THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT
QUALIFIES OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE
MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU)
596/2014 as it forms part of domestic
law of the United Kingdom by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended.
NOT FOR
RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON
LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS
TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS (INCLUDING PUERTO RICO, THE U.S. VIRGIN
ISLANDS, GUAM, AMERICAN SAMOA, WAKE ISLAND AND THE NORTHERN MARIANA
ISLANDS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE DISTRICT
OF COLUMBIA) OR TO ANY U.S. PERSON OR IN OR INTO ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO RELEASE, PUBLISH OR DISTRIBUTE
THIS DOCUMENT
ANNINGTON FUNDING PLC
ANNOUNCES TENDER OFFER
26 January 2024. Annington Funding
plc (the "Offeror") hereby
announces that it is inviting Noteholders of its outstanding
£625,000,000 2.646 per cent. Notes due 12 July 2025 (ISIN:
XS1645518496), issued by the Offeror and guaranteed by Annington
Limited, Annington Homes Limited and Annington Property Limited
(together, the "Guarantors"
and each a "Guarantor")
(the "Notes") to tender
such Notes for purchase by the Offeror for cash (the "Offer"), up to the Final Acceptance
Amount (as defined below), all on the terms and subject to the
satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set out in the tender
offer memorandum dated 26 January 2024 (the "Tender Offer Memorandum").
The Offer is subject to the
conditions set out in the Tender Offer Memorandum prepared in
connection with the Offer and is subject to the offer and
distribution restrictions set out below. Capitalised terms used in
this announcement and not otherwise defined have the meanings given
to them in the Tender Offer Memorandum.
Description of the Notes
|
ISIN
|
Nominal
amount outstanding
|
Maturity
Date
|
Par Call
Date
|
Benchmark
|
Purchase
Spread
|
Maximum
Acceptance Amount
|
£625,000,000 2.646 per cent. Notes
due 12 July 2025
|
XS1645518496
|
£481,530,000
|
12 July 2025
|
12 June 2025
|
0.625 per cent. UK Treasury Gilt due
June 2025 (ISIN: GB00BK5CVX03)
|
+90bps
|
£250,000,000, subject to the right of the Offeror to increase
or decrease such amount in its sole and absolute
discretion
|
Rationale and background for the Offer
The rationale for the Offer is to
proactively manage the Offeror's balance sheet and maturity
profiles. Notes purchased by the Offeror pursuant to the Offer will
be cancelled and will not be re-issued or re-sold. Notes which have
not been validly offered and accepted for purchase pursuant to the
Offer will remain outstanding.
Details of the Offer
Final Acceptance
Amount
The Offeror proposes to accept for
purchase a target amount of £250,000,000 in aggregate nominal
amount (the "Maximum Acceptance
Amount") of the Notes, although the Offeror reserves the
right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to accept less or more
than such amount for purchase pursuant to the Offer (the final
aggregate nominal amount of Notes accepted for purchase by the
Offeror being the "Final
Acceptance Amount").
If the aggregate nominal amount of
Notes validly tendered exceeds the Final Acceptance Amount, the
Offeror will accept for purchase such tendered Notes on a
pro rata basis as further
specified in the Tender Offer Memorandum (see "Terms and Conditions of the Offer -
Scaling of Tenders").
Rights of the
Offeror
Subject to applicable laws and
regulations and as provided in the Tender Offer Memorandum, the
Offeror may, in its sole and absolute discretion, extend, re-open,
withdraw or terminate the Offer and amend or waive any of the terms
and conditions of the Offer at any time before the announcement of
the acceptance of the Notes validly tendered and may, in its sole
and absolute discretion, waive any of the conditions to the Offer
either before or after such announcement.
Purchase
Price
The Offeror will pay, for each of
the Notes accepted by it, a price (the "Purchase Price") to be determined at or
about 11 a.m. (London time) (the "Pricing Time") on 5 February 2024,
being the Business Day following the Expiration Deadline (the
"Pricing Date") in the
manner described in the Tender Offer Memorandum by reference to a
yield (such yield, the "Purchase
Yield") calculated as the sum of the Purchase Spread and the
Benchmark Rate.
The Purchase Price for the Notes
will be determined in accordance with market convention and
expressed as a percentage of the nominal amount of the
Notes.
If the Purchase Yield as determined
in accordance with the Tender Offer Memorandum is less than the
contractual rate of interest for the Notes, then the Purchase Price
for the Notes will be calculated based on the Par Call Date. If the
Purchase Yield as determined in accordance with the Tender Offer
Memorandum is higher than or equal to the contractual rate of
interest for the Notes, then the Purchase Price for the Notes will
be calculated based on the Maturity Date.
