SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant [ X ]
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant [ ]
Check the appropriate box:
[ X ] Preliminary Proxy Statement
[ ] Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
[ ] Definitive Proxy Statement
[ ] Definitive Additional Materials
[ ] Soliciting Material Pursuant to Sec.240.14a-11(c) or Sec.240.14a-12
FURR'S/BISHOP'S INCORPORATED
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
FURR'S/BISHOP'S INCORPORATED
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
[ ] $125 per Exchange Act Rules 0-11(c)(1)(ii), 14a-6(i)(1), or
14a-6(i)(2) or Item 22(a)(2) of Schedule 14A.
[ ] $500 per each party to the controversy pursuant to Exchange Act Rule
14-a-(6)(i)(3).
[ ] Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and
0-11.
1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed
pursuant to Exchange Act Rule0-11.
4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
5) Total fee paid:
[ ] Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
[ ] Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee
was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
1) Amount Previously Paid:
2) Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
3) Filing Party:
4) Date Filed:
<PAGE>
[FURR'S/BISHOP'S INCORPORATED LETTERHEAD]
____________, 1999
Dear Fellow Stockholder:
You are cordially invited to attend the 1999 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of
Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated, to be held at 10:00 a.m. local time on Thursday,
May 20, 1999 in the ____________________________ at _________________, Dallas,
Texas.
Business scheduled to be considered at the meeting includes the election of
directors, a proposal to increase the number of shares issuable under the
Company's 1995 Stock Option Plan, an amendment to the Company's Certificate of
Incorporation to provide for a one-for-ten reverse stock split of the Company's
Common Stock, and an amendment to the Company's Certificate of Incorporation to
increase the number of authorized shares. Information concerning these matters
is included in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and
Proxy Statement.
Members of the Board of Directors and management will be on hand at the Annual
Meeting to answer questions and discuss any matters relating to the Company
that may arise.
Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please complete, sign,
date and return the enclosed proxy card for Common Stockholders as soon as
possible. You may, of course, attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person,
even if you have previously returned your proxy card.
Sincerely,
---------------------------
Suzanne Hopgood
Chairman of the Board
---------------------------
Phillip Ratner
President and Chief Executive Officer
<PAGE>
FURR'S/BISHOP'S INCORPORATED
3001 East President George Bush Hwy.
Suite 200
Richardson, TX 75082
_______________
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
_______________
on
Thursday, May 20, 1999
Notice is hereby given that the 1999 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of
Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated (the "Company") will be held at 10:00 a.m. local
time on Thursday, May 20, 1999 in the _______________________ at
______________________, Dallas, Texas for the following purposes:
1. To elect ten directors to serve one-year terms;
2. To approve a proposal to increase the number of shares issuable under
the Company's 1995 Stock Option Plan by 1,200,000 shares (before the
proposed reverse split of the Company's Common Stock);
3. To amend the Company's Certificate of Incorporation to provide for a
one-for-ten reverse stock split of the Company's Common Stock,
provided that the Board will retain discretion as to when or whether
the amendment is filed;
4. To amend the Company's Certificate of Incorporation to increase the
number of authorized shares from 65 million to 150 million (15
million after the proposed reverse stock split of the Company's
Common Stock), provided that the Board will retain discretion as to
when or whether the amendment is filed;
5. To transact such other business as may properly be brought before the
meeting and any and all adjournments thereof.
The holders of record of the Company's Common Stock at the close of business on
April 1, 1999 will be entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting
or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting in person.
Stockholders who are unable to attend the Annual Meeting in person are
requested to complete and date the enclosed proxy card and return it promptly
in the envelope provided. No postage is required if mailed in the United
States. Stockholders who attend the Annual Meeting may revoke their proxy and
vote their shares in person.
By Order of the Board of Directors
Suzanne Hopgood
Chairman of the Board
<PAGE>
Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated
3001 East President George Bush Hwy.
Suite 200
Richardson, TX 75082
_______________
PROXY STATEMENT
_______________
for
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
Thursday, May 20, 1999
SOLICITATION OF PROXIES
This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of
proxies by the Board of Directors of Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated, a Delaware
corporation (the "Company"), for use at the 1999 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
to be held at 10:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, May 20, 1999 in the
_____________________________, Dallas, Texas and at any adjournment or
postponement thereof (the "Annual Meeting"). Only holders of record of the
Company's Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (the "Common Stock"), at the
close of business on April 1, 1999 (the "Record Date") will be entitled to
notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting with respect to all proposals set
forth on the attached Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Board of
Directors is not currently aware of any other matters which will come before
the Annual Meeting. This Proxy Statement and the accompanying proxy card are
being mailed to the Company's stockholders on or about April _____, 1999.
Shares of Common Stock represented by properly executed proxy cards received by
the Company at or prior to the Annual Meeting will be voted according to the
instructions indicated on the proxy card. Unless contrary instructions are
given, the persons named on the proxy card intend to vote the shares of Common
Stock so represented FOR the election of the nominees for director named in
this Proxy Statement, FOR the proposal to increase the number of shares
issuable under the Company's 1995 Stock Option Plan by 1,200,000 shares (before
the proposed reverse stock split of the Company's Common Stock), FOR the
proposal to amend the Company's Certificate of Incorporation to effect a
one-for-ten reverse stock split of the Company's Common Stock and FOR the
proposal to amend the Company's Certificate of Incorporation to increase the
number of shares authorized for issuance by the Company from 65 million to 150
million (15 million after the proposed reverse stock split of the Company's
Common Stock). As to any other business which may properly come before the
Annual Meeting, the persons named on the proxy card will vote according to
their best judgement.
Any holder of Common Stock has the power to revoke his or her proxy at any time
before it is voted at the Annual Meeting by delivering a written notice of
revocation to the Secretary of the Company, by a duly executed proxy bearing a
later date or by voting by ballot at the Annual Meeting.
The cost of preparing, assembling and mailing this Proxy Statement and Notice
of Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be paid by the Company. Additional
solicitation of holders of Common Stock by mail, telephone, telegraph, or by
personal solicitation may be done by directors, officers and regular employees
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of the Company, for which they will receive no additional compensation.
Brokerage houses and other nominees, fiduciaries and custodians nominally
holding shares of the Company's Common Stock as of the Record Date will be
requested to forward proxy soliciting material to the beneficial owners of such
shares and will be reimbursed by the Company for their reasonable expenses.
VOTING SECURITIES AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS
The Company has one class of voting common equity securities, the Common Stock,
which carries one vote per share. At the Record Date there were issued and
outstanding 48,675,168 shares of Common Stock. The presence in person or by
proxy of the holders of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by the
outstanding shares of Common Stock shall constitute a quorum for matters to be
voted on.
Approval of the proposal to increase the number of shares issuable under the
Company's 1995 Stock Option Plan will require a majority of votes cast.
Approval of the amendments to the Company's Certificate of Incorporation to
effect the reverse stock split and increase the number of authorized shares
will require a majority of shares outstanding. The Company's directors will be
elected by plurality of the votes cast. Under applicable Delaware law,
abstentions and broker non-votes are treated as shares that are present and
entitled to vote for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum for the
transaction of business. Abstentions and broker non-votes are tabulated
separately, with abstentions counted in tabulations of the votes cast on a
proposal for purposes of determining whether a proposal has been approved while
broker non-votes relating to a proposal are not counted as a vote cast with
respect to that proposal.
Under Delaware law, stockholders are not entitled to dissenters' rights of
appraisal with respect to any of the proposals.
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<TABLE>
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
Principal Stockholders
To the best knowledge of management of the Company, no person owned
beneficially, as of March 31, 1999, more than 5 percent of the outstanding
shares of the Company's Common Stock, except as follows:
<CAPTION>
Amount & Nature of Percent of
Name & Address of Beneficial Owner Beneficial Ownership Total Common Stock
- ---------------------------------- -------------------- ------------------
<S> <C> <C>
Grace Brothers/Rock Finance Group(1)(2) 11,739,542 24.1%
Teachers Insurance and Annuity 8,607,637 17.7%
Association of America
730 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10011
EQ Asset Trust 1993 8,499,857 (3) 17.5%
1345 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10105
John Hancock Mutual Life 5,477,944 11.3%
Insurance Company
P.O. Box 111
Boston, MA 02117
The Mutual Life Insurance 4,105,339 8.4%
Company of New York
1740 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Principal Mutual Holding Company 3,286,701 6.8%
Principal Life Insurance Co.(4)
711 High Street
Des Moines, IA 50392
(1) This information is based on a Schedule 13D filed jointly by Grace
Brothers, Ltd ("Grace"), Rock Finance, L.P. ("Rock"), Bradford T.
Whitmore, Spurgeon Corporation and Bun Partners on February 24, 1999.
Grace presently holds a total of 9,350,082 shares of the Common Stock,
which represent approximately 19.2 percent of the Common Stock
outstanding. Rock presently holds a total of 2,389,460 shares of the
Common Stock, which represent approximately 4.9 percent of the Common
Stock outstanding. Bradford T. Whitmore, Spurgeon Corporation and Bun
Partners are general partners of Grace and Rock and therefore may be
deemed to be beneficial owners of the shares held by the partnerships.
Grace has the sole power to vote and dispose of the Common Stock which it
beneficially owns and Rock has the sole power to vote and dispose of the
Common Stock which it beneficially owns.
(2) The mailing address for Grace Brothers, Ltd., Rock Finance, L.P., Bun
Partners, Inc. and Bradford T. Whitmore, is 1560 Sherman Ave. Suite 900,
Evanston, IL 60201. The mailing address for Spurgeon Corporation is 290
South County Farm Rd., Third Floor, Wheaton, IL 60187. This information
is based on the Schedules 13D and 13G filed by these persons at various
times during 1999 and 1998.
3
<PAGE>
(3) These shares of the Common Stock (the "Equitable Shares") are held of
record by EQ Asset Trust 1993, a Delaware business trust (the "Trust").
The Equitable Companies Incorporated ("Equitable") is the beneficiary and
owner of the Trust. The Trust is managed by Alliance Capital Management,
L.P. ("Alliance") pursuant to a Collateral Management Agreement. A
wholly-owned subsidiary of Equitable is the general partner of Alliance;
through wholly-owned subsidiaries, Equitable owns a majority of the equity
interest in Alliance. The Equitable Shares and such Collateral Management
Agreement have been pledged to The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., as trustee
for the benefit and security of holders of certain notes of the Trust.
AXA beneficially owns approximately 60.7 percent of Equitable's
outstanding common stock as well as certain convertible preferred stock of
Equitable. AXA is indirectly controlled by the Mutuelles AXA (five French
mutual insurance companies, acting as a group). AXA and the Mutuelles AXA
and certain of their affiliates disclaim beneficial ownership of the
Equitable Shares.
(4) Based on information contained in their Schedule 13G filed February 22,
1999, Principal Mutual Holding Company and Principal Life Insurance Co.
share voting power over these shares.
</TABLE>
PROPOSAL 1 - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The By-laws of the Company provide that directors are elected for one-year
terms. At each annual meeting, directors who are elected by the holders of
Common Stock succeed the directors whose terms expire at that meeting and hold
office until the next annual meeting and until their successors are duly
elected and qualified.
The Nominees for Election at the 1999 Annual Meeting are: Jacob C. Baum, Ben
Evans, Margaret B. Hampton, Suzanne Hopgood, Damien W. Kovary, William J.
Nightingale, Gilbert C. Osnos, Max Pine, Phillip Ratner and Barry W. Ridings,
all of whom currently serve as members of the Board of Directors. The By-laws
of the Company provide that directors are elected by a plurality of the votes
cast at the Annual Meeting; therefore, the ten director nominees receiving the
most votes will be elected. Unless otherwise specified, the enclosed proxy
will be voted in favor of each of the Nominees named above. All nominees for
election have consented to be named and have indicated their intent to serve if
elected. Although the Board of Directors anticipates that all of the nominees
will be available to serve as directors of the Company, should any one or more
of them be unwilling or unable to serve, the Board of Directors may, but is not
required, to designate a substitute nominee or nominees, in which event the
proxies will be voted FOR the election of the substitute nominee or nominees
The nominees for election as directors are:
Jacob C. Baum, 42, served as President, Chief Executive Officer and
principal stockholder of Canyon Cafes, Inc. since its formation in 1989
until its acquisition by Apple South, Inc., a publicly held company, in
July 1997. Mr. Baum continued to serve as President of the Canyon Cafes
division of Apple South, Inc. until he joined Engles, Urso, Follmer
Capital Corporation, a leveraged buy-out firm, as a principal in May 1998.
At various times, Mr. Baum has also been the owner/President of Sam's
Cafe', Hampton's Market, Newport's and Nickel City Grill. Mr. Baum has
been a director of the Company since May 1998.
4
<PAGE>
Ben Evans, 69, has served as a consultant to Ernst & Young LLP since 1989
in its corporate financial service group. Prior to becoming a consultant
with Ernst & Young LLP, Mr. Evans was a partner with Ernst & Young LLP
from 1968 to 1989 and worked with many diverse industries, including a
heavy concentration in retail. Mr. Evans is a CPA. Mr. Evans has served
on the board of directors of Revco D.S., Inc., Jamesway Corporation,
Kash'n Karry Food Stores, Inc. and Megafoods Stores, Inc. Mr. Evans has
been a director of the Company since May 1998.
Margaret B. Hampton, 40, joined Grace Brothers, Ltd., an investment
management firm, in March 1997. Prior to joining Grace Brothers, Ltd.,
Ms. Hampton was Managing Director of the Distressed Investments Unit of
First Chicago Capital Corporation. Before joining First Chicago in 1991,
Ms. Hampton was a vice president with Bear Stearns & Co., Inc. in the
Financial Restructuring Group, where she advised debtors and creditors of
distressed companies in a variety of industries including retailing, oil
and gas, health care and real estate. Ms. Hampton was chosen to fill a
vacancy to the Board of Directors of the Company in February 1999.
Suzanne Hopgood, 50, has served as President of the Hopgood Group since
founding the company in 1985. The Hopgood Group provides consulting and
interim management services to the hospitality and real estate industries.
Prior to founding the Hopgood Group, she served as Second Vice President
at Aetna Realty Investors where she oversaw one-third of the corporation's
multi-billion dollar real estate equity portfolio. She served as the
Company's acting CEO from June 1998 through October 1998. Ms. Hopgood
also serves on the executive committee of the Real Estate Finance
Association, is a member of the International Society of Hotel Consultants
and the Urban Land Institute and is a director emerita of the Connecticut
Business & Industry Association. Ms. Hopgood has served as a director
since 1996 and as Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors since May
1998.
Damien W. Kovary, 43, has served as a managing director of Heico
Acquisitions, a subsidiary of Heico Companies, LLC, since 1997. Prior to
joining Heico Acquisitions, Mr. Kovary was the managing director of the
Special Loan Unit at Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America
("Teachers") from 1986 to 1997. Before joining Teachers, Mr. Kovary was a
vice president in the Workout Department at Marine Midland Bank from 1982
to 1986. While at Marine Midland Bank, Mr. Kovary also served as
President of MarMid Energy Corp. and TOMAR Energy Corp. Mr. Kovary has
been a director of the Company since May 1998.
William J. Nightingale, 69, is currently a senior advisor of Nightingale &
Associates, LLC. He founded the company in 1975 and served as CEO and
Chairman until 1995. Nightingale & Associates provides general management
consulting to clients who sell consumer and industrial products, natural
resources and financial and business services. Prior to founding
Nightingale & Associates, LLC, he served as President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Bali Company, Inc., a manufacturer of women's apparel. Mr.
Nightingale is a director of Kasper A.S.L., Ltd., Rings End Inc. and is a
trustee of Churchill Tax-Free Bond Fund and Churchill Cash Reserves Fund.
Mr. Nightingale has served on the Board of Directors of the Company since
May 1998.
Gilbert C. Osnos, 69, has been President of Gilbert C. Osnos & Co., Inc.
since 1981, and a partner in Grisanti Galef & Osnos Associates since 1981.
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He has served as interim president, CEO and COO to a large array of
companies in manufacturing, distribution, retailing and service
industries. Mr. Osnos was a director of the Turnaround Management
Association from 1988 to 1993 and Chairman from 1990 to 1991; he was a
director of Trivest Financial Services Corporation and Reprise Capital
from 1989 to 1991. Mr. Osnos serves on the board of directors of Mrs.
Fields Original Cookie Company, Inc. and Dunham's Athleisure Corporation,
as well as on the Advisory Committee of Business Executives for National
Security in the New York Chapter. Mr. Osnos has served on the Board of
Directors of the Company since 1996.
Max Pine, 64, joined Patricof & Co. Capital, an international financial
firm specializing in investment banking services, as Special Partner in
March 1994. In November 1998, Patricof & Co. was merged into The Bank of
New York and the name changed to BNY Capital Markets, Inc. Prior to 1994,
Mr. Pine was employed by Restaurant Associates Corp., a New York
City-based diversified full-service restaurant company, for 25 years,
serving as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1988 until December
1993. Mr. Pine was chosen to fill a vacancy in the Board of Directors of
the Company in February 1999.
Phillip Ratner, 54, has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of
the Company since September 27, 1998. Mr. Ratner has served on the Board
of Directors of the Company since September 1998. Prior to his
association with the Company, Mr. Ratner was Chairman, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Spaghetti Warehouse, Inc., a chain of 40 casual-theme
Italian dinner houses. Prior to his association with Spaghetti Warehouse,
Mr. Ratner was President and Chief Executive Officer of Acapulco
Restaurants, Inc., a 50-unit casual Mexican dinner-house chain based in
Long Beach, California. Mr. Ratner is a graduate of Cornell University's
School of Hotel Administration, and also earned a Master of Business
Administration degree from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of
Management. Mr. Ratner serves as a director of Roadhouse Grill, Inc. and
recently served as a director of Hometown Buffet, Inc., prior to its
merger with Buffets, Inc. Mr. Ratner has served as Director of the
Company since September 1998.
Barry W. Ridings, 47, has been a managing director of BT Alex. Brown
Incorporated, a major investment banking firm and wholly-owned subsidiary
of Bankers Trust Corporation, since 1990. Before joining BTAlex. Brown
Incorporated, Mr. Ridings was a managing director at Drexel Burnham
Lambert. Mr. Ridings serves on the board of directors of Noodle Kidoodle
Inc., SIEM Industries and New Valley Corp. Mr. Ridings has served on the
Board of Directors of the Company since May 1998.
The Board of Directors and its Committees
The Board of Directors held 15 meetings during the fiscal year 1998. The Board
of Directors has four standing committees: the Audit Committee, the
Compensation Committee, the Finance Committee and the Nominating Committee.
