UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): October 3, 2016 (September 29, 2016)

 

 

Coty Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

 

 

DE   001-35964   13-3823358

(State or other Jurisdiction

of Incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

350 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY

  10118
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 389-7300

(Former name or former address, if changed from last report)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 


Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

As previously disclosed, on July 8, 2015, Coty Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Transaction Agreement (as amended, the “Transaction Agreement”) with The Procter & Gamble Company (“P&G”), Galleria Co. (“SplitCo”) and Green Acquisition Sub Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”).

As previously disclosed, on September 1, 2016, P&G commenced an offer (the “Exchange Offer”) to P&G stockholders to exchange any or all of their shares of P&G common stock for shares of SplitCo common stock, subject to proration, which shares of SplitCo common stock would be automatically converted into shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to the Transaction Agreement. P&G’s Exchange Offer expired at midnight on September 29, 2016.

Following the expiration and consummation of the Exchange Offer and the distribution by P&G of shares of SplitCo common stock to holders of shares of P&G common stock tendered in the Exchange Offer (the “Distribution”), on October 1, 2016 (the “Closing Date”), (i) Merger Sub was merged with and into SplitCo, with SplitCo continuing as the surviving corporation and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger”) and (ii) each share of SplitCo common stock was converted into the right to receive one share of the Company’s common stock.


The foregoing description of the Distribution and the Merger and other transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Transaction Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 2.1 and incorporated herein by reference, and the amendments thereto, copies of which are attached hereto as Exhibits 2.2 through 2.5 and incorporated herein by reference.

Tax Matters Agreement

In connection with the Merger, the Company, P&G, SplitCo and Merger Sub entered into the Tax Matters Agreement, effective as of October 1, 2016 (the “Tax Matters Agreement”), which governs the parties’ respective rights, responsibilities and obligations with respect to tax liabilities and attributes, efforts to protect the intended tax-free treatment of the Distribution, the Merger and certain other transactions, the preparation and filing of tax returns, the control of audits, reviews, examinations or other tax proceedings and other matters regarding taxes.

Pursuant to the Tax Matters Agreement, the Company is responsible for taxes imposed on or payable by SplitCo and its subsidiaries for any period or for the portion of a period beginning after the Closing Date, and P&G is responsible for (i) taxes imposed on or payable by P&G and its subsidiaries (other than SplitCo) for any period, (ii) taxes imposed on or payable by SplitCo and its subsidiaries for any period or for the portion of a period ending on or before the Closing Date, and (iii) taxes arising from the transactions effected in connection with P&G’s contribution to SplitCo of the assets listed in Section 1.05(a) of the Transaction Agreement (the “Galleria Transfer”) and P&G’s internal restructuring in connection therewith. Certain transfer taxes related to the Distribution, the Merger, the Galleria Transfer and P&G’s internal restructuring in connection therewith will be split evenly by P&G and the Company up to an aggregate amount of $10 million, with P&G being responsible for such taxes over $10 million.

SplitCo and P&G intend for the Galleria Transfer and the Distribution, taken together, to qualify as a transaction in which P&G shareholders recognize no income or gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes and intend for the Merger to qualify as a reorganization in which SplitCo shareholders recognize no income or gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Pursuant to the Tax Matters Agreement, P&G, the Company, SplitCo and their affiliates and related parties are prohibited for two years after the Closing Date (the “Restricted Period”) from taking or failing to take any action that would be reasonably likely to prevent these transactions from receiving such tax-free treatment. As relevant to the Company and SplitCo, unless the Company delivers an


unqualified opinion of tax counsel reasonably acceptable to P&G, confirming that a proposed action would not cause the transactions to become taxable, the Company and SplitCo are each generally prohibited or restricted during the Restricted Period from:

 

    subject to specified exceptions, issuing stock (or stock equivalents) or recapitalizing, repurchasing, redeeming or otherwise participating in acquisitions of its stock;

 

    amending its certificate of incorporation or other organizational documents to affect the voting rights of its stock;

 

    merging or consolidating with another entity, or liquidating or partially liquidating, except for any merger, consolidation, liquidation or partial liquidation that is disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

 

    discontinuing, selling, transferring or ceasing to maintain the SplitCo active business under section 355(b) of the Internal Revenue Code;

 

    taking any action that permits a proposed acquisition of Company stock or SplitCo stock to occur by means of an agreement to which none of the Company, SplitCo or their affiliates is a party (including by soliciting a tender offer for SplitCo stock or Company stock, participating in or otherwise supporting any unsolicited tender offer for such stock or redeeming rights under a shareholder rights plan with respect to such stock); and

 

    engaging in other actions or transactions that could jeopardize the tax-free status of the Distribution, Merger and/or certain related transactions.

The Company has generally agreed to indemnify P&G against any taxes resulting from the failure of the Galleria Transfer, the Distribution or the Merger to qualify for such tax-free treatment due to (i) the breach of any representation by the Company in the Tax Matters Agreement or the representation letter executed by the Company and Merger Sub in connection with the delivery of the opinions of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP that the Merger will receive such tax-free treatment, (ii) the breach of any covenant contained in the Transaction Agreement, the Tax Matters Agreement or any of the ancillary agreements discussed below, (iii) the undertaking by the Company or SplitCo of the actions identified above that are prohibited during the Restricted Period (without regard to whether an unqualified opinion of tax counsel has been provided), or (iv) the acquisition by one or more persons of a 50% or greater interest in SplitCo within the meaning of section 355(e)(2)(A)(ii) of the Internal Revenue Code.

P&G has generally agreed to indemnify the Company against any taxes resulting from the failure of the Galleria Transfer, the Distribution or the Merger to qualify for such tax-free treatment due to (i) the breach of any representation by P&G in the Tax Matters Agreement or


the representation letter executed by P&G in connection with the delivery of the opinions of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP that the Merger will receive such tax-free treatment or the opinion of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP that the Galleria Transfer, taken together with the Distribution, will receive such tax-free treatment, (ii) the breach of any covenant contained in the Transaction Agreement, the Tax Matters Agreement or any of the ancillary agreements discussed below, or (iii) the acquisition by one or more persons of a 50% or greater interest in P&G within the meaning of Code Section 355(e)(2)(A)(ii) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The foregoing description of the Tax Matters Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Tax Matters Agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

Transition Services Agreement

In connection with the Merger, P&G and SplitCo (which, as a result of the Distribution and the Merger, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company) entered into the Transition Services Agreement, effective as of October 1, 2016 (the “Transition Services Agreement”), under which P&G or its affiliates will provide SplitCo and its subsidiaries and such affiliates as SplitCo may create or designate with specified support services and other assistance for a limited time following the closing of the Merger. The Transition Services Agreement also addresses certain matters with respect to the provision of such services, including the management of the relationship between the parties, the use of and access to each other’s records, confidentiality and proprietary rights.

The initial term of the Transition Services Agreement is currently contemplated to be for a period commencing on October 1, 2016 and ending at midnight on April 1, 2017, unless earlier terminated as provided in the Transition Services Agreement. To the extent that individual services can be segregated, SplitCo may extend the term of any services for one-month periods (up to an aggregate of six additional months) or terminate any services upon 60 days written notice.

Each party to the Transition Services Agreement has generally agreed to indemnify the other party and its affiliates and related parties from losses related to the indemnifying party’s (i) breach of its obligations under the Transition Services Agreement, (ii) gross negligence or willful misconduct in connection with providing services under the Transition Services Agreement, (iii) infringement or misappropriation of certain intellectual property or (iv) personal injury suffered by its employees while at the facilities of the other party.


The foregoing description of the Transition Services Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Transition Services Agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.2 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 2.01. Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets.

On October 1, 2016, the Merger was consummated pursuant to the Transaction Agreement. Pursuant to the Transaction Agreement, each issued and outstanding share of SplitCo common stock was converted into the right to receive one share of the Company’s common stock. The Company issued approximately 409,726,299 shares of common stock to the former holders of SplitCo common stock, together with cash in lieu of fractional shares. On October 1, 2016, SplitCo became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company by virtue of the Merger.

Immediately after consummation of the Merger, approximately 54% of the fully-diluted shares of the Company’s common stock was held by pre-Merger holders of SplitCo common stock, and approximately 46% of the fully-diluted shares of the Company’s common stock was held by pre-Merger holders of the Company’s common stock.

In connection with the Merger, the Company, P&G, SplitCo and Merger Sub entered into certain additional agreements relating to, among other things, certain tax matters, certain licensing matters and the provision of certain transition services during a period following the consummation of the Merger, as described above under Item 1.01.

The information contained in Item 1.01 above is incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the foregoing description of the Distribution and the Merger and other transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Transaction Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 2.1 and incorporated herein by reference, and the amendments thereto, copies of which are attached hereto as Exhibits 2.2 through 2.5 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 3.02. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.

As previously disclosed, in order to facilitate the transaction, JAB Cosmetics B.V. (“JAB Cosmetics”) agreed to convert all of its shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Class B Common Stock” with such conversion referred to as the “Conversion”) into shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Class A Common Stock”). On September 28, 2016, the Company received a letter (the “Conversion Notice”) from JAB Cosmetics formally electing to effect the Conversion. Accordingly, on September 30, 2016, the Company issued 262,062,370 shares of Class A Common Stock to JAB Cosmetics in exchange for 262,062,370 shares of Class B Common Stock. JAB Cosmetics will remain the largest individual shareholder of the Company, owning approximately 36% of the fully diluted shares outstanding at the Closing Date.


Item 5.03. Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

On September 29, 2016, the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware a Certificate of Amendment, in the form of Exhibit 3.1 attached hereto, amending the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company to increase the number of authorized shares of Class A Common Stock from 800,000,000 shares to 1,000,000,000 shares and to increase accordingly the total number of authorized shares that the Company may issue from 1,187,754,370 shares to 1,387,754,370 shares. The foregoing amendment was approved by the Board of Directors of the Company at a meeting on July 8, 2015 and approved by the Company’s stockholders pursuant to a written consent executed on July 9, 2015 by JAB Cosmetics, the holder of all of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock and 1.5% of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock as of such date, which together represented 97% of the Company’s outstanding voting power as of such date.

The summary set forth above does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Certificate of Amendment, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 3.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 8.01. Other Events.

On October 3, 2016, the Company issued a press release announcing the completion of the Merger and other transactions contemplated thereby, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(a) Financial statements of businesses acquired

The audited combined balance sheets of SplitCo as of June 30, 2016 and 2015, the audited combined statements of income and comprehensive income/(loss) of SplitCo for the years ended June 30, 2016, 2015 and 2014 and the audited combined statements of cash flows of


SplitCo for the years ended June 30, 2016, 2015 and 2014 are included in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-210856), as amended, filed on September 1, 2016, and incorporated herein by reference.

(b) Pro forma financial information

The unaudited condensed combined pro forma balance sheet information of the Company and its subsidiaries as of June 30, 2016 and the unaudited condensed combined pro forma statement of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries for the year ended June 30, 2016 are included in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-210856), as amended, filed on September 1, 2016, and incorporated herein by reference.

(d) Exhibits

 

Exhibit No.

  

Description

  2.1    Transaction Agreement, dated as of July 8, 2015, among The Procter & Gamble Company, Coty Inc., Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.2 to Coty Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on August 17, 2015)*
  2.2    Repurchase Letter Agreement dated August 13, 2015 among The Procter & Gamble Company, the registrant, Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.3 to Coty Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on August 17, 2015)
  2.3    Letter Agreement, dated February 19, 2016, by and among Coty Inc., The Procter & Gamble Company, Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Coty Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on February 19, 2016)
  2.4    Third Amendment to Transaction Agreement, dated May 25, 2016, by and among Coty Inc., The Procter & Gamble Company, Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Coty Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 27, 2016)**
  2.5    Fourth Amendment to Transaction Agreement, dated August 25, 2016, by and among The Procter & Gamble Company, Coty Inc., Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.5 to Amendment No. 4 to Coty Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-4, filed on August 25, 2016)***
  3.1    Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Coty Inc.
10.1    Tax Matters Agreement, effective as of October 1, 2016, by and among Coty Inc., The Procter & Gamble Company, Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc.


Exhibit No.

  

Description

10.2    Transition Services Agreement, effective as of October 1, 2016, by and between The Procter & Gamble Company and Galleria Co.
99.1    Press Release of Coty Inc., dated October 3, 2016

 

* Schedules and similar attachments have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The Company agrees to furnish supplementary to the Securities and Exchange Commission a copy of any omitted schedule or similar attachment upon request.
** The exhibits and attachments to Exhibit 2.4 have been omitted in accordance with Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. These exhibits and attachments consist of (I) Attachment to Schedule 1.05(b)(ii) Excluded Trademarks, (II) Attachment 3-C to Schedule 1.05(a)(vii) Additional Caldera Domain Names, (III) Parent Shared Technology License Agreement, (IV) Section 1.05(a)(xx) Acquired Codes, (V) Section 5.21(k) Shared Codes and (VI) Exhibit R Galleria Business Acquired Plans. The Company agrees to furnish supplementally to the SEC, upon request, a copy of all omitted exhibits and attachments.
*** The exhibits and attachments to Exhibit 2.5 have been omitted in accordance with Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. These exhibits and attachments consist of (I) Attachment to Schedule 1.05(a)(i), (II) Attachment to Schedule 5.33, (III) Attachment to Schedule 1.05(b)(ii) and (IV) Transition Services Agreement. The Company agrees to furnish supplementally to the SEC, upon request, a copy of all omitted exhibits and attachments.


SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

      COTY INC.
      (Registrant)
Date: October 3, 2016     By:  

/s/ Jules P. Kaufman

      Name:  Jules P. Kaufman
      Title:    Chief Legal Officer and Secretary


COTY INC.

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.

  

Description

  2.1    Transaction Agreement, dated as of July 8, 2015, among The Procter & Gamble Company, Coty Inc., Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.2 to Coty Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on August 17, 2015)*
  2.2    Repurchase Letter Agreement dated August 13, 2015 among The Procter & Gamble Company, the registrant, Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.3 to Coty Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on August 17, 2015)
  2.3    Letter Agreement, dated February 19, 2016, by and among Coty Inc., The Procter & Gamble Company, Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Coty Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on February 19, 2016)
  2.4    Third Amendment to Transaction Agreement, dated May 25, 2016, by and among Coty Inc., The Procter & Gamble Company, Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Coty Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 27, 2016)**
  2.5    Fourth Amendment to Transaction Agreement, dated August 25, 2016, by and among The Procter & Gamble Company, Coty Inc., Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.5 to Amendment No. 4 to Coty Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-4, filed on August 25, 2016)***
  3.1    Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Coty Inc.
10.1    Tax Matters Agreement, effective as of October 1, 2016, by and among Coty Inc., The Procter & Gamble Company, Galleria Co. and Green Acquisition Sub Inc.
10.2    Transition Services Agreement, effective as of October 1, 2016, by and between The Procter & Gamble Company and Galleria Co.
99.1    Press Release of Coty Inc., dated October 3, 2016


* Schedules and similar attachments have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The Company agrees to furnish supplementary to the Securities and Exchange Commission a copy of any omitted schedule or similar attachment upon request.
** The exhibits and attachments to Exhibit 2.4 have been omitted in accordance with Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. These exhibits and attachments consist of (I) Attachment to Schedule 1.05(b)(ii) Excluded Trademarks, (II) Attachment 3-C to Schedule 1.05(a)(vii) Additional Caldera Domain Names, (III) Parent Shared Technology License Agreement, (IV) Section 1.05(a)(xx) Acquired Codes, (V) Section 5.21(k) Shared Codes and (VI) Exhibit R Galleria Business Acquired Plans. The Company agrees to furnish supplementally to the SEC, upon request, a copy of all omitted exhibits and attachments.
*** The exhibits and attachments to Exhibit 2.5 have been omitted in accordance with Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. These exhibits and attachments consist of (I) Attachment to Schedule 1.05(a)(i), (II) Attachment to Schedule 5.33, (III) Attachment to Schedule 1.05(b)(ii) and (IV) Transition Services Agreement. The Company agrees to furnish supplementally to the SEC, upon request, a copy of all omitted exhibits and attachments.

Exhibit 3.1

CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT

TO THE

AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

COTY INC.

 

 

Pursuant to Sections 228 and 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware

 

 

COTY INC., a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”), does hereby certify as follows:

FIRST: That Article FOURTH of the Corporation’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation is hereby amended by deleting the caption and first sentence of Section A therefrom and substituting the following in lieu thereof:

Authorized Capital . The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the Corporation shall have the authority to issue is 1,387,754,370, of which 1,000,000,000 shall be designated as Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), 367,754,370 shall be designated as Class B Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class B Common Stock”) and 20,000,000 shall be designated as Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Preferred Stock”).”

SECOND: That the foregoing amendment was duly adopted by the board of directors of the Corporation, which declared the amendment to be advisable, and was subsequently duly adopted by the written consent of the stockholders in accordance with the provisions of Sections 228 and 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment to be duly executed in its corporate name this 29th day of September, 2016.

 

COTY INC.
By:  

/s/ Jules P. Kaufman

  Name:   Jules P. Kaufman
  Title:   Secretary

Exhibit 10.1

 

 

 

TAX MATTERS AGREEMENT

by and among

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY,

GALLERIA CO.,

COTY INC., and

GREEN ACQUISITION SUB INC.

Effective as of October 1, 2016

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  
ARTICLE I   
DEFINITIONS   

Section 1.01

 

Definition of Terms

     2   
ARTICLE II   
ALLOCATION OF TAXES   

Section 2.01

 

Ordinary Course Taxes and Internal Restructuring Taxes

     8   

Section 2.02

 

Transaction Taxes

     9   

Section 2.03

 

Transfer Taxes

     11   

Section 2.04

 

Entitlement to Tax Attributes

     11   

Section 2.05

 

Additional Costs

     12   

Section 2.06

 

No Duplicative Payment

     12   

Section 2.07

 

Exclusive Remedy

     12   
ARTICLE III   
TAX RETURN FILING AND PAYMENT OBLIGATIONS   

Section 3.01

 

Tax Return Preparation and Filing

     12   

Section 3.02

 

Tax Reporting

     14   
ARTICLE IV   
TAX-FREE TREATMENT OF EXCHANGE & RELATED TRANSACTIONS   

Section 4.01

 

Representations

     14   

Section 4.02

 

Covenants

     15   

Section 4.03

 

Tax Sharing Agreements

     19   

Section 4.04

 

IRS Ruling Requests

     19   
ARTICLE V   
TAX CONTESTS; INDEMNIFICATION; COOPERATION   

Section 5.01

 

Notice

     19   

Section 5.02

 

Control of Tax Contests

     20   

Section 5.03

 

Indemnification Payments

     21   

 

-i-


Section 5.04

  

Interest on Late Payments

     21   

Section 5.05

  

Treatment of Indemnity Payments

     21   

Section 5.06

  

Cooperation

     22   

Section 5.07

  

Confidentiality

     22   

Section 5.08

  

Section 336(e) Election

     23   

Section 5.09

  

Term of Tax Indemnity

     23   
ARTICLE VI   
DISPUTE RESOLUTION   

Section 6.01

  

Tax Disputes

     23   
ARTICLE VII   
MISCELLANEOUS   
Section 7.01   

Authorization

     24   

Section 7.02

  

Expenses

     24   

Section 7.03

  

Entire Agreement

     24   

Section 7.04

  

Governing Law

     25   

Section 7.05

  

Notice

     26   

Section 7.06

  

Priority of Agreements

     26   

Section 7.07

  

Amendments and Waivers

     27   

Section 7.08

  

Termination

     27   

Section 7.09

  

No Third Party Beneficiaries

     27   

Section 7.10

  

Assignability

     27   

Section 7.11

  

Enforcement

     27   

Section 7.12

  

Survival

     28   

Section 7.13

  

Construction

     28   

Section 7.14

  

Severability

     28   

Section 7.15

  

Counterparts

     28   

Section 7.16

  

Successors

     29   
SCHEDULE 1   
SCHEDULE 2   

 

-ii-


TAX MATTERS AGREEMENT

THIS TAX MATTERS AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is entered into effective as of October 1, 2016 by and among The Procter & Gamble Company, an Ohio corporation (“ Parent ”), Galleria Co., a Delaware corporation (“ SplitCo ”), Coty Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Acquiror ”), and Green Acquisition Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned Subsidiary of Acquiror (“ Merger Sub ”) (collectively, the “ Parties ”).

WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, Parent is the common parent of an affiliated group of corporations which has elected to file certain Tax Returns on an affiliated, consolidated, combined or unitary group basis;

WHEREAS, Parent has determined that it would be appropriate and desirable to completely separate the Galleria Business pursuant to the Galleria Transfer, the Distribution, the Merger and other related transactions;

WHEREAS, the Parties have entered into the Transaction Agreement pursuant to which the Galleria Transfer, the Distribution, the Merger and other related transactions have been or will be consummated, as applicable;

WHEREAS, in connection with the Galleria Transfer, Parent effected the Distribution in accordance with the Transaction Agreement;

WHEREAS, the boards of directors (or other equivalent bodies) of Parent, SplitCo, Acquiror and Merger Sub each have approved and declared advisable the Merger to occur immediately following the Distribution;

WHEREAS, pursuant to the plan of reorganization and within one year after the Distribution Date, Parent will effect any Parent Cash Distribution to Parent’s creditors in retirement of outstanding Parent Indebtedness as described in the Transaction Agreement;

WHEREAS, the Parties intend that (i) the Galleria Transfer, together with the Distribution, qualify as a reorganization under Code Section 368(a), (ii) the Distribution, as such, qualify as a distribution of SplitCo Common Stock to Parent’s shareholders pursuant to Code Section 355, (iii) the Merger qualify as a tax-free reorganization pursuant to Code Section 368(a), (iv) any Parent Cash Distribution qualify as money distributed to Parent creditors in connection with the reorganization for purposes of Code Section 361(b)(3), and (v) the Transaction Agreement constitute a plan of reorganization under Treasury Regulation Section 1.368-2(g).

WHEREAS, as a result of and upon the Distribution, SplitCo has ceased to be a member of the Parent affiliated group within the meaning of Code Section 1504(a); and


WHEREAS, the Parties desire to allocate the Tax responsibilities, liabilities and benefits of certain transactions and to provide for certain other Tax matters.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, the Parties (each on behalf of itself, each of its Subsidiaries, as of immediately before the Distribution, and its future Subsidiaries) hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

Section 1.01 Definition of Terms .

The following terms will have the following meanings (such meanings to apply equally to both the singular and the plural forms of the terms defined). Unless otherwise stated, all Section references are to this Agreement. Any capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined will have the meaning given to such term in the Transaction Agreement.

Acquiror ” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.

Acquiror Issue ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.02.

Acquiror Pre-Merger Group ” means Acquiror and each of its Subsidiaries (in each case, including any successors thereof), other than any members of the Galleria Tax Group.

Acquiror Representation Letter ” means the representation letter executed by Acquiror and Merger Sub in connection with the delivery of the opinion described in Section 7.02(c) of the Transaction Agreement.

Acquiror Stock Interests ” means any Stock Interests of Acquiror.

Acquiror Tax Group ” means Acquiror and each Subsidiary of Acquiror (in each case, including any successors thereof), including, after the Closing, the Galleria Tax Group (in each case, including any successors thereof).

Active Trade or Business ” means the active conduct (determined in accordance with Code Section 355(b)) of the business conducted by the Galleria Tax Group members, as determined by Parent and conveyed to Acquiror before the Closing Date. For the avoidance of doubt, members will include only those members that are part of the “separate affiliated group” of SplitCo within the meaning of Code Section 355(b)(3)(B).

Additional Costs ” means liabilities, damages, penalties, judgments, assessments, losses, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ and accountants’ fees and expenses), whether arising under strict liability or otherwise, in each case, arising out of or incident to the imposition, assessment or assertion of any Tax or adjustment against a Party with respect to an amount for which such Party is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement.

 

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Adjustment Request ” means any formal or informal claim or request for a Refund filed with any Taxing Authority.

Agreement ” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.

Applicable Penalty Standard ” means, as applicable, either (i) the Tax Return preparation standards described in Section 3.01(a) or (ii) the standard under applicable Law for avoiding the imposition of penalties on the taxpayer and/or the tax return preparer.

Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Covered Compensation Arrangement ” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.02(b)(i).

Equity Compensation Opinion ” means an opinion obtained by the Acquiror Tax Group (at its sole expense), in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Parent, providing that (a) the issuance of Acquiror or SplitCo options, restricted stock and/or deferred stock units, as the case may be, to a Safe Harbor VIII Person or an Acquiror retirement plan (or other eligible retirement plan under Safe Harbor IX in Treasury Regulation Section 1.355-7(d)), as applicable, would not affect the Tax-Free Treatment and (b) the shares of Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests issued upon the exercise or vesting of the options, restricted stock and/or deferred stock units described in clause (a) above would satisfy the requirements of Safe Harbor VIII or Safe Harbor IX of Treasury Regulation Section 1.355-7(d), as applicable. Any Equity Compensation Opinion will be delivered by nationally recognized U.S. tax counsel acceptable to Parent.

Final Determination ” means the final resolution of any Tax liability for any Tax period by or as a result of (a) a final and unappealable decision, judgment, decree or other order by any court of competent jurisdiction, (b) a final settlement with the IRS, a closing agreement or accepted offer in compromise under Code Sections 7121 or 7122, or a comparable arrangement under the Laws of another jurisdiction, (c) any allowance of a Refund in respect of an overpayment of Tax, but only after the expiration of all periods during which such amount may be recovered by the jurisdiction imposing such Tax, or (d) any other final disposition, including by reason of the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations.

Galleria Group Taxes ” means (a) any Tax imposed on or payable by the Galleria Tax Group or any member thereof for a Tax period beginning after the Closing Date, (b) any Tax imposed on or payable by the Galleria Tax Group or any member thereof for the portion of a Straddle Period beginning after the Closing Date, as determined pursuant to Section 2.01(f) (other than any such Tax payable by reason of membership in any affiliated, consolidated, combined or unitary group at any time prior to the Closing, including by reason of Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6), (c) any Taxes (including Taxes imposed on or payable by the Acquiror Tax Group or any member thereof) that are attributable to any transaction or event of the Acquiror Tax Group (including, in each case, any member thereof) occurring outside the ordinary course of business on the Closing Date after the Distribution, and (d) any incremental Tax liabilities allocated to the Acquiror Tax Group pursuant to the last proviso in Section 3.01(a), including, in each case, any relevant Tax liabilities arising from a Final Determination;

 

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provided , however , that Galleria Group Taxes will not include any Taxes attributable to a breach of any covenant or agreement contained in any Transaction Document to be performed by Parent or any of its Affiliates.

Galleria Separate Return ” means any Tax Return (other than a Joint Return) that includes any Galleria Tax Group member (including any consolidated, combined or unitary Tax Return).

Galleria Tax Group ” means SplitCo and each of its Subsidiaries, including any corporations that would be members of an affiliated group if they were includible corporations under Code Section 1504(b) (in each case, including any successors thereof).

Indemnifying Party ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.01.

Indemnitee ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.01.

Internal Restructuring ” means all transactions effected in connection with the Galleria Transfer and the restructuring of the Galleria Business, in each case, in accordance with the requirements of the Transaction Agreement and all Tax elections made in connection therewith.

Internal Restructuring Taxes ” means any Taxes, other than Transfer Taxes, imposed with respect to the Internal Restructuring, including Taxes arising from any retirement or settlement of intercompany debt; provided , however , that Internal Restructuring Taxes will not include (i) any Taxes for which Acquiror is liable under Section 2.02(a) or Section 2.02(c), or (ii) any liabilities for Taxes taken into account on the Cut-Off Date Adjustment Statement in Section 2.15 of the Transaction Agreement.

Internal SpinCo ” means any of the following entities: HFC Prestige Holding France S.A.S., HFC Prestige International Holding LUXEMBOURG S.à r.l., HFC Prestige International LUXEMBOURG S.à r.l., HFC Prestige International Netherlands Holding B.V., HFC Prestige International Operations Switzerland Sàrl, HFC Prestige International U.S. LLC, HFC Prestige Manufacturing Ireland Limited, HFC Prestige Manufacturing UK Limited, HFC Prestige Products Limited, HFC Prestige Service Germany GmbH, Labocos S.r.l. and Wella (UK) Limited.

Internal SpinCo ATOB ” means the active conduct (determined in accordance with Code Section 355(b)) of a business conducted by members of an Internal SpinCo Tax Group. For the avoidance of doubt, the members of an Internal SpinCo Tax Group will include only those members that are part of the “separate affiliated group” of the relevant Internal SpinCo within the meaning of Code Section 355(b)(3)(B).

Internal SpinCo Tax Group ” means any Internal SpinCo and each of its Subsidiaries, including any corporations that would be members of an affiliated group under the Internal SpinCo if they were includible corporations under Code Section 1504(b) (in each case, including any successors thereof).

IRS ” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.

 

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Joint Return ” means any Tax Return that includes at least one Parent Tax Group member and at least one Galleria Tax Group member.

Merger Sub ” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.

Parent ” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.

Parent Group Taxes ” means (a) any Tax imposed on or payable by the Parent Tax Group or any member thereof for any Tax period, other than any Galleria Group Taxes; (b) any Pre-Closing Tax imposed on or payable by the Galleria Tax Group or any member thereof, other than any Galleria Group Taxes; and (c) any Tax imposed with reference to (i) gain recognized under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-19(b) in connection with an excess loss account with respect to the stock of SplitCo or any member of the Galleria Tax Group at the time of the Distribution, (ii) net deferred gains taken into account under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-13(d) associated with deferred intercompany transactions between a Galleria Tax Group member and a Parent Tax Group member, or (iii) gains described in clause (i) or (ii) that are imposed under similar state, local or non-U.S. Law; in each case, other than Galleria Group Taxes and including, in each case, any relevant Tax liabilities arising from a Final Determination; provided , however , that Parent Group Taxes will not include any liabilities for Taxes taken into account on the Cut-Off Date Adjustment Statement in Section 2.15 of the Transaction Agreement or any Taxes attributable to a breach of any covenant or agreement contained in any Transaction Document to be performed by any of the Acquiror Tax Group or any of their Affiliates.

Parent Representation Letter ” means the representation letters executed by Parent in connection with the delivery of the Parent Tax Opinion.

Parent Stock Interests ” means any Stock Interests of Parent.

Parent Tax Assets ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.04.

Parent Tax Group ” means Parent and each of its Subsidiaries, including any corporations that would be members of an affiliated group if they were includible corporations under Code Section 1504(b) (in each case, including any successors thereof), but excluding any entity that is a member of the Galleria Tax Group.

Parent Tax Opinion ” means the opinion obtained by Parent with respect to the Galleria Transfer, the Distribution and the Merger described in Sections 7.03(c) and 7.03(d) of the Transaction Agreement.

Parties ” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.

Penalty Objection ” means a non-preparing party’s good faith, written determination that a position taken by a preparing party on a draft Galleria Separate Return subject to Section 3.01(b) would not satisfy the Applicable Penalty Standard.

 

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Pre-Closing Tax Period ” means any Tax period ending on or before the Closing Date, and, except for purposes of Article III and Article V, the portion of any Straddle Period ending on or before the Closing Date.

Pre-Closing Taxes ” means Taxes imposed (a) in, or allocable to, a Pre-Closing Tax Period (other than any Tax described in clause (c) of Galleria Group Taxes) or (b) by reason of being a member of any affiliated, consolidated, combined or unitary group at any time on or prior to the Closing Date, including by reason of Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6 or any similar provision of Law.

Refund ” means any cash refund of Taxes or reduction of Taxes by means of credit, offset or otherwise, together with any interest received or credited thereon.

Restricted Period ” means the period commencing upon the Closing Date and ending at the close of business on the first day following the second anniversary of the Closing Date.

Safe Harbor VIII Person ” means an Acquiror or SplitCo employee, independent contractor, director or other Person permitted to receive Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests under Safe Harbor VIII in Treasury Regulation Section 1.355-7(d) (treating for this purpose the acquisition of Acquiror Stock Interests as the acquisition of SplitCo Stock Interests pursuant to the application of Code Section 355(e)(4)(C)(ii)).

Section 336(e) Election ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.08 of this Agreement.

SplitCo ” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.

SplitCo Stock Interests ” means any Stock Interests of SplitCo.

Stock Interests ” means (a) all classes or series of outstanding capital stock or other equity (and instruments treated as equity) of an issuer for U.S. federal income Tax purposes, and (b) all options, warrants and other rights to acquire such stock or equity.

Straddle Period ” means a Tax period beginning on or before and ending after the Closing Date.

Tax ” or “ Taxes ” mean all forms of taxation, whenever created or imposed, and whether of the United States or elsewhere, and whether imposed by a federal, state, municipal, governmental, territorial, local, foreign or other body, and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, will include net income, gross income, gross receipts, sales, use, value added, ad valorem , transfer, recording, franchise, profits, license, lease, service, service use, payroll, wage, withholding, employment, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, social security, excise, severance, stamp, business license, business organization, occupation, premium, property, environmental, windfall profits, customs, duties, alternative minimum, estimated or other taxes, fees, premiums, assessments or charges of any kind whatever imposed or collected by any Taxing Authority, together with any related interest and any penalties, additions to such tax or additional amounts imposed with respect thereto by such Taxing Authority.

 

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Tax Arbiter ” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.01.

Tax Attributes ” means net operating losses, capital losses, investment credits, foreign Tax credits, excess charitable contributions, general business credits, or any other loss, deduction, credit or other comparable item that could reduce a Tax liability.

Tax Contest ” means an audit, a review, an examination or any other administrative or judicial proceeding with the purpose or effect of redetermining Taxes (including any administrative or judicial review of any Adjustment Request).

Tax Dispute ” means any dispute arising in connection with this Agreement.

Tax-Free Treatment ” means (i) the Galleria Transfer and Distribution, taken together, qualifying as a transaction (x) that is described in Code Sections 355(a) and 368(a)(1)(D), (y) in which the SplitCo Common Stock distributed is “qualified property” under Code Sections 355(c), (d) and (e) and 361(c), and (z) in which the shareholders of Parent recognize no income or gain for U.S. federal income Tax purposes under Code Section 355; (ii) the Merger qualifying as a reorganization under Code Section 368(a), in which the SplitCo shareholders recognize no income or gain for U.S. federal income Tax purposes (except to the extent of any cash received in lieu of fractional shares of Acquiror Common Stock); (iii) any Parent Cash Distribution qualifying as money transferred to Parent creditors in connection with the reorganization for purposes of Code Section 361(b); and (iv) to the extent applicable, any other transaction (or combination of transactions) undertaken pursuant to the Internal Restructuring qualifying for tax-free treatment under applicable Law, as determined by Parent pursuant to Section 3.02 below; provided , however , that any such transaction (or combination of transactions) undertaken pursuant to the Internal Restructuring, and its intended tax-free treatment, is described in an opinion, ruling from a Taxing Authority, or other document obtained or prepared by the Parent Tax Group (at its sole expense) that has been provided to Acquiror as of the date hereof. To the extent applicable, Tax-Free Treatment will also include the qualification of each transaction described in clauses (i)-(iv) above under comparable provisions of state and local Law.

Tax Return ” means any return, filing, report, questionnaire, information statement, claim for Refund or other document required or permitted to be filed, including any amendments or attachments thereto, for any Tax period with any Taxing Authority.

Taxing Authority ” means any Governmental Authority imposing Taxes.

Transaction Agreement ” means the Transaction Agreement, as may be amended from time to time, among Parent, SplitCo, Acquiror and Merger Sub, dated July 8, 2015, as amended.

Transaction Taxes ” means any Tax (other than a Transfer Tax) imposed on Parent or any of its Affiliates resulting from the failure of any of the Galleria Transfer, Distribution, Merger and Parent Cash Distribution (if any), or another transaction effected as part of the Internal Restructuring, to qualify for the Tax-Free Treatment.

 

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Transactions ” means the Galleria Transfer, Distribution, Merger, Parent Cash Distribution (if any) and Internal Restructuring, in each case, as contemplated by the Transaction Agreement.

Transfer Taxes ” means any stamp, sales, use, gross receipts, value added, goods and services, harmonized sales, land transfer or other transfer, intangible, recordation, registration, documentary or similar Taxes imposed in connection with, or that are otherwise related to, the Transactions; provided , however , that “Transfer Taxes” will not include any income or franchise Taxes (including any income or franchise Taxes payable in connection with the Transactions) or Taxes in lieu of any such income or franchise Taxes.

Unqualified Opinion ” means an opinion obtained by Acquiror (at its sole expense), in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Parent, providing without substantive qualification that the completion of a proposed action by the Acquiror Tax Group (or any member thereof) otherwise prohibited by Section 4.02 of this Agreement would not affect the Tax-Free Treatment. Any Unqualified Opinion will be delivered by nationally recognized U.S. tax counsel reasonably acceptable to Parent, and Parent shall use its reasonable best efforts to determine whether such Unqualified Opinion is reasonably satisfactory to Parent within ten (10) days of the receipt of such Unqualified Opinion by Parent. For the avoidance of doubt, an Unqualified Opinion will include an Equity Compensation Opinion.

Upfront Payment Requirement ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.02.

ARTICLE II

ALLOCATION OF TAXES

Section 2.01 Ordinary Course Taxes and Internal Restructuring Taxes .

(a) Except as provided in Sections 2.02 and 2.03 below, Parent will indemnify each Acquiror Tax Group member against, and hold it harmless from, all Parent Group Taxes and Internal Restructuring Taxes.

(b) Except as provided in Sections 2.02 and 2.03 below, each Acquiror Tax Group member, jointly and severally, will indemnify each Parent Tax Group member against, and hold it harmless from, all Galleria Group Taxes.

(c) If, with respect to any Galleria Group Tax, the Parent Tax Group receives (or realizes) a Refund, it will remit to SplitCo, within 30 days, the amount of such Refund net of any Taxes incurred by the Parent Tax Group in connection with the Refund.

(d) Except as provided in Section 2.01(e), if, with respect to any Parent Group Tax, the Acquiror Tax Group receives (or realizes) a Refund, it will remit to Parent, within 30 days, the amount of such Refund net of any Taxes incurred by the Acquiror Tax Group in connection with the Refund.

 

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(e) Acquiror will cause the Galleria Tax Group, except to the extent not permitted by Law, to elect to forego carrybacks of any Tax Attributes of the Galleria Tax Group to a Pre-Closing Tax Period. If the Parent Tax Group (or any member thereof) receives (or realizes) a Refund as a result of any carryback permitted by the previous sentence, it shall remit to Acquiror, within 30 days, the amount of such Refund net of any Taxes incurred by the Parent Tax Group (or any member thereof) in connection with the Refund; provided , however , that, if a Taxing Authority subsequently reduces or disallows such Refund, the Acquiror Tax Group shall, within 30 days of the reduction or disallowance, return so much of the amount previously remitted to Acquiror that was reduced or disallowed.

(f) Each Galleria Tax Group member will, unless prohibited by applicable Tax Law, close its taxable year on the Closing Date. If applicable Law does not permit a Galleria Tax Group member to close its taxable year on the Closing Date or in any case in which a Tax is assessed with respect to a Straddle Period, the Taxes, if any, attributable to a Straddle Period will be allocated (i) to the period up to and including the Closing Date, on the one hand, and (ii) to the period subsequent to the Closing Date, on the other hand, by means of a closing of the books and records of the Galleria Tax Group member as of the close of the Closing Date, provided that exemptions, allowances or deductions that are calculated on an annual basis (including depreciation and amortization deductions) and Taxes that are assessed on a periodic basis (such as real and personal property Taxes) will be allocated between the period ending on the Closing Date and the period after the Closing Date in proportion to the number of days in each such period.

Section 2.02 Transaction Taxes .

(a) Subject to Section 2.02(c) below, each Acquiror Tax Group member, jointly and severally, will indemnify each Parent Tax Group member against, and hold it harmless from, any Transaction Taxes to the extent relating to, resulting from or arising out of any of the following:

(i) the failure to be true and correct of any representation provided by the Acquiror Tax Group in the Acquiror Representation Letter or in Section 4.01 of this Agreement or;

(ii) the breach of any covenant or agreement contained in any Transaction Document to be performed by any of the Acquiror Tax Group or any of its Affiliates;

(iii) any action by the Acquiror Tax Group or any of its Affiliates in Section 4.02 without regard to Section 4.02(d) or the delivery of an Equity Compensation Opinion under Section 4.02(b)(i)(x); and

(iv) the direct or indirect acquisition by one or more Persons of Stock Interests representing a 50% or greater interest in SplitCo, all within the meaning of Code Section 355(e)(2)(A)(ii), that results in Transaction Taxes under Code Section 355(e) or (f), except where any such acquisition would not have been so taxable but for Parent’s breach of (i) Section 4.01(a)(iii) or (ii) the last sentence of Section 4.02(a).

 

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For the avoidance of doubt, the Acquiror Tax Group will not be liable for any Transaction Taxes, including pursuant to Section 2.02(c) below, solely by reason of (i) Acquiror’s execution, upon the consummation of the Merger, of a guarantee of SplitCo’s obligations under the Galleria Credit Facility, provided that SplitCo received a Bank Letter that satisfied the requirements of Section 5.12(a) of the Transaction Agreement, or (ii) the Acquiror Tax Group undertaking the Merger as contemplated by the Transaction Agreement.

