entering into a separation agreement with the Company that has been in effect for at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of such payment or provision of benefits.

(e) By the Executive’s Resignation for Good Reason . The Executive may terminate his employment hereunder for Good Reason, upon written notice to the Company setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Good Reason. The following shall constitute Good Reason for termination by the Executive:

(i) The Executive is assigned duties that are inconsistent in any material respect with the scope of his responsibilities, duties, authority, titles, position or status; provided, however, that the Company’s failure to continue the Executive’s appointment or election as a director or officer of any of its Affiliates, shall not constitute “Good Reason”; or

(ii) the Executive’s duties or responsibilities are significantly reduced; or

(iii) The Company’s headquarters are relocated, without the Executive’s consent, to a location that is more than fifty (50) miles from its current location; or

(iv) the Company fails to perform substantially any material term of this Agreement or the Restricted Stock Plan; or

(v) the Company fails to obtain the full assumption of this Agreement by a successor entity; or

(vi) the Executive is not elected to the Board or is not reelected thereto or is forced to resign therefrom for any reason not constituting Cause.

A termination shall qualify as a termination for Good Reason only if (1) the Executive gives the Company notice, within ninety (90) days of its first existence or occurrence (without the consent of the Executive), of any or any combination of the eligibility conditions specified above; (2) the Company fails to cure the eligibility condition(s) within thirty (30) days of receiving such notice; and (3) the Executive terminates employment not later than 90 days following the end of such thirty-day period. In the event of termination in accordance with this Section 5(e) and in addition to Final Compensation, which shall be paid not later than the next regular Company payday following the effective date of termination, the Executive will be entitled to the same pay, incentive compensation, benefits, vesting acceleration and put rights that he would have

 

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been entitled to receive had the Executive been terminated by the Company other than for Cause in accordance with Section 5(d) above, payable as provided in Section 5(d); provided that the Executive satisfies all conditions to such entitlement as set forth in Section 5(d). A termination of employment for Good Reason under this Section 5(e) is intended to satisfy the meaning of “involuntary separation from service” (as defined in Section 1.409A-1(n) of the Treasury Regulations).

(f) By the Executive Other than for Good Reason . The Executive may terminate his employment hereunder at any time upon sixty (60) days’ notice to the Company. In the event of termination of the Executive pursuant to this Section 5(f), the Board may elect to waive the period of notice, or any portion thereof. The Company shall have no further obligation to the Executive, other than for any Final Compensation due to him, which shall be paid not later than the next regular Company payday following the effective date of termination, and there shall be no acceleration of or further vesting of the Executive’s unvested shares, and the Executive shall not have any put rights under Section 11 or otherwise.

(g) Following a Change of Control .

If the Company terminates the Executive’s employment other than for Cause or the Executive terminates his employment for Good Reason in either case following a Change of Control, the Executive will be entitled to the same pay, incentive compensation, benefits, vesting acceleration and put rights that he would have been entitled to receive had he been terminated by the Company other than for Cause in accordance with Section 5(d) above; payable as provided in Section 5(d); provided that the Executive satisfies all conditions to such entitlement as set forth in Section 5(d), including without limitation the signing and not revoking of a separation agreement.

(i) In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement if (i) a termination pursuant to this Section 5(g) occurs and (ii) it shall be determined that any payment or distribution (actual or deemed) by the Company to or for the benefit of the Executive, whether paid or payable or distributed or distributable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or otherwise or resulting from the accelerated vesting of any restricted stock (a “ Payment ”) would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, or any interest or penalties with respect to such excise tax (such excise tax, together with any such interest and penalties, are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “ Excise Tax ”), the Executive shall be entitled to receive an additional payment (a “ Gross-Up Payment ”) in an amount such that after payment by the Executive of all taxes (including any interest or penalties imposed with respect to such taxes), including any Excise Tax imposed upon the Gross-Up Payment, the Executive retains an amount of the Gross-Up Payment equal to the Excise Tax imposed upon the Payments. If the Excise Tax is subsequently determined by the Internal Revenue Service to be less than the amount taken into account hereunder at the time of termination of the Executive’s employment, the Executive shall repay to the Company, at the time that the amount of such reduction in Excise Tax is finally determined, the portion of the Gross-Up Payment attributable to such reduction (plus that portion of the Gross-Up Payment attributable to the Excise Tax and federal, state and local income tax imposed on the Gross-Up Payment being repaid by the Executive to the extent that such repayment results in a reduction in Excise Tax and/or a federal, state or local income tax deduction) plus interest on the amount of such repayment at the rate

 

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provided in Section 1274(b)(2)(B) of the Code. The Company shall fully reimburse the Executive for any reasonable out-of-pocket costs or fees incurred in connection with the filing of any such refund or other claim. If the Excise Tax is determined to exceed the amount taken into account hereunder at the time of the termination of the Executive’s employment (including by reason of any payment the existence or amount of which cannot be determined at the time of the Gross-Up Payment), the Company shall make an additional Gross-Up Payment in respect of such excess (plus any interest, penalties or additions payable by the Executive with respect to such excess) at the time that the amount of such excess is finally determined. The Executive and the Company shall cooperate and shall use all reasonable efforts to reduce or eliminate the Excise Tax. The Executive and the Company shall also cooperate with the other in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings concerning the existence or amount of liability for Excise Tax with respect to the Payments. All determinations required to be made under this Section 5(g), including whether a Gross-Up Payment is required and the amount of such Gross Up Payment, shall be made by the Company’s independent accountants, who shall provide detailed supporting calculations to the Company and the Executive promptly after receipt of a notice that there has been a Payment. Any Gross-Up Payment pursuant to this Section 5(g) shall be paid no later than the end of the calendar year next following the calendar year in which the Executive remits the Excise Tax in question, and any reimbursement of expenses of the Executive for filing of any related refund or claim shall be paid no later than the end of the calendar year next following the calendar year in which the Excise Tax in question is remitted or, where no taxes are remitted, by the end of the calendar year next following the calendar year in which the audit is completed or there is a final settlement or other resolution of the claim.

(h) Timing of Payments . In the event that, at the time the Executive’s employment with the Company terminates, the Company is publicly traded (as defined in Section 409A), any amounts payable under this Section 5 that constitute deferred compensation subject to Section 409A, as determined by the Company, shall be paid on the later of: (i) the time otherwise provided in this Section 5 and (ii) the date that is six (6) months following the date of the Executive’s separation from service with the Company.

6. Separation from Service Payment . Upon the Executive’s separation from service, including by reason of death, disability, termination by the Company for any reason, and termination by the Executive for any reason, the Company will pay to the Executive a lump sum cash payment within ninety (90) days of separation from service in an amount equal to a pro-rata portion (based on the number of days preceding the Executives termination in the fiscal year of termination) of the bonus that otherwise would have been paid in the fiscal year of the Executive’s termination, assuming that targeted EBITDA had been met. For purposes of this Section, references td separation from service means a “separation from service” (as defined at Section 1.409A-1(h) of the Treasury Regulations) from the Company and from all other corporations and trades or businesses, if any, that would be treated as a single “service recipient” within the Company under Section 1.409A-1(h)(3) of the Treasury Regulations.

7. Services Following Change In Control . If after a Change in Control that occurs after the date hereof, the Executive elects to retire, provided that he remains with the Company for six months after the date of such Change in Control (the “ Transition Period ”), the Executive will be entitled to receive Final Compensation, which shall be paid not later than the next regular Company payday following the effective date of termination, and the same pay, incentive

 

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compensation, benefits, vesting acceleration and put rights that he would have been entitled to receive had the Executive been terminated by the Company other than for Cause in accordance with Section 5(d) above, payable no later than March 15 of the year following the year in which the Transition Period ends; provided, however, that the Executive (a) provides the Board with written notice of his election to retire within sixty (60) days following the end of the Transition Period, (b) actually terminates employment within such sixty (60) day period following the end of the Transition period, and (c) satisfies all conditions to such entitlement as set forth in Section 5(c1).

8. Confidential Information .

(a) The Executive acknowledges that the Company and its Affiliates continually develop Confidential Information, that the Executive may develop Confidential Information for the Company or its Affiliates and that the Executive may learn of Confidential Information during the course of employment. The Executive will comply with the policies and procedures of the Company and its Affiliates for protecting Confidential Information and shall not disclose to any Person or use, other than as required by applicable law or for the proper performance of his duties and responsibilities to the Company and its Affiliates, any Confidential Information obtained by the Executive incident to his employment or other association with the Company or any of its Affiliates, provided that the Executive may divulge any Confidential Information that may be required by law and may disclose such information to his personal advisors for purposes of enforcing or interpreting this Agreement. The Executive understands that this restriction shall continue to apply after his employment terminates, regardless of the reason for such termination. The confidentiality obligation under this Section 8 shall not apply to information which is generally known or readily available to the public at the time of disclosure or becomes generally known through no wrongful act on the part of the Executive or any other Person having an obligation of confidentiality to the Company or any of its Affiliates. Following termination of employment, the Executive shall not communicate or divulge any Confidential Information without the Company’s prior written consent or as may otherwise be required by law or legal process.

(b) All documents, records, tapes and other media of every kind and description relating to the business of the Company or its Affiliates and any copies, in whole or in part, thereof (the “ Documents ”), whether or not prepared by the Executive, shall be the sole and exclusive property of the Company and its Affiliates. The Executive shall surrender to the Company at the time his employment terminates all material Documents containing Confidential Information then in the Executive’s possession, such as strategic business plans and other material Documents.

(c) The Executive will not disclose to or use on behalf of the Company any proprietary information of a third party without such party’s consent.

9. Assignment of Rights to Intellectual Property . The Executive shall promptly and fully disclose all Intellectual Property to the Company. The Executive hereby assigns and agrees to assign to the Company (or as otherwise directed by the Company) the Executive’s full right, title and interest in and to all Intellectual Property developed during the term of his employment with the Company. Subject to the foregoing, the Executive agrees to execute any and all

 

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applications for domestic and foreign patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights and to do such other acts requested by the Company to assign the Intellectual Property so developed to the Company and to permit the Company to enforce any patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights to the Intellectual Property.

10. Restricted Activities . The Executive agrees that some restrictions on his activities during and after his employment are necessary to protect the goodwill, Confidential Information and other legitimate interests of the Company and its Affiliates:

(a) While the Executive is employed by the Company and for two (2) years after his employment terminates, the Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, whether as owner, partner, investor, consultant, agent, employee, co-venturer or otherwise, compete with the Company or any of its Affiliates or undertake any planning for any business competitive with the Company or any of its Affiliates. Specifically, but without limiting the foregoing, the Executive agrees not to engage in any manner in any activity that is directly or indirectly competitive with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates as conducted during the Executive’s employment and further agrees not to work or provide services, in any capacity, whether as an employee, independent contractor or otherwise, whether with or without compensation, to any Person who is engaged in any business that is competitive with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates for which the Executive has provided services during his employment. Restricted activity includes without limitation accepting employment with any Person who is, or at any time within one year prior to termination of the Executive’s employment has been, a franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates. For the purposes of this Section 10, the business of the Company and its Affiliates shall include all Products and the Executive’s undertaking shall encompass all items, products and services that may be used in substitution for Products. The foregoing, however, shall not prevent the Executive’s passive ownership of two percent (2%) or less of the equity securities of any publicly traded company.

(b) The Executive agrees that, during his employment and during the two (2) year period immediately following termination of his employment, the Executive will not directly or indirectly (a) solicit or encourage any franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them; or (b) seek to persuade any such franchisee or prospective franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to conduct with anyone else any business or activity which such franchisee or prospective franchisee conducts with the Company or any of its Affiliates; provided that these restrictions shall apply (y) only with respect to those Persons who are or have been a franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates at any time within the immediately preceding one year or whose business has been solicited on behalf of the Company or any of the Affiliates by any of their officers, employees or agents (and of which the Executive has actual knowledge) within said one year period, other than by form letter, blanket mailing or published advertisement, and (z) only if the Executive has performed work for such Person during his employment with the Company or one of its Affiliates or been introduced to, such Person as a result of his employment or other associations with the Company or one of its Affiliates.

(c) The Executive agrees that during his employment and for the two (2) year period immediately following termination of his employment, the Executive will not, and will not assist any other Person to, (a) hire or solicit for hiring any employee of the Company or any

 

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of its Affiliates as of the date of such solicitation or was employed by the Company or any of its Affiliates during the six (6) months prior to the Executive’s termination of employment, or seek to persuade any employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to discontinue employment, or (b) solicit or encourage any independent contractor providing services to the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them. For the purposes of this Agreement, an “employee” of the Company or any of its Affiliates is any person who was such at any time within the preceding year. For purposes hereof, general solicitations not directed at a particular person or advertising in media directed at the general public shall not provide the basis for a claim by the Company that the Executive violated this Section.

11. Executive Put Option Upon Termination . Upon any termination of the Executive’s employment pursuant to Section 5(a) (Death), Section 5(b) (Disability), Section 5(d) (by Company Other than for Cause) or Section 5(e) (Good Reason), the Executive shall have the right to require Holdings to purchase, as provided below, all or any portion of the Vested Shares held by the Executive on the following terms (the “ Put Option ”):

(a) Exercise; Notice . Subject to compliance with the terms of Section 5, the Executive, his representative or his estate may exercise the Put Option (i) with respect to all or any portion of the Vested Shares on the date of termination by delivery of written notice thereof (the “ Put Notice ”) to Holdings at any time within sixty (60) days commencing on the date of his death or other termination of employment and (ii) with respect to all or any portion of the restricted shares that become Vested Shares following the date of termination by delivery of a Put Notice to Holdings at any time within sixty (60) days from the date on which the Company notifies the Executive in writing that such shares have become Vested Shares.

(b) Determination Date; Closing . Holdings shall purchase all of the Vested Shares that are the subject of a Put Notice on the 181st day after the effectiveness of the applicable termination of employment, or, with respect to a Put Notice delivered pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) on the 181st day after the shares subject to such Put Notice become Vested Shares. Subject to subsection (c) below, Holdings shall purchase all shares that are subject to a Put Notice in a cash lump sum equal to the Fair Market Value of such shares as of the date that they are repurchased by Holdings.

(c) Distributions and Cash Payments . To the extent that (i) (a) any payment of cash required under the terms of this Section 11 or any payment of principal or interest on a promissory note issued under this Section 11, or (b) a distribution to Holdings from any of its subsidiaries in an amount equal to the amount of cash required to be paid under the terms of this Section 11 or the amount of any payment of principal or interest on a promissory note issued under this Section 11 would, in any event, constitute, result in, or give rise to a breach or violation of, or any default or right or cause of action under any agreement of Holdings or any of its subsidiaries in respect of indebtedness for borrowed money (it being understood that Holdings and its subsidiaries will use any basket reserved for the repurchase of equity of Holdings or its subsidiaries, but shall not be required to use any basket reserved for general corporate purposes), or (ii) the Board in good faith determines that the authorization of any such payment or distribution would constitute a violation of law, then Holdings will instead issue a promissory note in the principal amount of such cash payment and in the case of a cash payment in respect of a promissory note issued under this Section 11, notwithstanding any of the provisions of such

 

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note, such payment will not become due and payable. Interest will accrue on the principal of any such promissory note at a rate equal to 8% per annum and the principal of such note, together with the interest thereon, will become due and payable from time to time to the extent consistent with clauses (i) and (ii) above, provided that the Company will use its best efforts to cure any impediment to the payment of this amount. Any promissory note issued under this Section 11 may be prepaid in whole or in part at any time and from time to time without premium or penalty. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company agrees that to the extent it has funds available to honor a put in part without causing a default or right or cause of action under any agreement of Holdings or any of its subsidiaries in respect of indebtedness for borrowed money or violation of any such agreement or applicable law, it shall use such funds to the maximum extent possible to purchase Vested Shares that were not subject to a risk of forfeiture when they were acquired.

(d) Closing . The closing of any purchase and sale of Vested Shares pursuant to the exercise of any right granted pursuant to this Section 11 shall take place at the principal office of the Company, or at such other time and location as the parties to such purchase may mutually determine. The Company will be entitled to receive, as a condition to closing, reasonable representations regarding ownership of shares, power and authority to transfer, and transfer of shares free and clear of liens, pledges, security interests or other adverse claims.

(e) Priority Over Company Call Right . In the event that the Company or the Investors exercise their rights to purchase the Executive’s shares pursuant to Section 7 of the Stockholders Agreement, and the Put Option is otherwise exercisable, the Executive shall have 10 business days in which to exercise the Put Option and if so exercised the term of the Put Option will supersede the terms of such call rights.

12. Enforcement of Covenants . The Executive acknowledges that he has carefully read and considered all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the restraints imposed upon him pursuant to Sections 8, 9, and 10 hereof. The Executive agrees without reservation that each of the restraints contained herein is necessary for the reasonable and proper protection of the goodwill, Confidential Information and other legitimate interests of the Company and its Affiliates; that each and every one of those restraints is reasonable in respect to subject matter, length of time and geographic area; and that these restraints, individually or in the aggregate, will not prevent him from obtaining other suitable employment during the period in which the Executive is bound by these restraints. The Executive further acknowledges that, were he to breach any of the covenants contained in Sections 8, 9, or 10 hereof, the damage to the Company would be irreparable. The Executive therefore agrees that the Company, in addition to any other remedies available to it, shall be entitled to preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against any breach or threatened breach by the Executive of any of said covenants, without having to post bond, as well as to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in connection with such breach. The parties further agree that, in the event that any provision of Section 8, 9, or 10 hereof shall be determined by any court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable by reason of its being extended over too great a time, too large a geographic area or too great a range of activities, such provision shall be deemed to be modified to permit its enforcement to the maximum extent permitted by law.

 

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13. Definitions . Words or phrases which are initially capitalized or are within quotation marks shall have the meanings provided in this Section and as provided elsewhere herein. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions apply:

(a) “ Affiliates ” means all persons and entities directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Company, where control may be by either management authority, contract or equity interest.

(b) “ Change of Control ” has the meaning assigned thereto in that certain Stockholders Agreement, dated March 1, 2006, among Holdings, the Company, the Executive, other stockholders of Holdings and certain other parties.

(c) “ Confidential Information ” means any and all information of the Company and its Affiliates that is not generally known by others with whom they compete or do business, and any and all information, publicly known in whole or in part or not, which, if disclosed by the Company or its Affiliates would assist in competition against them. Confidential Information includes without limitation such information relating to (i) the development, research, testing, manufacturing, marketing and financial activities of the Company and its Affiliates, (ii) the Products, (iii) the costs, sources of supply, financial performance and strategic plans of the Company and its Affiliates and (iv) the identity and special needs of the customers or franchisees of the Company and its Affiliates. Confidential Information also includes any information that the Company or any of its Affiliates have received, or may receive hereafter, belonging to franchisees or others with any understanding, express or implied, that the information would not be disclosed.

(d) “ EBITDA Vesting Percentage ” has the meaning assigned thereto in the Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement.

(e) “ Fair Market Value ” means, as of any date, as to any Vested Share, the Board’s good faith determination of the fair value of such Vested Share, provided, however, that if the Executive notifies the Company that he disagrees with such valuation, the issue shall be submitted to an appraisal firm mutually acceptable to the Company and the Executive, whose determination shall be final and binding on all parties. It is agreed that the Company and the Executive shall share equally the cost or other expenses of any such appraisal.

(f) “ Intellectual Property ” means inventions, discoveries, developments, methods, processes, compositions, works, concepts and ideas that are patentable or copyrightable or constitute trade secrets conceived, made, created or developed by the Executive (whether alone or with others, whether or not during normal business hours or on or off Company premises) during the Executive’s employment that relate to either the Products or any prospective activity of the Company or any of its Affiliates or that make use of Confidential Information or any of the equipment or facilities of the Company or any of its Affiliates.

(g) “ Person ” means an individual, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a partnership, an estate, a trust and any other entity or organization, other than the Company or any of its Affiliates.

 

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(h) “ Products ” mean all products researched, developed, manufactured, sold, licensed, leased or otherwise distributed or put into use by the Company or any of its Affiliates, together with all services provided by the Company or any of its Affiliates, during the Executive’s employment.

(i) “ Tranche 2 Shares ” has the meaning assigned thereto in the Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement.

(j) “ Tranche 3 Shares ” has the meaning assigned thereto in the Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement.

(k) “ Vested Shares ” means all shares of Class A Common Stock and Class L Common Stock that are held by the Executive and that (i) were not subject to vesting requirements or a risk of forfeiture at the time they were acquired or (ii) have become vested and are no longer subject to a risk of forfeiture.

14. Withholding . All payments made by the Company under this Agreement shall be reduced by any tax or other amounts required to be withheld by the Company under applicable law.

15. Assignment . Neither the Company nor the Executive may make any assignment of this Agreement or any interest herein, by operation of law or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the other; provided, however, that the Company may assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement without the consent of the Executive in the event that the Executive is transferred to a position with any of the Affiliates or in the event that the Company shall hereafter affect a reorganization, consolidate with, or merge into, any Person or transfer all or substantially all of its properties or assets to any Person. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and the Executive, their respective successors, executors, administrators, heirs and permitted assigns.

16. Severability . If any portion or provision of this Agreement shall to any extent be declared illegal or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then the remainder of this Agreement, or the application of such portion or provision in circumstances other than those as to which it is so declared illegal or unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby, and each portion and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

17. Waiver . No waiver of any provision hereof shall be effective unless made in writing and signed by the waiving party. The failure of either party to require the performance of any term or obligation of this Agreement, or the waiver by either party of any breach of this Agreement, shall not prevent any subsequent enforcement of such term or obligation or be deemed a waiver of any subsequent breach.

18. Notices . Any and all notices, requests, demands and other communications provided for by this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be effective when delivered in person, consigned to a reputable national courier service or deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, registered or certified, and addressed to the Executive at his last known address on the books of the Company or, in the case of the Company, at its principal place of business,

 

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attention of the Chair of the Board, or to such other address as either party may specify by notice to the other actually received.

19. Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all prior communications, agreements and understandings, written or oral, with respect to the terms and conditions of the Executive’s employment, other than the Executive’s obligations in respect of confidentiality, preservation of the Company’s intellectual property and non-competition under Sections 7, 8 and 9 of the March 2006 Employment Agreement and Sections 8, 9 and 10 of his Previous Employment Agreement.

20. Amendment . This Agreement may be amended or modified only by a written instrument signed by the Executive and by an expressly authorized representative of the Company. The parties acknowledge that certain provisions of this Agreement may be required to be amended, following the issuance of additional guidance by the Internal Revenue Service with respect to Section 409A, to avoid the possible imposition of additional tax under Section 409A with respect to certain payments and benefits under this Agreement. The Company agrees that it will not unreasonably withhold its consent to any such amendments which in its determination are (i) feasible and necessary to avoid adverse tax treatment under Section 409A for the Executive, and (ii) not adverse to the interests of the Company.

21. Notwithstanding any other provision hereunder, this Agreement and all compensation payments hereunder are intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A, including transition relief and exemptive provisions thereunder, and shall be construed and administered accordingly.

22. Headings . The headings and captions in this Agreement are for convenience only and in no way define or describe the scope or content of any provision of this Agreement.

23. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

24. Governing Law . This is a Massachusetts contract and shall be construed and enforced under and be governed in all respects by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof. The Company and the Executive each irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any suit, action or proceeding commenced by either party against the other will be brought in the state of Massachusetts, (ii) consents to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court in any such suit, action or proceeding, and (iii) waives any objection which either party may have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding in any such court. The Company and the Executive each also irrevocably and unconditionally consents to the service of any process, pleadings, notices or other papers in a manner permitted by the notice provisions of Section 18.

25. Successors . The Company will require any successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company to assume expressly and agree to perform this Agreement in the same

 

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manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform it if no such succession had taken place.

26. Indemnification . The Company shall indemnify and hold the Executive harmless, to the full extent permitted under applicable law, for, from and against any and all losses, claims, costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or actions relating to or arising out of the Executive’s employment with or service to the Company prior to or after March 1, 2006, other than as relating to or arising out of the Executive’s willful misconduct or gross negligence, and shall pay and advance all reasonable costs, expenses and attorney’s fees incurred by the Executive in connection with or relating to the defense of any such loss, claim, cost, expense, damage, liability or action. The Company shall cause any director and officer liability insurance applicable to the Executive to remain in effect for six (6) years following his termination of employment for any reason.

27. Dispute Resolution . In the event of any dispute regarding the Executive’s employment, the Company agrees to reimburse all reasonable legal fees and other expenses incurred by the Executive in any such dispute if the Executive prevails as to one or more of the material issues in such dispute.

28. Survival . This Agreement shall survive the expiration of the term hereof and the termination of Executive’s employment under any circumstances to the extent necessary to give effect to its provisions.

29. No Mitigation; No Setoff . In no event shall the Executive be obliged to seek other employment or take any other action by way of mitigation of the amounts payable to the Executive under any of the provisions of this Agreement, nor shall the amount of any payment hereunder be reduced by any compensation earned by the Executive as a result of employment by another employer. The Company’s obligation to pay the Executive the amounts provided and to make the arrangements provided for hereunder shall not be subject to set-off, counterclaim or recoupment of amounts owed by the Executive to the Company or its Affiliates.

[Signature page follows immediately.]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed as a sealed instrument by the Company and Holdings, by their duly authorized representative, and by the Executive, as of the date first above written.

 

JON LUTHER:     DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.
/s/ Jon Luthur     By:   /s/ Kate Lavelle
      Title:  

CFO

    DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
    By:   /s/ Kate Lavelle
      Title:  

CFO

 

Exhibit 10.9

[LETTERHEAD OF DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.]

June 30, 2010

Mr. Jon Luther

410 Old Towne Lane

Juno Beach, FL. 33408

Dear Jon,

You have expressed a desire to transition your service to Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) and its parent, Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Holdings”), to a non-executive role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company and Holdings (the “Board”). Both the Company and Holdings agree that this modification of your services will continue to allow the Company and Holdings to utilize and benefit from your experience and expertise.

You, the Company and Holdings have agreed that following midnight local time on the date hereof, June 30, 2010 (the “Transition Date”), you will continue to serve the Company and Holdings as a director and as (non-executive) Chairman of the Board on the terms set forth herein. The purpose of this letter agreement (the “Agreement”) is to confirm the arrangements between and among you, the Company and Holdings concerning the terms of your continued relationship with the Company and Holdings following the Transition Date, as follows:

1. Transition Period . Until the Transition Date, your service as the Chairman of the Board shall continue to be governed by the terms contained in the Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement made and entered into by you, the Company and Holdings effective as of December 31, 2008, and as further amended as of January 6, 2009, (the “Employment Agreement”). Your right to receive the benefits under this Agreement is expressly conditioned upon your continued compliance with your obligations under the Employment Agreement through the Transition Date; provided, that Section 5(e) of the Employment Agreement shall be of no further force and effect, effective immediately. Immediately following the Transition Date, the Employment Agreement shall be of no further force and effect (except as expressly provided herein) and your continued relationship with the Company shall be governed by the terms of this Agreement.

2. Resignation .

(a) As of the Transition Date, you hereby resign your employment with the Company and Holdings and all other positions, offices and directorships with the Company and Holdings, save only your position as a director and as Chairman of the Board. This resignation is irrevocable, effective immediately. You acknowledge and

 

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agree that you will not be entitled to any severance or termination pay or benefits under Section 5 of the Employment Agreement in respect of or related to such resignation.

(b) On the next regular pay date for executives of the Company following the Transition Date, the Company will pay you: (i) your base salary earned through the Transition Date and (ii) pay, at the rate of your base salary, for the number of days of vacation you have earned but not used as of the Transition Date.

(c) Subject to your compliance with Section 2(e) below, the Company will pay you (i) $250,000 in respect of the fiscal year 2009 incentive bonus and (ii) in a lump sum the gross amount of $1,750,000. Such payments will be made on the 30th day following the Transition Date.

(d) Your existing deferred compensation balance of $754,997.59 will be paid out in accordance with the terms of the existing deferral arrangement upon your separation from service as defined in Section 1.409A-1(h) of the Treasury regulations.

(e) Within 21 days of the Transition Date, you, Holdings and the Company will execute the Release Agreements attached hereto as Exhibit A and B. Your right to receive the compensation and benefits provided under this Agreement (other than those provided under Section 2(b) hereof) are expressly conditioned on your signing and not revoking such Release Agreement prior to the payment date.

3. Continued Service as a Director and as Chairman . During the period commencing on the Transition Date and ending upon the termination of your service pursuant to Section 11 hereof (such period, the “ Term ”), you will serve Holdings and the Company as a director and as (non-executive) Chairman of the Board. During the Term, you will perform those duties and functions customarily performed by a non-executive chairman of a board of directors. In addition, and with no additional compensation, you shall perform services on behalf of Holdings and the Company on projects mutually agreed upon by you and the Board from time to time. Holdings and the Company acknowledge that you will be based out of your home office located in Florida; provided, that you may be required to travel to the Company’s headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts and elsewhere, from time to time, as reasonably required to perform your duties hereunder.

4. Compensation . During the Term, as full compensation for all services performed by you on behalf of Holdings and the Company, the Company will provide you the following compensation:

(a) The Company will pay you an outside director’s fee at the rate of $50,000 per annum for such time as you serve as a director (including as Chairman) (the “Board Fee”). The Board Fee shall be payable quarterly in arrears, with the first payment due on September 30, 2010.

(b) The Company will pay you a per annum chairman fee in the amounts set forth below during your continued service as Chairman (the “Chairman Fee”). The Chairman Fee shall be paid quarterly in arrears, with the first payment due September 30, 2010. The per annum amounts of the Chairman Fee shall be as follows:

 

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  (i) $1,000,000 for the period from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011;

 

  (ii) $500,000 for the period from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012; and

 

  (iii) $250,000 for the period from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013.

(c) You agree to enroll and to cause your wife to enroll in Medicare Part B coverage as soon as practicable after the date hereof. During the Final Term, following such enrollment in Medicare Part B coverage, the Company will reimburse you for the full premium cost of a Medicare supplemental insurance policy for you and your wife through the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Blue Medicare PPO (“Blue Cross Medicare”)(or equivalent coverage through another provider that has a monthly premium cost that is no greater than the Blue Cross Medicare). At the end of the Final Term, to the extent that you seek other Medicare supplemental insurance, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to assist you in ensuring that such transition will not cause a disruption of coverage due to limitations on preexisting conditions, provided that you will be responsible for paying all premiums and for taking all actions reasonably required to obtain or continue such coverage following the end of the Final Term.

(d) During the Final Term, the Company shall reimburse you for the following insurance costs, provided that you have taken all actions reasonably necessary to enroll in the applicable benefit coverage: (1) monthly premium cost of dental insurance, with coverage as comparable as possible to the dental insurance provided during your employment; (2) premium cost of basic term life insurance in the face amount of $520,000 through the Hartford Insurance Company, pursuant to conversion coverage under the Company’s group term life insurance plan; (3) premium cost of Executive Life Insurance through Security Connecticut in the face amount of $1,000,000; (4) $50,000 per year in respect of the annual premium on the policy of whole life insurance heretofore provided to you pursuant to Section 4(e) of the Employment Agreement (the “Whole Life Policy”). Such payments shall be made quarterly in arrears, with the first such payment due on September 30, 2010. The life insurance trust that you have established shall continue to be the owner of the Whole Life Policy.

(e) The Company shall pay or reimburse you for all reasonable business expenses incurred or paid by you in the performance of your duties hereunder during the Term, upon submission of documentation in accordance with the Company’s then regular procedures for substantiation of expenses. Any reimbursement under this Agreement that would constitute nonqualified deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), shall be subject to the following additional rules: (i) no reimbursement of any such expense shall affect your right to reimbursement of any such expense in any other taxable year; (ii) reimbursement of the expense shall be made, if at all, promptly, but not later than the end of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the expense was incurred; and (iii) the right to reimbursement shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for any other benefit.

(f) The Company shall provide you with adequate administrative support consistent with your then-current role as a director and/or as Chairman.

 

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You acknowledge and agree that during the Term you will not be entitled to any increases in the Director’s Fee or the Chairman Fee. The treatment of your equity awards outstanding as of the Transition Date will be as set forth in Section 5 of this Agreement.

5. Stock Options; Restricted Stock; Other Equity .

(a) Except as expressly provided herein, the 8,014,729.90 shares of restricted Class A common stock of Holdings (the “Restricted Shares”) that were granted to you pursuant to that certain Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement effective as of May 26, 2006 (the “Restricted Stock Agreement”) by and among Holdings and you and designated Tranche 1 Shares, Tranche 2 Shares and Tranche 3 Shares shall continue to be governed by the terms of the Restricted Stock Agreement, Holdings’ 2006 Executive Incentive Plan (as it may be amended from time to time, the “Plan”) and the other agreements referenced therein.

 

  (i) Effective as of the Transition Date, you will be fully vested in the Tranche 1 shares under the Restricted Stock Agreement.

 

  (ii) Through the earlier of the end of the Term or December 31, 2010, your continued service hereunder shall be deemed to constitute “employment” for purposes of the Restricted Stock Agreement and you shall continue to vest in your Tranche 2 shares thereunder.

 

  (iii) Through the earlier of the end of the Term or June 30, 2013, your continued service hereunder shall be deemed to constitute “employment” for purposes of the Restricted Stock Agreement; and you shall be eligible to vest in the Tranche 3 shares thereunder (subject to meeting the Investor IRR hurdles set forth in the Restricted Stock Agreement).

(b) You hereby waive your rights to have Holdings purchase all or any portion of your equity interests in Holdings, including your rights under Section 11 of the Employment Agreement (Executive Put Option Upon Termination) with respect to all Vested Shares (as defined in the Employment Agreement). Holdings and the Company each hereby waives its rights to call all or any portion of your equity interests in Holdings, including the rights provided under the Stockholders Agreement among Holdings, Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., the Company and Certain Stockholders of Holdings dated March 1, 2006, as amended from time to time.

6. No Eligibility for Benefits, Plans or Paid Time Off .

(a) You acknowledge and agree that after the Transition Date neither you nor any member of your family nor any other person claiming through you shall be eligible to participate in or receive benefits under any of the employee benefit plans, programs or arrangements maintained by Holdings, the Company or any of their subsidiaries as a result of your service under this Agreement; and that neither you nor any person claiming through you shall be eligible to participate in any bonus, incentive or other compensation plan, program or arrangement of any kind, whether payable in cash or in equity, maintained by Holdings, the Company or any of their subsidiaries, as a result of your performance hereunder (all of the foregoing benefit and compensation plans, programs

 

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and arrangements, hereafter, the “Plans”). You shall not be eligible for paid holidays, vacation or other paid time off during the Term.

(b) You hereby waive irrevocably any and all rights to participate in, or receive benefits under, any of the Plans after the Transition Date, excluding only any rights you or any of your qualified beneficiaries may have to participate at your or their cost in the Company’s group health plan through the federal law commonly known as “COBRA” as a result of your prior employment with the Company. Excluding only claims arising under the Company’s health plans as a result of participation through COBRA, you agree not to make a claim under any of the Plans and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and the Plans and all of those connected with them from any liability of any kind in any way arising out of or connected with any such claim by you or by any dependent or other individual claiming through you.

7. Limitations on Authority . You acknowledge and agree that you shall have no right, power or authority to bind the Company or Holdings to the fulfillment of any condition, contract or obligation or to create any liability binding on the Company or Holdings at any time during the Term or thereafter and you shall make no attempt to do so. The Company and Holdings will not be responsible for any expenses or liabilities incurred by you, other than business expenses subject to reimbursement in accordance with Section 4(e) above.

8. Relationship of the Parties . You, the Company and Holdings acknowledge and agree that you are an independent contractor in the performance of services under this Agreement and that nothing contained in this Agreement is intended to create an employment relationship, partnership or joint venture between the Company or Holdings on the one hand, and you on the other. As an independent contractor, you will work independently and will not receive training or direction from the Company or Holdings.

9. Taxes . As an independent contractor, you shall be solely responsible for unemployment insurance and for the withholding and payment of any and all federal, state, and local income taxes and social security and Medicare taxes and other legally-required payments on any sums received from Holdings or the Company under this Agreement, except with respect to withholding and the employer paid portion of the taxes with respect to those payments set forth in Paragraph 2(c). You have represented to the Company that you are currently a Florida resident. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, Holdings and their respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, successors and assigns, from any and all losses, costs and expenses, including without limitation attorneys’ fees, and any other liabilities incurred by any of the foregoing as a result of your failure to meet your obligations in this Paragraph 9.

10. Insurance . You acknowledge that, other than directors and officers liability insurance, or as expressly provided herein, neither the Company nor Holdings maintains any insurance on your behalf and that it is your sole responsibility to obtain and keep in force such insurance as you determine appropriate. You assume all risk in connection with the adequacy of any and all such insurance which you elect to obtain.

11. Termination . Your service under this Agreement following the Transition Date shall continue until terminated pursuant to this Section 11.

 

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(a) Your service hereunder shall end at the expiration of the Final Term on June 30, 2013.

(b) The Company may terminate your service as either a director or as Chairman or both, for Cause (as defined below) upon notice to you setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of the cause.

(c) The Company may earlier terminate your service as either a director or as Chairman or both, at any time other than for Cause upon notice to you.

(d) You may earlier terminate your service as either a director or as Chairman or both, at any time upon sixty (60) days’ notice to the Company. The Company may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive such notice period or any portion thereof; but in that event, the Company shall pay you your Director’s Fee and Chairman Fee for that portion of the notice period so waived.

(e) Your service hereunder will terminate automatically in the event of your death during the Term.

12. Effect of Termination .

(a) Upon any termination of your service as a director or as Chairman by the Company for Cause, by you for any reason or upon the expiration of the Final Term, you will only be entitled to receive (i) the Director’s Fee and Chairman Fee or both, as appropriate, pro-rated through the effective date of such termination and, if appropriate, (ii) any business expenses reasonably incurred by you but un-reimbursed on the date of termination, provided that such expenses and required substantiation and documentation are submitted within fifteen (15) days following the date of termination (“Final Compensation”). Final Compensation shall be paid to you in accordance with applicable law, plan terms or the Company’s generally-applicable expense reimbursement policy, as applicable.

(b) In the event that during the Final Term (i) the Company terminates your service as a director or as Chairman without Cause or (ii) your service is terminated by death or (iii) you are not re-elected as a director and no circumstances exist that would constitute Cause, then, in addition to Final Compensation to which you are due, the Company will pay you or your estate the balance of the Chairman Fee and/or Board Fee or both, as appropriate, that would otherwise be due if your service had continued for the balance of the Final Term, in a lump sum on the 60th days following the date of termination (the “Severance Benefit”). The Company’s obligation to pay the Severance Benefit is expressly conditioned on your or your representative’s signing and returning to the Company (without revoking) a timely and effective release of claims in the form provided by the Company by the deadline specified therein, which in all events shall be no later than the forty-fifth (45th) calendar day following the date of termination (any such release submitted by such deadline, the “Release of Claims”).

13. Confidential Information .

 

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(a) You acknowledge that the Company and its Affiliates continually develop Confidential Information, that you have developed Confidential Information for the Company and its Affiliates and will continue to do so, and that you have learned of and will continue to learn of Confidential Information during the course of your service hereunder. You will comply with the policies and procedures of the Company and its Affiliates for protecting Confidential Information and will not disclose to any Person or use, other than as required by applicable law or for the proper performance of your duties and responsibilities to the Company and its Affiliates, any Confidential Information obtained by you incident to your prior employment, your service or your association with the Company or any of its Affiliates, provided that you may divulge any Confidential Information that may be required by law and may disclose such information to your personal advisors for purposes of enforcing or interpreting this Agreement. You understand that this restriction shall continue to apply after your service hereunder terminates, regardless of the reason for such termination. The confidentiality obligation under this Section 13 shall not apply to information which is generally known or readily available to the public at the time of disclosure or becomes generally known through no wrongful act on the part of you or any other Person having an obligation of confidentiality to the Company or any of its Affiliates. Following termination of your service hereunder, you will not communicate or divulge any Confidential Information without the Company’s prior written consent or as may otherwise be required by law or legal process.

(b) All documents, records, tapes and other media of every kind and description relating to the business of the Company or its Affiliates and any copies, in whole or in part, thereof (the “Documents”), whether or not prepared by you, shall be the sole and exclusive property of the Company and its Affiliates. You will surrender to the Company at the time your service hereunder terminates all property of the Company, including without limitation all Documents containing Confidential Information then in your possession.

(c) You will not disclose to or use on behalf of the Company any proprietary information of a third party without such party’s consent.

14. Assignment of Rights to Intellectual Property . You hereby assign and agree to assign to the Company (or as otherwise directed by the Company) your full right, title and interest in and to all Intellectual Property developed during the term of your service hereunder. Subject to the foregoing, you agree to execute any and all applications for domestic and foreign patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights and to do such other acts requested by the Company to assign the Intellectual Property so developed to the Company and to permit the Company to enforce any patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights to the Intellectual Property. All copyrightable works that you create will be considered “work made for hire” and will, upon creation, be owned exclusively by the Company.

15. Restricted Activities . You agree that some restrictions on your activities during and after your service hereunder are necessary to protect the good will, Confidential Information and other legitimate interests of the Company and its Affiliates:

 

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(a) While you serve as either a director or as Chairman of the Board, and for two (2) years after the date on which your service in both positions has terminated (the “ Restricted Period ”), without the prior written consent of the Board you will not, directly or indirectly, whether as owner, partner, investor, consultant, agent, employee, co-venturer or otherwise, compete with the Company or any of its Affiliates or undertake any planning for any business competitive with the Company or any of its Affiliates. Specifically, but without limiting the foregoing, without the prior written consent of the Board you agree not to engage in any manner in any activity that is directly or indirectly competitive with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates as conducted during prior to the date hereof and during your employment or during the Term and further agree not to work or provide services, in any capacity, whether as an employee, independent contractor or otherwise, whether with or without compensation, to any Person who is engaged in any business that is competitive with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates for which you have provided services. Restricted activity includes without limitation accepting employment with any Person who is, or at any time within one year prior to termination of your services hereunder has been, a franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates. For the purposes of this Section 15, the business of the Company and its Affiliates shall include all Products and your undertaking shall encompass all items, products and services that may be used in substitution for Products. The foregoing, however, shall not prevent your passive ownership of two percent (2%) or less of the equity securities of any publicly traded company.

(b) You agree that, during the Restricted Period, without the prior written consent of the Board you will not directly or indirectly (a) solicit or encourage any franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them; or (b) seek to persuade any such franchisee or prospective franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to conduct with anyone else any business or activity which such franchisee or prospective franchisee conducts with the Company or any of its Affiliates; provided that these restrictions shall apply (y) only with respect to those Persons who are or have been a franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates at any time within the immediately preceding one year or whose business has been solicited on behalf of the Company or any of the Affiliates by any of their officers, employees or agents (and of which you have actual knowledge) within said one year period, other than by form letter, blanket mailing or published advertisement, and (z) only if you have performed work for such Person during your employment with the Company or one of its Affiliates or been introduced to such Person as a result of your employment or other associations with the Company or one of its Affiliates.

(c) You agree that during the Restricted Period, without the prior written consent of the Board you will not, and will not assist any other Person to, (a) hire or solicit for hiring any employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates as of the date of such solicitation or was employed by the Company or any of its Affiliates during the six (6) months prior to your termination of employment, or seek to persuade any employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to discontinue employment or (b) solicit or encourage any independent contractor providing services to the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them. For the purposes of this Agreement, an “employee” of the Company or any of its Affiliates is any person who was such at any time within the preceding year. For purposes hereof, general solicitations not

 

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directed at a particular person or advertising in media directed at the general public shall not provide the basis for a claim by the Company that you violated this Section.

16. Enforcement of Covenants . You acknowledge that you have carefully read and considered all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the restraints imposed upon you pursuant to Sections 13, 14 and 15 hereof. You agree without reservation that each of the restraints contained herein is necessary for the reasonable and proper protection of the goodwill, Confidential Information and other legitimate interests of the Company and its Affiliates; that each and every one of those restraints is reasonable in respect to subject matter, length of time and geographic area; and that these restraints, individually or in the aggregate, will not prevent you from obtaining other suitable employment during the period in which you are bound by these restraints. You further acknowledge that, were you to breach any of the covenants contained in Sections 13, 14 or 15 hereof, the damage to the Company would be irreparable. You therefore agree that the Company, in addition to any other remedies available to it, will be entitled to preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against any breach or threatened breach by you of any of said covenants, without having to post bond, as well as to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in connection with such breach. The parties further agree that, in the event that any provision of Section 13, 14 or 15 hereof shall be determined by any court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable by reason of its being extended over too great a time, too large a geographic area or too great a range of activities, such provision shall be deemed to be modified to permit its enforcement to the maximum extent permitted by law.

17. Definitions . Words or phrases which are initially capitalized or are within quotation marks shall have the meanings provided in this Section and as provided elsewhere herein. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions apply:

(a) “ Affiliates ” means all persons and entities directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Company, where control may be by either management authority, contract or equity interest.

(b) “ Cause ” means: (i) your conviction of or pleading nolo contendere to a crime of moral turpitude, breach of trust or unethical business conduct, or any crime involving the Company or its Affiliates, in each case that constitutes a felony; (ii) your continuing willful and material breach of any of Sections 13, 14 or 15 of this Agreement; (iv) your engagement in willful gross misconduct, fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement which has caused material and demonstrable harm to the Company or its Affiliates. Within thirty (30) days of the notice of the Company of Cause and prior to any such termination, you shall be given an opportunity to make a presentation to the Board (accompanied by counsel or other representative if so desired) at a meeting of the Board. Following such meeting the Board shall determine whether to terminate your services and shall notify you of its determination. For purposes of this definition, no act or failure to act on your part shall be considered “willful” unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by you in bad faith or without reasonable belief that your action or omission is in the bests interests of the Company. Any act or failure to act that is based upon authority given by a resolution duly adopted by the Board or based upon the advice of counsel for the Company, shall be conclusively presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by you in good faith and in the best interests of the Company.

 

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(c) “ Confidential Information ” means any and all information of the Company and its Affiliates that is not generally known by others with whom they compete or do business, and any and all information, publicly known in whole or in part or not, which, if disclosed by the Company or its Affiliates would assist in competition against them. Confidential Information includes without limitation such information relating to (i) the development, research, testing, manufacturing, marketing and financial activities of the Company and its Affiliates, (ii) the Products, (iii) the costs, sources of supply, financial performance and strategic plans of the Company and its Affiliates, and (iv) the identity and special needs of the customers or franchisees of the Company and its Affiliates. Confidential Information also includes any information that the Company or any of its Affiliates have received, or may receive hereafter, belonging to franchisees or others with any understanding, express or implied, that the information would not be disclosed.

(d) “Final Term” means the period of time from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2013.

(e) “ Intellectual Property ” means inventions, discoveries, developments, methods, processes, compositions, works, concepts and ideas that are patentable or copyrightable or constitute trade secrets conceived, made, created or developed by you (whether alone or with others, whether or not during normal business hours or on or off Company premises) during your service that relate to either the Products or any prospective activity of the Company or any of its Affiliates or that make use of Confidential Information or any of the equipment or facilities of the Company or any of its Affiliates.

(f) “ Person ” means an individual, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a partnership, an estate, a trust and any other entity or organization, other than the Company or any of its Affiliates.

(g) “ Products ” mean all products researched, developed, manufactured, sold, licensed, leased or otherwise distributed or put into use by the Company or any of its Affiliates, together with all services provided by the Company or any of its Affiliates, during your service.

18. Miscellaneous .

(a) Amendments and Waivers . Any term of this Agreement may be amended or waived only with the written consent of the parties.

(b) Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all prior communications, agreements and understandings, written or oral, with respect to your employment, its termination and all related matters, specifically including the Employment Agreement, and excepting only your rights and obligations with respect to the securities of Holdings; all of which shall remain in full force and effect according to their terms.

(c) Notices . Any and all notices, requests, demands and other communications provided for by this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be effective

 

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when delivered in person, consigned to a reputable national courier service or deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, registered or certified, and addressed to you at your last known address on the books of the Company or, in the case of the Company, at its principal place of business, attention of the General Counsel, or to such other address as either party may specify by notice to the other actually received.

(d) Governing Law . This is a Massachusetts contract and shall be construed and enforced under and be governed in all respects by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof. The Company, Holdings and you each irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any suit, action or proceeding commenced by either party against the other will be brought in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, (ii) consents to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court in any such suit, action or proceeding, and (iii) waives any objection which either party may have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding in any such court. The Company, Holdings and you each also irrevocably and unconditionally consents to the service of any process, pleadings, notices or other papers in a manner permitted by the notice provisions of subsection (d) above.

(e) Severability . If any portion or provision of this Agreement shall to any extent be declared illegal or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then the remainder of this Agreement, or the application of such portion or provision in circumstances other than those as to which it is so declared illegal or unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby, and each portion and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

(f) Section 409A . Each payment made under this Agreement shall be treated as a separate payment and the right to a series of installment payments under this Agreement is to be treated as a right to a series of separate payments. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, if at the time of your separation from service , you are a “specified employee,” as defined below, any and all amounts payable under Section 7 on account of such separation from service that would (but for this provision) be payable within six (6) months following the date of termination, will instead be paid on the next business day following the expiration of such six (6) month period or, if earlier, upon your death; except (A) to the extent of amounts that do not constitute a deferral of compensation within the meaning of Treasury regulation Section 1.409A-1(b) (including without limitation by reason of the safe harbor set forth in Section 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii), as determined by the Company in its reasonable good faith discretion); or (B) other amounts or benefits that are not subject to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to “termination of employment” and correlative phrases shall be construed to require a “separation from service” (as defined in Section 1.409A-1(h) of the Treasury regulations after giving effect to the presumptions contained therein), and the term “specified employee” means an individual determined by the Company to be a specified employee under Treasury regulation Section 1.409A-1(i).

(g) Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument.

 

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(h) Assignment . Neither you nor the Company nor Holdings may make any assignment of this Agreement or any interest in it, by operation of law or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the other; provided, however, the Company or Holdings may assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to one of its Affiliates or to any Person with whom the Company or Holdings shall hereafter effect a reorganization, consolidate with, or merge into or to whom it transfers all or substantially all of its properties or assets. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon you, Holdings and the Company, and each of our respective successors, executors, administrators, heirs and permitted assigns.

(i) Indemnification . The Company shall indemnify and hold you harmless, to the full extent permitted by applicable law, for, from and against any and all losses, claims, costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or actions, in each case resulting from third party claims relating to or arising out of your service to the Company prior to or after this Agreement, other than third party claims relating to or arising out of your willful misconduct or gross negligence, and shall pay and advance all reasonable costs, expenses and attorneys’ fees incurred by you in connection with or relating to the defense of any such loss, claim, cost, expense, damage, liability or action. The Company shall cause any director liability insurance applicable to you to remain in effect for six (6) years following your termination of service for any reason.

(j) Dispute Resolution . In the event of any dispute regarding this Agreement or your service to the Company, the Company agrees to reimburse all reasonable legal fees and other expenses incurred by you in any such dispute if you prevail as to one or more of the material issues in such dispute.

(k) Survival . This Agreement shall survive the expiration of the term hereof and the termination of your service hereunder under any circumstances to the extent necessary to give effect to its provisions.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank.]

 

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If the terms of this Agreement are acceptable to you, please sign, date and return it to me. When you sign it, this letter will take effect as a legally-binding agreement under seal between and among you, the Company and Holdings on the basis set forth above. The enclosed copy of this letter, which you should also sign and date, is for your records.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.     DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
By:   /s/ Richard Emmett     By:   /s/ Richard Emmett
Title:   SR.V.P. & G.C.     Title:   SR.V.P. & G.C.
Accepted and Agreed:      
/s/ Jon Luther       6/30/10
Jon Luther       Date


EXHIBIT A

RELEASE AGREEMENT OF MR. LUTHER

FOR AND IN CONSIDERATION OF the compensation and benefits to be provided to me pursuant to the letter agreement to which this Release of Claims is attached (the “Transition Agreement”), which are conditioned on my signing this Release of Claims and to which I am not otherwise entitled and other good and valuable consideration the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, I, on my own behalf and on behalf of my heirs, executors, administrators, beneficiaries, representatives and assigns, and all others connected with or claiming through me, hereby release and forever discharge Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) and its parent, Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Holdings”) (collectively, the “ Releasees ”), their subsidiaries and other affiliates and all of their respective past, present and future officers, directors, trustees, shareholders, employees, agents, employee benefit plans, general and limited partners, members, managers, joint venturers, representatives, successors and assigns, and all others connected with any of them, both individually and in their official capacities, from any and all causes of action, rights or claims of any type or description, known or unknown, which I have had in the past, now have, or might now have, through the date of my signing of this Release Agreement, pursuant to any federal, state or local law, regulation or other requirement (including without limitation Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the fair employment practices laws of the state or states in which I was previously employed by any of the Releasees or otherwise had a relationship with any of them or any of their subsidiaries or other affiliates, each as amended from time to time).

Excluded from the scope of this Release of Claims is (i) any claim arising after the effective date of this Release Agreement and (ii) any right of indemnification or contribution that I have pursuant to the Articles of Incorporation or By-Laws of the Company, or Holdings or any of their subsidiaries or other affiliates.

I acknowledge and agree that the payments provided under Section 2 of the Transition Agreement are in complete satisfaction of any and all compensation due to me from the Releasees, whether for services provided to the Releasees or otherwise, through the Transition Date and that, except as expressly provided in the Agreement, no further compensation is owed to me pursuant to the Employment Agreement or otherwise. Capitalized terms not defined in this Release Agreement are defined in the Transition Agreement.

In signing this Release of Claims, I acknowledge my understanding that I may consider the terms of this Release Agreement for up to 21 days from the date I receive it and that I may not sign this Release Agreement until after the Transition Date. I also acknowledge that I am advised by the Releases to seek the advice of an attorney prior to signing this Release Agreement; that I have had sufficient time to consider this Release Agreement and to consult with an attorney, if I


wished to do so, or to consult with any other person of my choosing before signing; and that I am signing this Release Agreement voluntarily and with a full understanding of its terms.

I further acknowledge that, in signing this Release Agreement, I have not relied on any promises or representations, express or implied, that are not set forth expressly in the Agreement. I understand that I may revoke this Release Agreement at any time within seven (7) days of the date of my signing by written notice to the Company’s General Counsel and that this Release Agreement will take effect only upon the expiration of such seven-day revocation period and only if I have not timely revoked it.

Intending to be legally bound, I have signed this Release Agreement under seal as of the date written below.

 

Signature:   /s/ Jon L. Luther
Name (please print):   Jon L. Luther
Date Signed:   7/7/10


EXHIBIT B

RELEASE AGREEMENT OF THE COMPANY AND HOLDINGS

FOR AND IN CONSIDERATION OF the mutual promises and covenants contained in the letter agreement to which this Release Agreement of the Company and Holdings is attached and other good and valuable consideration the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) and its parent, Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Holdings”) each, on behalf of itself, its subsidiaries and other affiliates and its assigns, hereby releases and forever discharges Jon Luther and his heirs, executors, administrators, beneficiaries, representatives and assigns, and all others connected with any of them, both individually and in their official capacities, from any and all causes of action, rights or claims of any type or description, known or unknown, which either the Company or Holdings has had in the past, now has, or might now have, through the date of the signing of this Release of Claims, connected with or arising out of Mr. Luther’s employment or other relationship with the Company and/or Holdings or pursuant to any federal, state or local laws, regulations or other requirements.

Excluded from the scope of this Release Agreement of the Company and Holdings are any causes of action, rights and claims arising after its effective date. Also excluded are any causes of action, rights and claims arising from any fraudulent or criminal conduct by Mr. Luther.

Intending to be legally bound, the Company and Holdings have signed this document under seal as of the date written below.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.     DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
By:         By:    
Title:         Title:    

Exhibit 10.10

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

THIS FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the “ Agreement ”) is made and entered into by and between Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business at Canton, Massachusetts (the “ Company ”), Dunkin Brands’ Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Holdings ”), and Nigel Travis (the “ Executive ”), effective as of May 3, 2011 (the “ Extension Date ”).

WHEREAS, the operations of the Company and its Affiliates are a complex matter requiring direction and leadership in a variety of areas, including financial, strategic planning, regulatory, community relations and others;

WHEREAS, the Executive is possessed of certain experience and expertise that qualify him to provide the direction and leadership required by the Company and its Affiliates;

WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, the Company and Holdings wish to continue employing the Executive as their Chief Executive Officer and the Executive wishes to continue serving in such employment;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing premises and the mutual promises, terms, provisions and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the parties hereby agree:

1. Employment . Effective as of the date first written above and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Company and Holdings hereby offer, and the Executive hereby accepts, continuing employment.

2. Term . Subject to earlier termination as hereinafter provided, the Executive’s employment commenced on or about January 6, 2009 (the “ Start Date ”), has continued through the Extension Date, and shall continue for a term of five (5) years from the Extension Date. The term of this Agreement is hereinafter referred to as “the term of this Agreement” or “the term hereof.” The parties agree that they will meet to discuss the possibility of an extension to the term of this Agreement within six months following the fourth anniversary of the Extension Date, it being understood that any such extension must be mutually agreed to in writing by the Executive, and the Company and Holdings.

3. Capacity and Performance .

(a) During the term hereof, the Executive shall serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Holdings, reporting to the Boards of Directors of Holdings and the Company (the “ Board ”) and the Chairman thereof. At all times during the term hereof, the Executive shall be a member of the Executive Committee of the Board. In addition, and without further compensation, the Executive shall serve as a director and/or officer of one or more of the Company’s Affiliates, if so elected or appointed from time to time.


(b) During the term hereof, the Executive shall be employed by the Company on a full-time basis and shall perform the duties consistent with his position for the Company, for Holdings, and for their Affiliates.

(c) During the term hereof, the Executive shall devote substantially all of his business time and efforts, business judgment, skill and knowledge to the performance of his duties hereunder; provided, however, that the Executive may devote reasonable amounts of time to serving (i) as a director or a member of any industry, trade, professional, governmental, religious, educational or charitable organization; (ii) in any academic position; (iii) in such activities and positions as set out on Exhibit A ; or (iv) in such activities and positions as may be expressly approved by the Board; so long as, in each case, the services do not interfere with the performance of the Executive’s services hereunder.

4. Compensation and Benefits . As compensation for all services performed by the Executive during the term hereof, the Executive shall receive the following:

(a) Base Salary . Following the Extension Date and during the term hereof, the Company shall pay the Executive a base salary at the rate of Eight Hundred and Sixty-one Thousand Dollars ($861,000) per annum, payable in accordance with the Company’s payroll practices for its executives and subject to increase (but not to decrease) from time to time by the Board, in its sole discretion. Such base salary, as from time to time increased, is hereinafter referred to as the “ Base Salary ”.

(b) Incentive and Bonus Compensation . During the term hereof, the Executive shall be entitled to receive a bonus based on the achievement of a target set by the Board and based on the Company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“ EBITDA ”) for such year, as determined by the Company’s independent accountants. If targeted EBITDA is achieved, the Executive will receive a bonus of One Hundred Percent (100%) of Base Salary. If the targeted EBITDA is exceeded by 5%, but less than 10%, the Executive will receive a bonus of One Hundred Twenty-Five Percent (125%) of Base Salary. If the targeted EBITDA is exceeded by 10% or more, the Executive will receive a bonus of One Hundred Fifty Percent (150%) of Base Salary. If the targeted EBITDA is not achieved but is greater than 95% of the target number, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors shall determine what bonus, if any, the Executive shall receive, said determination to be made in its sole discretion and in accordance with past practice. For purposes of this section, the fiscal year shall mean the current fiscal year, even if the Company changes its fiscal year during the term hereof. Any bonus due hereunder shall be payable not later than two and one half months following the end of the fiscal year for which the bonus was earned.

(c) Business Expenses . The Company shall pay or reimburse the Executive for all reasonable business expenses incurred or paid by the Executive in the performance of his duties hereunder, upon submission of documentation in accordance with the Company’s then regular procedures for substantiation of expenses.


(d) Vacations . During the term hereof, the Executive shall be entitled to four (4) weeks vacation per year, in addition to standard Company holidays, said vacation to be taken at such times and intervals as shall be determined by the Executive.

(e) Other Benefits . During the term hereof, the Executive shall be entitled to participate in any and all Employee Benefit Plans from time to time in effect for employees of the Company generally, and in all fringe benefits and perquisite programs or arrangements generally available to senior executives of the Company but without duplication of any benefit or class of benefits provided for separately under this Agreement ( e.g., car allowance, expense reimbursement, etc.). Such participation shall be subject to the terms of the applicable plan documents and generally applicable Company policies. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, the Company may alter, modify, add to, suspend or terminate its Employee Benefit Plans at any time as it, in its sole judgment, determines to be appropriate, without recourse by the Executive. For purposes of this Agreement, “ Employee Benefit Plan ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(3) of ERISA, as amended from time to time.

(f) Any reimbursements or in-kind benefits provided under (c) or (e) of this Section 4, or otherwise provided under this Agreement that would constitute nonqualified deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and guidance issued thereunder, including exemptive and transition relief provisions (“ Section 409A ”) shall be subject to the following additional rules: (i) no reimbursement of any such expense shall affect the Executive’s right to reimbursement of any other such expense in any other taxable year; (ii) reimbursement of the expense shall be made not later than the end of the Executive’s taxable year following the taxable year in which the expense was incurred; and (iii) the right to reimbursement shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for any other benefit.

5. Termination of Employment and Severance Benefits . Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2 hereof, the Executive’s employment hereunder shall terminate prior to the expiration of the term hereof under the following circumstances:

(a) Death . Upon the Executive’s death during the term hereof, the Executive’s employment hereunder shall immediately and automatically terminate and, within thirty (30) days of the date of death, the Company shall pay to the Executive’s designated beneficiary or, if no beneficiary has been designated by the Executive in writing, to his estate, a lump sum cash payment of (i) any Base Salary earned but not paid during the final payroll period of the Executive’s employment through the date of termination, (ii) any vacation accrued but not used through the date of termination, and (iii) any bonus earned for the fiscal year preceding that in which termination occurs, but unpaid on the date of termination (all of the foregoing, “ Final Compensation ”). The Company will have no further obligations to the Executive or his estate or designated beneficiary hereunder, except as otherwise expressly provided under the terms of the Plan.


(b) Disability .

(i) The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder, upon at least ten (10) days’ prior notice to the Executive, in the event that the Executive becomes disabled during his employment hereunder through any illness, injury, accident or condition of either a physical or psychological nature and, as a result, is unable to perform substantially all of his duties and responsibilities hereunder, notwithstanding the provision of any reasonable accommodation, for more than ninety (90) consecutive days during any period of three hundred and sixty-five (365) consecutive calendar days. In the event of such termination, the Company shall provide the Executive with a lump sum cash payment of Final Compensation upon such termination.

(ii) The Board may designate another employee to act in the Executive’s place during any period of the Executive’s disability. Notwithstanding any such designation, the Executive shall continue to receive the Base Salary in accordance with Section 4(a) and benefits in accordance with Section 4(e), to the extent permitted by the then-current terms of the applicable benefit plans, until the Executive becomes eligible for disability income benefits under the Company’s disability income plan or until the termination of his employment, whichever shall first occur.

(iii) Any payments made to the Executive under the Company’s long-term disability income plan shall reduce the Base Salary otherwise payable for the period covered by such disability payment, provided that the Executive shall continue to participate in all Employee Benefit Plans until the termination of his employment.

(iv) If any question shall arise as to whether during any period the Executive is disabled the Executive may, and at the request of the Company shall, submit to a medical examination by a physician mutually selected by the Board and the Executive, and a written determination by such physician shall for the purposes of this Agreement be conclusive of the issue. If the Board and the Executive cannot agree on a physician, the Board may select a physician who is a physician on staff at a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. If such question shall arise and the Executive shall fail to submit to such medical examination, the Company’s determination of the issue shall be binding on the Executive.

(c) By the Company for Cause . The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause at any time upon notice to the Executive setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Cause. The following, as determined by the Board in its reasonable judgment, shall constitute “ Cause ” for termination:

(i) The Executive’s conviction of (or pleading nolo contendere to) a crime of moral turpitude, breach of trust or unethical business conduct, or any crime involving the Company, in each case that constitutes a felony;


(ii) The Executive’s willful and continued failure to adhere to the directions of the Board, to adhere to the Company’s policies and practices, or to devote substantially all of his business time and efforts to the Company;

(iii) The Executive’s willful and continued failure to substantially perform those duties properly assigned to him (other than any such failure resulting from his disability);

(iv) The Executive’s breach of any of Sections 6, 7 or 8 of this Agreement;

(v) The Executive’s breach in any material respect of the terms and provisions of this Agreement and failure to cure such breach within ten (10) days following written notice from the Company specifying such breach;

(vi) The Executive’s engagement in the performance of his duties hereunder, or otherwise, to the material and demonstrable detriment of the Company, in willful misconduct, fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement, or in any willful act which is intended to bring the Company into disrepute;

(vii) The Executive becomes disqualified from holding any office in the Company or in any of its Affiliates (except where such disqualification is a result of actions of the Company or any of its Affiliates or is a result of actions over which he has no control), or resigns from such office (other than for Good Reason) without the prior written approval of the Board.

Upon the giving of notice of termination of the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause, the Company shall have no further obligation to the Executive, other than to pay Final Compensation immediately upon such termination.

For purposes of this provision, no act or failure to act, on the part of the Executive, shall be considered “willful” unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in bad faith or without reasonable belief that his action or omission is in the best interests of the Company. Any act or failure to act that is based upon authority given by a resolution duly adopted by the Board or based upon the advice of counsel for the Company, shall be conclusively presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in good faith and in the best interests of the Company.

(d) By the Company for Performance-Based Cause . The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder for Performance-Based Cause at any time upon notice to the Executive setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Performance-Based Cause. The following, as determined by the Board in its reasonable judgment, shall constitute “ Performance-Based Cause ” for termination: the Executive’s failure to perform his duties to the reasonable standards required by the Board, which standards shall be communicated to the Executive on a periodic basis, after written notice and an opportunity of thirty (30) days to cure. In the event of such termination, in addition to Final Compensation, which shall be payable immediately upon termination, the Company shall make a lump sum cash payment to the


Executive equal to one (1) times the Executive’s annual Base Salary as of the date of termination, payable sixty (60) days following such termination. To avoid the unintended payment of multiple forms of severance compensation, any benefits payable hereunder will be reduced by any benefits payable to the Executive under any separate severance agreement as a result of the Executive’s termination. The obligation of the Company to make any payments under this Section 5(d), excluding the payment of Final Compensation, shall be conditioned upon and subject to the Executive’s entering into a separation agreement with the Company that has been in effect for at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of such payment.

(e) By the Company Other than for Cause or Performance-Based Cause . The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder other than for Cause or Performance-Based Cause at any time upon notice to the Executive. In the event of such termination, then, in addition to Final Compensation, which shall be payable immediately upon termination, the Company shall make a lump sum payment to the Executive, payable ninety (90) days following such termination, equal to (i) two (2) times the average annual base salary paid to Executive during the two years preceding the date of such termination plus (ii) if, and only if, such termination occurs prior to the third anniversary of the Start Date, two (2) times the average regular performance-based cash bonus ( i . e ., including only bonus payment amounts under Section 4(b); and specifically excluding any stay pay, retention, transaction or other special bonuses) paid or payable to the Executive during the two years preceding the date of such termination. In addition:

(i) for the eighteen-month period immediately following the date of termination, the Company shall continue to contribute to the premium cost of the Executive’s participation in the Company’s group medical and dental plans at the same rate that it contributes for active employees from time to time, so long as the Executive is entitled to continue such participation under applicable law and plan terms; provided, however, that any reimbursements or in-kind benefits provided under this Section 5(e)(i) that would constitute nonqualified deferred compensation subject to Section 409A shall be subject to the rules described in Section 4(f) above; and

(ii) the Company shall pay the Executive a lump sum between January 1 and March 15 of the year following the year of the termination equal to a pro rata share of any bonus due under Section 4(b) for the fiscal year in which the termination occurs (determined by pro-rating the bonus for the fiscal year in which termination occurs through the date of termination).

Upon the payment of such benefits, the Company shall have no further obligation to the Executive. Any benefits payable hereunder will be reduced by any benefits payable to the Executive under any separate severance agreement as a result of the Executive’s termination. The obligation of the Company to make any payments under this Section 5(e), excluding the payment of Final Compensation, shall be conditioned upon and subject to the Executive’s entering into a separation agreement with the Company in the form provided by the Company that has been in effect for at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of such payment.


(f) By the Executive’s Resignation for Good Reason . The Executive may terminate his employment hereunder for Good Reason, upon notice to the Company setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Good Reason. The following shall constitute Good Reason for termination by the Executive:

(i) Material diminution in the nature or scope of the Executive’s responsibilities, duties, authority or status; provided, however, that each of (A) the Company’s failure to continue the Executive’s appointment or election as a director or officer of any of its Affiliates, (B) a change in reporting relationships resulting from the direct or indirect control of the Company (or a successor corporation) by another corporation, (C) any diminution of the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates and (D) any sale or transfer of equity, property or other assets of the Company or any of its Affiliates (including any such sale or transfer or any other transaction or series of such transactions that results in a change of control of the Company or Holdings) shall be deemed not to constitute “Good Reason”;

(ii) Relocation of the Executive’s place of employment, without the Executive’s consent, to a location that is more than fifty (50) miles from Canton, Massachusetts; or

(iii) The Company fails to perform substantially any material term of this Agreement, excluding a failure which is cured within ten (10) business days following notice from the Executive specifying in detail the nature of such failure.

A termination shall qualify as a termination for Good Reason only if (1) the Executive gives the Company notice, within ninety (90) days of its first existence or occurrence (without the consent of the Executive), of any or any combination of the eligibility conditions specified above; (2) the Company fails to cure the eligibility condition(s) within thirty (30) days of receiving such notice; and (3) the Executive terminates employment not later than six months following the end of such thirty-day period. In the event of termination in accordance with this Section 5(f), and in addition to Final Compensation, which shall be paid not later than the next regular Company payday following the effective date of termination, the Executive will be entitled to the same payments that he would have been entitled to receive had the Executive been terminated by the Company other than for Cause or Performance-Based Cause in accordance with Section 5(e) above, payable as provided in Section 5(e); provided that the Executive satisfies all conditions to such entitlement as set forth in Section 5(e) including the execution of the separation agreement described therein. A termination of employment for Good Reason under this Section 5(f) is intended to satisfy the meaning of “involuntary separation from service” (as defined in Section 1.409A-1(n) of the Treasury Regulations).

(g) By the Executive Other than for Good Reason . The Executive may terminate his employment hereunder at any time upon sixty (60) days’ notice to the Company. In the event of termination of the Executive pursuant to this Section 5(g), the Board may elect to waive the period of notice, or any portion thereof. The Company shall have no further obligation to the Executive, other than for any Final Compensation, which shall be paid not later than the next regular Company payday following the effective date of termination.


(h) Expense Reimbursement . Following the termination of the Executive’s employment for any reason, the Company will reimburse the Executive or his estate or designated beneficiary for any business expenses reasonably incurred by the Executive and reimbursable under Section 4(c) hereof but un-reimbursed on the date of termination, provided that such expenses and required substantiation and documentation are submitted within sixty (60) days following the date the Executive’s employment terminates. Any such reimbursement shall be payable not later than thirty (30) days following receipt by the Company of such properly substantiated and documented request for reimbursement.

(i) Timing of Payments . In the event that at the time the Executive’s employment with the Company terminates the Company is publicly traded (as defined in Section 409A), any amounts payable under this Section 5 that constitute deferred compensation subject to Section 409A, as determined by the Company, shall be paid at the later of: (i) the time otherwise provided in this Section 5, and (ii) a date that is six (6) months following the date of the Executive’s separation from service with the Company.

6. Confidential Information .

(a) The Executive acknowledges that the Company and its Affiliates continually develop Confidential Information, that the Executive may develop Confidential Information for the Company or its Affiliates and that the Executive may learn of Confidential Information during the course of employment. The Executive will comply with the policies and procedures of the Company and its Affiliates for protecting Confidential Information and shall not disclose to any Person or use, other than as required by applicable law or for the proper performance of his duties and responsibilities to the Company and its Affiliates, any Confidential Information obtained by the Executive incident to his employment or other association with the Company or any of its Affiliates; provided that the Executive may divulge any Confidential Information that may be required by law and may disclose such information to his personal advisors for purposes of enforcing or interpreting this Agreement. The Executive understands that this restriction shall continue to apply after his employment terminates, regardless of the reason for such termination. The confidentiality obligation under this Section 6 shall not apply to information which is generally known or readily available to the public at the time of disclosure or becomes generally known through no wrongful act on the part of the Executive or any other Person having an obligation of confidentiality to the Company or any of its Affiliates. Following termination of employment, the Executive shall not communicate or divulge any Confidential Information without the Company’s prior written consent or as may otherwise be required by law or legal process.

(b) All documents, records, tapes and other media of every kind and description relating to the business of the Company or its Affiliates and any copies, in whole or in part, thereof (the “ Documents ”), whether or not prepared by the Executive, shall be the sole and exclusive property of the Company and its Affiliates. The Executive shall surrender to the Company at the time his employment terminates all Documents containing Confidential Information then in the Executive’s possession, such as strategic business plans and other material Documents.


(c) The Executive will not disclose to or use on behalf of the Company any proprietary information of a third party without such party’s consent.

7. Assignment of Rights to Intellectual Property . The Executive shall promptly and fully disclose all Intellectual Property to the Company. The Executive hereby assigns and agrees to assign to the Company (or as otherwise directed by the Company) the Executive’s full right, title and interest in and to all Intellectual Property developed during the term of his employment with the Company. Subject to the foregoing, the Executive agrees to execute any and all applications for domestic and foreign patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights and to do such other acts requested by the Company to assign the Intellectual Property so developed to the Company and to permit the Company to enforce any patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights to the Intellectual Property. All copyrightable works that the Executive creates shall be considered “work made for hire” and shall, upon creation, be owned exclusively by the Company.

8. Restricted Activities . The Executive agrees that some restrictions on his activities during and after his employment are necessary to protect the goodwill, Confidential Information and other legitimate interests of the Company and its Affiliates:

(a) While the Executive is employed by the Company and for two (2) years after his employment terminates, and regardless of the reason therefor, the Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, whether as owner, partner, investor, consultant, agent, employee, co-venturer or otherwise, compete with the Company or any of its Affiliates or undertake any planning for any business competitive with the Company or any of its Affiliates. Specifically, the Executive agrees not to engage in any manner in any activity that is directly or indirectly competitive with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates as conducted during the Executive’s employment, and further agrees not to work or provide services, in any capacity, whether as an employee, independent contractor or otherwise, whether with or without compensation, to any Person who is engaged in any business that is competitive with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates for which the Executive has provided services during his employment. Restricted activity includes without limitation accepting employment with any Person who is, or at any time within one year prior to termination of the Executive’s employment has been, a franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates. For purposes of this Section 8, the business of the Company and its Affiliates shall include all Products as hereinafter defined. The foregoing, however, shall not prevent the Executive’s passive ownership of two percent (2%) or less of the equity securities of any publicly traded company.

(b) The Executive agrees that, during his employment and during the two (2) year period immediately following termination of his employment, and regardless of the reason therefor, the Executive will not directly or indirectly (a) solicit or encourage any franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them; or (b) seek to persuade any such franchisee or prospective franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to conduct with anyone else any business or activity which such franchisee or prospective franchisee conducts with the Company or any of its Affiliates; provided that these restrictions shall apply (y) only with respect to those Persons who are or have been a franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates at any time within the immediately preceding one year or


whose business has been solicited on behalf of the Company or any of the Affiliates by any of their officers, employees or agents (and of which the Executive has actual knowledge) within said one year period, other than by form letter, blanket mailing or published advertisement, and (z) only if the Executive has performed work for such Person during his employment with the Company or one of its Affiliates or been introduced to such Person as a result of his employment or other associations with the Company or one of its Affiliates.

(c) The Executive agrees that, during his employment and for the two (2) year period immediately following termination of his employment, and regardless of the reason therefor, the Executive will not, and will not assist any other Person to, (a) hire or solicit for hiring any employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates as of the date of such solicitation or any employee who was employed by the Company or any of its Affiliates during the six (6) months prior to the Executive’s termination of employment, or seek to persuade any employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to discontinue employment or (b) solicit or encourage any independent contractor providing services to the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them. For the purposes of this Agreement, an “employee” or “independent contractor” of the Company or any of its Affiliates is any person who was such at any time within the preceding year. For purposes hereof, general solicitations not directed at a particular person or advertising in media directed at the general public shall not provide the basis for a claim by the Company that the Executive violated this Section.

9. Enforcement of Covenants . The Executive acknowledges that he has carefully read and considered all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the restraints imposed upon him pursuant to Sections 6, 7 and 8 hereof. The Executive agrees without reservation that each of the restraints contained herein is necessary for the reasonable and proper protection of the goodwill, Confidential Information and other legitimate interests of the Company and its Affiliates; that each and every one of those restraints is reasonable in respect to subject matter, length of time and geographic area; and that these restraints, individually or in the aggregate, will not prevent him from obtaining other suitable employment during the period in which the Executive is bound by these restraints. The Executive further acknowledges that, were he to breach any of the covenants contained in Sections 6, 7 or 8 hereof, the damage to the Company would be irreparable. The Executive therefore agrees that the Company, in addition to any other remedies available to it, shall be entitled to preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against any breach or threatened breach by the Executive of any of said covenants, without having to post bond, as well as to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in connection with such breach. The parties further agree that, in the event that any provision of Section 6, 7 or 8 hereof shall be determined by any court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable by reason of its being extended over too great a time, too large a geographic area or too great a range of activities, such provision shall be deemed to be modified to permit its enforcement to the maximum extent permitted by law.

10. Definitions . Words or phrases which are initially capitalized or are within quotation marks shall have the meanings provided in this Section and as provided elsewhere herein. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions apply:


(a) “ Affiliates ” means all persons and entities directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Company, where control may be by either management authority, contract or equity interest.

(b) “ Confidential Information ” means any and all information of the Company and its Affiliates that is not generally known by others with whom they compete or do business, and any and all information, publicly known in whole or in part or not, which, if disclosed by the Company or its Affiliates would assist in competition against them. Confidential Information includes without limitation such information relating to (i) the development, research, testing, manufacturing, marketing and financial activities of the Company and its Affiliates, (ii) the Products, (iii) the costs, sources of supply, financial performance and strategic plans of the Company and its Affiliates, and (iv) the identity and special needs of the customers or franchisees of the Company and its Affiliates. Confidential Information also includes any information that the Company or any of its Affiliates have received, or may receive hereafter, belonging to franchisees or others with any understanding, express or implied, that the information would not be disclosed.

(c) “ Intellectual Property ” means inventions, discoveries, developments, methods, processes, compositions, works, concepts and ideas that are patentable or copyrightable or constitute trade secrets conceived, made, created or developed by the Executive (whether alone or with others, whether or not during normal business hours or on or off Company premises) during the Executive’s employment that relate to either the Products or any prospective activity of the Company or any of its Affiliates or that make use of Confidential Information or any of the equipment or facilities of the Company or any of its Affiliates.

(d) “ Person ” means an individual, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a partnership, an estate, a trust and any other entity or organization, other than the Company or any of its Affiliates.

(e) “ Products ” mean all products researched, developed, manufactured, sold, licensed, leased or otherwise distributed or put into use by the Company or any of its Affiliates, to the extent such products pertain to breakfast foods, coffees and related beverages, and/or ice cream, or to other food product lines the Company may adopt (through business acquisition or otherwise) subsequent to the execution of this Agreement, together with all services provided by the Company or any of its Affiliates, during the Executive’s employment.

11. Withholding . All payments made by the Company under this Agreement shall be reduced by any tax or other amounts required to be withheld by the Company under applicable law.

12. Assignment . Neither the Company nor the Executive may make any assignment of this Agreement or any interest herein, by operation of law or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the other; provided, however, that the Company may assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement without the consent of the Executive in the event that the Executive is transferred to a position with any of the Affiliates or in the event that the Company shall hereafter affect a reorganization, consolidate with, or merge into, any Person or transfer all or substantially all of its properties or assets to any Person. This Agreement shall inure to the


benefit of and be binding upon the Company and the Executive, their respective successors, executors, administrators, heirs and permitted assigns.

13. Severability . If any portion or provision of this Agreement shall to any extent be declared illegal or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then the remainder of this Agreement, or the application of such portion or provision in circumstances other than those as to which it is so declared illegal or unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby, and each portion and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

14. Waiver . No waiver of any provision hereof shall be effective unless made in writing and signed by the waiving party. The failure of either party to require the performance of any term or obligation of this Agreement, or the waiver by either party of any breach of this Agreement, shall not prevent any subsequent enforcement of such term or obligation or be deemed a waiver of any subsequent breach.

15. Notices . Any and all notices, requests, demands and other communications provided for by this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be effective when delivered in person, consigned to a reputable national courier service or deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, registered or certified, and addressed to the Executive at his last known address on the books of the Company or, in the case of the Company, at its principal place of business, attention of the Chair of the Board, or to such other address as either party may specify by notice to the other actually received.

16. Entire Agreement; No Conflicting Agreements . This Agreement (together with the Plan and other documents expressly referenced herein) constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all prior communications, agreements and understandings, written or oral, with respect to the terms and conditions of the Executive’s employment. The Executive hereby represents and warrants that the execution of this Agreement and the performance of his obligations hereunder will not breach or be in conflict with any other agreement to which the Executive is a party or is bound and that the Executive is not now subject to any covenants against competition or similar covenants or any court order or other legal obligation that would affect the performance of his obligations hereunder.

17. Amendment; Section 409A . This Agreement may be amended or modified only by a written instrument signed by the Executive and by an expressly authorized representative of the Company. The parties acknowledge that certain provisions of this Agreement may be required to be amended, following the issuance of additional guidance by the Internal Revenue Service with respect to Section 409A, to avoid the possible imposition of additional tax under Section 409A with respect to certain payments and benefits under this Agreement. The Company agrees that it will not unreasonably withhold its consent to any such amendments which in its determination are (i) feasible and necessary to avoid adverse tax treatment under Section 409A for the Executive, and (ii) not adverse to the interests of the Company.

18. Headings . The headings and captions in this Agreement are for convenience only and in no way define or describe the scope or content of any provision of this Agreement.


19. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

20. Governing Law . This is a Massachusetts contract and shall be construed and enforced under and be governed in all respects by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof. The Company and the Executive each irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any suit, action or proceeding commenced by either party against the other will be brought in the state of Massachusetts, (ii) consents to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court in any such suit, action or proceeding, and (iii) waives any objection which either party may have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding in any such court. The Company and the Executive each also irrevocably and unconditionally consents to the service of any process, pleadings, notices or other papers in a manner permitted by the notice provisions of Section 15.

21. Successors . The Company will require any successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company to assume expressly and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform it if no such succession had taken place.

22. Indemnification . The Company shall indemnify and hold the Executive harmless, to the full extent permitted under applicable law, for, from and against any and all losses, claims, costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or actions relating to or arising out of the Executive’s employment with or service to the Company after the Closing, other than as relating to or arising out of the Executive’s willful misconduct or gross negligence. The Company shall cause any director and officer liability insurance applicable to the Executive to remain in effect for six (6) years following his termination of employment for any reason.

23. Survival . This Agreement shall survive the expiration of the term hereof and the termination of Executive’s employment under any circumstances to the extent necessary to give effect to its provisions.

24. No Mitigation; No Setoff . In no event shall the Executive be obliged to seek other employment or take any other action by way of mitigation of the amounts payable to the Executive under any of the provisions of this Agreement, nor shall the amount of any payment hereunder be reduced by any compensation earned by the Executive as a result of employment by another employer. The Company’s obligation to pay the Executive the amounts provided and to make the arrangements provided for hereunder shall not be subject to set-off, counterclaim or recoupment of amounts owed by the Executive to the Company or its Affiliates except as expressly provided herein.

[Signature page follows immediately.]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed as a sealed instrument by Holdings and the Company, by their duly authorized representatives, and by the Executive, as of the date first above written.

 

NIGEL TRAVIS:     DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.

/s/ Nigel Travis

    By:  

/s/ Jon L. Luther

      Title:  

Executive Chairman of the Board

      DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP, INC.
    By:  

/s/ Jon L. Luther

      Title:  

Executive Chairman of the Board


Exhibit A

List of Outside Activities and Positions

 

1. Membership on Board of Directors of Lorillard, Inc.

Exhibit 10.11

AMENDED AND RESTATED

EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT made and entered into by and between Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “ Company ”), a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business at Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin Brands’ Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation formerly known as BCT Coffee Acquisition Holdings, Inc. (“ Holdings ”) and Kate Smith Lavelle (the “ Executive ”), effective as of January 1, 2008.

WHEREAS, the operations of the Company and its Affiliates are a complex matter requiring direction and leadership in a variety of arenas, including financial, strategic planning, regulatory, community relations and others;

WHEREAS, the Executive is possessed of certain experience and expertise that qualify her to provide the direction and leadership required by the Company and its Affiliates;

WHEREAS, the Executive is possessed of certain experience and expertise that qualify her to provide the direction and leadership required by the Company and its Affiliates;

WHEREAS, from December 6, 2004 the Executive was employed by Allied Domecq plc (“ Allied Domecq ”) as Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of its quick service restaurant business and, as such, accepted terms of employment set out in an offer letter dated November 18, 2004 (“ Previous Offer Letter ”);

WHEREAS, Allied Domecq’s quick service restaurant business was in November 2004 separately incorporated as the Company, of which the Executive became an Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer;

WHEREAS, Holdings and Dunkin Brands’ Acquisition, Inc., a Delaware corporation formerly known as BCT Coffee Acquisition, Inc. (together with Holdings, the “ Buyers ”) entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “ SPA ”) with, among others, Allied Domecq North America Corporation (“ ADNAC ”), a Delaware corporation, dated as of December 12, 2005, pursuant to which the Buyers agreed to purchase ADNAC’s 100% interest in the Company (the “ Sale ”) effective at the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the SPA (the “ Closing ”);

WHEREAS, the Company and the Executive entered into that certain Executive Employment Agreement, effective as of March 1, 2006, pursuant to which the Company agreed to continue to employ the Executive as its Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer

 

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and the Executive agreed to accept such continued employment, effective as of the Closing (the “Original Agreement”), and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein;

WHEREAS, the Company and the Executive desire to make certain amendments to the Original Agreement for purposes of compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and guidance issued thereunder, including exemptive and transition relief provisions (“Section 409A”);

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to Section 19 of the Original Agreement and in consideration of the foregoing premises and the mutual promises, terms, provisions and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the parties hereby agree:

1. Employment . Effective upon the Closing and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Company hereby offers, and the Executive hereby accepts, continued employment. In the event that the Closing does not occur, this Agreement shall not take effect and shall become null and void.

2. Term . Subject to earlier termination as hereinafter provided, the Executive’s employment hereunder shall commence on the Closing and shall be for a term of three (3) years, provided that such term shall automatically extend for an additional year at the end of the first year of such term and on each anniversary of such date thereafter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may terminate the employment term on any renewal date by providing the other with at least sixty (60) days’ prior written notice , provided that if the Company elects not to renew the term hereof, the Executive shall be deemed to have been terminated by the Company Other than for Cause or Performance-Based Cause in accordance with Section 5(e), with such termination taking effect upon expiration of the then-current term. The term of this Agreement is hereafter referred to as “the term of this Agreement” or “the term hereof.”

3. Capacity and Performance .

(a) During the term hereof, the Executive shall serve as the Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer of the Company, reporting to the Board of Directors of the Company (the “ Board ”) and to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (the “ CEO ”). In addition, and without further compensation, the Executive shall, upon the request of the Company, serve as a director and/or officer of one or more of the Company’s Affiliates, if so elected or appointed from time to time.

(b) During the term hereof, the Executive shall be employed by the Company on a full-time basis and shall perform the duties consistent with her position for the Company and its Affiliates, when and as requested by the Board or CEO.

(c) During the term hereof, the Executive shall devote substantially all of her business time and efforts, business judgment, skill and knowledge to the performance of her duties hereunder, provided, however, that the Executive may devote reasonable amounts of time to serving (i) as a director or a member of any industry, trade, professional, governmental, religious, educational or charitable organization; (ii) in any academic position; (iii) in such

 

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activities and positions as set out on Exhibit A ; or (iv) in such activities and positions as may be expressly approved by the Board of Directors of Holdings; so long as, in each case, the services do not interfere with the performance of Executive’s services hereunder.

4. Compensation and Benefits . As compensation for all services performed by the Executive during the term hereof, the Executive shall receive the following:

(a) Base Salary . During the term hereof, the Company shall pay the Executive a base salary at the rate of Three Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Dollars ($375,000) per annum, payable in accordance with the Company’s payroll practices for its executives and subject to increase (but not to decrease) from time to time by the Board, in its sole discretion. Such base salary, as from time to time increased, is hereafter referred to as the “ Base Salary ”.

(b) Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement . Holdings will make a grant of restricted stock to the Executive under Holding’s 2006 Executive Incentive Plan (the “ Plan ”). Except as otherwise provided herein, the terms and conditions of such restricted stock grant shall be subject to the terms of the Plan and the Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement (the “ Restricted Stock Award ”) in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B .

(c) Incentive and Bonus Compensation .

(i) During the term hereof and beginning with the first full fiscal year after the Closing, Executive shall be entitled to receive a bonus based on the achievement of a target based on the Company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“ EBITDA ”) for such year, as determined by the Company’s independent accountants. If targeted EBITDA is achieved, Executive will receive a bonus of Seventy-Five Percent (75%) of Base Salary. If the targeted EBITDA is exceeded by 5%, but less than 10%, Executive will be eligible to receive a bonus of One Hundred Percent (100%) of Base Salary. If the targeted EBITDA is exceeded by 10% or more, Executive will receive a bonus of One Hundred Twenty-Five Percent (125%) of Base Salary. For purposes of this section, the fiscal year shall mean the current fiscal year, even if the Company changes its fiscal year during the term hereof.

(ii) For the period from the Closing through the end of the Company’s current fiscal year, the Executive shall receive a pro-rated bonus based upon the achievement of the EBITDA target in effect immediately prior to the Closing. In determining whether the applicable performance target has been achieved, all expenses related to the Sale including, without limitation, management and transaction fees, non-cash equity incentive expenses, any payment made to the Executive and/or other employees under the Company’s Transaction Bonus Plan and the Company’s Retention Bonus Plan and any payment made to the Executive and/or other employees as a consequence of Section 8 of the Company’s Short-Term Incentive Compensation Plan (the “STI”) in excess of the STI bonus that would otherwise have been due to the Executive or such other employees at the end of the Company’s current financial year, shall be added back to EBIDTA for the purpose of this calculation. The pro rata bonus

 

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amount will be determined by multiplying the bonus amount that would have been payable under the above calculation for the entire current fiscal year by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days between the Closing date and the end of the current fiscal year and the denominator of which is 365.

(iii) Any bonus due hereunder shall be payable not later than two and one half months following the end of the fiscal year for which the bonus was earned.

(d) Business Expenses . The Company shall pay or reimburse the Executive for all reasonable business expenses incurred or paid by the Executive in the performance of her duties hereunder, upon submission of documentation in accordance with the Company’s then regular procedures for substantiation of expenses.

(e) Life Insurance . The Company will continue to offer to the Executive life insurance on terms and with scope of coverage not materially less favorable to the Executive than that in effect prior to Closing. Such participation shall be subject to the terms of the applicable plan documents and generally applicable Company policies.

(f) Costs related to Employment Agreement and Management Interest . The Company will reimburse the Executive for all fees and expenses she incurs in negotiating this Agreement and the Executive’s ownership interest in the Company, subject to receipt of reasonable substantiation and documentation of such fees and expenses by the Company.

(g) Vacations . During the term hereof, the Executive shall be entitled to four (4) weeks vacation per year, to be taken at such times and intervals as shall be determined by the Executive.

(h) Other Benefits . During the term hereof, the Executive shall be entitled to participate in any and all Employee Benefit Plans from time to time in effect for employees of the Company generally, and in all fringe benefits and perquisite programs or arrangements generally available to senior executives of the Company but without duplication of any benefit or class of benefits provided for separately under this Agreement ( e.g., car allowance, expense reimbursement, etc.). Such participation shall be subject to the terms of the applicable plan documents and generally applicable Company policies. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, the Company may alter, modify, add to or delete its Employee Benefit Plans at any time as it, in its sole judgment, determines to be appropriate, without recourse by the Executive. For purposes of this Agreement, “ Employee Benefit Plan ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(3) of ERISA, as amended from time to time.

(i) Transportation . During the term hereof, the Company will pay the Executive an automobile allowance of Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000) per year.

(j) Any reimbursements or in-kind benefits provided under (d), (f) or (i) of this Section 4, or otherwise provided under this agreement, that would constitute nonqualified deferred compensation subject to Section 409A shall be subject to the following additional rules: (i) no reimbursement of any such expense shall affect the Executive’s right to reimbursement of

 

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any other such expense in any other taxable year; (ii) reimbursement of the expense shall be made not later than the end of the Executive’s taxable year following the taxable year in which the expense was incurred; and (iii) the right to reimbursement shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for any other benefit.

5. Termination of Employment and Severance Benefits . Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2 hereof, the Executive’s employment hereunder shall terminate prior to the expiration of the term hereof under the following circumstances:

(a) Death . Upon the Executive’s death during the term hereof, the Executive’s employment hereunder shall immediately and automatically terminate and, within thirty (30) days of the date of death, the Company shall pay to the Executive’s designated beneficiary or, if no beneficiary has been designated by the Executive in writing, to her estate, a lump sum cash payment of (i) any Base Salary earned but not paid during the final payroll period of the Executive’s employment through the date of termination, (ii) any vacation accrued but not used through the date of termination, (iii) any bonus earned for the fiscal year preceding that in which termination occurs, but unpaid on the date of termination, and (iv) any business expenses reasonably incurred by the Executive but un-reimbursed on the date of termination, provided that such expenses and required substantiation and documentation are submitted within a reasonable period following the Executive’s termination (all of the foregoing, “ Final Compensation ”). In addition, the Executive or her estate or beneficiary shall have the put rights described in Section 10 with respect to all Purchased Shares. In the event of termination of employment due to death, upon satisfaction of the applicable terms of this Agreement (but subject to the Company also complying with terms of the Stockholders Agreement dated on or about the date hereof, among Holdings, the Company, the Executive, other stockholders of Holdings and certain other parties (the “Stockholders Agreement”), the Registration Rights and Coordination Agreement dated on or about the date hereof, among Holdings, the Company, the Executive, other stockholders of Holdings and certain other parties and any restricted stock agreement entered into with the Executive on or after the date hereof), the Company will have no further obligations to the Executive or her estate.

(b) Disability .

(i) The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder, upon at least ten (10) days’ prior notice to the Executive, in the event that the Executive becomes disabled during her employment hereunder through any illness, injury, accident or condition of either a physical or psychological nature and, as a result, is unable to perform substantially all of her duties and responsibilities hereunder, notwithstanding the provision of any reasonable accommodation, for ninety (90) consecutive days during any period of three hundred and sixty-five (365) consecutive calendar days. In the event of such termination, the Company shall provide the Executive with a lump sum cash payment of Final Compensation upon such termination. In addition, the Executive or her estate or beneficiary shall have the put rights described in Section 10 with respect to all Purchased Shares. The Executive or her representative must execute and not revoke a separation agreement in a form provided by the Company,

 

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which shall include a general release of claims, in exchange for the ability to exercise such put rights.

(ii) The Board may designate another employee to act in the Executive’s place during any period of the Executive’s disability. Notwithstanding any such designation, the Executive shall continue to receive the Base Salary in accordance with Section 4(a) and benefits in accordance with Section 4(h), to the extent permitted by the then-current terms of the applicable benefit plans, until the Executive becomes eligible for disability income benefits under the Company’s disability income plan or until the termination of her employment, whichever shall first occur.

(iii) Any payments made to the Executive under the Company’s long-term disability income plan shall reduce the Base Salary otherwise payable for the period covered by such disability payment, provided that the Executive shall continue to participate in all Employee Benefit Plans until the termination of her employment.

(iv) If any question shall arise as to whether during any period the Executive is disabled the Executive may, and at the request of the Company shall, submit to a medical examination by a physician mutually selected by the Board and the Executive and a written determination by such physician shall for the purposes of this Agreement be conclusive of the issue. If the Board and the Executive cannot agree on a physician, the Board may select a physician who is a physician on staff at a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. If such question shall arise and the Executive shall fail to submit to such medical examination, the Company’s determination of the issue shall be binding on the Executive.

(c) By the Company for Cause . The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause at any time upon notice to the Executive setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Cause. The following, as determined by the Board in its reasonable judgment, shall constitute “ Cause ” for termination:

(i) The Executive’s conviction of (or pleading nolo contendere to) a crime of moral turpitude, breach of trust or unethical business conduct, or any crime involving the Company, in each case that constitutes a felony;

(ii) The Executive’s willful and continued failure to adhere to the directions of the Board or the CEO, to adhere to the Company’s policies and practices or to devote substantially all of her business time and efforts to the Company;

(iii) The Executive’s willful and continued failure to substantially perform her duties properly assigned to her (other than any such failure resulting from her disability);

(iv) The Executive’s breach of any of Sections 7, 8 or 9 of this Agreement;

 

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(v) The Executive’s breach in any material respect of the terms and provisions of this Agreement and failure to cure such breach within ten (10) days following written notice from the Company specifying such breach;

(vi) The Executive’s engagement in the performance of her duties hereunder, or otherwise to the material and demonstrable detriment of the Company, in willful misconduct, fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement, or in any willful act which is intended to bring the Company into disrepute;

(vii) The Executive becomes disqualified from holding any office in the Company or in any of its Affiliates (except where such disqualification is a result of actions of the Company or any of its Affiliates or is a result of actions over which she has no control), or resigns from such office without the prior written approval of the Board.

Upon the giving of notice of termination of the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause, the Company shall have no further obligation to the Executive, other than to pay Final Compensation immediately upon such termination, and there shall be no acceleration of or further vesting of the Executive’s unvested shares and the Executive shall not have any put rights under Section 10 or otherwise.

For purposes of this provision, no act or failure to act, on the part of the Executive, shall be considered “willful” unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in bad faith or without reasonable belief that her action or omission is in the best interests of the Company. Any act or failure to act that is based upon authority given by a resolution duly adopted by the Board or based upon the advice of counsel for the Company, shall be conclusively presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in good faith and in the best interests of the Company.

(d) By the Company for Performance-Based Cause . The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder for Performance-Based Cause at any time upon notice to the Executive setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Performance-Based Cause. The following, as determined by the Board in its reasonable judgment, shall constitute “ Performance-Based Cause ” for termination: the Executive’s failure to perform her duties to the reasonable standards required by the CEO or the Board, which standards shall be communicated to the Executive on a periodic basis after written notice and an opportunity of thirty (30) days to cure. In the event of such termination, in addition to Final Compensation, which shall be payable immediately upon termination, the Company shall make a lump sum cash payment to the Executive equal to one (1) times the Executive’s annual Base Salary as of the date of termination, payable sixty (60) days following such termination. Any benefits payable hereunder will be reduced by any benefits payable to the Executive under any separate severance agreement as a result of the Executive’s termination. In addition, the Executive or her estate or beneficiary shall have the put rights described in Section 10 with respect to all Purchased Shares. The obligation of the Company to make any payments and benefits under this Section 5(d), excluding the payment of Final Compensation, shall be conditioned upon and subject to the Executive’s entering into a separation agreement with the Company that has been in effect for at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of such payment or provision of benefits.

 

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(e) By the Company Other than for Cause or Performance-Based Cause . The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder other than for Cause or Performance-Based Cause at any time upon notice to the Executive. In the event of such termination, in addition to Final Compensation, which shall be payable immediately upon termination, the Company shall make a lump sum cash payment sixty (60) days following such termination to the Executive equal to two (2) times the average annual base salary and regular performance-based cash bonus (i.e., including only bonus payment amounts under Section 4(c) for periods after the date hereof; and specifically excluding any stay pay, retention, transaction or other special bonuses) paid or payable to the Executive during the two years preceding the date of such termination (including salary and such regular bonus paid under the STI for periods prior to the date hereof if termination occurs before two (2) years are completed hereunder). In addition:

(i) for the two-year period immediately following the date of termination, the Company shall continue to contribute to the premium cost of the Executive’s participation in the Company’s group medical and dental plans at the same rate that it contributes for active employees from time to time, provided that the Executive is entitled to continue such participation under applicable law and plan terms; provided, however, that any reimbursements or in-kind benefits provided under this Section 5(e)(i) that would constitute nonqualified deferred compensation subject to Section 409A shall be subject to the rules described in Section 4(j) above;

(ii) the Company shall pay the Executive a lump sum cash payment between January 1 and March 15 of the year following the year of termination in an amount equal to the excess, if any, of (a) a pro rata share of any bonus due under Section 4(c) based on actual performance for the fiscal year in which the termination occurs (determined by pro-rating the bonus for the fiscal year in which the termination occurs through the date of termination) over (b) the amount otherwise payable under Section 6 below;

(iii) the treatment of Tranche 1, Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 shares held by the Executive shall be governed by the terms of the Company’s Restricted Stock Plan and Executive’s Restricted Stock Agreement thereunder, except that to the extent the following terms are more favorable to the Executive, the following terms shall apply in the case of termination under this Section 5(e) or Section 5(f) below:

(1) Executive will vest in the number of Tranche 1 Shares that would otherwise have been vested on the first anniversary of the termination of Executive’s employment (i.e. one year acceleration of Tranche 1 Shares);

(2) Executive will continue to vest in the Tranche 2 Shares and Tranche 3 Shares through the end of the fiscal year in which termination occurs provided that the applicable performance targets are met as described in the applicable award agreement(s); and

(3) the Executive shall have the put rights described in Section 10 with respect to all Vested Shares.

 

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Upon the payment of such benefits, the Company shall have no further obligation to the Executive. Any benefits payable hereunder will be reduced by any benefits payable to the Executive under any separate severance agreement as a result of the Executive’s termination. Any obligation of the Company to the Executive hereunder is conditioned, however, upon the Executive signing (and not revoking) and returning to the Company a separation agreement, which shall include a timely and effective release of claims, in the form provided by the Company. The payments and benefits under this Section 5(e), excluding the payment of Final Compensation, shall be conditioned upon and subject to the Executive’s entering into a separation agreement with the Company that has been in effect for at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of such payment or provision of benefits.

(f) By the Executive’s Resignation for Good Reason . The Executive may terminate her employment hereunder for Good Reason, upon notice to the Company setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Good Reason. The following shall constitute Good Reason for termination by the Executive:

(i) Material diminution in the nature or scope of the Executive’s responsibilities, duties, authority or status; provided, however, that the Company’s failure to continue the Executive’s appointment or election as a director or officer of any of its Affiliates, a change in reporting relationships resulting from the direct or indirect control of the Company (or a successor corporation) by another corporation and any diminution of the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates or any sale or transfer of equity, property or other assets of the Company or any of its Affiliates shall not constitute “Good Reason”;

(ii) Relocation of the Executive’s place of employment, without the Executive’s consent, to a location that is more than fifty (50) miles from its current location; or

(iii) the Company fails to perform substantially any material term of this Agreement or the Restricted Stock Plan, excluding a failure which is cured within ten (10) business days following notice from the Executive specifying in detail the nature of such failure.

A termination shall qualify as a termination for Good Reason only if (1) the Executive gives the Company notice, within ninety (90) days of its first existence or occurrence (without the consent of the Executive), of any or any combination of the eligibility conditions specified above; (2) the Company fails to cure the eligibility condition(s) within thirty (30) days of receiving such notice; and (3) the Executive terminates employment not later than [30/60/90 days but no more than 2 years from date of good reason] days following the end of such thirty-day period. In the event of termination in accordance with this Section 5(f), and in addition to Final Compensation, which shall be paid not later than the next regular Company payday following the effective date of termination, the Executive will be entitled to the same pay, incentive compensation, benefits, vesting acceleration and put rights that she would have been entitled to receive had the Executive been terminated by the Company other than for Cause or Performance-Based Cause in accordance with Section 5(e) above, payable as provided in Section 5(e); provided that the

 

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Executive satisfies all conditions to such entitlement as set forth in Section 5(e). A termination of employment for Good Reason under this Section 5(f) is intended to satisfy the meaning of “involuntary separation from service” (as defined in Section 1.409A-1(n) of the Treasury Regulations).

(g) By the Executive Other than for Good Reason . The Executive may terminate her employment hereunder at any time upon sixty (60) days’ notice to the Company. In the event of termination of the Executive pursuant to this Section 5(g), the Board may elect to waive the period of notice, or any portion thereof. The Company shall have no further obligation to the Executive, other than for any Final Compensation, which shall be paid not later than the next regular Company payday following the effective date of termination, and there shall be no acceleration of or further vesting of the Executive’s unvested shares, and the Executive shall not have any put rights under Section 10 or otherwise.

(h) Timing of Payments . In the event that at the time the Executive’s employment with the Company terminates the Company is publicly traded (as defined in Section 409A), any amounts payable under this Section 5 that constitute deferred compensation subject to Section 409A, as determined by the Company, shall be paid on the later of: (i) the time otherwise provided in this Section 5, and (ii) the date that is six (6) months following the date of the Executive’s separation from service with the Company.

6. Separation from Service Payment . Upon the Executive’s separation from service, including by reason of death, disability, termination by the Company for any reason, and termination by the Executive for any reason, the Company will pay to the Executive a lump sum cash payment within ninety (90) days of separation from service in an amount equal to a pro-rata portion (based on the number of days preceding the Executive’s termination in the fiscal year of termination) of the bonus that otherwise would have been paid in the fiscal year of the Executive’s termination, assuming that targeted EBITDA had been met. For purposes of this Section, references to separation from service means a “separation from service” (as defined at Section 1.409A-1(h) of the Treasury Regulations) from the Company and from all other corporations and trades or businesses, if any, that would be treated as a single “service recipient” with the Company under Section 1.409A-1(h)(3) of the Treasury Regulations.

7. Confidential Information .

(a) The Executive acknowledges that the Company and its Affiliates continually develop Confidential Information, that the Executive may develop Confidential Information for the Company or its Affiliates and that the Executive may learn of Confidential Information during the course of employment. The Executive will comply with the policies and procedures of the Company and its Affiliates for protecting Confidential Information and shall not disclose to any Person or use, other than as required by applicable law or for the proper performance of her duties and responsibilities to the Company and its Affiliates, any Confidential Information obtained by the Executive incident to her employment or other association with the Company or any of its Affiliates, provided that the Executive may divulge any Confidential Information that may be required by law and may disclose such information to

 

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her personal advisors for purposes of enforcing or interpreting this Agreement. The Executive understands that this restriction shall continue to apply after her employment terminates, regardless of the reason for such termination. The confidentiality obligation under this Section 7 shall not apply to information which is generally known or readily available to the public at the time of disclosure or becomes generally known through no wrongful act on the part of the Executive or any other Person having an obligation of confidentiality to the Company or any of its Affiliates. Following termination of employment, the Executive shall not communicate or divulge any Confidential Information without the Company’s prior written consent or as may otherwise be required by law or legal process.

(b) All documents, records, tapes and other media of every kind and description relating to the business of the Company or its Affiliates and any copies, in whole or in part, thereof (the “ Documents ”), whether or not prepared by the Executive, shall be the sole and exclusive property of the Company and its Affiliates. The Executive shall surrender to the Company at the time her employment terminates all material Documents containing Confidential Information then in the Executive’s possession, such as strategic business plans and other material Documents.

(c) The Executive will not disclose to or use on behalf of the Company any proprietary information of a third party without such party’s consent.

8. Assignment of Rights to Intellectual Property . The Executive shall promptly and fully disclose all Intellectual Property to the Company. The Executive hereby assigns and agrees to assign to the Company (or as otherwise directed by the Company) the Executive’s full right, title and interest in and to all Intellectual Property developed during the term of her employment with the Company. Subject to the foregoing, the Executive agrees to execute any and all applications for domestic and foreign patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights and to do such other acts requested by the Company to assign the Intellectual Property so developed to the Company and to permit the Company to enforce any patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights to the Intellectual Property. All copyrightable works that the Executive creates shall be considered “work made for hire” and shall, upon creation, be owned exclusively by the Company.

9. Restricted Activities . The Executive agrees that some restrictions on her activities during and after her employment are necessary to protect the goodwill, Confidential Information and other legitimate interests of the Company and its Affiliates:

(a) While the Executive is employed by the Company and for two (2) years after her employment terminates, the Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, whether as owner, partner, investor, consultant, agent, employee, co-venturer or otherwise, compete with the Company or any of its Affiliates or undertake any planning for any business competitive with the Company or any of its Affiliates. Specifically, but without limiting the foregoing, the Executive agrees not to engage in any manner in any activity that is directly or indirectly competitive with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates as conducted during the Executive’s employment and further agrees not to work or provide services, in any capacity, whether as an employee, independent contractor or otherwise, whether with or without compensation, to any

 

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Person who is engaged in any business that is competitive with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates for which the Executive has provided services during her employment. Restricted activity includes without limitation accepting employment with any Person who is, or at any time within one year prior to termination of the Executive’s employment has been, a franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates. For the purposes of this Section 9, the business of the Company and its Affiliates shall include all Products and the Executive’s undertaking shall encompass all items, products and services that may be used in substitution for Products. The foregoing, however, shall not prevent the Executive’s passive ownership of two percent (2%) or less of the equity securities of any publicly traded company.

(b) The Executive agrees that, during her employment and during the two (2) year period immediately following termination of her employment, the Executive will not directly or indirectly (a) solicit or encourage any franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them; or (b) seek to persuade any such franchisee or prospective franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to conduct with anyone else any business or activity which such franchisee or prospective franchisee conducts with the Company or any of its Affiliates; provided that these restrictions shall apply (y) only with respect to those Persons who are or have been a franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates at any time within the immediately preceding one year or whose business has been solicited on behalf of the Company or any of the Affiliates by any of their officers, employees or agents (and of which the Executive has actual knowledge) within said one year period, other than by form letter, blanket mailing or published advertisement, and (z) only if the Executive has performed work for such Person during her employment with the Company or one of its Affiliates or been introduced to such Person as a result of her employment or other associations with the Company or one of its Affiliates.

(c) The Executive agrees that during her employment and for the two (2) year period immediately following termination of her employment, the Executive will not, and will not assist any other Person to, (a) hire or solicit for hiring any employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates as of the date of such solicitation or was employed by the Company or any of its Affiliates during the six (6) months prior to the Executive’s termination of employment, or seek to persuade any employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to discontinue employment or (b) solicit or encourage any independent contractor providing services to the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them. For the purposes of this Agreement, an “employee” of the Company or any of its Affiliates is any person who was such at any time within the preceding year. For purposes hereof, general solicitations not directed at a particular person or advertising in media directed at the general public shall not provide the basis for a claim by the Company that the Executive violated this Section.

10. Executive Put Option Upon Termination . Upon any termination of the Executive’s employment pursuant to Section 5(a) (Death), Section 5(b) (Disability), Section 5(e) (by the Company Other than for Cause or Performance-Based Cause) or Section 5(f) (Good Reason), the Executive shall have the right to require Holdings to purchase, as provided below, all or any portion of the Purchased Shares or the Vested Shares (as set forth in the applicable subsection of Section 5) held by the Executive on the following terms (the “ Put Option ”):

 

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(a) Exercise; Notice . Subject to compliance with the terms of Section 5, the Executive, her representative or her estate may exercise the Put Option (i) with respect to all or any portion of the Purchased Shares or Vested Shares, as applicable, on the date of termination by delivery of written notice thereof (the “ Put Notice ”) to Holdings at any time within sixty (60) days commencing on the date of her death or other termination of the employment and (ii) if applicable, with respect to all or any portion of the restricted shares that become Vested Shares following the date of termination by delivery of a Put Notice to Holdings at any time within sixty (60) days from the date on which the Company notifies the Executive in writing that such shares have become Vested Shares.

(b) Determination Date; Payment . Holdings shall purchase all of the Vested Shares that are the subject of a Put Notice on the 181 st day after the effectiveness of the applicable termination of employment, or, with respect to a Put Notice delivered pursuant to Section 10(a)(ii) on the 181 st day after the shares subject to such Put Notice become Vested Shares. Subject to subsection (c) below, Holdings shall purchase all shares that are subject to a Put Notice in a cash lump sum equal to the Fair Market Value of such shares as of the date that they are repurchased by Holdings. At the sole discretion of the Board, Holdings may elect to defer 2/3rds of the purchase price for such shares and instead issue a promissory note that will become due and payable, subject to subsection (c) below, with respect to 50% of the deferred amount on the first anniversary of termination and with respect to the remainder on the second anniversary of termination. Interest will accrue on the principal of any such promissory note at a rate equal to 8% per annum.

