Zaaknr: 17/00688 mr. W.L. Valk Zitting: 22 december 2017 Conclusie inzake: Transautex Food B.V. tegen Burger King Nederland B.V. Partijen worden hierna verkort aangeduid als Transautex respectievelijk Burger King. In het kader van een verkooptransactie tussen partijen in 2001 is toen een bedrag in ‘escrow’ geplaatst (dus op een derdengeldenrekening). In cassatie staat vast dat Burger King aanspraak heeft op vergoeding uit deze escrow en gaat het enkel nog om hetgeen het hof heeft geoordeeld omtrent
(2)de vraag of Burger King aanspraak kan maken op (een deel van) de aan het oorspronkelijk in escrow geplaatste bedrag toegevoegde rente, alsmede om het passeren door het hof van het bewijsaanbod dat Transautex in verband met eerstbedoelde vraag heeft gedaan. 1Feiten en procesverloop 1.1. In cassatie kan van de volgende feiten worden uitgegaan: 1.1.1. Transautex exploiteerde sinds 1981 in Nederland restaurants van het fastfoodconcern Burger King (BKC), gevestigd in Miami (USA). Op 10 maart 1993 heeft Transautex, althans haar werkmaatschappij Transautex Schiphol B.V., met de N.V. Luchthaven Schiphol (hierna: Schiphol) een zogenoemde ‘concessieovereenkomst’ gesloten voor de duur van vijf jaar. Hierbij verkreeg Transautex het recht een Burger King restaurant op Schiphol te exploiteren tegen een vergoeding van 7,5% van de bruto omzet per jaar, met een voor elk jaar vastgesteld minimumbedrag. In deze overeenkomst is tevens opgenomen dat door Schiphol aan Transautex voor die exploitatie bedrijfsruimten ter beschikking werden gesteld en voorts dat partijen daarvoor een afzonderlijke overeenkomst zouden sluiten. 1.1.2. De concessieovereenkomst is bij overeenkomst van 14 april l998 tussen Schiphol en Transautex verlengd tot en met 30 april 2003. Daarbij is een vergoeding overeengekomen van 10% over de eerste 12,5 miljoen gulden van de netto omzet, 12,5% over de netto omzet tussen 12,5 miljoen en 15 miljoen gulden en 15% over het meerdere. Voorts werd daarbij aan Transautex een optie verleend tot een (verdere) verlenging onder dezelfde voorwaarden tot 30 april 2008. 1.1.3. Op 7 juli 2000 heeft Transautex, als onderdeel van een omvangrijke aandelentransactie, haar aandelen in Transautex Schiphol B.V. (thans Burger King Schiphol B.V.) verkocht aan (de door BKC daartoe opgerichte) Burger King. Deze ‘Sale and Purchase Agreement’ bevatte de opschortende voorwaarde dat – onder meer – ten aanzien van de vestiging Schiphol, de concessie binnen een termijn van 65 dagen zou worden verlengd tot een periode van 15 jaar. Aan deze voorwaarde is niet voldaan, ook na een verlenging van deze termijn van 65 dagen met nog eens tien dagen. 1.1.4. Partijen hebben desondanks besloten de transactie alsnog doorgang te laten vinden. Ter uitvoering daarvan hebben partijen op 5 januari 2001 een ‘Agreement for Reinstatement and Modification of the Agreement dated 7th july 2000’ (hierna: de RMA overeenkomst) gesloten. Verder is op 5 maart 2001 een zogenoemde Escrow Agreement gesloten. In deze overeenkomst is bepaald dat een deel van de door Burger King betaalde koopsom ad fl. 7.740.000,— (€ 3.512.258,87) is afgezonderd (door plaatsing op een escrow account) in afwachting van de vraag of en zo ja onder welke voorwaarden Burger King met Schiphol een verlenging van de concessieovereenkomst met een termijn van 15 jaar, te rekenen vanaf het moment van ondertekening van de RMA overeenkomst (dus tot 5 januari 2016), zou overeenkomen. 1.1.5. In de Escrow Agreement zijn, voor zover van belang, de volgende bepalingen opgenomen. ‘Definitions (...) 1.2 (...) “Escrow Account” means the bank account (...) “Escrow Amount” means the initial amount of seven million seven hunderd and forty thousand Dutch Guilders, and the balance of the Escrow Account from time to time, as it reads in Dutch Guilders or in Euro, as the case may be. (...) 4. Interest on Escrow Amount and costs 4.1 The party entitled to any amount out of the Escrow Account pursuant to this Escrow Agreement shall also be entitled to the interest accrued thereon from time to time. Such interest shall be paid simultaneously with the payment of such amount. 4.2 The Purchaser shall ensure that the interest earned on the Escrow Amount shall be topped up in accordance with the following provisions: (
