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SHAREHOLDERS' AGREEMENT

Shareholder Agreement

SHAREHOLDERS' AGREEMENT | Document Parties: PRICESMART INC | JB ENTERPRISES INC You are currently viewing:
This Shareholder Agreement involves

PRICESMART INC | JB ENTERPRISES INC

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Title: SHAREHOLDERS' AGREEMENT
Date: 1/14/2009
Industry: Retail (Department and Discount)     Sector: Services

SHAREHOLDERS' AGREEMENT, Parties: pricesmart inc , jb enterprises inc
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Exhibit 10.11

CERTAIN MATERIAL (INDICATED BY "[#]") HAS BEEN OMITTED FROM THIS DOCUMENT PURSUANT TO A REQUEST FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT. THE OMITTED MATERIAL HAS BEEN FILED SEPARATELY WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION.

Sept 29, 2008

SHAREHOLDERS’ AGREEMENT

WE

PRICSMARLANDCO, S.A. a company established and organized in accordance with the laws of the Costa Rica, domiciled in San José, at PriceSmart Building, next to the National Register, Curridabat, with corporate number 3-101-229948 (" PRICESMART " ), represented in this act by Mr. MANRIQUE UGALDE OBANDO, Costa Rican citizen, of legal age, married (second marriage), business administrator, bearer of identity card number [#], acting in his capacity as GENERAL LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE with sufficient powers to celebrate this act, and

JB ENTERPRISES INC. , a corporation established and organized in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Panama, domiciled in Panama City, province of Panama, Republic of Panama, registered in the Public Registry of Panama in the Trade Section, under record number 493801, Redi document number 797423, (" JBE " ), represented in this act by [#], Costa Rican citizen, of legal age, married, businessman, bearer of Identity Card number [#], acting in his capacity as President, with sufficient powers to perform this act.

PRICESMART and JBE shall from here on in be jointly referred to as the PARTIES and individually as the PARTY.

WHEREAS

 

 

(i)

WHEREAS, HACIENDA SANTA ANITA, SOCIEDAD ANÓNIMA, a corporation established and organized in accordance with the legislation of Cost Rica, domiciled at: Barrio Cristo Rey, Alajuela, 250 metros al oeste de Servicentro Santa Anita, with corporate identification number 3-101-003937 ( SANTA ANITA ), is the owner of the property that is registered in the Public Registry of the District of Alajuela, registration pertaining to paper record 440671-000, THE PROPERTY; from which the following plots of land are segregated: LOT ONE , consisting of an area of twenty-one thousand five hundred and seventy-six point four square meters (21576.04 m2), described in the cadastre map number A-1292311-2008; LOT TWO, consisting of an area of twenty thousand fifty-nine point seventy-three square meters (20059.73 m2), described in cadastre map number A-1274936-2008; LOT THREE, consisting of an area of four thousand nine hundred and ninety-six point forty-four square meters (4996.44 m2), described in cadastre map number A-1274271-2008; LOT FOUR, consisting of an area of one thousand five hundred and sixteen point sixty-two square meters (1516.62 m2), described in cadastre map number A-1274273-2008. The referred to cadastre maps are attached to this Agreement as Annex A and are an integral part of such.

 

[#]

Certain information on this page has been omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Confidential treatment has been requested with respect to the omitted portions.




 

(ii)

WHEREAS, On December 24, 2007, PRICESMART and SANTA ANITA, as well as Alajuela Club Ltda., a company subsequently acquired by SANTA ANITA, signed a Reciprocal Option Contract through which they agreed, among other things, on the acquisition of the previously described PLOT ONE, with the purpose of building a Members Only Shopping Warehouse on such property, in the format commonly called "PriceSmart Membership Shopping", (the "PriceSmart Warehouse" ), for the price of [#], hereafter legal currency of the United States of America, price obtained from calculating the final measurement of LOT ONE multiplied by [#] per square meter.

 

 

(iii)

WHEREAS, PRICESMART and JBE have agreed to jointly operate the company TRES-CIENTO UNO- CUATROCIENTOS NOVENTA Y TRES MIL CIENTO CUARENTA, SOCIEDAD ANÓNIMA (" NEWCO" ), a company established and organized in accordance with Costa Rican law and which shall operate under the terms and conditions set out in this Agreement, so that this company acquires LOT TWO and LOT FOUR, described above, for the purpose of developing a commercial real estate project on such, consisting in a shopping complex and related improvements (the " PROJECT " ), for the price of [#] and [#], respectively, price resulting from the calculation of the final measurements of LOT TWO and LOT FOUR multiplied by [#] per square meter.

 

 

(iv)

WHEREAS, SANTA ANITA shall transfer LOT THREE to TRES-CIENTO UNO- QUINIENTOS DIEZ MIL NOVECIENTOS SETENTA Y CINCO , SOCIEDAD ANÓNIMA (" NEWCO 2" ), a company duly established and organized in accordance with the laws of the Costa Rica, for the sum of [#], obtained by calculating the final measurements of LOT THREE multiplied by [#] per square meter. On the date of the signing of this Agreement, PRICO ENTERPRISES S.A and PRICESMART are the only shareholders of NEWCO 2, in equal parts.

