UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 27, 2017

GLOBAL PARTNER ACQUISITION CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(646) 756-2877
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

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).

Emerging growth company ☒

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. ☐

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

Attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated into this Item 7.01 by reference is the investor presentation that will be used by Global Partner Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (“GPAC”), in making presentations to certain of GPAC’s stockholders and other persons with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Letter of Intent described below.

The investor presentation attached as Exhibit 99.1 is being furnished and shall not be deemed to be filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise be subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed to be incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

Item 8.01. Other Events.

On July 27, 2017, GPAC issued a joint press release with Purple Innovation, LLC (“Purple”) announcing the execution on July 24, 2017 of a non-binding letter of intent relating to a business combination (the “Letter of Intent”). Under the terms of the Letter of Intent, GPAC and Purple intend to enter into a definitive agreement, pursuant to which GPAC would acquire Purple based on an enterprise value of Purple of $1.1 billion, with GPAC paying a portion of the purchase price in cash (currently anticipated to be approximately $90 million) and with the remainder being paid in rollover equity interests in the combined public company, subject to customary adjustments.

The joint press release of GPAC and Purple is attached as Exhibit 99.2 hereto and is incorporated into this Item 8.01 by reference.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made herein are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this report, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside GPAC’s or Purple’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include:  the inability to enter into a definitive agreement with respect to the proposed business combination or to complete the transactions contemplated by the Letter of Intent; matters discovered by Purple or GPAC as they complete their respective due diligence investigation of the other; the inability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, the amount of cash available following any redemptions by GPAC stockholders; the ability to meet NASDAQ’s listing standards following the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the proposed business combination; costs related to the proposed business combination; Purple’s ability to manage growth; Purple’s ability to execute its plans to develop and market new products and the timing and costs of these development programs; Purple’s estimates of the size of the markets for its products; the rate and degree of market acceptance of Purple’s products; the success of other competing cushioning and bedding technologies that exist or may become available; Purple’s ability to identify and integrate acquisitions; the performance of Purple’s products; rising costs adversely affecting Purple’s profitability; potential litigation involving GPAC or Purple or the validity or enforceability of Purple’s intellectual property; and general economic and market conditions impacting demand for Purple’s products.  Other factors include the possibility that the proposed business combination does not close, including due to the failure to receive required security holder approvals, or the failure of other closing conditions. Neither GPAC nor Purple undertakes any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact our expectations and projections can be found in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2017 and in the proxy statement to be filed by GPAC with the SEC when available. Our SEC filings are available publicly on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. GPAC and Purple disclaim any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Additional Information about the Transaction and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed business combination, GPAC will file preliminary and definitive proxy statements with the SEC and will mail a definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents to its stockholders.  Investors and security holders of GPAC are advised to read, when available, the preliminary proxy statement, and amendments thereto, and the definitive proxy statement in connection with GPAC’s solicitation of proxies for its stockholders’ meeting to be held to approve the proposed business combination because the proxy statements will contain important information about the proposed business combination and the parties to it.  The definitive proxy statement will be mailed to stockholders of GPAC as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed business combination.  Stockholders will also be able to obtain copies of the proxy statement, without charge, once available, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: Global Partner Acquisition Corp., c/o Andrew Cook, 1 Rockefeller Plaza, 11th Floor New York, New York 10020, e-mail: info@globalpartnerac.com.

Participants in the Solicitation

GPAC, Purple, and their respective directors, executive officers and other members of their management and employees, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of GPAC stockholders in connection with the proposed business combination. Investors and security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names, affiliations and interests in GPAC of the directors of GPAC in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, which was filed with the SEC on March 14, 2017. Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies to the GPAC’s stockholders in connection with the proposed business combination will be set forth in the proxy statement for the proposed business combination when available. Information concerning the interests of GPAC’s and Purple’s participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be different than those of GPAC’s and Purple’s equity holders generally, will be set forth in the proxy statement relating to the proposed business combination when it becomes available.

Disclaimer

This communication shall neither constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)       Exhibits

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 hereunto duly authorized.

Date: July 27, 2017  

EXHIBIT INDEX