joan-ex42_58.htm



Exhibit 4.2

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES
REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

JOANN Inc.’s (the “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”)  authorized capital stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”), and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Preferred Stock”). We issued all shares of our capital stock in uncertificated form. The following summary description is based on the provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), our Amended and Restated Bylaws, (the “Bylaws”), and the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). This information may not be complete in all respects and is qualified entirely by reference to the provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws. Our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws are filed as exhibits to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 19, 2021.

 

Common Stock

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes a total of 200,000,000 shares of common stock. Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. An election of directors by our stockholders shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders entitled to vote on the election. Each other matter presented to the stockholders at a duly called or convened meeting at which a quorum is present shall be decided by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast (excluding abstentions and broker non-votes) on such matter. Holders of common stock are entitled to receive proportionately any dividends as may be declared by our board of directors, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

 

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution, or winding up, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive proportionately our net assets available for distribution to stockholders after the payment in full of all debts and other liabilities and subject to the prior rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Holders of common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to and may be adversely affected by the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

 

Preferred Stock

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes a total of 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Under the terms of our Certificate of Incorporation, our board of directors is authorized to direct us to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series without stockholder approval. Our board of directors has the discretion to determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, of each series of preferred stock.

 

The purpose of authorizing our board of directors to issue preferred stock and determine its rights and preferences is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions, future financings and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or could discourage a third party from seeking to acquire, a majority of our outstanding voting stock. 

 

Dividends

 

The DGCL permits a corporation to declare and pay dividends out of “surplus” or, if there is no “surplus,” out of its net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared or the preceding fiscal year. “Surplus” is defined as the excess of the net assets of the corporation over the amount determined to be the capital of the corporation by the board of directors. The capital of the corporation is typically calculated to be (and cannot be less 

 



 

than) the aggregate par value of all issued shares of capital stock. Net assets equal the fair value of the total assets minus total liabilities. The DGCL also provides that dividends may not be paid out of net profits if, after the payment of the dividend, capital is less than the capital represented by the outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets.

 

Declaration and payment of any dividend is subject to the discretion of our board of directors. The time and amount of dividends will depend upon our financial condition, operations, cash requirements and availability, debt repayment obligations, capital expenditure needs, restrictions in our debt instruments, industry trends, the provisions of Delaware law affecting the payment of distributions to stockholders and any other factors our board of directors may consider relevant.

 

Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future is made at the sole discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Our ability to pay dividends is limited by covenants in our existing indebtedness and may be limited by the agreements governing other indebtedness that we or our subsidiaries incur in the future. In addition, because we are a holding company and have no direct operations, we are only able to pay dividends from funds we receive from our subsidiaries.

 

Authorized but Unissued Shares

 

The authorized but unissued shares of our common stock and our preferred stock are available for future issuance without stockholder approval, subject to any limitations imposed by the listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. These additional shares may be used for a variety of corporate finance transactions, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could make more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

 

Stockholders Agreement

 

We are party to an Amended and Restated Stockholders Agreement, dated March 16, 2021 with several of our stockholders (“Stockholders Agreement”) includes provisions pursuant to which we granted Leonard Green & Partners, L.P., (“LGP”) and certain other stockholders (or such permitted transferee or affiliate) the right to cause us, in certain instances, at our expense, to file registration statements under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”) covering resales of our common stock held by such stockholders (or such permitted transferee or affiliate) or to piggyback on such registration statements in certain circumstances. The Stockholders Agreement also requires us to indemnify LGP (or such permitted transferee or affiliate) and its affiliates in connection with any registrations of our securities. In addition, the Stockholders Agreement provides that LGP is entitled to designate individuals to be included in the slate of nominees recommended by our board of directors for election to our board of directors, so as to ensure that the composition of our board of directors and its committees complies with the provisions of the Stockholders Agreement related to the composition of our board of directors and its committees.

 

Registration Rights

 

Subsequent the closing of our initial public offering, the holders of 27,842,386 shares of our common stock, including certain selling stockholders, or their transferees, are entitled to various rights with respect to the registration of these shares under the Securities Act. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act resulted in these shares becoming fully tradable without restriction under the Securities Act immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration, except for shares purchased by affiliates. Shares covered by a registration statement are eligible for sale in the public market upon the expiration or release from the terms of the lock-up agreement.

 

 



 

Exclusive Venue

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our Certificate of Incorporation or our Bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine will have to be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware (or the federal district court for the District of Delaware or other state courts of the State of Delaware if the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction). The Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws also require that the federal district courts of the United States of America are the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act; however, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision, and investors cannot waive compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Although we believe these provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of applicable law in the types of lawsuits to which they apply, the provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. These provisions do not apply to any suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts of the United States have exclusive jurisdiction.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