The Audit Committee, which held five meetings during fiscal year 1998,
presently consists of Ben Evans, Damien Kovary and William J. Nightingale. The
Committee's responsibilities include: recommending to the Board the firm to be
employed by the Company as its external auditor; consulting with the persons
chosen to be the external auditors with regard to the plan of audit; reviewing
the fees of the external auditors for audit and non-audit services; reviewing,
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<PAGE>
in consultation with the external auditors, their report of audit or proposed
report of audit and the accompanying management letter, if any; reviewing with
management and the external auditor, before publication or issuance, the annual
financial statements, and any annual reports to be filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission; consulting with the external auditors (periodically,
as appropriate, out of the presence of management) with regard to the adequacy
of the internal auditing and general accounting functions of the Company; and
consulting with the internal auditors (periodically, as appropriate, out of the
presence of management) with regard to cooperation of management with the
internal auditing and accounting departments and the adequacy of corporate
systems of accounting and control.
The Compensation Committee, which held five meetings during fiscal year 1998,
presently consists of Messrs. Barry Ridings, Gilbert Osnos and William J.
Nightingale. The Committee's responsibilities include: reviewing the
recommendations of the Company's President and CEO with respect to compensation
of management employees; administering the Company's 1995 Stock Option Plan;
reviewing management recommendations for grants of stock options and any
proposed plans or practices of the Company relating to compensation and
benefits of its employees and directors; and determining compensation and
incentives for the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. See "Executive
Compensation-Report of the Compensation Committee" and "-Option Plan."
During 1998, the Board of Directors as a whole acted as the Finance Committee,
and the Finance Committee held no separate meetings. The Finance Committee has
special charge and responsibility for oversight of all financial affairs of the
Company. The principal functions and responsibilities of the Finance Committee
are: to review and approve investment and loan policies; review and approve
asset-liability management policies; monitor corporate financial results; and
recommend corporate financial actions, including dividends and capital
financing. The Finance Committee also makes recommendations to the Board of
Directors with respect to the terms of loans and issuances of securities of the
Company, including equity and debt securities.
The Board of Directors as a whole is also presently performing the functions of
the Nominating Committee. The entire Board of Directors approved the nominees
for election at the 1999 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. There were seven (7)
meetings of the Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors prior to the
1998 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Nominating Committee's
responsibilities include: meeting periodically to review the qualifications of
potential Board candidates from whatever source received; reporting its
findings to the Board and proposing nominations for Board membership for
approval by the Board and for submission to stockholders for approval; and
reviewing and making recommendations to the Board, where appropriate,
concerning the size of the Board and the frequency of meetings. The Nominating
Committee will consider nominee recommendations from holders of Common Stock.
Recommendations for the election of directors at the Company's 2000 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders should be submitted in writing to the Nominating
Committee at the address of the Company's principal executive offices on or
before January 21, 2000.
In addition to the standing committees, the Board from time to time establishes
committees of limited duration for special purposes. During 1998, eight (8)
such committees were designated to deal with non-operating issues and held a
total of 41 meetings.
Each director attended at least 75 percent of all meetings of the Board of
Directors and committees to which they were assigned during fiscal year 1998.
7
<PAGE>
Director Fees
Non-employee directors of the Company receive a fee of $1,500 per month and
$1,000 per Board meeting attended as compensation for their services. In
addition, non-employee directors receive $500 for each telephonic committee
meeting attended and $1000 for each committee meeting attended in person.
Kevin E. Lewis, who served as a director and Chairman of the Board of the
Company until May 28, 1998 received additional fees during 1998 of $27,500
pursuant to the agreement described at "Transactions with Management and
Others". Ms. Hopgood has not received fees for attending meetings of the Board
or its committees during her service as acting CEO of the Company and as a
consultant.
Director Options
Under the Company's 1995 Stock Option Plan, as in effect until June 1998, each
non-employee director would receive an automatic grant of an option to purchase
6,666 shares of Company Common Stock upon appointment as a director, which
would vest and become exercisable in three equal installments on the first,
second and third anniversaries of the date of grant and have an exercise price
equal to the closing price of the Company's stock on the date of grant. In
June 1998, the 1995 Stock Option Plan was amended to reflect that the directors
then serving and any future directors would automatically receive a grant of an
option to purchase 100,000 shares of Company Common Stock upon appointment as a
director, vesting and becoming exercisable in three equal installments on the
first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant, and having an
exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company's stock on the date of
grant.
Section 16 (a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange
Act"), requires the Company's officers and directors and persons who own more
than 10 percent of a registered class of the Company's equity securities, to
file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the Securities and
Exchange Commission and the New York Stock Exchange. Officers, directors and
greater than ten-percent stockholders are required by SEC regulations to
furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based
solely on its review of the copies of such forms received by it, or written
representations from certain reporting persons that no Forms 5 were required
for those persons, the Company believes that, during fiscal 1998, all filing
requirements were complied with by its officers, directors and greater than
ten-percent beneficial owners, except that the purchase of 3,000 shares of
Common Stock by Ben Evans in July 1998 was reported in February 1999.
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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Name Age Title
Phillip Ratner 54 President and Chief Executive Officer
Alton R. Smith 46 Executive Vice President, Secretary
Thomas M. Blasdell 49 Vice President - Purchasing, Processing
and Distribution
Donald M. Dodson 62 Vice President - Operations
Bruce S. Dudley 35 Vice President - Human Resources
John W. Jones 50 Vice President - Real Estate
Danny K. Meisenheimer 39 Vice President - Marketing
Don J. Williams 57 Vice President - Information Technology
Phillip Ratner has been the President and Chief Executive Officer since
September 27, 1998, and before joining the Company served as Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Spaghetti Warehouse, Inc. (from June
1994).
Alton R. Smith has been Executive Vice President of the Company since 1993 and
Secretary since 1995. He is a certified public accountant and joined the
Company in 1974.
Donald M. Dodson has been Vice President of Operations since 1993 and was Vice
President - Food and Beverage from 1990 until 1993. Mr. Dodson joined the
Company in 1958.
Thomas M. Blasdell has been Vice President of Purchasing, Processing and
Distribution since November 1995. Prior to this, he held several other
positions with the Company, including Vice President of Purchasing and
Distribution, Vice President of Purchasing, Director of Purchasing and Manager
of Warehousing and Inventory Control. Mr. Blasdell joined the Company in 1971.
Danny K. Meisenheimer has been Vice President of Marketing since January 1995.
Mr. Meisenheimer joined the Company in 1991.
Bruce S. Dudley has been Vice President of Human Resources since October 1998,
when he joined the Company. From 1997 until joining the Company, Mr. Dudley
was a senior consultant with the Dallas based restaurant-consulting firm
Batrus-Hollweg Inc. From 1995 to 1997 Mr. Dudley was the Manager of
Organizational Learning for Electronic Data Systems in Plano, Texas. Prior to
1995, Mr. Dudley was an independent consultant specializing in organizational
development. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of
Minnesota and is a certified psychologist in the State of Texas.
John W. Jones has been Vice President of Real Estate since August 1998.
Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Jones had a 30 year career in the real estate
development industry. Mr. Jones worked as an independent consultant in the
real estate development industry from 1989 until he joined the Company. From
1984 to 1990, Mr. Jones was Executive Vice President and a Principal of City
Group, Inc., a real estate development firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr.
Jones is a licensed Real Estate Broker.
Don J. Williams has been Vice President of Information Technology since 1997.
Mr. Williams served as Senior Director of Information Systems form 1988 to 1997
for VHA, Inc., a group purchasing organization for acute care centers. Prior
to this, he was employed by Centex Corporation from 1967 to 1988, most recently
as Vice President, Information Systems. Mr. Williams has an MBA in Management
from Amber University.
9
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Stock Ownership of Directors and Executives
As of March 2, 1999, according to information furnished to the Company, each
director, director nominee, the executive officers named in the summary
compensation table and all named executive officers and directors as a group,
owned beneficially the indicated shares of Common Stock:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Percent of
Name of Beneficial Owner Number of Shares Common Stock
<S> <C> <C>
Directors:
Jacob C. Baum - -
Ben Evans 3,000 *
Margaret B. Hampton - -
Suzanne Hopgood 16,666 (1) *
Damien W. Kovary - -
William J. Nightingale - -
Gilbert C. Osnos 16,666 (2) *
Max Pine 10,000 *
Phillip Ratner 25,000 *
Barry W. Ridings - -
Named Executive Officers:
Thomas M. Blasdell 122 *
Donald M. Dodson 2,063 (3) *
Danny K. Meisenheimer 880 (4) *
Alton R. Smith 1,445 (5) *
Don J. Williams - -
All officers and directors as a group 65,842 0.13%
* Owns less than 0.1 percent
(1) Includes options to purchase 4,444 shares at $1.00 per share and 2,222
shares at $1.125 per share.
(2) Includes options to purchase 4,444 shares at $1.00 per share and 2,222
shares at $1.125 per share.
(3) Includes warrants to purchase 78 shares at $1.11 per share.
(4) Includes warrants to purchase 1,319 shares at $1.11 per share.
(5) Includes warrants to purchase 563 shares at $1.11 per share.
(6) Includes warrants to purchase 445 shares at $1.11 per share.
</TABLE>
Executive Compensation
Summary Compensation Table
The table below sets forth information concerning the annual and long-term
compensation for services in all capacities to the Company and its subsidiaries
for the fiscal years ended December 29, 1998, December 30, 1997 and December
31, 1996 of those persons who served as the Company's Chief Executive Officer
at any time during 1998, for the registrant's four most highly compensated
executive officers, other than the Chief Executive Officer, who were serving at
the end of 1998 and for one other person for whom disclosure would have been
required but for the fact that they were not serving at the end of 1998.