(c) Distributions and Cash Payments . To the extent that (i)(a) any payment of cash required under the terms of this Section 10 or any payment of principal or interest on a promissory note issued under this Section 10 or (b) a distribution to Holdings from any of its subsidiaries in an amount equal to the amount of cash required to be paid under the terms of this Section 10 or the amount of any payment of principal or interest on a promissory note issued under this Section 10 would, in any event, constitute, result in or give rise to a breach or violation of, or any default or right or cause of action under any agreement of Holdings or any of its subsidiaries in respect of indebtedness for borrowed money (it being understood that Holdings and its subsidiaries will use any basket reserved for the repurchase of equity of Holdings or its subsidiaries, but shall not be required to use any basket reserved for general corporate purposes), or (ii) the Board in good faith determines that the authorization of any such payment or distribution would constitute a violation of law or of the Board’s fiduciary duties, then Holdings will instead issue a promissory note in the principal amount of such cash payment and in the case of a cash payment in respect of a promissory note issued under this Section 10, notwithstanding any of the provisions of such note, such payment will not become due and payable. Interest will accrue on the principal of any such promissory note at a rate equal to 8% per annum and the principal of such note, together with the interest thereon, will become due and payable from time to time to the extent consistent with clauses (i) and (ii) above, provided that the Company will use its best efforts to cure any impediment to the payment of this amount. Any promissory note issued under this Section 10 may be prepaid in whole or in part at any time and from time to time without premium or penalty.

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company agrees that to the extent it has funds available to honor a put in part without causing a default or right or cause of action under any agreement of Holdings or any of its subsidiaries in respect of indebtedness for borrowed money or violation of any such agreement or of law or fiduciary duties, it shall use such funds to the maximum extent possible to purchase Vested Shares that were not subject to a risk of forfeiture when they were acquired.

(d) Closing . The closing of any purchase and sale of Vested Shares pursuant to the exercise of any right granted pursuant to this Section 10 shall take place at the principal office of the Company, or at such other time and location as the parties to such purchase may mutually determine. The Company will be entitled to receive, as a condition to closing, reasonable representations regarding ownership of shares, power and authority to transfer, and transfer of shares free and clear of liens, pledges, security interests or other adverse claims.

(e) Priority Over Company Call Right . In the event that the Company or the Investors exercise their rights to purchase the Executive’s shares pursuant to Section 7 of the Stockholders Agreement, and the Put Option is otherwise exercisable, the Executive shall have 10 business days in which to exercise the Put Option and if so exercised the term of the Put Option will supersede the terms of such call rights.

11. Enforcement of Covenants . The Executive acknowledges that she has carefully read and considered all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the restraints imposed upon her pursuant to Sections 7, 8 and 9 hereof. The Executive agrees without reservation that each of the restraints contained herein is necessary for the reasonable and proper protection of the goodwill, Confidential Information and other legitimate interests of the Company and its Affiliates; that each and every one of those restraints is reasonable in respect to subject matter, length of time and geographic area; and that these restraints, individually or in the aggregate, will not prevent her from obtaining other suitable employment during the period in which the Executive is bound by these restraints. The Executive further acknowledges that, were she to breach any of the covenants contained in Sections 7, 8 or 9 hereof, the damage to the Company would be irreparable. The Executive therefore agrees that the Company, in addition to any other remedies available to it, shall be entitled to preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against any breach or threatened breach by the Executive of any of said covenants, without having to post bond, as well as to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in connection with such breach. The parties further agree that, in the event that any provision of Section 7, 8 or 9 hereof shall be determined by any court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable by reason of its being extended over too great a time, too large a geographic area or too great a range of activities, such provision shall be deemed to be modified to permit its enforcement to the maximum extent permitted by law.

 

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12. Definitions . Words or phrases which are initially capitalized or are within quotation marks shall have the meanings provided in this Section and as provided elsewhere herein. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions apply:

(a) “ Affiliates ” means all persons and entities directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Company, where control may be by either management authority, contract or equity interest.

(b) “ Confidential Information ” means any and all information of the Company and its Affiliates that is not generally known by others with whom they compete or do business, and any and all information, publicly known in whole or in part or not, which, if disclosed by the Company or its Affiliates would assist in competition against them. Confidential Information includes without limitation such information relating to (i) the development, research, testing, manufacturing, marketing and financial activities of the Company and its Affiliates, (ii) the Products, (iii) the costs, sources of supply, financial performance and strategic plans of the Company and its Affiliates, and (iv) the identity and special needs of the customers or franchisees of the Company and its Affiliates. Confidential Information also includes any information that the Company or any of its Affiliates have received, or may receive hereafter, belonging to franchisees or others with any understanding, express or implied, that the information would not be disclosed.

(c) “ Fair Market Value ” means (for the purposes of this Agreement, any restricted stock agreement and any stockholders agreement, to which the Executive is a party), as to any Purchased Share or Vested Share, the Board’s good faith determination of the fair value of such Purchased Share or Vested Share, provided however that if the CEO does not agree with such valuation, the issue shall be submitted to an appraisal firm chosen by the Company with the CEO’s approval, whose determination shall be final and binding on all parties. It is agreed that the Company and the Executive shall share equally the cost or other expenses of such appraisal.

(d) “ Intellectual Property ” means inventions, discoveries, developments, methods, processes, compositions, works, concepts and ideas that are patentable or copyrightable or constitute trade secrets conceived, made, created or developed by the Executive (whether alone or with others, whether or not during normal business hours or on or off Company premises) during the Executive’s employment that relate to either the Products or any prospective activity of the Company or any of its Affiliates or that make use of Confidential Information or any of the equipment or facilities of the Company or any of its Affiliates.

(e) “ Person ” means an individual, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a partnership, an estate, a trust and any other entity or organization, other than the Company or any of its Affiliates.

(f) “ Products ” mean all products researched, developed, manufactured, sold, licensed, leased or otherwise distributed or put into use by the Company or any of its Affiliates, together with all services provided by the Company or any of its Affiliates, during the Executive’s employment.

 

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(g) “ Purchased Shares ” means all shares of Class A Common Stock and Class L Common Stock that are held by the Executive and that were not subject to vesting requirements or a risk of forfeiture at the time they were acquired.

(h) “ Tranche 1 Shares ” has the meaning assigned thereto in the Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement.

(i) “ Tranche 2 Shares ” has the meaning assigned thereto in the Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement.

(j) “ Tranche 3 Shares ” has the meaning assigned thereto in the Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement.

(k) “ Vested Shares ” means all shares of Class A Common Stock and Class L Common Stock that are held by the Executive and that (i) are Purchased Shares or (ii) were subject to vesting requirements or a risk of forfeiture at the time they were required (i.e. the Tranche 1 Shares, Tranche 2 Shares and Tranche 3 shares) but have become vested and are no longer subject to a risk of forfeiture.

13. Withholding . All payments made by the Company under this Agreement shall be reduced by any tax or other amounts required to be withheld by the Company under applicable law.

14. Assignment . Neither the Company nor the Executive may make any assignment of this Agreement or any interest herein, by operation of law or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the other; provided, however, that the Company may assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement without the consent of the Executive in the event that the Executive is transferred to a position with any of the Affiliates or in the event that the Company shall hereafter affect a reorganization, consolidate with, or merge into, any Person or transfer all or substantially all of its properties or assets to any Person. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and the Executive, their respective successors, executors, administrators, heirs and permitted assigns.

15. Severability . If any portion or provision of this Agreement shall to any extent be declared illegal or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then the remainder of this Agreement, or the application of such portion or provision in circumstances other than those as to which it is so declared illegal or unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby, and each portion and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

16. Waiver . No waiver of any provision hereof shall be effective unless made in writing and signed by the waiving party. The failure of either party to require the performance of any term or obligation of this Agreement, or the waiver by either party of any breach of this Agreement, shall not prevent any subsequent enforcement of such term or obligation or be deemed a waiver of any subsequent breach.

 

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17. Notices . Any and all notices, requests, demands and other communications provided for by this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be effective when delivered in person, consigned to a reputable national courier service or deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, registered or certified, and addressed to the Executive at her last known address on the books of the Company or, in the case of the Company, at its principal place of business, attention of the Chair of the Board, or to such other address as either party may specify by notice to the other actually received.

18. Entire Agreement; No Conflicting Agreements . This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all prior communications, agreements and understandings, written or oral, with respect to the terms and conditions of the Executive’s employment (including but not limited to those set out in the Previous Offer Letter), other than the Executive’s obligations in respect of confidentiality, preservation of the Company’s intellectual property and non-competition under any other agreement between the Executive and the Company or any of its Affiliates, or any of their respective predecessors. The Executive hereby represents and warrants that the execution of this Agreement and the performance of her obligations hereunder will not breach or be in conflict with any other agreement to which the Executive is a party or is bound and that the Executive is not now subject to any covenants against competition or similar covenants or any court order or other legal obligation that would affect the performance of her obligations hereunder.

19. Amendment . This Agreement may be amended or modified only by a written instrument signed by the Executive and by an expressly authorized representative of the Company. The parties acknowledge that certain provisions of this Agreement may be required to be amended, following the issuance of additional guidance by the Internal Revenue Service with respect to Section 409A, to avoid the possible imposition of additional tax under Section 409A with respect to certain payments and benefits under this Agreement. The Company agrees that it will not unreasonably withhold its consent to any such amendments which in its determination are (i) feasible and necessary to avoid adverse tax treatment under Section 409A for the Executive, and (ii) not adverse to the interests of the Company.

20. Headings . The headings and captions in this Agreement are for convenience only and in no way define or describe the scope or content of any provision of this Agreement.

21. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

22. Governing Law . This is a Massachusetts contract and shall be construed and enforced under and be governed in all respects by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof. The Company and the Executive each irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any suit, action or proceeding commenced by either party against the other will be brought in the state of Massachusetts, (ii) consents to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court in any such suit, action or proceeding, and (iii) waives any objection which either party may have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding in any such court. The Company and the Executive each also

 

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irrevocably and unconditionally consents to the service of any process, pleadings, notices or other papers in a manner permitted by the notice provisions of Section 17.

23. Successors . The Company will require any successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company to assume expressly and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform it if no such succession had taken place.

25. Indemnification . The Company shall indemnify and hold the Executive harmless, to the full extent permitted under applicable law, for, from and against any and all losses, claims, costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or actions relating to or arising out of the Executive’s employment with or service to the Company after the Closing, other than as relating to or arising out of the Executive’s willful misconduct or gross negligence. The Company shall cause any director and officer liability insurance applicable to the Executive to remain in effect for six (6) years following her termination of employment for any reason.

26. Survival . This Agreement shall survive the expiration of the term hereof and the termination of Executive’s employment under any circumstances to the extent necessary to give effect to its provisions.

27. No Mitigation; No Setoff . In no event shall the Executive be obliged to seek other employment or take any other action by way of mitigation of the amounts payable to the Executive under any of the provisions of this Agreement, nor shall the amount of any payment hereunder be reduced by any compensation earned by the Executive as a result of employment by another employer. The Company’s obligation to pay the Executive the amounts provided and to make the arrangements provided for hereunder shall not be subject to set-off, counterclaim or recoupment of amounts owed by the Executive to the Company or its Affiliates.

[Signature page follows immediately.]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed as a sealed instrument by the Company, by its duly authorized representative, and by the Executive, as of the date first above written.

 

KATE SMITH LAVELLE:   DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.
/s/ Kate Smith Lavelle   By: /s/ Jon L. Luther
  Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 

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Exhibit A

List of Outside Activities and Positions

Directorship of Swift and Company

 

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Exhibit B

Form of Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement

 

 

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Exhibit 10.12

 

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July 19, 2010

 

Ms. Kate Smith Lavelle

130 Royall Street

3EA

Canton, MA 02021

 

Re: Your Resignation

 

Dear Kate,

 

You have offered to voluntarily resign from your position as Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “Company”) and from all other positions and offices that you hold with the Company or its parents, Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings. Inc. and Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., all Delaware corporations (“Holdings”), effective as of 11:59 p.m. on July 23, 2010 (the “Transition Date”).

 

Following the Transition Date, you will continue to be employed by the Company on the terms set forth herein. The purpose of this letter agreement (the “Agreement”) is to confirm the arrangements between you and the Company concerning your resignation and the terms of your continued employment with the Company following the Transition Date, as follows:

 

1. Transition Period . From the date first written above until the Transition Date, you will continue to serve as the Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer of the Company pursuant to the terms contained in the Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement made and entered into by you, the Company and Holdings effective as of January 1, 2008 (the “Employment Agreement”). Your right to receive the benefits under this Agreement is expressly conditioned upon your continued compliance with your obligations under the Employment Agreement through the Transition Date; provided, that Section 5(f) of the Employment Agreement shall be of no further force and effect upon the effective date of this Agreement. Immediately following the Transition Date, the Employment Agreement shall be of no further force and effect (except as expressly provided herein) and your continued employment with the Company shall be governed by the terms of this Agreement.

 

2. Resignation .

 

(a) Your resignation from the position of Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer of the Company and from all other positions and offices that you hold with the Company or Holdings is irrevocable as of the effective date of this Agreement. You acknowledge and agree that you will not be entitled to any severance or termination pay or benefits under Section 5 of the Employment Agreement in respect of or related to such resignation.

 

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(b) Not later than ninety (90) days following the Transition Date, the Company will pay you in a lump sum the gross amount of $122,500. You acknowledge and agree that this payment will satisfy in full the Company’s obligations under Section 6 of the Employment Agreement.

 

(c) All documents, records, tapes and other media of every kind and description relating to the business of the Company or its Affiliates and any copies, in whole or in part, thereof (the “Documents”), whether or not prepared by you, in your possession are the sole and exclusive property of the Company and its Affiliates. Within 12 days of receipt of request from the Company you will surrender to the Company all Documents containing Confidential Information then in your possession, such as strategic business plans and other Documents. Upon request of the Company, you will also provide to the Company any and all passwords necessary or desirable to access information that you have stored on the electronic information systems of the Company.

 

3. Continued Employment . During the period commencing on the Transition Date and ending upon the termination of your employment pursuant to Section 6 hereof, you will be employed as a part-time, non-executive employee of the Company. During such employment, you will perform those duties and functions designated to you by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and other senior management of the Company from time to time. The level of services you perform for the Company under this Agreement will not exceed 20% of the average level of services provided by you to the Company over the period during which you were employed by the Company immediately preceding the Transition Date. You will perform all such duties at your home office; provided, that you may be required to travel to the Company’s headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts, from time to time, as directed by the Company.

 

4. Compensation and Benefits . During your employment hereunder following the Transition Date, as full compensation for all services performed by you on behalf of the Company, the Company will provide you the following pay and benefits:

 

(a) The Company will pay you a base salary at the rate of $100,000 per annum, payable in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll practices for its employees.

 

(b) You and your eligible dependents will be entitled to participate in any and all Employee Benefit Plans from time to time in effect for employees of the Company generally, to the extent permitted by the terms of each such plan. Such participation will be subject to the terms of the applicable plan documents and generally applicable Company policies. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, the Company may alter, modify, add to or delete its Employee Benefit Plans at any time as it, in its sole judgment, determines to be appropriate, without recourse by you. For purposes of this Agreement. “Employee Benefit Plan” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(3) of ERISA, as amended from time to time.

 

(c) The Company shall pay or reimburse you for all reasonable business expenses incurred or paid by you in the performance of your duties hereunder, upon submission of documentation in compliance with the Company’s then regular procedures for substantiation of expenses.

 

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  You acknowledge and agree that following the Transition Date, you will not be entitled to participate in the equity and incentive compensation plans of Holdings and/or the Company. The treatment of your equity awards outstanding as of the Transition Date will be as set forth in Section 5 of this Agreement.
 

5. Stock Options; Restricted Stock; Other Equity .

 

(a) The option to purchase an aggregate of 900,000 shares of the common stock of Holdings at $0.66 per share that was granted to you pursuant to that certain Option Certificate dated as of February 23, 2010 between you and Holdings shall be cancelled on the Transition Date with no consideration due to you and, as of such date, shall terminate and be of no further force or effect.

 

(b) The 2,289,923 shares of restricted Class A common stock of Holdings (the “Restricted Shares”) that were granted to you pursuant to that certain Restricted Stock Award and Special Bonus Agreement effective as of May 26, 2006 by and among Holdings and you and designated Tranche 1 Shares, Tranche 2 Shares and Tranche 3 Shares shall continue to be governed by the terms of the Restricted Stock Agreement, Holdings’ 2006 Executive Incentive Plan (as it may be amended from time to time, the “Plan”) and the other agreements referenced therein. Your employment with the Company following the Transition Date will constitute “employment” for purposes of the Restricted Stock Agreement and you will continue to be eligible to vest in the Restricted Shares for so long as you remain employed by the Company hereunder in accordance with the terms of the Restricted Stock Agreement, the Plan and the other agreements referenced therein. You will not be entitled to any accelerated vesting of the Restricted Shares in connection with your voluntary resignation from your position as Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer of the Company.

 

(c) Notwithstanding Section 5(g) of the Employment Agreement, Section 10 thereof shall apply with respect to Purchased Shares (as defined in the Employment Agreement) and Vested Shares (as defined in the Employment Agreement) after the date your employment with the Company hereunder terminates pursuant to Section 6 below.

 

6. Termination . Your employment under this Agreement following the Transition Date shall continue until terminated pursuant to this Section 6.

 

(a) Your employment following the Transition Date will end no later than July 23, 2011 (the “Expiration Date”), unless you and the Company mutually agree in writing to an extension thereof. You and the Company shall review your employment hereunder during the period beginning ninety (90) days prior to the Expiration Date to consider whether to extend such employment.

 

(b) Either you or the Company may terminate your employment prior to the Expiration Date at any time upon ten (10) business days’ notice to the other. The Company may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive such notice period or any portion thereof; but in that event, the Company shall pay you your base salary for that portion of the notice period so waived.

 

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(c) Upon any termination of your employment hereunder, whether as of the Expiration Date or earlier, you will only be entitled to receive any base salary earned under Section 4(a) of this Agreement through the date of termination but not paid as of such date, any accrued unpaid benefits under any of the Company’s Employee Benefits Plans through the date of termination and any business expenses reasonably incurred by you but un-reimbursed on the date of termination, provided that such expenses and required substantiation and documentation are submitted within fifteen (15) days following the date of termination (“Final Compensation”). Final Compensation shall be paid to you in accordance with applicable law, plan terms or the Company’s generally-applicable expense reimbursement policy, as applicable.

 

7. Confidential Information .

 

(a) You acknowledge that the Company and its Affiliates continually develop Confidential Information, that you have developed Confidential Information for the Company and its Affiliates and will continue to do so, and that you have learned of and will continue to learn of Confidential Information during the course of employment. You will comply with the policies and procedures of the Company and its Affiliates for protecting Confidential Information and will not disclose to any Person or use, other than as required by applicable law or for the proper performance of your duties and responsibilities to the Company and its Affiliates, any Confidential Information obtained by you incident to your employment or your association with the Company or any of its Affiliates, provided that you may divulge any Confidential Information that may be required by law and may disclose such information to your personal advisors for purposes of enforcing or interpreting this Agreement. You understand that this restriction shall continue to apply after your employment terminates, regardless of the reason for such termination. The confidentiality obligation under this Section 7 shall not apply to information which is generally known or readily available to the public at the time of disclosure or becomes generally known through no wrongful act on the part of you or any other Person having an obligation of confidentiality to the Company or any of its Affiliates. Following termination of employment, you will not communicate or divulge any Confidential Information without the Company’s prior written consent or as may otherwise be required by law or legal process.

 

(b) All documents, records, tapes and other media of every kind and description relating to the business of the Company or its Affiliates and any copies, in whole or in part, thereof (the “Documents”), whether or not prepared by you, shall be the sole and exclusive property of the Company and its Affiliates. You will surrender to the Company at the time your employment terminates all property of the Company, including without limitation all Documents containing Confidential Information then in your possession.

 

(c) You will not disclose to or use on behalf of the Company any proprietary information of a third party without such party’s consent.

 

8. Assignment of Rights to Intellectual Property . You will promptly and fully disclose all Intellectual Property to the Company. You hereby assign and agree to assign to the Company (or as otherwise directed by the Company) your full right, title and interest in and to all Intellectual Property developed during the term of your employment with the Company. Subject

 

4


  to the foregoing, you agree to execute any and all applications for domestic and foreign patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights and to do such other acts requested by the Company to assign the Intellectual Property so developed to the Company and to permit the Company to enforce any patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights to the Intellectual Property. All copyrightable works that you create will be considered “work made for hire” and will, upon creation, be owned exclusively by the Company.
 

9. Restricted Activities . You agree that some restrictions on your activities during and after your employment are necessary to protect the goodwill, Confidential Information and other legitimate interests of the Company and its Affiliates:

 

(a) While you are employed by the Company and for two (2) years after your employment terminates (the “Restricted Period”)(provided that the Restricted Period shall be limited to one (1) year after your employment terminates for any reason if such termination occurs after July 23, 2011), you will not, directly or indirectly, whether as owner, partner, investor, consultant, agent, employee, co-venturer or otherwise, compete with the Company or any of its Affiliates or undertake any planning for any business competitive with the Company or any of its Affiliates. Specifically, but without limiting the foregoing, you agree not to engage in any manner in any activity that is directly or indirectly competitive with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates as conducted during your employment and further agree not to work or provide services, in any capacity, whether as an employee, independent contractor or otherwise, whether with or without compensation, to any Person who is engaged in any business that is competitive with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates for which you have provided services during your employment. Restricted activity includes without limitation accepting employment with any Person who is, or at any time within one year prior to termination of your employment has been, a franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates. For the purposes of this Section 9, the business of the Company and its Affiliates shall include all Products and your undertaking shall encompass all items, products and services that may be used in substitution for Products. The foregoing, however, shall not prevent your passive ownership of two percent (2%) or less of the equity securities of any publicly traded company.

 

(b) You agree that during the Restricted Period, you will not directly or indirectly (a) solicit or encourage any franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them; or (b) seek to persuade any such franchisee or prospective franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to conduct with anyone else any business or activity which such franchisee or prospective franchisee conducts with the Company or any of its Affiliates; provided that these restrictions shall apply (y) only with respect to those Persons who are or have been a franchisee of the Company or any of its Affiliates at any time within the immediately preceding one year or whose business has been solicited on behalf of the Company or any of the Affiliates by any of their officers, employees or agents (and of which you have actual knowledge) within said one year period, other than by form letter, blanket mailing or published advertisement, and (z) only if you have performed work for such Person during your employment with the Company or one of its Affiliates or been introduced to such Person as a result of your employment or other associations with the Company or one of its Affiliates.

 

5


 

(c) You agree that during the Restricted Period, you will not, and will not assist any other Person to, (a) hire or solicit for hiring any employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates as of the date of such solicitation or was employed by the Company or any of its Affiliates during the six (6) months prior to your termination of employment, or seek to persuade any employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates to discontinue employment or (b) solicit or encourage any independent contractor providing services to the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them. For the purposes of this Agreement, an “employee” of the Company or any of its Affiliates is any person who was such at any time within the preceding year. For purposes hereof, general solicitations not directed at a particular person or advertising in media directed at the general public shall not provide the basis for a claim by the Company that you violated this Section.

 

10. Enforcement of Covenants . You acknowledge that you have carefully read and considered all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the restraints imposed upon you pursuant to Sections 7, 8 and 9 hereof. You agree without reservation that each of the restraints contained herein is necessary for the reasonable and proper protection of the goodwill, Confidential Information and other legitimate interests of the Company and its Affiliates; that each and every one of those restraints is reasonable in respect to subject matter, length of time and geographic area; and that these restraints, individually or in the aggregate, will not prevent you from obtaining other suitable employment during the period in which you are bound by these restraints. You further acknowledge that, were you to breach any of the covenants contained in Sections 7, 8 or 9 hereof, the damage to the Company would be irreparable. You therefore agree that the Company, in addition to any other remedies available to it, will be entitled to preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against any breach or threatened breach by you of any of said covenants, without having to post bond, as well as to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in connection with such breach. The parties further agree that, in the event that any provision of Section 7, 8 or 9 hereof shall be determined by any court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable by reason of its being extended over too great a time, too large a geographic area or too great a range of activities, such provision shall be deemed to be modified to permit its enforcement to the maximum extent permitted by law.

 

11. Release .

 

(a) In exchange for your continued employment following the Transition Date, and other good and valuable consideration provided you under this Agreement, to which you would not otherwise be entitled, you agree, on your own behalf and that of your heirs, executors, administrators, beneficiaries, personal representatives and assigns, and all others connected with or claiming through you, that you release and forever discharge the Company, Holdings and their respective Affiliates and all of their respective past, present and future officers, directors, trustees, shareholders, employees, employee benefit plans and any of the trustees or administrators thereof, agents, general and limited partners, members, managers, investors, joint venturers, representatives, predecessors, successors and assigns, and all others connected with any of them, both individually and in their official capacities, from any and all causes of action, rights or claims of any type or description, known or unknown, which you have had in the past, now have or might have, through the date this Agreement becomes effective. This includes, without limitation, any and all causes of action, rights or claims in any way resulting from, arising out of or connected with your employment with the Company or

 

6


 

your voluntary resignation from the position of Executive Vice President — Chief Financial Officer or pursuant to any federal, state or local law, regulation or other requirement including without limitation Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the fair employment practices laws of the state or states in which you have been employed by the Company or otherwise had a relationship with the Company or Holdings or any of their subsidiaries or other affiliates, each as amended from time to time.

 

(b) This Agreement, including the release of claims set forth in the paragraph immediately above, creates legally binding obligations and the Company therefore advises you to consult an attorney before signing this Agreement. In signing this Agreement, you give the Company assurance that you have signed it voluntarily and with a full understanding of its terms; that you have had sufficient opportunity of not less than 21 days, before signing this Agreement, to consider its terms and to consult with an attorney, if you wished to do so, or to consult with any other person of your choosing; and that, in signing this Agreement, you have not relied on any promises or representations, express or implied, that are not set forth expressly in this Agreement.

 

12. Definitions . Words or phrases which are initially capitalized or are within quotation marks shall have the meanings provided in this Section and as provided elsewhere herein. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions apply:

 

(a) “ Affiliates ” means all persons and entities directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Company, where control may be by either management authority, contract or equity interest.

 

(b) “ Cause ” means: (i) your indictment for, conviction of (or pleading nolo contendere to) a crime of moral turpitude, breach of trust or unethical business conduct, or any crime involving the Company; (ii) your failure to adhere to the directions of your direct supervisor, to adhere to the Company’s policies and practices [or to devote substantially all of your business time and efforts to the Company]; (iii) your failure to substantially perform your duties properly assigned to you (other than any such failure resulting from your disability); (iv) your breach of any of Sections 7, 8 or 9 of this Agreement; (v) your breach in any material respect of the terms and provisions of this Agreement; or (vi) your engagement in misconduct, fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement, or in any act which may reasonably be expected to bring the Company into disrepute.

 

(c) “ Confidential Information ” means any and all information of the Company and its Affiliates that is not generally known by others with whom they compete or do business, and any and all information, publicly known in whole or in part or not, which, if disclosed by the Company or its Affiliates would assist in competition against them. Confidential Information includes without limitation such information relating to (i) the development, research, testing, manufacturing, marketing and financial activities of the Company and its Affiliates, (ii) the Products, (iii) the costs, sources of supply, financial performance and strategic plans of the Company and its Affiliates, and (iv) the identity and special needs of the customers or franchisees of the Company and its Affiliates. Confidential Information also includes any information that the Company or any of its Affiliates have received, or may receive hereafter, belonging to franchisees or

 

7


 

others with any understanding, express or implied, that the information would not be disclosed.

 

(d) “ Intellectual Property ” means inventions, discoveries, developments, methods, processes, compositions, works, concepts and ideas that are patentable or copyrightable or constitute trade secrets conceived, made, created or developed by you (whether alone or with others, whether or not during normal business hours or on or off Company premises) during your employment that relate to either the Products or any prospective activity of the Company or any of its Affiliates or that make use of Confidential Information or any of the equipment or facilities of the Company or any of its Affiliates.

 

(e) “ Person ” means an individual, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a partnership, an estate, a trust and any other entity or organization, other than the Company or any of its Affiliates.

 

(f) “ Products ” mean all products researched, developed, manufactured, sold, licensed, leased or otherwise distributed or put into use by the Company or any of its Affiliates, together with all services provided by the Company or any of its Affiliates, during your employment.

 

13. Miscellaneous .

 

(a) Withholding . All payments made by the Company under this Agreement shall be reduced by any tax or other amounts required to be withheld by the Company under applicable law.

 

(b) Amendments and Waivers . Any term of this Agreement may be amended or waived only with the written consent of the parties.

 

(c) Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all prior communications, agreements and understandings, written or oral, with respect to your employment, its termination and all related matters excepting only your rights and obligations with respect to the securities of Holdings as expressly set forth herein; all of which shall remain in full force and effect according to their terms.

 

(d) Notices . Any and all notices, requests, demands and other communications provided for by this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be effective when delivered in person, consigned to a reputable national courier service or deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, registered or certified, and addressed to you at your last known address on the books of the Company or, in the case of the Company, at its principal place of business, attention of the Chair of the Board, or to such other address as either party may specify by notice to the other actually received.

 

(e) Governing Law . This is a Massachusetts contract and shall be construed and enforced under and be governed in all respects by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof. The Company and you each irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any suit, action or proceeding

 

8


 

commenced by either party against the other will be brought in the state of Massachusetts, (ii) consents to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court in any such suit, action or proceeding, and (iii) waives any objection which either party may have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding in any such court. The Company and you each also irrevocably and unconditionally consents to the service of any process, pleadings, notices or other papers in a manner permitted by the notice provisions of subsection (d) above.

 

(f) Severability . If any portion or provision of this Agreement shall to any extent be declared illegal or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then the remainder of this Agreement, or the application of such portion or provision in circumstances other than those as to which it is so declared illegal or unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby, and each portion and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

(g) Section 409A . Each payment made under this Agreement shall be treated as a separate payment and the right to a series of installment payments under this Agreement is to be treated as a right to a series of separate payments. Any reimbursement under this Agreement that would constitute nonqualified deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), shall be subject to the following additional rules: (i) no reimbursement of any such expense shall affect your right to reimbursement of any such expense in any other taxable year; (ii) reimbursement of the expense shall be made, if at all, promptly, but not later than the end of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the expense was incurred; and (iii) the right to reimbursement shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for any other benefit.

 

(h) Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument.

 

(i) Assignment . Neither you nor the Company may make any assignment of this Agreement or any interest in it, by operation of law or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the other; provided, however, the Company may assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to one of its Affiliates or to any Person with whom the Company shall hereafter effect a reorganization, consolidate with, or merge into or to whom it transfers all or substantially all of its properties or assets. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon you and the Company, and each of our respective successors, executors, administrators, heirs and permitted assigns.

 

(j) Survival . This Agreement shall survive the expiration of the term hereof and the termination of your employment under any circumstances to the extent necessary to give effect to its provisions.

  [Remainder of page intentionally left blank.]

 

9


 

If the terms of this Agreement are acceptable to you, please sign, date and return it to me within twenty-one (21) days of the date you receive it. You may revoke this Agreement at any time during the seven-day period immediately following the date of your signing. If you do not revoke it, then, at the expiration of that seven-day period, this letter will take effect as a legally- binding agreement under seal between you and the Company on the basis set forth above. The enclosed copy of this letter, which you should also sign and date, is for your records.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.     DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
By:   LOGO     By:   LOGO
Title:  

SR VP & G.C.

    Title:  

SR VP & GC

Accepted and Agreed:      

LOGO

             7/19/10         
Kate Smith Lavelle     Date  

Exhibit 10.13

 

LOGO  

LOGO

 

Offer of Employment

 

September 27, 2010

 

Mr. Neil Moses

8 Quail Run

Medfield, MA 02052

 

Dear Neil,

 

On behalf of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “Company”), I am pleased to offer you employment on the terms set forth below.

 

This offer of employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of:

 

•      a background screening,

 

•      reference checks regarding your past employment,

 

•      satisfactory completion of all legal documents including non-competition and intellectual property protection documents, and

 

•      documented release from all binding non-competition agreements (Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. reserves the right to verify status of agreements and releases).

 

Position

 

You will serve in a full-time capacity as Chief Financial Officer reporting directly to Nigel Travis, Chief Executive Officer. In this role, you will have responsibility for all of the existing Finance functions, IT and Strategy.

 

Start Date

 

Your anticipated start date is still to be determined but anticipated to be on or about Monday, November 15, 2010.

 

 

 

LOGO


 

Cash Compensation

 

Base Salary

  You will be paid a bi-weekly salary of $18,269.23 which is equivalent to $475,000.00 on an annual basis, payable in accordance with Dunkin’ Brands’ standard payroll practices for salaried employees.
  Your base salary will be reviewed annually, based on market competitiveness and performance, and may be adjusted at that time.
  Short-Term Incentive
  In addition to your base salary, you will be eligible to participate in the Dunkin’ Brands’ Executive Short-Term Incentive (STI) Plan with a target of 75% of your annual salary. The actual percentage of your Short-Term Incentive will be paid on a prorated basis based upon days employed during the 2010 Plan year, as well as Dunkin’ Brands’ overall performance, your individual job performance, your ability to meet established goals and objectives, and the terms of the plan as they exist at any given time. A participation letter as well as a plan document, which explains the program in detail, will be provided to you at a later date.
  Long-Term Incentive
  You will be eligible to participate in the Dunkin’ Brands’ 2006 Executive Incentive Plan. You will be recommended for a grant of 1,000,000 Stock Options at the current value as of the date of the grant. This grant is subject to approval of the Board of Directors at the first grant meeting following your first day of employment. A Stock Option Grant containing the terms and conditions of this grant and a plan document that governs the Plan will be provided to you at a later date.
 

Other Compensation

 

Flexible Perquisite Allowance

  You will be entitled to a flexible perquisites allowance of $20,000.00 per annum paid bi-weekly ($769.23).
  Benefits
  Dunkin’ Brands offers an attractive benefits program. Upon election, medical and dental coverage is effective the first of the month following your start date. Most company-paid benefits are effective upon hire. Employee elected benefit contributions are handled via payroll deduction.
  Insurance
  You will be eligible for medical, dental and disability coverage and various life insurance programs. Details are attached.
  Retirement
  Dunkin’ Brands will provide you with the opportunity to participate in the Company’s 401(k) plan for retirement savings.


  Deferred Compensation
  You will be eligible to participate in the 2005 Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan. The plan provides an opportunity for pre-tax savings to assist you in accumulating assets for planned events during your working life and retirement. Details are attached.
  Vacation
  You will begin eligible to accrue vacation at a rate of 4 weeks per year as of your first day of employment with the company.
  Proof of Right to Work
  For purposes of federal immigration law, you will be required to provide to Dunkin’ Brands documentary evidence of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States within (3) business days of your date of hire.
  Period of Employment
  Your employment with Dunkin’ Brands will be “at will”, meaning that this offer of employment does not constitute a contract of employment. If employed, you may elect to resign at any time and Dunkin’ Brands may elect to terminate your employment at any time for any reason.
  Severance
  In the event of your termination by Dunkin’ Brands for something other than “cause”, you will be eligible for severance equal to 12 months of your then-current base compensation, conditioned on the return of a full release of claims by you. “Cause” means fraud; material neglect (other than as a result of illness or disability) of your duties to Dunkin’ Brands; conduct that is not in the best interest of, or injurious to, Dunkin Brands; acts of dishonesty in connection with the performance of your duties; or conviction of a felony or crime involving falsehood or moral turpitude.
  Without our receipt of the full release of claims, you will not be entitled to the aforementioned severance, which is in lieu of and replaces the Dunkin’ Brands’ Severance Program generally applicable to eligible Dunkin’ Brands employees.
  Code of Conduct/Non-Compete
  Before you make your decision regarding this position, you should carefully review the attached Code of Conduct that you will be required to adhere to once employed by Dunkin’ Brands. As set forth in the conflict of interest section, you will be expected to devote your full-time and attention to Dunkin’ Brands and not be actively involved in any other business.
  While you are employed by Dunkin’ Brands, the Company (Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.) will not utilize the services of any business in which you have held an ownership interest. Further, you will have to recuse yourself from any hiring decision involving an employee or former employee of a business in which you have held an ownership interest.
  Consistent with other senior executives, you will be asked to sign a Non-Compete Agreement with the Company. That document will be provided to you under separate cover.


  Entire Agreement
  This offer of employment contains all of the terms of your employment with Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and supersedes any prior understandings or agreements, whether oral or written, between you and Dunkin’ Brands.
  Term
  This offer will expire at 5:00PM on Monday, October 4, 2010.
  We hope that you find the foregoing terms acceptable. You may indicate your agreement with these terms and accept this offer by signing and dating the enclosed letter and returning it to me. We look forward to your decision to join Dunkin’ Brands.
  Sincerely,
  LOGO
  Christine F. Deputy  
  SVP, Human Resources  
  Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.  
  I ACCEPT THE ABOVE OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT:  
 

LOGO

          9/30/10        
              Date
 

cc:    Nigel Travis

 
 

         Personnel File

 

Exhibit 10.14

 

LOGO   

LOGO

 

Offer of Employment

 

November 23, 2009

 

Mr. Richard Emmett

1290 S. Race Street

Denver, CO 80210

 

Dear Rich,

 

On behalf of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “Company”), I am pleased to offer you employment on the terms set forth below.

 

This offer of employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of:

 

•    a background screening,

 

•    reference checks regarding your past employment,

 

•    satisfactory completion of all legal documents including non-competition and intellectual property protection documents, and

 

•    documented release from all binding non-competition agreements (Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. reserves the right to verify status of agreements and releases).

 

Position

 

You will serve in a full-time capacity as SVP and General Counsel reporting directly to Nigel Travis, Chief Executive Officer.

 

Start Date

 

Your anticipated start date is still to be determined but anticipated to be on or about Monday, November 30, 2009.

 

Cash Compensation

 

Base Salary

 

You will be paid a bi-weekly salary of $15,384.62 which is equivalent to $400,000.00 on an annual basis, payable in accordance with Dunkin’ Brands’ standard payroll practices for salaried employees.

 

Your base salary will be reviewed annually, based on market competitiveness and performance, and may be adjusted at that time.

 

LOGO

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


LOGO

  

LOGO

 

Short-Term Incentive

 

In addition to your base salary, you will be eligible to participate in the Dunkin’ Brands’ Executive Short-Term Incentive (STI) Plan with a target of 50% of your annual salary. The actual percentage of your Short-Term Incentive will be paid on a prorated basis based upon days employed during the 2009 Plan year, as well as Dunkin’ Brands’ overall performance, your individual job performance, your ability to meet established goals and objectives, and the terms of the plan as they exist at any given time. A participation letter as well as a plan document, which explains the program in detail, will be provided to you at a later date.

 

Please note that for 2009, Company goals have been established to provide for Short Term Incentive plan funding at both Budget and Target levels. While achievement of Target goals provides an opportunity for 100% funding of the Short Term Incentive, achievement of goals at the Budget level for 2009 will provide for a level of funding that is approximately 44% of the total award opportunity, prorated accordingly as stated above.

 

Long-Term Incentive

 

You will be eligible to participate in the Dunkin’ Brands’ 2006 Executive Incentive Plan. You will be recommended for a grant of 750,000 Stock Options at the current value as of the date of the grant. This grant is subject to approval of the Board of Directors at the first grant meeting following your first day of employment. A Stock Option Grant containing the terms and conditions of this grant and a plan document that governs the Plan will be provided to you at a later date.

 

Other Compensation

 

Flexible Perquisite Allowance

 

You will be entitled to a flexible perquisites allowance of $20,000.00 per annum paid bi-weekly ($769.23).

 

Relocation

 

You will be eligible for executive level relocation from Denver, CO to the Canton, MA area. The details of the policy will be provided to you under separate cover.

 

Benefits

 

Dunkin’ Brands offers an attractive benefits program. Upon election, medical and dental coverage is effective the first of the month following your start date. Most company-paid benefits are effective upon hire. Employee elected benefit contributions are handled via payroll deduction.

 

Insurance

 

You will be eligible for medical, dental and disability coverage and various life insurance programs. Details are attached.

 

Retirement

 

Dunkin’ Brands will provide you with the opportunity to participate in the Company’s 401(k) plan for retirement savings.

 

LOGO


LOGO

   LOGO
  

 

Deferred Compensation

 

You will be eligible to participate in the 2005 Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan. The plan provides an opportunity for pre-tax savings to assist you in accumulating assets for planned events during your working life and retirement. Details are attached.

 

Vacation

 

You will begin eligible to accrue vacation at a rate of 4 weeks per year as of your first day of employment with the company.

 

Proof of Right to Work

 

For purposes of federal immigration law, you will be required to provide to Dunkin’ Brands documentary evidence of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States within (3) business days of your date of hire.

 

Period of Employment

 

Your employment with Dunkin’ Brands will be “at will”, meaning that this offer of employment does not constitute a contract of employment. If employed, you may elect to resign at any time and Dunkin’ Brands may elect to terminate your employment at any time for any reason.

 

Severance

 

In the event of your termination by Dunkin’ Brands for something other than “cause”, you will be eligible for severance equal to 12 months of your then-current base compensation, conditioned on the return of a full release of claims by you. “Cause” means fraud; material neglect (other than as a result of illness or disability) of your duties to Dunkin’ Brands; conduct that is not in the best interest of, or injurious to, Dunkin Brands; acts of dishonesty in connection with the performance of your duties; or conviction of a felony or crime involving falsehood or moral turpitude.

 

Without our receipt of the full release of claims, you will not be entitled to the aforementioned severance, which is in lieu of and replaces the Dunkin’ Brands’ Severance Program generally applicable to eligible Dunkin’ Brands employees.

 

Code of Conduct/Non-Compete

 

Before you make your decision regarding this position, you should carefully review the attached Code of Conduct that you will be required to adhere to once employed by Dunkin’ Brands. As set forth in the conflict of interest section, you will be expected to devote your full-time and attention to Dunkin’ Brands and not be actively involved in any other business.

 

While you are employed by Dunkin’ Brands, the Company (Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.) will not utilize the services of any business in which you have held an ownership interest. Further, you will have to recuse yourself from any hiring decision involving an employee or former employee of a business in which you have held an ownership interest.

 

Consistent with other senior executives, you will be asked to sign a Non-Compete Agreement with the Company. That document will be provided to you under separate cover.

 

LOGO


LOGO

 

LOGO

 

Entire Agreement

 

This offer of employment contains all of the terms of your employment with Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and supersedes any prior understandings or agreements, whether oral or written, between you and Dunkin’ Brands.

 

Term

 

This offer will expire at 5:00PM on Wedesday, November 25, 2009.

 

We hope that you find the foregoing terms acceptable. You may indicate your agreement with these terms and accept this offer by signing and dating the enclosed letter and returning it to me. We look forward to your decision to join Dunkin’ Brands.

 

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

 

Christine F. Deputy

SVP, Human Resources

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

 

I ACCEPT THE ABOVE OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT:

 

LOGO

     

11/23/09

  
        Date   
 

cc:    Nigel Travis

         Personnel File

          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
  LOGO
 
 
          
          
          
          
          
          

 

 

 

LOGO

 

 

Exhibit 10.15

 

LOGO

 

Offer of Employment

 

September 30, 2009

 

Mr. John H. Costello

4716 Northside Drive

NW Atlanta, GA 30327

 

Dear John,

 

On behalf of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “Company”), I am pleased to offer you employment on the terms set forth below.

 

This offer of employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of:

 

•      a background screening,

 

•      reference checks regarding your past employment,

 

•      satisfactory completion of all legal documents including non-competition and intellectual property protection documents, and

 

•      documented release from all binding non-competition agreements (Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. reserves the right to verify status of agreements and releases).

 

Position

 

You will serve in a full-time capacity as Chief Global Customer and Marketing Officer reporting directly to Nigel Travis, Chief Executive Officer.

 

Start Date

 

Your anticipated start date is still to be determined but anticipated no later than Thursday, October 1, 2009. You will work in the capacity of “Consultant” until your new position becomes affective on October 8, 2009.

 

Cash Compensation

 

Base Salary

 

You will be paid a bi-weekly salary of $19,230.77 which is equivalent to $500,000.00 on an annual basis, payable in accordance with Dunkin’ Brands’ standard payroll practices for salaried employees.

 

Your base salary will be reviewed annually, based on market competitiveness and performance, and may be adjusted at that time.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  LOGO


LOGO  

LOGO

 

Short-Term Incentive

 

In addition to your base salary, you will be eligible to participate in the Dunkin’ Brands’ Executive Short-Term Incentive (STI) Plan with a target of 50% of your annual salary. The actual percentage of your Short-Term Incentive will be paid on a prorated basis based upon days employed during the 2009 Plan year, as well as Dunkin’ Brands’ overall performance, your individual job performance, your ability to meet established goals and objectives, and the terms of the plan as they exist at any given time. A participation letter as well as a plan document, which explains the program in detail, will be provided to you at a later date.

 

Please note that for 2009, Company goals have been established to provide for Short Term Incentive plan funding at both Budget and Target levels. While achievement of Target goals provides an opportunity for 100% funding of the Short Term Incentive, achievement of goals at the Budget level for 2009 will provide for a level of funding that is approximately 44% of the total award opportunity, prorated accordingly as stated above.

 

Long-Term Incentive

 

You will be eligible to participate in the Dunkin’ Brands’ 2006 Executive Incentive Plan. You will be recommended for a grant of 400,000 shares of Restricted Stock at the then current valuation as of the date of the grant. This grant is subject to approval of the Board of Directors at the first grant meeting following your first day of employment. A Restricted Stock Agreement containing the terms and conditions of this grant and a plan document that governs the Plan will be provided to you at a later date.

 

Other Compensation

 

Flexible Perquisite Allowance

 

You will be entitled to a flexible perquisites allowance of $20,000.00 per annum paid bi-weekly ($769.23).

 

Board Memberships

 

It has been agreed that while you are employed by Dunkin Brands, Inc. you will continue to serve on one external board as well as three charitable boards. Currently you are serving with Ace Hardware and the American Film Institute, Yellowstone Park Foundation and Grand Teton Music Festival. If you choose to resign from one of these boards and pursue different memberships you agree to consult with your CEO to agree appropriate board memberships.

 

Relocation

 

You will be eligible for relocation from Atlanta, GA to the Canton, MA area. Our expectation is that you will complete your relocation within 12 months of your hire date. Specifically, you will be eligible for movement of household goods as well as an allowance of $150,000.00 for rental reimbursement. This allowance will be paid to you over an 18 month time period in equal installments of $3846.15 for 39 pay periods beginning November 1, 2009. All required taxes will be deducted from each payment.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  LOGO


LOGO  

LOGO

 

Benefits

 

Dunkin’ Brands offers an attractive benefits program. Upon election, medical and dental coverage is effective the first of the month following your start date. Most company-paid benefits are effective upon hire. Employee elected benefit contributions are handled via payroll deduction.

 

Insurance

 

You will be eligible for medical, dental and disability coverage and various life insurance programs. Details are attached.

 

Retirement

 

Dunkin’ Brands will provide you with the opportunity to participate in the Company’s 401(k) plan for retirement savings.

 

Deferred Compensation

 

You will be eligible to participate in the 2005 Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan. The plan provides an opportunity for pre-tax savings to assist you in accumulating assets for planned events during your working life and retirement. Details are attached.

 

Vacation

 

You will begin eligible to accrue vacation at a rate of 3 weeks per year as of your first day of employment with the company.

 

Proof of Right to Work

 

For purposes of federal immigration law, you will be required to provide to Dunkin’ Brands documentary evidence of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States within (3) business days of your date of hire.

 

Period of Employment

 

Your employment with Dunkin’ Brands will be “at will”, meaning that this offer of employment does not constitute a contract of employment. If employed, you may elect to resign at any time and Dunkin’ Brands may elect to terminate your employment at any time for any reason.

 

Severance

 

In the event of your termination by Dunkin’ Brands for something other than “cause”, you will be eligible for severance equal to 12 months of your then-current base compensation, conditioned on the return of a full release of claims by you. “Cause” means fraud; material neglect (other than as a result of illness or disability) of your duties to Dunkin’ Brands; conduct that is not in the best interest of, or injurious to, Dunkin Brands; acts of dishonesty in connection with the performance of your duties; or conviction of a felony or crime involving falsehood or moral turpitude.

 

Without our receipt of the full release of claims, you will not be entitled to the aforementioned severance, which is in lieu of and replaces the Dunkin’ Brands’ Severance Program generally applicable to eligible Dunkin’ Brands employees.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  LOGO


LOGO  

LOGO

 

Code of Conduct/Non-Compete

 

Before you make your decision regarding this position, you should carefully review the attached Code of Conduct that you will be required to adhere to once employed by Dunkin’ Brands. As set forth in the conflict of interest section, you will be expected to devote your full-time and attention to Dunkin’ Brands and not be actively involved in any other business.

 

While you are employed by Dunkin’ Brands, the Company (Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.) will not utilize the services of any business in which you have held an ownership interest. Further, you will have to recuse yourself from any hiring decision involving an employee or former employee of a business in which you have held an ownership interest.

 

Consistent with other senior executives, you will be asked to sign a Non-Compete Agreement with the Company. That document will be provided to you under separate cover.

 

Entire Agreement

 

This offer of employment contains all of the terms of your employment with Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and supersedes any prior understandings or agreements, whether oral or written, between you and Dunkin’ Brands.

 

Term

 

This offer will expire at 5:00PM on Thursday, October 8, 2009.

 

We hope that you find the foregoing terms acceptable. You may indicate your agreement with these terms and accept this offer by signing and dating the enclosed letter and returning it to me. We look forward to your decision to join Dunkin’ Brands.

 

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Nigel Travis

Chief Executive Officer

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

 

I ACCEPT THE ABOVE OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT:

 

LOGO

 

        9/30/09        

 
    Date  
 

cc:    Christine Deputy

         Personnel File

   
 

 

LOGO

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Exhibit 10.16

Offer of Employment

September 10, 2009

Mr. Paul Twohig

49 Ribaut Drive

Hilton Head Island, SC 29926

Dear Paul,

On behalf of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “Company”), I am pleased to offer you employment on the terms set forth below.

This offer of employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of:

 

   

a background screening,

 

   

reference checks regarding your past employment, and

 

   

satisfactory completion of all legal documents including non-competition and intellectual property protection agreements.

Position

You will serve in a full-time capacity as Brand Operations Officer - Dunkin’ Donuts US, reporting directly to Will Kussell, President & Chief Brand Officer - Dunkin’ Donuts Worldwide.

Start Date

Your anticipated start date is Monday, October 5, 2009.

Cash Compensation

Base Salary

You will be paid a bi-weekly salary of $14,423.08, which is equivalent to $375,000.00 on an annual basis, payable in accordance with Dunkin’ Brands’ standard payroll practices for salaried employees.

Your base salary will be reviewed annually, based on market competitiveness and your and the Company’s performance, and may be adjusted at that time in the Company’s discretion.


Short-Term Incentive

In addition to your base salary, you will be eligible to participate in the Dunkin’ Brands’ Executive Short-Term Incentive (STI) Plan with a target of 40.0% of your annual salary. The actual percentage of your Short-Term Incentive will be paid on a prorated basis based upon days employed during the 2009 Plan year, as well as Dunkin’ Brands’ overall performance, your individual job performance, your ability to meet established goals and objectives, and the terms of the Plan as they exist from time to time. A participation letter as well as a Plan document, which explains the program in detail, will be provided to you at a later date.

Please note that for 2009, Company goals have been established to provide for Short -Term Incentive Plan funding at both Budget and Target levels. While achievement of Target goals provides an opportunity for 100% funding of the Short -Term Incentive, achievement of goals at the Budget level for 2009 will provide for a level of funding that is approximately 44% of the total award opportunity, prorated to reflect your partial year of service as stated above.

Long-Term Incentive

You will be eligible to participate in the Dunkin’ Brands’ 2006 Executive Incentive Plan. You will be recommended for a grant of 250,000 shares of Restricted Stock at the then current valuation as of the date of the grant. This grant is subject to and conditioned upon the approval of the Board of Directors at the first grant meeting following your first day of employment. A Restricted Stock Agreement containing the terms and conditions of this grant and a Plan document that governs the Plan will be provided to you at a later date.

Other Compensation

Flexible Perquisites Allowance

You will be entitled to a flexible perquisites allowance of $13,858.00 per annum, payable bi-weekly ($533.00).

Relocation

You will be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement in connection with your move from Hilton Head Island, SC to the Canton, MA area. Our expectation is that you will commence relocation after a mutually agreeable date and complete your relocation within 12 months of your hire date. The details governing the Company’s relocation policy will be provided to you under separate cover. The Company will provide temporary living support for up to 12 months.


Benefits

The Company offers an attractive employee benefits program. Upon election, medical and dental coverage is effective the first of the month following your start date. Most Company-paid benefits are effective upon hire. Employee-elected benefit contributions are handled via payroll deduction.

Insurance

You will be eligible for medical, dental and disability coverage as well as various life insurance programs. Details are attached.

Retirement

Dunkin’ Brands will provide you with the opportunity to participate in the Company’s 401(k) plan for retirement savings.

Deferred Compensation

You will be eligible to participate in Dunkin’ Brands’ 2005 Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan. The Plan provides a vehicle for pre-tax savings to assist you in accumulating assets for planned events during your working life and retirement. Details are attached.

Vacation

You will begin eligible to accrue vacation at a rate of three (3) weeks per year as of your first day of employment with the Company.

Proof of Right to Work

For purposes of federal immigration law, you will be required to provide to Dunkin’ Brands documentary evidence of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States within three (3) business days of your date of hire.

Period of Employment

Your employment with the Company will be “at will”, meaning that this offer of employment does not constitute a contract of employment. If employed, you may elect to resign at any time and the Company may elect to terminate your employment at any time and for any reason.

Severance

In the event of your discharge by the Company for something other than “cause”, you will be eligible for severance equal to six (6) months of your then-current base salary, conditioned on the return and non-revocation of a full and effective release of claims by you. “Cause” means fraud; material neglect (other than as a result of illness or disability) of your duties to the Company; conduct that is not in the best interest of, or injurious to, the Company; acts of dishonesty in connection with the performance of your duties; conviction of a felony or crime involving falsehood or moral turpitude; or other circumstances that render you unable to perform the functions for which you are being hired by the Company.


Without our receipt of the full and effective release of claims, you will not be entitled to the aforementioned severance, which is in lieu of and replaces the Dunkin’ Brands’ Severance Program generally applicable to eligible Company employees.

Code of Conduct

Before you make your decision regarding this position, you should carefully review the attached Code of Conduct that you will be required to adhere to once employed by the Company. As set forth in the conflict of interest section, you will be expected to devote your full time and attention to the Company and not be actively involved in any other business.

While you are employed by Dunkin’ Brands, the Company will not utilize the services of any business in which you have held an ownership interest. Further, you will have to recuse yourself from any hiring decision involving an employee or former employee of a business in which you have held an ownership interest.

Obligations to Former Employers

In accepting this offer, you hereby certify that you have not taken any trade secret, confidential or proprietary documents or information belonging to any former employers, and that you will under no circumstances use or disclose any such information during your employment with the Company. You further certify that you will adhere scrupulously to the confidentiality and non-solicitation provisions of your agreement with Starbucks Corporation, and will promptly notify Dunkin’ Brands management in the event you believe that any work assignment for the Company threatens to bring you into breach of any such obligations. Although the Company has concluded that the non-competition provisions of your agreement with Starbucks are unenforceably overbroad, the Company remains committed to ensuring that your former employer’s legitimate business interests (i.e., in respect to the protection of its trade secrets and confidential business information, the non-solicitation of its employees, customers and prospective customers, and the like) are honored in every particular. You should consider this an express condition of your continuing employment at Dunkin’ Brands.

Non-Compete/Non-Solicitation/Confidentiality Agreement

Consistent with other senior executives, you will be asked to sign a copy of this Agreement with the Company. That document will be provided to you under separate cover.

Entire Agreement

This offer of employment contains all of the terms of your employment with the Company and supersedes any prior understandings or agreements, whether oral or written, between you and the Company.


Term

This offer will expire at 5:00 PM on Monday, September 14, 2009.

We hope that you find the foregoing terms acceptable. You may indicate your agreement with these terms and accept this offer by signing and dating the enclosed letter and returning it to me. We look forward to your joining Dunkin’ Brands.

 

Sincerely,
/s/ Will Kussell
Will Kussell
President, Dunkin’ Donuts Worldwide

I ACCEPT THE ABOVE OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT

 

/s/ Paul Twohig

   

10/5/2009

    Date

 

cc: Christine Deputy
     Personnel File

Exhibit 10.17

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.

NON-COMPETE/NON-SOLICITATION/

CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

I, the undersigned, acknowledge the importance to Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “Company”) of protecting the confidential information of the Company, its parents, subsidiaries and affiliates (the “Company and its Affiliates”) and their other legitimate interests, including without limitation the valuable confidential information and goodwill that they have developed or acquired. Therefore, in consideration of awards delivered to me under the 2006 Executive Incentive Plan, my ongoing employment with the Company and my being granted access to trade secrets and other confidential information of the Company and its Affiliates and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which I hereby acknowledge:

1. Confidential Information . I agree to hold in confidence, during and after my employment with the Company, all confidential information, including confidential information I may develop. Confidential information includes all non-public information, trade secrets, and proprietary information of the Company and its Affiliates, including financial information, plans and strategy, research, franchisees, consumer and marketing information. I will only use this confidential information in performing my duties for the Company and will not disclose any confidential information to anyone outside the Company.

2. Assignment of Rights to Intellectual Property . I agree to promptly and fully disclose all Intellectual Property to the Company. Intellectual Property” means inventions, discoveries, developments, methods, processes, compositions, works, concepts and ideas that are patentable or copyrightable or constitute trade secrets conceived, made, created or developed by me (whether alone or with others, whether or not during normal business hours or on or off Company premises) during and related to my employment with the Company. I hereby assign and agree to assign to the Company (or as otherwise directed by the Company) all my right, title and interest in and to all Intellectual Property developed during the term of my employment with the Company. I agree to execute on the Company’s reasonable request documents evidencing the foregoing. All copyrightable works that I create in furtherance of my duties shall be considered “work made for hire” and shall, upon creation, be owned exclusively by the Company.

3. Non-Compete. While I am employed by the Company and for one (1) year thereafter, I shall not, directly or indirectly, whether as owner, partner, investor, consultant, agent, employee, co-venturer or otherwise, compete with the Company or any of its subsidiaries, affiliates or parents or undertake any planning for any business competitive with the Company or any of its Affiliates. Competitors include without limitation: [                      ].


4. Non-Solicitation: Franchisees. During my employment and for one (1) year thereafter, I will not directly or indirectly (a) solicit or encourage any franchisee of the Company and its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them; or (b) seek to persuade any such franchisee or prospective franchisee of the Company and its Affiliates to conduct with anyone else any business or activity which such franchisee or prospective franchisee conducts with the Company and its Affiliates.

5. Non-Solicitation: Employees. During my employment and for one (1) year thereafter, I will not, and will not assist any other party to, (a) hire or solicit for hiring any employee of the Company or seek to persuade any employee of the Company to discontinue employment or (b) solicit or encourage any independent contractor providing services to the Company or its Affiliates to terminate or diminish its relationship with them. For purposes hereof, general solicitations not directed at a particular person or advertising in media directed at the general public shall not provide the basis for a claim by the Company that I violated this provision.

6. Employment-at-Will; Offer Letter. I understand that nothing in this Agreement in any way affects the at-will nature of my employment with the Company.

 

Signature:  

 

Printed Name:  

 

Date:  

 

 

2

Exhibit 10.20

EXECUTION COPY

 

 

 

$1,350,000,000

CREDIT AGREEMENT

Dated as of November 23, 2010

among

DUNKIN’ FINANCE CORP.

as the Initial Borrower

DUNKIN’ BRANDS HOLDINGS, INC.

as Holdings upon the effectiveness of its joinder to this Agreement

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.

as the Borrower upon the Assumption

BARCLAYS BANK PLC

as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and L/C Issuer

THE OTHER LENDERS PARTY HERETO

 

 

BARCLAYS CAPITAL

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED

GOLDMAN SACHS LENDING PARTNERS LLC

as Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

as Syndication Agent

and

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC

Cooperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A., “Rabobank Nederland”, New York

Branch

as Co-Documentation Agents

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page  
   ARTICLE 1   
   DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS   

Section 1.01

   Defined Terms      2   

Section 1.02

   Other Interpretive Provisions      56   

Section 1.03

   Accounting Terms      57   

Section 1.04

   Pro Forma Calculations      58   

Section 1.05

   Rounding      59   

Section 1.06

   References to Agreements and Laws      59   

Section 1.07

   Times of Day      60   

Section 1.08

   Timing of Payment or Performance      60   
   ARTICLE 2   
   THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS   

Section 2.01

   The Loans      60   

Section 2.02

   Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans      61   

Section 2.03

   Letters of Credit      62   

Section 2.04

   Swing Line Loans      71   

Section 2.05

   Prepayments      74   

Section 2.06

   Termination or Reduction of Commitments      79   

Section 2.07

   Repayment of Loans      80   

Section 2.08

   Interest      81   

Section 2.09

   Fees      81   

Section 2.10

   Computation of Interest and Fees      82   

Section 2.11

   Evidence of Indebtedness      82   

Section 2.12

   Payments Generally      83   

Section 2.13

   Sharing of Payments      85   

Section 2.14

   Incremental Facilities      86   

Section 2.15

   Extensions of Term Loans and Revolving Credit Commitments      91   

Section 2.16

   Refinancing Amendments      93   

Section 2.17

   Defaulting Lenders      95   
   ARTICLE 3   
   TAXES, INCREASED COSTS PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY   

Section 3.01

   Taxes      97   

Section 3.02

   Illegality      99   

Section 3.03

   Inability to Determine Rates      99   

Section 3.04

   Increased Cost and Reduced Return; Capital Adequacy; Reserves on Eurodollar Rate Loans      100   

Section 3.05

   Funding Losses      101   

Section 3.06

   Matters Applicable to All Requests for Compensation      101   

Section 3.07

   Replacement of Lenders Under Certain Circumstances      102   

Section 3.08

   Survival      104   

 

-i-


          Page  
   ARTICLE 4   
   CONDITIONS PRECEDENT   

Section 4.01

   Conditions to Initial (Closing Date) Credit Extension      104   

Section 4.02

   Conditions to All Credit Extensions After the Escrow Release Date      106   
   ARTICLE 5   
   REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES   

Section 5.01

   Existence, Qualification and Power; Compliance with Laws      106   

Section 5.02

   Authorization; No Contravention      107   

Section 5.03

   Governmental Authorization; Other Consents      107   

Section 5.04

   Binding Effect      108   

Section 5.05

   Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect      108   

Section 5.06

   Litigation      109   

Section 5.07

   Ownership of Property; Liens      109   

Section 5.08

   Environmental Compliance      109   

Section 5.09

   Taxes      110   

Section 5.10

   ERISA Compliance      110   

Section 5.11

   Subsidiaries; Equity Interests      111   

Section 5.12

   Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act      111   

Section 5.13

   Disclosure      111   

Section 5.14

   Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc      112   

Section 5.15

   Solvency      112   

Section 5.16

   Perfection, Etc.      112   

Section 5.17

   Compliance with Laws Generally      112   

Section 5.18

   Labor Matters      112   

Section 5.19

   Senior Debt      112   

Section 5.20

   Escrow Release Date      113   
   ARTICLE 6   
   AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS   

Section 6.01

   Financial Statements      113   

Section 6.02

   Certificates; Other Information      114   

Section 6.03

   Notices      116   

Section 6.04

   Payment of Obligations      117   

Section 6.05

   Preservation of Existence, Etc.      117   

Section 6.06

   Maintenance of Properties      117   

Section 6.07

   Maintenance of Insurance      117   

Section 6.08

   Compliance With Laws      118   

Section 6.09

   Books and Records      118   

Section 6.10

   Inspection Rights      118   

Section 6.11

   Use of Proceeds      118   

Section 6.12

   Covenant to Guarantee Obligations and Give Security      119   

Section 6.13

   Compliance with Environmental Laws      121   

Section 6.14

   Further Assurances      122   

Section 6.15

   Designation of Subsidiaries      122   

Section 6.16

   Maintenance of Ratings      122   

Section 6.17

   Escrow Release Credit Documents      122   

Section 6.18

   Post-Closing Matters      124   

 

-ii-


          Page  
   ARTICLE 7   
   NEGATIVE COVENANTS   

Section 7.01

   Liens      125   

Section 7.02

   Investments      129   

Section 7.03

   Indebtedness      132   

Section 7.04

   Fundamental Changes      135   

Section 7.05

   Dispositions      136   

Section 7.06

   Restricted Payments      138   

Section 7.07

   Change in Nature of Business      141   

Section 7.08

   Transactions with Affiliates      141   

Section 7.09

   Burdensome Agreements      142   

Section 7.10

   Financial Covenants      143   

Section 7.11

   Amendments of Certain Documents      144   

Section 7.12

   Accounting Changes      144   

Section 7.13

   Prepayments, Etc. of Indebtedness      144   

Section 7.14

   Limitations on Holdings      144   

Section 7.15

   Designated Senior Debt      145   
   ARTICLE 8   
   EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES   

Section 8.01

   Events of Default      145   

Section 8.02

   Remedies upon Event of Default      147   

Section 8.03

   Application of Funds      148   

Section 8.04

   Borrower’s Right to Cure      149   
   ARTICLE 9   
   ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND OTHER AGENTS   

Section 9.01

   Appointment and Authority      150   

Section 9.02

   Rights as a Lender      151   

Section 9.03

   Exculpatory Provisions      151   

Section 9.04

   Reliance by Administrative Agent      152   

Section 9.05

   Delegation of Duties      152   

Section 9.06

   Resignation of Successor Administrative Agent      152   

Section 9.07

   Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders      154   

Section 9.08

   Collateral and Guaranty Matters      154   

Section 9.09

   No Other Duties, Etc.      155   

Section 9.10

   Appointment of Supplemental Administrative Agents      155   

Section 9.11

   Withholding Tax      157   

Section 9.12

   Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim      157   

Section 9.13

   Right to Indemnity      158   
   ARTICLE 10   
   MISCELLANEOUS   

Section 10.01

   Amendments, Etc.      158   

Section 10.02

   Notices and Other Communications; Facsimile Copies      161   

Section 10.03

   No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies      162   

Section 10.04

   Attorney Costs, Expenses and Taxes      162   

Section 10.05

   Indemnification by the Borrower      163   

 

-iii-


          Page  

Section 10.06

   Marshalling; Payments Set Aside      164   

Section 10.07

   Successors and Assigns      164   

Section 10.08

   Confidentiality      179   

Section 10.09

   Setoff      179   

Section 10.10

   Interest Rate Limitation      180   

Section 10.11

   Counterparts      180   

Section 10.12

   Integration      180   

Section 10.13

   Survival of Representations and Warranties      180   

Section 10.14

   Severability      181   

Section 10.15

   Tax Forms      181   

Section 10.16

   GOVERNING LAW      184   

Section 10.17

   WAIVER OF RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY      184   

Section 10.18

   Binding Effect      185   

Section 10.19

   USA PATRIOT Act Notice      185   

Section 10.20

   [Reserved]      185   

Section 10.21

   No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship      185   

 

-iv-


SCHEDULES

I

   Guarantors

10.02

   Administrative Agent’s Office, Certain Addresses for Notices
EXHIBITS

A-1

   Form of Committed Loan Notice

A-2

   Form of Prepayment Notice

A-3

   Form of Request for L/C Issuance

B

   Form of Swing Line Loan Notice

C-1

   Form of Term Note

C-2

   Form of Revolving Credit Note

D

   Form of Compliance Certificate

E

   Form of Assignment and Assumption

F

   Form of Guaranty

G

   Form of Security Agreement

H

   Form of Joinder Agreement

I

   Form of L/C Issuer Agreement

J

   Form of Administrative Questionnaire

K

   Form of Specified Discount Prepayment Notice

L

   Form of Specified Discount Prepayment Response

M

   Form of Discount Range Prepayment Notice

N

   Form of Discount Range Prepayment Offer

O

   Form of Solicited Discounted Prepayment Notice

P

   Form of Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offer

Q

   Form of Acceptance and Prepayment Notice

R

   Form of Affiliated Lender Assignment and Assumption

S-1

   US Tax Certificate (For Non-US Lenders that are not Partnerships For US Federal Income Tax Purposes)

S-2

   US Tax Certificate (For Non-US Lenders that are Partnerships For US Federal Income Tax Purposes)

S-3

   US Tax Certificate (For Non-US Participants that are not Partnerships For US Federal Income Tax Purposes)

S-4

   US Tax Certificate (For Non-US Participants that are Partnerships For US Federal Income Tax Purposes)

T

   Form of Borrower Assignment and Assumption Agreement

U

   Form of Pari Passu Intercreditor Agreement

V

   Form of Second Lien Intercreditor Agreement

W

   Form of Solvency Certificate

 

-v-


CREDIT AGREEMENT

This CREDIT AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is entered into as of November 23, 2010, among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “ Initial Borrower ”), and, upon the effectiveness of its joinder to this Agreement, Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Holdings ”), and, upon the Assumption, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ DBI ”), each lender from time to time party hereto (collectively, the “ Lenders ” and individually, each a “ Lender ”), and Barclays Bank PLC, as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and L/C Issuer.

PRELIMINARY STATEMENTS

The Initial Borrower has requested that (a) the Term B Lenders make Term B Loans to the Initial Borrower in an aggregate principal amount of $1,250,000,000, and (b) from time to time, the Revolving Credit Lenders lend to the Initial Borrower and the Borrower and the L/C Issuer issue Letters of Credit for the account of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries under a $100,000,000 Revolving Credit Facility.

Concurrently with the initial funding under this Agreement on the Closing Date, the Initial Borrower will enter into the Senior Secured Credit Facilities Escrow and Security Agreement with the Administrative Agent and the Escrow Agent, pursuant to which (i) the Lenders will deposit with the Escrow Agent into the Escrow Account the proceeds of the Term Loans made on the Closing Date and (ii) the Initial Borrower will deposit with the Escrow Agent into the Escrow Account certain additional amounts necessary to pay accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the Special Mandatory Prepayment Date.

The funds in the Escrow Account will be released in accordance with the terms of the Senior Secured Credit Facilities Escrow and Security Agreement, and together with (i) a portion of DBI’s cash on hand, (ii) the proceeds of the issuance of the Senior Notes and (iii) the proceeds of Revolving Credit Loans made on the Escrow Release Date, will be used by the Borrower to finance the repayment of all amounts outstanding under the Securitization Notes, to pay a special dividend to Holdings (the proceeds of which will then be used by Holdings to pay a subsequent special dividend to Parent) and pay the Transaction Expenses. The proceeds of Revolving Credit Loans made after the Closing Date will be used for working capital and other general corporate purposes of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, including the financing of Permitted Acquisitions. Swing Line Loans and Letters of Credit will be used for general corporate purposes of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries.

Concurrently with the release of funds from the Escrow Account on the Escrow Release Date, the Initial Borrower and the Borrower shall execute and deliver the Borrower Assignment and Assumption Agreement pursuant to which, among other things, the Initial Borrower shall assign and transfer to DBI all of its rights and obligations as the Borrower under the Loan Documents (such assignment, the “ Assumption ”). Immediately following the Assumption and upon the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes and discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture on the Escrow Release Date, the Initial Borrower will be merged with and into DBI, with DBI being the surviving entity.


The applicable Lenders have indicated their willingness to lend and the L/C Issuer has indicated its willingness to so issue Letters of Credit, in each case, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement.

In consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement, the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:

ARTICLE 1

DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS

Section 1.01 Defined Terms . As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Acceptable Discount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(B).

Acceptable Prepayment Amount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(C).

Acceptance and Prepayment Notice ” means an irrevocable written notice from a Company Party accepting Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offers to make a Discounted Term Loan Prepayment at the Acceptable Discount specified therein pursuant to Section 10.07(l)(iv) substantially in the form of Exhibit Q .

Acceptance Date ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(B).

Accepting Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(b)(vii).

Ad Fund Cash ” means all amounts held in segregated accounts established solely for advertising activities pursuant to agreements with franchisees, including by Ad Fund Special Subsidiaries.

Ad Fund Special Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary that (a) is an administrator or holder of cash held in segregated accounts established solely for advertising activities pursuant to agreements with franchisees and (b) holds no assets other than the accounts described in clause (a) and conducts no activities other than administering and holding such accounts and activities reasonably related to the foregoing, including DB AdFund Administrator LLC.

Administrative Agent ” means the United States branch of Barclays Bank PLC in its capacity as administrative agent under any of the Loan Documents, or any permitted successor administrative agent, provided that, in all events, any payments from the Loan Parties to the Administrative Agent shall be made to a “U.S. branch” of the Administrative Agent that is treated as a “U.S. person” for purposes of Treasury Regulations 1.1441-1.

Administrative Agent’s Office ” means the Administrative Agent’s address and, as appropriate, account as set forth on Schedule 10.02, or such other address or account as the Administrative Agent may from time to time notify in writing to the Borrower, the Lenders and the L/C Issuers.

 

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Administrative Questionnaire ” means an Administrative Questionnaire substantially in the form of Exhibit J.

Affiliate ” means, with respect to any Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified. “ Control ” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “ Controlling ” and “ Controlled ” have meanings correlative thereto.

Affiliated Lender ” shall mean a Lender that is (a) a Sponsor or Affiliate of a Sponsor or (b) an Affiliate of any Loan Party (excluding, in each case (i) any Investment Fund, (ii) any Affiliate of any Sponsor that would not constitute a Sponsor pursuant to the definition thereof and (iii) Holdings, the Borrower or any of its respective Subsidiaries).

Affiliated Organization ” means (i) The Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation, Inc., Dunkin Brands Disaster Relief Fund, Inc., Dunkin Donuts Charitable Trust and any charitable organization that is an Affiliate of the Borrower or any Subsidiary that meets the requirements of Section 501(c)(3) of the Code to the extent, and only for so long as, such organization is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Section 170 of the Code and (ii) Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Political Action Committee and any non-profit political association qualifying as a separate, segregated fund, as that term is used in the Federal Election Campaign Act whose connected organization is DBI and that is independent of, and not affiliated with, any political party, candidate for elective office, or other political organization.

Agent-Related Person ” means the Administrative Agent, together with its Affiliates, and the officers, directors, employees, agents and attorneys-in-fact of such Persons and Affiliates.

Agents ” means, collectively, the Administrative Agent, the Syndication Agent, each Co-Documentation Agent, and the Supplemental Administrative Agents (if any).

Aggregate Commitments ” means the Commitments of all the Lenders.

Agreement ” means this Credit Agreement.

Applicable Discount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iii)(B).

Applicable Rate ” with respect to the Term B Loans and the Revolving Credit Loans, unused Revolving Credit Commitments, Letter of Credit fees and Revolving Credit Commitment Fees, the following percentages per annum, based upon the Total Leverage Ratio as set forth in the most recent Compliance Certificate received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 6.02 means a percentage per annum equal to:

 

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Applicable Rate

 

Pricing

Level

   Total
Leverage Ratio
   Eurocurrency Rate
and  Letter of Credit
Fees
    Base Rate     Revolving Credit
Commitment  Fee
Rate
 

1

   >6.00:1      4.25     3.25     0.500

2

   £  6.00:1 but > 5.00:1      4.00     3.00     0.500

3

   £ 5.00:1      3.75     2.75     0.500

Any increase or decrease in the Applicable Rate resulting from a change in the Total Leverage Ratio shall become effective as of the first Business Day immediately following the date a Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.02; provided that Pricing Level 1 shall apply (x) as of the first Business Day after the date on which a Compliance Certificate was required to have been delivered but was not delivered, and shall continue to so apply to and including the date on which such Compliance Certificate is so delivered (and thereafter the Pricing Level otherwise determined in accordance with this definition shall apply) and (y) at the option of the Administrative Agent or the Required Revolving Lenders, as of the first Business Day after an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, and shall continue to so apply to but excluding the date on which such Event of Default is cured or waived (and thereafter the Pricing Level otherwise determined in accordance with this definition shall apply); provided , further , that prior to delivery of the Compliance Certificate with respect to the first fiscal quarter beginning after the Closing Date, Pricing Level 1 shall apply.

Appropriate Lender ” means, at any time, (a) with respect to Loans of any Class, the Lenders of such Class, (b) with respect to the Letter of Credit Sublimit, (i) the L/C Issuer and (ii) if any Letters of Credit have been issued pursuant to Section 2.03(a), the Revolving Credit Lenders and (c) with respect to the Swing Line Facility, (i) the Swing Line Lender and (ii) if any Swing Line Loans are outstanding pursuant to Section 2.04(a), the Revolving Credit Lenders.

Approved Domestic Bank ” has the meaning specified in clause (b) of the definition of “Cash Equivalents.”

Approved Foreign Bank ” has the meaning specified in clause (f) of the definition of “Cash Equivalents.”

Approved Fund ” means any Fund that is administered, advised or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers, advises or manages a Lender.

Arrangers ” means Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC, each in its capacity as an arranger and joint bookrunner for the Facilities.

Assignment and Assumption ” means an Assignment and Assumption substantially in the form of Exhibit E or in another form reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent.

Assumption ” has the meanings specified in the introductory paragraph to this Agreement.

 

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Attorney Costs ” means and includes all reasonable fees, expenses and disbursements of any law firm or other external counsel.

Attributable Indebtedness ” means, on any date, in respect of any Capitalized Lease of any Person, the capitalized amount thereof that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP.

Auction Agent ” means (a) the Administrative Agent or (b) any other financial institution or advisor employed by the Borrower reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent (whether or not an Affiliate of the Administrative Agent) to act as an arranger in connection with any Discounted Term Loan Prepayment pursuant to Section 10.07(l); provided that the Borrower shall not designate the Administrative Agent as the Auction Agent without the written consent of the Administrative Agent (it being understood that the Administrative Agent shall be under no obligation to agree to act as the Auction Agent).

Auto-Renewal Letter of Credit ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(b)(iii).

Base Rate ” means for any day a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest of (a) the Federal Funds Rate plus 1/2 of 1%, (b) the rate of interest per annum determined from time to time by the Administrative Agent as its “prime rate” in effect at its principal office in New York City and (c) the Eurodollar Rate applicable for an Interest Period of one month beginning on such day (or if such day is not a Business Day, the immediately preceding Business Day) plus 1.00%; provided that in no event shall the Base Rate be less than 2.50%. The “prime rate” is a rate set by the Administrative Agent based upon various factors including the Administrative Agent’s costs and desired return, general economic conditions and other factors, and is used as a reference point for pricing some loans, which may be priced at, above, or below such determined rate. Any change in the Base Rate due to a change in the Federal Funds Rate or such “prime rate” shall be effective as of the opening of business on the effective day of such change in the Federal Funds Rate or “prime rate”, as the case may be.

Base Rate Loan ” means a Loan that bears interest based on the Base Rate.

Borrower ” shall mean (a) prior to the execution and delivery to the Administrative Agent of the Borrower Assignment and Assumption Agreement, the Initial Borrower and (b) following the execution and delivery to the Administrative Agent of the Borrower Assignment and Assumption Agreement, DBI.

Borrower Assignment and Assumption Agreement ” shall mean the Assignment and Assumption Agreement executed by the Initial Borrower and DBI, providing for the Assignment and Assumption of the Loans and Commitments, along with all other rights and duties as a “Borrower” hereunder by the Initial Borrower to DBI, substantially in the form of Exhibit T or as otherwise mutually acceptable to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.

Borrower Materials ” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.

Borrower Merger ” means the consummation of the merger of the Initial Borrower with and into DBI, with DBI being the surviving entity, immediately following the Assumption.

 

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Borrower Offer of Specified Discount Prepayment ” means the offer by a Company Party to make a voluntary prepayment of Term Loans at a specified discount to par pursuant to Section 10.07(l)(ii).

Borrower Solicitation of Discount Range Prepayment Offers ” means the solicitation by a Company Party of offers for, and the corresponding acceptance by a Company Party to make, a voluntary prepayment of Term Loans at a specified range at a discount to par pursuant to Section 10.07(l)(iii).

Borrower Solicitation of Discounted Prepayment Offers ” means the solicitation by a Company Party of offers for, and the subsequent acceptance, if any, by the Company Party to make, a voluntary prepayment of Term Loans at a discount to par pursuant to Section 10.07(l)(iv).

Borrowing ” means a Revolving Credit Borrowing, a New Revolving Credit Borrowing, a Swing Line Borrowing, a Term Borrowing, or a New Term Borrowing, as the context may require.

Business Day ” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks are authorized to close under the Laws of, or are in fact closed in when used in relation to the Borrower, the state where the Administrative Agent’s Office is located, and if such day relates to any interest rate settings as to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, any fundings, disbursements, settlements and payments in respect of any such Eurodollar Rate Loan, or any other dealings to be carried out pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any such Eurodollar Rate Loan, means any such day on which dealings in deposits in Dollars are conducted by and between banks in the London interbank eurodollar market.

Capitalized Lease Obligation ” means, at the time any determination thereof is to be made, the amount of the liability in respect of a Capitalized Lease that would at such time be required to be capitalized and reflected as a liability on a balance sheet (excluding the footnotes thereto) prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Capitalized Leases ” means all leases that have been or should be, in accordance with GAAP, recorded as capitalized leases on a balance sheet of the lessee.

Capitalized Software Expenditures ” means, for any period, the aggregate of all expenditures (whether paid in cash or accrued as liabilities) during such period in respect of licensed or purchased software or internally developed software and software enhancements that are or are required to be reflected as capitalized costs on the consolidated balance sheet in accordance with GAAP.

Cash Collateral ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(g).

Cash Collateral Account ” means a deposit account at a commercial bank selected by the Administrative Agent in the name of the Administrative Agent and under the sole dominion and control of the Administrative Agent, and otherwise established in a manner satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

 

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Cash Collateralize ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(g).

Cash Equivalents ” means any of the following types of Investments, to the extent owned by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries free and clear of all Liens (other than Liens permitted pursuant to any Loan Document):

(a) readily marketable obligations issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States, any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof, having maturities of not more than one year from the date of acquisition thereof; provided that the full faith and credit of the United States is pledged in support thereof;

(b) time deposits with, or insured certificates of deposit or bankers’ acceptances of, any commercial bank that (i) (A) is a Lender or (B) is organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia or is the principal banking subsidiary of a bank holding company organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and is a member of the Federal Reserve System and (ii) has combined capital and surplus of at least $250,000,000 (any such bank being an “ Approved Domestic Bank ”), in each case with maturities of not more than one year from the date of acquisition thereof;

(c) commercial paper and variable or fixed rate notes issued by an Approved Domestic Bank (or by the parent company thereof) or any variable rate note issued by, or guaranteed by a domestic corporation rated “A-1” (or the equivalent thereof) or better by S&P or “P-1” (or the equivalent thereof) or better by Moody’s, in each case with maturities of not more than one year from the date of acquisition thereof;

(d) repurchase agreements entered into by any Person with a bank or trust company (including any of the Lenders) having capital and surplus in excess of $250,000,000 for direct obligations issued by or fully guaranteed by the United States;

(e) Investments, classified in accordance with GAAP as current assets of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, in money market investment programs registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which are administered by financial institutions having capital of at least $250,000,000, and the portfolios of which are limited such that 95% of such investments are of the character, quality and maturity described in clauses (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this definition;

(f) solely with respect to any Foreign Subsidiary, non-Dollar denominated (i) certificates of deposit of, bankers acceptances of, or time deposits with, any commercial bank which is organized and existing under the laws of the country in which such Foreign Subsidiary maintains its chief executive office and principal place of business (provided such country is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), and whose short-term commercial paper rating from S&P is at least “A-1” or the equivalent thereof or from Moody’s is at least “P-1” or the equivalent thereof (any such bank being an “ Approved Foreign Bank ”) and maturing within one year of the date of

 

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acquisition and (ii) equivalents of demand deposit accounts which are maintained with an Approved Foreign Bank; and

(g) readily marketable obligations issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the government or any agency or instrumentality of the United Kingdom or any member nation of the European Union whose legal tender is the euro and which are denominated in pounds sterling or euro or any other foreign currency comparable in tenor to those referred to above and customarily used by corporations for cash management purposes in any jurisdiction outside the United States to the extent reasonably required in connection with any business conducted by any Restricted Subsidiary organized in such jurisdiction, having (i) one of the two highest ratings from either Moody’s or S&P and (ii) maturities of not more than one year from the date of acquisition thereof; provided that the full faith and credit of the United Kingdom or any such member nation of the European Union is pledged in support thereof.

Cash Management Obligations ” means obligations owed by any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary to any Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender in respect of any overdraft and related liabilities arising from treasury, depository and cash management services or any automated clearing house transfers of funds or in respect of any credit card or similar services.

Casualty Event ” means any event that gives rise to the receipt by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries of any insurance proceeds or condemnation awards in respect of any equipment, fixed assets or real property (including any improvements thereon) to replace or repair such equipment, fixed assets or real property.

CERCLA ” means the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980.

CERCLIS ” means the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System maintained by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Change of Control ” means the earliest to occur of

(a) at any time prior to a Qualifying IPO, the Permitted Holders directly or indirectly cease to beneficially own (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 and Rule 13d-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or any successor provision) Equity Interests representing more than 50% of the total voting power of all of the outstanding Voting Stock of Holdings;

(b) at any time on or after a Qualifying IPO, (i) Holdings becomes aware of (by way of a report or any other filing pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, proxy, vote, written notice or otherwise) the acquisition by any Person or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act, or any successor provision), including any group acting for the purpose of acquiring, holding or disposing of securities (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act), other than one or more Permitted Holders, in a single transaction or in a related series of transactions, by way of merger, amalgamation, consolidation or other business combination

 

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or purchase of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, or any successor provision) of Equity Interests representing more than more than the greater of (x) thirty-five percent (35%) of the total voting power of all of the outstanding Voting Stock of Holdings and (y) the percentage of the total voting power of all of the outstanding Voting Stock of Holdings owned, directly or indirectly, beneficially by the Permitted Holders, or (ii) during any period of twelve (12) consecutive months, the board of directors of Holdings shall cease to consist of a majority of the Continuing Directors;

(c) DBI ceasing to be a directly or indirectly wholly owned Subsidiary of Holdings; or

(d) any “Change of Control” (or any comparable term) in any document pertaining to the Senior Notes or any Permitted Refinancing thereof with an aggregate outstanding principal amount in excess of the Threshold Amount.

Class ” (a) when used with respect to Lenders, refers to whether such Lenders are Revolving Credit Lenders, New Revolving Credit Lenders, Term B Lenders, New Term Lenders, Extended Term Lender or Extending Revolving Credit Lenders (b) when used with respect to Commitments, refers to whether such Commitments are Revolving Credit Commitments, New Revolving Credit Commitments, Extended Revolving Credit Commitments, Term B Commitments, New Term Commitments and (c) when used with respect to Loans or a Borrowing, refers to whether such Loans, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are Revolving Credit Loans or Term B Loans, in each case, under this Agreement as originally in effect or pursuant to Section 2.14, 2.15 or 2.16, of which such Loan, Borrowing or Commitment shall be a part.

Closing Date ” means November 23, 2010 or, if later, the first date all the conditions precedent in Section 4.01 are satisfied or waived in accordance with Section 4.01.

Closing Date Funding Fees ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.09(c).

Co-Documentation Agents ” means Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC and Cooperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A., “Rabobank Nederland”, New York Branch, each in its capacity as a co-documentation agent for the Facilities.

Code ” means the US Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.

Collateral ” means all of the “Collateral” referred to in the Collateral Documents and all other property of any Loan Party, now existing or hereafter acquired, that may at any time be or become subject to Liens in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties pursuant to the Collateral Documents in order to secure the Secured Obligations.

Collateral Documents ” means, collectively, the Senior Secured Credit Facilities Escrow and Security Agreement, the Security Agreement, the Pari Passu Intercreditor Agreement, the Second Lien Intercreditor Agreement, each Intellectual Property Security Agreement, the Mortgages, if any, and each of the other agreements, instruments or documents that creates or

 

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purports to create a Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties as security for the Secured Obligations, including collateral assignments, Security Agreement Supplements, security agreements, pledge agreements or other similar agreements delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Secured Parties pursuant to Sections 4.01, 6.12 and 6.14.

Commitment ” means a Term Commitment or a Revolving Credit Commitment, as the context may require.

Committed Loan Notice ” means a notice of (a) a Term Borrowing, (b) a Revolving Credit Borrowing, (c) a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or (d) a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, pursuant to Section 2.02(a), which shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A .

Company Parties ” means the collective reference to Holdings, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, and “ Company Party ” means any one of them.

Compensation Period ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.12(c)(ii).

Competitors ” means those Persons who are direct competitors of DBI and listed on Schedule 1.01A of the Confidential Disclosure Letter.

Compliance Certificate ” means a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit D .

Confidential Disclosure Letter ” means the letter from the Borrower to the Lenders delivered on or prior to the date hereof.

Consolidated EBITDA ” means, for any period, the sum of (a) Consolidated Net Income, plus (b) an amount which, in the determination of Consolidated Net Income for such period, has been deducted or netted from gross revenues (except with respect to subclauses (ix) and (xi) below, and, to the extent attributable to amounts accrued but not added back in a prior period, payments in subclause (v)) for, without duplication,

(i) interest expense and, to the extent not reflected in such interest expense, any losses with respect to obligations under any Swap Contracts or other derivative instruments (including any applicable termination payment) entered into for the purpose of hedging interest rate risk, any bank and financing fees, any costs of surety bonds in connection with financing activities, commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit, bankers’ acceptance or any similar facilities or financing and Swap Contracts,

(ii) provision for taxes based on income or profits or capital, including, without limitation, federal, state, provincial, franchise, excise, withholding and similar taxes, including any penalties and interest relating to any tax examinations,

(iii) the total amount of depreciation and amortization expense, including expenses related to Capitalized Software Expenditures and Capitalized Leases,

 

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(iv) (a) Transaction Expenses paid prior to March 31, 2011 and (b) to the extent permitted hereunder, any costs and expenses incurred in connection with any Investment, Disposition, Equity Issuance or Debt Issuance (including fees and expenses related to the offering of the Senior Notes and the Facilities and any amendments, supplements and modifications thereof), including the amortization of deferred financing fees, debt issuance costs, commissions, fees and expenses (in each case, whether or not consummated),

(v) the amount of management, monitoring, consulting, transaction and advisory fees (including termination fees) and related indemnities and expenses paid or accrued during such period to the Sponsors in accordance with the Management Agreement to the extent permitted to be paid under Section 7.08,

(vi) any costs, charges, accruals and reserves in connection with any integration, transition, facilities openings, vacant facilities, consolidations, relocations and closings, pre-openings, openings, permitted acquisitions, Joint Venture investments and Dispositions, business optimization (including relating to systems design, upgrade, implementation costs, franchise-related restructuring programs, non-recurring franchisee information technology and market research programs), entry into new markets, including consulting fees, Refranchising Transactions, restructuring, severance, severance and curtailments or modifications to pension or postretirement employee benefit plans;

(vii) the amount of any expense or deduction associated with income of any Restricted Subsidiaries attributable to non-controlling interests or minority interest of third parties,

(viii) any non-cash charges, losses or expenses (including tax reclassification related to tax contingencies in a prior period and, subject to clause (d) below, including accruals and reserves in respect of potential or future cash items), but excluding, any non-cash charge relating to write-offs or write-downs of inventory or accounts receivable or representing amortization of a prepaid cash item that was paid but not expensed in a prior period,

(ix) cash actually received (or any netting arrangements resulting in reduced cash expenditures) during such period, and not included in Consolidated Net Income in any period, to the extent that the non-cash gain relating to such cash receipt or netting arrangement was deducted in the calculation of Consolidated EBITDA pursuant to paragraph (c) below for any previous period and not added back,

(x) unusual or non-recurring losses or charges, and

(xi) the amount of “run-rate” cost savings and synergies projected by the Borrower in good faith to be realized as a result of specified actions taken or expected in good faith to be taken within 12 months following the end of such period (calculated on a pro forma basis as though such cost savings and synergies had been realized on the first day of such period), net of the amount of actual benefits realized during such period from such actions; provided that such cost savings and synergies are reasonably identifiable,

 

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factually supportable and certified by the chief financial officer or treasurer of the Borrower (it is understood and agreed that “run-rate” means the full recurring benefit for a period that is associated with any action taken or expected to be taken, provided that such benefit is expected to be realized within 12 months of taking such action), minus

(c) an amount which, in the determination of Consolidated Net Income for such period, has been included for non-cash income during such period (other than with respect to (A) amounts attributable to investments in the Specified Joint Ventures, (B) amortization of unfavorable operating leases and (C) payments actually received and the reversal of any accrual or reserve to the extent not previously added back in any prior period), minus (d) all cash payments made during such period on account of non-cash charges added to Consolidated Net Income pursuant to clause (b)(viii) above in such period or in a prior period; minus (e) the amount of income consisting of or associated with losses of any Restricted Subsidiary attributable to non-controlling interests or minority interests of third parties, minus (f) non-recurring or unusual gains.

The aggregate amount of add backs made pursuant to clauses (vi) and (xi) above (together with any cost savings or synergies added to Consolidated EBITDA pursuant to Section 1.04(d) (such aggregate amount, the “ Adjustment Amount ”)) in any Test Period shall not exceed (A) 15% of Consolidated EBITDA (prior to giving effect to such addbacks) for any Test Period completed on or prior to December 31, 2011 and (B) 10% of Consolidated EBITDA (prior to giving effect to such addbacks) for any Test Period completed after December 31, 2011; provided , that to the extent the aggregate Adjustment Amount for any Test Period was less than the cap applicable to such Test Period, the cap set forth in clause (B) of the preceding proviso shall be increased by such amount (but not to exceed 15% of Consolidated EBITDA (prior to giving effect to such addbacks) for the succeeding Test Period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Consolidated EBITDA for the fiscal quarter ended on (i) December 26, 2009 shall be deemed to be $64,771,000, (ii) March 27, 2010 shall be deemed to be $56,504,000, (iii) June 26, 2010 shall be deemed to be $77,045,000 and (iv) September 25, 2010 shall be deemed to be $76,561,000.

Consolidated First Lien Secured Debt ” means, as of any date of determination, the aggregate principal amount of Consolidated Total Debt outstanding on such date that is secured equally and ratably with the Facilities.

Consolidated Interest Expense ” means, for any period, with respect to any Person and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, the amount by which (i) interest expense in respect of Indebtedness (less payments received, and plus payments made, pursuant to interest rate Swap Contracts) for such period (including the interest component under Capitalized Leases), but excluding, to the extent included in interest expense, (v) fees and expenses associated with the consummation of the Transactions, (w) annual agency fees paid to the Administrative Agent, (x) costs associated with obtaining Swap Contracts, (y) fees and expenses associated with any Debt Issuance and any prepayment, redemption, repurchase or other satisfaction or retirement of indebtedness (whether or not consummated and including premium and prepayment penalties), and (z) pay-in-kind interest expense, accretion of original issue discount or discounted liabilities or other non-cash interest expense (including as a result of the effects of purchase accounting, accrual of discounted liabilities and movement of mark to market valuation of obligations under Swap Contracts or other derivative instruments), exceeds (ii) interest income for such period, in each case as determined in accordance with GAAP, to the extent the same are paid or payable (or

 

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received or receivable) in cash with respect to such period. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, for the purposes of determining Consolidated Interest Expense for any period ending prior to the first anniversary of the Closing Date, Consolidated Interest Expense shall be an amount equal to actual Consolidated Interest Expense from the Closing Date through the date of determination multiplied by a fraction the numerator of which is 365 and the denominator of which is the number of days from the Closing Date through the date of determination.

Consolidated Net Income ” means, for any period, with respect to any Person, net income attributable to such Person and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, as determined in accordance with GAAP; provided that Consolidated Net Income for any such period shall exclude, without duplication,

(i) any net after-tax extraordinary gains, losses or charges,

(ii) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle(s) during such period,

(iii) any net after-tax gains or losses realized upon the Disposition of assets outside the ordinary course of business (including any gain or loss realized upon the Disposition of any Equity Interests of any Person) and any net gains or losses on disposed, abandoned and discontinued operations (including in connection with any disposal thereof) and any accretion or accrual of discounted liabilities,

(iv) (A) the net income (or loss) of (1) solely for purposes of determining the amount available under clause (a) of the definition of Cumulative Amount, any Restricted Subsidiary (other than a Loan Party) to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by such Subsidiary of that income is not at the time permitted without any prior governmental approval (which has not been obtained) or, directly or indirectly, by the operation of the terms of its charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, statute, rule or governmental regulation applicable to such Subsidiary or its stockholders (which has not been legally waived) and (2) any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Specified Joint Ventures), except in each case to the extent of the amount of dividends or other distributions actually paid in cash or Cash Equivalents (or converted to cash or Cash Equivalents) to such Person or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries by such Person during such period and (B) the income or loss of any Person accrued prior to the date it becomes a Subsidiary of such Person or is merged into or consolidated with such Person or any Subsidiary of such Person or the date that such other Person’s assets are acquired by such Person or any Subsidiary of such Person,

(v) non-cash compensation charges, including any such charges arising from stock options, restricted stock grants or other equity-incentive programs or any direct or indirect parents in connection with the Transactions,

(vi) (A) any charges or expenses pursuant to any management equity plan or stock option plan or any other management or employee benefit plan or agreement, any stock subscription or shareholder agreement or any distributor equity plan or agreement and (B) any charges, costs, expenses, accruals or reserves in connection with the rollover,

 

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acceleration or payout of Equity Interests held by management of the Company Parties, in each case of (A) and (B), to the extent that (in the case of any cash charges, costs and expenses) such charges, costs or expenses are funded with cash proceeds contributed to the capital of the Borrower, Holdings or any direct or indirect parent of the Borrower or Net Cash Proceeds of an issuance of Qualified Equity Interests of the Borrower, Holdings or any direct or indirect parent of the Borrower;

(vii) any net income or loss attributable to the early extinguishment of Indebtedness,

(viii) effects of any adjustments (including the effects of such adjustments pushed down to the Borrower and its Subsidiaries) in the inventory, property and equipment, software, goodwill, other intangible assets, in-process research and development, deferred revenue, debt line items, any earn-out obligations and any other non-cash charges (other than the amortization of unfavorable operating leases) in such Person’s consolidated financial statements pursuant to GAAP resulting from the application of purchase accounting in relation to the Transactions, any consummated acquisition or any Joint Venture investments or the amortization or write-off of any such amounts,

(ix) accruals and reserves that are established within twelve months after the Closing Date that are so required to be established as a result of the Transactions in accordance with GAAP,

(x) any impairment charge or asset write-off or write-down, including impairment charges or asset write-offs or write-downs related to intangible assets, long-lived assets, investments in debt and equity securities or obligations (including any losses with respect to obligations of customers, account debtors and suppliers in bankruptcy, insolvency or similar proceedings) or as a result of a change in law or regulation, in each case, pursuant to GAAP,

(xi) any net gain or loss resulting from currency translation gains or losses related to currency remeasurements of Indebtedness (including any net loss or gain resulting from hedge agreements for currency exchange risk) and any foreign currency translation gains or losses, and

(xii) any net unrealized gains and losses resulting from obligations under Swap Contracts or other derivative instruments entered into for the purpose of hedging interest rate risk and the application of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 133.

In addition, to the extent not already included in the Consolidated Net Income of such Person and its Subsidiaries, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the foregoing (but without duplication of any of the foregoing exclusions and adjustments), Consolidated Net Income shall include the amount of proceeds received from business interruption insurance in respect of expenses, charges or losses with respect to business interruption and reimbursements of any expenses and charges to the extent reducing Consolidated Net Income that are actually received and covered by indemnification or other reimbursement provisions or, so long as the Borrower has made a determination that there exists reasonable expectation that such amount will in fact

 

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be reimbursed by the insurer and only to the extent that such amount is in fact reimbursed within 365 days of the date of such determination (with a reversal in the applicable future period for any amount so included to the extent not so reimbursed within such 365-day period), in connection with any investment or any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of assets permitted hereunder.

Consolidated Scheduled Funded Debt Payments ” means, as of any date for the applicable period ending on such date with respect to the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, the sum of all scheduled payments of principal on Consolidated Total Debt made during such period (including the implied principal component of payments made on Capitalized Leases during such period) as determined in accordance with GAAP.

Consolidated Senior Secured Debt ” means, as of any date of determination, the aggregate principal amount of Consolidated Total Debt outstanding on such date that is secured by a Lien on any asset or property of any Loan Party.

Consolidated Total Debt ” means, as of any date of determination, (a) the aggregate stated balance sheet amount of Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries outstanding on such date, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP (but excluding the effects of any discounting of Indebtedness resulting from the application of purchase accounting in connection with any Permitted Acquisition) consisting of Indebtedness for borrowed money, obligations in respect of Capitalized Leases and letters of credit to the extent of amounts outstanding under standby letters of credit and unreimbursed for more that 10 days and obligations in respect of Indebtedness evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, minus the lesser of (x) the aggregate amount of cash and Cash Equivalents (in each case, free and clear of all Liens other than nonconsensual Liens permitted under Section 7.01) included in the consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries as of such date (other than Gift Card Restricted Funds), and (y) $100,000,000; provided , that Consolidated Total Debt shall not include (A) Indebtedness in respect of Guarantees of obligations of franchisees or any of their Affiliates and (B) Indebtedness in respect of obligations of the type described in clauses (b), (c), (d) and (g) of the definition of “Indebtedness” or clause (e) or (h) thereof to the extent relating to such clause (b), (c), (d) or (g), except in the case of any letter of credit, except to the extent of amounts outstanding under standby letters of credit and unreimbursed for more than 10 days.

Consolidated Working Capital ” means, as at any date of determination, the excess of Current Assets over Current Liabilities.

Consolidated Working Capital Adjustment ” means, for any period on a consolidated basis, the amount (which may be a negative number) by which Consolidated Working Capital as of the beginning of such period exceeds (or is less than) Consolidated Working Capital as of the end of such period; provided , that there shall be excluded the effect of any Disposition or acquisition during such period, and the application of purchase accounting.

Continuing Directors ” shall mean the directors (or managers) of Holdings on the Closing Date and each other director (or manager), if, in each case, such other directors’ or managers’ nomination for election to the board of directors (or board of managers) of Holdings is endorsed

 

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by a majority of the then-Continuing Directors or such other director receives the vote of the Permitted Holders in his or her election by the stockholders of Holdings.

Contractual Obligation ” means, as to any Person, any provision of any security issued by such Person or of any agreement, instrument or other undertaking to which such Person is a party or by which it or any of its property is bound.

Control ” has the meaning specified in the definition of “Affiliate.”

Controlled Investment Affiliate ” means, as to any Person, any other Person, other than any Sponsor, which directly or indirectly is in control of, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person and is organized by such Person (or any Person controlling such Person) primarily for making direct or indirect equity or debt investments in the Borrower and/or other companies.

Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness ” shall mean (a) Permitted First Priority Refinancing Debt, (b) Permitted Second Priority Refinancing Debt, (c) Permitted Unsecured Refinancing Debt or (d) other Indebtedness incurred pursuant to a Refinancing Amendment (including, without limitation, Other Term Loans and Other Revolving Credit Loans), in each case, issued, incurred or otherwise obtained (including by means of the extension or renewal of existing Indebtedness) in exchange for, or to extend, renew, replace or refinance, in whole or part, existing Term Loans or existing Revolving Credit Loans (or unused Revolving Credit Commitments), or any then-existing Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness (“ Refinanced Debt ”); provided that (i) such Indebtedness has a later maturity and a Weighted Average Life to Maturity equal to or greater than the Refinanced Debt, (ii) such Indebtedness shall not have a greater principal amount than the principal amount of the Refinanced Debt plus accrued interest, fees and premiums (if any) thereon and reasonable fees and expenses associated with the refinancing, (iii) such Refinanced Debt shall be repaid, defeased or satisfied and discharged on a dollar-for-dollar basis, and all accrued interest, fees and premiums (if any) in connection therewith shall be paid, on the date such Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness is issued, incurred or obtained and (iv) the aggregate unused revolving commitments under such Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness shall not exceed the unused Revolving Credit Commitments being replaced.

Credit Extension ” means each of the following: (a) a Borrowing and (b) an L/C Credit Extension.

Cumulative Amount ” means, on any date of determination (the “ Reference Date ”), the sum of (without duplication):

(a) the sum of Excess Cash Flow for each fiscal year of the Borrower, commencing with the fiscal year of the Borrower ending December 31, 2011, that was not required to be applied to prepay Term Loans pursuant to Section 2.05(b), provided that (i) for purposes of Section 7.06(f), the amount in this clause (a) shall only be available if the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 7.10 and have a Total Leverage Ratio of not greater than 5.50 to 1.0 as of the end of the Test Period then last ended, in each case, after giving effect to such Restricted Payment and (ii) for purposes of Section 7.13, the amount in this clause (a) shall only be

 

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available if the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 7.10 and have a Total Leverage Ratio of not greater than 6.00 to 1.0 as of the end of the Test Period then last ended, in each case, after giving effect to such payment, prepayment, redemption, purchase, defeasance or satisfaction; plus

(b) Eligible Equity Proceeds (other than to the extent (x) used in a Cure Amount or (y) applied to fund (i) termination fees added back to Consolidated EBITDA under clause (v) of the definition thereof and (ii) charges, costs and expenses excluded from Consolidated Net Income pursuant to clause (vi)(B) thereof) to the extent Not Otherwise Applied; plus

(c) to the extent not included in clause (a) above, the aggregate amount received by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary from cash dividends and distributions received from any Unrestricted Subsidiaries and Net Cash Proceeds in connection with the Disposition of its Equity Interests in any Unrestricted Subsidiary, in each case, during the period from and including the Business Day immediately following the Closing Date through and including the Reference Date, in each case to the extent that the Investment corresponding to the designation of such Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary or any subsequent Investment in such Unrestricted Subsidiary, was made in reliance on the Cumulative Amount pursuant to Section 7.02(n); minus

(d) the aggregate amount of (1) Restricted Payments made using the Cumulative Amount pursuant to Section 7.06(f)(ii), (2) Investments made using the Cumulative Amount pursuant to Section 7.02(n), (3) prepayments made using the Cumulative Amount pursuant to Section 7.13(i)(B) during the period from and including the Business Day immediately following the Closing Date through and including the Reference Date (without taking account of the intended usage of the Cumulative Amount on such Reference Date) and (4) Restricted Payments made pursuant to Section 7.06(j); plus

(e) to the extent not included in clause (a) above, the aggregate amount of cash Returns to the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in respect of Investments made pursuant to Section 7.02(n)(y).

Cure Amount ” has the meaning specified in Section 8.04(a).

Cure Expiration Date ” has the meaning specified in Section 8.04(a).

Current Assets ” means, at any time, the consolidated current assets (other than cash, deferred income taxes, Cash Equivalents and assets associated with Ad Fund Cash and Gift Card Restricted Funds) of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries.

Current Liabilities ” means, at any time, the consolidated current liabilities of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries at such time, but excluding, without duplication, (a) the current portion of any long-term Indebtedness, (b) outstanding Revolving Credit Loans and Swing Line Loans (c) the current portion of interest, (d) the current portion of any Capitalized Leases, (e) the current portion of current and deferred income taxes, (f) liabilities in respect of unpaid

 

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earnouts, (g) the current portion of any other long-term liabilities, (h) deferred revenue, (i) liabilities associated with customer prepayments and deposits and (j) liabilities associated with Ad Fund Cash and Gift Card Restricted Funds.

DBI ” has the meanings specified in the introductory paragraph to this Agreement.

Debt Issuance ” means the issuance or incurrence by any Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of any Indebtedness for borrowed money.

Debtor Relief Laws ” means the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, and all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, general assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, examinership, insolvency, reorganization, or similar debtor relief Laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of creditors generally.

Declining Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(b)(vii).

Default ” means any event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default or that, with the giving of any notice, the passage of time, or both, would be an Event of Default.

Default Rate ” means an interest rate equal to (a) the Base Rate plus (b) the Applicable Rate applicable to Base Rate Loans that are Term Loans plus (c) 2.0% per annum; provided that with respect to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, the Default Rate shall be an interest rate equal to the interest rate (including any Applicable Rate) otherwise applicable to such Loan plus 2.0% per annum, in each case, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.

Defaulting Lender ” means, at any time, as reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent, a Lender as to which the Administrative Agent has notified the Borrower that (i) such Lender has failed for two or more Business Days to comply with its obligations under this Agreement to make a Term Loan, Revolving Credit Loan, make a payment to the L/C Issuer in respect of an L/C Obligation and/or make a payment to the Swing Line Lender in respect of a Swing Line Loan (each a “ Lender Funding Obligation ”), in each case, required to be funded hereunder, (ii) such Lender has notified the Administrative Agent, or has stated publicly, that it will not comply with any such Lender Funding Obligation hereunder, or has defaulted on its Lender Funding Obligations under any other loan agreement or credit agreement or other similar agreement in which it commits to extend credit (absent a good faith dispute), (iii) such Lender has, for three or more Business Days, failed to confirm in writing to the Administrative Agent, in response to a written request of the Administrative Agent (based on the reasonable belief that it may not fulfill its Lender Funding Obligations), that it will comply with its Lender Funding Obligations hereunder (absent a good faith dispute); provided , that any such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender under this clause (iii) upon receipt of such confirmation by the Administrative Agent, or (iv) a Lender Insolvency Event has occurred and is continuing with respect to such Lender ( provided that neither the reallocation of Lender Funding Obligations provided for in Section 2.17 as a result of a Lender’s being a Defaulting Lender nor the performance by Non-Defaulting Lenders of such reallocated Lender Funding Obligations will by themselves cause the relevant Defaulting Lender to become a Non-Defaulting Lender). The Administrative Agent will

 

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promptly send to all parties hereto a copy of any notice to the Borrower provided for in this definition.

Designated Non-Cash Consideration ” means the fair market value (as determined by the Borrower in good faith) of non-cash consideration received by the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary in connection with a Disposition pursuant to Section 7.05(k) that is designated as Designated Non-Cash Consideration pursuant to a certificate of a Responsible Officer, setting forth the basis of such valuation (which amount will be reduced by the fair market value of the portion of the non-cash consideration converted to cash or Cash Equivalents within one hundred and eighty (180) days following the consummation of the applicable Disposition).

Discount Prepayment Accepting Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(ii)(B).

Discount Range ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iii)(A).

Discount Range Prepayment Amount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iii)(A).

Discount Range Prepayment Notice ” means an irrevocable written notice of the Borrower Solicitation of Discount Range Prepayment Offers made pursuant to Section 10.07(l)(iii) substantially in the form of Exhibit M .

Discount Range Prepayment Offer ” means the irrevocable written offer by a Term Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit N , submitted in response to an invitation to submit offers following the Auction Agent’s receipt of a Discount Range Prepayment Notice.

Discount Range Prepayment Response Date ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iii)(A).

Discount Range Pro-Rata Factor ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iii)(C).

Discounted Prepayment Determination Date ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(C).

Discounted Prepayment Effective Date ” means in the case of the Borrower Offer of Specified Discount Prepayment or Borrower Solicitation of Discount Range Prepayment Offers, the second Business Day following the receipt by the applicable Company Party of notice from the Auction Agent in accordance with Section 10.07(l)(ii)(C), Section 10.07(l)(iii)(C) or Section 10.07(l)(iv)(C), as applicable.

Discounted Term Loan Prepayment ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(i).

Disposition ” or “ Dispose ” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition of any property by any Person (including any sale and leaseback transaction and any sale of Equity Interests, but excluding any issuance by such Person of its own Equity Interests), including any

 

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sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith.

Disqualified Equity Interests ” means any Equity Interest which, by its terms (or by the terms of any security or other Equity Interests into which it is convertible or for which it is exchangeable), or upon the happening of any event or condition (a) matures or is mandatorily redeemable (other than solely for Qualified Equity Interests of Holdings), pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise (except as a result of a change of control or asset sale so long as any rights of the holders thereof upon the occurrence of a change of control or asset sale event shall be subject to the prior repayment in full of the Loans and all other Obligations that are accrued and payable, the termination of the Commitments and the termination of, or backstop on terms reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent of, all outstanding Letters of Credit), (b) is redeemable at the option of the holder thereof (other than solely for Qualified Equity Interests of Holdings), in whole or in part, (c) provides for the scheduled payments of dividends in cash, or (d) is or becomes convertible into or exchangeable for Indebtedness or any other Equity Interests that would constitute Disqualified Equity Interests, in each case, prior to the date that is ninety-one (91) days after the Latest Maturity Date; provided that if such Equity Interests are issued pursuant to a plan for the benefit of employees of Holdings, the Borrower or the Restricted Subsidiaries or by any such plan to such employees, such Equity Interests shall not constitute Disqualified Equity Interests solely because it may be required to be repurchased by Holdings, the Borrower or the Restricted Subsidiaries in order to satisfy applicable statutory or regulatory obligations.