The Purchase Price for the Notes
will equal (a) the present value of all remaining payments of
principal and interest on each Note up to and including the Par
Call Date or the Maturity Date of the Notes (depending on the
Purchase Yield), discounted to the Settlement Date at a discount
rate equal to the Purchase Yield, minus (b) the Accrued Interest,
calculated according to market convention and the terms and
conditions of the Notes, as advised to the Issuer by the Dealer
Managers.
Scaling
In the circumstances described in the Tender
Offer Memorandum in which valid tenders of Notes are to be accepted
for purchase on a pro rata
basis, each such tender of Notes will be scaled by a factor (such
factor, a "Scaling Factor")
derived from (i) the Final Acceptance Amount divided by (ii) the
aggregate nominal amount of the Notes that have been validly
tendered and accepted for purchase (subject
to adjustment resulting from the rounding of tenders and the
intentions of the Offeror, as further described in the Tender Offer
Memorandum).
Accrued Interest
Payment
In addition to the Purchase Price,
in respect of all Notes validly tendered and delivered and accepted
for purchase by the Offeror pursuant to the Offer, the Offeror will
pay Accrued Interest.
Tender Instructions
In order to participate in, and be
eligible to receive the Purchase Price pursuant to the Offer,
Noteholders must validly tender their Notes by delivering, or
arranging to have delivered on their behalf, a valid Tender
Instruction that is received by the Tender Agent by 4.00 p.m.
(London time) on 2 February 2024. Tender Instructions will be
irrevocable except in the limited circumstances described in the
Tender Offer Memorandum.
Tender Instructions must be
submitted in respect of a minimum nominal amount of the Notes of no
less than £100,000 plus integral multiples of £1,000.
Expected Transaction Timeline
Date
|
Action
|
26 January 2024
|
Commencement of the
Offer
Offer announced by way of
announcements on the relevant Notifying News Service and through
the Clearing Systems.
Tender Offer Memorandum available
from the Tender Agent.
|
4.00 p.m. (London time) on 2
February 2024
|
Expiration
Deadline
Deadline for receipt by the Tender
Agent of all Tender Instructions in order for Noteholders to be
able to participate in the Offer.
|
As soon as reasonably practicable
after the Expiration Deadline
|
Announcement of Indicative
Results
Announcement of (i) the aggregate
nominal amount of Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Offer and
(ii) a non-binding indication of the level at which the Offeror
expects to set the Maximum Acceptance Amount and any applicable
indicative Scaling Factor.
|
At or around 11 a.m. (London time) on
5 February 2024
|
Pricing
Time
Determination of the Benchmark Rate
and the Purchase Price for the Notes.
|
As soon as reasonably practicable
after the Pricing Time
|
Announcement of Final Results
of Offer
Announcement of whether the Offeror
will accept valid tenders of Notes pursuant to the Offer and, if so
accepted, (i) the Final Acceptance Amount, (ii) the Purchase Price
(including whether the Purchase Price has been calculated using the
Par Call Date or Maturity Date of the Notes), (iii) any Scaling
Factor (if applicable), and (iv) the Accrued Interest in respect of
the Notes.
|
7 February 2024
|
Expected
Settlement
Expected Settlement Date for the
Offer. Payment of the applicable Purchase Price and Accrued
Interest Payment in respect of Notes accepted for purchase pursuant
to the Offer.
|
The above times and dates are subject to the right of the Offeror
to extend, re-open, amend, withdraw and/or terminate the
Offer (subject to applicable law and as provided in the Tender Offer
Memorandum). Noteholders are advised to check with any bank,
securities broker or other intermediary through which they hold
Notes when such intermediary would need to receive instructions
from a Noteholder in order for that Noteholder to be able to
participate in, or (in the limited circumstances in which
revocation is permitted) revoke their instruction to participate
in, the Offer, before the deadlines specified in the Tender Offer
Memorandum. The deadlines set by
any such intermediary and each Clearing System for the submission
of Tender Instructions will be earlier than the relevant deadlines
specified above.
Further Information
A complete description of the terms
and conditions of the Offer is set out in the Tender Offer
Memorandum. Barclays Bank PLC and Goldman Sachs International are
acting as the dealer managers (the "Dealer Managers") for the Offer. Kroll
Issuer Services Limited is acting as Tender Agent.
