United

States

General

Accounting

Office

Report to Congressional Requesters

Scpt.cIrrtMtr

1991

LEVERAGED
BUYOUTS
Case Studies of
Selected Leveraged
Buyouts

IIlllulllllllN
144824

GAO

United States
General Accounting Office
Washington, D.C. 20648
General Government Division

B-244418
September 16,lQQl
The Honorable Timothy J. Penny
House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Penny:
This responds to the request from you and, 51 other Members of the
House of Representatives (see app. I) for information on the effects of
leveraged buyouts (LRO) and hostile business takeovers. This report
answers questions you asked concerning (1) what happened to companies that had been taken over through an LBO, (2) how these companies
have performed since the takeover, (3) how communities have been
affected, and (4) what happened to companies that amassed tremendous
debt to avoid being taken over.
As agreed with your office, we addressed these questions by doing case
studies of companies that experienced an LB0 or a takeover attempt
during the mid- to late 1980s. Our assessment was based primarily on
public documents and financial reports filed by the companies with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Each company commented
on a draft of its case study. The companies comments generally
involved minor corrections, which we made. (See app. II for details on
our scope and methodology.)
The case studies included LBOS of Revco D.S. Inc.; Safeway Stores Inc.;
and Allied Stores Corporation and Federated Department Stores Inc.,
both of which were purchased separately by the same acquirer; and a
recapitalization to avoid an LB0 by Phillips Petroleum. The case studies
are included as appendixes III, IV, V, and VI, respectively.

Background

An 1,130is a financing technique in which the takeover purchase of a

company is transacted mostly with borrowed funds rather than contributed equity. As a result, the acquired company comes out of the 1,130
with a much different capital structure2 than before. Debt replaces
equity as the companys primary source of capital. The proceeds from
the debt are used to purchase shares from stockholders, usually at a
Information on what happens to company pension plans after an LB0 is provided in Pension Plans:
~(GAReplacementsFollowingHRD-gl-21,
Mar. 4, 1991). Other parts of your request are being addressed in ongoing work.
A companys capital structure, or capitalization, is the total value of a corporations long-term debt
and preferred and common stock accounts.

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premium to encourage the sale, leaving control of the companys stock

concentrated within a small group of investors. The assets of the
acquired company are generally used as collateral for debt and are often
divested to provide funds to repay the increased debt. Debt may be
either collateralized by assets or unsecured, using high-yield bonds
referred to as junk bonds.
The much-publicized LB0 binge of the 1980s has resulted in concern
about the impacts and efficacy of LROS. Many studies and congressional
hearings have been conducted addressing various effects of LBOS. For
example, a 1989 study for the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, identified a variety
of issues related to LBOs3 These issues included fairness to parties
involved, such as stockholders and bondholders; role of and impact on
financial institutions; and economic effects regarding taxes, employment, capital spending, and increased aggregate levels of debt.

Results in Brief

In the LHOs we studied, the purchasers bought out the target companies
equity holders with money from loans and bond issues. In Phillips
recapitalization, the company exchanged debt securities for nearly half
of its outstanding common stock in order to avoid an LBO.For all the
cases we studied, the equity holders, through selling or exchanging their
common stock, earned premiums4 ranging from about 36 percent to
about 119 percent. The surviving companies capital structures shifted
so that debt became the primary source of funding, and debt reduction
became one of the companies highest priorities. The companies
employed such strategies as asset sales, cost savings programs,
employee layoffs, and spending restrictions to help pay off debt. Phillips
and Safeway are currently operating profitably, but the remaining three
companies have declared bankruptcy and are now operating under
bankruptcy court protection.
The actions taken to service the increased debt load resulted in many
employees losing their jobs. However, the companies we studied had

Dr. Carolyn Kay Hrancato, Leveraged Buyouts and the Pot of Gold: 1989 IJpdate, a report prepared
for the use of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Energy and Commerce, IIouse of Representatives, (Washington, D.C.: IJS. Government Printing Office, 1989).
4Premium is the amount, which we express as a percent, by which a particular price per share
exceeds the market price per share on a specific date. The methodology we used for calculating the
premiums is described in our objectives, scope, and methodology section in appendix II.

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locations across the country and were generally a small part of the economic base of any one community.; In Phillips case, however, the companys headquarters formed a major part of the economic base for the
local community, and Chamber of Commerce officials told us that the
companys efforts to reduce costs through employee layoffs adversely
affected the overall earning power of the community and resulted in
declining real estate values, city sales tax revenues, and volume of retail
and service trade.
The financial success of the companies after their LBOS depended largely
on their ability to meet debt service requirements when due. This is
dependent upon the initial price paid; future economic conditions; the
value of the companys assets, especially those to be sold to reduce the
LBO debt; and managements ability to cut costs, reduce debt, and
improve profits afterwards. The purchasers and their advisers were primarily responsible for making these determinations. However, in these
highly leveraged transactions the purchasers had little to lose if they
paid too much and a lot to gain if they could make the surviving company a success, while their advisers earned large fees regardless of the
price paid or ultimate fate of the surviving company. Thus, both had
incentives to complete the deals. For example, the purchasers equity
investment in the deals was small relative to the total purchase pricein only one case greater than 3 percent-allowing
them large potential
returns with limited financial risk. In addition, fees earned by the
advisers increased if the transaction was completed.

Why Did These Deals

Happen?

Although the reasons varied for doing the buyouts and recapitalization,
there were some similarities between the cases. As stated in the filings
we reviewed for Revco, Safeway, and Phillips, where management was
an active and willing participant in the transaction, the motivation for
the deals was related to the existing owners desire to retain control of
the company. Revcos management participated in the LBO because they
were concerned that the companys depressed stock price made it susceptible to a takeover. Safeways management participated in an I,RO
with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), a private investment firm, as
a defensive maneuver against a hostile takeover attempt by the Dart
Group. And Phillips recapitalization was a defensive tactic against the
second hostile takeover attempt of the company in less than 3 months.
Dart Group is owned and controlled by the IIaft family, who, despite losing the takeover battle for
cont.rol of Safeway, earned about $153 million from selling their stock in Safeway and terminating an
agreement made with KKR and Safeways management.

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In contrast, the LBOS of Allied and Federated were not done as part of a
defensive strategy but were instead hostile takeovers. The acquirer,
Robert Campeau of Campeau Corporation, sought the acquisition of
Allied and Federated to expand his commercial real estate operations in
the U.S. market and to position his company in retail merchandising. He
envisioned that the retail department store chains would provide the
anchor stores in shopping centers he planned to develop in the United
States, which would attract other stores to rent space.

What Happened to the

Companies?

Since the LBOS,Revco, Allied, and Federated have filed for protection
from creditors under Chapter I1 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and have
been operating as debtors-in-possession6 while developing reorganization
plans to submit to the bankruptcy court+ A court-appointed examiner
has investigated whether the Revco I& constituted a fraudulent conveyance7 against the interests of Revco creditors who did not participate
in the LBO. Findings by the examiner indicate that viable causes of action
do exist against various parties involved in the LRO under both fraudulent conveyance and other legal theories. A successful fraudulent conveyance action could have the effect of changing the priority of
creditors claims against what remains of Revcos assets. Safeway survived its LBO and during recent years has, by some measures of performance such as operating profit margin and gross margin on sales, operated with greater success than before the LBO. In the years following
Phillips recapitalization, the companys performance fluctuated, but it
was able to reduce debt to a level it considered manageable. Our analysis
of company performance focused on measures of changes the companies
underwent, including capitalization, asset divestitures, capital expenditures, research and development spending, employment levels, stock and
bond prices, and bond investment ratings.
A companys capitalization consists of long-term debt and equity. The
capitalization of all the companies we studied changed from primarily
equity to primarily long-term debt after the LBOS or recapitalization.
Revcos long-term debt nearly quadrupled while its stockholders equity
became negative within 5 months of the LBO. Safeways long-term debt
Operating as a debtor-in-possessiqn means the companies cannot engage in transactions outside the
ordinary course of business without first complying with the bankruptcy code and, when necessary,
obtaining bankruptcy court approval.
7A fraudulent, conveyance is essentially a transaction in which a debtor transfers an interest in its
property (i.e., grants a lender a security interest in the property) either (1) with the intent to defraud
its creditors or (2) regardless of the debtors intent, if the debtor did not receive fair consideration for
the transfer made, causing it to be either insolvent or have insufficient capital to conduct its business.

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increased from 46.5 percent of its capitalization 1 year before the LROto
99.1 percent immediately after. Allieds long-term debt as a percentage
of its capitalization more than doubled, from 34 percent before the LB0
to 78 percent after, while Federateds increased from 24 percent to 53
percent after its LBO. Phillips long-term debt increased from about 30
percent of its capitalization to about 81 percent immediately after its
recapitalization.
Asset divestitures were significant for all the companies. By the end of
its 1990 fiscal year, Revco had divested all of its subsidiary operations
that were not retail drugstores and almost 11 percent of the nearly
2,100 retail drugstores it owned at the time of the LBO. Allied divested
18 of its 24 divisions and Federated divested over half of its 15 divisions. Safeway divested over half of its nearly 2,400 food outlets, and
Phillips sold off $2 billion worth of assets, including several oil and gas
properties, a crude oil tanker, a fertilizer business, and certain mineral
operations. At the time of its recapitalization Phillips valued its total
assets at about $15.8 billion.
Capital expenditures and research and development expenditures can be
important to maintaining a competitive position. Capital spending at
Revco, Allied, and Federated declined after the LBOS and was reduced
after Phillips recapitalization. Safeways capital spending was reduced
for 3 years after its LBO, then increased in 1990, and Safeway expects it
to be restored to pre-r,no levels in 1991. After the recapitalization, Phillips research and development expenditures initially declined, then
rose, but they were refocused on the companys core businesses. The
other companies did not report research and development expenditures
in their consolidated financial statements.
Employment at the companies declined after the LBOS and the recapitalization as a result of asset divestitures and cost reduction efforts. Except
for Phillips, the bulk of the reductions were probably due to asset divestitures. Employment at Revco fell by more than 2,000, or about 8 percent; Safeway laid off over 54,000 employees, or almost one-third of its
workforce; combined employment at Allied and Federated fell by more
than 108,000, or about 54 percent; and at Phillips, employment was
reduced by 7,500, or about 26 percent. We did not determine how many
of these companies workers lost their jobs. However, the LROS no doubt
created significant hardships for many laid-off employees-some of
whom had spent years with the companies before the reorganization.
Not only were the income streams of these employees interrupted but, in

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all likelihood, the health and pension benefits associated with their lost
jobs were either temporarily or permanently destroyed.
Stock and bond prices and bond investment ratings indicate financial
gains for stockholders and financial losses for some bondholders. Stockholders earned premiums on the shares they sold. Revco stockholders
received a premium of 36 percent. Allied stockholders received a premium of 79 percent, while Federated stockholders earned a 1 19-percent
premium. Safeway stockholders received about a 49-percent premium.
In Phillips recapitalization, stockholders earned a premium of about 48
percent. According to data from W.T. Grimm & Co., a recognized publisher of financial data, premiums tended to range between about 31 to
49 percent on corporate takeovers from 1980 to 1986.8
On the basis of the record of bond prices and investment ratings, bondholders either lost or were unaffected by the 1~~0s and recapitalization.
After the Revco LBO, prices and investment ratings of its outstanding
bonds diminished. Investment ratings of Safeways bonds diminished
after its I.HO but gradually improved as the companys debt was reduced
while its bond prices remained relatively stable. The prices and investment ratings of Allieds and Federateds bonds fell after their respective
mos.
While the prices of Phillips bonds were generally stable during the
companys takeover fights and following its recapitalization, its investment ratings were downgraded. However, as Phillips reduced its debt
and improved its financial strength and flexibility, its bond prices
increased and its investment ratings were upgraded.

How Did the

Companies Perform?

The companies financial performance after the LBOS and recapitalization varied. The overall performance of Revco, Allied, and Federated
diminished; Safeways initially was mixed but then improved; and Phillips fluctuated. In any event, the highly leveraged environment in
which the companies operated after the transactions magnified the
importance of managements operating decisions and increased the companies vulnerability to economic downturns.
As indicated, the I&OS and Phillips recapitalization resulted in the companies amassing tremendous amounts of debt. For example, the total
debt-to-equity ratio for Allied increased from 1.2 before the LBO to
nearly 21 for the first full year after the LBO. For the companies that
were taken over, the acquiring company borrowed funds or sold bonds
%mragcd

Page ti

ISuyouts and the Pot of Gold: 1989 I Jpdate, p. 78.

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to finance the buyout. Then, after the takeover, these bank loans and
bond issues were transferred to the balance sheet of the company
formed with the acquired company. To recapitalize, Phillips exchanged
almost half of its outstanding common stock for the debt securities it
issued.
Interest expenses after the LBOS tended to be so high at Revco, Allied,
and Federated that the companies could not consistently generate sufficient cash flow to cover the interest expenses and remain solvent. This
was the case even after they divested assets and used the proceeds to
reduce debt. Before the LESOS,each of these companies had generated
sufficient cash flow from operations to cover interest expenses by at
least four times. For example, at Revco the year before the LBO, cash
flow from operations before interest expense was over five times the
interest expense. The year after the LBO, Revco could not cover its
interest expense with cash flow from operations. In contrast, Safeway
and Phillips generated sufficient cash flow from operations to cover
interest expenses.
The profitability of Revco, Allied, and Federated diminished after the
LBOS mainly because of their high debt servicing costs, while Safeways
profitability showed mixed results after the LBO but later improved.
Revco has reported only net losses since its LBO and consequently has
not generated a return on stockholders equity since before the buyout.
Allied and Federated, which had profit margins that were higher than
average for department stores before their LBOS, fell below average or
generated losses afterwards, Phillips profitability initially fell after its
recapitalization, then fluctuated as a result of internal management
actions and uncontrollable external events.
l

How Have
Communities Been
Affected?

Many individual employees lost jobs or at least had their lives disrupted
by having to change jobs or employers after the LBOS and recapitalization we reviewed. Although this obviously created hardships for these
individuals, because the companies we reviewed had stores or facilities
in widely dispersed geographic locations, it was not feasible to determine the overall effects of the LBOS or attempted takeovers on the communities. However, we did identify some community effects.
For example, according to officials of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where
Phillips is headquartered, the community was affected by the attempted

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takeovers and subsequent recapitalization of that company. The Bartlesville Area Chamber of Commerce said that the economy of the community depends significantly on Phillips because of the large number of
people in the community the company employs. The Chamber stated
that Phillips reductions in employment adversely affected the overall
earning power of the community and, in particular, reduced real estate
values, city sales tax revenues, and the volume of retail and service
trade.
After the Safeway LBO, employees who had been discharged filed suit
and were awarded a settlement against Safeway. In addition, a Safeway
Workers Assistance Program funded by two grants using Job Training
Partnership Act money provided job training and placement assistance
for 738 displaced Safeway employees in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Of
those served, 685 completed the program. The grantee determined that
83 percent of those obtained employment after about 24 weeks in the
program. However, the grantee also determined that the average hourly
wage at placement was below the wages previously earned at Safeway.
Opportunities for employment with new owners of Safeway stores were
limited, and where such employment was found, employee benefits and
wages were also reduced.
Although Revco divested a number of its drugstores, we did not attempt
to identify any community impact from the closings or sales because the
small number of personnel typically employed at a single drugstore combined with the many different communities in which the stores were
located, in our view, decreased the potential for any significant, adverse
economic impact on a local community. Community effects of the
Campeau LBOS could not be determined because of the department
stores numerous locations in highly diverse urban economies.

Other Observations

The small number of cases we reviewed does not allow us to comment

about 1,130s
in general. However, in the cases we reviewed it is clear the
financial success of the companies after the LRO depended largely on
their ability to meet debt service requirements when due. This depended
on judgments made by the purchasers and their advisers regarding the
initial price paid; future economic conditions; the value of the companies assets; and managements ability to cut costs, reduce debt, and
improve profits after the buyout. In these highly leveraged transactions,
however, the purchasers had little to lose if they paid too much and a lot
to gain if they could make the surviving company a success, while their
advisers earned large fees regardless of the price paid or the ultimate

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success of the surviving company and thus had an incentive to complete

the deals.
The purchasers in the transactions we reviewed had relatively little to
lose because their equity investments were very small compared to the
total purchase price. Specifically, in the Revco LBO the purchaser contributed only about 2.0 percent of the aggregate purchase price through
equity contributions. In the acquisition of Federated, the portion of the
acquirers equity investment that was not borrowed was only 2.9 percent of the total purchase price, and that money came from the sale of
Allieds Brooks Brothers chain. Similarly, in the Allied and Safeway
LISOS, the purchasers equity investments were only 8.5 percent and 2.7
percent of the total purchase price, respectively. This provided the purchasers the opportunity to earn tremendous returns if the surviving
company were to prosper while at the same time limiting the financial
risk they were taking.
The investment bankers acting as advisers and financial managers for
the 1~30searned fees ranging from about $49 million to about $127 million for these and other services, including providing temporary
bridge loans in the Allied, Federated, and Safeway deals and underwriting issues of securities to finance the Allied, Federated, and Revco
deals. Similarly, other participants-primarily
banks, but also attorneys, accountants, and others- received fees from these transactions
that ranged from about $38 million to about $166 million. Total fees for
the deals as a percentage of the purchase price ranged from nearly 4.5
to 7.5 percent. Many of these fees, such as those for bridge loans or
underwriting services, would not have been earned unless the deals
were completed. As a result, while the dealmakers and their advisers
were tasked with assessing the price to be paid and the ability of the
company to survive, they had financial incentives to simply see that the
deals were completed.

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We are sending copies of this report to the other congressional requesters, the Securities and Exchange Commission, other interested Members
of Congress, and appropriate committees. We will also make copies
available to the public.
The major contributors to this report are listed in appendix VII. If there
are any questions concerning the contents of this report, please call me
at (202) 275-8678.
Sincerely yours,

0 Craig A. Simmons
Director, Financial Institutions
and Markets Issues

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Contents

Letter

Appendix I
Congressional
Requesters

16

Appendix II
Objectives, Scope, and
Methodology
Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of
Revco D.S., Inc.

4,

Appendix IV
Case Study: LB0 of
Safeway Stores, Inc.

Appendix V
Case Study:
Campeaus LBOs of
Allied Stores
Corporation and
Federated Department
Stoires,Inc.

18

22
22
28
39

The LB0 Transaction

Impact of LB0 on Revco
Financial Indicators of Revcos Performance After the
LB0
Impact of LB0 on Communities
Current Status of Revco

43
44
47
48
54
57

The LB0 Transaction

Financing the LB0
Safeway After the LBO: Increased Debt Required Massive
Asset Divestitures
Impact of LB0 on Employees and Communities
Safeways Performance Since the LB0
Current Status of Safeway

62
65
71
74
74
75
80
81
85
97

Allied: The Target Company

Campeaus LB0 of Allied
Federated: Another Campeau Target
Campeaus LB0 of Federated
Impact of LBOs on Allied and Federated
Financial Indicators Show Decline in Company
Performance After the LBOs
Events Since the Bankruptcy Filings

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Appendix VI
Case Study:
Recapitalization of
Phillips Petroleum

108
109
113
123

Recapitalization of Phillips
Impact of Recapitalization on Phillips
Financial Indicators of Phillips Performance After the
Exchange Offer
Impact of Exchange Offer on Phillips Employees and
Community
Current Status of Phillips

128
130

Appendix VII
Major Contributors to
This Report
Tables

131

24
26
37
38
41
42
43
55

Table III. 1: Summary Statistics of Revco LB0

Table 111.2:Financing Sources for Revco LB0
Table 111.3:Investment Ratings for Revco Bonds
Table 111.4:Revcos Bond Prices
Table 111.5:Interest Coverage
Table 111.6:Liquidity Ratios
Table 111.7:Indicators of Revcos Declining Profitability
Table IV. 1: Estimated Financing Sources and Application
of Funds for Safeways LB0
Table IV.2: LB0 Investment Bankers-Services and Fees
Table IV.3: Remaining Estimated Fees, Expenses, and
Costs Related to Safeways LB0
Table IV.4: Safeways Year-End Bond Ratings
Table IV.5: Safeways Year-End Bond Prices
Table IV.6: Interest Coverage
Table IV.7: Current Ratio
Table IV.8: Quick Ratio
Table IV.9: Inventory
Table IV. 10: Safeway and Industry Profitability Measures
Table V. 1: Allied Stores Corporation Selected Pre-LB0
Financial Statistics
Table V.2: Sources and Uses of Funds for Financing the
Campeau-Allied Merger
Table V.3: Allied Stores Corporation Prices per Share of
Common Stock on Selected Dates
Table V.4: Federated Department Stores, Inc., Selected
Pre-LB0 Financial Statistics

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56
57
61
62
66
68
68
69
70
75
77
79
81

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Contenta

83

Table V.6: Sources and Uses of Funds for Financing

Campeaus Acquisition of Federated
Table V.6: Federated Department Stores, Inc., Prices per
Share of Common Stock on Selected Dates
Table V.7: Allied Stores Corporation Divisions Retained
and Sold After the LB0
Table V.8: Federated Department Stores, Inc., Divisions
Retained and Sold After the LB0
Table V-9: Allied Stores Corporation Bond Prices for
Selected Months/Years
Table V.10: Allied Stores Corporation Bond Ratings for
Selected Months/Years
Table V. 11: Federated Department Stores, Inc., Bond
Prices for Selected Months/Years
Table V. 12: Federated Department Stores, Inc., Bond
Ratings for Selected Months/Years
Table V.13: Number of Allied and Federated Employees
on Selected Dates
Table V. 14: Allied Stores Corporation and Industry Debt
per Dollar of Equity Before and After the LB0
Table V. 15: Federated Department Stores, Inc., and
Industry Debt per Dollar of Equity Before and After
the LB0
Table V. 16: Allied Stores Corporation and Industry
Ability to Service Debt
Table V.17: Federated Department Stores, Inc., and
Industry Ability to Service Debt
Table V.18: Allied Stores Corporation and Industry
Liquidity Ratios
Table V. 19: Federated Department Stores, Inc., and
Industry Liquidity Ratios
Table V.20: Allied Stores Corporation and Industry
Profitability Measures
Table V-21: Federated Department Stores, Inc., and
Industry Profitability Measures
Table VI. 1: Phillips Gross Payroll, Including Employee
Benefits
Table VI.2: Changes in Capital Expenditures
Table VI.3: Investment Ratings for Phillips Bonds
Table VI.4: Phillips Bond Prices
Table VI.& Debt per Dollar of Total Common
Stockholders Equity
Table VI.6: Phillips Interest Coverage

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84
87
89
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
101
102
104
104
106
106
116
118
121
122
124
125

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Contents

126
127
129

Table VI.7: Liquidity Ratios

Table VI.8: Indicators of Phillips Profitability
Table VI.9: Phillips Bartlesville Work Force

Abbreviations
chief executive officer
barrels
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
leveraged buyout
New York Stock Exchange
Office of Technology Assessment
research and development
Securities and Exchange Commission
Standard Industrial Classification

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Appendix I

Congressional Requesters

The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable
The Honorable

Page 16

Timothy J. Penny
Byron L. Dorgan
Lawrence J. Smith
Cass Ballenger
Gerald D. Kleczka
Thomas M. Foglietta
Gerry E. Studds
Robert J. Mrazek
Barbara Boxer
Harris W. Fawell
Lane Evans
Bruce A. Morrison*
James W. Bilbray
Gerry Sikorski
Terry L. Bruce
Richard Ray
Robin Tallon
John Lewis
Chester G. Atkins
Tim Johnson
William 0. Lipinski
Jim Jontz
Lynn Martin*
Albert G. Bustamante
Amo Houghton
Christopher Shays
Richard H. Stallings
Harry Johnston
Helen Delich Bentley
Elizabeth J. Patterson
David E. Skaggs
Thomas J. Ridge
Mervyn M. Dymally
Charles E. Bennett
Martin Olav Sabo
James L. Oberstar
Robert A. Roe
Cardiss Collins
Silvio 0. Conte**
Bruce F. Vento
Clarence E. Miller
Donald J. Pease
Dennis M. Hertel

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Appendix I
Chgressioual

The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The

Requesters

Honorable
Honorable
Honorable
Honorable
Honorable
Honorable
Honorable
Honorable
Honorable

Joseph M. Gaydos
Ben Nighthorse Campbell
H. Martin Lancaster
Bob Traxler
Jim Olin
James A. Traficant, Jr.
Marcy Kaptur
Robert W. Kastenmeier*
Julian C. Dixon

No longer a Member of Congress.

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Annendix II

Objectives, Scope,and Methodology

Our objective was to prepare case studies that provide information

about companies that had experienced a leveraged buyout (LBO) or had
survived an attempted takeover. As requested, the case studies address
the following questions:
l
l
l

What has happened to companies as a result of an LRO or attempted LBo?

How have those companies performed since the LB0 or attempted LBO?
How were communities affected?
What has happened to companies that have amassed tremendous debt in
order to avoid being taken over?
We did four case studies of companies that experienced an LB0 or a takeover attempt during the mid- to late 1980s. We selected three LBOS and a
recapitalization that occurred in 1985 or 1986 so that there would be a
sufficient period of time after the LBO or recapitalization to assess subsequent performance of the company. Within this time frame, we
attempted to select cases that would illustrate various features. We
selected Revco because it appeared from press reports to be experiencing difficulties after its LBO and Safeway because it appeared to be
successfully emerging from its buyout. We selected the Campeau buyout
of Allied Stores Corporation and the subsequent buyout of Federated
Department Stores, Inc., because of the bidding wars that took place
between Campeau and the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation for Allied
and between Campeau and Macys for Federated and the declining performance of both Allied and Federated after the Federated LBO. Finally,
we selected Phillips Petroleum because it had received considerable publicity about its efforts to avoid being taken over by amassing tremendous debt.
In developing our approach for the case studies we interviewed officials
of SIX and reviewed literature on case studies done by SECand other
organizations and individual researchers. The case studies address the
above questions to the extent that they apply to the case or were
answerable. For example, the Campeau case study did not address the
community effect question because of the large number and diversity of
communities where Allied and Federated had stores. The last question
on amassing debt to avoid being taken over applied only in the Phillips
case, in which we also addressed the other three questions and followed
a methodology similar to the other case studies.

Campcaus :wquisition ofAllied occurred in 1986; it acquired Federated in 1988, and we included
this buyout. as well in t,tw cast study.

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Appendix II
Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our information on how the LBOS were done, what happened to the companies, and the companies post&no performance is largely based on
public documents and financial reports filed by the companies with SEC.
We obtained information on particular industries from various industry
and trade reports, We also obtained selected information through telephone interviews with individuals knowledgeable about the LBOs, such
as an attorney involved with one of the bankruptcies, ratings agency
officials, and company officials, Officials of Revco, Allied, and Federated declined to meet with us or to provide information that was not
already available through public sources because of their bankruptcy
status and their concern about possible litigation. Phillips provided us
with employment data by year for its Bartlesville headquarters.
Safeway provided answers to questions we submitted regarding the
buyout. All of the companies commented on a draft of their respective
case studies, and we made changes as appropriate.
Our analysis of the effects of the LBOS and the recapitalization focused
on several items. These include (1) capitalization, which reflects changes
in the long-term debt and equity in a companys financial structure to
indicate the increased demands placed on a company to service the LBOinduced debt and its subsequent increased vulnerability to economic
downturns; (2) asset divestitures to illustrate how the companies downsized to reduce debt using the proceeds of asset sales; (3) changes in
capital expenditures and, where applicable, research and development
expenditures to show how the companies diverted funds from these
activities, which are vital to maintaining a competitive position2 to service and reduce debt; (4) employment levels to indicate how the work
force at the companies was affected by efforts to service and reduce
debt; and (5) stock and bond prices and bond investment ratings to indicate financial gains or losses experienced by stockholders and
bondholders.
Our calculations of the premiums received by stockholders as a result of
the LBOS and Phillips recapitalization were calculated as the percentage
difference between the buyout price and closing common stock market
prices 1 month before the initial buyout or tender offers.3 Stock prices
Some analysts have argued that forced reductions in capital spending after an LB0 promote a companys efficiency because only the investments with the highest return will be made.
:ln Campeaus 1~130of Allied, we calculated premiums from April 1986, when Campeau began
purchasing Allied shares, The actual tender offer did not begin until September. In Safeways LB0 we
calculated premiums from 1 day before the June 11, 1986, disclosure by the Ilafts that they owned
about 6 percent of Safeways common stock and might acquire the company. The Kohlberg Kravis
Roberts & Co. tender offer did not begin until August 1, 1986.

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Appendix II
Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

are from The Wall Street Journal and The Daily Stock Price Record, New
York Stock Exchange.
Our assessment of the effect of the LBOS on bondholders was based on
changes in bond prices and investment ratings after the LBOS. Although
changes in bond prices also reflect other factors, such as interest rates,
issue terms, and rumors of potential takeovers, we generally associated
trends in bond prices after the LBOS with the effects of the LBOS. Changes
in bond investment ratings generally reflect changing investment risks
associated with the bonds pursuant to changing conditions at the companies, The bond prices and investment ratings are from Moodys Bond
Record, which publishes current bond prices and investment ratings
as of the last trading day 1 month before the publication month.
To evaluate the companies performance after the LBOS, we applied commonly known principles of financial analysis, Our primary tools for
judging performance were ratios that compared the relationships among
key financial statistics for a particular performance period, usually the
companies fiscal year, We calculated ratios for the last full year before
the LBOS and for subsequent years through 1989. The statistics were
drawn from the companies consolidated financial statements-balance
sheet, statement of operations, and statement of cash flows-and
accompanying notes. The ratios used in our analysis are the following:
. The debt-to-equity ratio shows the relationship between financing
sources-primarily
loans and various debt instruments that require
interest payments as opposed to stocks, which convey ownership and a
share of profits, We used two ratios of debt to equity-long-term
debt to
total common stockholders equity and total debt (defined as total liabilities) to total common stockholders equity.
. Interest coverage ratios indicate a companys ability to service debt by
comparing measures of cash flow to interest expenses. We used cash
flow from operations before interest expense divided by total interest
expense. Another interest coverage ratio that we used for the Campeau
study to compare with department store industry data is earnings
before interest and taxes divided by interest expense.
Liquidity ratios measure a companys ability to meet short-term obligations by comparing current assets to current liabilities. We used the current ratio-current
assets divided by current liabilities-and
the quick
ratio-cash plus marketable securities plus receivables divided by current liabilities, The quick ratio, by excluding inventories and pre-paid
expenses, provides a more immediate measure of a companys shortterm debt paying ability.

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Appendix II
Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Profitability ratios indicate how well an enterprise has operated. We

used profit margin-net income as a percentage of net sales-to indicate how effectively the companys operations and finances were managed. For Safeway, we also used operating profit margin-operating
profits as a percentage of gross sales-to indicate how effectively operating profits were managed. And, for both Campeau and Safeway, we
also calculated gross margin- net sales less the cost of goods sold as a
percentage of sales-to obtain an indication of these companies operating efficiency, pricing policies, and ability to compete. For cases in
which the company had a positive net worth position, we calculated
return on average common stockholders equity-net income divided by
the average of beginning- and end-of-year common stockholders
equity-to indicate the returns available to the companies owners.
We did our work between January 1990 and March 1991 in accordance
with generally accepted government auditing standards.

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Appendix III

Case Study: LB0 of Reveo D.S., Inc.

On December 29, 1986, Revco D.S., Inc., was acquired in an LBO by an

investor group that included both private investors and management for
a total cost of about $1.45 billion. As a result of the buyout, the companys long-term debt nearly quadrupled from $309 million at the end of
the fiscal year before the buyout to about $1.3 billion after. Revco had
difficulty meeting its increased debt requirements and, after unsuccessful attempts to restructure its debt, defaulted on a $46.5 million
interest payment due bondholders June 15, 1988. Revco subsequently
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 28, 1988, 19 months
after the buyout.
The company has since been trying to develop a reorganization plan that
is acceptable to all of its constituencies. However, after waiting more
than 2 years for Revco to devise a plan, some of the companys creditors
formulated their own and filed it with the bankruptcy court on
November 15, 1990. In addition, a court-appointed examiner has investigated whether the LHOconstituted a fraudulent conveyance against the
interest of Revco creditors who did not participate in the I,ISO. Findings
by the examiner indicate that viable causes of action do exist against
various parties involved in the LROunder both fraudulent conveyance
and other legal theories. A successful fraudulent conveyance action
could have the effect of changing the priority of creditors claims
against what remains of Revcos assets.
This case study is based on public documents filed by Revco with SEC;
interviews with representatives of Revcos vendors and bondholders;
the Revco examiners final report; Moodys Bond Record, Moodys
Industrial Manual, and Moodys Industrial News Reports; Standard &
Poors Industry Surveys; and stock price listings in The Wall Street
Journal. Officials at Revco reviewed and provided technical comments
on a draft of our study.

The LB0 Transaction

Revco is a retail drugstore chain that sells prescriptions and proprietary

drugs, health and beauty aids, vitamins, tobacco products, sundries, and
A fraudulent convcyanc(> is essentially a transaction in which a debtor transfers an interest in its
proptrty (i.e., grants a kbndor a securit,y interest in the property) either (1) with the intent to defraud
its creditors or (2) rcagardlcssof the dcbtors intent, if the debtor did not receive fair consideration for
thcbtransfer made, c,ausingit t,o be either insolvent or have insufficient capital to conduct its business.
1h(*United States 13ankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio approved the appointment of
an c~xaminc~rto invcstigat,r potential causes of act,ion and other remedies arising from the Kevco LHO
and to analyzc~the benefits and detriments of pursuing any available claims. The examiner filed a
preliminary report dated July 16, 1990, with his initial findings, and a final report dated December
17, 1990, with his final conclusions.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

close-out merchandise. Its corporate fiscal year, which we refer to

throughout this report, ends on the Saturday closest to May 31. Thus,
the December 29, 1986, LBO occurred during the third quarter of Revcos
fiscal year 1987.
Before the buyout, Revco was one of the nations largest discount drugstore chains with 2,031 drugstores in 30 states at the end of fiscal year
1986. Although Revco had diversified into nondrug businesses, the
majority of its sales originated from its core drugstore business. About
90 percent of fiscal year 1986 net sales was attributable to the drugstore
division. Of the remaining 10 percent, 5 percent was from Odd Lot
Trading Co., a wholesaler and retailer of close-out merchandise that
Revco had acquired in 1984, and the other 5 percent from Revcos manufacturing and other nonretail divisions.

Investor Group

Revco was purchased by an investor group through a holding company.

The investor group consisted of three parties:
(1) Management investors-composed
of the company, including Revcos top
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
Edwards, Chief Operating Officer and

of 33 officers and key employees

two executives, Sidney Dworkin,
of the Board, and William B.
President.

(2) Transcontinental Services Group N.V.-a Netherlands Antilles corporation formed in 1982 and an investment holding company that is
generally engaged in making special situation investments, principally in
the United States.
(3) Golenberg & Co. -an Ohio corporation, formed in 1978, engaged in
the investment banking business.
Anac Holding Corporation is the holding company formed in 1986 by
certain members of the management investors, through which the acquisition of Revco was effected. Because the investor group included members of Revcos existing management, the LB0 is also referred to as a
management buyout.

Summary Statistics of
Revcos LB0

According to the examiners final report, management was motivated to

participate in an LHO of Revco because of fears that the companys
depressed stock price made it susceptible to a takeover. Summary information about the Revco LBO is included in table III. 1.

GAO/GGD-91-107

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Table 111.1:Summary
LB0

Statistics

of Revco
Purchase price:
OwwwW
Outcome:

$1 .45 billion
Initial offer, submitted March 11, 1986, equivalent to $36 a
share of cash and equity, rejected. Subsequent merger
agreement accepted August 15, 1986, equal to $38.50 a share,
all cash; LB0 effective December 29, 1986.
Revco-Goldman,
Sachs & Co.
Anac-Salomon
Brothers, Inc.; Golenberg & Co.;
TSG Holdings Inca

Investment advisers:

aTSG Holdings Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transconfinental, a member of the investor group.
TSG provides management services to Transcontinental and those businesses in which Transcontinental or its affiliates have a direct or indirect interest.
Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed wtth SEC.

Stockholder Premium

During fiscal years 1984 and 1985, Revcos common stock traded
between $24.00 and $37.50, and $22.50 and $32.88, respectively. During
the first three quarters of fiscal year 1986, before delivery of the initial
proposal in the fourth quarter, the market price of Revcos common
stock ranged between $23.13 and $29.50. The final purchase price of
$38.60 per share provided Revcos stockholders a premium3 of 36 percent-almost 9 percent higher than what stockholders would have
received if the initial offer had been accepted. To reflect the stock value
before the LB0 may have influenced it, the premium was based on the
difference from the closing stock price of $28.25 per share on February
11, 1986, 1 month before the delivery date of the initial offer.

Financing

The financing of Revcos LB0 was composed of senior debt,4 subordinated

debt, and equity investment. The senior debt, provided by a syndicate
of 11 banks, was secured by the companys assets. The subordinated
debt consisted of 13.125-percent senior subordinated notes due in 1994,
13.30-percent subordinated notes due in 1996, and 13.30-percent junior
Premium is the amount, which we express as a percent, by which the offered price per share
exceeds the market price per share on a specific date.
4Senior debt is generally provided by commercial banks. The amount available is influcnccd by projected cash flow and, if secured, by the collateral value of the acquired businesss assets. It is considered senior because it has higher priority with respect to repayment than other types of outstanding
debt.
Subordinated debt instruments require that, in the event of liquidation, repayment of principal may
not be made until another debt instrument senior to it has been repaid in full.
FCuity represents the ownership interest in a company of holders of its common and preferred
stock.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

subordinated notes due in 2001 that were issued in a public offering

underwritten by Salomon Brothers. The notes were unsecured obligations, and interest on all three was due semiannually-June
15 and
December 15, with the first payment due on June 16, 1987, about 6
months after the effective date of the buyout.
The third part of the financing, the equity investment, was made up of
three types of redeemable preferred stock- convertible,g exchangeable,1 and junior, of which the exchangeable was issued publicly-and
common stock, which the investor group and Salomon Brothers purchased.12The cash generated from these sources and applied to the
aggregate purchase price of $1.45 billion is shown in table 111.2

7The junior subordinated notes were issued as part of 93,750 units-each consisting of one 13.3percent junior subordinated note in the principal amount of $1,000,4 shares of Anac common stock,
and 4 common stock puts. Each put emitles the owner to tender to Anac one share of common stock
for mandatory purchase by Anac at the fair market value of the common stock on December 15,
1993.
After the LBO, Revcos common stock was owned entirely by Anac. The equity portion of the
financing refers to preferred and common stock issued by Anac. Ownership of Anacs equity provides
the holder an indirect equity interest in Revco.
The convertible preferred stock entitles holders to convert their preferred stock into common stock
in connection with any merger of Anac with or sale of its property and assets to any entity. The
convertible preferred stock is convertible into an aggregate of 29 percent, on a fully diluted basis, of
Anac common stock and contains antidilution provisions.
The exchangeable preferred stock entitles holders to exchange their shares of preferred stock, at
Anacs option, into subordinated notes of Anac at any time on or after December 15, 1988.
The junior preferred stock has no conversion or exchange features. In the event of liquidation,
holders have a claim on the assets available for distribution after payments to creditors and holders
of convertible and exchangeable preferred stock.
Common stock was also sold publicly as part of the units in which the junior subordinated notes
were issued-see footnote 7.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

111.2:Financing Sources
LB0 (Dollars in Millions)

Table

for Revco
Amount
Proceeds from public offering of subordinated debt
($703,750) and exchangeable preferred stock
($130,020)
Term
---- loan from bank syndicatea
Issuance of Anac common stock ($29,538 invested by
investor arouo)
Issuance of convertible preferred stock
__-Issuance of junior preferred stock
-Revco cash
Total

Percent

$033,770
455,000

58
---.______31

34,361
85,000
30,098
10,655
$1,448,904

2
6
2
1
100

aAn aggregate amount of $567 million was borrowed from the bank syndicate, of which $455 million was
applied toward the purchase price The remaining $112 million was placed into a revolving credit facility
intended to finance any direct loans or letters of credit Revco needed In its ongoing operations after the
LEO.
Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC

The amount invested by the investor group, through purchasing Anac

common stock, was very small in relation to the purchase price-only
about 2 percent. Similarly, the management investors investment was
only about 1 percent of the total purchase price. The majority of the
purchase price, about 80 percent, was composed of the senior debt term
loan (about 3 1 percent) and subordinated debt (49 percent), with equity
investment providing about 19 percent and Revcos cash about 1
percent.

Fees and Costs Paid in

Connection With the LB0

According to Revcos proxy, dated November 14, 1986, an estimated $78

million in fees and costs were anticipated in connection with Revcos LRO
and were to be paid by either Anac or Revco. However, based on the
examiners final report, approximately $86.9 million of fees and
expenses related to the LRO were actually paid by Anac or Revco-$8.9
million more t,han that estimated before the LBO. These fees were about
6.0 percent of the aggregate purchase price.
Fees for financial advisory services provided by the four advisers
involved in the LROwere payable upon consummation of the merger. The
investment bank representing pre-Lno Revco received a $1 million fee up
front. Anacs three advisers provided additional services, including

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Appendk III
Cam Study: LBQ of Revco D.S., Inc.

underwriting,l: private placement of debt,14and management and financial consulting. Based on the examiners report, fees paid for various
services are
$3.0 million to Goldman, Sachs & Co. for financial advisory services provided to Revcos Board of Directors and Special Independent Committee
and for preparing fairness opinion (includes $1 million fee paid up
front).
$38.8 million to Salomon Brothers, Inc., for financial advisory services
provided to Anac, for underwriting publicly issued subordinated debt
and exchangeable preferred stock, and for private placement of convertible preferred stock.
$6.0 million to Golenberg & Co. for financial advisory services provided
to Anac.
$0.6 million to TSG Holdings Inc. for assisting Anac in structuring the
merger and related transactions. TSG was also contracted to provide
post-IJlsoRevco management, consulting, and financial services for an
annual fee of $300,000.
$7.8 million for legal and accounting services.
$28.0 million for bank commitment and other fees. ($20.4 million, or
about 73 percent, was paid to the agent banks, Wells Fargo Bank and
Marine Midland Bank.)
$0.8 million for other professional services.
$1.7 million for miscellaneous expenses.
In addition to the services listed here, Salomon Brothers, Inc., and
Golenberg & Co. also participated in the IBO as merchant bankers by
attaining an indirect equity stake in post-I&o Revco through purchasing
equity of Anac. Salomon Brothers purchased about $11 million worth of
Anac common stock and junior preferred stock giving the investment
bank 9.3 percent of Anac common stock, assuming conversion of convertible preferred stock. Golenberg & Co. purchased about $520,950 of
Anac common stock giving it a l-percent equity stake in Anacs common
stock, assuming conversion of convertible preferred stock.

An undcrwritc~r acts as a middleman bctwcen a corporation issuing new securities and the public by
llurcbasing thussc~c~uriticsfrom the issuer and reselling them in a public offering.
Irivatc~ placrmcmt. is the distribution of securities that have not been registered with SEC. Hcgulations rclstrict the distribution of such unregistered securities to a limited number of purchasers who
all hirvc it dcmonstratcbd ability to evaluate the merits and risks of the security.
In merchant banking, investment bankers assume an equity stake in the surviving corporation of an
acquisition through dircWy or indirectly purchasing preferred or common stock.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Impact of LB0 on
Revco

Various factors contributed to Revco declaring bankruptcy after the

buyout, the most important being Revcos failure to (1) successfully
reduce its increased debt through internally generated cash flow, asset
divestitures, and inventory reduction and (2) achieve projected operating results. Management turnover and eroding trade credit placed further strain on the company, and capital expenditures were restricted. As
Revcos performance deteriorated, bondholders also suffered as the
value of their holdings decreased. On July 28, 1988, 19 months after the
LBO, Revco filed for protection from its creditors under Chapter 11 of the
bankruptcy code.

Revcos Capitaliza kion

Became Primarily Debt
After LHO

The LB0 had a significant impact on Revcos capitalization. Specifically,

Revcos long-term debt, including the portion currently due, nearly quadrupled from $309 million at the end of fiscal year 1986 to about $1.3
billion at the end of fiscal year 1987, and its total common stockholders
equity went from $393 million at the end of fiscal year 1986 to a deficit
of about $20 million at the end of fiscal year 1987. The deficit, which
represents the period of time since the Lso-December 30,1986,
through May 30, 1987-was due to the net loss and dividend obligations
Revco had at the end of fiscal year 1987.
According to the prospectus, although management did not project the
deficit in common stockholders equity, they had expected the most significant effect of the buyout to be on Revcos capitalization. Specifically,
on August 23, 1986, before the LBO, Revco had a ratio of long-term debt
(including the current portion) to total capitalization of 44 percent,
which means that more than half of Revcos capitalization came from
invested capital. Assuming that the buyout and the financing had
occurred on August 23, 1986,*7management projected the ratio of longterm debt (including the current portion) to total capitalization to
increase to 83 percent, making borrowed funds the largest source of
capital.

Capitalization is the total value of a corporations long-term debt and preferred and
accounts.

common

stock

17Basedon pro forma financial statements which are projected financial statements embodying a set
of assumptions about a companys future performance and funding requirements. The statements,
included in the December 18, 1986, prospectus, were prepared as if the buyout had occurred on
August 23, 1986.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Cash Flow From

Operations Deteriorated
After LB0

Cash flow from operations represents the net inflow or outflow of cash
during a period resulting from the operating activities of a company. It
focuses on the liquidity aspect of operations and when related to debt
service can provide an indication of a companys ability to service its
debt through internally generated cash. Despite finding, on a pro formal
basis for fiscal year 1986, that Anacs earnings before income taxes and
fixed chargeW were inadequate to cover fixed charges resulting from
the debt incurred in financing the IBO, management expected Revcos
cash flow from operations to be sufficient on an annual basis to meet
post-I,130debt obligations. According to the prospectus, management
based its expectation on the revenues and operating profits it projected
Revco would generate after taking into account the divestiture program
and the expected continued growth in the drugstore divisions sales.
However, after the I&O, Revcos cash flow situation deteriorated.
According to the Revco examiners final report, concerns about cash
flow existed immediately after the LRO as evidenced in a January 2,
1987, memorandum from Revcos treasurer, which stated:
I am very concerned about cash flow since the sales for the past six weeks have
been poor resulting in approximately $30 million less cash flow. It will be very difficult to make up this loss of funds. In fact, we have no excess cash going forward.

Furthermore, because of higher interest costs and reduced profitability

of operations, Revcos cash flow from operations declined significantly
during fiscal year 1988, the first full year after the buyout, to a net
outflow of $57.3 million. As a result of its bankruptcy filing, Revcos
liquidity position during fiscal year 1989 improved dramatically
because of the deferral of about $309.9 million in operating cash
requirements. Excluding these cash requirements, Revcos cash flow
from operations provided a net inflow of about $15.2 million at the end
of fiscal year 1989. If Revco had not filed for Chapter 11 protection, it
would have had a net outflow of cash used in operations of about $294.7
million at the end of fiscal year 1989. The decline in operating cash flow
contributed to Revcos inability to service its debt.

The pro forma results of operations are based on the assumption that the acquisition and merger
and related financing occurred at the beginning of the fiscal year presented.
Fixed charges consist of inkrest expense, amortization of deferred financing costs, amortization of
discount on junior subordinated notes, and a portion of operating lease rental expense reprcscntativc
of the: intorcst factor.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Proceeds From Asset

Divestiture Program Below
Expectations

Management established an asset divestiture program that initially

included about 100 drugstores and substantially all of Revcos nonretail
drugstore subsidiaries, except its close-out subsidiary, Odd Lot Trading
Co. The proceeds from the asset sales were to reduce the senior debt
term loan. The provisions of the term loan required the program to generate $265 million in proceeds by the second quarter of fiscal year 1989
(November 1988), all of which would be applied to reducing the loan.
According to the examiners final report, sales under the asset divestiture program did not proceed as originally projected. For example, two
subsidiaries were to be sold before the LBO with part of the proceeds
being used to pay the merger consideration due stockholders. Neither
sale was closed before the LBO was effected. Furthermore, as early as
March 31, 1987,3 months after the LBO, the examiner reported that
management was having doubts as to whether asset sales would be able
to generate enough proceeds to make a prepayment on the term loan due
in May.
During fiscal year 1988, management revised its expectations of the programs total proceeds and projected they would fall short of the targeted
$256 million. By the end of fiscal year 1988, before Revco filed for
Chapter 11 protection, the program was substantially complete and the
total amount of funds generated and applied toward reducing the term
loan was $197 million-$68
million short of the amount required. At
that point, the assets remaining to be divested consisted primarily of
certain drugstores and Odd Lot. Management had initially excluded Odd
Lot from the program on the condition that it continue to pass various
financial tests and earnings levels. The divestiture of Revcos subsidiary
operations was completed in the second quarter of fiscal year 1990,
more than a year after Revco declared bankrugtcy, According to the
examiners final report, total proceeds generated from Revcos asset
divestitures were $231 million-$23.8
million short of what was
required by the term loan agreement.

Inventory Reduction
Created Unanticipated
Problems

Management ran an inventory reduction program from March 1987

through July 1987 called Operation Clean Sweep. It was intended to
permanently reduce drugstore inventory levels and eliminate unwanted,
outdated, slower selling merchandise that was not part of Revcos core
drugstore business. According to the examiners final report, the inventory targeted for elimination included television sets, video cassette
recorders, microwave ovens, gas grills, and knockdown furniture. Revco
had begun stocking these items in 1985 and 1986, before the LBO, hoping

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revcu D.S., Inc.

they would generate high margins. However, the examiner reported that
over a Z-year period the items had not been selling.
According to Revcos fiscal year 1988 annual report, the inventory
reduction program accomplished its goal of reducing inventory but created two major unanticipated problems during fiscal year 1988. First,
although it reduced inventory levels, Revco failed to restock with appropriate amounts of normal selling merchandise. As a result, the company
had to undertake a significant replenishment of inventories during the
first quarter of fiscal year 1988. According to the companys annual
report, the inventory purchased caused significant imbalances between
product categories,
Second, the inventory reduction program triggered a covenant in
Revcos term loan agreement regarding the application of excess cash
flow. As a result, Revco had to pay $39.2 million toward the bank loan
shortly after the end of fiscal year 1987. According to the Revco examiners final report, the payment left Revco with depleted inventory and
insufficient cash to replenish its inventory.
Revcos inventory problems continued to snowball during fiscal year
1988. Revco needed to generate enough funds not only to deal with its
inventory imbalances but also to meet both inventory requirements for
the 1987 Christmas season and an interest payment on its subordinated
debt due December 15, 1987. The companys cash and short-term borrowing ability were insufficient to satisfy all its obligations, and in spite
of securing a $30 million overline on its revolving bank credit, its 1987
Christmas inventory suffered. Inadequate inventory levels of some
product lines existed, while others had to be marked down to be sold.
Because we did not talk with Revco officials, we could not determine
why the adverse effects of Operation Clean Sweep were unanticipated.
However, according to the examiners final report, several parties in
interest cited improper implementation by senior management, including
inadequate monitoring or supervising of store managers, and insufficient training of store managers with respect to inventory control as two
factors contributing to Revcos post&no inventory reduction efforts.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Projections Were Not

Achieved

Before the LBO, certain members of Revcos management-included

among the management investors-prepared
projections of Revcos
future operations and provided them to the investor group and prospective lenders interested in participating in the acquisition of Revco. Managements projections assumed an annual increase in net sales of 12
percent and operating profit before depreciation as a percentage of sales
of 7.7 percent for fiscal years 1988 through 1991. Underlying the projected sales increases was an assumption that existing stores would
increase their sales and new stores would be added at a rate that would
add about 10 percent additional retail space each year.
According to the examiners final report, the projections were based on
managements expectations that substantial improvements in Revcos
sales and margins would be achieved. Specifically, despite poor operating results for fiscal years 1985 and 1986, according to the prospectus,
management expected Revco to perform at the same levels it did during
the 10 fiscal years before fiscal year 1985, when net sales grew at a
compound annual rate of 19 percent and net earnings grew 23 percent a
year. Management did not think Revcos poor performance in fiscal
years 1986 and 1986 was indicative of the results it would achieve in
1987 and beyond but instead attributed the results to various extraordinary events that were considered to be nonrecurring.
Even before the LBO was closed, Revco was unable to meet its own financial projections. For example, after receiving disappointing first quarter
results for fiscal year 1987, management revised its initial projections
downward. However, the examiners final report pointed out that management adjusted projections downward for only the first half of
1987-projections for the latter half of 1987 and the growth assumptions underlying those projections remained unchanged. Furthermore,
although Revcos second quarter results for fiscal year 1987 also fell
short of managements original projections, no further revisions in the
projections or growth assumptions were made, even though the results
were announced more than 2 weeks before the buyout was closed.
After the LBO, Revco did not achieve its projections for fiscal year 1987
or the growth assumptions management made for fiscal years 1988
through 1991. Specifically, the examiner reported that Revcos fiscal
year 1987 operating income was almost 30 percent below its revised
projections, and, on the basis of the companys annual reports for fiscal
years 1988 through 1990, we calculated that annual increases in Revcos
net sales were 4 percent or less, operating profit before depreciation as a
percentage of sales was below 7.7 percent each year, and gross retail

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Appendix III
Caee Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

footage declined each yearSZO

According to Revcos fiscal year 1989
annual report, the companys inability to achieve projected operating
results was a major factor in its Chapter 11 filing.

Corporate Control
Changed After LB0

After the LBO, corporate control at Revco underwent many changes,

including an increased equity stake by the management investors and
heavy turnover among executive officers. As of October 3 1, 1986, before
the LDO, the management investors owned about 3.1 percent of Revcos
outstanding common stock. After purchasing about $10.2 million in
Anac common stock in the buyout, 21the management investors owned
about 19.5 percent of the total voting capital stock of Anac, on a fully
diluted basis.
According to the examiners final report, significant concerns about the
ability of Revcos pre-r,Bo management to successfully run the company
in a highly leveraged environment were developing before the closing of
the deal. For example, the banks that organized the senior debt
expressed doubt as to whether Revcos pre-Lso chief executive officer
(CEO) was capable of operating the company on a daily basis when it had
such a heavy debt burden. The examiner reported that Anacs financial
adviser indicated to the banks that the daily management responsibilities of the pre-1,no CEO would be significantly diminished after the LBO.In
fact, 3 months after the deal was closed, a new CEOwas named.
During fiscal year 1988, the first full year after the buyout, Revcos
management team changed significantly due, in part, to the boards election of another CEO in October 1987,7 months after the initial change in
Changes in the accounting method used and the exclusion of operating results of units to be
divested make Revcos post-LB0 datd incomparable to its historical results of operations. To enhance
comparability of pre- and post-LB0 data, Revco prepared unaudited pro forma statcmcnts, which
assumed the merger and divestiture program were completed at the beginning of fiscal year 1987.
Subsequent to fiscal yt:ar IRRR-after the Chapter 11 filing-management changed the drugstores to
be divested. In order for prc- and post-filing data to be comparable, Revco made unaudited pro forma
adjustments to fiscal years 1987 and 1988. During fiscal year 1990, management announced it would
be selling over 700 drugstores. Operating results of these stores were excluded from the companys
fourth quarter operating results for fiscal year 1990. Thus, to enhance compdtabihty between fiscal
ytyar 1990 and previous years, Rcvco prepared pro forma financial statements for fiscal years 1988
l.hrough 1990. We used pro forma data when comparing changes between years.
The management investors purchased Anac common stock for $6.946 a share, the Same price paid
by other investors. According to the Revco examiners final report, the management investors paid an
aggregate in cash of about $756,000, issued promissory notes of about $200,000, and transferred
238,867 shares of old Rcvco common stock.
sFully diluted basis assumes conversion of convertible preferred stock into Anac common stock but
does not. assume the grant or exercise of any employee stock options to purchase Anac common stock

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Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

this position. Attempting to improve Revcos performance, the new CEO

essentially installed a new management team: only 7 of the 22 fiscal
year 1987 officers remained at the end of fiscal year 1988 and 12 new
officers were hired. As a result of the high turnover, the number of
executive officers that had been employed with the company for over 5
years was significantly less than before the buyout-about
one-third of
fiscal year 1988 officers had been with Revco for over 5 years compared
with 90 percent of the officers during fiscal year 1986, before the LRO.
Because we did not talk with Revco officials, we could not determine the
effect that the high turnover in management had on Revcos operations
and the business decisions being made.

Vendor Confidence
Declined, Leading to
Erosion of Trade Credit

During fiscal year 1988, as Revcos financial situation and ability to service its debt worsened, vendors confidence in Revcos ability to meet its
obligations began to decline. It became increasingly difficult for the company to buy on credit from some of its vendors, who began demanding
cash-on-delivery. The erosion of trade credit placed additional strain on
Revcos ability to deal with its inventory problems because it further
exacerbated Revcos lack of funds for restocking shelves with needed,
saleable merchandise. Revco subsequently filed for Chapter 11
protection.
According to the Chairman of the Trade Creditors Committee-the committee that represents Revcos vendors in the Chapter 11 proceedingsalmost all of Revcos vendors interrupted shipments of merchandise
from the date of the filing, July 28, 1988, until August 24, 1988, when
Revcos debtor-in-possession (D-I-P) financingz3 was approved. The
Chairman explained that this time frame had been critical because
Revco had no financing in place, and consequently vendors had no confidence that they would be paid. The combination of eroding credit and
vendors refusal to ship merchandise created significant out-of-stock
conditions that led to a deterioration in customer confidence.
According to the Chairman, the D-I-P financing was instrumental in
restoring vendor confidence because of its unique terms. The terms
granted more security to vendors than is usual under the bankruptcy
code, in which vendors are generally unsecured lenders. Specifically,
vendors who extended customary payment terms to Revco after the
filing date were given a super-priority lien, which gave them the same
3The D-I-P financing was a $145 million line of credit provided by a syndicate of banks for Hevcos
use in continuing its operations while in bankruptcy.

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Appendix III
Case Study; LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

level of security as the banks providing the funds. Thus, if Revco could
not make post-filing payments, those vendors had the same claim on
Revcos assets as the banks. Revcos fiscal year 1990 annual report
credits the D-I-P financing with enabling the company to begin restoring
vendor support, improving its out-of-stock condition, and restoring customer confidence.

Capital Spending
Restricted After LB0

After the LBO, Revcos capital expenditures were reduced because of

restrictions in the senior debt credit agreement. Specifically, capital
expenditures were limited to $37.5 million in fiscal year 1987 and to a
maximum of $30 million annually thereafter. This was much less than
before the buyout when, from fiscal year 1981 to fiscal year 1986,
Revcos capital expenditures had been about $48 million, $45 million,
$32 million, $58 million, $90 million, and $96 million, respectively. Management did not anticipate that the restrictions would adversely affect
Revcos efforts to maintain and modernize its drugstore division,
because significant levels of expenditures and improvements had been
made since 1981. For example, at the end of fiscal year 1986, management estimated that approximately 75 percent of all Revcos pre-Lso
drugstores were either new or had been remodeled within the past 5
years.
Because we did not talk with Revco officials, it is difficult to determine
whether the restrictions impeded the companys modernization efforts.
However, it appears that Revco was unable to complete its modernization program during 1988 as it had indicated it would in its 1987 annual
report. The program, which included remodeling existing stores to adopt
major aspects of a new store prototype, was still ongoing at the end of
1988 but had become subject to the companys overall reorganization
process. Furthermore, contrary to Revcos pre-LB0 goal of expanding
drugstore operations through opening or acquiring 100 drugstores a
year for the next 5 years, 24there was a net decline of 91 drugstores at
the end of fiscal year 1988,2 months before Revco filed for Chapter 11
protection.

a41roxy (Nov. 14, 1986), p. 44.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Bond Values Declined as

Revcos Performance
Deteriorated

Revco has five bond issues outstanding, two of which were issued before
the LBO. Under the provisions of the two pre-LBo bonds, Revco could not
secure the senior debt financing without equally and ratably securing26
these bonds. To satisfy the provisions, Revco modified the terms of one
of the bond series-after obtaining consent from at least two-thirds of
the bondholders-so that in lieu of receiving equal and ratable security,
holders of the bond received a flat payment and a l-percent increase in
the bonds interest rate. Holders of the other pre-LBo bond were granted
equal and ratable security in the collateral with the banks: a lien and
security interest in substantially all of Revcos assets. The other three
bonds were issued as part of the LB0 financing and were unsecured obligations of Revco. As Revcos performance deteriorated after the LRO,the
value of its bonds similarly declined as evidenced by Moodys Investors
Service downgradingz6 in their investment ratings and their diminished
prices.
Before the LBO, Moodys downgraded the investment ratings on Revcos
pre-r,l%obonds from A3 to Bl, indicating that the bonds investment risk
had increased and that they now provided less assurance that interest
and principal payments would be paid in the future. The downgrading
of these ratings before the LHO illustrates the adverse effects pre-1,130
bondholders may have when a buyout is pending that will add riskier
levels of high-interest, low-rated debt.
After the buyout, investment ratings on all five bonds were downgraded
toward the end of fiscal year 1988, as indicated in table 111.3.

