EXHIBIT 99.8
COLDWATER CREEK INC.
AUTOMATIC STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
RECITALS
A. The Corporation has implemented an automatic option grant program
under the Corporation's 1996 Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan pursuant to
which eligible non-employee members of the Corporation's Board will
automatically receive special option grants at designated intervals over
their period of Board service in order to provide such individuals with a
meaningful incentive to continue to serve as a member of the Board.
B. Optionee is an eligible non-employee Board member, and this
Agreement is executed pursuant to, and is intended to carry out the purposes
of, the Plan in connection with the automatic grant of a stock option to
purchase shares of the Corporation's Common Stock under the Plan.
C. The granted option is intended to be a non-statutory option which
does NOT meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code.
D. All capitalized terms in this Agreement, to the extent not otherwise
defined in the Agreement, shall have the meaning assigned to them in the
attached Appendix.
NOW, THEREFORE, it is hereby agreed as follows:
1. GRANT OF OPTION. The Corporation hereby grants to Optionee, as
of the Grant Date, a Non-Statutory Option to purchase up to the number of
Option Shares specified in the Grant Notice. The Option Shares shall be
purchasable from time to time during the option term specified in Paragraph 2
at the Exercise Price.
2. OPTION TERM. This option shall have a maximum term of ten (10)
years measured from the Grant Date and shall accordingly expire at the close
of business on the Expiration Date, unless sooner terminated in accordance
with Paragraph 5, 6 or 7.
3. LIMITED TRANSFERABILITY. This option may, in connection with
the Optionee's estate plan, be assigned in whole or in part during Optionee's
lifetime to one or more members of the Optionee's immediate family or to a
trust established for the exclusive benefit of one or more such family
members. The assigned portion shall be exercisable only by the person or
persons who acquire a proprietary interest in the option pursuant to such
assignment. The terms applicable to the assigned portion shall be the same as
those in effect for this option immediately prior to such assignment and
shall be set forth in such documents issued to the assignee as the
Corporation may deem appropriate. Should the
Optionee die while holding this option, then this option shall be transferred
in accordance with Optionee's will or the laws of descent and distribution.
4. EXERCISABILITY/VESTING.
(a) This option shall be immediately exercisable for any or
all of the Option Shares, whether or not the Option Shares are vested in
accordance with the Vesting Schedule set forth in the Grant Notice, and shall
remain so exercisable until the Expiration Date or the sooner termination of
the option term under Paragraph 5, 6 or 7.
(b) Optionee shall, in accordance with the Vesting Schedule
set forth in the Grant Notice, vest in the Option Shares in a series of
installments over his or her period of Board service. Vesting in the Option
Shares may be accelerated pursuant to the provisions of Paragraph 5, 6 or 7.
In no event, however, shall any additional Option Shares vest following
Optionee's cessation of service as a Board member.
5. CESSATION OF BOARD SERVICE. Should Optionee's service as a
Board member cease while this option remains outstanding, then the option
term specified in Paragraph 2 shall terminate (and this option shall cease to
be outstanding) prior to the Expiration Date in accordance with the following
provisions:
(i) Should Optionee cease to serve as a Board member for
any reason (other than death or Disability) while holding this option,
then the period for exercising this option shall be reduced to a two (2)-
year period commencing with the date of such cessation of Board service,
but in no event shall this option be exercisable at any time after the
Expiration Date. During such limited period of exercisability, this
option may not be exercised in the aggregate for more than the number of
Option Shares (if any) in which Optionee is vested on the date of his or
her cessation of Board service. Upon the EARLIER of (i) the expiration
of such two (2)-year period or (ii) the specified Expiration Date, the
option shall terminate and cease to be exercisable with respect to any
vested Option Shares for which the option has not been exercised.
(ii) Should Optionee die during the two (2)-year period
following his or her cessation of Board service, then the personal
representative of Optionee's estate or the person or persons to whom the
option is transferred pursuant to Optionee's will or in accordance with the
laws of descent and distribution shall have the right to exercise this
option for any or all of the Option Shares in which Optionee is vested at
the time of Optionee's cessation of Board service (less any Option Shares
purchased by Optionee after such cessation of Board service but prior to
death). Such right of exercise shall terminate, and this option shall
accordingly cease to be exercisable for such vested Option Shares, upon the
EARLIER of (i) the expiration of the two (2)-year period measured from the
date of Optionee's cessation of Board service or (ii) the specified
Expiration Date of the option term.
2.
