Furniture Brands International announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware has declared an affiliate of KPS Capital Partners, LP ("KPS") as the winning bidder in the auction to acquire substantially all of the company's assets. Furniture Brands and KPS expect to complete the transaction in the next several business days.
Ralph Scozzafava, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Furniture Brands, said: "We congratulate KPS and firmly believe that this transaction is the best outcome for all of our stakeholders. KPS has a long track record of providing companies that have undergone restructurings with the operational expertise and financial strength they need to preserve their market leadership as strong standalone businesses positioned for future growth. We are quite pleased that KPS has extended an offer of employment to substantially all of our employees who will help build a successful future for Furniture Brands."
On October 3, 2013, KPS was named as the "stalking horse" bidder in the Court-supervised sales process under Section 363 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. KPS also provided Furniture Brands with a $190 million Debtor-in-Possession financing facility to support its operations. In order to maximize the value of the Company's assets, the agreement between Furniture Brands and KPS allowed for additional qualified prospective bidders to enter an auction process, in accordance with procedures established by the Court. The Court set November 20, 2013 as the deadline for submitting bids and November 21, 2013 as the date of the auction.
Miller Buckfire and Company, LLC is acting as investment banker for the Company; Alvarez and Marsal North America, LLC is acting as restructuring advisor; and Paul Hastings LLP is the Company's legal counsel. Proskauer Rose LLP is acting as legal counsel to KPS with respect to the transaction.
Furniture Brands and certain of its affiliates commenced cases to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on September 9, 2013.
Furniture Brands International is a world leader in designing, manufacturing, sourcing and retailing home furnishings. Furniture Brands markets products through a wide range of channels, including company owned Thomasville retail stores and through interior designers, multiline/independent retailers and mass merchant stores. Furniture Brands serves its customers through some of the best known and most respected brands in the furniture industry, including Thomasville, Broyhill, Lane, Drexel Heritage, Henredon, Pearson, Hickory Chair, Lane Venture, Maitland-Smith and LaBarge.
KPS is the manager of the KPS Special Situations Funds, a family of investment funds with over $6.0 billion of assets under management. KPS seeks to realize significant capital appreciation by making controlling equity investments in companies across a diverse range of manufacturing industries.