10
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Long Term Compensation
Awards Payouts
-------- ---------
Annual Compensation Stock Long-Term
------------------------- Options Incentive All Other
Name and Title Year Salary Bonus Other (Shares) Payouts Compensation
- ------------------ ---- ------ ----- ----- -------- --------- ------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Phillip Ratner(1) 1998 77,308 50,000 - 750,000 - -
President and - - - - - - -
Chief Executive - - - - - - -
Officer - - - - - - -
Suzanne Hopgood(2) 1998 - - 320,000 - - -
Chairman, Former
Acting Chief 1997 - - - - - -
Executive
Officer 1996 - - - - - -
Theodore J. 1998 208,154 - - 500,000 (4) - -
Papit(3)
Former President 1997 243,462 - - 500,000 (5) - -
and Chief
Executive 1996 - - - - - -
Officer
- -
Alton R. Smith 1998 125,000 97,500 - 45,000 - -
Executive
Vice President 1997 125,000 20,188 - - - -
1996 129,808 41,125 - - - -
Jim H. Hale(6) 1998 70,962 59,200 96,980 - - -
Vice President-
Field Operations 1997 120,000 19,380 - - - -
1996 121,731 39,480 - - - -
Thomas M. Blasdell 1998 98,000 84,580 - 45,000 - -
Vice President-
Purchasing, 1997 92,500 14,939 - - - -
Processing &
Distribution 1996 90,769 28,788 - - - -
Donald M. Dodson 1998 125,000 83,000 - 45,000 - -
Vice President-
Operations 1997 125,000 13,688 - - - -
1996 129,808 27,875 - - - -
Danny K. 1998 99,500 86,640 - 45,000 - -
Meisenheimer
Vice President- 1997 95,000 15,343 - - - -
Marketing
1996 93,462 29,610 - - - -
(1) Compensation reflects amounts paid from Mr. Ratner's September 27, 1998
date of employment.
11
<PAGE>
(2) Does not include $18,500 received as director fees prior to her service as
Acting Chief Executive Officer. As compensation for her service as a
director, Ms. Hopgood received options to purchase 6,666 shares in 1996,
6,666 shares in 1997 and 106,666 shares in 1998. See "Director Options"
above.
(3) Compensation reflects amounts paid through Mr. Papit's May 29, 1998 date of
resignation. Mr. Papit claims entitlement to more than $500,000 of
severance and other amounts following his resignation in May 1998. This
issue is currently the subject of litigation between the Company and Mr.
Papit. See discussion at "Employment Contracts and Termination of
Employment and Change of Control Agreements."
(4) Options were granted in March 1998 and lapsed in June 1998 following Mr.
Papit's resignation.
(5) Options were terminated on December 15, 1997 by agreement between Mr. Papit
and the Company.
(6) Mr. Hale's employment with the Company ended effective August 4, 1998.
Other Compensation reflects severance and related payments made to Mr.
Hale.
</TABLE>
Option Plan
The Company's 1995 Stock Option Plan (the "1995 Option Plan") provides for the
issuance of stock options, stock appreciation rights or restricted stock
covering up to 2,702,720 shares of Common Stock. The Compensation Committee of
the Board of Directors administers the 1995 Option Plan, including determining
the employees to whom awards will be made, the size of such awards and the
specific terms and conditions applicable to awards, such as vesting periods,
circumstances of forfeiture and the form and timing of payment. Grants may be
made to selected employees of the Company and its subsidiaries and non-employee
directors of the Company. As of December 29, 1998, options representing a
total of 2,378,326 shares of Common Stock were outstanding.
Option Grants
The table below sets forth information concerning options to purchase stock of
the Company granted in the 1998 fiscal year to the executive officers named in
the Summary Compensation Table pursuant to the Company's 1995 Stock Option
Plan:
12
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Potential Realizable at
Assumed Rates of Annual
Appreciation
Number of -----------------------
Options Percent Exercise Expiration
Name (1) Granted of Total Price Date 5% 10%
- --------------- --------- -------- -------- ---------- -------- --------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Phillip Ratner 750,000 (2) 31.5% 0.75 9/16/2008 353,813 896,569
Alton R. Smith 45,000 (2) 1.9% 1.1875 12/8/2008 33,612 85,174
Donald M.
Dodson 45,000 (2) 1.9% 1.1875 12/8/2008 33,612 85,174
Danny K.
Meisenheimer 45,000 (2) 1.9% 1.1875 12/8/2008 33,612 85,174
Thomas M..
Blasdell 45,000 (2) 1.9% 1.1875 12/8/2008 33,612 85,174
(1) Theodore J. Papit was granted options to purchase 500,000 shares of Common
Stock in March 1998, but these options lapsed in June 1998 following Mr.
Papit's resignation as President and CEO. Suzanne Hopgood, acting CEO from
May 1998 to September 1998, was granted options to purchase 106,666 shares
of Common Stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share in her capacity as
a director.
(2) Options vest and become exercisable in three equal installments on the
first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant.
</TABLE>
None of the executive officers named above exercised any stock options during
fiscal 1998.
Employment Contracts and Termination of Employment
and Change of Control Agreements
Agreements with Phillip Ratner. Phillip Ratner was employed as President and
Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective September 27, 1998. Mr.
Ratner's Employment Agreement, among other things, provides for a signing bonus
of $50,000, a base salary of $300,000 and guarantees Mr. Ratner a minimum bonus
of $75,000 for fiscal 1999. Mr. Ratner's Option Agreement grants him the right
to purchase 750,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per
share, vesting in three equal installments on the first, second and third
anniversaries of the date of grant. Mr. Ratner's Option Agreement provides
that his options vest fully and immediately if, within twelve months of a
"change of control" of the Company, Mr. Ratner leaves the employment of the
Company for good cause or as a result of termination by the Company of his
employment other than for "cause."
For the purpose of Mr. Ratner's Option Agreement, a "change of control" occurs
when, during a 12-month period immediately following any of certain specified
triggering events, a majority of the persons constituting the Company's Board
of Directors prior to the event no longer constitute a majority of the Board of
Directors. Any one of several events constitutes a change of control under Mr.
Ratner's Option Agreement: a merger with, or sale of substantially all Company
assets to, another legal person in which the Company's stockholders retain less
than a 50 percent interest in the surviving or acquiring entity or its ultimate
parent; an acquisition by any person or group which did not already own 10
13
<PAGE>
percent or more of the Company's voting securities as of July 1, 1998, of a
total of 50 percent or more of the Company's voting securities. A termination
for "cause" means, among other things, termination because of Mr. Ratner's (i)
failure to devote substantially all of his business time, attention and
energies to the business of the Company or to discharge the duties as the
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company faithfully, diligently, to
the best of his abilities, and in a manner consistent with those duties
normally associated with his position (ii) breach of certain covenants
pertaining to competition with the Company and confidentiality of proprietary
Company information; (iii) failure to follow a directive of the Board of
Directors set forth with reasonable specificity; (iv) engagement in conduct
that is significantly injurious to the Company; (v) conviction of any crime or
offense involving moral turpitude; or (vi) use of illegal drugs or abuse of
controlled substances or his habitual intoxication.
Agreements with Suzanne Hopgood. The Company and Ms. Hopgood have agreed that
she will continue to provide consulting services regarding real estate, finance
and related matters for the period of December 30, 1998 to March 31, 1999, in
return for monthly compensation of $30,000 and that during such period, she
will not be paid any additional compensation for attending Board or committee
meetings.
Agreements with Theodore J. Papit. Theodore J. Papit was selected by the Board
of Directors to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company
effective March 28, 1997. Mr. Papit's initial agreements with the Company
provided for a base salary of $300,000 per year, guaranteed Mr. Papit a minimum
bonus of $100,000 for fiscal 1997 and granted Mr. Papit options to purchase
500,000 shares of Common Stock, which would vest over five years, at a purchase
price of $1.375 per share, the fair market value of the Common Stock
immediately prior to the date of the grant. Mr. Papit's agreements with the
Company also provided that, upon a change of control of the Company or
termination of Mr. Papit's employment for reasons other than cause, Mr. Papit's
options would vest immediately and the Company would be obligated to pay Mr.
Papit one year of severance pay. On September 2, 1997 Mr. Papit announced his
resignation from these positions, to be effective October 29, 1997. At the
request of the Board of Directors, Mr. Papit subsequently agreed to continue
serving as President and CEO through December 15, 1997 while the Board of
Directors searched for a successor. In December 1997, Mr. Papit and the
Company terminated all then existing employment and compensation arrangements
and Mr. Papit agreed to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer on a
month-to-month basis through the first quarter of 1998, while the search for a
successor continued. Mr. Papit was compensated during this period at the rate
of $50,000 per month plus reimbursement of normal out-of-pocket expenses.
On March 6, 1998, Teacher's Insurance and Annuity Association of America
("TIAA") filed a Schedule 13D stating, among other things, that it might take
any of a number of actions intended to increase the value of the Company to its
stockholders, including the solicitation of proxies for the purpose of changing
the composition of the Board of Directors. On March 23, 1998, the Board of
Directors, by a three to two vote, with Mr. Papit abstaining, voted to retain
Mr. Papit as President and Chief Executive Officer and approved the execution
by the Company of a President and Chief Executive Officer Agreement (the "3/98
Agreement") with Mr. Papit. Pursuant to the 3/98 Agreement (i) the Company
agreed to pay Mr. Papit a base salary of $30,000 per month, (ii) Mr. Papit
participated in the Company's cash bonus plan for senior management, and (iii)
Mr. Papit was granted options to purchase 500,000 shares of Common Stock,
vesting over five years, at a purchase price of $0.75 per share, the fair
14
<PAGE>
market value of the Common Stock immediately prior to the date of grant. The
3/98 Agreement provided, among other things, (a) that Mr. Papit's duties would
require him to spend approximately one-half of his working time in the
Company's executive offices in Lubbock, Texas and the remainder of his time in
either an executive office to be provided by the Company in Dallas, Texas or
visiting field operations, and (b) that Mr. Papit would receive a lump sum
payment of $540,000 and vesting of his options would accelerate if (x) he
resigned within twelve months of a change in control (as defined below) of the
Company or (y) the Company terminated him for a reason other than cause (as
defined below).
