Acquisition of London Linen Supply Ltd

RNS Number : 9478L

Johnson Service Group PLC

01 May 2015

 

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPENDIX AND THE INFORMATION IN IT, IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.  THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OR AN INVITATION TO ACQUIRE OR DISPOSE OF ANY SECURITIES.

1 May 2015

Acquisition of London Linen Supply Ltd

Proposed Placing of New Ordinary Shares

Johnson Service Group PLC announces the acquisition of the entire share capital of London Linen Supply Ltd, a specialist supplier of table linen and chefs' wear to the restaurant, catering and hospitality market, based in London.

In addition, JSG announces that it intends to place 30,011,802 new Ordinary Shares to raise approximately £21.1 million, net of expenses.

Highlights

§ Consideration of £65.4 million payable in cash on completion net of estimated cash acquired

§ Intended Placing of 30,011,802 new Ordinary Shares of 10 pence each in the capital of JSG to raise approximately £21.1 million net

§ Acquisition and Placing expected to be immediately earnings enhancing and significantly earnings enhancing in 2016 and thereafter

§ Acquisition in-line with strategy of seeking out value accretive acquisitions and follows the highly successful acquisition of Bourne in 2014 which is continuing to perform ahead of the Directors' original  expectations

§ JSG will become the UK's largest provider in restaurant / catering linen sector

§ Key London Linen clients including Jamie Oliver, The Wolseley and Brasserie Blanc

§ Provides JSG with a processing base close to London market and complements existing Stalbridge business

§ Current trading of JSG is in line with Management's expectations

§ New £120 million financing package agreed with existing banks

Commenting on the Acquisition and the Placing, Paul Moody, Chairman said:

"We are delighted to have completed this acquisition which represents a further significant step in our plan to expand the range and scale of services offered by our Textile Rental business. The new equity maintains the strength and flexibility in our balance sheet which is important as we continue to look for further value enhancing acquisitions."

Chris Sander, CEO of Johnson Service Group, added:

"I have known London Linen for many years and have been very impressed with the quality of their business and the growth achieved in recent years. Its operations will complement our existing Stalbridge business and will give us significant production facilities near to the vibrant London restaurant market."

Acquisition

The total consideration payable for London Linen amounts to £69.4 million in cash at completion including an estimated net cash position of £4.0 million.

London Linen's operations are focused on the restaurant and catering linen rental market and it currently supplies some 900 customers at over 3,400 locations.  London Linen operates from a 76,000 sq ft leased premise located in Southall, West London, which processes, on average, 1.6 million pieces of linen per week, with a peak of some 2.0 million.  The Directors believe that there is 20 per cent. additional processing capacity available before any further investment.  Capital investment in excess of £5.0 million has been made in the business over the last 30 months in order to increase both capacity and production efficiency.  London Linen services customers predominantly in the London area but also covers major cities in the Midlands, the North and the West.  The top 25 customers account for 37% of revenue.

The Directors consider London Linen to be complementary to JSG's existing textile rental services offered by Apparelmaster (workwear rental), Bourne (volume hotel linen rental) and Stalbridge (premium hotel, catering and corporate hospitality linen rental) and the Acquisition is in line with the Group's strategy to broaden the range of services available.  The provision of restaurant linen is part of the growing hospitality sector, particularly in the London area.  The London Linen business has a history of annual revenue growth, achieving an average increase of 8.9% per annum over the last two years, and a reputation for excellent service and operational efficiency within the industry.  With the exception of one of the vendors who retired on completion, the existing London Linen management team will continue with the London Linen business.

London Linen's revenue, adjusted EBITDA¹ and adjusted profit before taxation² for the year ended 25 October 2014 were £29.4 million (2013: £27.2 million), £6.3 million (2013: £5.7 million) and £5.5 million (2013: £4.9 million) respectively.  London Linen's attributable net assets, excluding cash balances, at the same date amounted to £10.3 million.

The Acquisition and the Placing taken together are expected to be immediately earnings enhancing and significantly enhancing in 2016 and thereafter.

______________________________

¹ Adjusted EBITDA refers to operating profit before charging depreciation in respect of property, plant and equipment and before charging the remuneration of the highest paid Director, who is leaving the business.

²  Adjusted profit before taxation is before charging the remuneration of the highest paid Director, who is leaving the business.

New Facility

The Acquisition has been funded from the Group's new bank facility, which was entered into on 24 April 2015, arranged with the Company's existing three banks.  On a pro forma basis, net debt would have increased from the reported £28.5 million as at 31 December 2014 to £73.7 million following the Acquisition and the Placing.  Gearing, on the same pro forma basis would have been 2.1x although the Directors expect this to have reduced to below 2.0x by the end of 2015.

The New Facility, which runs to April 2020, is a £100.0 million Revolving Credit Facility including overdraft.  The initial margin on the New Facility will be 1.75% and will be subject to change based on quarterly gearing covenant tests in the range 1.25% to 2.25%.

In addition to the New Facility, a 364 day short term facility has been agreed for £20.0 million at a fixed margin of 1.25%.

Placing

Under the terms of the Placing, the Company intends to place 30,011,802 Placing Shares at the Placing Price with existing and new institutional investors, raising net proceeds of approximately £21.1 million.  Members of the public are not entitled to participate in the Placing.

The Placing Shares, when issued, will represent approximately 10 per cent. of the Company's existing issued share capital.  The Placing Price of 73 pence per share is equal to the closing mid-market price per Ordinary Share on 30 April 2015, being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this Announcement.

Investec Bank plc is acting as financial adviser and sole bookrunner in respect of the Placing.

The Placing Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect of such shares after the date of issue of the Placing Shares.  For the avoidance of doubt, it is noted that the Placing Shares will not be entitled to receive the final dividend of 1.20 pence per Share for the year ended 31 December 2014 which is due to be paid on 15 May 2015.  The record date for entitlement to such final dividend was 17 April 2015.  The issue of the Placing Shares is to be effected by way of a cashbox placing and will be made on a non-pre-emptive basis.

The Placing is conditional upon, amongst other things, Admission becoming effective and the Placing Agreement between the Company and Investec becoming unconditional and not being terminated, in accordance with its terms.

Application has been made to the London Stock Exchange for the Placing Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM.  Admission is expected to become effective on 7 May 2015 and dealings in the Placing Shares will commence at that time.  Following admission to trading of the Placing Shares, JSG will have 330,129,829 Ordinary Shares in issue.

The Appendix to this Announcement (which forms part of the Announcement) sets out the terms and conditions of the Placing and expressions used in this Announcement shall have the meanings set out in the Definitions section of the Appendix.

Investec, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and PRA and is a member of the London Stock Exchange, is acting exclusively for the Company in connection with the Placing and is not acting for any other person and will not be responsible to any person other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its customers or for providing advice on the transactions or arrangements referred to in this Announcement.

This Announcement has been issued by the Company and is the sole responsibility of the Company.  No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by Investec or by any of its affiliates or agents as to, or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.

Enquiries:

Johnson Service Group PLC
Chris Sander, CEO Yvonne Monaghan, CFO Tel:  [phone]
Investec Investment Banking  (NOMAD)	Bell Pottinger
David Flin Matt Lewis James Rudd	Rollo Crichton-Stuart Gavin Davis Greg Wood
Tel:  [phone]	Tel:  [phone]

 