Questions and requests for
assistance in connection with the Offer may be directed
to:
THE DEALER
MANAGERS
Barclays Bank
PLC
1 Churchill Place
London E14 5HP
United
Kingdom
|
Goldman Sachs International
Plumtree
Court
25 Shoe
Lane
London
EC4A 4AU
United
Kingdom
|
Telephone: +44 20 3134 8515
Email: eu.lm@barclays.com
Attention: Liability Management Group
|
Telephone: +44 20 7774 4836
Email: liabilitymanagement.eu@gs.com
Attention: Liability Management Group
|
Questions and request for assistance
in connection with the delivery of Tender Instructions including
requests for a copy of the Tender Offer Memorandum may be directed
to:
THE TENDER
AGENT
Kroll Issuer Services
Limited
The Shard
32 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9SG
Tel: +44 207 704 0880
Attention: Owen Morris
Email:
annington@is.kroll.com
Tender Offer
Website: https://deals.is.kroll.com/annington
Each Noteholder is solely
responsible for making its own independent appraisal of all matters
as such Noteholder deems appropriate (including those relating to
the Offer, the Notes, the Offeror and the Guarantors) and each
Noteholder must make its own decision, based upon its own judgement
and having obtained advice from such financial, accounting, legal
and tax advisers as it may deem necessary, as to whether to tender
any or all of its Notes for purchase pursuant to the
Offer.
None of the Dealer Managers, the
Tender Agent or any of their respective directors, officers,
employees, agents or affiliates assumes any responsibility for the
accuracy or completeness of the information concerning the Offer
contained in this announcement or in the Tender Offer Memorandum.
None of the Dealer Managers, the Tender Agent, the Offeror, the
Guarantors or any of their respective directors, officers,
employees, agents or affiliates is acting for any Noteholder, or
will be responsible to any Noteholder for providing any protections
which would be afforded to its clients or for providing advice in
relation to the Offer, and accordingly none of the Dealer Managers,
the Tender Agent, the Guarantors or any of their respective
directors, officers, employees, agents or affiliates assumes any
responsibility for any failure by the Offeror to disclose
information with regard to the Offeror or the Notes which is
material in the context of the Offer and which is not otherwise
publicly available.
None of the Dealer Managers, the
Tender Agent, the Offeror, the Guarantors or any of their
respective directors, officers, employees, agents or affiliates
makes any representation or recommendation whatsoever regarding the
Offer, or any recommendation as to whether Noteholders should
tender Notes in the Offer.
Disclaimer
This announcement must be read in
conjunction with the Tender Offer Memorandum. This announcement and
the Tender Offer Memorandum contain important information which
should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect
to the Offer. If any Noteholder is in any doubt as to the contents
of this announcement or the Tender Offer Memorandum or the action
it should take, it is recommended to seek its own financial and
legal advice, including in respect of any tax consequences,
immediately from its stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor,
accountant or other independent financial, tax or legal
adviser.
Offer and Distribution Restrictions
Neither this announcement nor the
Tender Offer Memorandum constitutes an invitation to participate in
the Offer in any jurisdiction in which, or to any person to or from
whom, it is unlawful to make such invitation or for there to be
such participation under applicable securities laws and
regulations. The distribution of this announcement and the Tender
Offer Memorandum in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by laws
and regulations. Persons into whose possession either this
announcement or the Tender Offer Memorandum comes are required by
each of the Offeror, the Guarantors, the Dealer Managers and the
Tender Agent to inform themselves about, and to observe, any such
restrictions.
United
States
The Offer is not being made and will
not be made, directly or indirectly, in or into, or by use of the
mails of, or by any means or instrumentality of interstate or
foreign commerce of, or of any facilities of a national securities
exchange of, the United States or to any U.S. Person (as defined in
Regulation S of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (each a "U.S.
Person")). This includes, but is not limited to, facsimile
transmission, electronic mail, telex, telephone, the internet and
other forms of electronic communication. Accordingly, copies of the
Tender Offer Memorandum, this announcement and any other documents
or materials relating to the Offer are not being, and must not be,
directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise transmitted,
distributed or forwarded (including, without limitation, by
custodians, nominees or trustees) in or into the United States or
to a U.S. Person and the Notes cannot be tendered in the Offer by
any such use, means, instrumentality or facility or from or within
or by persons located or resident in the United States or by any
U.S. Person. Any purported tender of Notes in the Offer resulting
directly or indirectly from a violation of these restrictions will
be invalid and any purported tender of Notes made by a person
located in the United States, a U.S. Person, by any person acting
for the account or benefit of a U.S. Person, or by any agent,
fiduciary or other intermediary acting on a non-discretionary basis
for a principal giving instructions from within the United States
will be invalid and will not be accepted.
Each holder of Notes participating
in the Offer will represent that it is not a U.S. Person located in
the United States and is not participating in the Offer from the
United States, or it is acting on a non-discretionary basis for a
principal located outside the United States that is not giving an
order to participate in the Offer from the United States and who is
not a U.S. Person. For the purposes of this and the above
paragraph, "United States"
means the United States of America, its territories and possessions
(including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American
Samoa, Wake Island and the Northern Mariana Islands), any state of
the United States of America and the District of
Columbia.