Dollar ” and “ $ ” mean lawful money of the United States.

Domestic Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia.

Eligible Assignee ” means (a) a Lender; (b) an Affiliate of a Lender; (c) an Approved Fund; and (d) an Affiliated Lender to the extent contemplated by Section 10.07(k); and (e) any other Person (other than a natural person) approved by (i) the Administrative Agent, (ii) in the case of any assignment of a Revolving Credit Commitment, the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender, and (iii) unless an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing under Section 8.01(a), Section 8.01(f) or Section 8.01(g)(i), the Borrower (each such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed); provided , that under no circumstances shall any Competitor be an assignee without the prior written consent of the Borrower (which may be withheld in the Borrower’s sole discretion).

Eligible Equity Proceeds ” means the Net Cash Proceeds received by Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof from any sale or issuance of any Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Equity Interests) or from any capital contributions in respect of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Equity Interests) to the extent such Net Cash Proceeds or capital contributions are directly or indirectly contributed to, and actually received by, the Borrower as cash common equity (or, if only a portion thereof is so contributed and received, to the extent of such portion).

Environment ” means ambient air, indoor air, surface water, groundwater, drinking water, soil and subsurface strata, and natural resources, such as wetlands, flora and fauna.

 

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Environmental Laws ” means the common law and any and all applicable Federal, state, local, and foreign statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees, permits, concessions, grants, franchises, licenses, agreements or governmental restrictions relating to pollution, the protection of the Environment or of public health (to the extent relating to exposure to Hazardous Materials) or the management, storage, treatment, transport, distribution or Release of any Hazardous Materials.

Environmental Liability ” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the Borrower, any other Loan Party or any of their respective Subsidiaries arising from, resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or Release of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the Release or threatened Release of any Hazardous Materials or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.

Environmental Permit ” means any permit, approval, identification number, license or other authorization required under any Environmental Law.

Equity Interests ” means, with respect to any Person, all of the shares, interests, rights, participations or other equivalents (however designated) of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests or units in) such Person and all of the warrants, options or other rights for the purchase, acquisition or exchange from such Person of any of the foregoing (including through convertible securities but excluding debt securities convertible into or exchangeable for any of the foregoing).

Equity Issuance ” means any issuance for cash by any Person to any other Person of (a) its Equity Interests, (b) any of its Equity Interests pursuant to the exercise of options or warrants, (c) any of its Equity Interests pursuant to the conversion of any debt securities to equity or (d) any options or warrants relating to its Equity Interests. A Disposition of Equity Interests shall not be deemed to be an Equity Issuance.

ERISA ” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time.

ERISA Affiliate ” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) under common control with the Borrower within the meaning of Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code (and Sections 414(m) and (o) of the Code solely for purposes of provisions relating to Section 412 of the Code).

ERISA Event ” means (a) a Reportable Event with respect to a Pension Plan; (b) a withdrawal by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Pension Plan subject to Section 4063 of ERISA during a plan year in which it was a substantial employer (as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA) or a cessation of operations that is treated as such a withdrawal under Section 4062(e) of ERISA; (c) the incurrence by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of any liability with respect to a complete or partial withdrawal by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Multiemployer Plan or notification that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, in reorganization

 

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within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA; (d) the filing of a notice of intent to terminate, the treatment of a Pension Plan amendment as a termination under Sections 4041 or 4041A of ERISA, or the commencement of proceedings by the PBGC to terminate a Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan; (e) an event or condition which constitutes grounds under Section 4042 of ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan; (f) the imposition of any liability under Title IV of ERISA, other than for PBGC premiums due, upon the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate or (g) with respect to a Pension Plan, the failure to satisfy the minimum funding standard of Section 412 of the Code and Section 302 of ERISA, whether or not waived, or the failure to make any contribution to a Multiemployer Plan.

Escrow Account ” means the escrow account established pursuant to the Senior Secured Credit Facilities Escrow and Security Agreement.

Escrow Agent ” means Wilmington Trust Company, as escrow agent under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities Escrow and Security Agreement and the Senior Notes Escrow and Security Agreement.

Escrow Period ” means the period from and including the Closing Date and ending upon the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes and discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture on the Escrow Release Date.

Escrow Property ” means the deposits, funds, securities or other property credited to the Escrow Account plus all interest, dividends and other distributions and payments on any of the foregoing received or receivable by the Escrow Agent, together with all proceeds of any of the foregoing, in each case, from time to time held in the Escrow Account.

Escrow Release Date ” means date on which the Existing Securitization Notes are repaid, the Existing Securitization Indenture is discharged and the Assumption is consummated.

Eurodollar Rate ” means, for any Interest Period with respect to any Eurodollar Rate Loan, (i) the rate per annum equal to the rate appearing on Reuters Page LIBOR01 (or any successor or substitute page of such Reuters service, or if the Reuters service ceases to be available, any successor to or substitute for such service providing rate quotations comparable to those currently provided on such page of such service, as determined by the Administrative Agent from time to time in consultation with the Borrower, for purposes of providing quotations of interest rates applicable to deposits in Dollars in the London interbank market) for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period with a term equivalent to such Interest Period, determined as of approximately 11:00 a.m. (London time) two (2) Business Days prior to the first day of such Interest Period, or (ii) if the rate referenced in the preceding clause (i) is not available, the rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent as the rate of interest at which deposits in Dollars for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period in immediately available funds in the approximate amount of the Eurodollar Rate Loan being made, continued or converted by the Administrative Agent and with a term equivalent to such Interest Period would be offered by the Administrative Agent’s London Branch to major banks in the London interbank Eurodollar market at their request at approximately 4:00 p.m. (London time) two (2) Business Days prior to the

 

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first day of such Interest Period; provided that in no event shall the Eurodollar Rate be less than 1.50%.

Eurodollar Rate Loan ” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on the Eurodollar Rate.

Event of Default ” has the meaning specified in Section 8.01.

Excess Cash Flow ” means, with respect to any fiscal year of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, an amount equal to the excess of:

(a) the sum, without duplication, of: (i) Consolidated Net Income of the Borrower for such period, (ii) an amount equal to the amount of all non-cash charges (including depreciation and amortization) to the extent deducted in arriving at such Consolidated Net Income, but excluding any such non-cash charges representing an accrual or reserve for potential cash items in any future period and excluding amortization of a prepaid cash item that was paid in a prior period, (iii) the Consolidated Working Capital Adjustment for such period, (iv) an amount equal to the aggregate net non-cash loss on Dispositions by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries during such period (other than Dispositions in the ordinary course of business) to the extent deducted in arriving at such Consolidated Net Income, (v) expenses deducted from Consolidated Net Income during such period in respect of expenditures made during any prior period for which a deduction from Excess Cash Flow was made in such period pursuant to clause (b)(viii), (ix) or (x) below, and (vi) cash income or gain (actually received in cash) excluded from the calculation of Consolidated Net Income for such period pursuant to the definition thereof, over

(b) the sum, without duplication (whether in the same period or prior periods), of:

(i) an amount equal to (A) the amount of all non-cash gains, income and credits included in arriving at such Consolidated Net Income (excluding any such non-cash gain, income or credit to the extent it represents the reversal of an accrual or reserve for a potential cash item that reduced Consolidated Net Income in any prior period), and (B) all cash expenses, charges and losses excluded in calculating Consolidated Net Income pursuant to the definition of Consolidated Net Income,

(ii) without duplication of amounts deducted pursuant to clause (viii) below in prior fiscal years, the amount of capital expenditures, Capitalized Software Expenditures and acquisitions (including Permitted Acquisitions and acquisitions of intellectual property) by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries accrued or made in cash during such period, to the extent financed with Internally Generated Cash Flow,

(iii) Consolidated Scheduled Funded Debt Payments and the aggregate amount of all principal prepayments of long-term Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries (including the amount of any mandatory prepayment

 

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of Term Loans pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(ii) to the extent required due to a Disposition that resulted in an increase to such Consolidated Net Income and not in excess of the amount of such increase), but excluding (A) all prepayments of Term Loans other than scheduled amortization and mandatory prepayments described in the parenthetical clause above, (B) all prepayments of Revolving Credit Loans and Swing Line Loans, (C) all prepayments in respect of any other revolving credit facility, except to the extent there is an equivalent permanent reduction in commitments thereunder and (D) prepayments of Indebtedness funded with the Cumulative Amount, made during such period, in each case to the extent financed with Internally Generated Cash Flow,

(iv) cash payments by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries during such period in respect of long-term liabilities other than Indebtedness to the extent such payments are not expensed during such period or are not deducted in calculating Consolidated Net Income to the extent financed with Internally Generated Cash Flow,

(v) the amount of Investments made in cash pursuant to Sections 7.02(b), 7.02(c)(iii), 7.02(m) and 7.02(n) (with respect to Sections 7.02(m) and 7.02(n), other than Investments funded by the Cumulative Amount) made during such period to the extent that such Investments were financed with Internally Generated Cash Flow, plus any Returns of such Investment,

(vi) the amount of Restricted Payments paid in cash during such period pursuant to Sections 7.06(e), 7.06(h) and 7.06(i) made during such period, to the extent that such Restricted Payments were financed with Internally Generated Cash Flow,

(vii) to the extent not expensed during such period or are not deducted in calculating Consolidated Net Income, the aggregate amount of expenditures, fees, costs and expenses paid in cash by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries with Internally Generated Cash Flow of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries during such period (including expenditures for payment of financing fees),

(viii) the aggregate consideration required to be paid in cash by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to binding contracts (the “ Contract Consideration ”) entered into prior to or during such period relating to Permitted Acquisitions (including with respect to any earnout payments thereunder for the period under which such earnout obligations are payable), capital expenditures or acquisitions of intellectual property or other assets to be completed or made during the Test Period following the end of such period; provided , that, to the extent the aggregate amount of Internally Generated Cash Flow actually utilized to finance such Permitted Acquisitions, capital expenditures or acquisitions of intellectual property or other assets during such period of four consecutive fiscal quarters is less than the Contract Consideration, the amount of such shortfall shall be

 

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added to the calculation of Excess Cash Flow at the end of such period of four consecutive fiscal quarters,

(ix) the amount of cash taxes paid in such period (and tax reserves set aside and payable within 12 months of such period) to the extent they exceed the amount of tax expense deducted in determining Consolidated Net Income for such period,

(x) to the extent not expensed during such period or not deducted in calculating Consolidated Net Income, cash costs and expenses during such period in connection with, and any payments of, Transaction Expenses,

(xi) any gains or losses resulting from Refranchising Transactions in the ordinary course of business,

(xii) payments made in connection with Guarantees of obligations of franchisees or any of their Affiliates, and

(xiii) the amount of Consolidated Net Income attributable to investments in the Specified Joint Ventures, except to the extent actually paid to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary in the form of a cash dividend or distribution during such period.

Excluded Assets ” means, (a) any real property or real property interests (including leasehold interests) other than Material Real Property, (b) motor vehicles and other assets subject to certificates of title and letter-of-credit rights (except to the extent constituting a supporting obligation for other Collateral as to which perfection of the security interest in such letter of credit rights is accomplished solely by the filing of a Uniform Commercial Code financing statement), (c) any assets if the granting of a security interest in such asset would be prohibited by applicable Law (other than proceeds and receivables thereof, the assignment of which is expressly deemed effective under the Uniform Commercial Code notwithstanding such prohibition), (d) any lease, license or other agreement or any property subject to a purchase money security interest, Capital Lease Obligation or similar arrangements, in each case, to the extent permitted under this Agreement to the extent that a grant of a security interest therein would violate or invalidate such lease, license or agreement, purchase money, Capital Lease Obligation or a similar arrangement or create a right of termination in favor of any other party thereto (other than the Borrower or a Guarantor), (e) Equity Interests (i) constituting margin stock, (ii) in any Person (other than Restricted Subsidiaries) and Immaterial Subsidiaries, (iii) in any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a wholly-owned Restricted Subsidiary if the granting of a security interest in such Equity Interests would be prohibited by organizational or governance documents of such Restricted Subsidiary or would trigger a termination pursuant to any “change of control” or similar provision in such documents (other than the proceeds thereof), and (iv) that are voting Equity Interests in any Subsidiary described in clause (c) of the definition of Excluded Subsidiary in excess of 65% of the voting Equity Interests in such Subsidiary, (f) any property and assets the pledge of which would require the consent, approval, license or authorization of any Governmental Authority that has not been obtained, (g) assets in circumstances where the Administrative Agent and the Borrower agree in writing that the cost, burden or consequences (including adverse tax consequences) of

 

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obtaining or perfecting a security interest in such assets is excessive in relation to the practical benefit afforded thereby, (h) any IP Rights to the extent that the attachment of the security interest thereto, or any assignment thereof, would result in the forfeiture, invalidation or unenforceability of the Grantors’ rights in such property including, without limitation, any License pursuant to which Grantor is Licensee under terms which prohibit the granting of a security interest or under which granting such an interest would give rise to a breach or default by Grantor, any Trademark applications filed in the USPTO on the basis of such Grantor’s “intent-to-use” such Trademark, unless and until acceptable evidence of use of such Trademark has been filed with the USPTO pursuant to Section 1(c) or Section 1(d) of the Lanham Act (15 U.S.C. 1051, et seq .), to the extent that granting a lien in such Trademark application prior to such filing would adversely affect the enforceability or validity of such Trademark application, and (i) such other assets to the extent subject to exceptions and limitations set forth in the Collateral Documents or, to the extent appropriate in the applicable jurisdiction, as agreed between the Administrative Agent and the applicable Loan Party in writing; provided that, in the case of clauses (d), (e)(ii) and (iii) and (f), such exclusion shall not apply to (i) to the extent the prohibition is ineffective under applicable anti-nonassignment provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code or other Law or (ii) to proceeds and receivables of the assets referred to in such clause, the assignment of which is expressly deemed effective under applicable anti-nonassignment provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code or other Law notwithstanding such prohibition. For purposes of this definition, any capitalized term used but not defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the Security Agreement.

Excluded Subsidiary ” means (a) any Subsidiary that is not a wholly owned Subsidiary, (b) any Subsidiary that is prohibited by contractual requirements (other than contractual requirements entered into by such Subsidiary to avoid guaranteeing the Obligations) or applicable Law from guaranteeing the Obligations, (c) (i) any Foreign Subsidiary, (ii) any Domestic Subsidiary that is (A) a Subsidiary of a Foreign Subsidiary that is a controlled foreign corporation within the meaning of Section 957 of the Code (a “ CFC ”) or (B) that is a disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes and substantially all of whose assets are Equity Interests of one or more Foreign Subsidiaries that are CFCs or (iii) any Subsidiary of the type described in Section 6.12(d)(v), (d) any Immaterial Subsidiary, (e) any other Subsidiary with respect to which, in the reasonable judgment of the Administrative Agent (confirmed in writing by notice to the Borrower), the cost or other consequences (including any adverse tax consequences) of providing a Guarantee shall be excessive in view of the benefits to be obtained by the Lenders therefrom, (f) any Gift Card Special Subsidiary, and (g) any Ad Fund Special Subsidiary.

Excluded Taxes ” means, with respect to any Agent, any Lender (including any L/C Issuer) or any other recipient of any payment to be made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party hereunder or under any other Loan Document,

(a) any Taxes imposed on or measured by its net income (however denominated) or overall gross income (including branch profits) and franchise (and similar) Taxes imposed on it in lieu of net income taxes by a jurisdiction as a result of such recipient being organized or resident in, maintaining a Lending Office in, doing business in or having another present or former connection with, such jurisdiction (other than a business or connection deemed to arise solely by virtue of the Loan Documents or any transactions occurring pursuant thereto);

 

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(b) any United States federal withholding tax that is imposed pursuant to any Law in effect at the time such recipient becomes a party to this Agreement, changes its applicable Lending Office or changes its place of organization, except to the extent such Lender’s assignor (if any) was entitled, immediately prior to the assignment, or such Lender was entitled, immediately prior to the change in Lending Office or change of place of organization, to payments in respect of United States federal withholding tax under Section 3.01(a);

(c) any Taxes attributable to a recipient’s failure or comply with Section 10.15(a) or (b);

(d) any United States federal withholding taxes imposed under Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, or any amended version or successor provision that is substantively comparable thereto, and, in each case, any regulations promulgated thereunder and any interpretation or other guidance issued in connection therewith;

(e) any U.S. federal backup withholding taxes imposed under Section 3406 of the Code; or

(f) any interest, additions to tax or penalties in respect of the foregoing.

Existing Letter of Credit ” means any letter of credit previously issued for the account of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. that is (a) outstanding on the Escrow Release Date and (b) listed in Section 1.01B of the Confidential Disclosure Letter.

Existing Securitization Indenture ” means the Base Indenture, dated as of May 26, 2006, by and among DB Master Finance LLC, Dunkin’ Donuts Franchised Restaurants LLC, Baskin-Robbins Franchised Shops LLC, Togo’s Franchised Eateries LLC, DD IP Holder LLC as Co-Issuers and Citibank, N.A., as Trustee, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified.

Existing Securitization Notes ” means the notes issued under the Existing Securitization Indenture.

Extending Revolving Credit Lender ” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.15(a).

Extended Revolving Credit Commitment ” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.15(a).

Extended Term Loans ” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.15(a).

Extending Term Lender ” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.15(a).

Extension ” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.15(a).

 

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Extension Offer ” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.15(a).

Facility ” means the Term Loan Facility, the Revolving Credit Facility, the Swing Line Sublimit, the Letter of Credit Sublimit, the Other Term Loans or the Other Revolving Credit Loans, as the context may require.

Federal Funds Rate ” means, for any day, the rate per annum equal to the weighted average of the rates on overnight Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers on such day, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the Business Day next succeeding such day; provided that (a) if such day is not a Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be such rate on such transactions on the immediately preceding Business Day as so published on the next succeeding Business Day, and (b) if no such rate is so published on such next succeeding Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be the average rate charged to the Administrative Agent on such day on such transactions as determined by the Administrative Agent.

First Lien Senior Secured Leverage Ratio ” means, with respect to any Test Period, the ratio of (a) Consolidated First Lien Senior Secured Debt as of the last day of such Test Period to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for such Test Period, in each case for the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries.

Foreign Plan ” means any employee benefit plan maintained or contributed to by the Borrower or its Subsidiaries primarily to provide pension benefits to employees employed outside the United States.

Foreign Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary of the Borrower which is not a Domestic Subsidiary.

FRB ” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States.

Fund ” means any Person (other than a natural person) that is engaged in making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course.

GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other principles as may be approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession in the United States, that are applicable to the circumstances as of the date of determination.

Gift Card Restricted Funds ” means all amounts held in segregated accounts established solely for the purpose of disbursing funds to franchisees in connection with redemptions of gift cards or gift certificates by customers, including by Gift Card Fund Special Subsidiaries.

Gift Card Special Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary that (a) is an administrator or holder of cash held in segregated accounts established solely for the purpose of disbursing funds

 

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to franchisees in connection with redemptions of gift cards or gift certificates by customers and (b) holds no assets other than the accounts described in clause (a) and conducts no activities other than administering and holding such accounts and activities reasonably related to the foregoing, including SVC Service LLC and SVC Service II LLC.

Governmental Authority ” means any nation or government, any state or other political subdivision thereof, any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, administrative tribunal, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government.

Granting Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(h).

Guarantee ” means, as to any Person, without duplication, (a) any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation payable or performable by another Person (the “ primary obligor ”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of such Person, direct or indirect, (i) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation, (ii) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance of such Indebtedness or other obligation, (iii) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity or level of income or cash flow of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation, or (iv) entered into for the purpose of assuring in any other manner the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance thereof or to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part), or (b) any Lien on any assets of such Person securing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person, whether or not such Indebtedness or other obligation is assumed by such Person (or any right, contingent or otherwise, of any holder of such Indebtedness to obtain any such Lien); provided that the term “Guarantee” shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit, in either case in the ordinary course of business, or customary and reasonable indemnity obligations in effect on the Closing Date or entered into in connection with any acquisition or disposition of assets permitted under this Agreement (other than such obligations with respect to Indebtedness). The amount of any Guarantee shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of which such Guarantee is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by the guaranteeing Person in good faith. The term “Guarantee” as a verb has a corresponding meaning.

Guarantor Charter Amendments ” means the amendments to the charter or limited liability company agreement, as applicable, of each Guarantor, in connection with the Transactions, substantially in the forms provided to the Administrative Agent prior to the Closing Date.

Guarantors ” means (a) upon the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes and discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture on the Escrow Release Date, collectively, Holdings and each of DBI’s Restricted Subsidiaries listed as such on Schedule I that, upon the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes and discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture on the Escrow Release Date, shall have Guaranteed the Obligations of the Borrower pursuant

 

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to the Guaranty and (b) at any time thereafter, shall include each other Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower that shall be required to become a Guarantor pursuant to Section 6.12.

Guaranty ” means the Guaranty made by the Guarantors in favor of the Secured Parties, substantially in the form of Exhibit F , together with each other guaranty and guaranty supplement in respect of the Obligations of the Borrower delivered pursuant to Section 6.12.

Hazardous Materials ” means all substances, materials, wastes, chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, constituents or compounds, in any form, regulated, or which can give rise to liability, under any Environmental Law, including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos-containing materials and polychlorinated biphenyls.

Hedge Bank ” means any Person that was a Lender, the Administrative Agent or an Arranger or an Affiliate of a Lender, the Administrative Agent or an Arranger in its capacity as a party to a Secured Hedge Agreement, at the time such Hedge Agreement was entered into.

Holdings ” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph to this Agreement.

Honor Date ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(c)(i).

Identified Participating Lenders ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iii)(C).

Identified Qualifying Lenders ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(C).

IFRS ” means international accounting standards within the meaning of the IAS Regulation 1606/2002 to the extent applicable to the relevant financial statements.

Immaterial Subsidiary ” means each Restricted Subsidiary designated in writing by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent as an Immaterial Subsidiary; provided that (i) all Immaterial Subsidiaries, taken together, shall not have revenues for any fiscal year of the Borrower or total assets as of the last day of any fiscal year in an amount that is equal to or greater than 5% of the consolidated revenues or total assets, as applicable, of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries for, or as of the last day of, such fiscal year, as the case may be, and (ii) to the extent such limitation would be exceeded, the Borrower shall designate Subsidiaries to the Administrative Agent to no longer be Immaterial Subsidiaries so that such limitation would not be exceeded. Any Restricted Subsidiary that executes a Guaranty of the Obligations shall not be deemed an Immaterial Subsidiary and shall be excluded from the calculations above.

Immediate Family Member ” means with respect to any individual, such individual’s child, stepchild, grandchild or more remote descendant, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, former spouse, qualified domestic partner, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law and daughter-in-law (including adoptive relationships) and any trust, partnership or other bona fide estate-planning vehicle the only beneficiaries of which are any of the foregoing individuals or any private foundation or fund that is controlled by any of the foregoing individuals or any donor-advised fund of which any such individual is the donor.

Increased Amount Date ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.14(a).

 

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Indebtedness ” means, as to any Person at a particular time, without duplication, all of the following, whether or not included as indebtedness or liabilities in accordance with GAAP:

(a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money and all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments;

(b) the maximum amount of all letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds, performance bonds and similar instruments issued or created by or for the account of such Person;

(c) net obligations of such Person under any Swap Contract;

(d) all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than (i) trade accounts payable in the ordinary course of business, (ii) any earn-out obligation until such obligation appears in the liabilities section of the balance sheet of such Person, and (iii) liabilities associated with customer prepayments and deposits);

(e) indebtedness (excluding prepaid interest thereon) secured by a Lien on property owned or being purchased by such Person (including indebtedness arising under conditional sales or other title retention agreements and mortgage, industrial revenue bond, industrial development bond and similar financings), whether or not such indebtedness shall have been assumed by such Person or is limited in recourse;

(f) all Attributable Indebtedness;

(g) all obligations of such Person in respect of Disqualified Equity Interests; and

(h) all Guarantees of such Person in respect of any of the foregoing.

For all purposes hereof, the Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which such Person is a general partner or a joint venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to such Person. The amount of any net obligation under any Swap Contract on any date shall be deemed to be the Swap Termination Value thereof as of such date. The amount of Indebtedness of any Person for purposes of clause (e) shall be deemed to be equal to the lesser of (x) the aggregate unpaid amount of such Indebtedness and (y) the fair market value of the property encumbered thereby as determined by such Person in good faith.

Indemnified Liabilities ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.05.

Indemnitees ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.05.

Information ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.08.

 

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Intellectual Property Security Agreement ” means, collectively, the Patent Security Agreement, the Trademark Security Agreement and the Copyright Security Agreement, substantially in the forms attached to the Security Agreement together with each other intellectual property security agreement executed and delivered pursuant to Section 6.12 or the Security Agreement.

Interest Coverage Ratio ” means, as of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Borrower for the Test Period ending on such date, the ratio of (a) Consolidated EBITDA of the Borrower for such Test Period to (b) Consolidated Interest Expense of the Borrower for such Test Period.

Interest Payment Date ” means, (a) as to any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to such Loan and the Maturity Date of the Facility under which such Loan was made; provided that if any Interest Period for a Eurodollar Rate Loan exceeds three months, the respective dates that fall every three months after the beginning of such Interest Period shall also be Interest Payment Dates; and (b) as to any Base Rate Loan (including a Swing Line Loan), the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December and the Maturity Date of the Facility under which such Loan was made.

Interest Period ” means, as to each Eurodollar Rate Loan, the period commencing on the date such Eurodollar Rate Loan is disbursed or converted to or continued as a Eurodollar Rate Loan and ending on the date one, two, three or six months thereafter, or with the consent of all relevant Lenders, nine or twelve months thereafter, as selected by the Borrower in its Committed Loan Notice; provided that:

(a) any Interest Period that would otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the immediately preceding Business Day;

(b) any Interest Period that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period; and

(c) no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date of the Facility under which such Loan was made.

Internally Generated Cash Flow ” means funds not constituting (i) proceeds of Debt Issuances (excluding borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility and any other revolving lines of credit), (ii) proceeds of Equity Issuances or (iii) a reinvestment by Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Net Cash Proceeds of any Disposition or any Casualty Event pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(ii)(B).

Investment ” means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect acquisition or investment by such Person, whether by means of (a) the purchase or other acquisition of Equity Interests or debt or other securities of another Person, (b) a loan, advance or capital contribution to, Guarantee or assumption of Indebtedness of, or purchase or other acquisition of any other debt or equity

 

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participation or interest in, another Person, including any partnership or joint venture interest in such other Person and any arrangement pursuant to which the investor incurs debt of the type referred to in clause (h) of the definition of “Indebtedness” set forth in this Section 1.01 in respect of such Person or (c) the purchase or other acquisition (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of all or substantially all of the property and assets or business of another Person or assets constituting a business unit, line of business or division of such Person. For purposes of covenant compliance, the amount of any Investment shall be the amount actually invested, without adjustment for subsequent increases or decreases in the value of such Investment, less any Returns in respect of such Investment.

Investment Fund ” means an Affiliate of one or more of the Sponsors (other than a natural person) that is primarily engaged in, or advises funds or other investment vehicles that are engaged in, making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial loans, bonds and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course and with respect to which the Sponsors do not, directly or indirectly, possess the power to direct or cause the direction of the investment policies of such entity.

Investors ” means the Sponsors together with any other investors that made an equity co-investment directly or indirectly in Holdings.

IP Rights ” has the meaning specified in Section 5.14.

IRS ” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.

Joinder Agreement ” means an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit H .

Joint Venture ” means (a) any Person which would constitute an “equity method investee” of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and (b) any Person in whom the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries beneficially owns any Equity Interest that is not a Subsidiary.

Junior Financing ” means (a) the Senior Notes, (b) any Permitted Unsecured Indebtedness, Permitted Second Lien Indebtedness, Permitted Unsecured Refinancing Debt and Permitted Second Priority Refinancing Debt and (c) any Permitted Refinancing in respect of any of the foregoing.

Junior Financing Documentation ” means any documentation governing any Junior Financing.

Jurisdictional Requirements ” has the meaning specified in Section 7.04(a).

L/C Advance ” means, with respect to each Revolving Credit Lender, such Lender’s funding of its participation in any L/C Borrowing in accordance with its Pro Rata Share.

L/C Borrowing ” means an extension of credit resulting from a drawing under any Letter of Credit which has not been reimbursed on the date when made or refinanced as a Revolving Credit Borrowing.

 

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L/C Credit Extension ” means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the issuance thereof or extension of the expiry date thereof, or the renewal or increase of the amount thereof.

L/C Issuer ” means Barclays Bank PLC, acting through one of its affiliates or branches, in its capacity as issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder and each other Revolving Credit Lender reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) that has entered into a L/C Issuer Agreement, in each case, in its capacity as an issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder, or any successor issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder; provided that no Person shall at any time become an L/C Issuer if after giving effect thereto there would at such time be more than five (5) L/C Issuers. Each L/C Issuer may, in its discretion, arrange for one or more Letters of Credit to be issued by Affiliates of such L/C Issuer, in which case the term L/C Issuer shall include any such Affiliate with respect to Letters of Credit issued by such Affiliate. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as the issuer of the Existing Letters of Credit, is the L/C Issuer with respect to the Existing Letters of Credit. In the event that there is more than one L/C Issuer at any time, references herein and in the other Loan Documents to the L/C Issuer shall be deemed to refer to the L/C Issuer in respect of the applicable Letter of Credit or to all L/C Issuers, as the context requires. Neither Barclays Bank PLC nor any of its branches or affiliates shall be required to issue any commercial Letter of Credit hereunder.

L/C Issuer Agreement ” means an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit I , pursuant to which a Lender agrees to act as an L/C Issuer.

L/C Obligations ” means, as at any date of determination, the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit plus the aggregate of all Unreimbursed Amounts, including, without duplication, all L/C Borrowings.

L/C Request ” means a Request for L/C Issuance substantially in the form of Exhibit A-3 or in another form reasonably acceptable to the L/C Issuer.

Latest Maturity Date ” means, at any date of determination, the latest maturity or expiration date applicable to any Loan or Commitment hereunder at such time, including the latest maturity or expiration date of any Term Loan or any New Term Commitment, in each case as extended in accordance with this Agreement from time to time.

Laws ” means, collectively, all applicable international, foreign, Federal, state, commonwealth and local statutes, treaties, rules, guidelines, regulations, ordinances, codes and administrative or judicial precedents or authorities, including the interpretation or administration thereof by any Governmental Authority charged with the enforcement, interpretation or administration thereof, and all applicable administrative orders, directed duties, requests, licenses, authorizations and permits of, and agreements with, any Governmental Authority, in each case whether or not having the force of law.

Lender ” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph to this Agreement and, as the context requires, includes the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender.

Lender Funding Obligation ” has the meaning specified in the definition of “Defaulting Lender.”

 

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Lender Insolvency Event ” means that (i) a Lender or its Parent Company is determined or adjudicated to be insolvent by a Governmental Authority, or is generally unable to pay its debts as they become due, or admits in writing its inability to pay its debts as they become due, or makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or (ii) such Lender or its Parent Company is the subject of a bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, liquidation or similar proceeding, or a receiver, trustee, conservator, intervenor or sequestrator or the like has been appointed for such Lender or its Parent Company, or such Lender or its Parent Company has taken any action in furtherance of or indicating its consent to or acquiescence in any such proceeding or appointment; provided that a Lender-Insolvency Event shall not be deemed to have occurred solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any Equity Interest in any Lender or its Parent Company by a Governmental Authority or an instrumentality thereof.

Lending Office ” means, as to any Lender, the office or offices of such Lender described as such in such Lender’s Administrative Questionnaire, or such other office or offices as a Lender may from time to time notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.

Letter of Credit ” means any letter of credit issued hereunder. A Letter of Credit may be a commercial letter of credit (if available to be issued by the applicable L/C Issuer) or a standby letter of credit.

Letter of Credit Application ” means an application and agreement for the issuance or amendment of a Letter of Credit substantially in the form from time to time in use by the L/C Issuer.

Letter of Credit Expiration Date ” means the day that is five (5) Business Days prior to the scheduled Maturity Date then in effect for the Revolving Credit Facility (or, if such day is not a Business Day, the next preceding Business Day).

Letter of Credit Sublimit ” means $50,000,000. The Letter of Credit Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Revolving Credit Facility.

Lien ” means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or other), charge, or preference, priority or other security interest or preferential arrangement of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any easement, right of way or other encumbrance on title to real property, and any Capitalized Lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).

Loan ” means an extension of credit by a Lender to the Borrower in the form of a Term Loan, a New Term Loan, a Revolving Credit Loan, a New Revolving Credit Loan or a Swing Line Loan.

Loan Documents ” means, collectively, (a) this Agreement, (b) the Confidential Disclosure Letter, (c) the Notes, (d) the Guaranty, (e) the Collateral Documents, (f) the Borrower Assignment and Assumption Agreement and (g) each L/C Request and Letter of Credit Application.

 

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Loan Parties ” means, collectively, Holdings, the Borrower and each Subsidiary Guarantor.

Management Agreement ” means that certain Management Agreement dated as of March 1, 2006, among Holdings, the Borrower, Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., Bain Capital Partners, LLC, TC Group IV, LLC and THL Managers V, LLC, as in effect on the Closing Date and as may be amended, modified, supplemented, restated, replaced or substituted so long as such amendment, modification, supplement, restatement, replacement or substitution is in a manner not materially disadvantageous to the Lenders, when taken as a whole, as compared to the Management Agreement in effect on the Closing Date, as determined in the good faith judgment of a majority of the disinterested members of the board of directors of the Borrower.

Management Shareholders ” means the members of management of Holdings or its Subsidiaries who are investors, directly or indirectly, in Holdings.

Master Agreement ” has the meaning specified in the definition of “Swap Contract.”

Material Adverse Effect ” means (a) a material adverse effect on the business, operations, assets or financial condition of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (b) a material adverse effect on the ability of the Loan Parties (taken as a whole) to pay the Obligations under any Loan Document or (c) a material adverse effect on the rights and remedies of the Lenders, taken as a whole, under any Loan Document.

Material Intellectual Property ” means (a) all registrations or pending applications for registration with the US Patent and Trademark Office for any patents and any trademarks or service marks; and (b) all registrations of copyrights with the US Copyright Office that are material to the operation of the business of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

Material Real Property ” means real property owned in fee by the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor located in the United States with a fair market value in excess of $5,000,000.

Maturity Date ” means (a) with respect to the Revolving Credit Facility, the date that is five (5) years after the Closing Date and (b) with respect to the Term B Loan Facility, the date that is seven (7) years after the Closing Date; provided that the reference to Maturity Date with respect to Other Term Loans and Other Revolving Credit Loans shall be the final maturity date as specified in the applicable Refinancing Amendment, and with respect to Extended Term Loans and Extended Revolving Credit Commitments shall be the final maturity date as specified in the applicable Extension Offer.

Maximum Rate ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.10.

Minimum Extension Condition ” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.15(b).

Moody’s ” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and any successor thereto.

 

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Mortgage ” means a deed of trust, deed of mortgage, trust deed or mortgage, as applicable, made by the Borrower or a Subsidiary Guarantor in favor or for the benefit of the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Secured Parties in respect of Material Real Property in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent executed and delivered pursuant to Section 6.12; provided , no mortgage shall contain any representations, warranties, covenants, undertakings or defaults other than by reference to the representation, warranties, covenants, undertakings or defaults set forth in this Agreement or in the Security Agreement or customary representations and warranties relating to the subject property as of the date of execution of the applicable Mortgage.

Mortgage Requirement ” means, with respect to any Material Real Property owned by the Borrower or a Subsidiary Guarantor, (i) provision of, (a) a policy or policies of title insurance issued by a nationally recognized title insurance company reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent insuring the Lien of each Mortgage as a first priority Lien on the Material Real Property described therein free of any other Liens other than those permitted by this Agreement and including such endorsements as the Administrative Agent reasonably requests and as are available in the applicable jurisdiction and at commercially reasonable rates and (b) a Mortgage executed by the Borrower or a Subsidiary Guarantor in recordable form and otherwise in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, (ii) recording of such Mortgage in the land records of the county in which such Material Real Property to be so encumbered is located (it being understood and agreed that the recording of such Mortgage shall not be a condition precedent to any Credit Extensions as long as gap coverage is in effect with respect to any title insurance policies provided under (i)(a) above) and (iii) acquisition of FEMA standard life-of-loan flood hazard determinations for such Material Real Property, and if any building located on such Material Real Property is determined to be in a special flood hazard area, delivery of (x) a notice with respect to such flood hazard determination duly executed by the Borrower and the applicable Subsidiary Guarantor and (y) evidence of flood insurance in compliance with Section 6.07 hereof and the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program, (iv) a local counsel opinion as to the enforceability of such Mortgage in the state in which the Material Real Property described in such Mortgage is located and other matters customarily covered in real estate enforceability opinions in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent and (v) evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent of the insurance required pursuant to Section 6.07 hereof; provided , that (a) the Borrower or a Subsidiary Guarantor shall not be required to deliver land surveys, environmental site assessments, engineering reports, zoning reports or any further legal opinions from primary counsel or local counsel in connection with the delivery of such Mortgages; and (b) the Administrative Agent may waive the requirements of clauses (i)(a) and (iv) if the burden, cost or consequences of obtaining title insurance or such opinions is excessive in relation to the benefits to be obtained therefrom by the Lenders under the Loan Documents.

Multiemployer Plan ” means any employee benefit plan of the type described in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA, to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate makes or is obligated to make contributions, or during the preceding five plan years, has made or been obligated to make contributions.

Net Cash Proceeds ” means:

 

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(a) with respect to the Disposition of any asset (including issuance or Disposition of Equity Interests by or of Subsidiaries) by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or any Casualty Event, the excess, if any, of (i) the sum of cash and Cash Equivalents received in connection with such Disposition or Casualty Event (including any cash or Cash Equivalents received by way of deferred payment pursuant to, or by monetization of, a note receivable or otherwise, but only as and when so received and, with respect to any Casualty Event, any insurance proceeds or condemnation awards in respect of such Casualty Event actually received by or paid to or for the account of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries) over (ii) the sum of (A) the principal amount of any Indebtedness that is secured by a Lien (other than a Lien that ranks pari passu with or subordinated to the Liens securing the Obligations) on the asset subject to such Disposition or Casualty Event and that is required to be repaid in connection with such Disposition or Casualty Event (other than Indebtedness under the Loan Documents), together with any applicable premium, penalty, interest and breakage costs, (B) the out-of-pocket expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, investment banking fees, survey costs, title insurance premiums, and related search and recording charges, transfer taxes, deed or mortgage recording taxes, other customary expenses and brokerage, consultant and other customary fees) actually incurred by the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary in connection with such Disposition or Casualty Event, (C) taxes (or distributions for taxes) paid or reasonably estimated to be payable in connection therewith by the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary and attributable to such Disposition or Casualty Event (including, where the proceeds are realized by a Subsidiary of the Borrower, any incremental foreign, state and/or local income taxes imposed as a result of distributing the proceeds in question from any Subsidiary to the Borrower); (D) any reserve for adjustment in respect of (1) the sale price of such asset or assets established in accordance with GAAP and (2) any liabilities associated with such asset or assets and retained by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries after such Disposition thereof, including, without limitation, pension and other post-employment benefit liabilities and liabilities related to environmental matters or against any indemnification obligations associated with such transaction, and it being understood that “Net Cash Proceeds” shall include, without limitation, any cash or Cash Equivalents (i) received upon the Disposition of any non-cash consideration received by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of any such Disposition or Casualty Event and (ii) upon the reversal (without the satisfaction of any applicable liabilities in cash in a corresponding amount) of any reserve described in clause (D) above or, if such liabilities have not been satisfied in cash and such reserve not reversed within three hundred and sixty-five (365) days after such Disposition or Casualty Event, the amount of such reserve. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no proceeds shall constitute Net Cash Proceeds under this clause (a) in any fiscal year of the Borrower until the aggregate amount of all such proceeds in such fiscal year shall exceed $20,000,000 (and thereafter only proceeds in excess of such amount shall constitute Net Cash Proceeds under this clause (a)); provided that proceeds from Dispositions permitted under clauses (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (g), (h), (i) or (m) of Section 7.05, shall not be included in the calculation of proceeds for purposes of this limitation;

(b) with respect to any Equity Issuance by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (or any other Person, if the context so requires), the excess of (i) the

 

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sum of the cash and Cash Equivalents received in connection with such Equity Issuance over (ii) all taxes (including, where the proceeds are realized by a Subsidiary of the Borrower, any incremental foreign, state and/or local income taxes imposed as a result of distributing the proceeds in question from any Subsidiary to the Borrower) and fees (including investment banking fees, underwriting discounts, commissions, costs and other out-of-pocket expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and other customary expenses) incurred by the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary in connection with such Equity Issuance; and

(c) with respect to any Debt Issuance by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, the excess, if any, of (i) the sum of the cash received in connection with such Debt Issuance over (ii) the investment banking fees, underwriting discounts, commissions, costs and other out-of-pocket expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and other customary expenses, incurred by the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary in connection with such Debt Issuance (including, where the proceeds are realized by a Subsidiary of the Borrower, any incremental foreign, state and/or local income taxes imposed as a result of distributing the proceeds in question from any Subsidiary to the Borrower).

New Revolving Credit Borrowing ” means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous New Revolving Credit Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the New Revolving Credit Lenders pursuant to Section 2.14.

New Revolving Credit Commitments ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.14(a).

New Revolving Credit Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.14(a).

New Revolving Credit Loans ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.14(c).

New Revolving Credit Note ” means, for each Class of New Revolving Credit Loans, a promissory note in substantially the form of Exhibit C-2 with, subject to Section 2.14, such changes as shall be agreed to by the Borrower and the New Revolving Credit Lenders providing such Class of New Revolving Credit Loans and reasonably satisfactory to Administrative Agent, as it may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

New Term Borrowing ” means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous New Term Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the New Term Lenders pursuant to Section 2.14.

New Term Commitments ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.14(a).

New Term Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.14(a).

New Term Loan Facility ” means the facility providing for the Borrowing of New Term Loans.

New Term Loans ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.14(c).

 

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New Term Note ” means, for each Class of New Term Loans, a promissory note in substantially the form of Exhibit C-1 with, subject to Section 2.14, such changes as shall be agreed to by the Borrower and the New Term Lenders providing such Class of New Term Loans and reasonably satisfactory to Administrative Agent, as it may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

Non-Consenting Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 3.07(d)(iii).

Non-Defaulting Lender ” means, at any time, a Lender that is not a Defaulting Lender.

Non-Excluded Taxes ” means any Taxes other than Excluded Taxes.

Non-US Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.15(a).

Nonrenewal Notice Date ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(b)(iii).

Not Otherwise Applied ” means, with reference to any amount of Net Cash Proceeds of any transaction or event or of Excess Cash Flow, that such amount (i) was not required to be applied to prepay the Loans pursuant to Section 2.05(b), and (ii) was not previously applied in determining the permissibility of a transaction under the Loan Documents where such permissibility was (or may have been) contingent on the receipt or availability of such amount.

Note ” means a Term Note, a New Term Note, a Revolving Credit Note or a New Revolving Credit Note, as the context may require.

Notice of Intent to Cure ” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02(b).

NPL ” means the National Priorities List under CERCLA.

Obligations ” means (a) for purposes of this Agreement, all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, any Loan Party arising under any Loan Document or otherwise with respect to any Loan or Letter of Credit, whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Loan Party of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding and (b) for purposes of the Collateral Documents and each Guaranty, (x) all “Obligations” as defined in clause (a) above, (y) all Secured Hedge Obligations and (z) all Cash Management Obligations. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Obligations of the Loan Parties under the Loan Documents include (a) the obligation to pay principal, interest, Letter of Credit commissions, charges, expenses, fees, Attorney Costs, indemnities and other amounts payable by any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (b) the obligation of any Loan Party to reimburse any amount in respect of any of the foregoing that any Lender, in its sole discretion, may elect to pay or advance on behalf of such Loan Party.

Offered Amount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(A).

Offered Discount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(A).

 

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Open Market Purchase ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(m).

Organization Documents ” means, (a) with respect to any corporation, the certificate or articles of incorporation and the bylaws (or equivalent or comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-US jurisdiction); (b) with respect to any limited liability company, the certificate or articles of formation or organization and operating agreement or the memorandum and articles of association (if applicable); and (c) with respect to any partnership, joint venture, trust or other form of business entity, the partnership, joint venture or other applicable agreement of formation or organization and any agreement, instrument, filing or notice with respect thereto filed in connection with its formation or organization with the applicable Governmental Authority in the jurisdiction of its formation or organization and, if applicable, any certificate or articles of formation or organization of such entity.

Other Applicable Indebtedness ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(b)(ii)(A).

Other Revolving Credit Commitments ” shall mean one or more Classes of revolving credit commitments hereunder that result from a Refinancing Amendment.

Other Revolving Credit Loans ” shall mean one or more Classes of Revolving Credit Loans that result from a Refinancing Amendment.

Other Taxes ” has the meaning specified in Section 3.01(b).

Other Term Loan Commitments ” shall mean one or more Classes of term loan commitments hereunder that result from a Refinancing Amendment.

Other Term Loans ” shall mean one or more Classes of Term Loans that result from a Refinancing Amendment.

Outstanding Amount ” means (a) with respect to the Term Loans, Revolving Credit Loans and Swing Line Loans on any date, the principal amount thereof after giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of Term Loans, Revolving Credit Loans (including any refinancing of outstanding unpaid drawings under Letters of Credit or L/C Credit Extensions as a Revolving Credit Borrowing) and Swing Line Loans, as the case may be, occurring on such date; and (b) with respect to any L/C Obligations on any date, the amount thereof on such date after giving effect to any L/C Credit Extension occurring on such date and any other changes thereto as of such date, including as a result of any reimbursements of outstanding unpaid drawings under any Letters of Credit (including any refinancing of outstanding unpaid drawings under Letters of Credit or L/C Credit Extensions as a Revolving Credit Borrowing) or any reductions in the maximum amount available for drawing under Letters of Credit taking effect on such date.

Parent ” means Dunkin’ Brands Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Parent Company ” means, with respect to a Lender, the bank holding company (as defined in Federal Reserve Board Regulation Y), if any, of such Lender, and/or any Person owning, beneficially or of record, directly or indirectly, a majority of the economic or voting Equity Interests of such Lender.

 

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Pari Passu Intercreditor Agreement ” means an intercreditor agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit U hereto.

Participant ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(e); provided that in no circumstance shall a Competitor be a Participant.

Participant Register ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(e).

Participating Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iii)(B).

PATRIOT Act ” means the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (Title III of Pub. L. No. 107-56 (signed into Law October 26, 2001)).

PBGC ” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in ERISA and any successor entity performing similar functions.

Pension Plan ” means any “employee pension benefit plan” (as such term is defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA), other than a Multiemployer Plan, that is subject to Title IV of ERISA and is sponsored or maintained by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate or to which the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate contributes or has an obligation to contribute, or in the case of a multiple employer or other plan described in Section 4064(a) of ERISA, has made contributions at any time during the immediately preceding five (5) plan years.

Permitted Acquisition ” has the meaning specified in Section 7.02(i).

Permitted Equity Issuance ” means at any time, (a) any cash contribution to the common Equity Interests of Holdings and further contributed to the Borrower, and (b) any sale or issuance of any Equity Interests resulting in Eligible Equity Proceeds.

Permitted First Priority Refinancing Debt ” shall mean any secured Indebtedness (including any Registered Equivalent Notes) incurred by the Borrower in the form of one or more series of senior secured notes or loans; provided that (i) such Indebtedness is secured by the Collateral on a pari passu basis (but without regard to the control of remedies) with the Obligations and is not secured by any property or assets of Holdings, the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary other than the Collateral, (ii) such Indebtedness constitutes Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness, (iii) such Indebtedness is not at any time guaranteed by any Subsidiaries other than Subsidiaries that are Guarantors and (iv) the holders of such Indebtedness (or their representative) and the Administrative Agent shall be party to the Pari Passu Intercreditor Agreement.

Permitted Holders ” means the Sponsors and members of management of the Borrower or Holdings who are holders of Equity Interests of Holdings (or any of its direct or indirect parent companies) on the Closing Date and any group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act or any successor provision) of which any of the foregoing are members; provided that (i) in the case of such group and without giving effect to the existence of such group or any other group, the Sponsors and such members of management, collectively, have beneficial ownership of more than 50% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of Holdings held by such group and (ii) the voting power of the Voting Stock owned by the

 

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Sponsors shall be greater than the voting power of the Voting Stock owned by such members of management.

Permitted Junior Debt Conditions ” means that such applicable debt (i) is not scheduled to mature prior to the date that is 180 days after the Latest Maturity Date, (ii) does not mature or have scheduled amortization payments of principal or payments of principal and is not subject to mandatory redemption, repurchase, prepayment or sinking fund obligation (except customary asset sale or change of control provisions that provide for the prior repayment in full of the Loans and all other Obligations), in each case prior to the Latest Maturity Date at the time such Indebtedness is incurred, (iii) such Indebtedness is not at any time guaranteed by any Subsidiaries other than Subsidiaries that are Guarantors, (iv) has no financial maintenance covenants, other than in the case of any Indebtedness secured by a Lien on the Collateral that is junior to the Liens securing the Obligations (in which event the financial maintenance covenants in the documentation governing such Indebtedness shall not be more restrictive than those set forth in this Agreement) and (v) has covenants and default and remedy provisions that in the good faith determination of the Borrower are no more restrictive taken as a whole, than those set forth in this Agreement.

Permitted Refinancing ” means, with respect to any Person, any modification, refinancing, refunding, renewal, replacement, exchange or extension of any Indebtedness of such Person; provided that (a) the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) thereof does not exceed the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of the Indebtedness so modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, replaced, exchanged or extended except by an amount equal to unpaid accrued interest and premium thereon plus other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection with such modification, refinancing, refunding, renewal, replacement, exchange or extension and by an amount equal to any existing commitments unutilized thereunder and as otherwise permitted to be incurred or issued pursuant to Section 7.03, (b) such modification, refinancing, refunding, renewal, replacement, exchange or extension has a final maturity date equal to or later than the final maturity date of, and has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity equal to or greater than the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of, the Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed or extended, (c) if the Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, replaced, exchanged or extended is contractually subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations, such modification, refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension is contractually subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations on terms that in the good faith determination of the Borrower are at least as favorable to the Lenders as those contained in the documentation governing the Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, replaced, exchanged or extended, taken as a whole, (d) such modification, refinancing, refunding, renewal, replacement, exchange or extension is incurred by the Person or Persons who are the obligors on the Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, replaced, exchanged or extended or would otherwise be permitted to incur such Indebtedness (including any guarantees thereof pursuant to Section 7.02 and Section 7.03), (e) at the time thereof, no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (f) such Indebtedness shall be unsecured if the Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, replaced, exchanged or extended is unsecured, (g) such Indebtedness is not secured by any additional property or collateral other than (i) property or collateral securing the Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, replaced, exchanged or extended, (ii) after-acquired property that is

 

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affixed or incorporated into the property covered by the lien securing such Indebtedness and (iii) proceeds and products thereof and (h) if any Liens securing the Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, replaced, exchanged or extended is secured by the Collateral on a second priority (or other junior priority) basis to the Liens securing the Obligations, the Liens securing the Refinancing Indebtedness shall be secured by the Collateral on a second priority (or other junior priority) basis to the Liens securing the Obligations on terms that are at least as favorable to the Secured Parties as those contained in the documentation governing the Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, replaced, exchanged or extended, taken as a whole.

Permitted Second Lien Indebtedness ” means any Indebtedness of the Borrower and Subsidiary Guarantors that (a) (i) is secured by the Collateral on a second priority (or other junior priority) basis to the liens securing the Obligations and the obligations in respect of any Permitted First Priority Refinancing Debt and is not secured by any property or assets of Holdings, the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary other than the Collateral, (ii) is on terms and conditions (including as to covenants) customary in the good faith determination of the Borrower for second lien notes issued under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, (iii) meets the Permitted Junior Debt Conditions and (iv) the holders of such Indebtedness (or their representative) and the Administrative Agent shall be party to the Second Lien Intercreditor Agreement.

Permitted Second Priority Refinancing Debt ” shall mean secured Indebtedness (including any Registered Equivalent Notes) incurred by the Borrower in the form of one or more series of second lien (or other junior lien) secured notes or second lien (or other junior lien) secured loans; provided that (i) such Indebtedness is secured by the Collateral on a second priority (or other junior priority) basis to the liens securing the Obligations and the obligations in respect of any Permitted First Priority Refinancing Debt and is not secured by any property or assets of Holdings, the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary other than the Collateral, (ii) such Indebtedness constitutes Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness ( provided , that such Indebtedness may be secured by a Lien on the Collateral that is junior to the Liens securing the Obligations and the obligations in respect of any Permitted First Priority Refinancing Debt, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in the definition of “Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness”), (iii), the holders of such Indebtedness (or their representative) and the Administrative Agent shall be party to the Second Lien Intercreditor Agreement and (iv) meets the Permitted Junior Debt Conditions.

Permitted Subordinated Indebtedness ” means any unsecured Indebtedness of the Borrower and Subsidiary Guarantor that (i) is on terms and conditions (including as to covenants) customary in the good faith determination of the Borrower for subordinated notes issued under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, expressly subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of the Obligations on terms and conditions (including as to covenants) customary in the good faith determination of the Borrower for “high-yield” senior subordinated notes issued under Rule 144A of the Securities Act and (ii) meets the Permitted Junior Debt Conditions. For the avoidance of doubt, Disqualified Equity Interests shall not constitute Permitted Subordinated Indebtedness.

Permitted Unsecured Indebtedness ” means any unsecured Indebtedness of the Borrower and Subsidiary Guarantors that (a) (i) is on terms and conditions (including as to covenants)

 

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customary in the good faith determination of the Borrower for senior notes issued under Rule 144A of the Securities Act and (ii) meets the Permitted Junior Debt Conditions or (b) is Permitted Subordinated Indebtedness. For the avoidance of doubt, Disqualified Equity Interests shall not constitute Permitted Unsecured Indebtedness.

Permitted Unsecured Refinancing Debt ” shall mean unsecured Indebtedness (including any Registered Equivalent Notes) incurred by the Borrower in the form of one or more series of senior unsecured notes or loans; provided that (i) such Indebtedness constitutes Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness and (ii) meets the Permitted Junior Debt Conditions.

Person ” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.

Platform ” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.

Pledged Debt ” has the meaning specified in the Security Agreement.

Pledged Equity ” has the meaning specified in the Security Agreement.

Prepayment Notice ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.07(a), which shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-2 .

Prepayment Response Date ” means, as the context requires, either the Specified Discount Prepayment Response Date or the Discount Range Prepayment Response Date.

Pro Forma Basis ”, “ Pro Forma Compliance ” and “ Pro Forma Effect ” means, for purposes of calculating the financial covenants set forth in Section 7.10, or the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio or any other financial ratio or test, such calculation shall be made in accordance with Section 1.04 hereof.

Pro Rata Share ” means, with respect to each Lender at any time, a fraction (expressed as a percentage, carried out to the ninth decimal place), the numerator of which is the amount of the Commitments of such Lender under the applicable Facility or Facilities (or in the case of any Term Lender under any Term Loan Facility under which Term Loans have been made, the Outstanding Amount of such Lender’s Term Loans under such Facility) at such time and the denominator of which is the amount of the Aggregate Commitments under the applicable Facility or Facilities (or in the case of any Term Loan Facility under which Term Loans have been made, the Outstanding Amount of all Term Loans under such Facility) at such time; provided that if such Commitments have been terminated, then the Pro Rata Share of each Lender shall be determined based on the Pro Rata Share of such Lender immediately prior to such termination and after giving effect to any subsequent assignments made pursuant to the terms hereof.

Public Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.

Qualified Equity Interests ” means any Equity Interests that are not Disqualified Equity Interests.

 

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Qualifying IPO ” means the issuance by Holdings or any direct or indirect parent of Holdings of its common Equity Interests in an underwritten primary public offering (other than a public offering pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-8) pursuant to an effective registration statement filed with the SEC in accordance with the Securities Act (whether alone or in connection with a secondary public offering).

Qualifying Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(C).

Refinanced Term Loans ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01.

Refinancing Amendment ” means an amendment to this Agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower executed by each of (a) the Borrower and Holdings, (b) the Administrative Agent, (c) each New Term Lender and New Revolving Credit Lender, as applicable, and (d) each existing Lender that agrees to provide any portion of the Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness being incurred pursuant thereto, in accordance with Section 2.16.

Refranchising Transaction ” means any acquisition of one or more franchises (including stores, store development agreements, real estate and other related assets and rights) and the subsequent sale or other disposition of such franchises to one or more franchisees to the extent such franchises are classified as “assets held for sale” on the balance sheet of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP or are expected to be, and are actually, sold or otherwise disposed of within 365 days of such acquisition.

Register ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(c).

Registered Equivalent Notes ” shall mean, with respect to any notes originally issued in a Rule 144A or other private placement transaction under the Securities Act of 1933, substantially identical notes (having the same Guarantees) issued in a dollar-for-dollar exchange therefor pursuant to an exchange offer registered with the SEC.

Rejection Notice ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(b)(vii).

Related Indemnitee ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.05.

Related Parties ” means, with respect to any Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the partners, directors, officers, employees, agents and advisors of such Person and of such Person’s Affiliates.

Release ” means any release, spill, emission, discharge, deposit, disposal, leaking, pumping, pouring, dumping, emptying, injection or leaching into the Environment, or into, from or through any structure or facility.

Replacement Term Loans ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01.

Reportable Event ” means any of the events set forth in Section 4043(c) of ERISA, other than events for which the thirty (30) day notice period has been waived.

 

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Repricing Transaction ” means the prepayment or refinancing of all or a portion of the Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans (accompanied by a corresponding reduction in or replacement of Revolving Credit Commitments) with the incurrence by any Loan Party of any long-term secured bank debt financing having an effective interest cost or weighted average yield (with the comparative determinations to be made by the Administrative Agent consistent with generally accepted financial practices, after giving effect to, among other factors, margin, interest rate floors, upfront or similar fee or “original issue discount” shared with all lenders of such loans or Loans, as the case may be, but excluding the effect of any arrangement, structuring, syndication or other fees payable in connection therewith that are not shared with all lenders of such loan or Loans, as the case may be, and without taking into account any fluctuations in the Eurodollar Rate) that is less than the interest rate for or weighted average yield (as determined by the Administrative Agent on the same basis) of the Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans, as applicable, including without limitation, as may be effected through any amendment to this Agreement relating to the interest rate for, or weighted average yield of, the Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans, as applicable.

Request for Credit Extension ” means (a) with respect to a Borrowing, conversion or continuation of Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans, a Committed Loan Notice, (b) with respect to an L/C Credit Extension, a L/C Request and Letter of Credit Application, and (c) with respect to a Swing Line Loan, a Swing Line Loan Notice.

Required Lenders ” means, as of any date of determination, Lenders having more than 50% of the sum of the (a) Total Outstandings (with the aggregate amount of each Lender’s risk participation and funded participation in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans being deemed “held” by such Lender for purposes of this definition), (b) aggregate unused Term Commitments and (c) aggregate unused Revolving Credit Commitments; provided that the unused Term Commitment, unused Revolving Credit Commitment of, and the portion of the Total Outstandings held or deemed held by, any Defaulting Lender shall be excluded for purposes of making a determination of Required Lenders; provided , further , that for all purposes under this Agreement and each other Loan Document, the “Required Lenders” shall be calculated in accordance with Section 10.07(k).

Required Revolving Lenders ” means, as of any date of determination, Revolving Credit Lenders having more than 50% of the sum of the (a) Outstanding Amount of all Revolving Credit Loans and all L/C Obligations (with the aggregate amount of each Lender’s risk participation and funded participation in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans being deemed “held” by such Lender for purposes of this definition) and (b) aggregate unused Revolving Credit Commitments; provided that unused Revolving Credit Commitment of, and the portion of the Outstanding Amount of all Revolving Credit Loans and all L/C Obligations held or deemed held by, any Defaulting Lender shall be excluded for purposes of making a determination of Required Revolving Lenders; provided , further , that for all purposes under this Agreement and each other Loan Document, the “Required Revolving Lenders” shall be calculated in accordance with Section 10.07(k).

Required Term Lenders ” means, as of any date of determination, Lenders having more than 50% of the sum of the (a) Outstanding Amount of all Term Loans and (b) aggregate unused Term Commitments; provided that the unused Term Commitment and the portion of the Outstanding

 

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Amount of all Term Loans held or deemed held by, any Defaulting Lender shall be excluded for purposes of making a determination of Required Term Lenders; provided , further , that for all purposes under this Agreement and each other Loan Document, the “Required Term Lenders” shall be calculated in accordance with Section 10.07(k).

Responsible Officer ” means the chief executive officer, president, vice president, chief financial officer, chief accounting officer, treasurer or other similar officer of a Loan Party or, in the case of any Foreign Subsidiary, any duly appointed authorized signatory or any director or managing member of such Person and, as to any document delivered on the Closing Date or the Escrow Release Date, any secretary or assistant secretary. Any document delivered hereunder that is signed by a Responsible Officer of a Loan Party shall be conclusively presumed to have been authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership and/or other action on the part of such Loan Party and such Responsible Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have acted on behalf of such Loan Party.

Restricted Payment ” means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any Equity Interest of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, defeasance, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such Equity Interest, or on account of any return of capital to the stockholders, partners or members (or the equivalent Persons thereof) of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary.

Restricted Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary of the Borrower other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary.

Returns ” means, with respect to any Investment, any dividends, distributions, interest, fees, premium, return of capital, repayment of principal, income, profits (from a Disposition or otherwise) and other amounts received or realized in respect of such Investment.

Revolving Credit Borrowing ” means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous Revolving Credit Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the Revolving Credit Lenders pursuant to Section 2.01(b).

Revolving Credit Commitment ” means, as to each Revolving Credit Lender, its obligation to (a) make Revolving Credit Loans to the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.01(b), (b) purchase participations in L/C Obligations, and (c) purchase participations in Swing Line Loans, in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed the amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name in Section 1.01C of the Confidential Disclosure Letter under the caption “Revolving Credit Commitment” or in the Assignment and Assumption or Joinder Agreement pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable, as such amount may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with this Agreement. The Aggregate Commitments of all Revolving Credit Lenders shall be $100,000,000 on the Closing Date.

Revolving Credit Commitment Closing Date Funding Fee ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.09(c).

 

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Revolving Credit Commitment Fee ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.09(a).

Revolving Credit Commitment Period ” means the period from and including the Escrow Release Date to but not including the Maturity Date of the Revolving Credit Facility or any earlier date on which the Revolving Credit Commitments shall terminate as provided herein.

Revolving Credit Facility ” means, at any time, the aggregate amount of the Revolving Credit Lenders’ Revolving Credit Commitments and the aggregate amount of the New Revolving Credit Lenders’ New Revolving Credit Commitments at such time.

Revolving Credit Lender ” means, at any time, any Lender that has a Revolving Credit Commitment, a New Revolving Credit Commitment, a Revolving Credit Loan or a New Revolving Credit Loan at such time.

Revolving Credit Loan ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01(b).

Revolving Credit Note ” means a promissory note of the Borrower payable to any Revolving Credit Lender or its registered assigns, in substantially the form of Exhibit C-2 hereto, evidencing the aggregate indebtedness of the Borrower to such Revolving Credit Lender resulting from the Revolving Credit Loans made by such Revolving Credit Lender to the Borrower.

S&P ” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and any successor thereto.

SEC ” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any of its principal functions.

Second Lien Intercreditor Agreement ” means an intercreditor agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit V hereto.

Secured Hedge Agreement ” means any Swap Contract required or permitted under Article 6 or Article 7 that is entered into by and between any Loan Party and any Hedge Bank.

Secured Hedge Obligations ” means the obligations of any Loan Party arising under any Secured Hedge Agreement.

Secured Obligations ” has the meaning specified in the Security Agreement.

Secured Parties ” means, collectively, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Hedge Banks, Lenders or Affiliates of Lenders under Cash Management Obligations of a Loan Party, the Supplemental Administrative Agent, if any, and each co-agent or sub-agent appointed by the Administrative Agent from time to time pursuant to Section 9.05.

Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933.

Security Agreement ” means the Security Agreement among the Borrower, the other Grantors named therein and the Administrative Agent, dated as of the Closing Date and substantially

 

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in the form of Exhibit G-1 , together with each related security agreement supplement executed and delivered pursuant to Section 6.12.

Security Agreement Supplement ” has the meaning specified in the Security Agreement, if applicable.

Senior Notes ” means the Borrower’s 9.625% senior notes due 2018 pursuant to the Senior Notes Indenture.

Senior Notes Escrow Account ” means the escrow account established pursuant to the Senior Notes Escrow and Security Agreement.

Senior Notes Escrow and Security Agreement ” means the Escrow and Security Agreement among the Initial Borrower, DBI, the Escrow Agent and the other parties thereto, dated November 15, 2010 pursuant to which the proceeds of the Senior Notes issued on the Closing Date will be deposited into an escrow account.

Senior Notes Indenture ” means the Indenture dated as of November 23, 2010, pursuant to which the Senior Notes were issued.

Senior Secured Credit Facilities Escrow and Security Agreement ” means the Escrow and Security Agreement among the Initial Borrower, DBI, the Administrative Agent and the Escrow Agent, dated November 23, 2010 pursuant to which the proceeds of the Term Loans and Revolving Credit Loans made on the Closing Date will be deposited into the Escrow Account.

Senior Secured Leverage Ratio ” means, with respect to any Test Period, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Senior Secured Debt as of the last day of such Test Period to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for such Test Period, in each case for the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries.

Solicited Discount Pro-Rata Factor ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(C).

Solicited Discounted Prepayment Amount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(A).

Solicited Discounted Prepayment Notice ” means an irrevocable written notice of the Borrower Solicitation of Discounted Prepayment Offers made pursuant to Section 10.07(l)(iv) substantially in the form of Exhibit O .

Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offer ” means the irrevocable written offer by each Term Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit P , submitted following the Administrative Agent’s receipt of a Solicited Discounted Prepayment Notice.

Solicited Discounted Prepayment Response Date ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iv)(A).

 

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Solvent ” and “ Solvency ” mean, with respect to any Person on any date of determination, that on such date (a) the fair value of the property of such Person is greater than the total amount of liabilities, including, without limitation, contingent liabilities, of such Person, (b) the present fair salable value of the assets of such Person is not less than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of such Person on its debts as they become absolute and matured, (c) such Person does not intend to, and does not believe that it will, incur debts or liabilities beyond such Person’s ability to pay such debts and liabilities as they mature and (d) such Person is not engaged in business or a transaction, and is not about to engage in business or a transaction, for which such Person’s property would constitute an unreasonably small capital. The amount of contingent liabilities at any time shall be computed as the amount that, in light of all the facts and circumstances existing at such time, represents the amount that can reasonably be expected to become an actual or matured liability.

SPC ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(h).

Special Dividend ” means the payment of a one-time special dividend by Borrower to Holdings in the amount of $500 million (plus any excess cash resulting from smaller discounts on the Senior Notes and the Facilities from those anticipated), and a one-time subsequent special dividend of such amount from Holdings to Parent, in each case on or before December 31, 2010.

Special Mandatory Prepayment Date ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(b)(viii).

Specified Asset Sale ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.05(b)(v).

Specified Discount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(ii)(A).

Specified Discount Prepayment Amount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(ii)(A).

Specified Discount Prepayment Notice ” means an irrevocable written notice of the Borrower Offer of Specified Discount Prepayment made pursuant to Section 10.07(l)(ii) substantially in the form of Exhibit K .

Specified Discount Prepayment Response ” means the irrevocable written response by each Term Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit L , to a Specified Discount Prepayment Notice.

Specified Discount Prepayment Response Date ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(ii)(A).

Specified Discount Pro-Rata Factor ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(ii)(C).

Specified Joint Ventures ” means Massachusetts Refreshment Corp, a Massachusetts corporation, B-R Korea Co. Ltd., a Korean company, and B-R 31 Ice Cream Co. Ltd., a Japanese company.

 

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Specified Junior Financing Obligations ” means any obligations in respect of any Junior Financing in respect of which any Loan Party is an obligor in a principal amount in excess of the Threshold Amount.

Specified Subsidiary ” means, at any date of determination, (a) each Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower (i) whose total assets at the last day of the most recent Test Period were equal to or greater than 5.0% of Total Assets at such date or (ii) whose gross revenues for such Test Period were equal to or greater than 5.0% of the consolidated gross revenues of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, in each case determined in accordance with GAAP, and (b) each other Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower that is the subject of an Event of Default under Section 8.01(f) or Section 8.01(g)(i) and that, when such Restricted Subsidiary’s Total Assets or gross revenues are aggregated with the total assets or gross revenues, as applicable, of each other such Restricted Subsidiary that is the subject of an Event of Default under Section 8.01(f) or Section 8.01(g)(i) would constitute a Specified Subsidiary under clause (a) above.

Specified Transaction ” means any (a) Disposition of all or substantially all the assets of or all the Equity Interests of any Restricted Subsidiary or of any business unit, line of business or division of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, (b) Permitted Acquisition, (c) Investment that results in a Person becoming a Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower, (d) designation of any Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, or of any Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary, in each case in accordance with Section 6.15 or (e) the proposed incurrence of Indebtedness or making of a Restricted Payment in respect of which compliance with the financial covenants set forth in Section 7.10 is by the terms of this Agreement required to be calculated on a Pro Forma Basis.

Sponsors ” means, collectively, Bain Capital Partners, The Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. or their respective Affiliates (including, in each case, as applicable, related funds, general partners thereof and limited partners thereof, but solely to the extent any such limited partners are directly or indirectly participating as investors pursuant to a side-by-side investing arrangement, but not including, however, any portfolio company of any of the foregoing).

Submitted Amount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iii)(A).

Submitted Discount ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(l)(iii)(A).

Subordinated Note ” means the subordinated note issued by the Initial Borrower to DBI on the Closing Date in connection with the receipt of cash from DBI for deposit into the Escrow Account and the Senior Notes Escrow Account on the Closing Date.

Subsidiary ” of a Person means a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the shares of securities or other interests having ordinary voting power for the election of directors or other governing body (other than securities or interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency) are at the time beneficially owned, or the management of which is otherwise controlled, directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, or both, by such Person, other than any Affiliated

 

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Organization. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to a “Subsidiary” or to “Subsidiaries” shall refer to a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of the Borrower.

Subsidiary Guarantor ” means any Guarantor other than Holdings.

Successor Holdings ” has the meaning specified in Section 7.14.

Supplemental Administrative Agent ” has the meaning specified in Section 9.10 and “Supplemental Administrative Agents” shall have the corresponding meaning.

Swap Contract ” means (a) any and all rate swap transactions, basis swaps, credit derivative transactions, forward rate transactions, commodity swaps, commodity options, forward contracts, future contracts, equity or equity index swaps or options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or forward bond price or forward bond index transactions, interest rate options, forward foreign exchange transactions, cap transactions, floor transactions, collar transactions, currency swap transactions, cross-currency rate swap transactions, currency options, spot contracts, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, sell buy back and buy sell back agreements, and securities lending and borrowing agreements or any other similar transactions or any combination of any of the foregoing (including any options to enter into any of the foregoing), whether or not any such transaction is governed by or subject to any master agreement and (b) any and all transactions of any kind, and the related confirmations, which are subject to the terms and conditions of, or governed by, any form of master agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement, or any other master agreement (any such master agreement, together with any related schedules, a “Master Agreement”), including any such obligations or liabilities under any Master Agreement.

Swap Termination Value ” means, in respect of any one or more Swap Contracts, after taking into account the effect of any legally enforceable netting agreement relating to such Swap Contracts, (a) for any date on or after the date such Swap Contracts have been closed out and termination value(s) determined in accordance therewith, such termination value(s), and (b) for any date prior to the date referenced in clause (a), the amount(s) determined as the mark-to-market value(s) for such Swap Contracts, as determined based upon one or more mid-market or other readily available quotations provided by any recognized dealer in such Swap Contracts (which may include a Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender).

Swing Line Borrowing ” means a borrowing of a Swing Line Loan pursuant to Section 2.04.

Swing Line Facility ” means the revolving credit facility made available by the Swing Line Lender pursuant to Section 2.04.

Swing Line Lender ” means Barclays Bank PLC, acting through one of its affiliates or branches, in its capacity as provider of Swing Line Loans, or any successor swing line lender hereunder.

Swing Line Loan ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.04(a).

 

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Swing Line Loan Notice ” means a notice of a Swing Line Borrowing pursuant to Section 2.04(b), which shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit B .

Swing Line Sublimit ” means $25,000,000. The Swing Line Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Revolving Credit Facility.

Syndication Agent ” means J.P. Morgan Securities LLC as syndication agent under this Agreement.

Taxes ” means any and all present or future taxes, duties, levies, imposts, assessments, deductions, fees, withholdings or similar charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, and all liabilities (including interest, penalties or additions to tax) with respect to the foregoing.

Term B Closing Date Funding Fee ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.09(c).

Term B Commitment ” means, as to each Term B Lender, its obligation to make a Term B Loan to the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.01(a) in an aggregate amount not to exceed the amount set forth opposite such Term B Lender’s name in Section 1.01D of the Confidential Disclosure Letter under the caption “Term B Commitment” or in the Assignment and Assumption or Joinder Agreement pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable, as such amount may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with this Agreement. The aggregate amount of the Term B Commitments as of the Closing Date is $1,250,000,000.

Term B Lender ” means, at any time, any Lender that has a Term B Commitment or a Term B Loan at such time.

Term B Loan Facility ” means the facility providing for the Borrowing of Term B Loans.

Term B Loans ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01(a).

Term Borrowing ” means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous Term Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the Term Lenders pursuant to Section 2.01(a).

Term Commitment ” means a Term B Commitment or a New Term Commitment.

Term Lender ” means, at any time, any Lender that has a Term Commitment or a Term Loan at such time.

Term Loan Facility ” means the Term B Loan Facility and each of the New Term Loan Facilities.

Term Loans ” means Term B Loans, New Term Loans, Other Term Loans and Extended Term Loans.

Term Note ” means a promissory note of the Borrower payable to any Term Lender or its registered assigns, in substantially the form of Exhibit C-1 hereto, evidencing the indebtedness

 

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of the Borrower to such Term Lender resulting from the Term Loans made by such Term Lender.

Test Period ” means a period of four (4) consecutive fiscal quarters.

Threshold Amount ” means $30,000,000.

Total Assets ” means the total assets of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, as shown on the most recent balance sheet of the Borrower delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) or, for the period prior to the time any such statements are so delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b), the financial statements delivered prior to the Closing Date.

Total Leverage Ratio ” means as of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Borrower for the Test Period ending on such date, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Total Debt as of the last day of such Test Period to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for such Test Period, in each case for the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries.

Total Outstandings ” means the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Loans and all L/C Obligations.

Trademark Security Agreement ” means the Trademark Security Agreement among the Borrower, the other Grantors named therein and the Administrative Agent, dated as of the Closing Date.

tranche ” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.15(a).

Transaction Expenses ” means the fees, costs and expenses incurred or payable by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof in connection with the Transactions, including any such fees, costs and expenses paid in cash, including payments to officer and directors as special or retention bonuses and charges for repurchases of, or modifications to, stock options.

Transactions ” means, collectively, (a) the execution and delivery and performance by the Loan Parties of each Loan Document to which they are a party executed and delivered or to be executed and delivered on or prior to the Escrow Release Date, and, in the case of the Initial Borrower, the making of the initial Borrowings hereunder, (b) the issuance of the Senior Notes, (c) the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes, the discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture and the Guarantor Charter Amendments on the Escrow Release Date, (d) the payment of the Special Dividend, (e) the issuance of the Subordinated Note, (f) the Assumption and the joinder of Holdings to this Agreement, (g) the Borrower Merger, (h) the consummation of any other transactions in connection with the foregoing, and (i) the payment of the fees and expenses incurred in connection with any of the foregoing.

Type ” means, with respect to a Loan, its character as a Base Rate Loan or a Eurodollar Rate Loan.

 

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Unfunded Advances/Participations ” means (a) with respect to the Administrative Agent, the aggregate amount, if any (i) made available to the Borrower on the assumption that each Appropriate Lender has made its Pro Rata Share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent and (ii) with respect to which a corresponding amount shall not in fact have been made available to the Administrative Agent by any such Lender, (b) with respect to the Swing Line Lender, the aggregate amount, if any, of participations in respect of any outstanding Swing Line Loan that shall not have been funded by the Appropriate Lenders in accordance with Section 2.04(b) and (c) with respect to the L/C Issuer, the aggregate amount of L/C Borrowings.

Uniform Commercial Code ” means the Uniform Commercial Code as the same may from time to time be in effect in the State of New York or the Uniform Commercial Code (or similar code or statute) of another jurisdiction, to the extent it may be required to apply to the creation or perfection of a security interest in any item or items of Collateral.

United States ” and “ US ” mean the United States of America.

Unreimbursed Amount ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(c)(i).

Unrestricted Subsidiary ” means (a) any Subsidiary of a Unrestricted Subsidiary and (b) any Subsidiary of the Borrower designated by the board of directors of the Borrower as an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to Section 6.15 subsequent to the date hereof.

US Lender ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.15(c).

US Tax Certificate ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.15(a).

Voting Stock ” of any Person as of any date means the Equity Interests of such Person that is at the time entitled to vote in the election of the board of directors or similar governing body of such Person.

Weighted Average Life to Maturity ” means, when applied to any Indebtedness at any date, the number of years obtained by dividing: (a) the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (i) the amount of each then remaining installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or other required payments of principal, including payment at final maturity, in respect thereof, by (ii) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth) that will elapse between such date and the making of such payment; by (b) the then outstanding principal amount of such Indebtedness.

Section 1.02 Other Interpretive Provisions . With reference to this Agreement and each other Loan Document, unless otherwise specified herein or in such other Loan Document:

(a) The meanings of defined terms are equally applicable to the singular and plural forms of the defined terms.

(b) The words “herein,” “hereto,” “hereof” and “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in any Loan Document shall refer to such Loan Document as a whole and not to any particular provision thereof.

 

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(i) Article, Section, Exhibit and Schedule references are to the Loan Document in which such reference appears.

(ii) The term “including” is by way of example and not limitation.

(c) In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” means “from and including;” the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding”; and the word “through” means “to and including.”

(d) Section headings herein and in the other Loan Documents are included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document.

(e) The term “manifest error” shall be deemed to include any clearly demonstrable error whether or not obvious on the face of the document containing such error.

(f) For purposes of determining compliance at any time with Sections 7.01, 7.02, 7.03, 7.05, 7.06, 7.08, 7.09 and 7.13, in the event that any Lien, Investment, Indebtedness, Disposition, Restricted Payment, affiliate transaction, Contractual Obligation or prepayment of Indebtedness meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of transactions permitted pursuant to any clause of such Sections 7.01, 7.02, 7.03, 7.05, 7.06, 7.08, 7.09 and 7.13, such transaction (or portion thereof) at any time shall be permitted under one or more of such clauses as determined by the Borrower in its sole discretion at such time of determination.

(g) The term “parent company” means with respect to any Person means the Person owns all of the Equity Interests of such Person.

Section 1.03 Accounting Terms . (a) All accounting terms not specifically or completely defined herein shall be construed in conformity with, and all financial data required to be submitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be prepared in conformity with, GAAP, as in effect from time to time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of determining compliance with any covenant (including the computation of any financial covenant) contained herein, Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be deemed to be carried at 100% of the outstanding principal amount (or the accreted value thereof in the case of Indebtedness issued at a discount) thereof and the effects of FASB ASC 825 and FASB ASC 470-20 on financial liabilities shall be disregarded.

(b) If at any time any change in GAAP (including conversion to IFRS as described below) would affect the computation of any covenant (including the computation of any financial covenant) set forth in any Loan Document, and either the Borrower or the Required Lenders shall so request, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower shall negotiate in good faith to amend such covenant to preserve the original intent thereof in light of such change in GAAP (subject to the approval of the Required Lenders not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed and, in the case of any amendment arising out of an accounting change described in the Proposed Accounting Standards Update to Leases (Topic 840) dated August 17, 2010, not subject to any amendment fee); provided, that, until so amended, (i) such ratio basket, covenant or requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP or the application thereof

 

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prior to such change therein and (ii) the Borrower shall provide to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders a written reconciliation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, between calculations of such covenant made before and after giving effect to such change in GAAP. If the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent that it is required to report under IFRS or has elected to do so through an early adoption policy, “GAAP” shall mean international financial reporting standards pursuant to IFRS ( provided that after such conversion, the Borrower cannot elect to report under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles).

Section 1.04 Pro Forma Calculations .

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, financial ratios and tests (including the Total Leverage Ratio, the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio and the Interest Coverage Ratio) pursuant to this Agreement shall be calculated in the manner prescribed by this Section 1.04.

(b) In the event that the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary incurs, assumes, guarantees, redeems, repays, retires or extinguishes any Indebtedness (other than Indebtedness incurred or repaid under any revolving credit facility unless such Indebtedness has been permanently repaid and has not been replaced) subsequent to the end of the Test Period for which such financial ratio or test is being calculated but prior to or simultaneously with the event for which such calculation is being made, then such financial ratio or test shall be calculated giving pro forma effect to such incurrence, assumption, guarantee, redemption, repayment, retirement or extinguishment of Indebtedness, as if the same had occurred on the last day of the applicable Test Period (except in the case of the Interest Coverage Ratio (or similar ratio), such incurrence, assumption, guarantee, redemption, repayment, retirement or extinguishment of Indebtedness, as if the same had occurred on the first day of the applicable Test Period).

(c) For purposes of calculating any financial ratio or test, Specified Transactions that have been made by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries during the applicable Test Period or subsequent to such Test Period and prior to or simultaneously with the event for which such calculation is being made shall be calculated on a pro forma basis assuming that all such Specified Transactions (and the change in Consolidated EBITDA resulting therefrom) had occurred on the first day of the applicable Test Period. If since the beginning of any such Test Period any Person that subsequently became a Restricted Subsidiary or was merged, amalgamated or consolidated with or into the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries since the beginning of such Test Period shall have made any Specified Transaction that would have required adjustment pursuant to this Section 1.04, then any applicable financial ratio or test shall be calculated giving pro forma effect thereto for such period as if such Specified Transaction occurred at the beginning of the applicable Test Period.

(d) Whenever pro forma effect is to be given to a Specified Transaction, the pro forma calculations shall be made in good faith by a responsible financial or accounting officer of the Borrower (including the “run-rate” cost savings and synergies resulting from such Specified Transaction that have been or are expected to be realized (“run-rate” means the full recurring benefit for a period that is associated with any action taken or expected to be taken (including any savings expected to result from the elimination of a public target’s compliance costs with public company requirements), net of the amount of actual benefits realized during such period

 

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from such actions), and any such adjustments included in the initial pro forma calculations shall continue to apply to subsequent calculations of such financial ratios or tests, including during any subsequent Test Periods in which the effects thereof are expected to be realized); provided , that, (i) such amounts are reasonably identifiable, and factually supportable, are projected by the Borrower in good faith to result from actions either taken or expected to be taken within 12 months after the end of such Test Period in which such Specified Transaction occurred and, in each case, certified by the chief financial officer or treasurer of the Borrower, (ii) no amounts shall be added pursuant to this clause (d) to the extent duplicative of any amounts that are otherwise added back in computing Consolidated EBITDA for such Test Period and (iii) any increase to Consolidated EBITDA as a result of cost savings and synergies shall be subject to the limitations set forth in the penultimate sentence of the definition of Consolidated EBITDA.

(e) If any Indebtedness bears a floating rate of interest and is being given pro forma effect, the interest on such Indebtedness shall be calculated as if the rate in effect on the date of the event for which the calculation of the Interest Coverage Ratio is made had been the applicable rate for the entire period (taking into account any interest hedging arrangements applicable to such Indebtedness). Interest on a Capitalized Lease Obligation shall be deemed to accrue at an interest rate reasonably determined by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower to be the rate of interest implicit in such Capitalized Lease Obligation in accordance with GAAP. Interest on Indebtedness that may optionally be determined at an interest rate based upon a factor of a prime or similar rate, a Eurocurrency interbank offered rate, or other rate, shall be determined to have been based upon the rate actually chosen, or if none, then based upon such optional rate chosen as the Borrower or Restricted Subsidiary may designate.

(f) Notwithstanding the foregoing, when calculating (i) the Total Leverage Ratio for purposes of the definition of “Applicable Rate” and Section 2.05(b)(i) and (ii) the Interest Coverage Ratio and Total Leverage Ratio for the purposes of Section 7.10, (x) the events described in Sections 1.04(b), (c) and (d) above that occurred subsequent to the end of the Test Period shall not be given pro forma effect and (y) Section 1.04(e) shall not apply.

(g) Any pro forma calculation required at any time prior to March 26, 2011, shall be made assuming that compliance with the Interest Coverage Ratio and Total Leverage Ratio set forth in Section 7.10 for the Test Period ending on March 26, 2011, is required with respect to the most recent Test Period prior to such time.

Section 1.05 Rounding . Any financial ratios required to be maintained by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement (or required to be satisfied in order for a specific action to be permitted under this Agreement) shall be calculated by dividing the appropriate component by the other component, carrying the result to one place more than the number of places by which such ratio is expressed herein and rounding the result up or down to the nearest number (with a rounding-up for 5).

Section 1.06 References to Agreements and Laws . Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, (a) references to Organization Documents, agreements (including the Loan Documents) and other contractual instruments shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments, restatements, extensions, supplements and other modifications thereto, but only to the extent that such amendments, restatements, extensions, supplements and other modifications not prohibited

 

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by any Loan Document; and (b) references to any Law shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending, replacing, supplementing or interpreting such Law.

Section 1.07 Times of Day . Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to times of day shall be references to New York time (daylight or standard, as applicable).

Section 1.08 Timing of Payment or Performance . When the payment of any obligation or the performance of any covenant, duty or obligation is stated to be due or performance required on a day which is not a Business Day, the date of such payment (other than as described in the definition of Interest Period) or performance shall extend to the immediately succeeding Business Day and such extension of time shall be reflected in computing interest or fees, as the case may be.

ARTICLE 2

THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS

Section 2.01 The Loans .

(a) The Term Borrowings . Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Term B Lender severally agrees to make a loan on the Closing Date to the Borrower (each, a “ Term B Loan ” and, collectively, the “ Term B Loans ”) in an amount in US Dollars equal to such Term B Lender’s Term B Commitment. Amounts borrowed under this Section 2.01(a) and repaid or prepaid may not be reborrowed. Term Loans may be Base Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans, as further provided herein.

(b) The Revolving Credit Borrowings . Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Revolving Credit Lender severally agrees to make loans in US Dollars to the Borrower (each such loan, a “ Revolving Credit Loan ”) from time to time, on any Business Day during the Revolving Credit Commitment Period, in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding the amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment; provided that after giving effect to any Revolving Credit Borrowing, (i) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Revolving Credit Loans of any Revolving Credit Lender, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans, shall not exceed such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment and (ii) the aggregate amount of Revolving Credit Loans made on the Escrow Release Date shall not exceed $25,000,000. Within the limits of each Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment, and subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower may borrow under this Section 2.01(b), prepay under Section 2.05, and reborrow under this Section 2.01(b). Revolving Credit Loans may be Base Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans, as further provided herein; provided that all Revolving Credit Loans made by each of the Lenders pursuant to the same Borrowing shall, unless otherwise specifically provided herein, consist entirely of Revolving Credit Loans of the same Type.

 

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Section 2.02 Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans .

(a) Each Term Borrowing, each Revolving Credit Borrowing, each conversion of Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans from one Type to the other, and each continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be made upon the Borrower’s irrevocable delivery to the Administrative Agent of a written Committed Loan Notice, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower. Each such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent (i) not later than 11:00 a.m. three (3) Business Days prior to the requested date of any Borrowing of Eurodollar Rate Loans, continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans or any conversion of Base Rate Loans to Eurodollar Rate Loans, (ii) not later than 11:00 a.m. on the requested date of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans. Each Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a minimum principal amount of $1,000,000 or a whole multiple of $500,000 in excess thereof. Except as provided in Section 2.03(c)(i) and Section 2.04(c)(i), each Borrowing of or conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $250,000 or a whole multiple of $50,000 in excess thereof (except, with respect to any Other Term Loans, to the extent otherwise provided in the applicable Refinancing Amendment). Each Committed Loan Notice (whether telephonic or written) shall specify (i) whether the Borrower is requesting a Term Borrowing, a Revolving Credit Borrowing, a conversion of Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans from one Type to the other, or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, (ii) the requested date of the Borrowing, conversion or continuation, as the case may be (which shall be a Business Day), (iii) the principal amount of Loans to be borrowed, converted or continued, (iv) the Type of Loans to be borrowed or to which existing Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans are to be converted, (v) if applicable, the duration of the Interest Period with respect thereto and (vi) the account of the Borrower to be credited with the proceeds of such Borrowing. If the Borrower fails to specify a Type of Loan in a Committed Loan Notice or fails to give a timely notice requesting a conversion or continuation, then the applicable Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans shall be made as, or converted to, Base Rate Loans. Any such automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be effective as of the last day of the Interest Period then in effect with respect to the applicable Eurodollar Rate Loans. If the Borrower requests a Borrowing of, conversion to, or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans in any such Committed Loan Notice, but fails to specify an Interest Period, it will be deemed to have specified an Interest Period of one (1) month.

(b) Following receipt of a Committed Loan Notice, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Appropriate Lender of the amount of its Pro Rata Share of the applicable Class of Loans, and if no timely notice of a conversion or continuation is provided by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender of the details of any automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans or continuation described in Section 2.02(a). In the case of each Borrowing, each Appropriate Lender shall make the amount of its Loan available to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds at the Administrative Agent’s Office not later than 1:00 p.m. (with respect to Eurodollar Rate Loans) or 2:00 p.m. (with respect to Base Rate Loans) on the Business Day specified in the applicable Committed Loan Notice. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Administrative Agent shall make all funds so received available to the Borrower in like funds as received by the Administrative Agent by wire transfer of such funds in accordance with instructions provided to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower.

 

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(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, a Eurodollar Rate Loan may be continued or converted only on the last day of an Interest Period for such Eurodollar Rate Loan unless the Borrower pays the amount due, if any, under Section 3.05 in connection therewith. During the existence of an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may require that no Loans may be converted to or continued as Eurodollar Rate Loans.

(d) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Appropriate Lenders of the interest rate applicable to any Interest Period for Eurodollar Rate Loans upon determination of such interest rate. The determination of the Eurodollar Rate by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error. At any time that Base Rate Loans are outstanding, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Appropriate Lenders of any change in the Administrative Agent’s prime rate used in determining the Base Rate promptly following the determination of such change.

(e) After giving effect to all Term Borrowings, all Revolving Credit Borrowings, all conversions of Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans from one Type to the other, and all continuations of Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans as the same Type, there shall not be more than twenty (20) Interest Periods in effect.

(f) The failure of any Lender to make the Loan to be made by it as part of any Borrowing shall not relieve any other Lender of its obligation, if any, hereunder to make its Loan on the date of such Borrowing, but no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to make the Loan to be made by such other Lender on the date of any Borrowing.

Section 2.03 Letters of Credit.

(a) The Letter of Credit Commitment .

(i) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, (A) the L/C Issuer agrees, in reliance upon the agreements of the other Revolving Credit Lenders set forth in this Section 2.03, (1) from time to time on any Business Day during the period from the Escrow Release Date until the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, to issue Letters of Credit denominated in Dollars for the account of the Borrower (or any Restricted Subsidiary so long as the Borrower is a joint and several co-applicant, and references to the “Borrower” in this Section 2.03 shall be deemed to include reference to such Restricted Subsidiary) and to amend or renew Letters of Credit previously issued by it, in accordance with Section 2.03(b), and (2) to honor drafts under the Letters of Credit; and (B) the Revolving Credit Lenders severally agree to participate in Letters of Credit issued for the account of the Borrower; provided that the L/C Issuer shall not be obligated to make any L/C Credit Extension with respect to any Letter of Credit, and no Lender shall be obligated to participate in any Letter of Credit if, as of the date of such L/C Credit Extension, (x) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Revolving Credit Loans of any Revolving Credit Lender, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans, would exceed such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment or (y) the Outstanding Amount of the L/C Obligations would exceed the Letter of Credit Sublimit. Within the foregoing limits, and subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower’s ability to obtain Letters of Credit shall be fully revolving, and accordingly the Borrower may, during the foregoing period, obtain Letters of Credit to replace

 

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Letters of Credit that have expired or that have been drawn upon and reimbursed. On and after the Escrow Release Date, each Existing Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be a Letter of Credit issued hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and for all purposes hereof will be deemed to have been issued on the Escrow Release Date.

(ii) The L/C Issuer shall be under no obligation to issue any Letter of Credit if

(A) any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority or arbitrator shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain the L/C Issuer from issuing such Letter of Credit, or any Law applicable to the L/C Issuer or any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over the L/C Issuer shall prohibit, or request that the L/C Issuer refrain from, the issuance of letters of credit generally or such Letter of Credit in particular or shall impose upon the L/C Issuer with respect to such Letter of Credit any restriction, reserve or capital requirement (for which the L/C Issuer is not otherwise compensated hereunder) not in effect on the Closing Date, or shall impose upon the L/C Issuer any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense which was not applicable on the Closing Date and which, in each case, the L/C Issuer in good faith deems material to it;

(B) subject to Section 2.03(b)(iii), the expiry date of such requested Letter of Credit, prior to giving effect to any automatic renewal, would occur more than twelve months after the date of issuance or last renewal, unless the Required Lenders and the L/C Issuer have approved such expiry date;

(C) the expiry date of such requested Letter of Credit would occur after the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, unless all the Revolving Credit Lenders and the L/C Issuer have approved such expiry date and no Revolving Credit Lender shall be required to participate in any such Letter of Credit issued without such approval;

(D) the issuance of such Letter of Credit would violate any Laws or one or more policies of the L/C Issuer; or

(E) any Revolving Credit Lender is a Defaulting Lender, unless the L/C Issuer has entered into arrangements reasonably satisfactory to it and the Borrower to eliminate the L/C Issuer’s risk with respect to the participation in Letters of Credit by all such Defaulting Lenders, including by Cash Collateralizing, or obtaining a backstop letter of credit from an issuer reasonably satisfactory to the L/C Issuer to support, each such Defaulting Lender’s Pro Rata Share of any Unreimbursed Amount.

(iii) The L/C Issuer shall be under no obligation to amend any Letter of Credit if (A) the L/C Issuer would have no obligation at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its amended form under the terms hereof, or (B) the beneficiary of such Letter of Credit does not accept the proposed amendment to such Letter of Credit.

 

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(b) Procedures for Issuance and Amendment of Letters of Credit; Auto-Renewal Letters of Credit.

(i) Each Letter of Credit shall be issued or amended, as the case may be, upon the request of the Borrower delivered to the L/C Issuer (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) in the form of a L/C Request and Letter of Credit Application, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower. Such L/C Request and Letter of Credit Application must be received by the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent not later than 12:00 noon at least three (3) Business Days prior to the proposed issuance date or date of amendment, as the case may be, or such later date and time as the L/C Issuer may agree in a particular instance in its sole discretion. In the case of a request for an initial issuance of a Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to the L/C Issuer: (A) the proposed issuance date of the requested Letter of Credit (which shall be a Business Day); (B) the amount thereof; (C) the expiry date thereof; (D) the name and address of the beneficiary thereof; (E) the documents to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; (F) the full text of any certificate to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; and (G) such other matters as the L/C Issuer may reasonably request. In the case of a request for an amendment of any outstanding Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to the L/C Issuer: (A) the Letter of Credit to be amended; (B) the proposed date of amendment thereof (which shall be a Business Day); (C) the nature of the proposed amendment; and (D) such other matters as the L/C Issuer may reasonably request.

(ii) Promptly after receipt of any L/C Request and Letter of Credit Application, the L/C Issuer will confirm with the Administrative Agent (in writing) that the Administrative Agent has received a copy of such L/C Request and Letter of Credit Application from the Borrower and, if not, the L/C Issuer will provide the Administrative Agent with a copy thereof. Upon receipt by the L/C Issuer of confirmation from the Administrative Agent that the requested issuance or amendment is permitted in accordance with the terms hereof (such confirmation to be promptly provided by the Administrative Agent), then, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the L/C Issuer shall, on the requested date, issue a Letter of Credit for the account of the Borrower or enter into the applicable amendment, as the case may be. Immediately upon the issuance of each Letter of Credit, each Revolving Credit Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from the L/C Issuer an unfunded risk participation in such Letter of Credit in an amount equal to the product of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share times the amount of such Letter of Credit.

(iii) If the Borrower so requests in any applicable Letter of Credit Application, the L/C Issuer may, in its sole and absolute discretion, agree to issue a Letter of Credit that has automatic renewal provisions (each, an “ Auto-Renewal Letter of Credit ”); provided that any such Auto-Renewal Letter of Credit must permit the L/C Issuer to prevent any such renewal at least once in each twelve month period (commencing with the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit) by giving prior notice to the beneficiary thereof not later than a day (the “ Nonrenewal Notice Date ”) in each such twelve month period to be agreed upon at the time such Letter of Credit is issued. Unless otherwise directed by the L/C Issuer, the Borrower shall not be required to make a specific request to the L/C Issuer for any such renewal. Once an Auto-Renewal Letter of Credit has been issued, the Lenders shall be deemed to have authorized (but may not require) the

 

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L/C Issuer to permit the renewal of such Letter of Credit at any time to an expiry date not later than the Letter of Credit Expiration Date; provided that the L/C Issuer shall not permit any such renewal if (A) the L/C Issuer has determined that it would have no obligation at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its renewed form under the terms hereof (by reason of the provisions of Section 2.03(a)(ii) or otherwise), or (B) it has received notice (which shall be in writing) on or before the day that is five (5) Business Days before the Nonrenewal Notice Date (1) from the Administrative Agent that the Required Lenders have elected not to permit such renewal or (2) from the Administrative Agent, any Revolving Credit Lender or the Borrower that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 4.02 is not then satisfied.

(iv) Promptly after its delivery of any Letter of Credit or any amendment to a Letter of Credit to an advising bank with respect thereto or to the beneficiary thereof, the L/C Issuer will also deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent a true and complete copy of such Letter of Credit or amendment.

(c) Drawings and Reimbursements; Funding of Participations .

(i) Upon receipt from the beneficiary of any Letter of Credit of any notice of a drawing under such Letter of Credit, the L/C Issuer shall notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent thereof. Not later than 3:30 p.m. on the date of any payment by the L/C Issuer under a Letter of Credit (each such date, an “ Honor Date ”), the Borrower shall reimburse the L/C Issuer through the Administrative Agent in an amount equal to the amount of such drawing; provided that if such notice is not provided to the Borrower prior to 1:00 p.m. on the Honor Date, then the Borrower shall reimburse the L/C Issuer through the Administrative Agent in an amount equal to the amount of such drawing on the next succeeding Business Day and such extension of time shall be reflected in computing fees in respect of any such Letter of Credit. If the Borrower fails to so reimburse the L/C Issuer by such time, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Revolving Credit Lender of the Honor Date, the amount of the unreimbursed drawing (the “ Unreimbursed Amount ”), and the amount of such Revolving Credit Lender’s Pro Rata Share thereof. In such event, the Borrower shall be deemed to have requested a Revolving Credit Borrowing of Base Rate Loans to be disbursed on the Honor Date in an amount equal to the Unreimbursed Amount, without regard to the minimum and multiples specified in Section 2.02(a) for the principal amount of Base Rate Loans but subject to the amount of the unutilized portion of the Revolving Credit Commitments and the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than the delivery of a Committed Loan Notice). Any notice given by the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section 2.03(c)(i) may shall be in writing.

(ii) Each Revolving Credit Lender (including the Lender acting as L/C Issuer) shall upon any notice pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i) make funds available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer, in Dollars, at the Administrative Agent’s Office in an amount equal to its Pro Rata Share of the Unreimbursed Amount not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day specified in such notice by the Administrative Agent, whereupon, subject to the provisions of Section 2.03(c)(iii), each Revolving Credit Lender that so makes funds available shall be deemed to have made a Base Rate Loan to the Borrower in such amount. The Administrative Agent shall remit the funds so received to the L/C Issuer.

 

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(iii) With respect to any Unreimbursed Amount that is not fully refinanced by a Revolving Credit Borrowing of Base Rate Loans because the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 cannot be satisfied or for any other reason, the Borrower shall be deemed to have incurred from the L/C Issuer an L/C Borrowing in the amount of the Unreimbursed Amount that is not so refinanced, which L/C Borrowing shall be due and payable on demand (together with interest) and shall bear interest at the Default Rate. In such event, each Revolving Credit Lender’s payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(ii) shall be deemed payment in respect of its participation in such L/C Borrowing and shall constitute an L/C Advance from such Lender in satisfaction of its participation obligation under this Section 2.03.

(iv) Until each Revolving Credit Lender funds its Revolving Credit Loan or L/C Advance pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) to reimburse the L/C Issuer for any amount drawn under any Letter of Credit, interest in respect of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of such amount shall be solely for the account of the L/C Issuer.

(v) Each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans or L/C Advances to reimburse the L/C Issuer for amounts drawn under Letters of Credit, as contemplated by this Section 2.03(c), shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (A) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have against the L/C Issuer, the Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever; (B) the occurrence or continuance of a Default, or (C) any other occurrence, event or condition, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing; provided that each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) is subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than delivery by the Borrower of a Committed Loan Notice). No such making of an L/C Advance shall relieve or otherwise impair the obligation of the Borrower to reimburse the L/C Issuer for the amount of any payment made by the L/C Issuer under any Letter of Credit, together with interest as provided herein.

(vi) If any Revolving Credit Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer any amount required to be paid by such Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.03(c) by the time specified in Section 2.03(c)(ii), the L/C Issuer shall be entitled to recover from such Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent), on demand, such amount with interest thereon for the period from the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is immediately available to the L/C Issuer at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect. A certificate of the L/C Issuer submitted to any Revolving Credit Lender (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this Section 2.03(c)(vi) shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

(d) Repayment of Participations .

(i) If, at any time after the L/C Issuer has made a payment under any Letter of Credit and has received from any Revolving Credit Lender such Lender’s L/C Advance in respect of such payment in accordance with Section 2.03(c), the Administrative Agent receives for the account of the L/C Issuer any payment in respect of the related Unreimbursed Amount or interest thereon (whether directly from the Borrower or otherwise, including proceeds of Cash Collateral

 

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applied thereto by the Administrative Agent), the Administrative Agent will distribute to such Lender its Pro Rata Share thereof (appropriately adjusted, in the case of interest payments, to reflect the period of time during which such Lender’s L/C Advance was outstanding) in the same funds as those received by the Administrative Agent.

(ii) If any payment received by the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(d)(i) is required to be returned under any of the circumstances described in Section 10.06 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the L/C Issuer in its discretion), each Revolving Credit Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer its Pro Rata Share thereof on demand of the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such amount is returned by such Lender, at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect.

(e) Obligations Absolute . The obligation of the Borrower to reimburse the L/C Issuer for each drawing under each Letter of Credit issued for its account and to repay each L/C Borrowing relating to any Letter of Credit issued for its account shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be paid strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under all circumstances, including the following:

(i) any lack of validity or enforceability of such Letter of Credit, this Agreement, or any other agreement or instrument relating thereto;

(ii) the existence of any claim, counterclaim, setoff, defense or other right that the Borrower or applicable Restricted Subsidiary may have at any time against any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit (or any Person for whom any such beneficiary or any such transferee may be acting), the L/C Issuer or any other Person, whether in connection with this Agreement, the transactions contemplated hereby or by such Letter of Credit or any agreement or instrument relating thereto, or any unrelated transaction;

(iii) any draft, demand, certificate or other document presented under such Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent, invalid or insufficient in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect; or any loss or delay in the transmission or otherwise of any document required in order to make a drawing under such Letter of Credit;

(iv) any payment by the L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or certificate that does not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit; or any payment made by the L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit to any Person purporting to be a trustee in bankruptcy, debtor-in-possession, assignee for the benefit of creditors, liquidator, receiver or other representative of or successor to any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit, including any arising in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law;

(v) any exchange, release or nonperfection of any Collateral, or any release or amendment or waiver of or consent to departure from the Guaranty or any other guarantee, for all or any of the Obligations of the Borrower in respect of such Letter of Credit; or

 

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(vi) any other circumstance or happening whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, including any other circumstance that might otherwise constitute a defense available to, or a discharge of, the Borrower;

provided that the foregoing shall not excuse the L/C Issuer from liability to the Borrower to the extent of any direct damages (as opposed to consequential damages, claims in respect of which are waived by the Borrower to the extent permitted by applicable Law) suffered by the Borrower that are caused by the L/C Issuer’s gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct when determining whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof. The Borrower shall promptly examine a copy of each Letter of Credit issued for its account and each amendment thereto that is delivered to it and, in the event of any claim of noncompliance with the Borrower’s instructions or other irregularity, the Borrower will promptly notify the L/C Issuer. The Borrower shall be conclusively deemed to have waived any such claim against the L/C Issuer and its correspondents unless such notice is given as aforesaid.

(f) Role of L/C Issuer . Each Lender and the Borrower agree that, in paying any drawing under a Letter of Credit, the L/C Issuer shall not have any responsibility to obtain any document (other than any sight draft, certificates and documents expressly required by the Letter of Credit) or to ascertain or inquire as to the validity or accuracy of any such document or the authority of the Person executing or delivering any such document. None of the L/C Issuer, any Agent-Related Person nor any of the respective correspondents, participants or assignees of the L/C Issuer shall be liable to any Lender for (i) any action taken or omitted in connection herewith at the request or with the approval of the Lenders or the Required Lenders, as applicable; (ii) any action taken or omitted in the absence of gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in a final, non-appealable judgment; or (iii) the due execution, effectiveness, validity or enforceability of any document or instrument related to any Letter of Credit, L/C Request or Letter of Credit Application. The Borrower hereby assumes all risks of the acts or omissions of any beneficiary or transferee with respect to its use of any Letter of Credit; provided that this assumption is not intended to, and shall not, preclude the Borrower’s pursuing such rights and remedies as it may have against the beneficiary or transferee at Law or under any other agreement. None of the L/C Issuer, any Agent-Related Person, nor any of the respective correspondents, participants or assignees of the L/C Issuer, shall be liable or responsible for any of the matters described in clauses (i) through (vi) of Section 2.03(e); provided that anything in such clauses to the contrary notwithstanding, the Borrower may have a claim against the L/C Issuer, and the L/C Issuer may be liable to the Borrower, to the extent, but only to the extent, of any direct, as opposed to consequential or exemplary, damages suffered by the Borrower that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final, non-appealable judgment were caused by the L/C Issuer’s willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence or the L/C Issuer’s willful or grossly negligent failure to pay under any Letter of Credit after the presentation to it by the beneficiary of a sight draft and certificate(s) strictly complying with the terms and conditions of a Letter of Credit. In furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, the L/C Issuer may accept documents that appear on their face to be in order, without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, and the L/C Issuer shall not be responsible for the validity or sufficiency of any instrument transferring or assigning or purporting to transfer or assign a Letter of Credit or the rights or benefits

 

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thereunder or proceeds thereof, in whole or in part, which may prove to be invalid or ineffective for any reason.

(g) Cash Collateral . Upon the request of the Administrative Agent, (i) if the L/C Issuer has honored any full or partial drawing request under any Letter of Credit and such drawing has resulted in an L/C Borrowing and the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 to a Revolving Credit Borrowing cannot then be met, or (ii) if, as of the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, any Letter of Credit may for any reason remain outstanding and partially or wholly undrawn, the Borrower shall promptly Cash Collateralize (x) in the case of clause (i), 100% and (y) in the case of clause (ii), 105%, in each case of the then Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations (such Outstanding Amount to be determined as of the date of such L/C Borrowing or the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, as the case may be) or, in the case of clause (ii), provide a back to back letter of credit in a face amount at least equal to 105% of the then undrawn amount of such Letter of Credit from an issuer and in form and substance satisfactory to the L/C Issuer in its sole discretion. Any Letter of Credit that is so Cash Collateralized or in respect of which such a back-to-back letter of credit shall have been issued shall be deemed no longer outstanding for purposes of this Agreement. For purposes hereof, “ Cash Collateralize ” means (A) in the case of clause (ii) above, pledge and deposit with or deliver to the L/C Issuer, as collateral for the L/C Obligations and (B) in all other cases to pledge and deposit with or deliver to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the L/C Issuer and the Lenders, as collateral for the L/C Obligations, cash or deposit account balances (“ Cash Collateral ”) pursuant to documentation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the L/C Issuer and, in the case of clause of (B), the Administrative Agent (which documents are hereby consented to by the Lenders). Derivatives of such term have corresponding meanings. Cash Collateral shall be maintained in deposit accounts designated by the Administrative Agent and which is under the sole dominion and control of the L/C Issuer and, in the case of clause of (B), the Administrative Agent. If at any time the L/C Issuer and, in the case of clause of (B), the Administrative Agent determines that any funds held as Cash Collateral are subject to any right or claim of any Person other than the L/C Issuer or Administrative Agent, as applicable, or claims of the depositary bank arising by operation of law or that the total amount of such funds is less than the amount required by the first sentence of this clause (g), the Borrower will, forthwith upon demand by the L/C Issuer and, in the case of clause of (B), the Administrative Agent, pay to the L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent, as applicable,, as additional funds to be deposited and held in the deposit accounts designated by the L/C Issuer and, in the case of clause of (B), the Administrative Agent as aforesaid, an amount equal to the excess of (x) 100% or 105%, as applicable, of such aggregate Outstanding Amount over (y) the total amount of funds, if any, then held as Cash Collateral that the L/C Issuer and, in the case of clause of (B), the Administrative Agent determines to be free and clear of any such right and claim. Upon the drawing of any Letter of Credit for which funds are on deposit as Cash Collateral, such funds shall be applied, to the extent permitted under applicable Law, to reimburse the L/C Issuer. To the extent the amount of any Cash Collateral exceeds 100% or 105%, as applicable, of the then Outstanding Amount of such L/C Obligations and so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the excess shall be refunded to the Borrower.

(h) Applicability of ISP98 and UCP . Unless otherwise expressly agreed by the L/C Issuer and the Borrower when a Letter of Credit is issued, (i) the rules of the “International Standby Practices 1998” published by the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice (or

 

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such later version thereof as may be in effect at the time of issuance) shall apply to each standby Letter of Credit, and (ii) the rules of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, as most recently published by the International Chamber of Commerce (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the time of issuance) at the time of issuance shall apply to each commercial Letter of Credit.

(i) Letter of Credit Fees . The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Credit Lender in accordance with its Pro Rata Share a Letter of Credit fee for each Letter of Credit issued equal to the Applicable Rate for Revolving Credit Loans that are Eurodollar Rate Loans times the daily maximum amount then available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit. Such letter of credit fees shall be computed from the date of issuance thereof on a quarterly basis in arrears. Such letter of credit fees shall be due and payable on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of such Letter of Credit and on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date and thereafter on demand.

(j) Fronting Fee and Documentary and Processing Charges Payable to L/C Issuer . The Borrower shall pay directly to the L/C Issuer for its own account a fronting fee with respect to each Letter of Credit issued equal to 0.125% per annum of the daily maximum amount then available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit. Such fronting fees shall be computed on a quarterly basis in arrears. Such fronting fees shall be due and payable on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date and thereafter on demand. In addition, the Borrower shall pay directly to the L/C Issuer for its own account the customary issuance, presentation, amendment and other processing fees, and other standard costs and charges, of the L/C Issuer relating to letters of credit as from time to time in effect. Such customary fees not related to the fronting fee and standard costs and charges are due and payable within five (5) Business Days of demand and are nonrefundable.

(k) Conflict with Letter of Credit Application . In the event of any conflict between the terms hereof and the terms of any L/C Request or Letter of Credit Application, the terms of this Agreement shall control.