(iii) Should Optionee cease service as a Board member by
reason of death or Disability, then all Option Shares at the time subject
to this option but not otherwise vested shall immediately vest in full so
that Optionee (or the personal representative of Optionee's estate or the
person or persons to whom the option is transferred upon Optionee's death)
shall have the right to exercise this option for any or all of the Option
Shares as fully-vested shares of Common Stock at any time prior to the
EARLIER of (i) the expiration of the two (2)-year period measured from the
date of Optionee's cessation of Board service or (ii) the specified
Expiration Date.
(iv) Upon Optionee's cessation of Board service for any
reason other than death or Disability, this option shall immediately
terminate and cease to be outstanding with respect to any and all Option
Shares in which Optionee is not otherwise at that time vested in accordance
with the normal Vesting Schedule set forth in the Grant Notice or the
special vesting acceleration provisions of Paragraph 6 or 7 below.
6. CORPORATE TRANSACTION.
(a) In the event of a Corporate Transaction, all Option Shares
at the time subject to this option but not otherwise vested shall
automatically vest so that this option shall, immediately prior to the
specified effective date for the Corporate Transaction, become fully
exercisable for all of the Option Shares at the time subject to this option
and may be exercised for all or any portion of such shares as fully-vested
shares of Common Stock. Immediately following the consummation of the
Corporate Transaction, this option shall terminate and cease to be
outstanding except to the extent assumed by the successor corporation or its
parent company.
(b) If this option is assumed in connection with a Corporate
Transaction, then this option shall be appropriately adjusted, immediately
after such Corporate Transaction, to apply to the number and class of
securities which would have been issuable to Optionee in consummation of such
Corporate Transaction had the option been exercised immediately prior to such
Corporate Transaction, and appropriate adjustments shall also be made to (i)
the class and number of securities available for issuance under the Plan
following the consummation of such Corporate Transaction and (ii) the
Exercise Price, PROVIDED the aggregate Exercise Price shall remain the same.
7. CHANGE IN CONTROL.
(a) All Option Shares subject to this option at the time of a
Change in Control but not otherwise vested shall automatically vest so that
this option shall, immediately prior to the effective date of such Change in
Control, become fully exercisable for all of the Option Shares at the time
subject to this option and may be exercised for all or any portion of such
shares as fully-vested shares of Common Stock. This option shall
3.
remain exercisable for such fully-vested Option Shares until the EARLIEST to
occur of (i) the specified Expiration Date or (ii) the sooner termination of
this option in accordance with Paragraph 5 or 6.
8. ADJUSTMENT IN OPTION SHARES. Should any change be made to the
Common Stock by reason of any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization,
combination of shares, exchange of shares or other change affecting the
outstanding Common Stock as a class without the Corporation's receipt of
consideration, appropriate adjustments shall be made to (i) the total number
and/or class of securities subject to this option and (ii) the Exercise Price
in order to reflect such change and thereby preclude a dilution or
enlargement of benefits hereunder; provided, however, that the aggregate
Exercise Price shall remain the same.
9. STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS. The holder of this option shall not have
any stockholder rights with respect to the Option Shares until such person
shall have exercised the option, paid the Exercise Price and become a holder
of record of the purchased shares.
10. MANNER OF EXERCISING OPTION.
(a) In order to exercise this option for all or any part of
the Option Shares for which the option is at the time exercisable, Optionee
or, in the case of exercise after Optionee's death, Optionee's executor,
administrator, heir or legatee, as the case may be, must take the following
actions:
(i) To the extent the option is exercised for
vested Option Shares, the Secretary of the Corporation shall be
provided with written notice of the option exercise (the "Exercise
Notice") in substantially the form of Exhibit I attached hereto, in
which there is specified the number of vested Option Shares to be
purchased under the exercised option. To the extent that the option
is exercised for one or more unvested Option Shares, Optionee (or
other person exercising the option) shall deliver to the Secretary of
the Corporation a Purchase Agreement for those unvested Option Shares.
(ii) The Exercise Price for the purchased shares
shall be paid in one or more of the following alternative forms:
- cash or check made payable to the
Corporation's order; or
- shares of Common Stock held by Optionee (or
any other person or persons exercising the option) for the
requisite period necessary to avoid a charge to the Corporation's
earnings for financial reporting purposes and valued at Fair
Market Value on the Exercise Date; or
4.
- to the extent the option is exercised for
vested Option Shares, through a special sale and remittance
procedure pursuant to which Optionee shall provide irrevocable
written instructions (A) to a Corporation-designated brokerage
firm to effect the immediate sale of the vested shares purchased
under the option and remit to the Corporation, out of the sale
proceeds available on the settlement date, sufficient funds to
cover the aggregate Exercise Price payable for those shares plus
the applicable Federal, state and local income taxes required to
be withheld by the Corporation by reason of such exercise and (B)
to the Corporation to deliver the certificates for the purchased
shares directly to such brokerage firm in order to complete the
sale.