APPENDIX: TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE PLACING FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPENDIX (TOGETHER THE "ANNOUNCEMENT") AND THE INFORMATION IN IT, IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.  THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS NOT BEEN EXAMINED OR APPROVED BY THE FCA OR THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, NOR IS IT INTENDED THAT IT WILL BE SO EXAMINED OR APPROVED.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS DIRECTED ONLY AT: (A) PERSONS IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN SECTION 86(7) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000, AS AMENDED ("QUALIFIED INVESTORS"), BEING PERSONS FALLING WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(1)(E) OF DIRECTIVE 2003/71/EC AS AMENDED (INCLUDING ANY RELEVANT IMPLEMENTING DIRECTIVE MEASURE IN ANY MEMBER STATE) (THE "PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE"); AND (B) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, QUALIFIED INVESTORS WHO ARE PERSONS WHO (I) HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) ('INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS') OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005 (THE "ORDER"); (II) ARE PERSONS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) ('HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC') OF THE ORDER; OR (III) ARE PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS IN (A) AND (B) TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS"). THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION IN IT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION IN IT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS.  THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE INTO THE UNITED STATES. THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT AND WILL BE OFFERED ONLY IN "OFFSHORE TRANSACTIONS" AS DEFINED IN AND PURSUANT TO REGULATION S UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF SECURITIES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES. NO MONEY, SECURITIES OR OTHER CONSIDERATION FROM ANY PERSON INSIDE THE UNITED STATES IS BEING SOLICITED AND, IF SENT IN RESPONSE TO THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN PLACING SHARES.  THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, ANY PART OF IT OR ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT MAY BE RESTRICTED BY LAW IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS, AND ANY PERSON INTO WHOSE POSSESSION THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, ANY PART OF IT OR ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT COMES SHOULD INFORM THEMSELVES ABOUT, AND OBSERVE, SUCH RESTRICTIONS.

In this Appendix, unless the context requires, "Placee" means a Relevant Person (including individuals, funds or others) who has been invited to, and who chooses to, participate in the Placing and by whom or on whose behalf a commitment to subscribe for Placing Shares has been given.

This Announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or issue, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for, Placing Shares in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is or may be unlawful.

In particular, the Placing Shares referred to in this Announcement have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act or any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and will be offered and sold only outside of the United States in "offshore transactions" as defined in and pursuant to Regulation S under the US Securities Act.  No public offer of securities of the Company is being made in the United Kingdom, the United States or elsewhere.

The relevant clearances have not been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of any province or territory of Canada; no prospectus has been lodged with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained from the South African Reserve Bank or any other applicable body in the Republic of South Africa in relation to the Placing Shares; and the Placing Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offered in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or territory of Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.

Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other legal obligation to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.

Details of the Placing

Investec has today entered into an agreement with the Company (the "Placing Agreement") under which, subject to certain conditions, Investec, as agent for and on behalf of the Company, has agreed to use its reasonable endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing Shares at the Placing Price.

The Placing Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect of such shares after the date of issue of the Placing Shares.  For the avoidance of doubt, it is noted that the Placing Shares will not be entitled to receive the final dividend of 1.20 pence per Share for the year ended 31 December 2014 which is due to be paid on 15 May 2015. The record date for entitlement to such final dividend was 17 April 2015.

The Placing Agreement is conditional upon, amongst other things:

·    admission occurring by 8:00am on 7 May 2015 (or such later time and date as Investec and the Company may agree, not being later than 8:00am on 14 May 2015); and

·    the obligations of Investec not having been terminated pursuant to the terms of the Placing Agreement.

The Placing Agreement contains certain undertakings, warranties and indemnities given by the Company for the benefit of Investec. Investec has absolute discretion as to whether or not to bring an action against the Company for breach of these undertakings, warranties and indemnities.

Investec may terminate the Placing Agreement in certain circumstances, details of which are set out below.

This Appendix gives details of the terms and conditions of, and the mechanics of participation in, the Placing.  No commissions will be paid to Placees or by Placees in respect of any Placing Shares.

Application for admission to trading

Application will be made to the London Stock Exchange for admission to trading of the Placing Shares on AIM.

It is expected that Admission will become effective at 8.00am on 7 May 2015 and that dealings in the Placing Shares will commence on AIM at that time.

 

Participation in the Placing

1.         Investec is acting as sole bookrunner and as agent for the Company. Investec is authorised in the United Kingdom by the Prudential Regulation Authority ("PRA") and regulated by the FCA and the PRA, is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to the customers of Investec or for providing advice in relation to the matters described in this Announcement. Participation in the Placing is only available to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited to participate in it by Investec.  Investec and its affiliates are each entitled to participate in the Placing as principal.