United
Kingdom
The communication of this
announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents
or materials relating to the Offer are not being made, and such
documents and/or materials have not been approved, by an authorised
person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000. Accordingly, such documents and/or materials are
not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general
public in the United Kingdom. The communication of such documents
and/or materials as a financial promotion is only being made to
those persons in the United Kingdom falling within the definition
of investment professionals (as defined in Article 19(5) of the
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order
2005 (the "Financial Promotion
Order")) or persons who are within Article 43(2) or 49 of
the Financial Promotion Order or any other persons to whom it may
otherwise lawfully be made under the Financial Promotion
Order.
France
This announcement, the Tender Offer
Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the
Offer have only been or shall only be distributed in the Republic
of France ("France") to
qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(e) of
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, as amended (the "Prospectus Regulation"). The
Tender Offer Memorandum and any other document or material relating
to the Offer have not been and will not be submitted for clearance
to nor approved by the Autorité
des marchés financiers.
Belgium
Neither this announcement, nor the
Tender Offer Memorandum nor any other documents or materials
relating to the Offer have been submitted to or will be submitted
for approval or recognition to the Belgian Financial Services and
Markets Authority and, accordingly, the Offer may not be made in
Belgium by way of a public offering, as defined in Articles 3 and 6
of the Belgian Law of 1 April 2007 on public takeover bids, as
amended or replaced from time to time. Accordingly, the Offer may
not be advertised and the Offer will not be extended, and neither
this announcement nor the Tender Offer Memorandum nor any other
documents or materials relating to the Offer (including any
memorandum, information circular, brochure or any similar
documents) has been or shall be distributed or made available,
directly or indirectly, to any person in Belgium other than
"qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the
Prospectus Regulation. The Offer may not be advertised and the
Offer will not be extended, and neither this announcement nor the
Tender Offer Memorandum nor any other documents or materials
relating to the Offer (including any memorandum, information
circular, brochure or any similar documents) has been or shall be
distributed or made available, directly or indirectly, to any
individual in Belgium qualifying as a consumer within the meaning
of Article I.1 of the Belgian Code of Economic Law, as amended from
time to time.
Italy
None of the Offer, this
announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum or any other documents or
materials relating to the Offer have been or will be submitted to
the clearance procedure of the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la
Borsa ("CONSOB")
pursuant to Italian laws and regulations.
The Offer is being carried out in
the Republic of Italy ("Italy") as an exempted offer pursuant
to article 101-bis, paragraph 3-bis of the Legislative Decree No.
58 of 24 February 1998, as amended (the "Financial Services Act") and article
35-bis, paragraph 4, of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of 14 May 1999,
as amended.
Noteholders or beneficial owners of
the Notes that are resident and/or located in Italy can tender some
or all of their Notes pursuant to the Offer through authorised
persons (such as investment firms, banks or financial
intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in Italy in
accordance with the Financial Services Act, CONSOB Regulation No.
20307 of 15 February 2018, as amended from time to time, and
Legislative Decree No. 385 of 1 September 1993, as amended) and in
compliance with applicable laws and regulations or with
requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian
authority.
Each intermediary must comply with
the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties
vis-à-vis its clients in connection with the Notes or the
Offer.
General
Neither this announcement, nor the
Tender Offer Memorandum nor the electronic transmission thereof
constitutes an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell
Notes (and tenders of Notes for purchase pursuant to the Offer will
not be accepted from Noteholders) in any circumstances in which
such offer or solicitation is unlawful. In those jurisdictions
where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the Offer to
be made by a licensed broker or dealer and any of the Dealer
Managers or any of their respective affiliates is such a licensed
broker or dealer in any such jurisdiction, the Offer shall be
deemed to be made by such Dealer Manager or such affiliate, as the
case may be, on behalf of the Offeror in such
jurisdiction.
In addition to the representations
referred to above in respect of the United States, each Noteholder
participating in the Offer will be deemed to give certain
representations in respect of the other jurisdictions referred to
above and generally as set out in "Procedures for Participating in the
Offer" in the Tender Offer Memorandum. Any tender of Notes
for purchase pursuant to the Offer from a Noteholder that is unable
to make these representations will not be accepted.
Each of the Offeror, the Guarantors,
the Dealer Managers and the Tender Agent reserves the right, in its
sole and absolute discretion, to investigate, in relation to any
tender of Notes for purchase pursuant to the Offer whether any such
representation given by a Noteholder is correct and, if such
investigation is undertaken and as a result the Offeror determines
(for any reason) that such representation is not correct, such
tender or submission may be rejected.
MAR
This announcement is released by
Annington Funding plc and contains information that qualified or
may have qualified as inside information for the purposes of
Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014
as it forms part of domestic law of the United
Kingdom by virtue of the EUWA ("MAR"). For the purposes of MAR this
announcement is made by Stephen Leung, Director, on behalf of
Annington Funding plc.