(l) Provisions Related to New Revolving Credit Commitments and Extended Revolving Credit Commitments . If the maturity date in respect of any tranche of Revolving Credit Commitments occurs prior to the expiration of any Letter of Credit, then (i) if one or more other tranches of Revolving Credit Commitments in respect of which the maturity date shall not have occurred are then in effect, such Letters of Credit shall automatically be deemed to have been issued (including for purposes of the obligations of the Revolving Credit Lenders to purchase participations therein and to make Revolving Credit Loans and payments in respect thereof pursuant to Section 2.03(c) and (d)) under (and ratably participated in by Lenders pursuant to) the Revolving Credit Commitments in respect of such non-terminating tranches up to an aggregate amount not to exceed the aggregate principal amount of the unutilized Revolving Credit Commitments thereunder at such time (it being understood that no partial face amount of any Letter of Credit may be so reallocated) and (ii) to the extent not reallocated pursuant to immediately preceding clause (i), the Borrower shall Cash Collateralize any such Letter of Credit in accordance with Section 2.03(g). Commencing with the maturity date of any tranche of Revolving

 

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Credit Commitments, the sublimit for Letters of Credit shall be agreed with the Lenders under the extended tranches.

Section 2.04 Swing Line Loans.

(a) The Swing Line . Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein and in the sole discretion of the Swing Line Lender, the Swing Line Lender agrees to make loans (each such loan, a “ Swing Line Loan ”) to the Borrower from time to time on any Business Day (other than the Closing Date) during the Revolving Credit Commitment Period in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding the amount of the Swing Line Sublimit, notwithstanding the fact that such Swing Line Loans, when aggregated with the Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of Loans and L/C Obligations of the Lender acting as Swing Line Lender, may exceed the amount of such Lender’s Commitment; provided that after giving effect to any Swing Line Loan, the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Revolving Credit Loans of any Revolving Credit Lender, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans shall not exceed such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment; provided further that the Borrower shall not use the proceeds of any Swing Line Loan to refinance any outstanding Swing Line Loan. Within the foregoing limits, and subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower may borrow under this Section 2.04, prepay under Section 2.05, and reborrow under this Section 2.04. Each Swing Line Loan shall be a Base Rate Loan. Immediately upon the making of a Swing Line Loan, each Revolving Credit Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from the Swing Line Lender an unfunded risk participation in such Swing Line Loan in an amount equal to the product of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share and the amount of such Swing Line Loan.

(b) Borrowing Procedures . Each Swing Line Borrowing shall be made upon the Borrower’s irrevocable written notice to the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent. Each such notice must be received by the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent not later than 1:00 p.m. on the requested borrowing date, and shall specify (i) the amount to be borrowed, which shall be a minimum of $100,000, (ii) the requested borrowing date, which shall be a Business Day and (iii) the account of the Borrower to be credited with the proceeds of such Swing Line Borrowing. Each such telephonic notice must be confirmed promptly by delivery to the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent of a written Swing Line Loan Notice, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower. Promptly after receipt by the Swing Line Lender of any Swing Line Loan Notice, the Swing Line Lender will confirm with the Administrative Agent (in writing) that the Administrative Agent has also received such Swing Line Loan Notice and, if not, the Swing Line Lender will notify the Administrative Agent (in writing) of the contents thereof. Unless the Swing Line Lender has received notice (in writing) from the Administrative Agent (including at the request of any Revolving Credit Lender) prior to 2:00 p.m. on the date of such proposed Swing Line Borrowing (A) directing the Swing Line Lender not to make such Swing Line Loan as a result of the limitations set forth in the first proviso to the first sentence of Section 2.04(a), or (B) that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 4.02 is not then satisfied, then, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Swing Line Lender will, not later than 3:00 p.m. on the borrowing date specified in such Swing Line Loan Notice, make the amount of its Swing Line Loan available to the Borrower. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 2.04 or elsewhere in this

 

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Agreement, the Swing Line Lender shall not be obligated to make any Swing Line Loan at a time when a Revolving Credit Lender is a Defaulting Lender unless the Swing Line Lender has entered into arrangements reasonably satisfactory to it and the Borrower to eliminate the Swing Line Lender’s risk with respect to the Defaulting Lender’s or Defaulting Lenders’ participation in such Swing Line Loans, including by Cash Collateralizing, or obtaining a backstop letter of credit from an issuer reasonably satisfactory to the Swing Line Lender to support, such Defaulting Lender’s or Defaulting Lenders’ Pro Rata Share of the outstanding Swing Line Loans.

(c) Refinancing of Swing Line Loans . The Swing Line Lender at any time in its sole and absolute discretion may request, on behalf of the Borrower (which hereby irrevocably authorizes the Swing Line Lender to so request on its behalf), that each Revolving Credit Lender make a Base Rate Loan in an amount equal to such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the amount of Swing Line Loans then outstanding. Each such request shall be made in writing (which written request shall be deemed to be a Committed Loan Notice for purposes hereof) and in accordance with the requirements of Section 2.02(a), without regard to the minimum and multiples specified therein for the principal amount of Base Rate Loans, but subject to the unutilized portion of the aggregate Revolving Credit Commitments and the conditions set forth in Section 4.02. The Swing Line Lender shall furnish the Borrower with a copy of the applicable Committed Loan Notice promptly after delivering such notice to the Administrative Agent. Each Revolving Credit Lender shall make an amount equal to its Pro Rata Share of the amount specified in such Committed Loan Notice available to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds for the account of the Swing Line Lender at the Administrative Agent’s Office not later than 1:00 p.m. on the day specified in such Committed Loan Notice, whereupon, subject to Section 2.04(c)(ii), each Revolving Credit Lender that so makes funds available shall be deemed to have made a Base Rate Loan to the Borrower in such amount. The Administrative Agent shall remit the funds so received to the Swing Line Lender.

(i) If for any reason any Swing Line Loan cannot be refinanced by such a Revolving Credit Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.04(c), the request for Base Rate Loans submitted by the Swing Line Lender as set forth herein shall be deemed to be a request by the Swing Line Lender that each of the Revolving Credit Lenders fund its risk participation in such Swing Line Loan and each such Revolving Credit Lender’s payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Swing Line Lender pursuant to Section 2.04(c) shall be deemed payment in respect of such participation.

(ii) If any Revolving Credit Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Swing Line Lender any amount required to be paid by such Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.04(c) by the time specified in Section 2.04(c), the Swing Line Lender shall be entitled to recover from such Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent), on demand, such amount with interest thereon for the period from the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is immediately available to the Swing Line Lender at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect. A certificate of the Swing Line Lender submitted to any Lender (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this clause (ii) shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

 

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(iii) Each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans or to purchase and fund risk participations in Swing Line Loans pursuant to this Section 2.04(c) shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (A) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have against the Swing Line Lender, the Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever, (B) the occurrence or continuance of a Default, or (C) any other occurrence, event or condition, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing; provided that each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans pursuant to this Section 2.04(c) is subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than delivery by the Borrower of a Committed Loan Notice). No such funding of risk participations shall relieve or otherwise impair the obligation of the Borrower to repay Swing Line Loans, together with interest as provided herein.

(d) Repayment of Participations . At any time after any Revolving Credit Lender has purchased and funded a risk participation in a Swing Line Loan, if the Swing Line Lender receives any payment on account of such Swing Line Loan, the Swing Line Lender will distribute to such Lender its Pro Rata Share of such payment (appropriately adjusted, in the case of interest payments, to reflect the period of time during which such Lender’s risk participation was funded) in the same funds as those received by the Swing Line Lender.

(i) If any payment received by the Swing Line Lender in respect of principal or interest on any Swing Line Loan is required to be returned by the Swing Line Lender under any of the circumstances described in Section 10.06 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Swing Line Lender in its discretion), each Revolving Credit Lender shall pay to the Swing Line Lender its Pro Rata Share thereof on demand of the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such amount is returned, at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Federal Funds Rate. The Administrative Agent will make such demand upon the request of the Swing Line Lender.

(e) Interest for Account of Swing Line Lender . The Swing Line Lender shall be responsible for invoicing the Borrower for interest on the Swing Line Loans. Until each Revolving Credit Lender funds its Base Rate Loan or risk participation pursuant to this Section 2.04 to refinance such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of any Swing Line Loan, interest in respect of such Pro Rata Share shall be solely for the account of the Swing Line Lender.

(f) Payments Directly to Swing Line Lender . The Borrower shall make all payments of principal and interest in respect of the Swing Line Loans directly to the Swing Line Lender.

(g) Provisions Related to New Revolving Credit Commitments and Extended Revolving Credit Commitments . If the maturity date shall have occurred in respect of any tranche of Revolving Credit Commitments at a time when another tranche or tranches of Revolving Credit Commitments is or are in effect with a longer maturity date, then on the earliest occurring maturity date all then outstanding Swing Line Loans shall be repaid in full on such date (and there shall be no adjustment to the participations in such Swing Line Loans as a result of the occurrence of such maturity date); provided, however, that if on the occurrence of such earliest maturity date (after giving effect to any repayments of Revolving Credit Loans and any reallocation of

 

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Letter of Credit participations as contemplated in Section 2.03(l)), there shall exist sufficient unutilized Extended Revolving Credit Commitments or New Revolving Credit Commitments so that the respective outstanding Swing Line Loans could be incurred pursuant the Extended Revolving Credit Commitments or New Revolving Credit Commitments which will remain in effect after the occurrence of such maturity date, then there shall be an automatic adjustment on such date of the participations in such Swing Line Loans and same shall be deemed to have been incurred solely pursuant to the relevant Extended Credit Revolving Commitments or New Revolving Credit Commitments, and such Swing Line Loans shall not be so required to be repaid in full on such earliest maturity date.

Section 2.05 Prepayments.

(a) Optional .

(i) The Borrower may, upon written notice to the Administrative Agent (a “ Prepayment Notice ”), at any time or from time to time voluntarily prepay Loans made to the Borrower, in whole or in part without premium or penalty except as described in clause (iv) below; provided , that (A) such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m., (1) three (3) Business Days prior to any date of prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans and (2) on the date of prepayment of Base Rate Loans; (B) any prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $1,000,000 or a whole multiple of $500,000 in excess thereof; and (C) any prepayment of Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $250,000 or a whole multiple of $50,000 in excess thereof or, in each case, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding. Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment and the Class(es) and Type(s) of Loans to be prepaid. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify each Appropriate Lender of its receipt of each such notice, and of the amount of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of such prepayment. The Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein. Any prepayment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan shall be accompanied by all accrued interest thereon, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 2.05(a)(iv) and Section 3.05. Each prepayment of the Loans pursuant to this Section 2.05(a) shall be applied among the Facilities in such amounts as the Borrower may direct in its sole discretion and, in the case of the Term Loan Facilities, in direct order of maturity or as otherwise directed by the Borrower. Other than as set forth in Section 10.07(l), each prepayment made by the Borrower in respect of a particular Facility shall be paid to the Administrative Agent for the account of (and to be promptly disbursed to) the Appropriate Lenders in accordance with their respective Pro Rata Shares.

(ii) The Borrower may, upon notice to the Swing Line Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), at any time or from time to time, voluntarily prepay Swing Line Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided , that (A) such notice must be received by the Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. on the date of the prepayment, and (B) any such prepayment shall be in a minimum principal amount of $100,000. Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment. If such notice is given by the Borrower, the Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein.

 

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(iii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, the Borrower may rescind any notice of prepayment under Section 2.05(a)(i) or Section 2.05(a)(ii) if such prepayment would have resulted from (A) a refinancing of all of the Facilities, (B) issuance of New Term Loans and/or New Revolving Credit Commitments, which refinancing or issuance shall not be consummated or shall otherwise be delayed or (C) the refinancing of all or a portion of the Facilities with Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness, which refinancing shall not be consummated or shall otherwise be delayed.

(iv) At the time of the effectiveness of any Repricing Transaction that (x) makes any prepayment of Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans (with a corresponding reduction of Revolving Credit Commitments) in connection with any Repricing Transaction, or (y) effects any amendment of this Agreement resulting in a Repricing Transaction and is consummated prior to the first anniversary of the Closing Date, the Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for the ratable account of each applicable Lender, a fee in an amount equal to, (I) in the case of clause (x), a prepayment premium of 1% of the amount of the Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans (with a corresponding reduction of Revolving Credit Commitments) being prepaid and (II) in the case of clause (y), a payment equal to 1% of the aggregate amount of the applicable Term Loans or Revolving Credit Commitments outstanding immediately prior to such amendment. Such fees shall be due and payable upon the date of the effectiveness of such Repricing Transaction.

(b) Mandatory .

(i) Within five (5) Business Days after financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) and the related Compliance Certificate has been delivered pursuant to Section 6.02(b), the Borrower shall cause to be prepaid an aggregate principal amount of Term Loans in an amount equal to (A) 50% of Excess Cash Flow, if any, for the fiscal year of the Borrower covered by such financial statements (commencing with the fiscal year of the Borrower ending December 31, 2011) minus (B) the sum of (1) the amount of any voluntary prepayments of Term Loans made pursuant to Section 2.05(a) during such fiscal year other than prepayments made with the Net Cash Proceeds from the incurrence of Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness and (2) solely to the extent the amount of the Revolving Credit Commitments are permanently reduced pursuant to Section 2.06 in connection therewith (and solely to the extent of the amount of such reduction), the amount of any voluntary prepayments of Revolving Credit Loans made pursuant to Section 2.05(a) during such fiscal year; provided , that such percentage shall be reduced to 25% if the Total Leverage Ratio as of the last day of the applicable fiscal year was less than 5.25:1; and provided , further , that no mandatory prepayment under this Section 2.05(b)(i) shall be required if the Total Leverage Ratio as of the last day of the applicable fiscal year was less than 4.00:1.

(ii) (A) If (x) the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary Disposes of any property or assets (other than any Disposition of any property or assets permitted by Section 7.05(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (g), (h), (i), (m), (n) or (o)) or (y) any Casualty Event occurs, which results in the realization or receipt by the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary of Net Cash Proceeds, the Borrower shall cause to be prepaid on or prior to the date which is ten (10) Business Days after the date of the realization or receipt of such Net Cash Proceeds an aggregate principal amount of Term Loans in an amount equal to 100% of all Net Cash Proceeds received; provided that no such prepayment

 

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shall be required pursuant to this Section 2.05(b)(ii)(A) if, on or prior to such date, the Borrower shall have given written notice to the Administrative Agent of its intention to reinvest or cause to be reinvested all or a portion of such Net Cash Proceeds in accordance with Section 2.05(b)(ii)(B) (which election may only be made if no Event of Default has occurred and is then continuing); provided further that in the case of a Disposition that is a Refranchising Transaction the Borrower shall be permitted to treat the acquisition of one or more franchises pursuant to such Refinancing Transaction as a reinvestment (to the extent of the consideration paid for such acquisition) pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(ii)(A) notwithstanding the fact that such acquisition occurred prior to such Disposition; provided further that if at the time that any such prepayment would be required, the Borrower is required to offer to repurchase Permitted First Priority Refinancing Debt (or any Permitted Refinancing thereof that is secured on a pari passu basis with the Obligations) pursuant to the terms of the documentation governing such Indebtedness with the net proceeds of such Disposition or Casualty Event (such Permitted First Priority Refinancing Debt (or Permitted Refinancing thereof) required to be offered to be so repurchased, “ Other Applicable Indebtedness ”), then the Borrower may apply such Net Cash Proceeds on a pro rata basis (determined on the basis of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Term Loans and Other Applicable Indebtedness at such time; provided , that the portion of such net proceeds allocated to the Other Applicable Indebtedness shall not exceed the amount of such net proceeds required to be allocated to the Other Applicable Indebtedness pursuant to the terms thereof, and the remaining amount, if any, of such net proceeds shall be allocated to the Term Loans in accordance with the terms hereof) to the prepayment of the Term Loans and to the repurchase of Other Applicable Indebtedness, and the amount of prepayment of the Term Loans that would have otherwise been required pursuant to this Section 2.05(b)(ii) shall be reduced accordingly; provided further , that to the extent the holders of Other Applicable Indebtedness decline to have such indebtedness repurchased, the declined amount shall promptly (and in any event within 10 Business Days after the date of such rejection) be applied to prepay the Term Loans in accordance with the terms hereof.

(B) With respect to any Net Cash Proceeds realized or received with respect to any Disposition (other than any Disposition specifically excluded from the application of Section 2.05(b)(ii)(A)) or any Casualty Event, at the option of the Borrower, the Borrower may reinvest or cause to be reinvested all or any portion of such Net Cash Proceeds in assets useful for its business within (x) twelve (12) months following receipt of such Net Cash Proceeds or (y) if the Borrower enters into a legally binding commitment to reinvest such Net Cash Proceeds within twelve (12) months following receipt thereof, within one hundred and eighty (180) days of the date of such legally binding commitment and (ii) if any Net Cash Proceeds are not so reinvested within such reinvestment period or are no longer intended to be or cannot be so reinvested at any time after delivery of a notice of reinvestment election, an amount equal to any such Net Cash Proceeds shall be promptly applied to the prepayment of the Term Loans as set forth in this Section 2.05.

(iii) If for any reason the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Revolving Credit Loans, the L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans at any time exceeds the aggregate Revolving Credit Commitments then in effect, the Borrower shall promptly prepay Revolving Credit Loans or Swing Line Loans and/or Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations in an aggregate amount equal to such excess; provided that the Borrower shall not be required to Cash Collateralize the

 

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L/C Obligations pursuant to this Section 2.05(b)(iii) unless after the prepayment in full of the Revolving Credit Loans and Swing Line Loans such aggregate Outstanding Amount exceeds such aggregate Revolving Credit Commitments then in effect.

(iv) If the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary incurs or issues (i) any Indebtedness not expressly permitted to be incurred or issued pursuant to Section 7.03 (other than Section 7.03(v)(i) and (aa) (other than, in the case of Indebtedness incurred pursuant to Section 7.03(aa), any refinancing of such Indebtedness incurred pursuant to such Section 7.03(aa)) or (ii) any Permitted Unsecured Indebtedness or Permitted Second Lien Indebtedness incurred in reliance on Section 7.03(s) to the extent the applicable Permitted Acquisition is not consummated within ninety (90) days of the incurrence or issuance thereof, the Borrower shall cause to be prepaid an aggregate amount of Term Loans in an amount equal to 100% of all Net Cash Proceeds received therefrom upon incurrence of such Indebtedness in the case of clause (i) and on or prior to the date which is five (5) Business Days after such ninetieth (90th) day in the case of clause (ii).

(v) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Section 2.05(b), (A) to the extent that (and for so long as) any of or all the Net Cash Proceeds of any asset sale or other Disposition or any Casualty Event by a Restricted Subsidiary (other than the Borrower) giving rise to mandatory prepayment pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(ii) (each such Disposition and Casualty Event, a “ Specified Asset Sale ”) are prohibited or delayed by applicable local Law from being repatriated to the jurisdiction of organization of the Borrower, the portion of such Net Cash Proceeds so affected will not be required to be applied to repay Term Loans at the times provided in this Section 2.05(b) but may be retained by the applicable Restricted Subsidiary so long as the applicable local Law will not permit such repatriation to the Borrower (the Borrower hereby agreeing to cause the applicable Restricted Subsidiary to promptly take all actions reasonably required by applicable local Law to permit such repatriation), and once such repatriation of any such affected Net Cash Proceeds is permitted under the applicable local Law, such repatriation will be promptly effected and such repatriated Net Cash Proceeds will be promptly (and in any event not later than five (5) Business Days after such repatriation) applied (net of additional taxes payable or reserved against as a result thereof) to the repayment of the Term Loans pursuant to this Section 2.05(b), and (B) to the extent that the Borrower has determined in good faith that repatriation of any of or all the Net Cash Proceeds of any Specified Asset Sale to the jurisdiction of organization of the Borrower would have a material adverse tax consequence with respect to such Net Cash Proceeds, the Net Cash Proceeds so affected may be retained by the applicable Restricted Subsidiary; provided that, in the case of this clause (B), on or before the date on which any Net Cash Proceeds so retained would otherwise have been required to be applied to prepayments pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(ii), the Borrower causes to be applied an amount equal to such Net Cash Proceeds to such prepayments as if such Net Cash Proceeds had been received by the Borrower rather than such Restricted Subsidiary, less the amount of additional taxes that would have been payable or reserved against if such Net Cash Proceeds had been so repatriated (or, if less, the Net Cash Proceeds that would be calculated if received by such Restricted Subsidiary (but without duplication of any taxes deducted in calculating such Net Cash Proceeds)) in satisfaction of such prepayment requirement.

(vi) Except for any prepayments pursuant to Section 10.07(l) (which shall in each case be applied as provided in such Section, subject to Section 2.14 with respect to any New Term Loans and Section 2.16 with respect to any Other Term Loans), (A) each prepayment of Term

 

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Loans of any Class pursuant to this Section 2.05(b) shall be applied, first, in direct order of maturities, to the principal repayment installments of such Term Loans due within 12 months of such prepayment, second, on a pro rata basis to the other principal repayment installments of such Term Loans other than the principal payment due on the Maturity Date and third, to the principal payment on the Maturity Date of such Term Loans; and unless otherwise provided herein, each such prepayment shall be paid to the Lenders in accordance with their respective Pro Rata Shares (prior to giving effect to any rejection by any Term Lender of any such prepayment pursuant to clause (vii) below), subject to clause (vii) of this Section 2.05(b) and (B) on and after the borrowing of any New Term Loans or Other Term Loans, the prepayments referred to in this Section 2.05(b) shall be allocated among each Class of Term Loans pro rata based on the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Term Loans of each such Class unless otherwise agreed among the Borrower and the New Term Loan Lenders in accordance with Section 2.14(e)(v) or the Borrower and the lenders providing Other Term Loans in accordance with Section 2.16 (it being understood that, in either case, the Term B Loans shall not be allocated any less than such Classes’ pro rata share of such prepayment).

(vii) The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent in writing of any mandatory prepayment of Term Loans required to be made pursuant to clauses (i) through (v) of this Section 2.05(b) at least five (5) Business Days prior to the date of such prepayment. Each such notice shall specify the date of such prepayment and provide a reasonably detailed calculation of the amount of such prepayment. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify each Appropriate Lender of the contents of any such prepayment notice and of such Appropriate Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the prepayment. Any Term Lender (a “ Declining Lender ”, and any Term Lender which is not a Declining Lender, an “ Accepting Lender ”) may elect, by delivering not less than four (4) Business Days prior to the proposed prepayment date, a written notice (such notice, a “ Rejection Notice ”) that any mandatory prepayment otherwise required to be made with respect to the Term Loans held by such Term Lender pursuant to clauses (i) through (v) of this Section 2.05(b) not be made, in which event the portion of such prepayment which would otherwise have been applied to the Term Loans of the Declining Lenders shall instead be retained by the Borrower (for itself and on behalf of its Restricted Subsidiaries). If a Term Lender fails to deliver a Rejection Notice within the time frame specified above, any such failure will be deemed an acceptance of the total amount of such mandatory prepayment of Term Loans.

(viii) If the Escrow Release Date shall not have occurred by 2:00 p.m. on December 21, 2010 (the “ Special Mandatory Prepayment Date ”), the Initial Borrower shall cause the Escrow Agent to repay all Term Loans outstanding on the Special Mandatory Prepayment Date at 100% of the aggregate principal amount thereof minus the Term B Closing Date Funding Fee, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount so prepaid from the Closing Date up to, but not including, the Special Mandatory Prepayment Date.

(ix) Funding Losses, Etc . All prepayments under this Section 2.05 shall be made together with, in the case of any such prepayment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan on a date other than the last day of an Interest Period therefor, any amounts owing in respect of such Eurodollar Rate Loan pursuant to Section 3.05. Notwithstanding any of the other provisions of this Section 2.05(b), so long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, if any prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans is required to be made under this Section 2.05(b), other than on the last day of the Interest Period therefor, the Borrower may, in its sole discretion, deposit the amount

 

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of any such prepayment otherwise required to be made thereunder into a Cash Collateral Account until the last day of such Interest Period, at which time the Administrative Agent shall be authorized (without any further action by or notice to or from the Borrower or any other Loan Party) to apply such amount to the prepayment of such Loans in accordance with this Section 2.05(b). Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of any Event of Default, the Administrative Agent shall also be authorized (without any further action by or notice to or from the Borrower or any other Loan Party) to apply such amount to the prepayment of the outstanding Loans in accordance with this Section 2.05(b).

Section 2.06 Termination or Reduction of Commitments.

(a) Optional . The Borrower may, upon written notice to the Administrative Agent, terminate the unused Commitments of any Class, or from time to time permanently reduce the unused Commitments of any Class; provided that (i) any such notice shall be received by the Administrative Agent three (3) Business Days prior to the date of termination or reduction, (ii) any such partial reduction shall be in an aggregate amount (A) of $500,000 or any whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof or (B) equal to the entire remaining amount of the Commitments of any Class and (iii) if, after giving effect to any reduction of the Commitments, the Letter of Credit Sublimit or the Swing Line Sublimit, as the case may be, exceeds the amount of the Revolving Credit Commitments, such sublimit shall be automatically reduced by the amount of such excess. The amount of any such Commitment reduction shall not be applied to the Letter of Credit Sublimit or the Swing Line Sublimit unless otherwise specified by the Borrower or as required by the preceding sentence. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Borrower may rescind or postpone any notice of termination of the Commitments if such termination would have resulted from a refinancing of all of the Facilities, which refinancing shall not be consummated or otherwise shall be delayed.

(b) Mandatory.

(i) The Term Commitment of each Term Lender shall be automatically and permanently reduced to $0 at 5:00 p.m. on the Closing Date upon funding the Term Loans.

(ii) The Revolving Credit Commitment of each Revolving Credit Lender shall be automatically and permanently reduced to $0 on the Maturity Date of the Revolving Credit Facility.

(iii) If the initial Credit Extension hereunder has not occurred prior thereto, all Commitments of each Lender shall be automatically and permanently reduced to $0 at 5:00 p.m. on November 24, 2010.

(c) Application of Commitment Reductions; Payment of Fees . The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Appropriate Lenders of any termination or reduction of unused portions of the Letter of Credit Sublimit, the Swing Line Sublimit or the unused Commitments of any Class under this Section 2.06. Upon any reduction of unused Commitments of any Class, the Commitment of each Lender of such Class shall be reduced by such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the amount by which such Commitments are reduced (other than the termination of the Commitment of any Lender as provided in Section 3.07). All commitment fees accrued until the effective

 

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date of any termination of the Aggregate Commitments of any Class shall be paid to the Appropriate Lenders on the effective date of such termination.

Section 2.07 Repayment of Loans.

(a) Term Loans . The Borrower shall, on the last Business Day of each month set forth below, repay to the Administrative Agent for the ratable account of the Term B Lenders, the aggregate principal amount of all Term B Loans set forth below (which installments shall be reduced as a result of (i) the application of prepayments in accordance with the order of priority set forth in Section 2.05 or (ii) the application of prepayments in accordance with Section 10.07(l)):

 

Interest Payment Date

   Amortization Payment  

March 2011

   $ 3,125,000   

June 2011

   $ 3,125,000   

September 2011

   $ 3,125,000   

December 2011

   $ 3,125,000   

March 2012

   $ 3,125,000   

June 2012

   $ 3,125,000   

September 2012

   $ 3,125,000   

December 2012

   $ 3,125,000   

March 2013

   $ 3,125,000   

June 2013

   $ 3,125,000   

September 2013

   $ 3,125,000   

December 2013

   $ 3,125,000   

March 2014

   $ 3,125,000   

June 2014

   $ 3,125,000   

September 2014

   $ 3,125,000   

December 2014

   $ 3,125,000   

March 2015

   $ 3,125,000   

June 2015

   $ 3,125,000   

September 2015

   $ 3,125,000   

December 2015

   $ 3,125,000   

March 2016

   $ 3,125,000   

June 2016

   $ 3,125,000   

September 2016

   $ 3,125,000   

December 2016

   $ 3,125,000   

March 2017

   $ 3,125,000   

June 2017

   $ 3,125,000   

September 2017

   $ 3,125,000   

; provided that the final principal repayment installment of the Term Loans of each Class shall be repaid on the Maturity Date of the applicable Term Loan Facility and in any event shall be in an amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of all Term Loans of such Class outstanding on such date.

(b) Revolving Credit Loans . The Borrower shall repay to the Administrative Agent for the ratable account of the applicable Revolving Credit Lenders on the Maturity Date for the Revolving Credit Facility the aggregate principal amount of all of its Revolving Credit Loans outstanding on such date.

 

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(c) Swing Line Loans . The Borrower shall repay the aggregate principal amount of all of its Swing Line Loans on the date that is five (5) Business Days prior to the Maturity Date for the Revolving Credit Facility.

Section 2.08 Interest.

(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 2.08(b), (i) each Eurodollar Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof for each Interest Period at a rate per annum equal to the Eurodollar Rate for such Interest Period plus the Applicable Rate; (ii) each Base Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate; and (iii) each Swing Line Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate for Revolving Credit Loans.

(b) While any Event of Default set forth in Section 8.01(a) exists, the Borrower shall pay interest on all overdue amounts hereunder at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws. Accrued and unpaid interest on past due amounts (including interest on past due interest) shall be due and payable upon demand.

(c) Interest on each Loan shall be due and payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date applicable thereto and at such other times as may be specified herein. Interest hereunder shall be due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof before and after judgment, and before and after the commencement of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law.

Section 2.09 Fees. In addition to certain fees described in Section 2.03(i) and Section 2.03(j):

(a) Revolving Credit Commitment Fee . The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Credit Lender in accordance with its Pro Rata Share, a commitment fee (each, a “ Revolving Credit Commitment Fee ” and, collectively, the “ Revolving Credit Commitment Fees ”) equal to the Applicable Rate times the actual daily amount by which the aggregate Revolving Credit Commitments exceed the sum of (i) the Outstanding Amount of Revolving Credit Loans and (ii) the Outstanding Amount of L/C Obligations. The Revolving Credit Commitment Fees shall accrue at all times from the date hereof until the Maturity Date of the Revolving Credit Facility, including at any time during which one or more of the conditions in Article 4 is not met, and shall be due and payable quarterly in arrears on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the Closing Date, and on the Maturity Date for the Revolving Credit Facility. The Revolving Credit Commitment Fees shall be calculated quarterly in arrears, and if there is any change in the Applicable Rate during any quarter, the actual daily amount shall be computed and multiplied by the Applicable Rate separately for each period during such quarter that such Applicable Rate was in effect.

 

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(b) Other Fees . The Borrower shall pay or cause to be paid to the Agents such fees as shall have been separately agreed upon in writing in the amounts and at the times so specified. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall not be refundable for any reason whatsoever.

(c) Funding Fee . The Borrower agrees to pay on the Closing Date (x) to each Term B Lender party to this Agreement on the Closing Date, as fee compensation for the funding of such Lender’s Term B Loan, a funding fee (the “ Term B Closing Date Funding Fee ”) in an amount equal to 0.50% of the stated principal amount of such Lender’s Term B Loans funded on the Closing Date; provided that if the Special Mandatory Prepayment Date occurs, the Term Loans will be prepaid at the principal amount thereof minus the Term B Closing Date Funding Fee plus accrued interest, in accordance with Section 2.05(b)(viii) and (y) to each Revolving Credit Lender party to this Agreement on the Escrow Release Date, as fee compensation for the funding of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment, a funding fee (the “ Revolving Credit Commitment Closing Date Funding Fee ” and together with the Term B Closing Date Funding Fee, the “ Closing Date Funding Fees ”) in an amount equal to 0.50% of the stated principal amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment on the Escrow Release Date.

Section 2.10 Computation of Interest and Fees . All computations of interest for Base Rate Loans when the Base Rate is determined by the Administrative Agent’s “prime rate” shall be made on the basis of a year of three hundred and sixty-five (365) or three hundred and sixty-six (366) days, as the case may be, and actual days elapsed. All other computations of fees and interest shall be made on the basis of a three hundred and sixty (360) day year and actual days elapsed (which results in more fees or interest, as applicable, being paid than if computed on the basis of a three hundred and sixty-five (365) day year). Interest shall accrue on each Loan for the day on which the Loan is made, and shall not accrue on a Loan, or any portion thereof, for the day on which the Loan or such portion is paid; provided that any Loan that is repaid on the same day on which it is made shall, subject to Section 2.12(a), bear interest for one (1) day. Each determination by the Administrative Agent of an interest rate or fee hereunder shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error.

Section 2.11 Evidence of Indebtedness.

(a) The Credit Extensions made by each Lender shall be evidenced by one or more accounts or records maintained by such Lender and evidenced by one or more entries in the Register maintained by the Administrative Agent in accordance with Section 10.07(c), acting as a non-fiduciary agent solely for purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 5f.103-1(c), as agent for the Borrower, in each case in the ordinary course of business. The accounts or records maintained by each Lender and the Register maintained by the Administrative Agent shall be prima facie evidence absent manifest error of the amount of the Credit Extensions made by the Lenders to the Borrower and the interest and payments thereon. Any failure to so record or any error in doing so shall not, however, limit or otherwise affect the obligation of the Borrower hereunder to pay any amount owing with respect to the Obligations. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by any Lender and the Register in respect of such matters, the Register shall control in the absence of manifest error. Upon the request of any Lender made through the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall execute and deliver to such Lender (through the Administrative Agent) a Note payable to such Lender, which shall evidence such Lender’s Loans in addition to such accounts or records. Each Lender may attach schedules to its

 

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Note and endorse thereon the date, Type (if applicable), amount and maturity of its Loans and payments with respect thereto. The Borrower and each Lender agrees from time to time after the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default under Section 8.01(f) or Section 8.01(g)(i) to execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent all such Notes or other promissory notes and other instruments and documents as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request to evidence and confirm the respective interests and obligations of the Lenders after giving effect to any exchange of Lenders’ interests pursuant to arrangements relating thereto among the Lenders, and each Lender agrees to surrender any Notes or other promissory notes originally received by it in connection with its Loans hereunder to the Administrative Agent against delivery of any Notes or other promissory notes so executed and delivered.

(b) In addition to the accounts and records referred to in Section 2.11(a), each Lender and the Administrative Agent shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice accounts or records and, in the case of the Administrative Agent, entries in the Register, evidencing the purchases and sales by such Lender of participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans. In the event of any conflict between the Register and the accounts and records of any Lender in respect of such matters, the Register shall control in the absence of manifest error.

(c) Entries made in good faith by the Administrative Agent in the Register pursuant to Section 2.11(a) and Section 2.11(b), and by each Lender in its account or accounts pursuant to Section 2.11(a) and Section 2.11(b), shall be prima facie evidence of the amount of principal and interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to, in the case of the Register, each Lender and, in the case of such account or accounts, such Lender, under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, absent manifest error; provided that the failure of the Administrative Agent or such Lender to make an entry, or any finding that an entry is incorrect, in the Register or such account or accounts shall not limit or otherwise affect the obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.

Section 2.12 Payments Generally.

(a) Except as otherwise required by applicable Law, all payments to be made by the Borrower shall be made without condition or deduction for any counterclaim, defense, recoupment or setoff. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all payments by the Borrower hereunder shall be made to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the Administrative Agent’s Office in Dollars and in immediately available funds not later than 2:00 p.m. on the date specified herein. The Administrative Agent will promptly distribute to each Lender its Pro Rata Share (or other applicable share as provided herein) of such payment in like funds as received by wire transfer to such Lender’s Lending Office. All payments received by the Administrative Agent after 4:00 p.m. shall be deemed received on the next succeeding Business Day in the Administrative Agent’s sole discretion and any applicable interest or fee shall continue to accrue to the extent applicable.

(b) If any payment to be made by the Borrower shall come due on a day other than a Business Day, payment shall be made on the next following Business Day, and such extension of time shall be reflected in computing interest or fees, as the case may be; provided that, if such extension would cause payment of interest on or principal of Eurodollar Rate Loans to be made

 

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in the next succeeding calendar month, such payment shall be made on the immediately preceding Business Day.

(c) Unless the Borrower or any Lender has notified the Administrative Agent, prior to the date any payment is required to be made by it to the Administrative Agent hereunder, that the Borrower or such Lender, as the case may be, will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower or such Lender, as the case may be, has timely made such payment and may (but shall not be so required to), in reliance thereon, make available a corresponding amount to the Person entitled thereto. If and to the extent that such payment was not in fact made to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds, then:

(i) if the Borrower failed to make such payment, each Lender shall forthwith on demand repay to the Administrative Agent the portion of such assumed payment that was made available to such Lender in immediately available funds, together with interest thereon in respect of each day from and including the date such amount was made available by the Administrative Agent to such Lender to the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds at the applicable Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect; and

(ii) if any Lender failed to make such payment, such Lender shall forthwith on demand pay to the Administrative Agent the amount thereof in immediately available funds, together with interest thereon for the period from the date such amount was made available by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower to the date such amount is recovered by the Administrative Agent (the “ Compensation Period ”) at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect. When such Lender makes payment to the Administrative Agent (together with all accrued interest thereon), then such payment amount (excluding the amount of any interest which may have accrued and been paid in respect of such late payment) shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in the applicable Borrowing. If such Lender does not pay such amount forthwith upon the Administrative Agent’s demand therefor, the Administrative Agent may make a demand therefor upon the Borrower, and the Borrower shall pay such amount to the Administrative Agent, together with interest thereon for the Compensation Period at a rate per annum equal to the rate of interest applicable to the applicable Borrowing. Nothing herein shall be deemed to relieve any Lender from its obligation to fulfill its Commitment or to prejudice any rights which the Administrative Agent or the Borrower may have against any Lender as a result of any Default by such Lender hereunder.

A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender or the Borrower with respect to any amount owing under this Section 2.12(c) shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.

(d) If any Lender makes available to the Administrative Agent funds for any Loan to be made by such Lender as provided in the foregoing provisions of this Article 2, and such funds are not made available to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent because the conditions to the applicable Credit Extension set forth in Article 4 are not satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms hereof, the Administrative Agent shall promptly return such funds (in like funds as received from such Lender) to such Lender, without interest.

 

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(e) The obligations of the Lenders hereunder to make Loans and to fund participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans are several and not joint. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan or to fund any such participation on any date required hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender of its corresponding obligation to do so on such date, and no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to so make its Loan or purchase its participation.

(f) Nothing herein shall be deemed to obligate any Lender to obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner or to constitute a representation by any Lender that it has obtained or will obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner.

(g) Whenever any payment received by the Administrative Agent under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents is insufficient to pay in full all amounts due and payable to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders under or in respect of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents on any date, such payment shall be distributed by the Administrative Agent and applied by the Administrative Agent and the Lenders in the order of priority set forth in Section 8.03. If the Administrative Agent receives funds for application to the Obligations of the Loan Parties under or in respect of the Loan Documents under circumstances for which the Loan Documents do not specify the manner in which such funds are to be applied, the Administrative Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, elect to distribute such funds to each of the Lenders in accordance with such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the sum of (i) the Outstanding Amount of all Loans outstanding at such time and (ii) the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations outstanding at such time, in repayment or prepayment of such of the outstanding Loans or other Obligations then owing to such Lender.

Section 2.13 Sharing of Payments . If, (other than (x) any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans to any assignee or Participant, including any assignee or participant that is a Sponsor, a Loan Party or an Affiliate of any Loan Party or Sponsor or (y) as otherwise expressly provided elsewhere herein, including, without limitation, as provided in Section 10.07(l)) any Lender shall obtain on account of the Loans made by it, or the participations in L/C Obligations or in Swing Line Loans held by it, any payment (whether voluntary, involuntary, through the exercise of any right of setoff, or otherwise) in excess of its ratable share (or other share contemplated hereunder) thereof, such Lender shall immediately (a) notify the Administrative Agent of such fact, and (b) purchase from the other Lenders such participations in the Loans made by them and/or such subparticipations in the participations in L/C Obligations or Swing Line Loans held by them, as the case may be, as shall be necessary to cause such purchasing Lender to share the excess payment in respect of such Loans or such participations, as the case may be, pro rata with each of them; provided that if all or any portion of such excess payment is thereafter recovered from the purchasing Lender under any of the circumstances described in Section 10.06 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the purchasing Lender in its discretion), such purchase shall to that extent be rescinded and each other Lender shall repay to the purchasing Lender the purchase price paid therefor, together with an amount equal to such paying Lender’s ratable share (according to the proportion of (i) the amount of such paying Lender’s required repayment to (ii) the total amount so recovered from the purchasing Lender) of any interest or other amount paid or payable by the purchasing Lender in respect of the total amount so recovered, without further interest thereon. The Borrower agrees that any Lender so purchasing a participation from another Lender may, to

 

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the fullest extent permitted by Law, exercise all its rights of payment (including the right of setoff, but subject to Section 10.09) with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were the direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation. The Administrative Agent will keep records and maintain entries in the Register (which shall be conclusive and binding in the absence of manifest error) of participations purchased under this Section 2.13 and will in each case notify the Lenders following any such purchases or repayments. Each Lender that purchases participation pursuant to this Section 2.13 shall from and after such purchase have the right to give all notices, requests, demands, directions and other communications under this Agreement with respect to the portion of the Obligations purchased to the same extent as though the purchasing Lender were the original owner of the Obligations purchased.

Section 2.14 Incremental Facilities.

(a) At any time or from time to time after the Closing Date, the Borrower may by written notice to the Administrative Agent elect to request (A) prior to the Maturity Date of the Revolving Credit Facility, (I) one or more increases to the existing Revolving Credit Commitments and/or (II) the establishment of one or more new revolving credit commitments (any such increase or new commitment, the “ New Revolving Credit Commitments ”) and/or (B) prior to the Maturity Date of the Term B Loan Facility, the establishment of one or more new term loan commitments (the “ New Term Commitments ”). Each New Revolving Credit Commitment and New Term Commitment shall be in an aggregate principal amount that is not less than $5,000,000 individually (or such lesser amount which shall be approved by Administrative Agent or such lesser amount if such amount represents all remaining availability under the limit set forth in the next sentence), and integral multiples of $1,000,000 in excess of that amount. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, (i) the aggregate amount of the New Revolving Credit Commitments shall not exceed $150,000,000 and (ii) subject to the preceding clause (i), the aggregate amount of the New Revolving Credit Commitments and New Term Commitments shall not exceed $350,000,000 plus an additional amount of New Revolving Credit Commitments and New Term Commitments so long as (x) in the case of New Revolving Credit Commitments and New Term Commitments that are secured equally and ratably with the Facilities, the First Lien Senior Secured Leverage Ratio shall be no greater than 3.75 to 1.0 as of the end of the Test Period most recently ended after giving Pro Forma Effect to such New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Loans and (y) in the case of New Revolving Credit Commitments and New Term Commitments that are secured by a lien that is junior to the liens securing the Facilities, the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio shall be no greater than 4.0 to 1.0 as of the end of the Test Period most recently ended after giving Pro Forma Effect to such New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Loans (and, in each case, with respect to any New Revolving Credit Commitment, assuming a borrowing of the maximum amount of Loans available under such New Revolving Credit Commitment and any New Revolving Credit Commitments previously made pursuant to this Section 2.14). Each such notice shall specify (A) the date (each, an “ Increased Amount Date ”) on which the Borrower proposes that the New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Commitments, as applicable, shall be effective, which shall be a date not less than 5 Business Days after the date on which such notice is delivered to the Administrative Agent, (or such shorter period as shall be reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent and (B) the identity of each Lender or other Person that is an Eligible Assignee (each, a “ New Revolving Credit Lender ” or “ New Term Lender ,” as applicable) to whom the Borrower proposes

 

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any portion of such New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Commitments, as applicable, be allocated and the amounts of such allocations; provided that (x) any Lender approached to provide all or a portion of the New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Commitments may elect or decline, in its sole discretion, to provide a New Revolving Credit Commitment or a New Term Commitment (it being understood that there is no obligation to approach any existing Lenders to provide any New Revolving Credit Commitment or New Term Commitment) and (y) the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender shall have consented (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) to such Person’s providing such New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Commitments if such consent would be required under Section 10.07 for an assignment of Loans or Commitments to such Person. Such New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Commitments shall become effective, as of such Increased Amount Date; provided that (1) no Default or Event of Default shall exist on such Increased Amount Date after giving effect to such New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Commitments, as applicable; (2) after giving effect to the making of any New Term Loans or effectiveness of New Revolving Credit Commitments, each of the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 shall be satisfied; (3) (i) the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with each of the covenants set forth in Section 7.10 after giving Pro Forma Effect to such New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Loans (and with respect to any New Revolving Credit Commitment, assuming a borrowing of the maximum amount of Loans available under such New Revolving Credit Commitment and any New Revolving Credit Commitments previously made pursuant to this Section 2.14), as applicable; (4) the New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Commitments, as applicable, shall be effected pursuant to one or more Joinder Agreements executed and delivered by the Borrower, the New Revolving Credit Lender or New Term Lender, as applicable, and Administrative Agent, and each of which shall be recorded in the Register, and each New Revolving Credit Lender and New Term Lender shall be subject to the requirements set forth in Section 10.15; (5) the Borrower shall make any payments required pursuant to Section 3.05 in connection with the New Revolving Credit Commitments or New Term Commitments, if applicable; and (6) the Borrower shall deliver or cause to be delivered any customary legal opinions or other documents reasonably requested by Administrative Agent in connection with any such transaction.

(b) On any Increased Amount Date on which New Revolving Credit Commitments are effected through an increase to the existing Revolving Credit Commitments, subject to the satisfaction of the foregoing terms and conditions, (a) each of the Revolving Credit Lenders shall assign to each of the New Revolving Credit Lenders, and each of the New Revolving Credit Lenders shall purchase from each of the Revolving Credit Lenders, at the principal amount thereof, such interests in the Revolving Credit Loans outstanding on such Increased Amount Date as shall be necessary in order that, after giving effect to all such assignments and purchases, such Revolving Credit Loans will be held by existing Revolving Credit Lenders and New Revolving Credit Lenders ratably in accordance with their Revolving Credit Commitments after giving effect to the addition of such New Revolving Credit Commitments to the Revolving Credit Commitments, (b) each New Revolving Credit Commitment shall be deemed for all purposes a Revolving Credit Commitment and each Loan made thereunder shall be deemed, for all purposes, a Revolving Credit Loan and (c) each New Revolving Credit Lender shall become a Lender with respect to the New Revolving Credit Commitment and all matters relating thereto. Administrative Agent and the Lenders hereby agree that the minimum borrowing and prepayment requirements

 

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in Section 2.02 and 2.05(a) of this Agreement shall not apply to the transactions effected pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence.

(c) Any New Term Loans or New Revolving Credit Loans effected through the establishment of one or more new revolving credit commitments or new Term Loans made on an Increased Amount Date shall be designated a separate Class of New Term Loans or New Revolving Credit Loans, as applicable, for all purposes of this Agreement. On any Increased Amount Date on which any New Term Commitments of any Class are effected, subject to the satisfaction of the foregoing terms and conditions, (i) each New Term Lender of such Class shall make a Loan to the Borrower (a “ New Term Loan ”) in an amount equal to its New Term Commitment of such Class, and (ii) each New Term Lender of such Class shall become a Lender hereunder with respect to the New Term Commitment of such Class and the New Term Loans of such Class made pursuant thereto. On any Increased Amount Date on which any New Revolving Credit Commitments of any Class are effected through the establishment of one or more new revolving credit commitments, subject to the satisfaction of the foregoing terms and conditions, (i) each New Revolving Credit Lender of such Class shall make its Commitment available to the Borrower (when borrowed, a “ New Revolving Credit Loan ”) in an amount equal to its New Revolving Credit Commitment of such Class, and (ii) each New Revolving Credit Lender of such Class shall become a Lender hereunder with respect to the New Revolving Credit Commitment of such Class and the New Revolving Credit Loans of such Class made pursuant thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, New Term Loans may have identical terms to the Term Loans and be treated as the same Class as the Term B Loans.

(d) Administrative Agent shall notify Lenders promptly upon receipt of the Borrower’s notice of each Increased Amount Date and in respect thereof (y) the Class of New Revolving Credit Commitments and the New Revolving Credit Lenders of such Class or the Class of New Term Commitments and the New Term Lenders of such Class, as applicable, and (z) in the case of each notice to any Revolving Credit Lender with respect to an increase in the Revolving Credit Commitments, the respective interests in such Revolving Credit Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitments, in each case subject to the assignments contemplated by clause (b) of this Section 2.14.

(e) The terms and provisions of the New Term Loans and New Term Commitments or the New Revolving Credit Loans and New Revolving Credit Commitments, as the case may be, of any Class shall be as agreed between the Borrower and the New Term Lenders or New Revolving Credit Lenders, as applicable, providing such New Term Loans and New Term Commitments or such New Revolving Credit Loans and New Revolving Credit Commitments, and except as otherwise set forth herein, to the extent not identical to the Term B Loans or Revolving Credit Loans, as applicable, shall be reasonably satisfactory to Administrative Agent. In any event:

(i) the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of all New Term Loans of any Class shall be no shorter than the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of the Term B Loans (except by virtue of amortization or prepayment of the Term B Loans prior to the time of such incurrence);

 

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(ii) the Maturity Date of any Class of New Revolving Credit Commitments and New Revolving Credit Loans shall be no earlier than the maturity of the Revolving Credit Commitments and will require no scheduled amortization or mandatory commitment reduction prior to the latest applicable Maturity Date of the Revolving Credit Commitments;

(iii) all other material terms of the New Revolving Credit Commitments and New Revolving Credit Loans shall be identical to the Revolving Credit Commitments and the Revolving Credit Loans other than as set forth in Section 2.14(e)(ii) and (vi); provided that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 2.14 or otherwise, (1) the borrowing and repayment (except for (A) payments of interest and fees at different rates on New Revolving Credit Commitments (and related outstandings), (B) repayments required upon the maturity date of the Revolving Credit Commitments and (C) repayment made in connection with a permanent repayment and termination of commitments (subject to clause (3) below)) of Loans with respect to New Revolving Credit Commitments after the associated Increased Amount Date shall be made on a pro rata basis with all other Revolving Credit Commitments, (2) subject to the provisions of Section 2.03(l) and 2.04(g) to the extent dealing with Swing Line Loans and Letters of Credit which mature or expire after a maturity date when there exists New Revolving Credit Commitments with a longer maturity date, all Swing Line Loans and Letters of Credit shall be participated on a pro rata basis by all Lenders with Commitments in accordance with their percentage of the Revolving Credit Commitments (and except as provided in Section 2.03(l) and Section 2.04(g), without giving effect to changes thereto on an earlier maturity date with respect to Swing Line Loans and Letters of Credit theretofore incurred or issued), (3) the permanent repayment of Revolving Credit Loans with respect to, and termination of, New Revolving Credit Commitments after the associated Increased Amount Date shall be made on a pro rata basis with all other Revolving Credit Commitments, except that the Borrower shall be permitted to permanently repay and terminate commitments of any such Class on a better than a pro rata basis as compared to any other Class with a later maturity date than such Class and (4) assignments and participations of New Revolving Credit Commitments and New Revolving Credit Loans shall be governed by the same assignment and participation provisions applicable to Revolving Credit Commitments and Revolving Credit Loans. Any New Revolving Credit Commitments may constitute a separate Class or Classes, as the case may be, of Commitments from the Classes constituting the Revolving Credit Commitments prior to the Increased Amount Date; provided at no time shall there be Revolving Credit Commitments hereunder (including New Revolving Credit Commitments and any original Revolving Credit Commitments) which have more than three different Maturity Dates.

(iv) the Maturity Date of any Class of the New Term Loans shall be no earlier than the maturity of the Term B Loans;

(v) the New Term Loans will share ratably in right of prepayment with the Term Loans pursuant to Section 2.05(b) or otherwise, provided that the New Term Loans may be afforded lesser payments;

 

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(vi) the yield applicable to the New Term Loans or New Revolving Credit Loans of each Class shall be determined by the Borrower and the applicable new Lenders and shall be set forth in each applicable Joinder Agreement; provided , however , that in the case of New Revolving Credit Commitments and New Term Commitments that are secured equally and ratably with the Facilities, the yield applicable to such New Term Loans or New Revolving Credit Loans (after giving effect to all upfront or similar fees, original issue discount payable or interest rate floors with respect to such New Term Loans or such New Revolving Credit Loans) shall not be greater than the applicable interest rate payable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement as amended through the date of such calculation with respect to Term B Loans or Revolving Credit Loans, as applicable (including any upfront or similar fees or original issue discount paid and payable to the Lenders hereunder), plus 50 basis points per annum unless the interest rate with respect to the Term B Loan or Revolving Credit Loan, as applicable, is increased so as to cause the then applicable interest rate under this Agreement on the Term B Loans or Revolving Credit Loans, as applicable (including any upfront or similar fees or original issue discount paid and payable to the Lenders hereunder and the adjustment of any interest rate floor) to equal the yield then applicable to the New Term Loans or New Revolving Credit Loans, as applicable (after giving effect to all upfront or similar fees, original issue discount payable or interest rate floors with respect to such New Term Loans) minus 50 basis points; provided that customary arrangement or commitment fees payable to the Arrangers (or their respective affiliates) or one or more arrangers of Facilities under this Section 2.14 shall be excluded; and

(vii) the liens securing the New Term Loans and/or New Revolving Credit Loans will rank pari passu with the liens securing the existing Term B Loans and Revolving Credit Loan; provided that the New Term Loans and/or New Revolving Credit Loans may be junior to the Term B Loans and Revolving Credit Loans if subject to the Second Lien Intercreditor Agreement.

(f) Each Joinder Agreement may, without the consent of any other Lenders, effect such amendments to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as may be necessary or appropriate, in the reasonable opinion of Administrative Agent and the Borrower to effect the provision of this Section 2.14, and for the avoidance of doubt, this Section 2.14 shall supersede any provisions in Section 2.13 or 10.01 to the contrary.

(g) The Loans and Commitments extended or established pursuant to this paragraph shall constitute Loans and Commitments under, and shall be entitled to all the benefits afforded by, this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and shall, without limiting the foregoing, benefit equally and ratably from the Guarantees and security interests created by the Collateral Documents, provided that the lien securing any New Term Loans may be junior to the liens securing the other Loans on terms and conditions and subject to customary intercreditor arrangements. The Loan Parties shall take any actions reasonably required by the Administrative Agent to ensure and/or demonstrate that the Lien granted by the Collateral Documents continue to be perfected under the UCC or otherwise after giving effect to the extension or establishment of any such Loans or any such Commitments.

 

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Section 2.15 Extensions of Term Loans and Revolving Credit Commitments.

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, pursuant to one or more offers (each, an “ Extension Offer ”) made from time to time by the Borrower to all Lenders of Term Loans with a like maturity date or Revolving Commitments with a like maturity date, in each case on a pro rata basis (based on the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the respective Term Loans or Revolving Credit Commitments with a like maturity date, as the case may be) and on the same terms to each such Lender, the Borrower is hereby permitted to consummate from time to time transactions with individual Lenders that accept the terms contained in such Extension Offers to extend the maturity date of each such Lender’s Term Loans and/or Revolving Credit Commitments and otherwise modify the terms of such Term Loans and/or Revolving Credit Commitments pursuant to the terms of the relevant Extension Offer (including, without limitation, by increasing the interest rate or fees payable in respect of such Term Loans and/or Revolving Credit Commitments (and related outstandings) and/or modifying the amortization schedule in respect of such Lender’s Term Loans) (each, an “ Extension ”, and each group of Term Loans or Revolving Credit Commitments, as applicable, in each case as so extended, as well as the original Term Loans and the original Revolving Credit Commitments (in each case not so extended), being a “tranche”; any Extended Term Loans shall constitute a separate tranche of Term Loans from the tranche of Term Loans from which they were converted, and any Extended Revolving Credit Commitments shall constitute a separate tranche of Revolving Credit Commitments from the tranche of Revolving Credit Commitments from which they were converted), so long as the following terms are satisfied: (i) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time the offering document in respect of an Extension Offer is delivered to the Lenders, (ii) except as to interest rates, fees and final maturity (which shall be determined by the Borrower and set forth in the relevant Extension Offer), the Revolving Credit Commitment of any Revolving Credit Lender that agrees to an Extension with respect to such Revolving Credit Commitment (an “ Extending Revolving Credit Lender ”) extended pursuant to an Extension (an “ Extended Revolving Credit Commitment ”), and the related outstandings, shall be a Revolving Credit Commitment (or related outstandings, as the case may be) with the same terms as the original Revolving Credit Commitments (and related outstandings); provided that (1) the borrowing and repayment (except for (A) payments of interest and fees at different rates on Extended Revolving Credit Commitments (and related outstandings), (B) repayments required upon the maturity date of the non-extending Revolving Credit Commitments and (C) repayment made in connection with a permanent repayment and termination of commitments) of Loans with respect to Extended Revolving Credit Commitments after the applicable Extension date shall be made on a pro rata basis with all other Revolving Credit Commitments, (2) subject to the provisions of Section 2.03(l) and 2.04(g) to the extent dealing with Swing Line Loans and Letters of Credit which mature or expire after a maturity date when there exists New Revolving Credit Commitments with a longer maturity date, all Swing Line Loans and Letters of Credit shall be participated on a pro rata basis by all Lenders with Commitments in accordance with their percentage of the Revolving Credit Commitments (and except as provided in Section 2.03(l) and Section 2.04(g), without giving effect to changes thereto on an earlier maturity date with respect to Swing Line Loans and Letters of Credit theretofore incurred or issued), (3) the permanent repayment of Revolving Credit Loans with respect to, and termination of, Extended Revolving Credit Commitments after the applicable Extension date shall be made on a pro rata basis with all other Revolving Credit Commitments, except that the Borrower shall be permitted

 

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to permanently repay and terminate commitments of any such Class on a better than a pro rata basis as compared to any other Class with a later maturity date than such Class and (4) assignments and participations of Extended Revolving Credit Commitments and extend Revolving Credit Loans shall be governed by the same assignment and participation provisions applicable to Revolving Credit Commitments and Revolving Credit Loans and (5) at no time shall there be Revolving Credit Commitments hereunder (including Extended Revolving Credit Commitments and any original Revolving Credit Commitments) which have more than three different maturity dates, (iii) except as to interest rates, fees, amortization, final maturity date, premium, required prepayment dates and participation in prepayments (which shall, subject to immediately succeeding clauses (iv), (v) and (vi), be determined between the Borrower and set forth in the relevant Extension Offer), the Term Loans of any Term Lender that agrees to an Extension with respect to such Term Loans (an “ Extending Term Lender ”) extended pursuant to any Extension (“ Extended Term Loans ”) shall have the same terms as the tranche of Term Loans subject to such Extension Offer, (iv) the final maturity date of any Extended Term Loans shall be no earlier than the Latest Maturity Date, (v) the weighted average life of any Extended Term Loans shall be no shorter than the remaining weighted average life of the Term Loans extended thereby, (vi) any Extended Term Loans may participate on a pro rata basis or a less than pro rata basis (but not greater than a pro rata basis) in any voluntary or mandatory repayments or prepayments hereunder, in each case as specified in the respective Extension Offer, (vii) if the aggregate principal amount of Term Loans (calculated on the face amount thereof) or Revolving Credit Commitments, as the case may be, in respect of which Term Lenders or Revolving Credit Lenders, as the case may be, shall have accepted the relevant Extension Offer shall exceed the maximum aggregate principal amount of Term Loans or Revolving Credit Commitments, as the case may be, offered to be extended by the Borrower pursuant to such Extension Offer, then the Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans, as the case may be, of such Term Lenders or Revolving Credit Lenders, as the case may be, shall be extended ratably up to such maximum amount based on the respective principal amounts (but not to exceed actual holdings of record) with respect to which such Term Lenders or Revolving Credit Lenders, as the case may be, have accepted such Extension Offer, (viii) all documentation in respect of such Extension shall be consistent with the foregoing and (ix) any applicable Minimum Extension Condition shall be satisfied unless waived by the Borrower.

(b) With respect to all Extensions consummated by the Borrower pursuant to this Section, (i) such Extensions shall not constitute voluntary or mandatory payments or prepayments for purposes of Section 2.05 and (ii) no Extension Offer is required to be in any minimum amount or any minimum increment, provided that the Borrower may at its election specify as a condition (a “ Minimum Extension Condition ”) to consummating any such Extension that a minimum amount (to be determined and specified in the relevant Extension Offer in the Borrower’s sole discretion and may be waived by the Borrower) of Term Loans or Revolving Credit Commitments (as applicable) of any or all applicable tranches be tendered. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders hereby consent to the transactions contemplated by this Section (including, for the avoidance of doubt, payment of any interest, fees or premium in respect of any Extended Term Loans and/or Extended Revolving Credit Commitments on the such terms as may be set forth in the relevant Extension Offer) and hereby waive the requirements of any provision of this Agreement (including, without limitation, Sections 2.05 and 2.13) or any other Loan Document

 

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that may otherwise prohibit any such Extension or any other transaction contemplated by this Section.

(c) No consent of any Lender or the Administrative Agent shall be required to effectuate any Extension, other than (A) the consent of each Lender agreeing to such Extension with respect to one or more of its Term Loans and/or Revolving Credit Commitments (or a portion thereof) and (B) with respect to any Extension of the Revolving Credit Commitments, the consent of the L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. All Extended Term Loans, Extended Revolving Credit Commitments and all obligations in respect thereof shall be Obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents that are secured by the Collateral on a pari passu basis with all other applicable Obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. The Lenders hereby irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent to enter into amendments to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents with the Borrower as may be necessary in order to establish new tranches or sub-tranches in respect of Revolving Credit Commitments or Term Loans so extended and such technical amendments as may be necessary or appropriate in the reasonable opinion of the Administrative Agent and the Borrower in connection with the establishment of such new tranches or sub-tranches, in each case on terms consistent with this Section. In addition, if so provided in such amendment and with the consent of each L/C Issuer, participations in Letters of Credit expiring on or after the Maturity Date in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility shall be re-allocated from Lenders holding Revolving Credit Commitments to Lenders holding Extended Revolving Credit Commitments in accordance with the terms of such amendment; provided , however , that such participation interests shall, upon receipt thereof by the relevant Lenders holding Revolving Credit Commitments, be deemed to be participation interests in respect of such Revolving Credit Commitments and the terms of such participation interests (including, without limitation, the commission applicable thereto) shall be adjusted accordingly. Without limiting the foregoing, in connection with any Extensions the respective Loan Parties shall (at their expense) amend (and the Administrative Agent is hereby directed to amend) any Mortgage that has a maturity date prior to the then Latest Maturity Date so that such maturity date is extended to the then Latest Maturity Date (or such later date as may be advised by local counsel to the Administrative Agent).

(d) In connection with any Extension, the Borrower shall provide the Administrative Agent at least 5 Business Days (or such shorter period as may be agreed by the Administrative Agent) prior written notice thereof, and shall agree to such procedures (including, without limitation, regarding timing, rounding and other adjustments and to ensure reasonable administrative management of the credit facilities hereunder after such Extension), if any, as may be established by, or acceptable to, the Administrative Agent, in each case acting reasonably to accomplish the purposes of this Section.

Section 2.16 Refinancing Amendments.

(a) At any time after the Closing Date, the Borrower may obtain, from any Lender, any New Revolving Credit Lender or any New Term Lender, Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness in respect of all or any portion of the Term Loans and the Revolving Credit Loans (or unused Revolving Credit Commitments) then outstanding under this Agreement (which for purposes of this clause (a) will be deemed to include any then outstanding Other Term Loans, New

 

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Term Loans, Other Revolving Credit Loans or New Revolving Credit Loans), in the form of Other Term Loans, Other Term Loan Commitments, Other Revolving Credit Loans or Other Revolving Credit Commitments pursuant to a Refinancing Amendment; provided that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 2.16 or otherwise, (1) the borrowing and repayment (except for (A) payments of interest and fees at different rates on Other Revolving Credit Commitments (and related outstandings), (B) repayments required upon the maturity date of the Other Revolving Credit Commitments and (C) repayment made in connection with a permanent repayment and termination of commitments (subject to clause (3) below)) of Loans with respect to Other Revolving Credit Commitments after the date of obtaining any Other Revolving Credit Commitments shall be made on a pro rata basis with all other Revolving Credit Commitments, (2) subject to the provisions of Section 2.03(l) and 2.04(g) to the extent dealing with Swing Line Loans and Letters of Credit which mature or expire after a maturity date when there exists New Revolving Credit Commitments with a longer maturity date, all Swing Line Loans and Letters of Credit shall be participated on a pro rata basis by all Lenders with Commitments in accordance with their percentage of the Revolving Credit Commitments (and except as provided in Section 2.03(l) and Section 2.04(g), without giving effect to changes thereto on an earlier maturity date with respect to Swing Line Loans and Letters of Credit theretofore incurred or issued), (3) the permanent repayment of Revolving Credit Loans with respect to, and termination of, Other Revolving Credit Commitments after the date of obtaining any Other Revolving Credit Commitments shall be made on a pro rata basis with all other Revolving Credit Commitments, except that the Borrower shall be permitted to permanently repay and terminate commitments of any such Class on a better than a pro rata basis as compared to any other Class with a later maturity date than such Class and (4) assignments and participations of Other Revolving Credit Commitments and Other Revolving Credit Loans shall be governed by the same assignment and participation provisions applicable to Revolving Credit Commitments and Revolving Credit Loans. The effectiveness of any Refinancing Amendment shall be subject to the satisfaction on the date thereof of each of the conditions set forth in 4.02, and to the extent reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, receipt by the Administrative Agent of customary legal opinions and other documents. Each issuance of Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness under this Section 2.16(a) shall be in an aggregate principal amount that is (x) not less than $5,000,000 and (y) an integral multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof.

(b) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender as to the effectiveness of each Refinancing Amendment. Each of the parties hereto hereby agrees that, upon the effectiveness of any Refinancing Amendment, this Agreement shall be deemed amended to the extent (but only to the extent) necessary to reflect the existence and terms of the Credit Agreement Refinancing Indebtedness incurred pursuant thereto (including any amendments necessary to treat the Loans and Commitments subject thereto as Other Term Loans, Other Term Loan Commitments, Other Revolving Credit Loans and/or Other Revolving Credit Commitments). Any Refinancing Amendment may, without the consent of any other Lenders, effect such amendments to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as may be necessary or appropriate, in the reasonable opinion of the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, to effect the provisions of this Section. This Section 2.16 shall supersede any provisions in Section 2.13 or 10.01 to the contrary.

 

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Section 2.17 Defaulting Lenders .

(a) Reallocation of Defaulting Lender Commitment, Etc . If a Lender becomes, and during the period it remains, a Defaulting Lender, the following provisions shall apply with respect to any outstanding Letter of Credit participation pursuant to Section 2.03(c) and Swing Line Loan participation pursuant to Section 2.04(c) of such Defaulting Lender:

(i) the Letter of Credit participation pursuant to Section 2.03(c) and Swing Line Loan participation pursuant to Section 2.04(c), in each case, of such Defaulting Lender will, subject to the limitation in the first proviso below, automatically be reallocated (effective on the day such Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender) among the Non-Defaulting Lenders pro rata in accordance with their respective Revolving Credit Commitments; provided that (a) the Outstanding Amount of each Non-Defaulting Lender’s Revolving Credit Loans and L/C Obligations (with the aggregate amount of such Lenders’ risk participations and funded participation in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans being deemed “held” by such Lender) may not in any event exceed the Revolving Credit Commitment of such Non-Defaulting Lender as in effect at the time of such reallocation and (b) neither such reallocation nor any payment by a Non-Defaulting Lender pursuant thereto will constitute a waiver or release of any claim the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer, the Swing Line Lender or any other Lender may have against such Defaulting Lender or cause such Defaulting Lender to be a Non-Defaulting Lender;

(ii) to the extent that any portion (the “ unreallocated portion ”) of the Defaulting Lender’s Letter of Credit participation pursuant to Section 2.03(c) and Swing Line Loan participation pursuant to Section 2.04(c) cannot be so reallocated, whether by reason of the first proviso in clause (i) above or otherwise, the Borrower will, not later than two Business Days after demand by the Administrative Agent (at the direction of the L/C Issuer and/or the Swing Line Lender, as the case may be), (1) Cash Collateralize the obligations of the Borrower to the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender in respect of such Letter of Credit participation pursuant to Section 2.03(c) and the Swing Line Loan participation pursuant to Section 2.04(c), as the case may be, in an amount equal to the aggregate amount of the unreallocated portion of such Letter of Credit participation pursuant to Section 2.03(c) and the Swing Line Loan participation pursuant to Section 2.04(c), or (2) in the case of such Swing Line Loan participation pursuant to Section 2.04(c), prepay (subject to clause (iii) below) and/or Cash Collateralize in full the unreallocated portion thereof, or (3) make other arrangements satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, and to the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender, as the case may be, in their sole discretion to protect them against the risk of non-payment by such Defaulting Lender; and

(iii) any amount paid by the Borrower for the account of a Defaulting Lender that was or is a Lender under this Agreement (whether on account of principal, interest, fees, indemnity payments or other amounts) will not be paid or distributed to such Defaulting Lender, but will instead be retained by the Administrative Agent in a segregated non-interest-bearing account until (subject to Section 2.17(d)) the termination of the Commitments and payment in full of all obligations of the Borrower hereunder and will be applied by the Administrative Agent, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to the

 

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making of payments from time to time in the following order of priority: first to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent under this Agreement, second to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender ( pro rata as to the respective amounts owing to each of them) under this Agreement, third to the payment of post-default interest and then current interest due and payable to the Lenders hereunder other than Defaulting Lenders that are Lenders, ratably among them in accordance with the amounts of such interest then due and payable to them, fourth to the payment of fees then due and payable to the Non-Defaulting Lenders that are Lenders hereunder, ratably among them in accordance with the amounts of such fees then due and payable to them, fifth to pay principal and unreimbursed payments made by the L/C Issuer pursuant to a Letter of Credit then due and payable to the Non-Defaulting Lenders that are Lenders hereunder ratably in accordance with the amounts thereof then due and payable to them, sixth to the ratable payment of other amounts then due and payable to the Non-Defaulting Lenders that are Lenders, and seventh after the termination of the Commitments and payment in full of all obligations of the Borrower hereunder, to pay amounts owing under this Agreement to such Defaulting Lender or as a court of competent jurisdiction may otherwise direct.

(b) Fees . Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, during such period as a Lender is a Defaulting Lender, such Defaulting Lender will not be entitled to any fees accruing during such period pursuant to Section 2.9 (without prejudice to the rights of the Lenders other than Defaulting Lenders in respect of such fees); provided that in the case of a Defaulting Lender that was or is a Lender (x) to the extent that a portion of the Letter of Credit participation pursuant to Section 2.03(c) and Swing Line Loan participation pursuant to Section 2.04(c) of such Defaulting Lender is reallocated to the Non-Defaulting Lenders pursuant to Section 2.17(a), such fees that would have accrued for the benefit of such Defaulting Lender will instead accrue for the benefit of and be payable to such Non-Defaulting Lenders, pro rata in accordance with their respective Commitments, and (y) to the extent any portion of such Letter of Credit participation pursuant to Section 2.03(c) and Swing Line Loan participation pursuant to Section 2.04(c) cannot be so reallocated, such fees will instead accrue for the benefit of and be payable to the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender, as applicable, as their interests appear (and the pro rata payment provisions of Sections 2.12 and 2.13 will automatically be deemed adjusted to reflect the provisions of this Section).

(c) Termination of Defaulting Lender Commitment . The Borrower may terminate the unused amount of the Commitment of a Defaulting Lender upon not less than three Business Days’ prior notice to the Administrative Agent (which will promptly notify the Lenders thereof), and in such event the provisions of Section 2.17(a)(iii) will apply to all amounts thereafter paid by the Borrower for the account of such Defaulting Lender that is a Lender under this Agreement (in each case whether on account of principal, interest, fees, indemnity or other amounts), provided that such termination will not be deemed to be a waiver or release of any claim the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer, the Swing Line Lender or any Lender may have against such Defaulting Lender.

(d) Cure . If the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender agree in writing in their discretion that a Lender that is a Defaulting Lender should no longer be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender, as the case may be, the Administrative Agent

 

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will so notify the parties hereto, whereupon as of the effective date specified in such notice and subject to any conditions set forth therein (which may include arrangements with respect to any amounts then held in the segregated account referred to in Section 2.17(a)), such Lender will, to the extent applicable, purchase such portion of outstanding Loans of the other Lenders and/or make such other adjustments as the Administrative Agent may determine to be necessary to cause the total Revolving Credit Commitments, Revolving Credit Loans, Letter of Credit participation pursuant to Section 2.03(c) and Swing Line Loan participation pursuant to Section 2.04(c) of the Lenders to be on a pro rata basis in accordance with their respective Commitments, whereupon such Lender will cease to be a Defaulting Lender and will be a Non-Defaulting Lender (and such Commitments and Loans of each Lender will automatically be adjusted on a prospective basis to reflect the foregoing); provided that no adjustments will be made retroactively with respect to fees accrued or payments made by or on behalf of the Borrower while such Lender was a Defaulting Lender; and provided , further , that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no change hereunder from Defaulting Lender to Non-Defaulting Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from such Lender’s having been a Defaulting Lender.

ARTICLE 3

TAXES, INCREASED COSTS PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY

Section 3.01 Taxes.

(a) Unless otherwise required by any Law, any and all payments by any Loan Party to or for the account of any Agent or any Lender (which term shall, for purposes of this Section 3.01, include any L/C Issuer and any Swing Line Lender) under any Loan Document shall be made free and clear of and without deduction for any Taxes. If any Loan Party or other applicable withholding agent shall be required by any Laws to deduct any Non-Excluded Taxes or Other Taxes from or in respect of any sum payable under any Loan Document to any Agent or any Lender, (i) the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01) have been made, each of such Agent and such Lender receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deductions been made, (ii) the applicable withholding agent shall make such deductions, (iii) the applicable withholding agent shall pay the full amount deducted to the relevant taxation authority or other authority in accordance with applicable Laws, and (iv) within thirty (30) days after the date of such payment, the applicable withholding agent (if it is not the Administrative Agent) shall furnish to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt evidencing payment thereof to the extent such a receipt is issued therefor, or other written proof of payment thereof that is reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

(b) In addition, the Borrower and the Guarantors agree, jointly and severally, to pay any and all present or future stamp, court or documentary taxes and any other excise, property, intangible or mortgage recording taxes or charges or similar levies which arise from any payment made under any Loan Document or from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document but excluding any such Taxes imposed upon a voluntary transfer of an Obligation by a Lender, L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender

 

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if such Taxes result from such Lender, L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender being organized, resident or engaged in business (other than a business arising (or being deemed to arise) solely as a result of the Loan Documents or any transactions occurring pursuant thereto) in such jurisdiction (hereinafter referred to as “ Other Taxes ”). For the avoidance of doubt, “Other Taxes” shall not include any Excluded Taxes.

(c) Without duplication, the Borrower and the Guarantors agree, jointly and severally, to indemnify each Agent and each Lender for the full amount of any Non-Excluded Taxes attributable to any sum payable under any Loan Document to any Agent or Lender and any Other Taxes (including any Non-Excluded Taxes or Other Taxes imposed or asserted by any jurisdiction on amounts payable under this Section 3.01, and any such Non-Excluded Taxes or Other Taxes attributable to any payment made by or on account of any Guarantor) payable by such Agent or such Lender, whether or not such Non-Excluded Taxes or Other Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority; provided such Agent or Lender, as the case may be, provides the Borrower with a written statement thereof setting forth in reasonable detail the basis and calculation of such amounts. Payment under this Section 3.01(c) shall be made within thirty (30) days after the date such Lender or such Agent makes a demand therefor (and submits the required written statement), but in no event earlier than ten (10) days before such Taxes are due and payable to the applicable Governmental Authority. If the Borrower reasonably believes that any Lender or Agent is entitled to receive a refund in respect of any Non-Excluded Taxes or Other Taxes as to which indemnification or additional amounts have been paid to the Lender or Agent, as applicable, by any Loan Party pursuant to or in respect of Section 3.01 or Section 6 of the Guaranty, the Borrower (on behalf of itself and on behalf of the other Loan Parties) may notify (in writing) the Lender or Agent, as applicable, of the availability of such refund. Upon such notice, the Lender or Agent, as applicable, shall promptly apply for such refund unless, in the good faith judgment of the Lender or Agent, as applicable, applying for such refund would cause the Lender or Agent, as applicable, to suffer any material economic, legal or regulatory disadvantage. The Borrower shall reimburse the Lender or Agent, as applicable, for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) of the Lender or Agent incurred in pursuing such refund. If the Lender or Agent, as applicable, receives any such refund, it shall be governed by Section 3.01(d).

(d) If any Lender or Agent receives a refund (whether received in cash or as an overpayment applied to a future Tax payment) in respect of any Non-Excluded Taxes or Other Taxes as to which indemnification or additional amounts have been paid to it by any Loan Party pursuant to or in respect of this Section 3.01 or Section 6 of the Guaranty, it shall promptly remit such refund (including any interest included in such refund by the applicable taxing authority) to the Borrower, net of all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) of the Lender or Agent, as the case may be; provided that the Borrower, upon the request of the Lender or Agent, as the case may be, agrees promptly to return such refund to such party in the event such party is required to repay such refund to the relevant taxing authority. Such Lender or Agent, as the case may be, shall, at the Borrower’s request, provide the Borrower with a copy of any notice of assessment or other evidence of the requirement to repay such refund received from the relevant taxing authority ( provided that such Lender or Agent may delete any information therein that such Lender or Agent deems confidential). Nothing herein contained shall interfere with the right of a Lender or Agent to arrange its Tax affairs in whatever manner it thinks fit nor oblige

 

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any Lender or Agent to claim any Tax refund or to disclose any information relating to its tax affairs or any computations in respect thereof or require any Lender or Agent to do anything that would prejudice its ability to benefit from any other refunds, credits, reliefs, remissions or repayments to which it may be entitled.

(e) Each Lender agrees that, upon the occurrence of any event giving rise to the operation of Section 3.01(a) or Section 3.01(c) with respect to such Lender it will, if requested by the Borrower, use commercially reasonable efforts (subject to such Lender’s overall internal policies of general application and legal and regulatory restrictions) to avoid the consequences of such event, including to designate another Lending Office for any Loan or Letter of Credit affected by such event or to assign its rights and obligations with respect to such Loan or Letter of Credit to another of its offices, branches or affiliates; provided that such efforts are made on terms that, in the reasonable judgment of such Lender, cause such Lender and its Lending Office(s) to suffer no material economic, legal or regulatory disadvantage, and provided further that nothing in this Section 3.01(e) shall affect or postpone any of the Obligations of any Loan Party or the rights of the Lender pursuant to Section 3.01(a) and Section 3.01(c).

Section 3.02 Illegality . If any Lender reasonably determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for any Lender or its applicable Lending Office to make, maintain or fund Eurodollar Rate Loans, or to determine or charge interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate, then, on notice thereof by such Lender to the Borrower through the Administrative Agent, any obligation of such Lender to make or continue Eurodollar Rate Loans or to convert Base Rate Loans to Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended until such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer exist. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower shall, upon demand from such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), prepay or, if applicable, convert all Eurodollar Rate Loans of such Lender to Base Rate Loans, either on the last day of the Interest Period therefor, if such Lender may lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans to such day, or immediately, if such Lender may not lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans. Upon any such prepayment or conversion, the Borrower shall also pay accrued interest on the amount so prepaid or converted. Each Lender agrees to designate a different Lending Office if such designation will avoid the need for such notice and will not, in the good faith judgment of such Lender, otherwise be materially disadvantageous to such Lender.

Section 3.03 Inability to Determine Rates . If the Required Lenders determine that for any reason adequate and reasonable means do not exist for determining the Eurodollar Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan, or that the Eurodollar Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of funding such Loan, or that Dollar deposits are not being offered to banks in the London interbank eurodollar market for the applicable amount and the Interest Period of such Eurodollar Rate Loan, the Administrative Agent will promptly so notify the Borrower and each Lender. Thereafter, the obligation of the Lenders to make or maintain Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended until the Administrative Agent (upon the instruction of the Required Lenders) revokes such notice. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower may revoke any pending request for a Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation

 

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of Eurodollar Rate Loans or, failing that, will be deemed to have converted such request into a request for a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans in the amount specified therein.

Section 3.04 Increased Cost and Reduced Return; Capital Adequacy; Reserves on Eurodollar Rate Loans .

(a) If any Lender reasonably determines that as a result of the introduction of or any change in or in the interpretation of any Law, in each case after the date hereof, or such Lender’s compliance therewith, there shall be any increase in the cost to such Lender of agreeing to make or making, funding or maintaining Eurodollar Rate Loans or (as the case may be) issuing or participating in Letters of Credit, or a reduction in the amount received or receivable by such Lender in connection with any of the foregoing (excluding for purposes of this Section 3.04(a) any such increased costs or reduction in amount resulting from (i) Non-Excluded Taxes indemnifiable under Section 3.01, (ii) any Excluded Taxes, and (iii) reserve requirements contemplated by Section 3.04(c)), then from time to time upon written demand of such Lender setting forth in reasonable detail such increased costs (with a copy of such demand to the Administrative Agent given in accordance with Section 3.06), the Borrower shall, without duplication, pay to such Lender such additional amounts as will compensate such Lender for such increased cost or reduction. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all rules, regulations, orders, requests, guidelines or directives in connection therewith are deemed to have been adopted and to have taken effect after the date hereof.

(b) If any Lender reasonably determines that the introduction of any Law regarding capital adequacy or any change therein or in the interpretation thereof, in each case after the date hereof, or compliance by such Lender (or its Lending Office) therewith, has the effect of reducing the rate of return on the capital of such Lender or any corporation controlling such Lender as a consequence of such Lender’s obligations hereunder (taking into consideration its policies with respect to capital adequacy and such Lender’s desired return on capital), then from time to time upon written demand of such Lender setting forth in reasonable detail the charge and the calculation of such reduced rate of return (with a copy of such demand to the Administrative Agent given in accordance with Section 3.06), the Borrower shall pay to such Lender such additional amounts as will compensate such Lender for such reduction.

(c) The Borrower shall pay to each Lender, (i) as long as such Lender shall be required to maintain reserves with respect to liabilities or assets consisting of or including Eurocurrency funds or deposits, additional interest on the unpaid principal amount of each Eurodollar Rate Loan equal to the actual costs of such reserves allocated to such Loan by such Lender (as determined by such Lender in good faith, which determination shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error), and (ii) as long as such Lender shall be required to comply with any reserve ratio requirement or analogous requirement of any other central banking or financial regulatory authority imposed in respect of the maintenance of the Commitments or the funding of the Eurodollar Rate Loans, such additional costs (expressed as a percentage per annum and rounded upwards, if necessary, to the nearest five decimal places) equal to the actual costs allocated to such Commitment or Loan by such Lender (as determined by such Lender in good faith, which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error) which in each case shall be due and payable on each date on which interest is payable on such Loan; provided the Borrower shall have received at least fifteen (15) days’ prior notice (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) of such

 

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additional interest or cost from such Lender. If a Lender fails to give notice fifteen (15) days prior to the relevant Interest Payment Date, such additional interest or cost shall be due and payable fifteen (15) days from receipt of such notice.

(d) If any Lender requests compensation under this Section 3.04, then such Lender will, if requested by the Borrower, use commercially reasonable efforts to designate another Lending Office for any Loan or Letter of Credit affected by such event or to assign its rights and obligations with respect to such Loan or Letter of Credit to another of its offices, branches or affiliates; provided that such efforts are made on terms that, in the reasonable judgment of such Lender, cause such Lender and its Lending Office(s) to suffer no material economic, legal or regulatory disadvantage, and provided further that nothing in this Section 3.04(d) shall affect or postpone any of the Obligations of the Borrower or the rights of such Lender pursuant to Section 3.04(a), Section 3.04(b) or Section 3.04(c).

Section 3.05 Funding Losses . Upon demand of any Lender from time to time, the Borrower shall promptly compensate such Lender for and hold such Lender harmless from any loss, cost or expense incurred by it as a result of:

(a) any continuation, conversion, payment or prepayment of any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period for such Loan (whether voluntary, mandatory, automatic, by reason of acceleration, or otherwise); or

(b) any failure by the Borrower (for a reason other than the failure of such Lender to make a Loan) to prepay, borrow, continue or convert any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on the date or in the amount notified by the Borrower;

including any loss or expense arising from the liquidation or reemployment of funds obtained by it to maintain such Loan or from fees payable to terminate the deposits from which such funds were obtained.

For purposes of calculating amounts payable by a Borrower to the Lenders under this Section 3.05, each Lender shall be deemed to have funded each Eurodollar Rate Loan made by it at the Eurodollar Rate for such Loan by a matching deposit or other borrowing in the London interbank eurodollar market for a comparable amount and for a comparable period, whether or not such Eurodollar Rate Loan was in fact so funded. A certificate of such Lender submitted to the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this Section 3.05 shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

Section 3.06 Matters Applicable to All Requests for Compensation.

(a) Any Agent or any Lender claiming compensation under this Article 3 shall deliver a certificate to the Borrower setting forth in reasonable detail the additional amount or amounts to be paid to it hereunder, which shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error. In determining such amount, such Agent or such Lender may use any reasonable averaging and attribution methods.

 

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(b) With respect to any Lender’s claim for compensation under Section 3.01, Section 3.02, Section 3.03 or Section 3.04, the Borrower shall not be required to compensate such Lender for any amount incurred more than one hundred and eighty (180) days prior to the date that such Lender notifies the Borrower of the event that gives rise to such claim; provided that, if the circumstance giving rise to such increased cost or reduction is retroactive, then such 180-day period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof. If any Lender requests compensation by the Borrower under Section 3.04, the Borrower may, by notice to such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), suspend the obligation of such Lender to make or continue Eurodollar Rate Loans from one Interest Period to another, or to convert Base Rate Loans into Eurodollar Rate Loans, until the event or condition giving rise to such request ceases to be in effect (in which case the provisions of Section 3.06(c) shall be applicable); provided that such suspension shall not affect the right of such Lender to receive the compensation so requested.

(c) If the obligation of any Lender to make or continue any Eurodollar Rate Loan from one Interest Period to another, or to convert Base Rate Loans into Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended pursuant to Section 3.06(b) hereof, such Lender’s Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be automatically converted into Base Rate Loans on the last day(s) of the then current Interest Period(s) for such Eurodollar Rate Loans (or, in the case of an immediate conversion required by Section 3.02, on such earlier date as required by Law) and, unless and until such Lender gives notice as provided below that the circumstances specified in Section 3.01, Section 3.02, Section 3.03 or Section 3.04 hereof that gave rise to such conversion no longer exist:

(i) to the extent that such Lender’s Eurodollar Rate Loans have been so converted, all payments and prepayments of principal that would otherwise be applied to such Lender’s Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be applied instead to its Base Rate Loans; and

(ii) all Loans that would otherwise be made or continued as Eurodollar Rate Loans from one Interest Period to another by such Lender shall be made or continued instead as Base Rate Loans, and all Base Rate Loans of such Lender that would otherwise be converted into Eurodollar Rate Loans shall remain as Base Rate Loans.

(d) If any Lender gives notice to a Borrower (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) that the circumstances specified in Section 3.01, Section 3.02, Section 3.03 or Section 3.04 hereof that gave rise to the conversion of such Lender’s Eurodollar Rate Loans pursuant to this Section 3.06 no longer exist (which such Lender agrees to do promptly upon such circumstances ceasing to exist) at a time when Eurodollar Rate Loans made by other Lenders are outstanding, such Lender’s Base Rate Loans shall be automatically converted irrespective of whether such conversion results in greater than twenty (20) Interest Periods being outstanding under this Agreement, on the first day(s) of the next succeeding Interest Period(s) for such outstanding Eurodollar Rate Loans, to the extent necessary so that, after giving effect thereto, all Loans held by the Lenders holding Eurodollar Rate Loans and by such Lender are held pro rata (as to principal amounts, interest rate basis, and Interest Periods) in accordance with their respective Commitments.

Section 3.07 Replacement of Lenders Under Certain Circumstances.

 

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(a) If at any time (x) the Borrower becomes obligated to pay additional amounts or indemnity payments described in Section 3.01(a) or (c) or Section 3.02 as a result of any condition described in such Sections or any Lender ceases to make Eurodollar Rate Loans as a result of any condition described in Section 3.04, (y) any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender or (z) any Lender becomes a Non-Consenting Lender, then the Borrower may, on ten (10) Business Days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent and such Lender, replace such Lender (in its capacity as a Lender under the applicable Facility, if the underlying matter in respect of which such Lender has become a Non-Consenting Lender relates to a certain Class of Loans or Commitments) by causing such Lender to (and such Lender shall be obligated to) assign pursuant to Section 10.07(b) (with the assignment fee to be paid by the Borrower in such instance) all of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (in respect of the applicable Class of Loans or Commitments if the underlying matter in respect of which such Lender has become a Non-Consenting Lender relates to a certain Class of Loans or Commitments) to one or more Eligible Assignees; provided that (i) in the case of any Eligible Assignees in respect of Non-Consenting Lenders, the replacement Lender shall agree to the consent, waiver or amendment to which the Non-Consenting Lender did not agree and (ii) neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall have any obligation to the Borrower to find a replacement Lender or other such Person.

(b) Any Lender being replaced pursuant to Section 3.07(a) above shall (i) execute and deliver an Assignment and Assumption with respect to such Lender’s Commitment and outstanding Loans of the applicable Class and, if applicable, participations in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans, and (ii) deliver any Notes evidencing such Loans to the Borrower or the Administrative Agent; provided that the failure of any such Lender to execute an Assignment and Assumption shall not render such assignment invalid and such assignment shall be recorded in the Register. Pursuant to such Assignment and Assumption, (i) the assignee Lender shall acquire all or a portion, as the case may be, of the assigning Lender’s Commitment and outstanding Loans of the applicable Class and, if applicable, participations in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans, (ii) all obligations of the Borrower owing to the assigning Lender relating to the Loans and participations so assigned shall be paid in full by the assignee Lender to such assigning Lender concurrently with such assignment and assumption and (iii) upon such payment and, if so requested by the assignee Lender, delivery to the assignee Lender of the appropriate Note or Notes executed by the Borrower, the assignee Lender shall become a Lender hereunder and the assigning Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Section 3.01, Section 3.04, Section 10.04 and Section 10.05 with respect to facts and circumstances occurring prior to the effective date of such assignment.

(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained above, (i) the Lender that acts as the L/C Issuer may not be replaced hereunder at any time that it has any Letter of Credit outstanding hereunder unless arrangements reasonably satisfactory to such L/C Issuer (including the furnishing of a back-up standby letter of credit in form and substance, and issued by an issuer, reasonably satisfactory to such L/C Issuer or the depositing of Cash Collateral into a Cash Collateral account in amounts and pursuant to arrangements reasonably satisfactory to such L/C Issuer) have been made with respect to such outstanding Letter of Credit and (ii) the Lender that acts as the Administrative Agent may not be replaced hereunder.

(d) In the event that (i) the Borrower or the Administrative Agent has requested the Lenders to consent to a departure or waiver of any provisions of the Loan Documents or to agree

 

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to any amendment thereto, (ii) the consent, waiver or amendment in question requires the agreement of all Lenders or all affected Lenders in accordance with the terms of Section 10.01 or all the Lenders with respect to a certain Class of Loans or Commitments and (iii) the Required Lenders have agreed to such consent, waiver or amendment, then any Lender who does not agree to such consent, waiver or amendment shall be deemed a “ Non-Consenting Lender .”

Section 3.08 Survival . The Borrower’s obligations under this Article 3 shall survive any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender (including any L/C Issuer) and the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and repayment of all other Obligations hereunder.

ARTICLE 4

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

Section 4.01 Conditions to Initial (Closing Date) Credit Extension . The obligation of each Lender to make the Credit Extensions hereunder on the Closing Date is subject to satisfaction of the following conditions precedent, subject in all respects to the final paragraph of this Section 4.01:

(a) The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or facsimiles or electronic copies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, and each executed by a Responsible Officer of the Initial Borrower:

(i) executed counterparts of this Agreement; and

(ii) a Note executed by the Initial Borrower in favor of each Lender requesting a Note at least two (2) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, if any.

(b) The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the Senior Secured Credit Facilities Escrow and Security Agreement, which shall be originals or facsimiles or electronic copies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, executed by a Responsible Officer of the Initial Borrower and the Escrow Agent.

(c) The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or facsimiles or electronic copies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified;

(i) an opinion of Ropes & Gray LLP, special counsel to the Initial Borrower, dated the Closing Date and addressed to each L/C Issuer, Arranger, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, substantially in the form previously provided to the Administrative Agent;

(ii) (A) a copy of the certificate or articles of incorporation or organization, including all amendments thereto, of the Initial Borrower, certified, if applicable, as of a recent date by the Secretary of State of the state of its organization, and a certificate as to the good standing of the Initial Borrower as of a recent date, from such Secretary of State or similar Governmental Authority and (B) a certificate of a Responsible Officer of the Initial Borrower dated the Closing Date and certifying (1) to the effect that (w) attached

 

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thereto is a true and complete copy of the by-laws of the Initial Borrower as in effect on the Closing Date, (x) attached thereto is a true and complete copy of resolutions duly adopted by the board of directors of the Initial Borrower authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of the Loan Documents to which the Initial Borrower is a party, and that such resolutions have not been modified, rescinded or amended and are in full force and effect and (y) the certificate or articles of incorporation or organization of the Initial Borrower have not been amended since the date of the last amendment thereto furnished pursuant to clause (A) above, and that such certificate or articles are in full force and effect, and (2) as to the incumbency and specimen signature of each officer executing any Loan Document on behalf of the Initial Borrower and signed by another officer as to the incumbency and specimen signature of the Responsible Officer executing the certificate pursuant to this clause (B); and

(iii) a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Initial Borrower certifying as to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in paragraphs (e) and (f) of this Section 4.01.

(d) To the extent requested by the Administrative Agent in writing not less than five (5) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, the Administrative Agent shall have received, prior to the Closing Date, all documentation and other information with respect to the Initial Borrower and DBI required by regulatory authorities under applicable “know-your-customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including without limitation the PATRIOT Act.

(e) The representations and warranties made by the Initial Borrower contained in Article 5 or any other Loan Document shall be true and correct in all material respects (and in all respects if qualified by materiality) on and as of the Closing Date.

(f) No Default shall exist, or would result from such proposed Credit Extension or from the application of the proceeds therefrom (assuming that all of the Transactions were consummated on the Closing Date).

(g) The Administrative Agent shall have received evidence satisfactory to it that DBI has delivered a redemption notice to the trustee under the Existing Securitization Indenture specifying redemption of all of the Existing Securitization Notes on December 3, 2010.

(h) Prior to or substantially simultaneously with the initial Credit Extensions, the Initial Borrower shall have received the gross cash proceeds from the issuance of $625,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes, which amount was deposited into the escrow account as contemplated by the Senior Notes Escrow and Security Agreement.

(i) All fees and expenses due to the Arrangers and the Lenders required to be paid on the Closing Date from the proceeds of the initial fundings under the Credit Extensions shall be paid.

(j) The Administrative Agent shall have received a Request for Credit Extension relating to the initial Credit Extensions.

 

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(k) The Administrative Agent shall have a valid and perfected security interest in, and a lien on, all of the Initial Borrower’s rights (i) under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities Escrow and Security Agreement and (ii) in the Escrow Property, in each case for so long as the Escrow Property remains in the Escrow Account pursuant to the terms of the Senior Secured Credit Facilities Escrow and Security Agreement.

Section 4.02 Conditions to All Credit Extensions After the Escrow Release Date . The obligation of each Lender to honor any Request for Credit Extension (other than in connection with (i) a Credit Extension to be made on the Closing Date or (ii) a Committed Loan Notice requesting only a conversion of Loans to the other Type, or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans) is subject to satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:

(a) The representations and warranties of the Borrower and each other Loan Party contained in Article 5 or any other Loan Document shall be true and correct in all material respects (and in all respects if qualified by materiality) on and as of the date of such Credit Extension, except (i) to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct in all material respects (and in all respects if qualified by materiality) as of such earlier date and (ii) that for purposes of this Section 4.02, the representations and warranties contained in Section 5.05(a) shall be deemed to refer to the most recent financial statements furnished prior to the Closing Date or pursuant to Section 6.01(a) and Section 6.01(b).

(b) No Default shall exist, or would result from such proposed Credit Extension or from the application of the proceeds therefrom.

(c) The Administrative Agent and, if applicable, the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender shall have received a Request for Credit Extension in accordance with the requirements hereof.

Each Request for Credit Extension (other than (i) a Credit Extension to be made on the Closing Date, (ii) a Committed Loan Notice requesting only a conversion of Loans to the other Type or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans) submitted by the Borrower shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty that the conditions specified in Section 4.02(a) and Section 4.02(b) have been satisfied on and as of the date of the applicable Credit Extension.

ARTICLE 5

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

(i) On the Closing Date, the Initial Borrower, (ii) upon the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes, the discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture and the effectiveness of the Guarantor Charter Amendments on the Escrow Release Date, each of Holdings and DBI and (iii) on the date of each subsequent Credit Extension, each of Holdings and the Borrower represents and warrants to the Agents and the Lenders that:

Section 5.01 Existence, Qualification and Power; Compliance with Laws . Each Loan Party and each of its Restricted Subsidiaries (a) is a Person duly organized or formed, validly

 

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existing and, where applicable, in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, (b) has all requisite power and authority to (i) own or lease its assets and carry on its business and (ii) execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Loan Documents to which it is a party, (c) is duly qualified and in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, (d) is in compliance with all applicable Laws, writs, injunctions and orders and (e) has all requisite governmental licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals to operate its business as currently conducted; except in each case referred to in clauses (a) (other than with respect to the Borrower), (c), (d) or (e), to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.02 Authorization; No Contravention.

(a) The execution, delivery and performance by each Loan Party of each Loan Document to which such Person is a party are within such Loan Party’s corporate or other powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational action.

(b) (i) The execution, delivery and performance by each Loan Party of each Loan Document to which such Person is a party and (ii) as of the Escrow Release Date and the Closing Date only, the consummation of the Transactions (other than the transactions described in clause (i)) do not and will not (A) contravene the terms of any of such Person’s Organization Documents, (B) conflict with or result in any default, breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien under (other than as permitted by Section 7.01), or require any payment (except for Indebtedness to be repaid on or prior to the Escrow Release Date in connection with the Transactions) to be made under (x) (1) any Junior Financing Documentation or (2) any other Contractual Obligation to which such Person is a party or affecting such Person or the properties of such Person or any of its Subsidiaries or (y) any order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or any arbitral award to which such Person or its property is subject; or (C) violate any Law; except with respect to any conflict, default, breach, contravention, payment or violation referred to in clause (B) or clause (C), to the extent that such conflict, breach, contravention, payment or violation could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.03 Governmental Authorization; Other Consents . No approval, consent, exemption, authorization, or other action by, or notice to, or filing with, any Governmental Authority or any other Person is necessary or required in connection with (a) the execution, delivery or performance by any Loan Party of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (b) the grant by any Loan Party of the Liens granted by it pursuant to the Collateral Documents, (c) the perfection or maintenance of the Liens created under the Collateral Documents (including the priority thereof) or (d) the exercise by the Administrative Agent or any Lender of its rights under the Loan Documents or the remedies in respect of the Collateral pursuant to the Collateral Documents, except for (i) filings and other actions necessary to perfect the Liens on the Collateral granted by the Loan Parties in favor of the Secured Parties as specified in the Security Documents, (ii) the approvals, consents, exemptions, authorizations, actions, notices and filings which have been duly obtained, taken, given or made and are in full force and effect and (iii) those approvals, consents, exemptions, authorizations or other actions, notices or filings, the failure of which to obtain or make could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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Section 5.04 Binding Effect . This Agreement and each other Loan Document has been, or (in the case of Loan Documents to be executed and delivered by Holdings and its Subsidiaries) will on the Escrow Release Date be, duly executed and delivered by each Loan Party that is party thereto. This Agreement and each other Loan Document constitutes, or (in the case of Loan Documents to be executed and delivered by Holdings and its Subsidiaries) will on the Escrow Release Date constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of each Loan Party that is party thereto, enforceable against such Loan Party in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium or other Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity.

Section 5.05 Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect.

(a) The Borrower has heretofore furnished to the Lenders the Parent’s consolidated balance sheets and related statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Parent and its consolidated Subsidiaries (i) as of the end of and for each fiscal year of the Borrower in the three-fiscal year period ended on December 26, 2009, audited by and accompanied by the opinion of KPMG LLP, (ii) as of and for each subsequent fiscal quarter ended at least forty-five (45) days prior to the Closing Date. Such financial statements fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Parent and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of such dates and for such periods. Such financial statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein and subject, in the case of quarterly financial statements, to the absence of footnotes and to normal year-end adjustments. Such financial statements of the Parent fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of such dates and for such periods, other than as described on Section 5.05(a) to the Confidential Disclosure Letter.

(b) The Borrower has heretofore delivered to the Lenders its unaudited pro forma financial information as of and for the twelve-month period ended on the last day of the most recently completed four-fiscal quarter period ended at least ninety (90) days prior to the Closing Date (if such period is a fiscal year) or at least forty-five (45) days prior to the Closing Date (if such period is a fiscal quarter), prepared after giving effect to the Transactions as if they had occurred on the first day of the twelve-month period ending on such date.

(c) Since December 26, 2009, there has not been any change, development or event that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or would reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

(d) The forecasts of consolidated balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for each fiscal year of the Borrower ending after the Closing Date until the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date, copies of which have been furnished to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders prior to the Closing Date, have been prepared in good faith based upon reasonable assumptions at the time made in light of the conditions existing at the time of delivery of such forecasts, it being understood that such forecasts, as to future events, are not to be viewed as facts, that actual results during the period or periods covered by any such forecasts may differ significantly from the forecasted results and that such differences may be material and that such forecasts are not a guarantee of financial performance.

 

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Section 5.06 Litigation . Except as disclosed in Section 5.06 of the Confidential Disclosure Letter, there are no actions, suits, proceedings, claims or disputes pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened in writing, at law, in equity, in arbitration or before any Governmental Authority, by or against Holdings or any of its Subsidiaries or against any of their properties or revenues that (a) as of the Closing Date, purport to affect or pertain to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or (b) either individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.07 Ownership of Property; Liens . The Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries has good record and marketable title in fee simple to, or valid leasehold interests in, or easements or other limited property interests in, all real property necessary in the ordinary conduct of its business, free and clear of all Liens except for minor defects in title that do not materially interfere with its ability to conduct its business and to utilize such assets for their intended purposes and Liens permitted by Section 7.01 and except where the failure to have such title or other property interests described above could not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.08 Environmental Compliance.

(a) There are no actions, suits, proceedings, demands or claims alleging potential liability or responsibility for violation of, or liability under, any Environmental Law and relating to businesses, operations or properties of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries that could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(b) Except as disclosed in Section 5.08(b) of the Confidential Disclosure Letter or as could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) none of the properties currently or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, formerly owned, leased or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is listed or formally proposed for listing on the NPL or on the CERCLIS or any analogous foreign, state or local list; (ii) there are no and, to the knowledge of the Borrower, never have been any underground or aboveground storage tanks or any surface impoundments, septic tanks, pits, sumps or lagoons in which Hazardous Materials are being or have been discharged, treated, stored or disposed on, at or under any property currently owned or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or, to its knowledge, on, at or under any property formerly owned, leased or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries during or prior to the period of such ownership or operation; (iii) there is no asbestos or asbestos-containing material on or at any property currently owned or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries; and (iv) there has been no Release of Hazardous Materials on, at, under or from any property currently or to the knowledge of the Borrower formerly owned or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, any offsite locations to which the Borrower or its Subsidiaries sent any Hazardous Materials for treatment or disposal.

(c) No property currently owned or operated by the Borrower or any of their respective Subsidiaries contains any Hazardous Materials in amounts or concentrations which (i) constitute, or constituted a violation of, (ii) require response or other corrective action under, or (iii) could result in the Borrower incurring liability under Environmental Laws, which violations, corrective actions and liabilities, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(d) Except as disclosed in Section 5.08(d) of the Confidential Disclosure Letter, neither the Borrower nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries is undertaking, or paying for, either individually or together with other potentially responsible parties, any investigation or assessment or response or other corrective action relating to any actual or threatened Release of Hazardous Materials at any site, location or operation, either voluntarily or pursuant to the order of any Governmental Authority or the requirements of any Environmental Law except for any such investigation or assessment or response or other corrective action that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(e) All Hazardous Materials generated, used, treated, handled or stored at, or transported to or from, any property currently or formerly owned or operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries have been disposed of in a manner which could not reasonably be expected to result in, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.09 Taxes. Each of the Borrower and the other Loan Parties has timely filed all tax returns and reports required to be filed, has timely paid all taxes levied or imposed upon it or its properties, income or assets (including in its capacity as a withholding agent) and has made adequate provision (in accordance with GAAP) for all Taxes not yet due and payable, except (a) those Taxes which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been provided in accordance with GAAP or (b) with respect to which the failure to make such filing, payment or provision could not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. There are no current, pending or threatened audits, assessments, deficiencies, proceedings or claims that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.10 ERISA Compliance.

(a) Each Pension Plan is in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of ERISA and the Code. Each Pension Plan that is intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Code has either received a favorable determination letter from the IRS or an application for such a letter has been or will be submitted to the IRS within the applicable required time period with respect thereto and, to the knowledge of the Borrower, nothing has occurred which could reasonably be expected to prevent, or cause the loss of, such qualification. In the five years preceding the Closing Date, each Loan Party and each ERISA Affiliate have made, in all material respects, all required contributions to each Pension Plan subject to Section 412 of the Code, and no application for a funding waiver or an extension of any amortization period pursuant to Section 412 of the Code has been made with respect to any Pension Plan.

(b) There are no pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened claims, actions or lawsuits, or action by any Governmental Authority, with respect to any Pension Plan that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Borrower, there has been no prohibited transaction or violation of the fiduciary responsibility rules with respect to any Pension Plan that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(c) No ERISA Event has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur, and none of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate has engaged in a transaction that could be subject to Sections

 

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4069 or 4212(c) of ERISA, except, in each case, as could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(d) Each Foreign Plan has been maintained in compliance with its terms and with the requirements of any and all applicable requirements of Law and has been maintained, where required, in good standing with applicable regulatory authorities, except for any noncompliance which could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate has incurred any obligation in connection with the termination of or withdrawal from any Foreign Plan, except as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.11 Subsidiaries; Equity Interests. As of the Closing Date and the Escrow Release Date, the Initial Borrower, Holdings, DBI and its Subsidiaries do not have any Subsidiaries other than those specifically disclosed in Section 5.11 of the Confidential Disclosure Letter, and all of the outstanding Equity Interests in each Restricted Subsidiary are owned directly by the Person set forth in Section 5.11 of the Confidential Disclosure Letter and are free and clear of all Liens except (a) those created under the Collateral Documents and (b) any nonconsensual Lien that is permitted under Section 7.01. As of the Closing Date and the Escrow Release Date, Section 5.11 of the Confidential Disclosure Letter (i) sets forth the name and jurisdiction of each Subsidiary, and (ii) sets forth the ownership interest of DBI and any other Subsidiary in each Subsidiary, including the percentage of such ownership.

Section 5.12 Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act.

(a) No proceeds of any Borrowings or drawings under any Letter of Credit will be used to purchase or carry any margin stock or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying any margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U issued by the FRB).

(b) Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is or is required to be registered as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Section 5.13 Disclosure. No report, financial statement, certificate or other written information furnished by or on behalf of any Loan Party to any Agent or any Lender in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder or any other Loan Document (as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) when taken as a whole contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not materially misleading (as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished); provided that (a) with respect to financial estimates, projected financial information and other forward-looking information, the Borrower represents and warrants only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time of preparation; it being understood that such projections, as to future events, are not to be viewed as facts, that actual results during the period or periods covered by any such projections may differ significantly from the projected results and that such differences may be material and that such projections are not a guarantee of financial performance and (b) no representation is made with respect to information of a general economic or general industry nature.

 

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Section 5.14 Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc. Each of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries owns, or possesses the right to use, all of the patents, trademarks, service marks, trade dress, Internet domain names, copyrights, trade secrets, and know-how, and applications for registration of or goodwill associated with the foregoing, as applicable (collectively, “ IP Rights ”) that are reasonably necessary for the operation of their respective businesses, without conflict with the rights of any other Person, except to the extent such failure to own or possess the right to use or such conflicts, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Borrower, the conduct of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries’ business does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights held by any other Person except for such infringements, individually or in the aggregate, which could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No claim or litigation regarding any of the foregoing is pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened, which, either individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.15 Solvency. On the Escrow Release Date, after giving effect to the consummation of the Transactions, the Loan Parties, on a consolidated basis, are Solvent.

Section 5.16 Perfection, Etc . Except as otherwise contemplated hereby or under any other Loan Documents, all filings and other actions necessary to perfect and protect the Liens on the Collateral created under, and as required by, the Collateral Documents have been duly made or taken or otherwise provided for (to the extent required hereby or by the applicable Collateral Documents) in a manner reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent and are in full force and effect and the Collateral Documents create in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties a valid and, together with such filings and other actions (to the extent required hereby or by the applicable Collateral Documents), perfected first priority Lien in the Collateral, securing the payment and performance of the Secured Obligations, subject only to Liens permitted by Section 7.01. The Loan Parties are the legal and beneficial owners of the Collateral free and clear of any Lien, except for the Liens created or permitted under the Loan Documents.

Section 5.17 Compliance with Laws Generally. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries or any of its respective material properties, or the use of such material properties, is in violation of any Law, or is in default with respect to any judgment, writ, injunction, decree or order of any Governmental Authority, except for such violations or defaults that (a) are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings or (b) individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.18 Labor Matters. Except as in the aggregate has not had and could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, there are no strikes, lockouts or slowdowns against the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened.

Section 5.19 Senior Debt. The Obligations constitute “Senior Debt” and “Designated Senior Debt” (or any other terms of similar meaning and import) under the Senior Notes Indenture, any Permitted Subordinated Indebtedness (to the extent the concept of Designated Senior

 

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Debt (or similar concept) exists therein), or any subordinated Permitted Refinancing thereof (to the extent the concept of Designated Senior Debt (or similar concept) exists therein).

Section 5.20 Escrow Release Date. Upon the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes, the discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture and the effectiveness of the Guarantor Charter Amendments on the Escrow Release Date, the representations and warranties that will be made by Holdings, DBI (as the Borrower) and its Subsidiaries contained in this Article 5 will be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the Escrow the Release Date (and in all respects if qualified by materiality).

ARTICLE 6

AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder, any Loan or other Obligation hereunder which is accrued and payable shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding, the Borrower shall (except in the case of the covenants set forth in Section 6.01, Section 6.02, Section 6.03 and Section 6.15) cause each Restricted Subsidiary to, comply with the following covenants ( provided that upon the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes, the discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture and the effectiveness of the Guarantor Charter Amendments on the Escrow Release Date, DBI and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be deemed to have been subject to all the covenants since the Closing Date and throughout the Escrow Period as if the Transactions had occurred on the Closing Date, and all calculations made under this Agreement shall be made as if such covenants had been applicable to DBI and its Restricted Subsidiaries since the Closing Date and throughout the Escrow Period as if the Transactions had occurred on the Closing Date):

Section 6.01 Financial Statements. Deliver to the Administrative Agent for further distribution to each Lender (provided any of the information required pursuant to this Section 6.01 shall be deemed validly delivered as provided in the last paragraph of Section 6.02):

(a) as soon as available, but in any event within ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year (and in the case of the fiscal year of the Borrower ending December 25, 2010, one hundred and twenty (120) days after the end of such fiscal year) of the Borrower, a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal year, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail and prepared in accordance with GAAP, audited and accompanied by a report and opinion of KPMG LLP or any other independent certified public accountant of nationally recognized standing, which report and opinion shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and shall not be subject to any “going concern” or like qualification or exception or any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit;

(b) as soon as available, but in any event within forty-five (45) days after the end of each of the first three (3) fiscal quarters of the Borrower, a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal quarter, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such fiscal quarter and

 

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for the portion of the fiscal year of the Borrower then ended, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the corresponding fiscal quarter of the previous fiscal year and the corresponding portion of the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail and certified by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower as fairly presenting in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, subject only to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes;

(c) as soon as available, but in any event no later than ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year of the Borrower, reasonably detailed forecasts prepared by management of the Borrower, on a quarterly basis, of consolidated balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements and Consolidated EBITDA of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal year following such fiscal year then ended; and

(d) simultaneously with the delivery of each set of consolidated financial statements referred to in Section 6.01(a) and Section 6.01(b) above, the related consolidating financial statements reflecting the adjustments necessary to eliminate the accounts of Unrestricted Subsidiaries (if any) from such consolidated financial statements.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the obligations in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 6.01 may be satisfied with respect to any financial statements of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries by furnishing (A) the applicable financial statements of Holdings (or any direct or indirect parent of Holdings) or (B) the Borrower’s or Holdings’ (or any direct or indirect parent thereof), as applicable, Form 10-K or 10-Q, as applicable, filed with the SEC, in each case, within the time periods specified in such paragraphs; provided that, with respect to each of clauses (A) and (B), (i) to the extent such financial statements relate to Holdings (or a parent thereof), such financial statements shall be accompanied by consolidating information that explains in reasonable detail the differences between the information relating to Holdings (or such parent), on the one hand, and the information relating to the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a standalone basis, on the other hand, which consolidating information shall be certified by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower as fairly presenting such information and (ii) to the extent such statements are in lieu of statements required to be provided under Section 6.01(a), such statements are accompanied by a report and opinion of KPMG LLP or any other independent registered public accounting firm of nationally recognized standing, which report and opinion shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and shall not be subject to any “going concern” or like qualification or exception or any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit.