(b) Subject to Section 2.02(c) and Section 2.02(d) below, Parent will indemnify each Acquiror Tax Group member against, and hold it harmless from, any Transaction Taxes to the extent relating to, resulting from or arising out of any of the following:

(i) the failure to be true and correct of any representation provided by Parent in the Parent Representation Letter or in Section 4.01 of this Agreement;

(ii) the breach of any covenant or agreement contained in any Transaction Document to be performed by the Parent Tax Group or any of its Affiliates; and

(iii) the direct or indirect acquisition by one or more Persons of Parent Stock Interests representing a 50% or greater interest in Parent, all within the meaning of Code Section 355(e)(2)(A)(ii), that results in Transaction Taxes under Code Section 355(e) or (f).

(c) If the liability for any Transaction Taxes is attributable to both (x) any item set forth in Section 2.02(a) above and (y) any item set forth in Section 2.02(b) above, then:

(i) such liability for any Transaction Taxes will be borne by Parent, on the one hand, and the Acquiror Tax Group, jointly and severally, on the other hand, according to relative fault; and

(ii) each of Parent, on the one hand, and the Acquiror Tax Group, jointly and severally, on the other hand, will indemnify the other Party against, and hold it harmless from, any Transaction Taxes for which such other Party is not liable under this Section 2.02(c).

(d) Parent will indemnify each Acquiror Tax Group member against, and hold it harmless from, any Transaction Taxes with respect to which neither Parent nor the Acquiror Tax Group is liable under Section 2.02(a) or 2.02(b) above.

(e) The Party liable for any Transaction Taxes (including, where applicable, a portion of any liability for Transaction Taxes) will be entitled to any Refund of such Transaction Taxes (including, where applicable, a portion of any Refund of such Transaction Taxes), and, if another Party receives (or realizes) any such Refund, such Party will, within 30 days, remit the amount of such Refund, net of any Taxes incurred by such Party in connection with such Refund, to the Party entitled to such Refund under this Agreement.

 

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Section 2.03 Transfer Taxes .

(a) Each of Parent, on the one hand, and the Acquiror Tax Group, jointly and severally, on the other hand, will be liable for and will indemnify the other Party against, and hold it harmless from, 50% of any Transfer Taxes up to an aggregate amount of $10,000,000, and Parent will indemnify the Acquiror Tax Group against, and hold it harmless from, any Transfer Taxes in excess of such amount.

(b) The Party liable for any Transfer Taxes (including, where applicable, a portion of any liability for Transfer Taxes) will be entitled to any Refund of such Transfer Taxes (including, where applicable, a portion of any Refund of such Transfer Taxes), and, if another Party receives (or realizes) any such Refund, such Party will, within 30 days, remit the amount of such Refund, net of any Taxes incurred by such Party in connection with such Refund, to the Party entitled to such Refund under this Agreement.

Section 2.04 Entitlement to Tax Attributes .

(a) The Parent Tax Group will be entitled to any Tax Attributes of the Galleria Tax Group relating to (i) the exercise of compensatory stock options and other equity-based compensation issued on or prior to the Distribution with respect to Parent stock that the Parent Tax Group satisfies by delivering cash or Parent stock, and (ii) and any payments made by any Parent Tax Group member with respect to any allocated employee compensation costs and any severance bonuses or other similar compensatory payments made by any Parent Tax Group member to employees that become employees of the Galleria Tax Group in connection with the Transactions (clauses (i)-(ii), collectively, the “ Parent Tax Assets ”). Parent shall be responsible for any wage or payroll withholding Taxes attributable to the exercise or vesting of options or payment of compensation described in clauses (i) and (ii) above, to the extent that such liability is a legal obligation of the Parent Tax Group as employer. The Acquiror Tax Group will be required to make a payment to Parent in the event the Acquiror Tax Group actually utilizes any Parent Tax Assets to reduce the Tax liability of the Acquiror Tax Group. The amount of any such payment will equal the overall net reduction in Tax liability realized by the Acquiror Tax Group as a result of utilizing the relevant Parent Tax Assets, taking into account the net effect of all federal, state and local Taxes (including any wage or payroll withholding Taxes borne by the Acquiror Tax Group as employer attributable to the exercise or vesting of options or payment of compensation described in clauses (i) and (ii) above), and will be made within 30 days after the Acquiror Tax Group realizes such reduction in Tax liability by way of a Refund or otherwise. To the extent any Parent Tax Assets are subsequently increased for any reason and are actually utilized by the Acquiror Tax Group, the Acquiror Tax Group will pay Parent for the benefit of any such increase in a manner consistent with this Section 2.04(a). To the extent, following a Final Determination, the Acquiror Tax Group (or any member thereof) is unable to utilize a Parent Tax Asset to reduce its Tax liability, then Parent shall repay to the Acquiror Tax Group any amount previously paid to Parent with respect to such Parent Tax Asset as reduced by the amount of any related wage or payroll withholding Taxes borne by Parent, plus interest (at the rate determined under applicable Tax Law) from the date of payment to Parent through the date of Parent’s repayment.

 

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(b) Parent will in good faith advise Acquiror of the portion, if any, of any earnings and profits, overall foreign loss or other Tax asset (including any such assets determined on a consolidated, combined or unitary basis) which Parent determines will be allocated or apportioned to the Galleria Tax Group under applicable Law. The Acquiror Tax Group will cause its members to prepare all Tax Returns in accordance with this Section 2.04(b) and will not take any position inconsistent herewith in any Tax Contest, unless, and then only to the extent, an alternative position is required pursuant to a Final Determination.

Section 2.05 Additional Costs .

Each Party will be entitled to indemnification for Additional Costs related to any indemnity payment under this Agreement.

Section 2.06 No Duplicative Payment

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, it is intended that the provisions of this Agreement will not result in a duplicative payment of any amount required to be paid under any Transaction Document, and this Agreement will be construed accordingly.

Section 2.07 Exclusive Remedy .

In accordance with Section 9.07 of the Transaction Agreement, the sole and exclusive remedy of a Party with respect to any and all claims relating to Taxes addressed in this Agreement, including claims with respect to a breach of the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.01 or the covenants set forth in Section 4.02 hereof, will be pursuant to the indemnification provisions set forth in this Article II.

ARTICLE III

TAX RETURN FILING AND PAYMENT OBLIGATIONS

Section 3.01 Tax Return Preparation and Filing

(a) Parent will (i) prepare and file, or will cause to be prepared and filed, all Joint Returns, and (ii) subject to Section 3.01(b), all Galleria Separate Returns and any related documents or statements required (or permitted) to be filed by any Galleria Tax Group member for a Pre-Closing Tax Period, and will pay, or will cause to be paid, all Taxes shown to be due and payable on such Tax Returns, other than any Galleria Group Taxes. Acquiror will prepare and file, or will cause to be prepared and filed, subject to Section 3.01(b), all Galleria Separate Returns and any related documents or statements required (or permitted) to be filed by any Galleria Tax Group member for a Straddle Period, and will pay, or will cause to be paid, all Taxes shown to be due and payable on such Tax Returns, other than any Parent Group Taxes. Except as provided in Section 2.01(f), Section 3.01(b), Section 3.01(c) or Section 3.02, the Party required to prepare a Tax Return will determine, with respect to such return: (i) the manner in which such Tax Return will be prepared and filed, including the manner in which any item of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit will be reported thereon and the allocation of items, (ii) whether any extensions of time to file any such Tax Return will be requested or any amended

 

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Tax Return will be filed, and (iii) the elections that will be made on any such Tax Return; provided , however , that, in the absence of a change in Law or circumstances requiring the contrary, Galleria Separate Returns and the portion of any Joint Return relating to a member of the Galleria Tax Group shall be prepared, where applicable, on a basis consistent with the Galleria Tax Group’s elections, accounting methods, conventions and principles of taxation used for the most recent Tax periods for which Tax Returns of the Galleria Tax Group involving similar matters have been filed. Notwithstanding the prior sentence, if any member of the Galleria Tax Group has not previously filed a Tax Return as of the Closing Date, Parent will, upon Acquiror’s reasonable written request, make Tax elections and adopt Tax accounting methods on an applicable Galleria Separate Return filed after the Closing Date as reasonably specified by Acquiror in writing; provided , however , that any incremental Tax liabilities resulting from any such Tax elections and/or Tax method adoptions will constitute Galleria Group Taxes which are the responsibility of the Acquiror Tax Group pursuant to Section 2.01(b), determined on a “with and without” basis by reference to the Taxes that the Parent Tax Group would have paid but for accepting Acquiror’s requested Tax elections and/or Tax accounting methods under this Section 3.01(a).

(b) The Party that is required to prepare a Galleria Separate Return will submit to the other Party a draft of any such Galleria Separate Return required to be filed after the Closing Date at least 30 days prior to the due date (taking into account any applicable extensions) for filing such Tax Return. The non-preparing party will be deemed to have agreed to the applicable Tax Return, as prepared by the preparing party, unless the non-preparing party delivers a Penalty Objection to the preparing party within 10 days of delivery of such Tax Return. If the non-preparing party delivers to the preparing party a timely Penalty Objection, the Parties will negotiate in good faith to resolve all disputed issues. If the Parties are unable to resolve all disputed issues within the following 10-day period, the Parties will submit the remaining disputed issues to the Tax Arbiter for resolution at least 5 days prior to the due date for filing the applicable Tax Return (including extensions). The preparing party’s return positions with respect to the disputed issues will be upheld except for any such positions that the Tax Arbiter concludes do not satisfy the Applicable Penalty Standard.

(c) Acquiror will not cause or permit any Galleria Tax Group member to file any amended Tax Return (other than any amendment to effect a carryback of a post-Closing Tax Attribute, which carryback the relevant Galleria Tax Group member is not permitted under applicable Law to elect to forego) or agree to extend the statute of limitation with respect to a Pre-Closing Tax Period or a Straddle Period, in each case, without the prior written consent of Parent, which consent may be withheld in Parent’s sole discretion.

(d) Except as required by any Transaction Document, Acquiror will not, and will not cause or permit any Galleria Tax Group member to, take any action on the Closing Date other than in the ordinary course of business, including the sale of any assets, distribution of any money or other property (other than the Recapitalization Amount, which for the avoidance of doubt will occur before the Distribution) or making of any Tax election.

 

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Section 3.02 Tax Reporting .

The Parties will report the Transactions for all Tax purposes in a manner consistent with the Parent Tax Opinion, and will report the Internal Restructuring in the manner determined by Parent and communicated by Parent to Acquiror no fewer than 30 days prior to the due date (taking into account any applicable extensions) for filing an applicable Tax Return that reflects the Transactions, in each case, unless, and then only to the extent, an alternative position is required pursuant to a Final Determination.

ARTICLE IV

TAX-FREE TREATMENT OF EXCHANGE & RELATED TRANSACTIONS

Section 4.01 Representations .

(a) Parent represents and warrants that, as of the Closing Date, (i) all representations in the Transaction Documents by or about the Galleria Tax Group and the Galleria Business, are true, correct and complete in all material respects, and Parent is unaware of any fact that could cause any of the relevant Transactions to fail to qualify for Tax-Free Treatment, (ii) it has no plan or intention to take any action inconsistent with the Parent Representation Letter or any covenant or agreement of any Parent Tax Group member set forth in any Transaction Document, and (iii) no pre-Distribution acquisition or sale of Parent Stock Interests (other than any acquisition by Acquiror or any of its Affiliates) will be part of a plan (or series of related transactions), within the meaning of Code Section 355(e)(2)(A)(ii) and Treasury Regulations Section 1.355-7(b), that includes the Distribution.

(b) Each of Acquiror and Merger Sub represents and warrants that, as of the Effective Time, (i) all statements in the Transaction Documents by or about the Acquiror Pre-Merger Group, and any member thereof, are true, correct and complete in all material respects, and none of Acquiror or Merger Sub is aware of any fact that could cause any Transaction to fail to qualify for Tax-Free Treatment, and (ii) it has no plan or intention to take any action inconsistent with the Acquiror Representation Letter or any covenant or agreement of any Galleria Tax Group or Acquiror Pre-Merger Group member set forth in any Transaction Document.

(c) Each of the Parties represents and warrants that, as of the Closing Date, neither it nor any Affiliate thereof (or any officers or directors acting on its behalf, or any Person acting with the implicit or explicit permission of any such officers or directors) had any agreement, understanding, arrangement or substantial negotiations, as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.355-7(h), during the preceding 2-year period pursuant to which any Person would (directly or indirectly) acquire, or have the right to acquire, SplitCo Stock Interests, except as contemplated by the Transaction Documents.

(d) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Acquiror and Merger Sub further represent and warrant that (i) immediately before the Effective Time, the number of shares of Acquiror stock treated as outstanding for purposes of Code Section 355(e) will not exceed 348,400,000; and (ii) as of the Effective Time, (t) all repurchases by Acquiror or any

 

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Affiliate of Acquiror stock (other than any such repurchases permitted by the letter agreements, dated as of August 13, 2015 and as of February 19, 2016, among the Parties) have been unrelated to the Transactions, (u) all shares of Class B Common Stock have been converted into shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to the JAB Letter Agreement in a transaction intended to qualify as a reorganization pursuant to Code Section 368(a)(1)(E) and/or an exchange pursuant to Code Section 1036, (v) Acquiror has no plan or intention to issue any additional class of Stock Interests other than Class A Common Stock or Series A Preferred Stock, (w) Acquiror has no plan or intention to modify in any respect any of the terms of Class A Common Stock, (x) Acquiror’s board of directors has and will continue to have during the Restricted Period, and Acquiror has no plan or intention that, after the Restricted Period, the board of directors will not continue to have all of the powers traditionally decided by a board of directors to manage Acquiror in the manner the board sees fit, (y) except as set forth on Schedule 1 attached hereto, Acquiror does not have a “controlling shareholder” or a “ten-percent shareholder”, in each case, within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.355-7, and (z) none of Acquiror, Merger Sub or any Person related to Acquiror within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.368-1(e)(4) owns, directly or through any transaction, agreement or arrangement with any Person, any Parent stock. For the avoidance of doubt, for purposes of the calculation in clause (i) of the first sentence of this Section 4.01(d), any Acquiror stock, Acquiror restricted stock, options to acquire Acquiror stock, Acquiror deferred stock units and any other Acquiror equity-based compensation outstanding immediately before the Effective Time shall be treated as vested or exercised, as the case may be, and the resulting Acquiror stock shall be treated as outstanding stock.

Section 4.02 Covenants .

(a) During the Restricted Period, (i) neither Parent nor any of its Affiliates (or any officers or directors acting on behalf of Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Person acting with the implicit or explicit permission of any such officers or directors) will take or fail to take any action if such action (or the failure to take such action) would (x) be inconsistent with any covenant, representation or agreement made by Parent or any of its Affiliates in the Parent Representation Letter or in any Transaction Document, or (y) prevent, or be reasonably likely to prevent, any of the relevant Transactions from qualifying for Tax-Free Treatment; and (ii) none of Acquiror, SplitCo or any of their Affiliates (or any officers or directors acting on behalf of Acquiror, SplitCo or any of their Subsidiaries, or any Person acting with the implicit or explicit permission of any such officers or directors) will take or fail to take any action if such action (or the failure to take such action) would (x) be inconsistent with any covenant, representation or agreement made by Acquiror, SplitCo or any of their Affiliates in the Acquiror Representation Letter or in any Transaction Document, or (y) prevent, or be reasonably likely to prevent, any of the Transactions from qualifying for Tax-Free Treatment. Parent further acknowledges and agrees that, after the Merger and through the completion of the Restricted Period, neither Parent nor any of its Affiliates will acquire or transfer any Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests.

 

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(b) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, during the Restricted Period, subject to Section 4.02(d), none of Acquiror, SplitCo or any of their Affiliates (or any officers or directors acting on behalf of Acquiror, SplitCo or any of their Subsidiaries, or any Person acting with the implicit or explicit permission of any such officers or directors) will:

(i) enter into any agreement, understanding, arrangement or substantial negotiations, as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.355-7(h), pursuant to which any Person would (directly or indirectly) acquire, or have the right to acquire, any Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests. For these purposes, an acquisition of Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests, as applicable, will include, without limitation, any recapitalization, repurchase or redemption of Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests; any adoption, modification or amendment of an employee stock purchase agreement, equity-based compensation plan or other similar agreement, plan or arrangement; any issuance of Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests (including any nonvoting stock or equity and any class of Acquiror Stock Interests other than Class A Common Stock) or an instrument exchangeable or convertible into such Stock Interests (whether pursuant to an exercise of stock options, as a result of a capital contribution to Acquiror or SplitCo, as applicable, or otherwise); any option grant; any conversion of Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests, as applicable, into another class of such Stock Interests; or any amendment to the certificate of incorporation (or other organizational document) of Acquiror or SplitCo, as applicable, or any change in the terms of any Stock Interests or any other action (whether effected through a shareholder vote or otherwise) (including through the conversion of any Stock Interests into another class of such Stock Interests) that is treated as increasing a Person’s percentage interest for U.S. federal income Tax purposes in Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests, as applicable; or any entry into a joint venture that includes assets of Acquiror, SplitCo or any of their Affiliates; provided , however , that (u) SplitCo shall be permitted to issue Stock Interests to Acquiror; (v) vesting of any restricted stock or deferred stock units outstanding as of the Effective Time (and included within the number of shares of Acquiror stock treated as outstanding in Section 4.01(d)(i) hereof) shall not be treated as an acquisition of Acquiror Stock Interests for purposes of this Section 4.02(b)(i); (w) Acquiror shall be permitted to issue Acquiror Stock Interests to any Person pursuant to the exercise of an option to acquire Acquiror Stock Interests that was granted at or prior to the Effective Time (and included within the number of shares of Acquiror stock treated as outstanding in Section 4.01(d)(i) hereof); (x) after Parent’s receipt and acceptance of, and solely to the extent consistent with, an Equity Compensation Opinion, Acquiror or SplitCo, as applicable, may adopt, amend or modify an employee stock purchase agreement, equity compensation agreement, retirement plan or other compensation arrangement and may issue Acquiror or SplitCo options, restricted stock and/or deferred stock units and the shares of Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests issued upon the exercise or vesting, as applicable, of such options, restricted stock and/or deferred stock units, and any such shares will not be treated as an acquisition of Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests, provided , however , that the Acquiror Tax Group will deliver an Equity Compensation Opinion to Parent prior to the adoption, amendment or modification of any such agreement, plan or arrangement or issuance of any Acquiror or SplitCo options, restricted stock and/or deferred stock units after the Distribution pursuant to an employee stock purchase agreement, equity compensation agreement, retirement plan or other compensation arrangement that is described in the opinion (such arrangement, the “ Covered Compensation Arrangement ”), and the Acquiror Tax Group may rely on an Equity Compensation Opinion for all issuances under the Covered Compensation Arrangement until the earlier of (i) any

 

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amendment of the Covered Compensation Arrangement, or (ii) a change in applicable Tax Law; (y) subject to compliance with Section 4.02(d), Acquiror may redeem, retire, repurchase or otherwise acquire Acquiror Stock Interests in a manner that complies with the requirements of Revenue Procedure 96-30 (as in effect prior to the release of Revenue Procedure 2003-48), except that the maximum amount of Acquiror Stock Interests permitted to be repurchased under this clause (y) shall be reduced by the amount of any SplitCo Stock Interests treated as retained for U.S. federal income Tax purposes by Parent or any of its Affiliates after the Transactions; and (z) Acquiror may adopt a shareholder rights plan (and issue Stock Interests in accordance therewith) that is described in or is similar to the shareholder rights plan described in IRS Revenue Ruling 90-11 (for this purpose a shareholder rights plan will be considered similar to the plan described in IRS Revenue Ruling 90-11 only if the principal purpose for the adoption of the plan proving for such rights is to establish a mechanism by which a publicly held corporation can, in the future, provide shareholders with rights to purchase stock at substantially less than fair market value as a means of responding to unsolicited offers to acquire the corporation).

