Exhibit 10.6
Execution
Copy
Newton Acquisition, Inc.
September 30, 2005
Re: Opportunity to Acquire
Shares
Dear Neiman Marcus Executive,
As you know, The Neiman Marcus
Group, Inc. (“ NMG ”) is in the process of
undergoing a change of control, and following the change of
control, 100% of its outstanding shares will be owned by an entity
called Newton Acquisition, Inc. (“ Newco
”). This transaction is pursuant to an Agreement and
Plan of Merger, dated as of May 1, 2005, by and among Newco,
Newton Acquisition Merger Sub, Inc. and NMG (the “
Merger Agreement ”). Although a delay is
possible, we expect that the closing of the transaction will occur
on October 6, 2005 (the “ Closing
”).
We are pleased to offer you the
opportunity to invest in shares of common stock of Newco (the
“ Shares ”) on the terms and conditions set out
below. As further described below, to the extent that you own
shares of NMG as a capital asset, you are being given the
opportunity to invest on a tax-deferred basis by “rolling
over” a portion of these shares (any such shares being rolled
over, the “ Rollover Shares ”). In
addition, you are being offered the opportunity to make a cash
contribution as set forth in Section 3 and the Acceptance
Form (your “ Cash Contribution
”).
1.
Merger Consideration; Rollover
Shares . As a
result of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement,
absent an election to contribute or “rollover” the
Rollover Shares as contemplated in this agreement (this “
Agreement ”), you would be entitled, with respect to
your Rollover Shares, to the “Merger Consideration” (as
defined in the Merger Agreement) for each such Rollover Share (the
aggregate such amount that you would be entitled to receive with
respect to your Rollover Shares, the “ Rollover Merger
Consideration ”). As a technical matter, the
Rollover Merger Consideration that is payable to you in the absence
of a rollover election would be distributed by NMG. By
completing the Acceptance Form below, you agree to, and
instruct Newco and NMG to use their reasonable efforts to, roll
over your Rollover Shares into the Shares in lieu of receiving
the Rollover Merger Consideration in cash . Upon your
instruction, this rollover will occur as set forth below in
“Sale and Purchase of Shares; Rollover Mechanics”, and
will ultimately result in your Rollover Shares being contributed to
Newco in exchange for the Shares.
2.
Sale and Purchase of Shares;
Rollover Mechanics . By completing and returning the
Acceptance Form below, you agree to, immediately prior to the
Closing, contribute your Rollover Shares to Newco and agree to
forego any Rollover Merger Consideration (and any Merger
Consideration you are using to satisfy your Cash Contribution) to
which you would otherwise have been entitled absent an election to
invest in the Shares. The Rollover Shares so contributed will
be canceled and retired without any conversion thereof or payment
or
distribution thereon, as set forth in
Section 2.1(b) of the Merger Agreement. In exchange for
the Rollover Shares and your Cash Contribution, you will receive
such number of Shares having an aggregate value equal to the amount
of your investment as indicated on the Acceptance Form. You
will be the holder of record of the Shares as of the Closing,
whether or not Newco issues physical certificates to you.
This offer is conditioned upon the occurrence of the Closing.
If the Closing does not occur, this Agreement will be canceled and
will be of no force and effect.
3.
Form of
Consideration . If
you choose to invest in the Shares, (i) you must invest a
minimum of $50,000, and (ii) you must first satisfy your
investment of the Rollover Shares by contributing all NMG shares
that you purchased from NMG on October 29, 2004 under the NMG
1997 Stock Incentive Plan for $60.83 (the “ 10/29 Rollover
Shares ”), if you hold any such shares. Thereafter,
any additional investment of the Rollover Shares may be satisfied
by rolling over other NMG shares that you hold as a capital asset
(e.g., shares you acquired on the market or shares you acquired by
exercising stock options, but not including restricted stock or
stock units), if any, or by making your Cash Contribution.
