Extension to deadline for posting scheme document
16/11/2023 10:35
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RNS Number : 7162T ScS Group PLC 16 November 2023
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.
For Immediate Release 16 November 2023
RECOMMENDED CASH OFFER
for
ScS Group plc
by
Cerezzola Limited
a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Poltronesofà S.p.A.
Grant of extension to deadline for posting of scheme document
On 24 October 2023, the board of directors of ScS Group plc ("ScS") and the
sole director of Poltronesofà S.p.A. ("Poltronesofà") were pleased to
announce that they had reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash
offer by Cerezzola Limited ("BidCo"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Poltronesofà, for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of ScS
(the "Acquisition") and that it was intended that the Acquisition would be
implemented by way of a court‑sanctioned scheme of arrangement under Part 26
of the Companies Act 2006 ("Scheme") (although BidCo reserved the right to
effect the Acquisition by way of an Offer, subject to the consent of the Panel
on Takeovers and Mergers (the "Panel") and the terms of the cooperation
agreement between ScS, Poltronesofà and BidCo dated 23 October 2023).
It was also announced on 24 October 2023 that it was expected that a scheme
document, containing further information about the Acquisition and notices of
a court meeting and general meeting ("Meetings"), together with the associated
forms of proxy ("Scheme Document"), would be posted to ScS shareholders as
soon as practicable and in any event within 28 days of 24 October 2023.
Due to a lack of availability of the court, it has not been possible to
schedule a court hearing meeting in sufficient time in order to post the
Scheme Document to ScS shareholders within 28 days of 24 October 2023.
Accordingly, the directors of ScS have therefore sought an extension to the
deadline for posting the Scheme Document from the Panel. The Panel has granted
such an extension to 17:00 on 29 November 2023.
Enquiries:
ScS Group plc c/o Buchanan +44 (0)20 7466 5000
Alan Smith, Chair
Steve Carson, Chief Executive Officer
Mark Fleetwood, Chief Financial Officer
Chris Muir, Executive Director
Buchanan Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5000
Richard Oldworth scs@buchanan.uk.com
Toto Berger
Verity Parker
Shore Capital - Financial Adviser & Broker to ScS Group plc Tel: +44 (0)207 408 4050
Patrick Castle
James Thomas
Iain Sexton
Ben Canning
Goldman Sachs - Financial Adviser to Poltronesofà Tel: +44 (0)207 774 1000
Chris Emmerson
Giuseppe Pipitone
Important notice
This announcement is for information purposes only. It is not intended to, and
does not, constitute or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of
any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise
dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any
jurisdiction, whether pursuant to this announcement or otherwise. Any offer,
if made, will be made solely by certain offer documentation which will contain
the full terms and conditions of any offer, including details of how it may be
accepted.
The release, distribution or publication of this announcement in jurisdictions
outside the United Kingdom may be restricted by laws of the relevant
jurisdictions and therefore persons into whose possession this announcement
comes should inform themselves about, and observe, any such restrictions. Any
failure to comply with the restrictions may constitute a violation of the
securities law of any such jurisdiction.
Capitalised terms used but not defined in this announcement shall have the
meaning given in the announcement dated 24 October 2023.
Disclaimers
Goldman Sachs, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the
Financial Conduct Authority is acting as financial adviser to Poltronesofà
and BidCo and no one else in connection with the Acquisition referred to in
this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than
Poltronesofà and BidCo for providing the protections afforded to clients of
Goldman Sachs or for providing advice in relation to the Acquisition, the
contents of this announcement or any other matter referred to herein.
Shore Capital, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the
Financial Conduct Authority is acting as financial adviser to ScS and no one
else in connection with the Acquisition referred to in this announcement and
will not be responsible to anyone other than ScS for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Shore Capital or for providing advice in relation to
the Acquisition, the contents of this announcement or any other matter
referred to herein.
Further information
This announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to and
does not constitute, or form any part of, an offer, invitation or the
solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe, otherwise acquire,
subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities or the solicitation
of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction pursuant to the Acquisition or
otherwise.
