Exhibit 1.1

Leslie’s, Inc.

Common Stock

 

 

Underwriting Agreement

December 14, 2021

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

200 West Street

New York, New York 10282

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

1585 Broadway

New York, New York 10036

As representative (the “Representative”) of the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Bubbles Investor Aggregator, L.P. (“Bubbles Investor”), Explorer Investment Pte. Ltd. (the “GIC Investor” and, together with Bubbles Investor, the “Selling Stockholders”) of Leslie’s, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), propose, subject to the terms and conditions stated in this agreement (the “Agreement”), to sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of 12,500,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Stock”) of the Company and, at the election of the Underwriters, up to 1,875,000 additional shares of Stock. The 12,500,000 shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholders are herein called the “Firm Shares” and the 1,875,000 additional shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholders are herein called the “Optional Shares”. The Firm Shares and the Optional Shares that the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant to Section 2 hereof are herein collectively called the “Shares”.

To the extent there are no additional Underwriters listed on Schedule I other than you, the term Representative as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriter, and the terms Representatives and Underwriters shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires.

1. Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-261060), including a prospectus, relating to the Shares. Such registration statement, as amended at the time it became effective, including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness (“Rule 430 Information”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement”; and as used herein, the term “Preliminary Prospectus” means each prospectus included in such registration statement (and any amendments thereto) before effectiveness, any prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act and the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness that omits Rule 430 Information, and the term “Prospectus” means the prospectus in the form first used (or made available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) in connection with


confirmation of sales of the Shares. If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement. Any reference in this agreement (this “Agreement”) to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act, as of the effective date of the Registration Statement or the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be and any reference to “amend”, “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after such date under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

At or prior to 4:45 P.M., New York City time, on December 14, 2021, the time when sales of the Shares were first made (the “Applicable Time”), the Company had prepared the following information (collectively, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”): a Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated December 14, 2021, each “issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined pursuant to Rule 433 under the Securities Act (each, an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”)) listed on Schedule III(a) hereto and the additional information set forth on Schedule III(c) hereto.

2. Purchase and Sale of the Shares.

Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) each of the Selling Stockholders agrees, severally and not jointly, to sell to each of the Underwriters, and the Underwriters agree to purchase from each of the Selling Stockholders, at a purchase price per share of $20.25 (the “Purchase Price”), the Firm Shares and (b) in the event and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase Optional Shares as provided below, each of the Selling Stockholders agrees, severally and not jointly, to sell to the Underwriters, and the Underwriters agree to purchase from each of the Selling Stockholders, at the Purchase Price (provided that the Purchase Price per Optional Share shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on the Optional Shares), the number of Optional Shares as to which such election shall have been exercised.

The Selling Stockholders, as and to the extent indicated in Schedule II hereto, hereby grant, severally and not jointly, to the Underwriters the right to purchase at their election up to 1,875,000 Optional Shares, at the Purchase Price (provided that the Purchase Price per Optional Share shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on the Optional Shares). Any such election to purchase Optional Shares shall be made in proportion to the number of Optional Shares to be sold by each Selling Stockholder. Any such election to purchase Optional Shares may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Company and the Selling Stockholders, given within a period of 30 calendar days after the date of this Agreement and setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Shares to be purchased and the date on which such Optional Shares are to be delivered, as determined by you but in no event earlier than the Time of Delivery (as defined in below) or, unless you and the Company and the Selling Stockholders otherwise agree in writing, earlier than two or later than ten business days after the date of such notice.

Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Shares, the Underwriters propose to offer the Shares for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

 

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The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in definitive or book-entry form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as the Underwriters may request upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice to the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Selling Stockholders to the Underwriters, through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), for the account of the Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of the Underwriters of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the accounts specified by the Selling Stockholders to the Underwriters at least forty-eight hours in advance. The Company and the Selling Stockholders will cause the certificates, if any, representing the Shares to be made available for checking and packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery or Option Time of Delivery (as defined below), as the case may be, at the office of DTC or its designated custodian (the “Designated Office”). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be, with respect to the Firm Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York time, on December 16, 2021 or such other time and date as the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York time, on the date specified by the Representative in each written notice given by the Underwriters of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Optional Shares, or such other time and date as the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders may agree upon in writing. Such time and date for delivery of the Firm Shares is herein called the “Time of Delivery”, each such time and date for delivery of the Optional Shares, if not the Time of Delivery, is herein called the “Option Time of Delivery”.

The documents to be delivered at the Time of Delivery and at each Option Time of Delivery, as the case may be, by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 7 hereof, including the cross receipt for the Shares and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 7(l) hereof will be delivered at the offices of Latham & Watkins LLP (the “Closing Location”), and the Shares will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at such Time of Delivery or Option Time of Delivery, as the case may be. A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next preceding such Time of Delivery or Option Time of Delivery, as the case may be, at which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto. For the purposes of this Section 2, “New York Business Day” shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in New York are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.