For purposes of the 3/98 Agreement, a "change of control" would occur upon any
of certain specified events, including (a) the election during any period of
12 months or less of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the
Company without the approval of the election or nomination for election of such
new members by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors serving at
the beginning of the period, (b) if the Company's stockholders approved a sale
or disposition of all or substantially all of the Company's assets to an entity
that was not an affiliate or (c) if the Company merged with an entity that was
not an affiliate and persons who were members of the Board of Directors
immediately prior to the merger did not constitute a majority of the directors
of the surviving entity immediately after the merger. For purposes of the 3/98
Agreement, termination for "cause" meant, among other things, termination
because of (i) Mr. Papit's failure to perform, or willful and continual neglect
of, his material duties or obligations as President and Chief Executive
Officer, which continued after written notice and a reasonable opportunity to
cure the same, all as determined by the Board of Directors, (ii) Mr. Papit's
conviction of any crime or offense involving (A) moral turpitude either in
connection with the performance of Mr.Papit's obligations to the Company or its
affiliates or which adversely affected Mr. Papit's ability to perform such
obligations or (B) money or other property of the Company or its affiliates or
(iii) drug addiction.
On May 4, 1998, TIAA filed with the SEC a preliminary proxy statement proposing
the election of a slate of seven directors, two of whom, Ms. Hopgood and Mr.
Osnos, were then serving as directors and the remainder of whom were not then
associated with the Company. Management of the Company had previously filed a
proxy statement proposing the election of a slate of nine directors which
included Ms. Hopgood but did not include Mr. Osnos; Ms. Hopgood subsequently
removed her name from the management slate. During the ensuing proxy contest,
Mr. Papit announced his intention to resign if the slate proposed by TIAA was
elected. On May 28, 1998, the Company held its Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
At the meeting, the stockholders of the Company, by a preponderance of more
than 99 percent of the votes cast, elected the slate of directors proposed by
TIAA. On May 29, 1998, Mr. Papit resigned as President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Company.
In June 1998, Mr. Papit demanded payment of more than $500,000 of severance and
other amounts that he claimed were owing to him under the 3/98 Agreement. The
Company subsequently filed a declaratory judgment lawsuit in State District
Court in Lubbock, Texas, in which it asks the Court to find that the Company is
not obligated to make severance payments that have been demanded by Mr. Papit.
The Company has requested a jury trial and believes that there are a number of
grounds that will support the Court in granting the requested relief, among
them being that the 3/98 Agreement is void as an interested party transaction
that did not receive the necessary approval of independent, disinterested
directors, the terms of the 3/98 Agreement are not fair to the Company and the
15
<PAGE>
3/98 Agreement was entered into by the Company without the benefit of full
disclosure by Mr. Papit and consideration by the Board of Directors of material
information regarding his management of the Company.
Transactions with Management and Others
On June 7, 1996, the Company, Cafeteria Operators, L.P. (the Company's wholly
owned operating subsidiary, hereinafter referred to as "Cafeteria Operators")
and Kevin E. Lewis entered into a Consulting and Indemnity Agreement and
General Release (the"Consulting Agreement") pursuant to which, among other
things, Mr. Lewis would resign as President and Chief Executive Officer
effective September 30, 1996 and would resign his position as Chairman of the
Board on December 31, 1996 unless requested by the Board of Directors to
continue until December 31, 1997. In September 1996, at the request of the
Board of Directors, Mr. Lewis agreed to remain President and Chief Executive
Officer beyond September30, 1996 with no change to the financial terms of the
Consulting Agreement. Mr. Lewis subsequently resigned as President and Chief
Executive Officer effective December 31, 1996 and the Board requested Mr. Lewis
to continue as Chairman of the Board into 1997. After his resignation as
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lewis served as a consultant to the
Company until December 31, 1997. In October 1997, Mr. Lewis agreed to remain
Chairman of the Board beyond December 31, 1997 until at least May 31, 1998 and
in November 1997, Mr. Lewis was paid $50,000 in consideration for his agreement
to remain Chairman of the Board through at least May 31, 1998. In addition,
the Company agreed to pay Mr. Lewis $7,500 per month during the period after
December31, 1997 that he acted as Chairman of the Board. At the request of Mr.
Lewis, this payment was reduced to $2,500 per month effective April 1, 1998.
In 1993, the Company entered into an amendment of a master sublease agreement
pursuant to which it leased 43 properties from Kmart Corporation ("Kmart").
Pursuant to the amendment, the aggregate monthly rent was reduced by 25 percent
for the period from the effective date of the amendment through and including
December 31, 1997, and by 20 percent following that date and until December 31,
2001. The reductions in rent were made subject to termination by Kmart if Mr.
Lewis ceased to be Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company. Mr.
Lewis was not nominated for reelection at the Company's Annual Meeting of
Stockholders on May 28, 1998. Kmart in June 1998 demanded that the Company pay
increased rents, which the Company has done while reserving its right to
dispute Kmart's right to receive the increased rental. As a result of the
increased rents, the Company will pay additional rent of approximately $1.8
million through December31, 2001, including $679,000 additional rent paid in
1998. Because the Company accounts for its rental payments under the
straight-line method, the purported increase in rent through December 31, 1998
is being amortized over the remaining life of the leases, which run through
December 31, 2003, December 31, 2007, June 29, 2008 and December 31, 2008. The
resulting increase in annual rent expense under generally accepted accounting
principles is approximately $288,000.
Indemnification obligations of the Company required it to indemnify certain
persons for certain expenses these persons incurred in connection with a
lawsuit Michael J. Levenson, former Chairman of the Board of the Company, filed
in 1995 against the Company and certain other persons. In settlement of the
Company's indemnification obligations to the persons listed below, the Company
during 1998 released and made the additional payments noted. The Company (i)
delivered to Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America as payee a
promissory note dated January 14, 1998 in the principal sum of $756,392, (ii)
delivered to The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company as payee a
promissory note dated February 24, 1998, in the principal sum of $488,195 and
16
<PAGE>
made a cash payment to The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of
$5,838, (iii) delivered to John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company as payee
a promissory note dated March 4, 1998 in the principal sum of $476,166, (iv)
made a cash payment to the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York of
$217,519, (v) made a cash payment to Principal Mutual Life Insurance Company of
$174,729 and (vi) delivered to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the
United States ("Equitable") as payee a promissory note dated March 23, 1998 in
the principal sum of $829,687. Each of the promissory notes is due on December
31, 2001 and bears interest at the rate of 10.5 percent per annum. Except for
Equitable, each of the named parties owned more than 5 percent of the
outstanding Common Stock at the time the agreements were signed. Equitable is
an affiliate of EQ Asset Trust 1993, a business trust that owns more than 5
percent of the outstanding Common Stock.
Board Compensation Committee Report on Executive Compensation
The Compensation Committee conducts an annual review of the Company's executive
compensation program as proposed by the Company's President and Chief Executive
Officer. The Company seeks to attract and retain qualified personnel to meet
the needs and objectives of the Company and to motivate such individuals to
achieve the Company's goals through compensation arrangements which reward
executives based on individual contributions as well as the Company's overall
results. The Compensation Committee takes into consideration in its review of
the Company's executive compensation program comparable industry information
obtained from approximately ninety chain restaurant companies (the "Comparable
Companies"). The Compensation Committee concluded that Comparable Companies
are appropriate for comparison primarily because of the similarity of
Comparable Companies' operations to the Company's and because information about
the Comparable Companies' salary and bonus structure is readily available.
The key elements of the Company's executive compensation arrangements include
base salary, annual incentive bonus and stock options. The financial
performance of definable business units or markets of the Company are taken
into account in evaluating compensation of executives with responsibility for
such units or markets. Base salaries are generally determined by evaluating
each individual's responsibilities, relative experience, management abilities
and job performance. Annual bonuses, including bonuses awarded pursuant to the
Company's Incentive Compensation Plan for Senior Management, are determined by
evaluating both the performance of the Company (including revenue and cash flow
generation) and the individual officers. The Incentive Compensation Plan for
Senior Management provides for cash bonuses as a percentage of the
participant's salary for the achievement of positive comparable store sales and
budgeted earnings targets. The budgeted earnings targets used in the Incentive
Compensation Plan for Senior Management were approved by the Compensation
Committee based on the goals of the Company and discussions with management.
The percentages used in the Incentive Compensation Plan for Senior Management
and the overall potential bonus levels, were established in connection with the
earnings targets of the Company and after comparisons with bonus levels of
Comparable Companies. Option awards in 1998 were based primarily upon a
relative weighting of the seniority associated with various job
classifications, rather than as a consequence of previous job performance.
From March 27, 1997 to May 28, 1998, Theodore J. Papit served as President and
Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The Compensation Committee serving at
that time, by a vote of two to one, approved the offer made to Mr. Papit that
culminated in Mr. Papit's March 1998 agreements with the Company. See
"Employment Contracts and Change of Control and Termination of Employment
Contracts."
17
<PAGE>
From May 28, 1998 to September 27, 1998, Suzanne Hopgood served as acting CEO
of the Company and since September 27, 1998 she has provided consulting
services to the Company. The Compensation Committee approved the compensation
paid to Ms. Hopgood as being at least as favorable to the Company as the fees
that the Company would have incurred to have retained a qualified interim CEO
from a consulting group providing such services.
