| Item 1.01 |
Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
On June 29, 2026 (the “Closing Date”), Midera Food Processing, Inc. (the “Company”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of The Middleby Corporation (“Middleby”), and Alkar Holdings, Inc. (the “Borrower”), entered into a five-year, $1.0 billion credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent (the “Agent”), and the other financial institutions and lenders party thereto (the “Credit Agreement”), in connection with the anticipated spin-off of the Company into an independent, publicly traded company (the “Spin-off”). As of the effective time of the Spin-off, the Borrower will be a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.
The Credit Agreement provides for a new senior secured credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of $1.0 billion, consisting of (i) a $750 million U.S. dollar revolving credit facility and (ii) a $250 million multi-currency revolving credit facility, with the potential for the Borrower, under certain circumstances, to increase the amount of the credit facility by the greater of $151 million and 100% of the Company’s Consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the Credit Agreement) for the most recently ended period of four consecutive quarters (plus additional amounts subject to compliance with a specified leverage ratio depending on the type of indebtedness being incurred) either by increasing one or more revolving facility, or by adding on one or more revolving and/or term loan facilities.
Each of the U.S. dollar revolving credit facility and the multi-currency revolving credit facility consists of revolving loans and sublimits for swingline loans and letters of credit. The revolving credit facilities shall be available to the Borrower on and after the Closing Date; provided that (i) prior to the effectiveness of the Spin-off, borrowings may not exceed $300 million and (ii) the credit facility commitments will terminate and all loans shall become due within 15 business days after the Closing Date if the Spin-off does not occur. Borrowings under the revolving credit facilities may be made by the Borrower and the Borrower shall have the ability to designate the Company and/or one or more wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company as additional borrowers pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement.
Borrowings under the U.S. dollar revolving credit facility may be denominated in U.S. dollars. Borrowings under the multi-currency revolving credit facility (other than swingline loans which are available in U.S. dollars, Euros and Pounds sterling only) may be denominated in U.S. dollars, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, Euros, Pounds sterling, Swedish Krona, Danish Krone, and any agreed alternative currency. Borrowings under the credit facilities may be used for ongoing working capital needs, acquisitions and other investments, restricted payments, share repurchases, and other general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, (i) in connection with the Spin-off, one or more distributions to Middleby or one or more of its subsidiaries in cash in an aggregate amount not to exceed $300 million and (ii) to pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with the loan documents, the Spin-off transactions, and any transactions contemplated by or otherwise permitted under the Credit Agreement.
The credit facility matures on June 29, 2031. All obligations (i) under the Credit Agreement, (ii) under certain swap contracts and cash management agreements and (iii) under certain sidecar letter of credit and guarantee facilities in an aggregate amount under this clause (iii) not to exceed $55 million are secured by substantially all the assets of the Borrower, the Company and certain of the Company’s material wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries on a pro forma basis after giving effect to the Spin-off, and unconditionally guaranteed by, subject to certain exceptions, the Company and certain of the Company’s direct and indirect material wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries on a pro forma basis after giving effect to the Spin-off.
Borrowings in (i) U.S. dollars shall bear interest based on a (x) term secured overnight financing rate (“SOFR”) or (y) base rate, (ii) Pounds sterling shall bear interest based on a daily sterling overnight index average rate (“SONIA”), (iii) Euros shall bear interest based on the EURIBOR rate, (iv) Canadian dollars shall bear interest based on the term CORRA Rate, (v) Swedish Krona shall bear interest based on the STIBOR rate, (vi) Danish Krone shall bear interest based on the CIBOR rate and (vii) Australian dollars shall bear interest based on the BBSY rate, in each case of clauses (i) through (vii) above, plus a margin as described below.
The margin for each of the foregoing rates, other than the base rate, shall range from 1.125% to 2.00% based on the Total Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) of the Company, with interest periods, in the case of all SOFR Loans or Eurocurrency Loans, at the Company’s option of one, three or six months or, subject to certain conditions, twelve months. The margin for base rate borrowings shall range from 0.125% to 1.00% based on the Total Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) of the Company. However, prior to the delivery of the Company’s quarterly financial statements for the fiscal quarter ending on October 3, 2026, such margin shall be 0.25% for base rate borrowings and 1.25% for all other borrowings. A commitment fee equal to a percentage of the aggregate amount of the lenders’ unused revolving commitments and a letter of credit fee on the undrawn amount of each letter of credit issued under the letter of credit subfacility, are paid quarterly and on the Revolver Termination Date (as defined in the Credit Agreement).
The Credit Agreement contains representations, warranties and covenants that are customary for agreements of this type. Among other things, the covenants in the Credit Agreement limit the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries to, with certain exceptions: incur indebtedness; grant liens; engage in certain mergers, consolidations, acquisitions and dispositions; make restricted payments; make