10706
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDICES) AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES,
Placing to raise approximately
The Company has also announced today, in a separate announcement, that it has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire all of the shares in Local
Transaction highlights
The Board believes that the Acquisition will:
· Transform Trinity Mirror into the UK's largest regional news publisher;
· Create a stronger and more resilient organisation enabling the Group to accelerate its strategic transformation;
· Further enhance Trinity Mirror's digital reach.
· Deliver cost synergies - c.
The Board expects the Acquisition to be earnings-enhancing in the first full year following the Acquisition.
About Local World
Local World is one of the largest regional news publishers in the
Local World's print portfolio:
· Comprises 83 print publications: 16 daily print titles, 2 Metro franchises, 36 paid weekly titles and 29 free weekly titles;
· Has its main footprint in the South West and
· Includes 7 of the top 20 regional paid daily titles (by circulation) in
Local World's digital portfolio attracts a growing digital audience with 24 million monthly unique browsers and approximately 167 million monthly page views at
Local World generated revenue and Adjusted Operating Profit* of
*Adjusted Operating Profit means operating profit excluding non-recurring items, restructuring charges in respect of cost reduction measures, pension administrative expenses and the amortisation of intangible assets.
Use of Proceeds
Under the Acquisition, the consideration for the Local World Shares to be acquired by Trinity Mirror will be payable as a combination of cash and Consideration Shares issued to the Sellers. Trinity Mirror will fund the total consideration for the Acquisition, including related transaction costs of the Company by:
· Utilising
· Entering into a new
· Satisfying
· Undertaking a placing of 22,398,041 new ordinary shares, representing 8.7 per cent. of Trinity Mirror's existing issued ordinary share capital to raise net proceeds of
Following the Acquisition, Trinity Mirror will continue to benefit from strong cash generation providing financial flexibility for ongoing investment, potential return of capital to shareholders and continued support for Trinity Mirror's historic defined benefit pension scheme liabilities.
The Placing is not conditional upon completion of the Acquisition. Should the Acquisition not complete, the Board will consider the appropriate application of the net proceeds of the Placing, but it is anticipated that they may be used to support Trinity Mirror's strategic objectives, to reduce net debt or for general corporate purposes.
The Placing
The Placing will comprise an offering of 22,398,041 new ordinary shares (the "Placing Shares") at a price of
The Placing Price represents a discount of 1.6 per cent. to the closing price of
The issue of the Placing Shares is to be effected by way of a cashbox placing. The Company will allot and issue the Placing Shares on a non pre-emptive basis to the Placees in consideration for Numis transferring its holdings of ordinary shares and redeemable preference shares in
The Placing has been fully underwritten by Numis and Barclays, who are acting as joint bookrunners in connection with the Placing, subject to the conditions and termination rights set out in the placing agreement entered into between the Company, Numis and Barclays (the "Placing Agreement"). Further details of the Placing Agreement and the terms and conditions of the Placing are set out in Appendix I to this announcement.
Prospective investors should read Appendix II (which, along with Appendix I forms part of this announcement, such announcement and appendices, together being, the "Announcement") for a discussion of certain factors that should be considered in connection with an investment in the Placing Shares. Prospective investors should be aware that an investment in the Company involves a degree of risk and that, if certain of the risks described in this Announcement occur, investors may find their investment materially adversely affected. Accordingly, an investment in the Placing Shares is only suitable for investors who are particularly knowledgeable in investment matters and who are able to bear the loss of the whole or part of their investment.
The Placing Shares, when issued, will be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing ordinary shares of
Applications have been made to the
This Announcement should be read in its entirety. In particular, your attention is drawn to the "Important Notices" section of this Announcement, to the detailed terms and conditions of the Placing set out in Appendix I, and to the risk factors set out in Appendix II. By choosing to participate in the Placing and by making an oral and legally binding offer to acquire Placing Shares, investors will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its entirety and to be making such offer on the terms and subject to the conditions in it, and to be providing the representations, warranties and acknowledgements contained Appendix I.
The Company has received notifications from several of the directors of their intention to subscribe for new ordinary shares up to the amounts set out below:
Director |
Interest in Ordinary Shares |
Aggregate value of Ordinary Shares to be acquired (£) |
Number of Ordinary Shares to be acquired |
Interest in Ordinary Shares following the Placing |
Resulting holding of Ordinary Shares as % of enlarged issued share capital |
David Grigson |
200,000 |
31,600 |
20,000 |
220,000 |
0.1% |
Simon Fox |
62,659 |
39,500 |
25,000 |
87,659 |
<0.1% |
Vijay Vaghela |
502,873 |
39,500 |
25,000 |
527,873 |
0.2% |
Jane Lighting |
34,800 |
0 |
0 |
34,800 |
<0.1% |
Lee Ginsberg |
0 |
15,800 |
10,000 |
10,000 |
<0.1% |
David Kelly |
0 |
15,800 |
10,000 |
10,000 |
<0.1% |
Helen Stevenson |
10,000 |
39,500 |
25,000 |
35,000 |
<0.1% |
Enquiries: |
|
Trinity Mirror plc
Simon Fox, Chief Executive Vijay Vaghela, Group Finance Director
|
020 7293 3553
|
Numis
Nick Westlake, Lorna Tilbian, Mark Lander, Michael Wharton
|
020 7260 1000 |
Barclays Joint Bookrunner and Corporate Broker
|
020 3134 9801 |
IMPORTANT NOTICES
This Announcement (including the Appendices) has been issued by, and is the sole responsibility of, the Company.
