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REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

Registration Rights Agreement

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT | Document Parties: INGLES MARKETS INC | Scott & Stringfellow, LLC You are currently viewing:
This Registration Rights Agreement involves

INGLES MARKETS INC | Scott & Stringfellow, LLC

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Title: REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Governing Law: New York     Date: 5/15/2009
Industry: Retail (Grocery)     Law Firm: Cahill Gordon;Greenberg Traurig;Shearman Sterling     Sector: Services

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT, Parties: ingles markets inc , scott & stringfellow  llc
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Exhibit 4.3

 

 

 

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

 

 

by and among

 

 

Ingles Markets, Incorporated

 

 

 

and

 


 

Banc of America Securities LLC

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC

BB&T Capital Markets, a division of Scott & Stringfellow, LLC

 

 


 

Dated as of May 12, 2009

 

 


 

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

 

This Registration Rights Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of May 12, 2009, by and among Ingles Markets, Incorporated, a North Carolina corporation (the “Company”), and Banc of America Securities LLC, Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and BB&T Capital Markets, a division of Scott & Stringfellow, LLC (collectively, the “Initial Purchasers”), each of whom has agreed to purchase the Company’s 8-7/8% Senior Notes due 2017 (the “Initial Securities”) pursuant to the Purchase Agreement (as defined below).

 

This Agreement is made pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, dated April 30, 2009 (the “Purchase Agreement”), between the Company, and the Initial Purchasers (i) for the benefit of the Initial Purchasers and (ii) for the benefit of the holders from time to time of the Initial Securities, including the Initial Purchasers.  In order to induce the Initial Purchasers to purchase the Initial Securities, the Company has agreed to provide the registration rights set forth in this Agreement.  The execution and delivery of this Agreement is a condition to the obligations of the Initial Purchasers set forth in Section 5(f) of the Purchase Agreement.

 

The parties hereby agree as follows:

 

SECTION 1.   Definitions .  As used in this Agreement, the following capitalized terms shall have the following meanings:

 

Additional Interest:   As defined in Section 5 hereof.

 

Additional Interest Payment Date:   With respect to the Initial Securities, each Interest Payment Date.

 

Advice: As defined in Section 6(c) hereof.

 

Agreement:   As defined in the preamble hereto.

 

Broker-Dealer:   Any broker or dealer registered under the Exchange Act.

 

Business Day:   Any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or U.S. federal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies located in New York, New York are authorized or obligated to be closed.

 

Closing Date:   The date of this Agreement.

 

Commission:   The Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Company:   As defined in the preamble hereto.

 

Consummate:   An Exchange Offer shall be deemed “Consummated” for purposes of this Agreement upon the occurrence of (i) the filing and effectiveness under the Securities Act of the Exchange Offer Registration Statement relating to the Exchange Securities to be issued in the Exchange Offer, (ii) the maintenance of such Registration Statement continuously effective and the keeping of the Exchange Offer open for a period not less than the minimum period required pursuant to Section 3(b) hereof, and (iii) the delivery by the Company to the Registrar under the Indenture of Exchange Securities in the same aggregate principal amount as the aggregate principal amount of Transfer Restricted Securities that were validly tendered by Holders thereof and accepted by the Company pursuant to the Exchange Offer.

 


 

Effectiveness Target Date:   As defined in Section 5 hereof.

 

Exchange Act:   The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

Exchange Offer:   The registration by the Company under the Securities Act of the Exchange Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement pursuant to which the Company offers the Holders of all outstanding Transfer Restricted Securities, so permitted under applicable law and Commission policy to participate in such an offer, the opportunity to exchange all such outstanding Transfer Restricted Securities held by such Holders for Exchange Securities in an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of the Transfer Restricted Securities validly tendered by such Holders and accepted by the Company in such exchange offer.

 

Exchange Offer Registration Statement:   The Registration Statement relating to the Exchange Offer, including the related Prospectus.

 

Exchange Securities:   The 8-7/8% Senior Notes due 2017, of the same series under the Indenture as the Initial Securities, to be issued to Holders in exchange for Transfer Restricted Securities in the Exchange Offer.

 

FINRA:   Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.

 

Holders:   As defined in Section 2(b) hereof.

