NewAge Updates Merger Agreement with ARIIX
NewAge, Inc. announced that it has amended the merger agreement for the acquisition of ARIIX.
The Colorado-based omni-channel social selling and distribution company stated that it expects to close the transaction no later than November 30, 2020.
Details of the amended and restated agreement and plan of merger are included in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated October 1, 2020, and the deadline for completing the audit of the ARIIX’s financial statements and completing the transaction has been extended until November 30, 2020.
“We think it is great for our shareholders to have increased clarity on the total cost of the ARIIX transaction, and to have agreed to terms on the future portion of the consideration, which represents a very attractive premium to the current share price,” said Brent Willis, chief executive officer of NewAge. “As a private company operating globally, the audit of ARIIX’s financial statements is taking time to complete, and we feel it is prudent to be thorough and have the audit materially completed before closing.”
NewAge communicated that it expects to capture approximately $20 million in additional annualized EBITDA in the first 18 months following closing in cost and revenue synergies in the areas of cost of goods sold, manufacturing efficiencies and scale, operational redundancy, cross-pollination of brands and market and channel expansion. NewAge has already identified more than $10 million in annualized synergies to be implemented this year from the combined group.
Fred Cooper, CEO of ARIIX said, “The strength of our two companies coming together will have significant benefits to all our stakeholders around the globe. We have been working closely with Brent and his team and have identified several key areas within our organizations where we can gain efficiencies and enhance our overall business performance very positively impacting both the top and bottom lines. Historically ARIIX has delivered close to $20 million in EBITDA annually. With the convergence of the two organizations, the anticipated synergies of $20 million, the improved profitability of NewAge now that their retail brands have been sold, and the global organic growth we are experiencing, we believe both our top and bottom line outlook look extremely attractive.”
On July 20, 2020, NewAge, Inc., announced the signing of an agreement to acquire ARIIX and four other e-commerce/direct selling companies. The combination is expected to create a company with expected annual revenues of more than $500 million, a blended gross margin of 70%, and expected EBITDA of more than $30 million.