This Announcement is for information only and does not constitute an offer or invitation to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities or investment advice in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is unlawful. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of such jurisdictions. No prospectus will be made available in connection with the matters contained in this Announcement and no such prospectus is required (in accordance with the Prospectus Directive (as defined below)) to be published. Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.
The distribution of this Announcement and the Placing of the Placing Shares as set out in this Announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken that would permit an offering of such shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required to inform themselves about, and to observe, such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
This communication does not constitute an offer of securities to the public in
This Announcement does not constitute an offer of securities for sale, or the solicitation or invitation of any offer to buy or subscribe for or underwrite or otherwise acquire securities in
This Announcement contains (or may contain) statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about future events and other matters that are not historical fact. These forward-looking statements are sometimes identified by the use of a date in the future or forward-looking terminology, including, but not limited to, the words "aim", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "target", "project", "will", "could" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements include matters that are not historical facts and include statements that reflect the Directors' intentions, beliefs and current expectations. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future or are beyond Trinity Mirror's control. They are not guarantees of future performance and are based on one or more assumptions.
Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places throughout this Announcement and include statements regarding the intentions, beliefs or current expectations of Trinity Mirror concerning, without limitation: current and future years' outlook; revenue and revenue trends; EBITDA; capital expenditure; shareholder returns including progressive dividends; net debt; credit ratings; Trinity Mirror's investment in print and digital media; enhancing Trinity Mirror's portfolio of print and digital businesses; the performance and growth of, and opportunities available in, regional print and digital media and Trinity Mirror's positioning to take advantage of those opportunities; expectations regarding competition, market shares, prices and growth; Trinity Mirror's possible or assumed future results of operations and/or those of its associates and joint ventures; investment plans; anticipated financial and other benefits and synergies resulting from the Acquisition, including revenue, operating cost and capital expenditure synergies; and Trinity Mirror's plans and objectives following the Acquisition.
Statements contained in this Announcement regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. Any forward-looking statements in this Announcement reflect Trinity Mirror's view with respect to future events as at the date of this Announcement and are subject to risks relating to future events and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the conditions to the Acquisition being satisfied, increased leverage as a result of the Acquisition, Trinity Mirror's ability to integrate the businesses and retention of key personnel, the successful realisation of the anticipated synergies and strategic benefits and an adequate return on its investment from the Acquisition, consumer behaviour, maintenance of Local World's performance and momentum in its business throughout integration and Trinity Mirror's operations, result of operations, financial condition, growth, strategy, the industry in which Trinity Mirror operates, and the other risk factors highlighted in this Announcement. No assurances can be given that the forward-looking statements in this Announcement will be realised. Trinity Mirror's actual performance, results of operations, internal rate of return, financial condition, distributions to shareholders, the development of its financing strategies and the results or eventual success of the Acquisition may differ materially from the impression created by the forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement. In addition, even if Trinity Mirror's actual performance, results of operations, financial condition, distributions to Shareholders and results of the Acquisition are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.
Forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement apply only as at the date of this Announcement. Subject to any obligations under the Listing Rules and the Disclosure Rules and Transparency Rules or any other applicable law or regulation, Trinity Mirror undertakes no obligation publicly to update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Barclays Bank PLC, acting through its investment bank ("Barclays"), which is authorised by the
Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed on Numis or Barclays by FSMA or the regulatory regime established thereunder, or any other applicable regulatory regime, neither Numis nor Barclays nor any of their respective affiliates accept any responsibility or liability whatsoever for, and make no representation or warranty, express or implied in relation to, the contents of this Announcement, including its accuracy, fairness, completeness or verification, or for any other statement made or purported to be made by it, or on its behalf, in connection with the Company, the Placing, the Acquisition, the Ordinary Shares, the Placing Shares or the Consideration Shares. Each of Numis, Barclays and their respective affiliates accordingly disclaims any and all responsibility or liability whatsoever, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above), in respect of this Announcement or any such statement or otherwise.
Any indication in this Announcement of the price at which Placing Shares have been bought or sold in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. No statement in this Announcement is intended to be a profit forecast, and no statement in this Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings per share of the Company for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per share of the Company. The price of shares and any income expected from them may go down as well as up, and upon disposal of the shares investors may not get back the full amount invested. Past performance is no guide to future performance, and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.