2.         The price per Placing Share is fixed at 73 pence and is payable to Investec by all Placees.

3.         Each Placee's allocation will be confirmed orally to such Placee by Investec, as agent of the Company and a contract note will be dispatched as soon as possible thereafter. That oral confirmation will constitute an irrevocable, legally binding commitment upon that person (who at that point will become a Placee) in favour of the Company and Investec to subscribe for 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. Except with Investec's consent, such commitment will not be capable of variation or revocation after the time at which it is submitted.

4.         Each Placee's allocation and commitment will be evidenced by a contract note issued to such Placee by Investec.  The terms of this Appendix will be deemed incorporated in that contract note.

5.         Each Placee will also have an immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to Investec (as agent of the Company), to pay it (or as it may direct) in cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares such Placee has agreed to subscribe for and the Company has agreed to allot and issue to that Placee.

6.     Each Placee will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its entirety, to be participating in the Placing upon the terms and subject to the conditions contained in this Announcement and to be providing the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgements and undertakings, in each case as contained in this Announcement.

7.         Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation pursuant to the Placing is confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares to be subscribed for 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 "Termination of 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 rescission or termination by the Placee.

10.     To the fullest extent permitted by law and applicable FCA rules, neither (i) Investec, (ii) any of its directors, officers, employees or consultants nor (iii) to the extent not contained with (i) or (ii), any person connected with Investec as defined in FSMA ((ii) and (iii) being together "affiliates" and individually an "affiliate" of Investec), shall have any liability (including, to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) to Placees or to any person other than the Company in respect of the Placing.  In particular, neither Investec nor any of its affiliates shall have any liability in respect of Investec's conduct of the Placing or of such alternative method of effecting the Placing as Investec and the Company may agree.

Conditions of the Placing

Investec's obligations under the Placing Agreement in respect of the Placing Shares are conditional on, amongst other things:

(a)       the warranties contained in the Placing Agreement being true, accurate and not misleading at all times prior to Admission by reference to the facts and circumstances then subsisting;

(b)       the Company complying with its obligations under the Placing Agreement in so far as they are required to be performed prior to Admission;

(c)        in the opinion of Investec there having been no Material Adverse Change at any time prior to Admission (whether or not foreseeable at the date of the Placing Agreement); and

(d)     Admission taking place by 8.00 a.m. on 7 May 2015 (or such later date as Investec may otherwise determine, being no later than 8.00 a.m. on 14 May 2015).

If (i) any condition contained in the Placing Agreement is not fulfilled or waived by Investec by the respective time or date specified (or such later time or date as the Company and Investec may agree), (ii) any such condition becomes incapable of being satisfied or (iii) 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.

Investec may, at its discretion and upon such terms as it thinks fit, waive compliance by the Company with the whole or any part of any of the Company's obligations in relation to the conditions in the Placing Agreement, save that condition (d) above relating to Admission may not be waived. Any such extension or waiver will not affect the Placees' commitments as set out in this Announcement.

Neither Investec nor the Company 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 Investec. 

Termination of the Placing Agreement

Investec is entitled, at any time prior to Admission, to terminate the Placing Agreement in the event that, amongst other things in Investec's opinion:

(a)        there has been a breach of any of the warranties under the Placing Agreement and/or the Company is in breach of any of its obligations under the Placing Agreement; or

(b)     any statement contained in this Announcement, or any other document or announcement issued or published by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the Placing (together the "Placing Documents"), is or has become untrue, incorrect or misleading in any material respect, or any matter has arisen which would, if the Placing were made at that time, constitute a material omission from the Placing Documents, or any of them; or

(c)    a Material Adverse Change has occurred (whether or not foreseeable at the date of the Placing Agreement); or

(d)      there has occurred (i)  any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States, the United Kingdom or in any member of associate member of the European Union or the international financial markets, outbreak or escalation of hostilities, war, act of terrorism, declaration of emergency or martial law or other calamity or crisis or event or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic, monetary or markets conditions or currency exchange rates or controls; or (ii) trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the London Stock Exchange on any exchange or over-the-counter market, or if  trading generally on the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ National Market or the London Stock Exchange has been suspended or materially limited,  or  maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any said exchanges or by any governmental authority, or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or in Europe; or (ii) a banking moratorium has been declared by the authorities of the United States, the United Kingdom or New York or a member or associate member of the European Union, which in ease case, in Investec's opinion is likely to prejudice the success of the Placing or make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the Placing.