 

 

(v)

WHEREAS, as of this moment, the PARTIES hereby agree to hold an Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting of NEWCO, where the agreements reached in this AGREEMENT are undertaken so that the meetings are minutes are recorded and the corresponding registration of the amendments to NEWCO’s Articles of Incorporation may proceed. In the event of conflict between this Shareholder’s Agreement and the NEWCO Articles of Incorporation, the first shall prevail between the PARTIES. Notwithstanding this, the Code of Commerce in effect in the Costa Rica shall apply to all aspects not specifically established in this Agreement.

 

[#]

Certain information on this page has been omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Confidential treatment has been requested with respect to the omitted portions.

 

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THEREFORE

THE PARTIES HEREBY AGREE TO AGREE, AND INF ACT AGREE, TO THE PRESENT SHAREHOLDERS’ AGREEMENT OR JOINT VENTURE, FOR THEIR MUTUAL BENEFIT, WHICH SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE FOLLOWING CLAUSES AND THE CORRESPONDING APPLICABLE LAW.

FIRST: NAME

The PARTIES expressly agree that the NEWCO’s name will be PRICE PLAZA ALAJUELA PPA , SOCIEDAD ANONIMA (for purposes of this Agreement, either NEWCO or the " Company ").

SECOND: BUSINESS PURPOSE

The PARTIES hereby agree that NEWCO’s main business purpose shall be that of business in general, but specifically the construction, development, promotion, leasing and/or sale of the shopping complex located on LOT TWO and LOT FOUR, and eventually on LOT THREE, as established in Clause Nineteen, below. To fulfill this purpose, NEWCO may buy, sell, encumber, give and receive property through lease, pledge or mortgage, transfer, possess and dispose of all types of real and personal property, trademarks and/or brand names, real and personal rights and securities of all types. The company may likewise be a part of or merge with other companies, both national and foreign, may purchase and sell the shares of such, and may offer all types of bonds and sureties in favor of partners or third parties, individuals, or legal entities, if NEWCO receives compensation for such, and compensation shall be assumed by the mere fact of the offer. NEWCO may constitute, accept or manage trusts, receive property in trust through an agreement or will, and act as the trustor, trustee or beneficiary, represent national or foreign companies, enter contracts with the national government or government institutions, participate in tenders and/or bids of any nature, open safety deposit boxes in all the banks of the national or private banking system, as well as open checking accounts and accounts of any type in national or foreign banks, through those individuals who legally represent the company; NEWCO may also conduct any other legal act required to fulfill its business purpose, especially the sale of industrial products, importation, exportation and provision of services or related works and any other activity that the Board of Directors considers to be in the best interest of the company.

It is hereby expressly understood and agreed by the PARTIES that, when it considers such action appropriate, PRICESMART may construct the PriceSmart Warehouse on LOT ONE and establish any other businesses owned or operated by third parties that are internally set up in the respective warehouse, including the Payless Shoe Source businesses and a Greenlubs Lubrication Center next or adjacent to the PriceSmart Warehouse on LOT ONE. Any other real estate development it wishes to establish on LOT ONE may solely and exclusively be established once the commercial complex on LOT TWO and LOT FOUR has been developed and such area is built, unless JBE provides express authorization to the contrary.

THIRD: ADDRESS

 

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The corporate address will be in the province of Alajuela, canton of Alajuela, district of Alajuela, Barrio Cristo Rey, 600 meters west of the Servicentro Santa Anita.

FOURTH: TERM OF EXISTENCE

The term of existence of the company shall be ninety-nine (99) years as of the date of its incorporation.

FIFTH: SHARE CAPITAL AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS

 

5.1.

SHARE OWNERSHIP

The share capital of NEWCO is twelve thousand colones duly represented by twelve common and registered shares, each worth one thousand colones. Such shares are owned in equal parts by the PARTIES, as stated under entry number two in the duly legalized Shareholder Records Book the Company keeps duly legalized. PRICESMART is the legitimate owner of share certificate numbered three, and JBE is the legitimate owner of the share certificate numbered four. The respective shares held by the PARTIES are currently free of liens, taxes and obligations.

Shares are common and registered. Each common share will have the right to one vote. The respective certificates and the entries in the Shareholders Records Book kept for such effect by the Company must be signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Board of Directors, and the certificates may cover one or more shares. The shares are all of one class and confer the same rights per share to their holders.

The share capital may be increased or decreased under the circumstances established in Sections 30 and 31 of the Code of Commerce.

 

5.2.

TRANSFER OF SHARES

 

 

5.2.1 

Except for those events provided for in Sections 5.2.2 and 5.2.3, below, the PARTIES may not dispose of or agree to dispose of their shares in the Corporation for a period of three (3) years, starting from the date this Agreement is signed. Once this initial term has expired, if a PARTY wishes to dispose of its shares (except for the transfers referred to in Sections 5.2.2 and 5.2.3), then it must do so in accordance with the terms of this Section 5.2.

 

 

5.2.2 

If one of the PARTIES wishes to transfer its shares to an affiliate company, then the Transferor must notify the Corporation and the other PARTY and provide reliable and sufficient proof that the transferee company is an affiliate. For such effects, a company will be considered to be an "Affiliate" of a PARTY a) if the PARTY owns at least EIGHTY PERCENT (80%) of the issued, outstanding and voting shares of such PARTY; b) if the PARTY holds at least EIGHTY PERCENT (80%) of the issued, outstanding and voting shares of a PARTY; c) or if the company has a shareholder in common with the PARTY, and that common shareholder

 

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holds at least EIGHTY PERCENT (80%) of the issued, outstanding and voting shares of the PARTY and the Affiliate. THE PARTIES agree that the Company shall at all times have a maximum of two (2) corporate shareholders.

 

 

5.2.3 

The Board of Directors of the company shall have fifteen (15) calendar days, starting as of the date on which it receives notice that a PARTY wishes to convey or transfer its shares to an Affiliate company, to verify that the conditions in paragraph 5.2.2, above, have been fulfilled, and the Board may not refuse to grant the authorization without just cause. If the Board of Directors does not respond within the prescribed term, then the proposed transfer shall be considered to have been accepted.

 

 

5.2.4 

Any conveyance or transfer of shares other than those contemplated in the previous paragraphs shall be subject to the Right of First Refusal of the other PARTY, as set out in this Agreement. The exercise of such right, as set out in this document, must be reflected in the Articles of Incorporation of NEWCO. Likewise, such must be stated in the corresponding share certificates and in the shareholder record book of the Company.

 

 

5.2.5 

If any shareholder of the Company (the " Offering Shareholder" ) should decide to (a) transfer its Shares, by any means or cause to a previously identified third party, or b) seek potential buyers for its Shares, it must provide notice regarding such decision to the remaining shareholder (the " Remaining Shareholder" ) in accordance with Clause Fifteen (" Notice of Sale "), and must provide a copy to the NEWCO Board of Directors, informing the Party and the Board of the nature of the transfer it proposes to undertake, the price, and other conditions of the transaction and, in the case set out in Clause 5.2.5.1, the name of the party it intends to transfer its shares to (the " Third Party Purchaser")

 

 

5.2.5.1 

When the intent of the Offering Shareholder is to sell to a previously identified Third Party Purchaser, the aforementioned Notice of Sale shall be have the effect of entitling the Remaining Shareholder to exercise the following rights:

 

 

a.

Once the Offering Shareholder provides the Notice of Sale to the Remaining Shareholder, the latter shall have a maximum term of fifteen days, as of the receipt of the notice, to object to the Third Party Purchaser ("Veto Right") in accordance with the Third Party Purchaser Validation Process, described in Clause 5.2.8.1.

 

 

b.

Within a period of six (6) months following the receipt of the Notice of Sale ("Response Period"), the Remaining Shareholder may exercise its purchase option right ("Right of First Refusal") regarding the shares for sale, under the terms contained in the notice, offering to pay the same sum of money under the same conditions described in the notice. If the Remaining Shareholder decides to exercise its Right of First Refusal, the parties shall have a maximum of twenty (20) calendar days, as of the date on which the Offering Shareholder receives the communication from the Remaining Shareholder to conclude the transfer of shares. If the 20-calendar-day period passes before the transfer from the Offering Shareholder to the Remaining Shareholder is consummated, or if the Response Period passes before the Remaining Shareholder informs the Offering Shareholder that it wishes to exercise

 

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the Right of First Refusal, the Offering Shareholder will have up to two (2) months to execute the share transfer agreement with the Third Party Purchaser; or

 

 

c.

Within the Response Period, the Remaining Shareholder may exercise its right to sell all the shares it owns (Tag Along Right) in the same terms and conditions set out in the offer made by the Offering Shareholder and notified to the Remaining Shareholder, and in such event, the Third Party Purchaser must purchase all the NEWCO shares under those terms and conditions. If the Remaining Shareholder chooses to exercise its Tag Along Right, the Offering Shareholder will have a maximum of six (6) months, as of the notice from the Remaining Shareholder that it shall exercise the Tag Along Right, to perfect the transfer of all of the shares to the Third Party Purchaser. If the Response Period expires before the Remaining Shareholder provides notice of its intent to exercise the Tag Along Right, or if for other reasons attributable to the Remaining Shareholder the transfer of Shares cannot be performed, then the Offering Shareholder will have up to two (2) months to execute the share transfer agreement with the Third Party Purchaser.

 

 

d.

If the Remaining Shareholder does not exercise its Veto Right within the above stated fifteen-day period or does not notify the Offering Party within the Response Period of its desire to exercise the Right of First Refusal or Tag Along Right, then the Offering Shareholder may freely sell its shares to the Third Party Purchaser, as long as it does so for a price that is not lower or under payment conditions that are not more favorable than those provided to the Remaining Shareholder.

 

 

e.

The fact that the Remaining Shareholder waives or fails to timely exercise its Right of First Refusal, Tag Along Right or Veto Right does not imply that it may not exercise the other rights set out in clause 5.2.5.1, as long as such is does so within the time period established in each of the preceding paragraphs for each individual right.

 

 

5.2.5.2 

When the intent of the Offering Shareholder is to seek potential buyers in the market, the following provisions shall apply:

 

 

a.

The purpose of the Notice of Sale is that the Remaining Shareholder may opt to exercise, within the Response Period referred to in Clause 5.2.5.1.b., its Right of First Refusal regarding the shares for sale, in the terms contained in the Notice of Sale, offering to pay the same sum of money for such shares and in the same conditions as those described in the notice, and it is understood that this right covers the possibility that the Remaining Shareholder directly purchase the shares or purchases them through a third party that it proposes; or it may opt to exercise its Tag Along Right, which in this case shall mean that the Remaining Shareholder shall sell all its shares to the Third Party Purchaser, as long as the terms and conditions negotiated by the Offering Shareholder are the same or better than those that the Offering Shareholder had proposed in the Notice of Sale.

 

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b.

If the Remaining Shareholder decides to exercise its Right of First Refusal within the Response Period, then the Parties shall have twenty (20) calendar days, from the date of notice given by the Remaining Shareholder of its desire to exercise the right, to perfect the transfer of shares. If the Remaining Shareholder provides notice regarding its wish not to exercise its Right of First Refusal, or provides no notice within the Response Period, or if the term of twenty (20) calendar days designated herein expires before the transfer of shares from the Offering Shareholder to the Remaining Shareholder has been consummated, then the Offering Shareholder shall have up to one year, as of the notice from the Remaining Shareholder waiving the Right of First Refusal or accepting the Tag Along Right, whichever occurs later, or starting from the expiration of the Response Period deadline, if the Remaining Shareholder has not sent notice concerning any of the rights (Right of First Refusal or Tag Along Right) within the Response Period.

 

 

c.

If the Offering Shareholder receives an offer from a Third Party Purchaser, then it must inform the Remaining Shareholder of such and the latter will have a maximum term of fifteen days, starting as of the date on which it received such notice, to exercise its Veto Right, in accordance with the Third Party Purchaser Validation Process, described in Clause 5.2.8.1.

 

 

d.

The transfer of shares must be carried out within two (2) months after approval of the Third Party Purchaser, whether expressly by the Remaining Shareholder or by the Board of Dignitaries in accordance with clause 5.2.8.1, or upon the expiration of the fifteen-day term set out in clause 5.2.5.2.b., assuming the Veto Right has not been exercised.

 

 

e.

The sale of shares to a Third Party Purchaser must be made at a price that is not less than, nor conditions of payment that are more beneficial than, those offered to the Remaining Shareholder.

 

 

f.

If the transfer of shares to the Third Party Purchaser is not carried out within the time periods established in this clause, and the Offering Shareholder is interested in selling its shares on the market, then the Offering Shareholder must issue a new notice for the sale of shares to third parties and the Right of First Refusal must newly be granted to the Remaining Shareholder.

 

 

g.

Once the procedure in Clause 5.2.5.b has been met, it is hereby understood that once the Offering Shareholder finds a Third Party Purchaser under the conditions provided in this clause 5.2.5.2., it shall not be compelled in any way to grant the Right of First Refusal or the Tag Along Right to the Remaining Shareholder.

 

 

5.2.6. 

It is hereby understood that in the circumstances indicated in clauses 5.2.5.1 and 5.2.5.2. the PARTIES may not perform partial sales of their shares to third parties and that each and every sale of shares carried out in accordance with the stipulations of this Clause shall be payable only in cash, check, electronic transfer of funds or any other means agreed on between the PARTIES.

 

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5.2.7. 

In accordance with the Clause Eleven, below, in any conveyance or transfer of shares permitted, the acquiring party must, concurrently with the transfer in question, agree in writing to the present agreement, in all its terms, and consequently, assume all the rights and obligations contained in such.

 

 

5.2.8. 

In any of the cases indicated in Clauses 5.2.5.1. and 5.2.5.2., the Third Party Purchaser must meet all suitability and ethical quality standards reasonably acceptable for the Remaining Shareholder, who may exercise a veto right on such, in accordance with the validation process indicated in Clause 5.2.8.1., below. To exercise this veto right, the Remaining Shareholder must hold at least seventeen percent (17%) of the shares of the Company, validly issued, subscribed and paid-up

 

 

5.2.8.1. 

Third Party Purchaser Validation Process

 

 

a.

If the Remaining Shareholder objects to the Third Party Purchaser, such must, within fifteen calendar days as of the Notice of Sale, or when the potential buyer is effectively established, in the case of 5.2.5.2., provide notice to the Offering Shareholder in accordance with clause fifteen stating the reasons for such objection ("Objection Letter") and the proposed date for a conciliation, which must be carried out in the place of business between the fifth and tenth business day after the Objection Letter is received. The Third Party Purchaser shall be considered automatically accepted if the Remaining Shareholder does not provide any objection within the indicated period or if it fails to attend the proposed conciliation.

 

 

b.

If no agreement is reached once the conciliation is held, at that time the Parties must submit their dispute to a board conformed by three individuals (the "Board of Dignitaries") and set the date and time on which the single hearing shall be held, and such shall be held at the place of business, unless otherwise agreed. No later than three (3) workdays after the conciliation has been held, the Parties must each propose one member of the Board of Dignitaries who is available to attend to the hearing. The two Dignitaries designated by the Parties must necessarily designate a third member within the following three workdays, as of the time that the two Dignitaries are designated. If one of the Parties does not designate its Dignitary or if such dignitaries do not designate a third, then the designated Dignitaries or any of the Parties may request the Costa Rican Banking Association to make the necessary designations.

 

 

c.

The Dignitaries must be individuals holding or that have held, within the last three (3) years, management positions in banks that are members of the national bank system. They shall make judicious decisions and their parameters with respect to deciding the suitability and/or moral quality of the Third Party Purchaser shall be those ordinarily taken into consideration by a bank of the national bank system in order to accept or reject a client, without taking such client’s financial situation into account it being understood that only the Party’s moral quality is being assessed.