Section 6.02 Certificates; Other Information. Deliver to the Administrative Agent for further distribution to each Lender:

(a) no later than five (5) days after the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Section 6.01(a), a certificate of its independent certified public accountants certifying such financial statements and stating that in making the examination necessary therefor no knowledge was obtained of any Event of Default under Section 7.10 or, if any such Event of Default shall exist, stating the nature and status of such event; it being understood that the obligation under this Section 6.02(a) shall be satisfied regardless of whether such certificate is obtained if the Borrower shall have used commercially reasonable efforts to obtain such certificate;

 

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(b) no later than five (5) Business Days after the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Section 6.01(a) and Section 6.01(b), a duly completed Compliance Certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower (which shall set forth reasonably detailed calculations (A) demonstrating compliance with Section 7.10 and (B) in the case of any delivery of financial statements under Section 6.01(a) in respect of any fiscal year of the Borrower ending on or after December 31, 2011, of Excess Cash Flow for such fiscal year); provided that, if such Compliance Certificate demonstrates an Event of Default due to failure to comply with any covenant under Section 7.10 that has not been cured prior to such time, the Borrower may deliver to the extent permitted by Section 8.04, prior to or together with such Compliance Certificate, notice of its intent to cure (a “ Notice of Intent to Cure ”) such Event of Default;

(c) promptly after the same are publicly available, (i) after a Qualifying IPO copies of each annual report, proxy or financial statement or other report or communication sent to the stockholders of the Borrower, and (ii) copies of all annual, regular, periodic and special reports and registration statements which the Borrower or any other Loan Party may file or be required to file, copies of any report, filing or communication with the SEC under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or with any Governmental Authority that may be substituted therefor, or with any national securities exchange, and in any case not otherwise required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant hereto (other than comment letters from the SEC, the contents of which are not materially adverse to the Lenders);

(d) promptly after the furnishing thereof, copies of any material requests or material notices received by any Loan Party from, or material statement or material report furnished to, any holder of debt securities of any Loan Party pursuant to the terms of any Junior Financing Documentation with respect to a Specified Junior Financing Obligation and not otherwise required to be furnished to the Lenders pursuant to any other clause of this Section 6.02;

(e) promptly after the receipt thereof by any Loan Party or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, copies of each notice or other written correspondence received from the SEC (or comparable agency in any applicable non-US jurisdiction) concerning any material investigation or other material inquiry by such agency regarding financial or other operational results of any Loan Party or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to the extent such investigation or inquiry, if resolved unfavorably to such Loan Party, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;

(f) together with the delivery of each Compliance Certificate pursuant to Section 6.02(b), a description of each event, condition or circumstance during the last fiscal quarter covered by such Compliance Certificate requiring a mandatory prepayment under Section 2.05(b); and

(g) promptly, such additional information regarding the business, legal, financial or corporate affairs of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of the Loan Documents, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender through the Administrative Agent may from time to time reasonably request.

Documents required to be delivered pursuant to Sections 6.01 and 6.02 may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on

 

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which the Borrower posts such documents, or provides a link thereto, on the Borrower’s website on the Internet at the website address listed on Schedule 10.02 (or other website identified to the Administrative Agent); or (ii) on which such documents are posted on the Borrower’s behalf on IntraLinks/or another relevant website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have access (whether a commercial, third-party website (including the SEC) or whether sponsored by the Administrative Agent); provided that (A) upon the request of the Administrative Agent (who shall notify each Lender), the Borrower shall deliver paper copies of such documents to the Administrative Agent for further distribution to each Lender and (B) the Borrower shall notify (which may be by facsimile or electronic mail) the Administrative Agent of the posting of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent by electronic mail electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents. The Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to request the delivery or to maintain copies of the documents referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor compliance by the Borrower with any such request for delivery, and each Lender shall be solely responsible for requesting delivery of or maintaining its copies of such documents. The Borrower hereby acknowledges that (a) the Administrative Agent and/or the Arrangers will make available to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer materials and/or information provided by or on behalf of the Borrower hereunder (collectively, “ Borrower Materials ”) by posting the Borrower Materials on IntraLinks or another similar electronic system (the “ Platform ”) and (b) certain of the Lenders may be “public-side” Lenders (i.e., Lenders that do not wish to receive material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities) (each, a “ Public Lender ”). The Borrower hereby agrees that (w) all Borrower Materials that are to be made available to Public Lenders shall be clearly and conspicuously marked “PUBLIC” which, at a minimum, shall mean that the word “PUBLIC” shall appear prominently on the first page thereof; (x) by marking Borrower Materials “PUBLIC,” the Borrower shall be deemed to have authorized the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the L/C Issuer and the Lenders to treat the Borrower Materials as either publicly available information or not material information (although it may be sensitive and proprietary) with respect to the Borrower for purposes of United States Federal and state securities laws; (y) all Borrower Materials marked “PUBLIC” are permitted to be made available through a portion of the Platform designated “Public Lender;” and (z) the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers shall be entitled to treat the Borrower Materials that are not marked “PUBLIC” as being suitable only for posting on a portion of the Platform designated “Private Lender.”

Section 6.03 Notices. Promptly after any Responsible Officer obtaining actual knowledge thereof, notify the Administrative Agent:

(a) of the occurrence of any Default; and

(b) of any matter that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, including arising out of or resulting from (i) breach or non-performance of, or any default under, a Contractual Obligation of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, (ii) any dispute, litigation, investigation, proceeding or suspension between any Loan Party or any Subsidiary and any Governmental Authority, (iii) the commencement of, or any material adverse development in, any litigation or proceeding affecting any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, including pursuant to any applicable Environmental Laws or the assertion or occurrence of any alleged noncompliance by any Loan Party or as any Subsidiaries with any Environmental Law or

 

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Environmental Permit, or (iv) the occurrence of any ERISA Event (or similar event with respect to a Foreign Plan).

Each notice pursuant to this Section 6.03 shall be accompanied by a written statement of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower (x) that such notice is being delivered pursuant to this Section 6.03 and (y) setting forth details of the occurrence referred to therein and (other than in the case of a notice pursuant to Section 6.03(b)) stating what action the Borrower or the applicable Loan Party has taken and proposes to take with respect thereto.

Section 6.04 Payment of Obligations. Pay, discharge or otherwise satisfy as the same shall become due and payable, all its obligations and liabilities (including Taxes) except, in each case, to the extent the failure to pay or discharge the same could not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 6.05 Preservation of Existence, Etc .

(a) Preserve, renew and maintain in full force and effect its legal existence under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its organization except in a transaction permitted by Section 7.04 or Section 7.05, and, in the case of any Restricted Subsidiary to the extent the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (b) take all reasonable action to maintain all rights, privileges (including its good standing), permits, licenses and franchises necessary or desirable in the normal conduct of its business, except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and (c) preserve or renew all of its Material Intellectual Property, except if the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 6.06 Maintenance of Properties. Except if the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, maintain, preserve and protect all of its material properties and equipment necessary in the operation of its business in good working order, repair and condition, ordinary wear and tear, casualty and condemnation excepted and excepting also any obligations that are the obligations of the landlord under any lease.

Section 6.07 Maintenance of Insurance.

(a) (A) Maintain with financially sound and reputable insurance companies, insurance with respect to its properties and business against loss or damage of the kinds customarily insured against by Persons engaged in the same or similar business, of such types and in such amounts (after giving effect to any self-insurance reasonable and customary for similarly situated Persons engaged in the same or similar businesses as the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries) as are customarily carried under similar circumstances by such other Persons and (B) all such insurance with respect to any Collateral shall name the Administrative Agent as mortgagee or loss payee (in the case of property insurance with respect to Collateral) or additional insured, as its interests may arise, on behalf of the Secured Parties (in the case of liability insurance).

(b) If any building (or any part thereof) located on any Material Real Property is at any time located in an area identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (or any

 

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successor agency) as a special flood hazard area with respect to which flood insurance has been made available under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (as now or hereafter in effect or successor act thereto), then Borrower shall, or shall cause the applicable Subsidiary Guarantor to (a) maintain with a financially sound and reputable insurer, flood insurance in an amount and otherwise sufficient to comply with all applicable rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to (i) the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 as now or hereafter in effect or any successor statute thereto, (ii) the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 as now or hereafter in effect or any successor statue thereto, (iii) the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 as now or hereafter in effect or any successor statute thereto and (iv) the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 as now or hereafter in effect or any successor statute thereto and (b) deliver to Administrative Agent evidence of such compliance.

Section 6.08 Compliance With Laws. Comply in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its business or property, except if the failure to comply therewith could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 6.09 Books and Records. Maintain proper books of record and account (in which full, true and correct entries shall be made of all material financial transactions and matters involving the assets and business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries) in a manner that permits the preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP.

Section 6.10 Inspection Rights. Permit representatives and independent contractors of the Administrative Agent and each Lender to visit and inspect any of its properties, to examine its corporate, financial and operating records, and make copies thereof or abstracts therefrom, and to discuss its affairs, finances and accounts with its directors, officers, and independent public accountants, all at the expense of the Borrower as provided below and at such reasonable times during normal business hours and as often as may be reasonably desired, upon reasonable advance notice to the Borrower and the applicable Loan Party; provided that, excluding any such visits and inspections during the continuation of an Event of Default, only the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Lenders may exercise rights under this Section 6.10 and the Administrative Agent shall not exercise such rights more often than two (2) times during any calendar year absent the existence of an Event of Default and only one (1) such time shall be at the Borrower’s expense; provided , further , that when an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing the Administrative Agent or any such Lender (or any of their respective representatives or independent contractors) may do any of the foregoing at the expense of the Borrower at any time during normal business hours and upon reasonable advance notice. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall give the Borrower prior notice of and the right to participate in any discussions with the Borrower’s accountants.

Section 6.11 Use of Proceeds.

(a) Use the proceeds of the Term Loans to finance in part the Transactions (including fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Transactions).

(b) Use the proceeds of the Revolving Credit Facility (subject to Section 2.14 with respect to any New Revolving Credit Loans) (i) to finance in part the fees and expenses incurred in

 

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connection with the Transactions in an amount not to exceed, in the case of Revolving Credit Loans (but excluding Letters of Credit) $25,000,000, (ii) to provide ongoing working capital and (iii) for other general corporate purposes of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries (including Restricted Payments and Investments permitted hereunder and any other transactions not prohibited by this Agreement).

(c) Use the proceeds of the New Term Loans (subject to Section 2.14) made after the Closing Date (i) to provide ongoing working capital and (ii) for other general corporate purposes of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries (including Restricted Payments and Investments permitted hereunder and any other transactions not prohibited by this Agreement).

Section 6.12 Covenant to Guarantee Obligations and Give Security.

(a) Upon (w) the formation or acquisition of any new direct or indirect Restricted Subsidiary (other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary or an Excluded Subsidiary) by the Borrower or a Subsidiary Guarantor, (x) the designation in accordance with Section 6.15 of any existing direct or indirect Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary (other than an Excluded Subsidiary), (y) any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor guaranteeing any Specified Junior Financing Obligations or (z) any Restricted Subsidiary (other than an Excluded Subsidiary) that is designated to be no longer an Immaterial Subsidiary, the Borrower shall, in each case at the Borrower’s expense:

(i) as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case on or prior to thirty (30) days after such formation, acquisition, designation or Guarantee (or such longer period as either specified in Section 6.12(b) or as the Administrative Agent may agree in its reasonable discretion):

(A) cause each such Restricted Subsidiary to duly execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent a supplement to the Guaranty, Guaranteeing the Obligations of the Borrower;

(B) cause each such Restricted Subsidiary that is required to become a Guarantor pursuant to this Section 6.12 to furnish to the Administrative Agent a description of any Material Real Property owned by such Restricted Subsidiary in detail reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;

(C) cause each such Restricted Subsidiary that is required to become a Guarantor pursuant to this Section 6.12 to duly execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent, other than with respect to Excluded Assets, (i) Security Agreement Supplements, Intellectual Property Security Agreements and other Collateral Documents (other than Mortgages), as specified by the Administrative Agent (consistent with the Security Agreement, Intellectual Property Security Agreements and other Collateral Documents in effect (or otherwise agreed) on the Closing Date), and (ii) Mortgages with respect to Material Real Property and such other instruments or documents as are necessary to satisfy the other conditions of the Mortgage Requirement in accordance with Section 6.12(b), in each case granting a Lien in substantially all personal property of such Restricted Subsidiary and all

 

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Material Real Property, securing the Obligations of such Restricted Subsidiary under the Guaranty;

(D) cause each such Restricted Subsidiary that is required to become a Guarantor pursuant to this Section 6.12 to deliver, other than with respect to Excluded Assets, any and all certificates representing Equity Interests directly owned by such Restricted Subsidiary or, if applicable in the case of Equity Interests of Foreign Subsidiaries and, to the extent required by the Security Agreement, cause the legal representative(s) of such Restricted Subsidiary to register the transfer of the Equity Interests in the relevant share registers of such Restricted Subsidiary, in each applicable case accompanied by undated stock powers or other appropriate instruments of transfer executed in blank and, to the extent required by the Security Agreement, instruments, if any, evidencing the intercompany debt held by such Restricted Subsidiary, if any, indorsed in blank to the Administrative Agent or accompanied by other appropriate instruments of transfer;

(E) take and cause such Restricted Subsidiary to take whatever reasonable action (including the filing of Uniform Commercial Code financing statements (or comparable documents or instruments under other applicable Law), and delivery of certificates evidencing stock and membership interests) as may be necessary in the reasonable opinion of the Administrative Agent to vest in the Administrative Agent (or in any representative of the Administrative Agent designated by it) valid and subsisting Liens on the properties purported to be subject to the Collateral Documents delivered pursuant to this Section 6.12; and

(ii) if requested, as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case on or prior to thirty (30) days after the reasonable request therefor by the Administrative Agent, deliver to the Administrative Agent a signed copy of customary legal opinions, addressed to the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties, of counsel for the Loan Parties (or, where customary in the applicable jurisdiction, the Administrative Agent) reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent as to such matters set forth in this Section 6.12(a) as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request,

(b) Upon the acquisition of any Material Real Property by the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor, or if otherwise required by Section 6.12(a)(i), if such Material Real Property shall not already be subject to a perfected Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties, the Borrower or Subsidiary Guarantor, as the case may be, cause such Material Real Property (other than Excluded Assets) to be subjected to a Lien securing the Secured Obligations and will take, or cause the Borrower and Subsidiary Guarantor to take, such actions as shall be necessary or reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to grant and perfect or record such Lien in accordance with the Mortgage Requirement and to satisfy the other conditions of the Mortgage Requirement within ninety (90) days of the requirement becoming applicable (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent may agree in its reasonable discretion).

 

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(c) Concurrently with the delivery of each Compliance Certificate pursuant to Section 6.02(b) in respect of financial statements delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an appropriate Intellectual Property Security Agreement with respect to all Patents (as defined in the Security Agreement) and Trademarks (as defined in the Security Agreement) registered or pending with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and registered or pending Copyrights (as defined in the Security Agreement) with the United States Copyright Office constituting After Acquired Intellectual Property (as defined in the Security Agreement) that is Material Intellectual Property owned by it or any Guarantor as of the last day of the period for which such Compliance Certificate is delivered, to the extent that such After Acquired Intellectual Property that is Material Intellectual Property is not covered by any previous Intellectual Property Security Agreement so signed and delivered by it or such Guarantor. In each case, the Borrower will, and will cause each Subsidiary Guarantor to, promptly cooperate as necessary to enable the Administrative Agent to make any necessary recordations with the US Copyright Office or the US Patent and Trademark Office, as appropriate, with respect to such Material Intellectual Property.

(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 6.12 and the provisions of any Loan Document, (i) the Administrative Agent shall not take, and the Borrower and Subsidiary Guarantors shall not be required to grant, a security interest in any Excluded Assets, (ii) the Administrative Agent shall not take a security interest in any assets, including without limitation, Material Real Property, as to which the Administrative Agent shall determine in writing, in its reasonable discretion, that the cost, burden or consequences of obtaining such Lien (including any mortgage, stamp, intangibles or other similar Tax, title insurance or similar items) is excessive in relation to the benefit to the Secured Parties of the security afforded thereby, (iii) Liens required to be granted pursuant to this Section 6.12, and actions required to be taken, including to perfect such Liens, shall be subject to exceptions and limitations consistent with those set forth in the Collateral Documents as in effect on the Closing Date, (iv) the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors shall not be required to take any actions outside the United States to perfect any Liens in the Collateral, and (v) the Restricted Subsidiaries will not be required to provide any Guaranty or grant a security interest in their property, to the extent any material and adverse tax consequence would reasonably be expected to result from the provision of such Guaranty or the grant of such security interest.

(e) The Borrower agrees to notify the Administrative Agent in writing promptly, but in any event within 30 days, after any change in (i) the legal name of any Grantor (as defined in the Security Agreement), (ii) the identity or type of organization or corporate structure of such Grantor or (iii) the jurisdiction of organization of such Grantor.

Section 6.13 Compliance with Environmental Laws. Except, in each case, to the extent that the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (a) comply, and take all reasonable actions to cause all lessees and other Persons operating or occupying its properties to comply, in all material respects, with all applicable Environmental Laws and Environmental Permits; (b) obtain and renew all Environmental Permits necessary for its operations and properties; and (c) in each case to the extent required by Environmental Laws, conduct any investigation, study, sampling and testing, and undertake any cleanup, removal, remedial or other action necessary to remove and clean up all Hazardous Materials from any of its properties, in accordance with the requirements of all Environmental Laws.

 

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Section 6.14 Further Assurances. Promptly upon reasonable request by the Administrative Agent, or any Lender through the Administrative Agent, (i) correct any material defect or error that may be discovered in the execution, acknowledgment, filing or recordation of any Collateral Document or other document or instrument relating to any Collateral, and (ii) do, execute, acknowledge, deliver, record, re-record, file, re-file, register and re-register any and all such further acts, deeds, certificates, assurances and other instruments as the Administrative Agent, or any Lender through the Administrative Agent, may reasonably require from time to time for the purposes of perfecting (or continuing the perfection of) the rights of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties with respect to the Collateral (or with respect to any additions thereto or replacements or proceeds or products thereof or with respect to any other property or assets hereafter acquired by the Borrower or any other Loan Party which is required to be part of the Collateral to the extent required by Section 6.12), in each case subject to the limitations and exceptions set forth in Section 6.12 and in the Collateral Documents, including, without limitation, delivery of such amendments to the Mortgages, endorsements to the title policies, opinions of counsel and evidence of compliance with flood laws as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require in connection with the transactions contemplated by Sections 2.14, 2.15 or 2.16 hereof or any other amendment, modification or execution of any Facility.

Section 6.15 Designation of Subsidiaries. The board of directors of the Borrower may at any time designate any Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary or any Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary; provided that (a) immediately before and after such designation, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (b) immediately after giving effect to such designation, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in compliance, on a Pro Forma Basis, with the covenants set forth in Section 7.10 (and, as a condition precedent to the effectiveness of any such designation, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate setting forth in reasonable detail the calculations demonstrating such compliance), (c) notwithstanding anything else in this Section 6.15 to the contrary, any Unrestricted Subsidiary that has been re-designated a Restricted Subsidiary may not be subsequently re-designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary and (d) no Subsidiary may be designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary if it is a “Restricted Subsidiary” for the purpose of any Junior Financing. The designation of any Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary shall constitute an Investment by Borrower or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary (as applicable) therein at the date of designation in an amount equal to the fair market value of such Person’s (as applicable) investment therein and the Investment resulting from such designation must otherwise be in compliance with Section 7.02. The designation of any Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary shall constitute the incurrence at the time of designation of any Indebtedness or Liens of such Subsidiary existing at such time. As of the date hereof, any Unrestricted Subsidiaries of DBI are set forth in Section 6.15 of the Confidential Disclosure Letter.

Section 6.16 Maintenance of Ratings. Use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain a rating of the Facilities and a corporate family credit rating of the Borrower by each of S&P and Moody’s.

Section 6.17 Escrow Release Credit Documents.

(a) Concurrently with the release of funds from the Escrow Account on the Escrow Release Date, deliver to the Administrative Agent executed counterparts of the Borrower Assignment

 

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and Assumption Agreement, which shall be originals or facsimiles or electronic copies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, and each executed by a Responsible Officer of DBI.

(b) Immediately following the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes and discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture on the Escrow Release Date, deliver to the Administrative Agent the following, each of which shall be originals or facsimiles or electronic copies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, and each executed by a Responsible Officer of the signing Loan Party:

(i) executed counterparts of a joinder to this Agreement by Holdings;

(ii) executed counterparts of the Guaranty by Holdings and the other Loan Parties (other than DBI);

(iii) executed counterparts to the Security Agreement, duly executed by each of the Loan Parties, together with, if applicable:

(A) certificates representing the Pledged Equity referred to therein, accompanied by undated stock powers executed in blank or, if applicable, other appropriate instruments of transfer and instruments evidencing the Pledged Debt, if any, indorsed in blank,

(B) copies of all lien searches with respect to personal property Collateral, together with copies of the financing statements (or similar documents) disclosed by such searches, and accompanied by evidence that any Liens indicated in any such financing statement that are not permitted by Section 7.01 have been or contemporaneously will be released or terminated (or otherwise provided for in a manner reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent), and all proper financing statements, duly prepared for filing under the Uniform Commercial Code necessary in order to perfect and protect the Liens created under the Security Agreement (in the circumstances and to the extent required under such Security Agreement), covering the Collateral of the Loan Parties described in the Security Agreement; and

(iv) the Intellectual Property Security Agreement, duly executed by each of the relevant Loan Parties, together with evidence that all action that is necessary in order to perfect and protect the Liens on Material Intellectual Property created under the Intellectual Property Security Agreement (in the circumstances and to the extent required under such Security Agreement) has been taken.

(v) an opinion of Ropes & Gray LLP, special counsel for the Loan Parties dated the Escrow Release Date and addressed to each L/C Issuer, the Arrangers, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, substantially in the form previously provided to the Administrative Agent;

 

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(vi) (A) a copy of the certificate or articles of incorporation or organization, including all amendments thereto, of each Loan Party, certified, if applicable, as of a recent date by the Secretary of State of the state of its organization, and (B) a certificate of a Responsible Officer of each Loan Party dated the Escrow Release Date and certifying (1) to the effect that (w) attached thereto is a true and complete copy of the by-laws or operating (or limited liability company) agreement of such Loan Party as in effect on the Escrow Release Date, (x) that attached thereto is a true and complete copy of resolutions duly adopted by the board of directors (or equivalent governing body) of such Loan Party authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of the Loan Documents to which such Person is a party, and that such resolutions have not been modified, rescinded or amended and are in full force and effect, (y) the certificate or articles of incorporation or organization of such Loan Party have not been amended since the date of the last amendment thereto furnished pursuant to clause (A) above, and that such certificate or articles are in full force and effect, and (z) as to the incumbency and specimen signature of each officer executing any Loan Document on behalf of such Loan Party and signed by another officer as to the incumbency and specimen signature of the Responsible Officer executing the certificate pursuant to this clause (B);

(vii) a certificate from the chief financial officer or the treasurer of the Borrower, substantially in the form of Exhibit W, certifying that the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis after giving effect to the Transactions, are Solvent; and

(viii) a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the DBI certifying as to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in paragraph (a) and (b) of Section 4.02.

Section 6.18 Post-Closing Matters. Execute and deliver the documents and complete the tasks set forth in Section 6.17 of the Confidential Disclosure Letter, in each case within the time limits specified on such schedule (unless the Administrative Agent, in its discretion, shall have agreed to any particular longer period).

ARTICLE 7

NEGATIVE COVENANTS

So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder, any Loan or other Obligation hereunder which is accrued and payable shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding, the Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly and indirectly and Holdings shall not (with respect to Section 7.13 only) ( provided that upon the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes, the discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture and the effectiveness of the Guarantor Charter Amendments on the Escrow Release Date, DBI and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be deemed to have been subject to all the covenants, and Holdings shall be deemed to have been subject to Section 7.13, in each case, since the Closing Date and throughout the Escrow Period as if the Transactions had

 

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occurred on the Closing Date, and all calculations made under this Agreement shall be made as if such covenants had been applicable to DBI and its Restricted Subsidiaries since the Closing Date and throughout the Escrow Period as if the Transactions had occurred on the Closing Date):

Section 7.01 Liens. Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of its property, assets or revenues, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, other than the following:

(a) (i) Liens pursuant to any Loan Document and (ii) Liens on cash or deposits granted in favor of the Swing Line Lender or the L/C Issuer to Cash Collateralize any Defaulting Lender’s participation in Letters of Credit or Swing Line Loans, respectively, as contemplated by Section 2.03(a)(ii)(E) and 2.04(b), and 2.17(a)(ii), respectively;

(b) Liens on property of DBI and its Subsidiaries existing on the date hereof and listed in Section 7.01(b) of the Confidential Disclosure Letter and any modifications, replacements, renewals or extensions thereof; provided that (i) the Lien does not extend to any additional property other than (A) after-acquired property that is affixed or incorporated into the property covered by such Lien, and (B) proceeds and products thereof, and (ii) the modification, replacement, renewal, extension or refinancing of the obligations secured or benefited by such Liens (if such obligations constitute Indebtedness) is permitted by Section 7.03;

(c) Liens for taxes, assessments or governmental charges which are not overdue for a period of more than thirty (30) days or, if more than thirty (30) days overdue (i) which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate actions diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person to the extent required in accordance with GAAP or (ii) with respect to which the failure to make payment could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;

(d) statutory Liens and any Liens arising by operation of law in each case of landlords, carriers, warehousemen, mechanics, materialmen, repairmen, construction contractors or other like Liens arising in the ordinary course of business which secure amounts not overdue for a period of more than thirty (30) days or, if more than thirty (30) days overdue (i) no action has been taken to enforce such Lien, (ii) such Lien is being contested in good faith and by appropriate actions diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person to the extent required in accordance with GAAP or (iii) with respect to which the failure to make payment could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;

(e) (i) pledges or deposits in the ordinary course of business in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security legislation, (ii) pledges and deposits in the ordinary course of business securing insurance premiums or reimbursement obligations under insurance policies, in each case payable to insurance carriers that provide insurance to the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or (iii) obligations in respect of letters of credit or bank guarantees that have been posted by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to support the payments of the items set forth in clauses (i) and (ii) of this Section 7.01(e).

 

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(f) (i) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts, governmental contracts and leases (other than Indebtedness for borrowed money), statutory obligations, surety, stay, customs and appeal bonds, performance bonds, performance and completion guarantees and other obligations of a like nature (including those to secure health, safety and environmental obligations) incurred in the ordinary course of business and (ii) obligations in respect of letters of credit or bank guarantees that have been posted to support payment of the items set forth in clause (i) of this Section 7.01(f);

(g) matters of record affecting title to any owned or leased real property and survey exceptions, encroachments, protrusions, recorded and unrecorded servitudes, easements, restrictions, reservations, licenses, rights-of-way, sewers, electric lines, telegraphs and telephone lines, variations in area or measurement, rights of parties in possession under written leases or occupancy agreements, and other title defects and non-monetary encumbrances affecting real property, and zoning, building or other restrictions as to the use of real property or Liens incidental to the conduct of the business of such Person or to the ownership of its properties, in each case that were not incurred in the connection with Indebtedness and which could not, individually or in the aggregate, materially and adversely affect the value of said properties or materially impair their use in the operation of the business of such Person;

(h) Liens securing judgments for the payment of money not constituting an Event of Default under Section 8.01(h);

(i) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(f); provided that (i) such Liens attach concurrently with or within two hundred and seventy (270) days after the acquisition, repair, replacement, construction or improvement (as applicable) of the property subject to such Liens (except in the case of any Permitted Refinancing) and (ii) such Liens do not at any time encumber any property except for accessions to such property other than the property financed by such Indebtedness and the proceeds and the products thereof; provided that individual financings of equipment provided by one lender may be cross collateralized to other financings of equipment provided by such lender;

(j) (i) leases, licenses, subleases or sublicenses granted to other Persons in the ordinary course of business which do not (A) interfere in any material respect with the business of the Borrower and the other Loan Parties, taken as a whole, or (B) secure any Indebtedness for borrowed money or (ii) the rights reserved or vested in any Person by the terms of any lease, license, franchise, grant or permit held by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or by a statutory provision, to terminate any such lease, license, franchise, grant or permit, or to require annual or periodic payments as a condition to the continuance thereof;

(k) Liens in favor of customs and revenue authorities arising as a matter of law to secure payment of customs duties in connection with the importation of goods in the ordinary course of business;

(l) Liens (i) of a collection bank arising under Section 4-210 of the Uniform Commercial Code on items in the course of collection, (ii) attaching to commodity trading accounts or other commodities brokerage accounts incurred in the ordinary course of business or (iii) in

 

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favor of a banking institution arising as a matter of law encumbering deposits (including the right of set-off) and which are within the general parameters customary in the banking industry;

(m) Liens (i) (A) on advances of cash or Cash Equivalents in favor of the seller of any property to be acquired in an Investment permitted pursuant to Section 7.02 to be applied against the purchase price for such Investment and (B) consisting of an agreement to Dispose of any property in a Disposition permitted under Section 7.05, in each case under this clause (m)(i), solely to the extent such Investment or Disposition, as the case may be, would have been permitted on the date of the creation of such Lien or on the date of any contract for such Investment or Disposition, and (ii) earnest money deposits of cash or Cash Equivalents made by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with any letter of intent or purchase agreement permitted hereunder;

(n) Liens on property of any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party securing Indebtedness of such Subsidiary permitted under Section 7.03;

(o) (i) Liens in favor of the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary that is a Loan Party securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(e) and (ii) Liens in favor of a Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party granted by another Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party, provided that any such Lien on Collateral shall be expressly junior in priority to the Liens on such Collateral granted to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties under the Loan Documents and all documentation with respect to such lien priority shall be in the form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;

(p) Liens existing on property at the time of its acquisition or existing on the property of any Person at the time such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary, in each case after the date hereof (other than Liens on the Equity Interests of any Person that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary) and any modifications, replacements, renewals or extensions thereof; provided that (i) such Lien was not created in contemplation of such acquisition or such Person becoming a Restricted Subsidiary, (ii) such Lien does not extend to or cover any other assets or property (other than the proceeds or products thereof and after-acquired property subjected to a Lien pursuant to terms existing at the time of such acquisition, it being understood that such requirement shall not be permitted to apply to any property to which such requirement would not have applied but for such acquisition) and (iii) the Indebtedness secured thereby (or, as applicable, any modifications, replacements, renewals or extension thereof) is permitted under Section 7.03;

(q) Liens arising from precautionary UCC financing statement filings (or similar filings under other applicable Law) regarding leases entered into by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;

(r) Liens arising out of conditional sale, title retention, consignment or similar arrangements for sale of goods entered into by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business and not prohibited by this Agreement;

(s) any interest and title of a lessor, sublessor, licensor or sublicensor under any lease, sublease or license agreement entered into in the ordinary course of business;

 

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(t) to the extent constituting Liens, Dispositions expressly permitted under Section 7.05 (other than Section 7.05(e));

(u) Liens securing Indebtedness or other obligations outstanding in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $50,000,000;

(v) Liens that are contractual rights of set-off (i) relating to the establishment of depository relations with banks not given in connection with the issuance of Indebtedness, (ii) relating to pooled deposit or sweep accounts of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to permit satisfaction of overdraft or similar obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries or (iii) relating to purchase orders and other agreements entered into with customers of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business;

(w) Liens encumbering reasonable customary initial deposits and margin deposits and similar Liens attaching to commodity trading accounts or other brokerage accounts incurred in the ordinary course of business and not for speculative purposes;

(x) Liens on insurance policies and the proceeds thereof securing the financing of the premiums with respect thereto;

(y) Liens on specific items of inventory or other goods and the proceeds thereof securing such Person’s obligations in respect of documentary letters of credit or banker’s acceptances issued or created for the account of such Person to facilitate the purchase, shipment or storage of such inventory or goods;

(z) Liens deemed to exist in connection with Investments in repurchase agreements referred to in clause (d) of the definition of “Cash Equivalents”;

(aa) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(s)(ii) and any modifications, replacements, renewals or extensions thereof; provided that the modification, replacement, renewal, extension or refinancing of the obligations secured or benefited by such Liens is permitted by Section 7.03(s)(iii);

(bb) ground leases in respect of real property on which facilities owned or leased by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries are located;

(cc) customary rights of first refusal and tag, drag and similar rights in joint venture agreements and franchise agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(dd) restrictions on the use of Ad Fund Cash and Gift Card Restricted Funds in accordance with the documentation governing the Ad Fund Cash and the Gift Card Restricted Funds; and

(ee) Liens on the Collateral securing (i) Permitted First Priority Refinancing Debt and subject to the Pari Passu Intercreditor Agreement or (ii) Permitted Second Priority Refinancing Debt and subject to the Second Lien Intercreditor Agreement.

 

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Section 7.02 Investments. Make or hold any Investments, except:

(a) Investments by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in assets that were Cash Equivalents when such Investment was made;

(b) loans or advances to officers, directors, members of management, and employees of Holdings or (to the extent relating to the business of Holdings and its Restricted Subsidiaries) any direct or indirect parent thereof, the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary (i) for reasonable and customary business-related travel, entertainment, relocation and analogous ordinary business purposes and (ii) in connection with such Person’s purchase of Equity Interests of Holdings;

(c) Investments (i) by any Loan Party in any other Loan Party (other than Holdings), (ii) by any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party in any Loan Party (other than Holdings) or in any other Restricted Subsidiary that is also not a Loan Party, (iii) by any Loan Party in any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party in an aggregate amount, together with Investments pursuant to Section 7.02(i)(A)(2)(x), not to exceed the greater of (X) $150,000,000 and (Y) 5.0% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period last ended (in the case of clause (iii), determined without regard to any write-downs or write-offs of such Investments), and (iv) by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries in any Subsidiary of the type described in clause (c) of the definition of Excluded Subsidiary to the extent consisting of contributions or other Dispositions of Equity Interests in other Subsidiaries of the type described in clause (c) of the definition of Excluded Subsidiary to such Subsidiary;

(d) Investments consisting of extensions of credit in the nature of accounts receivable or notes receivable arising from the grant of trade credit in the ordinary course of business, and Investments received in satisfaction or partial satisfaction thereof from financially troubled account debtors and other credits to suppliers in the ordinary course of business;

(e) Investments consisting of Liens, Indebtedness, fundamental changes, Dispositions, Restricted Payments and prepayments and repurchases of Indebtedness expressly permitted by Section 7.01, Section 7.03 (other than Sections 7.03(d) and (e)), Section 7.04 (other than Section 7.04(c)), Section 7.05 (other than Sections 7.05(d)(ii) and (e)), Section 7.06 (other than Section 7.06(e)(v)), Section 7.13 and Section 10.07(l), respectively;

(f) Investments of DBI and its Subsidiaries existing or contemplated on the date hereof or as set forth in Section 7.02(f) of the Confidential Disclosure Letter and any modification, replacement, renewal or extension thereof as in effect on the date hereof; provided that the amount of the original Investment is not increased except by the terms of such Investment or as otherwise permitted by this Section 7.02;

(g) Investments in Swap Contracts permitted by Section 7.03;

(h) promissory notes and other non-cash consideration received in connection with Dispositions permitted by Section 7.05;

(i) the purchase or other acquisition of all or substantially all of the assets or business of, any Person, or of assets constituting a business unit, a line of business or division of, any Person,

 

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or of the Equity Interests in a Person that, upon the consummation thereof, will be owned directly by the Borrower or one or more of its Restricted Subsidiaries (including, without limitation, as a result of a merger or consolidation); provided that, with respect to each such purchase or other acquisition made pursuant to this Section 7.02(i) (each of the foregoing, a “ Permitted Acquisition ”):

(A) (1) each applicable Loan Party and any such newly created or acquired Subsidiary shall, or will within the times specified therein, have complied with the applicable requirements of Section 6.12 to the extent required thereby, and (2) the aggregate amount of cash or property provided by Loan Parties to make any such purchase or acquisition of assets that are not purchased or acquired (or do not become owned) by a Loan Party or in Equity Interests in Persons that do not become Loan Parties upon consummation of such purchase or acquisition shall not exceed, together with Investments pursuant to Section 7.02(c)(iii), the sum of (x) the greater of (i) $150,000,000 and (ii) 5.0% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period last ended and (y) amounts otherwise available pursuant to Section 7.02(n);

(B) (1) immediately before and immediately after giving Pro Forma Effect to any such purchase or other acquisition, no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (2) immediately after giving effect to such purchase or other acquisition, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with all of the covenants set forth in Section 7.10, such compliance to be determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or Section 6.01(b) as though such purchase or other acquisition had been consummated as of the first day of the fiscal period covered thereby and evidenced by a certificate from the chief financial officer or treasurer of the Borrower demonstrating such compliance calculation in reasonable detail; and

(C) the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent, no later than the date on which any such purchase or other acquisition is consummated, a certificate of a Responsible Officer certifying that all of the requirements set forth in this clause (i) have been satisfied or will be satisfied on or prior to the consummation of such purchase or other acquisition.

(j) Investments in connection with Refranchising Transactions in the ordinary course of business;

(k) Investments in the ordinary course of business consisting of (i) endorsements for collection or deposit or (ii) customary trade arrangements with customers;

(l) Investments (including debt obligations and Equity Interests) received in connection with (x) the bankruptcy or reorganization of any Person and in settlement of obligations of, or disputes with, any Person arising in the ordinary course of business and upon foreclosure with respect to any secured Investment or other transfer of title with respect

 

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to any secured Investment and (y) the non-cash proceeds of any Disposition permitted by Section 7.05;

(m) loans and advances to Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof in lieu of, and not in excess of the amount of (after giving effect to any other loans, advances or Restricted Payments in respect thereof), Restricted Payments permitted to be made to Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof in accordance with Section 7.06; provided , that any Investment made under this Section 7.02(m) shall reduce dollar for dollar capacity to make Restricted Payments under Section 7.06;

(n) Investments that do not exceed the sum of (x) the greater of (A) $100,000,000 and (B) 3.0% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period last ended at any time outstanding, plus (y) the Cumulative Amount at the time of such Investment;

(o) advances of payroll payments to employees in the ordinary course of business;

(p) Guarantees by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary of leases (other than Capitalized Leases) or of other obligations that do not constitute Indebtedness, in each case entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(q) Investments to the extent the consideration paid therefor consists solely of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Equity Interests) of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof;

(r) Investments consisting of promissory notes issued by any Loan Party to future, present or former officers, directors and employees, members of management, or consultants of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or their respective estates, spouses or former spouses to finance the purchase or redemption of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Equity Interests) of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof, to the extent the applicable Restricted Payment is permitted by Section 7.06;

(s) Investments held by a Person that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary (or is merged, amalgamated or consolidated with or into the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary) pursuant to this Section 7.02 (and, if applicable, Section 7.04) after the Closing Date to the extent that such Investments were not made in contemplation of or in connection with such acquisition, merger, amalgamation or consolidation;

(t) Investments made in the ordinary course of business in connection with obtaining, maintaining or renewing client and customer contracts and loans or advances made to, and guarantees with respect to obligations of, distributors, suppliers, franchisees, franchisors, licensors and licensees in the ordinary course of business;

(u) Investments made by any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party to the extent such Investments are made with the proceeds received by such Restricted Subsidiary from an Investment made by a Loan Party in such Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to this Section 7.02; and

 

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(v) Investments in any Ad Fund Special Subsidiary and any Gift Card Special Subsidiary, in each case, to the extent funded with cash received from franchisees.

Section 7.03 Indebtedness. Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:

(a) The Senior Notes (including any guarantees thereof by the Subsidiary Guarantors) issued on the Closing Date in an aggregate principal amount of $625,000,000, the exchange notes and related exchange guarantees to be issued by the Subsidiary Guarantors in exchange for such Senior Notes pursuant to the registration rights agreement entered into in connection with the issuance of such Senior Notes, and any Permitted Refinancing of the foregoing;

(b) Indebtedness of the Loan Parties under the Loan Documents;

(c) Indebtedness of DBI and its Subsidiaries outstanding on the date hereof and listed in Section 7.03(c) of the Confidential Disclosure Letter and any Permitted Refinancing thereof;

(d) Guarantees by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in respect of Indebtedness of the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary otherwise permitted hereunder and to the extent permitted by Section 7.02; provided that (A) no Guarantee by any Restricted Subsidiary of any Indebtedness constituting a Specified Junior Financing Obligation shall be permitted unless such Restricted Subsidiary shall have also provided a Guarantee of the Obligations substantially on the terms set forth in the applicable Guaranty to the extent required by Section 6.12 and (B) if the Indebtedness being Guaranteed is subordinated to the Obligations, such Guarantee shall be subordinated to the Guarantee of the Obligations on terms at least as favorable to the Lenders as those contained in the subordination provisions of such Indebtedness;

(e) Indebtedness of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary owing to the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to the extent such Investment is permitted by Section 7.02; provided that all such Indebtedness of any Loan Party to any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party must be expressly subordinated to the Obligations of such Loan Party;

(f) Attributable Indebtedness and purchase money obligations (including obligations in respect of mortgage, industrial revenue bond, industrial development bond, and similar financings) to finance the purchase, repair or improvement of fixed or capital assets within the limitations set forth in Section 7.01(i) and any Permitted Refinancing thereof; provided that the aggregate amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding shall not exceed the greater of (A) $65,000,000 and (B) 2.0% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period;

(g) Indebtedness of Restricted Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties in an aggregate principal amount at any time outstanding for all such Persons taken together not exceeding the greater of (A) $65,000,000 and (B) 2.00% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period;

(h) Indebtedness in respect of Swap Contracts not incurred for speculative purposes;

(i) Indebtedness (other than for borrowed money) subject to Liens permitted under Section 7.01;

 

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(j) (i) Indebtedness (not constituting Disqualified Equity Interests) assumed in connection with any Permitted Acquisition; provided that such Indebtedness is not incurred in contemplation of such Permitted Acquisition; provided that both immediately prior and after giving effect to any Indebtedness incurred pursuant to this clause (j)(i), (x) no Event of Default shall exist or result therefrom, and (y) the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 7.10 and the Borrower’s Total Leverage Ratio shall be no greater than the greater of (1) 6.50 to 1.0 as of the end of the Test Period last ended, after giving effect to such Permitted Acquisition and the assumption, incurrence or issuance of such Indebtedness and (2) the Total Leverage Ratio immediately prior to the consummation of such Permitted Acquisition and (ii) any Permitted Refinancing thereof;

(k) Indebtedness representing deferred compensation to employees of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary;

(l) Indebtedness constituting obligations for indemnification, the adjustment of the purchase price or similar adjustments incurred under agreements for a Permitted Acquisition or Disposition;

(m) Indebtedness consisting of obligations of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary under deferred compensation or other similar arrangements incurred by such Person in connection with Permitted Acquisitions;

(n) Cash Management Obligations and other Indebtedness in respect of netting services, overdraft protections and similar arrangements in each case in connection with cash management and deposit accounts;

(o) Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed the greater of (A) $100,000,000 and (B) 3.25% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period at any time outstanding;

(p) Indebtedness consisting of (A) the financing of insurance premiums or (B) take-or-pay obligations contained in supply arrangements, in each case, in the ordinary course of business;

(q) Indebtedness incurred by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary constituting reimbursement obligations with respect to letters of credit issued in the ordinary course of business, including in respect of workers compensation claims, health, disability or other employee benefits or property, casualty or liability insurance or self-insurance or other Indebtedness with respect to reimbursement-type obligations regarding workers compensation claims; provided that upon the drawing of such letters of credit or the incurrence of such Indebtedness, such obligations are reimbursed within thirty (30) days following such drawing or incurrence;

(r) obligations in respect of surety, stay, customs and appeal bonds, performance bonds and performance and completion guarantees provided by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary or obligations in respect of letters of credit related thereto, in each case in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice;

 

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(s) (i) (A) Permitted Unsecured Indebtedness to the extent the Net Cash Proceeds of such Permitted Unsecured Indebtedness are utilized within ninety (90) days of the incurrence thereof to finance a Permitted Acquisition (or if not so utilized within such time period, solely to the extent the Net Cash Proceeds of such Permitted Unsecured Indebtedness are applied to prepay Term Loans pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(iv)) and (B) Indebtedness owed to the seller of any property acquired in a Permitted Acquisition, so long as (x) the Borrower shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 7.10, (y) if the aggregate amount of Permitted Unsecured Indebtedness incurred pursuant to clause (s)(i)(A) and (s)(i)(B) exceeds $50,000,000, the Borrower’s Total Leverage Ratio shall be no greater than the greater of (1) 6.50 to 1.0 after giving effect to such Permitted Acquisition and the assumption, incurrence or issuance of such Indebtedness and (2) the Total Leverage Ratio immediately prior to the consummation of such Permitted Acquisition and (z) no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, (ii) Permitted Second Lien Indebtedness to the extent the Net Cash Proceeds of such Indebtedness are utilized within ninety (90) days of the incurrence thereof to finance a Permitted Acquisition (or if not so utilized within such time period, solely to the extent the Net Cash Proceeds of such Permitted Second Lien Indebtedness are applied to prepay Term Loans pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(iv)), so long as (x) the Borrower shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 7.10, (y) the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio shall be no greater than the greater of (1) 4.0 to 1.0 as of the end of the Test Period then last ended, after giving effect to such Permitted Acquisition and the assumption, incurrence or issuance of such Indebtedness and (2) the Total Leverage Ratio immediately prior to the consummation of such Permitted Acquisition and (z) no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, and (iii) any Permitted Refinancing of Indebtedness incurred pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) hereof meeting the requirements of Permitted Unsecured Indebtedness or Permitted Second Lien Indebtedness, as applicable;

(t) Indebtedness in respect of (x) any bankers’ acceptance, letter of credit, warehouse receipt or similar facilities entered into in the ordinary course of business or (y) any letter of credit issued in favor of the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender to support any Defaulting Lender’s participation in Letters of Credit or Swing Line Loans, respectively, as contemplated by Section 2.03(a)(ii)(E) or 2.04(b), respectively;

(u) Indebtedness to current or former officers, directors, managers, consultants and employees, their Controlled Investment Affiliates or Immediate Family Members to finance the purchase or redemption of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Equity Interests) of the Borrower (or any direct or indirect parent thereof) permitted by Section 7.06;

(v) (i) Permitted Subordinated Indebtedness to finance any prepayments of Indebtedness under the Loan Documents pursuant to Section 2.05(b)(iv) or 10.07(l) and (ii) any Permitted Refinancing thereof meeting the requirements of Permitted Subordinated Indebtedness;

(w) Indebtedness incurred in the ordinary course of business in respect of obligations of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to pay the deferred purchase price of goods or services or progress payments in connection with such goods and services;

(x) all premiums (if any), interest (including post-petition interest), fees, expenses, charges and additional or contingent interest on obligations described in clauses (a) through (w);

 

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(y) Guarantees by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary of obligations of franchisees or any of their Affiliates in an aggregate outstanding amount not to exceed the greater of (A) $30,000,000 and (B) 1.0% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period at any time outstanding;

(z) the Subordinated Note; and

(aa) Permitted Unsecured Refinancing Debt, Permitted First Priority Refinancing Debt and Permitted Second Priority Refinancing Debt, in each case of a Loan Party.

Accrual of interest or dividends, the accretion of accreted value, the accretion or amortization of original issue discount, and the payment of interest or dividends in the form of additional Indebtedness shall in each case not be deemed to be an incurrence of Indebtedness for purposes of this Section 7.03.

Section 7.04 Fundamental Changes. Merge, dissolve, liquidate, consolidate with or into another Person, except that:

(a) any Restricted Subsidiary may merge with or liquidate into (i) the Borrower (including a merger, the purpose of which is to reorganize the Borrower into a new jurisdiction so long as the Borrower remains organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia (the “ Jurisdictional Requirements ”)); provided that the Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person, or (ii) any one or more other Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that when any Restricted Subsidiary that is a Loan Party is merging with another Restricted Subsidiary, (A) a Loan Party (other than Holdings) shall be the continuing or surviving Person; or (B) to the extent constituting an Investment, such Investment must be an Investment permitted by Section 7.02 and any Indebtedness corresponding to such Investment must be permitted by Section 7.03;

(b) (i) any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may merge or consolidate with or into any other Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party and (ii) any Subsidiary (other than the Borrower) may liquidate or dissolve or change its legal form if the Borrower determines in good faith that such action is in the best interests of the Borrower;

(c) the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary may merge with any other Person in order to (i) effect an Investment permitted pursuant to Section 7.02 ( provided that (A) the continuing or surviving Person shall be a Restricted Subsidiary, which together with each of its Restricted Subsidiaries, shall have complied with the requirements of Section 6.12 and (B) to the extent constituting an Investment, such Investment must be a permitted Investment in accordance with Section 7.02) or (ii) to effect the designation of a Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary or an Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary in accordance with Section 6.15; provided that if the Borrower is a party to any transaction effected pursuant to this Section 7.04(c), (A) the Borrower shall be the continuing and surviving Person or the continuing or surviving Person shall expressly assume the obligations of the Borrower in a manner reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent, (B) the Jurisdictional Requirements shall be satisfied, and (C) no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom;

 

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(d) so long as no Default exists or would result therefrom, the Borrower may (i) merge with any other Person; provided that the Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving corporation and the Jurisdictional Requirements shall be satisfied or (ii) change its legal form to a limited liability company if the Borrower determines in good faith that such action is in the best interests of the Borrower;

(e) so long as no Event of Default exists or would result therefrom, a merger, dissolution, liquidation or consolidation, the purpose of which is to effect a Disposition permitted pursuant to Section 7.05, may be effected; provided that if the Borrower is a party to any transaction effected pursuant to this Section 7.04(e), (i) the Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person and (ii) the Jurisdictional Requirements shall be satisfied; and

(f) the Initial Borrower and DBI may consummate the Assumption and the Borrower Merger.

Section 7.05 Dispositions. Make any Disposition except:

(a) Dispositions of obsolete, used, surplus or worn out property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, in the ordinary course of business and Dispositions of property no longer used or useful in the conduct of the business of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(b) Dispositions of inventory and equipment in the ordinary course of business;

(c) Dispositions of property to the extent that (i) such property is exchanged for credit against the purchase price of similar replacement property or (ii) the proceeds of such Disposition are promptly applied to the purchase price of such replacement property;

(d) Dispositions of property by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to the Borrower or any other Restricted Subsidiary (including any such Disposition effected pursuant to a merger, liquidation or dissolution); provided that if the transferor of such property is a Guarantor or the Borrower then (i) the transferee thereof must either be the Borrower or a Guarantor (other than Holdings) or (ii) to the extent such transaction constitutes an Investment, such transaction is permitted under Section 7.02 and any Indebtedness corresponding to such Investment must be permitted by Section 7.03;

(e) Dispositions permitted by Section 7.02 (other than Section 7.02(e)), Section 7.04 (other than Section 7.04(e)) and Section 7.06 (other than Section 7.06(d)) and Liens permitted by Section 7.01;

(f) Dispositions of property (other than IP Collateral) pursuant to sale-leaseback transactions; provided that (i) with respect to such property owned by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries on the Closing Date, the fair market value of all property so Disposed of after the Closing Date shall not exceed $50,000,000 and (ii) with respect to such property acquired by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries after the Closing Date, the applicable sale-leaseback transaction occurs within one hundred eighty (180) days after the acquisition or construction (as applicable) of such property;

(g) Dispositions of Cash Equivalents;

 

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(h) Dispositions of accounts receivable in connection with the collection or compromise thereof;

(i) leases, subleases, licenses or sublicenses of property in the ordinary course of business and which do not materially interfere with the business of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(j) transfers of property subject to Casualty Events upon receipt of the Net Cash Proceeds of such Casualty Event;

(k) Dispositions of property by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that (i) at the time of such Disposition, (other than any such Disposition made pursuant to a legally binding commitment entered into at a time when no Default exists), no Default shall exist, (ii) with respect to any Disposition pursuant to this Section 7.05(k) for a purchase price in excess of the greater of (x) $20,000,000 and (y) 0.75% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period last ended, the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries shall receive not less than 75% of such consideration in the form of cash or Cash Equivalents (in each case, free and clear of all Liens at the time received other than Liens permitted by Section 7.01) (it being understood that for the purposes of this clause (k)(ii), the following shall be deemed to be cash: (A) any liabilities (as shown on the Borrower’s or such Restricted Subsidiary’s most recent balance sheet provided hereunder or in the footnotes thereto) of the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary, other than liabilities that are by their terms subordinated to the payment in cash of the Obligations, that are assumed by the transferee with respect to the applicable Disposition and for which all of its Restricted Subsidiaries shall have been validly released by all applicable creditors in writing, (B) any securities received by such Restricted Subsidiary from such transferee that are converted by such Restricted Subsidiary into cash or Cash Equivalents (to the extent of the cash or Cash Equivalents received) within one hundred and eighty (180) days following the closing of the applicable Disposition, (C) the fair market value of any notes, receivables or other non- cash consideration received in any Refranchising Transaction in the ordinary course of business and (D) any Designated Non-Cash Consideration received in respect of such Disposition having an aggregate fair market value, taken together with all other Designated Non-Cash Consideration received pursuant to this clause (D) that is at that time outstanding, not in excess of the greater of $30,000,000 and 1.00% of Total Assets at the time of the receipt of such Designated Non-Cash Consideration, with the fair market value of each item of Designated Non-Cash Consideration being measured at the time received and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value) and ), and (iii) the Consolidated EBITDA of the Borrower generated by, or associated with all such property Disposed of pursuant to this Section 7.05(k) in any fiscal year of the Borrower shall not exceed 10.0% of Consolidated EBITDA of the Borrower for the most recently ended four fiscal quarter period of the Borrower prior to the date of such Disposition.

(l) Dispositions of Investments in Joint Ventures, to the extent required by, or made pursuant to buy/sell arrangements between the joint venture parties forth in, joint venture arrangements and similar binding arrangements in effect on the Closing Date;

(m) Dispositions in the ordinary course of business consisting of the abandonment of IP Rights which, in the reasonable good faith determination of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary, are uneconomical, negligible, obsolete or otherwise not material in the conduct of its

 

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business (it being understood and agreed that no Material Intellectual Property may be Disposed of in reliance on this clause (m));

(n) any surrender or waiver of contractual rights or the settlement, release or surrender of contractual rights or other litigation claims in the ordinary course of business; and

(o) Refranchising Transactions; provided that the aggregate fair market value of all owned real property sold to franchisees in reliance on this clause (o) shall not exceed $20,000,000 during any fiscal year of the Borrower (with unused amounts in any calendar year being carried over to the immediately succeeding fiscal year, subject to a maximum of $30,000,000 in any fiscal year);

provided that any Disposition of any property pursuant to this Section 7.05 (except pursuant to Section 7.05(d), Section 7.05(e), 7.05(h), 7.05(j) and Section 7.05(m)), shall be for no less than the fair market value of such property at the time of such Disposition. To the extent any Collateral is Disposed of as expressly permitted by this Section 7.05 to any Person other than a Loan Party, such Collateral shall be sold free and clear of the Liens created by the Loan Documents, and the Administrative Agent is hereby authorized by the Lenders to take any actions deemed appropriate in order to effect the foregoing.

Section 7.06 Restricted Payments. Declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, except (subject to the proviso in Section 7.02(m)):

(a) each Restricted Subsidiary may make Restricted Payments to the Borrower and to other Restricted Subsidiaries (and, in the case of a Restricted Payment by a non-wholly owned Restricted Subsidiary with respect to any class or type of Equity Interests, to (i) the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary and (ii) to each other owner of Equity Interests of such Restricted Subsidiary based on their relative ownership interests of such class or type of Equity Interests);

(b) the Borrower and each Restricted Subsidiary may declare and make dividend payments or other distributions payable solely in the Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Equity Interests) of such Person;

(c) the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries may make Restricted Payments necessary to consummate the Transactions, including payment of the Special Dividend;

(d) to the extent constituting Restricted Payments, transactions expressly permitted by Section 7.02 (other than Section 7.02(e), (m) and (r)), Section 7.04, or Section 7.05 (other than Section 7.05(e));

(e) the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries may make Restricted Payments to Holdings:

(i) the proceeds of which will be used by Holdings to pay (or to make a payment to any direct or indirect parent of Holdings to enable it to pay) the Tax liability for each relevant jurisdiction in respect of consolidated, combined, unitary or affiliated returns filed by or on behalf of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof; provided that such proceeds are limited to the portion of such Tax liability attributable to the income

 

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of the Borrower and/or its applicable Subsidiaries, reduced by any portion of such Taxes directly paid by Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries; and provided , further , that any payments attributable to the income of Unrestricted Subsidiaries shall be permitted only to the extent that cash payments were made for such purpose by the Unrestricted Subsidiaries to the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(ii) the proceeds of which shall be used by Holdings to pay (or to make a payment to any direct or indirect parent of Holdings to enable it to pay) such entities’ operating expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business and other corporate overhead costs and expenses (including, without limitation, administrative, legal, accounting and similar expenses provided by third parties), which are reasonable and customary and incurred in the ordinary course of business, plus any reasonable and customary indemnification claims made by directors or officers of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof attributable to the ownership or operations of Holdings, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(iii) the proceeds of which shall be used by Holdings to pay (or to make a payment to any direct or indirect parent of Holdings to enable it to pay) franchise taxes and other fees, taxes and expenses required to maintain the corporate existence of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof;

(iv) the proceeds of which will be used by Holdings to pay (or to make a payment to any direct or indirect parent of Holdings to enable it to pay) for the repurchase, retirement or other acquisition or retirement for value of Equity Interests of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof held by any future, present or former employee, director, officer, member of management or consultant of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof, or any of its Subsidiaries (or any Controlled Investment Affiliate or Immediate Family Member thereof); provided that the aggregate amount of Restricted Payments made under this clause (e)(iv) does not exceed in any calendar year $10,000,000 (or, after a Qualifying IPO, $15,000,000) (with unused amounts in any calendar year being carried over to the two (2) immediately succeeding calendar years, subject to a maximum of $20,000,000 in any calendar year (or, after a Qualifying IPO, $30,000,000)); and provided further that such amount in any calendar year may be increased by an amount not to exceed (A) the cash proceeds from the sale of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Equity Interests) of Holdings to employees, directors, officers, members of management or consultants of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof or of its Subsidiaries that occurs after the Closing Date to the extent such proceeds constitute Eligible Equity Proceeds plus (B) the cash proceeds of key man life insurance policies received by Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof (to the extent such proceeds are contributed to the Borrower), the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary after the Closing Date ( provided that the Borrower may elect to apply all or any portion of the aggregate increase contemplated by clauses (A) and (B) above in any calendar year) less (C) the amount of any Restricted Payments previously made pursuant to clauses (A) and (B) of this clause (e)(iv);

(v) to finance any Investment permitted to be made pursuant to Section 7.02; provided that (A) such Restricted Payment shall be made substantially concurrently with

 

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the closing or consummation of such Investment and (B) Holdings or the applicable parent company thereof shall, immediately following the closing or consummation thereof, cause (1) all property acquired (whether assets or Equity Interests) to be contributed to the Borrower or a Loan Party other than Holdings (or a Person that will become a Loan Party (other than Holdings) upon receipt of such contribution) or (2) the merger (to the extent permitted in Section 7.04) of the Person formed or acquired into the Borrower or a Loan Party (other than Holdings) in order to consummate such Permitted Acquisition, in each case, in accordance with the requirements of Section 6.12;

(vi) the proceeds of which shall be used by Holdings to make (or to make a payment to any direct or indirect parent of Holdings to enable it to make) cash payments in lieu of the issuance of fractional shares in connection with the exercise of warrants, options or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for Equity Interests of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof; provided that any such cash payment shall not be for the purpose of evading the limitations set forth in this Section 7.06 (as determined in good faith by the board of directors or the managing board, as the case may be, of the Borrower (or any authorized committee thereof));

(vii) the proceeds of which shall be used by Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof to pay fees and expenses (other than to Affiliates) related to any unsuccessful equity or debt offering not prohibited by this Agreement (in the case of any such parent or indirect parent, only to the extent such parent or indirect parent does not hold material assets other than those relating to the Borrower and its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses);

(viii) the proceeds of which shall be used by Holdings to pay (or to make a payment to any direct or indirect parent of Holdings to enable it to pay) customary salary, bonus and other benefits payable to officers and employees of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof to the extent such salaries, bonuses and other benefits are directly attributable to the ownership or operations of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries; and

(ix) the proceeds of which shall be used by Holdings to pay (or to make a payment to any direct or indirect parent of Holdings to enable it to pay) amounts of the type described in Sections 7.08(g) or 7.08(i), in each case to the extent the applicable payment would be permitted under the applicable clause in Section 7.08 if such payment were to be made by the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries and in lieu of such payment being made under such applicable clauses of Section 7.08;

(f) so long as no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries may make Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount that does not exceed the sum of (i) the greater of (x) $35,000,000 and (y) 1.00% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period last ended (such amount to be reduced on a dollar for dollar basis by any use of this Section 7.06(f)(i) reallocated to prepayments of Junior Financings pursuant to Section 7.13(i) and) and (ii) the Cumulative Amount as in effect immediately prior to the time of making of such Restricted Payment; provided that, in the case of any Restricted Payment under this clause (f) made with the Cumulative

 

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Amount, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 7.10 after giving effect to such Restricted Payment and the use of proceeds thereof;

(g) repurchases of Equity Interests in Holdings (or any direct or indirect parent company), the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary deemed to occur upon exercise of stock options or warrants if such Equity Interests represent a portion of the exercise price of such options or warrants;

(h) payments made or expected to be made by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of withholding or similar Taxes payable by any future, present or former employee, director, manager or consultant and any repurchases of Equity Interests in consideration of such payments including deemed repurchases in connection with the exercise of stock options;

(i) cash payments in lieu of fractional shares in connection with the exercise of warrants, options or other securities, convertible or exchangeable for Equity Interests of Borrower or any direct or indirect parent company of Borrower;

(j) so long as no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom and the Cumulative Amount shall not be negative after giving effect thereto, the declaration and payment of dividends and distributions on the Borrower’s common stock (or the payment of dividends to any direct or indirect parent entity of the Borrower to fund a payment of dividends on such entity’s common stock), following the consummation of the first public offering of the Borrower’s common stock or the common stock of any of its direct or indirect parent companies after the Closing Date, of up to 6% per annum of the net cash proceeds received by or contributed to the Borrower in or from any such public offering, other than public offerings with respect to the Borrower’s common stock registered on Form S-4 or Form S-8.

Section 7.07 Change in Nature of Business. Engage in any material line of business substantially different from those lines of business conducted by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries on the date hereof or any business reasonably related or ancillary thereto.

Section 7.08 Transactions with Affiliates. Enter into any transaction of any kind with any Affiliate of the Borrower, whether or not in the ordinary course of business, other than (a) transactions among the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries or any Person that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of such transaction, (b) on terms substantially as favorable to the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary as would be obtainable by the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary in a comparable arm’s-length transaction with a Person other than an Affiliate, (c) the Transactions, including the payment of fees and expenses in connection with the consummation of the Transactions, (d) Investments by the Borrower and the Subsidiaries to the extent permitted by Section 7.02 (b), (c), (d), (j), (m), (o), (p), (r), (s), (t), or (v) and Restricted Payments by the Borrower and the Subsidiaries to the extent permitted by Section 7.06, (e) entering into employment and severance arrangements between Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries and their respective officers and employees, as determined in good faith by the board of directors or senior management of the relevant Person, (f) the payment of customary fees and reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket costs of, and customary indemnities provided to or on behalf of, directors, officers and employees of Holdings or any direct or indirect parent thereof, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, to the extent attributable to the ownership or operations of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, as determined in good faith by the board of directors or senior management of the relevant Person, (g) the payment of fees, expenses, indemnities or other payments pursuant to, and transactions pursuant to, the permitted agreements in existence on the Closing Date and set forth in Section 7.08 of the Confidential

 

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Disclosure Letter or any amendment thereto to the extent such an amendment is not materially disadvantageous to the Lenders, (h) [omitted], (i) the payment of (A)(1) so long as no Event of Default under Section 8.01(a) or (f)  shall have occurred and is continuing or shall result therefrom, management, consulting, monitoring, advisory fees and other fees (including termination fees to the extent funded with proceeds from a Permitted Equity Issuance) pursuant to the Management Agreement (plus any unpaid management, consulting, monitoring, advisory and other fees accrued in any prior year) and (2) indemnities and expenses to the Sponsors pursuant to the Management Agreement, and (B) customary compensation to the Sponsors made for any financial advisory, financing, underwriting or placement services or in respect of other investment banking activities and other transaction fees (including in connection with acquisitions and Dispositions which are not set forth in the Management Agreement), in each case under this clause (B) approved by a majority of the disinterested members of the board of directors of the Borrower, in good faith, (j) employment and severance arrangements between the Company Parties and their respective officers and employees in the ordinary course of business and transactions pursuant to stock option plans and employee benefit plans and arrangements, (k) investments by the Investors and Permitted Holders in securities of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries so long as (A) the investment is being offered generally to other investors on the same or more favorable terms and (B) the investment constitutes less than 5% of the proposed or outstanding issue amount of such class of securities, (l) payments required by securities held by the Investors and Permitted Holders to the extent such securities were acquired as contemplated by clause (k) above or were acquired from third parties, (m) payments to or from, and transactions with, Joint Ventures in the ordinary course of business, (n) payments by Holdings (and any direct or indirect parent thereof), the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to tax sharing agreements among Holdings (and any such parent thereof), the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries that comply with Section 7.06(e)(i), (o) transactions with customers, clients, suppliers, franchisees, joint venture partners or purchasers or sellers of goods or services, in each case in the ordinary course of business and otherwise in compliance with the terms of this Agreement which are fair to the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, in the reasonable determination of the board of directors of the Company or the senior management thereof, or are on terms at least as favorable as would reasonably have been obtained at such time from an unaffiliated party, (p) transactions between or among Borrower, and/or one or more Subsidiaries and an Affiliated Organization to the extent otherwise permitted under this Article 7, (q) Refranchising Transactions in the ordinary course of business and (r) any contribution by Holdings to the capital of the Borrower.

Section 7.09 Burdensome Agreements. Enter into or permit to exist any Contractual Obligation that limits the ability of (a) any Restricted Subsidiary to make Restricted Payments to the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor or to otherwise transfer property to or invest in the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor, or (b) the Borrower or any Loan Party to create, incur, assume or suffer to exist Liens on property of such Person for the benefit of the Secured Parties with respect to the Facilities and the Obligations or under the Loan Documents; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to Contractual Obligations which (i) (A) exist on the date hereof and (to the extent not otherwise permitted by this Section 7.09, including the Senior Notes Indenture) are listed in Section 7.09 of the Confidential Disclosure Letter and (B) to the extent Contractual Obligations permitted by clause (A) are set forth in an agreement evidencing Indebtedness, are set forth in any agreement evidencing any permitted renewal, extension or refinancing of such Indebtedness so long as such renewal, extension or refinancing does not expand the scope of the restrictions described in clauses (a) or (b) that are contained in such Contractual Obligation, (ii) are binding on a Restricted Subsidiary at the time such Restricted Subsidiary first becomes a Restricted Subsidiary, so long as such Contractual Obligations were not entered into in contemplation of such Person becoming a Restricted Subsidiary, (iii) represent Indebtedness of a Restricted Subsidiary which is not a Loan Party which is permitted by Section 7.03, (iv) arise in connection with any Disposition permitted by Section 7.05, (v) are customary provisions in joint venture agreements and other similar agreements applicable to joint ventures permitted under Section 7.02 and applicable solely to such joint venture, (vi) are negative pledges and restrictions on Liens in favor of any holder of Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03 but solely to the extent any negative pledge relates to the property financed by or secured by such Indebtedness (and excluding

 

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in any event any Indebtedness constituting any Junior Financing) or that expressly permits Liens for the benefit of the Agents and the Lenders with respect to the credit facilities established hereunder and the Obligations under the Loan Documents on a senior basis without the requirement that such holders of such Indebtedness be secured by such Liens on an equal and ratable, or junior, basis, (vii) are customary restrictions on leases, subleases, licenses or asset sale agreements otherwise permitted hereby so long as such restrictions may relate to the assets subject thereto, (viii) comprise restrictions imposed by any agreement relating to secured Indebtedness permitted pursuant to Section 7.03(f) to the extent that such restrictions apply only to the property or assets securing such Indebtedness, (ix) are customary provisions restricting subletting or assignment of any lease governing a leasehold interest, (x) are customary provisions restricting assignment or transfer of any agreement entered into in the ordinary course of business, (xi) arise in connection with cash or other deposits permitted under Section 7.01 or are restrictions on cash or other deposits imposed by customers under contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business, (xii) [omitted], (xiii) are restrictions in any one or more agreements governing Indebtedness entered into after the Closing Date that contain encumbrances and other restrictions that are, taken as a whole, in the good faith judgment of the Borrower, (A) no more restrictive in any material respect with respect to the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary than those encumbrances and other restrictions that are in effect on the Closing Date pursuant to agreements and instruments in effect on the Closing Date or, if applicable, on the date on which such Restricted Subsidiary became a Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to agreements and instruments in effect on such date, or (B) no more disadvantageous to the Lenders than the Senior Notes Indenture.

Section 7.10 Financial Covenants.

(a) Total Leverage Ratio . Permit the Total Leverage Ratio as of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Borrower (beginning with the fiscal quarter ending March 26, 2011) set forth below to be greater than the ratio set forth below opposite such fiscal quarter:

 

Fiscal Year

   First Quarter      Second Quarter      Third Quarter      Fourth Quarter  

2011

     8.60 to 1.00         8.60 to 1.00         8.60 to 1.00         8.60 to 1.00   

2012

     8.60 to 1.00         8.25 to 1.00         8.25 to 1.00         8.25 to 1.00   

2013

     8.25 to 1.00         8.00 to 1.00         8.00 to 1.00         8.00 to 1.00   

2014

     8.00 to 1.00         7.75 to 1.00         7.75 to 1.00         7.75 to 1.00   

2015

     7.75 to 1.00         7.25 to 1.00         7.25 to 1.00         7.25 to 1.00   

2016

     7.25 to 1.00         6.75 to 1.00         6.75 to 1.00         6.75 to 1.00   

2017 and thereafter

     6.75 to 1.00         6.25 to 1.00         6.25 to 1.00         6.25 to 1.00   

(b) Interest Coverage Ratio . Permit the Interest Coverage Ratio as of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Borrower (beginning with the fiscal quarter ending March 26, 2011) set forth below to be less than the ratio set forth below opposite such fiscal quarter:

 

Fiscal Year

   First Quarter    Second Quarter    Third Quarter    Fourth Quarter

2011

   1.45 to 1.00    1.45 to 1.00    1.45 to 1.00    1.45 to 1.00

2012

   1.45 to 1.00    1.55 to 1.00    1.55 to 1.00    1.55 to 1.00

2013

   1.55 to 1.00    1.65 to 1.00    1.65 to 1.00    1.65 to 1.00

2014

   1.65 to 1.00    1.70 to 1.00    1.70 to 1.00    1.70 to 1.00

 

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2015

   1.70 to 1.00    1.75 to 1.00    1.75 to 1.00    1.75 to 1.00

2016

   1.75 to 1.00    1.85 to 1.00    1.85 to 1.00    1.85 to 1.00

2017 and thereafter

   1.85 to 1.00    1.95 to 1.00    1.95 to 1.00    1.95 to 1.00

Section 7.11 Amendments of Certain Documents. Amend or otherwise modify (a) any of its Organization Documents in a manner materially adverse to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders, as determined in good faith by the Borrower, or (b) any term or condition of any Junior Financing Documentation in any manner materially adverse to the interests of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders, as determined in good faith by the Borrower; provided that clause (b) shall not apply to any amendment of any Junior Financing Documentation with respect to any Junior Financing with an aggregate principal amount of less than $10,000,000; provided further that the preceding proviso shall not apply to an amendment that would change to an earlier date any required payment of principal of such Junior Financing.

Section 7.12 Accounting Changes. Make any change in the fiscal year of the Borrower.

Section 7.13 Prepayments, Etc. of Indebtedness. Voluntarily prepay, redeem, purchase, defease or otherwise satisfy prior to the scheduled maturity thereof in any manner (it being understood that payments of regularly scheduled principal and interest shall be permitted) any Junior Financing or make any payment in violation of any subordination terms of any Junior Financing Documentation, except (i) so long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, for an aggregate purchase price, or in an aggregate prepayment amount, not to exceed the greater of (x) $35,000,000 and (y) 1.00% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period last ended, plus (A) unused amounts available to make Restricted Payments under Section 7.06(f)(i) and (B) an amount equal to the Cumulative Amount as in effect immediately prior to the time of making such purchase or prepayment; provided that, in the case of any prepayment, redemption, purchase, defeasement or other satisfaction of any Junior Financing under this Section 7.13 made with the Cumulative Amount, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 7.10 after giving effect to such payment, prepayment, redemption, purchase, defeasance or satisfaction, (ii) a Permitted Refinancing thereof (including through exchange offers and similar transactions), (iii) the conversion of any Junior Financing to Equity Interests of Holdings (other than Disqualified Equity Interests) and (iv) with respect to intercompany subordinated indebtedness, to the extent consistent with the subordination terms thereof.

Section 7.14 Limitations on Holdings. Holdings shall not (a) create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Liens on any Equity Interests of the Borrower (other than Liens permitted by Section 7.01(a)(i) and nonconsensual Liens to the extent permitted under Section 7.01), or (b) conduct or engage in any operations or business other than (i) those incidental to its ownership of the Equity Interests of the Borrower, (ii) the maintenance of its legal existence, (iii) the performance of the Loan Documents and the Management Agreement, (iv) any Qualifying IPO or any other issuance of its Equity Interests not prohibited by Article 7, (v) any transaction that Holdings is expressly permitted or contemplated to enter into or consummate under this Article 7, (vi) any public offering of its common stock or any other issuance of its Equity Interests, (vii) financing activities, including the issuance of securities, incurrence of debt, payment of dividends, making loans and contributions to the capital of its Subsidiaries and guaranteeing the obligations

 

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of its Subsidiaries, (viii) participating in tax, accounting and other administrative matters as a member of the consolidated group of Holdings and the Borrower, (ix) holding any cash or property received in connection with Restricted Payments made by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to Section 7.06 pending application thereof by Holdings, and (x) providing indemnification to officers and directors; provided that, so long as no Default exists or would result therefrom, Holdings may merge with any other Person; provided that (i) Holdings shall be the continuing or surviving corporation or (ii) if the Person formed by or surviving any such merger or consolidation is not Holdings (any such Person, the “ Successor Holdings ”), (A) the Successor Holdings shall be an entity organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, the District of Columbia or any territory thereof and (B) the Successor Holdings shall expressly assume all the obligations of Holdings under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which Holdings is a party pursuant to a supplement hereto or thereto in form reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent; provided , further , that if the foregoing are satisfied, the Successor Holdings will succeed to, and be substituted for, Holdings under this Agreement;

Section 7.15 Designated Senior Debt. Designate any Indebtedness (other than under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents) of the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries as “Designated Senior Indebtedness” or “Senior Secured Financing” (or any comparable term) under, and as defined in, any Junior Financing Documentation.

ARTICLE 8

EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

Section 8.01 Events of Default. Any of the following shall constitute an “ Event of Default ”:

(a) Non-Payment . The Borrower or any other Loan Party fails to pay (i) when due, any amount of principal of any Loan or any L/C Borrowing, or (ii) within five (5) Business Days after the same becomes due, any interest on any Loan or any other amount payable hereunder or with respect to any other Loan Document; or

(b) Specific Covenants . Any Loan Party fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained in any of Section 6.03(a), Section 6.05(a) (solely with respect to the Borrower) or Section 6.11 or Article 7 (subject to, in the case of the covenants contained in Section 7.10, the provisions of Section 8.04); or

(c) Other Defaults . Any Loan Party fails to perform or observe any other covenant or agreement (not specified in Section 8.01(a) or (b) above) contained in any Loan Document on its part to be performed or observed and such failure continues for thirty (30) days after notice thereof by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower; or

(d) Representations and Warranties . Any representation, warranty, certification or statement of fact made or deemed made by or on behalf of the Borrower or any other Loan Party herein, in any other Loan Document, or in any document required to be delivered in connection

 

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herewith or therewith shall be incorrect or misleading in any material respect when made or deemed made; or

(e) Cross-Default . Any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary (i) fails to make any payment beyond the applicable grace period with respect thereto, if any (whether by scheduled maturity, required prepayment, acceleration, demand, or otherwise) in respect of any Indebtedness (other than Indebtedness hereunder) having an aggregate outstanding principal amount of not less than the Threshold Amount, or (ii) fails to observe or perform any other agreement or condition relating to any such Indebtedness, or any other event occurs (other than, with respect to Indebtedness consisting of Swap Contracts, termination events or equivalent events not relating to breach by any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to the terms of such Swap Contracts), the effect of which default or other event is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such Indebtedness (or a trustee or agent on behalf of such holder or holders or beneficiary or beneficiaries) to cause, with the giving of notice if required, such Indebtedness to become due or to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or otherwise), or an offer to repurchase, prepay, defease or redeem such Indebtedness to be made, prior to its stated maturity; provided that this clause (e)(ii) shall not apply to secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of the voluntary sale or transfer of the property or assets securing such Indebtedness, if such sale or transfer is permitted hereunder and under the documents providing for such Indebtedness; or

(f) Insolvency Proceedings, Etc . Holdings, the Borrower or any Specified Subsidiary institutes or consents to the institution of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or applies for or consents to the appointment of any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator, examiner, administrator, administrative receiver or similar officer for it or for all or any material part of its property; or any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator, examiner, administrator, administrative receiver or similar officer is appointed without the application or consent of such Person and the appointment continues undischarged or unstayed for sixty (60) calendar days; or any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law relating to any such Person or to all or any material part of its property is instituted without the consent of such Person and continues undismissed or unstayed for sixty (60) calendar days, or an order for relief is entered in any such proceeding or any similar steps or proceedings under Debtor Relief Laws applicable to any Loan Party or any of their Restricted Subsidiaries; or

(g) Inability To Pay Debts; Attachment . (i) Holdings, the Borrower or any Specified Subsidiary becomes unable or admits in writing its inability or fails generally to pay its debts as they become due or (ii) any writ or warrant of attachment or execution or similar process is issued or levied against all or any material part of the property of any such Person and is not released, vacated or fully bonded within sixty (60) days after its issue or levy; or

(h) Judgments . There is entered against any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary one or more final judgments or orders for the payment of money in an aggregate amount exceeding the Threshold Amount (to the extent not covered by independent third-party insurance as to which the insurer has been notified of such judgment or order and does not deny coverage) and there is a period of sixty (60) consecutive days during which a stay of enforcement of such judgment, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, is not in effect; or

 

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(i) ERISA . An ERISA Event shall have occurred (or a similar event shall have occurred with respect to a Foreign Plan) that, when taken together with all other ERISA Events that have occurred (and similar events that have occurred with respect to Foreign Plans), could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; or

(j) Invalidity of Loan Documents . Any material provision of any Loan Document, at any time after its execution and delivery and for any reason other than as expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder (including as a result of a transaction permitted under Section 7.04 or Section 7.05) or satisfaction in full of all the Obligations, ceases to be in full force and effect; or any Loan Party contests in writing the validity or enforceability of any provision of any Loan Document; or any Loan Party denies in writing that it has any or further liability or obligation under any Loan Document (other than as a result of repayment in full of the Obligations and termination of the Aggregate Commitments or as a result of a transaction permitted hereunder or thereunder (including under Section 7.04 or Section 7.05)), or purports in writing to revoke or rescind any Loan Document; or

(k) Change of Control . There occurs any Change of Control; or

(l) Collateral Documents . Any Collateral Document after delivery thereof pursuant to Section 4.01 or Sections 6.12, 6.17 and 6.18 shall for any reason (other than pursuant to the terms thereof including as a result of a transaction permitted under Section 7.04 or Section 7.05) cease to create a valid and perfected first priority Lien on and security interest in the Collateral covered thereby, subject to Liens permitted under Section 7.01, or any Loan Party shall assert in writing such invalidity or lack of perfection or priority (other than in an informational notice to the Administrative Agent), except to the extent that any such loss of perfection or priority results from the failure of the Administrative Agent to maintain possession of certificates actually delivered to it representing securities pledged under the Collateral Documents and except, as to Collateral consisting of real property to the extent that such losses are covered by a lender’s title insurance policy and the related insurer shall not have denied or disclaimed in writing that such losses are covered by such title insurance policy.

Section 8.02 Remedies upon Event of Default. If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Administrative Agent shall, at the request of, or may, with the consent of, the Required Lenders, take any or all of the following actions:

(a) declare the Commitment of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions to be terminated, whereupon such Commitments and obligation shall be terminated;

(b) declare the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans, all interest accrued and unpaid thereon, and all other amounts owing or payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document to be immediately due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived by the Borrower;

(c) require that the Borrower Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations (in an amount equal to the then Outstanding Amount thereof); and

 

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(d) exercise on behalf of itself and the Lenders all rights and remedies available to it and the Lenders under the Loan Documents or applicable Law;

provided that upon the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to the Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States or any similar Debtor Relief Laws, the obligation of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation of the L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions shall automatically terminate, the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans and all interest and other amounts as aforesaid shall automatically become due and payable, and the obligation of the Borrower to Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations as aforesaid shall automatically become effective, in each case without further act of the Administrative Agent or any Lender.

Section 8.03 Application of Funds. After the exercise of remedies provided for in Section 8.02 (or after the Loans have automatically become immediately due and payable and the L/C Obligations have automatically been required to be Cash Collateralized as set forth in the proviso to Section 8.02), any amounts received on account of the Obligations shall be applied by the Administrative Agent in the following order:

First , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including Attorney Costs payable under Section 10.04 and amounts payable under Article 3, but not including principal of or interest on any Loan) payable to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as such;

Second , to the payment in full of the Unfunded Advances/Participations (the amounts so applied to be distributed between or among the Administrative Agent, the Swing Line Lender and any L/C Issuer pro rata in accordance with the amounts of Unfunded Advances/Participations owed to them on the date of any distribution);

Third , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities and other amounts (other than principal and interest) payable to the Lenders (including Attorney Costs payable under Section 10.04 and amounts payable under Article 3), ratably among them in proportion to the amounts described in this clause Third payable to them;

Fourth , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting accrued and unpaid interest on the Loans and L/C Borrowings, ratably among the Lenders in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fourth payable to them;

Fifth , (i) to payment of (A) that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans, and (B) the Secured Hedge Obligations and the Cash Management Obligations, ratably among the Secured Parties in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fifth held by them; and (ii) to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuer, to Cash Collateralize that portion of L/C Obligations comprised of the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit;

Sixth , to the payment of all other Obligations of the Loan Parties that are due and payable to the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties on such date, ratably

 

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based upon the respective aggregate amounts of all such Obligations owing to the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties on such date; and

Last , the balance, if any, after all of the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full, to the Borrower or as otherwise required by Law.

Subject to Section 2.03(c), amounts used to Cash Collateralize the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit pursuant to clause Fifth above shall be applied to satisfy drawings under such Letters of Credit as they occur. If any amount remains on deposit as Cash Collateral after all Letters of Credit have either been fully drawn or expired, such remaining amount shall be applied to the other Obligations, if any, in the order set forth above and, if no Obligations remain outstanding, delivered to the Borrower.

Section 8.04 Borrower’s Right to Cure.

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section 8.01, but subject to Sections 8.04(b) and (c), for the purpose of determining whether an Event of Default has occurred under any covenant set forth in Section 7.10 as of any date, the Borrower may apply the Net Cash Proceeds of a Permitted Equity Issuance (the “ Cure Amount ”) to increase Consolidated EBITDA for and after the final day of the applicable fiscal quarter; provided that such Net Cash Proceeds (i) are actually received by the Borrower during the applicable fiscal quarter or on or prior to the tenth (10th) Business Day after the date on which financial statements are required to be delivered with respect to such applicable fiscal quarter (the “ Cure Expiration Date ”), (ii) are Not Otherwise Applied (including, without limitation, used to increase the Cumulative Amount) and (iii) do not exceed the maximum aggregate amount necessary to cure any Event of Default under Section 7.10 as of such date. The Cure Amount used to calculate Consolidated EBITDA for one fiscal quarter shall be used and included when calculating Consolidated EBITDA for each Test Period that includes such fiscal quarter (it being understood that full Cure Amount necessary to cure any covenant under Section 7.10 shall apply to the calculation of each covenant under Section 7.10). The parties hereby acknowledge that this Section 8.04(a) may not be relied on for purposes of calculating any financial ratios other than as applicable to Section 7.10 and shall not result in any adjustment to any amounts (including the amount of Indebtedness) other than the amount of the Consolidated EBITDA referred to in the immediately preceding sentence. There shall be no reduction in Indebtedness or Consolidated Total Debt with the proceeds of a Permitted Equity Issuance for determining compliance with Section 7.10 as of the end of such fiscal quarter. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section 8.01 and Section 8.02, (A) upon receipt of the Cure Amount by the Borrower, the covenants under Section 7.10 shall be deemed satisfied and complied with as of the end of the relevant fiscal quarter with the same effect as though there had been no failure to comply with any covenant under such Section 7.10 and any Default or Event of Default related to any failure to comply with any covenant under such Section 7.10 shall be deemed not to have occurred for purposes of the Loan Documents, and (B) upon receipt by the Administrative Agent of a Notice of Intent to Cure prior to the Cure Expiration Date, neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall exercise any rights or remedies under Section 8.02 (or under any other Loan Document available during the continuance of any Default or Event of Default) on the basis of any actual or purported failure to comply with any covenant under such Section 7.10 until such failure is not cured pursuant to the Notice of Intent to Cure on or prior to the Cure Expiration Date.

 

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(b) In each period of four fiscal quarters, there shall be at least two (2) fiscal quarters in which no cure set forth in Section 8.04(a) is made.

(c) There can be no more than five (5) fiscal quarters in which the cure set forth in Section 8.04(a) is made during the term of the Term Loans.

ARTICLE 9

ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND OTHER AGENTS

Section 9.01 Appointment and Authority .

(a) Each of the Lenders and the L/C Issuer hereby irrevocably appoints Barclays Bank PLC to act on its behalf as the Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers, rights and remedies as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms hereof or thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. The provisions of this Article 9 are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, and neither the Borrower nor any other Loan Party hereto shall have rights as a third party beneficiary of any of such provisions.

(b) The L/C Issuer shall act on behalf of the Lenders with respect to any Letters of Credit issued by it and the documents associated therewith, and the L/C Issuer shall have all of the benefits and immunities (i) provided to the Administrative Agent in this Article 9 with respect to any acts taken or omissions suffered by the L/C Issuer in connection with Letters of Credit issued by it or proposed to be issued by it and the applications and agreements for letters of credit pertaining to such Letters of Credit as fully as if the term “Administrative Agent” as used in this Article 9 and in the definition of “Related Parties” included the L/C Issuer with respect to such acts or omissions, and (ii) as additionally provided herein with respect to the L/C Issuer.

(c) The Administrative Agent shall also act as the “collateral agent” under the Loan Documents, and each of the Lenders (in its capacities as a Lender, Swing Line Lender (if applicable), L/C Issuer (if applicable) and a potential Hedge Bank) hereby irrevocably appoints and authorizes the Administrative Agent to act as the agent of (and to hold any security interest created by the Collateral Documents for and on behalf of or on trust for) such Lender for purposes of acquiring, holding and enforcing any and all Liens on Collateral granted by any of the Loan Parties to secure any of the Secured Obligations, together with such powers and discretion as are reasonably incidental thereto. In this connection, the Administrative Agent, as “collateral agent” (and any sub-agents and appointed by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 9.05 for purposes of holding or enforcing any Lien on the Collateral (or any portion thereof) granted under the Collateral Documents, or for exercising any rights and remedies thereunder at the direction of the Administrative Agent), shall be entitled to the benefits of all provisions of this Article 9 (including, without limitation, Section 10.05 as though such sub-agents were the “collateral agent” under the Loan Documents) as if set forth in full herein with respect thereto.

 

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Section 9.02 Rights as a Lender . The Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not the Administrative Agent and the term “Lender” or “Lenders” shall, unless otherwise expressly indicated or unless the context otherwise requires, include the Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder in its individual capacity. Such Person and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of business with the Borrower or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate thereof as if such Person were not the Administrative Agent hereunder and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders. The Lenders acknowledge that pursuant to such activities, the Administrative Agent and its Related Parties may receive information regarding any Loan Party or any Affiliate of any Loan Party (including information that may be subject to confidentiality obligations in favor of such Loan Party or such Affiliate) and acknowledge that the Administrative Agent and its Related Parties shall be under no obligation to provide such information to them.

Section 9.03 Exculpatory Provisions . No Agent shall have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent:

(a) shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied (or express) duties or obligations arising under the agency doctrine of any applicable Law, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing;

(b) shall not have any duty to take any action (including the failure to take an action) or exercise any powers, except rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents that the Administrative Agent is required to exercise as directed in writing by the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be expressly provided for herein or in the other Loan Documents), provided that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action that, in its opinion or the opinion of its counsel, may expose the Administrative Agent to liability or that is contrary to any Loan Document or applicable Laws; and

(c) shall not, except as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity.

The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it (i)(A) under or in connection with any of the Loan Documents or (B) with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith shall be necessary, under the circumstances provided in Section 8.02 and 10.01) or (ii) in the absence of its own gross negligence, or willful misconduct as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in a final, non-appealable judgment; provided , that the Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until notice describing such Default is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, a Lender or the L/C Issuer; provided , further, that in the event the Administrative Agent shall receive such a notice, the Administrative Agent shall give notice thereof to the Lenders; provided , that the failure to give such notice shall not result in an liability on the part of the Administrative Agent.

 

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The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or thereunder or in connection herewith or therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the representations, warranties, covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth herein or therein or the occurrence of any Default, (iv) the execution, validity, enforceability, effectiveness, genuineness, collectability or sufficiency of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document or the creation, perfection or priority of any Lien purported to be created by the Loan Documents, (v) the value or the sufficiency of any Collateral, (vi) the financial condition or business affairs of any Loan Party or any other Person liable for the payment of any Secured Obligations or as to the use of the proceeds of the Loans, (vii) the properties, books or records of any Loan Party, (viii) the existence or possible existence of any Event of Default or Default or (ix) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article 4 or elsewhere herein, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent.

The Administrative Agent shall not have any liability arising from confirmations of the amount of outstanding Loans or the Letter of Credit usage or the component amounts thereof.

Section 9.04 Reliance by Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely upon, and shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any notice, request, certificate, consent, statement, instrument, document or other writing (including any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper Person. The Administrative Agent also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to have been made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon. In determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, or the issuance of a Letter of Credit, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender or the L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender or the L/C Issuer unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender or the L/C Issuer prior to the making of such Loan or the issuance of such Letter of Credit. The Administrative Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Borrower), independent accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such counsel, accountants, experts or professional advisors. No Lender shall have any right of action whatsoever against the Administrative Agent as a result of the Administrative Agent acting or (where so instructed) refraining from acting hereunder or under any of the other Loan Documents in accordance with the instructions of Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be expressly provided for herein or in the other Loan Documents).

Section 9.05 Delegation of Duties. The Administrative Agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub agents appointed by the Administrative Agent (other than Competitors). The Administrative Agent and any such sub agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory and indemnification provisions of this Article 9 shall apply to any such sub agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub agent, and shall apply to their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein as well as activities as Administrative Agent. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, with respect to each sub-agent appointed by the Administrative Agent, (i) such sub-agent shall be a third party beneficiary under this Agreement with respect to all such rights, benefits and privileges (including exculpatory rights and rights to indemnification) and shall have all of the rights and benefits of a third party beneficiary, including an independent right of action to enforce such rights, benefits and privileges (including exculpatory rights and rights to indemnification) directly, without the consent or joinder of any other Person, against any or all of Loan Parties and the Lenders, (ii) such rights, benefits and privileges (including exculpatory rights and rights to indemnification) shall not be modified or amended without the consent of such sub-agent and (iii) such sub-agent shall only have obligations to the Administrative Agent and not to any Loan Party, Lender or any other Person and no Loan Party, Lender or other Person shall have any rights, directly or indirectly, as a third party beneficiary or otherwise against such sub-agent.

Section 9.06 Resignation of Successor Administrative Agent . The Administrative Agent may at any time give notice of its resignation to the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Bor-

 

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rower. If the Administrative Agent is a Defaulting Lender or an Affiliate of a Defaulting Lender, either the Required Lenders or the Borrower may, upon ten (10) days’ notice remove the Administrative Agent. Upon receipt of any such notice of removal or resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, with the consent of the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed; provided , that no consent of the Borrower shall be required if an Event of Default under Section 8.01(a), (f) or (g)(i) has occurred and is continuing), to appoint a successor. If no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after receipt of such removal notice or the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation, then the retiring or removed Administrative Agent may on behalf of the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, appoint a successor Administrative Agent with the consent of the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed; provided that no consent of the Borrower shall be required if an Event of Default under Section 8.01(a), (f) or (g)(i) has occurred and is continuing); provided that if the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders that no qualifying Person has accepted such appointment, then such resignation or removal shall nonetheless become effective in accordance with such notice and (1) the retiring or removed Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (except that in the case of any collateral security held by the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Lenders the retiring or removed Administrative Agent shall continue to hold such collateral security until such time as a successor Administrative Agent is appointed) and (2) all payments, communications and determinations provided to be made by, to or through the Administrative Agent shall instead be made by or to each Lender and the L/C Issuer directly, until such time as the Required Lenders appoint a successor Administrative Agent as provided for above in this paragraph. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or retired) or removed Administrative Agent, and the retiring or removed Administrative Agent shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this paragraph). The fees payable by the Borrower to a successor Administrative Agent shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Borrower and such successor. After the retiring or removed Administrative Agent’s resignation or removal hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the provisions of this Article 9 and Sections 10.04 and 10.05 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring or removed Administrative Agent, its sub agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring or removed Administrative Agent was acting as the Administrative Agent.

Any resignation of Barclays Bank PLC or its successor as the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section 9.06 shall also constitute the resignation of Barclays Bank PLC or its successor as the Swing Line Lender and as the L/C Issuer, and any successor Administrative Agent appointed pursuant to this Section 9.06 shall, upon its acceptance of such appointment, become the successor Swing Line Lender and the successor L/C Issuer for all purposes hereunder; provided that on or prior to the expiration of the thirty (30)-day period following the retiring Administrative Agent’s notice of resignation, Barclays Bank PLC shall have identified a successor L/C Issuer reasonably acceptable to the Borrower willing to accept its appointment as successor L/C Issuer. In such event, (a) the Borrower shall prepay any outstanding Swing Line Loans made by the retiring Administrative Agent in its capacity as Swing Line Lender, (b) upon such prepayment, the retiring Administrative Agent and Swing Line Lender shall surrender any swing line note held by it to the Borrower for cancellation and (c) the Borrower shall issue, if so requested by the successor Administrative Agent and the Swing Line Lender, a new swing line note to the successor Administrative Agent and the Swing Line Lender, in the principal amount of the Swing Line Borrowing then in effect and with other appropriate insertions. In the event of any such resignation as L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender,

 

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the Borrower shall be entitled to appoint from among the Lenders willing to accept such appointment a successor L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender hereunder; provided that no failure by the Borrower to appoint any such successor shall affect the resignation of Barclays Bank PLC as L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, as the case may be, except as expressly provided above.

Section 9.07 Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders . Each Lender and the L/C Issuer acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement. Each Lender and the L/C Issuer also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder. The Administrative Agent shall not have any duty or responsibility, either initially or on a continuing basis, to make any such investigation or any such appraisal on behalf of Lenders or to provide any Lender with any credit or other information with respect thereto, whether coming into its possession before the making of the Loans or at any time or times thereafter, and the Administrative Agent shall not have any responsibility with respect to the accuracy or completeness of any information provided to Lenders.

Section 9.08 Collateral and Guaranty Matters . The Lenders irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent:

(a) to release any Lien on any property granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document (i) upon all of the Obligations (other than (x) (i) Cash Management Obligations and (ii) Obligations under Secured Hedge Agreements not yet due and payable, and (y) contingent obligations not yet accrued and payable) having been paid in full, all Letters of Credit having been Cash Collateralized or otherwise back-stopped (including by “grandfathering” into any future credit facilities), in each case, on terms reasonably satisfactory to the relevant L/C Issuer in its reasonable discretion, or having expired or having been terminated, and the Aggregate Commitments having expired or having been terminated, (ii) that is Disposed of as part of or in connection with any Disposition permitted hereunder or under any other Loan Document to any Person other than a Loan Party, (iii) subject to Section 10.01, if approved, authorized or ratified in writing by the Required Lenders (iv) owned by a Guarantor upon release of such Guarantor from its obligations under its Guaranty pursuant to clause (c) below, or (v) as expressly provided in the Collateral Documents;

(b) to subordinate any Lien on any property granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document to the holder of any Lien on such property that is permitted by Section 7.01(i); and

(c) to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty if such Person ceases to be a Restricted Subsidiary or becomes an Excluded Subsidiary as a result of a transaction or designation permitted hereunder; provided that no such release shall occur with respect to an entity that ceases to be a Restricted Subsidiary or becomes an Excluded Subsidiary if such Guarantor continues to be a guarantor in respect of any Specified Junior Financing Obligation unless and until each guarantor is (or is being simultaneously) released from its guarantee with respect to such Specified Junior Financing Obligation.

Upon request by the Administrative Agent at any time, the Required Lenders will confirm in writing the Administrative Agent’s authority to release its interest in particular types or

 

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items of property, or to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty pursuant to this Section 9.08. In each case as specified in this Section 9.08, the Administrative Agent will, at the Borrower’s expense, execute and deliver to the applicable Loan Party such documents as such Loan Party may reasonably request to evidence the release of such item of Collateral from the assignment and security interest granted under the Collateral Documents, or to release such Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty, in each case in accordance with the terms of the Loan Documents and this Section 9.08; provided that the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent a certificate of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower certifying that any such transaction has been consummated in compliance with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request.

Section 9.09 No Other Duties, Etc . Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, none of the Arrangers, the Syndication Agent or Co-Documentation Agents and any other Agent listed on the cover page hereof shall have any powers, duties or responsibilities under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, except in its capacity, as applicable, as the Administrative Agent, a Lender or the L/C Issuer hereunder, it being understood and agreed that each of the Arrangers, the Syndication Agents or Co-Documentation Agents shall be entitled to all indemnification and reimbursement rights in favor of the Agents provided herein and in the other Loan Documents and all of the other benefits of this Article 9. Without limitation of the foregoing, neither the Arrangers, the Syndication Agents nor Co-Documentation Agents in their respective capacities as such shall, by reason of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, have any fiduciary relationship in respect of any Lender, Loan Party or any other Person.

Section 9.10 Appointment of Supplemental Administrative Agents .

(a) It is the purpose of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents that there shall be no violation of any Law of any jurisdiction denying or restricting the right of banking corporations or associations to transact business as agent or trustee in such jurisdiction. It is recognized that in case of litigation under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, and in particular in case of the enforcement of any of the Loan Documents, or in case the Administrative Agent deems that by reason of any present or future Law of any jurisdiction it may not exercise any of the rights, powers or remedies granted herein or in any of the other Loan Documents or take any other action which may be desirable or necessary in connection therewith, the Administrative Agent is hereby authorized to appoint an additional individual or institution selected by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion as a separate trustee, co-trustee, administrative agent, collateral agent, administrative sub-agent or administrative co-agent (any such additional individual or institution being referred to herein individually as a “ Supplemental Administrative Agent ” and collectively as “ Supplemental Administrative Agents ”).

(b) In the event that the Administrative Agent appoints a Supplemental Administrative Agent with respect to any Collateral, (i) each and every right, power, privilege or duty expressed or intended by this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents to be exercised by or vested in or conveyed to the Administrative Agent with respect to such Collateral shall be exercisable by and vest in such Supplemental Administrative Agent to the extent, and only to the extent, necessary to enable such Supplemental Administrative Agent to exercise such rights, powers and privileges with respect to such Collateral and to perform such duties with respect to such Collateral, and every covenant and obligation contained in the Loan Documents and necessary to the exercise or performance thereof by such Supplemental Administrative Agent shall run to and be enforceable by either the Administrative Agent or such Supplemental Administrative Agent,

 

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and (ii) the provisions of this Article 9 and of Sections 10.04 and 10.05 (obligating the Borrower to pay the Administrative Agent’s expenses and to indemnify the Administrative Agent) that refer to the Administrative Agent shall inure to the benefit of such Supplemental Administrative Agent and all references therein to the Administrative Agent shall be deemed to be references to the Administrative Agent and/or such Supplemental Administrative Agent, as the context may require.

(c) Should any instrument in writing from the Borrower or any other Loan Party be required by any Supplemental Administrative Agent so appointed by the Administrative Agent for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to it such rights, powers, privileges and duties, the Borrower shall, or shall cause such Loan Party to, execute, acknowledge and deliver any and all such instruments promptly upon request by the Administrative Agent. In case any Supplemental Administrative Agent, or a successor thereto, shall die, become incapable of acting, resign or be removed, all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of such Supplemental Administrative Agent, to the extent permitted by Law, shall vest in and be exercised by the Administrative Agent until the appointment of a new Supplemental Administrative Agent.

 

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Section 9.11 Withholding Tax . To the extent required by any applicable Law, the Administrative Agent may withhold from any payment to any Lender (including, for purposes of this Section 9.11, any L/C Issuer and any Swing Line Lender), an amount equivalent to any applicable withholding Tax. Without limiting or expanding the obligations of any Loan Party under Section 3.01, each Lender shall, and does hereby, indemnify the Administrative Agent, within thirty (30) calendar days after demand therefor, against any and all Taxes and any and all related losses, claims, liabilities and expenses (including fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Administrative Agent) incurred by or asserted against the Administrative Agent by the IRS or any other Governmental Authority as a result of the failure of the Administrative Agent to properly withhold Tax from amounts paid to or for the account of any Lender for any reason (including, without limitation, because the appropriate form was not delivered or not property executed, or because such Lender failed to notify the Administrative Agent of a change in circumstance that rendered the exemption from, or reduction of withholding Tax ineffective). A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any amount due the Administrative Agent under this Section 9.11. The agreements in this Section 9.11 shall survive the resignation and/or replacement of the Administrative Agent, any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of any Loans and all other amounts payable hereunder.

Section 9.12 Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim . In case of the pendency of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or any other judicial proceeding relative to any Loan Party, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan or outstanding Letter of Credit shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:

(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans, Letter of Credit outstandings and all other Secured Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent and their respective agents and counsel and all other amounts due the Lenders, the L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.09 and 10.04) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and

(b) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same; and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender and the L/C Issuer to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, if the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders and the L/C Issuer, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Administrative Agent and its Agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.09 and 10.04.

 

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Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender or the L/C Issuer any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Secured Obligations or the rights of any Lender or the L/C Issuer to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender or the L/C Issuer or in any such proceeding.

Section 9.13 Right to Indemnity . Each Lender, on a pro rata basis, severally agrees to indemnify the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer and Swing Line Lender, to the extent that the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender shall not have been reimbursed by any Loan Party (and without limiting its obligation to do so), for and against any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses (including counsel fees and disbursements) or disbursements of any kind or nature whatsoever which may be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender in exercising its powers, rights and remedies or performing its duties hereunder or under the other Loan Documents or otherwise in its capacity as the Administrative Agent in any way relating to or arising out of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents; provided that no Lender shall be liable for any portion of such liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements resulting from the Administrative Agent’s, L/C Issuer’s or Swing Line Lender’s, as applicable, gross negligence or willful misconduct, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in a final and non-appealable judgment. If any indemnity furnished to the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lenders for any purpose shall, in the opinion of the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, as applicable, be insufficient or become impaired, the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, as applicable, may call for additional indemnity and cease, or not commence, to do the acts indemnified against until such additional indemnity is furnished; provided that in no event shall this sentence require any Lender to indemnify the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender against any liability, obligation, loss, damage, penalty, action, judgment, suit, cost, expense or disbursement in excess of such Lender’s pro rata share thereof; and provided , further , that this sentence shall not be deemed to require any Lender to indemnify the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender against any liability, obligation, loss, damage, penalty, action, judgment, suit, cost, expense or disbursement described in the proviso in the immediately preceding sentence.

ARTICLE 10

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 10.01 Amendments, Etc . No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, and no consent to any departure by the Borrower or any other Loan Party therefrom, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the Required Lenders (or by the Administrative Agent with the consent of the Required Lenders) and the Borrower or the applicable Loan Party, as the case may be, and each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given; provided that notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment or waiver solely affecting the Revolving Credit Lenders (and that does not directly or indirectly affect the rights and obligations of the Term Lenders) under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents may be effected solely with the consent of the Required Revolving Lenders and any amendment or waiver solely affecting the

 

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Term Lenders (and that does not directly and adversely affect the rights and obligations of the Revolving Credit Lenders) under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents may be effected solely with the consent of the Required Term Lenders; provided further no such amendment, waiver or consent shall:

(a) extend or increase the Commitment of any Lender without the written consent of such Lender (it being understood that a waiver of any condition precedent set forth in Section 4.01 or Section 4.02, or the waiver of any Default, Event of Default, mandatory prepayment or mandatory reduction of the Commitments shall not constitute an extension or increase of any Commitment of any Lender);

(b) postpone any date scheduled for any payment of principal, premium, interest or fees, without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby, it being understood that the waiver of any mandatory prepayment of the Term Loans shall not constitute a postponement of any date scheduled for the payment of principal or interest;

(c) reduce or forgive the principal of, or the rate of interest specified herein on, any Loan or L/C Borrowing, or (subject to clause (iii) of the third proviso to this Section 10.01) any fees or premium payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby, it being understood that any change to the definition of Total Leverage Ratio or in the component definitions thereof shall not constitute a reduction in any rate of interest or fees; provided that only the consent of the Required Lenders shall be necessary to amend the definition of “Default Rate” or to waive any obligation of the Borrower to pay interest at the Default Rate;

(d) change any provision of this Section 10.01 or the definition of “Required Lenders” without the written consent of each Lender or the definitions of “Required Revolving Lenders” without the consent of each Revolving Credit Lender directly and adversely affected thereby or the definition of “Required Term Lenders” without the consent of each Term Lender directly and adversely affected thereby;

(e) release all or substantially all of the Collateral in any transaction or series of related transactions (it being understood that a transaction permitted under Section 7.05 shall not constitute the release of all or substantially all of the Collateral), without the written consent of each Lender;

(f) other than in connection with a transaction permitted under Section 7.04 or Section 7.05, release all or substantially all of the Guarantors from their obligations under the Guarantees, without the written consent of each Lender;

(g) impose any greater restriction on the ability of any Lender under a Facility to assign any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the written consent of each Lender increasingly restricted thereby; or

(h) change any provision of Section 2.06(c) without the written consent of each Revolving Credit Lender directly and adversely affected thereby;

 

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and provided further that (i) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the L/C Issuer in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the L/C Issuer under this Agreement or any L/C Request or Letter of Credit Application relating to any Letter of Credit issued or to be issued by it; (ii) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Swing Line Lender in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the Swing Line Lender under this Agreement; (iii) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Administrative Agent in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of, or any fees or other amounts payable to, the Administrative Agent under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; (iv) Section 10.07(g) may not be amended, waived or otherwise modified without the consent of each Granting Lender all or any part of whose Loans are being funded by an SPC at the time of such amendment, waiver or other modification; and (v) no amendment, waiver or consent shall amend, modify supplement or waive any condition precedent to any extension of credit under the Revolving Credit Facility set forth in Section 4.02 without the written consent of the Required Revolving Lenders under the Revolving Facility (it being understood that amendments, modifications, supplements or waivers of any other provision of any Loan Document, including any representation or warranty, any covenant or any Default, shall be deemed to be effective for purposes of determining whether the conditions precedent set forth in Section 4.02 have been satisfied regardless of whether the Required Revolving Lenders shall have consented to such amendment, modification, supplement or waiver). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Defaulting Lender shall have any right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder, except that (x) the Commitment of such Lender may not be increased or extended without the consent of such Lender and (y) the principal and accrued and unpaid interest of such Lender’s Loans shall not be reduced or forgiven without the consent of such Lender.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be amended (or amended and restated) with the written consent of the Required Lenders, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower (a) to add one or more additional credit facilities to this Agreement and to permit the extensions of credit from time to time outstanding thereunder and the accrued interest and fees in respect thereof to share ratably in the benefits of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents with the Term Loans and the Revolving Credit Loans and the accrued interest and fees in respect thereof and (b) to include appropriately the Lenders holding such credit facilities in any determination of the Required Lenders.

In addition, notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be amended with the written consent of the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and the Lenders providing the relevant Replacement Term Loans (as defined below) to permit the refinancing of all outstanding Term Loans (“ Refinanced Term Loans ”) with a replacement term loan tranche hereunder (“ Replacement Term Loans ”); provided that (a) the aggregate principal amount of such Replacement Term Loans shall not exceed the aggregate principal amount of such Refinanced Term Loans, (b) the Applicable Rate for such Replacement Term Loans shall not be higher than the Applicable Rate for such Refinanced Term Loans, (c) the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of such Replacement Term Loans shall not be shorter than the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of such Refinanced Term Loans at the time of such refinancing and (d) all other terms applicable to such Replacement Term Loans shall be substantially identical to, or less favorable to the

 

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Lenders providing such Replacement Term Loans than, those applicable to such Refinanced Term Loans, except to the extent necessary to provide for covenants and other terms applicable to any period after the Latest Maturity Date in effect immediately prior to such refinancing.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 10.01, in the event that the Borrower requests that this Agreement be modified or amended in a manner that would require the unanimous consent of all of the Lenders and such modification or amendment is agreed to by the Required Lenders, then with the consent of the Borrower and the Required Lenders, the Borrower and the Required Lenders shall be permitted to amend the Agreement without the consent of the Non-Consenting Lenders to provide for (a) the termination of the Commitment of each Non-Consenting Lender that are (x) Revolving Credit Lenders, (y) Term Lenders or (z) both, at the election of the Borrower and the Required Lenders, (b) the addition to this Agreement of one or more other financial institutions (each of which shall be an Eligible Assignee), or an increase in the Commitment of one or more of the Lenders (with the written consent thereof), so that the total Commitment after giving effect to such amendment shall be in the same amount as the total Commitment immediately before giving effect to such amendment, (c) if any Loans are outstanding at the time of such amendment, the making of such additional Loans by such new financial institutions or Required Lender or Lenders, as the case may be, as may be necessary to repay in full, at par, the outstanding Loans of the Non-Consenting Lenders (including, without limitation, any amounts payable pursuant to Section 3.05) immediately before giving effect to such amendment and (d) such other modifications to this Agreement as may be appropriate to effect the foregoing clauses (a), (b) and (c).

In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 10.01 or any Loan Document, if the Administrative Agent and the Borrower have jointly identified an obvious error or any error or omission of a technical nature, in each case, in any provision of the Loan Documents, then the Administrative Agent and the Borrower shall be permitted to amend such provision; provided , however , that no such amendment shall become effective until the fifth Business Day after it has been posted to the Lenders, and then only if the Required Lenders have not objected in writing thereto within such five Business Day period.

Section 10.02 Notices and Other Communications; Facsimile Copies .

(a) General . Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all notices and other communications provided for hereunder or any other Loan Document shall be in writing (including by facsimile transmission). All such written notices shall be mailed, faxed or delivered to the applicable address, facsimile number or electronic mail address, as follows:

(i) if to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender, to the address, facsimile number or electronic mail address specified for such Person on Schedule 10.02 or to such other address, facsimile number or electronic mail address as shall be designated by such party in a notice to the other parties; and

(ii) if to any other Lender, to the address, facsimile number or electronic mail address specified in its Administrative Questionnaire or to such other address, facsimile number or electronic mail address as shall be designated by such party in a notice to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender.