The Placing Shares to be issued or sold pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the
Neither the content of the Company's website (or any other website) nor any website accessible by hyperlinks to the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this Announcement.
APPENDIX I: TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE PLACING
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT IN THIS APPENDIX ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT: (A) PERSONS IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA ("EEA") WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(1)(E) OF EU DIRECTIVE 2003/71/EC AND AMENDMENTS THERETO (THE "PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE") ("QUALIFIED INVESTORS") AND (B) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, PERSONS WHO (I) HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS WHO FALL WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF "INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS" IN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER"), OR ARE HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS OR PARTNERSHIPS OR TRUSTEES OF HIGH VALUE TRUSTS AS DESCRIBED IN ARTICLE 49(2) OF THE ORDER AND (II) ARE "QUALIFIED INVESTORS" AS DEFINED IN SECTION 86 OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 ("FSMA") AND (C) OTHERWISE, TO PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFUL TO COMMUNICATE IT TO (EACH A "RELEVANT PERSON"). NO OTHER PERSON SHOULD ACT OR RELY ON THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. BY ACCEPTING THE TERMS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT YOU REPRESENT AND AGREE THAT YOU ARE A RELEVANT PERSON. THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN RELATE IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS. THIS APPENDIX DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OR ACQUISITION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.
THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR UNDER THE APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TAKEN UP, RESOLD, TRANSFERRED OR DELIVERED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY WITHIN, INTO OR IN
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS, FINANCIAL AND RELATED ASPECTS OF ACQUIRING THE PLACING SHARES.
Persons who are invited to and who choose to participate in the placing of 22,398,041 new ordinary shares (the "Placing") in the capital of
1. it is a Relevant Person (as defined above) and undertakes that it will take up, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business; and
2. if it is in a member state of the EEA and/or if it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, that any Placing Shares taken up by it in the Placing will not be taken up on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be taken up with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any member state of the EEA in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of securities to the public other than an offer or resale in a member state of the EEA which has implemented the Prospectus Directive to
Neither Numis nor Barclays makes any representation to any Placees regarding an investment in the Placing Shares.
Details of the Placing Agreement and of the Placing Shares
Numis and Barclays (together, the "Joint Bookrunners") and the Company have today entered into a placing agreement (the "Placing Agreement") under which, on the terms and subject to the conditions set out therein, each of the Joint Bookrunners has agreed, as agent for and on behalf of the Company, to use its reasonable endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing Shares at the Placing Price (as defined below), failing which to itself take up the Placing Shares at the Placing Price.
Pursuant to the Placing Agreement, each Joint Bookrunner has agreed to underwrite the settlement risk in the event that any Placees procured by it fail to take up their allocation of the Placing Shares.
The Placing Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing ordinary shares of
The issue of the Placing Shares is to be effected by way of a cashbox placing. The Company will allot and issue the Placing Shares on a non-pre-emptive basis to the Placees in consideration for Numis transferring to the Company its holdings of redeemable preference shares and ordinary shares in a Jersey-incorporated special purpose vehicle. Accordingly, instead of receiving cash as consideration for the issue of Placing Shares, at the conclusion of the Placing, the Company will own all of the issued ordinary shares and redeemable preference shares of the Jersey-incorporated special purpose vehicle, whose only asset will be its cash reserves, which will represent an amount approximately equal to the net proceeds of the Placing.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Placing to part fund the consideration payable in connection with its proposed acquisition of the shares in Local
Applications for listing and admission to trading
Applications have been made to the
The Placing Price
A single price of
No commissions will be paid to Placees or by Placees in respect of any Placing Shares.
Participation in, and principal terms of, the Placing
1. Each of Numis and Barclays is acting as a bookrunner and agent of the Company in connection with the Placing.
2. Participation in the Placing will only be available to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited to participate by the Joint Bookrunners. The Joint Bookrunners and their respective affiliates are entitled to participate in the Placing as principal.
3. An offer to take up Placing Shares which has been communicated by a prospective Placee to the Joint Bookrunners which has not been withdrawn or revoked prior to publication of this Announcement will not be capable of variation or revocation following the publication of this Announcement.
4. Each prospective Placee's allocation will be agreed between the Joint Bookrunners (in consultation with the Company) and will be confirmed orally or in writing by any of the Joint Bookrunners (as agent for the Company) following publication of this Announcement and a trade confirmation will be despatched thereafter. This oral or written confirmation to such prospective Placee will constitute an irrevocable legally binding commitment upon that person (who will at that point become a Placee) in favour of the Joint Bookrunners and the Company to take up the number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the Placing Price on the terms and conditions set out in this Appendix and in accordance with the Company's articles of association.
5. Each Placee will have an immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to the Joint Bookrunners, to pay in cleared funds immediately on the settlement date, in accordance with the registration and settlement requirements set out below, an amount equal to the product of the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares such Placee has agreed to take up and the Company has agreed to allot.