Upon such termination, the parties to the Placing Agreement shall be released and discharged from their respective obligations under or pursuant to the Placing Agreement (except for any liability arising before or in relation to such termination), subject to certain exceptions.

By participating in the Placing, Placees agree that the exercise by Investec of any right of termination or other discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of Investec and that it need not make any reference to Placees and that it shall have no 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 in relation to the Placing or the Placing Shares and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of the information contained in this Announcement (including this Appendix).

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 Investec or any other person and neither Investec, the Company nor any other person 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 the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation.

Registration and settlement

Settlement of transactions in the Placing Shares (ISIN: GB0004762810) following Admission will take place within the system administered by Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited ("CREST"), subject to certain exceptions.  Investec reserves the right to require settlement for, and delivery of, the Placing Shares (or a portion thereof) to Placees in certificated form if, in Investec's opinion, delivery or settlement is not possible or practicable within the CREST system within the timetable set out in this Announcement or would not be consistent with the regulatory requirements in any Placee's jurisdiction.

Following close of the Placing, each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will be sent a contract note in accordance with the standing arrangements in place with Investec, stating the number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the Placing Price, the aggregate amount owed by such Placee to Investec and settlement instructions.  Each Placee agrees that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed in accordance with either the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions that it has in place with Investec.

The Company will deliver the Placing Shares to a CREST account operated by Investec as agent for the Company and Investec will enter its delivery (DEL) instruction into the CREST system.  Investec will hold any Placing Shares delivered to this account as nominee for the Placees.  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 take place on 7 May 2015 on a T+3 basis in accordance with the instructions set out in the contract note.

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 Investec.

Each Placee agrees that, if it does not comply with these obligations, Investec may sell any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's behalf and retain from the proceeds, for Investec's 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 or penalties) 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 UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax.

Placees will not be entitled to receive any fee or commission in connection with the Placing.

Representations and warranties

By participating in the Placing each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) acknowledges, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees (as the case may be) that:

1.        it has read this Announcement (including the Appendix) in its entirety and its acquisition of the Placing Shares is subject to the terms and conditions of the Placing as referred to and included in this Announcement;

2.         no offering document or prospectus has been prepared in connection with the Placing and that it has not received and will not receive a prospectus or other offering document in connection with the Placing;

3.       the Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on AIM, and the Company is therefore required to publish certain business and financial information in accordance with the rules and practices of AIM (collectively "Exchange Information"), which includes a description of the nature of the Company's business and the Company's most recent balance sheet and profit and loss account and that the Placee is able to obtain or access such information or comparable information concerning any other publicly traded company without undue difficulty;

4.       (i) it has made its own assessment of the Placing Shares and has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing; (ii) none of Investec, the Company, any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them has provided, or will provide, it with any material regarding the Placing Shares in addition to this Announcement; and (iii) it has not requested Investec, the Company or any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such information;

5.      the content of this Announcement is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and that none of Investec, its affiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf has or shall have any liability for any information, representation or statement contained in this Announcement or any information previously or concurrently published by or on behalf of the Company 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 elsewhere;

6.        none of Investec, the Company or any of theiraffiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf has made any representations to it, express or implied, with respect to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of any Exchange Information and each of them expressly disclaims any liability in respect thereof (save that nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation);

7.       the only information on which it has relied in committing itself to subscribe for the Placing Shares is contained in this Announcement and that it has not received or relied on any information given, or any representations, warranties or statements made, by Investec, the Company, any of their affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them and none of Investec, the Company, any of their affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them will be liable for its decision to accept an invitation to participate in the Placing based on any information, representation, warranty or statement other than that contained in this Announcement;