(iii) Appropriate documentation evidencing the
right to exercise this option shall be furnished the Corporation if
the person or persons exercising the option is other than Optionee.
(iv) Appropriate arrangement must be made with the
Corporation for the satisfaction of all Federal, state and local
income tax withholding requirements applicable to the option exercise.
(b) Except to the extent the sale and remittance procedure
specified above is utilized in connection with the exercise of the option for
vested Option Shares, payment of the Exercise Price for the purchased shares
must accompany the Exercise Notice or Purchase Agreement delivered to the
Corporation in connection with the option exercise.
(c) As soon as practical after the Exercise Date, the
Corporation shall issue to or on behalf of Optionee (or any other person or
persons exercising this option) a certificate or certificates representing
the purchased Option Shares. To the extent any such Option Shares are
unvested, the certificates for those Option Shares shall be endorsed with an
appropriate legend evidencing the Corporation's repurchase rights and may be
held in escrow with the Corporation until such shares vest.
(d) In no event may this option be exercised for fractional
shares.
11. NO IMPAIRMENT OF RIGHTS. This Agreement shall not in any way
affect the right of the Corporation to adjust, reclassify, reorganize or
otherwise make changes in its capital or business structure or to merge,
consolidate, dissolve, liquidate or sell or transfer all or any part of its
business or assets. Nor shall this Agreement in any way be construed or
interpreted so as to affect adversely or otherwise impair the right of the
Corporation or the stockholders to remove Optionee from the Board at any time
in accordance with the provisions of applicable law.
5.
12. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS.
(a) The exercise of this option and the issuance of the Option
Shares upon such exercise shall be subject to compliance by the Corporation
and Optionee with all applicable requirements of law relating thereto and
with all applicable regulations of any stock exchange (or the Nasdaq National
Market, if applicable) on which the Common Stock may be listed for trading at
the time of such exercise and issuance.
(b) The inability of the Corporation to obtain approval from
any regulatory body having authority deemed by the Corporation to be
necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Common Stock pursuant to
this option shall relieve the Corporation of any liability with respect to
the non-issuance or sale of the Common Stock as to which such approval shall
not have been obtained. However, the Corporation shall use its best efforts
to obtain all such applicable approvals.
13. SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS. Except to the extent otherwise
provided in Paragraph 3 or 6, the provisions of this Agreement shall inure to
the benefit of, and be binding upon, the Corporation and its successors and
assigns and Optionee, Optionee's assigns and the legal representatives, heirs
and legatees of Optionee's estate.
14. CONSTRUCTION/GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement and the option
evidenced hereby are made and granted pursuant to the automatic option grant
program in effect under the Plan and are in all respects limited by and
subject to the express terms and provisions of that program. The
interpretation, performance, and enforcement of this Agreement shall be
governed by the laws of the State of Idaho without resort to that State's
conflict-of-laws rules.
15. NOTICES. Any notice required to be given or delivered to the
Corporation under the terms of this Agreement shall be in writing and
addressed to the Corporation at its principal corporate offices. Any notice
required to be given or delivered to Optionee shall be in writing and
addressed to Optionee at the address indicated below Optionee's signature
line on the Grant Notice. All notices shall be deemed effective upon personal
delivery or upon deposit in the U.S. mail, postage prepaid and properly
addressed to the party to be notified.
6.
EXHIBIT I
NOTICE OF EXERCISE
I hereby notify Coldwater Creek Inc. (the "Corporation") that I
elect to purchase ____________ shares of the Corporation's Common Stock (the
"Purchased Shares") at the option exercise price of $________ per share (the
"Exercise Price") pursuant to that certain option (the "Option") granted to
me pursuant to the automatic option grant program under the Corporation's
1996 Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan on __________________, 199_.
Concurrently with the delivery of this Exercise Notice to the
Secretary of the Corporation, I shall hereby pay to the Corporation the
Exercise Price for the Purchased Shares in accordance with the provisions of
my agreement with the Corporation evidencing the Option and shall deliver
whatever additional documents may be required by such agreement as a
condition for exercise. Alternatively, I may utilize the special
broker/dealer sale and remittance procedure specified in my agreement to
effect payment of the Exercise Price for any Purchased Shares in which I am
vested at the time of exercise.