 

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All such notices and other communications shall be deemed to be given or made upon the earlier to occur of (i) actual receipt by the relevant party hereto and (ii) (A) if delivered by hand or by courier, when signed for by or on behalf of the relevant party hereto; (B) if delivered by mail, four (4) Business Days after deposit in the mails, postage prepaid; (C) if delivered by facsimile, when sent and receipt has been confirmed; and (D) if delivered by electronic mail, when delivered; provided that notices and other communications to the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender pursuant to Article 2 shall not be effective until actually received by such Person. In no event shall a telephone or voice-mail message be effective as a notice, communication or confirmation hereunder.

(b) Effectiveness of Facsimile Documents and Signatures . Loan Documents may be transmitted and/or signed by facsimile. The effectiveness of any such documents and signatures shall, subject to applicable Law, have the same force and effect as manually signed originals and shall be binding on all Loan Parties, the Agents and the Lenders. The Administrative Agent may also require that any such documents and signatures be confirmed by a manually signed original thereof; provided that the failure to request or deliver the same shall not limit the effectiveness of any facsimile document or signature.

(c) Reliance by Agents and Lenders . The Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall be entitled to rely and act upon any notices (including telephonic Committed Loan Notices and Swing Line Loan Notices) purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower even if (i) such notices were not made in a manner specified herein, were incomplete or were not preceded or followed by any other form of notice specified herein, or (ii) the terms thereof, as understood by the recipient, varied from any confirmation thereof. The Borrower shall indemnify each Agent-Related Person and each Lender from all losses, costs, expenses and liabilities resulting from the reliance by such Person on each notice purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower in accordance with Section 10.05.

Section 10.03 No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies . No failure by any Lender or the Administrative Agent to exercise, and no delay by any such Person in exercising, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein provided, and provided under each other Loan Document, are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by Law.

Section 10.04 Attorney Costs, Expenses and Taxes . The Borrower agrees (a) to pay or reimburse the Arrangers and the Administrative Agent for all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, negotiation, syndication and execution of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and any amendment, waiver, consent or other modification of the provisions hereof and thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated thereby are consummated), and the consummation and administration of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including all Attorney Costs of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP and, if necessary, of one local counsel in each foreign jurisdiction as agreed between the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, and (b) to pay or reimburse the Administrative Agent and each Lender for all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in connection with the enforcement of any rights or remedies under this Agreement or the other Loan Documents (including all such costs and expenses incurred during any legal proceeding, including any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law), including all Attorney Costs of counsel (which counsel shall be limited as provided in Section 10.05). The foregoing costs and expenses shall include all search, filing, recording, title insurance

 

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and appraisal charges and fees and taxes related thereto, and other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by any Agent. All amounts due under this Section 10.04 shall be paid promptly. The agreements in this Section 10.04 shall survive the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and repayment of all other Obligations. If any Loan Party fails to pay when due any costs, expenses or other amounts payable by it hereunder or under any Loan Document, such amount may be paid on behalf of such Loan Party by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, in its sole discretion.

Section 10.05 Indemnification by the Borrower . Whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated, the Borrower shall indemnify and hold harmless the Administrative Agent, each Agent-Related Person, each Arranger, each Lender and their respective Affiliates, directors, officers, employees, counsel, agents, attorneys-in-fact, trustees and advisors (collectively the “ Indemnitees ”) from and against any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, claims, demands, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses and disbursements (including Attorney Costs (which shall be limited to one (1) counsel to the Indemnitees taken as a whole (and in the case of a conflict of interests among or between Indemnitees, one additional counsel to each affected Indemnitee and, if necessary, one local counsel to the Indemnitees taken as a whole in each appropriate jurisdiction)) of any kind or nature whatsoever which may at any time be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against any such Indemnitee in any way relating to or arising out of or in connection with (a) the execution, delivery, enforcement, performance or administration of any Loan Document or any other agreement, letter or instrument delivered in connection with the transactions contemplated thereby or the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, (b) any Commitment, Loan or Letter of Credit or the use or proposed use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by the L/C Issuer to honor a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit), (c) any actual or alleged presence or Release of Hazardous Materials on, at, under or from any property or facility currently or formerly owned or operated by the Borrower, any Subsidiary or any other Loan Party, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to the Borrower, any Subsidiary or any other Loan Party, or (d) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory (including any investigation of, preparation for, or defense of any pending or threatened claim, investigation, litigation or proceeding) and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto (and regardless of whether such matter is instituted by a third party or by the Borrower or any other Loan Party) (all the foregoing, collectively, the “ Indemnified Liabilities ”), in all cases, whether or not caused by or arising, in whole or in part, out of the negligence of the Indemnitee; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, claims, demands, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements (x) have been determined in the final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted primarily from the gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee (or any of its Related Indemnitees) or a material breach of the Loan Documents by such Indemnitee (or any of its Related Indemnitees) or (y) arise from claims of any of the Indemnitees solely against one or more Indemnitees (and not by one or more Lenders against the Administrative Agent or one or more of the other Agents) that have not resulted from the action, inaction, participation or contribution of the Borrower, or any of its Affiliates or any of their respective officers, directors, stockholders, partners, members, employees, agents, representatives or advisors; provided further that Section 3.01 (instead of this Section 10.05 ) shall govern indemnities with respect to Taxes, except that Taxes representing losses, claims,

 

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damages, etc., with respect to a non-Tax claim may be covered by this Section 10.05 (without duplication of Section 3.01 ). No Indemnitee shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by others of any information or other materials obtained through IntraLinks or other similar information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement, nor shall any Indemnitee or any Loan Party have any liability for any special, punitive, indirect or consequential damages relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or arising out of its activities in connection herewith or therewith (whether before or after the Closing Date). In the case of an investigation, litigation or other proceeding to which the indemnity in this Section 10.05 applies, such indemnity shall be effective whether or not such investigation, litigation or proceeding is brought by any Loan Party, its directors, shareholders or creditors or an Indemnitee or any other Person, whether or not any Indemnitee is otherwise a party thereto and whether or not any of the transactions contemplated hereunder or under any of the other Loan Documents is consummated. All amounts due under this Section 10.05 shall be paid promptly. The agreements in this Section 10.05 shall survive the resignation of the Administrative Agent, the replacement of any Lender, the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all the other Obligations. For purposes hereof, “ Related Indemnitee ” of an Indemnitee means (1) any Controlling Person or Controlled affiliate of such Indemnitee, (2) the respective directors, officers, or employees of such Indemnitee or any of its Controlling Persons or Controlled affiliates and (3) the respective agents of such Indemnitee or any of its Controlling Persons or Controlled affiliates, in the case of this clause (3), acting on behalf of or at the instructions of such Indemnitee, Controlling Person or such Controlled affiliate; provided that each reference to a Related Indemnitee in this sentence pertains to a Related Indemnitee involved in performing services under this Agreement and the Facilities.

Section 10.06 Marshalling; Payments Set Aside . Neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender (including the L/C Issuer) shall be under any obligation to marshal any assets in favor of any Loan Party or any other Person or against or in payment of any or all of the Secured Obligations. To the extent that any payment by or on behalf of the Borrower is made to any Agent or any Lender, or any Agent or any Lender exercises its right of setoff, and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by such Agent or such Lender in its discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or otherwise, then (a) to the extent of such recovery, the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied, and all Liens, rights and remedies therefor or related thereto, shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment or payments had not been made or such enforcement or setoff had not occurred, and (b) each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent upon demand its applicable share of any amount so recovered from or repaid by any Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such payment is made at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect.

Section 10.07 Successors and Assigns.

(a) The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, except that the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (other than pursuant to the Assumption), and no Lender

 

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may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder except (i) to an Eligible Assignee in accordance with the provisions of Section 10.07(b) or, in the case of any Eligible Assignee that, upon giving effect to such assignment, would be an Affiliated Lender, Section 10.07(k), (ii) by way of participation in accordance with the provisions of Section 10.07(e), (iii) by way of pledge or assignment of a security interest subject to the restrictions of Section 10.07(g) or Section 10.07(i), as the case may be, or (iv) to an SPC in accordance with the provisions of Section 10.07(h) (and any other attempted assignment or transfer by any party hereto shall be null and void). Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, Participants to the extent provided in Section 10.07(e) and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Indemnitees) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.

(b) Any Lender may at any time assign to one or more Eligible Assignees all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and the Loans (including for purposes of this Section 10.07(b), participations in L/C Obligations and in Swing Line Loans) at the time owing to it); provided that (i) except in the case of an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitment and the Loans at the time owing to it or in the case of an assignment to a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund with respect to a Lender, the aggregate amount of the Commitment (which for this purpose includes Loans outstanding thereunder) or, if the applicable Commitment is not then in effect, the outstanding principal balance of the Loan of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment, determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent shall not be less than $5,000,000, in the case of any assignment in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility, or $1,000,000, in the case of any assignment in respect of any Term Loans ( provided , however , that concurrent assignments to or by Approved Funds will be treated as a single assignment for the purpose of meeting the minimum transfer requirements); (ii) except in the case of an assignment to a Lender (or, in respect of any Revolving Credit Facility, a Revolving Credit Lender), an Affiliate of a Lender (or, in respect of any Revolving Credit Facility, a Revolving Credit Lender) or an Approved Fund (but subject to clause (iv) below), each of the Administrative Agent and, so long as no Event of Default in respect of Section 8.01(a), Section 8.01(f) or Section 8.01(g)(i) has occurred and is continuing and the Loans shall have been declared immediately due and payable pursuant to Section 8.02, the Borrower consents to such assignment (each such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed); provided that the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment of Term Loans (other than to a Competitor) unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within five (5) Business Days after having received notice thereof; (iii) each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement with respect to the Loans or the Commitment assigned, except that this clause (iii) shall not (x) apply to rights in respect of Swing Line Loans or (y) prohibit any Lender from assigning all or a portion of its rights and obligations among separate Facilities on a non-pro rata basis; (iv) any assignment of a Revolving Credit Commitment must be approved by the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer and the Swing Line Lender (each such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed); (v) the parties (other than the Borrower unless its consent to such assignment is required hereunder) to each assignment shall (A) execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent

 

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an Assignment and Assumption via an electronic settlement system acceptable to the Administrative Agent (which initially shall be ClearPar, LLC) or (B) manually execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption together with a processing and recordation fee of $3,500 (which fee (x) the Borrower shall not have an obligation to pay except as required in Section 3.07 and (y) may be waived by the Administrative Agent in its discretion); provided that only a single processing and recordation fee shall be payable in respect of multiple contemporaneous assignments to Approved Funds with respect to any Lender; (vi) the assigning Lender shall deliver any Notes evidencing such Loans to the Borrower or the Administrative Agent and (vii) each assignment by an Affiliated Lender shall be acknowledged by the Borrower. Subject to acceptance and recording thereof by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 10.07(c), from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the Eligible Assignee thereunder shall be a party to this Agreement and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Section 3.01, Section 3.04, Section 3.05, Section 10.04 and Section 10.05 with respect to facts and circumstances occurring prior to the effective date of such assignment). Upon request, and the surrender by the assigning Lender of its Note, the Borrower (at its expense) shall execute and deliver a Note to the assignee Lender. Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this clause (b) shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with Section 10.07(e).

(c) The Administrative Agent, acting solely for this purpose as an agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at the Administrative Agent’s Office a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of, and principal amounts (and related interest amounts) of the Loans, L/C Obligations (specifying the Unreimbursed Amounts), L/C Borrowings and amounts due under Section 2.03, owing to each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “ Register ”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive, absent manifest error, and the Borrower, the Agents and the Lenders shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as the owner of its interests in the Loans, L/C Obligations, L/C Borrowings and amounts due under the Loan Documents as set forth in the Register and as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower, any Agent, any Lender (with respect to such Lender’s interest) and the L/C Issuer, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, the Credit Extensions and Obligations are intended to be treated as registered obligations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Any right or title in or to any Credit Extensions and Obligations (including with respect to the principal amount and any interest thereon) may only be assigned or otherwise transferred through the Register. This Section 10.07 shall be construed so that the Credit Extensions and Obligations are at all times maintained in “registered form” within the meaning of Sections 163(f), 871(h)(2) and 881(c)(2) of the Code, Treasury Regulation Section 5f.103-1(c)

 

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and any other related regulations (or any successor provisions of the Code or such regulations).

(d) The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature” and words of like import in any Assignment and Assumption shall be deemed to include electronic signatures or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.

(e) Any Lender may at any time, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, sell participations to any Person (other than a natural person or a Competitor) (each, a “ Participant ”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and/or obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and/or the Loans (including such Lender’s participations in L/C Obligations and/or Swing Line Loans) owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (iii) the Borrower, the Agents and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, waiver or other modification described in the clauses (a), (b) and (c) of the second proviso to Section 10.01 that directly affects such Participant. Subject to Section 10.07(f), the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 3.01, Section 3.04 and Section 3.05 (subject to the requirements and limitations therein and in Sections 3.06 and 10.15 read as if a Participant was a Lender) to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to Section 10.07(b) and such Participant agrees to be bound by such Sections and Section 3.06. To the extent permitted by Law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 10.09 as though it were a Lender; provided that such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.13 as though it were a Lender. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as an non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under this Agreement (the “ Participant Register ”). The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender (and the Borrower, to the extent that the Participant requests payment from the Borrower) shall treat each person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. The portion of the Participant Register relating to any Participant requesting payment from the Borrower under the Loan Documents shall be made available to the Borrower upon reasonable request.

 

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(f) A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 3.01, Section 3.04 or Section 3.05 than the applicable Lender would have been entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such Participant, except to the extent that any entitlement to a greater payment results from a Change in Law arising after such Participant became a Participant.

(g) Any Lender may at any time, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement (including under its Note, if any) to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank or any central bank having jurisdiction over such Lender; provided that no such pledge or assignment shall release such Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.

(h) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, any Lender (a “ Granting Lender ”) may grant to a special purpose funding vehicle identified as such in writing from time to time by the Granting Lender to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower (an “ SPC ”) the option to provide all or any part of any Loan that such Granting Lender would otherwise be obligated to make pursuant to this Agreement; provided that (i) nothing herein shall constitute a commitment by any SPC to fund any Loan, (ii) if an SPC elects not to exercise such option or otherwise fails to make all or any part of such Loan, the Granting Lender shall be obligated to make such Loan pursuant to the terms hereof and (iii) such SPC and the applicable Loan or any applicable part thereof, shall be appropriately reflected in the Register. Each party hereto hereby agrees that an SPC shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04 and 3.05 (subject to the requirements and limitations therein and in Sections 3.06 and 10.15), but (i) neither the grant to any SPC nor the exercise by any SPC of such option shall increase the costs or expenses or otherwise increase or change the obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement (including their obligations under Section 3.01, Section 3.04 or Section 3.05), except to the extent that any entitlement to a greater payment under Section 3.01 , 3.04 or 3.05 results from a Change in Law arising after the grant to such SPC, (ii) no SPC shall be liable for any indemnity or similar payment obligation under this Agreement for which a Lender would be liable, and (iii) the Granting Lender shall for all purposes, including the approval of any amendment, waiver or other modification of any provision of any Loan Document, remain the lender of record hereunder. The making of a Loan by an SPC hereunder shall utilize the Commitment of the Granting Lender to the same extent, and as if, such Loan were made by such Granting Lender. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, subject to compliance with the provisions of this Section 10.07 regarding the Register and/or the Participant Register, as appropriate, any SPC may (i) with notice to, but without prior consent of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent and with the payment of a processing fee of $3,500, assign all or any portion of its right to receive payment with respect to any Loan to the Granting Lender and (ii) disclose on a confidential basis any non-public information relating to its funding of Loans to any rating agency, commercial paper dealer or provider of any surety or Guarantee or credit or liquidity enhancement to such SPC.

(i) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, any Lender that is a Fund may, without the consent of or notice to the Administrative Agent or the Borrower, create a security interest in all or any portion of the Loans owing to it and the Note, if any, held by it to

 

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the trustee for holders of obligations owed, or securities issued, by such Fund as security for such obligations or securities; provided that unless and until such trustee actually becomes a Lender in compliance with the other provisions of this Section 10.07, (i) no such pledge shall release the pledging Lender from any of its obligations under the Loan Documents and, (ii) such trustee shall not be entitled to exercise any of the rights of a Lender under the Loan Documents even though such trustee may have acquired ownership rights with respect to the pledged interest through foreclosure or otherwise (unless such trustee is an Eligible Assignee which has complied with the requirements of Section 10.07(b)).

(j) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Barclays Bank PLC may, upon thirty (30) days’ notice to the Borrower and the Lenders, resign as L/C Issuer and/or the Swing Line Lender; provided that on or prior to the expiration of such thirty (30)-day period with respect to Barclays Bank PLC’s resignation as L/C Issuer, Barclays Bank PLC shall have identified a successor L/C Issuer reasonably acceptable to the Borrower willing to accept its appointment as successor L/C Issuer. In the event of any such resignation as L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, the Borrower shall be entitled to appoint from among the Lenders willing to accept such appointment a successor L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender hereunder; provided that no failure by the Borrower to appoint any such successor shall affect the resignation of Barclays Bank PLC as L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, as the case may be, except as expressly provided above. If Barclays Bank PLC resigns as L/C Issuer, it shall retain all the rights and obligations of the L/C Issuer hereunder with respect to all Letters of Credit outstanding as of the effective date of its resignation as L/C Issuer and all L/C Obligations with respect thereto (including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in Unreimbursed Amounts pursuant to Section 2.03(c)). If Barclays Bank PLC resigns as Swing Line Lender, it shall retain all the rights of the Swing Line Lender provided for hereunder with respect to Swing Line Loans made by it and outstanding as of the effective date of such resignation, including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in outstanding Swing Line Loans pursuant to Section 2.04(c).

(k) (i) Notwithstanding the definition of “Eligible Assignee” or anything else to the contrary contained in this Agreement, any Lender may assign all or a portion of its Term Loans to any Person who, after giving effect to such assignment, would be an Affiliated Lender (without the consent of any Person but subject to acknowledgment by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower); provided that:

(A) the assigning Lender and the Affiliated Lender purchasing such Lender’s Term Loans shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an assignment agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit R hereto (an “ Affiliated Lender Assignment and Assumption ”);

(B) for the avoidance of doubt, Lenders shall not be permitted to assign Revolving Credit Commitments or Revolving Credit Loans to an Affiliated Lender and any purported assignment of Revolving Credit Commitments or Revolving Credit Loans to an Affiliated Lender shall be null and void; and

(C) at the time of such assignment after giving affect to such assignment, the aggregate principal amount of all Loans held by Affiliated Lenders shall not exceed 25%

 

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of the aggregate principal amount of all Loans and Commitments outstanding under this Agreement.

(ii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, no Affiliated Lender shall have any right to (A) attend (including by telephone) any meeting or discussions (or portion thereof) among the Administrative Agent or any Lender to which representatives of the Loan Parties are not invited, or (B) receive any information or material prepared by Administrative Agent or any Lender or any communication by or among Administrative Agent and/or one or more Lenders, except to the extent such information or materials have been made available to any Loan Party or its representatives.

(iii) Notwithstanding anything in Section 10.01 or the definition of “Required Lenders” to the contrary, for purposes of determining whether the Required Lenders, all affected Lenders or all Lenders have (A) consented (or not consented) to any amendment, modification, waiver, consent or other action with respect to any of the terms of any Loan Document or any departure by any Loan Party therefrom, (B) otherwise acted on any matter related to any Loan Document, or (C) directed or required the Administrative Agent or any Lender to undertake any action (or refrain from taking any action) with respect to or under any Loan Document, an Affiliated Lender shall be deemed to have voted its interest as a Lender without discretion in the same proportion as the allocation of voting with respect to such matter by Lenders who are not Affiliated Lenders; provided that no amendment, modification, waiver, consent or other action with respect to any Loan Document shall deprive such Affiliated Lender of its Pro Rata Share of any payments to which such Affiliated Lender is entitled under the Loan Documents without such Affiliated Lender providing its consent; provided , further , that such Affiliated Lender shall have the right to approve any amendment, modification, waiver or consent of the type described in Section 10.01 (a), (b), (c) or (d) of this Agreement to the extent that such Affiliated Lender is affected thereby; and in furtherance of the foregoing, (x) the Affiliated Lender agrees to execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent any instrument reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to evidence the voting of its interest as a Lender in accordance with the provisions of this Section 10.07(k); provided that if the Affiliated Lender fails to promptly execute such instrument such failure shall in no way prejudice any of the Administrative Agent’s rights under this paragraph and (y) the Administrative Agent is hereby appointed (such appointment being coupled with an interest) by the Affiliated Lender as the Affiliated Lender’s attorney-in-fact, with full authority in the place and stead of the Affiliated Lender and in the name of the Affiliated Lender, from time to time in Administrative Agent’s discretion to take any action and to execute any instrument that Administrative Agent may deem reasonably necessary to carry out the provisions of this paragraph (k)(iii).

(iv) Each Affiliated Lender, solely in its capacity as a Term Lender, hereby agrees, and each Affiliated Lender Assignment Agreement shall provide a confirmation that, if any Company Party shall be subject to any voluntary or involuntary proceeding commenced under any Debtor Relief Laws (“ Bankruptcy Proceedings ”), (i) such Affiliated Lender shall not take any step or action in such Bankruptcy Proceeding to object to, impede, or delay the exercise of any right or the taking of any action by the Administrative Agent (or the taking of any action by a third party that is supported by the Administrative Agent) in relation to such Affiliated Lender’s claim with respect to its Loans (a “ Claim ”) (including, without limitation, objecting to any debtor in possession financing, use of cash collateral, grant of adequate protection, sale or disposition,

 

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compromise, or plan of reorganization) so long as such Affiliated Lender is treated in connection with such exercise or action on the same or better terms as the other Term Lenders and (ii) with respect to any matter requiring the vote of Term Lenders during the pendency of a Bankruptcy Proceeding (including, without limitation, voting on any plan of reorganization), the Loans held by such Affiliated Lender (and any Claim with respect thereto) shall be deemed to be voted in accordance with clause (iii) of this Section 10.07(k), so long as such Affiliate Lender is treated in connection with the exercise of such right or taking of such action on the same or better terms as the other Term Lenders. For the avoidance of doubt, the Lenders and each Affiliated Lender agree and acknowledge that the provisions set forth in this clause (iv) of Section 10.07(k), and the related provisions set forth in each Affiliated Lender Assignment and Assumption, constitute a “subordination agreement” as such term is contemplated by, and utilized in, Section 510(a) of the United States Bankruptcy Code, and, as such, would be enforceable for all purposes in any case where a Company Party has filed for protection under any Debtor Relief Law applicable to such Company Party.

The foregoing provisions of this Section 10.07(k) shall not apply to an Investment Fund, and a Lender shall be permitted to assign all or a portion of such Lender’s Loans to any Investment Fund without regard to the foregoing provisions of this Section 10.07(k).

(l) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 10.07 or any other provision of this Agreement (including Section 2.05), so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom, any of the Company Parties may prepay outstanding Term Loans on the following basis:

(i) a Company Party shall have the right to make a voluntary prepayment of the Term Loans at a discount to par (such prepayment, the “ Discounted Term Loan Prepayment ”) pursuant to, at each Company Party’s sole option, a Borrower Offer of Specified Discount Prepayment, Borrower Solicitation of Discount Range Prepayment Offers, Borrower Solicitation of Discounted Prepayment Offers, in each case made in accordance with this Section 10.07(l); provided, (A) immediately before and immediately after giving effect to any such Discounted Term Loan Prepayment by the Borrower or Loan Party, the sum of (x) the unused Revolving Credit Commitments and (y) the amount of unrestricted cash and Cash Equivalents of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be not less than $30,000,000, (B) any such Discounted Term Loan Prepayment shall be financed by the Company Party with Internally Generated Cash Flow or with Eligible Equity Proceeds or the proceeds of Permitted Subordinated Indebtedness, in each case that are Not Otherwise Applied and (C) the Company Party shall not initiate any actions under this Section 10.07 in order to make a Discounted Term Loan Prepayment unless (1) at least five (5) Business Days shall have passed since the consummation of the most recent Discounted Term Loan Prepayment as a result of a prepayment made by the Company Party on the applicable Discounted Prepayment Effective Date and (2) at least three (3) Business Days shall have passed since the consummation of the most recent Discounted Term Loan Prepayment due to no Term Lender being willing to accept any prepayment of any Term Loans at the Specified Discount, within the Discount Range or at any discount to par value, as applicable, or in the case of Borrower Solicitation of Discounted Prepayment Offers, the Borrower’s election not to accept any Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offers made by a Term Lender.

 

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(ii) (A) Subject to Section 10.07(l)(i), a Company Party may from time to time offer to make a Discounted Term Loan Prepayment by providing the Auction Agent irrevocable notice in the form of a Specified Discount Prepayment Notice; provided that (1) any such offer shall be made available to each Term Lender, (2) any such offer shall specify the aggregate principal amount offered to be prepaid (the “ Specified Discount Prepayment Amount ”) and the specific percentage discount to par value (the “ Specified Discount ”) of the principal amount of such Loans to be prepaid, (3) the Specified Discount Prepayment Amount shall be in a minimum amount of $2,000,000 and whole increments of $500,000, and (4) each such offer shall remain outstanding through the Specified Discount Prepayment Response Date. The Auction Agent will promptly provide each Term Lender with a copy of such Specified Discount Prepayment Notice and a form of the Specified Discount Prepayment Response to be completed and returned by each Lender to the Auction Agent (or its delegate) by no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the third Business Day after the date of delivery of such notice to the Term Lenders (the “ Specified Discount Prepayment Response Date ”).

(B) Each Term Lender shall notify the Auction Agent (or its delegate) by the Specified Discount Prepayment Response Date whether or not it agrees to accept a prepayment of any of its then outstanding Term Loans at the Specified Discount and, if so (such accepting Lender, a “ Discount Prepayment Accepting Lender ”), the amount of such Lender’s outstanding principal amount of such offered discounted prepayment to be prepaid. Each acceptance of a Discounted Term Loan Prepayment by a Discount Prepayment Accepting Lender shall be irrevocable. Any Term Lender whose Specified Discount Prepayment Notice is not received by the Auction Agent by the Specified Discount Prepayment Response Date shall be deemed to have declined to accept the Borrower Offer of Specified Discount Prepayment.

(C) If there is at least one Discount Prepayment Accepting Lender, the Company Party will prepay outstanding Term Loans pursuant to this Section 10.07(l)(ii) to each Discount Prepayment Accepting Lender in accordance with the principal amount specified in such Lender’s Specified Discount Prepayment Response given pursuant to the foregoing clause (B); provided that, if the aggregate principal amount of Term Loans accepted for prepayment by all Discount Prepayment Accepting Lenders exceeds the Specified Discount Prepayment Amount, such prepayment shall be made pro rata among the Discount Prepayment Accepting Lenders in accordance with the principal amount accepted by each such Discount Prepayment Accepting Lender and the Auction Agent (in consultation with the Company Party and subject to rounding requirements of the Auction Agent made in its sole reasonable discretion) will calculate such pro rata factor (the “ Specified Discount Pro-Rata Factor ”). The Auction Agent shall promptly, and in any case within five (5) Business Days following the Specified Discount Prepayment Response Date, notify (1) such Company Party of the Term Lenders’ responses to such offer, the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date, and the aggregate principal amount and Type of Loans of the Discounted Term Loan Prepayment, (2) each Term Lender of the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date, and the aggregate principal amount of all Term Loans to be prepaid at the Specified Discount on such date, and (3) each Discount Prepayment Accepting Lender of the Specified Discount Pro-Rata Factor, if any, and confirmation

 

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of the principal amount and Type of Loans of such Lender to be prepaid at the Specified Discount on such date. Each determination by the Administrative Agent of the amounts stated in the foregoing notices to the Company Party and Lenders shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes absent manifest error. The payment amount specified in such notice to the Company Party shall be due and payable by the Company Party on the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date in accordance with Section 10.07(l)(vi) below.

(iii) (A) Subject to Section 10.07(l)(i), a Company Party may from time to time solicit Discount Range Prepayment Offers by providing the Auction Agent with three (3) Business Days’ irrevocable notice in the form of a Discount Range Prepayment Notice; provided that (1) any such solicitation shall be extended to each Term Lender, (2) any such notice shall specify the maximum aggregate principal amount of the Term Loans (the “ Discount Range Prepayment Amount ”) and the maximum and minimum percentage discounts to par (the “ Discount Range ”) of the principal amount of such Term Loans willing to be prepaid by the Company Party, (3) the Discount Range Prepayment Amount shall be in a minimum amount of $2,000,000 and whole increments of $500,000, and (4) each such solicitation by a Company Party shall remain outstanding through the Discount Range Prepayment Response Date. The Auction Agent will promptly provide each Term Lender with a copy of such Discount Range Prepayment Notice and a form of the Discount Range Prepayment Offer to be submitted by a responding Term Lender to the Auction Agent (or its delegate) by no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the third Business Day after the date of delivery of such notice to the Term Lenders (the “ Discount Range Prepayment Response Date ”). Each Term Lender’s Discount Range Prepayment Offer shall be irrevocable and shall specify a discount as a percentage of par within the Discount Range (the “ Submitted Discount ”) at which such Term Lender is willing to allow prepayment of its then outstanding Term Loans and the maximum aggregate principal amount of such Term Loans (the “ Submitted Amount ”) such Lender is willing to have prepaid at the Submitted Discount. Any Term Lender whose Discount Range Prepayment Offer is not received by the Auction Agent by the Discount Range Prepayment Response Date shall be deemed to have declined to accept a Discounted Term Loan Prepayment of any of its Term Loans at any discount to their par value within the Discount Range.

(B) The Auction Agent shall review all Discount Range Prepayment Offers received by it by the Discount Range Prepayment Response Date and will determine (in consultation with the Company Party and subject to rounding requirements of the Auction Agent made in its sole reasonable discretion) the Applicable Discount and the Term Loans to be prepaid at such Applicable Discount in accordance with this Section 10.07. The Company Party agrees to accept on the Discount Range Prepayment Response Date all Discount Range Prepayment Offers received by Auction Agent by the Discount Range Prepayment Response Date, in the order from lowest Submitted Discount to highest Submitted Discount, up to and including the lowest Submitted Discount within the Discount Range (such lowest Submitted Discount being referred to as the “ Applicable Discount ”) which yields a Discounted Term Loan Prepayment in an aggregate principal amount equal to the lower of (1) the Discount Range Prepayment Amount and (2) the

 

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sum of all Submitted Amounts. Each Lender that has submitted a Discount Range Prepayment Offer to accept prepayment at a percentage of par value that is less than or equal to the Applicable Discount shall be deemed to have irrevocably consented to prepayment of Term Loans equal to its Submitted Amount (subject to any required pro-rating pursuant to the following sentence) at the Applicable Discount (each such Lender, a “ Participating Lender ”).

(C) If there is at least one Participating Lender, the Company Party will prepay outstanding Term Loans pursuant to this Section 10.07(l)(iii) to each Participating Lender in the aggregate principal amount specified in such Lender’s Discount Range Prepayment Offer at the Applicable Discount; provided that if the Submitted Amount by all Participating Lenders offered at or below the Applicable Discount exceeds the Discounted Prepayment Range Amount, prepayment of the principal amount of the Term Loans for those Participating Lenders whose Submitted Discount is less than or equal to the Applicable Discount (the “ Identified Participating Lenders ”) shall be made pro rata among the Identified Participating Lenders in accordance with the Submitted Amount of each such Identified Participating Lender and the Auction Agent (in consultation with the Borrower and subject to rounding requirements of the Auction Agent made in its sole reasonable discretion) will calculate such pro rata factor (the “ Discount Range Pro-Rata Factor ”). The Auction Agent shall promptly, and in any case within five (5) Business Days following the Discount Range Prepayment Response Date, notify (w) the Company Party of the Term Lenders’ responses to such solicitation, the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date, the Applicable Discount, and the aggregate principal amount and Type of Loans of the Discounted Term Loan Prepayment, (x) each Term Lender of the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date, the Applicable Discount, and the aggregate principal amount of all Term Loans to be prepaid at the Applicable Discount on such date, (y) each Participating Lender of the aggregate principal amount and Type of Loans of such Lender to be prepaid at the Applicable Discount on such date, and (z) if applicable, each Identified Participating Lender of the Discount Range Pro-Rata Factor. Each determination by the Auction Agent of the amounts stated in the foregoing notices to the Company Party and Lenders shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes absent manifest error. The payment amount specified in such notice to the Company Party shall be due and payable by the Borrower on the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date in accordance with Section 10.07(l)(vi) below.

(iv) (A) Subject to Section 10.07(l)(i), a Company Party may from time to time solicit Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offers by providing the Auction Agent with three (3) Business Days’ irrevocable notice in the form of a Solicited Discounted Prepayment Notice; provided that (1) any such solicitation shall be extended to each Term Lender, (2) any such notice shall specify the maximum aggregate principal amount of the Term Loans (the “ Solicited Discounted Prepayment Amount ”) the Company Party is willing to prepay at a discount, (3) the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Amount shall be in a minimum amount of $2,000,000 and whole increments of $500,000, and (4) each such solicitation by the Company Party shall remain outstanding through the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Response Date. The Auction Agent will promptly provide each Term Lender with a copy of such Solicited Discounted Prepayment Notice and a form of

 

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the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offer to be submitted by a responding Term Lender to the Auction Agent (or its delegate) by no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern time on the third Business Day after the date of delivery of such notice to the Term Lenders (the “ Solicited Discounted Prepayment Response Date ”). Each Term Lender’s Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offer shall (x) be irrevocable, (y) remain outstanding until the Acceptance Date, and (z) specify both a discount as a percentage of par (the “ Offered Discount ”) at which such Term Lender is willing to allow prepayment of its then outstanding Term Loans and the maximum aggregate principal amount of such Term Loans (the “ Offered Amount ”) such Lender is willing to have prepaid at the Offered Discount. Any Term Lender whose Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offer is not received by the Auction Agent by the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Response Date shall be deemed to have declined prepayment of any of its Term Loans at any discount to their par value.

(B) The Auction Agent shall promptly provide the Company Party with a copy of all Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offers received by it by the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Response Date. The Company Party shall review all such Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offers and select, at its sole discretion, the lowest of the Offered Discounts specified by the responding Term Lenders in the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offers that the Company Party is willing to accept (the “ Acceptable Discount ”), if any; provided , however , that the Acceptable Discount shall not be an Offered Discount that is higher than the lowest Offered Discount for which the sum of each Offered Amount affiliated with an Offered Discount that is less than or equal to such percentage of par yields an amount at least equal to the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Amount. If the Company Party elects to accept any Offered Discount as the Acceptable Discount, then as soon as practicable after the determination of the Acceptable Discount, but in no event later than by the third Business Day after the date of receipt by the Borrower from the Auction Agent of a copy of all Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offers pursuant to the first sentence of this clause (B) (the “ Acceptance Date ”), the Company Party shall submit an irrevocable Acceptance and Prepayment Notice to the Auction Agent setting forth the Acceptable Discount. If the Auction Agent shall fail to receive an Acceptance and Prepayment Notice from the Company Party by the Acceptance Date, the Company Party shall be deemed to have rejected all Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offers.

(C) Based upon the Acceptable Discount and the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offers received by Auction Agent by the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Response Date, within five (5) Business Days after receipt of an Acceptance and Prepayment Notice (the “ Discounted Prepayment Determination Date ”), the Auction Agent will determine (in consultation with the Company Party and subject to rounding requirements of the Auction Agent made in its sole reasonable discretion) the aggregate principal amount of Term Loans (the “ Acceptable Prepayment Amount ”) to be prepaid by the Company Party at the Acceptable Discount in accordance with this Section 10.07. If the Company Party elects to accept any Acceptable Discount, then the Company Party agrees to accept all Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offers received by Auction Agent by the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Response Date, in the order from lowest Offered Discount to highest Offered Discount, up to and including the Acceptable Discount. Each

 

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Lender that has submitted a Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offer to accept prepayment at a percentage of par value that is less than or equal to the Acceptable Discount shall be deemed to have irrevocably consented to prepayment of Term Loans equal to its Offered Amount (subject to any required pro-rationing pursuant to the following sentence) at the Acceptable Discount (each such Lender, a “ Qualifying Lender ”). The Company Party will prepay outstanding Term Loans pursuant to this Section 10.07(l)(iv) to each Qualifying Lender in the aggregate principal amount specified in such Lender’s Solicited Discounted Prepayment Offer at the Acceptable Discount; provided that if the aggregate Offered Amount by all Qualifying Lenders at or below the Acceptable Discount exceeds the Solicited Discounted Prepayment Amount, prepayment of the principal amount of the Term Loans for those Qualifying Lenders whose Offered Discount is less than or equal to the Acceptable Discount (the “ Identified Qualifying Lenders ”) shall be made pro rata among the Identified Qualifying Lenders in accordance with the Offered Amount of each such Identified Qualifying Lender and the Auction Agent (in consultation with the Company Party and subject to rounding requirements of the Auction Agent made in its sole reasonable discretion) will calculate such pro rata factor (the “ Solicited Discount Pro-Rata Factor ”). On or prior to the Discounted Prepayment Determination Date, the Auction Agent shall promptly notify (w) the Company Party of the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date, Acceptable Prepayment Amount and Type of Loans comprising the Discounted Term Loan Prepayment, (x) each Term Lender of the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date, the Acceptable Discount, and the Acceptable Prepayment Amount of all Term Loans to be prepaid at the Applicable Discount on such date, (y) each Qualifying Lender of the aggregate principal amount and Type of Loans of such Lender to be prepaid at the Acceptable Discount on such date, and (z) if applicable, each Identified Qualifying Lender of the Solicited Discount Pro-Rata Factor. Each determination by the Auction Agent of the amounts stated in the foregoing notices to the Company Party and Lenders shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes absent manifest error. The payment amount specified in such notice to the Company Party shall be due and payable by the Company Party on the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date in accordance with Section 10.07(l)(vi) below.

(v) If any Term Loans are prepaid in accordance with paragraphs (ii) through (iv) of this Section 10.07(l), the Company Party shall prepay such Term Loans on the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date. The Company Party shall make such prepayment to Auction Agent, for the account of the Discount Prepayment Accepting Lenders, Participating Lenders, or Qualifying Lenders, as applicable, at the Auction Agent’s Office in Dollars and in immediately available funds not later than 11:00 a.m. on the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date. All Term Loans so prepaid by the Company Party shall be accompanied by all accrued and unpaid interest on the par principal amount so prepaid up to, but not including, the Discounted Prepayment Effective Date. Each prepayment of the outstanding Term Loans pursuant to this Section 10.07(l) shall be paid to the Discount Prepayment Accepting Lenders, Participating Lenders, or Qualifying Lenders, as applicable.

(vi) To the extent not expressly provided for herein, each Discounted Term Loan Prepayment shall be consummated pursuant to procedures (including as to Type

 

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and Interest Periods of Term Loans to be so prepaid) established by the Auction Agent acting in its reasonable discretion in consultation with the Company Parties.

(vii) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, for purposes of this Section 10.07(l), each notice or other communication required to be delivered or otherwise provided to the Auction Agent (or its delegate) shall be deemed to have been given upon Auction Agent’s (or its delegate’s) actual receipt during normal business hours of such notice or communication; provided that any notice or communication actually received outside of normal business hours shall be deemed to have been given as of the opening of business on the next business day for the Auction Agent.

(viii) Each of the Company Parties and the Lenders acknowledges and agrees that Auction Agent may perform any and all of its duties under this Section 10.07(l) by itself or through any Agent Related Person of the Auction Agent and expressly consents to any such delegation of duties by the Auction Agent to such Agent Related Person and the performance of such delegated duties by the Agent Related Person. The exculpatory provisions pursuant to this Agreement shall apply to each Agent Related Person of the Auction Agent and their respective activities in connection with any Discounted Term Loan Prepayment provided for in this Section 10.07(l) as well as activities of the Auction Agent.

(ix) In connection with any Discounted Term Loan Prepayment, the Borrower and the Lenders acknowledge and agree that the Auction Agent may require as a condition to any Discounted Term Loan Prepayment, the payment of customary fees and expenses from the Company Parties in connection therewith.

(m) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 10.07 or any other provision of this Agreement (including Section 2.05), so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom, any of the Company Parties may make open market purchases of Term Loans (each, an “ Open Market Purchase ”), so long as the following conditions are satisfied:

(i) immediately before and immediately after giving effect to any such Open Market Purchase, the sum of (x) the unused Revolving Credit Commitments and (y) the amount of unrestricted cash and Cash Equivalents of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be not less than $30,000,000;

(ii) any such Open Market Purchase shall be financed by the Company Parties with Internally Generated Cash Flow or with Eligible Equity Proceeds or the proceeds of Permitted Subordinated Indebtedness, in each case that are Not Otherwise Applied and shall in no event be funded with Borrowings hereunder;

(iii) the aggregate principal amount (calculated on the par amount thereof) of all Term Loans purchased shall automatically be cancelled and retired on the settlement date of the relevant purchase (and may not be resold);

 

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(iv) at the time of each purchase of Term Loans through Open Market Purchases, the Borrower shall pay, on the settlement date of each such purchase, all accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the purchased Term Loans up to the settlement date of such purchase (except to the extent otherwise set forth in the relevant purchase documents as agreed by the respective selling Lender);

(v) such purchases shall not constitute voluntary or mandatory payments or prepayments for purposes of Section 2.05 or 2.13; and

(vi) any such Open Market Purchase shall be effected through a recognized dealer in Term Loans and the bid to purchase relating thereto shall remain outstanding for at least three (3) Business Days.

(n) The aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Term Loans of the applicable Class shall be deemed reduced by the full par value of the aggregate principal amount of the Term Loans prepaid pursuant to Section 10.07(l) or purchased pursuant to Section 10.07(m), and each principal repayment installment with respect to the Term Loans of such Class pursuant to Section 2.07(a) shall be reduced pro rata by the aggregate principal amount of Term Loans purchased.

(o) In the event that any Revolving Credit Lender shall become a Defaulting Lender or any of S&P, Moody’s or Thompson’s BankWatch (or InsuranceWatch Ratings Service, in the case of Lenders that are insurance companies (or Best’s Insurance Reports, if such insurance company is not rated by Insurance Watch Ratings Service)) shall, after the date that any Lender becomes a Revolving Credit Lender, downgrade the long term certificate deposit ratings of such Lender, and the resulting ratings shall be below BBB-, Baa3 or C, as the case may be, (or BB, in the case of a Lender that is an insurance company (or B, in the case of an insurance company not rated by InsuranceWatch Ratings Service)) (or, with respect to any Revolving Credit Lender that is not rated by any such ratings service or provider, the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender shall have reasonably determined that there has occurred a material adverse change in the financial condition of any such Lender, or a material impairment of the ability of any such Lender to perform its obligations hereunder, as compared to such condition or ability as of the date that any such Lender became a Revolving Credit Lender) then the L/C Issuer shall have the right, but not the obligation, at its own expense, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, to replace such Lender with an assignee (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in Section 10.07(b) above), and such Lender hereby agrees to transfer and assign without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in Section 10.07(b) above, including, for the avoidance of doubt, the prior written consent of the Borrower to the extent otherwise required by Section 10.07(b)) (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed); provided that if the Borrower does not respond to a request for a consent within 10 Business Days, the Borrower will be deemed to have consented thereto) all its interests, rights and obligations in respect of its Revolving Credit Commitment to such assignee; provided , however , that (i) no such assignment shall conflict with any law, rule and regulation or order of any Governmental Authority and (ii) the L/C Issuer or such assignee, as the case may be, shall pay to such Lender in immediately available funds on the date of such assignment the principal of and interest accrued to the date of payment on the Loans made by such Lender hereunder and all other amounts accrued for such Lender’s account or owed to it hereunder.

 

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Section 10.08 Confidentiality . Each of the Agents and the Lenders agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information, except that Information may be disclosed (a) to it and its Affiliates’ directors, officers, employees and agents, including accountants, legal counsel and other advisors (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential); (b) to the extent requested by any regulatory authority; (c) to the extent required by applicable Laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process ( provided that the Agent or Lender that discloses any Information pursuant to this clause (c) shall provide the Borrower prompt notice of such disclosure to the extent permitted by applicable Law); (d) to any other party to this Agreement; (e) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section 10.08 (or as may otherwise be reasonably acceptable to the Borrower), to any Eligible Assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective Eligible Assignee or pledgee of or Participant in (other than, in each case, any Competitors), any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement; (f) with the written consent of the Borrower; (g) to the extent such Information becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section 10.08; (h) to any state, Federal or foreign authority or examiner (including the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or any other similar organization) (in which case such Person shall, except with respect to any audit or examination conducted by bank accountants or any governmental bank regulatory authority exercising examination or regulatory authority, promptly notify the Borrower, in advance, to the extent lawfully permitted to do so); (i) to any rating agency when required by it (it being understood that, prior to any such disclosure, such rating agency shall undertake to preserve the confidentiality of any Information relating to the Loan Parties received by it from such Lender); (j) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder to the extent reasonably necessary in connection with such enforcement or (k) to any direct or indirect contractual counterparty in swap agreements or such contractual counterparty’s professional advisor (so long as such contractual counterparty or professional advisor to such contractual counterparty agrees to be bound by the provisions of this Section 10.08). In addition, the Agents and the Lenders may disclose the existence of this Agreement and information about this Agreement to market data collectors, similar service providers to the lending industry, and service providers to the Agents and the Lenders in connection with the administration and management of this Agreement, the other Loan Documents, the Commitments, and the Credit Extensions. For the purposes of this Section 10.08, “ Information ” means all information received from any Loan Party relating to any Loan Party or its business, other than any such information that is publicly available (or is derived from such information) to any Agent or any Lender prior to disclosure by any Loan Party other than as a result of a breach of this Section 10.08 or was independently developed by any Loan Party; provided that, in the case of information received from a Loan Party after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential.

Section 10.09 Setoff . In addition to any rights and remedies of the Lenders provided by Law, upon the occurrence and during the continuance of any Event of Default, after obtaining the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, each Lender is authorized at any time and from time to time, without prior notice to the Borrower or any other Loan Party, any such notice being waived by the Borrower (on its own behalf and on behalf of each other Loan Party) to the fullest extent permitted by Law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final) at any time held by, and other Indebtedness at any time owing by, such Lender to or for the credit or the account of the respective Loan Parties against any and all Obligations owing to such Lender hereunder or under any other Loan Document, now or hereafter existing, irrespective of whether or not

 

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such Agent or such Lender shall have made demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such Obligations may be contingent or unmatured or denominated in a currency different from that of the applicable deposit or Indebtedness; provided that in the event that any Defaulting Lender shall exercise any such right of setoff, (x) all amounts so set off shall be paid over immediately to the Administrative Agent for further application in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.17 and, pending such payment, shall be segregated by such Defaulting Lender from its other funds and deemed held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and (y) the Defaulting Lender shall provide promptly to the Administrative Agent a statement describing in reasonable detail the Secured Obligations owing to such Defaulting Lender as to which it exercised such right of setoff. Each Lender agrees promptly to notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent after any such set off and application made by such Lender; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application. The rights of the Administrative Agent and each Lender under this Section 10.09 are in addition to other rights and remedies (including, without limitation, other rights of setoff) that the Administrative Agent and such Lender may have.

Section 10.10 Interest Rate Limitation . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any Loan Document, the interest paid or agreed to be paid under the Loan Documents shall not exceed the maximum rate of non-usurious interest permitted by applicable Law (the “ Maximum Rate ”). If any Agent or any Lender shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the Maximum Rate, the excess interest shall be applied to the principal of the Loans or, if it exceeds such unpaid principal, refunded to the Borrower. In determining whether the interest contracted for, charged, or received by an Agent or a Lender exceeds the Maximum Rate, such Person may, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, (a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an expense, fee, or premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments and the effects thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in equal or unequal parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated term of the Obligations hereunder.

Section 10.11 Counterparts . This Agreement and each other Loan Document may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery by telecopier of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Agreement and each other Loan Document shall be effective as delivery of an original executed counterpart of this Agreement and such other Loan Document. The Agents may also require that any such documents and signatures delivered by telecopier be confirmed by a manually signed original thereof; provided that the failure to request or deliver the same shall not limit the effectiveness of any document or signature delivered by telecopier.

Section 10.12 Integration . This Agreement, together with the other Loan Documents, comprises the complete and integrated agreement of the parties on the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersedes all prior agreements, written or oral, on such subject matter. In the event of any conflict between the provisions of this Agreement and those of any other Loan Document, the provisions of this Agreement shall control; provided that the inclusion of supplemental rights or remedies in favor of the Agents or the Lenders in any other Loan Document shall not be deemed to be a conflict with this Agreement. Each Loan Document was drafted with the joint participation of the respective parties thereto and shall be construed neither against nor in favor of any party, but rather in accordance with the fair meaning thereof.

Section 10.13 Survival of Representations and Warranties .

 

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(a) All representations and warranties made hereunder and in any other Loan Document or other document delivered pursuant hereto or thereto or in connection herewith or therewith shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and thereof. Such representations and warranties have been or will be relied upon by each Agent and each Lender, regardless of any investigation made by any Agent or any Lender or on their behalf and notwithstanding that any Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default at the time of any Credit Extension, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as any Loan or any other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding except as set forth in Section 2.03(g). The provisions of Article 3 and Sections 9.02, 9.03, 9.07, 9.11, 9.13, 10.04, 10.05, 10.09 and 10.15 shall survive and remain in full force and effect regardless of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of the Loans, the expiration or termination of the Letters of Credit or the termination of this Agreement or any provision hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything else to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, in the event that, in connection with the refinancing or repayment in full of the credit facilities provided for herein, the L/C Issuer shall have provided to the Administrative Agent a written consent to the release of the Revolving Lenders from their obligations hereunder with respect to any Letter of Credit issued by such L/C Issuer (whether as a result of the obligations of the Borrower (and any other account party) in respect of such Letter of Credit having been collateralized in full by a deposit of cash with the L/C Issuer or being supported by a letter of credit that names such L/C Issuer as the beneficiary thereunder, or otherwise), then from and after such time such Letter of Credit shall cease to be a “Letter of Credit” outstanding hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and the Revolving Credit Lenders shall be deemed to have no participations in such Letter of Credit, and no obligations with respect thereto, under Section 2.03(c) or (d).

Section 10.14 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, the legality, validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall not be affected or impaired thereby. The invalidity of a provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. Without limiting the foregoing provisions of this Section 10.14, if and to the extent that the enforceability of any provisions in this Agreement relating to Defaulting Lenders shall be limited by Debtor Relief Laws, as determined in good faith by the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer or the Swing Line Lender, as applicable, then such provisions shall be deemed to be in effect only to the extent not so limited.

Section 10.15 Tax Forms.

(a) Each Lender (which, for purposes of this Section 10.15 shall include any L/C Issuer or any Swing Line Lender) shall deliver to the Borrower and to the Administrative Agent, whenever reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and duly executed documentation prescribed by applicable Laws and such other reasonably requested information as will permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, (A) to determine whether or not payments made hereunder or under any other Loan Document are subject to Taxes, (B) to determine, if applicable, the required rate of withholding or deduction and (C) to establish such Lender’s entitlement to any available exemption from, or reduction of, applicable Taxes in respect of any payments to be made to such Lender pursuant to any Loan Document or otherwise to establish such Lender’s status for withholding tax purposes in an applicable jurisdiction (including, if applicable, any documentation necessary to prevent

 

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withholding under Sections 1471-1474 of the Code). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing,

(i) to the extent it is qualified for any exemption from or reduction in United States federal withholding tax with respect to any Loan made to the Borrower, each Lender and Agent that is not a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code that lends to the Borrower (each, a “Non-US Lender”) shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, on or prior to the date which is ten (10) Business Days after the Closing Date (or upon accepting an assignment of an interest herein), two duly signed, properly completed copies of either IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8EXP or any successor thereto (relating to such Non-US Lender and entitling it to an exemption from, or reduction of, United States federal withholding tax on specified payments to be made to such Non-US Lender by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document) or IRS Form W-8ECI or any successor thereto (relating to all payments to be made to such Non-US Lender by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document) and/or such other forms and evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent that such Non-US Lender is entitled to an exemption from, or reduction of, United States federal withholding tax, including, if applicable, any documentation necessary to prevent withholding under Sections 1471-1474 of the Code and/or any exemption pursuant to Section 881(c) of the Code, and in the case of a Non-US Lender claiming such an exemption under Section 881(c) of the Code, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibits S-1, S-2, S-3 and S-4 (the “US Tax Certificate”) that establishes in writing to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent that such Non-US Lender is not (A) a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (B) a 10-percent shareholder within the meaning of Section 871(h)(3)(B) or 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, (C) a controlled foreign corporation described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code and (D) receiving any payment under any Loan Document that is effectively connected with a US trade or business. Thereafter and from time to time, to the extent it is then qualified for any exemption from or reduction in United States federal withholding tax, each such Non-US Lender shall (A) promptly submit to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent such additional duly and properly completed and signed copies of one or more of such forms or certificates (or such successor forms or certificates as shall be adopted from time to time by the relevant United States taxing authorities) as may then be available under then current United States laws and regulations to avoid, or such evidence as is reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent of any available exemption from, or reduction of, United States federal withholding taxes in respect of payments to be made to such Non-US Lender by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement, or any other Loan Document, in each case, (1) on or before the date that any such form, certificate or other evidence expires or becomes obsolete, (2) after the occurrence of any event requiring a change in the most recent form, certificate or evidence previously delivered by it to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent and (3) from time to time thereafter if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, and (B) promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent of any change in circumstances which would modify or render invalid any previously claimed exemption or reduction;

 

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(ii) each Non-US Lender, to the extent it does not act or ceases to act for its own account with respect to any portion of any sums paid or payable to such Non-US Lender under any of the Loan Documents (for example, in the case of a typical participation by such Non-US Lender, or where Non-US Lender is a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes), shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent on the date when such Non-US Lender ceases to act for its own account with respect to any portion of any such sums paid or payable, and at such other times as may be necessary in the determination of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent (in either case, in the reasonable exercise of its discretion), (A) two duly signed, properly completed copies of the forms or statements required to be provided by such Non-US Lender as set forth above, to establish the portion of any such sums paid or payable with respect to which such Non-US Lender acts for its own account that is not subject to United States federal withholding tax, and (B) two duly signed, properly completed copies of IRS Form W-8IMY (or any successor thereto), together with any information such Non-US Lender is required to transmit with such form, and any other certificate or statement of exemption required under the Code, to establish that such Non-US Lender is not acting for its own account with respect to a portion of any such sums payable to such Non-US Lender, including any applicable US Tax Certificate, provided that if the Lender is a partnership and one or more of its partners are claiming the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, such Lender shall provide a US Tax Certificate on behalf of such partners; and

(iii) to the extent it is qualified for any exemption from or reduction in United States federal withholding tax with respect to any Loan made to the Borrower, each Lender and Agent that lends to the Borrower, shall timely deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent any other form prescribed by applicable Laws as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in United States federal withholding tax or otherwise reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable Laws or otherwise reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made.

(b) The applicable withholding agent may deduct and withhold any taxes required by any Laws to be deducted and withheld from any payment under any of the Loan Documents.

(c) Each Lender and Agent that is a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code that lends to the Borrower (each, a “ US Lender ”) shall deliver to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower two duly signed, properly completed copies of IRS Form W-9 on or prior to the Closing Date (or on or prior to the date it becomes a party to this Agreement), certifying that such US Lender is entitled to an exemption from United States backup withholding tax, or any successor form. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, if such US Lender fails to deliver such forms, then the applicable withholding agent may withhold from any payment to such US Lender an amount equivalent to the applicable backup withholding tax imposed by the Code and the Borrower shall not be liable for any additional amounts with respect to such withholding.

 

183


(d) If any Governmental Authority asserts that the Borrower or the Administrative Agent did not properly withhold or backup withhold, as the case may be, any Excluded Taxes from payments made to or for the account of any Lender or Agent, then to the extent such improper withholding or backup withholding was directly caused by such Lender’s or Agent’s actions or inactions, such Lender shall indemnify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent for any Excluded Taxes imposed by any jurisdiction on the amounts payable to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent under this Section 10.15, and costs and expenses (including Attorney Costs) of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent. The obligation of the Lenders, severally, under this Section 10.15 shall survive any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender or the termination of the Aggregate Commitments, repayment of all other Obligations hereunder and the resignation of the Administrative Agent.

(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 10.15 , no Lender or Agent shall be required to deliver any documentation that it is not legally eligible to deliver.

(f) Prior to the Closing Date, the Administrative Agent will provide the Borrower with a properly executed and completed IRS Form W-8IMY, with boxes 11 and 12 checked, confirming that the Administrative Agent is a “U.S. branch” that will be responsible for administering U.S. FDAP withholding.

Section 10.16 GOVERNING LAW .

(a) THIS AGREEMENT AND EACH OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT (OTHER THAN ANY LOAN DOCUMENT EXPRESSLY GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION) SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

(b) ANY LEGAL ACTION OR PROCEEDING WITH RESPECT TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL BE BROUGHT IN THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SITTING IN NEW YORK CITY IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN OR OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF SUCH STATE, AND BY EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF THIS AGREEMENT, THE BORROWER, EACH AGENT AND EACH LENDER CONSENTS, FOR ITSELF AND IN RESPECT OF ITS PROPERTY, TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THOSE COURTS (OTHER THAN WITH RESPECT TO ACTIONS BY ANY AGENT OR ANY LENDER IN RESPECT OF RIGHTS UNDER ANY COLLATERAL DOCUMENT GOVERNED BY A LAW OTHER THAN THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY COLLATERAL SUBJECT THERETO). THE BORROWER, EACH AGENT AND EACH LENDER IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY OBJECTION, INCLUDING ANY OBJECTION TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OR BASED ON THE GROUNDS OF FORUM NON CONVENIENS, WHICH IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE BRINGING OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN SUCH JURISDICTION IN RESPECT OF ANY LOAN DOCUMENT OR OTHER DOCUMENT RELATED THERETO.

Section 10.17 WAIVER OF RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY . EACH PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT HEREBY EXPRESSLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY OF

 

184


ANY CLAIM, DEMAND, ACTION OR CAUSE OF ACTION ARISING UNDER ANY LOAN DOCUMENT OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH OR RELATED OR INCIDENTAL TO THE DEALINGS OF THE PARTIES HERETO OR ANY OF THEM WITH RESPECT TO ANY LOAN DOCUMENT, OR THE TRANSACTIONS RELATED THERETO, IN EACH CASE WHETHER NOW EXISTING OR HEREAFTER ARISING, AND WHETHER FOUNDED IN CONTRACT OR TORT OR OTHERWISE; AND EACH PARTY HEREBY AGREES AND CONSENTS THAT ANY SUCH CLAIM, DEMAND, ACTION OR CAUSE OF ACTION SHALL BE DECIDED BY COURT TRIAL WITHOUT A JURY, AND THAT ANY PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT MAY FILE AN ORIGINAL COUNTERPART OR A COPY OF THIS SECTION 10.17 WITH ANY COURT AS WRITTEN EVIDENCE OF THE CONSENT OF THE SIGNATORIES HERETO TO THE WAIVER OF THEIR RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY.

Section 10.18 Binding Effect . This Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent shall have been notified by each Lender, Swing Line Lender and the L/C Issuer that each such Lender, Swing Line Lender and the L/C Issuer has executed it and thereafter shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Borrower, each Agent and each Lender and their respective successors and assigns, except that the Borrower shall not have the right to assign its rights hereunder or any interest herein without the prior written consent of the Lenders except as permitted by Section 7.04.

Section 10.19 USA PATRIOT Act Notice . Each Lender that is subject to the PATRIOT Act and the Administrative Agent (for itself and not on behalf of any Lender) hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the PATRIOT Act, it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies the Borrower, which information includes the name and address of the Borrower and other information that will allow such Lender or the Administrative Agent, as applicable, to identify the Borrower in accordance with the Act.

Section 10.20 [Reserved] .

Section 10.21 No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship . In connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby, each of Holdings and the Borrower acknowledge and agrees that (i) the Facilities provided for hereunder and any related arranging or other services in connection therewith (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document) are an arm’s-length commercial transaction between Holdings and the Borrower, on the one hand, and the Agents and the Lenders, on the other hand, and Holdings and the Borrower are capable of evaluating and understanding and understand and accept the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan Documents (including any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or thereof); (ii) in connection with the process leading to such transaction, each of the Agents and the Lenders is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary, for the Borrower; and (iii) the Agents and the Lenders have not provided and will not provide any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby (including any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document) and Holdings and the Borrower have consulted their own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent they have deemed appropriate.

 

185


[THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.]

 

186


IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

DUNKIN’ FINANCE CORP.,

Initial Borrower

By:   /s/ Anita Balaji
  Name:   Anita Balaji
  Title:   Chief Executive Officer and President

Signature Page to Credit Agreement


BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as

Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer,

Swing Line Lender and a Lender

By:   /s/ David Barton
  Name:   David Barton
  Title:   Director

Signature Page to Credit Agreement


JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.,

as Lender

By:   /s/ Barry K. Bergman
  Name:   Barry K. Bergman
  Title:   Managing Director

[Signature Page to Credit Agreement]


BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,

as Lender

By:   /s/ Angelo Maragos
  Name:   Angelo Maragos
  Title:   Vice President

[Signature Page to Credit Agreement]


GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA,

as Lender

By:   /s/ Alexis Maged
  Name:   Alexis Maged
  Title:   Authorized Signatory

[Signature Page to Credit Agreement]


Citicorp North America Inc.,

as Lender

By:   /s/ Anthony V. Pantina
  Name:   Anthony V. Pantina
  Title:   Vice President

[Signature Page to Credit Agreement]


CREDIT SUISSE AG, Cayman Islands Branch,

as Lender

By:   /s/ Shaheen Malik
  Name:   Shaheen Malik
  Title:   Vice President
By:   /s/ Rahul Parmar
  Name:   Rahul Parmar
  Title:   Associate

[Signature Page to Credit Agreement]


Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas,

as Lender

By:   /s/ Scottye Lindsey
  Name:   Scottye Lindsey
  Title:   Director
By:   /s/ Marguerite Sutton
  Name:   Marguerite Sutton
  Title:   Director

[Signature Page to Credit Agreement]


Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A.,

as Lender

By:   /s/ Sherrese Clarke
  Name:   Sherrese Clarke
  Title:   Authorized Signatory

[Signature Page to Credit Agreement]


COOPERATIEVE CENTRALE RAIFFEISEN-

BOERENLEENBANK B.A., “RABOBANK NEDERLAND”,

NEW YORK BRANCH,

as Lender

By:   /s/ Brett Delfino
  Name:   Brett Delfino
  Title:   Executive Director
By:   /s/ Lissy Smit
  Name:   Lissy Smit
  Title:   Executive Director

[Signature Page to Credit Agreement]

Exhibit 10.21

Joinder Agreement

JOINDER, dated as of December 3, 2010 (this “ Joinder ”) to the Credit Agreement dated as of November 23, 2010 among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “ Initial Borrower ”), and upon the effectiveness of this Joinder, Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Holdings ”), and, upon the Assumption, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Borrower ”), and Barclays Bank PLC (the “ Administrative Agent ”), as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and L/C Issuer, and each lender from time to time party thereto (the “ Credit Agreement ”). Capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Credit Agreement.

The undersigned are executing this Joinder pursuant to Section 6.17(b) of the Credit Agreement.

SECTION 1. Holdings, by its signature below (i) joins in, becomes party to and agrees to be bound in all respects by all of the terms and conditions of (as fully as if Holdings had been an original signatory thereto) the Credit Agreement as Holdings and a Loan Party thereunder for all purposes thereof and (ii) without limiting any other provision of the Loan Documents, agrees that it shall take all such steps as are necessary, including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 6.17 of the Credit Agreement, to grant to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a perfected first priority security interest, subject to Liens permitted by Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement and to the extent set forth in the Security Agreement, on all of Holding’s assets constituting Collateral.

SECTION 2. Holdings represents and warrants that:

(a) It is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has the corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Joinder and perform its obligations under the Credit Agreement.

(b) The execution and delivery of this Joinder by it and the performance of its obligations under the Credit Agreement have been authorized by all necessary corporate action on its part.

(c) No authorization or approval or other action by, and no notice to or filing with, any governmental body or regulatory body on its part is required for the due execution or delivery by it of this Joinder or performance by it of the Credit Agreement, other than any filings in connection with the Liens granted to the Administrative Agent under the Security Agreement.

(d) The execution and delivery of this Joinder by it and the performance of its obligations under the Credit Agreement do not and will not (A) contravene the terms of its Organization Documents, (B) conflict with or result in any default, breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien under (other than as permitted by Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement), or require any payment (except for Indebtedness to be repaid on or prior to the Escrow Release Date in connection with the Transactions) to be made under (x) (1) any Junior Financing Documentation or (2) any other Contractual Obligation to which it is a party or affecting it or its properties or any of its Subsidiaries or (y) any order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or any arbitral award to which it or its property is subject; or (C) violate any Law; except with respect to any conflict, default, breach, contravention, payment or violation referred to in clause (B)


or clause (C), to the extent that such conflict, breach, contravention, payment or violation could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(e) This Joinder has been duly executed and delivered by it and the Credit Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of Holdings enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium, insolvency or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally or by equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law) relating to enforceability.

SECTION 3. This Joinder may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Joinder shall become effective when the Administrative Agent shall have received a counterpart of this Joinder that bears the signature of the Holdings, and the Administrative Agent has executed a counterpart hereof. Delivery of an executed signature page to this Joinder by facsimile transmission or other electronic communication shall be as effective as delivery of a manually signed counterpart of this Joinder.

SECTION 4. Each of the Borrower and Holdings hereby confirms and agrees that, except as expressly supplemented hereby, the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents are, and shall continue on and after the date hereof to be, in full force and effect in accordance with their respective terms and are ratified and confirmed by the Borrower and Holdings in all respects.

SECTION 5. THIS JOINDER SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

SECTION 6. This Joinder is a Loan Document. If any provision contained in this Joinder is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the legality, validity, and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein and in the Joinder shall not be affected or impaired thereby and the intent of such illegal, invalid or unenforceable provision shall be followed as closely as legally possible. The invalidity of a provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. This Joinder is not intended to and shall not confer any rights or remedies upon any person other than the parties hereto, the Secured Parties and their respective successors and assigns; provided that neither the Borrower nor Holdings shall have any right to assign any rights, obligations or liabilities hereunder except in accordance with the terms of the Credit Agreement. No person or entity other than the parties hereto, the Secured Parties and their respective successors and assigns will have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under, in respect of, or by virtue of this Joinder.

SECTION 7. All communications and notices hereunder shall be in writing and given as provided in Section 10.02 of the Credit Agreement.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF , Borrower, Holdings and the Administrative Agent have duly executed this Joinder to the Credit Agreement as of the day and year first above written.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.,
as Borrower
By:  

/s/ Bonnie Monahan

  Name:   Bonnie Monahan
  Title:   Vice President and Treasurer

Signature Page to Joinder


DUNKIN’ BRANDS HOLDINGS, INC.,
as Holdings
By:  

/s/ Nigel Travis

  Name:   Nigel Travis
  Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Joinder


BARCLAYS BANK PLC,
as Administrative Agent
By:  

/s/ David Barton

  Name:   David Barton
  Title:   Director

Signature Page to Joinder

Exhibit 10.22

EXECUTION VERSION

AMENDMENT NO. 1

AMENDMENT NO. 1, dated as of February 18, 2011 (this “ Amendment ”), to the Credit Agreement dated as of November 23, 2010 (as amended, supplemented, amended and restated or otherwise modified from time to time) (the “ Credit Agreement ”) among DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “ Borrower ”), DUNKIN’ BRANDS HOLDINGS, INC., a Delaware corporation (“ Holdings ”), each lender from time to time party thereto (collectively, the “ Lenders ” and individually, a “ Lender ”), BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as Administrative Agent (in such capacity, the “ Administrative Agent ”), Swing Line Lender (in such capacity, the “ Swing Line Lender ”), L/C Issuer (in such capacity, the “ L/C Issuer ”) and Collateral Agent (in such capacity, the “ Collateral Agent ”) and the other Agents named therein. Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Credit Agreement.

WHEREAS, Section 10.01 of the Credit Agreement permits amendment of the Credit Agreement with consent of the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and the Lenders providing the relevant replacement term loan tranche to permit the refinancing of all outstanding Term Loans of any Class with a replacement term loan tranche thereunder;

WHEREAS, pursuant to the third paragraph of Section 10.01 of the Credit Agreement, the Borrower desires to create a new Class of Term B-1 Loans under the Credit Agreement having identical terms with, having the same rights and obligations under the Loan Documents as and in the same aggregate principal amount as the Term B Loans, as set forth in the Credit Agreement and Loan Documents, except as such terms are amended hereby;

WHEREAS, each Term B Lender that executes and delivers a consent to this Amendment substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto (a “ Consent ”) shall be deemed, upon effectiveness of this Amendment, to have exchanged all (or such lesser amount allocated to it by the Arrangers) of its Term B Loans for Term B-1 Loans, and such Lender shall thereafter become a Term B-1 Lender;

WHEREAS, each Person that executes and delivers a joinder to this Amendment substantially in the form of Exhibit B (a “ Joinder ”) as an Additional Term B-1 Lender will make Term B-1 Loans in the amount set forth on the signature page of such Person’s Joinder on the effective date of this Amendment to the Borrower, the proceeds of which will be used by the Borrower to repay in full the outstanding principal amount of Non-Exchanged Term B Loans (as defined herein);

WHEREAS, the Borrower shall pay to each Term B Lender immediately prior to the effectiveness of this Amendment (i) all accrued and unpaid interest on its Term B Loans to, but not including, the date of effectiveness of this Amendment and (ii) a prepayment premium of 1% of the amount of Term B Loans held by such Term B Lender;


WHEREAS, the Loan Parties and Required Lenders wish to make certain other amendments set forth in Section 2 below pursuant to amendments authorized by Section 10.01 of the Credit Agreement;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and covenants contained herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound hereby, agree as follows:

Section 1. Amendments Relating to Term B-1 Loans .

Effective as of the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, the Credit Agreement is hereby amended as follows (to the extent necessary to permit the borrowing of the Senior Notes Refinancing Amount, such amendments are made with the consent of the Required Lenders after giving effect to the exchange of Term B Loans into Term B-1 Loans and the borrowing of the Additional Term B-1 Loans excluding the Senior Notes Refinancing Amount):

(a) The following defined terms shall be added to Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement in alphabetical order:

Additional Term B-1 Commitment ” means, with respect to an Additional Term B-1 Lender, the commitment of such Additional Term B-1 Lender to make an Additional Term B-1 Loan on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, in the amount set forth on the joinder agreement of such Additional Term B-1 Lender to Amendment No. 1. The aggregate amount of the Additional Term B-1 Commitments of all Additional Term B-1 Lenders shall equal (i) the outstanding aggregate principal amount of Non-Exchanged Term B Loans plus (ii) $150,000,000 (the amount in this clause (ii), the “ Senior Notes Refinancing Amount ”) (it being understood that the Senior Notes Refinancing Amount shall not count towards the basket set forth in clause (ii) of Section 2.14(a) of the Credit Agreement).

Additional Term B-1 Lender ” means a Person with an Additional Term B-1 Commitment to make Additional Term B-1 Loans to the Borrower on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, which for the avoidance of doubt may be an existing Term B Lender.

Additional Term B-1 Loan ” means a Loan that is made pursuant to Section 2.01(c)(ii) of the Credit Agreement on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date.

Amendment No. 1 ” means Amendment No. 1 to this Agreement dated as of February 18, 2011.

Amendment No. 1 Effective Date ” means February 18, 2011, the date on which all conditions precedent set forth in Section 4 of Amendment No. 1 are satisfied.

 

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Exchanged Term B Loans ” means each Term B Loan (or portion thereof) as to which the Lender thereof has consented to exchange into a Term B-1 Loan and the Arrangers have allocated into a Term B-1 Loan.

Non-Exchanged Term B Loan ” means each Term B Loan (or portion thereof) other than an Exchanged Term B Loan.

Senior Notes Refinancing Amount ” has the meaning given to such term in the definition of “Additional Term B-1 Commitment.”

Term B-1 Commitment ” means, with respect to a Term B Lender, the agreement of such Term B Lender to exchange the entire principal amount of its Term B Loans (or such lesser amount allocated to it by the Arrangers) for an equal principal amount of Term B-1 Loans on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date.

Term B-1 Loan ” means an Additional Term B-1 Loan or a Loan that is deemed made pursuant to Section 2.01(c)(i).

(b) The definitions of “Term B Commitment” and “Term B Loans” in Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement shall be deleted in their entirety.

(c) All references to “Term B Loan,” “Term B Commitment,” “Term B Loan Facility” and “Term B Lender” in the Credit Agreement and the Loan Documents shall be deemed to be references to “Term B-1 Loan,” “Term B-1 Commitment,” “Term B-1 Loan Facility” and “Term B-1 Lender,” respectively (unless the context otherwise requires).

(d) The definition of “Applicable Rate” in Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by deleting such definition and replacing it with the following:

““ Applicable Rate ” means a percentage per annum equal to

(a) with respect to the Term B-1 Loans (i) for Eurodollar Rate Loans, 3.00% and (ii) for Base Rate Loans, 2.00%; and

(b) with respect to the Revolving Credit Loans, unused Revolving Credit Commitments, Letter of Credit fees and Revolving Credit Commitment Fees, the following percentages per annum, based upon the Total Leverage Ratio as set forth in the most recent Compliance Certificate received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 6.02:

 

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Pricing Level

   Total
Leverage Ratio
     Eurocurrency
Rate and Letter
of Credit Fees
    Base Rate     Revolving Credit
Commitment Fee
Rate
 

1

     >6.00:1         4.25     3.25     0.500

2

    
 
<  6.00:1 but
> 5.00:1
  
  
     4.00     3.00     0.500

3

     < 5.00:1         3.75     2.75     0.500

Any increase or decrease in the Applicable Rate resulting from a change in the Total Leverage Ratio shall become effective as of the first Business Day immediately following the date a Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.02; provided that Pricing Level 1 shall apply (x) as of the first Business Day after the date on which a Compliance Certificate was required to have been delivered but was not delivered, and shall continue to so apply to and including the date on which such Compliance Certificate is so delivered (and thereafter the Pricing Level otherwise determined in accordance with this definition shall apply) and (y) at the option of the Administrative Agent or the Required Revolving Lenders, as of the first Business Day after an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, and shall continue to so apply to but excluding the date on which such Event of Default is cured or waived (and thereafter the Pricing Level otherwise determined in accordance with this definition shall apply); provided , further , that prior to delivery of the Compliance Certificate with respect to the first fiscal quarter beginning after the Closing Date, Pricing Level 1 shall apply.”

(e) The definition of “Base Rate” in Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by changing the proviso to the first sentence thereof to read: “ provided that in no event shall the Base Rate be less than (i) 2.50% in the case of Revolving Credit Loans and Swing Line Loans or (ii) 2.25% in the case of Term B-1 Loans.”

(f) The definition of “Eurodollar Rate” in Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by changing the proviso to read: “ provided that in no event shall the Eurodollar Rate be less than (i) 1.50% in the case of Revolving Credit Loans and Swing Line Loans or (ii) 1.25% in the case of Term B-1 Loans.”

(g) The definition of “Loan Documents” in Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the word “and” prior to clause (g) thereof and replacing it with a comma and adding immediately prior to the period therein “and (h) amendments and joinders to this Agreement”.

(h) Section 2.01 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph (c) to such Section:

“(c) (i) Subject to the terms and conditions hereof and of Amendment No. 1, each Term B Lender severally agrees to exchange its

 

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Exchanged Term B Loans for a like principal amount of Term B-1 Loans on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date.

(ii) Subject to the terms and conditions hereof and of Amendment No. 1, each Additional Term B-1 Lender severally agrees to make an Additional Term B-1 Loan to the Borrower on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date in the principal amount equal to its Additional Term B-1 Commitment on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date. The Borrower shall prepay the Non-Exchanged Term B Loans with a like amount of the gross proceeds of the Additional Term B-1 Loans, concurrently with the receipt thereof.

(iii) The Borrower shall pay to the Term B Lenders immediately prior to the effectiveness of Amendment No. 1 (x) all accrued and unpaid interest on the Term Loans to, but not including, the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date on such Amendment No. 1 Effective Date and (y) the prepayment premium pursuant to Section 2.05(a)(iv).

(iv) The Term B-1 Loans shall have the same terms as the Term B Loans as set forth in the Credit Agreement and Loan Documents before giving effect to Amendment No. 1, except as modified by Amendment No. 1; it being understood that the Term B-1 Loans (and all principal, interest and other amounts in respect thereof) will constitute “Obligations” under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents and shall have the same rights and obligations under the Credit Agreement and Loan Documents as the Term B Loans prior to the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date.”

(i) Section 2.05(a) of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by deleting subclause (iv) thereof in its entirety and replacing it with the following; provided that the amendment in this clause (i) shall be effective solely as it relates to the Revolving Credit Loans, only upon the consent of each Revolving Credit Lender:

“(iv) At the time of the effectiveness of any Repricing Transaction that (x) makes any prepayment of the Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans (with a corresponding reduction of Revolving Credit Commitments) in connection with any Repricing Transaction, or (y) effects any amendment of this Agreement resulting in a Repricing Transaction and is consummated prior to the first anniversary of the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, with respect to the Term Loans and prior to the first anniversary of the Closing Date, with respect to the Revolving Credit Loans, the Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for the ratable account of each applicable Lender, a fee in an amount equal to, (I) in the case of clause (x), a prepayment premium of 1% of the amount of the Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans (with a corresponding reduction of Revolving Credit

 

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Commitments) being prepaid and (II) in the case of clause (y), a payment equal to 1% of the aggregate amount of the applicable Term Loans or Revolving Credit Commitments outstanding immediately prior to such amendment; provided that no such payment shall be required with respect to a Repricing Transaction that is consummated substantially concurrently with or after a Qualified IPO. Such fees shall be due and payable upon the date of the effectiveness of such Repricing Transaction.”

(j) Section 2.06(b) of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following clause (iv) to such Section:

“(iv) The Term B-1 Commitment of each Additional Term B-1 Lender shall be automatically terminated on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date upon the borrowing of the Additional Term B-1 Loans on such date.”

(k) Section 2.07(a) of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by replacing the amortization table therein with the following:

 

Interest Payment Date

   Amortization Payment  

March 2011

   $ 3,500,000   

June 2011

   $ 3,500,000   

September 2011

   $ 3,500,000   

December 2011

   $ 3,500,000   

March 2012

   $ 3,500,000   

June 2012

   $ 3,500,000   

September 2012

   $ 3,500,000   

December 2012

   $ 3,500,000   

March 2013

   $ 3,500,000   

June 2013

   $ 3,500,000   

September 2013

   $ 3,500,000   

December 2013

   $ 3,500,000   

March 2014

   $ 3,500,000   

June 2014

   $ 3,500,000   

September 2014

   $ 3,500,000   

December 2014

   $ 3,500,000   

March 2015

   $ 3,500,000   

June 2015

   $ 3,500,000   

September 2015

   $ 3,500,000   

December 2015

   $ 3,500,000   

March 2016

   $ 3,500,000   

June 2016

   $ 3,500,000   

September 2016

   $ 3,500,000   

 

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December 2016

   $ 3,500,000   

March 2017

   $ 3,500,000   

June 2017

   $ 3,500,000   

September 2017

   $ 3,500,000   

(l) Section 6.11 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph (d) to such Section:

“(d) Use the proceeds of all Term B-1 Loans (other than the Senior Notes Refinancing Amount) to refinance the Term B Loans. Use the proceeds of the Term B-1 Loans in an amount equal to the Senior Notes Refinancing Amount to redeem an equal aggregate principal amount of outstanding Senior Notes.”

Section 2. Other Amendments to Credit Agreement .

Effective as of the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, the Required Lenders after giving effect to the exchange of Term B Loans into Term B-1 Loans and the borrowing of the Additional Term B-1 Loans hereby agree as follows:

(a) Section 7.06(f) of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by replacing it with the following:

“(f) so long as no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries may make Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount that does not exceed the sum of (i) the greater of (x) $60,000,000 and (y) 2.00% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period last ended (such amount to be reduced on a dollar for dollar basis by any use of this Section 7.06(f)(i) reallocated to prepayments of Junior Financings pursuant to Section 7.13(i)) and (ii) the Cumulative Amount as in effect immediately prior to the time of making of such Restricted Payment; provided that (A) in the case of any Restricted Payment under this clause (f) made with the Cumulative Amount, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 7.10 after giving effect to such Restricted Payment and the use of proceeds thereof and (B) upon a Qualifying IPO, the references to $60,000,000 and 2.00% in clauses (x) and (y) above shall be increased to $115,000,000 and 3.75%, respectively, with the additional amounts resulting from such increase available only to the extent that the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio would be not greater than 5.00 to 1.00 after giving pro forma effect to such Restricted Payment;”.

 

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(b) Section 7.13 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by (1) replacing clause (i) with the following:

“(i) so long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, for an aggregate purchase price, or in an aggregate prepayment amount, not to exceed the greater of (x) $60,000,000 and (y) 2.00% of Total Assets as of the end of the Test Period last ended, plus (A) unused amounts available to make Restricted Payments under Section 7.06(f)(i) and (B) an amount equal to the Cumulative Amount as in effect immediately prior to the time of making such purchase or prepayment; provided that (I) in the case of any prepayment, redemption, purchase, defeasement or other satisfaction of any Junior Financing under this Section 7.13 made with the Cumulative Amount, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in Pro Forma Compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 7.10 after giving effect to such payment, prepayment, redemption, purchase, defeasance or satisfaction and (II) upon a Qualifying IPO, the references to $60,000,000 and 2.00% in clauses (x) and (y) above shall be increased to $115,000,000 and 3.75%, respectively; with the additional amounts resulting from such increase available only to the extent that the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio would be not greater than 5.00 to 1.00 after giving pro forma effect to such payment, prepayment, redemption, purchase, defeasance or satisfaction;”

and (2) by replacing the “and” before “(iv)” with a comma and adding the following before the period:

“and (v) the redemption of Senior Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the Senior Notes Refinancing Amount, and the payment of any applicable redemption premium and accrued and unpaid interest thereon”.

Section 3. Representations and Warranties .

Each of Holdings and the Borrower represents and warrants to the Lenders as of the date hereof and the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date that:

(a) Before and after giving effect to this Amendment, the representations and warranties of the Borrower and each other Loan Party contained in Article 5 of the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be true and correct in all material respects (and in all respects if qualified by materiality) on and as of the date of such Credit Extension, except (i) to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct in all material respects (and in all respects if qualified by materiality) as of such earlier date and (ii) that for purposes of this Section 3, the representations and warranties contained in Section 5.05(a) of the Credit Agreement shall be deemed to refer to the most recent financial statements furnished prior to the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date or pursuant to Section 6.01(a) and Section 6.01(b) of the Credit Agreement.

 

-8-


(b) At the time of and after giving effect to this Amendment, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.

Section 4. Conditions to Effectiveness .

This Amendment shall become effective on the date on which each of the following conditions is satisfied:

(a) The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or facsimiles or electronic copies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, and each executed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower:

(1) executed counterparts of this Amendment; and

(2) a Note executed by the Borrower in favor of each Lender requesting a Note at least two (2) Business Days prior to the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, if any.

(b) The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or facsimiles or electronic copies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified;

(1) an opinion of Ropes & Gray LLP, special counsel to the Borrower, dated the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date and addressed to each L/C Issuer, Arranger, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, substantially in the form previously provided to the Administrative Agent;

(2) (A) a certificate as to the good standing of each Loan Party as of a recent date, from the Secretary of State of the state of its organization or a similar Governmental Authority and (B) a certificate of a Responsible Officer of each Loan Party dated the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date and certifying (I) to the effect that (w) attached thereto is a true and complete copy of the certificate or articles of incorporation or organization such Loan Party certified as of a recent date by the Secretary of State of the state of its organization, or in the alternative (other than in the case of the Borrower), certifying that such certificate or articles of incorporation or organization have not been amended since the Escrow Release Date, and that such certificate or articles are in full force and effect, (x) attached thereto is a true and complete copy of the by-laws or operating agreements of each Loan Party as in effect on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, or in the alternative (other than in the case of the Borrower), certifying that such by-laws or operating agreements have not been amended since the Escrow Release Date and (y) attached thereto is a true and complete copy of resolutions duly adopted by the board of directors, board of managers or member, as the case may be, of each Loan Party authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of the Loan Documents

 

-9-


to which such Loan Party is a party, and that such resolutions have not been modified, rescinded or amended and are in full force and effect, and (II) as to the incumbency and specimen signature of each officer executing any Loan Document on behalf of any Loan Party and signed by another officer as to the incumbency and specimen signature of the Responsible Officer executing the certificate pursuant to this clause (B); and

(3) a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower certifying as to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in paragraphs (f) and (g) of this Section 4 and that the Term B-1 Loans meet the requirements and conditions to be Replacement Term Loans.

(c) (i) The aggregate principal amount of the Exchanged Term B Loans plus the aggregate principal amount of the Additional Term B-1 Commitments shall equal the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Term B Loans immediately prior to the effectiveness of this Amendment plus the Senior Notes Refinancing Amount and (ii) with respect to Section 1(i) solely as it relates to Revolving Credit Loans, each Revolving Credit Lender has delivered to the Administrative Agent a Consent to this Amendment.

(d) The Borrower shall have paid to the Administrative Agent, for the ratable account of the Term B Lenders immediately prior to the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, (x) all accrued and unpaid interest on the Term B Loans to, but not including, the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date and (y) the prepayment premium pursuant to Section 2.05(a)(iv) of the Credit Agreement.

(e) All fees and expenses due to the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers and the Lenders required to be paid on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date shall have been paid.

(f) No Default shall exist, or would result from the Amendment and related Credit Extension or from the application of the proceeds therefrom.

(g) The representations and warranties of the Borrower and each other Loan Party contained in Article 5 of the Credit Agreement and Section 3 of this Amendment or any other Loan Document shall be true and correct in all material respects (and in all respects if qualified by materiality) on and as of the date hereof, except (A) to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct in all material respects (and in all respects if qualified by materiality) as of such earlier date and (B) that for purposes of this Section 4, the representations and warranties contained in Section 5.05(a) of the Credit Agreement shall be deemed to refer to the most recent financial statements furnished prior to the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date or pursuant to Section 6.01(a) and Section 6.01(b) of the Credit Agreement.

(h) To the extent requested by an Additional Term B-1 Lender in writing not less than three (3) Business Days prior to the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, the

 

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Administrative Agent shall have received, prior to the effectiveness of this Amendment, all documentation and other information with respect to the Borrower required by regulatory authorities under applicable “know-your-customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including without limitation the PATRIOT Act.

(i) The Administrative Agent shall have received a Request for Credit Extension not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day prior to the date of the proposed Credit Extension.

The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date and such notice shall be conclusive and binding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the amendments effected hereby shall not become effective, and the obligations of the Additional Term B-1 Lenders hereunder to make Additional Term B-1 Loans will automatically terminate, if each of the conditions set forth or referred to in this Section 4 has not been satisfied at or prior to 5 p.m., New York City time, on February 25, 2011.

Section 5. Notice of Redemption .

No later than three Business Days following the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, the Borrower shall deliver a notice of redemption to the holders of the Senior Notes pursuant to the terms of the Senior Notes Indenture for the redemption of Senior Notes in an aggregate principal amount no less than the Senior Notes Refinancing Amount.

Section 6. Waivers .

The Required Lenders and Administrative Agent agree that the Borrower may deliver a Request for Credit Extension pursuant to Section 4.02 of the Credit Agreement not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day prior to the date of the proposed Credit Extension (in lieu of three Business Days). The Required Lenders and Administrative Agent waive the requirement for delivery of a Prepayment Notice pursuant to Section 2.05 of the Credit Agreement. The Lenders party hereto waive the payment of any breakage loss or expense under Section 3.05 of the Credit Agreement in connection with the exchange of Term B Loans into Term B-1 Loans.

Section 7. Expenses .

The Borrower agrees to reimburse the Administrative Agent for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with this Amendment, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP , counsel for the Administrative Agent.

Section 8. Counterparts .

This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts and by different parties hereto on separate counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be

 

-11-


deemed to be an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single instrument. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Amendment by facsimile transmission or electronic transmission shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart hereof.

Section 9. Governing Law and Waiver of Right to Trial by Jury .

THIS AMENDMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. The jurisdiction and waiver of right to trial by jury provisions in Section 10.16 and 10.17 of the Credit Agreement are incorporated herein by reference mutatis mutandis.

Section 10. Headings .

The headings of this Amendment are for purposes of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.

Section 11. Reaffirmation .

Each Loan Party hereby expressly acknowledges the terms of this Amendment and reaffirms, as of the date hereof, (i) the covenants and agreements contained in each Loan Document to which it is a party, including, in each case, such covenants and agreements as in effect immediately after giving effect to this Amendment and the transactions contemplated hereby and (ii) its guarantee of the Obligations under the Guaranty, as applicable, and its grant of Liens on the Collateral to secure the Obligations pursuant to the Collateral Documents.

Section 12. Effect of Amendment .

Except as expressly set forth herein, this Amendment shall not by implication or otherwise limit, impair, constitute a waiver of or otherwise affect the rights and remedies of the Lenders or the Agents under the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document, and shall not alter, modify, amend or in any way affect any of the terms, conditions, obligations, covenants or agreements contained in the Credit Agreement or any other provision of the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document, all of which are ratified and affirmed in all respects and shall continue in full force and effect.

 

-12-


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.
By:  

/s/ Cornelius F. Moses III

 

Name: Cornelius F. Moses III

Title: Chief Financial Officer

DUNKIN’ BRANDS HOLDINGS, INC.
By:  

/s/ Cornelius F. Moses III

 

Name: Cornelius F. Moses III

Title: Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO AMENDMENT NO.1]


BASKIN-ROBBINS FLAVORS LLC

BASKIN-ROBBINS FRANCHISED SHOPS LLC

BASKIN-ROBBINS FRANCHISING LLC

BASKIN-ROBBINS INTERNATIONAL LLC

BASKIN-ROBBINS LLC

BASKIN-ROBBINS USA LLC

BR IP HOLDER LLC

BR JAPAN HOLDINGS LLC

DB CANADIAN HOLDING COMPANY INC.

DB CANADIAN SUPPLIER INC.

DB FRANCHISING HOLDING COMPANY LLC

DB INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISING LLC

DB MASTER FINANCE LLC

DB MEXICAN FRANCHISING LLC

DB REAL ESTATE ASSETS I LLC

DB REAL ESTATE ASSETS II LLC

DB UK FRANCHISING LLC

DBI STORES LLC

DD IP HOLDER LLC

DUNKIN’ DONUTS FRANCHISED RESTAURANTS LLC

DUNKIN’ DONUTS FRANCHISING LLC

DUNKIN’ DONUTS LLC

DUNKIN’ DONUTS REALTY INVESTMENT LLC

DUNKIN’ DONUTS USA LLC

DUNKIN’ VENTURES LLC

MISTER DONUT OF AMERICA LLC

THIRD DUNKIN’ DONUTS REALTY LLC

By:  

/s/ Cornelius F. Moses III

 

Name: Cornelius F. Moses III

Title: Chief Financial Officer

BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as

Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer and

Swing Line Lender

By:  

/s/ David Barton

 

Name: David Barton

Title: Director


EXHIBIT A

CONSENT TO AMENDMENT NO. 1

CONSENT TO AMENDMENT NO. 1 (this “ Consent ”) to Amendment No. 1 (“ Amendment ”) to that certain Credit Agreement, dated as of November 23, 2010 (the “ Credit Agreement ”), by and among Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “ Borrower ”), Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., Barclays Bank PLC, as Administrative Agent (the “ Administrative Agent ”), the Lenders from time to time party thereto and the other parties thereto. Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Credit Agreement and used herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Amendment.

Existing Term B Lenders

The undersigned Term B Lender hereby irrevocably and unconditionally approves the Amendment and consents as follows (check ONE option):

Cashless Settlement Option

 

  ¨ to convert 100% of the outstanding principal amount of the Term B Loan held by such Lender (or such lesser amount allocated to such Lender by the Arrangers) into a Term B-1 Loan in a like principal amount.

Post-Closing Settlement Option

 

  ¨ to have 100% of the outstanding principal amount of the Term B Loan held by such Lender prepaid on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date and purchase by assignment the principal amount of Term B-1 Loans committed to separately by the undersigned (or such lesser amount allocated to such Lender by the Arrangers).

Revolving Credit Lenders

 

  ¨ The undersigned Revolving Credit Lender hereby irrevocably and unconditionally consents to the Amendment.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Consent to be executed and delivered by a duly authorized officer.

 

Date:   February       , 2011
                                                                                                         ,
as a Lender (type name of the legal entity)
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
If a second signature is necessary:
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:


EXHIBIT B

JOINDER AGREEMENT

JOINDER AGREEMENT, dated as of February 18, 2011 (this “ Agreement ”), by and among [ADDITIONAL TERM B-1 LENDER] (each, an “ Additional Term B-1 Lender ” and, collectively, the “ Additional Term B-1 Lenders ”), Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (the “ Borrower ”), and BARCLAYS BANK PLC (the “ Administrative Agent ”).

RECITALS:

WHEREAS, reference is hereby made to the Credit Agreement, dated as of November 23, 2010 and amended by Amendment No. 1 dated as of February 18, 2011 (as further amended, restated, extended, supplemented or otherwise modified in writing from time to time, the “ Credit Agreement ”), among the Borrower, Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Holdings ”), each lender from time to time party thereto and Barclays Bank PLC, as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and L/C Issuer (capitalized terms used but not defined herein having the meaning provided in the Credit Agreement);

WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions of the Credit Agreement, the Borrower may establish Additional Term B-1 Commitments (the “ Additional Term B-1 Commitments ”) with existing Term B Lenders and/or Additional Term B-1 Lenders; and

WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions of the Credit Agreement, Additional Term B-1 Lenders shall become Lenders pursuant to one or more Joinder Agreements;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and agreements, provisions and covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

Each Additional Term B-1 Lender hereby agrees to provide the Additional Term B-1 Commitment set forth on its signature page hereto pursuant to and in accordance with Section 2.01(c) of the Credit Agreement. The Additional Term B-1 Commitments provided pursuant to this Agreement shall be subject to all of the terms in the Credit Agreement and to the conditions set forth in the Credit Agreement, and shall be entitled to all the benefits afforded by the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and shall, without limiting the foregoing, benefit equally and ratably from the Guarantees and security interests created by the Collateral Documents

Each Additional Term B-1 Lender, the Borrower and the Administrative Agent acknowledge and agree that the Additional Term B-1 Commitments provided pursuant to this Agreement shall constitute Term B-1 Commitments for all purposes of the Credit Agreement and the other applicable Loan Documents. Each Additional Term B-1 Lender hereby agrees to make an Additional Term B-1 Loan to the Borrower in an amount equal to its Additional Term B-1 Commitment on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date in accordance with Section 2.01(c) of the Credit Agreement.


Each Additional Term B-1 Lender (i) confirms that it has received a copy of the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents, together with copies of the financial statements referred to therein and such other documents and information as it has deemed appropriate to make its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement; (ii) agrees that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers or any other Additional Term B-1 Lender or any other Lender or Agent and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own credit decisions in taking or not taking action under the Credit Agreement; (iii) appoints and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such action as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers and discretion under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms thereof, together with such powers and discretion as are reasonably incidental thereto; and (iv) agrees that it will perform in accordance with their terms all of the obligations which by the terms of the Credit Agreement are required to be performed by it as a Lender.

Upon (i) the execution of a counterpart of this Agreement by each Additional Term B-1 Lender, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower and (ii) the delivery to the Administrative Agent of a fully executed counterpart (including by way of telecopy or other electronic transmission) hereof, each of the undersigned Additional Term B-1 Lenders shall become Lenders under the Credit Agreement and shall have the respective Additional Term B-1 Commitment set forth on its signature page hereto, effective as of the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date.

For each Additional Term B-1 Lender, delivered herewith to the Administrative Agent are such forms, certificates or other evidence with respect to United States federal income tax withholding matters as such Additional Term B-1 Lender may be required to deliver to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 10.15 of the Credit Agreement.

This Agreement may not be amended, modified or waived except by an instrument or instruments in writing signed and delivered on behalf of each of the parties hereto.

This Agreement, the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents constitute the entire agreement among the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersede all other prior agreements and understandings, both written and verbal, among the parties or any of them with respect to the subject matter hereof.

THIS AGREEMENT AND THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES HEREUNDER SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

Any term or provision of this Agreement which is invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to that jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability without rendering invalid or unenforceable the remaining terms and provisions of this Agreement or affecting the validity or enforceability of any of the terms or provisions of this

 

B-2


Agreement in any other jurisdiction. If any provision of this Agreement is so broad as to be unenforceable, the provision shall be interpreted to be only so broad as would be enforceable.

This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which shall constitute one and the same agreement.

 

B-3


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has caused its duly authorized officer to execute and deliver this Joinder Agreement as of February 18, 2011.

 

[NAME OF ADDITIONAL TERM B-1 LENDER]
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
If a second signature is necessary:
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
Additional Term B-1 Commitments:
$                                                              
DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

B-4


Accepted:

BARCLAYS BANK PLC,

as Administrative Agent

By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

B-5

Exhibit 10.23

EXECUTION COPY

 

 

SECURITY AGREEMENT

dated as of

December 3, 2010

among

THE GRANTORS IDENTIFIED HEREIN

and

Barclays Bank PLC,

as Administrative Agent

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page
ARTICLE I
Definitions

SECTION 1.01

   Credit Agreement    1

SECTION 1.02

   Other Defined Terms    1
ARTICLE II
Pledge of Securities

SECTION 2.01

  

Pledge

   4

SECTION 2.02

  

Delivery of the Pledged Equity

   5

SECTION 2.03

  

Representations, Warranties and Covenants

   6

SECTION 2.04

  

Certification of Limited Liability Company and Limited Partnership Interests

   7

SECTION 2.05

  

Registration in Nominee Name; Denominations

   8

SECTION 2.06

  

Voting Rights; Dividends and Interest

   8
ARTICLE III
Security Interests in Personal Property

SECTION 3.01

  

Security Interest

   10

SECTION 3.02

  

Representations and Warranties

   12

SECTION 3.03

  

Covenants

   13
ARTICLE IV
Remedies

SECTION 4.01

  

Remedies Upon Default

   16

SECTION 4.02

  

Application of Proceeds

   18

SECTION 4.03

  

Grant of License to Use Intellectual Property

   18
ARTICLE V
Subordination

SECTION 5.01

  

Subordination

   19
ARTICLE VI
Miscellaneous

 

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SECTION 6.01

  

Notices

   19

SECTION 6.02

  

Waivers; Amendment

   19

SECTION 6.03

  

Administrative Agent’s Fees and Expenses; Indemnification

   20

SECTION 6.04

  

Successors and Assigns

   20

SECTION 6.05

  

Survival of Agreement

   20

SECTION 6.06

  

Counterparts; Effectiveness; Several Agreement

   20

SECTION 6.07

  

Severability

   21

SECTION 6.08

  

Right of Set-Off

   21

SECTION 6.09

  

Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Venue; Waiver of Jury Trial; Consent to Service of Process

   21

SECTION 6.10

  

Headings

   22

SECTION 6.11

  

Security Interest Absolute

   22

SECTION 6.12

  

Termination or Release

   22

SECTION 6.13

  

Additional Grantors

   23

SECTION 6.14

  

Administrative Agent Appointed Attorney-in-Fact

   23

SECTION 6.15

  

General Authority of the Administrative Agent

   24

SECTION 6.16

  

Reasonable Care

   24

SECTION 6.17

  

Delegation; Limitation

   24

SECTION 6.18

  

Reinstatement

   24

SECTION 6.19

  

Miscellaneous

   24
Exhibits      

Exhibit I

  

Form of Security Agreement Supplement

  

Exhibit II

  

Form of Perfection Certificate

  

Exhibit III

  

Form of Patent Security Agreement

  

Exhibit IV

  

Form of Trademark Security Agreement

  

Exhibit V

  

Form of Copyright Security Agreement

  

Exhibit VI

  

Form of Issuer’s Acknowledgment

  

 

-ii-


SECURITY AGREEMENT dated as of December 3, 2010, among the Grantors (as defined below) and Barclays Bank PLC, as the administrative agent for the Secured Parties (in such capacity, the “ Administrative Agent ”).

Reference is made to the Credit Agreement (the “ Credit Agreement ”), dated as of November 23, 2010, among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “ Initial Borrower ”), and upon the effectiveness of its joinder to the Credit Agreement, Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Holdings ”), and, upon the Assumption, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ DBI ”), each lender from time to time party thereto and Barclays Bank PLC, as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and L/C Issuer.

On the Closing Date, the Lenders made Term Loans and on the date hereof provided Revolving Credit Commitments to the Initial Borrower under the Credit Agreement.

Pursuant to Section 6.17 of the Credit Agreement, (i) concurrently with the re-lease of funds from the Escrow Account on the date hereof, the Initial Borrower assigned and transferred to DBI all of its rights and obligations as the Borrower under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and (ii) immediately following the redemption of the Existing Securitization Notes and discharge of the Existing Securitization Indenture on the date hereof, the Grantors are required to execute and deliver this Agreement.

The Guarantors party hereto are affiliates of the Borrower, will derive substantial benefits from the extension of credit to the Borrower pursuant to the Credit Agreement, and are willing to execute and deliver this Agreement as consideration for Loans previously made and Letters of Credit previously issued and to induce the Lenders to make additional Loans and the L/C Issuers to issue additional Letters of Credit. Accordingly, the parties hereto agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

Definitions

SECTION 1.01 Credit Agreement .

(a) Capitalized terms used in this Agreement and not otherwise defined herein have the meanings specified in the Credit Agreement. All terms defined in the UCC (as defined herein) and not defined in this Agreement have the meanings specified therein; the term “instrument” shall have the meaning specified in Article 9 of the UCC.

(b) The rules of construction specified in Article I of the Credit Agreement also apply to this Agreement.

SECTION 1.02 Other Defined Terms . As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings specified below:

Account Debtor ” means any Person who is or who may become obligated to any Grantor under, with respect to or on account of an Account.


Accounts ” has the meaning specified in Article 9 of the UCC.

Administrative Agent ” has the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals of the Agreement or any permitted successor administrative agent.

Agreement ” means this Security Agreement.

Article 9 Collateral ” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.01(a).

Borrower ” means Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Collateral ” means the Article 9 Collateral and the Pledged Collateral.

Copyright License ” means any written agreement, now or hereafter in effect, granting any right to any third party under any Copyright now or hereafter owned by any Grantor or that such Grantor otherwise has the right to license, or granting any right to any Grantor under any Copyright now or hereafter owned by any third party, and all rights of such Grantor under any such agreement.

Copyrights ” means all of the following now owned or hereafter acquired by any Grantor: (a) all copyright rights in any work subject to the copyright laws of the United States, whether as author, assignee, transferee or otherwise, and (b) all registrations and applications for registration of any such copyright in the United States, including registrations, recordings, supplemental registrations and pending applications for registration in the USCO.

Credit Agreement ” has the meaning assigned to such term in the preliminary statement of this Agreement.

General Intangibles ” has the meaning specified in Article 9 of the UCC.

Grantor ” means, without duplication, the Borrower, each Guarantor that is a party hereto and each Guarantor that is a Restricted Subsidiary that becomes a party to this Agreement after the date hereof.

Intellectual Property ” means all intellectual and similar property of every kind and nature now owned or hereafter acquired by any Grantor, including inventions, designs, Patents, Copyrights, Licenses, Trademarks, trade secrets, the intellectual property rights in software and databases and related documentation and all additions and improvements to the foregoing.

Intellectual Property Security Agreements ” means the short-form Patent Security Agreement, short-form Trademark Security Agreement, and short-form Copyright Security Agreement, each substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibits III, IV and V, respectively.

License ” means any Patent License, Trademark License, Copyright License or other Intellectual Property license or sublicense agreement to which any Grantor is a party, together with any and all (i) renewals, extensions, supplements and continuations thereof, (ii) income, fees, royalties, damages, claims and payments now and hereafter due and/or payable

 

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thereunder or with respect thereto including damages and payments for past, present or future infringements or violations thereof, and (iii) rights to sue for past, present and future violations thereof.

Margin Stock ” has the meaning specified in Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Patent License ” means any written agreement, now or hereafter in effect, granting to any third party any right to make, use or sell any invention on which a Patent, now or hereafter owned by any Grantor or that any Grantor otherwise has the right to license, is in existence, or granting to any Grantor any right to make, use or sell any invention on which a Patent, now or hereafter owned by any third party, is in existence, and all rights of any Grantor under any such agreement.

Patents ” means all of the following now owned or hereafter acquired by any Grantor: (a) all letters Patent of the United States in or to which any Grantor now or hereafter has any right, title or interest therein, all registrations and recordings thereof, and all applications for letters Patent of the United States, including registrations, recordings and pending applications in the USPTO, and (b) all reissues, continuations, divisions, continuations-in-part, renewals, improvements or extensions thereof, and the inventions disclosed or claimed therein, including the right to make, use and/or sell the inventions disclosed or claimed therein.

Perfection Certificate ” means a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit II, completed and supplemented with the schedules and attachments contemplated thereby, and duly executed by a Responsible Officer of each of the Borrower and each Guarantor party to the Security Agreement on the date hereof as the same may be amended or supplemented from time to time.

Pledged Collateral ” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.01.

Pledged Debt ” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.01.

Pledged Equity ” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.01.

Pledged Securities ” means the Pledged Equity and Pledged Debt.

Secured Obligations ” means the “Obligations” (as defined in the Credit Agreement).

Secured Parties ” means, collectively, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Hedge Banks, Lenders or Affiliates of Lenders under Cash Management Obligations of a Loan Party, the Supplemental Administrative Agent, if any, and each co-agent or sub-agent appointed by the Administrative Agent from time to time pursuant to Section 9.05 or Section 9.10 of the Credit Agreement.

Security Agreement Supplement ” means an instrument substantially in the form of Exhibit I hereto.

 

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Trademark License ” means any written agreement, now or hereafter in effect, granting to any third party any right to use any Trademark now or hereafter owned by any Grantor or that any Grantor otherwise has the right to license, or granting to any Grantor any right to use any Trademark now or hereafter owned by any third party, and all rights of any Grantor under any such agreement.

Trademarks ” means all of the following now owned or hereafter acquired by any Grantor in the United States: (a) all trademarks, service marks, trade names, corporate names, trade dress, logos, designs, fictitious business names other source or business identifiers, now existing or hereafter adopted or acquired, all registrations and recordings thereof, and all registration and recording applications filed in connection therewith, including registrations and registration applications in the USPTO or any similar offices in any State of the United States or any political subdivision thereof, and all extensions or renewals thereof, as well as any unregistered trademarks and service marks used by a Grantor and (b) all goodwill connected with the use of and symbolized thereby.

UCC ” means the Uniform Commercial Code as from time to time in effect in the State of New York; provided that, if perfection or the effect of perfection or non-perfection or the priority of the security interest in any Collateral is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in a jurisdiction other than the State of New York, “UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in such other jurisdiction for purposes of the provisions hereof relating to such perfection, effect of perfection or non-perfection or priority.

USCO ” means the United States Copyright Office.

USPTO ” means the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

ARTICLE II

Pledge of Securities

SECTION 2.01 Pledge . As security for the payment or performance, as the case may be, in full of the Secured Obligations, including the Guarantees, each of the Grantors hereby assigns and pledges to the Administrative Agent, its successors and assigns, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, and hereby grants to the Administrative Agent, its successors and assigns, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a security interest in all of such Grantor’s right, title and interest in, to and under

(i) all Equity Interests held by it that are listed as required to be pledged to the Administrative Agent on Schedule 5(a) to the Perfection Certificate and any other Equity Interests obtained in the future by such Grantor and the certificates representing all such Equity Interests of a wholly owned Restricted Subsidiary (the “ Pledged Equity ”); provided that the Pledged Equity shall not include Excluded Assets;

(ii) (A) the debt securities owned by it and listed opposite the name of such Grantor on Schedule 6 to the Perfection Certificate, (B) any debt securities obtained in the future by such Grantor and (C) the promissory notes and any other instruments

 

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evidencing such debt securities, provided , that any intercompany debt shall be pledged by delivery of a global intercompany note identified in Schedule 6 to the Perfection Certificate notwithstanding the existence of a separate note evidencing such debt (the “ Pledged Debt ”); provided further that the Pledged Debt shall not include any Excluded Assets;

(iii) all other property that may be delivered to and held by the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms of this Section 2.01;

(iv) subject to Section 2.06, all payments of principal or interest, dividends, cash, instruments and other property from time to time received, receivable or otherwise distributed in respect of, in exchange for or upon the conversion of, and all other Proceeds received in respect of, the securities referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) above;

(v) subject to Section 2.06, all rights and privileges of such Grantor with respect to the securities and other property referred to in clauses (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) above; and

(vi) all Proceeds of any of the foregoing

(the items referred to in clauses (i) through (vi) above being collectively referred to as the “ Pledged Collateral ”).

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the Pledged Collateral, together with all right, title, interest, powers, privileges and preferences pertaining or incidental thereto, unto the Administrative Agent, its successors and assigns, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, forever, subject , however , to the terms, covenants and conditions hereinafter set forth.

SECTION 2.02 Delivery of the Pledged Equity .

(a) Each Grantor agrees to deliver or cause to be delivered to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties as required by Section 6.12(a)(i)(D) of the Credit Agreement, any and all (i) Pledged Equity to the extent certificated and (ii) to the extent required to be delivered pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section 2.02, Pledged Debt.

(b) (b) Each Grantor will cause any Indebtedness for borrowed money owed to such Grantor by any Person that is evidenced by a duly executed promissory note to be pledged and delivered to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, pursuant to the terms hereof; provided, however, that such pledge requirement shall not apply to any promissory note with a principal amount less than $5,000,000.

(c) Upon delivery to the Administrative Agent, (i) any Pledged Securities shall be accompanied by stock or security powers duly executed in blank or other instruments of transfer reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and by such other instruments and documents as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request, including with respect to the pledge of any limited liability company interest, an Issuer’s Acknowledgment substantially in the form of Exhibit VI hereto, and (ii) all other property comprising part of the Pledged Collateral shall be accompanied by proper instruments of assignment duly executed by the applicable

 

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Grantor and by such other instruments and documents as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request. Each delivery of Pledged Securities shall be accompanied by a schedule describing the securities, which schedule shall be deemed to supplement Schedule 5 or 6 to the Perfection Certificate, as applicable, and made a part thereof; provided that failure to supplement such schedule shall not affect the validity of such pledge of such Pledged Equity. Each schedule so delivered shall supplement any prior schedules so delivered.

SECTION 2.03 Representations, Warranties and Covenants . Each Grantor represents, warrants and covenants to and with the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, that:

(a) As of the date hereof, Schedule 5 to the Perfection Certificate includes all Equity Interests, debt securities and promissory notes required to be pledged by such Grantor hereunder and pursuant to the Credit Agreement;

(b) the Pledged Equity issued by the Borrower or a wholly owned Restricted Subsidiary has been duly and validly authorized and issued by the issuers thereof and is fully paid and nonassessable;

(c) except for the security interests granted hereunder, such Grantor (i) is, subject to any transfers made in compliance with the Credit Agreement, the direct owner, beneficially and of record, of the Pledged Equity indicated on Schedule 5 to the Perfection Certificate, (ii) holds the same free and clear of all Liens, other than (A) Liens created by the Collateral Documents and (B) Liens expressly permitted pursuant to Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement, and (iii) if reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, will defend its title or interest thereto or therein against any and all Liens (other than the Liens permitted pursuant to this Section 2.03(c)), however arising, of all Persons whomsoever;

(d) except for restrictions and limitations (i) imposed or permitted by the Loan Documents or applicable Laws generally or (ii) described in the Perfection Certificate or (iii) permitted by Section 7.09 of the Credit Agreement, the Pledged Collateral is freely transferable and assignable, and none of the Pledged Collateral is subject to any option, right of first refusal, shareholders agreement, charter or by-law provisions or contractual restriction of any nature that might prohibit, impair, delay or otherwise affect in any manner material and adverse to the Secured Parties the pledge of such Pledged Collateral hereunder, the sale or disposition thereof pursuant hereto or the exercise by the Administrative Agent of rights and remedies hereunder;

(e) the execution and performance by the Grantors of this Agreement are within each Grantor’s corporate or other powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational action;

(f) no consent or approval of any Governmental Authority, any securities exchange or any other Person was or is necessary to the validity of the pledge effected hereby, except for (i) filings and registrations necessary to perfect the Liens on the Collateral granted by the Loan Parties in favor of the Secured Parties and (ii) the approvals,

 

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consents, exemptions, authorizations, actions, notices and filings which have been duly obtained, taken, given or made and are in full force and effect;

(g) by virtue of the execution and delivery by each Grantor of this Agreement, and delivery of the Pledged Securities to and continued possession by the Administrative Agent in the State of New York, the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties will have a legal, valid and perfected lien upon and security interest in such Pledged Securities as security for the payment and performance of the Secured Obligations to the extent such perfection is governed by the UCC subject only to Liens permitted by Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement; and

(h) the pledge effected hereby is effective to vest in the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, the rights of the Administrative Agent in the Pledged Collateral to the extent intended hereby.

