NOT FOR
RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY
OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO
WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF
SUCH JURISDICTION
THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
13 November 2024
RECOMMENDED CASH AND SHARE
OFFER
by
NEWRIVER REIT PLC
for
CAPITAL & REGIONAL
PLC
to be effected by means of a Scheme of
Arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act
2006
RESULTS OF COURT MEETING AND CAPITAL
& REGIONAL GENERAL MEETING
The Board of Capital & Regional plc
("Capital & Regional")
announces that at the Court Meeting and the Capital & Regional
General Meeting held earlier today in connection with the
recommended cash and share offer by NewRiver REIT
plc ("NewRiver") for
Capital & Regional (the "Combination", forming the "Combined Group"), all resolutions were
duly passed with over 99 per cent. support from shareholders on
each resolution.
As previously announced, the Combination is to
be implemented by means of a scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of
the Companies Act 2006 (the "Scheme") and today:
(i) a
majority in number of Scheme Shareholders who voted and were
entitled to vote, either in person or by proxy, who together
represented not less than 75 per cent in value of the Scheme Shares
voted, voted in favour of the Scheme at the Court Meeting;
and
(ii) the
requisite majority of Capital & Regional Shareholders voted to
approve the special resolution required to be approved in
connection with the Scheme at the Capital & Regional General
Meeting.
Full details of the resolutions passed are set
out in the notices of the Court Meeting and the Capital &
Regional General Meeting contained in Part 10 and Part 11
respectively of the scheme document published by Capital &
Regional on 21 October 2024 in connection with the Combination (the
"Scheme
Document").
The tables below set out the results of the poll
at the Court Meeting and the Capital & Regional General
Meeting. Each Scheme Shareholder present, in person or by proxy,
was entitled to one vote per Scheme Share held at the Scheme Voting
Record Time. At the Scheme Voting Record Time, Capital &
Regional had 232,996,247 Scheme Shares in issue, none of which were
held in treasury. Therefore, the total number of voting rights in
Capital & Regional for the purposes of the Court Meeting and
the Capital & Regional General Meeting at the Scheme Voting
Record Time was 232,996,247.
Voting results
of the Court Meeting
Vote
|
Number of Scheme Shares voted
as a % of the total number of Scheme Shares**
|
Number of Scheme Shareholders
who voted***
|
% of the voting Scheme
Shareholders**
|
Number of Scheme Shares
voted
|
% of Scheme Shares which were
voted**
|
For*
|
83.29%
|
67
|
84.81%
|
194,058,567
|
99.45%
|
Against
|
0.46%
|
12
|
15.19%
|
1,067,967
|
0.55%
|
Total
|
83.75%
|
75****
|
100.00%
|
195,126,534
|
100.00%
|
*Includes discretionary
votes.
**Rounded to two decimal
places.
***Where a Scheme
Shareholder has cast some of their votes "for" and some of their
votes "against" the resolution, such Scheme Shareholder has been
counted as having voted both "for" and "against" the resolution for
the purposes of determining the number of Scheme Shareholders who
voted as set out in this column.
****The total number of Scheme Shareholders who
voted has been adjusted accordingly so as to ensure that where a
Scheme Shareholder has cast some of their votes "for" and some of
their votes "against" the resolution, such Scheme Shareholder is
not counted twice in the total.
Voting results
of the Capital & Regional General Meeting
Special
Resolution
|
Total votes validly
cast
|
Total votes validly cast as %
of issued share capital**
|
Number of votes
"For"*
|
% of votes validly cast
"For"**
|
Number of votes
"Against"
|
% of votes validly cast
"Against"**
|
Vote
Withheld***
|
Resolution
|
194,758,144
|
83.59%
|
193,684,217
|
99.45%
|
1,073,927
|
0.55%
|
36,485
|
*Includes discretionary
votes.
** Rounded to two
decimal places.
***A vote withheld is
not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the
proportion of votes 'For' or 'Against' the Capital & Regional
Resolution.
Effective Date
and Updates to Timetable
Completion of the Combination remains subject to
the satisfaction, or, if applicable, the waiver of the remaining
Conditions set out in the Scheme Document, including the Court
sanctioning the Scheme at the Court Hearing, which is expected to
be held on 6 December 2024, with the Scheme becoming effective
thereafter on 10 December 2024.
