Guitar Center To File For Bankruptcy After Announcing Agreement To Reduce Debt

BLABBERMOUTH.NET

Guitar Center, Inc., the world's leading musical instrument retailer, announced today that it has entered into a comprehensive Restructuring Support Agreement (the "RSA") with its key stakeholders, including its equity sponsor, a fund managed by the private equity group of Ares Management Corporation, new equity investors Brigade Capital Management and a fund managed by The Carlyle Group, as well as supermajorities of its noteholder groups. The RSA provides for a comprehensive transaction that will deleverage the Company's balance sheet, enhance financial flexibility and provide additional liquidity to continue to support its vendors, suppliers and employees. The RSA positions the Company to return to the growth trajectory it had been on prior to the COVID pandemic. Ron Japinga, CEO of Guitar Center, said: "Today we announced a very important and positive step forward to ensure the long-term financial strength of Guitar Center. This agreement will allow us to significantly reduce our debt and reinvest in our business in order to better serve our customers and deliver on our mission of putting more music in the world. With ten consecutive quarters of growth prior to the impact from COVID-19, we have been pleased with our resilient financial performance during these challenging times created by the pandemic. As a result of this financial restructuring process, we will be better equipped to execute on and invest in our strategic growth initiatives and we will continue delivering through the strength of our brands, availability of our stores, customer-focused associate relationships, innovative music education programs and our expanding digital solutions." The RSA is intended to allow Guitar Center and its related brands (including Music & Arts, Musician's Friend, Woodwind Brasswind and AVDG) to continue to operate in the normal course while the transaction is implemented. As a result of the RSA, Guitar Center will continue to meet its financial obligations to vendors, suppliers, and employees, and intends to make payments in full to these parties without interruption in the ordinary course of business. Guitar Center will continue to provide uninterrupted service to its customers through its existing channels, including its stores, websites, call centers and social media pages and will continue to receive goods and ship customer orders as usual. All merchandise credits, prepaid lessons, rentals, gift cards, deposits, orders, financing and warranties will be honored. While Guitar Center is pleased with its overall store footprint, the Company has engaged A&G to explore opportunities to optimize its real estate portfolio and other agreements to focus on investments that best position the Company to return to its growth trajectory prior to COVID-19. To implement the financial restructuring plan (the "Plan") contemplated by the RSA, Guitar Center expects to file voluntary petitions for reorganization pursuant to Chapter 11 in the United States Bankruptcy Court. Currently, supermajorities of the Company's noteholder groups have signed up to the RSA and committed to vote in favor of the Plan, above the required support thresholds in the respective agreements to approve the Plan. Guitar Center expects the process to be completed before the end of 2020. The contemplated transaction will be supported by up to $165 million in new equity investments from a fund managed by the private equity group of Ares Management Corporation, a fund managed by the Carlyle Group and Brigade Capital Management. Guitar Center has negotiated to have a total of $375 million in Debtor-In-Possession ("DIP") financing provided by certain of its existing noteholders and ABL lenders. In connection with the RSA, the Company currently intends to raise $335 million in new senior secured notes. UBS Investment Bank will serve as the lead placement agent in connection with this effort. Guitar Center is a leading retailer of musical instruments, lessons, repairs and rentals in the U.S. With nearly 300 stores across the U.S. and one of the top direct sales websites in the industry, Guitar Center has helped people make music for more than 50 years. Guitar Center also provides customers with various musician-based services, including Guitar Center Lessons, where musicians of all ages and skill levels can learn to play a variety of instruments in many music genres; GC Repairs, an on-site maintenance and repairs service; and GC Rentals, a program offering easy rentals of instruments and other sound reinforcement gear. Additionally, Guitar Center's sister brands include Music & Arts, which operates more than 200 stores specializing in band & orchestral instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students, and Musician's Friend, a leading direct marketer of musical instruments in the United States.