Delaware law permits corporations to adopt provisions renouncing any interest or expectancy in certain opportunities that are presented to the corporation or its officers, directors or stockholders. Our Certificate of Incorporation, to the maximum extent permitted from time to time by Delaware law, renounces any interest or expectancy that we have in, or right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, specified business opportunities that are from time to time presented to our officers, directors or stockholders or their respective affiliates, other than those officers, directors, stockholders or affiliates who are our or our subsidiaries’ employees. Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, none of LGP or any of their affiliates or any director who is not employed by us (including any non-employee director who serves as one of our officers in both his director and officer capacities) or his or her affiliates have any duty to refrain from (i) engaging in a corporate opportunity in the same or similar lines of business in which we or our affiliates now engage or propose to engage or (ii) otherwise competing with us or our affiliates. In addition, to the fullest extent permitted by law, in the event that LGP or any non-employee director acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or other business opportunity which may be a corporate opportunity for itself or himself or its or his affiliates or for us or our affiliates, such person has no duty to communicate or offer such transaction or business opportunity to us or any of our affiliates and they may take any such opportunity for themselves or offer it to another person or entity. Our Certificate of Incorporation does not renounce our interest in any business opportunity that is expressly offered to a non-employee director solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company. To the fullest extent permitted by law, no business opportunity will be deemed to be a potential corporate opportunity for us unless we are permitted, to undertake the opportunity under our Certificate of Incorporation, we have sufficient financial resources to undertake the opportunity and the opportunity is in line with our business.

 

Limitations on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

 

The DGCL authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of directors’ fiduciary duties, subject to certain exceptions. Our Certificate of Incorporation includes a provision that eliminates the personal liability of directors for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of these provisions is to eliminate the rights of us and our stockholders, through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf, to recover monetary damages from a director for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, including breaches resulting from grossly negligent behavior. However, exculpation does not apply to any director if the director has breached his or her duty of loyalty, failed to act in good faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized illegal dividends or redemptions or derived an improper personal benefit from his or her actions as a director.

 

 



 

Our Bylaws provide that we must indemnify and advance expenses to our directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL. We also are expressly authorized to carry directors’ and officers’ liability insurance providing indemnification for our directors, officers and certain employees for some liabilities. We believe that these indemnification and advancement provisions and insurance are useful to attract and retain qualified directors and executive officers.

 

The limitation of liability, indemnification and advancement provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. In addition, your investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

 

We currently are party to indemnification agreements with certain of our directors and officers. These agreements require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

 

There is currently no pending material litigation or proceeding involving any of our directors, officers or employees for which indemnification is sought.

 

Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation, Our Bylaws and Delaware Law

 

Certain provisions of Delaware law and our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws contain provisions that may delay, defer or discourage another party from acquiring control of us. We believe that these provisions, which are summarized below, discourage coercive takeover practices or inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors, which we believe may result in an improvement of the terms of any such acquisition in favor of our stockholders. However, they also give our board of directors the power to discourage acquisitions that some stockholders may favor.

 

Classified Board of Directors

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that our board of directors is divided into three classes, with each class serving three-year staggered terms. As a result, approximately one-third of our directors are expected to be elected each year. Pursuant to the terms of the Stockholders Agreement, directors designated by LGP may only be removed with or without cause by the request of LGP. In all other cases, our Certificate of Incorporation provides that directors may only be removed from our board of directors for cause by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of voting stock, following such time as when LGP ceases to own, or no longer has the right to direct the vote of, 50% or more of the voting power of our common stock. Prior to that time, any individual director may be removed with or without cause by the affirmative vote of a majority of the confirmed voting power of our common stock. These provisions may have the effect of deferring, delaying or discouraging hostile takeovers, or changes in control of us or our management. 

Requirements for Advance Notification of Stockholder Meetings, Nominations and Proposals

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that, after the date on which LGP and their affiliates cease to beneficially own, in the aggregate, more than 50% in voting power of our stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, special meetings of the stockholders may be called only by the chairman of the board, a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of the majority of the directors then in office and not by our stockholders or any other person or persons. Our Bylaws prohibit the conduct of any business at a special meeting other than as specified in the notice for such meeting. In addition, any stockholder who wishes to bring business before an annual meeting or nominate directors must comply with the advance notice requirements set forth in our Bylaws. These provisions may have the effect of deferring, delaying or discouraging hostile takeovers or changes in control of us or our management.

 

 



 

Stockholder Action by Written Consent

 

Pursuant to Section 228 of the DGCL, any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of our stock entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, unless our Certificate of Incorporation provides otherwise. Our Certificate of Incorporation prohibits stockholder action by written consent (and, thus, requires that all stockholder actions be taken at a meeting of our stockholders), if LGP ceases to own, or no longer has the right to direct the vote of, 50% or more of the voting power of our common stock.

 

Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation further provides that the affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of voting stock, voting as a single class, are required to amend certain provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation, including provisions relating to the size of the board, removal of directors, special meetings, actions by written consent and cumulative voting, if LGP ceases to own, or no longer has the right to direct the vote of, 50% or more of the voting power of our common stock. The affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of voting stock, voting as a single class, are required to amend or repeal our Bylaws, if LGP ceases to own, or no longer has the right to direct the vote of, 50% or more of the voting power of our common stock, although our Bylaws may be amended by a simple majority vote of our board of directors.

 

Business Combinations

 

We have opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL, which prohibits persons deemed to be “interested stockholders” from engaging in a “business combination” with a publicly held Delaware corporation for three years following the date these persons become interested stockholders unless the business combination is, or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder was, approved in a prescribed manner or another prescribed exception applies.

 

Stock Exchange Listing

 

Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “JOAN.”