Subject to the terms of this Agreement, each Grantor hereby agrees that upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, it will comply with instructions of the Administrative Agent with respect to the Equity Interests in such Grantor that constitute Pledged Equity hereunder that are not certificated without further consent by the applicable owner or holder of such Equity Interests.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, to the extent any provision of this Agreement or the Credit Agreement excludes any assets from the scope of the Pledged Collateral, or from any requirement to take any action to perfect any security interest in favor of the Administrative Agent in the Pledged Collateral, the representations, warranties and covenants made by any relevant Grantor in this Agreement with respect to the creation, perfection or priority (as applicable) of the security interest granted in favor of the Administrative Agent (including, without limitation, this Section 2.03) shall be deemed not to apply to such excluded assets.

SECTION 2.04 Certification of Limited Liability Company and Limited Partnership Interests . No interest in any limited liability company or limited partnership controlled by any Grantor that constitutes Pledged Equity shall be represented by a certificate unless (i) the limited liability company agreement or partnership agreement expressly provides that such interests shall be a “security” within the meaning of Article 8 of the UCC of the applicable jurisdiction, and (ii) such certificate shall be delivered to the Administrative Agent in accordance with Section 2.02. Any limited liability company and any limited partnership controlled by any Grantor shall either (a) not include in its operative documents any provision that any Equity Interests in such limited liability company or such limited partnership be a “security” as defined under Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code or (b) certificate any Equity Interests in any such limited liability company or such limited partnership. To the extent an interest in any limited liability company or limited partnership controlled by any Grantor and pledged under Section 2.01 is certificated or becomes certificated, (i) each such certificate shall be delivered to the Administrative Agent, pursuant to Section 2.02(a) and (ii) such Grantor shall fulfill all other requirements under Section 2.02 applicable in respect thereof. Such Grantor hereby agrees that if any of the Pledged Collateral are at any time not evidenced by certificates of ownership, then each applicable Grantor shall, to the extent permitted by applicable law, if necessary or desirable to perfect a

 

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security interest in such Pledged Collateral, cause such pledge to be recorded on the equity holder register or the books of the issuer, execute any customary pledge forms or other documents necessary or appropriate to complete the pledge and give the Administrative Agent the right to transfer such Pledged Collateral under the terms hereof.

SECTION 2.05 Registration in Nominee Name; Denominations . If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and the Administrative Agent shall give the Borrower prior notice of its intent to exercise such rights, (a) the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Secured Parties, shall have the right to hold the Pledged Securities in its own name as pledgee, the name of its nominee (as pledgee or as sub-agent) or the name of the applicable Grantor, endorsed or assigned in blank or in favor of the Administrative Agent, and each Grantor will promptly give to the Administrative Agent copies of any notices or other communications received by it with respect to Pledged Equity registered in the name of such Grantor and (b) the Administrative Agent shall have the right to exchange the certificates representing Pledged Equity for certificates of smaller or larger denominations for any purpose consistent with this Agreement, to the extent permitted by the documentation governing such Pledged Securities.

SECTION 2.06 Voting Rights; Dividends and Interest .

(a) Unless and until an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and the Administrative Agent shall have provided prior notice to the Borrower that the rights of the Grantor under this Section 2.06 are being suspended:

(i) Each Grantor shall be entitled to exercise any and all voting and/or other consensual rights and powers inuring to an owner of Pledged Securities or any part thereof and each Grantor agrees that it shall exercise such rights for purposes consistent with the terms of this Agreement, the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents.

(ii) The Administrative Agent shall promptly (after reasonable advance notice) execute and deliver to each Grantor, or cause to be executed and delivered to such Grantor, all such proxies, powers of attorney and other instruments as such Grantor may reasonably request for the purpose of enabling such Grantor to exercise the voting and/or consensual rights and powers it is entitled to exercise pursuant to subparagraph (i) above.

(iii) Each Grantor shall be entitled to receive and retain any and all dividends, interest, principal and other distributions paid on or distributed in respect of the Pledged Securities to the extent and only to the extent that such dividends, interest, principal and other distributions are permitted by, and otherwise paid or distributed in accordance with, the terms and conditions of the Credit Agreement, the other Loan Documents and applicable Laws; provided that any noncash dividends, interest, principal or other distributions that would constitute Pledged Equity or Pledged Debt, whether resulting from a subdivision, combination or reclassification of the outstanding Equity Interests of the issuer of any Pledged Securities or received in exchange for Pledged Securities or any part thereof, or in redemption thereof, or as a result of any merger, consolidation, acquisition or other exchange of assets to which such issuer may be a party or otherwise, shall be and become part of the Pledged Collateral, and, if received by any Grantor, shall not be commingled by such Grantor with any of its other funds or property but shall be held separate and

 

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apart therefrom, shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Secured Parties and shall be promptly (and in any event within 10 Business Days) delivered to the Administrative Agent in the same form as so received (with any necessary endorsement reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent). So long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Administrative Agent shall promptly deliver to each Grantor any Pledged Securities in its possession if requested to be delivered to the issuer thereof in connection with any exchange or redemption of such Pledged Securities permitted by the Credit Agreement in accordance with this Section 2.06(a)(iii).

(b) Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, after the Administrative Agent shall have notified the Borrower of the suspension of the Grantors’ rights under paragraph (a)(iii) of this Section 2.06, then all rights of any Grantor to dividends, interest, principal or other distributions that such Grantor is authorized to receive pursuant to paragraph (a)(iii) of this Section 2.06 shall cease, and all such rights shall thereupon become vested in the Administrative Agent, which shall have the sole and exclusive right and authority to receive and retain such dividends, interest, principal or other distributions. All dividends, interest, principal or other distributions received by any Grantor contrary to the provisions of this Section 2.06 shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, shall be segregated from other property or funds of such Grantor and shall be promptly (and in any event within 10 days) delivered to the Administrative Agent upon demand in the same form as so received (with any necessary endorsement reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent). Any and all money and other property paid over to or received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph (b) shall be retained by the Administrative Agent in an account to be established by the Administrative Agent upon receipt of such money or other property and shall be applied in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.02. After all Events of Default have been cured or waived, the Administrative Agent shall promptly repay to each Grantor (without interest) all dividends, interest, principal or other distributions that such Grantor would otherwise be permitted to retain pursuant to the terms of paragraph (a)(iii) of this Section 2.06 and that remain in such account.

(c) Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, after the Administrative Agent shall have provided the Borrower with notice of the suspension of its rights under paragraph (a)(i) of this Section 2.06, then all rights of any Grantor to exercise the voting and consensual rights and powers it is entitled to exercise pursuant to paragraph (a)(i) of this Section 2.06, and the obligations of the Administrative Agent under paragraph (a)(ii) of this Section 2.06 shall cease and all such rights shall thereupon become vested in the Administrative Agent, which shall have the sole and exclusive right and authority to exercise such voting and consensual rights and powers; provided that, unless otherwise directed by the Required Lenders, the Administrative Agent shall have the right from time to time following and during the continuance of an Event of Default to permit the Grantors to exercise such rights. After all Events of Default have been cured or waived, each Grantor shall have the exclusive right to exercise the voting and/or consensual rights and powers that the Borrower would otherwise be entitled to exercise pursuant to the terms of paragraph (a)(i) above, and the obligations of the Administrative Agent under paragraph (a)(ii) of this Section 2.06 shall be reinstated.

 

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(d) Any notice given by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower under Section 2.05 or Section 2.06 (i) shall be given in writing, (ii) may be given with respect to one or more of the Grantors at the same or different times and (iii) may suspend the rights of the Grantors under paragraph (a)(i) or paragraph (a)(iii) of this Section 2.06 in part without suspending all such rights (as specified by the Administrative Agent in its sole and absolute discretion) and without waiving or otherwise affecting the Administrative Agent’s rights to give additional notices from time to time suspending other rights so long as an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.

ARTICLE III

Security Interests in Personal Property

SECTION 3.01 Security Interest .

(a) As security for the payment or performance, as the case may be, in full of the Secured Obligations, including the Guarantee of each Grantor, each Grantor hereby assigns and pledges to the Administrative Agent, its successors and assigns, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, and hereby grants to the Administrative Agent, its successors and assigns, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a security interest (the “ Security Interest ”) in, all right, title or interest in or to any and all of the following assets and properties now owned or at any time hereafter acquired by such Grantor or in which such Grantor now has or at any time in the future may acquire any right, title or interest (collectively, the “ Article 9 Collateral ”):

(i) all Accounts;

(ii) all Chattel Paper;

(iii) all Documents;

(iv) all Equipment;

(v) all General Intangibles;

(vi) all Goods;

(vii) all Instruments;

(viii) all Inventory;

(ix) all Investment Property;

(x) all books and records pertaining to the Article 9 Collateral;

(xi) all Fixtures;

(xii) all letter-of-credit rights, but only to the extent constituting a supporting obligation for other Article 9 Collateral as to which perfection of security interests in

 

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such Article 9 Collateral is accomplished solely by the filing of a UCC financing statement;

(xiii) all Intellectual Property;

(xiv) all Commercial Tort Claims listed on Schedule 8 to the Perfection Certificate and on any supplement thereto received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 3.03(e); and

(xv) to the extent not otherwise included, all Proceeds and products of any and all of the foregoing and all Supporting Obligations, collateral security and guarantees given by any Person with respect to any of the foregoing;

provided that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, this Agreement shall not constitute a grant of a security interest in any Excluded Asset.

(b) Subject to Section 3.01(e), each Grantor hereby irrevocably authorizes the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties at any time and from time to time to file in any relevant jurisdiction any initial financing statements with respect to the Article 9 Collateral or any part thereof and amendments thereto that (i) indicate the Article 9 Collateral as “all assets” or “all personal property” of such Grantor or words of similar effect as being of an equal or lesser scope or with greater detail and (ii) contain the information required by Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code or the analogous legislation of each applicable jurisdiction for the filing of any financing statement or amendment, including whether such Grantor is an organization, the type of organization and, if required, any organizational identification number issued to such Grantor. Each Grantor agrees to provide such information to the Administrative Agent promptly upon any reasonable request.

(c) The Security Interest is granted as security only and shall not subject the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party to, or in any way alter or modify, any obligation or liability of any Grantor with respect to or arising out of the Article 9 Collateral.

(d) The Administrative Agent is authorized to file with the USPTO or the USCO (or any successor office) such documents as may be necessary or advisable for the purpose of perfecting, confirming, continuing, enforcing or protecting the Security Interest in each item of Intellectual Property that is subject to registration or an application to register in the USPTO or USCO of each Grantor in which a security interest has been granted, and naming any Grantor or the Grantors as debtors and the Administrative Agent as secured party and shall provide written notice to the Grantor prior to filing any such documents.

(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Loan Documents, none of the Grantors shall be required, nor is the Administrative Agent authorized, (i) to perfect the Security Interests granted by this Security Agreement (including Security Interests in Investment Property and Fixtures) by any means other than by (A) filings pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code in the office of the secretary of state (or similar central filing office) of the relevant State(s), and filings in the applicable real estate records with respect to any fixtures relating to Material Real Property, (B) filings in United States government offices with respect to each item

 

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of Intellectual Property of a Grantor that is subject to registration or an application to register in the USPTO or USCO as expressly required by Article III, (C) delivery to the Administrative Agent to be held in its possession of all Collateral consisting of Instruments as expressly required elsewhere herein or (D) other methods expressly provided herein, (ii) to enter into any deposit account control agreement, securities account control agreement or any other control agreement with respect to any deposit account, securities account or any other collateral that requires perfection by “control”, (iii) to take any action (other than the actions listed in clauses (i)(A) and (C) above) with respect to any assets located outside of the United States, (iv) to perfect in any assets subject to a certificate of title statute or (v) to deliver any Equity Interests except as expressly provided in Section 2.01.

SECTION 3.02 Representations and Warranties . Each Grantor jointly and severally represents and warrants, as to itself and the other Grantors, to the Administrative Agent and the Secured Parties that:

(a) Subject to Liens permitted by Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement, each Grantor has good and valid rights in and title except as otherwise permitted by the Loan Documents to the Article 9 Collateral with respect to which it has purported to grant a Security Interest hereunder and has full power and authority to grant to the Administrative Agent the Security Interest in such Article 9 Collateral pursuant hereto and to execute, deliver and perform its obligations in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, without the consent or approval of any other Person other than any consent or approval that has been obtained.

(b) The Perfection Certificate has been duly prepared, completed and executed and the information set forth therein is correct and complete in all material respects (except the information therein with respect to the exact legal name of each Grantor shall be correct and complete in all respects) as of the date hereof. Subject to Section 3.01(e), the Uniform Commercial Code financing statements or other appropriate filings, recordings or registrations prepared by the Administrative Agent based upon the information provided to the Administrative Agent in the Perfection Certificate for filing in the applicable filing office (or specified by notice from the Borrower to the Administrative Agent after the date hereof in the case of filings, recordings or registrations (other than filings required to be made in the USPTO and the USCO in order to perfect the Security Interest in Article 9 Collateral consisting of Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights), in each case, as required by Section 6.12 of the Credit Agreement), are all the filings, recordings and registrations that are necessary to establish a legal, valid and perfected security interest in favor of the Administrative Agent (for the benefit of the Secured Parties) in respect of all Article 9 Collateral in which the Security Interest may be perfected by filing, recording or registration in the United States (or any political subdivision thereof) and its territories and possessions pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code, and no further or subsequent filing, re-filing, recording, rerecording, registration or re-registration is necessary in any such jurisdiction, except as provided under applicable Law with respect to the filing of continuation statements.

(c) Each Grantor represents and warrants that short-form Intellectual Property Security Agreements containing a description of all Article 9 Collateral consisting of

 

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material United States registered Patents, United States Trademarks registered in the USPTO (and Trademarks for which United States registration applications are pending in the USPTO, unless it constitutes an Excluded Asset) and United States registered Copyrights, respectively, have been delivered to the Administrative Agent for recording by the USPTO and the USCO pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 261, 15 U.S.C. § 1060 or 17 U.S.C. § 205 and the regulations thereunder, as applicable, (for the benefit of the Secured Parties) in respect of all Article 9 Collateral consisting of registrations and applications for Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights. To the extent a security interest may be perfected by filing, recording or registration in USPTO or USCO under the Federal intellectual property laws, then no further or subsequent filing, re-filing, recording, rerecording, registration or re-registration is necessary (other than (i) such filings and actions as are necessary to perfect the Security Interest with respect to any Article 9 Collateral consisting of Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights (or registration or application for registration thereof) acquired or developed by any Grantor after the date hereof and (ii) the UCC financing and continuation statements contemplated in Section 3.02(b)).

(d) The Security Interest constitutes (i) a legal and valid security interest in all the Article 9 Collateral securing the payment and performance of the Secured Obligations and (ii) subject to the filings described in Section 3.02(b), a perfected security interest in all Article 9 Collateral in which a security interest may be perfected by filing, recording or registering a financing statement or analogous document in the United States (or any political subdivision thereof) and its territories and possessions pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code. Subject to Section 3.01(e) of this Agreement, the Security Interest is and shall be prior to any other Lien on any of the Article 9 Collateral, other than (i) any statutory or similar Lien that has priority as a matter of Law and (ii) any Liens expressly permitted pursuant to Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement.

(e) The Article 9 Collateral is owned by the Grantors free and clear of any Lien, except for Liens expressly permitted pursuant to Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement. None of the Grantors has filed or consented to the filing of (i) any financing statement or analogous document under the Uniform Commercial Code or any other applicable Laws covering any Article 9 Collateral, (ii) any assignment in which any Grantor assigns any Article 9 Collateral or any security agreement or similar instrument covering any Article 9 Collateral with the USPTO or the USCO or (iii) any assignment in which any Grantor assigns any Article 9 Collateral or any security agreement or similar instrument covering any Article 9 Collateral with any foreign governmental, municipal or other office, which financing statement or analogous document, assignment, security agreement or similar instrument is still in effect, except, in each case, for Liens expressly permitted pursuant to Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement and assignments permitted by the Credit Agreement.

(f) As of the date hereof, no Grantor has any Commercial Tort Claim in excess of $3,000,000 in the aggregate, other than the Commercial Tort Claims listed on Schedule 8 to the Perfection Certificate.

SECTION 3.03 Covenants .

 

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(a) Subject to Section 3.01(e), each Grantor shall, at its own expense, upon the reasonable request of the Administrative Agent, take any and all commercially reasonable actions necessary to defend title to the Article 9 Collateral against all Persons and to defend the Security Interest of the Administrative Agent in the Article 9 Collateral and the priority thereof against any Lien not expressly permitted pursuant to Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement; provided that nothing in this Agreement shall prevent any Grantor from discontinuing the operation or maintenance of any of its assets or properties if such discontinuance is (x) determined by such Grantor to be desirable in the conduct of its business and (y) permitted by the Credit Agreement.

(b) Subject to Section 3.01(e), each Grantor agrees, at its own expense, to execute, acknowledge, deliver and cause to be duly filed all such further instruments and documents and take all such actions as the Administrative Agent may from time to time reasonably request to better assure, preserve, protect and perfect the Security Interest and the rights and remedies created hereby, including the payment of any fees and taxes required in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the granting of the Security Interest and the filing of any financing statements or other documents in connection herewith or therewith. If any amount payable under or in connection with any of the Article 9 Collateral that is in excess of $5,000,000 in the aggregate shall be or become evidenced by any promissory note, other instrument or debt security, such note, instrument or debt security shall be pledged and delivered to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties as required by Section 6.12 of the Credit Agreement, duly endorsed in a manner reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

(c) At its option, the Administrative Agent may discharge past due taxes, assessments, charges, fees, Liens, security interests or other encumbrances at any time levied or placed on the Article 9 Collateral and not permitted pursuant to Section 7.01 of the Credit Agreement, and may pay for the maintenance and preservation of the Article 9 Collateral to the extent any Grantor fails to do so as required by the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document and within a reasonable period of time after the Administrative Agent has requested that it do so, and each Grantor jointly and severally agrees to reimburse the Administrative Agent within 10 Business Days after demand for any payment made or any reasonable expense incurred by the Administrative Agent pursuant to the foregoing authorization; provided , however , the Grantors shall not be obligated to reimburse the Administrative Agent with respect to any Intellectual Property that any Grantor has failed to maintain or pursue, or otherwise allowed to lapse, terminate or be put into the public domain in accordance with Section 3.03(d)(iv). Nothing in this paragraph shall be interpreted as excusing any Grantor from the performance of, or imposing any obligation on the Administrative Agent or any Secured Party to cure or perform, any covenants or other promises of any Grantor with respect to taxes, assessments, charges, fees, Liens, security interests or other encumbrances and maintenance as set forth herein or in the other Loan Documents.

(d) Intellectual Property Covenants .

(i) Other than to the extent not prohibited herein or in the Credit Agreement or with respect to registrations and applications no longer used or useful, except to the extent failure to act would not, as deemed by the applicable Grantor in its reasonable business judgment, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, with respect to registration or

 

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pending application of each item of its Intellectual Property for which such Grantor has standing to do so, each Grantor agrees to take, at its expense, all reasonable steps consistent with past business practices, including, without limitation, in the USPTO, the USCO and any other governmental authority located in the United States, to pursue the registration and maintenance of each Patent, Trademark, or Copyright registration or application, now or hereafter included in the Intellectual Property of such Grantor that are not Excluded Assets.

(ii) Other than to the extent not prohibited herein or in the Credit Agreement, or with respect to registrations and applications no longer used or useful, or except as would not, as deemed by the applicable Grantor in its reasonable business judgment, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, no Grantor shall do or permit any act or knowingly omit to do any act whereby any of its Intellectual Property, excluding Excluded Assets, may lapse, be terminated, or become invalid or unenforceable or placed in the public domain (or in the case of a trade secret, become publicly known).

(iii) Other than as excluded or as not prohibited herein or in the Credit Agreement, or with respect to Patents, Copyrights or Trademarks which are no longer used or useful in the applicable Grantor’s business operations or except where failure to do so would not, as deemed by the applicable Grantor in its reasonable business judgment, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, each Grantor shall take all reasonable steps to preserve and protect each item of its Intellectual Property, including, without limitation, maintaining the quality of any and all products or services used or provided in connection with any of the Trademarks, consistent with the quality of the products and services as of the date hereof, and taking reasonable steps consistent with past business practices, necessary to ensure that all licensed users of any of the Trademarks abide by the applicable license’s terms with respect to standards of quality.

(iv) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document prevents or shall be deemed to prevent any Grantor from disposing of, discontinuing the use or maintenance of, failing to pursue, or otherwise allowing to lapse, terminate or be put into the public domain, any of its Intellectual Property to the extent permitted by the Credit Agreement if such Grantor determines in its reasonable business judgment that such discontinuance is desirable in the conduct of its business.

(v) Within the same delivery period as required for the delivery of the annual Compliance Certificate required to be delivered under Section 6.02(b) of the Credit Agreement, the Borrower shall provide a list of any additional USPTO or USCO registrations of Intellectual Property of all Grantors not previously disclosed to the Administrative Agent including such information as is necessary for such Grantor to make appropriate filings in the USPTO and USCO.

(e) Commercial Tort Claims . If the Grantors shall at any time hold or acquire a Commercial Tort Claim in an amount reasonably estimated by such Grantor to exceed $3,000,000 individually or $10,000,000 in the aggregate for which this clause has not been satisfied and for which a complaint in a court of competent jurisdiction has been filed, such Grantor shall within 45 days after the end of the fiscal quarter in which such complaint was filed notify the Administrative Agent thereof in a writing signed by such Grantor including a summary description of such claim and grant to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured

 

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Parties, in such writing a security interest therein and in the proceeds thereof, all upon the terms of this Agreement.

ARTICLE IV

Remedies

SECTION 4.01 Remedies Upon Default . Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, it is agreed that the Administrative Agent shall have the right to exercise any and all rights afforded to a secured party with respect to the Secured Obligations, including the Guarantees, under the Uniform Commercial Code or other applicable Law and also may (i) require each Grantor to, and each Grantor agrees that it will at its expense and upon request of the Administrative Agent promptly, assemble all or part of the Collateral as directed by the Administrative Agent and make it available to the Administrative Agent at a place and time to be designated by the Administrative Agent that is reasonably convenient to both parties; (ii) occupy any premises owned or, to the extent lawful and permitted, leased by any of the Grantors where the Collateral or any part thereof is assembled or located for a reasonable period in order to effectuate its rights and remedies hereunder or under Law, without obligation to such Grantor in respect of such occupation; provided that the Administrative Agent shall provide the applicable Grantor with notice thereof prior to such occupancy; (iii) exercise any and all rights and remedies of any of the Grantors under or in connection with the Collateral, or otherwise in respect of the Collateral; provided that the Administrative Agent shall provide the applicable Grantor with notice thereof prior to such exercise; and (iv) subject to the mandatory requirements of applicable Law and the notice requirements described below, sell or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the Collateral securing the Secured Obligations at a public or private sale or at any broker’s board or on any securities exchange, for cash, upon credit or for future delivery as the Administrative Agent shall deem appropriate. The Administrative Agent shall be authorized at any such sale of securities (if it deems it advisable to do so) to restrict the prospective bidders or purchasers to Persons who will represent and agree that they are purchasing the Collateral for their own account for investment and not with a view to the distribution or sale thereof, and upon consummation of any such sale the Administrative Agent shall have the right to assign, transfer and deliver to the purchaser or purchasers thereof the Collateral so sold. Each such purchaser at any sale of Collateral shall hold the property sold absolutely, free from any claim or right on the part of any Grantor, and each Grantor hereby waives (to the extent permitted by Law) all rights of redemption, stay and appraisal which such Grantor now has or may at any time in the future have under any Law now existing or hereafter enacted.

The Administrative Agent shall give the applicable Grantors 10 days’ written notice (which each Grantor agrees is reasonable notice within the meaning of Section 9-611 of the UCC or its equivalent in other jurisdictions) of the Administrative Agent’s intention to make any sale of Collateral. Such notice, in the case of a public sale, shall state the time and place for such sale and, in the case of a sale at a broker’s board or on a securities exchange, shall state the board or exchange at which such sale is to be made and the day on which the Collateral, or portion thereof, will first be offered for sale at such board or exchange. Any such public sale shall be held at such time or times within ordinary business hours and at such place or places as the Administrative Agent may fix and state in the notice (if any) of such sale. At any such sale, the

 

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Collateral, or portion thereof, to be sold may be sold in one lot as an entirety or in separate parcels, as the Administrative Agent may (in its sole and absolute discretion) determine. The Administrative Agent shall not be obligated to make any sale of any Collateral if it shall determine not to do so, regardless of the fact that notice of sale of such Collateral shall have been given. The Administrative Agent may, without notice or publication, adjourn any public or private sale or cause the same to be adjourned from time to time by announcement at the time and place fixed for sale, and such sale may, without further notice, be made at the time and place to which the same was so adjourned. In case any sale of all or any part of the Collateral is made on credit or for future delivery, the Collateral so sold may be retained by the Administrative Agent until the sale price is paid by the purchaser or purchasers thereof, but the Administrative Agent shall not incur any liability in case any such purchaser or purchasers shall fail to take up and pay for the Collateral so sold and, in case of any such failure, such Collateral may be sold again upon like notice. At any public (or, to the extent permitted by Law, private) sale made pursuant to this Agreement, any Secured Party may bid for or purchase, free (to the extent permitted by Law) from any right of redemption, stay, valuation or appraisal on the part of any Grantor (all said rights being also hereby waived and released to the extent permitted by Law), the Collateral or any part thereof offered for sale and may make payment on account thereof by using any claim then due and payable to such Secured Party from any Grantor as a credit against the purchase price, and such Secured Party may, upon compliance with the terms of sale, hold, retain and dispose of such property without further accountability to any Grantor therefor. For purposes hereof, a written agreement to purchase the Collateral or any portion thereof shall be treated as a sale thereof; the Administrative Agent shall be free to carry out such sale pursuant to such agreement and no Grantor shall be entitled to the return of the Collateral or any portion thereof subject thereto, notwithstanding the fact that after the Administrative Agent shall have entered into such an agreement all Events of Default shall have been remedied and the Secured Obligations paid in full. As an alternative to exercising the power of sale herein conferred upon it, the Administrative Agent may proceed by a suit or suits at Law or in equity to foreclose this Agreement and to sell the Collateral or any portion thereof pursuant to a judgment or decree of a court or courts having competent jurisdiction or pursuant to a proceeding by a court-appointed receiver. Any sale pursuant to the provisions of this Section 4.01 shall be deemed to conform to the commercially reasonable standards as provided in Section 9-610(b) of the UCC or its equivalent in other jurisdictions.

Each Grantor irrevocably makes, constitutes and appoints the Administrative Agent (and all officers, employees or agents designated by the Administrative Agent) as such Grantor’s true and lawful agent (and attorney-in-fact) during the continuance of an Event of Default (provided that the Administrative Agent shall provide the applicable Grantor with notice thereof prior to, to the extent reasonably practicable, or otherwise promptly after, exercising such rights), for the purpose of (i) making, settling and adjusting claims in respect of Article 9 Collateral under policies of insurance, endorsing the name of such Grantor on any check, draft, instrument or other item of payment for the proceeds of such policies if insurance, (ii) making all determinations and decisions with respect thereto and (iii) obtaining or maintaining the policies of insurance required by Section 6.07 of the Credit Agreement or to pay any premium in whole or in part relating thereto. All sums disbursed by the Administrative Agent in connection with this paragraph, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, court costs, expenses and other charges

 

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relating thereto, shall be payable, within 10 days of demand, by the Grantors to the Administrative Agent and shall be additional Secured Obligations secured hereby.

SECTION 4.02 Application of Proceeds . The Administrative Agent shall apply the proceeds of any collection or sale of Collateral, including any Collateral consisting of cash, in accordance with Section 8.03 of the Credit Agreement.

The Administrative Agent shall have absolute discretion as to the time of application of any such proceeds, moneys or balances in accordance with this Agreement. Upon any sale of Collateral by the Administrative Agent (including pursuant to a power of sale granted by statute or under a judicial proceeding), the receipt of the Administrative Agent or of the officer making the sale shall be a sufficient discharge to the purchaser or purchasers of the Collateral so sold and such purchaser or purchasers shall not be obligated to see to the application of any part of the purchase money paid over to the Administrative Agent or such officer or be answerable in any way for the misapplication thereof.

The Administrative Agent shall have no liability to any of the Secured Parties for actions taken in reliance on information supplied to it as to the amounts of unpaid principal and interest and other amounts outstanding with respect to the Secured Obligations, provided that nothing in this sentence shall prevent any Grantor from contesting any amounts claimed by any Secured Party in any information so supplied. All distributions made by the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section 4.02 shall be (subject to any decree of any court of competent jurisdiction) final (absent manifest error), and the Administrative Agent shall have no duty to inquire as to the application by the Administrative Agent of any amounts distributed to it.

SECTION 4.03 Grant of License to Use Intellectual Property . For the exclusive purpose of enabling the Administrative Agent to exercise rights and remedies under this Agreement at such time as the Administrative Agent shall be lawfully entitled to exercise such rights and remedies at any time after and during the continuance of an Event of Default, each Grantor hereby grants to the Administrative Agent a non-exclusive, royalty-free, limited license (until the termination or cure of the Event of Default) for cash, upon credit or for future delivery as the Administrative Agent shall deem appropriate to use, license or sublicense any of the Intellectual Property now owned or hereafter acquired by such Grantor, and wherever the same may be located, and including in such license reasonable access to all media in which any of the licensed items may be recorded or stored and to all computer software and programs used for the compilation or printout thereof; provided , however , that all of the foregoing rights of the Administrative Agent to use such licenses, sublicenses and other rights, and (to the extent permitted by the terms of such licenses and sublicenses) all licenses and sublicenses granted thereunder, shall expire immediately upon the termination or cure of all Events of Default and shall be exercised by the Administrative Agent solely during the continuance of an Event of Default and upon 10 Business Days’ prior written notice to the applicable Grantor, and nothing in this Section 4.03 shall require Grantors to grant any license that is prohibited by any rule of law, statute or regulation, or is prohibited by, or constitutes a breach or default under or results in the termination of any contract, license, agreement, instrument or other document evidencing, giving rise to or theretofore granted, to the extent permitted by the Credit Agreement, with respect to such property or otherwise unreasonably prejudices the value thereof to the relevant Grantor; provided , further , that such licenses granted hereunder with respect to Trademarks shall be subject to restrictions,

 

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including, without limitation restrictions as to goods or services associated with such Trademarks and the maintenance of quality standards with respect to the goods and services on which such Trademarks are used, sufficient to preserve the validity and value of such Trademarks. For the avoidance of doubt, the use of such license by the Administrative Agent may be exercised, at the option of the Administrative Agent, only during the continuation of an Event of Default.

ARTICLE V

Subordination

SECTION 5.01 Subordination .

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, all rights of the Grantors to indemnity, contribution or subrogation under applicable law or otherwise shall be fully subordinated to the payment in full in cash of the Secured Obligations. No failure on the part of the Borrower or any Grantor to make the payments required under applicable law or otherwise shall in any respect limit the obligations and liabilities of any Grantor with respect to its obligations hereunder, and each Grantor shall remain liable for the full amount of the obligations of such Grantor hereunder.

(b) Each Grantor hereby agrees that upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default and after notice from the Administrative Agent, all Indebtedness owed to it by any other Grantor shall be fully subordinated to the payment in full in cash of the Secured Obligations.

ARTICLE VI

Miscellaneous

SECTION 6.01 Notices . All communications and notices hereunder shall (except as otherwise expressly permitted herein) be in writing and given as provided in Section 10.02 of the Credit Agreement. All communications and notices hereunder to the Borrower or any other Grantor shall be given to it in care of the Borrower as provided in Section 10.02 of the Credit Agreement.

SECTION 6.02 Waivers; Amendment .

(a) No failure or delay by any Secured Party in exercising any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges of the Secured Parties herein provided, and provided under each other Loan Document, are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by Law. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement or consent to any departure by any Grantor therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) of this Section 6.02, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which

 

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given. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the making of a Loan, the issuance of a Letter of Credit or the provision of services under Secured Hedge Agreements shall not be construed as a waiver of any Default, regardless of whether any Secured Party may have had notice or knowledge of such Default at the time.

(b) Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Administrative Agent and the Grantor or Grantors with respect to which such waiver, amendment or modification is to apply, subject to any consent required in accordance with Section 10.01 of the Credit Agreement.

SECTION 6.03 Administrative Agent’s Fees and Expenses; Indemnification .

(a) The parties hereto agree that the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to reimbursement of its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred hereunder and indemnity for its actions in connection herewith as provided in Sections 10.04 and 10.05 of the Credit Agreement.

(b) Any such amounts payable as provided hereunder shall be additional Secured Obligations secured hereby and by the other Collateral Documents. The provisions of this Section 6.03 shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of the termination of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of any of the Secured Obligations, the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party. All amounts due under this Section 6.03 shall be payable within 10 days of written demand therefor.

SECTION 6.04 Successors and Assigns . The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns to the extent permitted by Section 10.07 of the Credit Agreement.

SECTION 6.05 Survival of Agreement . All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Grantors hereunder and in the other Loan Documents and in the certificates or other instruments prepared or delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be considered to have been relied upon by the Secured Parties and shall survive the execution and delivery of the Loan Documents, the making of any Loans and issuance of any Letters of Credit and the provision of services under Secured Hedge Agreements, regardless of any investigation made by any Secured Party or on its behalf and notwithstanding that any Secured Party may have had notice or knowledge of any Default at the time any credit is extended under the Credit Agreement, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as this Agreement has not been terminated or released pursuant to Section 6.12 below.

SECTION 6.06 Counterparts; Effectiveness; Several Agreement . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery by facsimile or other electronic communication of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Agreement shall be effective as delivery of an original executed counterpart of this Agreement. This

 

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Agreement shall become effective as to any Grantor when a counterpart hereof executed on behalf of such Grantor shall have been delivered to the Administrative Agent and a counterpart hereof shall have been executed on behalf of the Administrative Agent, and thereafter shall be binding upon such Grantor and the Administrative Agent and their respective permitted successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of such Grantor, the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns, except that no Grantor shall have the right to assign or transfer its rights or obligations hereunder or any interest herein or in the Collateral (and any such assignment or transfer shall be void) except as expressly contemplated by this Agreement or the Credit Agreement. This Agreement shall be construed as a separate agreement with respect to each Grantor and may be amended, modified, supplemented, waived or released with respect to any Grantor without the approval of any other Grantor and without affecting the obligations of any other Grantor hereunder.

SECTION 6.07 Severability . If any provision of this Agreement is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, the legality, validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or impaired thereby. The invalidity of a provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.

SECTION 6.08 Right of Set-Off . In addition to any rights and remedies of the Secured Parties provided by Law, upon the occurrence and during the continuance of any Event of Default, each Secured Party is authorized at any time and from time to time, without prior notice to any Grantor, any such notice being waived by each Grantor to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, to set-off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final) at any time held by, and other Indebtedness at any time owing by, such Secured Party to or for the credit or the account of the respective Grantors against any and all obligations owing to such Secured Party hereunder, now or hereafter existing, irrespective of whether or not such Secured Party shall have made demand under this Agreement and although such obligations may be contingent or unmatured or denominated in a currency different from that of the applicable deposit or Indebtedness. Each Secured Party agrees promptly to notify the applicable Grantor and the Administrative Agent after any such set-off and application made by such Secured Party; provided, that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such set-off and application. The rights of each Secured Party under this Section 6.08 are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of set-off) that such Secured Party may have at Law.

SECTION 6.09 Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Venue; Waiver of Jury Trial ; Consent to Service of Process .

(a) The terms of Sections 10.16 and 10.17 of the Credit Agreement with respect to governing law, submission of jurisdiction, venue and waiver of jury trial are incorporated herein by reference, mutatis mutandis , and the parties hereto agree to such terms.

(b) Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 6.01. Nothing in this Agreement will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by Law.

 

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SECTION 6.10 Headings . Article and Section headings and the Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Agreement and are not to affect the construction of, or to be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.

SECTION 6.11 Security Interest Absolute . To the extent permitted by Law, all rights of the Administrative Agent hereunder, the Security Interest, the grant of a security interest in the Pledged Collateral and all obligations of each Grantor hereunder shall be absolute and unconditional irrespective of (a) any lack of validity or enforceability of the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document, any agreement with respect to any of the Secured Obligations or any other agreement or instrument relating to any of the foregoing, (b) any change in the time, manner or place of payment of, or in any other term of, all or any of the Secured Obligations, or any other amendment or waiver of or any consent to any departure from the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement or instrument, (c) any exchange, release or non-perfection of any Lien on other collateral, or any release or amendment or waiver of or consent under or departure from any guarantee, securing or guaranteeing all or any of the Secured Obligations or (d) any other circumstance that might otherwise constitute a defense available to, or a discharge of, any Grantor in respect of the Secured Obligations or this Agreement.

SECTION 6.12 Termination or Release .

(a) This Agreement, the Security Interest and all other security interests granted hereby shall terminate with respect to all Secured Obligations and any Liens arising therefrom shall be automatically released upon all of the Secured Obligations (other than (x) (i) Cash Management Obligations and (ii) Secured Obligations under Secured Hedge Agreements not yet due and payable, and (y) contingent obligations not yet accrued and payable) having been paid in full, all Letters of Credit having been Cash Collateralized or otherwise back-stopped (including by “grandfathering” into any future credit facilities), in each case, on terms reasonably satisfactory to the relevant L/C Issuer in its reasonable discretion, or having expired or having been terminated, and the Aggregate Commitments having expired or having been terminated.

(b) A Grantor (other than the Borrower) shall automatically be released from its obligations hereunder and the Security Interest in the Collateral of such Grantor shall be automatically released upon the consummation of any transaction permitted by the Credit Agreement as a result of which such Grantor ceases to be a Subsidiary of the Borrower or becomes an Excluded Subsidiary; provided that the Required Lenders shall have consented to such transaction (but only if and to the extent required by the Credit Agreement) and the terms of such consent did not provide otherwise.

(c) Upon any sale or transfer by any Grantor of any Collateral that is permitted under the Credit Agreement (other than a sale or transfer to another Loan Party), or upon the effectiveness of any written consent to the release of the security interest granted hereby in any Collateral pursuant to Section 10.01 of the Credit Agreement, the security interest in such Collateral shall be automatically released.

(d) In connection with any termination or release pursuant to paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 6.12, the Administrative Agent shall execute and deliver to any Grantor,

 

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at such Grantor’s expense, all documents that such Grantor shall reasonably request to evidence such termination or release and shall perform such other actions reasonably requested by such Grantor to effect such release within a reasonable time, including delivery of certificates, securities and instruments. Any execution and delivery of documents pursuant to this Section 6.12 shall be without recourse to or warranty by the Administrative Agent.

SECTION 6.13 Additional Grantors . Pursuant to Section 6.12 of the Credit Agreement, certain additional Restricted Subsidiaries of the Borrower may be required to enter in this Agreement as Grantors. Upon execution and delivery by the Administrative Agent and a Restricted Subsidiary of a Security Agreement Supplement, such Restricted Subsidiary shall become a Grantor hereunder with the same force and effect as if originally named as a Grantor herein. The execution and delivery of any such instrument shall not require the consent of any other Grantor hereunder. The rights and obligations of each Grantor hereunder shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the addition of any new Grantor as a party to this Agreement.

SECTION 6.14 Administrative Agent Appointed Attorney-in-Fact . Each Grantor hereby appoints the Administrative Agent the attorney-in-fact of such Grantor for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Agreement and taking any action and executing any instrument that the Administrative Agent may deem necessary or advisable to accomplish the purposes hereof at any time after and during the continuance of an Event of Default, which appointment is irrevocable and coupled with an interest. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent shall have the right, upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default and notice by the Administrative Agent to the applicable Grantor of the Administrative Agent’s intent to exercise such rights, with full power of substitution either in the Administrative Agent’s name or in the name of such Grantor (a) to receive, endorse, assign and/or deliver any and all notes, acceptances, checks, drafts, money orders or other evidences of payment relating to the Collateral or any part thereof; (b) to demand, collect, receive payment of, give receipt for and give discharges and releases of all or any of the Collateral; (c) to sign the name of any Grantor on any invoice or bill of lading relating to any of the Collateral; (d) to send verifications of Accounts Receivable to any Account Debtor; (e) to commence and prosecute any and all suits, actions or proceedings at Law or in equity in any court of competent jurisdiction to collect or otherwise realize on all or any of the Collateral or to enforce any rights in respect of any Collateral; (f) to settle, compromise, compound, adjust or defend any actions, suits or proceedings relating to all or any of the Collateral; (g) to notify, or to require any Grantor to notify, Account Debtors to make payment directly to the Administrative Agent; and (h) to use, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, make any agreement with respect to or otherwise deal with all or any of the Collateral, and to do all other acts and things necessary to carry out the purposes of this Agreement, as fully and completely as though the Administrative Agent were the absolute owner of the Collateral for all purposes; provided that nothing herein contained shall be construed as requiring or obligating the Administrative Agent to make any commitment or to make any inquiry as to the nature or sufficiency of any payment received by the Administrative Agent, or to present or file any claim or notice, or to take any action with respect to the Collateral or any part thereof or the moneys due or to become due in respect thereof or any property covered thereby. The Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties shall be accountable only for amounts actually received as a result of the exercise of the powers granted to them herein, and neither

 

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they nor their officers, directors, employees or agents shall be responsible to any Grantor for any act or failure to act hereunder, except for their own gross negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct or that of any of their Affiliates, directors, officers, employees, counsel, agents or attorneys-in-fact, in each case, as determined by a final nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.

SECTION 6.15 General Authority of the Administrative Agent . By acceptance of the benefits of this Agreement and any other Collateral Documents, each Secured Party (whether or not a signatory hereto) shall be deemed irrevocably (a) to consent to the appointment of the Administrative Agent as its agent hereunder and under such other Collateral Documents, (b) to confirm that the Administrative Agent shall have the authority to act as the exclusive agent of such Secured Party for the enforcement of any provisions of this Agreement and such other Collateral Documents against any Grantor, the exercise of remedies hereunder or thereunder and the giving or withholding of any consent or approval hereunder or thereunder relating to any Collateral or any Grantor’s obligations with respect thereto, (c) to agree that it shall not take any action to enforce any provisions of this Agreement or any other Collateral Document against any Grantor, to exercise any remedy hereunder or thereunder or to give any consents or approvals hereunder or thereunder except as expressly provided in this Agreement or any other Collateral Document and (d) to agree to be bound by the terms of this Agreement and any other Collateral Documents.

SECTION 6.16 Reasonable Care . The Administrative Agent is required to use reasonable care in the custody and preservation of any of the Collateral in its possession; provided , that the Administrative Agent shall be deemed to have used reasonable care in the custody and preservation of any of the Collateral, if such Collateral is accorded treatment substantially similar to that which the Administrative Agent accords its own property.

SECTION 6.17 Delegation; Limitation . The Administrative Agent may execute any of the powers granted under this Agreement and perform any duty hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys-in-fact, and shall not be responsible for the gross negligence or willful misconduct of any agents or attorneys-in-fact selected by it with reasonable care and without gross negligence or willful misconduct.

SECTION 6.18 Reinstatement . The obligations of the Grantors under this Security Agreement shall be automatically reinstated if and to the extent that for any reason any payment by or on behalf of the Borrower or any other Loan Party in respect of the Secured Obligations is rescinded or must be otherwise restored by any holder of any of the Secured Obligations, whether as a result of any proceedings in bankruptcy or reorganization or otherwise.

SECTION 6.19 Miscellaneous . The Administrative Agent shall not be deemed to have actual, constructive, direct or indirect notice or knowledge of the occurrence of any Event of Default unless and until the Administrative Agent shall have received a notice of Event of Default or a notice from the Grantor or the Secured Parties to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as Administrative Agent indicating that an Event of Default has occurred.

[ Signature Pages Follow. ]

 

-24-


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC. , as Borrower
By:  

/s/ Bonnie Monahan

  Name:   Bonnie Monahan
  Title:   Vice President and Treasurer

Signature Page to Security Agreement


DUNKIN’ BRANDS HOLDINGS, INC. , as
Grantor
By:  

/s/ Nigel Travis

  Name:   Nigel Travis
  Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Security Agreement


BASKIN-ROBBINS FLAVORS LLC
BASKIN-ROBBINS FRANCHISED SHOPS LLC
BASKIN-ROBBINS FRANCHISING LLC
BASKIN-ROBBINS INTERNATIONAL LLC
BASKIN-ROBBINS LLC
BASKIN-ROBBINS USA LLC
BR IP HOLDER LLC
BR JAPAN HOLDINGS LLC
DB CANADIAN SUPPLIER INC.
DB CANADIAN HOLDING COMPANY INC.
DB FRANCHISING HOLDING COMPANY LLC
DB INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISING LLC
DB MASTER FINANCE LLC
DB MEXICAN FRANCHISING LLC
DB REAL ESTATE ASSETS I LLC
DB REAL ESTATE ASSETS II LLC
DB UK FRANCHISING LLC
DBI STORES LLC
DD IP HOLDER LLC
DUNKIN’ DONUTS FRANCHISED RESTAURANTS LLC
DUNKIN’ DONUTS FRANCHISING LLC
DUNKIN’ DONUTS LLC
DUNKIN’ DONUTS REALTY INVESTMENT LLC
DUNKIN’ DONUTS USA LLC
DUNKIN’ VENTURES LLC
MISTER DONUT OF AMERICA LLC
THIRD DUNKIN’ DONUTS REALTY LLC,
as Grantors
By:  

/s/ Bonnie Monahan

  Name:   Bonnie Monahan
  Title:   Vice President and Treasurer

Signature Page to Security Agreement


BARCLAYS BANK PLC ,
as Administrative Agent
By:  

/s/ David Barton

  Name:   David Barton
  Title:   Director

Signature Page to Security Agreement


Exhibit I to the

Security Agreement

SUPPLEMENT NO.      dated as of [              ], to the Security Agreement (the “ Security Agreement ”), dated as of              , 20      , among the Grantors identified therein and Barclays Bank PLC, as Administrative Agent.

A. Reference is made to the Credit Agreement (the “ Credit Agreement ”), dated as of November 23, 2010, among Dunkin’ Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation, and immediately following the consummation of the Assumption, Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation, each lender from time to time party hereto and Barclays Bank PLC, as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and L/C Issuer, each lender from time to time party thereto, and Citibank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and L/C Issuer.

B. Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Credit Agreement and the Security Agreement.

C. The Grantors have entered into the Security Agreement in order to induce the Lenders to make Loans and the L/C Issuers to issue Letters of Credit. Section 6.13 of the Security Agreement provides that additional Restricted Subsidiaries of the Borrower may become Grantors under the Security Agreement by execution and delivery of an instrument in the form of this Supplement. The undersigned (the “ New Grantor ”) is executing this Supplement in accordance with the requirements of the Credit Agreement to become a Grantor under the Security Agreement in order to induce the Lenders to make additional Loans and the L/C Issuers to issue additional Letters of Credit and as consideration for Loans previously made and Letters of Credit previously issued.

Accordingly, the Administrative Agent and the New Grantor agree as follows:

SECTION 1. In accordance with Section 6.13 of the Security Agreement, the New Grantor by its signature below becomes a Grantor under the Security Agreement with the same force and effect as if originally named therein as a Grantor and the New Grantor hereby (a) agrees to all the terms and provisions of the Security Agreement applicable to it as a Grantor thereunder and (b) represents and warrants that the representations and warranties made by it as a Grantor thereunder are true and correct on and as of the date hereof. In furtherance of the foregoing, the New Grantor, as security for the payment and performance in full of the Secured Obligations, does hereby create and grant to the Administrative Agent, its successors and assigns, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, their successors and assigns, a security interest in and lien on all of the New Grantor’s right, title and interest in and to the Collateral (as defined in the Security Agreement) of the New Grantor. Each reference to a “Grantor” in the Security Agreement shall be deemed to include the New Grantor. The Security Agreement is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

SECTION 2. The New Grantor represents and warrants to the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties that this Supplement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by it and constitutes its legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable


against it in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by Debtor Relief Laws and by general principles of equity.

SECTION 3. This Supplement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Supplement shall become effective when the Administrative Agent shall have received a counterpart of this Supplement that bears the signature of the New Grantor and the Administrative Agent has executed a counterpart hereof. Delivery of an executed signature page to this Supplement by facsimile transmission or other electronic communication shall be as effective as delivery of a manually signed counterpart of this Supplement.

SECTION 4. The New Grantor hereby represents and warrants that (a) set forth on Schedule I attached hereto is a true and correct schedule of the information required by the schedules of the Perfection Certificate and (b) set forth under its signature hereto is the true and correct legal name of the New Grantor, its jurisdiction of formation and the location of its chief executive office.

SECTION 5. Except as expressly supplemented hereby, the Security Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 6. THIS SUPPLEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

SECTION 7. In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Supplement should be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein and in the Security Agreement shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby (it being understood that the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not in and of itself affect the validity of such provision in any other jurisdiction). The parties hereto shall endeavor in good-faith negotiations to replace the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

SECTION 8. All communications and notices hereunder shall be in writing and given as provided in Section 6.01 of the Security Agreement.

SECTION 9. The New Grantor agrees to reimburse the Administrative Agent for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in connection with the execution and delivery of this Supplement, including the reasonable fees, other charges and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent.

[Signature pages follow.]

 

- 2 -


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the New Grantor and the Administrative Agent have duly executed this Supplement to the Security Agreement as of the day and year first above written.

 

[NAME OF NEW GRANTOR]
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
Legal Name:
Jurisdiction of Formation:
Location of Chief Executive office:

[ Signature Page — Security Agreement Supplement ]


BARCLAYS BANK PLC,
as Administrative Agent
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

[ Signature Page — Security Agreement Supplement ]


Schedule I

to the Supplement No      to the

Security Agreement

EQUITY INTERESTS

 

Issuer

   Number of
Certificate
     Registered
Owner
     Number and
Class of
Equity Interest
     Percentage
of
Equity Interests
 
           

INSTRUMENTS AND DEBT SECURITIES

 

Issuer

   Principal
Amount
     Date of Note      Maturity Date  
        


Exhibit II to the

Security Agreement

[FORM OF] PERFECTION CERTIFICATE

[To be inserted]


Exhibit III to the

Security Agreement

Form of Patent Security Agreement

Patent Security Agreement , dated as of [                  ], by [                  ] (“ Grantor ”), in favor of BARCLAYS BANK PLC, in its capacity as administrative agent for the Secured Parties (in such capacity, the “ Administrative Agent ”).

W I T N E S S E T H :

W HEREAS , the Grantors are party to a Security Agreement, dated as of December 3, 2010 (as amended, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “ Security Agreement ”), in favor of the Administrative Agent pursuant to which the Grantors are required to execute and deliver this Patent Security Agreement;

N OW , T HEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and to induce the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, to enter into the Credit Agreement, the Grantors hereby agree with the Administrative Agent as follows:

SECTION 1. Defined Terms . Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Security Agreement and used herein have the meaning given to them in the Security Agreement.

SECTION 2. Grant of Security Interest in Patent Collateral . Each Grantor hereby pledges and grants to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties a lien on and security interest in and to all of its right, title and interest in, to and under all the following Pledged Collateral of such Grantor:

(a) Patents of such Grantor listed on Schedule I attached hereto; and

(b) all Proceeds of any and all of the foregoing.

SECTION 3. The Security Agreement . The security interest granted pursuant to this Patent Security Agreement is granted in conjunction with the security interest granted to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the Security Agreement and Grantors hereby acknowledge and affirm that the rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent with respect to the security interest in the Patents made and granted hereby are more fully set forth in the Security Agreement, the terms and provisions of which are incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth herein. In the event that any provision of this Patent Security Agreement is deemed to conflict with the Security Agreement, the provisions of the Security Agreement shall control unless the Administrative Agent shall otherwise determine.

SECTION 4. Termination . Upon all of the Secured Obligations (other than (x) (i) Cash Management Obligations and (ii) Secured Obligations under Secured Hedge Agreements not yet due and payable, and (y) contingent obligations not yet accrued and payable) having


been paid in full, all Letters of Credit having been Cash Collateralized or otherwise back-stopped (including by “grandfathering” into any future credit facilities), in each case, on terms reasonably satisfactory to the relevant L/C Issuer in its reasonable discretion, or having expired or having been terminated, and the Aggregate Commitments having expired or having been terminated, and termination of the Security Agreement, this Patent Security Agreement and the security interest granted hereby shall terminate with respect to all of a Grantor’s obligations and any lien arising therefrom shall be automatically released. The Administrative Agent shall, at the expense of such Grantor, execute, acknowledge, and deliver to the Grantors within a reasonable time an instrument in writing in recordable form releasing the collateral pledge, grant, assignment, lien and security interest in the Patents under this Patent Security Agreement.

SECTION 5. Counterparts . This Patent Security Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument, and any party hereto may execute this Patent Security Agreement by signing and delivering one or more counterparts.

[Signature pages follow.]

 

- 2 -


I N W ITNESS W HEREOF , each Grantor has caused this Patent Security Agreement to be executed and delivered by its duly authorized officer as of the date first set forth above.

 

[ GRANTOR ]
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

Signature Page to Patent Security Agreement


STATE OF                                                 )
        )  ss.
COUNTY OF                                             )

On this              day of November, 2010, before me, a notary public, the undersigned officer personally appeared,                                      , known to me (or satisfactorily proven) to be the                                               of                                               , that executed the within and foregoing instrument, and acknowledged said instrument to be free and voluntary deed of said entity for the uses and purposes therein mentioned, and on oath stated that he/she was authorized to execute said instrument.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand and official seal.

 

 

_________________                                         

  Signature of Notary Public
 

 

  Print or Stamp Name of Notary Public

 

Notary Public in and for the State of  

 

residing at  

 

My appointment expires  

 

Acting in the County of:                                     

Signature Page to Patent Security Agreement


BARCLAYS BANK PLC,

as Administrative Agent

By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

Signature Page to Patent Security Agreement


SCHEDULE I

to

PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT

U.S. PATENT REGISTRATIONS AND PATENT APPLICATIONS

U.S. Patent Registrations:

 

OWNER

   REGISTRATION
NUMBER
     NAME  
     

U.S. Patent Applications:

 

OWNER

   APPLICATION
NUMBER
     NAME  
     


Exhibit IV to the

Security Agreement

Form of Trademark Security Agreement

Trademark Security Agreement , dated as of [                  ], by [                  ] (“ Grantor ”), in favor of BARCLAYS BANK PLC, in its capacity as administrative agent for the Secured Parties (in such capacity, the “ Administrative Agent ”).

W I T N E S S E T H :

W HEREAS , the Grantors are party to a Security Agreement, dated as of December 3, 2010 (as amended, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “ Security Agreement ”), in favor of the Administrative Agent pursuant to which the Grantors are required to execute and deliver this Trademark Security Agreement;

N OW , T HEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and to induce the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, to enter into the Credit Agreement, the Grantors hereby agree with the Administrative Agent as follows:

SECTION 1. Defined Terms . Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Security Agreement and used herein have the meaning given to them in the Security Agreement.

SECTION 2. Grant of Security Interest in Trademark Collateral . Each Grantor hereby pledges and grants to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties a lien on and security interest in and to all of its right, title and interest in, to and under all the following Pledged Collateral of such Grantor ( provided that the Trademarks shall not include any trademark application that would be deemed invalidated, cancelled or abandoned due to the security interest granted hereunder, including without limitation all United States trademark applications that are based on an intent to use, unless and until such time that the security interest will not cause the invalidation, cancellation or abandonment of such trademark application):

(a) Trademarks of such Grantor listed on Schedule I attached hereto; and

(b) all Proceeds of any and all of the foregoing.

SECTION 3. The Security Agreement . The security interest granted pursuant to this Trademark Security Agreement is granted in conjunction with the security interest granted to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the Security Agreement and Grantors hereby acknowledge and affirm that the rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent with respect to the security interest in the Trademarks made and granted hereby are more fully set forth in the Security Agreement, the terms and provisions of which are incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth herein. In the event that any provision of this Trademark Security Agreement is deemed to conflict with the Security Agreement, the provisions of the Security Agreement shall control unless the Administrative Agent shall otherwise determine.


SECTION 4. Termination . Upon all of the Secured Obligations (other than (x) (i) Cash Management Obligations and (ii) Secured Obligations under Secured Hedge Agreements not yet due and payable, and (y) contingent obligations not yet accrued and payable) having been paid in full, all Letters of Credit having been Cash Collateralized or otherwise back-stopped (including by “grandfathering” into any future credit facilities), in each case, on terms reasonably satisfactory to the relevant L/C Issuer in its reasonable discretion, or having expired or having been terminated, and the Aggregate Commitments having expired or having been terminated and the termination of the Security Agreement, this Trademark Security Agreement and the security interest granted hereby shall terminate with respect to all of a Grantor’s obligations and any lien arising therefrom shall be automatically released. The Administrative Agent at the expense of such Grantor, execute, acknowledge, and deliver to the Grantors within a reasonable time an instrument in writing in recordable form releasing the collateral pledge, grant, assignment, lien and security interest in the Trademarks under this Trademark Security Agreement.

SECTION 5. Counterparts . This Trademark Security Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument, and any party hereto may execute this Trademark Security Agreement by signing and delivering one or more counterparts.

[Signature pages follow.]

 

- 2 -


I N W ITNESS W HEREOF , each Grantor has caused this Trademark Security Agreement to be executed and delivered by its duly authorized officer as of the date first set forth above.

 

[ GRANTOR ]
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

Signature Page to Trademark Security Agreement


STATE OF                                                 )
        )  ss.
COUNTY OF                                             )

On this              day of November, 2010, before me, a notary public, the undersigned officer personally appeared,                                      , known to me (or satisfactorily proven) to be the                                               of                                               , that executed the within and foregoing instrument, and acknowledged said instrument to be free and voluntary deed of said entity for the uses and purposes therein mentioned, and on oath stated that he/she was authorized to execute said instrument.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand and official seal.

 

 

_________________                                         

  Signature of Notary Public
 

 

  Print or Stamp Name of Notary Public

 

Notary Public in and for the State of  

 

residing at  

 

My appointment expires  

 

Acting in the County of:                                     

Signature Page to Trademark Security Agreement


BARCLAYS BANK PLC,

as Administrative Agent

By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

Signature Page to Trademark Security Agreement


Schedule I

U.S. Trademark Registrations and Use Applications

 

U.S. Trademark    Owner      Registration
Number/
Serial Number
 
     


Exhibit V to the

Security Agreement

Form of Copyright Security Agreement

Copyright Security Agreement , dated as of [                  ], by [                  ] (“ Grantor ”), in favor of BARCLAYS BANK PLC, in its capacity as administrative agent for the Secured Parties (in such capacity, the “ Administrative Agent ”).

W I T N E S S E T H :

W HEREAS , the Grantors are party to a Security Agreement, dated as of December 3, 2010 (as amended, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “ Security Agreement ”), in favor of the Administrative Agent pursuant to which the Grantors are required to execute and deliver this Copyright Security Agreement;

N OW , T HEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and to induce the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, to enter into the Credit Agreement, the Grantors hereby agree with the Administrative Agent as follows:

SECTION 1. Defined Terms . Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Security Agreement and used herein have the meaning given to them in the Security Agreement.

SECTION 2. Grant of Security Interest in Copyright Collateral . Each Grantor hereby pledges and grants to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties a lien on and security interest in and to all of its right, title and interest in, to and under all the following Pledged Collateral of such Grantor:

(a) Copyrights of such Grantor listed on Schedule I attached hereto; and

(b) all Proceeds of any and all of the foregoing.

SECTION 3. The Security Agreement . The security interest granted pursuant to this Copyright Security Agreement is granted in conjunction with the security interest granted to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the Security Agreement and Grantors hereby acknowledge and affirm that the rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent with respect to the security interest in the Copyrights made and granted hereby are more fully set forth in the Security Agreement, the terms and provisions of which are incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth herein. In the event that any provision of this Copyright Security Agreement is deemed to conflict with the Security Agreement, the provisions of the Security Agreement shall control unless the Administrative Agent shall otherwise determine.

SECTION 4. Termination . Upon all of the Secured Obligations (other than (x) (i) Cash Management Obligations and (ii) Secured Obligations under Secured Hedge Agreements not yet due and payable, and (y) contingent obligations not yet accrued and payable) having


been paid in full, all Letters of Credit having been Cash Collateralized or otherwise back-stopped (including by “grandfathering” into any future credit facilities), in each case, on terms reasonably satisfactory to the relevant L/C Issuer in its reasonable discretion, or having expired or having been terminated, and the Aggregate Commitments having expired or having been terminated and the termination of the Security Agreement, this Copyright Security Agreement and the security interest granted hereby shall terminate with respect to all of a Grantor’s obligations and any lien arising therefrom shall be automatically released. The Administrative Agent shall, at the expense of such Grantor, execute, acknowledge, and deliver to the Grantors within a reasonable time an instrument in writing in recordable form releasing the collateral pledge, grant, assignment, lien and security interest in the Copyrights under this Copyright Security Agreement.

SECTION 5. Counterparts . This Copyright Security Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument, and any party hereto may execute this Copyright Security Agreement by signing and delivering one or more counterparts.

[Signature pages follow.]

 

- 2 -


I N W ITNESS W HEREOF , each Grantor has caused this Copyright Security Agreement to be executed and delivered by its duly authorized officer as of the date first set forth above.

[ GRANTOR ]
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

Signature Page to Copyright Security Agreement


STATE OF                                                 )
        )  ss.
COUNTY OF                                             )

On this              day of November, 2010, before me, a notary public, the undersigned officer personally appeared,                                      , known to me (or satisfactorily proven) to be the                                               of                                               , that executed the within and foregoing instrument, and acknowledged said instrument to be free and voluntary deed of said entity for the uses and purposes therein mentioned, and on oath stated that he/she was authorized to execute said instrument.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand and official seal.

 

_________________                                         

  Signature of Notary Public
 

 

  Print or Stamp Name of Notary Public

 

Notary Public in and for the State of  

 

residing at  

 

My appointment expires  

 

Acting in the County of:                                     

Signature Page to Copyright Security Agreement


BARCLAYS BANK PLC,

as Administrative Agent

By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

Signature Page to Copyright Security Agreement


Schedule I

U.S. Copyright Registrations

 

U.S. Copyright Title    Owner      Registration
Number
 
     


Exhibit VI to the

Security Agreement

[FORM OF]

ISSUER’S ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The undersigned hereby (i) acknowledges receipt of the Security Agreement (as amended, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “ Security Agreement ;” capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Security Agreement), dated as of December 3, 2010, made by Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ DBI ”), the other Grantors party thereto, and Barclays Bank PLC, as Administrative Agent, (ii) agrees promptly to note on its books the security interests granted to the Administrative Agent and confirmed under the Security Agreement, (iii) agrees that it will comply with instructions of the Administrative Agent with respect to Equity Interests of the undersigned without further consent by the applicable Grantor, (iv) agrees to notify the Administrative Agent upon obtaining knowledge of any interest in favor of any person in the applicable Equity Interests that is adverse to the interest of the Administrative Agent therein and (v) waives any right or requirement at any time hereafter to receive a copy of the Security Agreement in connection with the registration of any Equity Interests thereunder in the name of the Administrative Agent or its nominee or the exercise of voting rights by the Administrative Agent or its nominee.

 

[                                                                           ]
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

-2-

Exhibit 10.25

LEASE

between

LSF3 ROYALL STREET, LLC,

a Delaware Limited Liability Company

Landlord,

and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED

Tenant


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Article

        Page  

1.

   DEFINITIONS; USE AND RESTRICTIONS ON USE      1   

2.

   TERM      3   

3.

   RENT      5   

4.

   ADDITIONAL RENT      6   

5.

   OPTION TO EXPAND      11   

6.

   COMPLETION OF THE PREMISES      13   

7.

   REPAIR      15   

8.

   LIENS      16   

9.

   ASSIGNMENT AND SUBLETTING      17   

10.

   INDEMNIFICATION      17   

11.

   INSURANCE      18   

12.

   WAIVER OF SUBROGATION      19   

13.

   ELECTRICITY      19   

14.

   HOLDING OVER      20   

15.

   SUBORDINATION; NONDISTURBANCE; ATTORNMENT      20   

16.

   LANDLORD SERVICES      21   

17.

   REENTRY BY LANDLORD      22   

18.

   DEFAULT BY TENANT AND LANDLORD REMEDIES      23   

19.

   DEFAULT BY LANDLORD AND TENANT REMEDIES      26   

20.

   TENANT’S BANKRUPTCY OR INSOLVENCY      28   

21.

   QUIET ENJOYMENT      28   

22.

   CASUALTY      29   

23.

   EMINENT DOMAIN      30   

24.

   SALE BY LANDLORD      30   

25.

   ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATES      31   

26.

   SURRENDER OF PREMISES      31   

27.

   NOTICES      31   

28.

   DEFINED TERMS AND HEADINGS      32   

29.

   TENANT’S AUTHORITY      32   

30.

   COMMISSIONS      32   

31.

   TIME AND APPLICABLE LAW      32   

 

 

i


32.

   SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS      32   

33.

   ENTIRE AGREEMENT      33   

34.

   EXAMINATION NOT OPTION      33   

35.

   RECORDATION      33   

36.

   LIMITATION OF LANDLORD’S LIABILITY      33   

37.

   ACCESS      33   

38.

   COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT      33   

39.

   COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS      34   

40.

   CONTEST OF LEGAL REQUIREMENTS      34   

41.

   SIGNAGE      35   

42.

   WORK ON THE BUILDING OR LAND      35   

43.

   ARBITRATION      36   

44.

   FINANCIALS      37   

45.

   ADDITIONAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS      38   

46.

   SECURITY DEPOSIT      38   

 

EXHIBIT A

           PLAN

EXHIBIT A-1

           DESCRIPTION OF LAND

EXHIBIT B

           WORK LETTER

EXHIBIT C

           CONCEPT PLANS

EXHIBIT D

           FORM OF SNDA – MORTGAGE

EXHIBIT E

           FORM OF GROUND LEASE ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATE

EXHIBIT E-1

           FORM OF LEASEHOLD MORTGAGE

EXHIBIT F

           RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL

EXHIBIT G

           CANCELLATION OPTION

EXHIBIT H

           GUARANTY

EXHIBIT I

           BUILDING SHELL CONDITION

EXHIBIT J

           LIST OF WARRANTIES AND SERVICE CONTRACTS

EXHIBIT K

           SPACE REDUCTION OPTION

 

ii


REFERENCE PAGES

 

BUILDING:    130 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts
LANDLORD:    LSF3 Royall Street, LLC
LANDLORD’S ADDRESS:   

c/o Conroy Development Corporation

600 Technology Center Drive

Stoughton, MA 02072

LEASE REFERENCE DATE:    October 29, 2003
TENANT:    Dunkin’ Donuts Incorporated

TENANT’S ADDRESS:

(a) Prior to the Commencement Date:

  

14 Pacella Park Drive

Randolph, MA 02368

Attention: Adrien E. Deberghes, Jr., Assistant

Treasurer and Director of Corporate Real Estate

   With a copy to:
  

14 Pacella Park Drive

Randolph, MA 02368

Attention: Barry J. Barth, Director of Real

Estate Law

(b) After the Commencement Date:   

130 Royall Street

Canton, MA 02021

Attention: Adrien E. Deberghes, Jr., Assistant

Treasurer and Director of Corporate Real Estate

   With a copy to:
  

130 Royall Street

Canton, MA 02021

Attention: Barry J. Barth, Director of Real Estate Law

 

iii


PREMISES:    The land and building (the Building ) commonly known and numbered as 130 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts, including all improvements located thereon and all sidewalks and driveways and parking areas, as shown on the Plan attached hereto as Exhibit “A” . The land (the Land ) upon which the Building is located is described on Exhibit “A-1 ” attached hereto. The definition of the Premises may be modified pursuant to Section 5.
PERMITTED USE:    Office, kitchen and laboratory purposes and all activities normally incidental thereto or related to the conduct of Tenant’s business, including vending machines and food service for employees and guests and for all other lawful purposes normally associated with a first class office and/or research and development building.
COMMENCEMENT DATE:    The date established under Section 1.1.1
RENT COMMENCEMENT DATE:    The date established under Section 1.1.6
DELIVERY DATE:    The date established under Section 2.2
TERM OF LEASE:    Ten (10) years and six (6) months (126 months) plus any fraction of a month in which the Commencement Date shall occur if the Commencement Date shall not occur on the first day of the month (unless sooner terminated pursuant to the Lease).
TERMINATION DATE:    The date (at 5:00 p.m.) which is one hundred twenty-six (126) months, plus any fraction of a month at the commencement of the Term, from the Commencement Date
OPTIONS TO EXTEND:    Two (2) options to extend the Term for five (5) years, as set forth in Section 2.3
ANNUAL RENT (Article 3):    Annual Rent    Monthly Installments

From the Delivery Date through the date

immediately preceding the Rent

Commencement Date

   -0-    -0-

 

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From the Rent Commencement Date through the date immediately preceding the third (3rd) anniversary of the Rent Commencement Date    $3,932,500.00    $328,125.00
From the third (3rd) anniversary of the Rent Commencement Date through the date immediately preceding the sixth (6th) anniversary of the Rent Commencement Date    $4,112,500.00    $342,708.33
From the sixth (6th) anniversary of the Rent Commencement Date through the Termination Date    $4,325,000.00    $364,583.33

TENANT’S PROPORTIONATE SHARE:

   100%

BUILDING RENTABLE AREA:

   175,000 rentable square feet

TENANT IMPROVEMENT ALLOWANCE:

   $7,010,000

LANDLORD’S CONSTRUCTION REPRESENTATIVE:

   William Conroy

TENANT’S CONSTRUCTION REPRESENTATIVE:

   Jason Macedo

REAL ESTATE BROKERS DUE COMMISSION:

  

Representing Tenant:

   Newmark Southern Region, LLC 3353 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 1120 Atlanta, Georgia 30326

Representing Landlord:

   Cushman & Wakefield

Security Deposit

   $10,000.00

The Reference Page information is incorporated into and made a part of the Lease. In the event of any conflict between any Reference Page information and the Lease, the Lease shall control. This Lease includes Exhibits “A” through “K” , all of which are made a part of this Lease.

 

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LANDLORD:     TENANT:

LSF3 ROYALL STREET, LLC

ROYALL STREET, LLC

    DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED
By:   /s/ Terence W. Conroy     By:   /s/ Jennie Wilson
Title:   MANAGER     Title:   JENNIE WILSON
       

CHIEF FINANCIAL

OFFICER AND TREASURER

Dated:                                            , 2003     Dated:                                            , 2003

 

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LEASE

By this Lease Landlord leases to Tenant and Tenant leases from Landlord the Premises described on the Reference Page, together with all of Landlord’s interest in and to the appurtenances to the Land and in all streets, alleys and other public ways adjacent thereto. In addition to the foregoing, Landlord assigns to Tenant during the Term of this Lease (i) all development rights with respect to the Land and any such rights held by Landlord with respect to any property adjacent to the Land and (ii) all warranties and all assignable service and maintenance contracts (identified on Exhibit “J” hereto), relating to the improvements on the Land for which Tenant shall have maintenance and/or repair obligations hereunder. The Reference Page, including all terms defined thereon, is incorporated as part of this Lease.

1. DEFINITIONS; USE AND RESTRICTIONS ON USE.

1.1. Definitions . The following capitalized terms are defined as follows:

1.1.1. “ Commencement Date ” shall mean the earlier to occur of (i) the date on which Tenant commences operating its business from the Premises and (ii) September 1, 2004 (subject to any extension for Landlord Delays).

1.1.2. “ Default Rate ” shall mean the lesser of (i) the Prime Rate plus three percent (3%) per annum or (ii) the greatest per annum rate of interest permitted from time to time under applicable law.

1.1.3. “ Ground Lease ” shall mean that certain Ground Lease dated September 28, 2000 by and between Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company (“ Ground Lessor ”) and Royall Street LLC, as assigned to Landlord by that certain Assignment of Tenant’s Interest in Ground Lease dated December 8, 2000 by and between Royall Street LLC, as assignor, and LSF3 Royall Street, LLC, as assignee, recorded on January 10, 2001 as Instrument N. 2763.

1.1.4. “ Landlord Delay ” shall mean any of the following:

(i) any delay suffered by Tenant in the design or construction of the Tenant Work resulting solely from the fact that the Building as constructed does not comply with any Legal Requirements in effect as of the date of this Lease, provided (1) Tenant notifies Landlord of the same and permits Landlord a cure period of two (2) business days, during which time Landlord does not cure such problem, and (2) Tenant is in fact delayed in completing the construction of the Tenant Work by reason of such delay.

(ii) any delay suffered by Tenant in the completion of the design of the Tenant Work, the procurement of required governmental permits or approvals for construction or completion of the Tenant Work, including without limitation, the certificate of occupancy (or its equivalent), or occupancy of the Premises, the commencement or completion of the Tenant Work directly resulting from any act, failure, default or omission of Landlord (wrongful, negligent or otherwise), including without limitation, (1) delay in giving authorization or approvals by Landlord beyond any time periods set forth herein and (2) delay directly

 

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attributable to the interference of Landlord, its agents or contactors in the completion of the Tenant Work, provided (I) Tenant notifies Landlord of the same and permits Landlord a cure period of two (2) business days, during which time Landlord does not cure such act, failure, default or omission of Landlord and, (II) Tenant is in fact delayed in completing the construction of the Tenant Work by reason of such delay.

(iii) any delay suffered by Tenant in obtaining any governmental permits or approvals required for construction of the Tenant Work or in prosecuting construction of the Tenant Work by reason of (1) fire, earthquake, lightening, storm, flood, explosion, Act of God, riot, war or similar event or (2) moratorium or extraordinary governmental order or action; provided, however, that any delays encountered under this paragraph shall only be Landlord Delays if (I) Tenant shall notify Landlord of the same within five (5) days of the occurrence thereof, and (II) the delays suffered would also have been suffered had Landlord been responsible for prosecution of the Tenant Work hereunder (with the understanding that Landlord would have promptly commenced the Tenant Work as soon as possible following execution of the Lease).

(iv) any delay suffered by Tenant in the completion of the Tenant Work as a result of Landlord’s Work (as hereinafter defined) not being complete and the Building not being in Building Shell Condition on or before the Delivery Date.

1.1.5. “ Prime Rate ” shall mean the per annum interest rate publicly announced by Fleet Bank Financial Corp. or any successor thereof from time to time (whether or not charged in each instance) as its prime or base rate in Boston, Massachusetts.

1.1.6. “ Rent Commencement Date ” shall mean the date which is six (6) months from the Commencement Date.

1.1.7. “ Building Shell Condition ” shall mean the condition of the Building as specified in Exhibit “I” , attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference.

1.1.8. “ Treasuries ” shall mean the ten-year U.S. Treasury note most recently issued prior to the Determination Date.

1.2. Use . The Premises are to be used solely for the Permitted Use stated on the Reference Page. Tenant shall not do or permit anything to be done in or about the Premises in violation of any law. Tenant shall not do or permit anything to be done on or about the Premises or bring into or keep anything in the Premises which will in any way increase the rate of, invalidate or prevent the procuring of any insurance protecting against loss or damage to the Building or any of its contents by fire or other casualty or against liability for damage to property or injury to persons in or about the Building or any part thereof.

1.3. Restrictions on Use . Tenant shall not, and shall not direct, suffer or permit any of its agents, contractors, employees, licensees or invitees to at any time handle, use, manufacture, store or dispose of in or about the Premises or the Building any (collectively “ Hazardous Materials ”) flammables, explosives, radioactive materials, hazardous wastes or materials, toxic wastes or materials, or other similar substances, petroleum products or derivatives or any substance subject to regulation by or under any federal, state and local laws and ordinances

 

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relating to the protection of the environment or the keeping, use or disposition of environmentally hazardous materials, substances, or wastes, presently in effect or hereafter adopted, all amendments to any of them, and all rules and regulations issued pursuant to any of such laws or ordinances (collectively “ Environmental Laws ”), nor shall Tenant suffer or permit any Hazardous Materials to be used in any manner not fully in compliance with all Environmental Laws, in the Premises or the Building and appurtenant land or allow the environment to become contaminated with any Hazardous Materials in violation of Environmental Laws. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Tenant may handle, store, use or dispose of products containing small quantities of Hazardous Materials (such as aerosol cans containing insecticides, toner for copiers, paints, paint remover and the like) to the extent customary and necessary for the use of the Premises for general office purposes and may use Hazardous Materials in connection with the Permitted Use; provided that Tenant shall always handle, store, use, and dispose of any such Hazardous Materials in a safe and lawful manner and never allow such Hazardous Materials to contaminate the Premises, Building and appurtenant land or the environment in violation of Environmental Laws. Tenant shall protect, defend, indemnify and hold each and all of the Landlord Entities (as defined in Article 28) harmless from and against any and all loss, claims, liability or costs (including court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees actually incurred) incurred by reason of any failure of Tenant to keep, observe, or perform any provision of this Section 1.3.

1.4. Landlord represents and warrants:

1.4.1. that as of the Reference Date, neither the Land nor the Building contain asbestos or asbestos containing materials or any other Hazardous Materials in violation of Environmental Laws;

1.4.2. that the Land is zoned Limited Industrial which use permits the use of the Property for general office and research and development uses; and

1.4.3. that on or before the Delivery Date (defined in Section 2.2 below), the Building Shell Condition will be in the condition specified on Exhibit “I” and delivered to Tenant in such condition.

1.4.4. Landlord agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Tenant from and against any claims, liabilities, costs, fines, damages and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs actually incurred) arising from the inaccuracy of the foregoing representations.

2. TERM.

2.1. This Lease shall govern the relationship between Landlord and Tenant with respect to the Premises from the Reference Date through the last day of the Term. The Term of this Lease shall begin on the Commencement Date and shall continue to and include the date (the “ Original Expiration Date ”) which is next preceding the date which is ten (10) years after the Rent Commencement Date unless sooner terminated as hereinafter provided (such term, taking into account any such sooner termination or any extension pursuant to Section 2.3 below, is herein referred to as the “ Term ”).

 

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2.2. It is the intent of this Lease that Tenant shall be given continuous access to the Premises for the purposes of space planning, design and construction of the Tenant Work and installation of Tenant’s Property commencing within ten (10) days following the Reference Date; provided, however, that for the ninety (90) day period from and after the Reference Date (the “ Delivery Date ”) Landlord shall complete any and all improvements to the Premises as may be necessary to put the Building in Building Shell Condition (“ Landlord’s Work ”). Tenant and Tenant’s contractor, subcontractors, suppliers, architect, designer and engineer shall have full access to the Premises commencing on the date ten (10) days after the Reference Date, but during the period prior to the Delivery Date, Tenant shall work with Landlord to adopt a schedule in conformance with the schedule for Landlord’s Work and conduct its work in such a manner so as to not unreasonably interfere with or delay the completion of Landlord’s Work.

2.3. Options to Extend . Tenant shall have two (2) options (each a “ Renewal Option ”) to extend the Term, with respect to all or any portion of the Premises described below, for successive periods of five (5) years each following the end of the initial Term (each a “ Renewal Period ” and collectively the “ Renewal Periods ”), so long as this Lease is then in effect and no Event of Default by Tenant relating to any monetary obligation of this Lease exists at the time of the exercise of the applicable Renewal Option. In the event that Tenant desires to exercise its option to renew the Term for a Renewal Period, Tenant shall so notify Landlord in writing on or before the twelfth (12th) month prior to the last day of the Term. Tenant shall specify in such notice to Landlord the portions of the Premises which Tenant desires to lease for the applicable Renewal Period which shall eliminate from the Premises only that Eliminated Area described below (the “ Renewal Space ”). If Tenant fails to designate the portion of the Premises which Tenant desires to lease, Tenant shall be deemed to have elected to lease the entire Premises. Upon the giving of such notice, this Lease and the Term hereof shall automatically be extended for five (5) years without the necessity for the execution of any other instrument in confirmation thereof except for a document memorializing the Annual Rent established as set forth in Section 3.3 below for the then extended Term. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Tenant’s Renewal Options will not lapse because of Tenant’s failure to exercise any Renewal Option unless Landlord gives Tenant notice that Tenant has failed to exercise such Renewal Option prior to the period provided above, and Tenant shall have failed to exercise such option within ten (10) days following Tenant’s receipt of such notice. Except for the reduced square footage (if applicable), the rent payable during the applicable Renewal Period, which shall be determined in the manner provided in Section 3.3 below, and the fact that there shall be no further option to extend beyond the second Renewal Period or with respect to any Eliminated Area (as defined below), each extension shall be upon all the same terms, conditions and provisions as contained in this Lease. In the event Tenant exercises either Renewal Option as to a portion, and not all, of the then current Premises, (i) the Renewal Space must contain at least one hundred thirty thousand (130,000) square feet of rentable area; (ii) the space eliminated from the Premises pursuant to this Section (the “ Eliminated Area ”) must, to the extent reasonably possible, be internally contiguous; (iii) each portion of the Eliminated Area must contain at least 10,000 contiguous square feet of rentable area and be marketable as office or research and development space on commercially reasonable terms and in accordance with all Legal Requirements; and (iii) the Eliminated Area must have access to legally appropriate restrooms, elevator lobby and fire stairs on the applicable floor of the Building and shall have an approximately proportionate share of the exterior window walls on the applicable floor of the Building when compared with the Renewal Space. The cost of partitioning the Renewal Space from the Eliminated Area shall be

 

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paid by Landlord. Once the Eliminated Area has been separated from the Premises, Tenant shall no longer have an option to extend the Term with respect to the Eliminated Area.

3. RENT.

3.1. Commencing on the Rent Commencement Date, Tenant agrees to pay to Landlord the Annual Rent in effect from time to time by paying the Monthly Installment of Rent then in effect on or before the first day of each full calendar month during the Term. The Monthly Installment of Rent in effect at any time shall be one-twelfth of the Annual Rent in effect at such time. Rent for any period during the Term which is less than a full month shall be a prorated portion of the Monthly Installment of Rent based upon a thirty (30) day month. Said rent shall be paid to Landlord, without deduction or offset and without notice or demand except as specifically set forth herein, at the Landlord’s address, as set forth on the Reference Page, or to such other person or at such other place as Landlord may from time to time designate in writing.

3.2. Tenant recognizes that late payment of any rent or other sum due under this Lease will result in administrative expense to Landlord, the extent of which additional expense is extremely difficult and economically impractical to ascertain. Tenant therefore agrees that if rent or any other sum is not paid within ten (10) days of the date when due and payable pursuant to this Lease, a late charge shall be imposed in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) four percent (4%) of the unpaid rent or other payment or (ii) the amount of the late charge paid by Landlord for such month pursuant to the Ground Lease and the then current Mortgage resulting from Tenant’s late payment. The amount of the late charge to be paid by Tenant shall be reassessed and added to Tenant’s obligation for each successive monthly period until paid. The provisions of this Section 3.2 in no way relieve Tenant of the obligation to pay rent or other payments on or before the date on which they are due, nor do the terms of this Section 3.2 in any way affect Landlord’s remedies pursuant to Article 18 in the event said rent or other payment is unpaid after the date due.

3.3. If Tenant shall extend the Term by exercising a Renewal Option pursuant to Section 2.3 above, the Annual Rent during the applicable Renewal Period shall be the greater of (i) ninety-five percent (95%) of Market Rent (as defined below) and (ii) the Annual Rent in effect during the last year of the then existing Term.

Market Rent ” shall be computed for the applicable Renewal Period at the then effective current rentals being charged to new tenants for buildings of comparable type and quality to that of the Building, taking into account and giving effect to, in determining comparability, without limitation, such considerations as size, location of premises, lease term, and real estate tax and operating expenses, but Market Rent shall not take into account any “specialized” improvements to the Premises paid for by Tenant beyond the Allowance (as defined in Exhibit “B” ).

Landlord shall initially, no later than ninety (90) days prior to the commencement of the applicable Renewal Period, designate the Market Rent (“ Landlord’s Designation ”) for five year option period and shall furnish comparable data in support of such designation. If Tenant disagrees with Landlord’s Designation of the Market Rent, then Tenant shall have the right, by written notice given within thirty (30) days after Tenant’s receipt of Landlord’s Designation (“ Tenant’s Arbitration Notice ”), to submit the determination of Market Rent to arbitration as set

 

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forth in Section 43 below. If for any reason the dispute between the parties as to Market Rent has not been resolved before the commencement of Tenant’s obligation to pay Annual Rent based upon such Market Rent, then Tenant shall pay rent under the Lease in respect of the Premises based upon the current Annual Rent until either the agreement of the parties as to the Market Rent or the decision of the appraisers, as the case may be, at which time Tenant shall pay any underpayment of Annual Rent to Landlord or receive a credit against Annual Rent next becoming due for any overpayment of Annual Rent.

4. ADDITIONAL RENT.

4.1. For the purpose of this Article 4, the following terms are defined as follows:

4.1.1. Lease Year shall mean each calendar year falling partly or wholly within the Term.

4.1.2. Operating Expenses shall mean all costs of operation, maintenance, repair and management of the Building, as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, including the following costs by way of illustration, but not limitation: water and sewer charges; insurance charges of or relating to all insurance policies and endorsements usual and customary and reasonably deemed by Landlord to be necessary or desirable and relating to the protection, preservation, or operation of the Building or any part thereof; utility costs, including, but not limited to, the cost of heat, steam, gas, and waste disposal (but not the wiring of electricity to the Premises or to any other tenant space); the cost of janitorial services; the cost of security and alarm services (including any central station signaling system); window cleaning costs; labor costs; costs and expenses of managing the Building, not to exceed a management fee of three (3%) percent of the total Annual Rent of the Building; heating, ventilation and air conditioning maintenance costs; material costs; equipment costs including the cost of maintenance, repair and service agreements and rental and leasing costs; purchase costs of equipment other than capital items and items needing to be replaced due to defect in construction; current rental and leasing costs of items which would be amortizable capital items if purchased; tool costs; licenses, permits and inspection fees; wages and salaries; employee benefits and payroll taxes; accounting and legal fees; any sales, use or service taxes incurred in connection therewith. Operating Expenses shall not include depreciation or amortization of the Building or equipment in the Building except as provided herein, loan principal payments, leasing commissions, interest expenses on long-term borrowings, advertising costs or management salaries for executive personnel, all costs and expenses incurred in connection with leasing space in the Building, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotional expenses and real estate brokerage commissions; legal fees incurred in leasing or in disputes with tenants; cost of construction allowances or tenant improvements provided to other tenants; interest or principal payments on any mortgage or deed of trust or any ground lease payments or any other financing costs or fees; any cost or expenditure for which Landlord is entitled to be reimbursed; costs of any work or services furnished to any other tenant but which Landlord does not make available to Tenant to the same extent and in the same manner or is available to Tenant only for an additional direct charge; costs recoverable by Landlord under its insurance policies; management fees in excess of three percent (3%) of the total Annual Rent of the Building; except as expressly included above, any costs of Landlord’s general overhead;

 

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amounts paid to parties affiliated with Landlord or the management company for the Building in excess of the fair market value of the services or materials provided; or costs resulting from defects in the design or construction of the Building. Landlord shall be entitled to amortize and include as an allocable portion of (i) the cost of capital improvement items which are reasonably calculated to reduce operating expenses (but only to the extent of any such reduction in the applicable Lease Year); (ii) fire sprinklers and suppression systems and other life safety systems required by changes in the law after the Commencement Date; and (iii) other capital expenses which are required under any governmental laws, regulations or ordinances first promulgated after the Commencement Date. All such costs shall be amortized over the reasonable life of such improvements in accordance with such reasonable life and amortization schedules as shall be reasonably determined by Landlord in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, with interest on the unamortized amount at the Prime Rate.

4.1.3. Taxes shall mean real estate taxes and any other taxes, charges and assessments which are levied with respect to the Land and Building, or with respect to any improvements, fixtures and equipment or other property of Landlord, real or personal, located in the Building and used in connection with the operation of the Building and said Land, any payments to any ground lessor in reimbursement of tax payments made by such lessor; and all reasonable fees, expenses and costs incurred by Landlord in investigating, protesting, contesting or in any way seeking to reduce or avoid increase in any assessments, levies or the tax rate pertaining to any Taxes to be paid by Landlord in any Lease Year. If Landlord secures an abatement or refund of any Taxes, there shall be credited against the amount of any taxes owed by Tenant hereunder, or reimbursed to Tenant if the Term of this Lease has expired or been earlier terminated, its proportionate share of the amount of such abatement or refund (i.e., the net amount remaining after paying all reasonable costs and expenses of securing the abatement or refund, including reasonable attorneys’ fees). Taxes shall also include any substitute or additional tax on real estate or the profits therefrom, whether or not now customary or within the contemplation of the parties to this Lease: (a) upon, allocable to, or measured by or on the gross or net rent payable under this Lease, including without limitation any gross income tax or excise tax levied by the State, any political subdivision thereof or the Federal Government with respect to the receipt of such rent; (b) upon or with respect to the possession, leasing, operation, management, maintenance, alteration, repair, use or occupancy of the Premises or any portion thereof, including any sales, use or service tax imposed as a result thereof; (c) upon or measured by the Tenant’s gross receipts or payroll or the value of Tenant’s equipment, furniture, fixtures and other personal property of Tenant or leasehold improvements, alterations or additions located in the Premises; or (d) upon this transaction or any document to which Tenant is a party creating or transferring any interest of Tenant in this Lease or the Premises. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Tenant agrees to pay, before delinquency, any and all taxes levied or assessed against Tenant and which become payable during the term hereof upon Tenant’s equipment, furniture, fixtures and other personal property of Tenant located in the Premises. Taxes shall not include any corporate franchise, or estate, inheritance, succession, transfer, gift, profit or net income tax or capital levy, or tax imposed upon any transfer by Landlord of its interest in this Lease or the Building. Tenant may, and in the name of either or both of Landlord or Tenant, initiate and prosecute an abatement or refund of any Taxes payable with respect to any tax year beginning on or after January 1, 2006 and Landlord agrees to cooperate with Tenant in any such proceedings.

 

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4.2. Tenant shall pay as additional rent for each Lease Year Tenant’s Proportionate Share of Operating Expenses and Taxes incurred for such Lease Year in excess of those incurred during calendar year 2005 (the “ Base Year ”). No payment for Tenant’s Proportionate Share of Operating Expenses and Taxes shall be payable for any period prior to January 1, 2006. Landlord acknowledges that Tenant is pursuing certain state and local tax credits and exemptions in connection with the relocation of its corporate headquarters to the Premises, including, without limitation, an exemption of the value of improvements to be made to the Premises from applicable real estate taxes. Landlord agrees to provide Tenant with such assistance and cooperation as Tenant may reasonably request in connection with applying for and obtaining state and local tax credits and exemptions under available programs. Landlord also agrees that the benefit of any exemption of the value of the initial Landlord’s or Tenant’s Work and any other tax credits or exemptions obtained by Tenant shall inure to the benefit of Tenant, but shall not reduce Annual Rent.

4.3. The annual determination of Operating Expenses shall be made by Landlord within one hundred twenty (120) days after the end of each Lease Year and, if certified by a regionally or nationally recognized firm of public accountants selected by Landlord, shall be binding upon Landlord and Tenant (subject to Tenant’s rights pursuant to Section 4.7 below). Landlord shall provide Tenant within such one hundred twenty (120) day period, an annual itemized statement of all components included in Operating Expenses. Tenant may review the books and records supporting such determination in the office of Landlord, or Landlord’s agent, during normal business hours, upon giving Landlord five (5) days advance written notice within ninety (90) days after receipt of such determination, arid in no event more often than once in any one year period.

4.4. Prior to the actual determination thereof for a Lease Year, Landlord may from time to time (but in no event more often than once in any one year period) estimate Tenant’s liability for Operating Expenses and/or Taxes under Section 4.2. Landlord will give Tenant written notification of the amount of such estimate and Tenant agrees that it will pay, by increase of its Monthly Installments of Rent due in such Lease Year, additional rent in the amount of such estimate. Any such increased rate of Monthly Installments of Rent pursuant to this Section 4.4 shall remain in effect until written notification to Tenant of the actual Operating Expenses pursuant to Section 4.3 above.

4.5. When the above mentioned actual determination of Tenant’s liability for Operating Expenses and/or Taxes is made for any Lease Year and when Tenant is so notified in writing, then:

4.5.1. If the total additional rent Tenant actually paid pursuant to Section 4.4 on account of Operating Expenses and/or Taxes for the Lease Year is less than Tenant’s liability for Operating Expenses and/or Taxes, then Tenant shall pay such deficiency to Landlord as additional rent in one lump sum within thirty (30) days of receipt of Landlord’s bill therefor; and

4.5.2. If the total additional rent Tenant actually paid pursuant to Section 4.4 on account of Operating Expenses and/or Taxes for the Lease Year is more than Tenant’s liability for Operating Expenses and/or Taxes, then Landlord shall credit the difference against the then

 

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next due payments to be made by Tenant for Annual Rent and under this Article 4, or reimburse the difference to Tenant if the term of the Lease has expired or been earlier terminated.

4.6. If the Rent Commencement Date is other than January 1 or if the Termination Date is other than December 31, Tenant’s liability for Operating Expenses and Taxes for the Lease Year in which said Date occurs shall be prorated based upon a three hundred sixty-five (365) day year.

4.7. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Lease to the contrary, Tenant shall have the right to audit the Operating Expenses, Taxes and any and all other costs, charges or expenses (collectively, the “ charges ”) for which Tenant is required to reimburse Landlord pursuant to this Lease, and Landlord agrees to cooperate with any such audit. Landlord shall maintain complete books and records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for the same period as required for income tax reporting purposes. Such audit(s) shall only take place within one (1) year after such charges are due in accordance with the terms hereof. If it shall be determined as a result of such audit(s) that Tenant has overpaid any of such charges, Landlord shall promptly refund to Tenant the amount of such overpayment. If the amount of Tenant’s overpayment exceeds five percent (5%) of said charges, Landlord shall promptly pay the cost of said audit(s) upon Tenant’s submission of an invoice for same.

4.8. Notwithstanding any provision of this Lease to the contrary, during any period after the Base Year in which Tenant is the sole tenant of the Premises, Tenant shall have the right, at Tenant’s option, to elect to take responsibility for the performance of any or all of the services to be performed by Landlord hereunder, in which case:

4.8.1. The term “Operating Expenses” shall be modified to exclude the reference to the services for which Tenant has elected to take responsibility and the cost of such services shall not be included in the calculation of Operating Expenses either for purposes of calculating Operating Expenses for the then current Lease Year or for purposes of calculating Operating Expenses for the Base Year;

4.8.2. Annual Rental shall be reduced by the amount attributable to the cost of such excluded service for the Base Year; and

4.8.3. In the event that Tenant elects to take responsibility for all services and utilities to the Premises, Landlord shall not be required to furnish any services or utilities to the Premises and Tenant shall assume responsibility for the supply of and payment of such services and utilities, in which event the term “Operating Expenses” shall mean only insurance premiums for insurance for the Premises required to be maintained by Landlord pursuant to Section 11.2 hereof.

4.9. The following matters shall be taken into account when determining Operating Expenses and Taxes:

(i) notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary contained herein, Landlord may not include in Operating Expenses for any calendar year subsequent to the Base Year (a) insurance expenses if such expenses were not included in the Base Year, or are for insurance coverage other than the coverage that Landlord is required to maintain under the terms

 

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of this Lease, or any mortgage applicable to the Land or the Building or because Landlord elected to self-insure; or (b) any category of expenses which was not included in Operating Expenses for the Base Year and which expenses were incurred in the Base Year and could have been included in Operating Expenses for the Base Year; or (c) any expenses properly attributable to an increase in the level, quality or frequency of service over the level, quality or frequency of such service provided during the Base Year.

(ii) Landlord and Tenant acknowledge that those components of Operating Expenses for the Base Year solely relating to the Building being newly constructed (the “ New Construction Components ”) may need to be adjusted to reflect operational costs of the Building becoming stabilized after the Base Year. In addition, Landlord and Tenant acknowledge that during the Base Year expenses for snow removal and sanding may be more or less than expenses for a normal year. In determining Base Year Operating Expenses for the Premises, Landlord and Tenant agree to negotiate in good faith regarding any equitable adjustments of the New Construction Components and of weather related items for the Base Year that are aberrational.

(iii) notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, the amount of Taxes which are included within the Taxes for the Base Year shall be adjusted to equal the final Taxes for the Project once the Project is fully assessed. Until such Taxes are final, Landlord shall reasonably estimate such Taxes.

(iv) Operating Expenses for the Base Year shall specifically include all costs which Landlord would have incurred but for the existence of warranties on any portion of the Project, including, without limitation, any equipment or machinery used therein.

(v) In the event that Tenant exercises its Space Reduction Option, as specified in Exhibit “K” attached hereto, it is the intent of this Lease that, notwithstanding Article 13 below, Tenant shall remain liable only for electric service and other Operating Expenses to the Reduced Premises (as defined in Exhibit “K” ), and that, as of the Reduction Date, the Operating Expenses for the Base Year shall be increased by an amount equal to the costs of power, lights, other electrical charges for the “common areas” of the Premises during calendar year 2005 (and the parties shall endeavor to record such amount following the end of calendar year 2005 so as to document the addition to Base Year Operating Expenses in the event the Space Reduction Option is exercised by Tenant). The parties acknowledge and agree that the parties shall make such equitable adjustments to the Operating Expenses for the Base Year as may be appropriate to reflect that the Building has been converted to a multi-tenanted property. As used herein, the term “common areas” is intended to mean and refer to the parking areas, sidewalks and other areas on the exterior of the Building, the lobby areas, elevators, and other areas which, if such option is exercised, shall be used in common with other tenants of the Building .

4.10. The property manager for the Premises initially shall be Conroy Development Corporation and shall at all times be a reputable company of recognized standing whose principal management personnel (a) are of recognized experience and capability and (b) are engaged in the commercial property management business and (c) subject to the reasonable approval of Tenant. The Premises shall at all times be managed in accordance with First Class

 

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Building Standards (as defined in Article 16 below), and Landlord agrees that if at any time Tenant believes the Premises is not being maintained or managed in accordance with such standards, Tenant shall provide Landlord with written notice thereof specifying in reasonable detail the areas in which such management and/or maintenance has been deficient and failed to such standard. Within thirty (30) days thereafter, Landlord shall notify Tenant in writing that either (i) Landlord agrees with Tenant’s determination, in which case Landlord shall together with such notice include a detailed plan for the remedy of such failure including a timetable for resolution, or (ii) Landlord’s disputes Tenant’s determination and the specific rationale for such dispute. In the event that Tenant is not reasonably satisfied with Landlord’s response, Tenant may require Landlord to replace the then current property manager with a property manager reasonably acceptable to Tenant.

5. OPTION TO EXPAND.

5.1. Expansion of Premises . In the event that there remains at least nine (9) years (including any Short Term Extension or Renewal Period, if exercised) in the Term, Tenant shall have the option (the “ Expansion Option ”) to require Landlord to construct an addition (the “ Expansion Space ”) to the Building, which addition shall include no more than 75,000 square feet of rentable area, or such lesser maximum amount for which Landlord is able to obtain a building permit and approvals under then existing zoning, environmental and building laws, and shall be constructed pursuant to the terms of this Section. Any Expansion Space added to the Building pursuant to this Section shall be subject to the terms and provisions of this Lease, except that the Annual Rent payable for such space shall be determined as set forth in Section 5.2 below. The Expansion Option may be exercised by Tenant’s notifying Landlord in writing of such exercise (the date of such notice is hereinafter referred to as the “ Expansion Exercise Date ”), which Expansion Notice shall specify whether Tenant desires to have the Expansion Space contain two floors (50,000 square feet of rentable area) or three floors (75,000 square feet of rentable area) and shall be accompanied by conceptual and preliminary design plans showing the general layout and uses for the Expansion Space and general specifications. Subject to Tenant Delays (defined below), Landlord shall complete the Expansion Space and deliver the Expansion Space to Tenant for occupancy, no more than two (2) years from the Expansion Exercise Date.

Tenant Delay ” shall mean the total actual delay in completion of Landlord’s Work attributable to any of those items described in Section 1.1.3, except caused by Tenant where designated therein as caused by Landlord, and/or suffered by Landlord.

Landlord and Tenant hereby acknowledge and agree that unless otherwise agreed upon by the parties hereto, the Expansion Space shall be designed and constructed substantially in such location and with such design as set forth on Exhibit “C” , attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference (the “ Concept Plans ”). Upon receipt of Tenant’s notice of its election to expand the Premises, Landlord and Tenant shall meet to discuss the expansion project, a preliminary time schedule for permitting and construction, and the development of an estimate of the Total Project Cost for the Expansion Space. As used herein, the term “ Total Project Cost ” shall mean and include all reasonable costs of constructing the Expansion Space (excluding the fair market value of any part of the Land but including any additional ground rental resulting

 

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from such increase pursuant to the Ground Lease), including, without limitation, site work and landscaping, as well as soft costs such as architectural, engineering, brokerage commissions, if any, legal and consulting fees and a three percent (3%) development fee and interest on borrowed money during construction and prior to commencement of Tenant’s payment of rent on the Expansion Space. “ Total Project Cost ” shall include and Landlord shall make available to Tenant a tenant improvement allowance of $40 per square foot of rentable area contained in the Expansion Space prorated to reflect any term less than ten (10) full years. Subject to any Tenant Delay, Landlord shall prepare and furnish to Tenant within sixty (60) days after the Expansion Exercise Date complete architectural drawings and specifications (hereinafter called the “ Expansion Plans ”). The Expansion Plans shall be prepared by a licensed architect retained by Landlord, which architect shall be subject to the reasonable approval of Tenant. Tenant agrees to review the Expansion Plans and in each case to approve same or state what changes, if any, Tenant requires therein within thirty (30) days after receipt thereof. If Tenant requires any changes, Landlord shall cause the Expansion Plans to be revised in accordance with any reasonable requirements of Tenant and to resubmit same to Tenant for Tenant’s review within fifteen (15) days after receipt of Tenant’s changes. In addition, Tenant may review said Expansion Plans and request changes therein during the course of preparation thereof by said architect and Landlord shall cause said architect to revise the Expansion Plans accordingly. The revisions and resubmissions shall continue until Tenant shall have approved the Expansion Plans (said approved Expansion Plans being hereinafter called the “ Approved Plans ”). Tenant’s approval of the Expansion Plans shall not constitute an opinion or agreement by Tenant that the Tenant’s Building or other improvements are structurally sufficient or that the Approved Plans are in compliance with Legal Requirements (it being agreed that such compliance is solely Landlord’s responsibility). Landlord shall provide Tenant with two (2) sets of the Approved Plans and Landlord and Tenant shall execute counterparts thereof. The Approved Plans shall be final and shall not be changed by Landlord without the prior consent of Tenant but Tenant shall have the right to make changes therein. Landlord agrees to use diligent (commercially reasonable) efforts to obtain all necessary permits for development and construction of the Expansion Space, or so much thereof as the law and local rules and regulations shall allow, although the parties acknowledge that the laws and development environment at the time of the permitting for the Expansion Space may be more restrictive than at present.

5.2. Following completion of the Approved Plans and prior to the commencement of construction of the Expansion Space, Landlord shall provide Tenant with a breakdown of his estimated total project costs to construct the Expansion Space in accordance with the Approved Plans and shall allow Tenant to review its construction bids (the “ Estimated Total Project Cost ”). Tenant shall then have a period of fourteen (14) business days to review the Estimated Total Project Cost and to notify Landlord within such time period that it revokes its election to expand the Premises, in which case the Tenant’s option to expand the Premises shall have no further force or effect and Tenant shall reimburse Landlord for the reasonable third party costs of preparation of plans and seeking permits and approvals for the Expansion Space including the fees and expenses of its architect to prepare the Approved Plans and legal and consulting fees for permitting. If Tenant shall fail to so notify Landlord within such fourteen (14) business day period, then Tenant shall be deemed to have revoked its election to expand the Premises. In the event that Tenant approves the Estimated Total Project Cost, Landlord shall complete the Expansion Space and deliver the Expansion Space to Tenant for occupancy no more than two (2) years following the Expansion Exercise Date. Landlord covenants and agrees that upon Tenant’s

 

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approval of the Estimated Total Project Cost, Landlord shall, in accordance with the Approved Plans, promptly commence and with due diligence proceed to construct the Expansion Space. Annual Rent for the Expansion Space shall commence upon the first to occur of (i) Tenant’s occupancy of the Expansion Space for the conduct of business and (ii) thirty (30) days following the Date of Substantial Completion (as hereinafter defined) (the “ Determination Date ”) and shall be determined by amortizing in equal monthly installments over a twenty-five (25) year period the lesser of (i) Total Project Cost and (ii) the Estimated Total Project Cost at an interest rate equal to Treasuries plus 400 basis points (such rate not to exceed 12% nor be less than 8%).

5.3. In the event of any dispute regarding the determination of Annual Rent, Annual Rent (i) shall be the same as the square foot Annual Rent for the original Premises until such determination shall be completed, (ii) shall be determined pursuant to arbitration in accordance with Article 43 below, and (iii) shall be adjusted as soon as the rent for the Expansion Space shall finally be determined, retroactive to the Expansion Space Rent Commencement Date. For purposes hereof, the term “ Date of Substantial Completion ” shall mean and refer to that date when the Expansion Space shall have been completed substantially in accordance with the Approved Plans, as amended in accordance with the provisions hereof, including the substantial completion of any parking areas, sidewalks, exits, entrances, access roads, lighting and retaining walls, to the extent that the Expansion Space may be occupied by Tenant, it being understood by both Landlord and Tenant that minor punchlist items shall not be considered an obstruction to the initial occupancy and use of the Expansion Space by Tenant. In no event, however, shall the Expansion Space be deemed to be substantially complete until Landlord has furnished Tenant with a (temporary) certificate of occupancy from the appropriate governmental authorities required to allow Tenant initially to occupy and use the Expansion Space. During the course of construction of the Expansion Space, Tenant may enter the Expansion Space for purposes of inspecting the work, taking measurements, making plans, installing trade fixtures, wiring and cabling, and doing such other work as may be appropriate or desirable, so long as the same shall not materially interfere with Landlord’s construction of the Expansion Space, without being deemed thereby to have taken possession or obligated itself to pay rental.

5.4. Short Term Extension Option . In the event that Tenant desires to exercise the Expansion Option but there remains less than nine (9) years in the Term and Tenant then has at least one unexercised five (5) year option to extend the Term, Tenant shall have, and Landlord hereby grants to Tenant, the right and option to unilaterally extend the Term of this Lease for any period up to four (4) years following the expiration of the Term (the term of this short term extension option herein called the “ Short Term Extension Term ”) on the terms and conditions set forth in this Section. To exercise this option, Tenant must give Landlord written notice of its exercise at the time Tenant exercises the Expansion Option. Tenant’s notice must include the date to which Tenant elects to extend the expiration date of the Term. If the Term of this Lease is extended under this Section, all terms and conditions of this Lease shall remain in full force and effect except that the Monthly Installment of Rent payable during the Short Term Extension with respect to the original Premises shall be Market Rent determined in accordance with Section 3.3 above.

6. COMPLETION OF THE PREMISES.

 

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6.1. Tenant’s Work . Tenant shall cause to be performed the work required of Tenant by Exhibit “B” (“ Tenant Work ”). All Tenant Work shall be done in a good and workmanlike manner employing good materials and in compliance with all applicable laws, rules, regulations and codes, including, without limitation, all building and zoning laws. Tenant shall not make any material changes in the Tenant Work without the prior written approval of Landlord, but Tenant shall have the right to substitute materials of equal or higher quality if materials specified on Exhibit “B” are not available in time for a timely completion of the Tenant Work.

6.2. Tenant Improvement Allowance . Landlord shall provide Tenant with the Allowance specified on the Reference Page in accordance with the provisions of Exhibit “B” . Tenant shall he responsible for costs to the extent that the cost of such Tenant Work shall exceed the Tenant Improvement Allowance. Any amount of Tenant Improvement Allowance not spent on the Tenant Work shall be made available to Tenant for architectural design services, engineering costs, moving costs, telephone and computer equipment costs, and if not used for any of the foregoing shall be provided to Tenant in the form of rent abatement. If the cost of the Tenant Work shall exceed the Tenant Improvement Allowance, Tenant may, by written notice to Landlord within ten (10) days of the Rent Commencement Date, elect to add such additional costs (up to but not exceeding the sum of $2,625,000; the total of such additional costs added to the Annual Rent is hereinafter called “ Additional Costs ”) to the Annual Rent due during the initial Term of the Lease by adjusting the Annual Rent, and the Annual Rent shall immediately be adjusted by adding an amount to the Annual Rent for each such lease year equal to the cost of amortizing the Additional Costs over such initial Term with imputed interest at the rate of 9.75% per year. For example, if the Additional Costs are $1 million, Monthly Rent during the initial Term shall he increased by $12,607.46. Landlord’s obligation to fund the Allowance shall be secured by the Guaranty (the “ Guaranty ”) in the form of Exhibit “H” from Lone Star Opportunity Fund. Tenant agrees that, if in Tenant’s reasonable determination, Landlord has provided Tenant with another mechanism to adequately secure Landlord’s obligation to fund the Allowance, Tenant shall, to such extent, release or reduce the Guaranty.

6.3. Construction Representatives . Each party authorizes the other to rely, in connection with plans and construction, upon approval and other actions on the party’s behalf by any Construction Representative of the party named in the Reference Page or any person hereafter designated in substitution or addition by written notice to the party relying. Tenant’s Construction Representative shall be afforded full and complete access to the Premises and Landlord’s Work during the construction of such work, and Landlord shall allow Tenant’s Construction Representative to attend meetings relating thereto. Landlord’s Construction Representative shall be afforded full and complete access to the Premises and Tenant’s Work during the construction of such work, and Tenant shall allow Landlord’s Construction Representative to attend meetings relating thereto.

6.4. Alterations by Tenant . Tenant may, from time to time, at its own cost and expense, make such alterations, restorations, replacements or installations (hereinafter referred to as “ Alterations ”) in, or to the Premises as Tenant deems necessary or desirable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Tenant shall not make any structural Alteration, the cost of which shall be in excess of Fifty Thousand and No/100 Dollars ($50,000.00) without first submitting plans and specifications for such Alteration to Landlord for Landlord’s approval. Landlord may only withhold its approval if the work described in such plans and specifications diminishes the

 

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structural integrity of the Building or if the value of the improvements in place after such Alteration by Tenant would be less than the value of the improvements in place prior to such Alteration. If Landlord does not either approve or state its reasonable objections to said plans and specifications (or any revisions thereof) within ten (10) business days after receipt thereof, then said plans and specifications (or revisions) shall be deemed approved by Landlord. All such Alterations shall remain the property of Tenant and in case of damage or destruction thereto by fire or other causes, Tenant shall have the right to recover the value thereof as its own loss from any insurance company with which it has insured the same, or to claim an award in the event of condemnation, notwithstanding that any of such things might be considered part of the Premises. Tenant may, at its option and expense, and at any time and from time to time, remove any such Alterations from the Premises provided that such removal is accomplished without material damage to the Premises or Tenant promptly repairs any such damage.

6.5. Compliance with Laws . All alterations, additions or improvements proposed by Tenant shall be constructed in accordance with all government laws, ordinances, rules and regulations and Tenant shall, prior to construction, provide the additional insurance required under Article 11 in such case, and also all such assurances to Landlord, including but not limited to, waivers of lien and surety company performance bonds (but only in the event the cost of the work exceeds $300,000) as Landlord shall reasonably require to assure payment of the costs thereof and to protect Landlord and the Building and appurtenant land against any loss from any mechanic’s, materialmen’s or other liens. Tenant shall pay in addition to any sums due pursuant to Article 4, any increase in real estate taxes attributable to any such alteration, addition or improvement for so long, during the Term, as such increase is ascertainable; at Landlord’s election said sums shall be paid in the same way as sums due under Article 4.

