Disclosure under Rule 2.10(c) of the Takeover Code

Hive Bidco, Inc

18 December 2023

 

DISCLOSURE UNDER RULE 2.10(C) OF THE TAKEOVER CODE

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

18 December 2023

RECOMMENDED CASH ACQUISITION
of
HOTEL CHOCOLAT GROUP PLC
by
HIVE BIDCO, INC.

a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated,

to be implemented by means of a scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006

Update on letter of intent

On 16 November 2023, the boards of directors of Hive Bidco, Inc. ("Bidco") and Hotel Chocolat Group plc ("Hotel Chocolat") announced that they had reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash acquisition (the "Announcement"), pursuant to which Bidco, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated ("Mars"), will acquire the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Hotel Chocolat (the "Acquisition"). It is intended that the Acquisition will be implemented by means of a Court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act. A scheme document in connection with the Acquisition (the "Scheme Document") was published by Hotel Chocolat on 14 December 2023.

The terms and conditions of the Acquisition are set out in the Announcement and are set out in full in the Scheme Document.

Capitalised terms used in this announcement, unless otherwise defined, shall have the meanings given to them in the Announcement.

As set out in the Announcement, on 16 November 2023 Bidco received a non-binding letter of intent (the "Letter of Intent") from Phoenix Asset Management Partners Limited ("Phoenix") to vote (or procure the voting) in favour of the Scheme at the Court Meeting and the Resolutions at the General Meeting (or, in the event that the Acquisition is implemented by way of the Takeover Offer, to accept the Takeover Offer) in respect of 6,878,383 Hotel Chocolat Shares representing approximately 5.0 per cent. of the existing issued ordinary share capital of Hotel Chocolat as at 15 November 2023, being the last Business Day prior to the Announcement. Bidco subsequently announced, on 27 November 2023, that Phoenix had since disposed of 15,400 Hotel Chocolat Shares on 27 November 2023 and, as a result, with effect from such date, the Letter of Intent ceased to apply in respect of such Hotel Chocolat Shares and, as of 27 November 2023, represented 6,862,983 Hotel Chocolat Shares.

Bidco hereby announces that it was informed by Phoenix on 18 December 2023 that Phoenix has now disposed of the remaining 6,862,983 Hotel Chocolat Shares in respect of which the Letter of Intent applied.  As such, there are no longer any Hotel Chocolat Shares to which the Letter of Intent applies.

As set out in the announcement dated 27 November 2023, the disposal by Phoenix of the Hotel Chocolat Shares which were subject to the Letter of Intent does not affect the number of Hotel Chocolat Shares which are subject to the Phoenix Irrevocable Undertaking dated 16 November 2023, pursuant to which Phoenix has irrevocably undertaken to vote (or procure the voting) in favour of the Scheme at the Court Meeting and the Resolutions at the General Meeting (or, in the event that the Acquisition is implemented by way of the Takeover Offer, to accept, or procure the acceptance of, the Takeover Offer) in respect of 14,349,649 Hotel Chocolat Shares representing approximately 10.4 per cent. of the existing issued ordinary share capital of Hotel Chocolat, which remains in full force and effect.

Therefore, Bidco has received commitments and indications of support for the Acquisition from Hotel Chocolat Shareholders in respect of 88,875,376 Hotel Chocolat Shares representing, in aggregate, approximately 64.6 per cent. of the existing issued ordinary share capital of Hotel Chocolat as at the date of this announcement.

Enquiries

Morgan Stanley (Financial Adviser to Bidco and Mars) Laurence Hopkins Imran Ansari Mae Wang Stuart Wright	[phone]
Brunswick (Public Relations Adviser to Bidco and Mars) Max McGahan Rosie Oddy James Baker	[phone]

Further information

This announcement is for information purposes and is not intended to and does not constitute, or form part of, an offer, invitation or the solicitation of an 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, pursuant to the Acquisition or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities of Hotel Chocolat in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. The Acquisition will be made solely by means of the Scheme Document (or, if the Acquisition is implemented by way of a Takeover Offer, the Offer Document), which will contain the full terms and conditions of the Acquisition including details of how to vote in respect of the Acquisition. Any vote in respect of the Scheme or other response in relation to the Acquisition should be made only on the basis on the information contained in the Scheme Document (or, if the Acquisition is implemented by way of a Takeover Offer, the Offer Document). Hotel Chocolat Shareholders are urged to read the Scheme Document because it contains important information relating to the Acquisition.