8.         it has neither received nor relied on any confidential price sensitive information concerning the Company in accepting this invitation to participate in the Placing;

9.     it has the funds available to pay for the Placing Shares for which it has agreed to subscribe and acknowledges, agrees and undertakes that it will pay the total subscription amount in accordance with the terms of this Announcement on the due time and date set out herein, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other placees or sold at such price as Investec determines;

10.      it: (i) is entitled to subscribe for the Placing Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions; (ii) has fully observed such laws; (iii) has the requisite capacity and authority and is entitled to enter into and to perform its obligations as a subscriber for Placing Shares and will honour such obligations; and (iv) has obtained all necessary consents and authorities (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) to enable it to enter into the transactions contemplated hereby and to perform its obligations in relation thereto and, in particular, if it is a pension fund or investment company it is aware of and acknowledges it is required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to its subscription for Placing Shares;

11.     it is not, and any person who it is acting on behalf of is not, and at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed will not be, a resident of, or with an address in, or subject to the laws of, Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa, and it acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered or otherwise qualified under the securities legislation of Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa and may not be offered, sold, or acquired, directly or indirectly, within those jurisdictions;

12.       (i) the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act or with any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, nor approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission in the United States or any other United States regulatory authority, (ii) it will not offer, sell or deliver, directly or indirectly, any Placing Shares in or into the United States other than pursuant to an effective registration under the US Securities Act or in a transaction exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements thereunder and in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and (iii) it is outside of the United States, not acting on a non-discretionary basis for the account or benefit of a person located within the United States at the time the undertaking to acquire the Placing Shares is given and is otherwise acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" meeting the requirements of Regulation S under the US Securities Act;

13.      it is a person of a kind described in (i) Article 19(5) (Investment Professionals) and/or 49(2) (High net worth companies etc.) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended, and/or an authorised person as defined in section 31 of FSMA; and (ii) section 86(7) of FSMA ("Qualified Investor"), being a person falling within Article 2.1(e) the Prospectus Directive.  For such purposes, it undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage and (if applicable) dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business only;

14.     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 and it acknowledges and agrees that this Announcement has not been approved by Investec in its capacity as an authorised person under section 21 of FSMA and it may not therefore be subject to the controls which would apply if it was made or approved as financial promotion by an authorised person;

15.       it is aware of and acknowledges that it is required to 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 United Kingdom;

16.       it will not make any offer to the public of the Placing Shares and has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to persons in the United Kingdom or elsewhere in the European Economic Area prior to Admission, except to persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their business or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted in and which will not result in an offer to the public in the United Kingdom for the purposes of section 85(1) of FSMA or an offer to the public in any other member state of the European Economic Area within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive;

17.       it has not been engaged to subscribe for the Placing Shares on behalf of any other person who is not a Qualified Investor unless the terms on which it is engaged enable it to make decisions concerning the acceptance of offers of transferable securities on the client's behalf without reference to the client, as described in section 86(2) of FSMA;

18.       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 Investec 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);

19.       no action has been or will be taken by either the Company, Investec or any of their affiliates or any person acting on their behalf that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in any country or jurisdiction;

20.       it is aware of and acknowledges that it is required to comply with its obligations in connection with money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 (the "Regulations") and, if making payment on behalf of a third party, that satisfactory evidence has been obtained and recorded by it to verify the identity of the third party as required by the Regulations;

21.        it is aware of the obligations regarding insider dealing in the Criminal Justice Act 1993, section 118 of FSMA and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and confirms that it has and will continue to comply with those obligations;

22.        the allocation, allotment, issue and delivery to it, or the person specified by it for registration as a holder of Placing Shares, will not give rise to a stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax liability under any of sections 67, 70, 93 or 96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance services) and that no instrument under which it subscribes for Placing Shares (whether as principal, agent or nominee) would be subject to stamp duty or the increased rates referred to in those sections and that it, or the person specified by it for registration as a holder of Placing Shares, is not participating in the Placing as nominee or agent for any person or persons to whom the allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of Placing Shares would give rise to such a liability;

