Soho House Signs Definitive $9.00 Per-Share Take-Private Deal
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Soho House & Co Inc. entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger with EH Parent LLC (an affiliate of Yucaipa) and its subsidiary Merger Sub to take the company private. Under the agreement each outstanding share will be converted into the right to receive $9.00 cash per share. Unvested non-employee RSUs will be cancelled for cash equal to the per-share price times the number of RSUs, subject to limited rollover treatment for certain holders who may receive cash and/or Class A shares as specified in their support agreements. The merger is subject to customary conditions including regulatory clearances, funding of debt financing, accuracy of representations and absence of a Company Material Adverse Effect. A $20,000,000 termination fee applies in certain circumstances. The filing also discloses a CFO transition naming Neil Thomson as CFO and separation arrangements for Thomas Allen, including 14 months' base salary, up to 12 months of company-paid health insurance, and 178,571 additional RSUs to support transition.
Positive
- Definitive merger agreement provides clear path to closing with specified $9.00 per share cash consideration
- Reinvestment stockholders signed support agreements, increasing likelihood of approval and reducing competing proposals
- $20,000,000 termination fee can deter competing bids and provide deal protection
Negative
- Non-employee director unvested RSUs canceled for cash, which may be unfavorable compared with equity rollover
- Transaction subject to debt financing and regulatory approvals, creating execution risk until conditions are satisfied
- Separation and retention payments (14 months' salary, health coverage, 178,571 RSUs) create additional cash and equity obligations
Insights
TL;DR: Definitive take-private at $9.00 per share with financing and regulatory conditions; $20M termination fee signals seriousness of transaction.
The agreement establishes a clear cash consideration of $9.00 per share and includes customary closing conditions such as HSR approvals and debt financing. The presence of a substantial termination fee and rollover/support agreements from reinvestment stockholders reduces the likelihood of competing bids and helps secure closing certainty. Cancellation of non-employee RSUs for cash simplifies equity treatment but may affect stakeholder alignment. Overall, this is a materially transformative transaction that will remove the company from public markets upon closing.
TL;DR: Governance changes include director equity cash-outs and management transition with structured separation payments and retention RSUs.
The filing details governance and compensation arrangements necessary for the transaction: support agreements impose voting and transfer restrictions by reinvestment stockholders, non-employee director RSUs are cashed out, and the CFO change includes a tailored separation and transition package. These elements align management and certain holders with the transaction but also create post-closing obligations and concentrated control dynamics that are material to remaining stakeholders.