The Acquisition will be subject to English law and to the applicable
requirements of the Code, the Panel, the Listing Rules, the London Stock
Exchange and the FCA.
The Acquisition will be made solely by way of the Scheme Document, which will
contain the full terms and conditions of the Acquisition, including details of
how to vote in respect of the Scheme. Any voting decision or response in
relation to the Acquisition should be made solely on the basis of the Scheme
Document. ScS Shareholders are advised to read the formal documentation in
relation to the Acquisition carefully once it has been published. Each ScS
Shareholder is urged to consult his or her independent professional adviser
regarding the tax consequences of the Acquisition.
This announcement does not constitute a prospectus or a prospectus equivalent
document.
If you are in any doubt about the contents of this announcement or the action
you should take, you are recommended to seek your own independent financial
advice immediately from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant
or from an independent financial adviser duly authorised under the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended).
This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with English
law and the Code and the 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.
Overseas shareholders
The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in jurisdictions
other than the United Kingdom may be restricted by law and therefore any
persons who are subject to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the United
Kingdom (including Restricted Jurisdictions) should inform themselves about,
and observe, any applicable legal or regulatory requirements. In particular,
the ability of persons who are not resident in the United Kingdom or who are
subject to the laws of another jurisdiction to vote their ScS Shares in
respect of the Scheme at the Court Meeting, or to execute and deliver Forms of
Proxy appointing another to vote at the Court Meeting on their behalf, may be
affected by the laws of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are located
or to which they are subject. Any failure to comply with applicable legal or
regulatory requirements of any jurisdiction may constitute a violation of
securities laws in that jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by law,
the companies and persons involved in the Acquisition disclaim any
responsibility or liability for the violation of such restrictions by any
person. This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with
English law and the Code and the 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 Acquisition will not be made, directly or indirectly, in or into or by use
of the mails or any other means or instrumentality (including, without
limitation, telephonic or electronic) of interstate or foreign commerce of, or
any facility of a national, state or other securities exchange of, a
Restricted Jurisdiction, and the Acquisition will not be capable of acceptance
by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility or from within a
Restricted Jurisdiction. Copies of this announcement and any formal
documentation relating to the Acquisition are not being, and must not be,
directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in
or into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction or any jurisdiction where to do so
would constitute a violation of the laws of such jurisdiction and persons
receiving such documents (including custodians, nominees and trustees) must
not mail or otherwise forward, distribute or send them in or into or from any
Restricted Jurisdiction. Doing so may render invalid any related purported
vote in respect of acceptance of the Acquisition.
If the Acquisition is implemented by way of an Offer (unless otherwise
permitted by applicable law and regulation), the Offer may not be made,
directly or indirectly, in or into or by use of the mails or any other 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 Offer will not be capable of acceptance by any
such use, means, instrumentality or facilities or from within any Restricted
Jurisdiction.
Further details in relation to ScS Shareholders in overseas jurisdictions will
be contained in the Scheme Document.
Additional information for US investors in ScS
The Acquisition relates to the shares of an English company and is being made
by way of a scheme of arrangement provided for under Part 26 of the Companies
Act. The Acquisition, where implemented by way 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 Acquisition and the Scheme will be
subject to the disclosure requirements and practices applicable to a scheme of
arrangement involving a target company incorporated in the UK and listed on
the London Stock Exchange, which differ from the disclosure requirements of US
tender offer and proxy solicitation rules. If, in the future, Poltronesofà
exercises its right to implement the Acquisition by way of an Offer and
determines to extend the Offer into the United States, the Acquisition will be
made in compliance with applicable US laws and regulations.
Forward-looking statements
This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to
the financial condition, results of operations and business of ScS and certain
plans and objectives of Poltronesofà, BidCo and ScS.