Your Cash Contribution will automatically be deducted from your
after-tax merger proceeds (e.g., from any cash payment of the
Merger Consideration to which you may be entitled with respect to
equity or equity-based interests other than those being rolled over
pursuant to this Agreement), provided that if such proceeds are
insufficient, any shortfall must be received by wire transfer by
the close of business on the day before the Closing (wire
information will be provided to you). With respect to
the 10/29 Rollover Shares, you hereby authorize NMG to take such
action as may be necessary to cause these shares to be rolled
over. Delivery of any other Rollover Shares will occur as
follows: (x) with respect to Rollover Shares for which physical
certificates were delivered to you, by delivering the physical
certificates that were so issued; and (y) with respect to Rollover
Shares you hold through a brokerage account, by having the
brokerage firm by which such Rollover Shares are held transfer
these Rollover Shares to an account established in Newco’s
name (the “ Newco Account ”) (transfer
information will be provided to you). The Rollover Shares
must be credited to the Newco Account before 12:00 p.m.,
Wednesday, October 5, 2005 , which means that you should
instruct your broker to initiate the transfer by 12:00 p.m. on
Tuesday, October 5, 2005.
4.
Acceptance and Closing;
Conditions . You
may accept this offer and the terms of this Agreement by completing
and returning the Acceptance Form below, in which case the
closing of the acquisition of the Shares will occur immediately
after the Closing. This offer is conditioned upon the
occurrence of the Closing. If the Closing does not occur on
or before October 17, 2005 (the “ Closing
Deadline ”), this Agreement will be canceled and you will
have no rights with respect hereto and any Rollover Shares that you
have transferred or cash payment that you have made pursuant to
Section 3 will be returned to you; provided , that if
Newco determines on or before the Closing Deadline and in good
faith that the Closing is likely to occur on or before
October 31, 2005, the Closing Deadline shall automatically be
extended to October 31, 2005.
5.
Limitation
. Newco, in its discretion,
may limit the number of Shares that you may purchase, and therefore
may choose not to accept the full amount of your investment
election. Rollover Shares not so accepted pursuant to the
preceding sentence will be treated in accordance with the
provisions of the Merger Agreement.
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6.
Vesting . Your Shares when issued will be fully
vested.
7.
Stockholders’
Agreement . By
completing and returning the Acceptance Form below, you agree
to become a party to the Management Stockholders’ Agreement,
a draft of which is attached hereto as Annex A, as may be amended
from time to time in accordance with its terms (the “
Stockholders’ Agreement ”) and you will be
subject to the terms and conditions thereof with respect to your
Shares; provided that the Shares shall not be subject to the
call right in Section 3(b). Newco agrees that it will,
and that it will cause the Majority Holders (as defined below) to,
also become a party to the Stockholders’
Agreement.
8.
Tax Reporting
. It is intended that your
contribution of the Rollover Shares, if any, shall be treated as a
tax-free transfer under Section 351 of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code
”).
All discussions of U.S. federal
tax considerations in this document have been written to support
the marketing of the Shares. Such discussions were not
intended or written to be used, and cannot be used by any taxpayer,
for the purpose of avoiding U.S. federal tax penalties. You
should consult your own tax advisers in determining the tax
consequences of the rollover and of holding the Shares, including
the application to your particular situation of the U.S. federal
tax considerations discussed herein, as well as the application of
state, local, foreign, or other tax laws.
9.
Representations;
Acknowledgements .
By signing below and completing and returning the Acceptance Form,
you hereby represent and warrant to Newco and NMG that:
(i)
you have the requisite power,
authority and capacity to execute this Agreement and to deliver or
cause to be delivered the Rollover Shares, to perform your
obligations under this Agreement and to consummate the transactions
contemplated hereby;
(ii)
the Acceptance Form has been
duly and validly executed and delivered by you and constitutes your
legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against you in
accordance with its terms, except to the extent that such validly
binding effect and enforceability may be limited by applicable
bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, moratorium and other laws
relating to or affecting creditors’ rights
generally;
(iii)
the Shares are being acquired for
your own account, for investment purposes only and not with a view
to or in connection with any distribution, reoffer, resale, public
offering or other disposition thereof not in compliance with the
Securities Act of 1933 (the “ Securities Act ”),
as may be amended from time to time, or any applicable United
States federal or state securities laws or regulations;
(iv)
you are an “accredited
investor”, as defined in Rule 501(a) under the
Securities Act, which means you are:
a. A person whose individual net worth, or joint
net worth with your spouse, exceeds $1,000,000;
OR
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b. A person whose income exceeded $200,000 in each
of the two most recent years, or joint income with your spouse
exceeded $300,000 in each of those years, and you have a reasonable
expectation of reaching the same income level in this
year;
(v)
you possess such expertise,
knowledge, and sophistication in financial and business matters
generally, and in the type of transaction in which NMG and Newco
propose to engage in particular;
(vi)
you have had access to all of the
information and individuals with respect to the Shares and your
investment that you deem necessary to make a complete evaluation
thereof;
(vii)
you have had an opportunity to
consult an independent tax and legal advisor and your decision to
acquire the interest for investment has been based solely upon your
evaluation;
(viii)
you are aware that the Internal
Revenue Service or other relevant taxing authority may take a
position regarding the rollover contemplated in this Agreement
and/or the tax classification of Newco and the Shares contrary to
that intended by Newco as provided in this Agreement and you shall
be solely responsible for any and all tax or other liabilities that
may result from the IRS’s or other relevant taxing
authority’s position; and
(ix)
you are aware that the
Stockholders’ Agreement provides significant restrictions on
your ability to dispose of the Shares.
