WillScot, McGrath RentCorp agree to terminate merger agreement

WillScot Holdings (WSC), has entered into an agreement with McGrath RentCorp (MGRC) to terminate the companies’ previously announced merger, pursuant to the terms of the January 28, 2024 merger agreement, under which WillScot would have acquired McGrath for a mix of cash and stock consideration. Although both companies continue to believe in the merits and procompetitive benefits of the combination, WillScot and McGrath mutually agreed to terminate the transaction based on a joint determination that there was no commercially reasonable path to clear the necessary regulatory requirements for the transaction. Despite extensive and exhaustive engagement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over several months, in recent weeks, it became evident that the path to regulatory clearance would be excessively onerous and would detract from the execution of other value creating initiatives inherent in WillScot’s business. “Over the past several months, our team worked tirelessly to meet the continual requests of the FTC, in our pursuit of, what we believe to be, a procompetitive transaction that would provide great value to our customers, employees, shareholders and the communities in which we operate. While we are disappointed with this process, we are confident in our strategy and there are numerous opportunities to continue reinvesting in our business to deliver sustainable growth and returns over time,” said Brad Soultz, CEO of WillScot. “WillScot’s position as the leading provider of temporary space solutions has never been stronger. With our relentless focus on execution on behalf of our customers, we are realizing opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability across many of our core commercial and operational capabilities. Through our investments in product innovation and adjacent offerings, we are introducing new alternatives for customers in the marketplace. These commercial and operational initiatives represent over $1 billion of prospective Adjusted EBITDA growth potential. When combined with the natural resilience and predictability of our lease portfolio, this gives us multi-year visibility and conviction in our long-term outlook.”