(ii) merge or consolidate Acquiror or SplitCo or any Subsidiary of SplitCo with any other Person (where Acquiror, SplitCo or a Subsidiary of SplitCo, as applicable, is not the surviving company in the merger or consolidation), or liquidate (including any liquidation effected pursuant to a merger, consolidation or conversion) or partially liquidate Acquiror, SplitCo or any Subsidiary of SplitCo, other than any merger, consolidation, liquidation or partial liquidation that is disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

(iii) cause or permit Acquiror, SplitCo or any Subsidiary of SplitCo (in the case of a Subsidiary, if such Subsidiary is treated immediately after the Merger as a corporation for U.S. federal income Tax purposes) to be treated as other than a corporation for U.S. federal income Tax purposes;

(iv) discontinue, sell, transfer or cease to maintain the Active Trade or Business, or engage in any transaction that could result in SplitCo ceasing to be a company whose separate affiliated group, as defined in Code Section 355(b)(3)(B), is so engaged; provided , however , that, (A) after the Distribution, the Galleria Tax Group will be permitted to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of (x) inventory or other assets in the ordinary course of business, and (y) subject to the requirements of Schedule 2 , up to 20% of its non-inventory assets (determined based on the fair market value of the Galleria Tax Group’s assets immediately before the Closing Date) in the aggregate and use the proceeds from any such dispositions described in this clause (y) to repay debt or fund capital requirements for business activities or for other bona fide corporate business purposes and (B) for purposes of this Section 4.02(b)(iv), a sale, transfer or other disposition of any assets from one member of SplitCo’s separate affiliated group, as defined in Code Section 355(b)(3)(B), to another such member shall not be taken into account;

 

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(v) cause or permit any Subsidiary of SplitCo to issue any Stock Interests that would cause SplitCo and such Subsidiary to fail to be members of the same separate affiliated group, as defined in Code Section 355(b)(3)(B); or

(vi) take any action that permits a proposed acquisition of Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests, as applicable, to occur by means of an agreement to which none of Acquiror, SplitCo or any of their Affiliates is a party, including by (x) soliciting any Person to make a tender offer for, or otherwise acquire or sell, Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests, as applicable, or approving or otherwise permitting any such transaction, whether for purposes of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporate Law or any similar corporate statute, any “fair price” or other provision of Acquiror’s or SplitCo’s charter or bylaws (and, in each case, any equivalent document thereof) or otherwise, (y) participating in or otherwise supporting any unsolicited tender offer for, or other unsolicited acquisition or disposition of, Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests, as applicable, or approving or otherwise permitting any such transaction, or (z) redeeming rights under a shareholder rights plan, making a determination that a tender offer is a “permitted offer” under any such plan or otherwise causing any such plan to be inapplicable or neutralized with respect to any proposed acquisition of Acquiror Stock Interests or SplitCo Stock Interests, as applicable.

(c) To the extent that, as a result of a subsequent amendment to the Code and/or the Treasury Regulations, any action or a failure to take any action by a Parent Tax Group member, on the one hand, or an Acquiror Tax Group member, on the other hand, could affect any Transaction’s qualification for Tax-Free Treatment, then the covenants contained in Section 4.02(a)(i)(y) and in Section 4.02(a)(ii)(y) will automatically be deemed to incorporate by reference such actions and the failure to take such actions, and the Parties will comply with the requirements of the relevant amendment through the end of the Restricted Period; provided , however , that, for the avoidance of doubt, no such action or failure to take any such action before the date the relevant amendment is enacted shall constitute a breach of such Sections to the extent such actions or failure to take such actions would not have otherwise constituted a breach of such Sections before such date.

(d) None of the Acquiror Tax Group or any of its Affiliates will take any action prohibited above, unless (i) Parent receives prior written notice describing the proposed action in reasonable detail, and (ii) the Acquiror Tax Group delivers to Parent an Unqualified Opinion, and Parent, in its reasonable discretion, which discretion will be exercised in good faith solely to preserve the Tax-Free Treatment, provides its written consent permitting such proposed action to occur in the manner specifically described by the Acquiror Tax Group in the relevant written notice and Unqualified Opinion delivered pursuant to this Section 4.02(d). Parent’s obligation to cooperate in connection with the Acquiror Tax Group’s delivery of an Unqualified Opinion is as expressly set forth in Section 5.06(b) below. For the avoidance of doubt, the Parent Tax Group’s right to indemnification for Transaction Taxes will be determined without regard to whether the Acquiror Tax Group satisfies any or all of the requirements of this provision, including by delivery of an Unqualified Opinion.

 

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(e) After the Distribution, Acquiror will cause SplitCo to maintain its books and records for financial reporting and U.S. federal income Tax purposes using the accrual method of accounting.

(f) During the Restricted Period, none of Acquiror, SplitCo or any of their Affiliates will take any action listed on Schedule 2 attached hereto that is reasonably expected to create a significant Tax liability for Parent (or any Affiliate thereof) for a Pre-Closing Tax Period or with respect to which Parent would otherwise be liable under this Agreement.

(g) During the Restricted Period, Acquiror will cause the Galleria Tax Group to maintain in Geneva, Switzerland at least the same number of employees as were employed in such location by the Parent Tax Group with respect to the Galleria Business immediately prior to the Closing.

Section 4.03 Tax Sharing Agreements .

With effect as of the Distribution Date, Parent will terminate (or cause to be terminated) all Tax sharing, allocation, indemnification and other similar agreements with respect to any Galleria Tax Group member, excluding customary indemnity provisions included as part of any commercial agreement that is assumed in connection with the Transactions.

Section 4.04 IRS Ruling Requests.

Each Party covenants and agrees that, subsequent to the Closing Date, it will not file, and it will cause its Affiliates to refrain from filing, any ruling request with the IRS in respect of any part of the Transactions or that may reasonably be expected to have any effect on the Tax treatment of the Transactions.

ARTICLE V

TAX CONTESTS; INDEMNIFICATION; COOPERATION

Section 5.01 Notice .

Within 30 days after a Party (the “ Indemnitee ”) becomes aware of the existence of a Tax Contest that may give rise to an indemnification claim by such Party against another Party under this Agreement (each such Party, an “ Indemnifying Party ”), the Indemnitee will promptly notify the Indemnifying Parties of the Tax Contest, and thereafter will promptly forward or make available to the Indemnifying Parties copies of all notices and communications with a Taxing Authority solely to the extent relating to such Tax Contest; provided , however , that any delay on the part of the Indemnitee in notifying the Indemnifying Parties will not relieve the Indemnifying Parties from any obligation hereunder unless (and then solely to the extent) the Indemnifying Parties are actually prejudiced thereby.

 

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Section 5.02 Control of Tax Contests .

Parent will have the right to (a) contest, compromise or settle any adjustment or deficiency proposed or asserted with respect to any Tax liability of a Parent Tax Group member or a Galleria Tax Group member for a Pre-Closing Tax Period or with respect to a Joint Return, and (b) file, prosecute, compromise or settle any Adjustment Request (and determine the manner in which any Refund will be received) with respect to any Tax for such period or return; provided , however , that (i) in the case of a Galleria Separate Return, the Acquiror Tax Group will have the right to actively participate in any action set forth in clauses (a) and (b) above if such action could result in any Galleria Group Taxes or any Transaction Taxes with respect to which the Acquiror Tax Group could be liable, and, solely to the extent such Tax Contest relates to Galleria Group Taxes or any Transaction Taxes with respect to which the Acquiror Tax Group has previously acknowledged its liability in writing, Acquiror will have the same rights and obligations with respect to any settlement or compromise of such Tax Contest as Acquiror will have in the case of a settlement or compromise of a Tax Contest involving a Joint Return under clause (ii) immediately below; and (ii) in the case of a Joint Return, solely to the extent such Tax Contest relates to Transaction Taxes with respect to which the Acquiror Tax Group could be liable, in whole or in part, under Section 2.02 (an “ Acquiror Issue ”), Parent will reasonably consult with Acquiror with respect to Parent’s defense and control of such Tax Contest exclusively with respect to the Acquiror Issue, including through the following: (x) Parent will keep Acquiror fully informed, in all material respects, regarding the progress of the prosecution or defense of such Tax Contest, (y) Parent will promptly provide Acquiror with copies of any correspondence received from any Taxing Authority in connection with such Tax Contest, and (z) Parent will provide Acquiror with drafts of any correspondence from Parent to any Taxing Authority in connection with such Tax Contest and will provide Acquiror with a reasonable opportunity to comment on such correspondence; provided , further , that, if the Acquiror Tax Group acknowledges its liability in writing for all or the relevant percentage (in each case, as determined pursuant to Section 2.02) of the Transaction Taxes that would be owed to a Taxing Authority in the event of an adverse determination with respect to the Acquiror Issue, Parent will, subject to the Upfront Payment Requirement (as defined below), not settle or compromise any such contest without Acquiror’s written consent, which consent may not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned; provided , further , however , that, if Acquiror withholds its consent to a settlement or compromise described in the immediately preceding proviso, the Acquiror Tax Group will be liable for all or the relevant percentage (in each case, as determined pursuant to Section 2.02) of the Transaction Taxes resulting from a Final Determination to the extent the basis for the Final Determination is such that the Acquiror Tax Group would have liability, in whole or in part, under Section 2.02 for the applicable Transaction Taxes, or for all of the Transaction Taxes resulting from a Final Determination if such Final Determination fails to clearly articulate the basis for liability such that it is not reasonably ascertainable which Party would be liable for the Transaction Taxes under this Agreement. Parent and Acquiror will use their reasonable best efforts to ensure that the Final Determination clearly provides the basis for such determination. Acquiror will have the right to (I) contest, compromise or settle any adjustment or deficiency proposed or asserted with respect to any Tax liability included in any Galleria Separate Return for a Straddle Period, and (II) file, prosecute, compromise or settle any Adjustment Request (and determine the manner in which any Refund will be received) with respect to any Tax for such period; provided , however , that Parent will have the right to actively participate in any action set forth in clauses (I) and (II) above if such action could result in any

 

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Parent Group Taxes or any Transaction Taxes with respect to which Parent has previously acknowledged its liability in writing, and Acquiror will, subject to the Upfront Payment Requirement, not settle or compromise any such contest without Parent’s written consent, which consent may not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned. If Parent or Acquiror, as the case may be, properly objects to a proposed settlement or compromise of a Tax Contest under this Section 5.02, and it is necessary under applicable Law to pay the asserted deficiency in order to pursue the Tax Contest, Parent or Acquiror, as the case may be, will pay, or provide Acquiror or Parent, as applicable, with funds necessary to pay the Tax deficiency that has been asserted in connection with the Tax Contest and will be entitled to be repaid any such amounts recovered by any Acquiror Tax Group or Parent Tax Group member, as the case may be, together with any interest received or credited thereon as a result of any such Tax Contest (the “ Upfront Payment Requirement ”).

Section 5.03 Indemnification Payments .

An Indemnitee will be entitled to make a claim for payment pursuant to this Agreement at the time the Indemnitee determines that it is entitled to such payment. The Indemnitee will provide to the Indemnifying Parties notice of such claim within 10 days of the date on which such Indemnitee first determines that it is entitled to claim such payment, including a description of such claim and a detailed calculation of the amount of the indemnification payment that is claimed; provided , however , that any delay on the part of the Indemnitee in notifying an Indemnifying Party will not relieve the Indemnifying Party from any obligation hereunder unless (and then solely to the extent) the Indemnifying Party is actually prejudiced thereby. Unless the Indemnifying Party reasonably disputes its liability for, or the amount of, an indemnity payment, such Party will make the claimed payment to the Indemnitee within 10 days after receiving notice of (a) the Indemnitee’s payment of a Tax for which the Indemnifying Party is liable under this Agreement or (b) a Final Determination which results in the Indemnifying Party becoming obligated to make a payment to the Indemnitee under this Agreement.

Section 5.04 Interest on Late Payments .

With respect to any indemnification payment (including any disputed payment that is ultimately required to be paid) not made by the due date for payment set forth in this Agreement, interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to (a) the prime lending rate at Citibank N.A. (or its successor or another major money center commercial bank agreed to by the Parties) in effect on the applicable payment due date, plus (b) 3%.

Section 5.05 Treatment of Indemnity Payments .

Except for any payment of interest under Section 5.04 and in the absence of a Final Determination to the contrary, any amount payable with respect to any Tax under this Agreement will be treated as occurring immediately prior to the Distribution, as an inter-company distribution or a contribution to capital, as the case may be. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the amount of any indemnity payment under this Agreement will be (a) decreased to take into account any Tax benefit actually realized by the Indemnitee (or an Affiliate thereof) arising from the incurrence or payment of the relevant indemnified item, and (b) increased to

 

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take into account any Tax cost actually incurred by the Indemnitee (or an Affiliate thereof) arising from the receipt of the relevant indemnity payment. Any indemnity payment will initially be made without regard to this Section 5.05 and will be reduced or increased to reflect any applicable Tax benefit or Tax cost, as the case may be, within 30 days after the Indemnitee (or an Affiliate thereof) actually realizes such Tax benefit or incurs such Tax cost by way of a Refund, an increase in Taxes or otherwise. In the event of a Final Determination relating to the Indemnitee’s (or its Affiliate’s) incurrence or payment of an indemnified item and/or receipt of an indemnity payment pursuant to this Section 5.05, the Indemnitee will, within 30 days of such Final Determination, provide the other Parties with notice thereof and supporting documentation addressing, in reasonable detail, the amount of any reduction or increase in Taxes of the Indemnitee (or its Affiliate) resulting from such Final Determination, and the Parties will promptly make any payments necessary to reflect the relevant reduction or increase in Tax liability. Notwithstanding anything in this Section 5.05 to the contrary, this Section 5.05 will not apply to any Tax benefits attributable to the Section 336(e) Election addressed in Section 5.08.

Section 5.06 Cooperation .

(a) Pursuant to this Agreement, each member of the Parent Tax Group, on the one hand, and the Acquiror Tax Group, on the other hand, will cooperate with all reasonable requests from the other Parties in connection with the preparation and filing of Tax Returns and Adjustment Requests, the resolution of Tax Contests and any other matters covered herein. If any Parties fail to comply with any of their obligations set forth in this Section 5.06(a), and such failure results in the imposition of additional Taxes on the requesting Party or any of its Affiliates, the nonperforming Party will be liable for such additional Taxes.

(b) In connection with the foregoing, Parent will, at the Acquiror Tax Group’s sole expense, reasonably cooperate with the Acquiror Tax Group, upon its written request, in connection with obtaining an Unqualified Opinion, provided that Parent’s cooperation will include providing any information, submissions, representations and covenants reasonably requested by a recipient that has previously executed with Parent an appropriate confidentiality agreement, in form and substance satisfactory to Parent and that permits reliance by Parent; provided , further , that Parent’s cooperation (including through the provision of information, submissions, representations or covenants) will not affect the Parent Tax Group’s indemnity obligation for Taxes under this Agreement, decrease in any respect the Acquiror Tax Group’s indemnity obligation for Taxes under this Agreement or cause any member of the Parent Tax Group to have any liability to any third party.

Section 5.07 Confidentiality .

Any information or document provided under this Agreement will be kept confidential by the recipient Parties, except as may otherwise be necessary in connection with the filing of any Tax Return, the resolution of any Tax Contest or as required by applicable Law or a Final Determination. In addition, if Parent or Acquiror determines that providing any information or document could be commercially detrimental, violate any Law or agreement or waive any privilege, the Parties will use their reasonable best efforts to permit compliance with the obligations under this Agreement in a manner that avoids any such harm or consequence.

 

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Section 5.08 Section 336(e) Election .

Pursuant to Treasury Regulation Sections 1.336-2(h)(1)(i) and 1.336-2(j), Parent will make a timely protective election under Code Section 336(e) and the Treasury Regulations issued thereunder and any similar provision of state or local Tax Law (and any related elections as determined by Parent) with respect to the Distribution (collectively, a “ Section 336(e) Election ”). If and to the extent that the Tax-Free Treatment does not apply with respect to the Distribution, and any resulting Transaction Taxes (including any Taxes attributable to the Section 336(e) Election) are considered Taxes for which Parent is liable under Section 2.02, then, to that extent, Parent will be entitled to quarterly payments from the Acquiror Tax Group of the actual Tax savings arising from the step-up in Tax basis resulting from the Section 336(e) Election, determined using a “with and without” methodology (treating any deductions attributable to the step-up in tax basis resulting from the Section 336(e) Election as the last items claimed for any taxable year including after the utilization of any available net operating loss carryforwards); provided , however , that, if the Acquiror Tax Group, on the one hand, and Parent, on the other hand, are liable for Transaction Taxes pursuant to Section 2.02(c), then the Acquiror Tax Group will pay to Parent each quarter the percentage of the Tax savings equal to Parent’s share of the relative fault expressed as a percentage determined pursuant to Section 2.02(c); and provided , further , however , that all payments made to Parent under this Section 5.08 will be reduced by a reasonable charge for administrative expenses and other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses of the Acquiror Tax Group that are necessary to secure the Tax savings, including expenses paid or incurred in connection with a Tax Contest or to amend a Tax Return.

Section 5.09 Term of Tax Indemnity .

Each of the representations and warranties contained in Section 3.11 (Taxes) and Section 4.12 (Taxes) of the Transaction Agreement, the representations and warranties of the Parties contained in this Agreement and the covenants and other obligations of the Parties contained herein will survive until 60 days after the expiration of all applicable statutes of limitations (taking into account all validly obtained extensions thereof).

ARTICLE VI

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Section 6.01 Tax Disputes .

The Parties will endeavor, and will cause their respective Affiliates to endeavor, to resolve in good faith all disputes arising in connection with this Agreement. The Parties will negotiate in good faith to resolve any Tax Dispute within 30 days, provided that any dispute with respect to a Galleria Separate Return subject to Section 3.01(b) will be resolved as set forth therein. Upon written notice by a Party after such 30-day period, the matter will be referred to a U.S. tax counsel or other Tax Arbiter of recognized national standing (the “ Tax Arbiter ”) chosen by Parent and Acquiror; provided , however , that, if Parent and Acquiror do not agree on the selection of the Tax Arbiter after 5 days of good faith negotiation, their respective U.S. tax counsel or other advisors of recognized national standing will select a mutually acceptable Tax Arbiter within the following 10-day period. The Tax Arbiter may, in its discretion, obtain the

 

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services of any third party necessary to assist the Tax Arbiter in resolving the Tax Dispute. The Tax Arbiter will furnish written notice to the Parties of its resolution of the Tax Dispute as soon as practicable, but in any event no later than 90 days after acceptance of the matter for resolution. Any such resolution by the Tax Arbiter will be binding on the Parties, and the Parties will take, or cause to be taken, any action necessary to implement such resolution. All fees and expenses of the Tax Arbiter will be shared equally by Parent, on the one hand, and the Acquiror Tax Group, on the other hand. If the Parties are unable to find a Tax Arbiter willing to adjudicate the Tax Dispute and whom the Parties, acting in good faith, find acceptable (under the standards set forth in this Section 6.01), (a) the Tax Dispute will be submitted for mediation, and (b) if the Tax Dispute is not resolved in mediation, any Party will have the right to commence litigation, in either case, in a manner consistent with Section 10.15 of the Transaction Agreement. If any dispute regarding the preparation of a Tax Return is not resolved before the due date for filing such return, the return will be filed in the manner deemed correct by the Party responsible for filing the return without prejudice to the rights and obligations of the Parties hereunder, provided that the preparing party will file an amended Tax Return, within 10 days after the completion of the process set forth in this Section 6.01, reflecting any changes made in connection with such process. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the dispute resolution provisions set forth in this Section 6.01 will not apply to any Tax Dispute related to Transaction Taxes (including any Tax benefits determined under Sections 5.05 or 5.08 and relating thereto), and any such Tax Dispute will be settled in a court of law or as otherwise agreed to by the Parties.

ARTICLE VII

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 7.01 Authorization .

Each Party hereby represents and warrants that it has the power and authority to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, that this Agreement has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of such Party, that this Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Party, and that the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by such Party does not contravene or conflict with any provision of Law or of its charter or bylaws or any agreement, instrument or order binding on such Party.

Section 7.02 Expenses .

Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, the Transaction Agreement or any other Transaction Document, each Party will bear its own expenses in connection with the matters addressed herein.

Section 7.03 Entire Agreement .

This Agreement, the Transaction Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, including any related annexes, schedules and exhibits, as well as any other agreements and documents referred to herein and therein, will together constitute the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and will supersede all prior negotiations, agreements and understandings of the Parties of any nature, whether oral or written, with respect to such subject matter.

 

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Section 7.04 Governing Law .

(a) The validity, interpretation and enforcement of this Agreement will be governed by the Laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the conflict of Laws provisions thereof that would cause the Laws of another state to apply.

(b) By execution and delivery of this Agreement, each Party irrevocably submits and consents to the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts of the State of Delaware for itself and in respect of its property in the event that any dispute arises out of this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) agrees that it will not attempt to deny or defeat such personal jurisdiction by motion or other request for leave from any such court and (iii) agrees that it will not bring any action relating to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby in any other court. Subject to compliance with the provisions of Section 10.15 of the Transaction Agreement, if applicable, each of the Parties irrevocably and unconditionally waives (and agrees not to plead or claim) any objection to the laying of venue of any dispute arising out of this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby in the state and federal courts of the State of Delaware, or that any such dispute brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient or improper forum. The Parties further agree that the mailing by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, of any process required by any such court will constitute valid and lawful service of process against them, without necessity for service by any other means provided by statute or rule of court.

