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Gibson, Iconic Guitar Company, Said to Be Nearing Bankruptcy
Source: Variety
FEBRUARY 18, 2018 2:37PM PT
Gibson, Iconic Guitar Company, Said to Be Nearing Bankruptcy
By Jem Aswad
Gibson Brands Inc., one of the two most iconic guitar companies in music history, is facing bankruptcy after years of challenges, according to a report in the Nashville Post and other sources.
The Post reports that the company, which has annual revenues of more than $1 billion, is less than six months away from $375 million of senior secured notes reaching maturity; another $145 million in bank loans will be due immediately if those notes, issued in 2013, are not refinanced by July 23. The company’s chief financial officer, Bill Lawrence, recently departed after just six month in the role; the company also moved out of its Nashville offices, from which it had operated since moving to the city from Kalamazoo, Michigan in the 1980s.
Gibson issued a statement Thursday, several days after the Post report published, in which it says that it “has met all current obligations to the bondholders, is in the process of arranging a new credit facility to replace the bonds, and fully expects the bonds to be refinanced in the ordinary course of business.” In the statement, longtime owner and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz (pictured above) said, “These bonds expire as all fixed income instruments do at the end of their term” and noted that the company has been working with Jefferies investment bank to manage the refinancing process. “While the musical instrument and pro audio segments have been profitable and growing, they are still below the level of success we saw several years ago.”
-snip-
The Post cites insiders as saying the company faces bleak prospects for an orderly refinancing, and possibly even bleaker ones for Juszkiewicz. Kevin Cassidy, a senior credit officer at Moody’s Investors Service, told the Post that Juszkiewicz could negotiate an exchange of their debt coming due for new notes; give up some of his equity in exchange for debt payments; or go to bankruptcy court. “This year is critical and they are running out of time — rapidly,” Cassidy said. “And if this ends in bankruptcy, he will give up the entire company.”
-snip-
Gibson, Iconic Guitar Company, Said to Be Nearing Bankruptcy
By Jem Aswad
Gibson Brands Inc., one of the two most iconic guitar companies in music history, is facing bankruptcy after years of challenges, according to a report in the Nashville Post and other sources.
The Post reports that the company, which has annual revenues of more than $1 billion, is less than six months away from $375 million of senior secured notes reaching maturity; another $145 million in bank loans will be due immediately if those notes, issued in 2013, are not refinanced by July 23. The company’s chief financial officer, Bill Lawrence, recently departed after just six month in the role; the company also moved out of its Nashville offices, from which it had operated since moving to the city from Kalamazoo, Michigan in the 1980s.
Gibson issued a statement Thursday, several days after the Post report published, in which it says that it “has met all current obligations to the bondholders, is in the process of arranging a new credit facility to replace the bonds, and fully expects the bonds to be refinanced in the ordinary course of business.” In the statement, longtime owner and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz (pictured above) said, “These bonds expire as all fixed income instruments do at the end of their term” and noted that the company has been working with Jefferies investment bank to manage the refinancing process. “While the musical instrument and pro audio segments have been profitable and growing, they are still below the level of success we saw several years ago.”
-snip-
The Post cites insiders as saying the company faces bleak prospects for an orderly refinancing, and possibly even bleaker ones for Juszkiewicz. Kevin Cassidy, a senior credit officer at Moody’s Investors Service, told the Post that Juszkiewicz could negotiate an exchange of their debt coming due for new notes; give up some of his equity in exchange for debt payments; or go to bankruptcy court. “This year is critical and they are running out of time — rapidly,” Cassidy said. “And if this ends in bankruptcy, he will give up the entire company.”
-snip-
Read more: http://variety.com/2018/biz/news/gibson-iconic-guitar-company-said-to-be-nearing-bankruptcy-1202704143/