6. Each Placee's allocation and commitment will be evidenced by a contract note issued to such Placee by one of the Joint Bookrunners as soon as practicable following the relevant Joint Bookrunner's oral or written confirmation of the relevant Placee's allocation. The terms of this Appendix will be deemed incorporated therein.
7. Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation pursuant to the Placing is confirmed following publication of this Announcement, settlement for all Placing Shares to be taken up pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made at the same time, on the basis explained below under "Registration and settlement".
8. All obligations under the Placing will be subject to fulfilment of the conditions referred to below under "Conditions of the Placing" and to the Placing not being terminated on the basis referred to below under "Right to terminate under the Placing Agreement".
9. By participating in the Placing, each Placee will agree that its rights and obligations in respect of the Placing will terminate only in the circumstances described below and will not be capable of variation, rescission or termination by the Placee.
10. Except as required by law or regulation, no press release or other announcement will be made by the Joint Bookrunners or the Company using the name of any Placee (or its agent), in its capacity as Placee (or agent), other than with such Placee's prior written consent.
11. To the fullest extent permissible by law, neither of the Joint Bookrunners nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any responsibility or liability to Placees (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise). In particular, neither of the Joint Bookrunners nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any liability (including to the fullest extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of the conduct of the Placing or of such alternative method of effecting the Placing as the Joint Bookrunners and the Company may agree.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing is conditional upon the Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not having been terminated in accordance with its terms. The obligations of the Joint Bookrunners under the Placing Agreement in respect of the Placing Shares are conditional on, inter alia:
(a) the representations and warranties of the Company contained in the Placing Agreement being true and accurate and not misleading on and as of the date of the Placing Agreement and Admission by reference to the facts and circumstances then subsisting;
(b) the Company complying in all respects which in the good faith opinion of the Joint Bookrunners are material in the context of the Placing with its obligations under the Placing Agreement to the extent the same fall to be performed prior to Admission;
(c) the Company allotting, subject only to Admission, the Placing Shares to the Placees in accordance with the Placing Agreement; and
(d) Admission taking place by not later than
If (i) any of the conditions contained in the Placing Agreement, including those described above, are not fulfilled (or, where permitted, waived or extended in writing by the Joint Bookrunners) or become incapable of fulfilment on or before the date or time specified for the fulfilment thereof (or such later date and/or time as the Joint Bookrunners may agree); or (ii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in the circumstances specified below, the Placing will not proceed and the Placees' rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such time and each Placee agrees that no claim can be made by the Placee in respect thereof. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this Announcement.
Neither of the Joint Bookrunners nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any liability to any Placee (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in respect of any decision they may make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the time and/or the date for the satisfaction of any condition to the Placing nor for any decision they may make as to the satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the Placing generally, and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of the Joint Bookrunners.
Lock-up
The Company has undertaken that it will not, and will procure that none of its subsidiaries will (save as required by law or the rules or standards of the
Right to terminate under the Placing Agreement
At any time before Admission, either Joint Bookrunner may, in its absolute discretion (acting on behalf of itself and the other Joint Bookrunner), by notice in writing given to the Company terminate the Placing Agreement on behalf of all parties if, inter alia, (i) any of the Company's warranties or representations contained in the Placing Agreement when given or repeated are not true and accurate or have become misleading by reference to the facts and circumstances at such times; or (ii) the Company fails to comply with any of its obligations under the Placing Agreement or otherwise under the terms of the Placing; or (iii) in the opinion of either Joint Bookrunner there has been any change or development (whether or not foreseeable at the date of the Placing Agreement) that would or would be reasonably likely to cause a change in or affecting the condition (financial, operational or otherwise) solvency, liquidity position or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company or the Company together with its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, the effect of which, in any case, would be material and adverse; or (iv) the occurrence of a market disruption event as specified in the Placing Agreement which, in the good faith opinion of either Joint Bookrunner, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the Placing in the manner contemplated in this Announcement or may adversely impact dealings in the Placing Shares following Admission or is likely to materially and adversely affect the price at which the Company's ordinary shares are traded on the
Upon such notice being given, the parties to the Placing Agreement shall be released and discharged (except for any liability arising before or in relation to such termination) from their respective obligations under or pursuant to the Placing Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.
By participating in the Placing, Placees agree that the exercise by the Joint Bookrunners of any right of termination or other discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within their absolute discretion and that they do not need to make any reference to Placees and that the Joint Bookrunners shall not have any liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any such exercise or failure so to exercise.
No Prospectus
No offering document or prospectus has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FCA or submitted to the
Each Placee, by accepting a participation in the Placing, agrees that the content of this Announcement (including this Appendix) is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it has neither received nor relied on any other information, representation, warranty, or statement made by or on behalf of the Company or either of the Joint Bookrunners or any other person and none of the Company, either of the Joint Bookrunners or any of their respective affiliates will be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement which the Placees may have obtained or received. Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude or limit the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation by that person.