Effective September 27, 1998, Phillip Ratner was selected to serve as the
Company's President and CEO. Mr. Ratner's employment agreement, compensation
and grant of options were approved by the Compensation Committee based upon
their review of the requirements of the position, executive compensation at
comparable restaurant companies and Mr. Ratner's compensation at his previous
employment. Approximately 40 members of management, including Mr. Ratner,
will participate in a cash bonus plan that contemplates target bonuses ranging
from 10 percent to 50 percent of base compensation based upon a combination of
criteria that will include meeting or exceeding the Company's budget, achieving
specified management objectives and, to a lesser extent, subjective evaluations
of performance at the end of the year. The maximum cash bonus payable to any
participant in the plan is capped at twice the target percentage of base
compensation. Mr. Ratner's target bonus for meeting his stated objectives for
1999 is 50 percent of base compensation, subject to a cap of 100 percent of
base compensation and a minimum guaranteed bonus for 1999 of $75,000.
This report is not incorporated by reference by any general statement
incorporating by reference this Proxy Statement into any filing under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or under the Exchange Act, except to the
extent the Company specifically incorporates this information by reference, and
is not filed under such acts.
The foregoing report has been furnished by the Compensation Committee, whose
current members are Barry W. Ridings, Damien W. Kovary, William J. Nightingale.
Compensation Committee Interlocks
There are no relationships between the members of the Compensation Committee
and the members of management of the Company that would impair the independence
of the Compensation Committee in evaluating compensation of the Company's
management.
Shareholder Return Performance Presentation
Set forth below is a line graph comparing the yearly percentage change in the
cumulative total stockholder return on the Company's Common Stock against the
New York Stock Exchange Market Value Index and the SIC Code Index for Eating
Places for the five fiscal years ending December 29, 1998.
18
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Comparison of Cumulative Total Return
of Company, Industry Index and Broad Market
[insert performance graph]
A table of the graph's data points is shown below.
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated 100 21.43 26.67 8.58 4.25 9.95
Industry Index 100 87.58 119.93 125.73 132.33 178.78
Broad Market 100 98.06 127.15 153.16 201.50 239.77
</TABLE>
RETIREMENT PLANS
The Company has a qualified defined benefit pension plan (the "Pension Plan")
covering some employees and former employees of the Partnership and its
affiliates, including those who were participants in the Kmart Corporation
Employees' Retirement Pension Plan (the "Kmart Pension Plan"). The Pension
Plan assumed all of the obligations of the Kmart Pension Plan relating to
benefits that accrued for employees and former employees of certain of the
Company's subsidiaries before the consummation of the acquisition of such
subsidiaries from Kmart. Kmart agreed to transfer an amount of plan assets
equal to the actuarially computed accumulated benefits applicable to the Furr's
and Bishop's employees in the Kmart Pension Plan.
Benefits for service prior to 1987 were based on the provisions of the Kmart
Pension Plan and are frozen for such service. Effective December 31, 1988,
benefit accruals were frozen for highly compensated participants in the Pension
Plan and, effective June 30, 1989, benefit accruals of all participants in the
Pension Plan were frozen indefinitely.
The Pension Plan covers all employees who are at least 21 years old and have
one year or more of participation service and is integrated with Social
Security. A participant's benefit under the Pension Plan will be the greater
of (i) a benefit provided by the participant's "cash balance account" defined
below, or (ii) the sum of (x) the participant's accrued benefit under the Kmart
Pension Plan plus (y) for each year of service after 1986, 0.75 percent of the
participant's "considered pay" for the year plus (z) 0.75 percent of considered
pay exceeding the Social Security integration level for the year. "Considered
pay"is comprised of total W-2 compensation, excluding extraordinary items, such
as moving expenses and imputed income and including pre-tax amounts deferred
under the Employees' Savings Plan described below. The Social Security
integration level is one-half of the Social Security Taxable Wage Base for the
year, rounded to the next highest $1,000. A participant's cash balance account
will contain an amount equal to the sum of (i) 2 percent of 1986 considered pay
multiplied by the number of years of benefit service prior to 1987, plus (ii)2
percent of considered pay for each year thereafter, plus (iii) 6 percent
interest per annum. The normal form of benefit under the Pension Plan will be
a life annuity for an unmarried participant and a 50 percent joint and survivor
annuity in the case of a married participant. Alternatively, participants may
elect an optional form of payment which is the actuarial equivalent of the life
annuity.
19
<PAGE>
Participants are fully vested in accrued benefits under the Pension Plan after
five years of vesting service. Unreduced benefits are payable at age 65, or,
if earlier, when age plus years of service equals 90.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Pension Plan Table
Approximate Annual Pension at Age 65*
- -------------------------------------
Total Service As of 12/31/88
-------------------------------------------
Current Compensation 5 Years 15 Years 25 Years 35 Years
- -------------------- ------- -------- -------- --------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
$ 75,000 $ 3,700 $ 9,500 $ 15,400 $ 21,400
100,000 5,000 13,500 21,800 30,100
125,000 6,300 17,300 28,000 38,600
150,000 7,700 21,100 34,200 47,200
175,000 9,000 25,000 40,300 55,700
200,000 10,400 28,800 46,500 64,200
225,000 11,700 32,600 52,700 72,800
325,000 17,000 48,300 77,800 94,023
* Estimates of frozen pension plan benefits.
</TABLE>
The only executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table who are
participants in the Pension Plan are Messrs. Smith and Dodson. Total plan
years of service at June 30, 1989 (the date benefit accruals were frozen) of
the executive officers of the Company named in the Summary Compensation Table
and its subsidiaries are Jim Hale 26, Alton R. Smith 15 and Donald M. Dodson
31; no other executive officer participates in the Pension Plan. The amount of
monthly benefits that are available to Messrs. Hale, Smith and Dodson as of
their retirement dates under the Pension Plan is $2,027, $832 and $3,265,
respectively. The Pension Plan does not cover any compensation reported in the
Summary Compensation Table.
Cafeteria Operators established an Employees 401(k) Plan (the "401(k) Plan")
that is qualified under Sections 401(a) and 401(k) of the Internal Revenue
Code. Under the 401(k) Plan, participants may elect to make pre-tax
contributions, in an amount equal to from 1 percent to 12 percent of
"considered pay," which consists of total W-2 compensation for personal
services, excluding extraordinary pay, such as moving expenses and imputed
income. Pre-tax contributions were limited to $10,000 in 1998. Additionally,
Cafeteria Operators may make discretionary contributions to the 401(k) Plan.
Employees are eligible to participate in the 401(k) Plan at age 21 with one
year of participation service.
Participants' contributions to the 401(k) Plan are always fully vested. The
Board of Directors of the Company will either designate Cafeteria Operators and
the Company contributions as (i) fully vested when made or (ii) subject to a
vesting schedule under which 100 percent of the Cafeteria Operators and the
Company contributions are vested after seven years. Employee contributions may
be invested either in a fixed income fund, consisting of guaranteed interest
contracts and government securities, or five different equity funds with
various growth and income objectives. Loans from participants' pre-tax
accounts are permitted after two years of participation.
20
<PAGE>
Participants in the 401(k) Plan may generally receive their vested account
balances at the earlier of retirement or separation from service.
PROPOSAL 2 - APPROVAL OF INCREASE IN NUMBER OF SHARES
AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER 1995 STOCK OPTION PLAN
The stockholders are asked to approve an amendment to the Furr's/Bishop's,
Incorporated 1995 Stock Option Plan (the "1995 Option Plan") to increase the
number of shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance under the 1995 Option
Plan by 1,200,000 shares (120,000 shares after the proposed reverse stock
split). As of December 29, 1998, 2,702,720 shares of Common Stock were
authorized for issuance pursuant to the 1995 Option Plan, of which options
covering 2,378,326 shares had been issued, leaving 224,394 shares remaining
reserved for issuance under the 1995 Option Plan.
The 1995 Option Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee and
provides for the grant of incentive stock options pursuant to Section 422(b) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and non-statutory
stock options, to directors, executive officers and other key employees. In
total, approximately 150 persons are eligible for participation in the 1995
Option Plan as of March 12, 1999.
The exercise price of options granted under the 1995 Option Plan is
determined by the Compensation Committee; provided that the exercise price of
stock options issued under the 1995 Option Plan may not be less than 100
percent of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock covered by the
Option on the date of grant. Options expire no more than 10 years after the
date of grant. Options generally vest and become exercisable 33 1/3 percent
per year over a three year period from the date of grant. Unvested options
expire upon termination of employment or death. Generally, vested options
expire 30 days after the termination of employment.
On February 11, 1999, the Board of Directors authorized an amendment to
the 1995 Option Plan, increasing the number of shares of the Company's Common
Stock reserved for issuance by 1,200,000 (120,000 after the proposed reverse
stock split), subject to approval by stockholders. Upon approval of this
amendment, the total number of shares authorized for issuance will be 3,902,720
(390,272 after the proposed reverse stock split).
The Board believes that it is in the best interest of the Company to
attract and retain the services of experienced and knowledgeable employees and
to provide an incentive for those employees to increase their proprietary
interest in the Company's long-term success and progress. The 1995 Option Plan
is designed to provide officers, directors and key employees of the Company and
its subsidiaries with additional incentives to promote the success of the
Company's business. In order for the 1995 Option Plan to continue to serve its
purpose, the Board has determined that an increase in the number of shares
available for issuance is necessary.
The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding
shares of Common Stock present in person or by proxy at the meeting and
entitled to vote is required for approval of the proposal.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BELIEVES THAT THE PROPOSAL TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF
SHARES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER 1995 STOCK OPTION PLAN IS IN THE BEST
INTERESTS OF THE COMPANY AND ITS STOCKHOLDERS AND RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR"
APPROVAL OF PROPOSAL 2.