 

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d.

The Board of Dignitaries must make its decision within a period of five workdays following the hearing, and the decision shall be limited to stating whether in the opinion of the Board of Dignitaries the Third Party Purchaser is reasonably qualified with regard to its suitability and moral quality.

 

 

e.

The decision made by the Board of Dignitaries shall be binding on the Parties and will not be subject to appeal.

 

 

f.

The complete process described herein shall be carried out under the strictest confidentiality. The parties acknowledge the importance of this obligation and thus, of a Party violates this obligation, then it will be charged for damages caused by the party that has revealed all or part of the information, documentation, discussions or comments held and made during the Board meeting regarding the Third Party Purchaser, or the identity of the Dignitaries.

 

 

5.2.9 

Shares may be transferred, conveyed or assigned only as specifically permitted and in accordance with the relevant procedures specified in the Articles of Incorporation of the Company and this Agreement and, if any conflict arises, this Agreement shall prevail over the Articles of Incorporation. If a PARTY transfers its shares in any way, then it shall exclusively assume all expenses arising from such transaction.

 

 

5.2.10 

The PARTIES state that if it becomes impossible to consummate or perfect any transaction described herein, then the PARTY causing such impossibility because of omission, fraud, negligence, or intentional misconduct (the "Breaching Party") shall be responsible to the other party ("the Non-breaching Party") for damages caused to the latter, or to the Third Party Purchaser in the event the Third Party Purchaser such proceeds against both Parties for breach. Damage and detriment shall be established in accordance with clause sixteen.

 

 

5.2.11 

Notwithstanding the provisions of the present Clause, JBE hereby states and declares that it shall not transfer, assign, sell nor convey all or part of its shares to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., SHV Holdings, N.V. (Makro), Dayton Hudson Corporation, Kmart Corporation, The Home Depot, Inc., Costco companies, Inc., Carrefour, S.A., BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc., or any individual or company affiliated with these corporations or dedicated to a line of business that competes with PRICESMART. The Parties agree that if JBE obtains an offer for any of the above mentioned companies, then JBE must offer those shares to PriceSmart, and PriceSmart may (i) acquire all the shares possessed at that time by JBE at the Fair Market Value; or (ii) exercise its Tag Along Right. The Fair Market Value shall be established in accordance with the following procedure: the PARTIES, in mutual agreement, shall establish the value of JBE’s shares within five calendar days starting as of the moment that JBE provides notice to PRICESMART. In the event of a disagreement, they shall jointly designate an individual from the company ("Expert") to establish the value of the shares of the Company. Payment to the Expert shall be borne by the Company. If no agreement is reached within a term of ten calendar days, starting as of the notice provided by JBE to PriceSmart indicating the existence of the offer made

 

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by one of the before indicated companies, then each of the PARTIES shall appoint an expert, the costs of which shall be borne by each of them.

Each PARTY’s Expert must submit his or her report within thirty calendar days after being designated, and the two results shall be averaged. The average of both appraisals shall determine the value of the shares, except if the highest appraisal is at least ten (10) percent higher than the lowest appraisal, in which case the Experts shall hire a third Expert, who will be paid by the Company, and who shall established the final price of the shares, which may not be greater than the highest or less than the lowest appraisal. Once the Fair Market Value has been established PRICESMART shall decide, within the next five (5) calendar days, if it will purchase the JBE shares at the Fair Market Value or if it authorizes the sale to the company presenting the offer, in which case it will not enjoy the Tag Along Right. The PARTIES understand and accept that in each instance this Agreement indicates the use of Fair Market Value they are to follow the procedure set out in this Clause.

 

5.3.

RESTRICTIONS

No Shareholder of the Company shall pawn, mortgage, encumber in any way, directly or indirectly, whether fully or partially, its shares in the Company, its right of use on such Shares or on any other rights deriving from or ascribed to such (including voting rights and the right to receive dividends) without the prior, specific and written consent of the other Shareholder.

With regard to any right or obligation under this Agreement or the Articles of Incorporation or any other right or obligation involving its capacity as a Shareholder of the Company, no Shareholder shall pawn, mortgage, encumber in any way, directly or indirectly, whether partially or fully, such right of use on such rights or obligations or the rights deriving from or attributed to such, nor shall any Shareholder constitute or intend to constitute any trust whatsoever on such rights or obligations without the prior specific and written consent of the other Shareholder.

 

5.4.

CURRENT CAPITAL AND ADDITIONAL CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

 

 

5.4.1. 

The share capital of the Company is twelve thousand colones (official currency of Costa Rica). The PARTIES acknowledge that they have made additional contributions for a total of four million two hundred twenty-four thousand five hundred and seventy-nine dollars and sixty-seven cents (US$ 4,224,579.67). Each of them has made capital contributions equal to two million one hundred twelve thousand two hundred eighty-nine dollars and eighty-four cents (US$2,112,289.84).

 

 

5.4.2. 

Likewise, the PARTIES agree to make additional contributions to NEWCO’s capital, in accordance with the specified additional contribution schedule referred to in Section 8.4 of this Agreement.

 

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5.4.3. 