 

Indemnified Holder:   As defined in Section 8(a) hereof.

 

Indenture:   The Indenture, dated as of May 12, 2009, by and between the Company and U.S. Bank, N.A., as trustee (the “Trustee”), pursuant to which the Securities are to be issued, as such Indenture is amended or supplemented from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof.

 

Initial Purchaser:   As defined in the preamble hereto.

 

Initial Placement:   The issuance and sale by the Company of the Initial Securities to the Initial Purchasers pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.

 

Initial Securities:   As defined in the preamble hereto.

 

Interest Payment Date:   As defined in the Indenture and the Securities.

 

Person:   An individual, partnership, corporation, trust or unincorporated organization, or a government or agency or political subdivision thereof.

 

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Prospectus:   The prospectus included in a Registration Statement (including, without limitation, any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act), as amended or supplemented by any prospectus supplement and by all other amendments thereto, including post-effective amendments, and all material incorporated by reference into such Prospectus.

 

Purchase Agreement:   As defined in the preamble hereto.

 

Registration Default:   As defined in Section 5 hereof.

 

Registration Statement:   Any registration statement of the Company relating to (a) an offering of Exchange Securities pursuant to an Exchange Offer or (b) the registration for resale of Transfer Restricted Securities pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement, in each case (i) which is filed pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, (ii) including the Prospectus included therein, all amendments and supplements thereto (including post-effective amendments) and (iii) including all exhibits and material incorporated by reference therein.

 

Securities:   The Initial Securities and the Exchange Securities.

 

Securities Act:   The Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

Selling Holder:   Any Holder named as a selling security holder in any Registration Statement.

 

Shelf Filing Deadline:   As defined in Section 4(a) hereof.

 

Shelf Registration Statement:   As defined in Section 4(a) hereof.

 

Trust Indenture Act:   The Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

 

Transfer Restricted Securities:   Each Initial Security, until the earliest to occur of (a) the date on which such Initial Security is exchanged in the Exchange Offer for an Exchange Security entitled to be resold to the public by the Holder thereof without complying with the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, (b) the date on which such Initial Security has been effectively registered under the Securities Act and disposed of in accordance with a Shelf Registration Statement and (c) the date on which such Initial Security is distributed by a Broker-Dealer pursuant to the “Plan of Distribution” contemplated by the Exchange Offer Registration Statement (including delivery of the Prospectus contained therein).

 

Underwritten Registration or Underwritten Offering:   A registration in which securities of the Company are sold to an underwriter for reoffering to the public.

 

SECTION 2.   Securities Subject to this Agreement .

 

(a)   Transfer Restricted Securities.   The securities entitled to the benefits of this Agreement are the Transfer Restricted Securities.

 

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(b)   Holders of Transfer Restricted Securities.   A Person is deemed to be a holder of Transfer Restricted Securities (each, a “Holder”) whenever such Person owns Transfer Restricted Securities.

 

SECTION 3.   Registered Exchange Offer .

 

(a)   Unless the Exchange Offer shall not be permissible under applicable law or Commission policy (after the procedures set forth in Section 6(a) hereof have been complied with), the Company shall (i) file with the Commission as soon as practicable after the Closing Date, but in no event later than 120 days after the Closing Date (or if such 120th day is not a Business Day, the next succeeding Business Day), a Registration Statement under the Securities Act relating to the Exchange Securities and the Exchange Offer, (ii) use its reasonable best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to be declared effective at the earliest possible time, but in no event later than 210 days after the Closing Date (or if such 210th day is not a Business Day, the next succeeding Business Day), (iii) in connection with the foregoing, file (A) all pre-effective amendments to such Registration Statement as may be necessary in order to cause such Registration Statement to become effective, (B) if applicable, a post-effective amendment to such Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act and (C) cause all necessary filings in connection with the registration and qualification of the Exchange Securities to be made under the state securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as are necessary to permit Consummation of the Exchange Offer, and (iv) upon the effectiveness of such Registration Statement, commence the Exchange Offer.  The Exchange Offer shall be on the appropriate form permitting registration of the Exchange Securities to be offered in exchange for the Transfer Restricted Securities and to permit resales of Initial Securities held by Broker-Dealers as contemplated by Section 3(c) hereof.

