1. | Why did the Board select Triarc? After a 12-month comprehensive review of strategic alternatives for Wendys, a special committee of the board recommended, and the full board concluded, that this transaction was in the best interests of all Wendys shareholders and other stakeholders. |
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2. | Who is Triarc? How can we learn more about the firm? Triarc Companies, Inc. is a holding company and, through its subsidiaries, the franchisor of the Arbys® restaurant system. There are about 3,700 Arbys restaurants primarily in the U.S., including 1,100 company owned stores. According to Nations Restaurant News, Arbys is the 12th largest QSR chain overall. For more information, please visit Triarcs website at http://www.triarc.com. |
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3. | Were there other interested bidders? Details on the special committee process, including alternatives and other proposals considered by the Special Committee, are set forth in the joint proxy statement/prospectus, as amended, that is filed with the SEC. |
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4. | Is the transaction conditional? Wendys and Triarc have executed a binding definitive agreement. The transaction is subject to the approval of Triarc and Wendys shareholders and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2008. |
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5. | Was there a premium placed on this transaction, and if so, how much? The deal was valued by Wendys Board at $30.09 per share (4.25 x Triarcs 30-day trading average of $7.08), and was a 26.7% premium over Wendys $25.32 closing price on April 23, 2008. |
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6. | Why did Wendys Board decide to sell the Company? Why couldnt we remain an independent
company? The Board has a responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders in addition to other stakeholders. As stated in the press release announcing the transaction and the joint proxy statement/prospectus, as amended, the merger with Triarc represents a superior value to what the Board anticipates our company would have generated as an independent company. |
7. | Is Kerrii Anderson still President and CEO? Kerrii is committed to remain in place as CEO and President until the merger is completed. |
8. | What about the rest of Wendys senior executive team? Wendys senior executive team will remain in place through the merger. They will also work with Roland Smith and his team during the transition to develop plans and strategies following the merger. On July 25, 2008, Triarc announced that following the closing of the pending merger J. David Karam will become the President of Wendys, Stephen D. Farrar will become the Chief Operating Officer of Wendys and Ken C. Calwell will become the Chief Marketing Officer at Wendys. |
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9. | What will Kerrii and the management team do during this interim period before the transaction
is closed? They will continue implementing the Companys strategic business plan, focused on growing sales and profits in every Wendys restaurant. They also are committed to a smooth transition to Rolands leadership team. |
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10. | What are the terms of Kerriis severance package? Information regarding Kerriis severance agreement is available in the joint proxy statement/prospectus, as amended, that is filed with the SEC. |
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11. | Do other executive officers have employment agreements? Certain executive officers do. They were entered into prior to 2008, and they include provisions upon a change of control in the Company. These arrangements are described in the joint proxy statement/prospectus, as amended. |
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12. | What are you doing to keep key employees during the transition? On May 16, 2008, Kerrii and Karen Ickes sent a memo to all Company employees describing the Stay Program, enhancing Wendys existing severance policy for employees who stay with the Company during the integration process. The new policy will remain in effect through 2009. Details are posted on WeNet. |
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13. | Why is Roland Smith the right person to lead Wendys? He is an experienced business leader who has led the rejuvenation of several companies, including Arbys Restaurant Group, where he has served as CEO since April 2006. He also successfully led the operational turnarounds and financial restructurings at both American Golf Corporation and AMF Bowling Worldwide. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Mr. Smith also has held management positions at KFC International, Schering-Plough, Pepsi Cola International and Proctor & Gamble. Roland has stated that he and his wife plan to acquire a home in the Columbus area. |
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14. | What are Roland Smiths priorities for Wendys? We anticipate Roland will lay out his plans at the appropriate time. He held a conference call with the investment community on April 30, 2008. The webcast is posted at www.Triarc.com under the investor relations section. |
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15. | Has Roland Smith identified in what areas Wendys needs improvement? Roland has outlined a process that begins with listening to employees and franchisees to discover best practices and opportunities for improvement. He has already spent some time with several franchisee leaders as well as the Company leadership team. On a conference call with analysts on April 30, 2008, Roland identified three priorities: 1. Re-energize the Wendys brand 2. Improve store operations and margins at Wendys company-owned stores 3. Achieve corporate structure efficiencies and reduce expenses |
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16. | What does Triarc see as future growth opportunities? Roland has stated the merger will create opportunities greater than either brand can achieve alone. The goal is to create two world class autonomous and independent brand teams and a consolidated Support Center to provide shared services to those teams. One of the priorities of the integration process is to identify strategic growth opportunities, including but not limited to three areas that Roland mentioned on the April 30th call: 1. Daypart expansion at both brands, including breakfast, snacks and late night 2. Domestic new unit development, particularly at Arbys 3. International expansion for both brands |
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17. | Is Roland Smith available for meetings with Wendys employees and franchisees to discuss his
vision and priorities? Roland has met with the leaders of WNAP, FAC and WCAP, as well as some of Wendys largest franchisees, and met with corporate employees on May 1, 2008. He also sent a letter to the system on May 9th. He met with the three franchisee committees in a private session in Dublin on June 4th, and with the region SVPs in early July. |
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18. | Will Nelson Peltz be the chairman of Triarc after the merger? Jim Pickett will continue to be Wendys chairman until the closing of the transaction. Wendys board continues to have the fiduciary responsibility to oversee the Company. As for the next chairman of Triarc, a decision will be made by their Board of Directors. |
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19. | Will Wendys be represented on Triarcs Board of Directors? The agreement states that after the merger two members of the Triarc Board will be designated by Wendys. |
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20. | What happens to Wendys Board of Directors? Upon completion of the merger, the new board will lead the organization. |
21. | Can you explain in simple terms what Wendys shareholders will receive? The merger is an all-stock transaction in which Wendys shareholders will receive a fixed ratio of 4.25 shares of Triarc shares for each share of Wendys common stock they own. For example, if you own 100 shares of Wendys stock when the merger is completed and Triarc stock is valued at $8 at the time, the value would be: 100 Wendys shares x 4.25 = 425 Triarc shares x $8 = $3,400. Of course, the value will vary, up and down, as Triarcs stock price varies. |
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22. | What type of shares will Wendy shareholders receive? In the merger, Wendys shareholders will receive 4.25 shares of Triarcs Class A Common Stock for each Wendys share they own. In addition, under the terms of the agreement, Triarc stockholders will be asked to approve an amendment to Triarcs charter that will result in a post-merger company with a single class of common stock, which will eliminate the existing dual-class structure. The future combined company will have one class of stock and is expected to trade under the NYSE symbol WEN. |
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23. | When will the transaction be completed? We expect the merger to be consummated after shareholders of both public companies (Wendys and Triarc) cast their vote at their respective meeting, and after all other conditions to the closing are met, which is expected to occur in the second half of 2008. |
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24. | When and where will the special meeting of shareholders to approve the transaction take
place? The meeting will be held at 11:00 a.m. local time on Monday, September 15, 2008 at Wendys Corporate Headquarters, One Dave Thomas Boulevard (4288 West Dublin-Granville Road), Dublin, Ohio 43017. This information was included in the joint proxy statement/prospectus distributed to Wendys and Triarc shareholders in connection with the merger. |
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25. | What is the level of shareholder approval required? Majority votes of shareholders of both companies as of the record date are required to approve the merger and related matters. |
26. | Will Wendys be incorporated into the name of the new company? The proposed name of the combined Company is Wendys/Arbys Group. Inc. |
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27. | Will Wendys continue to pay quarterly dividends? Wendys plans to continue to pay its customary quarterly dividend until the completion of the merger. Future dividend policy for the combined company will be decided by the new Board of Directors. |
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28. | What other corporate organizational changes can we expect to see? That will be up to Roland Smith and the board of the merged companies. In the meantime, our executive leadership team will be working with Roland to facilitate a smooth transition. |
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29. | Are there going to be any layoffs as a result of this announcement? Triarc has stated that the Wendys and Arbys Brands will operate autonomously, with headquarters in Dublin and Atlanta, respectively. There will be a consolidated support center based in Atlanta that will oversee all public company responsibilities as well as other central service functions. How that support center will be staffed and what functions will be included have not been determined as yet. While no decisions have been made, as is typical in mergers, there will be an elimination of duplicate corporate functions and a streamlining of support services. |
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30. | Will there be a hiring freeze? No. Approved and open positions can be filled pending normal approvals by supervisors and senior management. |
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31. | What corporate functions will move to Atlanta? As Roland indicated in the meeting with corporate employees, he will be working with the senior leaders of both companies to create two autonomous brands supported by a Support Center in Atlanta. While its too early to list specific job functions moving to Atlanta, the goal is to create a lean, efficient and competitive company of top performers. An objective evaluation of performance, integrity and fairness will be the guiding principles in reaching these decisions. |
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32. | Is it true that Triarc does not own the building or land for their office in Atlanta? If it is true, why would the consolidated Support Center be located in Atlanta instead of in Dublin since Wendys owns the Corporate building and land? The consolidated Support Center will be located in Atlanta because that is where Triarc is headquartered. Triarc has a long-term lease with additional space available for expansion. |
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33. | A recent Atlanta Business Chronicle news article speculated that Triarc is scouting
buildings in Atlanta for up to 250,000 square feet of offices to house about 1,000 employees,
according to real estate brokers. What does this mean? The Atlanta Business Chronicle article was based on speculation, and Triarc does not comment on speculation. That said Triarc will likely remain in its current building where there are several additional floors available for expansion. We will share details when we have more specifics, but as weve said all along, the Wendys brand will remain in Dublin, the Arbys brand will stay in Atlanta, along with a consolidated support center. |
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34. | In Rolands remarks to Wendys corporate employees, he said Wendys headquarters would
remain in Dublin; while in his letter to the Wendys system, he said the HQ would remain in
the Columbus, Ohio area? Which is true? Rolands letter reflects the exact wording of the Merger Agreement. As Roland stated in the meeting with corporate employees, there is no plan to move our headquarters from its current location in Dublin. |
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35. | At any time during this transaction, would Wendys employees be given the opportunity to
relocate to Atlanta? Yes, as Roland indicated at the corporate employees meeting, he will work with the Wendys leadership team to develop an organization of top performers. Included in that plan will be opportunities for people to fill positions in Atlanta based on their performance and their willingness to move. |
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36. | How do we handle requests from Triarc or Arbys for information or materials? A process for handling requests from Triarc or Arbys will be developed and shared with you soon. Wendys central point of contact is John Barker, SVP of Corporate Affairs. If you are asked to provide any information to Triarc or Arbys employees, you should contact John. |
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37. | What happens to various Wendys employees benefit plans? The merger agreement provides that from the closing of the merger until the end of 2008 Triarc will maintain existing employee benefits as they were immediately prior to the closing, excluding equity plan benefits (which, as indicated below, have already been approved for 2008) and extended health care coverage other than pursuant to COBRA. This would include Wendys retirement plans. Wendys will continue with termination of the U.S. Pension Plan as we had intended. For 2009, the merger agreement provides that Triarc will provide benefits that, in the aggregate, are not less favorable than the employee benefits (excluding extended health care coverage other than pursuant to COBRA) provided to Wendys employees immediately prior to the closing. We do not presently know the details of what Triarc plans to do with benefits in 2009. Each Wendys employee shall be credited with his or her years of service with Wendys under the corresponding employee benefit plans of Triarc. In addition, each Wendys employee shall be immediately eligible to participate, without any waiting time, in any and all new plans to the extent coverage is comparable to the previous Wendys benefit plans, including medical, dental, pharmaceutical and/or vision benefits. As part of the agreement, with respect to medical, dental, |
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pharmaceutical and/or vision benefits, Triarc will waive all pre-existing condition exclusions and actively-at-work requirements for each former Wendys employee and his or her covered dependents, unless such conditions would not have been waived under the comparable old plans of Wendys. There are also provisions that cover the handling of deductible, coinsurance and maximum out-of-pocket requirements during the period of transition from the old Wendys plans to new Triarc plans. |
38. | What about stock options? Once the merger is completed, all Wendys stock options (other than certain annual MSIP grants awarded to employees on May 1, 2008 which are discussed below in Q&A 43) will become fully vested. They will be converted to stock options for Triarc, using the same 4.25 multiplier and rounded down to the nearest whole share. The expiration date will remain the same (e.g. 100 Wendys stock options @ $20/ share expiring 2010 will automatically convert to 425 Triarc stock options expiring 2010). The exercise price for the new Triarc options will be the exercise price of the Wendys stock option divided by 4.25 and rounded up to the nearest whole penny (in this example, $20 divided by 4.25 = $4.71/ share). |
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39. | What about Restricted Stock Units? Once the merger is completed, all Wendys Restricted Stock Units will become fully vested. They will be converted into restricted units of Triarc Class A common Stock, using the same 4.25 multiplier. The Wendys default method of selling a portion of the restricted stock units to cover applicable taxes shall remain in effect. |
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40. | What about Performance Units? All performance units become vested as if all performance objectives had been satisfied at the highest level by the Company and the grantee, and will be settled in cash within 30 days after the closing date based on the fair market value (as defined in the Wendys 2007 Stock Incentive Plan) of Wendys common shares at the time of the merger. |
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41. | Will the combined company still offer a Dividend Reinvestment Plan? As Roland indicated in his message to the Wendys family, Triarc intends to look at the benefits of Triarc and Wendys, and let the best idea win. But, at this point in time, it is simply too early to give a definitive answer about any particular benefit or program, including the DRP. |
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42. | What about the annual MSIP equity award for 2008? The 2008 annual grant was approved by the Compensation Committee of Wendys Board of Directors (April meeting). The 2008 annual MSIP award for employees was made entirely in options and the vesting of these options will not accelerate on completion of the merger, except for options that accelerate under the terms of previously-existing key executive agreements between Wendys and certain officers. Once the merger is completed, the annual MSIP grant awarded to employees on May 1, 2008 will be converted to stock options for Triarc, using the same 4.25 multiplier and rounded down to the nearest whole share. The vesting and expiration dates will remain the same (e.g. 100 Wendys stock options @ $28.705/ share, vesting 1/3 on 5-1-2009, 1/3 on 5-1-2010 and 1/3 on 5-1-2011 and expiring in 2015 will automatically convert to 425 Triarc stock options vesting and expiring on those same dates). The exercise price for the new Triarc options will be the exercise price of the Wendys stock option divided by 4.25 and rounded up to the nearest whole penny (in this example, $28.705 divided by 4.25 = $6.76/ share). |
