Offer Unconditional
Inland PLC
06 September 2007
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO OR
FROM THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE
A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 06 September 2007
Inland plc
Recommended mandatory cash Offer for
Poole Investments plc
Offer unconditional in all respects
The first closing date of the Offer by Inland plc ('Inland') to acquire the
entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Poole Investments plc
('PI') was at 1.00 p.m. today.
The Offer is unconditional in all respects and will remain open until further
notice.
Level of acceptances and share purchases
As at 1.00 p.m. on 6 September 2007, valid acceptances had been received in
respect of 79,600,819 PI ordinary shares ('PI Shares'), representing
approximately 43.03 per cent. of PI's issued share capital.
This total includes acceptances in respect of 13,352,854 PI Shares in respect of
which Inland had received irrevocable undertakings (from certain of the PI
Directors and their connected persons) to accept the Offer, representing
approximately 7.2 per cent. of the issued share capital of PI.
In addition to the acceptances referred to above, Inland, which held 15,821,500
PI Shares (representing approximately 8.6% of PI's issued share capital) when
the Offer was announced, has since purchased a total of 60,255,855 PI Shares
(representing approximately 32.6 % of its issued share capital) and currently
holds 76,077,355 PI Shares (representing approximately 41.1 % of its issued
share capital) which are registered in its nominee's name. 14,250,000 of the PI
Shares purchased by Inland were subject to irrevocable undertakings.
ACCORDINGLY, AS AT 1.00PM ON 6 SEPTEMBER 2007, INLAND EITHER OWNS OR HAS
RECEIVED VALID ACCEPTANCES IN RESPECT OF 155,678,174 PI SHARES (REPRESENTING
APPROXIMATELY 84.15% OF PI'S ISSUED SHARE CAPITAL).
No associates of Inland hold any PI Shares.
Further acceptances
For PI Shares held in certificated form, Forms of Acceptance not yet returned
should be completed and returned in accordance with the instructions set out in
the Offer Document and on the Form of Acceptance so as to be received as soon as
possible.
For PI Shares held in uncertificated form, Electronic Acceptances should be made
in accordance with the instructions set out the Offer Document so that
settlement occurs as soon as possible.
Any PI Shareholder requiring additional Forms of Acceptance or who are in any
doubt as to the procedure for acceptance, should contact Capita Registrars on
0870 162 3121 or, if calling from outside the UK, +44 (0) 20 8639 2157 (during
normal business hours only).
Settlement
Settlement of the consideration to which any PI Shareholder is entitled under
the Offer in respect of valid acceptances received by no later than 1.00 pm on 6
September 2007 will be dispatched (or in respect of PI Shares held in
uncertificated form, credited through CREST) on or before 20 September 2007.
Settlement of the consideration in respect of valid acceptances received after
1.00 p.m. on 6 September 2007 will be dispatched (or in respect of PI Shares
held in uncertificated form, credited through CREST) within 14 days of receipt
of such acceptances.
Cancellation of PI's admission to trading on AIM and compulsory acquisition
If Inland receives acceptances under the Offer in respect of, and/or otherwise
acquires, in aggregate both 90 per cent. or more in value of the PI Shares to
which the Offer relates and 90 per cent. or more of the voting rights carried by
those shares, Inland intends to apply the procedures set out in sections 979 to
982 (inclusive) of the Companies Act 2006 to acquire compulsorily the remaining
PI Shares on the same terms as the Offer.
Inland intends to procure that PI applies to the London Stock Exchange for the
cancellation of PI Shares from trading on AIM. It is anticipated that such
cancellation will take effect no earlier than 20 Business Days from the date of
this announcement. The cancellation of trading of PI Shares will significantly
reduce the liquidity and marketability of any PI Shares not acquired by Inland.
It is also proposed that PI will be re-registered as a private company.
This announcement should be read in conjunction with the Offer Document dated 9
August 2007. Terms used in this announcement shall have the meaning given to
them in the Offer Document.
Enquiries:
Inland plc,
Stephen Wicks Tel: 01923 713600
Buchanan Communications,
Jeremy Garcia / Susanna Gale Tel: 020 7466 5000
Dawnay, Day Corporate Finance Ltd
David Floyd / Alex Stanbury Tel: 020 7509 4570
Poole Investments plc
David Booth Tel: 07973 820 492
Zeus Capital Ltd
Nick Cowles / Kevin Wilson Tel:0161 831 1512
Dawnay, Day Corporate Finance Limited ('Dawnay Day'), which is authorised and
regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority is acting
exclusively as financial adviser to Inland in connection with the Offer and no
one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than Inland for providing
the protections afforded to clients of Dawnay Day nor for providing advice in
relation to the Offer or any matter referred to herein.
The Inland Directors accept responsibility for the information contained in this
announcement. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the Inland Directors
(having taken all reasonable care to ensure that such is the case) the
information contained in this announcement is in accordance with the facts and
does not omit anything likely to affect the import of such information.
This announcement is not intended to and does not constitute or form any part
of, an offer to sell or an invitation to purchase or the solicitation of an
offer to subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote or
approval in any jurisdiction pursuant to the Offer or otherwise. The Offer has
been made solely through the Offer Document and, in the case of PI Shares held
in certificated form, the Form of Acceptance, which together contain the full
terms and conditions of the Offer, including details of how to accept the Offer.
Any acceptance or other response to the Offer should be made only on the basis
of the information contained in the Offer Document and, in the case of PI Shares
held in certificated form, the Form of Acceptance.
The laws of the relevant jurisdictions may affect the availability of the Offer
to persons not resident in the United Kingdom. In particular, the Offer is not
being made, directly or indirectly, in or into, or by the use of mails or any
means or instrumentality (including without limitation, telephonically or
electronically) of interstate or foreign commerce of, or any facility of a
national securities exchange of any Restricted Jurisdiction and the Offer will
not be capable of acceptance by any such use, means, instrumentality or
facilities from or within a Restricted Jurisdiction. Accordingly, copies of this
announcement and any offer documents are not being, and must not be, in whole or
in part, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from, a
Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the
relevant laws of such jurisdiction.
Persons who are not resident in the United Kingdom, or who are subject to the
laws of any jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom, should inform themselves
about and observe any applicable legal or regulatory requirements.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange