Gannett Announces Refinancing of Approximately $500 million of Debt

Gannett Co., Inc. (“Gannett”, “we”, “us”, “our”, or the “Company”) (NYSE: GCI) today announced that it has refinanced approximately $500 million of its 11.5% term loan, maturing in 2024, with 6.0% convertible notes due in 2027. The refinancing reduces the outstanding term loan to $1.118 billion.

“We are pleased to announce the refinancing, which we believe has three key benefits,” said Michael Reed, Gannett Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “First, it generates significant savings, reducing our annual interest expense by approximately $28 million per year. These savings will be used to accelerate repayment of our term loan. Second, we believe that this refinancing paves the way for a refinancing of the remaining term loan by reducing the outstanding balance. And third, it extends the maturity of approximately $500 million of debt by three years. Since putting the term loan in place in November 2019, we have repaid over $175 million to date, and we expect to repay an additional $100 million in the coming months. Pro forma for these repayments, the outstanding term loan will be approximately $1 billion, which we believe we can refinance on attractive terms by the end of the first half of 2021. As we improve the Company’s capital structure, we are also seeing continued improvement in our revenue trends, which we expect will drive strong fourth quarter results.”

“Apollo and its funds are pleased to continue to support Gannett, its strong management team, and its commitment to premium journalism,” said Robert Givone, Partner and Co-Head Opportunistic Credit. “Working collaboratively, we crafted a creative approach to address Gannett’s desire to rapidly strengthen its balance sheet. The refinancing is indicative of the types of capital solutions that Apollo is uniquely situated to provide to great companies.”

The refinancing was unanimously approved by the Company’s Board of Directors. The Company was advised by Greenhill & Co., LLC and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP.
https://investors.gannett.com/news/news-details/2020/Gannett-Announces-Refinancing-of-Approximately-500-million-of-Debt/default.aspx

Related Posts

Print Editions Of 6 Meredith Brands, Including ‘InStyle,’ Shutting Down (mediapost.com)

Dotdash Meredith is eliminating the print editions of six of the former Meredith Corp.’s most iconic magazines, including InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, Eating Well and People en Espanol, according to a report yesterday first published by the Wall Street Journal. The Journal said it obtained an internal memo from Dotdash CEO Neil Vogel in which Vogel told employees that the move would eliminate about 200 jobs, which represent less than 5% of Dotdash Meredith’s total staff. The other magazines being shut down are Health and Parents. “We have said from the beginning, buying Meredith was about buying brands, not magazines or websites,” Vogel said in the memo. “It is not news to anyone that there has been a pronounced shift in readership and advertising from print to digital, and as a result, for a few important brands, print is no longer serving the brand’s core purpose.”

Online spending patterns shift in July

According to the latest Signifyd E-commerce Pulse data for July 2024, online spending continued the growth trend seen in June, but shifted toward lower-cost items and alternatives as the fastest year-over-year growth (17.7%) was in orders under $100. Meanwhile, purchases above $500 were nearly flat with 1.5% year-over-year growth. Overall online spending was up 10% year-over-year, and the number of e-commerce orders increased 15% but average order value was down 4% compared to July 2023, which Signifyd said signals caution among consumers.

ACMA Files Amicus Brief in South Dakota v. Wayfair Supreme Court Case; Asks Court to Upheld Quill Precedent

American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA) contends in an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court of the U.S. today that a South Dakota law enacted two years ago is unconstitutional. Filing as a friend of the defendants in the case of South Dakota v. Wayfair, Overstock.com, and Newegg, the ACMA urged that the Quill v. North Dakota precedent be upheld. The case before the Supreme Court poses the question, “Should this Court abrogate Quill's sales-tax-only, physical-presence requirement?” The 1992 Quill decision affirmed the physical presence rule. The Supreme Court ruling upheld its 1967 ruling in National Bellas Hess v. Department of Revenue of Illinois. In 2016, South Dakota enacted its law that defies the Quill physical presence standard. “The authority of the states and their many localities to tax interstate commerce is unquestioned,” the ACMA brief says. “But the Commerce Clause prohibits actions that create excessive burdens impeding interstate commerce.” The brief goes on to say, “Overruling Quill would not only discourage efforts at uniformity, but it would also expose catalog retailers to significant past lability for transactions that already have occurred.” Click Read More below for additional information.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search