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43. | What about Wendys stock held in the Wendys Profit Sharing and Savings Plan? The Profit Sharing and Savings Plan will be treated the same as any other shareholder. Once the merger is completed, the Wendys shares will be converted to Triarc shares, using the same 4.25 multiplier. Plan participants who are invested in the Wendys company stock fund will be contacted by Fidelity (as the Trustee of the Profit Sharing and Savings Plan) to direct Fidelity on the voting of the shares held on their behalf by the Plan. If a participant does not direct Fidelity by returning a proxy card or returns a proxy card but does not instruct Fidelity how to vote, the participants shares will be voted in the same proportion as the shares voted by the participants. As a result, a participant may lose the ability to effect dissenters rights as described in the joint proxy statement/prospectus, as amended. |
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44. | What should employees do while the sale is being completed? Stay focused on the business and the things they can control. |
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45. | If employees leave before the deal is completed, how does it affect benefits? Guidelines outlined in Wendys Policies and Procedures Manual apply. |
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46. | Will Wendys Severance Policies remain in effect? Wendys severance policy has been enhanced for 2008 (details are posted on WeNet under Wendys Stay Program). For 2009, the merger agreement provides that Triarc will provide benefits that, in the aggregate, are not less favorable than the employee benefits (excluding extended health care coverage other than pursuant to COBRA) provided to Wendys employees immediately prior to the closing. |
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47. | One of the strategies for Arbys has been to acquire franchised restaurants. Do you see
this same strategy for Wendys, or do you see Company restaurants being acquired by
franchisees? The immediate strategic priority will be to improve restaurant level margins on Wendys company owned units. Arbys buys from and also sells to franchisees from time to time with an overall strategic objective of increasing system-wide unit growth and market penetration. |
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48. | Are there any provisions in the merger agreement that prevent Company markets from being
sold to Franchisees after the closing? No, and its premature to speculate if any markets will be sold. |
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49. | What about entering into long-term contracts with outside vendors? We want to keep our business moving forward, but you should check with your department head and senior management before entering into long-term contracts. You should also review any projects requiring significant capital expenditures or major changes to your department budgets. He or she, in turn, will consult with the executive leadership team. |
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50. | Will Wendys International Foundation go away? We hope to maintain Wendys Foundation and continue to, in Daves words, give back to the community. |
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51. | How about support for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption? The Wendys family, particularly the franchise community, has a long tradition of supporting our signature cause, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and we hope to continue this effort. The Foundation is an independent, public charity. Nelson Peltz, Peter May and Ed Garden have announced their intention to give $1 million to DTFA following the closing of the transaction. |
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52. | What about continuation of the Wendys Political Action Committee? Wendys International, Inc. Political Action Committee is a completely voluntary program funded by personal (not corporate) contributions donated by Wendys eligible U.S. franchisees and employees. The funds are used for political purposes. We would expect these activities to continue. |
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53. | Will Wendys have a fall Update meeting? Yes, it is planned for September 22-23, in San Antonio, TX. Registration is posted on WeNet. |
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54. | What happens to Pasta Pomodoro? We own a 29% interest in Pasta Pomodoro, and it has not yet been determined what will happen with this asset. |
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55. | Will there be any combination of Arbys Purchasing Cooperative and Wendys Supply Chain? | |
This is something that will be determined following the successful completion of the merger. | ||
56. | What is the future of the New Bakery? Roland has emphasized that maintaining Wendys heritage for quality is an important part of Triarcs plan. The Triarc team has acknowledged hearing many positive comments about the New Bakery and is looking forward to working with the bakery team. However, its really too soon to provide specifics about the future plans for the New Bakery. |
57. | What percentage of Arbys system is franchised? Approximately 70 percent. |
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58. | How many people work at Arbys corporate headquarters in Atlanta? Approximately 400 people. |
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59. | How can I learn more about Arbys and Triarc? More information is available on Triarcs website at http://www.triarc.com. |
60. | What should I do if I have additional questions? Weve created a method to address employee or franchisee questions. To submit your question, click here to reach WendysTriarcQuestionBox.com. Every effort will be made to respond in a timely manner, depending on the complexity of the question. |
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