More Acquisitions PLC Update on Proposed Acquisition of Megasteel (5337A)
24 May 2023 - 9:04PM
UK Regulatory
TIDMTMOR
RNS Number : 5337A
More Acquisitions PLC
24 May 2023
24 May 2023
More Acquisitions plc
("More" or the "Company")
Update on Proposed Acquisition of Megasteel
Further to the Company's announcement of 22 May 2023, More
announces a further update regarding the Company's proposed
acquisition of Megasteel Ltd ("Megasteel", the "Acquisition").
The publication earlier this week of the revised terms of the
proposed Acquisition, enabled the Board, in conjunction with its
professional advisers, to engage in detailed conversations with key
More stakeholders to answer any questions and to seek initial
thoughts on the published terms of the revised deal. Following this
exercise, it became clear that broad support existed amongst
shareholders to continue with the proposed Acquisition, with them
making a final decision upon the publication of the final
prospectus and at the subsequent General Meeting.
Following the successful conclusion of this structured
consultation exercise, both the More and Megasteel Boards agreed to
move forward with the Acquisition with a view to completion and
re-listing of the Company, as enlarged by the Acquisition, early in
Q3 2023, on the terms announced on 22 May 2023 and subject to
shareholder approval.
However, certain unsolicited and unprecedented actions by
individuals other than the shareholders directly contacted by the
Company, have now materially and adversely impacted the ability of
the Company to move the transaction forward. In particular, it has
become apparent that parties claiming to be shareholders in More
have approached Megasteel's management and owners directly in
recent days and engaged in abusive and threatening behaviour which
has, understandably, been viewed as totally unacceptable by the
owners of Megasteel.
As reiterated in earlier announcements by More, Megasteel is a
cash flow positive, profitable, business, with a year-end cash
position of over GBP 10 million. There is, and will remain, no
financial or operational imperative for Megasteel to seek a stock
market listing.
It is therefore completely understandable, if entirely
regrettable, that, faced with an unwarranted tirade of abuse and
vitriol directly addressed at them, the Board and owners of
Megasteel yesterday afternoon formally informed the Company that it
was withdrawing from the Acquisition.
The Directors believe that termination of the Acquisition at
this very late stage, after over eight months of successful due
diligence, is not only deeply disappointing but was also entirely
avoidable. But for the completely unacceptable and profoundly
offensive actions of certain individuals, all More shareholders
would shortly have had a chance to individually decide whether or
not to approve the Acquisition.
It is self-evident that shareholders in More have the right to
make their views known to the Company and its professional
advisers, a right which observers will be aware has been properly
and legitimately publicly exercised by a number of Company
stakeholders in recent days. However, aggressive, abusive and
threatening behaviour, targeted directly at Megasteel's owners and
managers, is totally unacceptable.
Following the termination of the Acquisition, it is now the
intention of the Company to lift the suspension in trading of its
shares as soon as practically possible, at which time the Board
will publish full details, inter-alia, of the Company's cash
position.
Rod McIllree, Executive Director of More Acquisitions plc,
said:
"The termination of the proposed Megasteel deal represents a
massive, wasted opportunity; not only for More shareholders, who
have now been deprived of their right to decide on the Acquisition,
and potentially benefit from it, but also for the wider London
stock market. The More Board understands and empathises with
Megasteel's owners, whose first direct 'interaction' with
individuals purporting to be UK small cap investors has proved to
be such a distasteful and unpleasant experience.
The Company will now restart its review process with a view to
identifying other suitable acquisition opportunities for More."
Enquiries:
More Acquisitions plc
Rod McIllree/ Charles Goodfellow
Peterhouse Capital Limited +44 (0)20 7469 0930
Financial Adviser
Narisha Ragoonanthun/ Guy Miller/ Brefo Gyasi
Broker
Lucy Williams/ Duncan Vasey
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the
London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct
Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United
Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution
of this information may apply. For further information, please
contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms
and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information
contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an
anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services.
For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange
use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy
Policy.
END
UPDAIMBTMTMTBTJ
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 24, 2023 07:04 ET (11:04 GMT)
More Acquisitions (LSE:TMOR)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jan 2025 to Feb 2025
More Acquisitions (LSE:TMOR)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Feb 2025