This announcement does not constitute a prospectus or prospectus equivalent.

Morgan Stanley, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, is acting exclusively as financial adviser to Bidco and Mars and no one else in connection with the matters contained in this announcement and Morgan Stanley, its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents will not regard any other person as their client, nor will they be responsible to anyone other than Bidco and Mars for providing the protections afforded to clients of Morgan Stanley nor for providing advice in connection with the matters contained in this announcement or any other matter referred to herein.

Overseas jurisdictions

The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in or into jurisdictions other than the UK may be restricted by law and therefore any persons who are subject to the law of any jurisdiction other than the UK 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, to vote their Hotel Chocolat Shares with respect to the Scheme at the Court Meeting, or to appoint another person as proxy to vote at the Court Meeting on their behalf, may be affected by the laws of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are located. Any failure to comply with the applicable restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable 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 purposes of complying with English law, the AIM Rules 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 of England.

Copies of this announcement and formal documentation relating to the Acquisition will not be and must not be, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction or any jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws of that 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 the Acquisition. If the Acquisition is implemented by way of Takeover Offer (unless otherwise permitted by applicable law or regulation), the Takeover 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, email 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 Takeover Offer will not be capable of acceptance by any such use, means, instrumentality or facilities or from within any Restricted Jurisdiction.

The availability of the Acquisition (including the Partial Share Alternative) to Hotel Chocolat Shareholders who are not resident in the United Kingdom may be affected by the laws of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are resident. Persons who are not resident in the United Kingdom should inform themselves of, and observe, any applicable requirements.

Further details in relation to Overseas Shareholders are contained in the Scheme Document.

The Acquisition shall be subject to the applicable requirements of the Code, the Panel, the London Stock Exchange, the FCA and the AIM Rules.

Additional information for US investors

The Acquisition is being made to acquire the shares of an English company by means of a scheme of arrangement provided for under English law. A transaction effected by means 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 Scheme will be subject to disclosure requirements and practices applicable in the UK to schemes of arrangement, which are different from the disclosure requirements of the US tender offer and proxy solicitation rules. The financial information included in this announcement and the Scheme documentation has been or will have been prepared in accordance with accounting standards applicable in the United Kingdom and thus may not be comparable to financial information of US companies or companies whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the US. If Bidco exercises its right to implement the acquisition of the Hotel Chocolat Shares by way of a Takeover Offer, such offer will be made in compliance with applicable US laws and regulations.

The receipt of cash pursuant to the Acquisition by a US holder as consideration for the transfer of its Hotel Chocolat Shares pursuant to the Scheme will likely be a taxable transaction for United States federal income tax purposes and under applicable United States state and local, as well as foreign and other, tax laws. Each Hotel Chocolat Shareholder is urged to consult their independent professional adviser immediately regarding the tax consequences of the Acquisition applicable to them.

The Rollover Shares issued under the Partial Share Alternative will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"). Bidco expects to issue the Rollover Shares in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act provided by Section 3(a)(10) thereof ("Section 3(a)(10)"). Section 3(a)(10) exempts securities issued in specified exchange transactions from the registration requirement under the Securities Act where, among other things, the fairness of the terms and conditions of the issuance and exchange of such securities have been approved by a court or governmental authority expressly authorised by law to grant such approval, after a hearing upon the fairness of the terms and conditions of the exchange at which all persons to whom the Rollover Shares are proposed to be issued have the right to appear and receive adequate and timely notice thereof. If Bidco exercises its right to implement the acquisition of the Hotel Chocolat Shares by way of a Takeover Offer, the Rollover Shares will not be offered in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from or in a transaction not subject to registration under the Securities Act.

