Barry Callebaut share issue to help finance Petra deal
13/06/2013 18:06
ZURICH, June 13 (Reuters) - Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut BARN.S said on Thursday that its majority shareholder will buy half of a new share issue that will help to finance its $950 million acquisition of Singapore group Petra Foods' PEFO.SI cocoa business. The world's largest producer of finished chocolate products said the share issue, which is expected to generate gross proceeds of 279 million Swiss francs ($302 million), will be priced on Friday. EU regulators gave green light to the acquisition on June 7. ID:nL5N0EJ1AQ By committing to buy 50.1 percent of the new shares, Jacobs Holding AG will maintain a similar stake in the overall ownership of Barry Callebaut. The Swiss group said in March that it would raise new equity to finance the Petra Foods deal, as well as issuing $600 million in bonds to refinance a bridging loan. ($1 = 0.9238 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Martin de Sa'Pinto; Editing by David Goodman) ((martin.desapinto@thomsonreuters.com)(+41 58 306 7462)(Reuters Messaging: martin.desapinto.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: CALLEBAUT SHAREISSUE/