Sav-A-Stop Inc. v. Mayfair Super Markets, Inc. (In Re Sav-A-Stop Inc.)

119 B.R. 317, 14 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 484, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 2022, 1990 WL 138991
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedSeptember 19, 1990
DocketBankruptcy No. 87-830-BKC-3P1, Adv. No. 88-232
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 119 B.R. 317 (Sav-A-Stop Inc. v. Mayfair Super Markets, Inc. (In Re Sav-A-Stop Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sav-A-Stop Inc. v. Mayfair Super Markets, Inc. (In Re Sav-A-Stop Inc.), 119 B.R. 317, 14 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 484, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 2022, 1990 WL 138991 (Fla. 1990).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

GEORGE L. PROCTOR, Bankruptcy Judge.

This adversary proceeding came before the Court for trial on August 9, 1989, and on May 3, 1990, and upon the evidence presented, the Court enters the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law:

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. In 1984, plaintiff, Sav-A-Stop Incorporated (“SAS”) was in the business of selling goods referred to as general merchandise (“GM”) and health and beauty aids (“HABA”) to retailers, generally supermarkets and convenience stores. Defendant, Mayfair Super Markets, Inc., (“Mayfair”) is a retail supermarket chain offering to the public a full line of grocery items, frozen foods, dairy products, meats, produce, GM and HABA.

2. In July and August of 1984, Raymond Zager, an executive of SAS, and Stanley Kaufelt, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Mayfair, entered into negotiations for an exclusive business arrangement between their organizations. Zager and Kaufelt had been friends and business associates for many years. They negotiated a series of agreements under which SAS would become the exclusive supplier to Mayfair and SAS of GM and HABA. These agreements were known as (i) the Prepaid Rent Agreement, (ii) the Rack Installation Agreements, and (iii) Distributor-Reseller Working Stock Agreement.

3. On September 9, 1984, SAS and Mayfair entered into the Prepaid Rent Agreement, which provided that SAS would become Mayfair’s exclusive supplier of specific items for a period of five years. Under the Prepaid Rent Agreement, SAS was required to make certain prepaid rent payments to Mayfair and to guarantee space for SAS’s goods on Mayfair’s shelves. In accordance with paragraph 3 of the agreement, SAS made an initial prepayment of $250,000 to Mayfair in 1984. The Prepaid Rent Agreement mandated the prepayment *319 amount to increase if Mayfair purchased more than $10 million of merchandise for the year and to be decreased if Mayfair’s purchases did not reach this level. Accordingly, SAS made additional prepaid rent payments to Mayfair of $33,000.96 and $99,106.25 in August, 1985, and in August, 1986, respectively, based upon the increased volume of Mayfair purchases.

4. Paragraph 3(b) of the Prepaid Rent Agreement provided that the rent payments would be amortized over the five-year period of the agreement and that Mayfair was to return any unamortized portion of the prepaid rent in accordance with a five-year amortization schedule “if, for any reason, Mayfair should fail to continue to purchase the goods solely from SAS ... if, for any reason, SAS should cease to sell and supply the goods to Mayfair prior to the Rent Agreement’s expiration.” The original amortization schedule was attached as Exhibit “A” to the Prepaid Rent Agreement.

5. SAS and Mayfair also entered into Rack Installation Agreements (“RIA’s”) which required SAS to purchase and install various display racks in Mayfair’s stores. Pursuant to the RIA’s, SAS paid a third party to assemble the racks in Mayfair’s stores. As set forth in the RIA’s: “In and for the consideration of SAS commencing the Rack Placement Process, Retailer [Mayfair] agrees to reimburse SAS for the expenses and costs incurred by SAS in the Rack Placement Process. Such expenses and costs shall be paid to SAS ... within ten (10) days of the date on which SAS ceases to continue to do business, in the normal course, with Retailer [Mayfair].” Mayfair has retained these racks and has refused to pay SAS the unamortized value of the racks in accordance with the RIA’s.

6. SAS and Mayfair also entered into the “Distributor-Reseller Working Stock Agreement” on October 14, 1985, (the “General Electric Agreement”). The General Electric Agreement set out the terms by which SAS would lend money to Mayfair for the purchase of an initial stock of light bulbs. SAS issued Mayfair a check in the amount of $34,594.00 of October 16, 1985, to pay for Mayfair’s initial consignment of light bulbs. SAS and Mayfair are no longer operating pursuant to the General Electric Agreement, and the $34,594.00 is “repayable upon demand.” Mayfair has not repaid any money to SAS in accordance with the General Electric Agreement. In recognition of the fact that SAS was merely advancing these amounts, paragraph 6 of the General Electric Agreement provides that “[o]n termination, Reseller [Mayfair] shall pay to Distributor [SAS] the full value of such stock.”

7. This business relationship between Mayfair and SAS from 1984 through the first quarter of 1987 was excellent. Mayfair was a high priority customer and was given special treatment. In April and May, 1987, SAS began to experience increasing difficulty with its asset-based lender and cash-flow. It filed a Chapter 11 petition on May 29, 1987.

8. For a period of time while SAS re-established lines of supply, it experienced inventory problems. For this same period of time SAS was unable to supply all of Mayfair’s needs. On May 21,1987, just prior to SAS’s bankruptcy filing, Mayfair began to purchase HABA and GM goods from a secondary supplier, P.J. Schmidt. Mayfair’s store-level personnel were given authority to order directly from P.J. Schmidt to cover out-of-stocks. During the time SAS was experiencing inventory shortages, P.J. Schmidt was able to cover at least 95 percent of Mayfair’s HABA and GM needs.

9. Beginning in mid-July, 1987, SAS began to improve its HABA and GM inventory situation. In recognition that Mayfair was one of its most important customers, SAS gave Mayfair special priority on all shipments. In addition, SAS made extraordinary efforts to deal with any Mayfair inventory problems. As a result of such efforts, and Mayfair’s use of P.J. Schmidt as a secondary supplier, Mayfair’s HABA and GM sales percentages remained constant.

10. Beginning in mid-July, however, Za-ger was involved in a political struggle at SAS and in early August, 1987, was forced to resign as Chief Executive Officer of *320 SAS. Zager immediately informed Kaufelt of this situation. This departure effected Mayfair’s ultimate decision to terminate the SAS contracts.

11. Shortly after being informed that Zager had been replaced as Chief Executive Officer of SAS, Tony Petrillo, then President of Mayfair, demanded a meeting with the new head of SAS, James Hong, and the SAS manager in charge of the Mayfair account, Wallace Williams. On August 14, 1987, in response to Petrillo’s demand, Hong and Williams flew to New Jersey to meet with Petrillo and other Mayfair employees.

12. At this meeting, Petrillo demanded that SAS pay Mayfair for alleged lost profits caused by its early summer, post-filing inventory problems. Kluxon, a vice-president of Mayfair, testified that Mayfair scheduled the meeting in order to get money from SAS. Mayfair and SAS reached a letter agreement on August 16, 1987, (“August Agreement”).

13. Pursuant to the August Agreement, SAS agreed to pay Mayfair $256,000.00; $100,000.00 to be paid on or before August 28, 1987, and the balance within 90 days. Mayfair accepted this amount and made no other demands for lost profits or other damages at that time. SAS agreed to make the payment in order to insure that it would keep the Mayfair account and that Mayfair would be an exclusive sales source.

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119 B.R. 317, 14 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 484, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 2022, 1990 WL 138991, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sav-a-stop-inc-v-mayfair-super-markets-inc-in-re-sav-a-stop-inc-flmb-1990.