(c) EACH PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND THEREFORE IT HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY OF THE AGREEMENTS DELIVERED IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY. EACH PARTY CERTIFIES AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT (I) NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE EITHER OF SUCH WAIVERS, (II) IT UNDERSTANDS AND HAS CONSIDERED THE IMPLICATIONS OF SUCH WAIVERS, (III) IT MAKES SUCH WAIVERS VOLUNTARILY, AND (IV) IT HAS BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 7.04(c).

 

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Section 7.05 Notice .

All notices, requests, permissions, waivers and other communications hereunder will be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given (a) when sent, if sent by facsimile, (b) when delivered, if delivered personally to the intended recipient and (c) one Business Day following sending by overnight delivery via an international courier service and, in each case, addressed to a Party at the following address for such Party:

 

If to Parent:

  The Procter & Gamble Company
  One Procter & Gamble Plaza
  Cincinnati, OH 45202
  Attention:    Timothy McDonald, Vice President-Finance & Accounting, Global Taxes
  Facsimile:    513-983-8044
with a copy to:
  Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
  One World Financial Center
  New York, NY 10281
  Attention:    Linda Z. Swartz, Esq.
  Facsimile:    212-504-6666
If to Acquiror, SplitCo or Merger Sub:
  Coty, Inc.
  350 Fifth Avenue
  New York, NY 10118
  Attention:    Chief Financial Officer
  Facsimile:    212-389-7538
with a copy to:
  McDermott Will & Emery LLP
  227 West Monroe Street
  Chicago, IL 60606
  Attention:    Lowell D. Yoder, Esq.
  Facsimile:    312-984-7700

or to such other address(es) as will be furnished in writing by any such Party to the other Party in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.05. Any notice to Parent will be deemed notice to all members of the Parent Group, any notice to Acquiror will be deemed notice to all members of the Acquiror Group and the Galleria Group, and any notice to SplitCo will be deemed notice to all members of the Acquiror Group and the Galleria Group.

Section 7.06 Priority of Agreements .

If there is a conflict between any provision of this Agreement and a provision in another Transaction Document, the provision of this Agreement will control unless specifically provided otherwise in this Agreement or in the applicable other Transaction Document.

 

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Section 7.07 Amendments and Waivers .

(a) This Agreement may be amended and any provision of this Agreement may be waived, provided that any such amendment or waiver will become and remain binding upon a Party only if such amendment or waiver is set forth in a writing executed by such Party. No course of dealing between or among any Persons having any interest in this Agreement will be deemed effective to modify, amend or discharge any part of this Agreement or any rights or obligations of any Party hereto under or by reason of this Agreement.

(b) No delay or failure in exercising any right, power or remedy hereunder will affect or operate as a waiver thereof, nor will any single or partial exercise thereof or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right, power or remedy preclude any further exercise thereof or of any other right, power or remedy. The rights and remedies hereunder are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies that any Party hereto would otherwise have. Any waiver, permit, consent or approval of any kind or character of any breach or default under this Agreement or any such waiver of any provision of this Agreement must satisfy the conditions set forth in this Section 7.07(b) and will be effective only to the extent in such writing specifically set forth.

Section 7.08 Termination .

This Agreement will automatically terminate, without further action by any Party hereto, upon the termination of the Transaction Agreement if such termination occurs prior to the Distribution. If terminated, no Party will have any liability of any kind to the other Parties or any other Person on account of the termination or otherwise with respect to this Agreement.

Section 7.09 No Third Party Beneficiaries .

Except as otherwise provided in the indemnification provisions contained herein, this Agreement is solely for the benefit of the Parties and does not confer on third parties (including any employees of any member of the Parent Group, the Galleria Group or the Acquiror Pre-Merger Group) any remedy, claim, reimbursement, claim of action or other right in addition to those existing without reference to this Agreement.

Section 7.10 Assignability .

No Party may assign its rights or delegate its duties under this Agreement without the written consent of the other Parties, except that a Party may assign its rights or delegate its duties under this Agreement to a member of its Group, provided that (a) such member agrees in writing to be bound by the terms of this Agreement, and (b) such assignment or delegation will not relieve any Party of its indemnification obligations or other obligations under this Agreement. Any attempted assignment or delegation in contravention of the foregoing will be void.

Section 7.11 Enforcement .

The Parties agree that irreparable damage would occur to Parent, SplitCo, Acquiror and Merger Sub if any provision of this Agreement were not performed in accordance

 

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with its specific terms or was otherwise breached. The Parties agree that Parent, SplitCo, Acquiror and Merger Sub will be entitled to injunctive relief to prevent any breach of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof, such remedy being in addition to any other remedy to which a Party may be entitled at Law or in equity.

Section 7.12 Survival .

All Sections of this Agreement will be unconditional and absolute and will remain in effect without limitation as to time (except to the extent any Sections expressly provide for an earlier date, in which case, as of such date).

Section 7.13 Construction .

The descriptive headings herein are inserted for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be a substantive part of or to affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. Reference to any agreement, document, or instrument means such agreement, document or instrument as amended or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof, and if applicable hereof. Unless the context otherwise requires, any references to a “Section” or “Article” will be to a Section or Article of this Agreement. The use of the words “include” or “including” in this Agreement will be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”. The use of the words “or,” “either” or “any” will not be exclusive. The Parties have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. In the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement will be construed as if drafted jointly by the Parties, and no presumption or burden of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any Party by virtue of the authorship of any of the provisions of this Agreement. Except as otherwise expressly provided elsewhere in this Agreement, the Transaction Agreement or any other Transaction Document, in the case of any provision herein which contemplates the agreement, approval or consent of, or exercise of any right of, a Party, such Party may give or withhold such agreement, approval or consent, or exercise such right, in its sole and absolute discretion, the Parties hereto hereby expressly disclaiming any implied duty of good faith and fair dealing or similar concept.

Section 7.14 Severability .

The Parties agree that (a) the provisions of this Agreement will be severable in the event that for any reason whatsoever any of the provisions hereof are invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable, (b) any such invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable provisions will be replaced by other provisions which are as similar as possible in terms to such invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable provisions but are valid and enforceable, and (c) the remaining provisions will remain valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law.

Section 7.15 Counterparts .

This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (any one of which need not contain the signatures of more than one Party), each of which will be deemed to be an original but all of which taken together will constitute one and the same agreement. This Agreement, and any amendments hereto, to the extent signed and delivered by means of a facsimile machine or other electronic transmission, will be treated in all manner and respects as

 

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an original agreement and will be considered to have the same binding legal effects as if it were the original signed version thereof delivered in person. At the request of any Party, the other Parties will re-execute original forms thereof and deliver them to the requesting Party.

Section 7.16 Successors .

For the avoidance of doubt, for all purposes of this Agreement, a Party will be subject to all of the restrictions and obligations, and will have all of the rights, of such Party’s predecessor.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by the respective officers as of the date set forth above.

 

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY,
By:  

/s/ Pam Bloodgood

  Name:   Pam Bloodgood
  Title:   Authorized Signatory
GALLERIA CO.,
By:  

/s/ Matthew C. Loftus

  Name:   Matthew C. Loftus
  Title:   Authorized Signatory
COTY INC.,
By:  

/s/ Patrice de Talhouët

  Name:   Patrice de Talhouët
  Title:   Chief Financial Officer
GREEN ACQUISITION SUB INC.
By:  

/s/ Jules Kaufman

  Name:   Jules Kaufman
  Title:   President

Exhibit 10.2

 

 

 

Transition Services Agreement

between

The Procter & Gamble Company

and

Galleria Co.

Effective as of October 1, 2016

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

1.

  DEFINITIONS      1   

2.

  TERM      4   

3.

  SERVICES      5   
  3.1   Base Services      5   
  3.2   Substantive Business Decisions Prohibited      5   

4.

  SERVICE PROVIDER SUBCONTRACTORS AND THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTS      5   
  4.1   Subcontractors      5   

5.

  RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT      6   
  5.1   Relationship Managers      6   
  5.2   Regulatory Review      6   
  5.3   Audit      6   
  5.4   Books and Records      7   
  5.5   Change Management Process      7   
  5.6   Dispute Resolution      7   

6.

  FACILITIES      8   
  6.1   Use of Customer Facilities      8   
  6.2   Service Provider Facilities and Systems      9   

7.

  TECHNOLOGY, SOFTWARE AND PROPRIETARY RIGHTS      9   
  7.1   Customer Owned Technology      9   
  7.2   Service Provider Owned Technology      10   
  7.3   No Implied Licenses; Residuals      10   
  7.4   Required Consents      10   

8.

  CUSTOMER DATA AND PHYSICAL SECURITY      11   
  8.1   Definition      11   
  8.2   Ownership      11   
  8.3   Data Security      11   
  8.4   Physical Security for Facilities      11   

9.

  CONFIDENTIALITY      12   
  9.1   Confidential Information      12   
  9.2   Obligations      12   

 

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  9.3   Exceptions to Confidential Treatment      12   
  9.4   Return or Destruction      13   

10.

  COMPENSATION      13   
  10.1   Service Fee      13   
  10.2   Other Expenses      13   
  10.3   Transactional Taxes      13   
  10.4   Invoicing and Payment      14   
  10.5   Withholding Taxes      14   

11.

  REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES; OTHER AGREEMENTS      14   
  11.1   Authority      14   
  11.2   Compliance with Laws      14   
  11.3   Standard of Performance; Standard of Care      15   
  11.4   Disclaimer      16   

12.

  INDEMNITIES, PROCEDURES AND LIMITATIONS      16   
  12.1   Indemnification by Customer      16   
  12.2   Indemnification by Service Provider      16   
  12.3   Calculation of Indemnity Payments      17   
  12.4   Procedures for Defense, Settlement and Indemnification of Claims      18   
  12.5   Additional Matters      19   
  12.6   Limitations on Liability      20   
  12.7   Waiver of Subrogation      20   
  12.8   Exclusive Remedy      20   

13.

  TERMINATION      21   
  13.1   Termination Rights      21   
  13.2   Survival      21   
  13.3   Rights Upon Termination or Expiration      22   

14.

  MISCELLANEOUS      22   
  14.1   Entire Agreement      22   
  14.2   Governing Law      22   
  14.3   Notices      23   
  14.4   Amendments and Waivers      24   
  14.5   No Third-Party Beneficiaries      24   
  14.6   Assignability      24   

 

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  14.7   Construction      25   
  14.8   Severability      25   
  14.9   Counterparts      25   
  14.10   Force Majeure      26   
  14.11   Further Assurances      26   
  14.12   Independent Contractors      27   
  14.13   Publicity      27   
  14.14   Limitation      27   

 

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SCHEDULES

 

Schedule A    Services
Schedule B    Pricing
EXHIBITS   
Exhibit A    Form Agreement for the Termination of Services

 

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TRANSITION SERVICES AGREEMENT

This Transition Services Agreement (this “ Agreement ”) is entered into effective October 1, 2016 (the “ Effective Date ”) by and between Galleria Co., a Delaware corporation (“ Customer ”) and The Procter & Gamble Company, an Ohio corporation (“ Service Provider ”).

RECITALS

1. Service Provider, Customer, Coty Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Acquiror ”), and Green Acquisition Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Acquiror, have entered into the Transaction Agreement, dated as of July 8, 2015 (as amended from time to time, the “ Transaction Agreement ”), pursuant to which Service Provider separated and divested the Galleria Business in the manner contemplated thereby.

2. Customer desires to obtain from Service Provider the administrative and business support services described in this Agreement on the terms and conditions as set forth in this Agreement.

Accordingly, the Parties agree as follows:

 

1. DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms, when capitalized, will have the meanings set forth below. In addition, capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein will have the meanings given to them in the Transaction Agreement.

Agreement ” has the meaning set forth in the preamble.

Base Services ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(a) .

Change Management Process ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.4 .

Charges ” means the amounts payable by Customer to Service Provider pursuant to Article   10 .

Confidential Information ” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1 .

Customer ” has the meaning set forth in the preamble. References herein to “ Customer ” will include the “ Recipients ” to the extent the context requires.

Customer Data ” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.1 .

Customer Equipment ” means all Equipment owned or leased (other than from Service Provider) by Customer that is used in connection with the Services.

Customer Facilities ” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.1(a) .


Customer Group ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.5 .

Customer Owned Technology ” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1 .

Customer Parties ” has the meaning set forth in Section 12.2 .

Customer Software ” means all Software owned by, or provided under license (other than from Service Provider) to, Customer that is used in connection with the Services (and all modifications, replacements, upgrades, enhancements, documentation, materials and media relating to the foregoing).

Customer System ” means an interconnected grouping of Customer Equipment and/or Customer Software that is used in connection with the Services, and all additions, modifications, substitutions, upgrades or enhancements thereto.

Customer Technology ” means Customer Owned Technology and Customer Third-Party Technology.

Customer Third-Party Technology ” means all Technology licensed (other than by Service Provider) to Customer that is provided to Service Provider for use in connection with the Services.

Direct Claim ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.5 .

Effective Date ” has the meaning set forth in the preamble.

Equipment ” means computer and telecommunications equipment (without regard to the entity owning or leasing such equipment), including (a) servers, personal computers, and associated attachments, accessories, peripheral devices and other equipment and (b) private branch exchanges, multiplexors, modems, CSUs/DSUs, hubs, bridges, routers, switches and other telecommunications equipment.

Expense Cap ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.2 .

Facility ” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.3(c) .

Force Majeure Event ” has the meaning set forth in Section 14.10(a) .

Governmental Authority ” means any federal, state, local, provincial, foreign or international court, tribunal, judicial or arbitral body, government, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, official or other regulatory, administrative or governmental authority or any national securities exchange.

Indemnitee ” has the meaning set forth in Section 12.3(a) .

Indemnifying Party ” has the meaning set forth in Section 12.3(a) .

Interest Rate ” means a fluctuating interest rate equal at all times to the prime rate of interest announced publicly from time to time by Citibank, N.A. (or its successor or another major money center commercial bank agreed to by the Parties), plus 3%, but in no case higher than the maximum rate permitted by Law.

 

2


New User ” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.3(c) .

Operation Group ” means the employee operation groups of the Galleria Business, as applicable to Galleria Business Employees and as such operation groups were defined by Service Provider and in use immediately prior to the Effective Date.

Party ” means either Customer or Service Provider.

Pricing Schedule ” means Schedule B to this Agreement.

Recipient ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(c) .

Recipient Personnel ” means any employees, representatives, contractors, subcontractors and agents of any Recipient, and any employees, representatives, contractors, subcontractors and agents of any third-party contractors providing Services to Customer.

Relationship Manager ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.1 .

Required Consents ” means (a) all consents required at any time to grant Service Provider the right to use and/or access Customer Third-Party Technology, Customer Software, Customer Equipment, the Customer System or any software and equipment of the Recipient in connection with providing the Services, (b) all consents required at any time to grant Customer and the Recipients, to the extent necessary to exercise their rights or perform their obligations under this Agreement, the right to use and/or access Service Provider Technology, Service Provider Software, Service Provider Equipment and the Service Provider System, and (c) all other consents, including consents to modification of third-party licenses or other Contracts, required from third parties at any time in connection with Service Provider’s provision of the Services.

Service Provider Equipment ” means all Equipment owned or leased by Service Provider, an Affiliate of Service Provider or a Subcontractor and used in connection with the Services.

Service Provider Facilities ” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.2(a) .

Service Provider Group ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.5 .

Service Provider Owned Technology ” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.2 .

Service Provider Parties ” has the meaning set forth in Section 12.1 .

Service Provider Personnel ” means those employees, representatives, contractors, subcontractors and agents of Service Provider, any Subcontractor and any Affiliate of a Service Provider who perform any Services under this Agreement.

 

3


Service Provider Software ” means all software programs and programming owned by, or provided under license (other than from Customer) to, Service Provider and used to provide the Services (and all modifications, replacements, upgrades, enhancements, documentation, materials and media relating to the foregoing).

Service Provider System ” means an interconnected grouping of Service Provider Equipment and/or Service Provider Software used in connection with the Services (and all additions, modifications, substitutions, upgrades or enhancements thereto).

Service Provider Technology ” means Service Provider Owned Technology and Service Provider Third-Party Technology.

Service Provider Third-Party Technology ” means any third-party Technology (other than Customer Third-Party Technology) used by Service Provider, any Affiliate of a Service Provider or any Subcontractor in connection with the Services.

Services ” means the Base Services and any Termination Assistance Services.

Software ” means programs and programming (including the supporting documentation, media, on-line help facilities and tutorials).

Subcontractors ” means Service Provider’s contractors or other service providers that perform a portion of the Services.

Technology ” means all formulae, algorithms, processes, procedures, designs, research, inventions and invention disclosures (whether or not patentable or reduced to practice), know-how, proprietary information and methodologies, trade secrets, technology, Software (in both object and source code form), databases, specifications and all records relating to any of the foregoing, including documentation, design documents and analyses, studies, programming tools, plans, models, flow charts, reports and drawings, as well as all Intellectual Property subsisting in each of the foregoing.

Term ” has the meaning set forth in Article 2 .

Termination Assistance Services ” has the meaning set forth in Section 13.3 .

Third-Party Claims ” has the meaning set forth in Section 12.4 .

Transactional Taxes ” means sales, use, value added and other similar taxes levied under the relevant legislation in relation to transactions, excluding specifically the corporate income tax and withholding taxes.

 

2. TERM

Unless earlier terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the term of this Agreement will begin on the Effective Date and will end at midnight on the six-month anniversary of the Effective Date (the “ Term ”) with respect to all Services; provided , however , that Customer may extend the Term as to all or any of the other

 

4


individual Service(s) (to the extent such individual Service(s) can be segregated from the other Services which are not being extended) for one-month periods up to an aggregate of six (6) additional months by providing to Service Provider thirty (30) days advance written notice.

 

3. SERVICES

3.1 Base Services .

(a) Performance . Service Provider will provide or cause to be provided the Services described in Schedule A (the “ Base Services ”). Services provided by Service Provider under this Agreement may be provided by Service Provider directly or through any of its Affiliates at Service Provider’s discretion.

(b) Commencement of Services . Unless otherwise agreed between Service Provider and Customer, Service Provider will begin to provide the Base Services on the Effective Date.

(c) Recipients . Service Provider will provide the Base Services to each member of the Galleria Group and to such Affiliates of Customer as Customer may create or designate to conduct the Galleria Business (each, a “ Recipient ”) for use only in connection with the Galleria Business.

(d) Subsequent Adjustments . The Parties acknowledge that certain Services relating to Customer’s accounts payable and banking cannot be provided unless Customer establishes banking relationships with certain banks used by Service Provider. Accordingly, the Parties agree that to the extent Service Provider cannot provide a Service due to the reason set forth above, Customer will promptly take the actions contemplated by this Section   3.1(d) in order that the Services may be provided. If such actions result in an increase in cost that is not covered by Service Provider’s cost allocation that is used to determine its Charges to Customer, using Service Provider’s normal cost allocation methodology, then the Parties will make an equitable adjustment to the Charges and impacted schedules, all of which adjustments will be reviewed and considered through the Change Management Process. In no event will any adjustment to the Services provide Service Provider with a greater degree of discretion than it has with respect to the existing Services.

3.2 Substantive Business Decisions Prohibited . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement or the accompanying schedules, none of the Service Provider Parties, Subcontractors or Service Provider Personnel will make any substantive business decisions with respect to Customer in performing the Services. Each provision of this Agreement and the accompanying Schedules will be interpreted in a manner consistent with this Section 3.2 .

 

4. SERVICE PROVIDER SUBCONTRACTORS AND THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTS

4.1 Subcontractors .

(a) Use of Subcontractors . Service Provider reserves the right to use Subcontractors to assist Service Provider in the provision of the Services as Service Provider reasonably

 

5


deems appropriate, except that in the event that Service Provider wishes to use a Subcontractor to provide any of the Services or a portion thereof, and such Subcontractor (i) was not providing such Services or portion thereof to the Galleria Business prior to the Effective Date and (ii) will not also provide such Services to Service Provider’s or its Affiliates’ businesses, then Service Provider will provide reasonable prior written notice to Customer (for this purpose, email will be sufficient) regarding the engagement of such subcontractor.

(b) Service Provider Responsibility for Subcontractors . Unless otherwise agreed, Service Provider will be responsible and liable for the Services performed by the Subcontractors and Service Provider will be Customer’s primary point of contact regarding the Services and sole contact with respect to payment.