6.6. Tenant’s Property . All alterations, additions, and improvements in, on, or to the Premises made or installed by Tenant, other than the Tenant’s Work paid for by the Tenant Improvement Allowance, including carpeting, shall be and remain the property of Tenant during the Term but, excepting furniture, equipment, machinery, furnishings, movable partitions and other trade fixtures and personal property (“ Tenant’s Property ”), shall become a part of the realty and belong to Landlord without compensation to Tenant upon the expiration or sooner termination of the Term, at which time title shall pass to Landlord under this Lease as by a bill of sale. Upon election by Landlord with respect to any Non-Standard Alteration (as hereinafter defined) and provided Landlord informs Tenant of such election at the time Tenant requests approval of any alterations, Tenant shall, at Tenant’s sole cost and expense, forthwith and with all due diligence remove any such Non-Standard Alteration which are designated by Landlord to be removed prior to such alterations being made, and Tenant shall forthwith and with all due diligence, at its sole cost and expense, repair and restore any damage caused to the Premises by such removal. As used herein, the term “ Non-Standard Alteration ” shall mean and refer to any Alteration which is not normal and customary for general business or office use, such as raised flooring, fountains, swimming pools, etc.

7. REPAIR.

7.1. Landlord’s Obligations . Landlord shall promptly repair, replace and maintain the exterior and structural portions of the Premises, including without limitation, the roof, the roof covering, walls, foundation, exterior paint, exterior glass, floors (other than carpeting) and

 

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Building Systems including without limitation, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, utility and sewer lines and sprinkler systems. The Premises shall be delivered to Tenant by Landlord within ten (10) days after the Reference Date in the substantially same condition as the Premises exist today, but Landlord shall have the obligation to complete Landlord’s Work on or before the Delivery Date. Except for such repair obligations as may be required with respect to the foregoing and repair and warranty obligations with respect to Landlord’s Work, by taking possession of the Premises, Tenant accepts them as being in good order, condition and repair and in the condition in which Landlord is obligated to deliver them except for such items for which Tenant shall have given written notice to Landlord within sixty (60) days after the Rent Commencement Date, except that with respect to the HVAC system, seasonal items, items under warranty and latent defects, Tenant shall have up to one (1) year to notify Landlord of the same. It is hereby understood and agreed that no representations respecting the condition of the Premises or the Building have been made by Landlord to Tenant, except as specifically set forth in this Lease. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Landlord shall not be responsible for repairs associated with defects in the Tenant Work performed pursuant to Exhibit “B” attached hereto and Landlord shall not be liable for any failure to make any repairs or to perform any maintenance unless such failure shall persist for an unreasonable time after written notice of the need of such repairs or maintenance is given to Landlord by Tenant.

7.2. Tenant’s Obligations . Except for such obligations imposed upon Landlord by the provisions hereof, Tenant, as part of its obligations hereunder shall keep the Premises in a clean and sanitary condition. Upon termination of this Lease in any way Tenant will yield up the Premises to Landlord in good condition and repair, reasonable wear and tear, loss by fire or other casualty and repairs that are the responsibility of Landlord excepted.

7.3. No Abatement . Except as provided herein, there shall be no abatement of rent and no liability of Landlord by reason of any injury to or interference with Tenant’s business arising due to the fault of Landlord, from the making of any repairs, alterations or improvements in or to any portion of the Building or the Premises or to fixtures, appurtenances and equipment in the Building. Except to the extent, if any, prohibited by law or as otherwise provided herein, Tenant waives the right to make repairs at Landlord’s expense under any law, statute or ordinance now or hereafter in effect.

8. LIENS.

Tenant shall keep the Premises, the Building and Tenant’s leasehold interest in the Premises free from any liens arising out of any services, work or materials performed, furnished, or contracted for by Tenant, or obligations incurred by Tenant. In the event that Tenant shall not, within thirty (30) days following the imposition of any such lien, either cause the same to be released of record or provide Landlord with insurance against the same issued by a major title insurance company or such other protection against the same as Landlord shall reasonably accept, Landlord shall have the right to cause the same to be released by such means as it shall deem proper, including payment of the claim giving rise to such lien. All such sums paid by Landlord and all reasonable expenses incurred by it in connection therewith shall be considered additional rent and shall be payable to it by Tenant within twenty (20) days of demand.

 

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9. ASSIGNMENT AND SUBLETTING.

9.1. Tenant shall have the right to assign or pledge this Lease or to sublet the whole or any part of the Premises whether voluntarily or by operation of law, or permit the use or occupancy of the Premises by anyone other than Tenant. In the event Tenant desires to sublet, or permit such occupancy of, the Premises, or any portion thereof, or assign this Lease, Tenant shall give written notice thereof to Landlord at least thirty (30) days prior to the proposed commencement date of such subletting or assignment, which notice shall set forth the name of the proposed subtenant or assignee and the relevant terms of any sublease or assignment.

9.2. Notwithstanding any assignment or subletting, permitted or otherwise, Tenant shall at all times remain directly, primarily and fully responsible and liable for the payment of the rent specified in this Lease and for compliance with all of its other obligations under the terms, provisions and covenants of this Lease. Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default, if the Premises or any part of them are then assigned or sublet, Landlord, in addition to any other remedies provided in this Lease or provided by law, may, at its option, collect directly from such assignee or subtenant all rents due and becoming due to Tenant under such assignment or sublease and apply such rent against any sums due to Landlord from Tenant under this Lease, and no such collection shall be construed to constitute a novation or release of Tenant from the further performance of Tenant’s obligations under this Lease,

9.3. In the event that Tenant sells, sublets, assigns or transfers this Lease to any Non-Affiliate (as hereinafter defined), Tenant shall pay to Landlord as additional rent an amount equal to fifty percent (50%) of any Increased Rent (as defined below) when and as such Increased Rent is received by Tenant. As used in this Section, “Increased Rent” shall mean the excess of (i) all rent and other consideration which Tenant receives by reason of any sale, sublease, assignment or other transfer of this Lease, over (ii) the rent otherwise payable by Tenant under this Lease at such time after deducting all of Tenant’s reasonable costs directly related to such sublease or assignment and the marketing thereof including, without limitation, brokerage commissions, reasonable legal fees, TI Work or allowances, free rent, and other such concessions, costs and expenses. For purposes of the foregoing, any consideration received by Tenant in form other than cash shall be valued at its fair market value as determined by Landlord in good faith.

9.4. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 9, Tenant may, without Landlord’s consent, assign this Lease or sublet any portion or all of the Premises to any corporation, partnership, trust, association or other business organization directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by Tenant or to any successor by merger, consolidation or acquisition of all or substantially all of the assets of Tenant (collectively, an “ Affiliate ” and any entity which is not an Affiliate is herein referred to as a “ Non-Affiliate ”) or any Affiliate of Tenant.

10. INDEMNIFICATION.

Landlord hereby waives any and all right of recovery which it might otherwise have against Tenant, its agents and employees, for loss or damage occurring to the Premises, including

 

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the Building, to the extent that the loss or damage is covered by Landlord’s insurance, notwithstanding that such loss or damage may result from the negligence or fault of Tenant, its agents or employees. Tenant hereby waives any and all right of recovery which it might otherwise have against Landlord, its agents and employees, for loss or damage to Tenant’s furniture, furnishings, fixtures and other property removable by Tenant under the provisions hereof, to the extent that the loss or damage is covered by Tenant’s insurance, notwithstanding that such loss or damage may result from the negligence or fault of Landlord, its servants, agents or employees. If either party shall become partially or wholly a self-insurer by inclusion of a deductible provision in its insurance policy or policies or by not maintaining insurance in an amount sufficient to prevent such party from becoming a co-insurer under the usual co-insurance clause or by not maintaining insurance in such amounts required under the provisions of this Lease, then it shall be deemed for the purpose of the foregoing waivers that any loss or damage suffered by such party was covered by said party’s insurance to the extent that it would have been so covered had said party maintained standard all-risk fire and extended coverage insurance in an amount sufficient to prevent such party from becoming a co-insurer under the usual co-insurance clause pursuant to a policy or policies containing no deductible provision.

11. INSURANCE.

11.1. Tenant’s Insurance . Tenant shall keep in force throughout the Term: (a) commercial general liability insurance applicable to the Premises with a limit of not less than $1,000,000.00 per occurrence and not less than $2,000,000.00 in the annual aggregate, or such larger amount as Landlord may prudently require from time to time, covering bodily injury and property damage liability and S1,000,000 products/completed operations aggregate; (b) Business Auto Liability covering owned, non-owned and hired vehicles with a limit of not less than $1,000,000 per accident; (c) insurance protecting against liability under Worker’s Compensation Laws with limits at least as required by statute; (d) Employer’s Liability with limits of $500,000 each accident, $500,000 disease policy limit, $500,000 disease—each employee; and (e) causes of loss-special form (formerly “all risk”) property insurance, protecting Tenant against loss of or damage to Tenant’s Property and other business personal property situated in or about the Premises to the full replacement value of the property so insured; provided, however, that Tenant may elect to self-insure with respect to the insurance required with respect to Section 11.1(e).

11.2. Landlord’s Insurance . Landlord shall keep in force throughout the Term: (a) causes of loss-special form (formerly “all risk”) property insurance covering the Premises (inclusive of Landlord’s Work, the Tenant Work and any other improvements installed in the Premises) in amounts at least equal to the full replacement cost thereof and rental value insurance for at least one year, (ii) commercial general liability insurance with a limit of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and not less than $2,000,000 in the annual aggregate or such larger amount as prudent landlords in the Boston metropolitan area carry in similar circumstances; (iii) Employer’s Liability with limits of $500,000 each accident, $500,000 disease policy limit, $500,000 disease each employee, boiler insurance, including power vessels and pipes, if there be any such vessels or pipes in the Premises, in an amount of not less than $5,000,000; and (iv) insurance protecting against liability under Worker’s Compensation Laws with limits at least as required by statute. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that the replacement cost of the Tenant Work or any other improvements installed in the Premises by

 

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Tenant exceed the sum of $7,000,000, the cost of any additional coverage for coverage on such improvements shall be at the expense of Tenant.

11.3. Each of the aforesaid policies shall (a) name the Landlord and Tenant (and Ground Lessor where appropriate) as their interests may appear; (b) be issued by an insurance company with a minimum Best’s rating of “A: VII” during the Term; and (c) provide that said insurance shall not be canceled unless thirty (30) days prior written notice (ten days for non-payment of premium) shall have been given to the other party; and said policy or policies, duplicate originals or certificates thereof shall be delivered to the other party upon the Rent Commencement Date and at least thirty (30) days prior to each renewal of said insurance. Any insurance required hereunder may be provided under such blanket policies as are then customary for comparable buildings, provided that the coverage allocated to the Premises is not less than the coverage contemplated by this Lease as separately stated in this Section. Additionally, coverage for liability in excess of the amounts required above up to a $5,000,000 aggregate shall be provided under a blanket excess insurance policy provided that a primary policy providing coverage for liability of at least $1,000,000 remains in effect.

11.4. Whenever either party shall undertake any alterations, additions or improvements in, to or about the Premises (“ Work ”), the aforesaid insurance protection must extend to and include injuries to persons and damage to property arising in connection with such Work, without limitation including liability under any applicable structural work act; and the policies of or certificates evidencing such insurance must be delivered to the other party prior to the commencement of any such Work. The aforesaid coverage may be maintained by the general contractor performing the work.

12. WAIVER OF SUBROGATION.

Tenant and Landlord hereby mutually waive any and all rights of recovery, claim, action or cause of action against each other, their respective agents, officers and employees, for any loss or damage that may occur to the Premises and to all property, whether real, personal or mixed, located on the Premises or in the Building, by reason of fire, the elements or any other cause normally insured against under the terms of standard all-risk fire and extended coverage insurance policies of the type prescribed from time to time for use in respect of the Building, regardless of the cause or origin, including negligence of the parties hereto, their respective agents and employees. Each party shall obtain any special endorsements required by their insurer to evidence compliance with the aforementioned waiver and shall provide the other with reasonable evidence of its insurance carrier’s consent to such waiver of subrogation.

13. ELECTRICITY.

Tenant shall pay for all electric service to the Premises, together with any taxes, penalties, and surcharges or the like pertaining thereto and any maintenance charges for utilities. Tenant shall furnish all electric light bulbs, tubes and ballasts, battery packs for emergency lighting and fire extinguishers. Landlord covenants and agrees to exercise all reasonable efforts not to interfere with the conduct of Tenant’s business in the Premises and to exercise due

 

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diligence in repairing, replacing or restoring any interruption in service or utilities; provided, however, Landlord shall not be responsible for any interruption in Tenant’s electric service unless caused by Landlord’s negligence or intentional misconduct.

14. HOLDING OVER.

Tenant shall pay Landlord for each day Tenant retains possession of the Premises or part of them after termination of this Lease by lapse of time or otherwise at the rate (“ Holdover Rate ”) which shall be, for the first thirty (30) days of any such holdover, 125% of the amount of the Annual Rent for the last period prior to the date of such termination plus 100% of all additional rent under Article 4, and for any period thereafter, 150% of the amount of the Annual Rent for the last period prior to the date of such termination plus 100% of all additional rent under Article 4, in either case prorated on a daily basis, and a tenancy at sufferance at the Holdover Rate shall be deemed to have been created. In any event, no provision of this Article 14 shall be deemed to waive Landlord’s right of reentry or any other right under this Lease or at law.

15. SUBORDINATION; NONDISTURBANCE; ATTORNMENT.

15.1. Subordination . Landlord may, from time to time, grant deeds of trust, mortgages or other security interests covering its estate in the Premises (herein, collectively, a “ Mortgage ”). Subject to the provisions of the following Section, Tenant agrees that this Lease shall be subject and subordinate at all times to each Mortgage; provided, however, that if the lessor, mortgagee, trustee, or holder of any such mortgage or deed of trust elects to have Tenant’s interest in this Lease be superior to any such instrument, then, by notice to Tenant, this Lease shall be deemed superior, whether this Lease was executed before or after said instrument.

15.2. Ground Lease . Tenant acknowledges that this Lease is subject and subordinate to the Ground Lease, provided, however, that within thirty (30) days after the execution hereof, Landlord shall deliver to Tenant a Ground Lease Estoppel Certificate (the “ Ground Lease Estoppel ”) from Ground Lessor substantially in the form of Exhibit “E” attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference and simultaneously with the execution hereof Landlord shall deliver to Tenant a Leasehold Mortgage in the form of Exhibit E-1 attached hereto (the “ Qualifying Leasehold Mortgage ”) executed by Landlord which shall entitle Tenant to all of the rights (including, without limitation, notice and cure rights) of the holder of a Qualifying Leasehold Mortgage under Section 4.02 of the Ground Lease. In the event that Landlord fails to deliver the Ground Lease Estoppel within thirty (30) days after the Reference Date, Tenant may terminate this Lease upon written notice to Landlord within thirty (30) days thereafter. Upon execution of such Qualifying Leasehold Mortgage, Landlord shall cause such instrument to be recorded in the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds.

15.3. Nondisturbance . Within thirty (30) days after execution hereof, Landlord shall deliver to Tenant a Subordination, Nondisturbance and Attornment Agreement in a form reasonably satisfactory to Tenant (the “ SNDA ”) executed by Landlord and Existing Mortgagee.

 

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The subordination of this Lease to any subsequent Mortgage is conditioned upon the holder thereof expressly agreeing in such SNDA that (i) Tenant will not be named or joined in any proceeding to enforce the Mortgage unless such shall be required by law in order to perfect the proceeding; (ii) enforcement of any Mortgage shall not terminate or modify this Lease or any provision of this Lease or disturb Tenant in the possession and use of the Premises (except in the case where Tenant is in default beyond the period, if any, provided in this Lease to remedy such default), or where mortgagee or its successor will provide Tenant with a new lease on the same terms and conditions as are contained herein, (iii) provided that Landlord or Tenant does not terminate this Lease as a result of a casualty or the exercise of eminent domain, proceeds and awards shall first be applied to the repair, alteration and restoration of the Premises, as provided in this Lease, before being applied to the debt secured by the Mortgage; and (iv) any party succeeding to the interest of Landlord as a result of the enforcement of any Mortgage shall be bound to Tenant, under all the terms, covenants and conditions of this Lease for the balance of the Term, including any extended Term, with the same force and effect as if such party were the original Landlord under this Lease. In the event that Landlord fails to deliver such SNDA to Tenant within such thirty (30) day period, Tenant shall have the right to terminate this Lease by written notice to Landlord.

15.4. Attornment . Subject to the provisions of the preceding Section, Tenant agrees to recognize and attorn to any party succeeding to the interest of Landlord as a result of the enforcement of any Mortgage or any termination of the Ground Lease, and to be bound to such party under all the terms, covenants and conditions of this Lease, for the balance of the Term, including extended Terms, with the same force and effect as if such party were the original Landlord under this Lease.

15.5. Confirming Agreement . Upon the request of Landlord and at no expense to Tenant, Tenant agrees to execute and deliver a subordination, attornment and nondisturbance agreement incorporating the provisions of this Section and otherwise in form reasonably acceptable to Tenant.

15.6. Existing Mortgage . Landlord represents and warrants to Tenant that there is no Mortgage presently affecting the Premises which is superior or senior to this Lease which could result in the termination of this Lease if enforced other than that certain mortgage (the “ Existing Mortgage ”) by and between Landlord and Boston Federal Savings Bank (the “ Existing Mortgagee ”).

16. LANDLORD SERVICES.

Subject to Section 4.8, Landlord shall furnish the following services to Tenant during the Term of this Lease at levels and in types customary for first-class corporate headquarter office and research and development buildings in the Boston, Massachusetts market area and as more particularly provided below (collectively “ First Class Building Standards ”):

16.1. Hot and cold domestic water for lavatory, toilet and research and development purposes, with water service at supply points as determined in accordance with Exhibit “B” ;

 

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16.2. Natural gas for heating and cooking purposes for normal office use including cafeteria and related kitchen, with supply points as determined in accordance with Exhibit “B” , plus Five (5) million btu per year for research and development purposes (any excess over such Five (5) million btu per year to be paid by the Tenant;

16.3. Janitor service to the Building and the Premises five (5) days a week (exclusive of holidays) and waste disposal services;

16.4. Window washing at frequencies customary for a first class project, but no less frequently than twice each calendar year;

16.5. Elevator service by each of the existing elevators for ingress and egress to each floor of the Building;

16.6. Electric lighting (including bulb replacement) for all common areas of the Building;

16.7. Air conditioning, heating and ventilation (“ HVAC ”) as are required for the comfortable use and occupancy of a typical office building with a typical research and development component; provided that it shall be Tenant’s responsibility to ensure that the HVAC is distributed throughout the Premises in a manner that provides consistent temperatures and ventilation throughout the Premises;

16.8. Landscaping services;

16.9. Maintenance of all sidewalks, driveways, access ways and parking areas, including removal of ice and snow; and

16.10. Sufficient electrical capacity to operate lighting, computers, printers, telephone systems, kitchen equipment and such other machines and equipment typical of tenants in a comparable corporate headquarters office/research and development building.

Landlord shall provide all services referenced in this Section 16 in a quality, quantity and efficient manner at least comparable to other first-class corporate headquarter office/research and development buildings in the Boston, Massachusetts market area.

17. REENTRY BY LANDLORD.

17.1. Landlord reserves and shall at all times during normal business hours have the right to re-enter the Premises to inspect the same, to show said Premises to prospective purchasers, mortgagees or, during the last year of the Term, to tenants, and to alter, improve or repair any portion of the Building, and may for that purpose erect, use and maintain scaffolding, pipes, conduits and other necessary structures and open any wall, ceiling or floor in and through the Building and Premises where reasonably required by the character of the work to be performed, provided entrance to the Premises shall not be blocked thereby, and further provided that Landlord shall use best efforts such that the business of Tenant shall not be interfered with unreasonably.

 

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17.2. If, at any time, there shall be other tenants in the Building, Landlord shall have the right at any time to change the arrangement and/or locations of entrances, or passageways, doors and doorways, and corridors, windows, elevators, stairs, toilets or other public parts of the Building provided the same does not unreasonably interfere with Tenant’s use of the Premises or inconvenience Tenant. Subject to Section 12 above, in the event that Landlord damages any portion of the Premises, including any wall or wall covering, ceiling, or floor or floor covering within the Premises, Landlord shall repair or replace the damaged portion to match the original as nearly as commercially reasonable.

17.3. Landlord shall have the right to use any and all means which Landlord may deem proper to open said doors in an emergency to obtain entry to any portion of the Premises, provided, however, Landlord shall always make good faith reasonable attempts to have a Tenant representative present. As to any portion to which access cannot be had by means of a key or keys, Landlord is authorized to gain access by such means as Landlord shall elect and the cost of repairing any damage occurring in doing so shall be borne by Tenant and paid to Landlord as additional rent upon demand.

18. DEFAULT BY TENANT AND LANDLORD REMEDIES.

18.1. Default by Tenant . Except as otherwise provided in Article 20, the following events shall be deemed to be “ Events of Default ” under this Lease:

18.1.1. Tenant shall fail to pay when due any sum of money becoming due to be paid to Landlord under this Lease, whether such sum be any installment of the rent reserved by this Lease, any other amount treated as additional rent under this Lease, or any other payment or reimbursement to Landlord required by this Lease, whether or not treated as additional rent under this Lease, and such failure shall continue for a period of seven (7) days after written notice that such payment was not made when due, but if within any twenty-four (24) month period commencing with the date of the first notice, Landlord shall give two (2) such notices, then thereafter for the remainder of such twenty-four (24) month period, the failure to pay within seven (7) days after due any additional sum of money becoming due to be paid to Landlord under this Lease shall be an Event of Default without notice.

18.1.2. Tenant shall fail to comply with any term, provision or covenant of this Lease which is not provided for in another Section of this Article and shall not cure such failure within thirty (30) days (forthwith, if the failure involves a hazardous condition) after written notice of such failure to Tenant; provided, however, that if such cure cannot be reasonably performed within such 30-day period, Tenant shall have a reasonable period of time to complete such cure so long as Tenant commences the cure within such 30-day period and thereafter diligently pursues such cure to completion. As used herein, the term “hazardous condition” shall mean and refer to a condition of the Premises which causes immediate threat of serious bodily injury or substantial property damage.

18.1.3. Tenant shall file a petition in bankruptcy or a petition to take advantage of any insolvency statute, make an assignment for the benefit of creditors, make a transfer in fraud

 

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of creditors, apply for or consent to the appointment of a receiver of itself or of the whole or any substantial part of its property, or file a petition or answer seeking reorganization or arrangement under the federal bankruptcy laws, as now in effect or hereafter amended, or any other applicable law or statute of the United States or any state thereof.

18.1.4. A court of competent jurisdiction shall enter an order, judgment or decree adjudicating Tenant bankrupt, or appointing a receiver of Tenant, or of the whole or any substantial part of its property, without the consent of Tenant, or approving a petition filed against Tenant seeking reorganization or arrangement of Tenant under the bankruptcy laws of the United States, as now in effect or hereafter amended, or any state thereof, and such order, judgment or decree shall not be vacated or set aside or stayed within sixty (60) days from the date of entry thereof.

18.2. Landlord’s Remedies .

18.2.1. Except as otherwise provided in Article 20, upon the occurrence of any of the Events of Default described or referred to in Article 18.1, Landlord shall have the option to pursue any one or more of the following remedies without any notice or demand whatsoever, concurrently or consecutively and not alternatively:

18.2.2. Landlord may, at its election, terminate this Lease or terminate Tenant’s right to possession only, without terminating the Lease.

18.2.3. Upon any termination of this Lease, whether by lapse of time or otherwise, or upon any termination of Tenant’s right to possession without termination of the Lease, Tenant shall surrender possession and vacate the Premises immediately, and deliver possession thereof to Landlord, and Tenant hereby grants to Landlord full and free license to enter into and upon the Premises in such event and to repossess Landlord of the Premises as of Landlord’s former estate and to expel or remove Tenant and any others who may be occupying or be within the Premises and to remove Tenant’s signs and other evidence of tenancy and all other property of Tenant therefrom without being deemed in any manner guilty of trespass, eviction or forcible entry or detainer, and without incurring any liability far any damage resulting therefrom, Tenant waiving any right to claim damages for such re-entry and expulsion, and without relinquishing Landlord’s right to rent or any other right given to Landlord under this Lease or by operation of law.

18.2.4. Upon any termination of this Lease, whether by lapse of time or otherwise, Landlord shall be entitled to recover as damages, all rent, including any amounts treated as additional rent under this Lease, and other sums due and payable by Tenant on the date of termination, plus as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, an amount equal to the sum of: (a) an amount equal to the then present value of the rent reserved in this Lease (discounted at 9.5%) for the residue of the stated Term of this Lease including any amounts treated as additional rent under this Lease and all other sums provided in this Lease to be paid by Tenant, minus the fair rental value of the Premises for such residue; (b) the value of the time and expense necessary to obtain a replacement tenant or tenants but without any duplication for any other items of recovery under this Article 18, and the estimated expenses described in Section 18.2.5 relating to recovery of the Premises, preparation for reletting and for reletting itself; and (c) the cost of performing any other covenants which would have otherwise been performed by Tenant.

 

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18.2.5. Upon any termination of Tenant’s right to possession only without termination of the Lease:

(i) Neither such termination of Tenant’s right to possession nor Landlord’s taking and holding possession thereof as provided in Section 18.2.3 shall terminate the Lease or release Tenant, in whole or in part, from any obligation, including Tenant’s obligation to pay the rent, including any amounts treated as additional rent, under this Lease for the full Term, and if Landlord so elects Tenant shall pay damages as set forth in Section 18.2.3 forthwith to Landlord.

(ii) Landlord shall use good faith efforts to relet the Premises or any part thereof for such rent and upon such terms as Landlord, in its sole but reasonable discretion, shall determine (including the right to relet the Premises for a greater or lesser term than that remaining under this Lease, the right to relet the Premises as a part of a larger area, and the right to change the character or use made of the Premises). In connection with or in preparation for any reletting, Landlord may, but shall not be required to, make repairs, alterations and additions in or to the Premises and redecorate the same to the extent Landlord deems necessary or desirable, and Tenant shall, upon demand, pay the cost thereof, together with Landlord’s expenses of reletting, including, without limitation, any commission incurred by Landlord (provided, however, that with respect to any lease which extends beyond the originally scheduled expiration date hereof, such costs and expenses shall be prorated and Tenant shall be responsible only for a reasonable allocation of such costs and expenses to the original Term hereof). Landlord shall not be required to observe any instruction given by Tenant about any reletting or accept any tenant offered by Tenant unless such offered tenant has a creditworthiness reasonably acceptable to Landlord and leases the entire Premises upon terms and conditions including a rate of rent (after giving effect to all expenditures by Landlord for tenant improvements, broker’s commissions and other leasing costs) all no less favorable to Landlord than as called for in this Lease, nor shall Landlord be required to make or permit any assignment or sublease for more than the current term or which Landlord would not be required to permit under the provisions of Article 9.

(iii) Until such time as Landlord shall elect to terminate the Lease and shall thereupon be entitled to recover the amounts specified in such case in Section 18.2.4, Tenant shall pay to Landlord upon demand the full amount of all rent, including any amounts treated as additional rent under this Lease and other sums reserved in this Lease for the remaining Term, together with the costs of repairs, alterations, additions, redecorating and Landlord’s expenses of reletting and the collection of the rent accruing therefrom (including attorney’s fees and broker’s commissions), as the same shall then be due or become due from time to time, less only such consideration as Landlord may have received from any reletting of the Premises., and Tenant agrees that Landlord may file suits from time to time to recover any sums falling due under this Article as they become due. Any proceeds of reletting by Landlord in excess of the amount then owed by Tenant to Landlord from time to time shall be credited against Tenant’s future obligations under this Lease but shall not otherwise be refunded to Tenant or inure to Tenant’s benefit.

18.3. Landlord may, at Landlord’s option, enter into and upon the Premises during normal business hours if Landlord determines in its reasonable discretion that Tenant is not

 

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acting within a commercially reasonable time to maintain, repair or replace anything for which Tenant is responsible under this Lease and correct the same, without being deemed in any manner guilty of trespass, eviction or forcible entry and detainer and without incurring any liability for any damage or interruption of Tenant’s business resulting therefrom except in the event of Landlord’s negligence or intentional misconduct.

18.4. If, on account of any breach or default by Tenant or Landlord under the terms and conditions of this Lease, it shall become necessary or appropriate for either party to employ with an attorney to enforce or defend any of it’s rights or remedies arising under this Lease, the losing party agrees to pay all of the prevailing party’s reasonable attorney’s fees so incurred. Tenant and Landlord expressly waive any right to trial by jury.

18.5. Pursuit of any of the foregoing remedies shall not preclude pursuit of any of the other remedies provided in this Lease or any other remedies provided by law (all such remedies being cumulative), nor shall pursuit of any remedy provided in this Lease constitute a forfeiture or waiver of any rent due to Landlord under this Lease or of any damages accruing to Landlord by reason of the violation of any of the terms, provisions and covenants contained in this Lease.

18.6. No act or thing done by Landlord or its agents during the Term shall be deemed a termination of this Lease or an acceptance of the surrender of the Premises, and no agreement to terminate this Lease or accept a surrender of said Premises shall be valid, unless in writing signed by Landlord. No waiver by Landlord of any violation or breach of any of the terms, provisions and covenants contained in this Lease shall be deemed or construed to constitute a waiver of any other violation or breach of any of the terms, provisions and covenants contained in this Lease. Landlord’s acceptance of the payment of rental or other payments after the occurrence of an Event of Default shall not be construed as a waiver of such Default, unless Landlord so notifies Tenant in writing. Forbearance by Landlord in enforcing one or more of the remedies provided in this Lease upon an Event of Default shall not be deemed or construed to constitute a waiver of such Default or of Landlord’s right to enforce any such remedies with respect to such Default or any subsequent Default.

18.7. Any and all property which may be removed from the Premises by Landlord pursuant to the authority of this Lease or of law, to which Tenant is or may be entitled, may be handled, removed and/or stored, as the case may be, by or at the direction of Landlord but at the risk, cost and expense of Tenant, and Landlord shall in no event be responsible for the value, preservation or safekeeping thereof. Tenant shall pay to Landlord, upon demand, any and all expenses incurred in such removal and all storage charges against such property so long as the same shall be in Landlord’s possession or under Landlord’s control. Any such property of Tenant not retaken by Tenant from storage within thirty (30) days after removal from the Premises and notice to Tenant shall, at Landlord’s option, be deemed conveyed by Tenant to Landlord under this Lease as by a bill of sale without further payment or credit by Landlord to Tenant

19. DEFAULT BY LANDLORD AND TENANT REMEDIES.

 

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19.1. Default by Landlord . If (i) Landlord shall fail to pay any sum of money to be paid by Landlord hereunder, and shall not cure such failure within ten (10) days after Tenant gives Landlord written notice thereof; or (ii) Landlord shall violate or breach, or shall fail fully and completely to observe, keep, satisfy, perform and comply with, any agreement, term, covenant, condition, requirement, restriction or provision of this Lease (other than the payment of any sum of money to be paid by Landlord hereunder), and shall not cure such failure within thirty (30) days after Tenant gives Landlord written notice thereof (but forthwith if the failure involves a hazardous condition), or if such failure shall be incapable of cure within thirty (30) days, Landlord shall not commence to cure such failure within such thirty (30) day period, and continuously prosecute the performance of the same to completion with due diligence, then Landlord shall be in default under this Lease.

19.2. Tenant’s Remedies . If Landlord is in default under this Lease, Tenant may pursue any one or more of the following remedies, separately or concurrently or in any combination, without any notice (except as specifically provided herein) or demand whatsoever and without prejudice to any other remedy which it may have, (i) bring an action (either through judicial action or through Arbitration as set forth in Section 43) against Landlord to recover from Landlord all damages suffered, incurred or sustained by Tenant (including, without limitation, court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees actually incurred) as a result of, by reason of or in connection with such default, and/or to obtain specific performance of Landlord’s obligations under this Lease, (ii) after reasonable notice take whatever action Landlord is obligated to do under the terms of this Lease in which event Landlord shall reimburse Tenant on demand for any expenses, including without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees actually incurred, which Tenant may incur in taking such action. In the event that Tenant obtains the entry of a judgment against Landlord either following Arbitration pursuant to Section 43 or judicial action, and in such event Landlord fails to pay such judgment within thirty (30) days following the date of entry of such judgment together with interest thereon from the date of the judgment at the Default Rate: (i) Tenant may within a period of 30 days thereafter terminate this Lease by giving Landlord written notice of such termination, in which event this Lease shall be terminated at the time designated by Tenant in its notice of termination to Landlord; or (ii) Tenant may set off against and deduct from the Annual Rent, Additional Rent or other amounts due under this Lease the amount of any damages suffered, incurred or sustained by Tenant as a result of, by reason of or in connection with such default. Tenant agrees that if it shall commence any action against Landlord described in this Section 19.2, it shall simultaneously provide a copy of its complaint in such action to any mortgagee holding a mortgage on the Premises of whom Tenant shall have received notice of such mortgage.

19.3. Tenant’s Default Under Ground Lease . Landlord covenants with Tenant that it will pay all rent due and perform all of its obligations under the Ground Lease. In addition to its rights set forth in this Section 19 above, in the event of any default by Landlord in the payment of rent or otherwise under the Ground Lease for which Tenant shall receive notice as required under the Ground Lease, either as the holder of a Qualifying Mortgage or otherwise, Tenant shall have the right to make payment of Rent or other amounts due under the Ground Lease to the Ground Lessor or take such other action as shall be required to cure such default, and Tenant shall then have the right, immediately after notice of such payment or action to Landlord and without the need for any judicial action or arbitration, to offset any such payments or the cost of any such other action necessary to cure such default.

 

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20. TENANT’S BANKRUPTCY OR INSOLVENCY.

20.1. If at any time and for so long as Tenant shall be subjected to the provisions of the United States Bankruptcy Code or other law of the United States or any state thereof for the protection of debtors as in effect at such time (each a “ Debtor’s Law ”):

20.1.1. Tenant, Tenant as debtor-in-possession, and any trustee or receiver of Tenant’s assets (each a “Tenant’s Representative” ) shall have no greater right to assume or assign this Lease or any interest in this Lease, or to sublease any of the Premises than accorded to Tenant in Article 9, except to the extent Landlord shall be required to permit such assumption, assignment or sublease by the provisions of such Debtor’s Law. Without limitation of the generality of the foregoing, any right of any Tenant’s Representative to assume or assign this Lease or to sublease any of the Premises shall be subject to the conditions that:

(i) Such Debtor’s Law shall provide to Tenant’s Representative a right of assumption of this Lease which Tenant’s Representative shall have timely exercised and Tenant’s Representative shall have fully cured any default of Tenant under this Lease.

(ii) Tenant’s Representative or the proposed assignee, as the case shall be, shall have deposited with Landlord as security for the timely payment of rent an amount equal to the larger of: (a) three months’ rent and other monetary charges accruing under this Lease; and (b) any sum specified in Article 5; and shall have provided Landlord with adequate other assurance of the future performance of the obligations of the Tenant under this Lease. Without limitation, such assurances shall include, at least, in the case of assumption of this Lease, demonstration to the satisfaction of the Landlord that Tenant’s Representative has and will continue to have sufficient unencumbered assets after the payment of all secured obligations and administrative expenses to assure Landlord that Tenant’s Representative will have sufficient funds to fulfill the obligations of Tenant under this Lease; and, in the case of assignment, submission of current financial statements of the proposed assignee, audited by an independent certified public accountant reasonably acceptable to Landlord and showing a net worth and working capital in amounts determined by Landlord to be sufficient to assure the future performance by such assignee of all of the Tenant’s obligations under this Lease.

(iii) The assumption or any contemplated assignment of this Lease or subleasing any part of the Premises, as shall be the case, will not breach any provision in any other lease, mortgage, financing agreement or other agreement by which Landlord is bound.

(iv) Landlord shall have, or would have had absent the Debtor’s Law, no right under Article 9 to refuse consent to the proposed assignment or sublease by reason of the identity or nature of the proposed assignee or sublessee or the proposed use of the Premises concerned.

21. QUIET ENJOYMENT . Landlord represents and warrants that it has full right and authority to enter into this Lease and that Tenant, while paying the rental and performing its other covenants and agreements contained in this Lease, shall peaceably and quietly have, hold

 

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and enjoy the Premises for the Term without hindrance or molestation subject to the terms and provisions of this Lease.

22. CASUALTY.

22.1. In the event the Premises are damaged by fire or other cause and in Landlord’s reasonable estimation such damage can be materially restored within 180 days, Landlord shall forthwith repair the same to the condition existing prior to such casualty and this Lease shall remain in full force and effect, except that Tenant shall be entitled to a proportionate abatement in rent from the date of such damage. Such abatement of rent shall be made pro rata in accordance with the extent to which the damage arid the making of such repairs shall interfere with the use and occupancy by Tenant of the Premises from time to time. Within thirty (30) days from the date of such damage, Landlord shall notify Tenant, in writing, of Landlord’s reasonable estimation of the length of time within which material restoration can be made. For purposes of this Lease, the Premises shall be deemed “materially restored” if they are restored to such condition as would not prevent or materially interfere with Tenant’s use of the Premises for the purpose for which it was being used immediately before such damage.

22.2. If such repairs cannot, in Landlord’s reasonable estimation, be made within 180 days, Landlord and Tenant shall each have the option of giving the other, at any time within sixty (60) days after such damage, notice terminating this Lease as of the date of such damage. In the event of the giving of such notice, this Lease shall expire and all interest of the Tenant in the Premises shall terminate as of the date of such damage as if such date had been originally fixed in. this Lease for the expiration of the Term. In the event that neither Landlord nor Tenant exercises its option to terminate this Lease, then Landlord shall promptly repair or restore such damage, this Lease continuing in full force and effect, and the rent hereunder shall be proportionately abated as provided in Section 22.1.

22.3. Except with respect to items insured by or required to be insured by Landlord pursuant to Section 11 of this Lease, Landlord shall not be required to repair or replace any damage or loss by or from fire or other cause to any of Tenant’s Property. Any insurance which may be carried by Landlord or Tenant against loss or damage to the Premises shall be for the sole benefit of the party carrying such insurance and under its sole control.

22.4. In the event that Landlord should fail to complete such repairs and material restoration within sixty (60) days after the date estimated by Landlord therefor as extended by this Section 22.4, Tenant may at its option and as its sole remedy terminate this Lease by delivering written notice to Landlord, within fifteen (15) days after the expiration of said period of time, whereupon the Lease shall end on the date of such notice or such later date fixed in such notice as if the date of such notice was the date originally fixed in this Lease for the expiration of the Term.

22.5. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Article, if material damage to the Premises shall occur during the last twenty-four months of the Term, either party may terminate this Lease by written notice to the other within thirty (30) days after the date of such damage (unless within such 30-days after Landlord shall terminate this Lease by such

 

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notice Tenant shall exercise any option it may have to extend this Lease, in which event Landlord’s notice of termination shall be of no further force or effect), whereupon this Lease shall end on the date of such damage as if the date of such damage were the date originally fixed in this Lease for the expiration of the Term. As used in this Section 22.5, the term “material damage” shall mean and refer to damage to twenty percent (20%) or more of the Premises such that Tenant cannot reasonably conduct business in such portion of the Premises.

22.6. In the event of any damage or destruction to the Building or Premises by any peril covered by the provisions of this Article 22, it shall be Tenant’s responsibility to properly secure the Premises and upon notice from Landlord to remove as soon as reasonably practicable, at its sole cost and expense, such portion of all of the property belonging to Tenant or its licensees from such portion or all of the Building or Premises as Landlord shall request.

23. EMINENT DOMAIN . If all or any substantial part of the Premises, or any means of access, shall be taken or appropriated by any public or quasi-public authority under the power of eminent domain, or conveyance in lieu of such appropriation, either party to this Lease shall have the right, at its option, of giving the other, at any time within thirty (30) days after such taking, notice terminating this Lease. If neither party to this Lease shall so elect to terminate this Lease, the rental thereafter to be paid shall be adjusted on a fair and equitable basis under the circumstances. In addition to the rights of Landlord above, if any substantial part of the Building shall be taken or appropriated by any public or quasi-public authority under the power of eminent domain or conveyance in lieu thereof, and regardless of whether the Premises or any part thereof are so taken or appropriated, Landlord shall have the right, at its sole option, to terminate this Lease provided, however, that such termination shall be without prejudice to the rights of Landlord and Tenant to recover an award and to apportion such award in accordance with the terms of this Lease. Tenant, at its election and if permitted by the condemning authority, may make a separate claim with the condemning authority for (i) any moving expenses incurred by Tenant as a result of such condemnation; (ii) the unamortized costs incurred and paid by Tenant in connection with any Alteration or improvement made by Tenant to the Premises (other than those paid for with the Tenant Improvement Allowance or Additional Costs); and (iii) the value of Tenant’s property taken. If Tenant shall not be permitted to make a separate claim in such proceeding, Landlord shall prosecute all claims in such proceeding on behalf of both Landlord and Tenant in which event Tenant may, if it so elects and at its expense, join with Landlord in such proceeding, retain counsel, attend hearings, present arguments and generally participate in the conduct of the proceedings and all compensation awarded for any taking, whether for the whole or any portion of the Premises shall be apportioned between Landlord and Tenant as set out in this Section. In the event of a taking which does not result in the termination of this Lease, Landlord shall, at its expense diligently and with reasonable dispatch, repair, alter and restore the remaining part of the Premises to their former condition to the extent feasible to constitute a complete and tenantable Building and Premises.

24. SALE BY LANDLORD . In event of a sale or conveyance by Landlord of the Premises, provided that the Landlord is not in breach of any of its obligations on the date of such sale or conveyance, the same shall operate to release Landlord from any future liability upon any of the covenants or conditions, expressed or implied, contained in this Lease in favor of Tenant,

 

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and in such event Tenant agrees to look solely to the responsibility of the successor in interest of Landlord in and to this Lease with respect to such future liability. Except as set forth in this Article 24, this Lease shall not be affected by any such sale and Tenant agrees to attorn to the purchaser or assignee provided such purchaser or assignee recognizes Tenant’s rights under this Lease. If any security has been given by Tenant to secure the faithful performance of any of the covenants of this Lease, Landlord may transfer or deliver said security, as such, to Landlord’s successor in interest and thereupon Landlord shall be discharged from any further liability with regard to said security.

25. ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATES. Within ten (10) days following any written request which Landlord may make from time to time, Tenant shall execute and deliver to Landlord or mortgagee or prospective mortgagee a sworn statement certifying: (a) the date of commencement of this Lease; (b) the fact that this Lease is unmodified and in full force and effect (or, if there have been modifications to this Lease, that this Lease is in full force and effect, as modified, and stating the date and nature of such modifications); (c) the date to which the rent and other sums payable under this Lease have been paid; (d) Tenant has no knowledge of any current defaults under this Lease by either Landlord or Tenant except as specified in Tenant’s statement; and (e) such other matters as may be reasonably requested by Landlord. Landlord and Tenant intend that any statement delivered pursuant to this Article 25 may be relied upon by any mortgagee, beneficiary or purchaser. Landlord agrees to provide a similar statement to Tenant within ten (10) days following any written request by Tenant.

26. SURRENDER OF PREMISES.

26.1. At the end of the Term or any renewal of the Term or other sooner termination of this Lease, Tenant will peaceably deliver up to Landlord possession of the Premises in good condition and repair, reasonable wear and tear, loss by fire or other casualty and repairs that are the responsibility of Landlord excepted. Tenant shall remove all of Tenant’s Property from the Premises at the expiration or termination of the Term and shall repair any damage to the Premises caused by the removal of such.

26.2. All obligations of Tenant under this Lease not fully performed as of the expiration or earlier termination of the Term shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of the Term. Any otherwise unused Security Deposit shall be credited against the amount payable by Tenant under this Lease.

27. NOTICES. Any notice or document required or permitted to be delivered under this Lease shall be addressed to the intended recipient, shall be transmitted personally, by fully prepaid registered or certified United States Mail return receipt requested, or by reputable independent contract delivery service furnishing a written record of attempted or actual delivery, and shall be deemed to be delivered when tendered for delivery to the addressee at its address set forth on the Reference Page, or at such other address as it has then last specified by written notice delivered in accordance with this Article 27, or if to Tenant at either its aforesaid address

 

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or its last known registered office or home of a general partner or individual owner, whether or not actually accepted or received by the addressee.

28. DEFINED TERMS AND HEADINGS. The Article headings shown in this Lease are for convenience of reference and shall in no way define, increase, limit or describe the scope or intent of any provision of this Lease. Any indemnification or insurance of Landlord shall apply to and inure to the benefit of all the following “Landlord Entities”, being Landlord and its managers, officers and employees. Any option granted to Landlord shall also include or be exercisable by Landlord’s trustee, beneficiary, agents and employees, as the case may be. In any case where this Lease is signed by more than one person, the obligations under this Lease shall be joint and several. The terms “Tenant” and “Landlord” or any pronoun used in place thereof shall indicate and include the masculine or feminine, the singular or plural number, individuals, firms or corporations, and each of their respective successors, executors, administrators and permitted assigns, according to the context hereof.

29. TENANT’S AUTHORITY. If Tenant or Landlord signs as a corporation each of the persons executing this Lease on behalf of such party represents and warrants that such party has been and is qualified to do business in the state in which the Building is located, that the corporation has full right and authority to enter into this Lease, and that all persons signing on behalf of the corporation were authorized to do so by appropriate corporate actions. If Tenant or Landlord signs as a partnership, limited liability company, trust or other legal entity, each of the persons executing this Lease on behalf of Tenant represents and warrants that such party has complied with all applicable laws, rules and governmental regulations relative to its right to do business in the state and that such entity on behalf of such party was authorized to do so by any and all appropriate partnership, company, trust or other actions. Tenant and Landlord agree to furnish to the other promptly upon request a corporate resolution, proof of due authorization by partners, or other appropriate documentation evidencing its due authorization to enter into this Lease.

30. COMMISSIONS. Each of the parties represents and warrants to the other that it has not dealt with any broker or finder in connection with this Lease, except as described on the Reference Page, and each party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the other party against any claims, loss, damages or expenses or liability for any commission or fees which may be claimed by any broker, finder or other similar party by reason of any actions of the indemnifying party.

31. TIME AND APPLICABLE LAW. Time is of the essence of this Lease and all of its provisions. This Lease shall in all respects be governed by the laws of the state in which the Building is located.

32. SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS. Subject to the provisions of Article 9, the

 

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terms, covenants and conditions contained in this Lease shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, successors, executors, administrators and assigns of the parties to this Lease.

33. ENTIRE AGREEMENT . This Lease, together with its exhibits, contains all agreements of the parties to this Lease and supersedes any previous negotiations. There have been no representations made by the Landlord or understandings made between the parties other than those set forth in this Lease and its exhibits. This Lease may not be modified except by a written instrument duly executed by the parties to this Lease.

34. EXAMINATION NOT OPTION . Submission of this Lease shall not be deemed to be a reservation of the Premises. Landlord shall not be bound by this Lease until it has received a copy of this Lease duly executed by Tenant and has delivered to Tenant a copy of this Lease duly executed by Landlord.

35. RECORDATION . Tenant shall not record or register this Lease, but Landlord agrees to enter into a notice of lease suitable for recording which Tenant may register or record and shall pay all charges incident to such recording or registration.

36. LIMITATION OF LANDLORD’S LIABILITY . Redress for any claim against Landlord under this Lease shall be limited to and enforceable only against and to the extent of Landlord’s interest in the Premises, including any rents, insurance proceeds, sale or transfer proceeds, condemnation awards or other similar interests. The obligations of Landlord under this Lease are not intended to and shall not be personally binding on, nor shall any resort be had to the private properties of, any of its trustees or board of directors and officers, as the case may be, its investment manager, the general partners thereof, or any beneficiaries, stockholders, employees, or agents of Landlord or the investment manager.

37. ACCESS . Access to the Premises shall be available to Tenant 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

38. COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT . Tenant shall have the right, at the Tenant’s sole cost and expense (but without charge by Landlord), to install, maintain and remove on the roof of the Building in a location or locations approved by Landlord (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned) satellite dishes or other similar devices, such as antenna, for the purpose of receiving and sending radio, television, computer, telephone or other communication signals (and including the installation of all necessary cables, wires and transformers). Any such satellite dishes or other similar devices and the cables, wires and transformers related thereto are referred to “Communications Equipment.” In such event, the Tenant shall advise the Landlord at least ten (10) business days in advance of the planned installation of such Communications Equipment and shall comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations and any reasonable request of Landlord with respect to the

 

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installation thereof. Tenant shall be responsible for any damage to the Building or Land caused by installing or maintaining the Communications Equipment. At the expiration or earlier termination of the Lease, Tenant, at its expense, shall remove the Communications Equipment. The reasonable cost of any work required to restore the roof or any other part of the Building or Land from any damage occasioned by the installation, maintenance or removal of the Communications Equipment shall be borne by Tenant. The installation, maintenance and removal of the Communications Equipment shall be subject to the obligations imposed upon the Tenant in the Lease with respect to the Tenant’s use and occupancy of the Premises; provided, however, that there shall be no additional consideration due from Tenant with respect to the rights granted to Tenant pursuant to this Section.

39. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS.

39.1. Tenant’s Compliance with Laws . Tenant, at its expense, shall comply with any valid and applicable laws, rules, orders, ordinances, regulations and other requirements, present or future, including without limitation all present and future fire and safety laws, regulations and codes (collectively, “Legal Requirements” ), affecting Tenant’s particular use of the Premises and the Tenant Work (as defined in Exhibit B ), that are promulgated by any governmental authority or agency having jurisdiction, to the extent Tenant shall be legally required to do so. Nothing herein contained, however, shall be deemed to impose any obligation upon Tenant to make any structural changes or repairs to the Premises (or any changes or repairs of any nature to the Building) unless necessitated by reason of a particular use by Tenant of the Premises.

39.2. Landlord’s Compliance with Laws . Landlord shall be responsible for complying with all Legal Requirements affecting the Premises (to the extent that Tenant is not required to comply therewith as above provided) or relating to the Land or relating to the performance by Landlord of any duties or obligations to be performed by it hereunder. If Landlord receives a notice of violation (other than as a result of the acts or omissions of Tenant or its agents, employees, or contractors) of any Legal Requirement with respect to the Premises or any part thereof (except with respect to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board regulations), then the work required to bring the applicable item into compliance will be performed by Landlord, at its expense (and shall not be passed-through as additional rent). Landlord agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Tenant from and against any claims, liabilities, costs, fines, damages and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs actually incurred at all tribunal levels) arising from Landlord’s failure to comply with the foregoing requirements and representations.

40. CONTEST OF LEGAL REQUIREMENTS . Either party, at its expense and by appropriate proceedings diligently prosecuted, may contest the validity or applicability to such party of any Legal Requirement, and may postpone its compliance therewith until such contest shall be decided, provided that such postponement does not subject the other party or the Premises to loss or damage or require that the Premises be vacated.

 

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41. SIGNAGE. Tenant shall have the exclusive right to install such signs on the Land and attach such signs to the Building as Tenant may deem appropriate to identify the Building as Tenant’s headquarters, provided the same are in compliance with law, are purchased and installed at the sole cost and expense of Tenant (except as may be provided in Exhibit “B” ) and are removed from the Premises at the expiration or earlier termination of the Term, the location, size, material and design of such signs to be determined by Tenant in its sole discretion. Tenant shall maintain and keep such signage in good repair during the Term of this Lease.

42. WORK ON THE BUILDING OR LAND.

42.1. Standards for Performance . Whenever in this Lease Landlord or Tenant is permitted or required to maintain and repair, or make additions, alterations, substitutions or replacements, or reconstruct or restore the Premises, such party shall cause such work (the “Work” ) to be done and completed in a good, substantial and workmanlike manner, free from faults and defects, and in compliance with all Legal Requirements, and shall utilize only new first-class materials and supplies. The party performing such work shall be solely responsible for construction means, methods, techniques, sequences and procedures, and for coordinating all activities related to the Work, and the other party shall have no duty or obligation to inspect the Work, but shall have the right to do so.

42.2. Completion of Work . Whenever Landlord or Tenant is required to perform any Work upon the Premises, such party shall promptly commence the Work and, once the Work is commenced, diligently and continually pursue the Work the complete the Work within a reasonable time. The party performing such Work shall supervise and direct the Work utilizing its best efforts and reasonable care, and shall assign such qualified personnel to the Work as may be necessary to cause the Work to be completed in an expeditious fashion.

42.3. Payment of Costs and Expenses . The party performing such Work shall (i) provide and pay for all labor, materials, goods, supplies, equipment, appliances, tools, construction equipment and machinery and other facilities and services necessary for the proper execution and completion of the Work; (ii) promptly pay when due all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the Work; (iii) pay all sales, consumer, use and similar taxes required by law in connection with the Work; (iv) secure and pay for all permits, fees and licenses necessary for the performance of the Work; and (v) at all times maintain the Premises free and clear from any and all liens, claims, security interests and encumbrances arising from or in connection with the Work, including, without limitation, liens for materials delivered, supplied or furnished, or for services or labor performed or rendered. All materials, supplies, goods, appliances and equipment incorporated in the Work shall be free from any liens, security interests or title retention agreements, other than the lien or security interest (if any) of the holder of any mortgage, deed of trust or other security instrument laced upon the Premises by Landlord. However, nothing contained in this Section is intended to restrict or affect any right the party performing such Work may otherwise have under this Lease for reimbursement of any costs or expenses incurred in connection with such Work.

 

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42.4. Indemnification . The party performing such Work shall (i) be responsible for the acts and omissions of all of its employees and all other persons performing any of the Work; (ii) be responsible for initiating, maintaining and supervising all necessary safety precautions and programs in connection with the Work; (iii) take all reasonable precautions for the safety of, and provide all reasonable protection to prevent damage, injury or loss to, the Work, all persons performing the Work, all other persons who may be involved or affected by the Work, all materials and equipment to be incorporated in the Work and all other property in the Building or on the Land; (iv) purchase and maintain in full force and effect, or cause its contractors and subcontractors to purchase and maintain in full force and effect, such insurance (if any) in addition to that otherwise required of such party under this Lease as may be necessary to protect such party from claims under worker’s compensation acts and other employee benefit acts, from claims for damages because of bodily injury, including death, and from claims for damage to property which arise out of performance of the Work. Such additional insurance policies, if any, shall meet the requirements set forth elsewhere herein with respect to the insurance policies otherwise required to be obtained and maintained by such party under this Lease. The party performing such Work shall pay and shall indemnify and save the other party and its officers, employees and agents harmless from all liabilities, damages, losses, costs, expenses, causes of action, suits, claims, demands and judgments of any nature arising out of, by reason of or in connection with the Work.

43. ARBITRATION.

43.1. All disputes, actions or proceedings brought by either Landlord or Tenant in connection with (i) a contractual claim under the terms of this Lease (including without limitation claims concerning alleged defaults or breaches and remedies with respect thereto and interpretation of the provisions hereof) and (ii) a specific dispute designated as an arbitrable matter in this Lease shall be determined by Arbitration. All other disputes, actions or proceedings, including without limitation (1) any request for emergency injunctive or equitable relief (including temporary restraining orders) or (2) claims concerning fraud or tort, or (3) any dispute regarding the Landlord’s or Tenant’s right to terminate the Lease, shall be brought in the appropriate judicial forum, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties hereto in their sole discretion. To the extent the provisions of this Section 43 vary from or are inconsistent with the rules of the American Arbitration Association or any other arbitration tribunal, the provisions of this Section 43 shall govern. All arbitrations shall occur at a location in Boston, Massachusetts, chosen by the arbitrators and except to the extent that a different procedure is set forth in this Section 43, shall be conducted pursuant to the rules of the American Arbitration Association (or the successor organization, or if no such organization exists, then from an organization composed of persons of similar professional qualifications). The party desiring such arbitration shall give notice to that effect to the other party and simultaneously therewith also shall give notice to the director of the Boston, Massachusetts regional office of the American Arbitration Association (or the successor organization, or if no such organization exists, then from an organization composed of persons of similar professional qualifications), requesting that such organization to select, as soon as possible but in any event within the next 30 days, three arbitrators with, if reasonably possible, recognized expertise in the subject matter of the arbitration. The arbitrators shall be selected in accordance with this a applicable rules of the American Arbitration Association. At the request of either party, the arbitrators shall authorize

 

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the service of subpoenas for the production of documents or attendance of witnesses. Within 30 days after their appointment, the arbitrators so chosen shall hold a hearing at which each party may submit evidence, be heard, and cross-examine witnesses, with each party having at least 10 days advance notice of the hearing. The hearing shall be conducted such that each of Landlord and Tenant shall have reasonably adequate time to present oral evidence or argument, but either party may present whatever written evidence it deems appropriate prior to the hearing (with copies of any such written evidence being sent to the other party). In the event of the failure, refusal or inability of any arbitrator to act, a new arbitrator shall be made available in the same manner as hereinbefore provided. The decision of the arbitrators so chosen shall be given within a period of 30 days after said hearing and shall include the arbitrator’s conclusions of law and findings of fact. The decision in which any two arbitrators so appointed and acting hereunder concur shall in all cases be binding and conclusive upon the parties and shall be the basis for a judgment entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. The fees and expenses of arbitration under this Section shall be borne equally by Landlord and Tenant. Landlord and Tenant may at any time by mutual agreement discontinue arbitration proceedings and themselves agree upon any such matter submitted to arbitration.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the purpose of the arbitration is to determine the Market Rent, then the following provisions shall apply:

(i) Each arbitrator shall be a member of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers (or the successor organization, or if no such organization exists, then from an organization composed of persons of similar professional qualifications), with the designation of M.A.I. and with not less than 10 years experience appraising commercial properties in downtown Boston, Massachusetts.

(ii) Within 30 days after the conclusion of the hearing, the arbitrators shall again meet and simultaneously disclose in writing their respective determinations of the Market Rent. If the determinations of at least two of the arbitrators shall be identical in amount, said amount shall be the Market Rent. If the determinations of at least two of the arbitrators shall not be identical in amount, then the Market Rent shall be the average of the two closest determinations of the Market Rent. Any such determination of the Market Rent shall be binding and conclusive upon Landlord and Tenant.

(iii) If the decision of the arbitrators under this Section shall be held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable for any reason (Landlord and Tenant hereby affirmatively stating it is their intent and agreement that the decision of the arbitrators will be legally enforceable as to them), then the matters submitted to arbitration shall be subject to litigation exclusively in the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Landlord and Tenant each hereby expressly waiving its right to a trial by jury in any such court proceeding. To the extent that a court proceeding calls for a determination of the Market Rental Rate for the Premises, Landlord and Tenant hereby expressly agree that such determination shall be based on the factors set forth in Section 3.3 of the Lease.

44. FINANCIALS . Upon Landlord’s request (but not more than once per calendar year), Tenant shall provide Landlord with copies of its most recent audited year-end financial statements,

 

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prepared by its independent accounting firm and, upon request by Landlord (but not more than once per calendar year), shall provide Landlord with its most recent interim unaudited financial statements, if any, certified as true and accurate, subject to normal year end adjustments, by Tenant’s chief financial officer. Landlord covenants to keep such statements confidential except that such statements may be distributed to Landlord’s partners and lenders to the extent that such parties agree to keep such statements confidential.

45. ADDITIONAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS . Landlord hereby grants to Tenant the Right of First Refusal, the Cancellation Option and the Space Reduction Option as specified in Exhibits F ”, “ G ” and “ K ”, respectively.

46. SECURITY DEPOSIT . Tenant shall deposit the Security Deposit with Landlord upon the execution of this Lease. The Security Deposit shall be held by Landlord as security for the faithful performance by Tenant of all the terms, covenants and conditions of this Lease to be kept and performed by Tenant and not as an advance rental deposit or as a measure of Landlord’s damage in case of Tenant’s default. If an Event of Default by Tenant occurs with respect to any provision of this Lease, Landlord may utilize the Security Deposit for the payment of any rent or any other sum in default, or for the payment of any reasonable amount which Landlord may spend or become obligated to spend by reason of Tenant’s default, or to compensate Landlord for any other reasonable loss or damage which Landlord may suffer by reason of Tenant’s default, except to such extent, if any, as shall be required by law. Landlord shall not be required to keep the Security Deposit separate from its general funds, and Tenant shall not be entitled to interest on the Security Deposit. If Tenant shall fully and faithfully perform every provision of this Lease to be performed by it, the Security Deposit or any balance thereof shall be returned to Tenant at such time after termination of this Lease when Landlord shall have determined that all of Tenant’s obligations under this Lease have been fulfilled but no later than ninety (90) days after the Termination Date.

 

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WITNESS the execution hereof under seal effective as of the 29th day of October, 2003.

 

LSF3 ROYALL STREET, LLC

a Delaware limited liability company

   

TENANT:

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED

By:     

LSF3 Royall Street Manager, LLC

a Delaware limited liability company,

its co-manager

     
      By:   /s/ Jennie Wilson
        Its duly authorized Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

 

By:   /s/ Louis Paletta
Name:   Louis Paletta
Title:   Vice President

 

By:  

Royall Street, LLC

a Delaware limited liability company,

its co-manager

By:   /s/ Terence W. Conroy
Name:   Terence W. Conroy
Title:   Sole Manager

 

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EXHIBIT “A”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

PREMISES

Plan entitled “Plan of Land, Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts” dated August 25, 1999, by RE. Cameron & Associates, Inc., Land Surveyors, Civil Engineers.


EXHIBIT “A-1”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

LAND

That certain land in Canton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts shown as “Parcel B Area = 486,576 S.F. + 11.2 Acres” on a plan entitled “Plan of Land Royall Street Canton, Massachusetts” dated August 25, 1999, drawn by R.E. Cameron & Associates, Inc. and recorded with the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds on March 31, 2000, as Plan 150 of 2000 in Plan Book 473.


EXHIBIT “B”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

WORK LETTER

1. Tenant’s Work.

(a) Except with respect to Landlord’s Work and as provided below or in the Lease, Tenant shall be responsible for the construction and installation of any improvements to the Premises, as may be required or desired by Tenant, from time to time, for the use and occupancy of the Premises. Tenant shall cause the Tenant Work to be performed and completed (i) in accordance with all applicable governmental laws, rules, and regulations, (ii) with first class materials in a good and workmanlike manner, and (iii) in compliance with plans and specifications approved by Landlord, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

(b) Tenant may use a contractor (the “ Outside Contractor ”) other than Landlord or Landlord’s contractor to construct and install Tenant’s leasehold improvements. If Tenant so elects to use the Outside Contractor, then Tenant shall obtain the prior written consent of Landlord (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) as to the qualifications of the Outside Contractor to be used by Tenant. Tenant shall choose for its engineering design work (mechanical, electrical or plumbing only) an engineer reasonably approved by Landlord, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned. Landlord acknowledges that the following engineers are acceptable to Landlord: (i) ____________or (ii) _______________.

It shall be Tenant’s responsibility to ensure that the Outside Contractor shall (i) comply with such reasonable rules and regulations as may be promulgated from time to time by Landlord; (ii) maintain such bonds in full force and effect as may be reasonably requested by Landlord or as required by applicable law; and (iii) maintain such insurance in full force and effect as may be reasonably required by Landlord. Landlord retains the right to make periodic inspections to assure conformity of the work of the Outside Contractor with the plans and specifications approved by Landlord.

(c) Tenant shall submit to Landlord, for Landlord’s approval, development plans (the “Development Plan” ) for Tenant’s proposed improvements for the Premises which shall consist of single line drawings. Landlord agrees that it will not unreasonably withhold or delay its approval of the Development Plan and shall give its response to the Development Plan within fifteen (15) days of the date of the submission thereof to Landlord, either (i) granting such consent, (ii) withholding such consent, stating the reasons for withholding such consent, or (iii) granting such consent, conditioned upon or subject to certain terms and conditions as set out in the consent, all within fifteen (15) days of the date of such submission. Tenant shall respond to


any denial of consent by Landlord with any and all appropriate changes to the material or information previously submitted within fifteen (15) days of the date Tenant receives such denial of consent. In the event Landlord fails to respond to Tenant’s request for approval within said 15 - day period, Landlord shall be deemed to have approved the Development Plans in their entirety.

(d) Following approval of the Development Plan, Tenant, at its expense, shall cause to be prepared for Landlord’s approval, not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed, construction drawings (the “Construction Drawings” ) showing in appropriate detail the Tenant Work. Such Construction Drawings shall be based upon and shall substantially conform to the Development Plan as consented to by Landlord.

(e) Tenant shall submit to Landlord, for Landlord’s approval (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), Tenant’s Construction Drawings for at least one (1) floor at a time. Such Construction Drawings shall be based upon, and shall substantially conform to, the Development Plan as approved by Landlord.

(f) Tenant shall submit to Landlord any changes or additions as they occur to the Development Plan or the Construction Drawings desired by Tenant (other than immaterial field changes), which changes or additions shall be subject to Landlord’s approval, not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed. Landlord shall give its response to any such changes or additions to the Development Plan or Construction Drawings within fifteen (15) days after the date of the submission thereof to Landlord, either (i) granting such consent, (ii) withholding such consent, stating the reasons for withholding such consent, or (iii) granting such consent, conditioned upon or subject to certain terms and conditions as set out in the consent, all within fifteen (15) days of the date of such submission. Tenant shall respond to any denial of consent by Landlord with any and all appropriate changes to the material or information previously submitted within fifteen (15) days of the date Tenant receives such denial of consent. In the event Landlord fails to respond to Tenant’s request for approval within said 15-day period, Landlord shall be deemed to have approved such changes or additions to the Development Plan or Construction Drawings in their entirety. Upon such approval or Landlord’s failure to respond within such 15-day period, Tenant shall promptly cause such plans to be revised to incorporate such changes or additions.

(g) Upon approval of the Construction Drawings by Landlord, Tenant shall proceed with the Tenant Work. Tenant shall cause Tenant’s Work to be performed promptly and in a safe manner. The Tenant Work shall be performed by the Outside Contractor selected by Tenant and approved by Landlord in accordance with a construction schedule approved by both parties and meeting the requirements of this Work Letter.

(h) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Work Letter, Tenant shall have full control and direction over the mode and manner of the performance of the Tenant Work. In the performance of the Tenant Work, Landlord and Tenant shall work in harmony with each other and cooperate with each other (i) in facilitating mutual access to the Building and Premises, and (ii) in coordinating the timing of the stages of the Tenant Work so as to facilitate the completion thereof on a timely basis.


(i) During the performance of any of the Tenant Work, Landlord shall provide adequate protection for Tenant’s materials, supplies tools, fixtures, equipment and other property when stored or in place in the Premises from the actions and activities of Landlord.

(j) Landlord shall provide Tenant with access for Tenant’s vehicles, unloading facilities and storage space in the Premises for Tenant’s materials, supplies, tools, fixtures, equipment and other property used in connection with Tenant’s Work and for the receipt and storage by Tenant of Tenant’s furniture and equipment and fixtures prior to completion of the Premises. Landlord shall permit no storage of other materials, supplies, or other property in the Premises.

(k) In the event of an unresolved dispute between Landlord and Tenant concerning the approvals required by the terms of this Section 4, such dispute shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the procedure set forth in Section 43 of the Lease.

(l) Landlord shall not have any responsibility for any loss by theft, vandalism or similar cause of any of Tenant’s materials, equipment or work in place or stored at the Building. Tenant, at Tenant’s expense, shall have the right, but not the obligation, to institute and maintain such security measures as it may deem necessary and desirable. Landlord and Tenant shall cooperate and coordinate with each other concerning any security measures undertaken by either party in order that such measures shall not unreasonably hinder or interfere with the other party’s security measures or the work to be performed by either party hereunder.

(m) Tenant shall be responsible for cleaning and rubbish removal for the Tenant Work. Tenant shall have the right to install or maintain a dumpster or other suitable container in the truck dock area, or in some other location approved by Landlord and Tenant, for use solely by Tenant in connection with the removal of Tenant’s rubbish.

(n) Landlord shall provide Tenant with adequate vehicular and pedestrian access to the Building and the Premises during the performance of the Tenant Work. Landlord and Tenant shall cooperate reasonably regarding mutual access to the Building during construction.

2. Inspections and Scheduling. Landlord shall have the right, from time to time, to inspect the Tenant Work as it progresses. Tenant shall be available to Landlord from time to time upon reasonable prior notice when necessary or desirable for the purposes of reviewing the Tenant Work. Tenant shall keep Landlord informed as to all material governmental inspections of the Tenant Work and permit Landlord to be present thereat. Tenant shall promptly inform Landlord of any significant delays encountered in the completion of the Tenant Work and shall deliver to Landlord all revisions of the construction schedules therefor.

3. Compliance with Laws. Tenant, at its expense, shall (a) obtain all approvals, permits and other consents required to commence, perform and complete the Tenant Work, (b) cause the Tenant Work to comply with all applicable laws, and (c) maintain for inspection by Landlord copies of all receipts for tax payments, and all approvals, permits, inspection reports and other governmental consents obtained by Tenant relating to the Tenant Work. Tenant shall provide Landlord with final lien waivers upon completion of the Tenant Work. Each party shall keep the Building free and clear from liens arising from their respective work.


4. Tenant’s Allowances and Credits. (a) Tenant’s construction allowance for work performed in conjunction with or as a part of the completion of the Tenant Work shall be $7,010,000.00 (the “ Allowance ”). The Allowance shall be paid to Tenant as follows:

(i) Tenant shall cause the Tenant Work to be performed with due diligence until completion and shall provide for a customary retainage to be paid after completion of the Tenant Work. After Tenant receives and approves a progress bill from Tenant’s architect or Tenant’s contractor (with approval indicated by Tenant’s architect), Tenant will submit such approved progress bill to Landlord; provided however, that such progress bill shall not be submitted more frequently than one (1) time per month. Such submissions shall be made on AIA form G703, or in such other form as approved by Landlord and shall be accompanied by (A) a partial lien waiver from Tenant’s Outside Contractor in form and substance satisfactory to Landlord in its reasonable discretion and (B) a copy of such affidavits and lien waivers as Tenant’s Outside Contractor may have received from subcontractors and materialmen with respect to the work for which payment is being requested. Landlord shall pay Tenant or Tenant’s contractor (as directed by Tenant) on the basis of such submissions within thirty (30) days of the date of such submission. Landlord agrees that if Tenant has submitted proper and complete documentation and if the Allowance is not paid within such thirty (30) day period, a late charge shall be imposed in an amount equal to two percent (2%) of the unpaid Allowance and shall accrue interest at the Default Rate. Any portion of the Allowance not disbursed for the Tenant Work shall be disbursed in accordance with the Lease upon the completion of the Tenant Work (except for minor punch list items) as evidenced by the certificate of Tenant’s architect.

(ii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Lease, in the event that Landlord fails to pay the Allowance in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Lease, Tenant may set off and deduct from the Annual Rent, Additional Rent or other amounts due under this Lease the amount of the Allowance which Landlord has failed to pay, plus interest thereon at the Default Rate.

5. Lease Controls. The provisions of this Work Letter are intended to supplement the Lease and are specifically subject to the provisions thereof. In the event of any conflict between the provisions of the Lease and the provisions of this Work Letter, the provisions of the Lease shall control.


EXHIBIT “C”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

CONCEPT PLANS

1. Plan entitled “Office Building, 130 Royall Street, Canton, MA” - Exhibit C, Site Plan Expansion

2. Plan entitled “Sketch Perspective”, 130 Royall Street, Canton, MA” by Cubellis Saivetz Associates dated 4 October 2003

3. Plan entitled “Sketch Perspective (color), 130 Roya11 Street, Canton, MA”, dated 14 October 2003


EXHIBIT “D”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

FORM OF NONDISTURBANCE AGREEMENT — MORTGAGE

[LANDLORD TO PROVIDE FORM WITHIN 30 DAYS]


EXHIBIT “E”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

FORM OF— GROUND LEASE ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATE

GROUND LEASE ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATE

THIS GROUND LEASE ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATE (this “Certificate” ) is executed as of the ____ day of October, 2003 by BOSTON MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, a Massachusetts insurance corporation ( “Ground Lessor” ),;

WITNESSETH: That;

WHEREAS, Ground Lessor is the owner of certain real property lying and being in Canton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, such real property being more particularly described on Exhibit “A” attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference (the “Land” );

WHEREAS, Ground Lessor has leased the Land to Royall Street LLC pursuant to that certain Ground Lease (the “Ground Lease” ) dated September 28, 2000, notice of which has been recorded with Norfolk County Registry of Deeds in Book 14435, Page 285, as assigned by Royall Street LLC to LSF3 Royall Street, LLC ( “Ground Lessee” ) pursuant to that certain Assignment of Tenant’s Interest in Ground Lease effective December 8, 2000, and recorded with Norfolk County Registry of Deeds in Book 14647, Page 226;

WHEREAS, Ground Lessee has constructed certain buildings and other improvements on the Land (all buildings and other improvements now or hereafter constructed on the Land, herein called the “Improvements” );

WHEREAS, Ground Lessee desires to lease the Land and all Improvements situated thereon to Dunkin’ Donuts Incorporated pursuant to a certain Lease to be executed between Ground Lessee and Tenant, and Dunkin’ Donuts Incorporated has requested this Certificate;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the above, Ground Lessor hereby certifies to Tenant and agrees as follows:

1. The Ground Lease sets forth the entire agreement and understanding between Ground Lessor and Ground Lessee regarding the Land and any Improvements, is in full force and effect, and has not in any way been amended, modified or supplemented except as described in the above recitals.


2. Neither Ground Lessor nor, to Ground Lessor’s knowledge, Ground Lessee is in default of any term, covenant or condition of the Ground Lease, and there exist no other grounds for cancellation or termination of the Ground Lease, nor any state of facts which, with the giving of notice or the passage of time, or both, would constitute a default under the Ground Lease or any such other grounds for cancellation or termination of the Ground Lease.

3. All rents and other sums due and payable pursuant to the Ground Lease have been paid through ___________, 2003.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Certificate has been executed under seal of the Ground Lessor as of the date first above written.

 

BOSTON MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY,
By:    
Title:    
Date:   October ____, 2003


EXHIBIT “E-l”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

FORM OF QUALIFYING LEASEHOLD MORTGAGE

LEASEHOLD MORTGAGE

LSF3 ROYALL STREET, LLC , a Delaware limited liability company having a principal place of business at 600 Technology Center Drive, Stoughton, Massachusetts 02072 (hereinafter referred to as the “Mortgagor” ), for valuable consideration received, as an inducement to DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED , a Delaware corporation having a current address of 14 Pacella Drive, Randolph, Massachusetts 02368 (hereinafter referred to as the “Mortgagee” ), to enter into a certain Lease Agreement of even date between Mortgagor and Mortgagee ( the “Lease” ), and to secure the obligation of Mortgagor to Mortgagee to repay the security deposit referred to in Section 46 of the Lease (the “Security Deposit” ) ( the “Obligation” ), hereby grants to Mortgagee, with MORTGAGE COVENANTS , the following:

The leasehold estate described in a certain Ground Lease between Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company ( “Ground Lessor” ) and Royall Street LLC, dated September 28, 2000, notice of which is recorded with Norfolk County Registry of Deeds in Book 14435, Page 285, as assigned to Mortgagor by Assignment of Tenant’s Interest in Ground Lease, effective December 8, 2000, recorded with said Deeds in Book 14647, Page 226 (the “Ground Lease” ), including without limitation all buildings, structures, improvements and appurtenances and all of the estate and rights of Mortgagor of, in and to the Premises described in Exhibit A which are the subject of the Ground Lease, and all and each of the tenements, hereditaments and appurtenances of the Mortgagor belonging or in any way appertaining to the Premises and the rents, issues and profits thereof.

Section 1. Representations and Warranties . The Mortgagor hereby represents, covenants and warrants:

1.1 Validity; Etc., No Defaults . The Ground Lease is a valid and subsisting lease of the property therein described and purported to be demised thereby for the term therein set forth and is in full force and effect in accordance with the terms thereof and has not been modified except for the described assignment, and there are no existing defaults (or existing matters which, with the giving of notice or the passage of time or both, would result in a default)


by the Lessor or by the Mortgagor, as Lessee thereunder, and the Mortgagor is the owner and holder of the Lease and of the leasehold estate created thereby.

1.2 No Subleases. That there are no subleases of the Premises or of space in any building presently erected or to be erected upon the Premises which are demised under the Lease.

Section 2. Covenants of Mortgagor. The Mortgagor further covenants with the Mortgagee as follows:

2.1 Payment and Performance of Obligation. The Mortgagor will pay and perform the Obligation in accordance with the terms of the Lease, and if default shall be made in the payment of the Obligation upon termination of the Lease, if and to the extent that any such payment shall then be due Mortgagee, as Lessee, the Mortgagee, after 30 days notice to Mortgagor, within which Mortgagor shall have the right to cure any such default, shall have the power to sell the Mortgagor’s leasehold interest in the Premises according to law.

2.2 Additional Covenants. Mortgagor:

(a) will diligently perform and observe all of the terms, covenants and conditions of the Ground Lease required to be performed and observed by the Mortgagor as such Lessee, unless such performance observance shall have been waived or not required by the Ground Lessor, to the end that all things shall be done which are necessary to keep unimpaired the Mortgagor’s rights as Lessee under the Ground Lease;

(b) will promptly notify the Mortgagee in writing of any default by the Ground Lessor in the performance or observance of any of the terms, covenants or conditions on the part of Ground Lessor to be performed or observed, or of the occurrence of any event, regardless of lapse of time, of the character specified in subsection (a) of this Section;

(c) will promptly (i) advise the Mortgagee in writing of the giving of any notice by the Ground Lessor to the Mortgagor, as Lessee, of any default by the Mortgagor, as such Lessee, in the performance or observance of any of the terms, covenants or conditions of the Ground Lease on the part of the Mortgagor, as Lessee thereunder, to be performed or observed, and (ii) deliver to the Mortgagee a true copy of each such notice;

(d) will, promptly after the execution and delivery of this Mortgage or of any instrument or agreement supplemental thereto, notify the Lessor in writing of the execution and delivery thereof and deliver to the Ground Lessor a copy of each such instrument or agreement;

(e) will promptly notify the Mortgagee in writing in the event of the initiation of any litigation or arbitration proceeding under and pursuant to the provisions of the Ground Lease; and

(f) will, within thirty (30) days after written demand by the Mortgagee, seek to obtain from the Lessor and furnish to the Mortgagee an estoppel certificate of the Ground Lessor in the form provided for in the Ground Lease.


Section 3. Mortgagee’s Statutory Rights . This Mortgage is upon the condition that the Mortgagor shall pay the Obligation, and if the Mortgagor shall fail to pay the Obligation, the holder hereof shall have the STATUTORY POWER OF SALE.

Section 4. Notices . All notices, demands and requests given or required to be given by either party hereto to the other party shall be in writing. Each such notice, demand or request shall be addressed as follows:

(g) if to the Mortgagor, at LSF3 Royall Street, LLC, c/o Conroy Development Corporation 600 Technology Center Drive, Stoughton, MA 02072; or

(h) if to the Mortgagee, (i) at 130 Royall Street, Canton, MA 02021, Attention: Adrien E. Deberghes, Jr., Assistant Treasurer and Director of Corporate Real Estate and (ii) at 130 Royall Street, Canton, MA 02021, Attention: Barry J. Barth, Director of Real Estate Law; or

(i) to such other address as the Mortgagor or the Mortgagee shall designate in a written notice to the other.

Any such notice, demand or request shall be deemed to have been duly given or made and to have become effective (i) if to the Mortgagee, when received by the Mortgagee, and (ii) if to the Mortgagor (A) if delivered by hand to Mortgagor in person, at the time of receipt thereof, (B) if sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, on the earlier of the third Business Day after the mailing thereof or the day of receipt, if a Business Day, or if not a Business Day, the next succeeding Business Day, and (C) if sent a nationally recognized overnight courier service, one day after delivery to the courier service.

Section 5. Subordination . Without the necessity of any additional document being executed by Mortgagee for the purpose of effecting a subordination, this Mortgage shall be, and hereby is, subject and subordinate at all times to the Ground Lease and to the lien (s) of any mortgage(s) now or hereafter placed on, against or affecting the Ground Lease or the Premises or Mortgagor’s interest therein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Mortgagee covenants and agrees to execute and deliver upon demand such further instruments evidencing such subordination as may be required by Mortgagor or any mortgagee, in such form as Mortgagor or any such mortgagee may reasonably require.

Section 6. Captions . The marginal notes or captions herein are inserted only as a matter of convenience and for reference and are not and shall not be deemed to be any part of this Mortgage.

Section 7. Severabilitv and Savings Clauses . If any provision of this Mortgage is held to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction the other provisions of this Mortgage shall remain in full force and effect and shall be liberally construed in favor or the Mortgagee in order to effect the provisions of this Mortgage.


Executed as a sealed instrument this ___ day of October, 2003.

 

MORTGAGOR:
LSF3 ROYALL STREET, LLC
By:    
Its duly authorized Manager


COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

 

Norfolk, ss

   October ___, 2003

Then personally appeared before me ____________ known to me to be the Manager of LSF3 Royall Street, LLC, and acknowledged the foregoing to be his free act and deed and the free act and deed of said company.

 

 
Notary Public
  My commission expires: __________


Exhibit A

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Mortgagor

And

DUNKIN DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Mortgagee

LAND

That certain land in Canton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts shown as “Parcel B Area = 486,576 S.F. + 11.2 Acres” on a plan entitled “Plan of Land Royall Street Canton, Massachusetts” dated August 25, 1999, drawn by R.E. Cameron & Associates, Inc. and recorded with the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds on March 31, 2000, as Plan 150 of 2000 in Plan Book 473.


EXHIBIT “F’

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL

Tenant shall have, and Landlord hereby grants to Tenant during the Term, the exclusive and irrevocable right and option (the “Right of First Refusal” ) to purchase the Premises, on the following terms and conditions:

1. In the event that Landlord, Landlord’s successors, assigns or any subsequent owner or holder of any interest in the Premises during the term of the Right of First Refusal (herein collectively called an “Owner”) is about to or is required to enter into any sale, assignment or other transfer or disposition, including, but not limited to, the sale of a controlling interest in any entity that is an Owner, of all or any part of or any interest in the Premises and/or any rights and interests appurtenant thereto (herein called a “Transfer” ) to any person or entity, or if an Owner proposes to offer to any person or entity, to make such a Transfer, or if an Owner becomes aware that any person or entity is seeking an involuntary Transfer or any involuntary Transfer is contemplated as a result of the commencement of any foreclosure or condemnation proceedings or by devise or inheritance after the condemnation proceedings or by devise or inheritance after the death of an Owner or by any other means (any such proposal received by or proposed to be made by an Owner and any such involuntary Transfer being hereinafter collectively called an “Offer” ), Owner shall promptly furnish to Tenant a true copy of such Offer.

2. Tenant shall have fifteen (15) days after receipt of the true copy of such Offer in which to give Owner written notice of Tenant’s election to acquire the Premises and/or rights and interests appurtenant thereto, or such part thereof or such interest therein as is contemplated by such Offer (the Premises and/or rights and interests or part thereof covered by such Offer is herein called the “Offered Property” ), on the same terms and conditions contained in such Offer.

3. If the Offer includes property other than the Premises, or if the consideration to be paid under the Offer for the Offered Property is in whole or in part other than cash (the term “cash” to include indebtedness to be created or assumed as part of the transaction and secured by mortgages or deeds of trust covering the Offered Property), then Owner in the notice shall state the bona fide cash fair market value at which Tenant shall be entitled to accept a Transfer of only the Offered Property; provided, however, other than Tenant’s right to accept a Transfer of only the Offered Property, and Tenant’s right to pay said cash fair market value therefor, the Transfer to Tenant shall be on the terms of the Offer.


3.1 In the event a dispute arises over an Owner’s statement of the cash fair market value, Tenant may obtain an appraisal of the Offered Property, and thereafter purchase the Offered Property for that price.

3.2 In the event Tenant shall elect to acquire the Offered Property by exercising its Right of First Refusal, the closing thereon shall be held forty-five (45) days after Tenant’s receipt of the copy of the Offer from Owner or such longer period as is provided for in the Offer.

3.3 In the event that Tenant shall not exercise its Right of First Refusal, Owner shall be free to consummate the proposed Transfer on terms no more favorable to the Purchaser than those described in the Offer, and only to the Transferee indicated in such Offer or an Affiliate of the person or entity making such offer, but not otherwise, and Owner shall furnish to Tenant copies of all closing and other pertinent documents relating to the Transfer. If the transaction contemplated by the Offer is not consummated in accordance with such Offer (including any extension of the closing by not more than 120 days), and in any event within one hundred fifty (150) days of the date of the Offer, then the Right of First Refusal shall be restored and Tenant shall not have waived the Right of First Refusal with respect to any future sale of the Premises and Landlord shall not thereafter sell the Premises or any interest therein to any person or entity without again complying with the requirements of this Section.

3.4 Any attempted Transfer not in conformity with the provisions of this Section shall be null and void as against Tenant, and Tenant also shall have all other remedies available to Tenant at law or in equity, including, without limitation, injunctive relief against such Transfer.

3.5 The Right of First Refusal shall not apply to (i) the granting of bona fide mortgages, deeds of trust, assignments of leases to secure construction or permanent financing, (ii) the exercise of the mortgagee’s assignee or assignee’s rights thereunder, or (ii) utility and drainage easements; provided, however, that any Transfer of the type specified in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), inclusive, of this Section shall not terminate, discharge, waive, impair or affect the Right of First Refusal with respect to any subsequent proposed Transfer to which the Right of First Refusal applies.

3.6 If an Owner and the proposed transferee believe that the proposed Transfer is exempt from the Right of First Refusal because the proposed Transfer constitutes a Transfer of the type identified in Section 3.6 above, Owner and the proposed transferee may deliver to Tenant all documentation pertaining to the proposed Transfer, and Tenant shall have fifteen (15) days after its receipt thereof within which to review said documentation to determine whether Tenant agrees that the proposed Transfer is exempt from the Right of First Refusal because the proposed Transfer constitutes a Transfer of the type identified in Section 3.6 above. If Tenant so agrees, Owner, Tenant and the proposed Transferee shall execute in recordable form a document, in form and substance acceptable to all parties, in which Owner, the proposed transferee and Tenant acknowledge that the proposed Transfer is exempt from the Right of First Refusal and that the Right of First Refusal continues in full force and effect after said Transfer. After execution thereof, Landlord may record such document.

3.7 The failure of Tenant to exercise its Right of First Refusal with respect to any Transfer shall convert this Right of First Refusal to a Right of First Offer once the Property is


transferred to a third party, but if Landlord fails to sell and transfer the Property to a third party this Right of First Refusal shall remain in full force and effect. The Right of First Offer shall be on the following terms and conditions:

(a) In the event that an Owner desires to obtain an Offer, Owner shall first provide to Tenant in writing the terms upon which Owner would be willing to effect a Transfer of the Premises to Tenant (the “ROFO Offer” ).

(b) Tenant shall have fifteen (15) days after receipt of the true copy of such ROFO Offer in which to give Owner written notice of Tenant’s election to acquire the Premises and/or rights and interests appurtenant thereto, or such part thereof or such interest therein as is contemplated by such ROFO Offer (the Premises and/or rights and interests or part thereof covered by such Offer is herein called the “ROFO Property” ), on the same terms and conditions contained in such ROFO Offer.

(c) In the event Tenant shall elect to acquire the ROFO Property by exercising its Right of First Offer, the closing thereon shall be held forty-five (45) days after Tenant’s receipt of the copy of the ROFO Offer from Owner or such longer period as is provided for in the ROFO Offer.

(d) In the event that Tenant shall not exercise its Right of First Offer, Owner shall be free to consummate the proposed Transfer on terms no more favorable to a purchaser than those described in the ROFO Offer, and Owner shall furnish to Tenant copies of all closing and other pertinent documents relating to the Transfer. If the transaction contemplated by the ROFO Offer is not consummated in accordance with such ROFO Offer (including any extension of the closing by not more than 120 days), and in any event within one (1) year of the date of the ROFO Offer, then the Right of First Offer shall be restored and Tenant shall not have waived the Right of First Offer with respect to any future sale of the Premises and Landlord shall not thereafter sell the Premises or any interest therein to any person or entity without again complying with the requirements of this Section.

(e) Any attempted Transfer not in conformity with the provisions of this Section shall be null and void as against Tenant, and Tenant also shall have all other remedies available to Tenant at law or in equity, including, without limitation, injunctive relief against such Transfer.

(f) The Right of First Offer shall not apply to (i) the granting of bona fide mortgages, deeds of trust, assignments of leases to secure construction or permanent financing, (ii) the exercise of the mortgagee’s assignee or assignee’s rights thereunder, or (ii) utility and drainage easements; provided, however, that any Transfer of the type specified in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), inclusive, of this Section shall not terminate, discharge, waive, impair or affect the Right of First Offer with respect to any subsequent proposed Transfer to which the Right of First Offer applies.

(g) If an Owner and the proposed transferee believe that the proposed Transfer is exempt from the Right of First Offer because the proposed Transfer constitutes a Transfer of the type identified in subparagraph f. above, Owner and the proposed transferee may deliver to Tenant all documentation pertaining to the proposed Transfer, and Tenant shall have fifteen (15) days after its receipt thereof within which to review said documentation to determine whether


Tenant agrees that the proposed Transfer is exempt from the Right of First Offer because the proposed Transfer constitutes a Transfer of the type identified in subparagraph f. above. If Tenant so agrees, Owner, Tenant and the proposed transferee shall execute in recordable form a document, in form and substance acceptable to all parties, in which Owner, the proposed transferee and Tenant acknowledge that the proposed Transfer is exempt from the Right of First Offer and that the Right of First Offer continues in full force and effect after said Transfer. After execution thereof, Landlord may record such document.


EXHIBIT “G”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

CANCELLATION OPTION

Subject to the last sentence of this Exhibit G , Tenant shall have the right and option at any time after the expiration of the seventh (7th) lease year, to terminate and cancel this Lease. Tenant shall exercise such option to terminate this Lease, if at all, by (i) providing Landlord with written notice of Tenant’s election to terminate at least twelve (12) months prior to the effective date of such termination which notice to be effective must specify the effective date of such termination (the “Termination Date” ). In the event that Tenant exercises the termination option, Tenant shall pay to Landlord the Termination Payment (as hereinafter defined) on or before the Termination Date.

As used herein, the term “Termination Payment” shall mean and refer to the sum of the following: (i) the unamortized amount of the following costs paid by Landlord pursuant to this Lease for the Tenant Improvement Allowance, customary leasing commissions, any Landlord’s Work in excess of $525,000, and costs associated with the free rent period which the parties acknowledge and agree is $967,000, plus Ground Lease Rent and Operating Expenses during the free rent period (the above costs shall be amortized over the original term of the Lease utilizing a 9.5% amortization rate); and (ii) the following Monthly Installments of Rent which would otherwise have been payable with respect to the Premises based upon the year in which the Termination Date shall occur:

 

Termination During

  

Penalty

Year 8

   9 Months of Rent

Year 9

   7 Months of Rent

Year 10

   5 Months of Rent

After the giving of the notice of termination, this Lease shall terminate on the Termination Date as fully and completely as if such date were the original expiration date of this Lease, Tenant shall surrender such space to Landlord in the condition required by Section 26 of this Lease and Tenant shall remain liable for all obligations and undertakings of Tenant under this Lease through the Termination Date, including without limitation the Termination Payment, as though such Termination Date were the original expiration date of this Term of this Lease.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if and after (i) Tenant shall exercise its Space Reduction Option set forth on Exhibit K, or (ii) Tenant shall exercise its Expansion Option contained in Section 5


of this Lease, Tenant’s right to terminate and cancel this Lease pursuant to this Cancellation Option shall terminate and be of no further force or effect.


EXHIBIT “H”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LSF3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

FORM OF GUARANTY

FOR AND IN CONSIDERATION OF the sum of Ten and No/100 Dollars ($10.00) and other good and valuable consideration paid or delivered to the undersigned ( “Guarantors” ), the receipt and sufficiency whereof are hereby acknowledged by Guarantors, and for the purpose of seeking to induce DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, a Delaware corporation ( “Tenant” ) to execute, enter into and deliver that certain Lease (the “Lease” ) by and between LSF3 Royall Street LLC, as Landlord, and Dunkin’ Donuts Incorporated, as Tenant, for certain premises located at 130 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts, which Lease will be to the direct interest and advantage of Guarantors, Guarantors do hereby unconditionally guarantee to Tenant and its successors, successors-in-title and assigns, the full and prompt payment of the Tenant Improvement Allowance payable by Landlord to Tenant when due under the Lease and every installment thereof, with no less force and effect than if the Guarantors were named as the Landlord in said Lease. Guarantors do hereby agree that if any such payment under the Lease is not made by Landlord in accordance with its terms, Guarantors will immediately make such payments. Guarantors further agree to pay Tenant all expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) paid or incurred by Tenant in endeavoring to collect the Tenant Improvement Allowance provided in the Lease, to enforce the obligations of Landlord guaranteed hereby, or any portion thereof, or to enforce this Guaranty.

The provisions of this Guaranty shall extend and be applicable to all renewals, amendments, extensions, consolidations and modifications of the Lease, and any and all references herein to the Lease shall be deemed to include any such renewals, extensions, amendments, consolidations or modifications thereof.

This is a guaranty of payment and not of collection. The liability of Guarantors under this Guaranty shall be contingent only upon Tenant making demand upon Landlord, with a copy to Grantor, and Landlord failing to make payment to Tenant within thirty (30) days of such notice. This Guaranty shall be absolute, continuing and unlimited, and the Tenant shall not be required to take any proceedings against the Landlord before Tenant has the right to demand payment by the undersigned upon default by Landlord. This Guaranty and the liability of the undersigned hereunder shall in no way be impaired or affected by any sale or conveyance of the Premises or any part thereof or any assignment of the Lease, or by any forbearance or delay in enforcing the provisions of the Lease.


No action or proceeding brought or instituted under this Guaranty against the undersigned, and no recovery had in pursuance thereof shall be any bar or defense to any further action or proceeding which may be brought under this Guaranty by reason of any further default or defaults of Landlord.

Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the obligations of the Guarantors hereunder are several and not joint. The liability of Lone Star Fund III (U.S.), L.P. shall be limited to sixty percent (60%) of the total liability hereunder for any unpaid installment(s) of the Tenant Improvement Allowance and the liability of Lone Star Fund III (Bermuda), L.P. shall be limited to forty percent (40%) of the total liability hereunder for any unpaid installment(s) of the Tenant Improvement Allowance.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has executed this Guaranty under seal as of the ____ day of ___________, 2003.

 

GUARANTORS:
LONE STAR FUND III (U.S.), L.P.
By:  

Lone Star Partners III, L.P.

Its general partner

By:  

Lone Star Management Co. III, Ltd.

Its general Partner

By:    
  Name:    
  Title:    
LONE STAR FUND III (Bermuda), L.P.
By:  

Lone Star Partners III, L.P.

Its general partner

By:  

Lone Star Management Co. III, Ltd.

Its general Partner

By:    
  Name:    
  Title:    


EXHIBIT “I”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

BUILDING SHELL CONDITION

Base Building vs. Tenant Fit Up

DRYWALL/ ACOUSTICAL

 

Scope Item

   Applies to Base
Building
     Applies to Tenant
Allowance
 

1.      Drywall at exterior wall

     X      

2.      Drywall column wrap at exterior wall

     X      

3.      Drywall surrounding core, core internal partitions spackled and taped with appropriate fire dampers

     X      

4.      Upper level elevator lobby, wall, and ceiling finishes (drywall only, upper level lobby finishes by tenant)

     X      

5.      Drywall wrap at freestanding columns

     X      

6.      Ceiling grid furnished and installed

        X   

7.      Ceiling tile furnished and installed

        X   

8.      Tenant corridor drywall with appropriate fire dampers

        X   


130 ROYALL STREET

Office Building

CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Base Building vs. Tenant Fit Up

ELECTRICAL

 

Scope Item

   Applies to Base
Building
     Applies to Tenant
Allowance
 

9.      Lighting master grid around core, 10 junction boxes w/3 circuits per each floor (Not Required)

     

10.    Power panel board (2) 400 Amp service to each floor with one (1) 480/277 panel and (1) 208/120 panel

     X      

11.    Lighting, 3 tube T-8, 2’ x 4’ parabolic fixtures, 1 fixture / 100 sf or equal

        X   

12.    Lighting control system (public areas)

     X      

13.    Base building security system (by owner): (System installed with card key access at exterior doors)

     X      

14.    Telephone connection at building. Distribution sleeves raceways and painted  3 / 4 ” backboards.

     X      

15.    Telephone outlets, conduits or cable trays required in tenant space

        X   

16.    Data service entry/ riser

     X      

17.    Data service connection and distribution

        X   

18.    Lightning protection (Not required by code NIC)

     

19.    Emergency generator (For emergency use only) (Not required by code NIC)

        X   

20.    Tenant Lighting Grid and Power Grid

        X   

21.    Fire Vestibule and Life Safety System for Base Building, including fire dampers per code (complete)

     X      


130 ROYALL STREET

Office Building

CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Base Building vs. Tenant Fit Up

FINISHES

 

Scope Item

   Applies to Base
Building
     Applies to Tenant
Allowance
 

22.    Restroom tile, wall finishes, fixtures, counters, and partitions

     X      

23.    Main elevator lobby and building entry lobby floor, wall, and ceiling finishes

     X      

24.    Typical upper elevator floor, wall and ceiling finishes

        X   

25.    Typical tenant corridor at upper floors

        X   

26.    Window blinds

        X   

27.    Telephone and Equipment Room - 2 per floor

     X      


130 ROYALL STREET

Office Building

CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Base Building vs. Tenant Fit Up

HVAC/PLUMBING

 

Scope Item

   Applies to Base
Building
     Applies to Tenant
Allowance
 

28.    Main ductwork shall be installed and sized to meet required air flow determined by the design engineer.

     X      

29.    Modification to main ductwork and standard exterior zones

        X   

30.    Modification to main ductwork and standard interior zones

        X   

31.    Low pressure ductwork and air distribution at interior zones

        X   

32.    Base building energy management system (Carrier RTUs wired for Comfort Network and remote monitoring )

     X      

33.    Two wet columns for tenant water/sewer connection

     X      

34.    Tenant plumbing fixtures and connection to wet columns

        X   

35.    Sprinkler system with heads turned up at typical spacing for light hazard occupancy in Tenant space

     X      

36.    Complete common area bathrooms on each floor

     X      


EXHIBIT “J”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

LIST OF WARRANTIES AND SERVICE CONTRACTS

 

Warranties:      

Building:

   J. Calnan Contracting    1 year      12-15-01   

Roofing:

   Firestone Building Products    10 years      11-19-01   

HVAC:

  

Carrier: Roof Top Units

Carrier: Compressors

   1 year
5 years
    

 

5-15-01

5-15-01

  

  

Elevator:

   Otis Elevator    1 year      11-4-03   
Service Contracts:      

HVAC

  

LC Anderson, Inc.

30 day cancel

   5 year      11-16-01   

Fire Alarm

   American Service Company
Renewable/ 30 day cancel
   1 year      11-15-01   

Elevator

   Otis Elevator
Renewable/30 day cancel
   1 year      11-4-01   

Landscape

   D. Foley Landscape Inc.
Annual
   1 year      3-12-03   

Snow Plow

   Podgurski Excavating
Annual
   1 year      12-16-02   


EXHIBIT “K”

attached to and made a part of Lease bearing the

Lease Reference Date of October 29, 2003 between

LFS3 ROYALL STREET LLC, as Landlord and

DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, as Tenant

SPACE REDUCTION OPTION

Tenant shall have a one-time right and option, at any time after the expiration of the seventh (7th) lease year, to reduce the size of the Premises by up to twenty percent of the square footage contained in the Premises immediately prior to the exercise of such option. Tenant shall exercise such one-time option to reduce the size of the Premises, if at all, by (i) providing Landlord with written notice of Tenant’s election to reduce the size of the Premises at least twelve (12) months prior to the effective date of such reduction which notice to be effective must (i) specify the effective date of such reduction (the “Reduction Date” ) and (ii) specify the portion of the Premises to be eliminated from the Premises (the remaining Premises herein called the “Reduced Premises” ). In addition to the foregoing, in the event that Tenant shall exercise the space reduction option, Tenant shall pay to Landlord the Reduction Payment on or before the Reduction Date.

As used herein, the term “Reduction Payment” shall mean and refer to the sum of the following, allocated in proportion to the relative square footage of the Reduced Premises: (i) the unamortized amount of the following costs paid by Landlord pursuant to this Lease, which are allocable to the portion of the Premises being eliminated on basis of square footage, for the Tenant Improvement Allowance: customary leasing commissions, any Landlord’s Work in excess of $525,000, and costs associated with the free rent period which the parties acknowledge and agree is $967,000 plus Ground Lease Rent and Operating Expenses for the free rent period (the above costs shall be amortized over the original term of the Lease utilizing a 9.5% amortization rate); and (ii) the following Monthly Installments of Rent which would otherwise have been payable with respect to the Reduced Premises based upon the year in which the Termination Date shall occur:

 

Termination During

   Penalty  

Year 8

     9 Months of Rent   

Year 9

     7 Months of Rent   

Year 10

     5 Months of Rent   

Upon the giving of the reduction notice, this Lease shall terminate with respect to the portion of the Premises eliminated therefrom as a result of such reduction on the Reduction Date as fully and completely as if such date were the original expiration date with respect to such space, Tenant shall surrender such space to Landlord in the condition required by Section 26 of this


Lease, and Tenant shall remain liable for all obligations and undertakings of Tenant under this Lease with respect to the Reduced Premises through the Reduction Date, including without limitation the Reduction Payment, as though such Reduction Date were the original expiration date of this Term of this Lease with respect to such space. In addition to the foregoing, the following provisions shall be applicable in the event that Tenant exercises such reduction option:

 

  (i) The Reduced Premises must contain at least one hundred thirty thousand (130,000) square feet of rentable area;

 

  (ii) The space eliminated from the Premises pursuant to this Section (the “Cancelled Area” ) must, to the extent reasonably possible, be internally contiguous;

 

  (iii) Each portion of the Cancelled Area must contain at least 10,000 contiguous square feet of rentable area and be marketable as office or research and development space on commercially reasonable terms and in accordance with all legal requirements; and

 

  (iv) The Cancelled Area must have access to legally appropriate restrooms, elevator lobby and fire stairs on the applicable floor of the Building and shall have an approximately proportionate share of the exterior window walls on the applicable floor of the Building when compared to the Reduced Premises. The cost of partitioning the Reduced Premises from the Cancelled Area shall be borne by Landlord.

Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other promises of this Lease, upon Tenant’s exercise of its Expansion Option set forth in Section 5.1 of the Lease, this Space Reduction Option shall terminate and be of no further force or effect.

Exhibit 10.26

ASSIGNMENT OF LEASE

THIS ASSIGNMENT OF LEASE (the “Assignment”), is made this 22 nd day of July, 2005, by and among DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, a Delaware corporation, with its principal offices at 130 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021 (“Assignor”), and DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC., a Delaware corporation with its principal offices at 130 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021 (“Assignee”).

WITNESSETH

WHEREAS, Assignor is party to a lease dated October 29, 2003 by and among Assignor, as Tenant, and Canton Royall, LLC, successor in interest to LSF3 Royall Street, LLC (the “Underlying Lease”) (the Underlying Lease, together with the supplements, modifications and amendments thereto specified on Exhibit A to this Assignment, are hereinafter collectively referred to as “Lease”), relating to certain premises located at 130 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021 (the “Premises”), as such Premises are more particularly described in the Lease;

WHEREAS, Assignor and Assignee desire that all of Assignor’s right, title and interest under the Lease be assigned to Assignee subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this agreement;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and legal sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, it is agreed among Assignor, Assignee and Landlord as follows:

1. Effective as of July 22, 2005 (the “Effective Date”) Assignor assigns to Assignee all right, title and interest of Assignor under the Lease.

2. Assignee shall comply with and assume all of the covenants, terms, conditions and obligations of Assignor under the Lease accruing on or after the Effective Date,

3. From and after the Effective Date, all notices, consents, requests, approvals, instructions and other communications which the Lease provides for or permits to be sent to the tenant under the Lease, shall be sent to Assignee at the address set forth in the preamble to this Assignment, in writing and delivered by registered or certified mail, first class postage prepaid, return receipt requested, and addressed to the attention of Director Corporate Real Estate,


4. The terms and conditions of this Assignment shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective heirs, administrators, executors, legal representatives, successors in interest, successors and assigns.

5. All exhibits referred to in this Assignment and attached hereto are and shall be incorporated in this Assignment and made a part hereof.

6. Except as amended by this Assignment, the Lease remains unmodified and in full force and effect.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Assignor and Assignee have caused this Assignment to be duly executed.

 

Witness/Attest:      DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED
     (Assignor)
By:  

/s/ Christopher Egan

     By:  

/s/ Marc Cote

Name:  

Christopher Egan

     Name:  

Marc Cote

Title:  

Assistant Secretary

     Title:  

VP Finance & Assistant Treasurer

 

         Date Executed:  

7/22/2005

 

Witness/Attest:      DUNKIN’ BRANDS, INC.
       (Assignee)
By:  

/s/ Christopher Egan

     By:  

/s/ Marc Cote

Name:  

Christopher Egan

     Name:  

Marc Cote

Title:  

Assistant Secretary

     Title:  

VP Finance & Assistant Treasurer

 

         Dated Executed:  

7/22/2005

Exhibit 10.27

GUARANTY

FOR AND IN CONSIDERATION OF the sum of Ten and No/100 Dollars ($10.00) and other good and valuable consideration paid or delivered to the undersigned ( “Guarantors” ), the receipt and sufficiency whereof are hereby acknowledged by Guarantors, and for the purpose of seeking to induce DUNKIN’ DONUTS INCORPORATED, a Delaware corporation ( “Tenant” ) to execute, enter into and deliver that certain Lease (the “Lease” ) by and between LSF3 Royall Street LLC, as Landlord, and Dunkin’ Donuts Incorporated, as Tenant, for certain premises located at 130 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts, which Lease will be to the direct interest and advantage of Guarantors, Guarantors do hereby unconditionally guarantee to Tenant and its successors, successors-in-title and assigns, the full and prompt payment of the Tenant Improvement Allowance payable by Landlord to Tenant when due under the Lease and every installment thereof; with no less force and effect than if the Guarantors were named as the Landlord in said Lease. Guarantors do hereby agree that if any such payment under the Lease is not made by Landlord in accordance with its terms, Guarantors will immediately make such payments. Guarantors further agree to pay Tenant all expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) paid or incurred by Tenant in endeavoring to collect the Tenant Improvement Allowance provided in the Lease, to enforce the obligations of Landlord guaranteed hereby, or any portion thereof, or to enforce this Guaranty.

The provisions of this Guaranty shall extend and be applicable to all renewals, amendments, extensions, consolidations and modifications of the Lease, and any and all references herein to the Lease shall be deemed to include any such renewals, extensions, amendments, consolidations or modifications thereof.

This is a guaranty of payment and not of collection. The liability of Guarantors under this Guaranty shall be contingent only upon Tenant making demand upon Landlord, with a copy to Grantor, and Landlord failing to make payment to Tenant within thirty (30) days of such notice. This Guaranty shall be absolute, continuing and unlimited, and the Tenant shall not be required to take any proceedings against the Landlord before Tenant has the right to demand payment by the undersigned upon default by Landlord. This Guaranty and the liability of the undersigned hereunder shall in no way be impaired or affected by any sale or conveyance of the Premises or any part thereof or any assignment of the Lease, or by any forbearance or delay in enforcing the provisions of the Lease.

No action or proceeding brought or instituted under this Guaranty against the undersigned, and no recovery had in pursuance thereof shall be any bar or defense to any further action or proceeding which may be brought under this Guaranty by reason of any further default or defaults of Landlord.

Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the obligations of the Guarantors hereunder are several and not joint. The liability of Lone Star Fund III (U.S.), L.P. shall be limited to sixty percent (60%) of the total liability hereunder for any unpaid installment(s) of the Tenant Improvement Allowance and the liability of Lone Star Fund III (Bermuda), L.P. shall be limited to forty percent (40%) of the total liability hereunder for any unpaid installment(s) of the Tenant Improvement Allowance.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has executed this Guaranty under seal as of the 29 th day of October, 2003.

 

GUARANTORS:
LONE STAR FUND III (U.S.), L.P.
By:  

Lone Star Partners III, L.P.

Its general partner

By:  

Lone Star Management Co. III, Ltd.

Its general Partner

By:  

/s/ Louis Paletta

  Name:  

Louis Paletta

  Title:  

Vice President

LONE STAR FUND III (Bermuda), L.P.
By:  

Lone Star Partners III, L.P.

Its general partner

By:  

Lone Star Management Co. III, Ltd.

Its general Partner

By:  

/s/ Louis Paletta

  Name:  

Louis Paletta

  Title:  

Vice President

Exhibit 21.1

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. Subsidiaries

 

Entity

  

Jurisdiction of Organization

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.    Delaware

Dunkin’ Brands Holdings, Inc.

   Delaware

Dunkin’s Brands, Inc.

   Delaware

Dunkin’ Brands Canada, Ltd.

   Ontario, Canada

DB Australia Pty. Ltd

   Australia

SVC Service LLC

   Colorado

SVC Service II LLC

   Colorado

Dunkin Brands (UK) Limited

   United Kingdom

Dunkin’ Donuts LLC

   Delaware

Dunkin Espanola S.A.

   Spain

Dunkin’ Ventures LLC

   Delaware

Massachusetts Refreshment Corp. 1

   Massachusetts

Third Dunkin’ Donuts Realty LLC

   Delaware

Dunkin’ Donuts Realty Investment LLC

   Delaware

Dunkin’ Donuts USA LLC

   Delaware

Mister Donut of America, LLC

   Delaware

Baskin-Robbins LLC

   Delaware

Baskin-Robbins USA LLC

   California

DBI Stores LLC

   Delaware

Baskin-Robbins Flavors LLC

   Delaware

Baskin-Robbins International LLC

   Delaware

B-R Korea Co. Ltd. (Korea) 2

   Korea

DB Master Finance LLC

   Delaware

DB Canadian Supplier Inc.

   Delaware

DB Canadian Holding Company Inc.

   Delaware

DB Canadian Franchising ULC

   Nova Scotia

BR Japan Holdings LLC

   Delaware

B-R 31 Ice Cream Co. Ltd. 3

   Japan

DB Franchising Holding Company LLC

   Delaware

Dunkin’ Donuts Franchising LLC

   Delaware

Baskin-Robbins Franchising LLC

   Delaware

Baskin-Robbins Australia Pty. Ltd

   Australia

DB Real Estate Assets I LLC

   Delaware

DB Real Estate Assets II LLC

   Delaware

DB Mexican Franchising LLC

   Delaware

DB International Franchising LLC

   Delaware

DD IP Holder LLC

   Delaware

BR IP Holder LLC

   Delaware

Baskin-Robbins Franchised Shops LLC

   Delaware

Dunkin’ Donuts Franchised Restaurants LLC

   Delaware

DB AdFund Administrator LLC

   Delaware

DB UK Franchising LLC

   Delaware

 

1  

Represents a joint venture company of which registrant indirectly owns 50% of the voting equity.

2  

Represents a joint venture company of which registrant indirectly owns 33.3% of the voting equity.

3  

Represents a joint venture company of which registrant indirectly owns 43.27% of the voting equity.

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors

Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.:

We consent to the use of our report dated May 2, 2011, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 25, 2010 and December 26, 2009, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficit) and comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows for the years ended December 25, 2010, December 26, 2009 and December 27, 2008, included herein and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the prospectus.

Our report refers to a change in the method of accounting for contingent rental income.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

May 3, 2011

Exhibit 23.2

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

 

We consent to the use in this Registration Statement of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. on Form S-1 of our report dated April 29, 2011 related to the financial statements of BR Korea Co., Ltd. as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and for each of the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2010 appearing in the prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement, and to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such prospectus.

 

/s/ DELOITTE ANJIN LLC

April 29, 2011

Exhibit 23.3

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

We hereby consent to the use in this Registration Statement on Form S-1 of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. of our report dated April 29, 2011 relating to the financial statements of B-R 31 Ice Cream Co. Ltd., which appears in such Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata

Tokyo, Japan

April 29, 2011

 

 

 

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata

Sumitomo Fudosan Shiodome Hamarikyu Bldg. 8-21-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan

Tel: +81 (3) 3546 8450, Fax: +81 (3) 3546 8451, www.pwc.com/jp/assurance/