 

(b)   The Company shall cause the Exchange Offer Registration Statement to be effective continuously and shall keep the Exchange Offer open for a period of not less than the minimum period required under applicable federal and state securities laws to Consummate the Exchange Offer; provided, however , that in no event shall such period be less than 30 days after the date notice of the Exchange Offer is mailed to the Holders.  The Company shall cause the Exchange Offer to comply with all applicable federal and state securities laws.  No securities other than the Exchange Securities shall be included in the Exchange Offer Registration Statement.  The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the Exchange Offer to be Consummated on the earliest practicable date after the Exchange Offer Registration Statement has become effective, but in no event later than 250 days after the Closing Date (or if such 250th day is not a Business Day, the next succeeding Business Day).

 

(c)   The Company shall indicate in a “Plan of Distribution” section contained in the Prospectus forming a part of the Exchange Offer Registration Statement that any Broker-Dealer who holds Initial Securities that are Transfer Restricted Securities and that were acquired for its own account as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities (other than Transfer Restricted Securities acquired directly from the Company or an affiliate of the Company), may exchange such Initial Securities pursuant to the Exchange Offer; however, such Broker-Dealer may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and must, therefore, deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resales of the Exchange Securities received by such Broker-Dealer in the Exchange Offer, which prospectus delivery requirement may be satisfied by the delivery by such Broker-Dealer of the Prospectus contained in the Exchange Offer Registration Statement.  Such “Plan of Distribution” section shall also contain all other information with respect to such resales by Broker-Dealers that the Commission may require in order to permit such resales pursuant thereto, but such “Plan of Distribution” shall not name any such Broker-Dealer or disclose the amount of Initial Securities held by any such Broker-Dealer except to the extent required by the Commission as a result of a change in policy after the date of this Agreement.

 

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The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to keep the Exchange Offer Registration Statement continuously effective, supplemented and amended as required by the provisions of Section 6(c) hereof to the extent necessary to ensure that it is available for resales of Initial Securities acquired by Broker-Dealers for their own accounts as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, and to ensure that it conforms with the requirements of this Agreement, the Securities Act and the policies, rules and regulations of the Commission as announced from time to time, for a period ending on the earlier of (i) 180 days from the date on which the Exchange Offer Registration Statement is declared effective and (ii) the date on which a Broker-Dealer is no longer required to deliver a prospectus in connection with market-making or other trading activities.

 

The Company shall provide sufficient copies of the latest version of such Prospectus to Broker-Dealers promptly upon request at any time during such 180-day (or shorter as provided in the foregoing sentence) period in order to facilitate such resales.

 

SECTION 4.   Shelf Registration .

 

(a)   Shelf Registration.   If (i) as a result of any changes in law or applicable interpretations of the staff of the Commission (after the procedures set forth in Section 6(a) hereof have been complied with) the Company is not permitted to file an Exchange Offer Registration Statement or to consummate the Exchange Offer, (ii) for any reason the Exchange Offer is not Consummated within 250 days after the Closing Date (or if such 250th day is not a Business Day, the next succeeding Business Day), (iii) prior to the Consummation of the Exchange Offer the Initial Purchasers request from the Company with respect to Transfer Restricted Securities not eligible to be exchanged for Exchange Securities in the Exchange Offer or (iv) with respect to any Holder of Transfer Restricted Securities (A) such Holder is prohibited by applicable law or Commission policy from participating in the Exchange Offer, or (B) such Holder may not resell the Exchange Securities acquired by it in the Exchange Offer to the public without delivering a prospectus and that the Prospectus contained in the Exchange Offer Registration Statement is not appropriate or available for such resales by such Holder, or (C) such Holder is a Broker-Dealer and holds Initial Securities acquired directly from the Company or one of its affiliates, then, upon such Holder’s request, the Company shall

 

(x)           file with the Commission a shelf registration statement pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, which may be an amendment to the Exchange Offer Registration Statement (in either event, the “Shelf Registration Statement”) as promptly as practicable (such date being the “Shelf Filing Deadline”), which Shelf Registration Statement shall provide for resales of all Transfer Restricted Securities the Holders of which shall have provided the information required pursuant to Section 4(b) hereof; and

 

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(y)           use its reasonable best efforts to cause such Shelf Registration Statement to be declared effective by the Commission as promptly as practicable, but no later than (A) 90 days (or if such 90th day is not a Business Day, the next succeeding Business Day) or (B) 30 days if the Shelf Registration Statement is not reviewed by the Commission (or if such 30th day is not a Business Day, the next succeeding Business Day), after the time such obligation to file first arises.

