March
30, 2004
a21 Completes SuperStock Acquisition
As of February 29, 2004, a21, Inc. ("a21") completed the acquisition
of SuperStock, Inc. SuperStock's primary assets include approximately 900,000
images, an approximately 73,000 square foot facility in Jacksonville, Florida,
receivables from its customers and cash. Approximately one-third of the
images were wholly owned by SuperStock and the rest were placed with the
agency on consignment by various stock photographers around the world.
All of the SuperStock owned images are now the property of a21 and SuperStock
is subsidiary of a21.
Albert H. Pleus, Chairman of a21, indicated that SuperStock's annual sales
were approximately $10 million and the 8K form filed with the SEC says
the aggregate purchase price was up to $5,760,625, not all in cash.
The sellers received $2,600,625 in cash and a promissory note of $1,576,250
that pays an interest rate of Libor (London Inter-bank Offering Rate) plus
1.9%. This note is callable sometime after one year, but a21 says their
goal is to pay off the note in a "reasonable period of time." The
sellers will also receive up to $1,500,000 in cash payable in four consecutive
annual installments if the images that were wholly owned by SuperStock
meet or exceed certain revenue projections.
In addition the 1,666,717 shares of non-voting participating preferred
stock of SuperStock held by the sellers is exchangeable into 5,000,151
shares of a21 common stock. At this writing the a21 stock is valued at
$.60 (60 cents) a share giving the stock a value of approximately $3 million.
The sellers also received warrants to purchase 160,000 shares of a21 stock
at a price of $.56 per share.
While co-founders Jim Ong and Bill Beermann will step down from their roles
within the company and will no longer be involved in direct management,
their common stock ownership position in a21 and their contingent cash
payments of $1.5 million over the next four years give them a huge incentive
for the company to be successful. Pleus indicated that a21 is very pleased
that the former owners will continue to be involved in an advisory capacity
and pointed out that the compensation package was set up with that in mind.
It is expected that an 8KA (amended) form will be filed around the middle
of May and at that time we should have a clearer picture of SuperStock's
income and expenses for the latter half of 2003. a21's first quarter report
will also be filed about the middle of May and that will include the first
month (March) of SuperStock income and expenses after it became part of
a21.
In addition to the purchase price, a21 repaid a $1,700,000 credit facility
of SuperStock and paid down $500,000 of a note secured by a first mortgage
on the SuperStock Facility. This reduced the principal balance on the note
secured by a first mortgage to $4,047,504 at an interest rate of Libor
plus 1.9% payable monthly plus principal.
There are two aspects of this acquisition that merit special note. First,
the fact that a21 wholly owns one-third of the images in their collection
allows them to keep a much higher percent of gross revenue than would be
the case of agencies that are paying royalties on all the images in their
collection. It is also likely that the wholly owned images are among the
most productive images in the collection and that the revenue they earn
represents quite a bit more than one-third of the total revenue.
In addition, there is significant equity in the building that was built
by SuperStock almost a decade ago. a21 has indicated that they are not
interested in owning property and expect that they will sell the building
and lease back a portion of it to meet their needs. Such a transaction
could provide a21 with significant cash, and was certainly an important
incentive in this deal.
a21 is looking at additional possibilities for acquisitions and joint ventures.
They are currently considering and exploring a variety of options that
might help them add additional content and grow revenue.
As part of the transaction the sellers and their advisors also purchased
573,589 common shares of a21 for $149,535 - (giving them an additional
equity position in the future of the company.) The employees will also
be participating in a stock option plan that is currently being formulated.
Immediately after completing the acquisition and taking into account the
related equity and debt financing, a21 had 38,073,737 common shares issued
and outstanding.
©2004 SELLING STOCK |