The Rollover Shares that may be issued pursuant to the Acquisition have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or under the relevant securities laws of any state or territory or other jurisdiction of the United States and will not be listed on any stock exchange. Neither the US Securities and Exchange Commission nor any US state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the Partial Share Alternative or determined if the Scheme Document is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence.

In accordance with normal UK practice and pursuant to Rule 14e-5(b) of the US Exchange Act (to the extent applicable), Bidco or its nominees, or its brokers (acting as agents), may from time to time make certain purchases of, or arrangements to purchase, Hotel Chocolat Shares outside of the US, other than pursuant to the Acquisition, until the date on which the Acquisition and/or Scheme becomes effective, lapses or is otherwise withdrawn. If such purchases or arrangements to purchase were to be made, they would be made outside of the US and would be in accordance with applicable law, including the US Exchange Act and the Code. These purchases may occur either in the open market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at negotiated prices. Any information about such purchases will be disclosed as required in the UK, will be reported to a Regulatory Information Service and will be available on the London Stock Exchange website at www.londonstockexchange.com.

Forward looking statements

This announcement (including information incorporated by reference in this announcement), oral statements made regarding the Acquisition, and other information published by Bidco and Mars contain statements which are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are prospective in nature and are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections of the management of Bidco and Mars about future events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this announcement include statements other than historical facts. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "is subject to", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "goal", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Although Bidco and Mars believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, Bidco and Mars can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are changes in the global, political, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory forces, future exchange and interest rates, changes in tax rates and future business combinations or dispositions, and any epidemic, pandemic or disease outbreak. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements should therefore be construed in the light of such factors. Neither Bidco nor Mars, nor any of their respective associates or directors, members, managers, partners, officers or advisers, provides any representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the events expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements in this announcement will actually occur. You are cautioned not to place any reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only at the date of this announcement. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to Bidco or any member of the Wider Bidco Group, or any of their respective associates, directors, officers, employees or advisers, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above. Other than in accordance with their legal or regulatory obligations, neither Bidco or Mars is under any obligation, and Bidco and Mars expressly disclaim any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Dealing disclosure requirements

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1% 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 pm (London time) on the 10^th business day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10^th business day 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% 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 pm (London time) on the business day 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 Takeover 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. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on [phone] if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.

Rounding

Certain figures included in this announcement have been subjected to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, figures shown for the same category presented in different tables may vary slightly and figures shown as totals in certain tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of figures that precede them.

General

Bidco reserves the right to elect, with the consent of the Panel and subject to the terms of the Cooperation Agreement, to implement the Acquisition by way of a Takeover Offer as an alternative to the Scheme. If the Acquisition is effected by way of a Takeover Offer, and such offer becomes or is declared unconditional and sufficient acceptances are received, Bidco intends to exercise its rights to apply the provisions of Chapter 3 of Part 28 of the Companies Act so as to acquire compulsorily the remaining Hotel Chocolat Shares in respect of which the Takeover Offer has not been accepted.

Investors should be aware that Bidco may purchase Hotel Chocolat Shares otherwise than under any Takeover Offer or the Scheme, including pursuant to privately negotiated purchases.

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 or independent financial adviser duly authorised under FSMA if you are resident in the United Kingdom or, if not, from another appropriate authorised independent financial adviser.

Publication on website

A copy of this announcement and the documents required to be published by Rule 26 of the Code will be made available, subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted Jurisdictions, on Bidco's website at https://www.mars.com/news-and-stories/press-releases-statements/recommended-acquisition-of-hotel-chocolat-group-plc by no later than 12 noon (London time) on the Business Day following publication of this announcement. For the avoidance of doubt, the contents of any websites referred to in this announcement are not incorporated into and do not form part of this announcement.

 

END