 

The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to keep such Shelf Registration Statement continuously effective, supplemented and amended as required by the provisions of Sections 6(b) and (c) hereof to the extent necessary to ensure that it is available for resales of Initial Securities by the Holders of Transfer Restricted Securities entitled to the benefit of this Section 4(a), and to ensure that it conforms with the requirements of this Agreement, the Securities Act and the policies, rules and regulations of the Commission as announced from time to time, for a period of at least two years following the Closing Date (or shorter period that will terminate when all the Initial Securities covered by such Shelf Registration Statement have been sold pursuant to such Shelf Registration Statement).

 

(b)   Provision by Holders of Certain Information in Connection with the Shelf Registration Statement.   No Holder of Transfer Restricted Securities may include any of its Transfer Restricted Securities in any Shelf Registration Statement pursuant to this Agreement unless and until such Holder furnishes to the Company in writing, within 20 days after receipt of a request therefor, such information as the Company may reasonably request for use in connection with any Shelf Registration Statement or Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus included therein.  Each Holder as to which any Shelf Registration Statement is being effected agrees to furnish promptly to the Company all information required to be disclosed in order to make the information previously furnished to the Company by such Holder not materially misleading.

 

SECTION 5.   Additional Interest.   If (i) any of the Registration Statements required by this Agreement is not filed with the Commission on or prior to the date specified for such filing in this Agreement, (ii) any of such Registration Statements has not been declared effective by the Commission on or prior to the date specified for such effectiveness in this Agreement (the “Effectiveness Target Date”), (iii) the Exchange Offer has not been Consummated within 30 Business Days after the Effectiveness Target Date with respect to the Exchange Offer Registration Statement or (iv) any Registration Statement required by this Agreement is filed and declared effective but shall thereafter cease to be effective or fail to be usable for its intended purpose for more than 30 days in the aggregate of any 12 consecutive month period (each such event referred to in clauses (i) through (iv), a “Registration Default”), the Company hereby agrees that the interest rate borne by the Transfer Restricted Securities shall be increased by 0.25% per annum during the 90-day period immediately following the occurrence of any Registration Default and shall increase by 0.25% per annum at the end of each subsequent 90-day period, but in no event shall such increase exceed 1.00% per annum (any such increase in the interest rate borne by the Transfer Restricted Securities being referred to herein as “Additional Interest”).  Following the cure of all Registration Defaults relating to any particular Transfer Restricted Securities, the interest rate borne by the relevant Transfer Restricted Securities will be reduced to the original interest rate borne by such Transfer Restricted Securities; provided, however, that, if after any such reduction in interest rate, a different Registration Default occurs, the interest rate borne by the relevant Transfer Restricted Securities shall again be increased pursuant to the foregoing provisions to give effect to any such Additional Interest.

 

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All obligations of the Company set forth in the preceding paragraph that are outstanding with respect to any Transfer Restricted Security at the time such security ceases to be a Transfer Restricted Security shall survive until such time as all such obligations with respect to such security shall have been satisfied in full.

 

SECTION 6.   Registration Procedures .

 

(a)   Exchange Offer Registration Statement.   In connection with the Exchange Offer, the Company shall comply with all of the provisions of Section 6(c) hereof, shall use its reasonable best efforts to effect such exchange to permit the sale of Transfer Restricted Securities being sold in accordance with the intended method or methods of distribution thereof, and shall comply with all of the following provisions:

 

(i)   If in the reasonable opinion of counsel to the Company there is a question as to whether the Exchange Offer is permitted by applicable law, the Company hereby agrees to seek a no-action letter or other favorable decision from the Commission allowing the Company to Consummate an Exchange Offer for such Initial Securities.  The Company hereby agrees to pursue the issuance of such a decision to the Commission staff level but shall not be required to take commercially unreasonable action to effect a change of Commission policy.  The Company hereby agrees, however, to (A) participate in telephonic conferences with the Commission, (B) deliver to the Commission staff an analysis prepared by counsel to the Company setting forth the legal bases, if any, upon which such counsel has concluded that such an Exchange Offer should be permitted and (C) diligently pursue a favorable resolution by the Commission staff of such submission.