Capital & Regional hereby announces an
updated expected timetable of principal events from the version set
out on pages 16 and 17 of the Scheme Document. All times and dates
are indicative only and are subject to change. In particular, in
respect of the cash payment to be made to Capital & Regional
Shareholders on the South African Register and the UK Register in
respect of the cash component of the Combination
Consideration:
(i) Capital & Regional is
required, for South African regulatory reasons and for the benefit
of the South African market, to publish on a Regulatory Information
Service and on SENS an indicative GBP/Rand Exchange Rate, and such
indicative GBP/Rand Exchange Rate is expected to be announced on 6
December 2024 following the Scheme Sanction Hearing;
(ii) the final GBP/Rand Exchange Rate to
be published on a Regulatory Information Service and on SENS is now
expected to be published on 10 December 2024.
All other entries in the expected timetable of
principal events remain as previously announced. If any of the
dates and/or times in the expected timetable change, the revised
dates and/or times will be notified to Capital & Regional
Shareholders by announcement through a Regulatory Information
Service and on SENS, with such announcement being made available on
Capital & Regional's website at
https://capreg.com/investor-info/possible-offer/. Accordingly, the
revised expected timetable is set out below:
EXPECTED TIMETABLE OF PRINCIPAL
EVENTS
All times in this Announcement are London
times, unless otherwise stated.
Event
|
Time and/or
date
|
No transfers between the UK Register and South
African Register can be processed after
|
Friday, 29 November 2024
|
Certain of the following dates are
subject to change (please see Note 1 below):
|
|
Last day of receipt of Form of Election and IPS
Application Form and for submitting a TTE Instruction in respect of
a Currency Election
|
1.00 p.m. London time on
Thursday, 5 December 20242
|
Scheme Sanction Hearing
|
Friday, 6 December 2024
|
Announcement relating to court sanction of
scheme of arrangement and indicative GBP/Rand Exchange
Rate
|
Friday, 6 December 2024
|
Last day of dealings in, and for registration
of transfers of, Capital & Regional Shares on the London
Stock Exchange, and disablement of Capital & Regional
Shares in CREST
|
Monday, 9 December 2024
|
Last day to trade on the JSE
|
Monday, 9 December 2024
|
Capital & Regional Shares on the South
African Register may not be dematerialised or rematerialised
after
|
Monday, 9 December 2024
|
Process for delisting of Capital & Regional
Shares3
|
Monday, 9 December 2024
|
Scheme Record Time
|
6.00 p.m. London time (8.00 p.m.
South African standard time) on Monday, 9 December
2024
|
Suspension of listing of, and dealings in,
Capital & Regional Shares on the London Stock
Exchange
|
7.30 a.m. London time (9.30 a.m.
South African standard time) on Tuesday, 10 December
2024
|
Suspension of listing of, and dealings in,
Capital & Regional Shares on the JSE
|
9.00 a.m. South African standard time on
Tuesday, 10 December 2024
|
Announcement of the GBP/Rand Exchange Rate in
respect of the cash payment made to (i) Capital & Regional
Shareholders on the South African Register and (ii) Capital &
Regional Shareholders on the UK Register who have elected to
receive Rand in respect of the cash component of the Combination
Consideration to be published on Regulatory Information Service and
on SENS
|
By 10.30 a.m. London time (12.30 p.m.
South African standard time) on Tuesday,
10 December 2024
|
Effective Date
|
Tuesday, 10 December 2024
|
New NewRiver Shares issued to
Capital & Regional Shareholders (excluding shareholders on
the South African Register)
|
8.00 a.m. London time (10.00 a.m.
South African standard time) on Wednesday,
11 December 2024
|
Admission and commencement of dealings in New
NewRiver Shares on the London Stock Exchange
|
8.00 a.m. London time (10.00 a.m.
South African standard time) on Wednesday,
11 December 2024
|
CREST accounts of Capital & Regional
Shareholders credited with New NewRiver Shares
|
On or after 8.00 a.m. London time
(10.00 a.m. South African standard time) on Wednesday,
11 December 2024
|
Cancellation of admission to trading on the
London Stock Exchange of Capital & Regional
Shares
|
8.00 a.m. London time (10.00 a.m.