The Representative may exercise the option to purchase Optional Shares on behalf of the Underwriters at any time in whole, or from time to time in part, on or before the thirtieth day following the date of the Prospectus, by written notice. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Optional Shares as to which the option is being exercised and the date and time when the Optional Shares are to be delivered and paid for, which may be the same date and time as the Time of Delivery but shall not be earlier than the Time of Delivery nor later than the tenth full business day (as hereinafter defined) after the date of such notice. At each Option Time of Delivery, each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Option Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representative may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Optional Shares to be purchased at such Option Time of Delivery as the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares.

 

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The Company and the Selling Stockholders acknowledge and agree that (i) the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company and the Selling Stockholders, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company or any Selling Stockholder, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company or any Selling Stockholder with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company or any Selling Stockholder on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company or any Selling Stockholder except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (iv) the Company and each Selling Stockholder has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate, and (v) none of the activities of the Underwriters in connection with the transactions contemplated herein constitutes a recommendation, investment advice, or solicitation of any action by the Underwriters with respect to any entity or natural person. The Company and each Selling Stockholder agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company or any Selling Stockholder, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.

3. Representations and Warranties of the Company.

(a) The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:

(i) (A) The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405 of the Securities Act in respect of the Shares that has been filed with the Commission not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of such registration statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act has been received by the Company; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission and (B) (i) at the time of filing the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), and (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the Act) made any offer relating to the Shares in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Act, the Company was a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; and (C) at the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or any offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Act) of the Shares, and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act;

(ii) (A) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and (B) each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with either the Underwriter Information (as defined in Section 8(c) of this Agreement) or the information relating to the Selling Stockholders furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Selling Stockholders expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any other Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (the “Selling Stockholder Information”);

 

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(iii) The Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of each Time of Delivery will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of each Time of Delivery, will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with either the Underwriter Information or the Selling Stockholder Information;

(iv) The documents incorporated by reference in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, when they were filed with the Commission, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and no such or any other documents were filed with the Commission since the Commission’s close of business on the business day immediately prior to the date of this Agreement and prior to the execution of this Agreement, except as set forth on Schedule III(b) hereto;

(v) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement, as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, and as of each Time of Delivery, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with either the Underwriter Information or the Selling Stockholder Information;

(vi) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Disclosure Package, (i) sustained any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree or (ii) entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, in each case otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Disclosure Package, there has not been (A) any change in the capital stock (other than as a result of (x) the exercise, if any, of stock options or the award, if any, of stock options or restricted stock in the ordinary

 

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course of business pursuant to the Company’s equity plans that are described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or (y) the issuance, if any, of stock upon conversion of Company securities as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus) or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (B) any Material Adverse Effect (as defined below); as used in this Agreement, “Material Adverse Effect” shall mean any material adverse change or effect, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change or effect, in or affecting (x) the business, properties, general affairs, prospects, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package, or (y) the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;

(vii) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Pricing Disclosure Package or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries;

(viii) Each of the Company and each of its subsidiaries has been (i) duly organized and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package, and (ii) duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, except, in the case of this clause (ii), where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and each subsidiary of the Company has been listed in the Registration Statement;

(ix) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company, including the Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholders, have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and conform, in all material respects, to the description of the Stock contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and all of the issued shares of capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and (except, in the case of any foreign subsidiary, for directors’ qualifying shares) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, except for such liens or encumbrances described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;

(x) [Reserved];

(xi) The sale of the Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholders and the compliance by the Company with this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement and the Pricing Disclosure Package will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, (A) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the

 

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Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, except, in the case of this clause (A) for such defaults, breaches, or violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (B) the certificate of incorporation or by-laws (or other applicable organizational document) of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or (C) any statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, except in the case of this clause (C), as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been obtained under the Act, the approval by FINRA of the underwriting terms and arrangements and such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters;

(xii) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its certificate of incorporation or by-laws (or other applicable organization document), (ii) in violation of any statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, or (iii) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound, except, in the case of the foregoing clauses (ii) and (iii), for such defaults as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;

(xiii) The statements set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Description of Capital Stock”, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Stock, are accurate, complete and fair in all material respects;

(xiv) [Reserved];

(xv) Other than as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, any officer or director of the Company is a party or of which any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, any officer or director of the Company is the subject which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries (or such officer or director), would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or others;

(xvi) The Company is not an “investment company”, as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”);

(xvii) At the time of filing the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that any offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Act) of the Shares, and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act;

 

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(xviii) Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, are independent public accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;

(xix) The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that (i) complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act, (ii) has been designed by the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or under their supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and (iii) is sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets, (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences, and (E) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement is accurate; and the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective and the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting;

(xx) Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Disclosure Package, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting;

(xxi) The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective;

(xxii) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company;

(xxiii) None of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any director or officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any employee, agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) made, offered, promised or authorized any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense (or taken any act in furtherance thereof); (ii) made, offered, promised or authorized any direct or indirect unlawful payment; or (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law;

(xxiv) The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with the requirements of applicable anti-money laundering laws, including, but not limited to, the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as amended by the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the anti-money laundering laws of the various jurisdictions in which the Company and its subsidiaries conduct business (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened;

 

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(xxv) (A) None of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any director or officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any employee, agent or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is an individual or entity (“Person”) currently the subject or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Government, including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”), or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person,” the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury, the United Nations Security Council, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized, or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or target of Sanctions; and (B) for the past five years, the Company or any of its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, and are not, as of the date of this Agreement, knowingly engaged in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or target of Sanctions;

