SEC Comment Letter for Restaurant Brands International Limited Partnership (RSTRF) (CIK 0001618755) (RSTRF) — Oct 15, 2014
Restaurant Brands International Limited Partnership (RSTRF) (CIK 0001618755)
Date: Oct. 15, 2014 · CIK: 0001618755 · Accession: 0000000000-14-051409
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File numbers found in text: 333-198769
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October 14, 2014 Via E-mail Joshua Kobza Principal Executive Officer 10117733 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company c/o Burger King Worldwide, Inc. 5505 Blue Lagoon Drive Miami, FL 33126 Re: 1011773 B.C. Unlimited Liability Co mpany New Red Canada Partnership Registration Statement on Form S-4 Filed September 16, 2014 File No. 333-198769 & -01 Dear Mr. Kobza: We have reviewed your registration statement and have the following comments. In some of our comments, we may ask you to provide us with information so we may better understand your disclosure. Please respond to this letter by amending your registration statement and providing the requested informati on. If you do not believe our comments apply to your facts and circumstances or do not believe an amendment is appropriate, please tell us why in your response. After reviewing any amendment to your registration statement and the information you provid e in response to these comments, we may have additional comments. About This Joint Information Statement/Circular 1. Please revise the third paragraph to remove the implication that you are not responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the disclosure in the prospectus and joint information statement/circular. Questions and Answers about the Transactions, page 1 2. Please add a question and answer disclosing the potential negative factors considered by the board of Tim Hortons in relation to the merger transactions . Please similarly add a question and answer disclosing the potential negative factors considered by the board of Burger King Worldwide in relation to the merger transactions . Joshua Kobza 1011773 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company October 14, 2014 Page 2 3. Please add a question and answer regarding the reasons why the place of incorporation for the new combined businesses will be in Canada. Please also add a question and answer reg arding the amount of financing and amount of debt to be incurred in connection with the transaction. What are Tim Hortons reasons for the arrangement?, page 2 4. Please briefly summarize in the answer to this question the most significant reasons for the a rrangement. Please similarly revise the first full question and answer on page 8 with respect to Burger King Worldwide’s reasons for the transactions. 5. Please summarize the interests of directors and officers of Tim Hortons in the proposed transaction that might be different from the interests of shareholders in a separate question and answer. Please similarly revise the Questions and Answers for Burger King Worldwide Stockholders. Will each Tim Hortons shareholder who makes a cash election?, page 12 6. Please clarify here that a Tim Hortons shareholder will receive less cash and more Holdings common shares if the cash election is oversubscribed. Who is soliciting my proxy?, page 24 7. You state that prox ies may be solicited by personal interview, telephone, facsimile, or otherwise. Please confirm that you will file all written soliciting material, including any scripts to be used in soliciting proxies by personal interview or by telephone. Summary of Financial Information, page 24 8. Please revise the last paragraph on page 24 to remove the statement that the pro forma financial information is provided “for illustrative purposes only.” Please similarly revise the first paragraph of the last risk factor on page 37 , the carryover paragraph at the top of page 58 , and the fourth paragraph on page 240 . Risk Factors, page 26 Burger King Worldwide stockholders may receive a portion of their consideration, page 28 9. Please clarify that the shareholders of Burger King will not know the exact mix of consideration that they will receive prior to making their el ection. An active trading market for Partnership exchangeable units may not develop, page 39 10. Please clarify that the Partnership exchangeable units will not be listed on a national exchange in the U.S. Joshua Kobza 1011773 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company October 14, 2014 Page 3 The exchange of Partnership exchangeable units into Holdings common shares, page 41 11. Please clarify the risk factor by disclosing that Holdings, as general partner of Partnership, will have the sole discretion to exchange the exchangeable units of Partnership for cash or common shares of Holdings. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward -Looking Statements, page 47 12. As the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act does not apply to this initial public offering of 1011773 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company and New Red Canada Partnership, please remove the refe rence to the statute. Selected Historical Consolidated Financial Data of Burger King Worldwide, page 53 13. We note the last sentence on page 53 which indicates that all references to June 30, 2014 and 2013 and the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 hav e been derived from unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto not incorporated by reference. As the disclosure on page 307 under the heading “Where you can find more information” indicates the Burger King Worldwide’s Quarterly Report on Form 10 -Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2014 has been incorporated by reference in the filing, it appears this disclosure is in error. Please revise as appropriate. 