By electing to contribute the
Rollover Shares pursuant to this Agreement, you acknowledge that
you are instructing Newco and its affiliates to distribute to you,
following the Closing, Shares in Newco instead of cash, as
described above, and you hereby acknowledge that you do not have,
and will not assert that you have, any claim against Newco, the
Majority Holders (as defined below) or their respective affiliates
to receive the Merger Consideration or any other payment in
exchange for the Rollover Shares, except as contemplated
herein. You further acknowledge that any tax bonus to make up
for the differential between short-term and long-term capital gains
rates that otherwise would be paid to you will not be so paid on
the 10/29 Rollover Shares.
The “ Majority Holders
” shall mean, collectively or individually, TPG Partners III,
L.P., TPG Partners IV, L.P., Warburg Pincus Private Equity VIII,
L.P., Warburg Pincus Netherlands Private Equity VIII I, C.V. and
Warburg Pincus Germany Private Equity VIII K.G and their respective
successors and assigns.
10.
Other NMG Interests
. You acknowledge that any
other equity or equity-based interests that you hold in NMG that
you do not elect to roll over, or which are not accepted for
rollover for any reason pursuant to this Agreement, will be treated
in accordance with the Merger Agreement.
11.
Governing Law
. All questions concerning the
construction, validity and interpretation of this Agreement will be
governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State
of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict
of law provision or rule that would cause the application of
the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of
Delaware.
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12.
Counterparts
. This Agreement may be
executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed
to be one and the same instrument.
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[Signature
Page Follows]
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Please sign your name on the space provided
below and please indicate whether and how you would like to invest
in Newco by completing and executing the Acceptance
Form attached to the end of this Agreement. Please
return an executed copy of this Agreement and the Acceptance
Form in original form or by FAX no later than 1:00 p.m. (Central
Daylight Time) on Monday, October 3, 2005 to the attention of
Marita O’Dea , The Neiman Marcus Group, 1618
Main Street Dallas, TX 75201. The fax number is 214-743-7605.
(If you fax your election form on Monday, the original should be
delivered to Marita O’Dea no later than Wednesday,
October 5, 2005).
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Sincerely,
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Newton Acquisition, Inc.
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By:
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David Spuria
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Title:
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Vice President
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Agreed to and Accepted by:
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Signature
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Please print your name and address:
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By execution below, NMG and its respective
affiliates agree, if so directed by you, to use reasonable efforts
to effect a rollover pursuant to this Agreement as a tax-free
distribution under section 351 of the Code, unless otherwise
required pursuant to a final determination, as defined in
Section 1313 of the Code:
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for The Neiman Marcus
Group, Inc.
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By:
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Title:
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S-1
Acceptance of Offer to Acquire
Shares of Newco (the “Acceptance
Form”)
Pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth
in letter to me dated September 30, 2005, I,
,
hereby elect make an investment in Newco and purchase Shares in the
amount and manner below:
1.
$ ,
which will be satisfied through a contribution of
NMG shares (at $100 per share).
2.
$ ,
which will be satisfied through a reduction in my after-tax
proceeds from any cash payment of the Merger Consideration I will
receive in exchange equity or equity-based interests other than
those being rolled over pursuant to this Agreement.
3.
$ ,
which will be satisfied by wire transfer (wire instructions to be
supplied).
Aggregate Investment =
$
(sum of 1, 2 and 3 above cannot be less than
$50,000)
F-1
ANNEX A
[STOCKHOLDERS’ AGREEMENT]
A-1
MANAGEMENT STOCKH