Loblaw will spin off Choice REIT to GWL pursuant to a double butterfly and triangular amalgamation

Loblaw has a substantial real estate rental portfolio (much of it being stores rented to it plus the former CREIT portfolio) held through Choice REIT. Loblaw will be effecting a butterfly spin-off of its Choice holdings to its parent, George Weston Limited (also TSX-listed) pursuant to a CBCA Plan of Arrangement, subject to receiving CRA rulings. This is to be accomplished by first butterflying the Choice holdings to a “Spinco” held by the Loblaw shareholders including GWL and an indirect GWL subsidiary (WHL). WHL, which apparently also indirectly holds the Weston Foods division, would then effect a butterfly distribution of its Spinco shares to a second transferee corporation (WHL/TC). There then would be a triangular amalgamation of Spinco with inter alia WHL/TC pursuant to which the public shareholders of Spinco would receive GWL common shares in exchange for their Spinco common shares.

In order to effect the initial spin-off to Spinco, there will be a s. 86 exchange of old Loblaw common shares for new Loblaw common shares and Loblaw butterfly shares. In order to reflect the FMV reduction of a Loblaw common share, the existing Loblaw stock options will be exchanged for a higher number of new options with a lower exercise price but an aggregate in-the-money value that is no higher. The in the money amount of the new and old options will be determined based on the weighted average TSX trading price of the Loblaw shares for the five-day trading period beginning on the Effective Date of the Arrangement, and ending immediately before the Effective Date, respectively.

Neal Armstrong. Summary of Loblaw Circular under Public Transactions - Spin-offs and Distributions – Butterfly spin-offs.