14. Within “Other Operating Data” on page 55, we note that the footnotes reference company restaurants and franchise restaurants. In order to enhance clarity regarding how the number of company and franchised operations changed during the periods presented and their impact on your results of operations, please disclose the n umber of company restaurants and franchise restaurants either within the table on page 55 or in the footnotes, for each period presented. Selected Pro Forma Non -GAAP Financial Data, page 58 15. Within footnote (2) on page 59, you state that pro forma adjuste d net income is useful to analysts and investors to evaluate your ongoing results of operations. Please revise to disclose any additional purposes that management uses this non -GAAP financial measure for as required by Item 10(e) of Regulation S -K. Benef icial Stock Ownership Information of Burger King Worldwide Stockholders, page 75 16. Please provide ownership information for Burger King Worldwide stockholders as of the most recent practicable date. Refer to Item 403 of Regulation S -K. The Transactions, p age 77 17. Please disclose whether there is any known litigation in connection with the transactions. If so, please provide us with copies of any related complaints. We note in this regard Joshua Kobza 1011773 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company October 14, 2014 Page 4 “Litigation Related to the Transactions” in the table of contents but we are unable to locate this disclosure on page 147. Recommendation of Tim Hortons Board of Directors, page 92 18. Please briefly explain how the combined company will be expected to accomplish the objectives referenced in the fourth and fifth bullet points on page 93 given that under the final arrangement Tim Hortons and Burger King will remain separate brands and the separation of functions between the two companies. Please similarly revise the first bullet point in the list of potentially positive factors considered by the Burger King Worldwide board on page 96. 19. You state that requiring Holdings to be a significant supplier of share d services to its subsidiaries as a reason the Tim Hortons board determined that the arrangement is in the best interests of Tim Hortons. Please disclose the shared services that Holdings will oversee after the merger. 20. Please clarify whe ther the amount of outstanding debt and the new debt expected to be incurred to finance the transaction was considered as a negative factor. We note the last risk factor on page 33. 21. Please quantify, to the extent known, the significant transaction costs and expenses in connection with the arrangement referenced in the ninth bullet point in the listing of potential negative factors on page 95. Burger King Worldwide’s Reasons for the Merger, page 96 22. Please explain the “attractive free cash flow generation” that the Burger King Worldwide board of directors considered for the merger. 23. We note that the Burger King Worldwide board of directors considered as a positive factor the anticipated tax benefits to the combined company following the transacti ons. Please disclose the tax benefits that the combined company expects as a result of the arrangement transactions. 24. You disclosed in the tenth bullet point under the listing of potentially negative factors on page 97 that the Burger King Worldwide board of directors considered the risk of changes in law or regulation that could impact the expected benefits of the arrangement. Please disclose the proposed changes in law or regulation that the board considered and specif ically address whether the risk of changes in U.S. tax laws was considered as a negative factor. Joshua Kobza 1011773 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company October 14, 2014 Page 5 Opinions of Tim Hortons Financial Advisors, page 98 25. Please provide u s with copies of the board books and any other materials prepared by Citigroup Global Markets Inc., RBC Capital Markets, and Lazard Frères & Co. LLC. Such materials should include all presentations made by the financial advisors. 26. In arriving at Citi’s financial opinion, please disclose the potential strategic implications and operational benefits that Citi considered as referred to in the fourth bullet point on page 98. Tim Hortons Financial Analyses, page 100 Selected Companies Analysis, page 100 27. Please revise to disclose the data underlying the analysis and indicate how that information resulted in the multiples disclosed. For example, p lease disclose the estimated EBI TDA and estimated EPS for each of the companies listed on page 101 for each respective period. Selected Precedent Transaction Analysis, page 102 28. Please revise to disclose the data underlying the analysis and indicate how that information resulted in the multiples disclosed. For example, p lease disclose the latest 12 month EBITDA for each of the target companies listed on page 102 for each respective period. Please similarly revise the disclosure with respect to the Tim Hortons Selected Precedent Transactions Analysis on page 109. Miscellaneous, page 103 29. Refer to the second paragraph of this