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PROPOSAL 3 - APPROVAL OF CHARTER AMENDMENT EFFECTING
A ONE-FOR-TEN REVERSE STOCK SPLIT
General
The Board of Directors has approved, subject to stockholder approval, a
Charter Amendment in form of Annex A to the Proxy Statement to effect a
one-for-ten reverse split of the outstanding shares of Common Stock and to
reduce the number of authorized shares of Common Stock from 65 million to 6.5
million. As of March 2, 1999, 48,788,952 shares of Common Stock were
outstanding, no shares were held in treasury and 5,140,175 shares of Common
Stock were reserved for issuance pursuant to outstanding warrants and options.
The Board will retain the discretion to determine when or whether the Charter
Amendment will be filed and become effective. The Board has determined that it
may be desirable for the Company to effect a reverse stock split at some time
during the coming year, and that it will reduce the expense to the Company of
asking Stockholder approval of such action if it is approved at the 1999
Annual Meeting of Stockholders rather than requiring a separate special meeting
of Stockholders. The authority granted by Stockholder approval of the Charter
Amendment will be effective until the 2000 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
Reasons for the Reverse Stock Split
The principal purpose of the proposed amendment is to reduce the number of
shares of Common Stock outstanding. The Board of Directors has concluded that
the total number of shares currently outstanding is disproportionately large
relative to the Company's present market capitalization. When a large number
of shares is outstanding, earnings per share is only affected by a significant
change in net earnings. If a smaller number of shares were outstanding,
management and stockholders would be more likely to see changes in the
Company's financial results reflected in its earnings per share.
The Board of Directors has also concluded that the present level of per
share market price of the Common Stock impairs its acceptability by portions of
the financial community and the investing public. Theoretically, the number of
shares outstanding should not, by itself, affect the marketability of the
stock, the type of investor who acquires it or a company's reputation in the
financial community; in practice this is not necessarily the case, as many
investors look upon low priced stock as unduly speculative in nature and, as a
matter of policy, avoid investments in such stocks. The Board of Directors
believes that the current per share price of the Common Stock has reduced the
effective marketability of the shares because of the reluctance of many leading
brokerage firms to recommend low-priced stock to their clients. Various
brokerage house policies and practices pertaining to the payment of brokers'
commissions and to time-consuming procedures can function to make the handling
of low-priced stock unattractive to brokers from an economic standpoint. The
structure of trading commissions tends to have an adverse impact upon holders
of low priced stock because the brokerage commission on a sale of low priced
stock generally represents a higher percentage of the sales price than the
commission on higher priced issues. Market interest in low-priced stocks may
be reduced because they do not qualify as collateral for margin loans.
Although there can be no assurance that the price of the Common Stock
after the reverse split will actually increase in an amount proportionate to
the decrease in the number of outstanding shares, the proposed reverse stock
split is intended to result in a price level for the Common Stock that will
increase investor interest and reduce resistance of brokerage firms to
recommend investments in the Common Stock.
22
<PAGE>
Principal Effects of Charter Amendment
The reverse split will be on the basis of one new share of Common Stock
for ten outstanding shares of Common Stock, with all fractional shares to be
retired by the Company by paying cash for each fraction of a new share of
Common Stock. The proposed reverse split would not affect the proportionate
equity interest in the Company of any holder of Common Stock, except as may
result from the provisions for the elimination of fractional shares as
described below. The proposed reverse stock split would not affect the
registration of the Common Stock under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or
the listing of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange.
All shares of Common Stock held by persons owning fewer than ten shares
will be converted into the right to receive cash for each fraction of a new
share of Common Stock and such persons will posses no equity interest in the
Company. The amount of cash paid will be determined on the basis of the
average closing price of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange for
the ten trading days immediately preceding the Effective Date (as defined
below). Following the reverse split, there will be approximately 4,867,517
shares of Common Stock outstanding.
An aggregate of 2,578,326 shares of Common Stock are currently authorized
for issuance pursuant to the Company's 1995 Stock Option Plan. If the proposed
reverse split were approved, the number of shares of Common Stock available for
grant under the 1995 Stock Option Plan would be decreased to 257,833 shares of
Common Stock. An increase in the number of shares authorized for issuance
under the 1995 Stock Option Plan by 1,200,000 shares of Common Stock (120,000
shares after the proposed reverse split of the Company's Common Stock) is the
subject of a separate proposal in this Proxy Statement.
The Charter Amendment will become effective at the time of filing with the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware of a certificate setting forth the
Charter Amendment and certifying its adoption by the stockholders (the
"Effective Date") and will apply to all shares then outstanding, whether or not
certificates are actually surrendered. The Company will provide public notice
of the filing of the Charter Amendment at least ten days prior to the proposed
record date for the reverse stock split (the "Effective Date").
Delaware law does not provide appraisal rights for stockholders in the
reverse stock split. The Company believes that the terms of the Charter
Agreement are fair and equitable and that the amount to be paid for fractional
shares pursuant to the Charter Amendment represents fair value for the
fractional shares.
Exchange of Stock Certificates and Elimination of Fractional Interests
As soon as possible after the Effective Date, holders of Common Stock will
be notified and requested to surrender their present certificates representing
Common Stock for new certificates representing the resulting number of whole
shares of Common Stock after the reverse split and/or cash payment as to any
resulting fractional shares. Until surrendered, each current certificate
representing shares of Common Stock will be deemed for all corporate purposes
after the Effective Date to evidence ownership of Common Stock in the reduced
whole number of shares. Chase Mellon will be appointed the exchange agent (the
"Exchange Agent") to act for stockholders exchanging of their certificates.
23
<PAGE>
To receive a new stock certificate and/or cash to which stockholders will
be entitled as a result of the reverse split, each holder of shares of Common
Stock will be required to surrender his or her stock certificates, together
with a duly executed letter of transmittal, to the Exchange Agent. Upon
receipt of stock certificates with a duly executed letter of transmittal, the
Exchange Agent will mail to the registered owner a new stock certificate
representing one new share of Common Stock of the Company for each ten shares
of Common Stock presently held and a check in payment of any fraction of a
share of Common Stock remaining after issuance of the new certificate. No
interest will be paid or accrued on amounts payable for fractional shares upon
surrender of stock certificates. It is anticipated that the aggregate amount
of cash to be paid will not be material to the Company.
No fractional share certificates for Common Stock will be issued in
connection with the reverse split. Instead, a certificate or certificates
evidencing the total of all fractional shares otherwise issuable (rounded, if
necessary, to the next higher whole share) will be issued to the Exchange Agent
as agent for the accounts of all holders of Common Stock otherwise entitled to
have a fraction of a share issued to them in connection with the reverse split.
The sales of these shares will be effected by the Exchange Agent as soon as
practicable at the prevailing market price of the Common Stock on the New York
Stock Exchange at the time of sale. The Exchange Agent will pay to
stockholders owed payment for fractional shares their pro rata share of the net
proceeds derived from the sale of their fractional interests upon surrender of
their stock certificates. No service charges or brokerage commissions will be
payable by stockholders in connection with the sale of fractional interests,
all of which costs will be borne by the Company.
Stockholders should be aware that, under the escheat laws of the various
states where stockholders reside, where the Company is domiciled and where the
funds attributable to fractional interests will be deposited, sums due for
fractional interests that are not timely claimed after the Effective Date may
be required to be paid to the designated agent for the applicable state unless
correspondence has been received by the Company or the Exchange Agent
concerning ownership of such funds within the time permitted in such
jurisdictions. Thereafter, Stockholders otherwise entitled to receive such
funds will have to seek to obtain them directly from the state to which they
were paid.
The number of holders of the Common Stock on the Record Date was [8,400].
The Company does not anticipate that the payment in cash in lieu of fractional
shares following any reverse stock split will result in a significant reduction
in the number of such holders.
Federal Income Tax Effects
The receipt of cash for fractional shares in the reverse stock split will
be a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes to stockholders
receiving cash. Upon the Effective Date, each stockholder receiving cash in
lieu of fractional shares will recognize gain or loss for federal income tax
purposes equal to the difference between the stockholder's adjusted tax basis
in his or her fractional shares and the amount of cash received with respect to
his or her shares. Such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if the
shares are capital assets in the hands of the stockholder and will be long-term
capital gain or loss if such stockholder's holding period of Common Stock as of
the Effective Date is more than eighteen months. No information is provided in
this Proxy Statement as to the state or local tax consequences of the reverse
stock split. Stockholders may wish to consult their tax advisors with respect
to the tax consequences of the Charter Amendment.
24
<PAGE>
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS DETERMINED THAT APPROVAL OF THE CHARTER AMENDMENT
EFFECTING A ONE-FOR-TEN REVERSE STOCK SPLIT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE
COMPANY AND RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE CHARTER
AMENDMENT.
PROPOSAL 4 - APPROVAL OF CHARTER AMENDMENT EFFECTING
AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES
The Board of Directors has approved, subject to stockholder approval, a Charter
Amendment in the form of Annex B to the Proxy Statement to effect an increase
in the number of authorized shares of Common Stock from 65,000,000
to150,000,000 (from 6.5 million to 15.0 million after the proposed reverse
stock split). The Company's Certificate of Incorporation currently authorizes
65,000,000 shares of Common Stock, of which 48,788,952 shares of Common Stock
were issued and outstanding on March 2, 1999 and 5,140,175 shares were
reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants and options
previously issued by the Company.