If the Board of Directors considers it necessary or suitable to require the PARTIES to perform additional contributions to NEWCO’s capital (whether through cash contributions, contributions in kind, shareholder loans, external financing, or any other method), a justified resolution must be issued and then approved by all the members of the Board. Such decision shall set the sum of the contribution to be made by each of the PARTIES (which must be proportional to each PARTY’s share participation) and shall set the period of time that the PARTIES will have to make such contribution or, if they are unable to make all or part of such contribution, the period of time and method in which the Company and the other PARTY must be notified of such situation. For the effects of this agreement, the additional contributions necessary for project construction shall be referred to as "Operating Contributions." The PARTIES agree that for Operating Contributions that exceed five hundred thousand dollars (US$ 500,000.00) per PARTY, the term to make such contributions will be at least six (6) months following the decision of the Board of Directors. Likewise, the PARTIES agree that the aggregate Operating Contributions during any one semester may not exceed the sum of five hundred thousand dollars (US$ 500,000.00) per PARTY.

 

 

5.4.4. 

In any event, if contributions exceeding twenty (20) percent of the total established in Annex B are required, as long as such increase is not due to increases in the construction costs of the Project, the lack of agreement shall not be considered an obstruction for effects of Clause 9.1. In such event, the PARTY proposing the extraordinary contribution (the Offerer in those terms contained in Clause 9.3) must present the offer for the purchase of shares of the Offeree, as per that set out in Clause 9.3, but with the following difference: once the offer is received, the Offeree may (i) decide to accept the offer for the sale of its shares; (ii) purchase the shares of the Offerer (according to the mechanism in Clause 9.3); or (iii) the Offeree may choose to sell its shares to the Offerer at the Fair Market Value, which shall be calculated according to the procedure set out in Clause 5.2.11.

 

 

5.4.5. 

If one of the PARTIES (the " Breaching Party") notifies the other PARTY that it will not fulfill all or part of the contribution required by the Board of Directors, or if the Breaching Party does not, totally or partially, make the required contribution within the term set out for such effect by the Board of Directors in the respective resolution, the other Party (the " Non-breaching Party ") may, as soon as possible, but not to exceed SIXTY (60) calendar days, starting as the date on which it receives such notice, or as of the date on which the contribution was to be made, whichever should first occur, and once it has proceeded to make the corresponding contribution of capital that is required, exercise one of the following options:

 

 

a.

Acquire all the shares that at such time are owned by the Breaching Party, for a value equal to NINETY PERCENT (90%) of the higher of the Fair Market Value, which shall be established in accordance with the formula indicated in Clause 5.2.11 and all the sums paid to such date for the concept of contributions of capital to the Company (whether or not

 

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capitalized) by the Breaching Party. If the Non-Breaching Party should decide to exercise this option, the Breaching Party must deliver, without delay, all its shares in the Company, duly endorsed as required by applicable legislation, to the Non-Breaching Party, simultaneous with payment of the before stated value to the Breaching Party, and consequently shall lose its right to appoint members to the Board of Directors of the Company and thus, the Non-Breaching Party may replace all those Directors appointed up to that date by the Breaching Party;

 

 

b.

Contribute an additional amount equal to the capital contribution the Breaching Party should have made, receiving in consideration an amount of Company shares proportionally equal to the capital contributed, plus an ADDITIONAL FIVE PERCENT (5%), thereby diluting the Breaching Party’s share. Immediately after making such contribution, the Non-Breaching Party may appoint additional Directors to replace those previously appointed by the Breaching Party so that the members of the Board are distributed in accordance with the stipulations contained in Section 7.1 of this Agreement;

 

 

c.

Sign a loan agreement with the Company, having a term of no more than TWELVE (12) months, through which the Non-Breaching Party loans the Company all the additional contributions that the Breaching Party should have made. The Non-Breaching Party may require the Company to guarantee this loan with a mortgage or pledge of its assets, or through any other bank or fiduciary guarantee and may also agree to guarantee the repayment source through the transfer of future flows or any other common financing plan of common use, at its complete discretion. This loan shall earn interests at an annual rate equal to the US PRIME RATE PLUS FIVE PERCENT (5%). Initially, loan payments shall be applied to the interests accrued by such loan and then to the capital. The Company may not distribute any dividends until the loan has been fully paid up, as described in this paragraph; or

 

 

d.

Only contribute the corresponding contribution of capital, receiving in return the number of Company shares proportionately corresponding to the amount of capital not contributed by the Breaching Party, plus an ADDITIONAL FIVE PERCENT (5%), thereby diluting the Breaching Party’s share. Immediately after such contribution is made, the Non-Breaching Party may appoint additional Directors to replace some of the Directors previously appointed by the Breaching Party, so that the members of the Board of Directors are distributed in accordance with the stipulations contained in Section 7.1 of this Agreement.

 

5.5.

RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS AND PURCHASES

In the event of an increase to the authorized capital of NEWCO or in the event Shares in the Treasury of the Company intend to be sold, except for those provisions pertaining to Section 5.4.5.b and 5.4.5.d, as the case may be, each Shareholder registered on such date shall have the right of first refusal to subscribe or purchase those shares, according to the proportion of Shares held at that time by the Shareholder corresponding to the capital of NEWCO, issued and outstanding, Shares to be issued or Shares of the treasury under consideration, as the case may be.