Registration and settlement
Settlement of transactions in the Placing Shares following Admission will take place within the system administered by
Each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will be sent a contract note stating the number of Placing Shares to be allocated to it at the Placing Price and settlement instructions. Each Placee agrees that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed in accordance with the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions that it has in place with the Joint Bookrunners.
The Company will deliver the Placing Shares to a CREST account operated by Numis as the Company's agent and Numis will enter its delivery (DEL) instruction into the CREST system. The input to CREST by a Placee of a matching or acceptance instruction will then allow delivery of the relevant Placing Shares to that Placee against payment.
It is expected that settlement will be on
Interest is chargeable daily on payments not received from Placees on the due date in accordance with the arrangements set out above at the rate of two percentage points above LIBOR as determined by the Joint Bookrunners.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that, if it does not comply with these obligations, Numis may sell any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's behalf and retain from the proceeds, for the Joint Bookrunners' account and benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The relevant Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall below the aggregate amount owed by it and may be required to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any interest, fines or penalties thereon) or other similar taxes imposed in any jurisdiction which may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares on such Placee's behalf.
If Placing Shares are to be delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure that the contract note is copied and delivered immediately to the relevant person within that organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares are registered in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should, subject as provided below, be so registered free from any liability to
Representations and warranties and further terms
By participating in the Placing, each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably acknowledges, confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees (as the case may be) with each of the Joint Bookrunners (in its capacity as a bookrunner and agent of the Company, in each case as a fundamental term of its application for Placing Shares), the following:
(a) it has read and understood this Announcement, including this Appendix, in its entirety and that its take up of Placing Shares is subject to and based upon all the terms, conditions, representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings and other information contained herein and undertakes not to redistribute or duplicate this Announcement;
(b) that no offering document or prospectus has been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing and it has not received and will not receive a prospectus or other offering document in connection with the Placing or the Placing Shares;
(c) that the Ordinary Shares are listed on the premium listing segment of the Official List of the
(d) that the Placing is not conditional on completion of the Acquisition and although it is proposed to use the net proceeds of the Placing to part fund the Acquisition, that the Acquisition is dependent upon certain conditions being satisfied and that, accordingly, none of the Company or either of the Joint Bookrunners warrant or represent that the Acquisition will take place;
(e) that none of the Company, the Joint Bookrunners, any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them has provided, and none of them will provide, it with any material regarding the Placing Shares or the Company or any other person other than this Announcement, nor has it requested any of the Joint Bookrunners, the Company, any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such information;
(f) unless otherwise specifically agreed with the Joint Bookrunners, that it is not, and at the time the Placing Shares are taken up by it, neither it nor the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares will be, within or a resident of
(g) that it either:
(i) (A) is not within
(ii) (A) is a "qualified institutional buyer" ("QIB") as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act; (B) has signed and returned to the Joint Bookrunners or their respective affiliates a US investor letter in the form provided to it; and (C) is not acquiring any of the Placing Shares as a result of any form of "general solicitation" or "general advertising" (within the meaning of Rule 502(c) under the Securities Act);
(h) that the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act and that the Placing Shares are being offered and sold only (i) to persons reasonably believed to be QIBs in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act; or (ii) in an "offshore transaction" within the meaning of and in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act, and that no representation has been made as to the availability of any exemption under the Securities Act for the reoffer, resale, pledge or transfer of the Placing Shares;
(i) that the content of this Announcement is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and that neither of the Joint Bookrunners nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them has or shall have any liability for any information, representation or statement contained in this Announcement or any information previously or subsequently published by or on behalf of the Company, including, without limitation, any information required to be published by the Company pursuant to applicable laws (the "Exchange Information") and will not be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any information, representation or statement contained in this Announcement or otherwise. Each Placee further represents, warrants and agrees that the only information on which it is entitled to rely and on which such Placee has relied in committing itself to take up the Placing Shares is contained in this Announcement and any information previously published by the Company by notification to a RIS, such information being all that it deems necessary to make an investment decision in respect of the Placing Shares and that it has neither received nor relied on any other information given or representations, warranties or statements made by either of the Joint Bookrunners or the Company and neither of the Joint Bookrunners nor the Company will be liable for any Placee's decision to accept an invitation to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement. Each Placee further acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in deciding to participate in the Placing. None of the Company, the Joint Bookrunners or any of their respective affiliates has made any representations to it, express or implied, with respect to the Company, the Placing and the Placing Shares or the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the Exchange Information, and each of them expressly disclaims any liability in respect thereof. Nothing in this paragraph or otherwise in this Announcement excludes the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by that person;
(j) that it has complied with its obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993, section 118 of FSMA and in connection with money laundering and terrorist financing under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Acts 2010 and 2013 of
(k) that it is acting as principal only in respect of the Placing or, if it is acting for any other person: (i) it is duly authorised to do so and has full power to make the acknowledgments, representations and agreements herein on behalf of each such person; and (ii) it is and will remain liable to the Company and/or the Joint Bookrunners for the performance of all its obligations as a Placee in respect of the Placing (regardless of the fact that it is acting for another person);
(l) if a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, that the Placing Shares taken up by it in the Placing will not be taken up on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be taken up with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in a member state of the EEA other than