South African standard time) on Wednesday,
11 December 2024
|
Last day for settlement of trades made prior to
Scheme Record Time on South African Register
|
Thursday, 12 December 2024
|
Cash payment made to Capital &
Regional Shareholders on the South African Register in respect of
the cash component of the Combination Consideration via Strate in
respect of dematerialised shareholders and via the transfer
secretaries in respect of certificated shareholders
|
Friday, 13 December 2024
|
Latest date for despatch of GBP payment or
settlement through CREST in respect of the cash component of the
Combination Consideration
|
Within 14 days of the Effective
Date
|
Latest date for despatch of share certificates
for New NewRiver Shares due under the Combination or settlement
through CREST
|
Within 14 days of the Effective
Date
|
Announcement of GBP/Rand Exchange Rate in
respect of the cash payment made to Capital & Regional
Shareholders on the South African Register in respect of the share
component of the Combination Consideration to be published on
Regulatory Information Service and on SENS.
|
By 10.00 a.m. London time (12.00 p.m. South
African standard time) on a date within 14 days of the
Effective Date
|
Cash payment made to Capital &
Regional Shareholders on the South African Register in respect of
the share component of the Combination Consideration via Strate in
respect of dematerialised shareholders and via the transfer
secretaries in respect of certificated shareholders ("SA Settlement Date")
|
Within 14 days of the Effective
Date
|
Delisting of Capital & Regional Shares
from the JSE
|
SA Settlement Date + 1 day
|
Long-stop Date
|
30 April 20254
|
Notes:
(1) These times and dates are indicative only
and will depend, among other things, on the date upon which the
Court sanctions the Scheme and the date on which the Conditions are
satisfied or, if capable of waiver, waived. If any of the dates
and/or times in this expected timetable change, the revised dates
and/or times will be notified to Capital & Regional
Shareholders by announcement through a Regulatory Information
Service and on SENS and, if required by the Panel, posting
notice(s) of the change(s) to Capital & Regional
Shareholders and persons so entitled. All Scheme Shareholders have
the right to attend the Scheme Sanction Hearing. Capital &
Regional must implement the Scheme in accordance with the expected
timetable unless (i) the Independent Capital &
Regional Directors withdraw their recommendation of the Scheme,
(ii) the Board of Capital & Regional announces its
decision to propose an adjournment of any of the Capital &
Regional Meetings or the Scheme Sanction Hearing, (iii) any of
the Capital & Regional Meetings or the Scheme Sanction
Hearing is adjourned, or (iv) any Condition is invoked in
accordance with the Code.
(2) The latest time for Equiniti to receive a
Form of Election is expected to be 1.00 p.m. (London time) on the
Business Day prior to the Scheme Sanction Hearing, which is
expected to take place on 6 December 2024. Scheme Shareholders
should allow for sufficient time for posting for their Form of
Election to be received.
(3) The JSE will, subject to the Scheme
becoming Effective, and to Capital & Regional no longer meeting
the JSE spread requirements and therefore no longer qualifying for
listing, take steps to implement the delisting of Capital &
Regional Shares from the Main Board of the JSE pursuant to
paragraph 1.12 of the JSE Listings Requirements.
(4) The Long-stop Date is the latest date
by which the Scheme may become Effective. However, the Long-stop
Date may be extended to such later date as Capital &
Regional and NewRiver may agree in writing (with the Panel's
consent and as the Court may approve (should such approval(s) be
required)).
General
Unless otherwise defined, all capitalised terms
in this Announcement shall have the same meaning given to them in
the Scheme Document, a copy of which is available on the Capital
& Regional website at
https://capreg.com/investor-info/possible-offer/.
Certain figures included in this Announcement
have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly,
figures shown as totals in certain tables may not be an arithmetic
aggregation of the figures that precede them.