%Zually and ratably secured means that after securing the new debt, already existing debt must
continue t,o have the same proportion of collateral it had before the new debt was secured.
The purpose of Moodys ratings is to provide the investors with a simple system of gradation by
which the relative investment qualities of bonds may be noted. Gradations of investment quality arc
indicated by rating symbols, each symbol representing a group in which the quality characteristics
are broadly the same. There are nine symbols as shown below, from that used to designate least
investment risk (highest investment quality) to that denoting greatest investment risk (lowest investmc:nt quality): (1) Aaa, Aa, A; (2) Baa, Ba, B; and (3) Caa, Ca, C.
Moodys applies numerical modifiers, 1, 2, and 3, in each generic rating classification from Aa
through 13in its corporate bond rating system. The modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks in the
higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Table 111.3:Investment
Bonds

Ratings for Revco

--.Pre-LB0
-_.
1 li;Z$ercent

--

lo/88

1 l/86

Date
04166

OS/86

07188

83
83

Caa
Ca

Ca
Ca

-sinking fund debentures due in

iTl225-percent
notes due in 1995a
----Post-LB0
~---____ __-___13~;L$$rcent
senior subordinated notes due
_----.
13.30.percent subordinated notes due in 1996
13/;0;80ecent junior subordinated notes due

A3
A3

I31
Bl

___b
b

B2c
B2c

Caa
Caa

B3C

Caa

Ca__Ca

Ca
Ca

Ca

Ca

Note: Dates selected reflect all rating changes by Moodys from January 1986 to December 1990
%terest rate increased to 12.125 percent after the LB0 as part of modifications made to the bonds
terms to allow the senior debt financing to be secured.
bRattngs were not yet asstgned for post-LB0 bonds.
CPer examtners final report, rating assigned by Moodys Speculative Grade Service on November 20,
1986.
Source: Moodys Bond Record

Moodys revised Revcos bond ratings at times that generally corresponded to periods of stress within the company and where Revcos
credit became more questionable. For example, ratings were downgraded for all five bonds in both April and June 1988, when Revco was
having difficulty servicing its debt. Revco announced in April that it
might not make its June 15th interest payment, then was unsuccessful
in attempts to restructure its debt, and finally failed to make the June
15th interest payment. As of July 1988, the month Revco filed for
Chapter 11 protection, all of its bonds had been downgraded to Ca.
Moodys generally assigns this rating to bonds that are in default or
have marked shortcomings indicating they are speculative to a high
degree. As of June 1991, the Ca rating had not been revised and still
represented Moodys assessment of the investment quality of Revcos
bonds.
All five bonds were originally sold at par? except for one pre-Lno bond,
which was sold slightly below. As Revcos performance deteriorated
after the 1,130, the prices of its bonds-especially those issued to finance
the r>no-also declined. Table III.4 illustrates the price changes.

71Jar is the redemption value of a bond that appears on the face of the bond certificate, unless that

valuc~is othcrwisc specified. The 93,750 units through which the junior subordinated notes were
issued were sold for $1,000 each.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Table 111.4:Rwcoa
Are Rounded)

Bond Prices (Prices

Pm-LB0 bonds
11.7dpercent sinking fund
debentures due in 2015
Il. 125percent notes due in 1995b
Post-LB0 bonds
13.125-percent senior subordinated
notes due in 1994
~__
13.30-percent subordinated notes
due in 1996
13.30-percent junior subordinated
notes due in 2001

Date
06188
12188

12187

04188
--

$850
870

$790

$790

$650

$850
700

$600
710

590

530
.-

500

420

110

c
c
c

a
440

12189 -- 12190

a
320

a
160

-d

80

30

Note, Except for the period of time right before filing for Chapter 11 protection, when Revco was having
drffrculty servicing its debt, dates selected reflect year-end bond prices. All bonds have a $1,000 face
value.
aNo prrce was listed in Moodys Bond Record.
blnterest rate increased to 12.125 percent after the LB0 as part of modifications made to the bonds
terms to allow the senior debt financing to be secured.
?3ubordinated bonds were not listed in Moodys Bond Record at thus pornt.
dAccording to Moodys offrcrals, trading.
Source: Moodys Bond Record.

Unable to Service Its Debt,

Revco Filed for Chapter 11
Protection

rndrcates that erther no data were available or the bond was not

Inadequate proceeds from the asset divestiture program, continuing

inventory problems, eroding trade credit, and inability to borrow funds
from the revolving credit facility or to achieve projected operating
results led Revco to announce in April 1988 that it might not be able to
meet pending debt obligations. The company hired Drexel Burnham
Lambert Inc. to help restructure its debt through a debt-for-equity swap.
Their efforts were not successful, and as discussed, Revco was unable to
make its June 15th interest payment of $46.5 million on its subordinated
debt. Afterwards, holders of more than 25 percent of the senior subordinated notes informed the company of their intention to accelerate the
maturity date on the principal amount of $400 million. The percentage
of notes involved was high enough that the entire issue would have been
accelerated. This, combined with the existing problems listed above,
caused Revco to file for Chapter 11 protection under the bankruptcy
code on July 28, 1988.
As of the date Revco filed for Chapter 11 protection, substantially all of
its pre-filing secured and unsecured debt was deferred while the company continued to operate its business as a D-I-P. Operating as a D-I-P

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&

Appendix III
Caee Study! LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

means the company cannot engage in transactions outside the ordinary

course of business without first complying with the bankruptcy code
and, when necessary, obtaining bankruptcy court approval. Until the
bankruptcy court approves a plan of reorganization, Revco does not
have to meet scheduled principal payments on senior debt or pay
interest expense on unsecured debt after the filing date.
By May 19,1989, Revco had received about 7,800 proofs of claims from
creditors. Although numerous claims did not specify the amount
claimed, those that did totalled approximately $9.3 billion. According to
its 1989 annual report, the company thought this overstated its liabilities and was an unreliable estimate because creditors had filed duplicate
and unrealistic claims. Revco is now reconciling claims that differ from
its records and is evaluating them to determine which are likely to be
allowed by the bankruptcy court. At the end of June 1990, Revco had
paid about $11.6 million of allowed claims, pursuant to an order of the
bankruptcy court dated August 13, 1989.2s

Financial Indicators of
Revcos Performance
After the LB0

After the LBO, Revcos performance

pany was forced to file for Chapter
Revcos changing financial position
panys debt-to-equity ratios, ability

deteriorated rapidly until the com11 protection from its creditors.

is reflected by changes in the comto service debt, and profitability.

Revcos Debt Burden

Increased Significantly
After LB0

Changes in a companys debt burden are reflected by ratios of its debt to

total common stockholders equity (hereafter we refer to total common
stockholders equity as equity). After the LBO, Revcos debt increased
significantly with respect to its equity, which actually was negative only
5 months after the buyout due to a net loss and dividend obligations on
redeemable preferred stock. As Revco continued to report losses and its
dividend obligations accumulated, the deficit in equity increased each
fiscal year after the buyout.
Because Revcos equity was negative after the buyout, calculating ratios
of debt to equity is meaningless. However, Revco had prepared debt-toequity ratios before the buyout reflecting how it expected the debt
burden to change. Specifically, on August 23, 1986, Revcos total debt-

sThe order authorized Revco to enter into stipulations providing for the payment of up to 50 percent
of allowed reclamation claims. As part of the stipulations, reclaiming vendors had to give Revco
most favored nation credit terms.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

to-equity ratio was 1.6 to 1 and its long-term (including the current portion) debt-to-equity ratio was 0.8 to 1. Assuming that the buyout and
financing had occurred on this date, these ratios2g increase to 5.7 to 1
and 4.8 to 1, respectively.

Revcos Ability to Service

Debt Declined

To illustrate Revcos increasing difficulty in servicing its debt after the

LBO we calculated an interest coverage ratio and two measures of
liquidity: current ratio and quick ratio.

Cash Flow From Operations

An indication of Revcos ability to service its debt is reflected by its

1Jnableto Cover Interest Expense ability to cover interest costs with cash generated internally from operations-its interest coverage ratio. A ratio of less than one indicates cash
flow coverage is inadequate.
As indicated in table 111.5,Revcos interest expense increased tremendously after the buyout, reaching $146.7 million in fiscal year 1988,
before the company filed for bankruptcy. On the basis of its interest
coverage ratio, Revco was able to cover interest costs incurred immediately after the buyout, from December 30, 1986, to May 30, 1987. However, during fiscal year 1988, the first full year after the LBO, Revcos
interest coverage fell below 1, indicating that it could not cover its
interest obligations with internally generated cash.
As a result of Revcos filing for Chapter 11 protection, its interest coverage ratio improved during fiscal year 1989. Specifically, until
approval of a reorganization plan, some of its operating cash requirements were deferred, and it no longer had to pay or accrue interest on
its unsecured debt. Consequently, this ratio excludes about $309.9 million in operating cash requirements and about $84.1 million of interest
on unsecured debt.

After accounting for the buyout and related financing, equity consist,edof rcdecmable prcfcrred
stock and common stockholders equity.

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Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Table 111.5:Interest

Coverage

(Dollars in

Mrlltons)

Interest

expense

Cash flow from

operations (before
interest)/interest
expense (ratio)

OS/O1166
12,29,6:

$29.0

$19.4

$64.7

$146.7

$70.lb

5.5

1.5

1.9

0.6

1 .o

1 230::
05/30/67

Fiscal
I%

Fiscal
1969
year

Fiscal
19Qt:

aData are not comparable to post-LB0 data because of changes in accounting method and exclusron of
operating results of those assets to be divested after the LBO. They are presented as an indrcatron of
Revcos operating results before the LBO.
bExcludes about $84.1 mtllton of Interest on unsecured debt due to Chapter 11 filing
Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

Short-Term Liquidity

Declined

An indication of a companys liquidity, or its ability to meet short-term

obligations, is shown by the current and quick ratios. The current ratio
compares the level of current assets to current liabilities, while the
quick ratio includes only cash, marketable securities, and receivables as
current assets to provide a more immediate measure of a companys
short-term debt-paying ability.
Revcos current ratio declined after the LBO. However, in comparison to
the indust@ it was not noticeably low until the end of fiscal year 1988,
when it fell below 1 indicating that the company could not meet currently maturing obligations with current assets. In contrast, Revcos
quick ratio actually increased from fiscal year 1986 to fiscal year 1987
before falling below that of the industry in fiscal year 1988. The
increase in the quick ratio was due, in part, to the classification of assets
of operations to be divested as current. The dramatic decline in both
ratios from fiscal year 1987 to fiscal year 1988 was due in part to the
classification of all long-term debt as a current liability. After Revco
filed for bankruptcy early in fiscal year 1989, its liquidity position
improved dramatically because it deferred much of its pre-filing obligations and reclassified long-term debt as a noncurrent liability. Table III.6
illustrates changes in Revcos liquidity ratios.

ratios were obtained from an on-line database produced by Media General Financial !Services, Inc. lhc industry data were compiled as of dune 22, 1990, based on 13 companies whose primary line of business was classified under the same Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code as
Rcvco. ?hc SIC code indicates a companys primary line of business.

%clrrsLry

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Case Study: LRO of Revco D.S., Inc.

Table 111.6:Liquidity

Ratios
Current ratio
Revco (fiscal year)
lndustrv (calendar vear1
Quick
_~~ ratio
Revco (fiscal year)
lndustry (calendar year)

1966

1967

1966

1969

2.5
1.7

1.9
1.6

0.4
1.4

2.7

0.5
0.4

0.9
0.4

0.1
0.3

0.3
0.4

1.4

%evco data are not comparable to post-LB0 data because of changes in accounting method and the
exclusion of operating results of those assets to be drvested after the buyout. They are presented as an
rndrcation of Revcos operating results before the buyout.
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data produced by Media
General Financial Services, Inc. Industry data were compiled as of June 22, 1990, based on 13 companies whose primary line of business was classified under the same SIC code as Revco. The SIC code
indrcates a companys primary line of busrness.

Revcos Profitability
After the LB0

Fell

After the LRO, Revcos profitability declined as indicated in table III.7 by

the negative trend in net income, stockholders equity, and earnings
before interest expense and income taxes. Revco reported a net loss and
a deficit in stockholders equity every fiscal year since the LBO. Earnings
before interest expense and income taxes, which had been declining
since the buyout, were negative in fiscal year 1989, indicating the company was operating at a loss before interest expense was taken into
account. Previously, when earnings before interest expense and income
taxes had been positive and Revco had reported a net loss, interest
expense had triggered the loss. As a result of the net losses and deficit in
stockholders equity, Revco had no profit margin and no return on
equity31 after the buyout.

Return on quity represents the interests of Anacs equity holders because all of Revcos common
stock is owned by Anac.

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Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Table 111.7:Indicators
Declining Profitability

of Revcos
(Dollars in Millions)

Earnings before interest and taxes

I___
.-Net profit (loss)
Stockholders equityC

Fiscal year
1986
1987
1988
1989
(52 weeks) (52 weeks) (52 weeks) (53 weeks)
125.3
72.6b
21.5
(69.4)
56.9
(45.6)b
(133.4)
(88.6)
392.5
(20.1)
(161.7) -14.3)

aData are not comparable to post-LB0 data because of changes in accounting method and the exclu
sron of operating results of those assets to be divested after the buyout. They are presented as an
indication of Revcos operating results before the buyout.
Based on pro forma fiscal year 1987 data
For fiscal years 1987 through 1989, data are based on consolidated financial statements presented on
the Push Down Accounting basis whereby the equity section of Revcos balance sheet reflects
Anacs equity.
Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

Impact of LB0 on
Comrnunities

Drugstore Closings and Sales

Were Dispersed
Y

We did not attempt to determine the impact of Revcos pOSt-LB0 actions

on the communities where its drugstores are located because there did
not appear to be much potential for Revcos drugstore closings or sales
to have had a substantial impact. Specifically, because a drugstore is in
the retailing business, which, unlike manufacturing or other industries,
generally does not provide the economic foundation of a community, we
would not expect a drugstore to be a large part of the economic base of
most communities. Furthermore, a drugstore is generally not the predominant employer in most communities but typically employs a small
number of people. Consequently, while the closing or sale of a particular
store may adversely affect the individuals working there, it is unlikely
to have a significant impact on the economy of the community. In addition, Revco is a nationwide drugstore chain with drugstores located in
several communities enabling the company to spread out its store closings and sales, thus diluting the impact on any one particular community or area. Further, Revco sold a large number of its drugstores from
July 1990 through October 1990, but those stores were purchased by
other drugstore companies. After agreeing to either offer employment or
consider for employment existing Revco employees, these companies
may have absorbed those employees, diminishing any impact that the
change in control may have had on the community.
From the effective date of the LB0 to the end of fiscal year 1990, the
number of Revco drugstores fell from 2,086 to 1,853, a net decline of
about 11 percent. The closings from the end of fiscal year 1986, before
the LBO,to the end of fiscal year 1990 were spread over several states:
Revco closed 10 or more drugstores in only 8 states, and in all other

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Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

states that experienced a net decline in the number of Revco drugstores,

Revco closed 6 or fewer stores. In addition, the number of states with
Revco drugstores declined by 3-from 30 to 27-and these 3 had a total
of only 4 drugstores. Since the end of Revcos fiscal year 1990, the company has sold over 700 stores in 19 states. The sales, which began in
July 1990, were completed by October 10, 1990, and left the company
with about 1,140 stores in 10 eastern states.
Number of Employees Declined
After LEIO

After the LBO, the number of Revco employees declined about 8 percent
by the end of fiscal year 1990. Specifically, as of July 31, 1986, before
the buyout, Revco and its subsidiaries employed about 28,800 persons.
By the end of fiscal year 1990, the number had fallen to approximately
26,400 employees. On the basis of the filings, most of the decline-about
2,000 employees-occurred during fiscal year 1988, the year in which
Revco essentially completed the bulk of its divestiture program and sold
almost all of its nonretail subsidiaries and closed or sold a net 56 drugstores. Because we did not talk with Revco officials, we could not determine how much of the decline was attributed to the sale of subsidiaries
versus drugstore closings or sales. As discussed earlier, since the end of
fiscal year 1990, Revco has sold over 700 drugstores, further decreasing
the number of Revco employees. We do not know how many employees
were affected by the sales because this information has not yet been
disclosed in Revcos filings with SEC.

Current Status of
Revco

Since filing for Chapter 11 protection, Revco has been trying to develop
a reorganization plan, which must be approved by the bankruptcy court
and voted on by all classes of impaired creditors and equity security
holders. Revcos creditors are represented by three committees: Official
Committee of Unsecured Noteholders, Official Committee of Unsecured
Trade Creditors, and Unofficial Committee of Secured Bank Lenders.:j2
On October 3 1,1990, more than 2 years after Revco filed Chapter 11,
the bankruptcy court terminated Revcos exclusivity period-the time
in which only Revco could file a reorganization plan and solicit acceptance of that plan. Consequently, on November 15, 1990, a Joint Plan of
Reorganization was filed by Revcos three creditor committees and on
December 21, 1990, a disclosure statement for the Joint Plan was filed.
According to the examiners final report, Revcos management supports
the Joint Plan, but neither Revco nor Anacs Board of Directors has
According to a Revco official, two additional creditor groups have been formed representing the
prcU30 bondholders: Ilnofficial Committee of Holders of 11.75~PercentSinking Fund Debentures and
Unofficial Committee of Holders of 12.125~PercentNotes (previously 11.125 percent).

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

approved it. The examiner also noted that various classes impaired
under the Joint Plan have contacted him with respect to their objections
to the Plan. In light of these objections, the examiner reported that he
was not optimistic that the Joint Plan would be confirmed and implemented promptly. In fact, according to a Revco official, the plan is still
on file but would have to be revised before being considered acceptable
by all parties. The official stated that Revcos management had recently
generated a 5-year business plan, which it has shared with all creditors
and equity security holders. As a result, the plan is serving as a basis for
renewed discussions concerning reorganization of the company.
The examiner filed a final report, dated December 17, 1990, concluding
that viable causes of action exist against various parties involved in the
LBO under both fraudulent conveyance and other legal theories. A fraudulent conveyance is essentially a transaction in which a debtor transfers
an interest in its property (Le., grants a lender a security interest in the
property) either (1) with the intent to defraud its creditors or (2)
regardless of the debtors intent, if the debtor does not receive fair consideration for the transfer made leaving the debtor either insolvent or
with insufficient capital to conduct its business. The latter condition is
considered constructive fraud. Although some courts have held that
actual intent is necessary to establish a fraudulent conveyance in the
context of an LBO, a majority of the courts that have considered the issue
have allowed creditors to present evidence of constructive fraud. Therefore, while no convincing evidence of actual fraud has been uncovered,
the examiner concluded that Revcos estate33could establish a fraudulent conveyance on the grounds that it did not receive fair consideration
for the obligations it incurred in the LBO. Specifically, the examiner
found that a substantial basis exists for showing that Revco was left
with insufficient capital to conduct its business after the LBO. In addition, the examiners analysis indicates that a basis may exist for a
finding that the LBO rendered Revco insolvent. These and other findings
provide Revcos estate with a basis for litigation to recover funds from
various parties involved in the LBO including management, banks,
advisers, holders of the subordinated debt, and former stockholders,
particularly those having inside information about the transaction, who
benefited from the deal.

%cvcos estate came into being when Revco filed for bankruptcy. The estate consists of all Revcos
legal and equitable property interests at the time it filed for bankruptcy, any property interest
acquired as a result of avoiding a transaction in which Revco had engaged (i.e., a fraudulent conveyance), and any other property interest acquired by the estate. Revco, as D-I-P, is managing the estate
under the supervision of the bankruptcy court for the benefit of its creditors.

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Appendix III
Case Study: LB0 of Revco D.S., Inc.

Although the Official Committee of Unsecured Trade Creditors commenced fraudulent conveyance litigation on November 5, 1990,34the
examiner recommended that Revco and its creditors agree on a reorganization plan as a way of resolving the potential claims. The examiner
stressed that the plan be fully consensual, otherwise opposing parties
could delay implementation of the plan resulting in an economic and
managerial drain on Revco. In the absence of a fully consensual plan,
the examiner recommended that Revcos estate consider aggressively
pursuing fraudulent conveyance litigation. To that end, on December 11,
1990, the bankruptcy court approved the retention of special litigation
counsel for Revcos estate to pursue the Revco LBO claims.

340n direction of the bankruptcy court, the trade creditors filed suit to preserve the fraudulent conveyance claim. The examiner expects that any benefits accruing to Revcos estate from successful
fraudulent conveyance litigation would benefit this group of creditors.

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Appendix IV

Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Safeway Stores, Inc.?? estimated $4.9 billion LB0 was a two-tiered transaction2 by which Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR),~ an investment
company, purchased for cash a controlling amount of Safeways
common stocks and obtained the remaining stock by exchanging junior
subordinated debentures (junk bonds) and warrants for new Safeway
stock. The transaction began on July 25, 1986, when Safeway agreed to
merge with KKR as a defense against a hostile takeover attempt by Dart
Acquisition Corporation, a Maryland corporation and subsidiary of Dart
Group Corporation, owned by members of the Haft family. The final
merger became effective on November 24, 1986.
Safeway increased its long-term debt (which included the current portion due) from $1.4 billion 1 year before the buyout to $5.7 billion after.
To reduce its increased debt requirements, from 1986 through 1988
Safeway sold supermarket operations in the United States and abroad
for net cash proceeds of about $2.4 billion. Safeway has since initiated a
$3.2 billion capital expenditure program for 1990 through 1994 to be
financed primarily through cash from operations, lease obligations, a
portion of $460 million in undistributed earnings repatriated4 from its
Canadian subsidiaries, and proceeds from public offerings. During 1990,
the company sold 11.5 million shares of common stock at $11.25 per
share in an initial public offering in which Safeway became a publicly
held company again. In April 1991, Safeway offered an additional 17.5
million shares of common stock at $20.50 per share.

In February 1990, the company changed its name to Safeway Inc.

2A two-step acquisition technique in which the first step is a cash tender offer and the second step is
a merger in which remaining stockholders of the company typically receive securities of the bidder
valued below the cash consideration offered in the tender offer. Despite the reduced consideration
being offered in the merger, the merger is certain to be approved by the companys stockholders as
the bidder, due to its acquisition of a controlling interest in the company through the tender offer,
will vote in favor of the merger.
KKR is a private investment firm organized as a general partnership under New York law, the general partners of which were Jerome Kohlberg, Jr.; Henry R. Kravis; George R. Roberts; Robert I.
MacDonnell; and Paul E. Raether. Limited partnerships and corporations organized at the direction of
KKK in connection with the LB0 transactions include KKR Associates, SSI Holdings Corporation, SSI
Acquisition Corporation, and SSI Merger Corporation. All such corporations will be referred to as
KKR throughout this report except SSI Holdings Corporation, which will be referred to as Holdings.
The merger became effective after KKH, through SSI Holdings and its wholly owned subsidiary SSI
Acquisition Corporation, purchased about 73 percent of Safeways stock. In the merger, SSI Merger
Corporation was merged with and into Safeway Stores, Inc., with any outstanding Safeway stock
being converted to bonds and warrants of SSI Holdings. After the merger was completed the bonds of
SSI Holdings became Safeway bonds.
4~o bring or send back to oness own country. Safeway repatriated $460 million in undistributed
earnings from its Canadian subsidiaries in the form of an intercompany dividend.

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Appeudix IV
Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

This case study is based on public documents filed with SEC; Moodys
Bond Record, Moodys Industrial Manual, and Moodys Industrial News
Reports; Standard & Poors Industry Surveys; Media General Financial
Services, Inc.; and information provided by Safeway officials, the North
Central Texas Council of Governments, and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

The LB0 Transaction

Safeway is a multiregional food retailer with operations located principally in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington; the Rocky Mountain, Southwest, and Mid-Atlantic regions; and Western Canada. The
company has an extensive network of distribution, manufacturing, and
processing facilities. Safeways specialty departments include fullservice bakeries, delicatessens, pharmacies, fresh seafood counters,
floral and plant shops, and self-service soup and salad bars. Its corporate fiscal year, which is referred to throughout this report, ends on the
Saturday nearest December 31. Before the November 24,1986, buyout,
Safeway was the worlds largest food retailer, operating 2,365 stores in
the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. At year-end 1985,
Safeway employed 164,385 full- and part-time employees. In 1989,3
years after the buyout, Safeway remained a leading competitor in 18 of
the 21 major metropolitan areas it served. Its number of stores
decreased by about 53 percent to 1,117 stores located in the United
States and Canada, and the number of its full- and part-time employees
decreased by about 33 percent to 110,000.

KKRs Two-Tiered
Transaction to Acquire
Safeway

acquired Safeway through a two-tiered LBO in which it paid cash for

a controlling number of shares through a tender offer (first tier) and
obtained the remaining outstanding common shares in exchange for
high-yield subordinated debentures (junk bonds) and warrants to
purchase up to a 5-percent equity stake in Holdings following a mergeri
(second tier). After the merger, the equity in Holdings became equity in
Safeway. The first tier began on August 1, 1986, when KKR offered cash
to purchase up to 45 million shares (about 73 percent) of Safeway
common stock for $69 a share-a total purchase price of $3.105 billion.
KKK

A formal proposition to stockholders to sell their shares in response to a large purchase bid. The
buyer customarily agrees to assume all costs and reserves the right to accept all, none, or a specific
number of shares presented for acceptance.
A merger is a combination of two or more companies in which one survives as a legal entity.

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Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Among other conditions of the offer, stockholders were to tender a minimum of 41.6 million shares, which would have provided KKR a controlling amount of shares sufficient to obtain approval of the required twothirds stockholders for the merger. On August 29, 1986, KKR completed
its offer by purchasing 45 million shares. Safeway stockholders offered
to sell about 97 percent of the outstanding shares to KKR. Because more
than 45 million shares were validly offered, KKR, according to the terms
of its offer, accepted all the shares for payment on a pro rata basis. In
essence, stockholders received $69 per share for a portion of the shares
offered based on a pro rata factor determined by the number of shares
tendered. The pro rata factor was 76 percent. Therefore, stockholders
who tendered shares received $69 cash per share for 76 percent of their
shares tendered. The remaining 24 percent of their shares were returned
to them to be converted into junk bonds and warrants under the merger.
The second tier began when Safeways stockholders approved the LRO
merger on November 24, 1986. Merger approval was guaranteed by
KKR'S ownership of the required two-thirds of Safeways outstanding
common stock. The merger became effective on November 24, 1986, and
the remaining outstanding shares of Safeway common stock (other than
those held by KKR, Safeway, or any affiliates) were converted into (1)
$1.025 billion in junior subordinated debentures (junk bonds) and (2)
stock warrants for 5 percent of the common equity of Holdings valued
at $17.5 million. Each of the remaining shares was converted into one
junk bond with a value of $61.60 and an initial interest rate of 15 percent and one merger warrant. A warrant holder had to exercise 3.584
warrants and pay a total exercise price of $3.77 to purchase one share
of the new companys common stock. Warrant holders first opportunity
to exercise their warrants came when Safeway made its public offering
of 11.5 million shares of common stock in 1990.

The LB0 Was a Successful

Hostile Takeover Defense

Safeways 1.~0 with KKR successfully defeated the Hafts hostile takeover
attempt to acquire the company. The Hafts began acquiring Safeway
common stock in mid-May 1986. Following news reports of the Hafts
stock accumulation, KKK contacted the chairman of the board and CEOof
Safeway to determine if the company might be interested in exploring
an LBO. The chairman informed KKR that the company was not at that
time interested in such a transaction.
On June 12, 1986, the Hafts disclosed that they owned nearly 6 percent
of Safeways outstanding common stock and were considering acquiring
all of or at least a majority interest in Safeway stock. Five days later

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Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Safeway filed a lawsuit against the Hafts alleging that their Safeway
stock accumulation was part of a scheme to manipulate the markets and
that the Hafts true intention was not to acquire the company but to
coerce Safeway to repurchase the shares acquired by them in a greenmail7 transaction, among other allegations. On July 9 the Hafts filed an
answer in court that denied Safeways claims and asserted a counterclaim against Safeways poison pi11.8They also made an offer of $58
cash for each outstanding share of Safeway common stock.
On July 9 KKR again contacted the chairman and executive vice president of Safeway and indicated interest in discussing an LBO. KKR asked to
review confidential information of the company for this purpose. The
next day KKR and Safeway agreed that KKR would keep confidential any
company information it received and would not acquire Safeway shares
for 3 years without the companys consent.
On July 17, 1986, Safeways board of directors met to consider its
response to the Hafts offer. Merrill Lynch, Safeways financial adviser
for the Haft offer and for exploring alternatives to that offer, advised
the board of its preliminary view that the Haft offer was inadequate
from a financial point of view and that alternative responses were under
study. Because these responses included a possible LBO, in which members of management might participate, the board appointed a special
committee consisting of nonmanagement directors to work with Merrill
Lynch in reviewing and developing alternatives.
During negotiations regarding the KKR buyout, representatives of KKR
offered senior Safeway management the opportunity to purchase up to
10 percent of Holdings equity at $2 per share, which was considerably
less than the warrant holders $3.77 a share exercise price under the
71n response to a corporate takeover attempt, the target corporation buys back its shares from the
potential acquirer at a premium. The would-be acquirer then abandons the takeover bid.
Any kind of action by a takeover target company to make its stock less palatable to an acquirer.
Tactics include issuing new preferred stocks that give stockholders the right to redeem at a premium
price if a takeover does occur. This makes acquisition much more expensive for the would-be
acquirer. Safeways poison pill, which was a dividend of one common share purchase right on each
outstanding share of common stock, had certain antitakeover effects that could have caused substantial dilution to a person or group that attempted to acquire Safeway on terms not approved by its
board of directors. If Safeway was acquired in a merger or other business combination transaction,
each right had entitled its holder to purchase, at an exercise price of the right ($100) that number of
shares of common stock of the surviving company that at the time of such transaction would have
had a market value of two times the exercise price of the right, The rights were established so as not
to interfere with any merger or other business combination approved by the board of directors,
because the rights were redeemable by Safeway at $.OB per right before the time that a person or
group acquired 20 percent or more of the common shares,

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Appendix Iv
Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

buyout terms. Such management participation was not a condition of the

KKR transaction to acquire Safeway. No agreement was entered into
between KKR and Safeways management regarding equity participation
for the duration of the offer.
After the offer was completed, KKR entered into subscription agreements
for the sale of 2.5 million shares of common stock at $2 per share with
management investors. Management investors, who primarily comprised
Safeway executive officers and vice presidents, acquired a total of 9.3
percent of Safeways outstanding fully diluted9 common stock by the
endofFebruary1990.
On July 21 the Hafts announced a $6 increase in their offer price to $64
cash per share for all outstanding Safeway common shares. At a meeting
on July 22 the board announced its finding that the Hafts original $58
cash per share offer was inadequate and not in the best interest of the
company or its stockholders. It also directed the special committee to
explore alternative transactions by (1) contacting the Hafts; (2) pursuing discussions with respect to an LBO led by KKR; and (3) investigating
a recapitalization of the company, which would leave it an independent,
publicly owned entity. The board made no recommendation on the
Hafts new offer until July 25, when it determined that the offer was
inferior to the KKR proposal.
From July 22 through July 24, 1986, Safeways advisers and KKR discussed a possible LBO transaction. KKR'S representatives stated that if
Safeway were to furnish any confidential information to the Hafts or
were to advise the Hafts of terms of any proposal that KKR might make,
KKR would not submit any proposal for consideration by the board. KKR'S
representatives also stated that KKR would not pursue a transaction with
Safeway unless Safeway agreed to pay it a $15 million fee on signing
and an additional $45 million fee plus expenses if such proposed transaction were not consummated for certain reasons, such as if Safeway
failed to redeem its poison pill before the KKR offer. On July 24, KKR
advised Safeway it was prepared to submit an LBO proposal and that its
proposal would expire the next day if Safeways board failed to accept
the proposal. In essence, KKR'S buyout proposal had to be accepted
within 1 day and, if accepted, Safeway would have to agree to pay a
total of $60 million to KKR if Safeway later wanted to accept another
offer, such as the Hafts offer.

Assumes the exercise of warrants and stock options to purchase common stock

GAO/GGD91-107

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Appendix IV
CaseStudy: LBOofSafewayStores,Inc.