23.        it, or the person specified by it for registration as a holder of the Placing Shares, will be liable for any stamp duty and all other stamp, issue, securities, transfer, registration, documentary or other duties or taxes (including any interest, fines or penalties relating thereto), if any, payable on acquisition of any of the Placing Shares or the agreement to subscribe for the Placing Shares and acknowledges and agrees that none of Investec, the Company, any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of them will be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax resulting from a failure to observe this requirement.  Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to participate in the Placing, and agrees to indemnify the Company and Investec on an after‑tax basis in respect of the same, on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to the CREST stock account of Investec who will hold them as nominee on behalf of such Placee until settlement in accordance with its standing settlement instructions; 

24.        none of Investec, any of its affiliates 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 for any information previously published by or on behalf of the Company or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available or filed information or any representation, warranty or undertaking relating to the Company, and will not be liable for its decision to participate in the Placing based on any information, representation, warranty or statement contained in this Announcement or elsewhere, provided that nothing in this paragraph shall exclude any liability of any person for fraud;

25.     none of Investec, any of its affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them is making any recommendations to it, advising it regarding the suitability of any transactions it may enter into in connection with the Placing and that its participation in the Placing is on the basis that it is not and will not be a client of Investec and that Investec has no duties or responsibilities to it for providing the protections afforded to its clients or customers under the rules of the FCA, for providing advice in relation to the Placing, in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement or 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;

26.       in order to ensure compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, Investec (for itself and as agent on behalf of the Company) or the Company's registrars may, in their absolute discretion, require verification of its identity.  Pending the provision to Investec or the Company's registrars, as applicable, of evidence of identity, definitive certificates in respect of the Placing Shares may be retained at Investec's absolute discretion or, where appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in uncertificated form may be delayed at Investec's or the Company's registrars', as the case may be, absolute discretion.  If within a reasonable time after a request for verification of identity Investec (for itself and as agent on behalf of the Company) or the Company's registrars have not received evidence satisfactory to them, Investec and/or the Company may, at its absolute discretion, terminate its commitment in respect of the Placing, in which event the monies payable on acceptance of allotment will, if already paid, be returned without interest to the account of the drawee's bank from which they were originally debited;

27.       Investec and its affiliates, acting as an investor for its or their own account(s), may bid or subscribe for and/or purchase Placing Shares and, in that capacity, may retain, purchase, offer to sell or otherwise deal for its or their own account(s) in the Placing Shares, any other securities of the Company or other related investments in connection with the Placing or otherwise.  Accordingly, references in this Announcement to the Placing Shares being offered, subscribed, acquired or otherwise dealt with should be read as including any offer to, or subscription, acquisition or dealing by, Investec and/or any of their respective affiliates acting as an investor for its or their own account(s).  Neither Investec nor the Company intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transaction otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation to do so;

28.       these terms and conditions and any agreements entered into by it pursuant to these terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and it submits (on behalf of itself and on behalf of any person on whose behalf it is acting) to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts as regards any claim, dispute or matter arising out of any such contract, except that enforcement proceedings in respect of the obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together with any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by the Company or Investec in any jurisdiction in which the relevant Placee is incorporated or in which any of its securities have a quotation on a recognised stock exchange;

29.        the Company, Investec and their respective affiliates and others will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing agreements, acknowledgements, representations, warranties and undertakings which are given to Investec, on its own behalf and on behalf of the Company, and are irrevocable;

30.       it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised officer of Investec as its agent for the purpose of executing and delivering to the Company and/or its registrars any documents on its behalf necessary to enable it to be registered as the holder of any of the Placing Shares for which it agrees to subscribe or purchase upon the terms of this Announcement;

31.      it will indemnify on an after tax basis and hold the Company, Investec and their respective affiliates harmless from any and all costs, claims, liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) arising out of or in connection with any breach of the representations, warranties, undertakings, agreements and acknowledgements in this Appendix and further agrees that the provisions of this Appendix shall survive after completion of the Placing;

32.      (i) it has knowledge and experience in financial, business and international investment matters and is required to evaluate the merits and risks of subscribing for the Placing Shares; (ii) it is experienced in investing in securities of this nature and is aware that it may be required to bear, and is able to bear, the economic risk of, and is able to sustain a complete loss in connection with, the Placing; and (iii) it has relied upon 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

33.       its commitment to subscribe for 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 it will have no right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained with respect to the Company's conduct of the Placing.