(xxvi) The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its subsidiaries for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules, if any, present fairly in all material respects in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included therein. Except as included therein, no historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus under the Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Act in all material respects, to the extent applicable;

(xxvii) Any statistical and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably believes to be reliable and accurate and, to the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources;

(xxviii) Except as would not, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) the Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on the

 

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business now operated by them, and (B) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its subsidiaries therein;

(xxvix) (A) The minimum funding standard under Sections 412 and 430 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and Sections 302 and 303 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”), has been satisfied by each “pension plan” (as defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA) that has been established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries and their ERISA Affiliates (as defined below); (B) each of the Company and its subsidiaries has fulfilled its obligations, if any, under Section 515 of ERISA; (C) each pension plan and welfare plan established or maintained by the Company and its Subsidiaries is in compliance with the currently applicable provisions of ERISA; (D) the fair market value of the assets under each pension plan established or maintained by the Company and its subsidiaries exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such pension plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such pension plan); (E) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any pension plan established or maintained by the Company and its subsidiaries excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; and (F) none of the Company and its subsidiaries has incurred or, except as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospects and the Prospectus, would reasonably be expected to incur any withdrawal liability under Section 4201 of ERISA, any liability under Section 4062, 4063, or 4064 of ERISA, or any other liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to pension plans or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, in the ordinary course and without default); except, in each case with respect to clauses (A) through (F) hereof, as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. “ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that, together with the Company, could be deemed a “single employer” within the meaning of Section 4001(b)(1) of ERISA or within the meaning of Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code, and the regulations issued thereunder;

(xxx) (A)(x) To the Company’s knowledge, there has been no security breach or attack or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of them), equipment or technology (“IT Systems and Data”), except as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and (y) the Company and its subsidiaries have not been notified of, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any security breach, attack or compromise to their IT Systems and Data, (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have complied, and are presently in compliance, with, all applicable laws, statutes or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority and all industry guidelines, standards, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification and (C) the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices, except, in each case with respect to clauses (A) through (C) hereof, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;

 

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(xxxi) [Reserved]; and

(xxxii) The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.

(b) Each of the Selling Stockholders, severally and not jointly, represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters and the Company that:

(i) All consents, approvals, authorizations and orders necessary for the execution and delivery by such Selling Stockholder of this Agreement and for the sale and delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, have been obtained, except for such consents, approvals, authorizations and orders as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters, the approval of the underwriting terms and arrangements by FINRA or the approval for listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (the “Exchange”) and except where the failure to obtain any such consent, approval, authorization or order would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on the ability of such Selling Stockholder to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and such Selling Stockholder has full right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to sell, assign, transfer and deliver the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder;

(ii) The sale of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder and the compliance by such Selling Stockholder with this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein and therein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any statute, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Stockholder is a party or by which such Selling Stockholder is bound or to which any of the property or assets of such Selling Stockholder is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Articles of Association, Certificate of Limited Partnership or Limited Partnership Agreement of such Selling Stockholder (or similar applicable organizational document) or any statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over such Selling Stockholder or any of its subsidiaries or any property or assets of such Selling Stockholder, except for any such conflict, breach, violation or default that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of such Selling Stockholder to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental body or agency is required for the performance by such Selling Stockholder of its obligations under this Agreement and the consummation by such Selling Stockholder of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in connection with the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, except the registration under the Act of the Shares and such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters or such that, if not obtained, would not, individually or in the aggregate, affect the validity of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder or reasonably be expected to materially adversely affect the ability of such Selling Stockholder to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

 

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(iii) Such Selling Stockholder has, and immediately prior to each Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 1 hereof) such Selling Stockholder will have, good and valid title to, or a valid “security entitlement” within the meaning of Section 8-501 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code in respect of, the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder at such Time of Delivery, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims; and, upon delivery of such Shares and payment therefor pursuant hereto, good and valid title to such Shares, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, will pass to the several Underwriters;

(iv) On or prior to the date of the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Selling Stockholder has executed and delivered to the Underwriters an agreement substantially in the form of Annex I hereto;

(v) Such Selling Stockholder has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action that is designed to or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares;

(vi) To the extent that any statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto are made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company in writing by such Selling Stockholder pursuant to Item 7 of Form S–3 expressly for use therein, such Registration Statement and Preliminary Prospectus did, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will, when they become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, it being understood and agreed for the purposes of this Agreement, the Selling Stockholder Information for such Selling Stockholder consists only of (A) such Selling Stockholder’s legal name, address and Stock beneficially owned by such Selling Stockholder before and after the offering contemplated hereby and (B) the other information with respect to such Selling Stockholder (excluding percentages) which appear under the caption “Principal and Selling Stockholders” in the Preliminary Prospectus;