These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do
not relate only to historical or current facts. These statements are based on
assumptions and assessments made by ScS, BidCo and Poltronesofà in light of
their experience and their perception of historical trends, current
conditions, future developments and other factors they believe appropriate,
and therefore are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those
forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements often use words such as "anticipate", "target",
"expect", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "goal", "believe", "hope", "aim",
"will", "continue", "may", "would", "could", "should" or other words of
similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements include
statements relating to the following: (i) future capital expenditures,
expenses, revenues, economic performance, synergies, financial conditions,
market growth, dividend policy, losses and future prospects; (ii) business and
management strategies and the expansion and growth of the operations of the
Poltronesofà Group or the ScS Group; and (iii) the effects of government
regulation on the business of the Poltronesofà Group or the ScS Group. There
are many factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Among such factors
are changes in the global, political, economic, business, competitive or
market landscape and regulatory forces, future exchange and interest rates,
changes in tax rates and future business combinations or disposals.
These forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding
the present and future business strategies of such persons and the environment
in which each will operate in the future. By their nature, these
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties
because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in
the future. The factors described in the context of such forward-looking
statements in this announcement may cause the actual results, performance or
achievements of any such person, or industry results and developments, to be
materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed
or implied by such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that
such expectations will prove to have been correct and persons reading this
announcement are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements which speak only as at the date of this
announcement. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements
attributable to Poltronesofà, BidCo or ScS or any persons acting on their
behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement
above. Neither Poltronesofà, BidCo nor ScS undertakes any obligation to
update publicly or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally
required.
No profit forecasts, estimates or quantified financial benefits statements
No statement in this announcement is intended as a profit forecast or estimate
for any period or a quantified financial benefits statement and no statement
in this announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings or earnings
per ordinary share, for Poltronesofà or ScS respectively, for the current or
future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical
published earnings or earnings per ordinary share for Poltronesofà or ScS,
respectively.
Right to switch to an Offer
Poltronesofà reserves the right to elect to implement the Acquisition by way
of an Offer as an alternative to the Scheme. In such an event, the Offer will
be implemented on the same terms (subject to appropriate amendments), so far
as applicable, as those which would apply to the Scheme and subject to the
amendment referred to in Part C of Appendix I to the announcement dated 24
October 2023.
Publication on website
A copy of this announcement will be made available (subject to certain
restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted Jurisdictions), free
of charge, at www.poltronesofa-offer.com and at www.scsplc.co.uk/investors.
Neither the contents of these websites nor the content of any other website
accessible from hyperlinks on such websites is incorporated into, or forms
part of, this announcement.
Hard copy documents
In accordance with Rule 30.3 of the Code, ScS Shareholders, persons with
information rights and participants in the ScS Share Schemes may request a
hard copy of this announcement by contacting ScS's registrars, Equiniti
Limited, on +44 (0)371 384 2050 or by submitting a request in writing to
Equiniti Limited, Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex BN99 6DA,
United Kingdom. The Shareholder Helpline is open from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
(London time) Monday to Friday (except English and Welsh public holidays).
Calls are charged at the standard geographical rate and will vary by provider.
Calls from outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable
international rate.
Please note the Shareholder Helpline cannot provide advice on the merits of
the Acquisition or the Scheme nor give any financial, investment, legal or tax
advice.
For persons who receive a copy of this announcement in electronic form or via
a website notification, a hard copy of this announcement will not be sent
unless so requested. Such persons may also request that all future documents,
announcements and information be sent to them in relation to the Acquisition
in hard copy form.
Information relating to ScS Shareholders
Addresses, electronic addresses and certain other information provided by ScS
Shareholders, persons with information rights and other relevant persons for
the receipt of communications from ScS may be provided to Poltronesofà and
BidCo during the Offer Period as required under Section 4 of Appendix 4 of the
Code to comply with Rule 2.11(c) of the Code.
Disclosure requirements of the Code
Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1 per cent. 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 p.m. (London time) on the 10th
Business Day (as defined in the Code) following the commencement of the Offer
Period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 p.m. (London time) on the
10th Business Day (as defined in the Code) 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
per cent. 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 p.m. (London time) on the Business Day (as defined in the Code)
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 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. If you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to
make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure, you should
contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on +44(0)20 7638 0129.
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