 

5. RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

5.1 Relationship Managers . Each Party will appoint an individual (each, a “ Relationship Manager ”) who, from the Effective Date until replaced by the appointing Party, will serve as that Party’s representative under this Agreement during the Term. Each Relationship Manager will (a) have overall responsibility for managing and coordinating the performance of the appointing Party’s obligations under this Agreement and (b) be authorized to act for and on behalf of the appointing Party concerning all matters relating to this Agreement. Neither Party will reassign a Relationship Manager, unless it provides at least ten days prior written notice to the other Party. If a Party terminates the employment of or reassigns its Relationship Manager or its Relationship Manager resigns, dies or becomes disabled, such Party will appoint a new Relationship Manager within 10 Business Days after such termination, reassignment, resignation, death or disability.

5.2 Regulatory Review . Each Party will notify the other promptly of any formal request or Order by a Governmental Authority to examine records regarding Customer that are maintained by Service Provider or to examine Service Provider’s performance of the Services. Each Party will cooperate with the other in connection with any such examination. If such formal request or Order is made to Customer, then Customer will reimburse Service Provider for the reasonable costs Service Provider incurs in connection with such examination. If such formal request or Order is made to Service Provider, then Service Provider will reimburse Customer for the reasonable costs Customer incurs in connection with such examination.

5.3 Audit . Service Provider shall keep books and records related to the Services provided hereunder using the same or similar processes as Service Provider used to keep the books and records of the Galleria Business prior to the Effective Date. In no event will the details be less than as required by applicable Law. Customer or its authorized representative will have the right, upon reasonable notice during normal business hours and at Customer’s sole expense, to inspect and audit the books and records of Service Provider related to the Services solely and only to the extent necessary to verify the invoices delivered hereunder by Service Provider to Customer.

 

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5.4 Books and Records . During the Term, Service Provider will be provided with access, at no cost to Service Provider, to Customer’s books and records to the extent necessary for Service Provider to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement.

5.5 Change Management Process .

(a) Except as set forth in this Section 5.4 , Service Provider will provide the Services in the manner set forth in Section 11.3(a) ; provided , however , that if any Services were not provided to the Galleria Business prior to the Effective Date, Service Provider will provide such Services to Customer in substantially the same manner as it provides such Services to its Affiliates. In the event that Service Provider makes changes to its systems or services of a nature that will impact Service Provider’s provision of services to Service Provider’s Affiliates generally, and such changes would be reasonably expected to materially impact the Customer’s business as operated by Customer and its Subsidiaries during the Term or Customer’s use of the Services, Service Provider will use the same change management process for changes to the Services that Service Provider uses to manage changes for Service Provider’s own businesses that use the same or similar services (the “ Change Management Process ”). Service Provider will furnish to Customer substantially the same notice (with respect to the content and the timing of the notice) as Service Provider furnishes to its own organization with respect to such modifications or changes. In connection with the Change Management Process, Service Provider will give Customer at least 30 days’ advance notice regarding any such change that would be reasonably expected to materially impact the Customer’s business as operated by Customer and its Subsidiaries during the Term or Customer’s use of the Services. At Customer’s request, the Parties will discuss in good faith any reasonable accommodations to address Customer’s needs or requests with respect to the changed Services, unless such Services have been eliminated by Service Provider on a substantially company-wide basis; provided , however , that the ultimate decision as to how to manage any change in the Services to maintain comparable Services and how to implement any change in the Services will be made solely by Service Provider, and Service Provider will not be obligated to maintain any legacy system as an accommodation to Customer in the event of any such company-wide change in Services. No advance notice by Service Provider to Customer will be required in the event of any emergency that requires a change in the Services, whether to maintain the Services or to maintain Service Provider’s provision of interrelated services internally or to third parties, provided that the Services resume as such Services may be modified by Service Provider pursuant to this Section 5.4(a) after the emergency ceases to exist.

(b) For the avoidance of doubt, Service Provider reserves the right to make changes to the Services in the ordinary course of business to conduct Service Provider’s planned maintenance and upgrade activities on a company-wide basis; provided that Service Provider will provide advance notice as soon as is reasonably practicable. Customer acknowledges that its failure to comply with Service Provider’s then-current work processes, policies, and procedures for use of the Services may impair performance or utility of the Services.

5.6 Dispute Resolution . Any dispute, controversy or claim by Service Provider or any of its Affiliates (collectively, the “ Service Provider Group ”) against Customer or any of its Affiliates (collectively, the “ Customer Group ”) or vice versa in connection with this

 

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Agreement (a “ Direct Claim ”) will be resolved by the Parties in accordance with Section 10.15 of the Transaction Agreement, except that any executive-level discussions to be held pursuant to Section 10.15 of the Transaction Agreement with regard to such dispute, controversy or claim will be held by Charles-Etienne Bost for Customer and Georg Schlangen for Service Provider and except that such executives will negotiate in good faith to resolve the Dispute for 20 Business Days after the date of the Dispute Escalation Notice, after which either Party will have the right to commence litigation in accordance with Section 14.2 ; provided , however , that, for the avoidance of doubt, the limitations on liability set forth in Sections   12.5 and 12.6 will apply to any dispute, controversy or claim related to this Agreement. Service Provider will continue to provide Services during the pendency of any dispute, controversy or claim during the Term. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either Party may seek injunctive or equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.

 

6. FACILITIES

6.1 Use of Customer Facilities .

(a) General . Customer will provide Service Provider, at no charge, the space, office furnishings, janitorial service, telephone service, utilities and office-related equipment, supplies and duplicating services at Customer’s premises that Service Provider may reasonably need to provide the Services (collectively, the “ Customer Facilities ”). In addition, Customer will provide necessary data storage space for backup data files and will provide additional data storage space that may be required by any change in retention schedules required by Customer. Service Provider’s employees will have reasonable access to the Customer Facilities 24 hours a day, seven days a week as reasonably necessary to provide the Services. To the extent that any Service Provider Personnel require or have access to any Customer Systems, Service Provider will, and will require that all Service Provider Personnel who have access to Customer Systems, including computer or electronic data storage systems, limit their access to those portions of such systems for which they are authorized in connection with their provision of the Services. Service Provider will (i) limit such access to those Service Provider Personnel who are authorized to provide the Services and (ii) adhere to Customer’s reasonable standard security rules and procedures for use of Customer Systems. All user identification numbers and passwords disclosed to Service Provider to permit any Service Provider Personnel to access the Customer Systems will be deemed to be, and will be treated as, Customer’s Confidential Information. Service Provider will cooperate with Customer in the investigation of any apparent unauthorized access by Service Provider Personnel to Customer Systems. Customer will, in its sole discretion be entitled to approve or restrict access to Customer Systems by any Service Provider Personnel; provided , however , that Customer will consult with Service Provider prior to restricting any Service Provider Personnel’s access to Customer Systems regarding the impact of such decision on the provision of Services and, at Customer’s request, the Parties will discuss in good faith any reasonable accommodations to address Customer’s needs or reasonable requests. If and to the extent that Service Provider cannot provide Services because of Customer’s restrictions on access to Customer Systems by any Service Provider Personnel, Service Provider will use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to develop and implement arrangements to place Customer, insofar

 

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as reasonably practicable, in the same position as if such Service had been provided as contemplated hereby. For the avoidance of doubt, if it is not reasonably practicable to implement such arrangements, Service Provider has no obligation to continue to provide such Services.

(b) Service Provider’s Obligations . To the extent Service Provider is using any part of a Customer Facility to perform the Services, Service Provider will comply, and will require that all Service Provider Personnel who use any part of a Customer Facility to perform the Services comply, with Customer’s reasonable standard policies and procedures, as made available to Service Provider, regarding access to and use of the Customer Facilities.

6.2 Service Provider Facilities and Systems .

(a) Service Provider Facilities . Service Provider may perform the Services in such facilities maintained by Service Provider or its Subcontractors or Affiliates (collectively, “ Service Provider Facilities ”) as Service Provider reasonably deems appropriate.

(b) Access to Service Provider Systems . Customer will, and will require that all Recipient Personnel who have access to Service Provider Systems in accordance with the provisions of Sections 11.3(b) and 11.3(c) , including computer or electronic data storage systems, limit their access to those portions of such systems for which they are authorized in connection with their receipt and use of the Services. Customer will (i) limit such access to those Recipient Personnel who are authorized to use the Services in accordance with the provisions of Sections 11.3(b) and 11.3(c) , (ii) maintain and make available to Service Provider a written list of the names of each individual who will be granted such access, and (iii) adhere to Service Provider’s security rules and procedures for use of Service Provider Systems. All user identification numbers and passwords disclosed to Recipients to permit any Recipient Personnel to access the Service Provider Systems will be deemed to be, and will be treated as, Service Provider’s Confidential Information. Customer will cooperate with Service Provider in the investigation of any apparent unauthorized access by Recipient Personnel to Service Provider Systems. Service Provider will, in its sole discretion, be entitled to (A) access and confiscate any Equipment used to access the Service Provider Systems in contravention of this Section 6.2(b) , provided that if such Equipment is located in Customer’s Facilities, Service Provider shall coordinate with Customer regarding such access and confiscation and, regardless of the location of such Equipment, if such Equipment is Customer Equipment, Service Provider shall return such Equipment to Customer promptly following Service Provider’s investigation and (B) approve or restrict access to Service Provider Systems by any Customer contractor.

 

7. TECHNOLOGY, SOFTWARE AND PROPRIETARY RIGHTS

7.1 Customer Owned Technology .

(a) Definition . The term “ Customer Owned Technology ” means (i) Technology owned by Customer on the Effective Date (and following the completion of the transactions contemplated in the Transaction Agreement), (ii) Technology developed or acquired by Customer or its third-party service providers (other than Service Provider) after the Effective Date, (iii) derivative works, modifications and enhancements to any of the foregoing, and (iv) all Intellectual Property subsisting in any of the foregoing.

(b) Ownership by Customer; License to Service Provider . Customer Owned Technology will be owned exclusively by Customer. As of the Effective Date, Customer hereby grants to Service Provider (and solely to the extent necessary for Service Provider to provide the Services, to the Subcontractors) a non-exclusive, worldwide, non-transferable (except as provided in Section 14.6 ), revocable, fully paid-up, royalty-free right and license, solely during the Term, to access, use, execute, reproduce, display, perform, modify, enhance, distribute and create derivative works of the Customer Owned Technology made available by Customer to Service Provider pursuant to this Agreement for the express and sole purpose of providing the Services.

 

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7.2 Service Provider Owned Technology .

(a) Definition . The term “ Service Provider Owned Technology ” means Technology owned by Service Provider, an Affiliate of a Service Provider or a Subcontractor from and after the Effective Date and used in connection with the Services, including any modifications, enhancements or derivative works of such Technology or any new Technology developed by Service Provider, other than Technology to the extent comprising derivative works, modifications or enhancements to any Customer Owned Technology.

(b) Ownership by Service Provider; License to Customer . Service Provider Owned Technology will be owned exclusively by Service Provider. In addition to any other license rights granted hereunder, Service Provider hereby grants to each Recipient a non-exclusive, worldwide, non-transferable (except as provided in Section   14.6 ), revocable, fully paid-up, royalty-free right and license solely during the Term, solely to the extent required to fully and completely use the Services, to use Service Provider Technology (but only for such purpose). The Parties acknowledge that such right and license may be subject to additional terms and conditions and, except as otherwise provided herein, will terminate upon the termination of the Services. As between the Parties, all Internet addresses, network identification, access codes and telephone numbers provided or issued to Customer or its users by Service Provider or Service Provider Personnel, and not transferred to Customer pursuant to the Transaction Agreement, will be and remain the sole property of Service Provider.

7.3 No Implied Licenses; Residuals . Except as expressly specified in this Agreement, nothing in this Agreement will be deemed to grant to one Party, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, license rights, ownership rights or any other Intellectual Property in any Technology owned by the other Party or any Affiliate of the other Party. Subject to the foregoing sentence, Service Provider will be free to use its general knowledge, skills and experience and any ideas, concepts, know-how and techniques that are required or used in the course of providing the Services.

7.4 Required Consents .

(a) If and to the extent the provision of Services under this Agreement requires Service Provider to obtain any Required Consent that has not been obtained as of the Effective

 

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Date, Service Provider will continue to use its reasonable best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions, and to do, or to cause to be done, all things reasonably necessary on its part under applicable Law or contractual obligations to provide the Services as promptly as practicable; provided , however , that Service Provider will not be required to make any non-de minimis payments, incur any non-de minimis Liability or offer or grant any non-de minimis accomodation (financial or otherwise) to any third party in connection with obtaining any Required Consent.

(b) Unless and until such Required Consent is obtained, the Parties will use their Commercially Reasonable Efforts to determine and adopt such alternative approaches as are necessary and sufficient to provide the Services without such Required Consent. If, despite using Commercially Reasonable Efforts, the Parties are unable to adopt an alternative approach, then the affected Services will be terminated and the Parties will equitably adjust the pricing specified in this Agreement to reflect the reduced scope of Services; provided , however , that Service Provider may elect, at its sole discretion, to provide an affected Service despite the absence of a Required Consent; provided , further , that, in the event that Service Provider makes such election without the prior approval of Customer, Service Provider will be solely responsible for any liability arising as a result of Service Provider providing such Service despite the absence of a Required Consent.

 

8. CUSTOMER DATA AND PHYSICAL SECURITY

8.1 Definition . The term “ Customer Data ” means (i) any Information of Customer, its Affiliates or Recipients, or their respective vendors, customers or other business partners that is provided to or obtained by Service Provider in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including data and Information regarding Customer’s businesses, customers, operations, facilities, products, consumer markets, assets and finances, and (ii) any data or Information to the extent related to Customer or Customer’s business that is collected or processed in connection with the Services. For the avoidance of doubt, Customer Data does not include data about the Service Provider Systems or Service Provider Technology.

8.2 Ownership . As between Customer and Service Provider, Customer owns and will continue to own all right, title and interest in and to all Customer Data. Service Provider will not sell, assign, lease or otherwise dispose of or commercially exploit Customer Data or use Customer Data for any purpose other than to provide the Services.

8.3 Data Security . Service Provider will establish and maintain safeguards against the destruction, loss or alteration of Customer Data in its possession that are no less rigorous than those in effect for Service Provider’s operations.

8.4 Physical Security for Facilities . Service Provider will be responsible for all security procedures at any Service Provider Facilities. Customer will provide all necessary security personnel and security equipment at the Customer Facilities.

 

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9. CONFIDENTIALITY

9.1 Confidential Information . As used herein, “ Confidential Information ” means any Information of Service Provider or Customer or any of their respective Affiliates that is not generally known to the public and at the time of disclosure is identified, or would reasonably be understood by the receiving Party, to be proprietary or confidential, whether disclosed in oral, written, visual, electronic or other form, and which the receiving Party (or its contractors or agents) observes or learns in connection with this Agreement. Confidential Information includes (a) business plans, strategies, forecasts, projects and analyses, (b) financial information and fee structures, (c) business processes, methods and models, (d) employee and vendor information, (e) hardware and system designs, architectures, structure and protocols, (f) product and service specifications, (g) manufacturing, purchasing, logistics, sales and marketing information, and (h) the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

9.2 Obligations . The receiving Party will use the same care and discretion to avoid disclosure, publication or dissemination of any Confidential Information received from the disclosing Party as the receiving Party uses with its own similar information that it does not wish to disclose, publish or disseminate (and in any event will use Commercially Reasonable Efforts in such regard). The receiving Party will (a) use the disclosing Party’s Confidential Information only in connection with the performance of its obligations under this Agreement or the full enjoyment of its rights hereunder, and (b) not disclose the disclosing Party’s Confidential Information, except to (i) its employees, agents and contractors, who have a need to know such Confidential Information in connection with the performance of its obligations under this Agreement or the full enjoyment of its rights hereunder and who have executed Contracts or, in the case of employees, are bound by policies obligating them to keep the Confidential Information confidential or (ii) its legal, financial or other professional advisors as reasonably necessary. The receiving Party is liable for any unauthorized disclosure or use of Confidential Information by any of its or its Affiliates’ personnel, agents, subcontractors or advisors. The receiving Party will promptly report to the disclosing Party any breaches in security of the receiving Party that may materially and adversely affect the disclosing Party and specify the corrective action taken.

9.3 Exceptions to Confidential Treatment .

(a) The obligations set forth in Section 9.2 do not apply to any Confidential Information that the receiving Party can demonstrate (i) is or becomes generally available to the public, other than as a result of a disclosure by the receiving Party or its Affiliates not otherwise permissible hereunder, or (ii) was or became available to the receiving Party from a source other than the disclosing Party or its Affiliates, unless, in the case of clause (ii) of this Section   9.3(a) , the source of such Confidential Information was known to the receiving Party to be bound by a confidentiality agreement with, or other contractual, legal or fiduciary obligation of confidentiality to, the disclosing Party with respect to such Confidential Information. Notwithstanding anything in this Section 9.3 to the contrary, Confidential Information of Customer primarily used in the Galleria Business will in no event be included within the exception in clause (ii) of this Section   9.3(a) and will be subject to Section 9.2 above.

(b) If a receiving Party is requested or required (by oral question, interrogatories, requests for information or documents, subpoena, civil investigative demand or similar process) by any Governmental Authority or pursuant to applicable Law to disclose or provide any Confidential Information of the other Party, the Party receiving such request or demand will use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to provide the other Party with written notice of such request or demand as promptly as practicable under the circumstances so that such other Party will have an opportunity to seek an appropriate protective Order. The Party receiving such request or demand agrees to take, and cause its representatives to take, at the requesting Party’s expense, all other reasonable steps necessary to seek to obtain confidential treatment by the recipient. Subject to the foregoing, the Party that received such request or demand may thereafter disclose or provide any such Confidential Information, as the case may be, to the extent (and only in such amount) required by such Law (as so advised by counsel) or by lawful process or such Governmental Authority.

 

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9.4 Return or Destruction . Upon the termination or expiration of the Services, each Party will return or certify the destruction of the other Party’s Confidential Information in such other Party’s possession or control.

 

10. COMPENSATION

10.1 Service Fee . Customer will pay Service Provider a monthly fee for each Service, which will be calculated on the basis set forth on Schedule B . Upon early termination of any individual Service(s) pursuant to Section 13.1(b) , the Parties will cooperate in good faith to adjust the monthly charges paid by Customer hereunder to correspond with the actual Service(s) being provided.

10.2 Other Expenses . Customer will reimburse Service Provider for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Service Provider in connection with its performance of the Services and not included in the Charges, provided that reasonable advance written notice of such expenses has been provided by Service Provider (for this purpose, email will be sufficient) and, provided , further , that in the event that the aggregate amount of such expenses at any time exceeds the amount equal to 5% of the monthly Base Service Delivery Costs (“ Expense Cap ”), Customer shall not be required to reimburse Service Provider for expenses in excess of the Expense Cap unless Service Provider has obtained Customer’s written consent prior to incurring such expense. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Section   10.2 , if Service Provider provides written notice of such expenses and Customer does not consent to Service Provider incurring such expenses, Service Provider will have no obligation to provide such Services. Service Provider will provide Customer with reasonable documentation regarding any such out-of-pocket expenses. Such out-of-pocket expenses shall be treated as Pass Through Costs in accordance with Schedule   B .

10.3 Transactional Taxes . Service Provider will invoice to Customer and Customer will pay together with the principal amount, the Transactional Taxes (if any) invoiced by Service Provider as per the applicable Transactional Taxes legislation. Service Provider will provide Customer with a valid Transactional Taxes invoice in the due time provided by that legislation. The Parties will make reasonable efforts to ensure that all required documents are provided in order to enable Customer to recover the Transactional Taxes charged, as per the relevant Transactional Taxes legislation.

 

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10.4 Invoicing and Payment . Service Provider will invoice Customer monthly in arrears. Payment of all undisputed amounts is due on the Customer designated monthly settlement day following the date that is 60 days following the date of invoice. Payments of undisputed amounts past due, or disputed amounts determined to be due after the resolution of such dispute, will bear interest calculated on a per annum basis from the due date to the date of actual payment at the Interest Rate. Customer will make payments under this Agreement by electronic funds transfer in accordance with payment instructions provided by Service Provider from time to time. In the event the Parties’ Affiliates enter into companion Contracts for the Services, Customer will remain responsible for paying any undisputed amounts which are not paid when due by Customer’s Affiliates under such companion Contracts.

10.5 Withholding Taxes . Customer is permitted to withhold amounts from any amounts payable hereunder as required under applicable Law, and such amounts withheld will be treated for all purposes hereof as paid to Service Provider with respect to which the withholding was made. Customer and Service Provider will cooperate, as reasonably requested by the other Party, to reduce the amount of withholding Taxes imposed on payments hereunder, including by executing and filing any forms or certificates reasonably required to claim an available reduced rate of, or exemption from, withholding Taxes and by promptly providing any relevant information reasonably requested by the other Party. Customer will promptly provide Service Provider with the complete original withholding Tax certificates issued by the relevant Governmental Authority. Customer will promptly pay to Service Provider the amount of any refund (including any interest) received by Customer from a Governmental Authority with respect to Taxes withheld pursuant to this Agreement.

