0001495320FALSE00014953202025-10-102025-10-10
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
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FORM 8-K
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CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): October 10, 2025
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VERA BRADLEY, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
___________________________
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| Indiana |
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001-34918 |
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27-2935063 |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) |
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(Commission File Number) |
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(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
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12420 Stonebridge Road,
Roanoke, Indiana
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46783 |
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(Zip Code) |
(877) 708-8372
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
None
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
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Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
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Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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| Title of Each Class |
Trading Symbol(s) |
Name of each exchange on which registered |
| Common Stock, without par value |
VRA |
NASDAQ Global Select Market |
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| Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter). |
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Emerging growth company ☐ |
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o |
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On October 10, 2025, Vera Bradley, Inc. (the “Company”) and Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, as rights agent (the “Rights Agent”), executed Amendment No. 1 (the “Amendment”) to the Rights Agreement, dated as of October 11, 2024, by and between the Company and the Rights Agent (the “Rights Agreement”).
The Amendment extends the expiration date of the Rights Agreement by amending the definition of “Final Expiration Date” as set forth in the Rights Agreement from October 11, 2025 to October 11, 2026.
The foregoing description of the Amendment does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Rights Agreement, which was attached as Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 11, 2024 and is incorporated herein by reference as Exhibit 4.1 hereto, and the Amendment, which is attached as Exhibit 4.2 hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 3.03 Material Modifications to Rights of Security Holders.
The information set forth under Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated into this Item 3.03 by reference.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.
On October 10, 2025, the Company issued a press release announcing the adoption of the Amendment. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
This information shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits
(d) Exhibits
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| Exhibit No. |
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Description |
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| 104 |
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Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
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Vera Bradley, Inc. |
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(Registrant) |
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| Date: October 13, 2025 |
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/s/ Mark C. Dely |
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Mark C. Dely
Chief Administrative Officer
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EX-4.2
2
ex-4220251010.htm
EX-4.2
Document
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This Amendment No. 1 (this “Amendment”) to the Rights Agreement (the “Rights Agreement”), dated as of October 11, 2024, by and between Vera Bradley, Inc. (the “Company”) and Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, as rights agent (the “Rights Agent”), is made and entered into as of October 10, 2025. Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Amendment shall have the meanings set forth in the Rights Agreement.
WHEREAS, the Company and the Rights Agent previously entered into the Rights Agreement;
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 28 of the Rights Agreement, for so long as the Rights are redeemable, the Company may, from time to time in its sole discretion, supplement or amend the Rights Agreement in any respect without the approval of any holders of Rights Certificates or Common Stock, and the Rights Agent shall, if the Company so directs, execute such supplement or amendment; and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Rights Agent desire to amend the Rights Agreement in the manner set forth herein.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Rights Agent agree as follows:
1.Amendment to the Definition of “Final Expiration Date”. The definition of “Final Expiration Date” as set forth under Section 1(mm) of the Rights Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:
“Final Expiration Date” shall mean October 11, 2026.
2.Effect of Amendment. It is the intent of the Company and the Rights Agent that this Amendment constitutes an amendment of the Rights Agreement as contemplated by Section 28 thereof. Except as expressly provided in this Amendment, the terms of the Rights Agreement remain in full force and effect.
3.References to the Rights Agreement. From and after the execution of this Amendment, any reference to the Rights Agreement shall be deemed to be a reference to the Rights Agreement as amended by this Amendment.
4.Governing Law. This Amendment, each Right and each Rights Certificate issued pursuant to the Rights Agreement shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of Indiana and for all purposes shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Indiana applicable to contracts to be made and performed entirely within such State, without giving effect to any choice or conflict of laws provisions or rules that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Indiana; provided, however, that the rights, duties, liabilities and obligations of the Rights Agent under the Rights Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed entirely within the State of New York.
5.Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Amendment, or the application thereof to any circumstance, be held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other authority to be invalid, null and void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Amendment will remain in full force and effect and will in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated; provided, however, that notwithstanding anything in this Amendment to the contrary, if any such term, provision, covenant or restriction, or the application thereof to any circumstance, be held by such court or authority to be invalid, null and void or unenforceable and the Board determines in good faith judgment that severing the invalid language from this Amendment would materially and adversely affect the purpose or effect of this Amendment, then the right of redemption set forth in Section 23 of the Rights Agreement shall be reinstated and will not expire until the Close of Business on the tenth (10th) Business Day following the date of such determination by the Board; provided, further, that if any such severed term, provision, covenant or restriction shall materially and adversely affect the rights, immunities, liabilities, duties or obligations of the Rights Agent, then the Rights Agent shall be entitled to resign immediately upon written notice to the Company.