(vii) In order to document the Underwriters’ compliance with the reporting and withholding provisions of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 with respect to the transactions herein contemplated, such Selling Stockholder will deliver to you prior to or at the Time of Delivery an applicable and properly completed and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-8 (if such Selling Stockholder is a non-United States Person) or Form W-9 (if such Selling Stockholder is a United States person) (or, in each case, other applicable form or statement specified by Treasury Department regulations in lieu thereof), in each case, establishing a complete exemption from U.S. federal withholding taxes with respect to any relevant payments, and, if such Form is provided to you, the Underwriters will not withhold tax on any payments made to such Selling Stockholder by the Underwriters in connection with the purchase of the Shares;

(viii) [Reserved];

(ix) [Reserved];

 

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(x) Such Selling Stockholder will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person, or in any country or territory, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject or the target of Sanctions, or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions, or (ii) in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of any Money Laundering Laws or any applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws;

(xi) [Reserved]; and

(xii) Such Selling Stockholder represents and warrants that it is not (i) an employee benefit plan subject to Title I of ERISA, (ii) a plan or account subject to Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended or (iii) an entity deemed to hold “plan assets” of any such plan or account under Section 3(42) of ERISA, 29 C.F.R. 2510.3-101, or otherwise.

4. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:

(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be required by Rule 430B under the Act; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to the last Time of Delivery which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to file promptly all material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Shares, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order;

(b) Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Shares, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation (where not otherwise required) or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction (where not otherwise required);

(c) Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to furnish the Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as you may reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement

 

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of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act, to notify you and upon your request to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) in connection with sales of any of the Shares at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;

(d) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable (which may be satisfied by filing with the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”)), but in any event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);

(e) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the date 45 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Lock-Up Period”), not to (A) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with or confidentially submit to the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to, any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Shares, including but not limited to any options or warrants to purchase shares of Stock or any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Stock or any such substantially similar securities, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing or (B) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (A) or (B) above is to be settled by delivery of Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise (other than the Shares to be sold hereunder or pursuant to employee stock option plans existing on, or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of, the date of this Agreement), without the prior written consent of the Representative.

(f) To furnish to its stockholders as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries certified by independent public accountants) and, as soon as practicable after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal quarter ending after the effective date of the Registration Statement), to make available to its stockholders consolidated summary financial information of the Company and its subsidiaries for such quarter in reasonable detail, provided, however, that the Company may satisfy the requirements of this Section 4(f) by filing such information through EDGAR;

(g) During a period of three years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, to furnish to you copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to stockholders, and to deliver to you (i) as soon as they are available, copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed; and (ii) such additional information concerning the business and financial condition of the Company as you may from time to time reasonably request (such financial statements to be on a consolidated basis to the extent the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries are consolidated in reports furnished to its stockholders generally or to the Commission);

 

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(h) [Reserved];

(i) To use its best efforts to maintain the listing of the Shares on the Exchange;

(j) To file with the Commission such information on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K as may be required by Rule 463 under the Act;

(k) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company shall file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 p.m., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 3a(c) of the Commission’s Informal and Other Procedures (16 CFR 202.3a); and

(l) Upon reasonable request of any Underwriter, to furnish, or cause to be furnished, to such Underwriter an electronic version of the Company’s trademarks, servicemarks and corporate logo for use on the website, if any, operated by such Underwriter for the purpose of facilitating the on-line offering of the Shares (the “License”); provided, however, that the License shall be used solely for the purpose described above, is granted without any fee and may not be assigned or transferred.

5. (a) The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Underwriters, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; each Selling Stockholder, severally and not jointly, represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Underwriters, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a free writing prospectus; and the Underwriters represent and agree that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Underwriters, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a free writing prospectus required to be filed with the Commission; any such free writing prospectus the use of which has been consented to by the Company and the Underwriters is listed on Schedule III(a) hereto;

(b) The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending; and the Company represents that it has satisfied and agrees that it will satisfy the conditions under Rule 433 under the Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show;

(c) The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Underwriters and, if requested by the Underwriters, will prepare and furnish without charge to the Underwriters an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this covenant shall not apply to any statements or omissions in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.

 

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6. The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that (a) the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Shares under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing, reproduction and filing of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) [Reserved]; (iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 4(b) hereof, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey (such fees and expenses of counsel not to exceed $5,000); (iv) all fees and expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the Exchange; (v) the filing fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, any required review by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) of the terms of the sale of the Shares (such fees and expenses of counsel not to exceed $15,000); and (vi) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives (not including the Underwriters and their representatives) and officers of the Company and any such consultants (not including the Underwriters and their representatives), and 50% of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show; and (b) the Company will pay or cause to be paid: (i) the cost of preparing stock certificates; if applicable (ii) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar, and (iii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood, however, that the Company shall bear the cost of any other matters not directly relating to the sale and purchase of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement, and that, except as provided in this Section, and Sections 8, 9 and 11 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, stock transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.

The Company agrees to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of the Selling Stockholders’ obligations under this Agreement, including the fees, disbursements and expenses of the counsel for the Selling Stockholders and all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Selling Stockholders (subject to Section 6(i) above) hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section.

7. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Shares to be delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company and the Selling Stockholders herein are, at and as of the Applicable Time and such Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall have performed all of its and their obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:

(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 4(a) hereof; all material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 433; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b)

 

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under the Act, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 p.m., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission no stop order suspending or preventing the use of the Pricing Disclosure Package, Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;

(b) Latham & Watkins LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you such written opinion or opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;

(c) Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion, dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to you, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;

(d) (i) Kirkland & Ellis LLP, counsel for Bubbles Investor, shall have furnished to you such written opinion or opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to you, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters; and (ii) Sidley Austin LLP, counsel for the GIC Investor, shall have furnished to you such written opinion or opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to you, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;

(e) On the date of the Prospectus at a time substantially concurrent with the execution of this Agreement, on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at each Time of Delivery, Ernst & Young LLP shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to you;

(f) (i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Disclosure Package any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Disclosure Package there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change or effect, or any development involving a prospective change or effect, in or affecting (x) the business, properties, general affairs, prospects, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, or (y) the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) and (ii), is in your judgment so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;

 

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(g) On or after the Applicable Time (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company’s debt securities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company’s debt securities;

(h) On or after the Applicable Time there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the Exchange; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on the Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war or (v) the occurrence of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in your judgment makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;

(i) The Shares to be sold at such Time of Delivery shall have been duly listed, subject to official notice of issuance, on the Exchange;

(j) The Company shall have obtained and delivered to the Underwriters executed copies of an agreement from each stockholder of the Company listed on Schedule II hereto, substantially to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto;

(k) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 4(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement;

(l) The Company, Bubbles Investor and the GIC Investor shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you at such Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company, Bubbles Investor and GIC Investor, respectively, and such other documents satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company, Bubbles Investor and the GIC Investor herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by the Company, Bubbles Investor and the GIC Investor of all of their respective obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to such other matters as you may reasonably request, and the Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished certificates as to the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (f) of this Section 7; and

(m) On the date of this Agreement and at such Time of Delivery, the Company shall have furnished to you a certificate, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to you, of its chief financial officer with respect to certain financial data contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, providing “management comfort” with respect to such information, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to you.

8. (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and each Selling Stockholder against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which such Underwriter or such Selling Stockholder may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “roadshow” as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Act (a “roadshow”) or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated

 

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therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse such Underwriter and each Selling Stockholder for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with either the Underwriter Information or the Selling Stockholder Information.

(b) Each of the Selling Stockholders will, severally and not jointly, indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter or the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any roadshow, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any roadshow, in reliance upon and in conformity with the Selling Stockholder Information provided by such Selling Stockholder; and will reimburse each Underwriter and the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Selling Stockholders shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information, provided, further, that the liability of any Selling Stockholder pursuant to this subsection (b) shall not exceed the net proceeds after underwriting commissions and discounts but before deducting expenses from the sale of Shares sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder.

(c) Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, will indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each Selling Stockholder against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company or such Selling Stockholder may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any roadshow, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any roadshow, in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information; and will reimburse the Company and each Selling Stockholder for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the

 

19


Company or such Selling Stockholder in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred. As used in this Agreement with respect to an Underwriter and an applicable document, “Underwriter Information” shall mean the written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter expressly for use therein; it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the fifth paragraph under the caption “Underwriting”, and the information contained in the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting”.

(d) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 8 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; provided that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 8 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided further that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 8. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

(e) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b) or (c) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such subsection, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Shares. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders

 

20


on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by each Selling Stockholder bears to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Selling Stockholders on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company, each of the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (e) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (e). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (e) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (e), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (e) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 8, the liability of any Selling Stockholder pursuant to subsection (b) above or this subsection (e) shall not exceed the net proceeds, after underwriting commissions and discounts but before deducting expenses, from the sale of Shares sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder.

(f) The obligations of the Company and the Selling Stockholders under this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company and the Selling Stockholders may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each employee, officer and director of each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act and each broker-dealer or other affiliate of any Underwriter; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriter may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company or any Selling Stockholder within the meaning of the Act.

9. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Shares that it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase such Shares on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares, then the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you to purchase such Shares on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Company and the Selling Stockholders that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, or the Company or a Selling Stockholder notifies you that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, you or the Company or the Selling Stockholders shall have the right to postpone such Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in

 

21


the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Shares.

(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you, the Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you, the Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all of the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or if the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement (or, with respect to a Second Time of Delivery, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Selling Stockholders to sell the Optional Shares) shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter, the Company or the Selling Stockholders, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters as provided in Section 6 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 8 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

10. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any of the Selling Stockholders, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, or any controlling person of any Selling Stockholder, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.

11. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 9 hereof, neither the Company nor the Selling Stockholders shall then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 6 and 8 hereof; but, if for any other reason any Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided herein, or the Underwriters decline to purchase the Shares for any reason permitted under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by you, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares not so delivered, but the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall then be under no further liability to the Underwriters except as provided in Sections 6 and 8 hereof.

12. In all dealings hereunder, the Representatives shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters.

 

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In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company and the Selling Stockholder, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.

All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, Attention: Registration Department; and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC at 1585 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department; if to any Selling Stockholder shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Selling Stockholder at the applicable address set forth in Schedule II hereto, or, if no address for such Selling Stockholder is set forth in such Schedule, to such Selling Stockholder care of the Company, at the address of the Company set forth on the cover of the Registration Statement, or to such other address as such Selling Stockholder provides in writing to the Company; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth on the cover of the Registration Statement, Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice to such Underwriter pursuant to Section 8(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters’ Questionnaire or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company or the Selling Stockholders by you on request; provided further that notices under subsection 4(e) shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the Underwriters at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, Attention: Control Room; and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC at 1585 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.

13. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders and, to the extent provided in Sections 8 and 10 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company, any Selling Stockholders or the Underwriters, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.

14. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.

15. The Company and the Selling Stockholders acknowledge and agree, severally and not jointly, that (i) the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company and the Selling Stockholders, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company or any Selling Stockholder, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company or any Selling Stockholder with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company or any Selling Stockholder on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company or any Selling Stockholder except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and

 

23


(iv) the Company and each Selling Stockholder has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company and each Selling Stockholder agrees, severally and not jointly, that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company or any Selling Stockholder, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto. None of the activities of the Underwriters in connection with the transactions contemplated herein constitutes a recommendation, investment advice or solicitation of any action by the Underwriters with respect to any entity or natural person.

16. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

17. This Agreement and any transaction contemplated by this Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related thereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to principles of conflict of laws that would results in the application of any other law than the laws of the State of New York. The Company and each Selling Stockholder agree that any suit or proceeding arising in respect of this Agreement or any transaction contemplated by this Agreement will be tried exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York or, if that court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, in any state court located in The City and County of New York and the Company and each Selling Stockholder agree to submit to the jurisdiction of, and to venue in, such courts.

18. The Company, each Selling Stockholder and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

19. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. Electronic signatures complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law will be deemed original signatures for purposes of this Agreement. Transmission by telecopy, electronic mail or other transmission method of an executed counterpart of this Agreement will constitute due and sufficient delivery of such counterpart.

20. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company and the Selling Stockholders are authorized to disclose to any persons the U.S. federal and state income tax treatment and tax structure of the potential transaction and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) provided to the Company and the Selling Stockholders relating to that treatment and structure, without the Underwriters imposing any limitation of any kind. However, any information relating to the tax treatment and tax structure shall remain confidential (and the foregoing sentence shall not apply) to the extent necessary to enable any person to comply with securities laws. For this purpose, “tax structure” is limited to any facts that may be relevant to that treatment. This Section 20 is intended to cause the transaction as not having been offered under conditions of confidentiality for purposes of Section 1.6011-4(b)(3) of the Treasury Regulations promulgated under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and shall be construed in a manner consistent with such purpose.

21. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.

(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

 

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(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

(c) As used in this section:

“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).

“Covered Entity” means any of the following:

(i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);

(ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or

(iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).

“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.

“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement among each of the Underwriters, the Company and each of the Selling Stockholders. It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company and the Selling Stockholders for examination, upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof

 

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Very truly yours,
Leslie’s, Inc.
By:  

/s/ Steven M. Weddell

  Name: Steven M. Weddell
  Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief             Financial Officer

 

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


The Selling Stockholders
Bubbles Investor Aggregator, L.P.
By: C8 Management, L.L.C.
Its: General Partner
By:  

/s/ Marc Magliacano

  Name: Marc Magliacano
  Title: Authorized Person
Explorer Investment Pte Ltd.
By:  

/s/ Heidi Miskin

  Name: Heidi Miskin
  Title: Authorized Signatory

 

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


Accepted as of the date hereof
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
By:  

/s/ Ryan Cunn

  Name: Ryan Cunn
  Title: Managing Director
            Goldman Sachs
            Investment Banking Division
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
By:  

/s/ Akanksha Agarwal

  Name: Akanksha Agarwal
  Title: Executive Director

 

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


SCHEDULE I

 

Underwriter

   Total Number of
Firm Shares

to be Purchased
     Number
of Optional

Shares to be
Purchased if
Maximum Option
Exercised
 

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

     6,250,000        937,500  

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

     6,250,000        937,500  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     12,500,000        1,875,000  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 


SCHEDULE II

     Total Number of
Firm Shares to
be Sold
     Number of
Optional
Shares to be

Sold if
Maximum Option
Exercised
 

The Selling Stockholders:

     

Bubbles Investor Aggregator, L.P.(a)

     7,785,891        1,167,884  

Explorer Investment Pte. Ltd.(b)

     4,714,109        707,116  

Total

     12,500,000        1,875,000  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(a)

This Selling Stockholder is represented by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, 601 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022.

(b)

This Selling Stockholder is represented by Sidley Austin LLP, 333 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019.


SCHEDULE III

 

(a)

Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses

 

(b)

Additional documents incorporated by reference

None

 

(c)

Pricing Disclosure Package Information:

The offering price per share for the Shares is $20.25

The number of Shares sold by the Selling Stockholders and purchased by the Underwriters is 12,500,000


ANNEX I

Leslie’s, Inc.