(m) that it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to the public in any member state of the EEA except in circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive which do not result in any requirement for the publication of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of that Directive;
(n) that it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of FSMA) relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not require approval of the communication by an authorised person;
(o) that it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the Placing Shares in, from or otherwise involving, the
(p) if in a member state of the EEA, unless otherwise specifically agreed with the Joint Bookrunners in writing, that it is a Qualified Investor;
(q) if in the
(r) that no action has been or will be taken by either the Company or any of the Joint Bookrunners or any person acting on behalf of the Company or any of the Joint Bookrunners that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in any country or jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is required;
(s) that it and any person acting on its behalf is entitled to take up the Placing Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions which apply to it and that it has fully observed such laws and obtained all such governmental and other guarantees, permits, authorisations, approvals and consents which may be required thereunder and complied with all necessary formalities and that it has not taken any action or omitted to take any action which will or may result in any of the Joint Bookrunners, the Company or any of their respective directors, officers, agents, employees or advisers acting in breach of the legal or regulatory requirements of any jurisdiction in connection with the Placing;
(t) that it has all necessary capacity and has obtained all necessary consents and authorities to enable it to commit to its participation in the Placing and to perform its obligations in relation thereto (including, without limitation, in the case of any person on whose behalf it is acting, all necessary consents and authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred to in this Announcement) and will honour such obligations;
(u) that it (and any person acting on its behalf) will make payment for the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this Appendix on the due time and date set out herein, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other persons or sold as the Joint Bookrunners may in their absolute discretion determine and without liability to such Placee;
(v) that its commitment to take up Placing Shares on the terms set out herein and in the contract note will continue notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be made to the terms of the Placing, and that Placees will have no right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained with respect to the Company's or the Joint Bookrunners' conduct of the Placing;
(w) that its allocation (if any) of Placing Shares will represent a maximum number of Placing Shares which it will be entitled, and required, to take up, and that the Joint Bookrunners or the Company may call upon it to take up a lower number of Placing Shares (if any), but in no event in aggregate more than the aforementioned maximum;
(x) that the person whom it specifies for registration as holder of the Placing Shares will be (i) itself or (ii) its nominee, as the case may be. None of the Company or any of the Joint Bookrunners will be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other similar taxes resulting from a failure to observe this requirement. Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to indemnify the Company and each Joint Bookrunner in respect of the same on an after-tax basis on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to the CREST stock account of Numis who will hold them as nominee on behalf of such Placee until settlement in accordance with its standing settlement instructions;
(y) that none of the Joint Bookrunners, any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them, is making any recommendations to it or, advising it regarding the suitability of any transactions it may enter into in connection with the Placing and that participation in the Placing is on the basis that it is not and will not be a client of any Joint Bookrunner and that no Joint Bookrunner has any duties or responsibilities to it for providing the protections afforded to such Joint Bookrunner's respective clients or customers or for providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor for the exercise or performance of any of its rights and obligations thereunder including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise any termination right;
(z) that in making any decision to take up the Placing Shares, it has knowledge and experience in financial, business and international investment matters as is required to evaluate the merits and risks of taking up the Placing Shares. It further confirms that it is experienced in investing in securities of this nature in this sector and is aware that it may be required to bear, and is able to bear, the economic risk of participating in, and is able to sustain a complete loss in connection with, the Placing. It further confirms that it relied on its own examination and due diligence of the Company and its associates taken as a whole, and the terms of the Placing, including the merits and risks involved, and not upon any view expressed or information provided by or on behalf of any of the Joint Bookrunners;
(aa) that in connection with the Placing, a Joint Bookrunner and any of its affiliates acting as an investor for its own account may take up Placing Shares in the Company and in that capacity may take up, retain, purchase or sell for its own account such Ordinary Shares in the Company and any securities of the Company or related investments and may offer or sell such securities or other investments otherwise than in connection with the Placing. None of the Joint Bookrunners intends to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation to do so;
(bb) that its commitment to take up Placing Shares on the terms set out in this Announcement will continue notwithstanding any amendment that may or in the future be made to the terms and conditions of the Placing and that Placees will have no right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained with respect to the Company's or the Joint Bookrunners' conduct of the Placing;
(cc) that these terms and conditions and any agreements entered into by it pursuant to these terms and conditions and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with such agreements shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of
(dd) that the Company, each of the Joint Bookrunners and their respective affiliates and others will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the representations, warranties and acknowledgements set forth herein and which are given to each Joint Bookrunner on its own behalf and on behalf of the Company and are irrevocable and it irrevocably authorises the Company and each of the Joint Bookrunners to produce this Announcement, pursuant to, in connection with, or as may be required by any applicable law or regulation, administrative or legal proceeding or official inquiry with respect to the matters set forth herein;
(ee) that none of the Company or either of the Joint Bookrunners owes any fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities in the Placing Agreement;
(ff) that it will indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold the Company, each of the Joint Bookrunners and their respective affiliates harmless from any and all costs, claims, liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) including any VAT thereon arising out of or in connection with any breach of the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings in this Appendix and further agrees that the provisions of this Appendix shall survive after completion of the Placing;
(gg) that it has neither received nor relied on any inside information concerning the Company in accepting the invitation to participate in the Placing; and
(hh) if it is a pension fund or investment company, its acquisition of Placing Shares is in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
The foregoing representations, warranties and confirmations are given for the benefit of the Company and the Joint Bookrunners and are irrevocable.