- a)this obligation shall apply only in relation to the tranche of NLG 4.000,000 above the first NLG 3.740.000. (
- b)Accordingly, if Purchaser decides to reduce the Escrow Amount by authorising its payment to the Seller, any such reduction shall be deemed to apply first to the tranche which is subject to the Purchaser’s top-up obligation, and only when the entire 4.000,000 guilder tranche has been released shall any monies so released go in reduction of the first 3.740.000 guilders. (
- c)At the end of each year from the date of the Completion up to 30 April 2008, but only for as long as the said tranche of 4 million guilders (or some part thereof) remains in the Escrow Account, the Escrow Agent shall certify to the Purchaser the total of all interest received in relation to the said tranche of 4.000.000 guilders. (or that part thereof remaining in the Escrow Account) and the balance required to top up such interest to 10% of the relevant amount. The Purchaser shall make the required payment to the Escrow Agent within 30 days. For the avoidance of doubt for the purposes of determining the amount of the tranche upon which interest is to be calculated, there shall be disregarded any interest accrued in respect of previous years. (
- d)For these purposes interest-earned by the Escrow Amount shall be taken as the gross amount of such interest before deduction of any tax and the top up required of the Purchaser shall be such amount as may be required, gross of any tax which the Purchaser may be required to deduct at source (
- e)Any interest so paid by the Purchaser, shall be added by the Escrow Agent to the Escrow Account and invested by him accordingly, and shall be treated as part of the Escrow Account for all purposes associated with this Agreement, subject to (
- c)above. 5. Entitlement to the Escrow Amount/Claims (
- c)If (...) the Purchaser (...) is unable to obtain an extention of the Schiphol lease for at least 15 years from the Signing Date on the same terms as to the rental and in other respects on terms not materially less beneficial to the Purchaser, but is offered an extention for such period on non-financial terms which are materially as benificial but upon financial terms which are materially less beneficial than the present Schiphol lease, Purchaser shall use its best efforts to challenge such increase in the financial terms in order to obtain the most favourable financial terms possible. If the Purchaser receives advise from its lawyers or from a leading firm of Dutch lawyers instructed by the Seller indicating that it is necessary or desirable for the purchaser to commence legal proceedings against the Schiphol landlord, the Purchaser shall commence the action so advised. Only after the legal proceeding has been concluded, either by way of court decision, or by way of settlement in compliance with sub-clause (
- iv)below, and if the Escrow Amount is sufficient to cover the value of the impact of the less favourable financial terms, either agreed to by the Purchaser and Seller or determined by the court then:
- i)the Purchaser shall proceed with the extension of the lease:
- ii)upon completion of the grant of the extention of the lease the Escrow Amount, less the present day value of the impact of the less favourable terms shall be released to the Seller, and the balance shall be released to the Purchaser. iii) the Purchaser shall be entitled to make a claim against such escrow funds for lack of obtaining an extension on the same financial terms only if the Purchaser has aggressively pursued such extention in good faith; (...)