Enquiries
Capital & Regional
plc
|
Stuart Wetherly
James Ryman
|
Via FTI Consulting
|
Deutsche
Numis (Joint Financial Adviser, Joint Rule 3
adviser and Joint Broker to Capital & Regional)
|
Ben Stoop
Stuart Ord
Jack McLaren
|
+44 20 7260 1000
|
Stifel (Joint
Financial Adviser, Joint Rule 3 adviser and Joint Broker to Capital
& Regional)
|
Mark Young
Nick Harland
Jonathan Wilkes-Green
Catriona Neville
|
+44 20 7710 7600
|
Java
Capital (JSE Sponsor to Capital &
Regional)
|
Daniel Ross
Shivani Bhikha
|
+27 (0)83 716 8665
+27 (0)78 120 6931
|
FTI
Consulting (Communications Adviser to Capital
& Regional)
|
Richard Sunderland
Bryn Woodward
Oliver Parsons
|
+44 20 3727 1000
|
NewRiver REIT
plc
|
|
Allan Lockhart (Chief Executive)
Will Hobman (Chief Financial
Officer)
|
+44 20 3328 5800
|
|
Jefferies
International Limited (Lead Financial Adviser
and Joint Corporate Broker to NewRiver)
|
|
Philip Noblet
Rishi Bhuchar
Ed Matthews
Andrew Morris
William Brown
|
+44 20 7029 8600
|
|
Kinmont
Limited (Joint Financial Adviser to
NewRiver)
|
|
|
Gavin Kelly
Mat Thackery
|
+44 20 7087 9100
|
|
Panmure
Liberum Limited (Sole Sponsor and Joint
Corporate Broker to NewRiver)
|
|
|
Jamie Richards
David Watkins
Amrit Mahbubani
Nikhil Varghese
|
+44 20 3100 2000
|
|
Shore Capital
Stockbrokers Limited (Joint Corporate Broker to
NewRiver)
|
|
Mark Percy (Corporate Advisory)
James Thomas (Corporate Advisory)
Ben Canning (Corporate Broking)
Malachy McEntyre (Corporate Broking)
|
+44 20 7408 4090
|
|
FTI
Consulting (Communications Adviser to
NewRiver)
|
|
Dido Laurimore
Giles Barrie
|
+44 20 3727 1000
|
|
|
|
|
| |
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP is
acting as legal adviser to Capital & Regional in connection
with the Combination.
Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP is
acting as legal adviser to NewRiver in connection with the
Combination.
Capital & Regional is listed on the main
market of the London Stock Exchange and has a secondary listing on
the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Disclaimers
Numis Securities Limited
(which is
trading for these purposes as Deutsche Numis) ("Deutsche Numis"),
which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA,
is acting exclusively for Capital
& Regional and no one else in
connection with the matters set out in this Announcement and will
not regard any other person as its client in relation to the
matters in this Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone
other than Capital &
Regional for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Deutsche Numis, nor for providing advice in
relation to any matter referred to herein. Neither Deutsche Numis
nor any of its affiliates (nor any of their respective directors,
officers, employees or agents), owes or accepts any duty, liability
or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether
in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who
is not a client of Deutsche Numis in connection with this
Announcement, any statement contained herein or otherwise.
No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by
Deutsche Numis as to the contents of this
document.
Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited
("Stifel"), which is
authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is
acting exclusively for Capital & Regional and no one else in
connection with the matters set out in this Announcement and will
not regard any other person as its client in relation to the
matters in this Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone
other than Capital & Regional for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Stifel, nor for providing advice in relation
to any matter referred to herein.
Java Capital Trustees and Sponsors
Proprietary Limited ("Java
Capital"), which is authorised and regulated in South Africa
by the JSE, which is licensed as a securities exchange and is
regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and the
Prudential Authority of South Africa, is acting as JSE sponsor
exclusively for Capital & Regional and for no one else in
connection with the matters referred to in this Announcement and
will not be responsible to anyone other than Capital & Regional
for providing the protections afforded to clients of Java Capital
or for providing advice in relation to the contents of, or matters
referred to in, this Announcement or any matter referred to herein.
Neither Java Capital nor any of its subsidiaries, affiliates or
branches owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility
whatsoever (whether direct, indirect, consequential, whether in
contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is
not a client of Java Capital in connection with this Announcement,
any statement or other matter or arrangement referred to herein or
otherwise.