Merrill Lynch, on behalf of Safeway, met with the Hafts financial

adviser, Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. on July 24 to obtain the Hafts
best price to acquire Safeway. Drexel responded that the Hafts could not
provide their best price unless they first obtained access to Safeways
confidential business information, which had been provided to KKR. That
evening the special committee met to consider Safeways alternatives.
Merrill Lynch advised the special committee that in its opinion, the KKR
proposal was economically superior to the Hafts $64 per share all-cash
proposal and that the Hafts had made no further proposal. During the
special committee meeting, the Hafts delivered a letter requesting to
meet with Safeway to receive its confidential information and to negotiate all aspects of the offer, including the price.
The next day the special committee reconvened and determined that the
KKR proposal should be recommended to the board. During this meeting,
Safeway representatives tried to persuade KKR to reduce its $45 million
termination fee and to extend the deadline for acceptance so that information could be given to the Hafts. KKR declined to reduce the fee or
extend the proposals deadline. However, KKR modified certain provisions of the proposal to enable Safeway to meet with the Hafts and provide them with the requested information. Also during the meeting, the
special committee received a letter from the Hafts reiterating that all
aspects of their offer were negotiable, including the price to be paid pursuant to KKK'S proposed merger and the amendment of their tender offer
to provide the identical merger price of KKR'S proposal. Because the
Hafts did not increase their $64 per share price as requested by Safeway
and because KKK'S proposal deadline was not extended, Safeway signed
a merger agreement with KKR based on the opinions of Merrill Lynch and
its special committee that the KKK proposal was economically superior to
the Hafts. Safeway announced its merger agreement with KKR through a
press release dated July 27, 1986.
Although the Hafts lost their takeover attempt, they still made about
$153 million, After receiving a letter from Safeway informing them of
the merger agreement signed with KKR, the Hafts contacted KKR on July
27 to explore the possibility of purchasing certain Safeway assets. Negotiations among the Hafts, KKR, and Safeway resulted in an agreement
reached on July 31 in which the Hafts terminated their offer and supported the SafeWay/KKR merger. In return, KKR agreed to form a limited
partnership with the Hafts in which the Hafts received the right to
acquire 20 percent of the shares of Holdings common stock at $2 per
share. The Hafts purchased their limited partnership interest by issuing
a $1 million note to the partnership. KKR, Safeway, and the Hafts further

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Appendix lV
Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

agreed to use their best efforts to negotiate and identify assets that
Safeway might sell to the Hafts. After the agreement with the Hafts was
effective, a number of disagreements arose between the parties and, as a
result, the Hafts and Safeway did not negotiate the sale of Safeways
assets. Accordingly, on October 18, the agreement with the Hafts was
cancelled, the Hafts promissory note was cancelled, and Safeway purchased the Hafts limited partnership interest for $59 million. When KKR
completed its tender offer of Safeway common shares, the Hafts also
earned a profit of about $94 million on the 6 percent of Safeways
shares they had acquired.

Stockholders Premium

Safeways common stockholders of record on June 11, 1986-the last

day of trading before the Hafts disclosed they owned about 6 percent of
Safeway shares and might acquire the company-realized about a $22
per share (49 percent) premium of cash and consideration received in
the form of junk bonds and warrants. That is the difference between the
value of KKR'S final purchase price of about $67 and the approximately
$45 per share closing price of shares traded June 11,
However, Safeways stockholders filed a class action suit on July 29
against Safeway, Safeways board of directors, and KKR to prevent the
merger from occurring. The stockholders suit called for a public auction
to take place for control of Safeway or, alternatively, sought compensatory damages if the IBO merger was consummated. The suit alleged that
the LB0 would freeze out stockholders at an unfair price per share. It
said the LB0 was undertaken primarily to enable KKR to acquire
Safeways highly valuable assets and business at an inadequate price
and to permit certain Safeway executives to keep their positions with
the company.
On September 28, 1987, a California court approved a settlement
between Safeways stockholders, Safeway, and KKH in which Safeway
paid about $26.2 million in dividend payments to stockholdersincluding KKR, which owned 45 million shares upon completion of the
tender offer. Safeway paid stockholders of record on August 28, 1986
(the last day before KKR purchased shares through its tender offer),
about $15.7 million in dividend payments and paid about $10.5 million
to stockholders of record on September 2, 1986. KKR was the beneficial
owner of 45 million shares of Safeway common stock by September 2
and therefore received about $7.7 million of the dividend payments. The
court also awarded $1.8 million to the stockholders attorneys for fees
and costs related to the suit.

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Appendix N
Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Financing the LB0

Holdings financed the estimated $4.9 billion LBO primarily through

senior and subordinated debt, a bridge loan, and equity investment. A
syndicate of 10 banks headed by Bankers Trust Company provided the
senior debt under a bank credit agreement. The bank financing was
guaranteed by Safeways stock following the buyout merger. The subordinated debt constituted unsecured junior subordinated debentures,
secured senior subordinated notes, and secured subordinated debentures. The bridge loan was provided by a KKR partnership, which also
provided an equity investment through the purchase of common stock.
Holdings also sold redeemable preferred stock to repay a portion of the
KKH partnership loan (the bridge loan). Safeway immediately refinanced
$1.045 billion of this debt.

Initial Financing

The estimated $4.907 billion buyout financing included initial

financing of $4.195 billion to acquire all of Safeways common stock and
attendant fees and expenses. The remaining $712 million was financed
by $570 million in additional bank borrowing to repay certain existing
Safeway debt; a $59 million note to settle the agreement with the Hafts;
and $43 million in Safeway cash for fees and expenses, including costs
incurred by Safeway for its takeover defense and cancellation of stock
options and stock appreciation rights.
The initial financing of $4.195 billion included $2,72 billion provided by
a syndicate of 10 banks under a bank credit agreement, which provided
up to $3.5 billion in borrowing for the buyout transaction and attendant
costs. About $1.025 billion was provided by Holdings, which issued
merger debentures (junk bonds) and warrants. Two limited partnerships
formed by KKR provided a bridge loan of $320 million. These partnerships also bought 65 million shares of Holdings common stock at $2 per
share for an equity investment of $130 million. This equity investment
was only about 3 percent of the initial $4.195 billion buyout financing
(2.7 percent of the estimated $4.9 billion total purchase price), while
senior debt was about 65 percent of the financing, junior subordinated
debentures were about 24 percent, and the KKR bridge loan was about 8
percent.

Refinancing $1.045 Billion

of LB0 DebtY

Three months after the initial financing was in place, Holdings issued
$750 million in senior subordinated notes and $250 million in subordinated debentures, and sold 450,000 shares of redeemable preferred
stock for $45 million to refinance certain borrowings under the bank
credit agreement and to repay the KKR bridge loan. (It is important to

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Appendix N
Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

note again that after the merger, Holdings, in effect, was Safeway.) The
estimated sources and applications of funds required in connection with
the offer, merger, and refinancing are shown in table IV. 1.

Table IV.l: Estimated

Financing

Source8

and Application

.~
.
...-.-_-..l_-- .. .
Source8 of funds
_~-. ..--- ..___..
_-___I_--Bank frnancrng
_. -_-.-~..-..--Senior
- . .subordrnated
-..._ -_ .notes
..--.
Subordinated debentures
KKR bridge
.,..... loan
.~
Junior subordinated debentures (merger debentures/
junk bonds)
Holdrngs noteHoldrngs redeemable preferred
~. .- . stock
-- .
Holdings common stock (KKR equity investment)
Safeway cash
~..._~..____--T&ii

of Funds for Safeways

Offer and merger

LB0 (Dollars in Millions)

Total

Refinancing

Percent of total
purchase price
_-_-

---____$3,29Ob

320

_-----

--_-_-.--

$2,605
750
250
0

45

1,025
59
45
130
43

1,025
5gc
130
43
$4,667

Application
of funds
__--..---.-.
--~
Payment of cash for shares of Safeway common stock
___-lssu&ce of junior subordinated debentures (merger
debentures/junk bonds)
Repayment of certain existing Safeway
indebtedness
.-_...-___-.
--____Payment of-fees and expenses incurred in connection
with the offer, merger, and refinancing
___I__.
Total

$( 685)
750
250
(320)

$40

$3,1056

237
$4,667

1,025
500
$40
$40

_.____..~._
-.--

277
$4,907

21
-.-1
1

3
1

$4,907

$3,105

1,025
500

.._...
53
15
5
----0
--.-.-

100

63
._~~~.

-___-~

..-.--21
10

..__---...

---.-_-

6
100

aNo specrfic value had been assigned to the merger warrants.

blncreases bank borrowrng from acquisition financing by approximately $570 million, whrch represents
the amount borrowed under the bank credit agreement to repay existing indebtedness of Safeway and
to pay certain additional fees related to the LEO. Excludes $210 million of additional borrowings that
were avarlable under the bank credit agreement, which provided buyout financing of up to $3.5 billion.
TIepresents
1987).

settlement of the agreement with the Hafts (note issued by Holdings that was due Feb. 2,

dRepresents the purchase of 45 millron shares of Safeway common stock pursuant to the offer
Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

Advisers Fees
Y

Safeways November 3, 1986, prospectus estimated that advisers fees

and expenses related to Safeways LBO would cost about $277 million, or
about 5.6 percent of the buyouts purchase price. Where actual costs
could be determined, the fees increased by $15.3 million, making the

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Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

total cost at least about $292 million. Investment bankers fees and
expenses accounted for a large share of the costs, about $126.7 million
(2.6 percent of the total purchase price).
One investment banking firm, Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc., earned fees
for services provided in both the Safeway/KKR LBO and the Hafts unsuccessful takeover attempt for a combined total of about $42.3 million.
Table IV.2 describes the investment bankers fees and expenses associated with the 1,130.

Table W-2: LB0 Investment

Adviser
KKR

Bankers-Services
and Fees (Dollars in Millions)
Service
Fee
.-_-----.---Financial adviser to Safeway on the
$62.7 million was paid by Safeway for
merger agreement, offer, and buyout.
fees and related expenses.
KKR negotiated the bank credit
agreement and prepared the merger
agreement
.--- and buyout.
Underwriter of $1 billron in senior
Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc
Received a $40 million fee for
subordinated notes and subordinated
underwriting services. The $40 million
debentures issued to refinance a
was deducted from the $1 billion in
portion of KKRs LB0 bank
notes and debentures resulting in net
refinancing.
proceeds of $960 million for
refinancing.
.._ -._..- _...__.-_
$14 million for providing financial
Financial adviser to Safeway with
Merrrll Lynch
advisory services.
respect to the Hafts hostile tender
offer and other matters which
included assisting Safeway in
exploring alternatives in light of the
Hafts tender -~.offer. ____Morgan Stanley & Co , Inc
Financial adviser to KKR during the
$10 million in fees and expenses.
merger agreement with Safeway and
as dealer manager in connection with
KKRs offer ___--__
to acquire Safeway.
Total fees and expenses related
exclusively to the LB0

Cost to LB0

$62.7

$40

$14

.___

--.

$10
---~
$126.7

Source, GAO analysrs based on company data filed with SEC.

and Safeway also entered into a management agreement under

which Safeway agreed to pay KKR an annual fee of $500,000 for management, consulting, and financial services during the first year and 10
percent more for each subsequent year. Safeway paid KKK a fee of
$500,000 in 1987 for management consulting services, The fee increased
by 10 percent each year in 1988 and 1989. When payments for special
services and expenses were added to the annual management consulting
fees, KKR received from Safeway a total of $726,000 in 1987; $592,000 in
1988; $655,000 in 1989; and $807,000 in 1990.
KKR

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Drexel was also financial adviser to the Hafts during their hostile takeover attempt of Safeway. The Hafts paid Drexel$2.25 million-$2 million for acting as dealer/manager and financial adviser and $250,000 for
providing a letter regarding takeover financing. Additional fees of
$12.25 million could have been earned for completing the Hafts
acquisition.
Table IV.3 shows the remaining estimated fees, expenses, and costs
relating to the LBO as presented in a November 3, 1986, prospectus.
These fees totalled $165.6 million. When these fees are added to the estimated investment bankers fees of $126.7 million, total estimated fees,
expenses, and costs of the LB0 were $292.3 million, or about 6 percent of
the total purchase price.
Table IV.3: Remaining Estimated Fees,
Expenses, and Costs Related to
Safeways LB0 (Dollars in Millions)

---

_ .-..

Bank fees
-____
Settlement of the agreement with the Hafts (note due Feb. 2, 1987)
-.-.--..----Leaal and accountina fees and exDenses
Printing

59

25

fees and expenses and solicitation and distribution fees

Filing and &her fees

__.___.-----__
Cancellation of___--_
Safeway -- stock options

--__Total

$51

3
1

and stock appreciation

26.6
$165.6

rightsa

almmedlately before the merger buyout, Safeway cancelled all outstanding stock optlons and stock
appreciation rights and offered each holder of outstanding options under Safeways employee stock
optlon plans a cash payment. The payment was the difference between the pnce pald per share pursuant to the offer ($69) and the per-share exercise price of such options multiplied by the number of
shares covered by such options in cancellation of the options. Safeway paid $17.5 million in cash and
$9.1 million in deferred compensation contracts with certain employees to cancel all of Its outstanding
stock options and related stock appreciatjon nghts.
Source- GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

Safeway After the

LBO: Increased Debt
Required Massive
Asset Divestitures

Safeways IBO increased its long-term debt by $4.3 billion to $5.7 billion,
requiring asset divestitures of $2.4 billion to help reduce the debt. By
October 1987, despite this massive increase in debt, Safeway had
redeemed $539 million of its LBO junk bonds and its preferred stock, continued a capital expenditure program, and maintained its top executives.
KKR gained control of Safeways board of directors after the 1,130,
and by
1989 Safeways bond ratings had increased.

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Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Safeways Capitalizati .on

Changed Dramatically
After the LB0

Safeways capitalization was greatly affected by the LBO.~() Long-term

debt constituted 99.1 percent of Safeways capitalization in 1986 after
the LBO, compared with 46.6 percent in 1986 (1 fiscal year before the
LRO), when over half of Safeways capitalization came from invested
capital. Long-term debt, including the portion currently due, increased
from $1.4 billion the year before the LBO to $5.7 billion after, an increase
of $4.3 billion. Total common stockholders equity decreased from $1.6
billion in fiscal year 1985 to only $2.9 million in fiscal year 1986, a
decrease of 99.8 percent. Using pro forma data, management projected
a significant increase in long-term debt but did not anticipate such a
large decline in total common stockholders equity.
Specifically, management projected long-term debt to increase to $5.8
billion; such debt actually increased to $5.7 billion, $100 million less
than expected. Total common stockholders equity, however, was projected to decrease to $130 million, when in fact it decreased to $2.9 million, $127.1 million less than expected. The decrease in stockholders
equity was caused predominantly by a deficit of $125.1 million in
retained earnings for fiscal year 1986. The subscription agreements to
purchase 2.455 million shares of common stock resulted in an initial
cash payment of $0.6 million by the management investors in December
1986 with the remaining $4.3 million to be paid over the next 9 years.

Major Asset Divestitures

Were Used to Reduce the
LB0 Debt

Safeway reduced its LB0 debt predominantly by using $2.4 billion in proceeds from a massive asset divestiture program. The sale of such assets
was required under the bank credit agreement to reduce a portion of the
bank borrowing used to finance the LBO. The programs objective was to
reduce the principal of the LB0 financing to a level at which the
remaining operations would be able to generate adequate cash flow to
make all principal and interest payments when due. As the company
evaluated which operations to sell to reduce the LBO debt, primary
emphasis was placed on those operations in which Safeway lacked labor
cost parity. The asset divestiture program was completed in 1988, 2
years after the LBO. At that time, 1,221 supermarket operations had
been sold to reduce the LBO debt.

Capitalization is the aggregate value of a corporations long-term debt and preferred and common
stock accounts.
1Pro forma capitalization data were prepared to illustrate the estimated effects of the 1,130merger as
if the merger had occurred as of *June 14, 1986.

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Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

From the date of the LBO through August 1988, Safeway (1) sold supermarket operations headquartered in the United Kingdom, Kansas, Utah,
Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, and Southern California; (2) closed about
half of its Richmond, Virginia, operation and merged the remaining portion into its Washington, D.C., operation; (3) sold its Liquor Barn operation, which was located in California and Arizona; (4) sold its equity
investment in Woolworths Limited of Australia; and (5) sold other facilities no longer used in the retail grocery business, Because of the asset
divestitures, Safeway at year-end 1988 operated only 1,144 supermarkets compared with 2,365 in 1985, 1 year before the I,RO.By year-end
1989, Safeway operated only 1,117 stores.
Mr. Peter Magowan, Safeways chairman and CEO,disclosed in a
November 12, 1990, Forbes article that Safeway sold stores included in
its asset divestiture program for more cash than expected. Mr.
Magowan was quoted in the article as saying: I told Kohlberg Kravis we
could get $2.2 billion, we told the banks wed get $1.8 billion, and we
ended up getting $2.4 billion. However, as of 1989, Safeway continued
to rely on borrowed funds in addition to cash from operations to service
its debt and meet its other needs. Safeway anticipated in 1989 that it
would be able to service its long-term debt primarily with cash from
operations in 1995.

Safeway Reduced Its

Borrowing Costs

About 1 year after the LBO, in October 1987, Safeway obtained bank
financing to redeem $539 million (49 percent) of its junk bond debt. This
reduced Safeways interest costs. The terms of the bank loan also gave
Safeway the money to pay cash interest payments on the remaining
bonds instead of issuing new bonds. Safeway made its first junk bond
interest payment by issuing additional bonds, but since December 1987,
these payments have been made in cash, thus eliminating interest costs
on the additional bond issues,
In April 1988, Safeway also redeemed all outstanding redeemable preferred stock for $57.1 million. The stock included 450,000 shares sold
for $45 million and another 96,000 shares issued to satisfy dividend
requirements. The redemption price included a $1.1 million redemption
premium and a $1.4 million accrued dividend.

Grc>tchen Morgenson, The Buyout That Saved Safeway, Forbes (Nov. 12, l!%O), pp. 88-92.

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Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Safeway Continued
Capital Expenditures
Despite
Its Massive LB0
TX
1.
uerx

Safeways capital investment strategy after the LBO was to continue capital expenditures despite its $4.3 billion increase in debt. Safeway spent
$304.4 million in 1987, $312.6 million in 1988, and $3755 million in
1989 to build new stores and renovate existing supermarkets. Because
of restrictions in the bank credit agreement, average capital expenditures for 1987 through 1989 were about half the average expenditures
for 1984 and 1985 ($702 million and $622 million, respectively). The
agreement did, however, allow some of the capital expenditures to be
financed by incurring additional secured indebtedness. For instance, in
1989, Safeway issued $57 million of 11-percent term notes and about
$90 million of lo-percent long-term debt to finance a portion of the
$375,5 million in capital expenditures.
In 1989, Safeway also announced a 5-year, $3.2 billion capital expenditure program for 1990 through 1994. The program, which is intended to
restore capital spending to its pre-LBo levels, included plans to open 70
new stores and complete major remodeling projects in about 240 stores
during the first 2 years. Safeway expected to finance the program primarily with cash provided by operations, borrowing, lease obligations, a
portion of the repatriated funds, and the net proceeds from the proposed common stock sale.

KKR Officials Took

Control of the Board of
Directors, but Management
Remained

Safeways board of directors had seven members as of 1989-five from

KKR and two from Safeway. Before the LBO, Safeways board of directors
had 18 members. Although the number of directors decreased and only
two former board members remained after the LBO, most of Safeways
top executive officers maintained their positions with Safeway.
Safeways 21 executive officers as of 1989 included only 4 elected after
the LBO. The executive officers no longer with the company were eligible
to receive substantial severance compensation benefits pursuant to 1985
severance agreements. The agreements obligated Safeway to pay these
employees an amount in which its present value at the date of termination was equal to not more than nearly 3 times the employees average
annual taxable compensation from the company for the 5 tax years
immediately preceding the change in control. The payments could be
made in a lump sum or over a period of years. Such agreements also
required Safeway, as security for payment of severance compensation in
a lump sum, to purchase a letter of credit or provide other satisfactory
security for the payment of an amount equal to 125 percent of the
amount of such severance payment. On August 25,1986, Safeway purchased letters of credit totalling $10 million-about
125 percent of its
maximum obligation- as security, at an annual cost of $100,000.

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Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Bondholders Investments
Improved With Time

Safeways bond ratings began to improve 3 years after the 1,110,

while its
bond prices remained relatively stable throughout the post-rJ130period.
Bonds covering the years 1985 through 1990 included two pre-iJI%obonds
and three post-IJno bonds. One of the pre-LBo bonds was prepaid in 1987
because it became due as a result of the LBO. The other remaining preLRO bond was a 13.50-percent lease certificate bond due in the year
2009. The certificates evidence ownership interests in certain mortgage
loans on commercial properties secured by, among other things, rights to
receive rental payments from Safeway under long-term net leases
relating to such properties. The three post-r.so bonds were issued as part
of the 1,1%0
consideration
s
for the tender offer or to refinance the LHO
debt as previously described.

Bond Ratings Eventually

Improved

Moodys downgraded Safeways pre+Bo bond ratings after the IJW indicating a decline in the bonds investment quality. Although Moodys subsequently upgraded the post-1,no bond ratings over the next 3 years, the
ratings remained below those assigned before the LUO. Table IV.4 illustrates Safeways year-end bond ratings for 1985 through 1990. (Moodys
bond ratings are explained in appendix III, footnote 26.)

Table IV.4: Safeways

Ratings

Year-End

Bond

--.
1985
Pre-LB0 debt
7.40.percent debentures due in 1997
13~,!$-y;ent
lease certificates due

1986

1987

A3 ----~~ -bl-~----- -.-T

Baa1

Post-LB0 debt
11.75percent senior subordinated
notes due in 1996
12.percent subordinated debentures
due In 1998
15.percent junior subordinated
debentures due in 2006

1989

1988
.~~~~-a

1990

--~-~a

a
b

82

B2

82

Bl

82

B2

82

Bl

Bi

82

82

82

Bl

El

83

83

B2

82

l
b

Prepald In 1987 because it became due as a result of the LEO

The bond was not listed In Moodys Bond Record
Interest rate lowered to 14 5 percent in 1988.
Source: Moodys Bond Record.

As illustrated in table IV.4, Moodys upgraded the ratings for all of

Safeways bonds in 1989. The higher ratings followed the completion of
the companys asset divestiture program, which greatly reduced its I.IN
debt; the redemption of 49 percent of its junk bonds; and the announcement of a F&year, $3.2 billion capital expenditure program.

GAO/GGD-!)I-107

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Iv

Case Study; LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Bond Prices Generally Showed

Minimal Fluctuation
Table IV.!? Safewayr
Prices

Year-End

Current prices for all of Safeways bonds generally remained relatively

stable during year-end 1986 through 1990. Table IV.5 presents Moodys
year-end current prices for Safeways bonds for 1986 through 1990.

Bond
1985
Pre-LB0 debt
7.40-percent debentures due in 1997
13.50-percent lease certificates due
in 2009
Post-LB0 debt
11.75-percent senior subordinated
notes in due 1996
12-percent subordinated debentures
due in 1998
ISpercent junior subordinated
debentures due in 2006d

1988

1987
a

$840

1988
b

a $1,030

970

1990
b

$1,030

$990

980

1.020

$1,000

1,020

990

1,030

1,020

a
1,040

1989

a
1,030

Note: All bonds have a face value of $1,000.

aAccording to Moodys officials, either no data were available or the bond was not trading
bPrepaid in 1987 because It became due as a result of the LBO.
CThe bond was not listed in Moodys Bond Record at this point
dlnterest rate lowered to 14.5 percent in 1988
Source: Moodys Bond Record.

Impact of LB0 on
Employees and
Communities

Safeways stores are geographically dispersed domestically and internationally, and its retailing business, unlike manufacturing or other industries, generally does not establish the economic foundation of a
community. The Safeway LBO resulted in store closings and layoffs in
communities in some states, such as Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and
Texas, but had little effect in other areas, such as Washington, D.C. We
tracked the effects that closing 141 Safeway stores had on one community-Dallas/Ft.
Worth-but
we could not conclude that the results
identified apply elsewhere. Safeways buyout resulted in decreased personnel costs for the company at the expense of experienced, unionorganized employees and caused two class action lawsuits to be filed on
behalf of the employees.
Many employees lives were obviously disrupted after the LBO, at least in
the short term. In the 3 years after the LBO, Safeway laid off over 54,000
employees and sold or closed over 1,200 stores. Many of the displaced
employees could have been rehired by the acquiring firms. However, it
is unclear whether the LBO caused the disruptions or whether they might

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have occurred anyway. Safeways CEO stated in a June 15, 1990, letter to
the editor of The Wall Street Journal that the
primary reason for most of the changes that took place at Safeway [was] labor
costs that were out of line, the consequences, long and short-term, of those costs,
and the absolute business necessity in a low-margin, highly competitive industry for
parity of labor costs. Safeway had to confront its major business problem - labor
costs that were so out of line with its nonunion competition that they caused a situation where 66 percent of the company was either making no money or losing money.
It was this that caused the pressures for and the need for change at Safeway. And it
was this business problem, LB0 or not, that had to be solved. The bleeding had to
stop. The most important effect of the LB0 was to highlight this need and provide
the urgency and incentive to act quickly.

Although Safeways asset divestiture program primarily targeted stores

or divisions that lacked labor cost parity, such as those in the Dallas
area, profit-producing divisions, such as the United Kingdom division,
were also sold. Proceeds from the sales were used to reduce the LHO debt.

Two Class Action Lawsuits

Filed Against the LB0

Two separate class action lawsuits were filed in California against

Safeway, KKII, and other business associates in response to the LBO.One,
filed on August 27, 1986, involved a United Food and Commercial
Workers International Union suit representing about 107,000 of
Safeways employees who allegedly were to be laid off because of the
LHO.The suit sought to prevent the LB0 from occurring and sought damages of about $1 billion. The suit was settled on June 19, 1987, when the
company agreed to certain provisions the union wanted concerning severance pay and transfer rights. In return, the union agreed to drop its $1
billion lawsuit.
The other suit, filed on September 26, 1986, involved a class action on
behalf of 210 terminated administrative employees who allegedly lost
their jobs because of the LHO. This suit sought damages in the amount of
$400 million and attorneys fees. On February 14, 1990, Safeway, KKK,
and the other plaintiffs settled the suit by agreeing, without any admission or finding of liability on the part of the company, that Safeway
would pay $8.2 million to class members over a period of 5 years and
that the action would be dismissed. In April 1990, the action was
dismissed.

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Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Safeway Achieved an
Improved Labor Cost
Structure Following the
LB0

Safeway achieved an improved labor cost structure in its continuing

operations after the LBO. By year-end 1989, the company had about
110,000 full- and part-time employees. About 90 percent of Safeways
employees in the United States and Canada are covered by collective
bargaining agreements negotiated with local unions affiliated with one
of 13 different international unions. Safeway negotiated long-term contracts in several key areas. The contracts stabilized labor costs over a
longer period of time and instituted a voluntary cash buyout program
that resulted in the replacement of highly compensated employees with
new employees hired at lower compensation levels.

Impact on Employees in
Dallas/Ft . Worth

About 8,800 Safeway employees were laid off in 1987 after 141 Dallas/
Ft. Worth stores were sold. About 6,100 of those laid off were residents
of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Information was not readily available on
what then happened to all 6,100 people. However, a Safeway Workers
Assistance Program funded through grants by the U.S. Department of
Labor and the state provided job training and placement services for
738 displaced Safeway employees and collected information on their
subsequent employment.
The grants provided $1 million through federal Job Training and Partnership Act funds and $750,000 through the Texas State Rapid
Response Fund. The North Central Texas Council of Governments operated the assistance program in conjunction with the United Food and
Commercial Workers International Union, which had a subcontract
agreement with the council. The councils manager of employment and
training programs reported that of the combined $1.75 million in grants
provided, only $1.3 million had been expended. The grants operated
from September 1987 through June 30, 1989. The remaining funding
was transferred into newly funded dislocated worker grant programs
for about 40 displaced employees still in training. According to a council
official, results from the program showed that of the 738 displaced
workers served, 685 (93 percent) completed the program. Of those who
completed the program, 570 (83 percent) obtained employment. The
average participant spent about 24 weeks in the program before finding
new employment. The average hourly wage at placement, however, was
$7.09, below rates previously earned by Safeway workers, according to
council and union officials.
According to a study on displaced Safeway employees, of the 141
Safeway stores that closed, 130 (92 percent) were purchased by other
food retailers; however, in-house training programs implemented by

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the purchasing stores meant that employees would not be sought from
the ranks of the former Safeway workers.13 Council officials also
believed that the non-union stores were reluctant to hire former
Safeway employees. The union reported that new Dallas store
employers offered an employee benefit package with drastically reduced
wages, limited health insurance coverage, and no pension benefits. Some
dislocated workers opted for education and training programs to change
careers. Only as a last resort did some participants return on a part-time
basis to the retail food industry.

Safeways
Performance Since the
LB0

Safeway carried a heavy debt burden after the LBO, yet, it was able to
cover its interest expense and short-term obligations. Safeways profits
as measured against net income, sales, and average common stockholders equity were mixed.

Safeways Debt Burden

Remained High

Safeways debt burden as reflected by debt-to-total-common-stockholders-equity ratios (we refer to total common stockholders equity as
equity), which measure the amount of debt per dollar of equity,
remained high 3 years after the LBO. As noted previously, Safeways
long-term debt increased by $4.3 billion after the LBO, from $1.4 billion 1
year before the LB0 to $5.7 billion after. Safeway reduced its long-term
debt (including the current portion) by $2.6 billion to $3.1 billion in
1989, yet its debt burden remained high. For each of the years from
1987 (1 year after the LBO) to 1989, Safeway actually had negative
equity. Accordingly, debt-to-equity ratios for those years would not be
meaningful because of such deficits.
Before the LBO, Safeways 1985 debt burden as reflected in its debt-toequity ratios was lower. Its long-term debt-to-equity ratio was 0.8,
meaning that for every $.80 of long-term debt there was $1 .OOof equity.
Safeways total liabilities-to-equity ratio was 2.0; i.e., for every $2 of
total liabilities there was $1 .OOof equity. Safeways pre-Lno debt-toequity ratios in 1985 were slightly higher than the industrys average
ratios, which were 0.5 for long-term debt-to-equity and 1.5 for total liabilities-to-equity.14
iSKim Peden Garrett and Laverne D. Knezek, Psychological Effects and Mental Bealth Implications of
Food Retail Business Shutdown in a Depressed Economy (Arlington, Texas: Women and Work
Research Center, IJniversity of Texas at Arlington, 1988) p. 3.
i41ndustry average of 37 grocery store companies for calendar years 1986 to 1989 compiled by Media
General Financial Services, Inc.

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Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Financial Indicators of
Safeways Ability to
Service Its Debt

To illustrate Safeways ability to continue servicing its debt after the

LRO, we calculated an interest coverage ratio and two measures of
liquidity: current ratio and quick ratio. The ratios showed that Safeway
could meet its expenses. The liquidity ratios also showed the importance
of the companys inventory in providing a cushion for its short-term
lenders.

Safeway Covered Its Interest

Safeways interest coverage ratio, which indicates whether a company

has adequate cash from its operations to cover all interest expenses,
shows that the company was able to meet its interest expense for 1987
through 1989. The interest coverage ratio is calculated by dividing preinterest net cash flow from operations by total interest expense.

