Reporting from Bloomberg indicates that April 2020 consumer spending in the United States dropped 13.6% from March, which is the sharpest month-over-month drop in approximately 60 years’ worth of consumer spending data maintained by the Commerce Department. [Bloomberg; May 29, 2020]
The Wall Street Journal reports that 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide Inc. is seeking a
Forbes reports that car rental company The Hertz Corporation filed for bankruptcy on Friday, May 22, 2020. Forbes indicates that Hertz’s financial condition was harmed by the substantial reduction in air travel resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial distress in the car rental industry is expected to negatively impact the already struggling automotive industry more
In an article for Mayer Brown’s COVID-19 Response Blog, Mayer Brown partners Sean Scott and Aaron Gavant and associate Kyle Tum Suden discuss recent bankruptcy court decisions concerning whether companies in bankruptcy are eligible for paycheck protection program loans under the US CARES Act.
J.C. Penney Company, Inc. is the latest retailer to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy, reports CNN. Although the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the 118-year old retailer’s decision to file for bankruptcy protection, the company has struggled for nearly a decade to overcome slumping sales and profits. The company has reportedly obtained agreement
Brookfield Asset Management is aiming to invest approximately $5 billion in a retail revitalization investment fund to assist retailers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the Wall Street Journal. Brookfield will reportedly focus on obtaining noncontrolling interests in retail businesses with greater than $250 million in pre-pandemic revenue. [WSJ; May 7, 2020]
The Wall Street Journal reports that clothing retailer J. Crew Group Inc. has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United State Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The company has reportedly reached a deal with lenders owed approximately $1.65 billion to conduct a debt-for-equity swap. [WSJ; May 4, 2020]
German airline Lufthansa
In an article for Mayer Brown’s COVID-19 Response Blog, Mayer Brown partners Brian Trust, Adam Paul, Tom Kiriakos, Sean Scott, Aaron Gavant, and associate Kyle Tum Suden discuss the intersection between paycheck protection program loans and DIP financing.
The American Bankruptcy Institute reports that California Pizza Kitchen Inc. is seeking an out-of-court debt restructuring in an effort to avoid a chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company is reportedly seeking a $30 million bridge loan to allow it to work towards a debt restructuring over the next six months. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, California
As courts across the country deal with scaled back operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bankruptcy courts in New Jersey and Delaware have issued novel orders to address the impact of the virus on certain debtors. Last month, debtors in the chapter 11 bankruptcy cases of Modell’s Sporting Goods, Inc. and CraftWorks Parent, LLC each sought and obtained court orders suspending certain case activity which, for all intents and purposes “mothballed” the cases for a certain period of time.
Continue Reading Bankruptcy Courts Address Impact of COVID-19 Coronavirus With Unique Orders
According to Bloomberg, Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA has asked its creditors to convert a portion of the approximately $4 billion they are owed into equity to allow the company to access approximately $290 million worth of loan guarantees offered by the Norwegian government. [Bloomberg; Apr. 9, 2020]
Law360 reports that recent, historic oil and