The agreement to allot and issue Placing Shares to Placees (or the persons for whom Placees are contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax relates only to their allotment and issue to Placees, or such persons as they nominate as their agents, direct from the Company for the Placing Shares in question. Such agreement also assumes that the Placing Shares are not being taken up in connection with arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to issue or transfer the Placing Shares into a clearance service. If there are any such arrangements, or the settlement relates to any other dealing in the Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other similar taxes may be payable, for which none of the Company or any of the Joint Bookrunners will be responsible and the Placees shall indemnify the Company and each of the Joint Bookrunners on an after-tax basis for any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax paid by them in respect of any such arrangements or dealings. If this is the case, each Placee should seek its own advice and notify the Joint Bookrunners accordingly.
None of the Company or either of the Joint Bookrunners are liable to bear any transfer taxes that arise on a sale of Placing Shares subsequent to their acquisition by Placees or for transfer taxes arising otherwise than under the laws of the
Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Joint Bookrunners or any of their respective affiliates may, at their absolute discretion, agree to become a Placee in respect of some or all of the Placing Shares.
When a Placee or person acting on behalf of the Placee is dealing with the Joint Bookrunners, any money held in an account with any Joint Bookrunner on behalf of the Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the Placee will not be treated as client money within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the FCA made under FSMA. The Placee acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the protections conferred by the client money rules; as a consequence, this money will not be segregated from such Joint Bookrunner's money in accordance with the client money rules and will be used by that Joint Bookrunner in the course of its own business; and the Placee will rank only as a general creditor of that Joint Bookrunner.
All times and dates in this Announcement may be subject to amendment by the Joint Bookrunners (in their absolute discretion). The Joint Bookrunners shall notify the Placees and any person acting on behalf of the Placees of any changes.
APPENDIX 2: RISK FACTORS
RISKS RELATING TO THE ACQUISITION
Trinity Mirror may sustain losses in excess of the limitations on the Sellers' liability under the Share Purchase Agreement and/or the Sellers may not be in a financial position to satisfy any claims
Under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, the Sellers have given certain representations, warranties, indemnities and covenants in favour of Trinity Mirror. In addition, Trinity Mirror has taken out
The Acquisition is conditional and the conditions may not be satisfied
Completion is conditional upon satisfaction of various Conditions, including the passing of the Acquisition Resolution and Admission of the Consideration Shares, prior to the Long Stop Date (or such later date as the parties may agree).
In the event that the General Meeting resolves not to approve the Acquisition Resolution or the Conditions are not satisfied by the Long Stop Date (or such later date as the parties may agree), the Share Purchase Agreement will automatically terminate.
If the Conditions are not satisfied Trinity Mirror would nonetheless be required to pay significant fees and other costs incurred in connection with the Acquisition (including financing, financial advisory, legal and accounting fees and expenses).
If the Acquisition Resolution is approved at the General Meeting and each of the other Conditions is satisfied prior to the Long Stop Date (or such later date as the parties may agree), Trinity Mirror will be contractually obliged to proceed to Completion unless the Share Purchase Agreement is otherwise terminated in accordance with its terms.
There can be no assurance that the Conditions will be fulfilled or that the Acquisition will be completed.
