Urgent Change is Needed at LL Flooring: F9 Investments Sends Open Letter to Shareholders
F9 Investments, owning 8.85% of LL Flooring, has sent a letter urging shareholders to vote for their three nominees at the upcoming July 10 Annual Meeting to address LL Flooring’s financial struggles.
LL Flooring’s stock has hit an all-time low, and the company is considering bankruptcy. The company disclosed it may soon lack liquidity, and has hired AlixPartners for financial consultancy. Despite receiving premium bids, LL Flooring’s board has rejected offers that could have been 14 times the current stock price.
F9 emphasizes the necessity of new leadership to restore value, supported by proxy advisory firms Glass Lewis and ISS. Shareholders are urged to vote using the GOLD proxy card or change prior votes accordingly.
- None.
- LL Flooring’s stock has fallen 85.4% since the start of 2024.
- The stock has dropped 97.3% over the past three years.
- The company is considering bankruptcy according to published reports.
- LL Flooring disclosed it may not have sufficient liquidity to maintain compliance with its credit agreement soon.
- Significant value destruction under current board leadership, with the stock closing at $0.56 per share on July 5, 2024.
- Board's rejection of premium bids that valued the company up to 14 times its current stock price.
- Continuous operational and financial challenges, including substantial doubt regarding the ability to continue business operations for more than a year.
- Plan to enter a sale-leaseback commitment for its primary asset, which might increase expenses and destroy long-term value for shareholders.
Insights
The current situation at LL Flooring is indicative of significant financial distress. The mention of a potential bankruptcy, declining stock price and engaged financial consultants like AlixPartners and Houlihan Lokey are red flags. These signs suggest a lack of liquidity and severe operational issues. The board's consideration of a sale-leaseback arrangement to generate cash is a typical last-resort move, highlighting desperation for immediate liquidity but could lead to higher long-term expenses.
From a financial standpoint, the company has rejected premium bids which were valued significantly higher than the current stock price could suggest poor judgment or an overestimation of the company's market value. With stock down
Given these serious financial challenges and the uncertainty surrounding potential restructuring efforts, investors should proceed with caution.
The letter brings to light critical governance issues at LL Flooring. The board members' lengthy tenures and alleged poor decision-making have contributed to the company's drastic decline. The support from Glass Lewis and ISS for change in board composition underscores widespread lack of confidence in the current board's ability to steer the company out of its crisis.
The proposed nominees by F9, with their industry expertise and shareholder alignment, could potentially bring in the necessary fresh perspective and discipline required to enact meaningful change. However, the complexities of turning the business around in its current state should not be underestimated.
For retail investors, the governance overhaul could be a double-edged sword—while it offers hope for improvement, it also involves significant risk given the scale of the turnaround needed.
LL Flooring’s July 10th Annual Meeting is Your Last Chance to Hold LL Flooring’s Board Accountable for its Failures and Vote for Change to Protect Your Investment
All Three F9 Director Nominees Have Received Support from Leading Independent Proxy Advisory Firm Glass Lewis and Other Large LL Flooring Shareholders
F9’s Nominees Have the Critical Flooring Industry Expertise, Shareholder Alignment, and Strategic Plan Necessary to Help Restore LL Flooring’s Value
Every Vote Counts! It is Not Too Late to Change Your Vote and Support F9’s Nominees
F9 Urges Shareholders to Vote the GOLD Proxy Card “FOR” F9’s Three Highly Qualified Nominees – Tom Sullivan, Jason Delves, and Jill Witter – and “WITHHOLD” on ALL LL Flooring Nominees
The full text of the letter is below and available at www.LLGroove.com.
July 8, 2024
Dear Fellow LL Flooring Shareholders,
The situation at LL Flooring is dire, and time is running out for you to protect the value of your investment.
LL FLOORING’S STOCK PRICE IS AT ITS ALL-TIME LOW AND THE COMPANY IS CONSIDERING FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY ACCORDING TO PUBLISHED REPORTS1.
Yet rather than addressing the numerous critical issues facing the business head-on, LL Flooring’s Board continues to make poor and puzzling operational and financial decisions that are jeopardizing the future of the Company. Consider the following:
- On June 28, 2024, the Company disclosed that it believes it will not have sufficient liquidity to maintain compliance with its credit agreement as soon as this quarter.
- One day prior to the Company’s disclosure, Bloomberg reported that LL Flooring has retained AlixPartners, a financial services consultancy that recently advised Bed Bath & Beyond on its bankruptcy proceedings, to receive assistance with operations and explore ways to boost its cash reserves.