Lock-Up Agreement

____________, 2021

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

200 West Street

New York, New York 10282

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

1585 Broadway

New York, New York 10036

 

  Re:

Leslie’s, Inc. - Lock-Up Agreement

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned understands that you (the “Underwriters”) propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Leslie’s, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and certain selling stockholders of the Company providing for a public offering (the “Public Offering”) of the common stock (the “Common Stock”) of the Company (the “Shares”) pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-3 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

In consideration of the agreement by the Underwriters to offer and sell the Shares, and of other good and valuable consideration the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned agrees that, during the period beginning from the date of this Lock-Up Agreement and continuing to and including the date 45 days after the date set forth on the final prospectus used to sell the Shares (the “Lock-Up Period”), the undersigned shall not, and shall not cause or direct any of its affiliates to, (i) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, lend or otherwise dispose of any shares of Common Stock of the Company, or any options or warrants to purchase any shares of Common Stock of the Company, or any securities convertible into, exchangeable for or that represent the right to receive shares of Common Stock of the Company (such options, warrants or other securities, collectively, “Derivative Instruments”), including without limitation any such shares or Derivative Instruments now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned, (ii) engage in any hedging or other transaction or arrangement (including, without limitation, any short sale or the purchase or sale of, or entry into, any put or call option, or combination thereof, forward, swap or any other derivative transaction or instrument, however described or defined) which is designed to or which reasonably could be expected to lead to or result in a sale, loan, pledge or other disposition (whether by the undersigned or someone other than the undersigned), or transfer of any of the economic consequences of ownership, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, of any shares of Common Stock of the Company or Derivative Instruments, whether any such transaction or arrangement (or instrument provided for thereunder) would be settled by delivery of Common Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise (any such sale, loan, pledge or other disposition, or transfer of economic consequences, a “Transfer”) or (iii) otherwise publicly announce any intention to engage in or cause any action or activity described in clause (i) above or transaction or arrangement described in clause (ii) above. The undersigned represents and warrants that the undersigned is not, and has not caused or directed any of its affiliates to be or become, currently a party to any agreement or arrangement that provides for, is designed to or which reasonably could be expected to lead to or result in any Transfer during the Lock-Up Period. For the avoidance of doubt, the undersigned agrees that the foregoing provisions shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed or other Shares the undersigned may purchase in the offering.


If the undersigned is not a natural person, the undersigned represents and warrants that no single natural person, entity or “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), other than a natural person, entity or “group” (as described above) that has executed a Lock-Up Agreement in substantially the same form as this Lock-Up Agreement, beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the common equity interests, or 50% or more of the voting power, in the undersigned.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may transfer the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock of the Company or Derivative Instruments:

(i) as a bona fide gift or gifts, or as charitable contributions;

(ii) to any trust, partnership, limited liability company or any other entity for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned;

(iii) to any beneficiary of or estate of a beneficiary of the undersigned pursuant to a trust, will, other testamentary document or intestate succession or applicable laws of descent;

(iv) to a partnership, limited liability company or other entity of which the undersigned and the immediate family of the undersigned are the legal and beneficial owner of all the outstanding equity securities or similar interests;

(v) by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order of a court (including a divorce settlement, divorce decree or separation agreement) or regulatory agency;

(vi) in transactions relating to shares of Common Stock acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offering;

(vii) by (A) the exercise of stock options solely with cash granted pursuant to equity incentive plans described in the Registration Statement, and the receipt by the undersigned from the Company of shares of Common Stock upon such exercise; (B) transfers of shares of Common Stock to the Company upon the “net” or “cashless” exercise of stock options or other equity awards granted pursuant to equity incentive plans described in the Registration Statement; (C) transfers of shares of Common Stock of the Company for the primary purpose of satisfying any tax or other governmental withholding obligation with respect to any award of equity-based compensation granted pursuant to the Company’s equity incentive plans; or (D) forfeitures of shares of Common Stock to the Company to satisfy tax withholding requirements of the undersigned or the Company upon the vesting, during the Lock-Up Period, of equity based awards granted under equity incentive plans or pursuant to other stock purchase arrangements, in each case described in the Registration Statement; provided that, in each case, the underlying shares of Common Stock shall continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in this Lock Up Agreement;

(viii) pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to all holders of the Company’s capital stock after the consummation of the offering, involving a change of control of the Company, provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation or other such transaction is not completed, the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock shall remain subject to the provisions of this Lock-Up Agreement;

(ix) to the Company in connection with the repurchase by the Company from the undersigned of shares of Common Stock of the Company or Derivative Instruments pursuant to a repurchase right arising upon the termination of the undersigned’s employment with the Company, provided that such repurchase right is pursuant to contractual agreements with the Company;

(x) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Common Stock; provided that (A) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Common Stock during the Lock-Up Period and (B) to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of Common Stock may be made under such plan during the Lock-Up Period;


(xi) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity, by (A) distributions of shares of Common Stock or any Derivative Instrument to limited partners, general partners, members, stockholders holders of similar interests of the undersigned (or in each case its nominee or custodian) or to any investment holding company controlled or managed by the undersigned or (B) transfers of shares of Common Stock or any Derivative Instrument to affiliates (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) or other entities controlled or managed by the undersigned or any of its affiliates (other than the Company and its subsidiaries);

[(xii) to any third-party pledgee in a bona fide transaction as collateral to secure obligations pursuant to lending or other arrangements between such third parties (or their affiliates or designees) and the undersigned and/or its affiliates or any similar arrangement relating to a financing arrangement for the benefit of the undersigned and/or its affiliates, provided that the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock pledged as collateral pursuant to this clause (xii) during the Lock-Up Period shall not exceed 1% of the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding on the closing date of the offering;]1