 

11. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES; OTHER AGREEMENTS

11.1 Authority . Each Party represents and warrants to the other that (i) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by such Party have been authorized and approved and no other corporate action on the part of such Party is necessary, (ii) no Contract with any other Person exists or will exist which would interfere with its obligations hereunder, and (iii) this Agreement is a valid and binding obligation of it and enforceable against it in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Each Party’s warranty in clause (ii) of this Section   11.1 is subject to receipt of all Required Consents.

11.2 Compliance with Laws . Each Party represents and warrants that it is duly qualified or licensed to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification or licensing is necessary for the conduct of its business, except where the failure to be so qualified or licensed would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on its ability to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement.

 

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11.3 Standard of Performance; Standard of Care .

(a) Unless otherwise specified in this Agreement or any applicable schedule to this Agreement, the Services will be performed initially in substantially the same manner and in substantially the same locations that such Services were generally performed by Service Provider for the Galleria Business immediately prior to the Effective Date, and thereafter will continue to be performed in substantially the same locations and in substantially the same manner as Service Provider generally performs such services for its own retained businesses, except to the extent such Services are limited or changed because of the separation of the Galleria Business and Service Provider’s other businesses as contemplated by the Transaction Agreement.

(b) In no event will Service Provider be required to (i) make any customization to the Services (or Service Provider’s associated systems or processes) that are unique to Customer, beyond the customizations that Service Provider elects to make to support its own shared services environment, except for customizations that are expressly agreed upon in writing by Service Provider and Customer, (ii) except as set forth in Section 11.3(c) , provide access to Service Provider’s Systems to Recipient Personnel, other than those Recipient Personnel who were employees of Service Provider prior to the Effective Date that had access to Service Provider’s Systems during such time (or those persons hired after the Effective Date to replace such Recipient Personnel, regardless of whether they had prior access to Service Provider systems); provided , that Customer and such Recipient Personnel will comply with the requirements of Section   6.2 , (iii) provide Services in a location other than locations where Services were provided prior to the Effective Date, or (iv) provide reports incremental to those provided prior to the Effective Date.

(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, Service Provider will provide access to Service Provider’s Systems to Recipient Personnel who were not employees of Service Provider prior to the Effective Date (each such Recipient Personnel, a “ New User ”) subject to the following restrictions: (i) Service Provider will not be obligated to provide access to more than 100 New Users in the aggregate for the Galleria Business; (ii) all New Users receiving access to Service Provider’s Systems must be properly trained by, and have continuing sponsorship and coaching from, a Recipient Personnel member who was an employee of Service Provider prior to the Effective Date and is located at the same Customer Facility or Service Provider Facility, as applicable (for purposes of this Section   11.3(c) only, each such applicable Customer Facility or Service Provider Facility, a “ Facility ”), as the New User; (iii) at any Facility or in any Operation Group with greater than ten Recipient Personnel accessing Service Provider’s Systems, no more than 15% of the Recipient Personnel at such Customer Facility or in such Operation Group accessing Service Provider’s Systems may be New Users, provided that (A) at any Facility or in any Operation Group with one Recipient Personnel accessing Service Provider’s Systems, such Recipient Personnel may not be a New User, (B) at any Facility or in any Operation Group with two Recipient Personnel accessing Service Provider’s Systems, no more than one such Recipient Personnel may be a New User, and (C) at any Facility or in any Operation Group with between three and ten Recipient Personnel accessing Service Provider’s Systems, a minimum of 50% of such Recipient Personnel plus one Recipient Personnel at such Facility will not be New Users.

(d) Nothing in this Agreement will require Service Provider or any of its Affiliates to perform the Services in a manner that would constitute a violation of applicable Laws.

 

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11.4 Disclaimer . EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS ARTICLE 11 , EACH PARTY MAKES NO, AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY, REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND OR NATURE WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND THOSE ARISING OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.

 

12. INDEMNITIES, PROCEDURES AND LIMITATIONS.

12.1 Indemnification by Customer . Customer agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend Service Provider and its Affiliates and their respective directors, officers and employees (the “ Service Provider Parties ”), from and against any and all Losses suffered or incurred by any Service Provider Parties arising out of or relating to any of the following:

(a) any breach of this Agreement by Customer, its Affiliates, Subcontractors or Customer Personnel;

(b) any gross negligence or willful misconduct of Customer, its Affiliates, Subcontractors or Customer Personnel in connection with the provision of the Services;

(c) any alleged infringement or misappropriation by Customer, its Affiliates, Subcontractors and Customer Personnel of any Software, Technology or any other Intellectual Property developed, used, or made accessible in connection with the Services, except to the extent caused by infringement or misappropriation by Service Provider or its Affiliates or any of their respective contractors of such Software, Technology or other Intellectual Property, or by the violation by any such Persons of any license terms or usage instructions provided to Service Provider by Customer; or

(d) any personal injury to employees of Customer or Customer Affiliates (or any other persons designated by Customer) while at the Service Provider Facilities, to the extent such Losses do not result from the negligence or willful misconduct of Service Provider or its Affiliates, contractors or Service Provider Personnel.

12.2 Indemnification by Service Provider . Service Provider agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend Customer and its Affiliates and their respective directors, officers and employees (the “ Customer Parties ”), from and against any and all Losses suffered or incurred by any Customer Parties arising out of or relating to any of the following:

(a) any breach of this Agreement by Service Provider, its Affiliates, Subcontractors or Service Provider Personnel;

 

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(b) any gross negligence or willful misconduct of Service Provider, its Affiliates, Subcontractors or Service Provider Personnel in connection with the provision of the Services;

(c) any alleged infringement or misappropriation by Service Provider, its Affiliates, Subcontractors and Service Provider Personnel of any Software, Technology or any other Intellectual Property developed, used, or made accessible in connection with the Services, except to the extent caused by infringement or misappropriation by Customer or a Recipient or any of their respective contractors of such Software, Technology or other Intellectual Property, or by the violation by any such Persons of any license terms or usage instructions provided to Customer by Service Provider; or

(d) any personal injury to employees of Service Provider or Service Provider Affiliates (or any other persons designated by Service Provider) while at the Customer Facilities, to the extent such Losses do not result from the negligence or willful misconduct of Customer or its Affiliates, contractors or Customer Personnel.

12.3 Calculation of Indemnity Payments .

(a) Insurance . The amount of any Loss for which indemnification is provided under this Article 12 will be net of any amounts actually recovered by the applicable Service Provider Party or Customer Party (each, an “ Indemnitee ”) under third-party, non-captive insurance policies with respect to such Loss (less the cost to collect the proceeds of such insurance). If any Loss resulting in indemnification under this Article 12 relates to a claim by an Indemnitee or its Affiliates that is covered by one or more third-party, non-captive insurance policies held by the Indemnitee or its Affiliates, the Indemnitee will use and will cause its Affiliates to use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to pursue claims against the applicable insurers for coverage of such Loss under such policies. Any indemnity payment hereunder will initially be made without regard to this Section 12.3(a) , and if the Indemnitee or its Affiliates actually receive a full or partial recovery under such insurance policies following payment of indemnification by the Party against which the applicable claims are asserted under this Article 12 (the “ Indemnifying Party ”) in respect of such Loss, then the Indemnitee will refund amounts received from the Indemnifying Party up to the amount of indemnification actually received from the Indemnifying Party with respect to such Loss (less the cost to collect the proceeds of such insurance).

(b) Taxes . The amount that any Indemnifying Party is or may be required to provide indemnification to or on behalf of any Indemnitee under this Agreement will be (i) decreased to offset any Tax benefit realized by the Indemnitee (or an Affiliate thereof) arising from the incurrence or payment of the relevant indemnified item and (ii) increased to offset any Tax cost incurred by the Indemnitee (or an Affiliate thereof) arising from the receipt of any indemnification payments hereunder, unless in the case of clause (ii) such amount is already included in the applicable calculation of Losses. Any indemnity payment hereunder will initially be made without regard to this Section 12.3 and will be reduced or increased, as the case may be, to reflect any applicable Tax benefit or Tax cost, respectively, within 30 calendar days after the Indemnitee (or an Affiliate thereof) actually realizes such Tax benefit or incurs such Tax cost, respectively.

 

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12.4 Procedures for Defense, Settlement and Indemnification of Claims .

(a) Direct Claims . All claims made hereunder by (i) any Service Provider Party, on the one hand, against any Customer Party, on the other hand, or (ii) by any Customer Party, on the one hand, against any Service Provider Party, on the other hand (collectively, “ Direct Claims ”), will be subject to the limitations and dispute resolution procedures set forth in Sections   5.5 and 12.6 .

(b) Third-Party Claims . (i)  Notice of Claims . If an Indemnitee receives notice or otherwise learns of the assertion by a Person (including any Governmental Authority) which is not a member of the Service Provider Group or Customer Group of any claim or of the commencement by any such Person of any Action with respect to which an Indemnifying Party may be obligated to provide indemnification under this Agreement (collectively, a “ Third-Party Claim ”), such Indemnitee will give such Indemnifying Party prompt written notice (a “ Claims Notice ”) thereof but in any event within 15 calendar days after becoming aware of such Third-Party Claim. Any such notice will describe the Third-Party Claim in reasonable detail, stating the nature, basis for indemnification and the amount thereof, to the extent known, along with copies of any relevant documents evidencing such Third-Party Claim. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the delay or failure of any Indemnitee or other Person to give notice as provided in this Section   12.4(b)(i) will not relieve the Indemnifying Party of its obligations under this Article 12 , except to the extent that such Indemnifying Party is prejudiced by such delay or failure to give notice.

(ii) Opportunity to Defend . The Indemnifying Party has the right, exercisable by written notice to the Indemnitee within 90 calendar days after receipt of a Claims Notice from the Indemnitee of the commencement or assertion of any Third-Party Claim in respect of which indemnity may be sought under this Article   12 , to assume and conduct the defense of such Third-Party Claim in accordance with the limits set forth in this Agreement with counsel selected by the Indemnifying Party and reasonably acceptable to the Indemnitee, unless (A) the Third-Party Claim relates to or arises in connection with any criminal proceeding, action, indictment, allegation or investigation, (B) the Third-Party Claim seeks (and continues to seek) monetary damages and/or equitable or corrective relief (with or without monetary damages, fines or penalties) and such equitable relief would reasonably be expected to adversely affect the operations of (1) Service Provider or its Affiliates, if Customer is the Indemnifying Party or (2) Customer or its Affiliates (including after the Closing, any Galleria Entities), if Service Provider is the Indemnifying Party, or (C) the Indemnifying Party does not expressly agree with the Indemnitee in writing to be fully responsible for all of the Losses that arise from the Third-Party Claim, subject to the limitations set forth in this Article 12 (the conditions set forth in clauses (A) through (C) are, collectively, the “ Litigation Conditions ”). For purposes of clause (C) of the preceding sentence, if a Third-Party Claim consists of multiple claims by a plaintiff or group of plaintiffs, and it is reasonably practicable for an Indemnifying Party to control the defense of a subset of such claims, the Indemnifying Party may elect to agree to be fully responsible for only the Losses that arise from such subset of claims, and may elect to control the defense of only such subset of claims; provided , that the other Litigation Conditions set forth in clauses (A), (B) and (C) of the preceding sentence are satisfied. If the Indemnifying

 

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Party does not assume the defense of a Third-Party Claim in accordance with this Section 12.4(b) , the Indemnitee may continue to defend the Third-Party Claim. If the Indemnifying Party has assumed the defense of a Third-Party Claim as provided in this Section 12.4(b) , the Indemnifying Party will not be liable for any legal expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the defense of the Third-Party Claim; provided , however , that if (x) any of the Litigation Conditions ceases to be met, (y) the Indemnifying Party fails to take reasonable steps necessary to defend diligently such Third-Party Claim or (z) in the reasonable judgment of the Indemnitee based on the advice of counsel, there exists an actual or potential conflict of interest between the Indemnifying Party and the Indemnitee with respect to such Third Party Claim, the Indemnitee may assume its own defense, and the Indemnifying Party will be liable for all reasonable costs or expenses thereafter incurred in connection with such defense. The Indemnifying Party or the Indemnitee, as the case may be, has the right to participate in (but, subject to the prior sentence, not control), at its own expense, the defense of any Third-Party Claim that the other is defending as provided in this Agreement. The Indemnifying Party, if it has assumed the defense of any Third-Party Claim as provided in this Agreement, may not, without the prior written consent of the Indemnitee, consent to a settlement of, or the entry of any judgment arising from, any such Third-Party Claim unless such settlement or judgment includes as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or the plaintiff to the Indemnitee of a complete release from all liability in respect of such Third-Party Claim and unless such settlement or judgment does not impose injunctive or other non-monetary equitable relief against the Indemnitee or its Affiliates, or their respective businesses. The Indemnitee has the right to settle any Third-Party Claim, the defense of which has not been assumed by the Indemnifying Party, with the prior written consent of the Indemnifying Party, not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

(c) Cooperation in Defense and Settlement . With respect to any Third-Party Claim for which Customer, on the one hand, and Service Provider, on the other hand, may have liability under this Agreement, the Parties agree to cooperate fully and maintain a joint defense (in a manner that will preserve the attorney-client privilege, joint defense or other privilege with respect thereto) so as to minimize such liabilities and defense costs associated therewith. The Party that is not responsible for managing the defense of such Third-Party Claims will, upon reasonable request, be consulted with respect to significant matters relating thereto and may retain counsel to monitor or assist in the defense of such claims at its own cost.

12.5 Additional Matters .

(a) Substitution . In the event of an Action that involves solely matters that are indemnifiable and in which the Indemnifying Party is not a named defendant, if either the Indemnitee or the Indemnifying Party so requests, the Parties will endeavor to substitute the Indemnifying Party for the named defendant. If such substitution or addition cannot be achieved for any reason or is not requested, the rights and obligations of the Parties regarding indemnification and the management of the defense of claims as set forth in this Article 12 will not be affected.

(b) Subrogation . Subject to Section 12.7 , (i) in the event of payment by or on behalf of any Indemnifying Party to or on behalf of any Indemnitee in connection with any Third-Party

 

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Claim, such Indemnifying Party will be subrogated to and will stand in the place of such Indemnitee, in whole or in part based upon whether the Indemnifying Party has paid all or only part of the Indemnitee’s Liability, as to any events or circumstances in respect of which such Indemnitee may have any right, defense or claim relating to such Third-Party Claim against any claimant or plaintiff asserting such Third-Party Claim or against any other Person and (ii) such Indemnitee will cooperate with such Indemnifying Party in a reasonable manner, and at the cost and expense of such Indemnifying Party, in prosecuting any subrogated right, defense or claim.

12.6 Limitations on Liability .

(a) Subject to the specific provisions and limitations of Sections 12.4 and 12.5 and this Section 12.6 , it is the intent of the Parties that each Party will be liable to the other Party for any Losses as to which such other Party is entitled to indemnification under Sections 12.1 or 12.2 , whether such Losses arise out of Third-Party Claims or Direct Claims.

(b) Except for Losses arising out of or relating to (i) Service Provider’s obligation to remit amounts to Customer, (ii) Service Provider’s gross negligence or willful misconduct or breach of Article 9 , or (iii) Service Provider’s indemnity obligations for Third-Party Claims set forth in Section 12.2 , the total aggregate liability of Service Provider under this Agreement will be limited to the aggregate amount of Charges paid to Service Provider by Customer under this Agreement.

(c) Except for Losses arising out of or relating to (i) Customer’s obligation to pay the Charges due under this Agreement, (ii) Customer’s gross negligence or willful misconduct or breach of Article 9 , or (iii) Customer’s indemnity obligations for Third-Party Claims set forth in Section 12.1 , the total aggregate liability of Customer under this Agreement will be limited to the aggregate amount of Charges paid to Service Provider by Customer under this Agreement.

(d) Regardless of any other rights under any other agreements or mandatory provisions of Law, neither Service Provider nor Customer will have the right to set-off the amount of any Loss it may have under this Agreement, whether contingent or otherwise, against any amount owed by such Party to the other Party, whether under this Agreement or otherwise.

12.7 Waiver of Subrogation . Service Provider will use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to cause its insurers to waive their rights of subrogation against Customer with respect to any Losses. Likewise, Customer will use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to cause its insurers to waive their rights of subrogation against Service Provider with respect to any Losses.

12.8 Exclusive Remedy . From and after the Effective Date, the sole and exclusive remedy of a Party for Losses relating to this Agreement will be as set forth in Section 12.1 or Section 12.2 , as applicable, and with respect to (a) any and all Third-Party Claims will be pursuant to the indemnification provisions set forth in this Article 12 and (b) any and all Direct Claims will be pursuant to Section 5.6 . In furtherance of the foregoing, each Party hereby waives, from and after the Effective Date, any and all rights, claims and causes of action (other than pursuant to the indemnification

 

20


provisions set forth in this Article 12 and dispute resolution provisions set forth in Section 5.6 , and other than claims of, or causes of action arising from, knowing and intentional fraud and except for seeking specific performance or other equitable relief to require a Party to perform its obligations under this Agreement to the extent permitted hereunder) that such Party or its Affiliates may have against the other Party or any of its Affiliates, or their respective directors, officers and employees, arising under or based upon any applicable Laws and arising out of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

13. TERMINATION

13.1 Termination Rights .

(a) Termination for Cause . In addition to, and not in limitation of, any other termination rights set forth in this Agreement, either Party may, by giving written notice to the other Party, terminate this Agreement if such other Party commits a material breach of this Agreement (a “ Default ”), which Default is not cured within 30 days after notice of the Default. For purposes hereof, non-payment by Customer of any undisputed charges by the applicable due date will be deemed a Default.

(b) Termination for Convenience . Unless prohibited pursuant to Schedule   A , Customer may terminate this Agreement or any individual Service (including any individual Service within a “Service Bundle” set forth on Schedule A , only to the extent such individual Service(s) can be segregated from the Service Provider’s other Services that will continue to be provided) either (a) at any time by giving Service Provider at least 60 days’ advance written notice pursuant to Section 14.3 specifically designating the terminated Service(s) and the termination date or (b) at any time by a written agreement executed by the Relationship Manager of each Party, in substantially the form of Exhibit A attached hereto, specifically designating the terminated Service(s) and the termination date. For the avoidance of doubt, any written agreement between the Parties executed pursuant to this Section 13.1(b) may be exchanged between the Parties solely via electronic mail and is not subject to the notice requirements of Section   14.3 . Upon any such termination for convenience, Customer will remain liable for fees and expenses for all properly performed Services through the applicable termination date.

(c) For Insolvency . If either Party (i) files for bankruptcy, (ii) becomes or is declared insolvent, or is the subject of any proceedings (not dismissed within 60 days) related to its liquidation, insolvency or the appointment of a receiver or similar officer for Service Provider, (iii) makes an assignment for the benefit of all or substantially all of its creditors, (iv) takes any corporate action for its winding-up, dissolution or administration, or (v) enters into a Contract for the extension or readjustment of substantially all of its obligations, then the other Party may terminate this Agreement for cause as of a date specified in a written termination notice.

13.2 Survival . Any provision of this Agreement which contemplates performance or observance subsequent to any termination or expiration of this Agreement will survive any termination or expiration of this Agreement and continue in full force and effect including this Section 13.2 , Sections 7.1(b) , 7.2(b) , and 8.2 , and Articles 9 , 12 (subject to Section 14.10 ) and 14 .

 

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13.3 Rights Upon Termination or Expiration . At Customer’s request and expense, Service Provider will provide Customer with reasonable information and assistance to facilitate the transition of responsibility for the Services to Customer or its designee (“ Termination Assistance Services ”). The provision of such Termination Assistance Services will be subject to the Parties’ agreement on a detailed work plan and the availability of the applicable Service Provider resources. In no event will Service Provider be required to provide any specialized or customized services as part of the Termination Assistance Services.

 

14. MISCELLANEOUS

14.1 Entire Agreement . This Agreement, the Transaction Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements, including any related annexes, schedules and exhibits, as well as any other agreements and documents referred to herein and therein, will together constitute the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and will supersede all prior negotiations, agreements and understandings of the Parties of any nature, whether oral or written, with respect to such subject matter. If there is a conflict between any provision of this Agreement and a provision of the Transaction Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, the provision of the Transaction Agreement will control.

14.2 Governing Law .

(a) The validity, interpretation and enforcement of this Agreement will be governed by the Laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the conflict of Laws provisions thereof that would cause the Laws of another state to apply.