The representations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in this Appendix are given to Investec for itself and on behalf of the Company and are irrevocable.

The agreement to settle a Placee's subscription (and/or the subscription of a person for whom such Placee is contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax depends on the settlement relating only to a subscription by it and/or such person direct from the Company for the Placing Shares in question. Such agreement assumes that the Placing Shares are not being subscribed for in connection with arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to transfer the Placing Shares into a clearance service. If there are any such arrangements, or the settlement relates to any other subsequent dealing in the Placing Shares, UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax may be payable, for which neither the Company nor Investec will be responsible, and the Placee to whom (or on behalf of whom, or in respect of the person for whom it is participating in the Placing as an agent or nominee) the allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of Placing Shares has given rise to such UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax undertakes to pay such UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax forthwith and to indemnify on an after-tax basis and to hold harmless the Company and Investec in the event that any of the Company and/or Investec has incurred any such liability to UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax. If this is the case, each Placee should seek its own advice and notify Investec accordingly.

In addition, Placees should note that they will be liable for any stamp duty and all other stamp, issue, securities, transfer, registration, documentary or other duties or taxes (including any interest, fines or penalties relating thereto) payable outside the United Kingdom by them or any other person on the subscription by them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to subscribe for any Placing Shares.

Each Placee, and any person acting on behalf of the Placee, acknowledges and agrees that Investec does not owe any fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities in the Placing Agreement.

Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of each Placee, acknowledges and agrees that Investec or any of its 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 Investec, any money held in an account with Investec 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 and agrees 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 Investec's money in accordance with the client money rules and will be used by Investec in the course of its own business; and the Placee will rank only as a general creditor of Investec.

Past performance is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.

Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this Announcement.

All times and dates in this Announcement may be subject to amendment.

DEFINITIONS

In addition to the terms previously defined, the following definitions apply throughout this Announcement unless the context otherwise requires:

"Acquisition"	acquisition of the entire issued share capital of London Linen Supply Limited;
"Admission"	admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM;
"AIM"	AIM, a market of the London Stock Exchange;
"Company" or "JSG"	Johnson Service Group plc;
"CREST"	the relevant system (as defined in the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001) for the paperless settlement of trades and the holding of uncertificated securities operated by Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited;
"Investec"	Investec Bank plc;
"FCA"	the Financial Conduct Authority;
"FSMA"	the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000 (as amended);
"Group"	the Company and all its subsidiary undertakings and "Group Company" means any of the them;
"London Linen" "London Stock Exchange"	London Linen Supply Ltd; London Stock Exchange plc;
"Material Adverse Change"	anything that has or is likely to have a material adverse effect on the business, operations, assets, condition (financial or otherwise), funding position, liquidity or solvency of the Company or the Group as a whole;
"New Facility"	the Group's new bank facility which was entered into on 24 April 2015 arranged with the Company's existing three banks;
"Ordinary Shares"	ordinary shares of 10 pence each in the capital of the Company;
"Placing"	the placing of the Placing Shares by Investec as agent for and on behalf of the Company pursuant to the Placing Agreement and on and subject to the terms and conditions set out or referred to in this Announcement;
"Placing Price"	73 pence per Placing Share;
"Placing Shares"	30,011,802 new Ordinary Shares to be issued in connection with the Placing;
"PRA"	Prudential Regulation Authority;
"UK" or "United Kingdom"	the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
"United States" or "USA"	United States of America, its territories and possessions, any state of the United States of America and the District of Columbia and all other areas subject to its jurisdiction; and
"US Securities Act"	the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

END

 

 

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