(xiii) the transfer of the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock of the Company pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement; or

(xiv) with the prior written consent of the Underwriters.

provided, that, (A) in the case of (iii), (iv), (v) and (xi) above, such transfer shall not involve of a disposition for value, (B) in the case of (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v) and (xi) above, it shall be a condition to the transfer or distribution that the donee, transferee or distributee, as the case may be, agrees in writing to be bound by the restrictions set forth herein, (C) in the case of (iii), (iv) and (vi) above, no filing under Section 16 of the Exchange Act (other than a Form 5, which shall not be filed on or prior date that is 120 days after the date set forth on the final prospectus used to sell the Shares) reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Lock-Up Period, and (D) in the case of (i), (ii), (v), (vii) and (ix) above, no filing under Section 16 of the Exchange Act (other than a Form 5) reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock shall be voluntarily made during the Lock-Up Period and, if the undersigned is required to file a report under Section 16 of the Exchange Act during the Lock-Up Period, the undersigned shall include a statement in such report explaining the circumstances of such reduction in beneficial ownership.

For purposes of this Lock-Up Agreement, “immediate family” shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin, and “change of control” shall mean any bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction approved by the board of directors of the Company the result of which is that any “person” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), or group of persons, other than the Company, shall become, after the closing of the transaction, the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 of the Exchange Act) of more than 50% of total voting power of the voting stock of the Company. In addition, notwithstanding the foregoing, if the undersigned is a corporation, the corporation may transfer the capital stock of the Company to any wholly owned subsidiary of such corporation; provided, however, that in any such case, it shall be a condition to the transfer that the transferee execute an agreement stating that the transferee is receiving and holding such capital stock subject to the provisions of this Lock-up Agreement and there shall be no further transfer of such capital stock except in accordance with this Lock-up Agreement, and provided further that any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value. The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock of the Company except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.

 

1 

To be included only in lock-ups for L Catterton and GIC entities


[In addition, notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that a release is granted to any Major Holder (as defined below) other than the undersigned relating to the lock-up restrictions set forth herein, the same percentage of the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock of the Company (the “Pro-rata Release”) shall be immediately and fully released on the same terms from any remaining lock-up restrictions set forth herein; provided, however, that such Pro-rata Release shall not be applied in the event of (a) releases granted from such lock-up restrictions to any individual by the Underwriters in an amount less than or equal to 1% of the Company’s total outstanding Common Stock, or (b) any primary or secondary public offering or sale that is underwritten (the “Underwritten Sale”) of the Common Stock during the Lock-Up Period, provided, however, that the undersigned is offered the opportunity to participate on a pro rata basis with and otherwise on the same terms as any other equity holders in such Underwritten Sale. In the event that any percentage of such Common Stock released from the lockup restrictions are subject to any restrictions of the type set forth in this Lock-up Agreement, the same restrictions shall be applicable to the release of the same percentage of the Common Stock held by the undersigned. In the event that the undersigned is released from any of its obligations under this Lock-up Agreement or, by virtue of this Lock-up Agreement, becomes entitled to offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of any Common Stock (or any securities convertible into Common Stock) prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Underwriters shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to provide notification of such to the undersigned within three (3) business days thereof; provided that the failure to provide such notice shall not give rise to any claim or liability against the Underwriter. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Lock-up Agreement, if the Underwriters in their sole judgment determines that a record or beneficial owner of any securities should be granted an early release from a lock-up agreement due to circumstances of an emergency or hardship, then the Major Holders shall not have any right to be granted an early release pursuant to the terms of this paragraph. For purposes of this Lock-Up Agreement, each of the following persons is a “Major Holder”: each director and executive officer of the Company, as well as each record or beneficial owner, as of the date hereof, of more than 2% of the total outstanding Common Stock (for purposes of determining record or beneficial ownership of a stockholder, all shares of securities held by investment funds affiliated with such stockholder shall be aggregated).]2

The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters have not provided any recommendation or investment advice nor have the Underwriters solicited any action from the undersigned with respect to the offering of the securities and the undersigned has consulted their own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent deemed appropriate.

The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriters are relying upon this Lock-Up Agreement in proceeding toward consummation of the offering. The undersigned further understands that this Lock-Up Agreement is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned’s heirs, legal representatives, successors, and assigns.

This Lock-up Agreement will automatically terminate upon the earliest to occur, if any, of (a) the date that the Company advises the Underwriter, in writing, prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement, that it has determined not to proceed with the offering, (b) the date that the Underwriters advise the Company, in writing, prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement, that the Underwriters have determined not to proceed with the offering, (c) the date of termination of the Underwriting Agreement if prior to the closing of the offering, or (d) December 31, 2021 if the offering of the Shares has not been completed by such date.

This Lock-up Agreement may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.

 

2 

To be included only in lock-ups for L Catterton and GIC entities


This Lock-up Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Lock-up Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof.

 

Very truly yours,

 

Exact Name of Shareholder

 

Authorized Signature

 

Title