※發文無1~6小標格式或未依順序任意刪除者會被刪文
1.媒體來源:
華爾街日報
2.記者署名
By Alexander Gladstone
Updated Nov. 21, 2019 4:42 pm ET
中譯非來自WSJ中文版
3.完整新聞標題:
Bumble Bee Files for Bankruptcy With $925 Million Offer From Taiwan’s FCF
Bumble Bee申請破產，台灣豐群水產(FCF)競價9.25億美元 (約282億台幣)
Taiwan seafood company FCF Fishery’s offer for canned tuna maker includes
$275 million in cash
台灣豐群水產提供給罐頭鮪魚廠的價碼包含了2.75億現金
4.完整新聞內文:
Bumble Bee Foods LLC, one of the nation’s largest canned tuna providers,
filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday with an agreement to sell its assets
to Taiwan’s FCF Fishery Co. for roughly $925 million.
世界最大的鮪魚罐頭供應商之一Bumble Bee Foods LLC, 於周四申請破產保護, 並同意
將其資產以大約9.25億美元賣給台灣的豐群水產公司。
San Diego-based Bumble Bee, owned by London-based private-equity firm Lion
Capital, said that a chapter 11 process will help facilitate the sale to FCF
as well as “reduce its debt burden caused by recent and significant legal
challenges.”
位在聖地牙哥的Bumble Bee, 原由倫敦的Lion Capital私募股權公司持有, 日前表示
依據美國破產法第11章, 申請破產保護將可加快出售資產給豐群水產, 並且"減少因為
這陣子的嚴重法律問題造成的債務負擔。"
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Bumble Bee was preparing to
file for bankruptcy within days as it faces mounting legal expenses stemming
from its involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices on canned tuna.
華爾街日報上周曾報導Bumble Bee準備在幾天內申請破產保護, 因其正在面對因為捲入
壟斷鮪魚罐頭價格的密謀案而導致的巨額訴訟費用當中。
Bumble Bee pleaded guilty in 2017 and agreed to pay a $25 million fine for
having formed a cartel with its two main competitors, Chicken of the Sea
International and StarKist Co. The Justice Department subsequently indicted
former Bumble Bee Chief Executive Christopher Lischewski for his alleged role
in the conspiracy. Mr. Lischewski, who pleaded not guilty, took a leave of
absence from Bumble Bee last year and is on trial in California federal court.
Bumble Bee於2017年認罪並同意支付2500萬美元的罰款, 其與主要競爭對手Chicken
of the Sea Interanational 和Starkist Co.共同組成了價格壟斷聯盟。司法部亦認定
Bumble Bee的前總裁Christopher Lischewski參與價格壟斷的指控。Christopher
Lischewski並未認罪, 從去年起開始休假, 並正在被加州聯邦法庭審判。
Chief Financial Officer Kent McNeil said in a declaration filed with the U.S.
Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., Thursday that the $25 million criminal
fine from the DOJ, as well as civil litigation from Bumble Bee’s customers
and related legal expenses, resulted in the company’s default on its term
loan and ultimately its decision to file for bankruptcy.
財務長Kent McNeil在周四於美國德拉瓦州威明頓申請破產保護時聲明, 2500萬美元罰款
和與Bumble Bee客戶的民事訴訟費用, 使得公司無法如期償付定期貸款, 以致最終做出
了申請破產的決定。
In addition to the hit from the antitrust probe, the company is facing
class-action lawsuits from consumers, distributors and retailers over the
conspiracy. Other consumers suing Bumble Bee have said it wrongfully labeled
its tuna as being produced through “dolphin-safe” fishing methods. Bumble
Bee has said its labeling was justified.
在反托拉斯調查的衝擊之外, 公司還要面對來自消費者, 盤商, 和零售商對此密謀犯罪
提起的集體訴訟。其他客戶控訴Bumble Bee曾說他們的鮪魚以"不傷害海豚"漁法捕獲
的不實標示，Bumble Bee宣稱標示是被認可的。
Bumble Bee has 41% of the U.S. canned tuna market and roughly 13% of the U.S.
share of sales of canned “light meat” tuna, according to Mr. McNeil. It
also has about 40% of U.S. sardine sales. But the company’s earnings have
been hurt by an industry-wide slowdown as young consumers increasingly prefer
fresh food and gravitate toward newer and more upscale brands.
據財務長Kent McNeil表示, Bumble Bee擁有美國41%的罐頭鮪魚市占率(譯注:應指長鰭鮪)
以及13%的白身鮪魚罐頭在美國的銷售額。公司也佔了美國沙丁魚銷量的40%。但是公司的
收益近來受到損失, 因為產業萎縮, 還有年輕消費者偏愛新鮮食材並轉而購買較新、較
高級品牌的商品。
FCF’s stalking horse bid, which will be tested at a bankruptcy auction,
includes $275 million cash and $638.6 million of debt. The Taiwanese company
has also agreed to pay the remaining $17 million Bumble Bee owes to the
Justice Department.
豐群水產的假馬競標出價將在之後的破產競標時受到檢測。該出價含2.75億美元
現金以及6.386億美元的債務。這間台灣公司亦承諾會負擔Bumble Bee欠司法部的1700
萬美元。
(譯注: 假馬競標是公開競價前, 由破產公司選定的公司預先出價
此舉主要在確保起標價, 亦可以吸引更多投標者。)
The canned tuna seller is entering bankruptcy with up to $280 million in
bankruptcy financing, provided by its existing lenders, so it can continue
operating in chapter 11 pending completion of the sale.
這間鮪魚罐頭公司申請破產時尚有來自原貸款機構的2.8億美元破產融資, 故能在依
破產法第11章拍賣完成之前繼續營運。
Bumble Bee’s roots date back more than a century when the Columbia River
Packers Association began fishing for tuna off the Oregon coast and
established the Bumble Bee tuna brand.
Bumble Bee的起源可以追朔到一個世紀前, 當時在奧勒岡海岸補鮪魚的哥倫比亞河捕撈
協會(Columbia River Packers Association)開始的Bumblee Bee鮪魚品牌。
The company has hired law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP,
investment bank Houlihan Lokey Inc. and restructuring firm AlixPartners LLP
to handle its chapter 11 case.
該公司已聘用律師事務所Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, 投資銀行
Houlihan Lokey Inc.和重組公司AlixPartners LLP處理其依據破產法11章的破產保護案。
5.完整新聞連結 (或短網址):
※ 當新聞連結過長時，需提供短網址方便網友點擊
http://alturl.com/syzeg
6.備註:
※ 一個人一天只能張貼一則新聞，被刪或自刪也算額度內，超貼者水桶，請注意