Jefferies
International Limited ("Jefferies"), Panmure Liberum Limited
("Panmure Liberum") and
Shore Capital Stockbrokers Limited ("Shore Capital", and together with
Jefferies and Panmure Liberum, the "Joint Brokers") are authorised and
regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom. Jefferies is acting as
lead financial adviser, Panmure Liberum is acting as sole sponsor,
and the Joint Brokers are each acting as joint broker exclusively
for NewRiver and no one else in connection
with the Combination and shall not be responsible to anyone other
than NewRiver for providing the protections afforded to their
clients, nor for providing advice in connection with the
Combination or any matter referred to herein. None of the Joint
Brokers nor any of their affiliates (nor any of them or their
respective directors, officers, employees, representatives or
agents) owe or accept any duty, liability or responsibility
whatsoever (whether direct, indirect, consequential, whether in
contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is
not a client of such Joint Broker in connection with the
Combination, this Announcement, any statement contained herein or
otherwise.
Kinmont Limited ("Kinmont"), which is authorised and
regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting exclusively
for NewRiver and no one else in connection with the Combination and
shall not be responsible to anyone other than NewRiver for
providing the protections afforded to clients of Kinmont, nor for
providing advice in connection with the Combination or any matter
referred to herein. Neither Kinmont nor any of its affiliates (nor
any of its or their respective directors, officers, employees,
representatives or agents) owes or accepts any duty, liability or
responsibility whatsoever (whether direct, indirect, consequential,
whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any
person who is not a client of Kinmont in connection with the
Combination, this Announcement, any statement contained herein or
otherwise.
Overseas Shareholders
This
Announcement has been prepared in accordance with, and for the
purpose of complying with, the laws of England and Wales and the
Code, and information disclosed may not be the same as that which
would have been disclosed if this Announcement had been prepared in
accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside
England.
The release,
publication or distribution of this Announcement in or into
jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom and South Africa may be
restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession this
Announcement comes who are not resident in the United Kingdom or
South Africa or who are subject to the laws of other jurisdictions
should inform themselves about, and observe, any applicable
restrictions. Capital & Regional Shareholders who are in any
doubt regarding such matters should consult an appropriate
independent adviser in the relevant jurisdiction without delay. Any
failure to comply with such restrictions may constitute a violation
of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
Unless
otherwise determined by NewRiver or required by the Code, and
permitted by applicable law and regulation, participation in the
Combination will not be made available, and the New NewRiver Shares
to be issued pursuant to the Combination will not be issued,
directly or indirectly, in, into or from a Restricted Jurisdiction
where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction, and no
person may vote, or procure the vote, in favour of the Combination
by any such use, means, instrumentality or form from within a
Restricted Jurisdiction if to do so would constitute a violation of
the laws of that jurisdiction. Accordingly, copies of all
documentation relating to the Combination are not being, and must
not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded,
distributed or sent in, into or from a Restricted Jurisdiction
where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction, and
persons receiving documents relating to the Combination (including
custodians, nominees and trustees) must not mail or otherwise
distribute or send them in, into or from any Restricted
Jurisdictions where to do so would violate the laws in that
jurisdiction. Any person (including, without limitation, any
custodian, nominee and trustee) who would, or otherwise intends to,
or who may have a contractual or legal obligation to, forward this
Announcement and/or any other related document to any jurisdiction
other than the United Kingdom and South Africa should inform
themselves of, and observe, any applicable legal or regulatory
requirements of their jurisdiction.
If the
Combination is implemented by way of a Takeover Offer (unless
otherwise permitted by applicable law and regulation), the Takeover
Offer may not be made, directly or indirectly, in or into, or by
the use of mails or any means or instrumentality (including,
without limitation, facsimile, e-mail or other electronic
transmission, telex or telephone) of interstate or foreign commerce
of, or any facility of a national, state or other securities
exchange of, any Restricted Jurisdiction, and the Takeover Offer
may not be capable of acceptance by any such use, means,
instrumentality or facilities from within any Restricted
Jurisdiction.
The
availability of the New NewRiver Shares under the Combination to
Capital & Regional Shareholders who are not resident in the
United Kingdom may be affected by the laws of the relevant
jurisdictions in which they are resident (which may also affect the
ability of such Capital & Regional Shareholders to vote their
Capital & Regional Shares with respect to the Scheme and the
Combination at the Capital & Regional Meetings, or to execute
and deliver Forms of Proxy appointing another to vote at the
Capital & Regional Meetings on their behalf). Persons who are
not resident in the United Kingdom or who are subject to the laws
and/or regulations of another jurisdiction should inform themselves
of, and should observe, any applicable legal and/or regulatory
requirements.
