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EX-99.1 - EXHIBIT 99.1 - FOREST CITY ENTERPRISES INCexhibit991pressreleaseaugu.htm


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
_____________________________________________________________
Form 8-K
_____________________________________________________________
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): August 21, 2015
_____________________________________________________________
Forest City Enterprises, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
_____________________________________________________________

Ohio
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation)
 
1-4372
(Commission
File Number)
 
34-0863886
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
 
 
 
 
 
Terminal Tower, 50 Public Square
Suite 1100, Cleveland, Ohio
 
44113
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(Zip Code)
 
 
 
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 216-621-6060
 
 
 
 
 
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
_____________________________________________________________


Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

x
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))






Item 8.01. Other Events.

Forest City Enterprises, Inc. (“Forest City”) announced today that its Board of Directors set the date of its special meeting of shareholders to consider and vote on, among other things, a proposal to approve and adopt the agreement and plan of merger by and among Forest City, Forest City Realty Trust, Inc., its newly formed wholly owned subsidiary (“Forest City REIT”), FCILP, LLC and FCE Merger Sub, Inc., in connection with Forest City’s previously announced plan to convert to a real estate investment trust (the “REIT Conversion”). Also today, Forest City REIT filed an amendment to its registration statement on Form S-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) related to the planned REIT Conversion.

The special meeting will be held on October 15, 2015 at 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Forest City’s shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 31, 2015 will be entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the special meeting.

The press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated by reference herein.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements, including the statements regarding Forest City’s expected REIT Conversion. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and expectations that may not be realized and are inherently subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the inability to complete the REIT Conversion in a timely manner, the inability to complete the REIT Conversion due to the failure of either or both classes of Forest City’s shareholders to adopt one or more of the holding company merger proposal, the proposal to amend Forest City’s articles, and the proposals regarding Forest City REIT’s organizational documents, in each case as described in the proxy statement/prospectus that will be delivered to Forest City’s shareholders prior to the special meeting, the failure to satisfy other conditions to completion of the REIT Conversion, including receipt of required third-party consents, the failure of the REIT Conversion to close for any other reason, the effect of the announcements regarding the REIT Conversion on the market price of Forest City’s common stock, the possibility that the anticipated benefits of the REIT Conversion will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period, the inability to meet expectations regarding the accounting and tax treatments of the REIT Conversion, the possibility that the REIT Conversion may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events, diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities, the impact on us of complying with requirements to qualify as a real estate investment trust under the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), the impact of issuing equity, debt or both to satisfy the Code requirement to distribute pre-real estate investment trust earnings and profits and other costs incident to effectuating our plan to so qualify, the impact of the amount and timing of any future distributions by Forest City and/or Forest City REIT, the impact of covenants that could prevent us from satisfying the distribution requirements under the Code that must be met in order for us to so qualify, our lack of experience operating as an entity that so qualifies, legislative, administrative, regulatory or other actions affecting real estate investment trusts, including positions taken by the Internal Revenue Service, our ability to achieve our strategic goals, changes in the market price of Forest City REIT’s common stock following the REIT Conversion, our ability to complete non-core asset dispositions, the impact to our deferred tax liability balance if we qualify as a real estate investment trust under the Code, the state of the economy and financial markets generally and the effect of our industry, and the market for our common stock. For additional information regarding factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in our forward-looking statements, we refer you to the risk factors included in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, as amended, as updated by annual, quarterly and other reports and documents that we file with the SEC. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this communication. These statements speak only as of the date of this communication, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the REIT Conversion. Forest City REIT has filed a registration statement on Form S-4 containing a preliminary proxy statement of Forest City and a preliminary prospectus of Forest City REIT with the SEC. The registration statement has not yet become effective, and this communication is not a substitute for the registration statement, definitive proxy statement/prospectus or any other documents that Forest City or Forest City REIT may file with the SEC or send to shareholders in connection with the REIT Conversion. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE FORM S-4 (INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN AND WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE REIT CONVERSION. You may obtain a free copy of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and other filings containing information about Forest City, Forest City REIT and the REIT Conversion, from the SEC at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and other filings containing information about





Forest City, Forest City REIT and the REIT Conversion can be obtained without charge by directing a request to Secretary, Terminal Tower, 50 Public Square, Suite 1360, Cleveland, Ohio 44113 or D.F. King & Co., Inc. (“D.F. King”), our proxy solicitor, at 48 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005; telephone: (866) 796-7179.

Investors should read the Form S-4 and proxy statement/prospectus carefully before making any voting or investment decisions. Any offer of the securities will be made solely by means of a prospectus included in the registration statement and any prospectus supplement that may be issued in connection with such offering.

Participants in Solicitation

Forest City, its directors and executive officers and certain other members of management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from holders of Forest City’s common stock in respect of the REIT Conversion. In addition, Forest City has engaged D.F. King to assist in the solicitation of proxies from brokers, nominees, institutions and individuals.

Information about the directors and executive officers of Forest City and their ownership of Forest City’s stock is set forth in the proxy statement for Forest City’s 2015 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Investors may obtain additional information regarding the interests of participants in the proxy solicitation and REIT Conversion by reading the proxy statement/prospectus regarding the REIT Conversion once it is finalized.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit No.
 
Description
99.1
Press release of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. dated August 21, 2015







SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 
 
FOREST CITY ENTERPRISES, INC.
 
 
 
 
Date:
August 21, 2015
By:
/s/ ROBERT G. O'BRIEN
 
 
Name:
Robert G. O’Brien
 
 
Title:
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
 
 
 
 






EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.
 
Description
99.1
Press release of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. dated August 21, 2015