FRANKLIN, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--F9 Investments, LLC (“F9”), which together with its affiliates collectively owns approximately 8.85% of LL Flooring Holdings, Inc. (“LL Flooring” or the “Company”) (NYSE: LL) common stock and is the Company’s largest shareholder, today released a presentation highlighting why change to LL Flooring’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) is needed urgently in order to preserve what value is left and begin the process of rebuilding what was once – and can be again – a great company.
The presentation contains detailed information regarding how LL Flooring’s shareholders have suffered for years due to the Board’s failed operational strategy, misaligned incentives and compensation, inability to contain costs, and deeply flawed sale process. The presentation contrasts the Company’s severe underperformance with the track records of F9’s three highly-qualified director nominees – Tom Sullivan, Jason Delves, and Jill Witter – and highlights how they bring the flooring industry expertise, shareholder alignment, and oversight necessary to protect and restore the value of LL Flooring for all shareholders.
F9 encourages all LL Flooring shareholders to view the presentation, which can be found at www.LLGroove.com.
Mr. Sullivan stated: “LL Flooring’s shareholders have a choice to make before the Company’s Annual Meeting on July 10: they can continue to support directors who have routinely shirked their responsibility and put LL Flooring on the brink of bankruptcy while enriching and entrenching themselves, or vote for change by electing directors who will bring proper oversight, shareholder alignment, and accountability back to LL Flooring’s boardroom to protect shareholders’ investments and put the Company back on a path to success.”
“Make no mistake, a vote for management is a vote for the status quo. Under the current Board’s watch, LL Flooring’s stock price has plummeted more than 93% in three years, vastly underperforming its peers, the broader market, and all reasonable expectations. The Company is currently on the brink of insolvency, customers are fleeing, and morale is low, yet management would try to have you believe that their strategy is working. While LL Flooring’s Board continues to avoid accountability for its failures and levies harmful, misleading, and easily disprovable personal attacks against me in a desperate attempt to distract shareholders from the Company’s abysmal performance, F9’s nominees are prepared to do the hard work of restoring LL Flooring’s value for all shareholders, creating a culture employees can be proud of, and putting the Company back on a path toward profitability and success.”
“Together, F9’s exceptionally well-qualified nominees collectively bring the flooring industry expertise, ownership mentality, and operational, financial, and strategic plan required to deliver the long-term, value-enhancing change that LL Flooring urgently needs to survive and thrive over the long-term. We encourage shareholders to review our presentation, which details the myriad issues and failed strategic initiatives the current Board has overseen; the dire and still-deteriorating financial position of the Company; and the current Board’s lack of expertise and alignment with shareholders, poor corporate governance practices, and sham strategic review process which has resulted in the rejection of a number of premium bids for the Company while LL Flooring’s stock price continues to crater.”
VOTE ON THE GOLD PROXY CARD TODAY “FOR” F9’S NOMINEES TOM SULLIVAN, JASON DELVES, AND JILL WITTER AND “WITHHOLD” ON ALL LL FLOORING NOMINEES AND JERALD HAMMANN
Shareholders must act decisively to safeguard their investment. YOUR VOTE MATTERS, NO MATTER HOW MANY SHARES YOU OWN. We urge all shareholders to protect the value of their investment by voting for F9’s nominees today using the GOLD proxy card.
You can cast your vote online at www.ProxyVote.com or by completing, signing, and dating the GOLD proxy card or GOLD voting instruction form and mailing it in the postage paid envelope provided.
If you have not received the GOLD proxy card from F9 and have only received a WHITE proxy card sent to you by the Company, you can still support F9’s nominees using the WHITE proxy card. You can do so by checking the “WITHHOLD” boxes on all of the Company nominees and Jerald Hammann and checking the “FOR” boxes for all F9 nominees – Tom Sullivan, Jason Delves, and Jill Witter.
If you have any questions about how to vote your shares, please contact our proxy solicitor, Campaign Management, by telephone 1-(855) 264-1527 (shareholders) or (212) 632-8422 (banks & brokerages) or by email at info@campaign-mgmt.com.
For more information about F9 and detailed voting instructions, visit our website at www.LLGroove.com.
DISCLAIMER
Except as otherwise set forth in this press release, the views expressed in this press release reflect the opinions of F9 Investments, LLC and its affiliates (“F9”) and are based on publicly available information with respect to LL Flooring Holdings, Inc. (“LL” or the “Company”). F9 recognizes that there may be confidential information in the possession of the Company that could lead it or others to disagree with F9’s conclusions. F9 reserves the right to change any of its opinions expressed herein at any time as it deems appropriate and disclaims any obligation to notify the market or any other party of any such change, except as required by law. F9 disclaims any obligation to update the information or opinions contained in this press release, except as required by law. For the avoidance of doubt, this press release is not affiliated with or endorsed by LL.
This press release is provided merely as information and is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security nor as a recommendation to purchase or sell any security. Certain of the Participants (as defined below) currently beneficially own shares of the Company. The Participants and their affiliates may from time to time sell all or a portion of their holdings of the Company in open market transactions or otherwise, buy additional shares (in open market or privately negotiated transactions or otherwise), or trade in options, puts, calls, swaps or other derivative instruments relating to such shares.
Some of the materials in this press release contain forward-looking statements. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature or that necessarily depend on future events are forward-looking, and the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “potential,” “could,” “opportunity,” “estimate,” “plan,” “once again,” “achieve,” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. The projected results and statements contained herein that are not historical facts are based on current expectations, speak only as of the date of these materials and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performances or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such projected results and statements. Assumptions relating to the foregoing involve judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic competitive and market conditions and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond the control of F9.
The estimates, projections and potential impact of the opportunities identified by F9 herein are based on assumptions that F9 believes to be reasonable as of the date of this press release, but there can be no assurance or guarantee (i) that any of the proposed actions set forth in this press release will be completed, (ii) that the actual results or performance of the Company will not differ, and such differences may be material, or (iii) that any of the assumptions provided in this press release are accurate.
F9 has neither sought nor obtained the consent from any third party to use any statements or information contained herein that have been obtained or derived from statements made or published by such third parties, nor has it paid for any such statements. Any such statements or information should not be viewed as indicating the support of such third parties for the views expressed herein. F9 does not endorse third-party estimates or research which are used herein solely for illustrative purposes.
Important Information
F9 Investments, LLC, Thomas D. Sullivan, John Jason Delves and Jill Witter (collectively, the “Participants”) filed a definitive proxy statement and accompanying form of gold proxy card (as supplemented and amended, the “Definitive Proxy Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC”) on May 31, 2024 to be used in connection with the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company.
THE PARTICIPANTS STRONGLY ADVISE ALL STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON THE SEC’S WEBSITE AT WWW.SEC.GOV AND F9’S WEBSITE AT WWW.LLGROOVE.COM. THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ACCOMPANYING PROXY CARD WILL BE FURNISHED TO SOME OR ALL OF THE COMPANY’S STOCKHOLDERS. STOCKHOLDERS MAY ALSO DIRECT A REQUEST TO F9’S PROXY SOLICITOR, CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT, 15 WEST 38TH STREET, SUITE #747, NEW YORK, NY 10018 (STOCKHOLDERS CAN E-MAIL INFO@CAMPAIGNMANAGEMENT.COM OR CALL TOLL-FREE: (855) 264-1527.
Information about the Participants and a description of their direct or indirect interests by security holdings or otherwise can be found in the Definitive Proxy Statement.