6.Counterparts. This Amendment may be executed in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when executed shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed signature page by facsimile or other customary means of electronic transmission (e.g., email or “pdf”) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart hereof and shall constitute an original signature for all purposes.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed as of the date first above written.
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VERA BRADLEY, INC., as the Company |
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By: /s/ Mark C. Dely |
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Mark C. Dely
Chief Administrative Officer
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EQUINITI TRUST COMPANY, LLC, as Rights Agent |
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By: /s/ Matthew D. Paseka |
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Matthew D. Paseka
SVP, Relationship Director
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Signature Page to
Amendment No. 1 to the Rights Agreement
EX-99.1
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ex-99120251010.htm
EX-99.1
Document
Vera Bradley Extends Existing Shareholder Rights Plan
FORT WAYNE, Ind., October 10, 2025 – Vera Bradley, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRA) (the “Company”) announced today that the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) unanimously approved an amendment to the Company’s existing shareholder rights plan (the “Rights Plan”) pursuant to which the final expiration date has been extended from October 11, 2025 to October 11, 2026. All other terms and conditions of the Rights Plan, which was adopted to protect shareholders’ interests and maximize value for all shareholders, remain unchanged.
The Board is committed to acting in the best interests of all shareholders. The Board approved the one-year extension of the Rights Plan to guard against abusive tactics, to protect the interests of all Company shareholders, and to ensure that all shareholders have the opportunity to realize the long-term value of their investment in the Company.
In approving the one-year extension, the Board evaluated the continued risk for an entity, person or group to gain a control or control-like position in the Company through open market accumulations of the Company’s common stock or other tactics potentially disadvantaging the interests of the Company’s shareholders. The Rights Plan is intended to position the Board to fulfill its duties by ensuring that the Board has sufficient time to make informed judgments that are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.
Additional details regarding the amendment to the Rights Plan will be included in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
About Vera Bradley, Inc.
Vera Bradley, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a leading designer of women’s handbags, luggage and other travel items, fashion and home accessories, and unique gifts. Founded in 1982 by friends Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller, the brand is known for its innovative designs, iconic patterns, and brilliant colors that inspire and connect women unlike any other brand in the global marketplace.
The Company has two reportable segments: Vera Bradley Direct (“VB Direct”) and Vera Bradley Indirect (“VB Indirect). The VB Direct business consists of sales of Vera Bradley products through Vera Bradley Full-Line and Outlet stores in the United States; Vera Bradley’s websites, www.verabradley.com, outlet.verabradley.com, and international.verabradley.com; and the Vera Bradley annual outlet sale in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The VB Indirect business consists of sales of Vera Bradley products to approximately 1,100 specialty retail locations throughout the United States, as well as select department stores, national accounts, third party e-commerce sites, and third-party inventory liquidators, and royalties recognized through licensing agreements related to the Vera Bradley brand.
Website Information
We routinely post important information for investors on our website www.verabradley.com in the "Investor Relations" section. We intend to use this webpage as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investor Relations section of our website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our webpage is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document.
Investors and other interested parties may also access the Company’s most recent Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report outlining its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives at https://verabradley.com/pages/corporate-responsibility.
Vera Bradley Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectations or beliefs concerning future events and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected, including: possible adverse changes in general economic conditions and their impact on consumer confidence and spending; possible inability to predict and respond in a timely manner to changes in consumer demand; possible loss of key management or design associates or inability to attract and retain the talent required for our business; possible inability to maintain and enhance our brands; possible inability to successfully implement the Company’s long-term strategic plan; possible inability to successfully open new stores, close targeted stores, and/or operate current stores as planned; incremental tariffs or adverse changes in the cost of raw materials and labor used to manufacture our products; possible adverse effects resulting from a significant disruption in our distribution facilities; or business disruption caused by pandemics or other macro factors. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results is included from time to time in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the Company’s public reports filed with the SEC, including the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2025. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement. Financial schedules are attached to this release.
CONTACTS:
Investors:
Tom Filandro, Partner
ICR, Inc
VeraBradleyIR@icrinc.com
Media:
mediacontact@verabradley.com
877-708-VERA (8372)