- In a May 8, 2024 filing, LL Flooring disclosed a “going concern” that its precarious financial condition raised substantial doubt regarding its ability to continue business operations for more than a year. During its first quarter 2024 earnings call that same day, the Company disclosed it has retained Houlihan Lokey Inc. to evaluate financing alternatives.
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The Board is currently seeking to enter into a sale-leaseback commitment for its primary asset – LL Flooring’s
Sandston, Virginia distribution center – in a shortsighted and desperate effort to generate cash which will likely increase expenses and destroy value for shareholders in the long run.
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LL Flooring’s stock price continues to crater. The Company’s stock has fallen
85.4% since the start of 2024, dropped97.3% over the past three years, and plummeted a whopping99.4% under the Chair of the Board Nancy Taylor’s ineffective leadership. The stock closed at$0.56
- Despite this disturbing decline, since January 2023 LL Flooring’s Board has rejected a number of premium bids for the Company valued up to 14x LL Flooring’s current stock price. Since then, the Board’s disingenuous strategic review and sale process has seen falling bid prices, limited transparency, and an uneven playing field for bidders based on the Board’s insistence that bids it received “significantly undervalued” the Company.
The facts are clear: LL Flooring’s Board of Directors has presided over staggering value destruction for shareholders, significant operational losses, a sham sale process, and so-called strategic initiatives that have placed the Company at immediate risk of going out of business. It is simply delusional for this Board to expect shareholders to vote for the status quo and re-elect its incumbent directors – two of whom have sat on the Board for 10 and 18 years, respectively – after they have contributed to such extreme underperformance.
It should be clear to all shareholders that urgent change is needed in the LL Flooring boardroom in order to protect the value of your investment. Fortunately, there is an alternative path forward, even if you have previously withheld voting for the F9 nominees on either the GOLD or WHITE proxy card. You can still change your vote and support F9’s nominees by voting on either the GOLD or WHITE proxy card. Only your most recently dated proxy card will count as your vote.
F9’s three highly qualified director nominees Tom Sullivan, Jason Delves, and Jill Witter have the critical flooring industry expertise, shareholder alignment, and actionable plan necessary to restore LL Flooring’s value for the long term. F9’s nominees also bring substantial corporate governance experience, discipline and accountability, and long track records of value creation for businesses that will be valuable additions to LL Flooring’s Board. Indeed, last week Glass Lewis & Co. (“Glass Lewis”), a leading independent proxy advisory firm, published a report recognizing the oversight, rigor, and relevant experience F9’s nominees would add to the Board and recommended that shareholders support F9’s full slate at the Company’s upcoming Annual Meeting.
In its report, Glass Lewis concluded:
- “…we consider election of F9's slate to represent the most compelling alternative available at what appears to be a fairly critical juncture for LL.”
- “We see little clear and measurable cause for shareholders to endorse the view that perpetuation of the incumbent board's tack is likely to represent the most attractive route forward at this time.”
- “We believe the board carves out very little in the way of credible footing for its operational defense, which largely eschews recognition of the Company's observably poor performance, valuation and competitive positioning.”
Further, independent proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”) recently published a report recommending that shareholders elect F9 nominee Jason Delves to LL Flooring’s Board. In its report, ISS concluded:
- “It is clear that LL is in need of an urgent turnaround… a successful turnaround under the current management team and board is far from certain.”
- “LL's prolonged TSR underperformance, significant operating challenges over the past two years, and the unsuccessful sale process thus far suggest that some level of change is warranted at the board level.”
LL Flooring’s Board has avoided accountability for too long and cannot be allowed to continue to drive this Company into the ground. Our nominees are committed to restoring LL Flooring to excellence, reviving its corporate culture, and repositioning the Company for profitability and growth over the long term for the benefit of all stakeholders.
NOW IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO HOLD LL FLOORING’S BOARD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ITS FAILURES. WE URGE YOU TO VOTE FOR CHANGE TO PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
We thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Tom Sullivan |
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Jason Delves |
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Jill Witter |
VOTE ON THE GOLD PROXY CARD TODAY “FOR” F9’S NOMINEES TOM SULLIVAN, JASON DELVES, AND JILL WITTER AND “WITHHOLD” ON ALL LL FLOORING NOMINEES AND JERALD HAMMANN
Shareholders must act decisively to safeguard their investment. YOUR VOTE MATTERS, NO MATTER HOW MANY SHARES YOU OWN. We urge all shareholders to protect the value of their investment by voting for F9’s nominees today using the GOLD proxy card.
You can cast your vote online at www.ProxyVote.com or by completing, signing and dating the GOLD proxy card or GOLD voting instruction form and mailing it in the postage paid envelope provided.