 

(ii)   As a condition to its participation in the Exchange Offer pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, each Holder of Transfer Restricted Securities shall furnish, upon the request of the Company, prior to the Consummation thereof, a written representation to the Company (which may be contained in the letter of transmittal contemplated by the Exchange Offer Registration Statement) to the effect that (A) it is not an affiliate of the Company, (B) it is not engaged in, and does not intend to engage in, and has no arrangement or understanding with any Person to participate in, a distribution of the Exchange Securities to be issued in the Exchange Offer and (C) it is acquiring the Exchange Securities in its ordinary course of business.  In addition, all such Holders of Transfer Restricted Securities shall otherwise cooperate in the Company’s preparations for the Exchange Offer.  Each Holder hereby acknowledges and agrees that any Broker-Dealer and any such Holder using the Exchange Offer to participate in a distribution of the securities to be acquired in the Exchange Offer (1) could not under Commission policy as in effect on the date of this Agreement rely on the position of the Commission enunciated in Morgan Stanley and Co., Inc. (available June 5, 1991) and Exxon Capital Holdings Corporation (available May 13, 1988), as interpreted in the Commission’s letter to Shearman & Sterling dated July 2, 1993, and similar no-action letters (which may include any no-action letter obtained pursuant to clause (i) above), and (2) must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with a secondary resale transaction and that such a secondary resale transaction should be covered by an effective registration statement containing the selling security holder information required by Item 507 or 508, as applicable, of Regulation S-K if the resales are of Exchange Securities obtained by such Holder in exchange for Initial Securities acquired by such Holder directly from the Company.

 

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(b)   Shelf Registration Statement.   In connection with the Shelf Registration Statement, the Company shall comply with all the provisions of Section 6(c) hereof and shall use its reasonable best efforts to effect such registration to permit the sale of the Transfer Restricted Securities being sold in accordance with the intended method or methods of distribution thereof, and pursuant thereto the Company will as expeditiously as possible prepare and file with the Commission a Registration Statement relating to the registration on any appropriate form under the Securities Act, which form shall be available for the sale of the Transfer Restricted Securities in accordance with the intended method or methods of distribution thereof.

 

(c)   General Provisions.   In connection with any Registration Statement and any Prospectus required by this Agreement to permit the sale or resale of Transfer Restricted Securities (including, without limitation, any Registration Statement and the related Prospectus required to permit resales of Initial Securities by Broker-Dealers), the Company shall:

 

(i)   use its reasonable best efforts to keep such Registration Statement continuously effective and provide all requisite financial statements for the period specified in Section 3 or 4 hereof, as applicable; upon the occurrence of any event that would cause any such Registration Statement or the Prospectus contained therein (A) to contain a material misstatement or omission or (B) not to be effective and usable for resale of Transfer Restricted Securities during the period required by this Agreement, the Company shall file promptly an appropriate amendment to such Registration Statement, in the case of clause (A), correcting any such misstatement or omission, and, in the case of either clause (A) or (B), use its reasonable best efforts to cause such amendment to be declared effective and such Registration Statement and the related Prospectus to become usable for their intended purpose(s) as soon as practicable thereafter;

 

(ii)   prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and post-effective amendments to the applicable Registration Statement as may be necessary to keep the Registration Statement effective for the applicable period set forth in Section 3 or 4 hereof, as applicable, or such shorter period as will terminate when all Transfer Restricted Securities covered by such Registration Statement have been sold; cause the Prospectus to be supplemented by any required Prospectus supplement, and as so supplemented to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, and to comply fully with the applicable provisions of Rules 424 and 430A under the Securities Act in a timely manner; and comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all securities covered by such Registration Statement during the applicable period in accordance with the intended method or methods of distribution by the sellers thereof set forth in such Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus;

 

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(iii)   advise the underwriter(s), if a


 
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