For those
Capital & Regional Shareholders who hold their Capital &
Regional Shares on the South African Register, it is anticipated
that, as a consequence of certain South African regulatory
requirements which make it unduly onerous for NewRiver to allot and
issue the New NewRiver Shares to which they would otherwise be
entitled pursuant to the terms of the Combination, such Capital
& Regional Shareholders will not receive such New NewRiver
Shares and will instead receive a cash sum in South African Rand,
further details of which are set out in the Scheme Document.
Capital & Regional Shareholders on the South African Register
who wish to receive New NewRiver Shares can do so by transferring
their shareholding to an equivalent interest on the UK Register,
provided that their foreign exposure falls within their foreign
portfolio investment allowance or foreign allowance, respectively.
The costs associated with the removal of shares from the South
African Register to the UK Register will be borne by the Capital
& Regional Shareholder concerned.
Each Capital
& Regional Shareholder is urged to consult their independent
professional adviser immediately regarding the tax consequences of
the Combination.
The
statements contained in this Announcement are not to be construed
as legal, business, financial or tax advice.
Notice to US investors in Capital
& Regional
Capital &
Regional Shareholders located in the United States should note that
the Combination relates to the securities of an English company
with a listing on the London Stock Exchange and is proposed to be
implemented pursuant to a scheme of arrangement under English law.
A transaction effected by means of a scheme of arrangement is not
subject to the tender offer rules or the proxy solicitation rules
under the US Exchange Act. Accordingly, the Scheme is subject to
procedural and disclosure requirements and practices applicable to
a scheme of arrangement involving a target company in England
listed on the London Stock Exchange, which are different from the
disclosure requirements of the US tender offer and proxy
solicitation rules.
The
Combination may, in circumstances described in the Scheme Document,
instead be carried out by way of a Takeover Offer under English
law. If in the future NewRiver exercises its right to implement the
Combination by way of a Takeover Offer, such Takeover Offer will be
made in compliance with applicable US tender offer and securities
laws and regulations, including the exemptions therefrom. Such
Takeover Offer would be made in the United States by NewRiver and
no one else. In addition to any such Takeover Offer, in accordance
with normal practice in the United Kingdom, NewRiver, certain
affiliated companies, and their nominees or brokers (acting as
agents) may make certain purchases of, or arrangements to purchase,
Capital & Regional Shares outside the United States, other than
pursuant to the Takeover Offer, until the date on which such
Takeover Offer would become effective, lapses or is otherwise
withdrawn. If such purchases or arrangements to purchase were to be
made, they would be made outside the United States and would comply
with applicable law, including the US Exchange Act. These purchases
may occur either in the open market at prevailing prices or in
private transactions at negotiated prices. Any information about
such purchases will be disclosed, as required in the United
Kingdom, will be reported to a Regulatory Information Service of
the FCA and on SENS and will be available on the London Stock
Exchange website: www.londonstockexchange.com.
The financial
information included in this Announcement, the Scheme Document and
other documentation related to the Combination has been or will
have been prepared in accordance with IFRS and thus may not be
comparable to financial information of US companies or companies
whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles in the United
States.
The New
NewRiver Shares to be issued pursuant to the Scheme in connection
with the Combination will be issued in reliance on the exemption
from the registration requirements of the US Securities Act
provided by Section 3(a)(10) thereof Capital & Regional will
advise the Court that its sanction of the Scheme will be relied
upon by NewRiver as an approval of the scheme of arrangement
following a hearing on its fairness to Capital & Regional
Shareholders at which hearing all such Capital & Regional
Shareholders are entitled to attend in person or through counsel to
support or oppose the sanctioning of the Scheme and with respect to
which notification has been given to all Capital & Regional
Shareholders.