 

12




The shareholder must exercise this right and pay the price within the time period established by the Board of Directors, and that time period will be no less than ten (10) and no more than twenty (20) calendar days. Once this term has expired, all those shares that have not been subscribed or purchased by one of the shareholders, as well as those shares that a shareholder has agreed to purchase but has not paid for within the term set by the Board of Directors, shall be offered in a second round to the shareholder that has agreed to subscribe or purchase the shares that were offered to that party.

The Company may purchase its own shares by means of a final agreement made by the shareholders convened at a Shareholders’ Meeting in each case, and under the terms and conditions it considers to be suitable considering the interests of the company, as long as this is performed with funds originating from the net income produced from the balances legally approved by the shareholders convened at a Shareholders’ Meeting, unless the purchase is performed solely to redeem such shares and proportionally reduce the authorized capital of the company. In no event may the purchase be made for an amount less than the nominal value, except in those cases in which the ownership of such certificates is awarded by court order as payment of obligations owed the company. The shares pertaining to the company may not be represented at the Shareholders’ Meeting. The preceding applies within the limits set out in Section 129 of the Code of Commerce.

 

5.6.

DIVIDEND POLICY

Each year, at the beginning of the fiscal period an inventory, profit and loss statement and balance sheet shall be prepared and presented, in accordance with the applicable legal provisions and accounting sues. These documents must be ready no later than July 31 of each year. Except as provided in Section 5.4.4.c of this Agreement, profits shall be distributed in proportion to the shares of each of the shareholders, and this shall likewise apply to losses, if any. Five percent of the annual net profits will be designated to the establishment of a legal reserve fund until that fund equals twenty percent of the subscribed and paid in capital.

The Company shall declare all available profits under the law as a dividend, except for retentions or reserves that the Board of Directors considers advisable for purposes of preserving the working capital, capital investments expected for the Project and the normal line of operations of the company. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, dividends may not be paid nor distributions of any nature be disbursed, other than on the net liquid profits resulting from the balance sheet approved by the shareholders. Dividends may be paid in cash, real or personal property, securities or negotiable instruments, as agreed by the shareholders convened at a Shareholders’ Meeting in each case. Payment in kind of dividends must be authorized by the Articles of Incorporation of the Company.

SIXTH: SHAREHOLDERS’ MEETINGS

 

6.1.

MEETINGS

General Meetings shall be those in which all the shareholders of the company meet and shall be ordinary or extraordinary depending on the matters to be discussed. At least once a year, within the three months following the end of the fiscal year, and each time a shareholder considers it necessary, a General

 

13




Ordinary Meeting must be held to: Discuss and approve or disapprove the report on the results of the fiscal year presented by the administrators and to take the measures considered to be appropriate based on such; (b) agree on the distribution of profits in accordance with that stated in this Agreement and the Articles of Incorporation; (c) fill vacancies due to the death, resignation or incapacity of Directors and the Auditor; (d) annually evaluate the performance of the Board of Directors; (e) as the case may be, appoint or revoke the appointment of the members of the Board of Directors, in accordance with Section 7.1 of this agreement and the personnel in charge of oversight; (f) set the compensation of the Directors and the Auditor; (g) appoint, if so required by the Company, powers of attorney, managers, assistant managers, agents or representatives establishing their rights and obligations, as well as the term of the appointment; (h) consider other matters of an ordinary nature as established in the Articles of Incorporation. The shareholders convened at an Ordinary General Meeting alone shall be responsible for making decisions relating to the matters set out in this paragraph.

The shareholders convened at an Extraordinary General Meeting shall modify the Articles of Incorporation and consider any matter of an extraordinary nature, and thus shall meet at any time and when considered to be necessary by any of shareholder.

Meetings shall be held at the corporate offices, in any district, canton, or Province of the Costa Rica, as well as in any city of the states of California and Florida, in the United States of America, as long as 100% of the share capital is represented in those Shareholders’ Meetings held outside of Costa Rica. Nonattendance at a Shareholders’ Meeting held abroad shall not be considered as a lack of quorum for the effects of clause 9.1.

The meeting announcement for any Shareholders’ Meeting may be executed by any Board member, in accordance with Clause fifteen, at least ten calendar days prior to the date on which the meeting will be held, not including the day of the meeting and that on which the announcement was made. The meeting announcement must be issued on a day that is a business day in both Costa Rica and the United States. An announcement shall not be required when all the shareholders are present or represented, they agree to hold the meeting, and they expressly agree to waive the formality of the meeting announcement, which must be recorded in the corresponding minutes, which must be written in Spanish and signed by all those present. It is expressly understood and agreed upon that any Shareholder who considers it necessary may have an [interpreter] present at the Shareholders’ Meeting, the cost of which shall be borne by that shareholder, who shall also assume any consequences of a breach of the duty of confidentiality of the interpreter.

Shareholders’ Meetings must be recorded in meeting minutes written in Spanish, which must be kept in the respective minutes book and signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Shareholders’ Meeting.

Shareholders must be personally present at meetings, but other representatives of the shareholders may participate in the Meetings without a voting right but with the right to express their opinion through conference calls or video conference calls or through any means of electronic communication in which all shareholders participating in the meeting are able to hear each other. The respective agreements must be recorded in the Meeting Minute Book and must be signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Board of Directors.

