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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
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(i)
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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.
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[#]
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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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(ii)
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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.
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(iii)
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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.
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(iv)
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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.
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(v)
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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.
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[#]
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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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2
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
3
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
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.
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5.2.1
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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.
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5.2.2
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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.
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5.2.3
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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.
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5.2.4
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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.
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5.2.5
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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")
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5.2.5.1
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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:
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a.
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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.
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b.
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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
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c.
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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.
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d.
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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.
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e.
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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.
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5.2.5.2
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When the intent of the Offering
Shareholder is to seek potential buyers in the market, the
following provisions shall apply:
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a.
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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.
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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.
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c.
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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.
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d.
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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.
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e.
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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.
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f.
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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.
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g.
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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.
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5.2.6.
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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.
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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.
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5.2.8.
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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
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5.2.8.1.
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Third Party Purchaser Validation
Process
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a.
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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.
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b.
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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.
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c.
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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.
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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.
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e.
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The decision made by the Board of
Dignitaries shall be binding on the Parties and will not be subject
to appeal.
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f.
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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.
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5.2.9
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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.
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5.2.10
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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.
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5.2.11
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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.
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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.
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.
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5.4.
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CURRENT CAPITAL AND ADDITIONAL
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS
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5.4.1.
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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$2,112,289.84).
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5.4.2.
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Likewise, the PARTIES agree to make
additional contributions to NEWCO’s capital, in accordance
with the specified additional contribution schedule referred to in
Section 8.4 of this Agreement.
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5.4.3.
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If the Board of Directors considers
it necessary or suitable to require the PARTIES to perform
additional contributions to NEWCO’s capital (whether through
cash contributions, contributions in kind, shareholder loans,
external financing, or any other method), a justified resolution
must be issued and then approved by all the members of the Board.
Such decision shall set the sum of the contribution to be made by
each of the PARTIES (which must be proportional to each
PARTY’s share participation) and shall set the period of time
that the PARTIES will have to make such contribution or, if they
are unable to make all or part of such contribution, the period of
time and method in which the Company and the other PARTY must be
notified of such situation. For the effects of this agreement, the
additional contributions necessary for project construction shall
be referred to as "Operating Contributions." The PARTIES agree that
for Operating Contributions that exceed five hundred thousand
dollars (US$ 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.
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5.4.4.
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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.
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5.4.5.
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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:
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a.
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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;
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b.
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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;
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c.
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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
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d.
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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.
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5.5.
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RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL FOR
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND PURCHASES
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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.
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
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
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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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6.2.1.
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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.
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6.2.2.
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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.
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6.2.3.
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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.
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6.2.4.
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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.
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SEVENTH: THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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:
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For PRICESMART:
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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)
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For JBE:
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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)
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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:
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When one Party has a shareholding stake
of:
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It may nominate
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At least 17% and up to 34% of the
shares
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The Secretary
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From 34% to less than 50% of the
shares
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The Secretary and the
Treasurer
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From half of the shares plus one share to less
than 66% of the shares
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The Chairman, the Vice Chairman, and
the Regular Members
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From 66% of the shares to less than 83% of the
shares
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All of the Directors except the
Secretary
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From 83% of the shares to all the
shares
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All of the Directors
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[#]
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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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16
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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