The New
NewRiver Shares to be issued to Capital & Regional Shareholders
in connection with the Combination pursuant to a scheme of
arrangement under English law may generally be resold without
restriction under the US Securities Act, except for resales by
persons who are or will be affiliates (within the meaning of Rule
144 under the US Securities Act). "Affiliates" of a company are
generally defined as persons who directly, or indirectly through one
or more intermediaries, control, or are controlled by, or are under
common control with, that company. Whether a person is an affiliate
of a company for purposes of the US Securities Act depends on the
circumstances, but affiliates can include certain officers, directors
and significant shareholders of Capital & Regional or of
NewRiver prior to, or of NewRiver after, the Effective Date.
Capital & Regional Shareholders who believe that they may be or
will be affiliates for purposes of the US Securities Act should
consult their own legal advisers prior to any resale of New
NewRiver Shares received under the Scheme.
None of the
securities referred to in the Scheme Document have been approved or
disapproved by the SEC or any US state securities commission, nor
have any such authorities passed judgment upon the fairness or the
merits of the Combination or the Scheme or determined if the Scheme
Document is accurate or complete. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offence in the United
States.
US holders of
Capital & Regional Shares also should be aware that the
transaction contemplated herein may have tax consequences in the
United States and that such consequences, if any, are not described
herein, as well as foreign and other tax consequences. US holders
of Capital & Regional Shares are urged to consult with
independent professional advisers regarding the legal, tax and
financial consequences of the Combination applicable to
them.
It may be
difficult for US holders of Capital & Regional Shares to
enforce their rights and claims arising out of the US federal
securities laws since NewRiver and Capital & Regional are
organised in countries other than the United States and some or all
of their officers and directors may be residents of, and some or
all of their assets may be located in, jurisdictions other than the
United States. US holders of Capital & Regional Shares may have
difficulty effecting service of process within the United States
upon those persons or recovering against judgments of US courts,
including judgments based upon the civil liability provisions of
the US federal securities laws. US holders of Capital &
Regional Shares may not be able to sue a non-US company or its
officers or directors in a non-US court for violations of US
securities laws. Further, it may be difficult to compel a non-US
company and its affiliates to subject themselves to a US court's
judgment.
Forward-looking
Statements
This
Announcement, any oral statements made by Capital & Regional or
NewRiver in relation to the Combination, and other information
published by Capital & Regional or NewRiver may contain
statements about Capital & Regional and/or NewRiver and/or the
Combined Group that are or may be forward-looking statements. All
statements other than statements of historical facts included in
this Announcement may be forward-looking statements. Without
limitation, any statements preceded or followed by or that include
the words "targets", "plans", "goals", "believes", "expects",
"aims", "intends", "will", "may", "anticipates", "estimates",
"projects", hopes", "continues", "would", "could", "should" or
words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, are
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include
statements relating to the following: (i) future capital
expenditures, expenses, revenues, earnings, synergies, economic
performance, indebtedness, financial condition, dividend policy,
losses and future prospects; (ii) business and management
strategies and the expansion and growth of Capital & Regional's
or NewRiver's or the Combined Group's operations and potential
synergies resulting from the Combination; and (iii) the effects of
government regulation on Capital & Regional's or NewRiver's or
the Combined Group's business.
These
forward-looking statements are not based on historical fact and are
not guarantees of future performance. By their nature, such
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and
uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results
and/or the operations of Capital & Regional, NewRiver or the
Combined Group and are based on certain assumptions and assessments
made by Capital & Regional and NewRiver in light of their
experience and their perception of historical trends, current
conditions, future developments and other factors they believe
appropriate. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to
factors that are beyond the entities' ability to control or
estimate precisely.
There are
several factors which could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected, expressed or implied in
forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements are the satisfaction of or failure to
satisfy all or any of the conditions to the Combination, as well as
additional factors, such as changes in the global, political,
economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory forces,
fluctuations in exchange and interest rates, changes in tax rates
and future business acquisitions or disposals, the success of
business and operating initiatives and restructuring objectives and
the outcome of any litigation. Such statements are qualified in
their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding
future expectations. Except as expressly provided in this
Announcement, they have not been reviewed by the auditors of
Capital & Regional or NewRiver.