ExPf==

A ratio above 1 indicates the company could cover all its interest
expense for the period, while a ratio below 1 indicates that interest
expense could not be covered with existing cash flow from operations.
Table IV.6 shows that Safeways net cash flow from operations was adequate to cover its interest expense after the LBO. The table also indicates
that Safeways coverage ratio was not as high as its pre-Lno ratio, in
which net cash flow from operations enabled the company to meet its
interest expenses nearly five times.
Table IV.6: Interest

Coverage

-Net cash flow from operations

inter&)/interest

expense

Pre-LB0
1985
(before

4.8

Fiscal year
Post-LB0
1988.-___.
1987

1.6

1.4

1989

2.1

aSafeways pre-LB0 data are not comparable with post-LB0 data because of changes In the accounting
method and exclusion of operating results of those assets to be divested after the buyout.
bSafeways asset divestiture program ended in fiscal year 1988; therefore, data for fiscal years 1988 and
1989 do not include the operatrng results of the divested assets. Accordingly, the data are not directly
comparable to those of fiscal year 1987.
Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

Safeways Ability to Meet ShortTerm Obligations

Safeways liquidity, i.e., its ability to meet short-term obligations,

remained relatively stable after the LRO, compared to the period before
the IBO and to the industry as a whole for pre- and post-1so years. To
provide an indication of Safeways liquidity we used the current ratio
and the quick ratio. The current ratio is calculated by dividing current
assets by current liabilities; the quick ratio is derived by dividing the
sum of cash, marketable securities, and receivables by current liabilities.
The quick ratio provides a more immediate measure of a companys
short-term debt-paying ability because it recognizes that a portion of

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Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Storea, Inc.

current assets could be tied up in inventories that might not be readily

convertible into cash without major price reductions. A ratio greater
than 1 indicates that a company could meet all current, obligations and
still have current assets as an extra safety margin for its short-term
lenders, while a ratio less than 1 indicates that a company could not
meet current liabilities with current assets and must use other assets to
cover debt currently due. Because of the liquidity of inventories for grocery stores, the quick ratio is not as meaningful as it is for other
industries.
Current Ratio

For post-LB0 fiscal years 1987 and 1988 Safeways current ratios were
1.2 and 1 .O, respectively, indicating the company could meet currently
maturing obligations with current assets. However, in fiscal year 1989,
Safeways current ratio declined to 0.9, indicating that current assets
were inadequate to cover current liabilities. This decline in liquidity is
primarily attributable to a one-time $46 million income tax expense recognized in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 1989; the decline depleted
Safeways current assets for that year. The income tax expense resulted
from the companys decision to repatriate $460 million in undistributed
earnings from its Canadian subsidiaries in the form of an intercompany
dividend. The dividend was paid by its Canadian subsidiaries in June
1990. Safeway used the after-tax dividend to reduce debt and fund capital expenditures in the United States.
Safeways post-LB0 current ratios declined slightly from its pre-Lrso level,
which was consistent with the trend for the industry, as shown in table
IV.7. Safeways pre- and post-LBo ratios were consistently slightly lower
than the industry average. The LBO had minimal impact on Safeways
ability to meet its short-term liabilities except for the slight decrease in
fiscal year 1989 as previously discussed. Table IV.7 shows Safeways
and the industrys average current ratios for pre- and POSiJ-LB0 time
periods.

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Appendix IV
Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Table IV.7: Current

Ratlo

Safeway (fiscal year)

Industry (calendar year)

Pre-LB0
1985
1.2
1.4

1987b
1.2
1.3

Post-LB0
1988
1.0
1.2

-__- 1989
0.9
1.2

%afeways pre-LB0 data are not comparable to post-LB0 data because of changes In the accounting
method and exclusion of operating results of those assets to be divested after the buyout.
Safeways asset divestiture program ended in fiscal year 1988; therefore, data for fiscal years 1988 and
1989 do not include the operating results of the divested assets. Accordrngly, the data are not drrectly
comparable to those of fiscal year 1987.
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data ftled with SEC and industry data produced by Medra
General Financial Servrces, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 37 grocery store companies
for calendar years 1985 to 1989.

Quick Ratio

The exclusion of inventories and prepaid expenses from current assets

for calculating the quick ratio for grocery food chains indicates Safeway
and the industry had insufficient current assets to cover current liabilities, as shown in table IV.8.

Table IV.8: Quick Ratio

Safeway (fiscal year)

Industry (calendar year)

Pre-LB0
1985a
0.2
0.4

1987b
0.6
0.4

Post-LB0
1988
0.2
0.3

1989
0.2
0.3

%afeways pre-LB0 data are not comparable to post-180 data because of changes in the accounting
method and exclusion of operating results of those assets to be divested after the buyout,
bSafeways asset divestiture program ended in fiscal year 1988; therefore, fiscal years 1988 and 1989 do
not include the operating results of the divested assets, Accordingly, the data are not directly comparable to those of fiscal year 1987.
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data produced by Media
General Financial Services, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 37 grocery store companres
for calendar years 1985 to 1989.

Inventories are crucial to the grocery store business and therefore generally comprise over 50 percent of Safeways and the industrys current
assets, as shown in table IV.9. Unlike other retail businesses, grocery
store inventories are not slow moving and are therefore more readily
convertible into cash than other types of inventory. Thus, using the
quick ratio as an indicator of Safeways and the industrys abilities to
meet their short-term liabilities may be misleading.

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Appendix IV
Case Study; LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Table IV.& Inventory

(Dollars

in Billions)

Pm-LB0
1985
Safeway

(fiscal year)

Inventory
Percent

Industry

of current

(calendar

assets

of current

Post-LB0
1988

1989

$1.6
77.3%

$1.0

$1.1

$1.2

49.4%

76.7%

78.5%

53.8
63.2%

54.9
64.1%

$6.8
65.3%

57.7
69.7%

year)

Inventory
Percent

1987b

ass&

%afeways pre-LB0 data are not comparable to post-LB0 data because of changes in the accounting
method and exclusion of operating results of those assets to be divested after the buyout.
bSafeways asset divestiture program ended in fiscal year 1988; therefore, data for fiscal years 1988 and
1989 do not Include the operating results of the divested assets. Accordingly, the data are not directly
comparable to those of fiscal year 1987.
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data provided by Media
General Financial Services, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 37 grocery store companies
for calendar years 1985 to 1989.

Safeway Achieved Mixed

Results After the LB0

As indicated in table IV.10, Safeways profitability after the LB0 showed

an improvement from pre-LB0 results in some areas, such as the operating profit margin and declines in other areas, such as the profit
margin. When comparing Safeways post-m0 profitability to the
industry average, Safeway generally performed below average as compared to its pre-LBo performance, when Safeways profitability was generally better than or about equal to the industry average.

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Appendix IV
Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Table IV.10: Safeway and Industry

Profitability
Measures (Dollars in Millions)

Pre-LB0
1985
Safeway (fiscal year)
Net income (loss)
$231.3
-___
Earnings before interest and
$527.0
taxes
-.
_____.
Sales
$19,650.5
--_____---.
Gross
profit
$4,778.3
---_
Operating profit
$427.6
I-____~-__Stockholders equity
$1,622.6
_____--bperating
profit~--margin
2.2%
--24.3%
Gross
margin
___-_.-._.--- -..--_-- ____-Profit
To27
-____ margin
__Industry (calendar
year)
-..
~.
Gross margin
23.5%
____
~1.5%
Profit marain

1987

Post-LB0
1988

1989

$31.2

$2.5

($487.7)
---$105.8
$18,301.3
$4,542.1
$479.3
($461,8)
2.6%
24.8%
b

$4665
$13,612.4
$3,435.8
$398.9
($368.4)
2.9%
25.2%
0.2%

$476.8
$14,324.6
$3,689.5
$462.4
($388.9)
.- 3.2%
25.8%
0.0%

21.6%
1.1%

_______
22.2%
1.6%

_---_-.
23.9%
1.5%

aPre-LBO data are not comparable with post-LB0 data because of changes in the accounting method
and exclusion of operatrng results of those assets to be divested after the buyout. Fiscal year 1987 data
are not drrectly comparable with fiscal years 1988 and 1989 data because fiscal year 1987 data include
the operating results of assets divested rn fiscal year 1988. Safeways asset divestiture program ended
rn fiscal year 1988.
bNot meaningful because of net loss.
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data produced by Medra
General Financral Services, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 37 grocery store companies
for calendar years 1985 to 1989.

Safeways Post-LB0
Improvements in
Profitability

Safeways profitability showed improvement in two areas-the operating profit margin and the gross margin. Safeways performance in
these areas exceeded its pre-tJno level and, where a comparison with the
industry average was available (the gross margin), Safeway performed
better than the industry as a whole for pre- and post-LB0 years. The
operating profit margin-operating
profits as a percentage of gross
sales-indicates how well a company manages its operating profits.
During its post-r,rlo years, Safeway consistently improved its
performance.
The gross margin- sales less cost of goods sold as a percentage of
sales-reflects a companys operating efficiency, pricing policies, and
ability to compete, Safeways post-I,no performance for this ratio
exceeded its pre-I,no level and consistently improved each year after the
1,130. Safeway out-performed the industrys average during all of its preand post-I,no years.

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Appendix N
Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

Safeways Post-LB0
Declines in Profitability

Safeways profitability declined after the LB0 as indicated by the following ratios: (1) profit margin, which indicates how effectively the
companys operations and finances are managed, and (2) return on
equity, which indicates the potential returns owners receive on their
equity investment in the company. The underlying causes for these
declines were decreases in net income and stockholders equity, and the
LBO'S conversion of equity to debt.

Profit Margin Decreased

Significantly

One year before the LBO, Safeways profit margin was 1.2 percent compared with the industrys average of 1.5 percent. After the LBO,
Safeways profit margin decreased to nearly zero and the industrys
average also experienced a downward trend. Safeways profit margin
decreased as a result of a decline in net income after the LBO. In fiscal
year 1986, 1 year before the LBO, Safeways net income was $231.3 million compared to a loss of $487.7 million 1 year after the LBO. The companys net income increased in fiscal year 1988 to $31.2 million but then
declined the next year to $2.5 million. Safeway attributed this decline
primarily to a one-time $46 million income tax expense recognized in
fiscal year 1989 on the companys intercompany dividend of $460 million When interest expense and income taxes are added back to net
income, as in calculating earnings before interest and taxes, Safeways
post-tuo performance improved annually. Thus, this measure substantiates Safeways reason for the decline in its net income after the LBO.
Earnings before interest and taxes for fiscal year 1989 of $476.8 million
also shows that the loss in net income was probably due to the one-time
tax expense.

Return on Equity Disintegrated

Before the LBO, Safeways return on average common stockholders

equity was 15.5 percent, slightly higher than the industrys average of
16.3 percent. Safeways return on equity disintegrated following the LB0
because stockholders equity became negative. Safeway attributed the
deficit to the LBO'S negative effect on capitalization and net income.
Safeway also reported that the largest factor leading to the deficit in
stockholders equity was a $409 million expense in 1987 caused by a
change in accounting when the company adopted Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 96, Accounting for Income Taxes.

Current Status of
Safeway U

According to an annual report the company filed with SEC covering fiscal
year 1990 and to recent news reports, Safeway seems to have improved
its results. Specifically, in fiscal year 1990, the companys net income
increased by $84.6 million to $87.1 million from only $2.5 million in
fiscal year 1989. Safeway attributed the increase in part to operating

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Appendix N
Case Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

profits, which rose to $635.3 million in fiscal year 1990 from $462.4 million in fiscal year 1989. Sales also increased from $14,3 billion in fiscal
year 1989 to $14.9 billion in fiscal year 1990. As a result of the
increases in operating profits, net income, and sales, Safeways operating profit margin, gross margin, and profit margin also increased.
Safeway, however, still had a deficit in stockholders equity. The deficit
in stockholders equity did improve, however, from $388.9 million in
fiscal year 1989 to $183.4 million in fiscal year 1990. Safeways debt
burden in fiscal year 1990 remained high, with its long-term debt
(including the current portion due) remaining at $3.1 billion. Although
Safeway continued to cover its interest expense in fiscal year 1990, its
interest coverage ratio declined slightly from fiscal year 1989. Safeway
attributed this slight decline to the effect of higher interest rates on
Canadian borrowings during 1990. This resulted from Safeways Canadian subsidiaries borrowing about $410 million to finance the dividend
given to its U.S. parent.
Three major events occurred at Safeway in 1990: (1) an initial public
offering of common stock, (2) the implementation of the companys 5year capital expenditure program, and (3) the completion of the $460
million intercompany dividend from Safeways Canadian subsidiaries.

Initial Public Offering

Safeway sold 11.5 million shares of common stock at $11.25 per share in
an initial public offering during the second quarter of 1990. Net proceeds were about $120 million, Safeway used the net proceeds to fund a
portion of capital expenditures in 1990. The price per share offering
was less than Safeway had envisioned. A preliminary prospectus filed
with SEC on February 12, 1990, offered to sell 10 million shares of
common stock at a price of $13 to $16 per share. A May 16, 1990, article
in The Wall Street Journal stated that in the summer of 1989, Safeway
anticipated the offering would result in the price of $20 per share. The
article quoted Safeways CEO as saying: I think if we had known right at
the start that this [$1 1.25 price per share] was the price that we
wouldve gotten, we probably wouldnt have come out with our
offering. The article stated that Safeways CEO blamed the muchpublicized problems of other leveraged companies for unjustly tainting
Safeways offering and driving away stock purchasers. As of April 18,
1991, Safeways stock price had increased to $20.50 per share at the end
of the days trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
In April 1991, Safeway offered an additional 17.5 million shares of
common stock at $20.50 per share. Proceeds from this offering were

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AppendixN
Cam Study: LB0 of Safeway Stores, Inc.

$341 million. Safeway also intends to use the proceeds from this
offering to help finance the companys 5-year, $3.2 billion capital
expenditures program.

Five-Year Capital
Expenditure Program

A key component of Safeways long-term strategy is the 5-year, $3.2 billion capital expenditure program for 1990 through 1994. As disclosed in
Safeways annual report, during fiscal year 1990, the company incurred
capital expenditures of $490 million, compared to $375.5 million in
1989. During fiscal year 1990, Safeway opened 30 new stores, closed 26
stores, and completed 90 major remodelling projects. As of year-end
1990, Safeway had 1,121 stores in the United States and Canada compared to 1 ,117 stores at the end of 1989. Capital expenditures in 1991
are expected to exceed $600 million, restoring capital spending to preLBO levels, even though the number of stores and the volume of sales are
lower.

$460 Million Repatriation

Safeways Canadian subsidiaries borrowed about $410 million in June

1990 to complete the dividend of $460 million of accumulated Canadian
earnings to its U.S. parent. According to a quarterly report Safeway
filed with SEC covering the period ending September 8, 1990, Safeway
finalized a restructuring of its LBO bank credit agreement to allow its
Canadian subsidiaries to borrow up to $475 million (U.S. dollar equivalent). Safeway used the dividend to reduce its LBO debt and fund capital
expenditures in the United States.

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Appendix V

Case Study: Campeaus LE3Osof Allied Stores

Corporation and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.
On January 15, 1990, Allied Stores Corporation and Federated Department Stores, Inc., and certain of their subsidiaries and affiliates filed
voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy
Code with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of Ohio,
Western Division. According to the Allied and Federated press release,
they filed the voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 to
preserve the operating strength and assets of the two department store
companies while they restructured their corporate debt. According to
the Forms 10-K filed by the companies in May 1990, the bankruptcy
filings were precipitated by cash flow and liquidity problems in the
third and fourth quarters of 1989. The cash flow and liquidity problems
were due in part to the companies high debt structures that existed
after they had undergone LBOS by Campeau Corporation.
Campeau Corporation (U.S.) Inc., now Federated Department Stores,
Inc., is the U.S. subsidiary of the Toronto, Canada-based Campeau Corporation, a developer of commercial real estate properties. Campeau
acquired Allied in October 1986 and acquired Federated in May 1988,
after which the companies operated under the general management of a
Campeau subsidiary. Both acquisitions were preceded by takeover
fights in which the companies managements were hostile toward
Campeaus acquisition offers. Campeau, nevertheless, out-bid other bidders in both cases and financed the acquisitions with borrowed funds.
Campeau sought to acquire the companies as a basis for positioning
itself in retail merchandising and expanding its commercial real estate
operations into the U.S. market. The regional department store chains
were expected to provide the anchor stores in shopping centers that
Campeau would develop. Federateds Bloomingdales, in particular, was
envisioned as providing the showcase outlets in this plan,
This case study is based primarily on public documents filed by the companies with SEC.Because of concern about possible litigation involving
the Campeau takeovers and later bankruptcy filings, officials of Allied
and Federated declined to be interviewed or to provide information for
this review, but did comment on a draft of this case study.

Allied: The Target

Company v

When Campeau targeted it for an LBO, Allied Stores Corporation was one
of the nations largest retailing organizations, operating department
stores, specialty stores, and shopping centers nationwide and in Japan.
The stores offered a wide range of merchandise, including soft goods

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Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

such as clothing and accessories for men, women, and children and hard
goods such as home furnishings and housewares.
At the time of the Campeau LBO, Allied was a profitable and propertyrich retailing chain. For its 1985 fiscal year, Allied had net sales of over
$4 billion and net income of $159 million. Allieds sales over the previous 5 years on the average had grown annually by 11 percent while
net income had increased by about 17 percent annually. Allieds fiscal
year 1985 cash flow from operations was $273 million with interest
expenses of about $80 million. Allieds total assets were valued at $2.8
billion, and its property and equipment were valued at $975 million.
Allied had working capital of $972 million. Selected Allied pre-Lao financial statistics are shown in table V. 1.
Table V.l: Allied Stores Corporation
Selected Pre-LB0 Financial Statistics
Fiscal
-____---.---_-_Earnings per share
---Dividends
Price per share - New York Stock Exchange
._~ High for year
Low for year
___-____
(Dollars in Millions)
Net sales
..-~-_-Net
income --..
________.
Cash flow from oDerations
Working capital
_____Total
assets
.-.-___
Property and equipment
-------..--Long-term debt
Stockholders equity

ear
1 8 85a
$3.70
1.07

Avera e 1981 to
19 5 percent
change
14.9
5.2

36.63
25.13

.-

11.0
16.7

$4,135
159
273
972
2,772
975
664
1,258

20.7
6.2
2.1
3.6
12.1

aBefore the LBO, Allieds fiscal year ended on the Saturday closest to January 31. Fiscal years 1986 and
1987 ended on the Saturday closest to the end of the calendar year. Fiscal years 1988 and 1989 ended
on the Saturday closest to January 31.
hNot calculable because of insufficient data.
Source: Company data filed wrth SEC and obtarned from Compustat

Campeaus LB0 of
Allied

Campeaus takeover of Allied began in April 1986 when Campeau began

acquiring shares of Allieds common stock and began seeking commitments for credit to purchase Allied. By late August 1986, Campeau had
acquired 2 million shares of Allied and had obtained commitments from

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaue LBOs of Allled Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

banks for $1 billion of credit advances toward the acquisition of Allied.

After several unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a friendly merger
agreement with Allieds management, on September 121986, Campeau
made a tender offer, which is a formal purchase offer to stockholders, to
purchase up to 30 million shares of Allied at $68 per share in cash. A
few weeks later, a second bidder, the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation,
obtained a merger agreement with Allieds management and initiated a
tender offer for shares of Allied at $67 per share. Campeau, however,
obtained firm financing commitments from its financial adviser, First
Boston, Inc., for a bridge loan and from a bank syndicate led by Citibank
for other bank loans. Then, on October 24,1986, Campeau terminated
its tender offer and purchased 25.8 million shares of Allied common
stock on the open market at $67 per share. Campeau completed
purchasing the shares on October 31, 1986, after briefly being restrained
from doing so by a court order issued as a result of complaints filed by
DeBartolo and Allied. The stock purchase gave Campeau ownership of
53 percent of Allied. Also on October 3 1, Allied and Campeau entered
into an agreement to merge. Summary information on Campeaus takeover of Allied follows:
. Aggregate purchase price - $3.5 billion;
Initial tender offer price per share - $58;
. Acquisition price per share - approximately $67;
Price per share for remaining shares outstanding at merger -$69; and
9 Financial advisers - for Campeau- First Boston, for Allied-Goldman
Sachs.

Allied used several methods to avert the Campeau takeover, including a

poison pi11,2litigation alleging that Campeaus tactics were illegal, and
favoring the white knight3 bid from DeBartolo. With the poison pill, if
anyone had acquired 50 percent of Allied, stockholders would have
received the right to $67 in debt securities for each outstanding share of
Allied. However, the poison pill was never exercised, because Allieds
Such open market purchases of a companys stock are referred to as market or street sweeps.
As a result of the Campeau and other such street sweeps, SEC published in October 1987 proposed
rules that would subject any purchase, sale, offer to purchase, or solicitation to sell involving a large
block-10 percent or more-of a class of stock that is the subject of a tender offer to the same
regulatory restrictions that apply to the tender offer. According to an SEC official, those rules have
not been enacted.
2A poison pill is any kind of action by a takeover target company to make its stock more expensive
for the would-be acquirer.
3A white knight is a third person or firm that blocks a hostile takeover attempt by trying to take over
the target company.

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Appendix V
C&e Study: Campeaus LBoe of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

board, in responding to events, extended the date that it would have

been exercisable to allow for a merger with Campeau under favorable
terms.
Before the LEN, shares of Allieds common stock were publicly traded
and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NBE). As of April 1,1986,
Allied had 19,604 stockholders of record. After the acquisition and
merger, Allied became a wholly owned subsidiary of Campeau, with
Campeau as the sole stockholder.

Allied Takeover Was

Financed Mostly With
Bank Debt and Unsecured
Bonds

Campeaus acquisition subsidiary and Allied merged on December 3 1,

1986, and the successor was renamed Allied Stores Corporation. In
exchange for shares of old Allied, remaining stockholders (other than
Campeau and its subsidiaries) were given rights to receive $69 per share
in cash as determined by the merger agreement.
The financing for the merger included bank loans provided by a syndicate of banks led by Citibank, proceeds from the sale of shopping centers, offerings of securities, and $350 million of equity from Campeau.
The Campeau equity contribution included pre-merger Campeau equity
in Allied and a $150 million loan from DeBartolo. The sources and uses
of funds for financing the merger are shown in table V.2.

Table V.2: Sources and Uses of Funds

for Financing the Campeau-Allied
Merger (Dollars in Millions)

Amount

Percent of total

Sources of funds
Bank debt
Sale of _____.--_
shopping centers
Senior
notes
-___
Senior subordinated debentures
__--

$2.256.2
382.0
200.0
700.0

54
9
5
17

Preferred stock
Common
-.___-~__. stock issued to Campeau
Total

250.0
350.0
$4,138.2

6
9
100

Uses of funds
Payment of acauisition and meraer consideration
Refinancing of old Allied debt
Financing-related fees and expenses
Total

$38546.3
280.0
311.9
$4.138.2

86
7
7
100

Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

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Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores. Inc.

In March 1987, Allied issued the three securities offerings of $200 million of lo-l/2-percent unsecured senior notes due in 1992; $700 million
of 11-l/2-percent senior subordinated debentures due in 1997; and 10
million shares of redeemable preferred stock at $25 per share with an
annual dividend of $3.3125. The senior notes and debentures were
unsecured and subordinated to all other debt of the company, and the
preferred stock was restricted for a limited period of time by the bank
loan agreement to pay dividends in additional shares rather than in
cash. First Boston was the underwriter for the securities, and the proceeds from selling the securities were used to repay the bridge loan that
First Boston provided to Campeau to acquire control of Allied in October
1986.
During the years following the Campeau buyout and merger, Allied refinanced its bank debt. In December 1987, Allied refinanced the bank
loans that financed the merger with another syndicate of banks led by
Security Pacific National Bank. The new bank loans were secured by
Allieds capital stock and receivables and were to expire on December
3 1, 199 1. In December 1987, Allied also entered into a mortgage loan
agreement with Prudential Insurance Company that provided it the
ability to obtain mortgage loans of up to $463 million for real estaterelated uses.
On April 7, 1989, Allied again refinanced the working capital and receivables loans that Security Pacific National Bank had provided with
another syndicate of banks led by Citibank. These loans were scheduled
to mature on March 15, 1990, and April 6, 1992, respectively. We do not
know the reasons for the companys refinancing of the bank loans
because Allied officials declined to be interviewed.
c

Allied Stockholders
Benefited From the LB0

Holders of Allieds stock benefited from the premium realized during

Campeaus efforts to take over Allied. On April 11, 1986, 5 months
before the Campeau tender offer and about when Campeau first began
to purchase Allied shares, Allieds shares closed on NEE at $38.50. On
September 11, 1986, the day before the tender offer, Allieds shares
closed at $57.88. On October 30, 1986, the day before the Campeau
acquisition of Allied, Allieds shares closed at $66.25. The following day,
Campeau completed the purchase of 25,800,OOOshares at $67 per share.
On December 3 1, 1986, the date of the merger, Allieds remaining outstanding shares were purchased at $69 per share. Hence, stockholders of
record in April could have realized a premium of from $19.38 to $30.50
per share, depending upon when during the takeover attempt they sold

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Appendix V
Case Study; Campeaus LBOs of &lied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

their shares. Allieds share prices and possible percent premiums at

selected dates are shown in table V.3.
Table V.3: Allied Stores Corporation
Prices per Share of Common Stock on
Selected Dates

Date
04/11/86
-~09/11/86
1 O/24/06

Closing

NYSE
price
$38.50
57.88
67.00b

--1 O/30/06
12/30/06
12/31/86

66.25
68.75
69.00c

Talculation

Percent
premium
-a
50.3
74.0
72.1
78.6
79.2

Premiurhi;;
a
$19.38
28.50
27.75
30.25
30.50

not applicable for base year.

bPrlce paid per share during the Campeau street sweep.

CPrice paid per share at the merger for shares not acquired in the tender offer and street sweep.
Source: The Wall Street Journal and GAO analysis.

Banks and Investment

Bankers Earned Big Fees
on the Allied LB0

The completion of Campeaus LBO of Allied involved several firms, each

of which was paid a sizable fee for its services. First Boston provided
Campeau with advisory services during the takeover and the bridge
loan that helped make the LB0 possible; it underwrote the securities that
were later offered to finance the bridge loan. Goldman Sachs provided
Allied with advisory services during the takeover fight. Citibank led a
syndicate of banks that provided the short-term loan used to finance
Campeaus acquisition of Allied and provided the bank credit facilities
for the merger.
Following is a list of the fees earned by banks and investment bankers
for services provided on the Allied LBO:
$47.4 million payable to First Boston in connection with the bridge loan;
$7 million payable to First Boston for financial advisory services rendered to Campeau;
$43.8 million payable to First Boston for underwriting discounts and
expenses in connection with the securities offerings;
$26.9 million payable to Citibank and the bank syndicate in connection
with the initial acquisition loan;
$80 million payable to Citibank and the bank syndicate in connection
with the merger credit facilities;
$12 million payable to Goldman Sachs for financial advisory services
rendered to Allied; and

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Cast? Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

$36.6 million payable to various firms for legal, accounting, and other
services and expenses.
In addition, Allied paid $116.3 million to DeBartolo for expenses
incurred in the bidding contest for Allied.
The $7 million in advisory fees paid to First Boston was about 0.20 percent of the acquisition price paid for Allied. According to data compiled
by Fortune magazine on the nine mergers, acquisitions, and recapitalizations of 1986 of over $3 billion in value, the fees paid to the advisers of
the successors ranged from 0.12 to 1.06 percent of the total values of the
deals. While First Bostons fee was relatively low in this range, it had
other interests and earned other fees as part of the Allied deal, such as
the fees in connection with the bridge loan and the securities offerings.
The nearly $100 million in fees paid to First Boston was about 2.6 percent of the acquisition price. The total of all fees and expenses connected with the Allied LB0 was about 7.5 percent of the total acquisition
price.

Federated: Another
Campeau Target

Before Campeau acquired it, Federated was an even larger department

store chain than Allied. Although its growth in net income lagged during
the mid-1980s Federated still earned $313 million in fiscal year 1987.
Federateds net sales for 1987 exceeded $11 billion, almost three times
Allieds net sales for 1985, and its cash flow from operations was $656
million. For 1987, Federated had total assets of just over $6 billion and
property and equipment valued at $2.7 billion, mostly in buildings on
owned land, store fixtures, and equipment. Selected Federated pre-IIRo
financial statistics are shown in table V.4.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaue LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stmes, Inc.

Table V.4: Federated Department

Inc., Selected Pre-LB0 Financial
Statistics

Stores,
Average fiscal
year 1983 to
1997 percent
change

Fisca: it;;
Earnings
Dividends
Price per
High
Low

$3.40
i .4a

per share
share - New York Stock Exchange
for year
for year

58.50
28,38

(Dollars in Millions)
Net sales
Net income
Cash flow from operations
Working capital Total assets
Property and equipment
Long-term debt
Stockholders eauitv

__- (0.2)
-___ 7.7
.__~

6.4

-I_ $11,118
313
656
1,447
6,009
2,649
957
2,629

(1 .!I

11.3
5.2
5.5
11.2
3.1

aFederateds fiscal year ended on the Saturday closest to January 31,

bNot calculable because of insufficient data.
Source: Company data filed with SEC.

Campeaus takeover of Federated occurred over 9 weeks beginning with

its tender offer on January 25, 1988, and ending on April 1, 1988.
During this period, Campeau had to boost its initial $47 per share offer
price several times to win over Federateds board of directors and got
caught in a bidding contest for Federated with the R.H. Macy Company.
The bidding contest ended when Campeau, Federated, and Macy
reached an agreement under which Campeau would acquire Federated
at $73.50 per share and sell two of Federateds divisions to Macy. The
acquisition cost Campeau $6.4 billion, which it financed almost completely from debt. Selected summary information on the Federated ~130
follows:

Campeaus LB0 of
Federated

. Aggregate purchase price - $6.4 billion;

Initial tender offer price per share - $47;
Final acquisition price per share - $73.50; and
Financial advisers - for Campeau- First Boston and Wasserstein, Perella, for Federated-Goldman Sachs, Hellman and Friedman, and
Shearson Lehman Hutton.

l
l
l

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study; Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

Federated also tried to avert the Campeau takeover using methods such
as a poison pill, litigation, and Macy as a white knight in the bidding
contest. The Campeau takeover of Federated was also subject to court
review under antitakeover laws in several states, including Florida,
South Carolina, Nebraska, Ohio, and Delaware, and was examined by
the Antitrust Division of the Department of the Attorney General of the
state of Massachusetts. Both Campeau and Federated used the various
state courts to clarify or to question the legality of the takeover. To
avoid any antitrust action from Massachusetts-with
the Federated
acquisition, Campeau would own two major area department stores,
Federateds Filenes and Allieds Jordan Marsh-Campeau agreed to sell
Filenes to the May Company.
Before the LRO, Federateds shares were publicly traded and were listed
on NEX. At the end of fiscal year 1987, Federateds common shares outstanding of 88.5 million were held by 19,200 stockholders. The Campeau
cash tender offer of Federated shares was completed on May 3, 1988,
when a Campeau subsidiary purchased 87.2 million shares of Federated
for $73.50 per share in cash, which together with 400,200 shares it
owned at the time represented 98.5 percent of Federateds outstanding
capital stock. The total cash paid in the tender offer was $6,410.7 million On July 29, 1988, Federated became a 92.5-percent-owned subsidiary of Campeau. The other 7.5 percent of Federateds capital stock is
owned by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation through its 50-percent
interest in a partnership with a Campeau subsidiary.

