Fortune Brands, Inc. late today will complete the previously announced
separation of its business units with the successful spin-off of the
Fortune Brands Home & Security business (NYSE: FBHS). Immediately
following the spin-off, Fortune Brands will change its name to Beam Inc.
(NYSE: BEAM), reflecting its singular focus as a leading global premium
spirits company. Each company will begin trading independently on the
New York Stock Exchange effective tomorrow, Tuesday, October 4th.
The "FO” stock ticker symbol is being discontinued.
As previously announced, Fortune Brands stockholders will receive one
share of Fortune Brands Home & Security in the spin-off for each share
of Fortune Brands common stock they held of record as of September 20,
2011. Following the spin-off, Fortune Brands stockholders will retain
shares in Beam (formerly Fortune Brands). Fortune Brands will also
receive a cash dividend of $500 million from Home & Security prior to
the spin-off.
"Completing the separation of Fortune Brands’ businesses creates the
opportunity for shareholders to participate in the upside we see in two
industry-leading businesses that have strong brands, sharply focused
strategies, and proven and motivated management. Both businesses have
strong momentum and are outperforming their respective markets,” said
Bruce Carbonari, chairman and chief executive officer of Fortune Brands.
"I’m excited for the journey that lies ahead for both Beam and Home &
Security. Each company has a future of great Fortune.”
"Beam begins its future as a pure-play spirits company with strong
momentum and compelling growth prospects,” said Matt Shattock, president
and chief executive officer of Beam. "We believe our unique combination
of scale with agility, plus our focused strategy, position us well to
outperform and consistently deliver strong, profitable, long-term growth
in a highly profitable global industry.”
Chris Klein, chief executive officer of Fortune Brands Home & Security,
said: "As we become a standalone company, we are executing well on our
strategy, our proven business model is working, and we’re outperforming
our markets. We see great opportunity to leverage our leadership
positions, marketplace success, and lean and flexible cost structure to
accelerate profitable growth as the housing market recovers.”
Last December, Fortune Brands announced its intention to separate the
three businesses it then owned. The company subsequently sold its
Acushnet Company golf business in July for $1.225 billion and then
executed the spin-off of Fortune Brands Home & Security, to occur at
11:59 PM ET today. The company has been known as Fortune Brands since
1997, having previously been named American Brands. Both Beam and
Fortune Brands Home & Security remain headquartered in Deerfield,
Illinois.
About Beam Inc.
As one of the world’s leading premium spirits companies, Beam is
Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of
the globe call for the company’s brands, including Jim Beam® Bourbon,
Maker's Mark® Bourbon, Sauza® Tequila, Canadian Club® Whisky,
Courvoisier® Cognac, Teacher's® Scotch Whisky, Laphroaig® Scotch Whisky,
Cruzan® Rum, Hornitos ™ Tequila, Knob Creek® Bourbon, EFFEN® Vodka,
Pucker™ Flavored Vodka, Larios® Gin, Whisky DYC®, DeKuyper® Cordials,
and Skinnygirl® Cocktails. The Beam portfolio includes 10 of the world’s
top 100 premium spirits brands and some of the industry’s fastest
growing innovations. Beam is focused on delivering superior performance
with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of
Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth.
Beam and its 3,200 passionate associates worldwide generated 2010 sales
of $2.7 billion on volume of 33 million 9-liter cases.
Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam will be traded on the New
York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the
S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index. For more information on Beam,
its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamglobal.com
and www.drinksmart.com.
About Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc.
Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. (NYSE: FBHS), headquartered in
Deerfield, Ill., creates products and services that help fulfill the
dreams of homeowners and help people feel more secure. The company’s
trusted brands include Master Lock, MasterBrand cabinets, Moen faucets,
Simonton windows and Therma-Tru entry door systems. FBHS holds market
leadership positions in all of its segments. The company’s 16,000
associates generated more than $3.2 billion in net sales in 2010. FBHS
will be part of the S&P MidCap 400 Index. For more information, please
visit www.fbhs.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements relating to future results, which
are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that
these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and
the company does not assume any obligation to update, amend or clarify
them to reflect events, new information or circumstances occurring after
the date of this release. Actual results may differ materially from
those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties,
including but not limited to: general economic conditions, including the
U.S. housing and remodeling market; the expiration of government
economic stimulus programs; competitive market pressures (including
pricing pressures); successful development of new products and
processes; consolidation of customers; customer defaults and related bad
debt expense; unanticipated developments that delay or negatively impact
the proposed separation; disruption to operations as a result of the
proposed separation; inability of one or more of the businesses to
operate independently following the completion of the proposed
separation; risks pertaining to strategic acquisitions and joint
ventures, including the potential financial effects and performance of
such acquisitions or joint ventures, and integration of acquisitions and
the related confirmation or remediation of internal controls over
financial reporting; any possible downgrades of the Company's credit
ratings; volatility of financial and credit markets, which could affect
access to capital for the Company, its customers and consumers; interest
rate fluctuations; commodity and energy price volatility; risks
associated with doing business outside the United States, including
currency exchange rate risks; ability to secure and maintain rights to
intellectual property; inability to attract and retain qualified
personnel; the status of the U.S. rum excise tax cover-over program; the
impact of excise tax increases on distilled spirits; dependence on
performance of distributors and other marketing arrangements; costs of
certain employee and retiree benefits and returns on pension assets; tax
law changes and/or interpretation of existing tax laws; potential
liabilities, costs and uncertainties of litigation; historical
consolidated financial statements that may not be indicative of future
conditions and results; impairment in the carrying value of goodwill or
other acquired intangible assets; weather and natural disasters; as well
as other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the
Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
