UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): November 27, 2017

 

Rite Aid Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

30 Hunter Lane, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania 17011

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

 

(717) 761-2633

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

N/A

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

Emerging growth company               o

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  o

 

 

 

Item 8.01.  Other Events.

 

Rite Aid Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), today announced that it has completed the pilot closing and first subsequent closings under the previously disclosed Amended and Restated Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Asset Purchase Agreement”), dated as of September 18, 2017, by and among the Company, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“WBA”), and Walgreen Co., an Illinois corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of WBA (“Buyer”), resulting in the transfer of 97 Rite Aid stores and related assets to Buyer.  Under the Asset Purchase Agreement, Buyer will purchase a total of 1,932 stores, three distribution centers and related inventory from the Company for an all-cash purchase price of $4.375 billion on a cash-free, debt-free basis.  The Company, WBA and Buyer expect to continue to transfer ownership of the stores in phases over the coming months, with the goal being to complete the store transfers in spring of 2018.  The majority of the closing conditions have been satisfied, and the subsequent transfers of Rite Aid stores and related assets remain subject to minimal customary closing conditions applicable only to the stores being transferred at such subsequent closing, as specified in the Asset Purchase Agreement.

 

The Asset Purchase Agreement was filed as Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K by the Company on September 19, 2017, and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 hereto and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.		Description
99.1		Press Release, dated November 27, 2017

 

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

 

Statements in this report that are not historical, are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expected timing of subsequent closings of the sale of Rite Aid stores and assets to WBA; the ability of the parties to complete the subsequent closings for sale and related subsequent transactions considering the various closing conditions; the outcome of legal and regulatory matters in connection with the sale of stores and assets of Rite Aid to WBA; the expected benefits of the transactions such as improved operations, growth potential, market profile and financial strength; the competitive ability and position of Rite Aid following completion of the proposed transactions; the ability of Rite Aid to implement new business strategies following the completion of the proposed transactions and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” and “will” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our high level of indebtedness and our ability to make interest and principal payments on our debt and satisfy the other covenants contained in our debt agreements; general economic, industry, market, competitive, regulatory and political conditions; our ability to improve the operating performance

 

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of our stores in accordance with our long term strategy; the impact of private and public third-party payers continued reduction in prescription drug reimbursements and efforts to encourage mail order; our ability to manage expenses and our investments in working capital; outcomes of legal and regulatory matters; changes in legislation or regulations, including healthcare reform; our ability to achieve the benefits of our efforts to reduce the costs of our generic and other drugs; risks related to the proposed transactions, including the possibility that the subsequent transactions may not close, including because a governmental entity  may prohibit, delay or refuse to grant approval for the consummation of the transactions, or may require conditions, limitations or restrictions in connection with such approvals, the risk that there may be a material adverse change of Rite Aid, or the business of Rite Aid may suffer as a result of uncertainty surrounding the proposed transactions; risks related to the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transactions; risks associated with the financing of the proposed transaction; disruption from the proposed transaction making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the effect of the pending sale on Rite Aid’s business relationships (including, without limitation, customers and suppliers), operating results and business generally; risks related to diverting management’s or employees’ attention from ongoing business operations; the risk that Rite Aid’s stock price may decline significantly if the proposed transaction is not completed; significant transaction costs; unknown liabilities; the risk of litigation and/or regulatory actions related to the proposed transactions; potential changes to our strategy in the event the proposed transactions do not close, which may include delaying or reducing capital or other expenditures, selling assets or other operations, attempting to restructure or refinance our debt, or seeking additional capital, and other business effects. These and other risks, assumptions and uncertainties are more fully described in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and in other documents that we file or furnish with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which you are encouraged to read. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward- looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Rite Aid expressly disclaims any current intention to update publicly any forward-looking statement after the distribution of this report, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

	RITE AID CORPORATION
Dated: November 27, 2017	By:	/s/ James J. Comitale
		Name:	James J. Comitale
		Title:	Senior Vice President, General Counsel

 

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