section. Please quantify any fees payable to Citi and its affiliates relating to any material relationship that existed in the last two years between Tim Hortons and its affiliates and Citi and its affiliates . Refe r to Item 1015(b)(4) of Regulation M -A. Please similarly revise the discussion on page 110 with respect to material relationships between Tim Hortons and its affiliates and RBC Capital Markets and its affiliates and the discussion on page 120 with respect to material relationships between Burger King Worldwide and its affiliates and Lazard and its affiliates. Opinion of RBC Capital Markets, page 104 Tim Hortons Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, page 108 30. Please explain why RBC Capital Markets selected the range of EBITDA multiples of 11.0x to 14.0x. Joshua Kobza 1011773 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company October 14, 2014 Page 6 Opinion of Burger King Worldwide’s Financial Advisor, page 111 31. We note that Lazard examined certain financial forecasts relating to Tim Hortons provided by the management of Tim Hortons . Please disclose the material financial forecasts provided by management and provided to Lazard to prepare its financial opinion. Financing for the Transactions, page 144 Debt Financing, page 145 32. Please file the debt commitment letter as an exhibit to the registration statement or explain to us why you believe this is not required to be filed. Accounting Treatment of the Transactions, page 146 33. Please revise the discussion on page 146 to explain the accounting treatment for the transaction in which the shareholders of Burger King Worldwide common stock will exchange their common shares for Holdings common shares and/or newly issued Partnership exchangeable units as described on page 77 of the fil ing under the heading “The Transactions. ” Your discussion of the accounting treatment on page 19 should be similarly revised. Material Tax Considerations for the Transactions, page 146 34. Please revise the third paragraph of this section and the bolded pa ragraph on page 169 to remove the statement that the discussion of material tax consequences is “for general purposes only” or “of a general nature only.” 35. To the extent you intend to file short -form opinions of Paul, Weiss, or Wachtell, please name tax counsel in this section and clarify that the discussion constitutes the opinion of counsel. The Arrangement Agreement, page 183 36. Refer to your discussion in the second paragraph and in the carryover paragraph on pages 187-188 with respect to representat ions and warranties contained in the arrangement agreement. Please confirm your understanding that you are responsible for considering whether additional specific disclosure or material information regarding material contractual provisions are required to make the statements included in your disclosure not misleading. Joshua Kobza 1011773 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company October 14, 2014 Page 7 Treatment of Outstanding Tim Hortons Equity Awards, page 185 37. We note from the discussion on page 185 that vested options surrendered by Tim Hortons shareholders will receive Tim Hortons shares equal to the value of the in -the-money options surrendered. We also note from the discussion on page 186 that Tim Hortons Restricted Stock Units and Performance Stock Units will vest and common shares will be issued in full settlement of such awar ds. Please explain whether Tim Hortons will be required to recognize any expense in its financial statements as a result of the settlement of the restricted stock units and performance stock units. If not, please explain why. If the shares that will be received as a result of these transactions will become part of the merger consideration, please explain how these vested options, restricted stock units and performance stock units have been considered in determining the purchase price for Tim Hortons reflected in Note 3 on pages 245 and 246 of the pro forma financial information. If they have not been considered in determining the purchase price, please explain why. 38. We note the disclosure indicating that each outstanding Tim H ortons stock option whether vested or unvested that is not surrendered will be exchanged for a stock option to acquire from Holdings a number of Holdings common shares equal to the product of (a) the number of Tim Hortons shares subject to options multipli ed by (b) the exchange ratio of 3.0879 rounded down to the nearest whole number of shares. The exercise price of the option will be equal to the quotient of (a) the exercise price per Tim Hortons common share to be exchanged divided by (b) the exchange ra tio of 3.0879, provided that the in - the-money value of such Holdings stock options immediately after the issuance may not exceed the in -the-money value of the Tim Hortons stock options immediately prior to such issuance. Please tell us and revise to discl ose whether you will be required to recognize any incremental compensation expense as a result of the exchange of Tim Hortons stock options for options of Holdings. 39. We note the disclosure indicating that at the time of the merger, all outstanding Tim Hortons deferred stock units will vest and Tim Hortons will pay holders of Tim Hortons deferred stock units an amount in cash equal to C$65.50 plus the value of .8025 new ly issued common shares of Holdings. Please tell us whether these deferred stock units wi ll vest in accordance with their o