Local World may not perform in line with expectations
If the financial results and cash flows generated by Local World and its future prospects are not in line with Trinity Mirror's expectations, a write-down may be required against the carrying value of Trinity Mirror's investment in Local World and/or accounting goodwill and other intangible assets generated upon acquisition. Such a write-down may affect Trinity Mirror's (and, following completion of the Acquisition, the
Trinity Mirror and Local World currently operate and, until Completion, will continue to operate as two separate and independent businesses. The Acquisition will require the integration of Local World with the existing businesses carried on by Trinity Mirror and the success of the
The integration of Local World may involve particular challenges, some of which may not be known until after Completion. The process of integrating Local World with the existing businesses carried on by Trinity Mirror could potentially lead to operational interruption or a loss of key personnel, either or both of which could have an adverse effect on the business, financial condition and results of operations of the
Trinity Mirror and Local World expect to incur a number of costs in relation to the Acquisition, including integration and post-Completion costs, which could exceed amounts estimated. There may also be further additional and unforeseen expenses incurred in connection with the Acquisition. These costs could have an adverse effect on the operating results, business, financial condition and prospects of the
Trinity Mirror can offer no assurance that the
Trinity Mirror is targeting synergies from the Acquisition, and the financial planning for the
Realisation of these synergies will depend partly on the rapid and efficient management and co-ordination of the activities of the
Prior to Completion, Local World, and following Completion, the
The calibre and performance of management personnel and other employees, taken together, is important to the success of both Local World, prior to Completion, and to the
Prior to Completion, Local World, and following Completion, the
A significant proportion of the value of Local World relates to its intellectual property rights, in particular its valuable brands and proprietary trademarks, content, services and internally-developed technology. The business of Local World depends (and, following Completion, the
If Local World (or, following Completion, the
If Local World (or, following Completion, the
Third parties may terminate or alter existing contracts with Local World as a result of the Acquisition
Certain of the contracts which Local World has entered into contain "change of control" or similar clauses that allow the counterparty to terminate or change the terms of their contract upon Completion, or may otherwise allow the counterparty to exert leverage to renegotiate the terms of the existing contract upon Completion. Trinity Mirror and Local World will seek to obtain consents from certain of these counterparties to the continuance of the contract after the change of control, and may renegotiate terms with others. There can be no assurance that the
Following Completion Trinity Mirror may not be able to achieve optimal value in respect of the Proposed On-Sale
In connection with the Acquisition, Trinity Mirror has signed heads of terms with
The Acquisition will be funded in part by the New Debt Facility. The costs and terms on which the
RISKS RELATING TO TRINITY MIRROR, LOCAL WORLD AND THE ENLARGED GROUP FOLLOWING THE ACQUISITION
The increasing popularity of digital media may result in decreased print advertising and newspaper sales revenues which may affect the larger regional business of the
The Acquisition will significantly increase the scale of
Pension deficits may grow at such a rate so that annual cash funding consumes a disproportionate level of operating cash flow
Trinity Mirror operates a number of occupational pension schemes. Trinity Mirror pays contributions to its defined benefit pension schemes to make good the past service deficits on terms agreed with the trustees of those schemes. The accounting pension deficit fell during the first half of 2015 by
During 2013 the funding valuations of all schemes were aligned to
The funding position of defined benefit pension schemes on both the IAS19 and other bases can fluctuate depending on market conditions and actuarial assumptions (including long-term discount rates and mortality assumptions). These fluctuations can impact on the contributions payable by Trinity Mirror (and, following Completion, the
Trinity Mirror continues (and, following Completion, the
Trinity Mirror is subject to legal claims for misuse of private information and, following Completion, the
Trinity Mirror and Local World (and, following Completion, the
In addition, Trinity Mirror and Local World are (and, following Completion, the
By way of example, Trinity Mirror continues to cooperate with the Metropolitan Police Service ("MPS") in respect of Operation Elveden (the investigation relating to alleged inappropriate payments to public officials) and Operation Golding (the investigation into alleged phone hacking). In
Trinity Mirror and Local World depend (and, following Completion, the
Trinity Mirror and Local World depend (and, following Completion, the
If Trinity Mirror or Local World (or, following Completion, the
A deterioration in the relationship of Trinity Mirror or Local World (or, following Completion, the
Trinity Mirror and Local World operate (and, following Completion, the
The Acquisition may be reviewed under merger control legislation
The Acquisition is not conditional on the receipt of merger control approval from the CMA. The Acquisition may however be reviewed by the CMA. The CMA has the power to impose on Trinity Mirror an order, such as a "hold separate" order (which would, amongst other things delay the integration of Local World with Trinity Mirror and prevent Trinity Mirror from doing anything which might impair the ability of the Local World business to compete independently in any markets affected by the Acquisition), pending any decision being made by the CMA and the power to require remedies as a consequence of the Acquisition, such as the divestment by the
The Acquisition satisfies the conditions for the notification of media mergers to the Competition and
Any divestments, restrictions or remedies could impose sustained additional costs for the
Trinity Mirror's (and, following Completion, the
There are a number of local markets across the
However, if Trinity Mirror (or, following Completion, the
The availability, cost and terms of debt finance may have an adverse impact on Trinity Mirror (or, following Completion, the
Trinity Mirror's and Local World's profitability and development are not currently impacted by the availability or cost of debt finance. However, Trinity Mirror's or Local World's (or, following Completion, the
In addition, Trinity Mirror's existing financings contain customary financial and other covenants - all of which Trinity Mirror operates within - requiring it to maintain certain financial ratios and thresholds that could in the future restrict its (or, following Completion, the
In addition, if Trinity Mirror (or, following Completion, the
An inability to obtain future funding on reasonable terms, restrictions on its operational flexibility contained in its financing agreements and/or a material failure to comply with the terms of its existing or future financings, could have a material adverse effect on Trinity Mirror's (or, following Completion, the