_______________________, 199_
Date
_______________________________________
Optionee
Address:_______________________________
_______________________________________
Print name in exact manner
it is to appear on the
stock certificate: _______________________________________
Address to which certificate
is to be sent, if different
from address above: _______________________________________
_______________________________________
Social Security Number: _______________________________________
APPENDIX
The following definitions shall be in effect under the Agreement:
A. AGREEMENT shall mean this Automatic Stock Option Agreement.
B. BOARD shall mean the Corporation's Board of Directors.
C. CHANGE IN CONTROL shall mean a change in ownership or control of the
Corporation effected through either of the following transactions:
(i) the acquisition, directly or indirectly, by any person or
related group of persons (other than the Corporation or a person that
directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common
control with, the Corporation) of beneficial ownership (within the
meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the 0000 Xxx) of securities possessing more
than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the
Corporation's outstanding securities pursuant to a tender or exchange
offer made directly to the Corporation's stockholders which the Board
does not recommend such stockholders to accept, or
(ii) a change in the composition of the Board over a period of
thirty-six (36) consecutive months or less such that a majority of the
Board members ceases, by reason of one or more contested elections for
Board membership, to be comprised of individuals who either (A) have
been Board members continuously since the beginning of such period or
(B) have been elected or nominated for election as Board members
during such period by at least a majority of the Board members
described in clause (A) who were still in office at the time the Board
approved such election or nomination.
D. CODE shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
E. COMMON STOCK shall mean the Corporation's common stock.
F. CORPORATE TRANSACTION shall mean either of the following
stockholder-approved transactions to which the Corporation is a party:
(i) a merger or consolidation in which securities possessing
more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of
the Corporation's outstanding securities are transferred to a person
or persons different from the persons holding those securities
immediately prior to such transaction, or
A-1.
(ii) the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or
substantially all of the Corporation's assets in complete liquidation
or dissolution of the Corporation.
G. CORPORATION shall mean Coldwater Creek Inc., a Delaware corporation.
H. DISABILITY shall mean the inability of Optionee to perform his or
her usual duties as a Board member by reason of any medically determinable
physical or mental impairment which is expected to result in death or has
lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of twelve (12)
months or more.
I. EXERCISE DATE shall mean the date on which the option shall have
been exercised in accordance with Paragraph 10 of the Agreement.
J. EXERCISE PRICE shall mean the exercise price payable per share as
specified in the Grant Notice.
K. EXPIRATION DATE shall mean the date on which the option term expires
as specified in the Grant Notice.
L. FAIR MARKET VALUE per share of Common Stock on any relevant date
shall be determined in accordance with the following provisions:
(i) If the Common Stock is at the time traded on the Nasdaq
National Market, then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing
selling price per share of Common Stock on the date in question, as
the price is reported by the National Association of Securities
Dealers on the Nasdaq National Market or any successor system. If
there is no closing selling price for the Common Stock on the date in
question, then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing selling
price on the last preceding date for which such quotation exists.
(ii) If the Common Stock is at the time listed on any Stock
Exchange, then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing selling
price per share of Common Stock on the date in question on the Stock
Exchange determined by the Plan Administrator to be the primary market
for the Common Stock, as such price is officially quoted in the
composite tape of transactions on such exchange. If there is no
closing selling price for the Common Stock on the date in question,
then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing selling price on the
last preceding date for which such quotation exists.
X. XXXXX DATE shall mean the date of grant of the option as specified
in the Grant Notice.
A-2.
X. XXXXX NOTICE shall mean the Notice of Grant of Automatic Stock Option
accompanying this Agreement, pursuant to which Optionee has been informed of the
basic terms of the option evidenced hereby.
O. 1934 ACT shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
P. NON-STATUTORY OPTION shall mean an option not intended to satisfy
the requirements of Code Section 422.
Q. OPTION SHARES shall mean the number of shares of Common Stock
subject to the option.
R. OPTIONEE shall mean the person to whom the option is granted as
specified in the Grant Notice.
S. PLAN shall mean the Corporation's 1996 Stock Option/Stock Incentive
Plan.
T. PURCHASE AGREEMENT shall mean the stock purchase agreement (in form
and substance satisfactory to the Corporation) which must be executed at the
time the option is exercised for unvested Option Shares and which will
accordingly (i) grant the Corporation the right to repurchase, at the
Exercise Price, any and all of those Option Shares in which Optionee is not
otherwise vested at the time of his or her cessation of service as a Board
member and (ii) preclude the sale, transfer or other disposition of any of
the Option Shares purchased under such agreement while those Option Shares
remain subject to the repurchase right.
U. STOCK EXCHANGE shall mean the American Stock Exchange or the New
York Stock Exchange.
V. VESTING SCHEDULE shall mean the vesting schedule specified in the
Grant Notice, pursuant to which Optionee will vest in the Option Shares in
one or more installments over his or her period of Board service, subject to
acceleration in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement.
A-3.