The Board of Directors believes that the proposed increase in the authorized
shares of Common Stock is desirable to enhance the Company's flexibility in
connection with possible future actions, such as stock splits, stock dividends,
acquisitions, financing transactions, employee benefit plan issuances and such
other corporate purposes as may arise. Having additional shares of authorized
Common Stock available for issuance in the future will allow Common Stock to be
issued without the expense and delay of a stockholders' meeting.
The rules of the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") currently require that the
Company obtain stockholder approval to issue additional shares of Common Stock
in connection with a change of control of the Company, acquisition transactions
involving directors, officers or substantial security holders where the
issuance of such securities could result in an increase in outstanding Common
Stock or voting power of 5 percent or more, acquisition transactions generally
where the present or potential issuance of such securities could result in an
increase in the voting power or outstanding common shares of 20 percent or more
and certain other sales or issuances of Common Stock (or securities convertible
into or exercisable for Common Stock) in a non-public offering equal to 20
percent or more of the voting power outstanding before the issuance.
In other instances, the issuance of additional shares of Common Stock remains
within the discretion of the Board of Directors, without the requirement of
further action by stockholders except as otherwise required by applicable law
or any stock exchange on which the Company's securities may then be listed. The
Company is not currently engaged in any negotiations with respect to the use of
any shares of the additional authorized Common Stock, nor are there currently
any commitments, arrangements, understandings or plans with respect to the
issuance of such shares.
If the proposal to increase the authorized shares of Common Stock is approved,
the additional authorized shares will be part of the existing class of such
Common Stock and will have the same rights and privileges as the shares of
Common Stock currently outstanding. Holders of Common Stock do not have
preemptive rights to purchase additional shares of Common Stock.
The future issuance of additional shares of Common Stock may dilute the
ownership of current stockholders. Such additional shares also could be used to
block an unsolicited acquisition through the issuance of large blocks of stock
25
<PAGE>
to persons or entities considered by the Company's officers and directors to be
opposed to such acquisition, which might be deemed to have an anti-takeover
effect (i.e., might impede the completion of a merger, tender offer or other
takeover attempt). The existence of such a block of authorized but unissued
shares, and the Board's ability to issue such shares without stockholder
approval, might deter a bidder from seeking to acquire shares of the Company on
an unfriendly basis. While the authorization of additional shares of Common
Stock might have such effects, the Board of Directors of the Company does not
intend or view the proposed increase in authorized Common Stock as an
anti-takeover measure, nor is the Company aware of any proposed transaction of
this type.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS DETERMINED THAT APPROVAL OF THE CHARTER AMENDMENT
EFFECTING AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES IS IN THE BEST
INTEREST OF THE COMPANY AND RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE FOR THE APPROVAL
OF THE CHARTER AMENDMENT.
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
The Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the Audit Committee, has
reappointed KPMG Peat Marwick LLP as the Company's independent public
accountants. Representatives of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP are expected to be
present at the Annual Meeting, with an opportunity to make a statement, if they
desire to do so, and to respond to appropriate questions.
2000 STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS
In order to be eligible for inclusion in the Company's Proxy Statement for the
2000 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, stockholder proposals must be received by
the Secretary of the Company at its executive offices by January 21, 2000.
OTHER BUSINESS
The Board of Directors knows of no other business to be acted upon at the
Annual Meeting. However, if any other business properly comes before the
Annual Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed proxy
to vote on such matters in accordance with their best judgment.
The prompt return of your completed proxy card will be appreciated and helpful
in obtaining the necessary vote. Therefore, whether or not you expect to
attend the Annual Meeting, please sign the completed proxy card and return it
in the enclosed envelope.
By Order of the Board of Directors
Dated: __________, 1999 Suzanne Hopgood
Chairman of the Board
26
<PAGE>
ANNEX A
CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT TO THE
AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
FURR'S/BISHOP'S INCORPORATED
_______________________________________
Pursuant to Section 103 and Section 242
of the General Corporation Law of
the State of Delaware
_______________________________________
The undersigned, Phillip Ratner, certifies that he is the President of
Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated, a corporation organized and existing under the
laws of the State of Delaware (the "Corporation"), and does hereby further
certify as follows:
FIRST: The name of the Corporation is Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated.
SECOND: This Certificate of Amendment to the Corporation's Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation was unanimously approved by the Board of
Directors of the Corporation and thereafter duly adopted by the stockholders of
the Corporation in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
THIRD: Article FOURTH of the Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby amended as follows:
Section 4.01 of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of
the Corporation entitled "Authorized Shares" is hereby amended to read in its
entirety as follows:
"SECTION 4.01 Authorized Shares. The aggregate number of shares of all classes
of capital stock which the Corporation is authorized to issue is [11.5 million
(if the proposed increase in the number of authorized shares is not approved)
or 20 million (if the proposed increase is approved)] shares, consisting of
[6,500,000 or 15,000,000] shares of Common Stock, par value $.01 per share
("Common Stock") and 5 million shares of preferred stock, par value $.01 per
share ("Preferred Stock"). Each outstanding share of Common Stock as of the
effectiveness of this amendment shall be converted into and reconstituted as
one-tenth of a share of Common Stock. No fractional shares shall be issued in
the conversion and reconstitution and stockholders shall receive cash in lieu
of such fractional shares."
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Third Certificate of
Amendment to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be signed
by Phillip Ratner, its President and Chief Executive Officer, this ___ day of
______ 1999.
Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated
By:
-----------------------------
Phillip Ratner
President and Chief Executive
Officer
A-1
<PAGE>
ANNEX B
THIRD CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT TO THE
AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
FURR'S/BISHOP'S INCORPORATED
_______________________________________
Pursuant to Section 103 and Section 242
of the General Corporation Law of
the State of Delaware
_______________________________________
The undersigned, Phillip Ratner, certifies that he is the President of
Furr's/Bishop's, Incorporated, a corporation organized and existing under the
laws of the State of Delaware (the "Corporation"), and does hereby further
certify as follows:
FIRST: The name of the Corporation is Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated.
SECOND: This Certificate of Amendment to the Corporation's Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation was unanimously approved by the Board of
Directors of the Corporation and thereafter duly adopted by the stockholders of
the Corporation in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
THIRD: Article FOURTH of the Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby amended as follows:
Section 4.01 of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of
the Corporation entitled "Authorized Shares" is hereby amended to read in its
entirety as follows:
"SECTION 4.01 Authorized Shares. The aggregate number of shares of all classes
of capital stock which the Corporation is authorized to issue is 155,000,000
shares, consisting of 150,000,000 shares of Common Stock, par value $.01 per
share (" Common Stock") and 5 million shares of preferred stock, par value $.01
per share ("Preferred Stock").
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Third Certificate of
Amendment to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be signed
by Phillip Ratner, its President and Chief Executive Officer, this ___ day of
______ 1999.
Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated
By:
-----------------------------
Phillip Ratner
President and Chief Executive
Officer
B-1
<PAGE>
PROXY
Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated
PROXY SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF
STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD May 20, 1999
The undersigned hereby (a) acknowledges receipt of the Notice of Annual Meeting
of Stockholders of Furr's/Bishop's Incorporated (the "Company") to be held on
May 20, 1999 and the Proxy Statement for Annual Meeting of Stockholders(herein
so called) in connection therewith, each dated April [___], 1999, (b) appoints
Suzanne Hopgood and Phillip Ratner as proxies, or either of them, each with the
power to appoint a substitute, (c) authorizes the Proxies to represent and
vote, as designated on the reverse side, all the shares of Common Stock of the
Company held of record by the undersigned on April ____, 1999, at such annual
meeting and at any adjournment(s) thereof and (d) revokes any proxies
heretofore given.
THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS SPECIFIED. IF NO SPECIFICATION IS INDICATED, THIS
PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR THE ELECTION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF EACH OF THE
NOMINEES LISTED ON THIS PROXY, FOR EACH OF THE OTHER PROPOSALS SET FORTH BELOW
AND IN THE DISCRETION OF THE PROXIES, ON ANY OTHER BUSINESS.
Please mark your votes as indicated in this sample: [X]
1. Election of Directors: (Recommended for election by the Board of Directors)
Jacob C. Baum Ben Evans Margaret B. Hampton
Suzanne Hopgood Damien W. Kovary William J. Nightingale
Gilbert C. Osnos Max Pine Phillip Ratner
Barry W. Ridings
FOR all nominees listed at right (except as marked to the contrary) [ ]
WITHHOLD AUTHORITY for all nominees listed to the right [ ]
INSTRUCTION: TO WITHHOLD AUTHORITY FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL NOMINEE, WRITE THE
NOMINEE'S NAME ON THE SPACE BELOW.
________________________________________________________________________
2. Proposal to increase the number of shares issuable under the Company's
1995 Stock Option Plan by 1,200,000 shares (120,000 shares after the
proposed reverse split of the Company's Common Stock).
FOR [ ]
AGAINST [ ]
3. Proposal to amend the Company's Certificate of Incorporation to effect a
one-for-ten reverse stock split of the Company's Common Stock.
FOR [ ]
AGAINST [ ]
4. Proposal to amend the Company's Certificate of Incorporation to increase
the number of authorized shares of Common Stock from 65 million to 150
million (from 6.5 million to 15.0 million after the proposed reverse
stock split).
FOR [ ]
AGAINST [ ]
In their discretion, the Proxies are authorized to vote upon such other
business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof.
Dated: ______________________, 1999
___________________________________
___________________________________
Please sign your name above exactly as it appears on your stock certificate,
date and return promptly. When signing on behalf of a corporation,
partnership, estate, trust, or in any representative capacity, please sign name
and title. For joint accounts, each joint owner must sign.