- iv)(...) For these purposes the present day value of the impact of the less favourable financial terms shall be calculated, by reference to all future and reasonably foreseeable rent outflows which arise during the period from the date on which the Schiphol Lease is to be extended to the fifteenth anniversary of the Signing Date, on the basis of terms offered by the landlord less all such future and reasonably foreseeable rent outflows, were the current lease to continue on the same terms. The discount rate for calculating the present day values of each of the above outflows shall be 8% per annum, representing the Purchaser’s weighted cost of capital at the date of this Agreement. (...) (...) (
- f)If the Purchaser, (...) having used all reasonable diligence and good faith efforts and not for independent economic reasons favourable to Purchaser, has been unsuccessful in obtaining any extention to the Schiphol Lease, the Escrow Amount shall be paid to the Purchaser forthwith. If on the same basis the Purchaser has only been successful in negotiating an extension upon financial terms which are such that the present day value of the difference between the less favourable terms and the terms of the existing lease is greater than the Escrow Amount, then subject only to the following sub-clause (g), the Purchaser shall be entitled to such amount of the Escrow Amount as is equal to the present day impact of the less favourable financial terms. (
- g)Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement, if the reason why the Purchaser has been unsuccesful in obtaining any extention of the Schiphol lease, relates solely to a Burger King Default (as defined below) the Seller may file a Claim Notice with the Purchaser and, simultaneously, with the Escrow Agent to that effect and Seller shall be entitled to receive the Escrow Amount pursuant to provisions 5.2 through 5.5. (
- h)The Seller shall be entitled to satisfy themselves that the Purchaser is using all reasonable diligence to obtain a renewal of the Schiphol lease for a minimum of 15 years from the Signing Date upon terms no less favourable than those of the current Schiphol lease. For these purposes, the parties agree the following: (…) (
- vi)Prior to entering into any agreement with the Schiphol landlord regarding the extention of the lease and/or the rental terms applicable thereto, the Purchaser shall give the Seller not less than 7 days advance notice (except in case of emergency) and shall give consideration to any representations or recommandations which the Seller may make. (…) 5.5 A Burger King default shall be one or more acts or omissions on the part of the Purchaser (...) which has so affected the judgment of the Schiphol Airport Authority (...) that they have determined not to grant the Purchaser an extention of the said lease (...). A Burger King default shall also include Burger King’s failure to diligently pursue and use its best good faith efforts in obtaining an extention on such lease for independent economic reasons that will have a positive effect on Burger King Corporation or its subsidiaries, affiliates, or licensees, unrelated to Schiphol's unwillingness to grant such an extension.’ 1.1.6. Op 17 september 2001 heeft Burger King met Schiphol met betrekking tot de hiervoor genoemde bedrijfsruimte een (aparte) huurovereenkomst gesloten tegen een door Burger King te betalen huurprijs van € 2.268,90 (fl. 5.000,—) per jaar. 1.1.7. Op 17 juni 2003 zijn Burger King en Transautex het volgende overeengekomen: ‘WHEREAS: (...) (
- c)Purchaser has argued that the entering into the Recent Lease Agreement was an obligation as stipulated in the “Concession Agreement” dated 10 march 1993 between Seller and the Schiphol landlord. (
- d)Seller has argued, that there was no obligation whatsoever to enter into the Recent Lease Agreement. (
- e)Furthermore Seller has argued, that the Recent Lease Agreement contains new and different material terms which in every respect are disadvantageous to Purchaser, as a result of which no extention of the Schiphol Lease can ever be realized under the same favourable terms and conditions of the Schiphol Lease that existed at the time the Escrow Agreement was signed, which implies that Transautex will forfeit or lose any of its escrowed funds. Purchaser has denied these arguments put forward by Seller. (
- f)Seller has argued that the entering into the Recent Lease Agreement is totally unacceptable, moreover since Seller never had the opportunity to influence or contribute to the terms and conditions of the Recent Lease Agreement. Purchaser has denied any wrong doings. (
- g)As a result of the foregoing, parties are having a dispute that they wish to resolve by amending the Escrow Agreement as follows. HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS: 1. Except as otherwise stipulated in this agreement, the definitions in this agreement shall have the same meaning as in the Escrow Agreement. 2. For future determination as to the release of the escrow funds, the Recent Lease Agreement is considered as having no effect to the terms of the Schiphol lease at the time of signing the Escrow Agreement and specifically as not being materially less benificial or materially less favourable than the Schiphol lease that existed at the time the Escrow Agreement was signed. In the event the question arises when, to what extent and who is entitled to the Escrow Amount the Recent Lease Agreement will be ignored.