Bank Loans, First Bostons

f3ridge Loan, and
Borrowed Equity Financed
the Federated LB0

The Federated acquisition was financed through bank debt, a temporary

bridge loan from Campeaus investment bankers led by First Boston,
and Campeaus equity contribution, which consisted largely of borrowed
funds. Financing for the tender offer is shown in table V-5.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOa of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

Table V.5: Sources and Uses of Funds

for Financing Campeaus Acquisition
of
Federated (Dollars in Millions)

Amount
Sources of funds
Tender offer facility (bank debt)
Bridge facility (sale of notes to First Boston,
Paine Webber, and Dillon Read)
Campeau equity
__Sank of Montreal and Bank Paribus loans
--- DeBartolo lo%
Campeau debentures sold to Olympia and
York, Ltd.
-Sale of Brooks
___. Bras.
Total cash equity

Percent of
total

$3,219.9

48

2,086.8

31

Total

1,400.o
$6,706.7

21
100

Uses of funds
Tender
--_I__ offer
Fees, expenses, etc.
Total

$6,410.7
296.0
$6,706.7

96
4

$500.0
480.0
226.7
193.3

100

Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

On November 9, 1988, Federated refinanced the tender offer bridge loan

by issuing $500 million of 16-percent senior subordinated debentures
due in the year 2000 and $582.9 million of 17-3/4-percent subordinated
discount debentures due in 2004. Federated used the proceeds to repay
$722.6 million of the $1,109.7 million outstanding of the bridge loan.
The securities were underwritten by First Boston, Paine Webber, and
Dillon Read.
On January 27, 1989, Federated issued to First Boston, Paine Webber,
and Dillon Read $401.3 million of 13-3/4-percent series II exchange
notes due in 1994 in exchange for $387.2 million remaining on the bridge
loan. To assist the lenders in selling the exchange notes, Campeau deposited into an escrow account 6.96 percent of the common stock of the
Campeau subsidiary that owned Federated.

Federated Stockholders
Earned a Substantial
Premium on the LB0

One month before the tender offer was announced, on December 24,
1987, Federateds common shares closed on NYSE at $33.50 a share. On
January 22, 1988, the last full day of trading before the tender offer,
Federated shares closed at $35.875. On March 31, 1988, the last full day
of trading before the settlement and merger agreement, Federated
shares closed at $72.875. The share price at which the tender offer and

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

merger were consummated was $73.50. Hence, as shown in table V.6,

stockholders of record from about 1 month before the LB0 stood to gain a
premium in the range of $31 to $40 per share, a gain of about 92 to 119
percent.
Table V.6: Federated Department Stores,
Inc., Prices per Share of Common Stock
on Selected Dates

Closing
--Date
12/24/87
02/26/00
03/31/80
-_____
07128188

~07/29/80

-__---.~____~

--

NYSE
price
$33.50
64.50
72.86
73.13
73.50b

Percent
premium

PremiuFhE;;

a
$31.00

92.5

39.38

117.5

39.63---40.00

118.3
119.4

aCalculatlon not applicable for base year.

bPrice pald per share at the merger for shares not acquired In the tender offer
Source: The Wall Street Journal and GAO analysis.

The Federated Deal

Provided Big Fees for the .
Players

The fees associated with the Federated LBO included the following:

$73.5 million payable to First Boston ($51 million), Paine Webber ($15
million), and Dillon Read ($7.5 million) in connection with the tender
offer bridge loan;
. $18.9 million of advisory fees payable to First Boston;
. $81.5 million payable to Citibank, Sumitomo Bank, and a bank syndicate
in connection with the tender offer credit facility;
$10.0 million of advisory fees payable to Wasserstein, Perella;
$12.5 million of legal fees;
$15.5 million of miscellaneous fees payable in connection with the
tender offer; and
$44.8 million payable to the bank syndicate for credit facilities provided
in connection with the merger.
Federated agreed to pay $60 million of expenses incurred by Macy in its
bid to acquire Federated.
The $18.9 million of advisory fees payable to First Boston was about
0.28 percent, and the $10.0 million of advisory fees payable to Wasserstein, Perella was about 0.15 percent of the acquisition price paid for
Federated. According to data compiled by Fortune magazine on the eight
mergers, acquisitions, and recapitalizations of over $3 billion in value in
1988, the fees paid to the advisers of the successors ranged from 0.04 to

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Cam Study: Campeaue LB08 of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

1.12 percent of the value of the deals. Both First Bostons and Wasserstein, Perellas fees were at the lower end of this range. First Boston,
however, also had other interests and earned other fees as part of the
Federated deal, such as the fees in connection with the bridge loan and
the November 1988 securities offerings. The $70 million in fees paid to
First Boston in connection with the LBO was about 1.0 percent of the
acquisition price. The total of all fees and expenses connected with the
Federated LB0 was about 4.4 percent of the total acquisition price.

Impact of LBOs on
Allied and Federated

After the LBOS, Allied and Federated changed vastly. The companies
became debt-ridden; store divisions were sold to repay the debt; and
capital spending was reduced. Many top management positions turned
over, and the overall level of employment at the companies fell. As the
companies financial performances declined, the value of their bonds
also declined.

After the LBOs, the

CompaniesCapitalization
Became Primarily Debt

A companys capitalization is the combined aggregate value of the current portion of long-term debt, long-term debt, and stockholders equity.
After the Campeau LBOS of Allied and Federated, the makeup of both
companies capitalization changed. These changes, particularly the
burden of debt imposed by the LBOS, would later have drastic consequences on the companies performances.
For fiscal year 1985, the last full fiscal year before the Allied LBO,
Allieds long-term debt accounted for about 34 percent of its total capitalization; after the LBO, for fiscal year 1987, long-term debt was about
78 percent of its total capitalization. Before the LBO, Allied had retained
earnings of $960 million that constituted about 50 percent of its total
capitalization. After the LBO, Allieds retained earnings dropped to zero.
The high levels of debt incurred in Federateds LBO also substantially
changed the structure of its capitalization. Before the LBO, at the end of
Federateds 1987 fiscal year, Federateds long-term debt was about 24
percent of total capitalization. A year later, after the LBO, long-term debt
constituted about 53 percent of total capitalization. Before the LBO, Federated had retained earnings that were about 63 percent of total capitalization. After the LBO, retained earnings became a negative entry on
Federateds balance sheet because of the companys net losses.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

Campeau Divested Many

Poor Performers and Some
Shining Stars

The asset sales that occurred as part of and after Campeaus LBOS of
Allied and Federated left those companies as abridged versions of the
vast retailing empires they were before the LBOS. While the surviving
companies gave up some famous retailing names, they retained many of
the nations most prestigious regional department stores.

Allied Divestitures

At the time of the LBO, Allied had 24 operating divisions, including 17

department store divisions and 7 specialty store divisions with 697
stores in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Japan. Currently,
Allied has 4 department store divisions operating 128 stores in 17 states.
Allieds divisions retained or sold since the LBO, their geographic locations, and number of stores are shown in table V.7.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

Table V.7: Allied Stores Corporation

Divisions Retained and Sold After the
LB0

Principal
Divisions retained
The Bon
Jozeydtvl;rsh-New England (including

Number of
stores as of
01103/67

geographic
location

Pacific Northwest
New England

39
25

Maas Brothers (including Jordan MarshFlorida)

Sterns

Florida
38
24
126

Mid-Atlantic

Total
Divisions sold for $2.2- billion
Ann Tavlor
Blocks
Bonwit Teller
Brooks Brothers
Cain-Sloan
Catherines
Deys
Donaldsons
Garfinckels
Heers
Herpolsheimers
Jerry Leonard --_I_Joskes
Miller and Rhoads
Miller
s
Plymouth
Shops

--Pomeroys (2 divisions)
Total

National
Indianapolis
National
National and Japan
Nashville
National
Syracuse
Minnesota
Washinaton, D.C.
Missouri
Western Michigan
Midwest and Southwest
Texas
Virginia
Eastern Tennessee
Washin ton, D.C., and New
York 8, rty
Pennsylvania

91
10
13
57
4
210
4
15
10
2
I_. 6
-- 26

27
17
12
-

_I_

51
.-.-.-16
571

Qefore the LBO, The Bon, Sterns, Reads, Jordan Marsh-Florida, Jordan Marsh-New England, and
Maas Brothers were separate divisions. After the LBO, the SIX were combined into four divisions, as
shown.
Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

Pursuant to its bank loan agreements, Allied was required to use its best
efforts to sell 16 of its 24 divisions as soon as possible and to make such
sales so that by December 31, 1988, total net proceeds of $1.1 billion
were realized. The proceeds from the asset sales were to be used to
reduce the bank debt. Allied completed the initial divestitures during
fiscal year 1987, the first fiscal year after the LBO, and applied the proceeds of approximately $1,019.2 million to reduce the bank debt. In

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LB08 of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

addition, pursuant to the agreement with DeBartolo, on March 31, 1987,

Allied sold five shopping centers to DeBartolo and a subsidiary of
Campeau for $400 million.
Following the initial dispositions and the consolidation of certain
retained divisions, Allied reorganized into six operating divisions composed of The Bon, Jordan Marsh-New England (which included Reads),
Maas Brothers (which included Jordan Marsh-Florida), Sterns, Brooks
Brothers, and Ann Taylor. These six divisions were Allieds higher sales
volume operations and accounted for about 63 percent of net sales for
fiscal year 1986. The 16 divisions sold accounted for about 37 percent of
Allieds fiscal year 1986 net sales.
After the merger and completion of the initial dispositions required by
the bank loan agreement, Allied divested other assets, which it had earlier planned to keep. On April 29, 1988, Allied sold the Brooks Brothers
division to Marks and Spencer p.1.c. for an aggregate price of $750 million, of which $450 million was a note from the buyer payable in 10
years. Proceeds from the sale were used to reduce Allieds bank debt
and to provide an equity contribution toward Campeaus acquisition of
Federated Department Stores. On February 8,1989, Allied sold the Ann
Taylor division to Ann Taylor Holdings, Inc., for $420 million in cash
and $10 million of paid-in-kind preferred stock.4 Allied used the proceeds to purchase shares of a Campeau subsidiary called Federated
Holdings, Inc., of which Federated Department Stores became a subsidiary after Campeau acquired it in May 1988.
Federated Divestitures

Before the Campeau buyout, at the end of fiscal year 1987, Federated
operated 238 department stores, 76 mass merchandise stores, and 232
specialty stores in 38 states and 129 supermarkets in California and had
approximately 135,200 employees. Federated had 10 department store
divisions, 1 mass merchandising division, 3 specialty store divisions, and
1 supermarket division. Currently, Federated consists of 5 store divisions that operate 132 stores in 19 states and has about 60,300
employees. Federateds divisions retained and sold since the LRO, their
geographic location, and number of stores are shown in table V.8.

4Preferred stock for which dividends are paid in additional shares of preferred stock.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Cam Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

Table V.8: Federated Department Stereo,

Inc., Divisions Retained and Sold After
the LB0

Principal

Number of
stores as of

geographic
iocation

Divisions retained
Abraham & Strauss
Bloomingdales
Burdines
Lazarus
Richs (including Goldsmiths)
Total

NY, NJ, PA
Nationwide
FL
OH, IN, KN, WV
GA, SC, AL, TN

Divisions sold or transferred for

$4.2 billion
Bullocks/Bullocks
Wilshire
The Childrens Place
Filenes
Filenes Basement
Foleys
Gold Circle and Richway
-I. Magnin
MainStreet
Ralphs (transferred to a Campeau
subsidiary)
Total

CA, NV, AZ
Nationwide
New England
New England, PA, NJ
TX, OK, NM, AZ
Southeast, OH, NY
Nationwide
IL, Ml
CA

oij30/88
__-

.--~

14

16
29
43
----- 26
128

29
____. -..-~--190
18
22
_~.--..__
--__ 38
76
25
20

--~-.---

129
547

Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC

As part of the agreements under which Campeau acquired Federated,

Federated sold its Filenes and Foleys divisions and certain accounts
receivable of Filenes Basement to the May Company for $1,133.1 million in cash and $400 million of May notes. In addition, Federated sold
its Bullocks/Bullocks Wilshire and I. Magnin divisions to Macy for
$696.8 million in cash and other consideration and $400 million of Macy
notes. The gross purchase price, however, was reduced by $60 million in
cash with respect to fees and expenses incurred by Macy in connection
with its attempt to acquire Federated.
As part of the Campeau-Federated merger, the assets and liabilities of
the Ralphs division, a California food store chain, were transferred to a
newly formed subsidiary, and the subsidiary was merged into another
Campeau subsidiary. The allocated cost of the Ralphs division was
$1.02 billion out of which $0.9 billion was transferred to Federated.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LB08 of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
stores, Inc.

Furthermore, at the time of the merger, Federated sold its Filenes Basement division to a corporation formed out of its management and other
investors for approximately $126 million, During the months after the
merger, Federated divested the Gold Circle, MainStreet, and The Childrens Place divisions for a total of $535.3 million.

Post-LB0 Organization
Consolidated Headquarters
and Maintained
Centralized Support
Services

After the LROS of Allied and Federated, Campeau consolidated the companies headquarters and continued to provide central support services
for the store divisions. The store divisions managements continued to
be responsible for the divisions day-to-day operations.
Before its LBO, Allied operated by having each store divisions management responsible for day-to-day operations. The New York headquarters
maintained a specialized staff to provide promotional, financial, and
general support services. Although the number of store divisions was
reduced, Campeau kept this structure after the LBO. However, after the
1988 Campeau acquisition of Federated, Campeau moved Allieds headquarters to Cincinnati but maintained central support offices in Cincinnati, New York, and Atlanta.
Before the Campeau LB0 of Federated, each of Federateds divisions
operated autonomously with respect to its conduct of business, personnel, merchandising, and purchasing. Its headquarters in Cincinnati
provided various support services such as economic forecasting and
research; personnel, finance, and accounting policies; legal and insurance assistance; and real estate development and electronic systems
development advice. After the LBO, the corporate headquarters remained
in Cincinnati, and each of the retained divisions continued to operate
under its own management.

Capital Spending Was

Reduced After the LBOs

After the LBOS, capital spending in relation to net sales, an indicator of a

companys commitment to remain a viable and competitive business, fell
at both Allied and Federated. The levels of advertising spending in relation to the volume of goods available for sale by the companies, however, continued at pre-LBo levels.

Allieds Capital Spending

Allieds post-Lno capital spending plan fell short of its pre-LBo plan. At
the end of fiscal year 1985, Allied had planned to expand its higher
profit store divisions into suburban shopping malls. The expansion plans
called for approximately $600 million of capital expenditures over the
next 5 years. During fiscal year 1985, the year before the LBO, Allied

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

spent $115 million on property and equipment and opened 7 new

department stores and 32 specialty stores. For fiscal year 1987, the first
full year after the LBO, Allieds capital expenditures were $77 million,
and it opened nine new stores. For fiscal year 1988, Allieds capital
expenditures were $71.5 million, and it opened six new stores. In fiscal
year 1989, capital expenditures were $66.7 million, most of which was
spent to maintain and remodel existing facilities; one new store was
opened. Allieds spending on property and equipment before the LHOwas
2.8 percent of net sales; for the 3 years after the LBO, it varied between
1.9 and 2.5 percent of net sales.
Spending on advertising also fell after the LBO, but its level in relation to
the cost of goods sold, except for fiscal year 1987 when it fell, remained
stable. After the LBO, spending on advertising fell from $155 million at
the end of fiscal year 1985 to $115 and $113 million for fiscal years
1988 and 1989, respectively. However, over this period advertising
spending as a percentage of the cost of goods sold by Allied was 5.5
percent before the LBO, fell to 3.0 percent the first fiscal year after the
LIW, and was between 5 and 6 percent for the next 2 years.
Federateds Capital Spending

Federateds capital expenditures declined after the 1~30. Its capital

spending was almost $500 million in fiscal year 1987; it fell to $156 million for 1988 and to $111 million for 1989. In a November 1988 prospectus, Federated stated that although its bank agreements limited
capital expenditures, those limitations were not more restrictive than its
capital budget, which provided for expenditures that were comparable
to historical levels in the retained divisions. However, in 1987 Federateds capital spending was 4.4 percent of net sales. In 1989, the year
after the LBO, Federateds capital spending fell to 2.3 percent of net
sales.
Federateds advertising expenditures also fell after the Lrso-from $346
million in fiscal year 1987 to $126 million in 1988 to $180 million in
1989. However, the level of advertising spending in relation to the cost
of goods sold was slightly higher after the LBO. Before the LRO, in fiscal
year 1987, Federateds advertising was 4.2 percent of the cost of goods
sold, while after the LBO, advertising rose to 4.9 percent in fiscal year
1988 and 5.1 percent of the cost of goods sold in fiscal year 1989.

ToD Managernknt Changed

Afrkr LBOs

After the 1,130,Allieds executive direction and management changed.

Federateds management, on the other hand, was dominated by executives from the old Federated.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case. Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Storee, Inc.

Allied

By the end of January 1987, the month following the merger with
Campeau, Allieds two top officials, its chairman and CEOand its president and chief operating officer, had retired. By the end of Allieds 1987
fiscal year, only six former board members and executive officers
remained, and five of them were in charge of the divisions of Allied that
were retained by Campeau. By the end of fiscal year 1988, three of the
executives of old Allied remained, and by the end of fiscal year 1989,
only two old Allied executives remained. At the end of fiscal year 1989,
all of Allieds other executive positions were held by people who had
held similar executive positions with Federated, which Campeau
acquired in May 1988.
The Allied executives who left after the LBO did not walk away empty
handed. Allieds chairman and CEO received a lump-sum payment of
about $4.5 million and a trust deposit of about $4.3 million, equal to the
actuarial value of the retirement allowance payable to him. The president and chief operating officer received a lump-sum payment of about
$1.3 million in addition to his annual retirement allowance. The lumpsum payments were provided by change of control agreements
effected before the LBO, on September 23, 1986.

Federated

Federateds management after the LB0 remained dominated by executives from the old Federated. As of April 1, 1989, nearly 1 year after the
Campeau acquisition, 8 of 19 executive officers were still serving in the
capacity they had with the old Federated. Eight executive officers were
people who were new to their positions but had served with Federated
for more than 1 year. Three executive officers had served for 1 year or
less. On May 1, 1990, 15 of the 19 old Federated executive officers were
still serving while 4 were new to their positions but had prior service
with Federated. One new addition was Mr. Allen I. Questrom, chairman
of the board and CEO of Federated. Mr. Questrom was elected chairman
and CEO of Federated and Allied on February 2, 1990. He also had been
with old Federated as an executive vice president and head of the Bullocks division but had left after the Campeau buyout to become president and CEO of Neiman-Marcus.
Top executives of Federated were compensated for the change of control
effected with the merger of Campeau and Federated. According to its
fiscal year 1988 filings with SEC, Federated made payments totalling
about $22.6 million to executives of old Federated with the change of
control. About $18.2 million of this amount was paid to executives who
left Federated after the LBO.

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Buyoutryp

Appendix

Case Study; Campeaus LB& of Allied Storea

Corporation and Federated Department,
Stores, Inc.

Bondholders Emerge as
Losers in LBOsAftermath

Holders of Allieds and Federateds bonds did not lose value in their
investments directly as a result of the LBOS. However, the value and ratings of the bonds later fell with the decline in the companies financial
statuses.

Allied

How holders of old Allieds bonds fared in the takeover is less apparent
than how stockholders fared, because old Allieds bonds were not consistently traded and, therefore, listed during the period of the takeover
and merger. Available data, shown in table V.9, indicate that the values
of bonds and notes issued before the Campeau takeover were stable
after the 1,130.
The record on Allieds pOSt-LBO, 1 I-l/2-percent subordinated debentures, however, shows the effects of Allieds later financial
woes. The debentures, with a face value of $1,000, were priced at about
$870 in December 1987, $190 in October 1989, and about $70 in <January
1990, the month after Allieds bankruptcy filing.

Table V.9: Allied Stores Corporation

Bond Prices for Selected Months/Years

Issue
price

Issue
Pre-LB0

debt

IO-3/8-percent
6-qer;;nt

Current price for selected month/year

03186
12186
12187
10189
01/90

notes due in 1990

discount

$1,000

$1,020

$1,010

notes due in

570

$870

$870

$870

1,000

870

190

70

Post-LB0 ____-_____debt
10.l/2-percent
in 1992

senior notes due

11 -l/2-percent
subordinated
in 1997

senior
debentures

due

% connection with the December 31, 1986, merger of Allied with Campeau, the 10.3/8-percent notes
were terminated and removed from the companys balance sheet.
No price for this month was listed in Moodys Bond Record.
Bond was not issued yet
Source Moodys Bond Record.

Ratings of Allieds bonds also did not diminish until several months
after the 1,130
was completed. According to Moodys Bond Record,
Allieds issues of senior notes were rated A2 throughout the period of
the takeover from the end of March through December 1986. (Moodys
bond ratings are explained in appendix III, footnote 26.) By October
1989, after Allied and Campeaus liquidity problems were publicized,
Allieds then outstanding notes and bonds received a rating of Caa.

GAO/GGD-91-107

Page 93

.:,,

,.

,.

Leveraged

Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stares, Inc.

Moodys ratings of Allieds bonds at selected dates after the Campeau

tender offer and LBO are shown in table V.10. As shown, Allieds bonds
went from a moderately high rating to a low rating.
Table V.10: Allied Stores Corporation
Bond Ratings for Selected Months/Years

Issue
Pre-LB0 debt
lo-3/8-percent notes due in 1990
6-percent discount notes due in 1992
Post-LEO debt
IO-l/2-percent senior notes due in 1992
11-l/2-percent senior subordinated
debentures due in 1997

03188

12188

12187

10189

Oil90

A2
A2

A2
A2

61
Bl

Caa

Caa

B2

Caa

Caa

63

Caa

Ca

In connection wrth the December 31, 1986, merger of Allied with Campeau. the IO-3/8-percent notes
were terminated and removed from the companys balance sheet.
bBond had not been issued yet.
Source: Moodys Bond Record.

Federated

While Federateds stockholders could have gained a hefty premium from

the Campeau buyout, pre-LBo bondholders lost as a result of the LBO.
According to prices listed in Moodys Bond Record, the prices of Federateds various bonds ranged from about $880 to $1,030 at the end of
December 1987, from about $780 to about $1,000 in May 1988, and by
October 1989, after Federateds liquidity problems became widely
known, ranged from about $510 to $930. For example, Federateds
lo-l/4-percent sinking fund debentures due in the year 2010 were
priced at about $1,010 in December 1987, about $890 in May 1988, and
about $560 by October 1989. Prices of Federateds bonds at selected
dates are shown in table V. 11.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOe of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

Table V.11: Federated Department

Stores, Inc., Bond Prices for Selected
Months/Years

Issue
Pre-LB0 debt
8-3/8-percent s.f.a debentures
due in 1995
7-l/8-percent s.f. debentures due
in 2002
lo-i/4-percent
s.f. debentures
due in 2010
IO-5/&percent s.f. debentures
due in 2013
9-\;5;q;;;cent s.f. debentures due
7-7/8-Dercent notes due in 1996
1 l-percent eurobonds due in
- 1990
-.____
IO-i/8-percent eurobonds due in
1995
Post-LB0 debt _---16.percent senior subordinated
debentures due in 2000
17.3/4-percent subordinated
debentures due in 2004

Issue
Price

Current price for selected month/year

12187
OS/88
01189
10189
01190
-.-

$1,000

$970

$900

$930

$930

$930

1.000

880

860

760

760

760

990

1,010

890

820

560

510

1.000

1,030

1.000

890

890

890

1,000
990

960
900

780
820

720
730

510 ~__ 510

580
500

1,000

1,020b

990b

9aob

930b-__

1,000

980

920

a70

700

c
520

-1,000

430

130

%.f. = sinking fund.

bOne month old bid price.
Bond-Issue had matured
dBond had not been Issued yet
eNo price was listed in Moodys Bond Record
Bond price is from Standard and Poors Bond Gurde because, according to a Moodys offrcral, the price
published in Moodys Bond Record for IO/89 was incorrect.
Source: Moodys Bond Record.

Moodys ratings of Federateds bonds also fell from a high-quality, lowrisk category to a low-quality, high-risk category. In December 1987,
Federateds bonds were generally rated Aa2, in May 1988 they were
rated B2, and by October 1989 they were rated Caa. Ratings of Federateds bonds are shown in table V.12.

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Buyouts

Appendix v
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

Table V.12: Federated Department

Stores, inc., Bond Rating6 for Selected
Months/Years

Issue
ke-LB0
debt
8-3/8-percent s.f.a debentures due in 1995
7-l/8-uercent s.f. debentures due in 2002
10.l/4-percent s.f. debentures due in 2010
IO-5/8-percent s.f. debentures due in 2013
9-l/5-p&cent
s.f. debentures due in 2016
7-7/8-percent notes due in 1996
11 -percent eurobonds due in 1990
1 O-l /a-percent eurobonds due in 1995
1

Post-LB0 debt
16.percent senior subordinated debentures
due in 2000
17;;/4&(cent
subordinated debentures due

12187
Aa
Aa
Aa
Aa
Aa
Aa
Aa
Aa

05188

01189

82
82
82
82
82
82
82
82

61
Bl
Bl
Bl
Bl
Bl
Bl
Bl

lo/ES

01/90

Caa
Caa
Caa
Caa
Caa
Caa
Caa
Caa

Caa
Caa
Caa
Caa
Caa
Caa
-

Caa

Caa

Ca

Caa

Ca

%.f. = sinking fund

bBond issue had matured
CBond had not been issued yet
dNo rating was shown in Moodys Bond Record.
Source: Moodys Bond Record.

Post-LB0 Employment Fell

At both Allied and Federated the total number of employees fell by more
than 50 percent after the LBOS, but this does not necessarily mean that
all of the employees became unemployed. The large number of divestitures is probably responsible for much of the employment decrease, and
many of these employees might have been rehired by the acquiring companies. However, there were other reasons for employment decreases,
such as reorganizing the retained divisions and implementing measures
designed to cut costs.
After the LBOS, both Allied and Federated divested divisions, reorganized divisions, and implemented plans to streamline operations and
improve efficiency. Each of these factors to some extent affected the
number of employees that the companies maintained. For example,
during fiscal year 1988, after the tender offer, Federated introduced
cost-cutting measures that eliminated over 6,000 primarily administrative positions. The companies, which became affiliated after the Federated LBO, also took steps to lower advertising, travel, and supply costs.
Table V.13 shows the number of Allied and Federated employees at

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Buyoutic

Appendixv
Case Study: Campeaue LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

selected dates before and after the LBOs. However, without information
from Allied and Federated officials, we were unable to determine the
extent to which the number of employees changed as a result of the
divestitures, reorganizations, and other changes.
Table V.13: The Number of Allied and
Federated Employees on Selected Dates

Date
----___
_-_..__ -..__
Feb.1,1986
Mar.l, 1987
-.-.--__-------.
Jan.30,1988
___-Mar. 1, 1988
. ..---_------..--_.~
-I_
Mar.1,1989
___-.
Mar. 1,199O

Allied
employees
65,000
61,800

Federated

employees
a
a

27,000
37,300
31,500

--__-I_ 135,200
a
---63,700
60,300

aDate not applicable to Federated LBO.

bDate not appkable to Allied LBO.
Source: Company data filed with SEC.

LROsEffect on
Communities Uncertain

We did not determine how the communities where Allieds and Federateds stores were located were affected by the LBOS because of the companies sizes and geographic dispersion. Pre-LBo Allied had stores in 46
states, the District of Columbia, and Japan. Similarly, pre-LBo Federated
had stores in 36 states. Each of the companies store divisions probably
had millions of customers, thousands of employees, and hundreds of
vendors. Each was also located in diverse metropolitan economies where
community effects would be difficult to isolate.

Financial Indicators
Show Decline in
Company Performance
After the LBOs

After the Campeau LBOS, Allied and Federated became heavily burdened
with debt, and their financial situations deteriorated. The companies
decline is reflected by the changes in debt-to-equity ratios and in their
ability to service debt, their liquidity, and their profitability.

The Companies Took on

High Levels of Debt
Allied

Changes in debt burden are reflected by ratios of debt-to-equity, which

measure the amount of debt held per dollar of equity. The pre-r,uo fiscal
year 1985 ratio of Allieds long-term debt to stockholders equity was

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GAO/GGD91-107

Leveraged

Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

about 0.6, and after the LBO, for fiscal year 1987, it increased to about
11.9. Similarly, Allieds ratio of total debt (measured as total liabilities)
to stockholders equity for fiscal year 1985 was about 1.2 while for 1987
it rose to about 20.8. As shown in table V.14, Allieds post-1,no debt per
dollar of equity was substantially higher than before the LRO,when it
held less debt to equity than the industry average of 21 department
store companies. After the LBO, Allieds total debt-to-equity ratio was
almost 6 times the industry average. Allieds pre-Lno total liabilities of
$1.5 billion increased to $3.8 billion while stockholders equity of $1.3
billion fell to $184 million.
Table V.14: Allied Stores Corporation
and
Industry
Debt Per Dollar of Equity Before

and After the LB0

Ratio

Pre-LBO
1985

1987

Post-LB0
1988

Total liabilities/equity
Allied (fiscal vear)
lndustrv (calendar vear)

1.2
3.3

20.8
3.4

21.4
3.4

Long-term debt/equity
Allied (fiscal year)

0.5

11.9

11.7

0.8

0.8

0.8

~___-_____
lndustrv (calendar year)

1989
b

4.8

b
1.2

aData for 1986, the year of the acqursitton and merger, were not included because data covered part of
fiscal year and were not consistent.
bNot meanrngful because of negative stockholders equity
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and Industry data produced by Medra
General Frnancial Servrces. Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 21 department store comparites for calendar years 1985 to 1989.

After the r,no, Allied had planned to reduce its bank debt through asset
divestitures. The divestitures of store divisions and shopping centers
provided proceeds of about $2.6 billion, most of which was used to
reduce Allieds bank debt. However, even with this reduction in bank
debt Allieds debt-to-equity ratio did not decline, because after the I,I%O
and divestitures Allieds stockholders equity declined about proportionately with Allieds debt.
Eederatcd

The changes in Federateds debt condition are highlighted by changes in

Federateds debt-to-equity ratios. Before the LRO,at the end of fiscal
year 1987, the ratio of Federateds long-term debt to equity was about
0.4. In other words, Federated had about 40 cents of debt for every
dollar of equity. After the LHO, at the end of fiscal year 1988, this ratio
was about 2.7; Federated had $2.70 of debt for every dollar of equity.
Before the LBO, Federated had $1.30 of total liabilities to every dollar of

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

equity, and after the LBO it had $6.00 of total liabilities per dollar of
equity. At the end of Federateds 1989 fiscal year, Federateds stockholders equity fell to a negative amount while its liabilities rose to
almost $6.9 billion, over twice the amount of its pre-LBo liabilities of
$3.4 billion. These debt-to-equity ratios are shown in table V.15.
Table V.15: Federated Department
Stores, Inc., and Industry Debt Per Dollar
of Equity Before and After the LB0

Post-LB0

Pre-LB0
Ratio
Total liabilities/equity _____-Federated (fiscal year)
.-. .-___

Industry (calendar year)

Long-term debt/equity
___- __Federated (fiscal year)
Industry (calendar year)

1987

-_

--

--

1.3

1988

1989

6.0

..-.3.4
__------.-.
___-

3.4

0.4

2.7

0.8

0.8

4.8
.~..-._-~-._~~~~
a
1.2

aNot meaningful because of negative stockholders equity

Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data produced by Media
General Financial Services, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 21 department store compa
nies for calendar years 1985 to 1989.