Neither
Capital & Regional nor NewRiver, or any of their respective
associates or directors, officers, employees or advisers, provides
any representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of
the events expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements
in this Announcement will actually occur. Due to such uncertainties
and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of
this Announcement. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking
statements attributable to Capital & Regional or NewRiver or
any of their respective members, directors, officers, employees or
advisers or any persons acting on their behalf are expressly
qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above.
Capital & Regional and NewRiver disclaim any obligation to
update any forward-looking or other statements contained in this
Announcement, except as required by applicable law or by the rules
of any competent regulatory authority, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Disclosure requirements of the
Code
Under Rule
8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1% or more of
any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any
securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an
offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer
is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening
Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period
and, if later, following the Announcement in which any securities
exchange offeror is first identified. An Opening Position
Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short
positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities
of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange
offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule
8.3(a) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time)
on the 10th business day following the commencement of the offer
period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time)
on the 10th business day following the Announcement in which any
securities exchange offeror is first identified. Relevant persons
who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a
securities exchange offeror prior to the deadline for making an
Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing
Disclosure.
Under Rule
8.3(b) of the Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1%
or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company
or of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing
Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the
offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing
Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the
person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe
for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and
(ii) any securities exchange offeror(s), save to the extent that
these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A
Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be
made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the business day
following the date of the relevant dealing.
If two or
more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or
understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an
interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a
securities exchange offeror, they will be deemed to be a single
person for the purpose of Rule 8.3.
Opening
Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and
by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the
offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in
concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and
8.4).
Details of
the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant
securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures
must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Takeover
Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including
details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the
offer period commenced and when any offeror was first identified.
You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on +44
(0)20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you are
required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing
Disclosure.
Publication on a website and
requesting hard copy documents
A copy of
this Announcement and the documents required to be published
pursuant to Rules 26.1 and 26.2 of the Code will be made available,
free of charge, subject to certain restrictions relating to persons
resident in Restricted Jurisdictions, on Capital & Regional's
website at https://capreg.com/investor-info/possible-offer/ and on
NewRiver's website at
https://www.nrr.co.uk/investors/possible-offer-for-capital-and-regional-plc/
by no later than 12.00 p.m. (London time) on the Business Day
following the date of this Announcement.
In accordance
with Rule 30.3 of the Code, Capital & Regional Shareholders on
the UK Register and any persons with information rights may request
a hard copy of documents, announcements and information relating to
the Combination (including information incorporated by reference
into such documents by reference to another source) free of charge,
by contacting Capital & Regional's registrar, Equiniti at
Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex BN99 6DA or by
calling Equiniti on +44 (0) 371 384 2050. For deaf and speech
impaired shareholders, calls are welcomed via Relay UK. Please see
www.relayuk.bt.com for more information. Calls are charged at the
standard geographical rate and will vary by provider. Calls outside
the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international
rate. Lines are open between 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (London time),
Monday to Friday (except public holidays in England and Wales).
Please note that Equiniti cannot provide any financial, legal or
tax advice. Calls may be recorded and monitored for security and
training purposes. For persons who receive documents in electronic
form or via a website notification, hard copies will not be sent
unless so requested. Such persons may also request that all future
documents, announcements and information to be sent to them in
relation to the Combination should be in hard copy
form.
Capital &
Regional Shareholders on the South African Register may request
hard copies of documents by contacting JSE Investor Services at One
Exchange Square, 2 Gwen Lane, Sandown, Sandton 2196, South Africa
or by calling JSE Investor Services on 0861472644 (from within
South Africa) and +27 11 029 0112 (from outside South Africa)
between 8.00 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. (South African standard time)
Monday to Friday (public holidays excepted). Calls to this number
from persons who are not resident in South Africa are charged at
the applicable international rate. Calls from a mobile device may
incur network extras.
Save as
expressly referred to in this Announcement, the contents of the
aforementioned websites, and any websites accessible from
hyperlinks on those websites, are not incorporated into and do not
form part of this Announcement.
Information relating to Capital
& Regional Shareholders
Please be
aware that addresses, electronic addresses and certain information
provided by Capital & Regional Shareholders, persons with
information rights and other relevant persons for the receipt of
communications from Capital & Regional may be provided to
NewRiver during the Offer Period as required by Section 4 of
Appendix 4 of the Code to comply with Rule 2.11(c) of the
Code.