If you have not received the GOLD proxy card from F9 and have only received a WHITE proxy card sent to you by the Company, you can still support F9’s nominees using the WHITE proxy card. You can do so by checking the “WITHHOLD” boxes on all of the Company nominees and Jerald Hammann and checking the “FOR” boxes for all F9 nominees – Tom Sullivan, Jason Delves, and Jill Witter.
If you have already voted for the Company nominees, you can change your vote to support the F9 nominees by re-casting your vote on either the GOLD proxy card or WHITE proxy card. Only your latest dated proxy card will count.
If you have any questions about how to vote your shares, please contact our proxy solicitor, Campaign Management, by telephone 1-(855) 264-1527 (shareholders) or (212) 632-8422 (banks & brokerages) or by email at info@campaign-mgmt.com.
For more information about F9 and detailed voting instructions, visit our website at www.LLGroove.com.
Solomon Partners Securities, LLC is serving as F9’s financial advisor and Dentons US LLP is serving as its legal advisor.
*F9 Investments has neither sought nor obtained consent from ISS to use ISS-published material in this press release
DISCLAIMER
Except as otherwise set forth in this press release, the views expressed in this press release reflect the opinions of F9 Investments, LLC and its affiliates (“F9”) and are based on publicly available information with respect to LL Flooring Holdings, Inc. (“LL” or the “Company”). F9 recognizes that there may be confidential information in the possession of the Company that could lead it or others to disagree with F9’s conclusions. F9 reserves the right to change any of its opinions expressed herein at any time as it deems appropriate and disclaims any obligation to notify the market or any other party of any such change, except as required by law. F9 disclaims any obligation to update the information or opinions contained in this press release, except as required by law. For the avoidance of doubt, this press release is not affiliated with or endorsed by LL.
This press release is provided merely as information and is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security nor as a recommendation to purchase or sell any security. Certain of the Participants (as defined below) currently beneficially own shares of the Company. The Participants and their affiliates may from time to time sell all or a portion of their holdings of the Company in open market transactions or otherwise, buy additional shares (in open market or privately negotiated transactions or otherwise), or trade in options, puts, calls, swaps or other derivative instruments relating to such shares.
Some of the materials in this press release contain forward-looking statements. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature or that necessarily depend on future events are forward-looking, and the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “potential,” “could,” “opportunity,” “estimate,” “plan,” “once again,” “achieve,” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. The projected results and statements contained herein that are not historical facts are based on current expectations, speak only as of the date of these materials and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performances or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such projected results and statements. Assumptions relating to the foregoing involve judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic competitive and market conditions and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond the control of F9.
The estimates, projections and potential impact of the opportunities identified by F9 herein are based on assumptions that F9 believes to be reasonable as of the date of this press release, but there can be no assurance or guarantee (i) that any of the proposed actions set forth in this press release will be completed, (ii) that the actual results or performance of the Company will not differ, and such differences may be material, or (iii) that any of the assumptions provided in this press release are accurate.
F9 has neither sought nor obtained the consent from any third party to use any statements or information contained herein that have been obtained or derived from statements made or published by such third parties, nor has it paid for any such statements. Any such statements or information should not be viewed as indicating the support of such third parties for the views expressed herein. F9 does not endorse third-party estimates or research which are used herein solely for illustrative purposes.
Important Information
F9 Investments, LLC, Thomas D. Sullivan, John Jason Delves and Jill Witter (collectively, the “Participants”) filed a definitive proxy statement and accompanying form of gold proxy card (as supplemented and amended, the “Definitive Proxy Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC”) on May 31, 2024 to be used in connection with the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company.
THE PARTICIPANTS STRONGLY ADVISE ALL STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON THE SEC’S WEBSITE AT WWW.SEC.GOV AND F9’S WEBSITE AT WWW.LLGROOVE.COM. THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ACCOMPANYING PROXY CARD WILL BE FURNISHED TO SOME OR ALL OF THE COMPANY’S STOCKHOLDERS. STOCKHOLDERS MAY ALSO DIRECT A REQUEST TO F9’S PROXY SOLICITOR, CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT, 15 WEST 38TH STREET, SUITE #747,
Information about the Participants and a description of their direct or indirect interests by security holdings or otherwise can be found in the Definitive Proxy Statement.
1 Bloomberg News – “LL Flooring Mulls Bankruptcy Filing as Home Renovations Slow”, 3 July, 2024, available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-03/ll-flooring-mulls-bankruptcy-filing-as-home-renovations-sputter
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240707839684/en/
INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACTS
Investors:
Michael Fein
Campaign Management
(212) 632-8422
michael.fein@campaign-mgmt.com
Media:
Jonathan Gasthalter/Nathaniel Garnick
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257-4170
F9Investments@gasthalter.com
Source: F9 Investments, LLC
FAQ
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