(b) By execution and delivery of this Agreement, subject to Section 5.5 , each Party irrevocably (i) submits and consents to the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts of the State of Delaware for itself and in respect of its property in the event that any dispute arises out of this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) agrees that it will not attempt to deny or defeat such personal jurisdiction by motion or other request for leave from any such court and (iii) agrees that it will not bring any action relating to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby in any other court. Subject to compliance with the provisions of Section   5.5 , if applicable, each of the Parties irrevocably and unconditionally waives (and agrees not to plead or claim) any objection to the laying of venue of any dispute arising out of this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby in the state and federal courts of the State of Delaware, or that any such dispute brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient or improper forum. The Parties further agree that the mailing by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, of any process required by any such court will constitute valid and lawful service of process against them, without necessity for service by any other means provided by statute or rule of court.

(c) EACH PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND THEREFORE IT HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY

 

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ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY OF THE AGREEMENTS DELIVERED IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY. EACH PARTY CERTIFIES AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT (I) NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE EITHER OF SUCH WAIVERS, (II) IT UNDERSTANDS AND HAS CONSIDERED THE IMPLICATIONS OF SUCH WAIVERS, (III) IT MAKES SUCH WAIVERS VOLUNTARILY, AND (IV) IT HAS BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 14.2(C) .

14.3 Notices . All notices, requests, permissions, waivers and other communications hereunder will be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given (a) when sent, if sent by facsimile, (b) when delivered, if delivered personally to the intended recipient and (c) one Business Day following sending by overnight delivery via an international courier service and, in each case, addressed to a Party at the following address for such Party:

 

(i)    if to Service Provider:
   The Procter & Gamble Company
   One Procter & Gamble Plaza
   Cincinnati, OH 45202
   Attention:   Corporate Secretary
   Attention:   Jason Muncy
     Associate General Counsel – Global Transactions
   Facsimile:   (513) 386-1927
   and
   Jones Day
   250 Vesey Street
   New York, NY 10281-1047
   Attention:   Robert A. Profusek
     Peter E. Izanec
   Facsimile:   (212) 755-7306
(ii)    If to Customer:
   Galleria Co.
   c/o Coty Inc.
   350 Fifth Avenue
   New York, NY 10018
   Attention:   Chief Financial Officer
   Facsimile:   (212) 389-7538

 

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   with a copy to (which will not constitute notice):
   Galleria Co.
   c/o Coty Inc.
   350 Fifth Avenue
   New York, NY 10018
  

Attention:

 

General Counsel

   Facsimile:   (212) 389-7538
   and
   Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
   Four Times Square
   New York, NY 10036
  

Attention:

 

Paul T. Schnell

     Sean C. Doyle
   Facsimile:   (212) 735-2000

or to such other address(es) as will be furnished in writing by any such Party to the other Party in accordance with the provisions of this Section   14.3 .

14.4 Amendments and Waivers .

(a) This Agreement may be amended and any provision of this Agreement may be waived; provided , however , that any such amendment or waiver will become and remain binding upon a Party only if such amendment or waiver is set forth in a writing executed by such Party. No course of dealing between or among any Persons having any interest in this Agreement will be deemed effective to modify, amend or discharge any part of this Agreement or any rights or obligations of any Party under or by reason of this Agreement.

(b) No delay or failure in exercising any right, power or remedy hereunder will affect or operate as a waiver thereof; nor will any single or partial exercise thereof or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right, power or remedy preclude any further exercise thereof or of any other right, power or remedy. Except and solely to the extent set forth in Section 12.8 , the rights and remedies hereunder are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies that any Party would otherwise have.

14.5 No Third-Party Beneficiaries . Except for the provisions of Article 12 with respect to indemnification of Service Provider Parties and Customer Parties, this Agreement is solely for the benefit of the Parties and does not confer on third parties (including any employees of any member of the Service Provider Group or the Customer Group) any remedy, claim, reimbursement, claim of action or other right in addition to those existing without reference to this Agreement.

14.6 Assignability . No Party may assign its rights or delegate its duties under this Agreement without the written consent of the other Party, except that a Party may assign its rights or delegate its duties under this Agreement to a member of the Service Provider Group or the Customer Group, as applicable; provided that (a) such Person

 

24


agrees in writing to be bound by the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement and (b) such assignment or delegation will not relieve any Party of its indemnification obligations or other obligations under this Agreement. Any attempted assignment or delegation in contravention of the foregoing will be void.

14.7 Construction .

(a) References to Customer Includes Recipients . Customer is fully responsible and liable for the Recipients’ compliance with this Agreement, and any actions, omissions, or materials provided by any Recipients other than Customer will be deemed to be Customer’s actions, omissions or materials provided by Customer.

(b) General . The descriptive headings herein are inserted for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be a substantive part of or to affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. Whenever required by the context, any pronoun used in this Agreement will include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular forms of nouns, pronouns, and verbs will include the plural and vice versa. Reference to any agreement, document, or instrument means such agreement, document, or instrument as amended or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof, and if applicable hereof. Unless the context otherwise requires, any references to an “Exhibit,” “Section” or “Article” will be to an Exhibit, Section or Article to or of this Agreement. The use of the words “include” or “including” in this Agreement will be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”. The use of the word “covenant” will mean “covenant and agreement”. The use of the words “or,” “either” or “any” will not be exclusive. The Parties have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. In the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement will be construed as if drafted jointly by the Parties, and no presumption or burden of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any Party by virtue of the authorship of any of the provisions of this Agreement. Except as otherwise expressly provided elsewhere in this Agreement, any provision herein which contemplates the agreement, approval or consent of, or exercise of any right of, a Party, such Party may give or withhold such agreement, approval or consent, or exercise such right, in its sole and absolute discretion, the Parties hereby expressly disclaiming any implied duty of good faith and fair dealing or similar concept.

14.8 Severability . The Parties agree that (a) the provisions of this Agreement will be severable in the event that for any reason whatsoever any of the provisions hereof are invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable, (b) any such invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable provisions will be replaced by other provisions which are as similar as possible in terms to such invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable provisions but are valid and enforceable, and (c) the remaining provisions will remain valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law.

14.9 Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (any one of which need not contain the signatures of more than one Party), each of which will be deemed to be an original but all of which taken together will constitute one and the same agreement. This Agreement, and any amendments hereto, to the extent signed and delivered by means of a facsimile machine or other electronic transmission, will be

 

25


treated in all manner and respects as an original agreement and will be considered to have the same binding legal effects as if it were the original signed version thereof delivered in person. At the request of any Party, the other Party will re-execute original forms thereof and deliver them to the requesting Party.

14.10 Force Majeure .

(a) “ Force Majeure Event ” means any event beyond the reasonable control of the Party affected that significantly interferes with the performance by such Party of its obligations under this Agreement, including acts of God, strikes, lockouts or other labor or industrial disputes or disturbances, civil disturbances, arrests or restraint from rulers or people, interruptions by Orders, present and future valid Orders of any regulatory body having proper jurisdiction, acts of the public enemy, wars, riots, blockades, insurrections, inability to secure labor or secure materials upon terms deemed practicable by the Party affected (including inability to secure materials by reason of allocations, voluntary or involuntary, promulgated by authorized governmental agencies), epidemics, landslides, lightning, earthquakes, fire, storm, floods, washouts, explosions, breakage or accident to machinery.

(b) If a Force Majeure Event is claimed by either Party, the Party making such claim will orally notify the other Party as soon as reasonably possible after the occurrence of such Force Majeure Event and, in addition, will provide the other Party with written notice of such Force Majeure Event within five days after the occurrence of such Force Majeure Event.

(c) Except for Customer’s obligations to make payments hereunder and except for Service Provider’s obligation to remit payments to Customer, neither Party hereto will be liable for any nonperformance or delay in performance of the terms of this Agreement when such failure is due to a Force Majeure Event. If either Party relies on the occurrence of a Force Majeure Event as a basis for being excused from performance of its obligations hereunder, such Party relying on the Force Majeure Event will (i) provide an estimate of the expected duration of the Force Majeure Event and its probable impact on performance of such Party’s obligations hereunder and (ii) provide prompt notice to the other Party of the cessation of the Force Majeure Event.

(d) Upon the occurrence of a Force Majeure Event, the same will, so far as possible, be remedied using Commercially Reasonable Efforts. It is understood and agreed that nothing in this Section 14.10 will require the settlement of strikes, lockouts or industrial disputes or disturbances by acceding to the demands of any opposing party therein when such course is inadvisable in the discretion of the Party having the difficulty.

14.11 Further Assurances . In addition to the actions specifically provided for elsewhere in this Agreement, each of the Parties hereto will cooperate with each other and use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to take, or to cause to be taken, all actions, and to do, or to cause to be done, all things reasonably necessary on its part under applicable Law or contractual obligations to consummate and make effective the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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14.12 Independent Contractors . Service Provider is an independent contractor, with all of the attendant rights and liabilities of an independent contractor, and not an employee of Customer or, except for authorizations specifically described in a schedule with respect to a particular function, an agent of Customer. Any provision in this Agreement or any action by Customer, that may appear to give Customer the right to direct or control Service Provider in performing under this Agreement means that Service Provider will follow the desires of Customer in results only.

14.13 Publicity . Except as otherwise required by Law, each of Service Provider and Customer will consult with the other and obtain the prior written consent of the other before issuing, or permitting any agent or Affiliate of such Party to issue, any press releases or otherwise making, or permitting any agent or Affiliate of such Party to make, any public statements with respect to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

14.14 Limitation . Any Action pursuant to this Agreement, including but not limited to any claim of indemnification, must be commenced within six months after the expiration or termination of this Agreement; provided , however , that for any Action commenced prior to the expiration of such six-month period, the Action will continue until finally resolved.

[ Signature Page Follows ]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their authorized representatives, to be effective as of the Effective Date.

 

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY     GALLERIA CO.
By:  

/s/ Pam Bloodgood

    By:  

/s/ Matthew C. Loftus

Name:   Pam Bloodgood     Name:   Matthew C. Loftus
Title:   Authorized Signatory     Title:   Authorized Signatory

Exhibit 99.1

 

LOGO

COTY COMPLETES MERGER WITH P&G SPECIALTY BEAUTY BUSINESS

Merger Transforms Coty into One of the World’s Leading Beauty Companies with a

Mission to be a Challenger in the Beauty Industry

Camillo Pane Officially Becomes CEO

NEW YORK – October 3, 2016 – Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY) announced today that it has completed the merger of The Procter & Gamble Company’s fine fragrance, color cosmetics, salon professional and hair color and certain styling businesses (“P&G Specialty Beauty Business”) into Coty. Coty is now the third-largest beauty company in the world, with approximately $9 billion in revenue. As a combined company, Coty will also hold the number one position in fragrances, and number two and three positions in salon hair and color cosmetics, respectively.

As previously announced, following the completion of the merger, Camillo Pane became the new Chief Executive Officer of Coty. Commenting, Pane said, “It is my great privilege to take over the reins of leadership at such a transformational moment. Today marks a new chapter in Coty’s rich heritage. With this merger, we have brought together a powerful portfolio of much loved beauty brands and some of the world’s most talented people in beauty and consumer goods. I believe this combination, together with our distinctive entrepreneurial culture, focused and lean operating structure, and efficient earnings model, will enable Coty to be a challenger in the beauty industry. We aim to relentlessly pursue superior products and solutions, build brands that inspire and enable consumers to celebrate and liberate their own individual beauty.”

Bart Becht, Chairman of Coty’s Board of Directors, said, “Coty is now better positioned as we aim to become, over time, a global industry leader by being a clear challenger in beauty, delighting our consumers and creating long term shareholder value. I am confident that we now have a much improved team, structure and culture to make the vision of this merger a reality. I look forward to continuing to work with the new leadership team in my role as Chairman to drive Coty to in-market success and profitable growth.”

Consumer-Centric Organizational Structure, with Iconic Brands

Coty is organized into three divisions: Coty Consumer Beauty, Coty Luxury and Coty Professional Beauty, each focused on their respective categories and channels, with a lean structure that enables faster decision making, focused investments and better communication with customers and consumers.

Coty Consumer Beauty is focused on color cosmetics, retail hair coloring and styling products, body care and mass fragrances, with the intent of providing consumers with innovative products primarily in the mass retail channel. Its iconic brand portfolio includes Adidas, Bourjois, Clairol, COVERGIRL, David Beckham, Katy Perry, Max Factor, Rimmel, Sally Hansen and Wella.


Coty Luxury is focused on expanding Coty’s leadership position in prestige fragrances and emerging position in skincare, in the Luxury Beauty market across all regions and luxury channels, including travel retail. Its fragrances include such well-known brands as Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Chloé, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Davidoff and Miu Miu, amongst others, and skincare brands include Lancaster and philosophy.

Coty Professional Beauty is focused on servicing salon owners and professionals in both hair and nail care, covering all key salon segments and salon client needs. The professional-focused brands include Clairol Professional, Nioxin, OPI, Sebastian Professional, System Professional and Wella Professionals.

Financial Benefits of Transaction

Coty aims to achieve a best-in-class profit margin and cash flow conversion model in an industry with attractive growth dynamics and modest private label penetration. Coty expects to achieve total cost savings of approximately $750 1 million or 16% 1 of acquired revenues, through the transaction composed of: initial synergies, reflecting P&G costs that will not transfer, of approximately $350 million; and incremental cost synergies, to be recognized over four years, of approximately $400 million, achieved through a range of efficiency opportunities that the combination of the two businesses create.

The merger synergies are expected to enhance Coty’s already strong margins, cash flow generation and earnings power. Including anticipated synergies, Coty expects the P&G Specialty Beauty Business merger to:

 

    Add approximately 500 to 600 basis points to Coty’s stand-alone adjusted operating profit margins over a four-year period, resulting in margins of approximately 19.6% which would make Coty a margin leader relative to its Beauty peers.

 

    Drive a pro forma increase to Coty’s fiscal year 2016 adjusted earnings per share base of approximately $0.48, including the assumed four year implementation of full run-rate synergies.

 

    Generate close to $1 billion in free cash flow by year two.

Financing

At the close of the transaction, Coty will assume approximately $1.9 billion of debt of the P&G Specialty Beauty Business. On a combined basis, the business at close is expected to have moderate pro forma debt leverage of approximately 3.5x net debt / Adjusted EBITDA, providing ample cash flow for the enhanced annual dividend of $0.50 per share, while preserving strategic flexibility.

Outlook for Fiscal 2017

As previously communicated, Coty anticipates that the first half revenue trend will be below prior year results and the results for the combined company, as Coty continues to make strategic choices to build a better business, including rationalizing wholesale distribution, and as resources which normally work on the business have been working on closing the transaction and the future of the combined company. Coty remains committed to return the Coty business back to growth in the second six month period and is targeting to strengthen Coty’s growth rate in the following fiscal years.

 

 

1   Potential cost savings and percentage of acquired revenues in constant currency


Coty Heritage

Coty has a unique and long standing heritage of entrepreneurs, upon which the culture of the new Coty is being modeled. François Coty started his fragrance business more than 100 years ago by making perfume accessible to the general public for the first time and creating the modern fragrance category. Eugene Rimmel brought the world the first non-toxic mascara, Max Factor coined the term “make-up,” Sally Hansen pioneered nail care and Wella was the first professional hairdressing company. All of these entrepreneurs will form the inspiration for the new Coty company to bring new innovative beauty products to consumers and drive shareholder value over time.

Advisors

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC served as lead financial advisor to Coty. Barclays, J.P. Morgan and BofA Merrill Lynch also acted as financial advisors, with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP serving as legal counsel, McDermott Will & Emery LLP serving as tax and U.S. antitrust counsel and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer serving as non-U.S. antitrust counsel.

---//---

Note to editors – About Camillo Pane:

Camillo Pane is a global consumer goods veteran and a proven leader with a strong track record for delivering business performance. Prior to joining Coty, Camillo Pane spent 20 years with RB (Reckitt Benckiser) plc, most recently as head of its global health and personal care business. He played a key role in RB’s large-scale move into consumer health, which became RB’s fastest-growing division. His career in marketing and general management has covered both developed and developing markets, including Italy, the United States, Brazil and the UK. He has extensive experience in integration of acquisitions across a wide range of geographies. Since joining Coty in July 2015, he has been leading the development of Coty’s portfolio, category and brand strategies, as well as the development of its beauty brand equities and associated innovation pipeline.

About Coty Inc.

Coty is one of the world’s largest beauty companies with approximately $9 billion in revenue, with a purpose to celebrate and liberate the diversity of consumers’ beauty. Its strong entrepreneurial heritage has created an iconic portfolio of leading beauty brands. Coty is the global leader in fragrance, a strong number two in professional salon hair color & styling, and number three in color cosmetics. Coty operates three divisions – Coty Consumer Beauty, which is focused on color cosmetics, retail hair coloring and styling products, body care and mass fragrances sold primarily in the mass retail channels with brands such as COVERGIRL, Max Factor and Rimmel; Coty Luxury, which is focused on prestige fragrances and skincare with brands such as Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Hugo Boss, Gucci and philosophy; and Coty Professional


Beauty, which is focused on servicing salon owners and professionals in both hair and nail, with brands such as Wella Professionals, Sebastian Professional and OPI. Coty has over 20,000 colleagues globally and its products are sold in over 130 countries.

Coty and its brands are committed to a range of social causes as well as seek to minimize its impact on the environment.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect Coty’s current views with respect to, among other things, its future operations and financial performance; new brand and business partnerships; expected growth; its ability to support its planned business operation on a near- and long-term basis and its outlook for the full year fiscal 2016. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by words or phrases, such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “plan”, “project”, “expect”, “believe”, “intend”, “foresee”, “forecast”, “will”, “may”, “should”, “outlook”, “continue”, “target”, “committed,” “aim” and similar words or phrases. Reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance, and actual results may differ materially from the results predicted due to risks and uncertainties including:

 

    Coty’s ability to realize the cost savings, improved profit margins, adjusted EPS accretion, additional free cash flow and other financial benefits of the transaction with P&G Beauty Brands;

 

    Coty’s ability to achieve its global business strategy and compete effectively in the beauty industry;

 

    Coty’s ability to anticipate, gauge and respond to market trends and consumer preferences, which may change rapidly, and market acceptance of new products;

 

    Coty’s ability to identify suitable acquisition targets and managerial, integration, operational and financial risks associated with those acquisitions, including its acquisitions of Bourjois, Beamly and the Brazil Acquisition and the transaction with P&G Beauty Brands;

 

    Coty’s ability to implement the Organizational Redesign restructuring program as planned and the success of the program in delivering anticipated improvements and efficiencies;

 

    risks related to Coty’s international operations, including reputational, regulatory, economic and foreign political risks, such as the political instability in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the debt crisis and economic environment in Europe and fluctuations in currency exchange rates;

 

    dependence on certain licenses, entities performing outsourced functions and third-party suppliers;

 

    Coty’s and its brand partners’ and licensors’ ability to obtain, maintain and protect the intellectual property rights used in Coty’s products and Coty’s and its brand partners’ abilities to protect their respective reputations;

 

    the ability and willingness of Coty’s business partners to deliver under Coty’s agreements with them;


    administrative, development or other difficulties in meeting the expected timing of market expansions, product launches and marketing efforts;

 

    impairments to Coty’s goodwill and other assets;

 

    global political and/or economic uncertainties or disruptions, including a general economic downturn, a sudden disruption in business conditions affecting consumer purchases of Coty’s products and volatility in the financial markets;

 

    Coty’s ability to manage seasonal variability;

 

    consolidation among retailers, shifts in consumers’ preferred distribution channels, and other changes in the retail environment in which Coty sells its products;

 

    disruptions in operations;

 

    increasing dependency on information technology and Coty’s ability to protect against service interruptions, data corruption, cyber-based attacks or network security breaches;

 

    changes in laws, regulations and policies that affect Coty’s business or products; and

 

    the illegal distribution and sale by third parties of counterfeit versions of Coty’s products.

More information about potential risks and uncertainties that could affect Coty’s business and financial results is included under “Risk Factors” and “Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Coty’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016, and under “Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements”, “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of P&G Beauty Brands” in Coty’s Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed on April 22, 2016, including any amendments thereto, and other periodic reports Coty may file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

Coty assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements made herein or otherwise, except as required by law.

Non-GAAP Measures

In this document, Coty presents adjusted operating profit margin, adjusted earnings per share and free cash flow, which are non-GAAP financial measures that we believe better enable management and investors to analyze and compare the underlying business results from period to period. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Coty does not provide reconciliations of such forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying certain amounts that are necessary for such reconciliation, including adjustments that could be made for restructuring, integration and acquisition-related expenses, amortization expenses, adjustments to inventory, and other charges reflected in our reconciliation of historic numbers, the amount of which, based on historical experience, could be significant.


Contacts

Investor Relations

Kevin Monaco, 212-389-6815

Media

Jennifer Friedman, 917-754-8399, Jennifer_Friedman@cotyinc.com