Federated attempted to reduce its LBO-related debt through asset divestitures. At the time of the Campeau acquisition, Federated sold the Bullocks/Bullocks Wilshire, Filenes, Foleys, and I. Magnin divisions.
About $1 billion of the cash proceeds from these sales was used to
reduce a bank loan for working capital, and about $750 million was used
to complete the merger with Campeau. After the merger, proceeds of
about $535 million from the sale of Gold Circle, MainStreet, and The
Childrens Place were used to repay bank loans. In addition, about $753
million of the bridge loan from First Eoston was repaid from financing
associated with the transfer of Ralphs from Federated to another
Campeau subsidiary.
The proceeds from these divestitures, however, were not adequate to
reduce Federateds overall debt burden. At the end of fiscal years 1988
and 1989, Federateds total liabilities were about $6.8 billion and $6.9
billion, respectively.

Page 99

GAO/GGD-91-107

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaua LBOa of Al&d Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

Allied and Federated

Could Not Generate Cash
Flow and Earnings to
Service Debt
Allied

An indication of a companys ability to service debt, such as that

incurred by an IJW, can be shown by comparing ratios of cash flow from
operations and operating earnings to interest expense. Measures of
Allieds ability to service its debt are shown in table V.16. For fiscal year
1985 the ratio of Allieds cash flow from operations before interest
expense to interest expense was 4.4, which indicates that at that time
Allied had sufficient cash flow from operations to cover its interest
expense by at least 4 times. For the year after the LEO, this ratio fell to
less than 1, which indicates that Allied was not able to meet interest
expense out of cash generated from its operating activities. Before the
LIMO, cash flow from operations before interest was about $353 million,
and interest expense was about $80 million. After the LBO, at the end of
fiscal year 1987, Allieds cash flow from operations before interest was
$320 million while interest expense was $457 million, The next year,
fiscal year 1988, Allied generated just enough cash flow from operations
before interest to cover its $251 million of accrued interest expense. For
fiscal year 1989, the year of the bankruptcy filing, Allieds cash flow
from operations before interest fell to a $109 million deficit while its
accrued interest expense was $298 million.
Another measure of ability to service debt is the ratio of operating earnings before interest and taxes5 to interest expense. This measure,
although similar to cash flow from operations, takes into account
amounts for depreciation. This ratio shows that before the 1,130,
Allied
had operating earnings of $4.60 for each dollar of interest expense.
After the LBO,the large increase in interest expense in relation to operating earnings left Allied incapable of covering its interest expenses for
1987 and 1989, and just able to cover the 1988 interest expense. In addition, before the LBO, Allieds ratio of earnings before interest and taxes
to interest expense was well above the industry average, but after the
LI%O it fell below the average.

?Ve calculated earnings before interest and taxes as net income ghs income taxes and inter$$
cxpcnsc.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LB06 of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Storee, Inc.

Table V.16: Allied Stores Corporation

Industry Ability to Service Debt

and
Pre-LB0
I 98!ia

Measure

1987

Post-LB0
1988

1989

Allied (fiscal year)

Cash flow from operations before interest
expense per dollar of interest expense

4.4b

0.7

1.0

Earnings before interest and taxes per

dollar of interest expense

4.6

0.4

1.5

1.6

1.9

1.6

Industry

(calendar

year)

Earnings before interest and taxes per

dollar of interest exDense

1.5

%ata for 1986, the year of the acquisition and merger, were not rncluded because they covered only
part of that fiscal year and were not consistent.
bNumber for cash flow from operations used in this calculation was not adjusted for 1987 changes to
accountrng procedures for reporting cash flows and therefore may only approximate cash flow from
operations under the new procedures.
Not meaningful because of negative cash flow from operations and earnings before Interest and taxes.
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data produced by Medra
General Frnancral Services, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 21 department store companies for calendar years 1985 to 1989.

After the LBO, in an effort to improve the generation of cash flow and
earnings, Allied began cost-reduction and performance improvement
programs. During the first full year after the LBO, Allied reduced the size
of its central office because of the reduction of operations related to the
divested divisions. It also consolidated Jordan Marsh-Florida into Maas,
Inc., and Reads into Jordan Marsh-New England to reduce administrative costs.
During fiscal years 1988 and 1989, a centralized buying function and
development of private label merchandise were introduced to reduce
costs. An enhanced sales service program, focusing on development of
selling skills and incentive compensation was implemented to improve
sales performance. According to documents filed with SEC by Allied, the
improved selling program, at the end of fiscal year 1989, had not generated sufficient sales to cover the added short-term expenses of the
program.
Allieds selling, general, and administrative expenses of $1 .Ol billion for
fiscal year 1985, the year before the LBO, fell to $900 million for fiscal
year 1987, the first full fiscal year after the LBO. These expenses fell to
$771 million for fiscal year 1988 and to $631 million for fiscal year
1989. However, without Allieds involvement we could not ascertain

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

how much of the reduction in Allieds costs was associated with the
cost-reduction efforts separate from the asset divestitures.

Federated

Federateds inability to service its higher post-Lno debt level was also
evident in its ratios of cash flow from operations before interest expense
to interest expense and earnings before interest and taxes to interest
expense. For fiscal year 1987, Federated had about $7.10 of cash flow
from operations before interest per dollar of interest expense, which
indicates that Federated at the time had sufficient cash flow from operations to meet its current level of interest expense by about 7 times.
Cash flow from operations before interest was $765 million while
interest expense was $109 million. After the LBO, Federateds cash flow
from operations before interest was negative, and Federated did not
generate sufficient cash flow from operations to cover interest expense.
Federateds ratio of earnings before interest and taxes to interest
expense also fell after the LBO to less than 1, indicating that operating
earnings, allowing for the replacement of capital, were inadequate to
cover interest expense. Before the LBO, Federated had $5.90 of earnings
before interest and taxes per dollar of interest expense, which was
about 3 times larger than the industry average ratio of 1.9. (See table
V.17.)

Table V.17: Federated Department

Stores, Inc., and Industry Ability to
Service Debt

Pre-LB0
1987

Measure~__
-~.
Federated

(fiscal year)

Cash flow from operations before interest

dollar of interest expense
Earnings before interest
expense

Industry

Post-LB0
1988
1989

(calendar

Earnings before
exbense

expense

per

5.9

0.7

1.9

1.6

7.1a

and taxes per dollar of interest

year)

interest

and taxes per dollar of interest

I5

aNumber for cash flow from operations used in this calculation was not adjusted for 1987 changes to
accounting procedures for reporting cash flows and therefore may only approximate cash flow ~IWT
operatrons under the new procedures.
bNot meaningful because of negative cash flow from operations and earnings before Interest and taxec
Calculatron based on earnings for 9 months of fiscal year ended January 28, 1989, after acquisltron by
Campeau.
Sources, GAO analysis based on company data filed wrth SEC and industry data produced by Medra
General Financial Services, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 21 department store companies for calendar years 1985 to 1989.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Cast Study: Campeaus LBOS of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

After the LBO, as part of its strategy to generate cash flow, Federated
introduced cost-cutting measures that eliminated about 5,000 administrative positions and took steps to lower advertising, travel, and supply
costs. By merging Goldsmiths into Richs it sought to reduce administrative overhead operations in those divisions.
Through its affiliation with Allied, Federated also took part in a central
merchandising strategy involving the increased use of private label merchandise and enhanced selling services. According to documents filed
with SEC by Federated, the enhanced selling program had not generated
sufficient sales to cover the added expense for the program at the end of
fiscal year 1989.

CompaniesLiquidity
Deteriorated After LBOs
Allied

A companys liquidity, i.e, its ability to meet short-term obligations, is

indicated by the current ratio and the quick ratio. The current ratio
compares the levels of current assets to current liabilities while the
quick ratio includes only cash, marketable securities, and receivables as
current assets to provide a more immediate measure of a companys
short-term debt paying ability.
Allieds liquidity suffered after the LBO. hi!-LB0 and post-Lno liquidity
measures are shown in table V.18. Both ratios show a decline in Allieds
liquidity after the LBO.
Although Allieds liquidity declined after the LBO, it was during 1989,
the fiscal year in which it filed for bankruptcy, that Allieds liquidity
problems attained critical proportions. On September 15, 1989, Allied
failed to make an interest payment on its 11-l/2-percent senior subordinated debentures. Although the payment was made a few days laterafter Campeau obtained a $175 million loan from Canadian developer
Olympia and York, Ltd .-other payments and obligations were coming
due that would stress Allieds liquid resources to the breaking point.

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

Table V-18: Allied Stores Corporation

Industry Liquidity Ratios

and
Ratio
Allied (fiscal year)
Current ratio
Gick ratio
Industry (calendar year)
.L
Current ratio
Quick ratio

Post-LEO
1988

Pre-LB0
1985

1987

2.3
1.4

1.2
0.8

1.5

2.3
1.4

2.0
1.2

2.0
1.2

1989
4.0b
2?5b

1.7

-- 1.8
1.2

%ata for 1986, the year of the acquisition and merger, were not included because they covered only
part of the fiscal year and were not consistent.
bThe improvement in the ratios for 1989 reflected accounting changes that reclassified current liabilities
In Allieds 1989 debtor-in-possession financial statements, not improved performance.
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data produced by Medra
General Financial Services, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 21 department store companies for calendar years 1985 to 1989.

Federated

Table V.19: Federated Department

Stores, inc., and Industry Liquidity

Federateds ability to meet short-term obligations, as indicated by the

liquidity ratios shown in table V.19, also deteriorated after the LBO. Federateds pre-Lno liquidity, as shown by the current ratio, was almost
twice the level of its post-Lno 1988 liquidity. Its pre-Lno quick ratio,
however, which focuses on the most liquid assets, indicated that before
the LBO Federated was more than able to meet its short-term obligations,
and after the LBO it was less able. Federateds liquidity ratios for 1989
increased substantially as a result of the reclassification of Federateds
liabilities with the bankruptcy filing.
Ratios
Ratio
Federated (fiscal year)
Current ratio
Quick ratio
Industry (calendar
Current ratio
Quick ratio

Pre-LB0
1987

Post-LB0
1988
1989

1.8
0.9

0.9
0.4

3.8
2.P

2.0
1.2

2.0
12

1.8
12

year)

aThe improvement in the ratios for 1989 reflected accounting changes that reclassified current liabilities
in Federateds 1989 debtor-in-possession financial statements, not improved performance.
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data produced by Media
General Financial Services, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 21 department store companies for calendar years 1985 to 1989.

Like Allied, Federateds liquidity problems intensified during 1989. On

September 19, 1989, Federated entered into an agreement with
Campeau Corp. whereby Campeau agreed to make, or cause to make,

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Buyouts

Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Qxporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

$160 million available to the company until September 18,199 1. These

funds were to satisfy working capital requirements. The loan became
necessary because of liquidity and working capital needs that Federated
experienced during the summer of 1989.
Funds for the Campeau loan were from the same Olympia and York loan
to provide Allied funds pursuant to a September 12, 1989, agreement.
The loan agreements contained provisions relating to a proposed financial restructuring of Campeau and its subsidiaries-including
Federated, the creation of a restructuring committee, and changes in the
senior management of Campeau Corporation U.S. Olympia and York also
purchased 15.6 million series A warrants of Campeau and, as a result,
beneficially owned 45.3 percent of Campeau.

Profitability Disintegrated
After LBOs
Allied

The overall financial performance of Allieds stores, which were on

shaky ground in the years immediately following the LEW,as indicated
by profitability data shown in table V.20, faltered during fiscal year
1989. Allied suffered a net loss for fiscal year 1987, the first full fiscal
year after the LBO, recuperated slightly the next year, earning $51 million, then reported a disastrous loss of $925 million for fiscal year 1989.
The loss was driven by losses associated with Allieds equity holdings of
Federated Department Stores, the tremendous interest expense that
Allied faced, and its general poor operating performance. Allieds profit
margin (net income as a percentage of sales), which was well above the
industry average of department stores before the LBO, reflected the same
post-Luo pattern as net income. Allieds gross margin, measured as net
sales minus the cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales, fell by over 4
percentage points immediately after the LBO and fell even further during
fiscal year 1989. This fall in gross margin reflects lower net sales and
possibly Allieds discounting of its prices on goods sold. Before the LBO,
Allieds gross margin almost equaled the industry average and fell below
the industry average after the LBO.

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Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LB08 of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores. Inc.

Table V.20: Allied Stores Corporation and

Industry Profitability
Measures (Dollars in
Millions)

Measure
Allied (fiscal -~
year)
Net income

(loss)

Pre-LB0
1985

1987

$159

($169)

3.9%

Profit margin

Gross marain
Industry (calendar

Post-LB0
1988

1989

$51

($92i)

1.7%

31.9%

27.5%

28.7%

27.2%

2.5%
32.0%

3.1%
31.7%

2.5%
31.1%

2.2%
28.8%

year)

Profit margin
Gross marain

aData for 1986, the year of the acquisition and merger, were not included because they covered only
part of the fiscal year and were not consistent.
bNot meaningful because of net loss.
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data produced by Media
General Financial Services, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 21 department store compariles for calendar years 198.5 to 1989.

Federated

Table V.21: Federated Department

Stores, Inc., and Industry Profitability
Measures (Dollars in Millions)

Federateds overall financial performance, although mediocre the year

before the LBO, as indicated by the profitability data shown in table
V.21, disintegrated after the LBO. Net income became a net loss after the
LBO. Gross margin, which was below the industry average before the
LBO, improved slightly for the 9 months of fiscal year 1988 after the LBO,
then fell for fiscal year 1989.
Pre-LB0
1987

Measure
Federated

(fiscal year)

Net income

(loss)

Profit margin

$313
2.8%
26.3%

--

Gross marain

Industry

(calendar

Profit margin
Gross marain
Talculations
Campeau.

year)

Post-LB0
1989
1988O
($156)
c
20.5%

($233)b
c
27.C%
a

--

3.1%
31.7%

2.5%
31.1%

2.2'
28.83

based on earnings for 9 months of fiscal year ended January 28, 1989, after acquisition by

bLoss before unusual Item of $1.15 billion write-down of the excess of cost over net assets acquired and
reorganization items.
CNot meaningful because of net loss.
Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data produced by Media
General Financial Services, Inc. Industry data are based on the average of 21 department store companies for calendar years 1985 to 1989

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Appendix V
Case Study: Campeaus LBOs of Allied Stores
Corporation
and Federated Department
Stores, Inc.

Companiw Blame
Banh-wtcy on LB0 Debt

As a result of the companies heavy debt burden and poor financial performance, Allied and Federated and several of their subsidiaries filed
separate petitions for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. According
to the companies filings with SEC for fiscal year 1989, the bankruptcy
filings were precipitated by the cash flow and liquidity problems of the
third and fourth quarters of 1989, due in part to the highly leveraged
capital structure of the companies after the mergers with Campeau.
Also significant in the companies decisions to file for bankruptcy protection, according to the filings, was that major portions of the companies debts were due to mature in the first half of 1990. This, combined
with ongoing general speculation about the companies ability to meet
their obligations as they became due, adversely affected the availability
of trade credit and other financing.
After the bankruptcy filings, the companies continued in possession of
their respective properties and operated and managed their respective
businesses as debtors-in-possession. Shortly after the filings, the bankruptcy court approved post-petition credit agreements under which the
companies would finance general working capital requirements such as
purchases of inventories. Chemical Bank acted as the agent for providing the post-petition credit for Allied; Citibank acted as the agent for
Federateds credit plan.

Events Since the

Bankruptcy Filings

Press accounts provide a record of events that occurred with the companies after the January 1990 bankruptcy filings. In March 1990,
Campeau failed to make interest payments and defaulted on $705 million of loans from DeBartolo and Olympia and York. On March 31, 1990,
Federated Stores, Inc., the parent firm of Allied and Federated, formerly
called Campeau Corporation U.S., filed for Chapter 11 protection. In
May 1990, August 1990, and again in February 199 1, Allied and Federated were granted extensions by the bankruptcy court on the deadline
for filing their reorganization plans, A reorganization plan for both of
the companies was filed with the bankruptcy court on April 29, 1991.
The plan proposed to merge Allied and Federated into a single company
and resolve $8.2 billion in creditor claims with a combination of cash
payments and issuances of notes and stock in the reorganized company.
The plan saw the company emerging from bankruptcy early in 1992.

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Appendix VI

Case Study: Recapitalization of

Phillips Petroleum
On March 28, 1985, under an offer dated March 4, Phillips Petroleum
Company exchanged a package of debt securities totalling $4.5 billion
for 72.68 million shares of its outstanding common stock. The exchange,
a defensive tactic against the second hostile takeover attempt of Phillips
in less than 3 months, more than doubled Phillips long-term debt from
$2.8 billion at the end of its fiscal year before the exchange to $7.3 billion immediately after. During the next 5 years, management placed a
high priority on reducing the firms debt burden and implemented
various measures designed to achieve this objective. These measures
included selling assets, lowering operating costs by reducing the work
force and restructuring the company, and reducing capital spending. By
the end of 1989, management had reduced Phillips long-term debt to
about $3.9 billion-a level management considered manageable because
it allowed the company a sufficient degree of financial flexibility.
Because of these successful efforts to reduce debt, management revised
its planning by placing higher priority on capital spending projects and
enhancing stockholder value.
Although our study focuses on Phillips after its exchange offer, the company, as well as the U.S. oil industry, had already been restructuring
itself in response to a changing economic environment that created
uncertainty about oils future profitability. According to an Office of
Technology Assessment (WA) special report, restructuring of the U.S. oil
industry during the 1980s resulted in fundamental shifts in the size and
composition of the industry as a whole and in the internal organization
and direction of individual companies.2 Actions taken by Phillips,
including its exchange offer and subsequent asset sales, work force
reductions, and operational and organizational changes, paralleled
events that were happening throughout the U.S. oil industry. According
to comments provided by Phillips officials, the high debt burden following the takeover attempts and recapitalization accelerated the pace
of Phillips ongoing restructuring activities and caused the companys
actions to be more severe than would otherwise have been required.

According to 1J.S.Oil Production - The Effect of Low Oil Prices, Office of Technology Assessment,
Special Report (Sept. 1987), prevailing conditions in the oil industry prompting restructuring included
(1) a surplus capacity in oil production and refining and marketing operations due to higher oil prices
and industry expansion in the 1970s; (2) a fall in oil consumption from 1979-83 due to higher oil
prices, increased conservation efforts, and the 1982 recession; (3) a decline in oil prices beginning in
1981 due to excess oil production capacity, reduced demand, and the breakdown of the Organization
of Petroleum Exporting Countries; and (4) relatively high finding costs and difficulty in finding and
producing new domestic oil reserves.
1J.S.Oil Production - The Effect of Low Oil Prices, p. 99.

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Appendix VI
Case Study: Recapitalhation
Philllpfs Petroleum

of

This case study is based primarily on public documents filed by Phillips

with SEC. Officials at Phillips reviewed and commented on a draft of our
study and also provided information on employment levels.

Recapitalization of
Phillips

In December 1984 and February 1985, Phillips became the target of two
separate hostile takeover attempts. The company fought these attempts
through a recapitalization and thus remained independent while at the
same time giving its stockholders a premium return on their investment.
The company successfully defeated both takeover attempts, although in
doing so it incurred a substantial amount of debt.

Phillips

Phillips, headquartered in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, is a fully integrated

oil company, performing all the principal functions of the oil industry:
exploration, production, refining, transportation, and marketing. The
company engages in petroleum exploration and production on a worldwide basis and petroleum refining and marketing in the United States. In
addition, Phillips also produces and distributes chemicals worldwide.
Within the petroleum industry, Phillips is recognized as the largest producer of natural gas liquids in the United States and as one of the
industry leaders in refining high-sulfur crude oils. Its corporate fiscal
year, which we use throughout this report, is the same as the calendar
year and thus ends on December 3 1.

Mesa Partners: First

Hostile Bidder

Mesa Partners, a Texas general partnership formed in October 1984,

tried to obtain control of Phillips and to acquire all, or substantially all,
of Phillips equity interest. The partnership had three general partners:
Mesa Asset Co., an indirect wholly owned investment subsidiary of
Mesa Petroleum Co., and two Texas corporations-Cy-7,
Inc., and Jack7, Inc. The two Texas corporations are wholly owned by Mr. Cyril
Wagner, Jr., and Mr. Jack E. Brown, respectively, the sole partners of
Wagner & Brown, a Texas corporation engaged in oil and gas
exploration.

Icahn Group Inc.: Second

Hostile Bidder

Icahn Group Inc., a Delaware corporation, was organized solely for the
purpose of obtaining control of Phillips. Mr. Carl C. Icahn, an investor
and, at the time of the offer, one of Phillips largest shareholders with
nearly 5 percent of the companys outstanding shares, controlled Icahn
Group Inc.

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Appendix VI
Case Study: Recapitalization
Phillips Petroleum

of

Summary of Takeover
Attempts and
Recapitalization
Mesa Partners Takeover
Attempt

On December 4, 1984, Mesa announced it intended to file a tender offer

and then merge or form some other business combination with Phillips
so that remaining stockholders would receive a combination of cash and
securities. Some of Mesas reasons for proposing a takeover may be
gleaned from testimony given by Mr. T. Boone Pickens, Jr.,4 in April
1984. Mr. Pickens cited various reasons why he considered mergers and
acquisitions to be healthy for the energy industry, including producing
more efficient management, and hence a more efficient company, as well
as enhancing stockholder value. Phillips board of directors opposed the
proposal after concluding that Mesas offer was not in the best interests
of the company and its stockholders. On December 23, 1984, Mesa and
Phillips agreed that Phillips would propose a recapitalization plan to its
stockholders, Mesa would terminate its takeover attempt, and neither
party would seek control of the other for 15 years. In addition, whether
the plan was approved or not, Mesa agreed to sell its shares to either
designated investment bankers or the company for not less than $53 per
share in cash. On March 11, 1985, Mesa sold all its shares to Phillips for
a profit of $89 million. Summary information on Mesas takeover
attempt follows:
.
.
.
.

Icahns Takeover Attempt

Percent of outstanding common shares owned at time of offer - 5.8;

Percent of shares sought in tender - 14.9;
Tender offer price per share - $60 cash; and
Price per share for remaining shares outstanding for proposed merger approximately $60 in cash and securities.
On February 4, 1985, Mr. Icahn stated that Phillips proposed recapitalization plan, initiated according to Phillips settlement agreement with
Mesa, was inadequate, and if the plan was not improved he would
attempt to take over the company. Icahn commenced a tender offer on

3Mesa announced its intentions on this date. However, because of ensuing litigation between Mesa
and Phillips, Mesa never commenced a tender offer before entering a settlement agreement with
Phillips.
4Mr. T. Iloone Pickens, .Jr., is president and chairman of the board of Mesa Petroleum Co., a Delaware
corporation engaged in the exploration and production of natural gas, oil, condensate, and natural gas
liquids in the United States.

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Appendix M
Case Study: Recapitalization
Phillips Petroleum

of

February 14,1985, conditioned upon stockholder rejection of the recapitalization plan, elimination of Phillips stock rights, or poison pill, and
the ability to obtain financing. Upon completion of the offer, Icahn
intended to merge with Phillips, and all remaining stockholders would
exchange their shares for debt securities.
On March 3, 1985, Phillips announced that its initial recapitalization
plan failed to receive stockholder approval and that it planned to
improve the offer. The company then entered into a settlement agreement with Icahn under which Icahn agreed to terminate its takeover
attempt and not to attempt another Phillips takeover for 8 years.
Icahns investment adviser, Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc., also agreed
not to finance a Phillips takeover attempt for 3 years. Summary information on Icahns takeover attempt follows:
9 Percent of outstanding shares owned at time of offer - by Icahn Group none, by Mr. Icahn - 4.85;
. Percent of shares sought in tender - 45.0;
Tender offer price per share - $60 cash; and
. Price per share for remaining shares outstanding for proposed merger $50 debt securities.
l

Phillips I&capitalization

On March 4, 1985, Phillips presented its stockholders with an improved

recapitalization plan. The plan proposed an exchange of debt securities,
valued at $62 per share, for 72.58 million shares, or about 47 percent, of
Phillips outstanding common stock. After the exchange, Phillips
intended to (1) increase annual common stock dividends $0.60 per share,
before adjustment for any stock split; (2) split its common stock 3-for-l
through a ZOO-percent common stock dividend; and (3) issue a new
series of redeemable preferred stock having an aggregate face value of
$300 million as a dividend to remaining stockholders.
By March 15,1985, about 86 percent of Phillips outstanding stock had
been offered for exchange. Stockholders who offered their stock before
this date, called the proration deadline, were guaranteed that a percentage of the shares offered would be exchanged for the debt securities
if more shares than sought in the offer were tendered. Because Phillips
offer only sought about 47 percent of the outstanding common stock,
about 54 percent of the shares tendered by each stockholder before the
A poison pill is any kind of action taken by a takeover target company to make its stock less palatable to an acquirer. Phillips stock rights, distributed on February 18, 1985, gave stockholders the
right to exchange one common share for a l-year debt obligation with a face value of $62 if a person
or group acquired 30 percent or more of the outstanding stock.

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A&ndix
VI
Case Study: Recapltalization
Phllllps Petroleum

of

deadline were accepted for exchange. The rest of the shares were
returned, and no shares tendered after the deadline were accepted for
exchange.
On March 28, 1986, Phillips issued the following debt securities:
$2.1 billion aggregate principal amount, floating rate senior notes, due in
1996;
$1.3 billion aggregate principal amount, 13.875-percent senior notes, due
in 1997; and
. $1.1 billion aggregate principal amount, 14.75-percent subordinated
debentures, due in 2000.

Stockholder Premium

In 1983, Phillips common stock traded between $29.38 and $38.88 a

share, and for the first three quarters of 1984 it ranged between $33.38
and $45.26.s During the period that Phillips was fighting takeover
attempts and formulating its recapitalization plan, the closing price for
its common stock ranged from $42.88 to $55 a share, and stockholders
had the opportunity to realize various premiums depending on when
they sold their stock. For example, on the first trading day after Mesa
announced it intended to acquire control of Phillips, stockholders could
have received a premium7 of 27.4 percent had they sold their stock on
the market. The premium increased to 30.7 percent the day before Mesa
and Phillips announced their settlement agreement. However, the first
trading day after Mesa and Phillips announced their agreement, the
market price of Phillips common stock fell about 17.5 percent, and the
premium dropped to 7.7 percent. Phillips final recapitalization plan,
valued at $62 a share, provided a premium of 47.6 percent for those
shares tendered in the exchange offer.

Adviser Fees

Although the filings we reviewed did not indicate whether Mesa used
advisers in its attempt to take over Phillips, they did show that both
Icahn and Phillips enlisted the services of advisers to help achieve their
respective goals concerning control of the company. Icahn retained
Drexel as its investment banker for financial advisory services and to
arrange financing for its tender offer. Icahn paid Drexel an initial fee of
$1 million and, if the deal had been consummated, agreed to pay Drexel
Amounts not adjusted for 3-for-l common stock split, effective May 31, 1985.
7To reflect the stock value before the takeover might have influenced it, premiums were based on the
closing stock price of $42 a share on November 2, 1984, 1 month before Mesas initial announcement.

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Appendix VI
Case Study: Recapitahation
Phillips Petroleum

of

2 percent of the aggregate principal amount of the financing obtained,

less the initial fee. Alternatively, if Icahn sold any of its shares for more
than $46 a share, Icahn would pay Drexel20 percent of the pre-tax net
profits. Icahn also retained another financial adviser, the investment
banking firm Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc., for a fee of $1.3
million.
Phillips paid fees totalling $35 million to its two financial advisers:
Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc., and The First Boston Corporation. Of the
$36 million, Morgan Stanley received $20 million: $2 million for advice
on Mesas offer, an additional $4 million upon execution of the Mesa
settlement agreement, and $14 million for advisory services related to
the exchange offer. First Boston received $15 million: $4 million for
advice on the Mesa contest and another $11 million for services related
to the exchange offer.
In addition to financial advisory fees, Phillips incurred other costs and
expenses in its effort to remain independent. Some of these, which Phillips estimated to be about $75 million, included
. $25 million of the expenses incurred by Mesa in its attempt to acquire
control of the company, according to the settlement agreement;
. $25 million of the expenses incurred by Icahn in its attempt to acquire
control of the company, according to the settlement agreement;
$12 million in attorney fees;
$10 million in banking fees and commissions; and
$3 million in other costs and expenses.
l

l
l

Impact of
Recapitalization on
Phillips

While Phillips recapitalization enabled the company to remain independent, it also significantly increased the companys debt burden. This
made it more vulnerable to swings in the economy, reduced its flexibility
in deciding how to spend its available cash flow, and potentially limited
its ability to obtain future financing. Although Phillips top management
changed somewhat after the exchange offer, all but one new executive
had been promoted from within the company. The management team
placed a higher priority on reducing debt and implemented various measures designed to decrease both debt and operating costs. Management
faced additional pressure to cut the companys costs and increase its
financial flexibility in 1986 when crude oil prices fell almost 50 percent

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Appendix VI
Case Study: Recapitalization
Phillips Petroleum

of

because of on oversupply in world production.s After selling about $2

billion in assets, reducing the work force, restructuring the company,
decreasing capital spending, refocusing research and development (R&D)
efforts, and implementing other debt service measures, management had
decreased Phillips debt burden by the end of 1989 to a level they considered manageable. Phillips bond ratings and prices reflected changes
in the companys financial strength and flexibility.

Phillips Capitalization
Became Primarily Debt
After the Exchange Offer

The exchange offer essentially shifted Phillips main source of funding

from equity to debt. Specifically, before the exchange offer, at the end
of 1984, Phillips long-term debt was about 30 percent of its capitalization,O which indicated that Phillips principal means of raising capital
was by issuing stock. Immediately after the exchange offer, Phillips
long-term debt increased to about 81 percent of its capitalization, which
made borrowed funds the largest source of capital. By itself this change
does not indicate that Phillips financial position was greatly weakened.
However, the increased debt placed more stress on Phillips because it
required the company to pay interest on the debt that, unlike dividends,
could not be deferred in times of poor operating results. According to
(JTA, oil companies with high debt levels raise two concerns: they may
have less flexibility in deciding how to spend their available cash flow
and, as assets are sold and capital expenditures are cut to pay off debt,
they may have to reduce commitments to exploration and production
activitieslO
Managements retirement of debt after the recapitalization reduced the
percentage of capitalization made up of long-term debt. However, longterm debt remained the primary source of Phillips capitalization. In
1989, the last year management considered reducing debt a key objective, long-term debt was still about 65 percent of the companys
capitalization.

According to IJS. Oil Production - The Effect of Low Oil Prices, p. 25, the average price of oil fell
from about $28 per barrel (bbl) in December 1985 to $14/bbl in April 1986 and for the rest of 1986,
fluctuated between $10 and $18/bbl. Phillips 1986 average price for lJ.S. and foreign crude oil
declined 44 and 47 percent, respectively, from 1985.
Capitalization is the total value of a corporations long-term debt and preferred and common stock
accounts.
ITS. Oil Production The Effect of Low Oil Prices, p. 114.

