Oct 21, 2008 20:21 ET
Samsung Withdraws Proposal to Acquire SanDisk
SEOUL, South Korea --(Business Wire)-- Oct 21, 2008
Samsung Electronics (“Samsung”)
(005930:KS) today announced that it has withdrawn its proposal to
acquire all of the outstanding shares of SanDisk Corporation (“SanDisk”)
(NASDAQ: SNDK) for $26 per share in cash. The full text of Samsungs
letter to SanDisks Board of Directors
withdrawing its proposal follows:
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October 22, 2008
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Board of Directors
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SanDisk Corporation
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601 McCarthy Boulevard
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Milpitas, CA 95035
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Attention:
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Dr. Eli Harari, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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Mr. Irwin Federman, Vice Chairman and Lead Independent Director
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Dear Eli and Irwin:
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After nearly six months of efforts to pursue a transaction with no
meaningful progress, we are withdrawing our proposal to acquire
SanDisk. I am disappointed that we have been unable to reach an
agreement on our proposal. I continue to believe that a
combination of our two companies would have created a superior
global brand, an unparalleled technology platform and the scale
and resources to drive convergence in the marketplace. Had we
been able to execute on our proposal, your shareholders would have
received full, fair and certain value for their shares and your
employees and other stakeholders would have benefited from a
broader platform and a wider range of opportunities.
Nevertheless, we have obligations to our own shareholders which
require that we take a disciplined approach, particularly with
respect to significant initiatives such as this. That disciplined
approach requires that we squarely face the growing uncertainties
in your business, which may continue to deteriorate in this
difficult economic environment and further impact your standalone
value. Your recently announced third quarter results serve only
to illustrate this risk. Your surprise announcements of a quarter
billion dollar operating loss, a hurried renegotiation of your
relationship with Toshiba and major job losses across your
organization all point to a considerable increase in your risk
profile and a material deterioration in value, both on a
stand-alone basis as well as to Samsung. As a result of these
developments, we are no longer interested in acquiring SanDisk at
$26/share.
While I regret that we were unable to work together to achieve a
business combination that would have created new opportunities for
all of us, we wish you the best in meeting the challenges ahead.
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Sincerely,
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Yoon Woo Lee
Vice Chairman & CEO
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
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About Samsung
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor,
telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies
with 2007 consolidated sales of US$105 billion. Employing approximately
150,000 people in 134 offices in 62 countries, the company consists of
five main business units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business,
Semiconductor Business, Telecommunication Business and Digital Appliance
Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands,
Samsung is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile
phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.Samsung.com.
Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung in the U.S. and other
countries.
Forward Looking Statements
Some statements set forth in this communication contain forward-looking
statements that are subject to change. Statements including words such
as “anticipate”, “believe”,
“estimate” or “expect”
and statements in the future tense are forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual events or actual future results to differ materially
from the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements. All
information in this communication is as of October 22, 2008. Samsung
undertakes no duty to publicly update any forward-looking statement,
whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
US Media:
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Elizabeth Hanahan/Lucy Neugart, +1-415-618-8750
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