 

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6.2.

QUORUM

 

 

6.2.1. 

In order for the General Ordinary Meeting to be considered legally convened after the first meeting announcement, at least half of the voting shares must be represented in such and the decisions made shall only be valid if made by more than half of the votes that are present or duly represented.

 

 

6.2.2. 

In order for an Extraordinary General Meeting to be considered legally convened after the first meeting announcement, at least three fourths of the voting shares, i.e., seventy-five percent of all shares must be represented and the decisions shall be validly made with over half of the votes that are present or duly represented.

 

 

6.2.3. 

If the quorum is not reached at an Ordinary or Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting that has been duly announced, the PARTIES agree that the shareholder present after the first announcement may issue a second announcement to hold the Shareholders’ Meeting. The announcement for the second meeting must meet the same formalities as the announcement for the first meeting, and it must be made within two (2) calendar days following the date on which the meeting was originally scheduled to be held. The Shareholders’ Meeting must be held between five (5) and seven (7) workdays following the date of the second announcement, as long as that date is a workday both in the Costa Rica and the US. Quorum and majority vote at the Shareholders’ Meeting [held after the second announcement] shall be as established in Sections 6.2.1 and 6.2.2, above.

 

 

6.2.4. 

Notwithstanding the before stated, if one of the shareholders does not attend a Shareholders’ Meeting after the first announcement or after the second announcement of such meeting, resulting in failure to have a quorum present, at the discretion of the other shareholder, the lack of quorum may be viewed as an obstruction situation under the Tenth Clause, below.

SEVENTH: THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

7.1.

MEMBERSHIP

The Board of Directors is made up of six (6) main members and six alternates, which are: the CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIRMAN, SECRETARY, TREASURER and TWO ORDINARY MEMBERS, who shall occupy this position throughout the existence of the company, unless an express revocation is recorded in the Public Registry. The CHAIRMAN, TREASURER and FIRST ORDINARY MEMBER shall be nominated by PRICESMART, and the VICE CHAIRMAN, SECRETARY AND SECOND ORDINARY MEMBER shall be nominated by JBE, as long as both PARTIES have the same ownership share. Each PARTY may at any time remove or replace any of the regular or alternate board members that it has appointed and may also fill any vacancy of its respective regular or alternate board members,

 

15




as stated in the applicable regulation. To achieve this, the other PARTY hereby undertakes to provide its assistance in achieving such ends. All regular and alternate board members shall be appointed by a simple majority vote of the shareholders convened at a Shareholders’ Meeting. The PARTIES agree that PRICESMART shall vote in favor of appointing the Board Members nominated by JBE, and JBE shall vote in favor of the Board Members nominated by PRICESMART.

In this regard, the PARTIES hereby agree to the following appointments:

 

 

     

For PRICESMART:

  

JACK MCGRORY (CHAIRMAN)

MICHAEL McCLEARY (ALTERNATE CHAIRMAN)

RODRIGO CALVO GONZÁLEZ (TREASURER)

ERNESTO GRIJALVA (ALTERNATE TREASURER)

MANRIQUE UGALDE OBANDO (FIRST ORDINARY MEMBER)

JOSÉ LÓPEZ (ALTERNATE FIRST REGULAR MEMBER)

For JBE:

  

ANDREA ALFARO SOTO (VICE CHAIRMAN)

GERARDO ALFARO SOTO (ALTERNATE VICE CHAIRMAN)

[#] (SECRETARY)

BERNAL ANDRÉS SOTO ARCE (ALTERNATE SECRETARY)

[#] (SECOND ORDINARY MEMBER)

DAYANA AGUILAR SOTO (ALTERNATE SECOND ORDINARY BOARD MEMBER)



Notwithstanding the before mentioned, the PARTIES expressly agree that when the PARTIES do not have equal shareholding stakes in the Company, then the PARTIER may nominate members of the Board and their respective alternates in accordance with the following distribution:

 

 

     

When one Party has a shareholding stake of:

  

It may nominate

At least 17% and up to 34% of the shares

  

The Secretary

From 34% to less than 50% of the shares

  

The Secretary and the Treasurer

From half of the shares plus one share to less than 66% of the shares

  

The Chairman, the Vice Chairman, and the Regular Members

From 66% of the shares to less than 83% of the shares

  

All of the Directors except the Secretary

From 83% of the shares to all the shares

  

All of the Directors



 

[#]

Certain information on this page has been omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Confidential treatment has been requested with respect to the omitted portions.

 

16




7.2.

MEETINGS

The Board of Directors, without requiring a previous meeting announcement, shall meet at least FOUR (4) times a year, holding ONE (1) meeting per quarter, which shall be held on the second Tuesday that is a workday in both the Costa Rica and the US, in the months of February, May, August and November, at ten a.m. (10:00 a.m.) at the Project’s administrative offices. The PARTIES agree that until the offices are built, the meetings shall be held at the company’s head office. Notwithstanding the before stated, the Board of Directors may agree on different dates to hold their ordinary Board meetings or do without such, is such meetings are unnecessary. In this event, notice must be sent to the address designated by each Director in the records of the Company, in writing and fifteen (15) calendar days prior to the meeting.

Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Chairman or Secretary of the Company, after providing written notice at least fifteen (15) calendar days in advance, may call for a


 
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