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Appendix VI
Case Study: Recapitalhation
Phillip Petroleum

of

Continuity in Top
Management After the
Exchange Offer

After the exchange offer, Phillips retained continuity in its upper management by filling vacancies in top management position@ with individuals already employed by the company. Specifically, all officers who left
the company after the exchange offer had retired, and all but one new
officer had been promoted from within the company,12 For example, in
1986, the year of the exchange offer, 6 of Phillips 26 corporate officers
retired. In the subsequent reshuffling, 5 existing officers assumed either
vacated or new positions through promotions. Similar turnovers
occurred from 1986 through 1989, although no more than two officers
retired in each of these years, and in early 1988 Phillips created four top
management positions because of a restructuring of the company. At the
end of 1989, half of Phillips top management positions consisted of the
same individuals as in 1983, and all but one of the remaining individuals
had been promoted from within the company.

Asset Sale Proceeds Used

to Reduce Debt

A key element in managements plan to reduce debt was its asset sales
program. The program, which was to be completed within 1 year of the
exchange offer, was expected to yield $2 billion after taxes, all of which
would be applied toward reducing Phillips outstanding debt. Management met this objective through selling assets from each of the companys operating divisions and completed the program in 1986 after
reaching its $2 billion goal. Some of the assets sold included Phillips
minerals operations, except certain coal properties; several oil and gas
properties; gas gathering systems; a crude oil tanker; a fertilizer business; and equity interests in various gas and chemical plants.
According to the filings we reviewed, management did not expect the
sales to significantly affect Phillips ongoing business and expected only
a minimal impact on net income. After completing its asset sales program, Phillips still retained its status as the largest domestic producer of
natural gas liquids and an industry leader in refining high-sulfur crude
oil. In addition, Phillips remained in the top 20 of 400 publicly traded
US. oil and gas firms with respect to total revenues, US. and world
liquid and gas reserves, and U.S. and world liquid and gas production.l:s
These positions include chairman of the board, chief executive officer, president, chief operating
officer, executive vice presidents, senior vice presidents, and vice presidents.
One individual left in 1987 to be president of a new company formed by a subsidiary of Phillips and
another corporation. The individual was reinstated as a vice president at Phillips in 1989.
The Oil and Gas Journal has issued a report each year since October 17, 1983, containing financial
and operational data for the top 400 publicly traded U.S. oil and gas firms. The ,Journal determines
the top 400 on the basis of total assets and ranks them according to various performance measures.

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Appendix VI
Caee Study: Recapitalization
PNlips Petroleum

of

Operating Costs and

Expenses Reduced
Through Work Force
Reductions and
Restructuring Operations

As part of its efforts to reduce debt, management planned to decrease

operating costs and expenses. l4 Although the desired reductions in costs
and expenses could be achieved in a myriad of ways, Phillips annual
reports cited work force reductions and restructuring of operations as
two major ways it achieved reductions.

Reducing the Work Force Was a

Key Element in Reducing Costs

Although management had been reducing Phillips work force since late
1981, after the exchange offer reducing manpower costs through staff
reductions became a key element in managements effort to reduce operating costs. Specifically, during 1985 Phillips work force declined about
14 percent primarily because of two early retirement programs management offered employees.1In 1986, management reduced the work force
another 14 percent and attributed most of the decline to a Special Separation Program, which offered early retirement incentives and outplacement services. During this year, management also temporarily
froze employee salaries. Managements actions concerning the work
force in 1986 were shaped not only by Phillips debt burden but also by
an oil price collapse of almost 50 percent that was due to a worldwide
oil glut. Finally, as part of a major cost-reduction program implemented
in 1988, management reduced staff another 7 percent.
At the end of 1989, Phillips payroll and employee benefit costs were
about 11 percent less than in 1984 before the exchange offer. Phillips
gross payroll costs, including employee benefits, are shown in table VI. 1.

Table VI.1: Phillips Gross Payroll,

Including Employee Benefits (Dollars in
Mlllrons)

Year
1984
----1985
1986
1987

Percent change
from previous year

Amount
$1,164
1,130
974
998

(2.3)
__- (2.9)
(13.8)
2.5

Source, GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

14At the time of the offer, management forecast that from 1985 through 1987 it would reduce previously planned overall operating costs and expenses by 10 to 15 percent. Without knowing what those
planned costs and expenses had been, we could not determine whether Phillips attained the desired
reduction.

Of the 3,600 employees eligible, 2,570 participated in early retirement programs offered May 14,
1985, and August 2, 1985.

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Appendix VI
Case Study: Recapitalization
Phillips Petroleum

Restructuring and Streamlining

Operations Helped Reduce
Operating Costs

of

Before the exchange offer, at the end of 1984, Phillips had five operating groups: (1) exploration and production, (2) gas and gas liquids, (3)
petroleum products, (4) chemicals, and (6) minerals. After the exchange
offer, management restructured Phillips operating groups twice in an
effort to improve efficiency and lower operating costs. In the first reorganization, during 1985, management discontinued Phillips minerals
operations, which had generated losses since at least 1979, and consolidated the operating groups in Phillips downstream operations17 petroleum products and chemicals. Consolidating these operating groups
enabled management to take advantage of Phillips integrated oil operations: its petroleum products division supplied about two-thirds of the
raw material and product needs of its chemicals division in the United
States. According to the filings we reviewed, streamlining these operations led to increased operating efficiency and improved productivity,
and it also enabled management to take a uniform approach to
processing and marketing activities.
During 1988, management implemented a new cost-reduction program
under which it consolidated Phillips upstream operations16 -exploration and production and gas and gas liquids. Managements objective
was to make these operations profitable even under adverse market conditions and to further streamline procedures and reduce operating costs.
This reorganization merged many common staff functions, which led to
a lo-percent decline in the companys upstream work force.

Capital Spending Reduced

After the Exchange Offer

Management also reduced capital expenditures in 1985 and 1986 to help

meet debt obligations. However, the reduction in 1986-almost 40 percent below 1985-was not only managements response to Phillips
increased debt but also was largely due to the deterioration of oil prices
that occurred in 1986 and adversely affected the entire oil industry.
Management increased the level of capital expenditures from 1987
through 1989; however, they remained below the level that existed
before the recapitalization. Table VI.2 illustrates the changes in capital
expenditures.
A substantial number of minerals operations were sold in the asset sales program. IIowever, certain
coal groper-tics had been excluded, and in 1987 management reactivated those operations.
17Downstream operations generally include the refining, transportation, and marketing functions of
the oil industry and offer products ranging from raw materials to motor fuels and plastics for sdlc to
customers.
*lJpstream operations are the businesses responsible for finding and producing oil and natural gas
and for extracting the liquids from natural gas.

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Appendix VI
Case Study; Recapitalization
Phillips Petroleum

Table Vl.2: Changes in Capltal

Expenditures
(Dollars in Millions)

Year
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989

--

.____

-~

of

Expenditure
$1,141
1.364
1,065
646
737
797
872

Percent of average
___.

total assets
9.1
9.1
6.9
4.9
6.0
6.6
7.5

--___-

Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

Phillips operations are capital-intensive and require significant expenditures over long periods. Consequently, in accordance with the decrease
in capital expenditures, the company adjusted its capital spending plans.
Various strategies outlined in Phillips annual reports indicated that
management became more selective in its capital spending projects and
emphasized less-risky endeavors. For example, in Phillips exploration
and production division, management concentrated on developing
existing oil and gas discoveries that could be brought onstream quickly
in order to generate near-term cash flow. High-risk exploration projects
were to be undertaken only if Phillips had a special advantage.
Furthermore, in 1986 management began increasing funding for its
downstream operations while decreasing the amount directed to its
upstream operations. According to Phillips annual report, management
began redirecting capital expenditures because of the 1986 oil price collapse, which had hurt the companys upstream operations. The collapse
had the opposite effect on Phillips downstream operations because it
decreased raw material costs. As a result, the company began to shift its
capital investments toward its more profitable downstream operations.

Research and Development

More Focused on Phillips
Core
Businesses After the
-m kixcha lnge Offer

Although R&D expenditures declined in 1985 and 1986,19Phillips management continued to emphasize R&D but focused its research efforts on
the companys core businesses. According to Phillips tender offer statement, management expected to reduce discretionary research projects as
part of its effort to reduce operating costs. On the basis of its annual
reports, Phillips continued to conduct R&D in the same areas it had
lRRLD expenditures declined about 14 percent in 1985 and about 17 percent in 1986; relative to the
size of the company-measured by dividing R&D expenditures by sales and by average total assetsany declines were less than 1 percent. Part of the 1986 decline might have been due to the fall in oil
prices.

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Phillips Petroleum

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before the offer but concentrated its efforts more on developing new
products and processes to enhance the profitability of its operations.
Phillips conducted less research in biotechnology and, despite having
completed a new biotechnology facility in late 1984, ended most of its inhouse pharmaceutical research in 1988. According to its annual report,
those research efforts were refocused in more direct support of Phillips
core businesses. This aspect of Phillips R&D involved developing various
proteins that had potential use in the pharmaceutical industry and in
various medical applications, including cancer and cardiovascular treatments and diagnosing human dwarfism. Consequently, the impact of
Phillips curtailing this research could have had an adverse effect on
more than just the companys competitive position because potential discoveries and developments might have been lost.
Phillips received both U.S. and foreign patents each year after the
exchange offer, leading the industry in the number of active U.S. patents it held. From 1987 through 1989, management increased Phillips
R&D expenditures. After a 3%percent increase in 1989, the level of
expenditures at the end of that year was about 17 percent higher than
in 1983 before the exchange offera20

Surplus Funds in Pension

Plan and Decreased
Common Stock Dividends
Helped Reduce Debt

Additional methods management used to help meet increased debt obligations included restructuring Phillips primary retirement plan to
obtain the surplus funds and decreasing the common stock dividend.
Management implemented both measures in 1986 when it was taking
actions to not only reduce Phillips debt burden but also to increase the
companys financial strength and flexibility in the wake of the oil price
collapse. Through restructuring the retirement plan,21$379 million in
surplus funds were returned to the company. Common stock dividends
were reduced in April 1986 and remained low until they were increased
in July 1988 and again in March and September of 1989 when Phillips
financial outlook continued to improve.

20Similar increases were reflected in R&D expenditures in relation to the size of the company as
measured by dividing R&D expenditures by sales and by average total assets.
On September 1, 1986, the retirement plan was separated into two plans: one for retirees and one
for active employees. Annuity contracts were purchased to settle obligations for retiree benefits as
well as those benefits accrued by active employees as of this date.

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Phillips Petroleum

Bond Ratings and Prices

Reflected Phillips
Changing Situation

of

Managements efforts to keep Phillips independent, reduce its debt, and

increase its financial strength and flexibility were reflected by changes
in the investment ratings of the companys bonds and, to a lesser degree,
prices of those bonds. As Phillips debt burden increased because of the
exchange offer and was then successfully reduced to a level management considered manageable, Moodys Investors Service accordingly
downgraded and upgraded the bonds investment ratings.
For example, before the exchange offer, when management was fighting
the two hostile takeover attempts and proposing to recapitalize the company, Moodys downgraded Phillips five pre-exchange bonds twice:
from Aa to Baa2 to Baa3. This downgrading indicated that, with the
companys proposed incurrence of debt, Moodys considered the bonds
investment risk to have increased. Then in 1986, despite completion of
the $2 billion asset sale program, Moodys downgraded Phillips pre- and
post-exchange bonds, which reflected the additional stress placed on the
company by the collapse in oil prices and the continually high interest
expense. As managements efforts to reduce debt began to make a difference and Phillips financial situation improved, Moodys upgraded the
ratings on all of Phillips bonds to reflect the companys improved financial strength. Changes in the investment ratings are shown in table VI.3.
(Moodys bond ratings are explained in appendix III, footnote 26.)

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Phillips Petroleum

Table Vl.3: Investment

PhIllips Bonds

of

Rating8 for
Date
05185
02188

09188

01189

03/90

Baa3

Bal

Baa3

Baa2

Baa1

Baa3

Baa3

Bal

Baa3

Baa2

Baa1

Baa2

Baa3

Baa3

Bal

Baa3

Baa2

Baa1

Aa

Baa2

Baa3

Baa3

Bal

Baa3

Baa2

Baai

Aa

Baa2

Baa3

Baa3

Bal

Baa3

Baa2

12184

01185

03185

Aa

Baa2

Baa3

Aa

Baa2

Aa

Pw;trchange
8.875-percent
debentures due
in 2000
7.625percent
debentures due
in 2001
12.25-percent
$eh&nt2ures due
11.25percent
$$x&ures

due

12.875-percent
notes due
Se tember 1,
19 !f 2

Po$exchange
13.875percent
senior notes
due in 1997
Floating rate
senior notes
due in 1995
14.75-percent
subordinated
debentures due
in 2000

Baa3

Bal

Baa3

Baa2

Baa3

Bal

Baa3

Baa2

Bal

Ba3

Ba2

Baa3

Baa1

Baa2

Note: Dates selected reflect all rating changes by Moodys from January 1984 through December 1990.
In September 1989, Phillips called the entire issue of 12.875.percent notes, due on September 1, 1992.
bMoodys Bond Record did not list the securities issued in the March 1985 exchange offer until Its June
1985 publication, which reflected bond data as of the end of May 1985.
In 1988 Phillips retired $1 ,l billion of these notes, due in 1995, and in 1989 redeemed all remaining
notes.
Source: Moodys Bond Record.

Prices of Phillips pre-exchange bonds generally stayed the same during

the takeover fights and the companys subsequent recapitalization, but
after the exchange offer the prices of Phillips bonds increased as its

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Phillips Petroleum

of

financial and operational strength improvedsz2 Selected prices are shown

in table VI.4.
Table Vl.4: Phillips Bond Prices (Prices
Are Rounded)
Pre-exchange
offer
8.875percent
debentures due
in 2000
7.625-percent
debenturesdue
in2001
12.25percent
debenturesdue
in2012
11,25percent
debenturesdue
in2013
12.875-percent
notes due
Se tember 1,
19 ! 2
Post-exchange
offer
13.875-percent
senior notes
duein 1997
Floating rate
senior notes
due in 1995
14.75percent
subordinated
debentures due
in 2000
9.5.percent notes
due in1997

Date
12188
12187

12184

01185

08185

12188

12189

12190

$750

$760

$790

$900

$860

$910

$970

$970

660

670

700

800

770

820

880

840

980

970

990

1,080

970

1,060

1.070

1.080

900

860

930

1.030

980

1.030

1.060

1.050

1,020

1,030

1,050

1,080

1,030

1,010

1,050

1,120

1,090

1,110

980

900

930

1,000

1.070

1.150

1.110

1.120

1,110

1,090

1.120
d

1.100
d

1,010

Although other factors, such as interest rates, issue terms, and rumors of potential takeovers, also
influence a companys bond prices, we generally linked any price trends to the financial and operational status of the company.

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Phillipg Petroleum

of

Note: Except for the period of time during the takeover fights, dates selected reflect year-end bond
prices. All bonds have a $1,000 face value.
In September 1989, Phillips called the entire issue of 12.875.percent notes, due in 1992.
Moodys Bond Record did not list prices for the securities issued in the March 1985 exchange offer
until its July 1985 publication, which reflected bond data as of the end of June 1985.
% 1988 Phillips retired $1 .l billion of these notes, due in 1995, and in 1989 redeemed all remaining
notes.
dThese notes were issued in November 1990
Source: Moodys Bond Record.

Financial Indicators of
Phillips Performance
After the Exchange
Offer

At the end of 1989, management indicated they had accomplished their

debt reduction goals and improved the financial position of the company
to an extent that enabled them to focus priorities on enhancing stockholder values rather than on planning further large debt reductions.
Phillips changing financial position is reflected by changes in the companys debt-to-equity ratios, ability to service debt, and profitability.

After Initial Increase,

Phillips Debt Burden
Declined

Changes in Phillips debt burden can be illustrated by the ratio of its

debt to total common stockholders equity (we refer to total common
stockholders equity as equity). As indicated in table VI.5, Phillips debtto-equity ratios increased significantly after the exchange offer and
then declined as managements debt reduction efforts began to have an
effect. Specifically, at the end of 1985, because of the large increase in
long-term debt and a simultaneous decrease in equity, Phillips total
debt-to-equity ratio increased more than 4 times over the 1984 ratio
while its long-term debt-to-equity ratio was about 10 times higher. Compared with industry ratios,23 Phillips pre-exchange offer debt-to-equity
ratios were generally the same but were much higher afterward. For
example, Phillips 1985 total debt-to-equity and long-term debt-to-equity
ratios were about 4 and 8 times higher, respectively, than the industry
average. According to Phillips chairman and CEO,who spoke to the
National Association of Petroleum Analysts in April 1990, Phillips
became the most highly leveraged company in the oil industry after its
exchange offer.

Industry ratios for 1986 through 1989 were obtained from an on-line database produced by Media
General Financial Services, Inc. The industry data were compiled as of November 21, 1990, on the
basis of 43 companies whose primary line of business was classified under the same Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code as Phillips. Industry data for 1983 and 1984 were unavailable from
Media General Financial Services Inc.s on-line database. Industry ratios for these years were
obtained from Financial Trends of Leading U.S. Oil Companies: 1968-1987, American Petroleum Institute, Discussion Paper #017R, and are based on aggregate financial data for 20 leading oil companies.

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Table Vl.5: Debt per Dollar of Total

Common Stockholders Equity

Fiscal year
1989

1983

1984

1985

1.1
0.4

1.6
0.4

7.4
4.0

1.1
0.3

1.4
0.5

1.8
0.5

1987

1988

1989

6.0
3.3

6.4
3.4

4.7
2.3

4.3
1.9

1.6
0.5

1.6
0.4

1.6
0.5

1.7
05

Phllllprr
Total debt/equity
Long-term debt/equity
Industry
Total debt/equity
Low-term

debt/eauitv

Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data from the following two
sources. We obtained industry data for 1985 through 1989 from an on-line database produced by Media
General Financial Services, Inc. The database is based on data from 43 companies whose primary line
of business was classified under the same SIC code as Phillips. Industry data for 1983 and 1984 were
unavailable from this on-line database and instead were obtained from Financial Trends of Leading US
Oil Companies: 1968-1987, and are based on aggregate financial data for 20 leading oil companies

From 1986 through 1989, management placed a high priority on

reducing debt and decreased Phillips debt burden each yearqz4By the
end of 1989, management had reduced Phillips total debt about 36 percent and its long-term debt about 46 percent from the amount outstanding immediately after the exchange offer. Furthermore, debt
maturing in 1995-once $2.3 billion- had been reduced to about $450
million. Phillips debt-to-equity ratios reflect the reduction. Although the
ratios were still higher than both those before the exchange offer and
the industry average, management no longer considered debt reduction
its highest priority.

Phillips Ability to Service

Debt Maintained
Phillips Cash Flow Covered
Increased Interest Expenses

To illustrate Phillips ability to continue servicing its debt after the

exchange offer, we calculated an interest coverage ratio and two measures of liquidity: current ratio and quick ratio. The ratios showed that
Phillips could meet its expenses.
As reflected in table VI.6, interest expense as a percentage of the companys earnings before interest and taxes increased considerably after
the exchange offer- reaching a high of almost 70 percent in 1986.25
Phillips ability to cover its increased interest costs with internally generated cash flow-its
interest coverage ratio-provides
an indication of
24Phillips 1987 debt-to-equity ratios slightly increased over 1986 because of lower earnings for the
year, which decreased total common stockholders equity. Debt had still been reduced-long-term
debt about 6 percent and total debt about 1 percent.
2The high percentage in 1986 was due to the collapse in oil prices, which dampened Phillips earnings. Interest expense had actually declined about 19 percent from 1986.

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Phillips Petroleum

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the companys ability to service its debt. After the exchange offer, Phillips interest coverage ratio declined due to increased interest costs.
However, the ratio remained above 1 .O, indicating the company could
cover all its interest expenses with internally generated cash. After
1987, as Phillips financial position improved and its debt burden
declined, its interest coverage ratio similarly rose. According to its
annual report, at the end of 1989 management planned to redirect the
majority of Phillips internally generated cash flow from reducing debt
to capital spending and stockholder distribution programs.
Table Vl.6: Phillips Interest

Coverage

Interest expense as
percent of earnings
before interest and taxes
Cash flow from
operationP/interest
expense

Fiscal year
1986

1983

1984

1985

9.5

12.6

31 .l

69.4

5.7

2.2

1.9

1987

1988

1989

66.8

34.9

46.4

2.7

2.6

1.6

Tash flow from operations is not before interest expense because a breakdown of interest expense
between cash and noncash interest was not included in the filings for all years.
bin 1988, Phillips adopted FASS Statement No. 95, Statement of Cash Flows, which required a
restating of previous cash flow data to conform to the new presentation. Restated 1983 data were not
rncluded In the filings we reviewed.
Source: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC.

Short-Term

Liquidity:

Ratio and Quick Ratio

Current

An indication of a companys liquidity, or its ability to meet short-term

obligations, is shown by the current and quick ratios. The current ratio
compares the level of current assets with current liabilities while the
quick ratio includes only cash, marketable securities, and receivables as
current assets to provide a more immediate measure of a companys
short-term debt-paying ability.
As indicated in table VI.7, Phillips short-term liquidity position
remained strong after the exchange offer. Its current and quick ratios
remained at the same level or higher than before the offer and, from
1986 through 1989, were either equal to or greater than the industry
ratios.2G

See note 23.

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Phillips Petroleum

Table Vl.7: Liquidity

of

Ratios
Fiscal year
1986

1983

1984

1985

1.0
1.2

0.9
1.1

1.0
1.1

- 0.7
0.8

0.7
0.7

0.8
0.7

1987

1988

1989

1.3
1.3

1.2
1.2

1.2
1.1

1.1
1.1

1.0
0.8

1.0
0.8

1.0
0.7

0.8
0.7

Current ratio
Phillips

Industry
-____Quick ratio
Phillips

Industry

Sources: GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data from the following two
sources. We obtained industry data for 1985 through 1989 from an on-line database produced by Media
General Financial Services, Inc. The database is based on data from 43 companies whose primary line
of business was classified under the same SIC code as Phillips. Industry data for 1983 and 1984 were
unavarlable from this on-line database and instead were obtained from Financial Trends of Leading U.S.
Oil Companies: 1968-1987, and are based on aggregate financial data for 20 leading oil companies.

Inconsistent Profits Were

Not Entirely Due to the
LRO

The profitability of Phillips operations is affected not only by internal

management strategies but also by external conditions that are largely
outside of managements contro1.27Table VI.8 contains selected indicators of profitability for both Phillips and the industry.2* The indicators
show that after the exchange offer Phillips profitability fluctuated in a
pattern similar to the industry: declining from 1985 to 1987, rising in
1988, and then falling again in 1989.

27Examples of external conditions that cause uncertainty in the petroleum industry include supply
disruptions that affect the price of crude oil, the composition of world oil production, growth in world
energy consumption, changes in energy efficiency, and government regulation.
2HSeenote 23.

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Phillips Petroleum

Table Vl.8: Indicators

of Phillips Profitability

Phillips
Total revenues
Earnrngs

before

(Dollars

of

in Millions)

1983

1984

1985
-.--__

$15,411
--$2,615

$15,756
$2,495

$15,840
$2,717

$721

$810

$418

Fiscal year
1986

1987

1988

1989
-__.

_____interest

Net tncome-

and taxes
..~.

..~~ ~. ..-..~_

Profit margin
Return on average

stockholders

equity

4.7%

-5.1%

2.6%

$10,018
$987
$228
2.3%

12.3%

12.7%

14.7%

13.5%

4.8%

4.3%

3.7%

12.8%

11.4%

3.5%
8.5%

$10,917
$1,091
$35
0.3%
2.1%

$11,490
__-----

-_____~
$12,492
__~.

$1,969

$1,391

$650
5.7%
35.8%

$219
1.8%
--...~~

9.5%

Industry
Profrt margin

_..__.._.

Return on average

..I

-__-----_--_
stockholders

-___-----..-_equity

10.0%

5.5%
3.1%
_____~...
14.1%
8.1%

_-

4.8%
13.0%

aBased on data from Financral Trends of Leading US Oil Companies: 1968-1987.

Sources. GAO analysis based on company data filed with SEC and industry data from the following two
sources. We obtained industry data for 1985 through 1989 from an online database produced by h;edia
General Financial Services, Inc. The database is based on data from 43 companres whose pnmary lrne
of business was classified under the same SIC code as Phillips. Industry data for 1983 and 1984 were
unavatlable from thus on-line database and instead were obtained from Financial Trends of Leadrng U.S.
Oil Companies: 1968-1987, and are based on aggregate financial data for 20 leading oil companies

Phillips profit fluctuations were due to both management actions,

including the exchange offer and subsequent cost-cutting measures, and
uncontrollable external factors of which the most significant was the
1986 worldwide collapse in crude oil prices. Specifically, in 1985 profitability declined despite increases in Phillips total revenues and earnings
before interest and taxes. According to its annual report, the large
decrease in 1985 earnings was primarily due to higher interest expense
incurred as a result of the exchange offer. Foreign currency losses and
write-downs of assets held for sale also contributed to the 1985 decline
in profitability. Phillips profitability fell again in 1986. According to
Phillips annual report, the decline in crude oil prices was the single
most important factor that affected the companys performance during
1986. Although profitability continued to decline in 1987, Phillips was
still able to service its debt and elected to retire $230 million of debt and
preferred stock early. Phillips reported that profitability increased in
1988 because of managements efforts to cut costs and increase operating efficiency through consolidating and streamlining operations.
However, in 1989 profitability declined again partly because of a large
write-down of Phillips offshore California investments that was
prompted by continuous delays in receiving regulatory approval to
begin oil and gas production. A loss of sales due to an explosion and fire

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PhJllipa Petroleum

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at its Houston Chemical Complex also contributed to Phillips 1989 profitability decline.

Impact of Exchange
Offer on Phillips
Employees and
Community

As discussed previously, Phillips continued to reduce its work force

after the exchange offer as part of its efforts to reduce operating costs.
At the end of 1989, Phillips employed 21,800 people, about 26 percent
less than at the end of 1984 before the exchange offer and about 37
percent less than in 1981 when Phillips initially began its restructuring
effort. The largest declines after the exchange offer occurred during
I986 when Phillips implemented its offer and during 1986 when oil
prices plunged. The reductions, effected primarily through early retirement programs, reorganization of operations, and asset sales, paralleled
what had been happening in the oil industry during the early 1980s as
oil prices trended downwards. In response to the changing economic
environment, the oil industry had undergone major restructuring
resulting in a fall in overall industry employment from a high of 708,000
in 1982 to 425,000 in August, 1986.29However, according to Phillips officials, the companys restructuring activities were more severe than
would have been required in the downturn due to the high debt burden
the company acquired through its recapitalization.
On the basis of the companys filings and changes that were occurring
industrywide, employees of Phillips upstream operations might have
felt the brunt of the reduction as domestic production of oil and gas
became less profitable. For example, in 1988 Phillips upstream work
force declined 10 percent because of a consolidation of upstream operations. Furthermore, after years of consolidating and streamlining the
company, an increase in the work force of about 4 percent in 1989 was
primarily in the companys expanding downstream operations.
Phillips regards its role as a corporate citizen to be a high priority-one
not only requiring the company to contribute to the well-being of the
communities where it is located but also promoting a higher quality of
life for the nation as a whole. On the basis of an analysis of Phillips
charitable contributions, environmental expenditures, continual sponsorship of the U.S. Swimming and Diving teams, and involvement in
public policy issues pertaining to energy and the environment, Phillips
appears to have remained active in its citizenship role after the
exchange offer.

2RIJ.S.Oil Production - The Effect of Low Oil Prices. D. 96.

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However, Phillips streamlining and cost-cutting measures after its

exchange offer did have an adverse effect on at least one of its local
communities: Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Phillips headquarters has been
located in Bartlesville since 1917, and the company has been a significant factor in the economic base of the community. According to officials of the Bartlesville Area Chamber of Commerce, much of the
industry in Bartlesville has been linked to oil, and Phillips has been the
predominant employer, with about 31 percent of the towns work force
working there at the end of 1984 before the exchange offer. Consequently, Phillips actions after the exchange offer, in particular its
reductions in work force, had a significant impact on the community as
did the oil price decline in 1986. As indicated in table VI.9, Phillips Bartlesville work force declined the greatest in 1985 and 1986.
Table Vl.9: Phillips Bartlesville
Force

Work

Year
1984
1985
1986
1987
_--~-----1988
1989
1990

.._____.

..____-_

Work force
7,779
6,186
5.043
5,352
4,805
5,301
5.405

Percent of
Bartlesvilles
total
work-____
force
( 1.0)
..__ __.-----31 .l
(20.5)___-___---- 23.3
(18.5)
19.4
6.1-21.2
(10.2)
-.__-I_- 20.6
10.3
23.6
2.0
a

Percent than e in
work force 7 rom
previous year

aData on Bartlesville work force for 1990 were not available.

Source: A Philllps official provided data on Phillips Bartlesville work force. The Bartlesvllle Area
Chamber of Commerce provided data on Bartlesvilles work force.

Chamber officials cited increasing unemployment, declining real estate

values, declining city sales tax revenues, and failing retail and service
businesses due to a decline in earning power as indicators of the adverse
impact Phillips had on the community after its recapitalization.
In response to the impact Phillips was having on the community, the city
of Bartlesville in conjunction with the Chamber established an economic
development program in 1986 designed to lessen Bartlesvilles dependence on both the company and the oil and gas industry by diversifying
the local economy. A one-quarter-cent sales tax was passed by the
voters of Bartlesville in 1986 and again in December 1990 to fund the
program. According to Chamber officials, the program has been moderately successful in bringing in new industry, but most of its success has

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Phillips Petroleum

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been in expanding already existing businesses. One official said Bartlesvilles economy has rebounded from its slump as evidenced by positive
reversals in the indicators previously cited. However, the turnaround
paralleled Phillips own improving situation, which contributed to Bartlesvilles upswing. Chamber officials recognize that Bartlesville is still
very dependent on Phillips and oil in general, and efforts to diversify
the economy are ongoing.

Current Status of
Phillips

At the end of 1989, management reported that it considered Phillips

level of debt to be manageable and consequently, during 1990, concentrated more on capital spending projects and less on reducing debt. For
example, Phillips 1990 capital expenditures were almost 60 percent
greater than the level in 1989 and, on September 30, 1990, Phillips longterm debt was about $4 billion, the same level that existed at the end of
1989. The debt incurred in Phillips 1986 exchange offer no longer
appears to be a major factor behind changes in the companys operations, structure, or work force. According to comments made by Phillips
chairman and CEO to the National Association of Petroleum Analysts in
April 1990, debt reduction must now compete with other corporate uses
for cash flow. Consequently, management has been able to focus on
enhancing the companys operations and its value to stockholders. Phillips has also taken various steps designed to deter future takeover
attempts, including amending its Certificate of Incorporation to make it
more difficult and time-consuming to change control of the board of
directors and issuing preferred share purchase rights that are exercisable when a person or group acquires 20 percent or more of the companys outstanding common stock. The rights enable the holder to buy
additional shares of Phillips common stock at a discount with the effect
of substantially diluting ownership by the party attempting to take over
the company on terms not acceptable to the board of directors.

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Leveraged

Buyouts

Major Contributors to This Report

General Government
Division, Washington,

Michael A. Burnett, Assistant Director, Financial Institutions and

Markets Issues
Richard L. Wilson, Evaluator-in-Charge
David P Tarosky Senior Evaluator
SuzanneBright ivaluator
Wendy C. Gravks, Evaluator
Phoebe A. Jones, Secretary

Page 131

GAO/GGD91-107

Leveraged

Buyouts

United States
General Accounting
Office
Washington,
I).(:. 20548
Official
Penalty

Husiness
for Private

~JSP$300