Tender offer for Pennon notes due 2022

RNS Number : 3323S

Pennon Group PLC

16 March 2021

 

Pennon Group plc Announces Tender Offer

for its £100,000,000 Variable Rate Notes due 2022

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) 596/2014 AS IT FORMS PART OF DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018.

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS (INCLUDING PUERTO RICO, THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, GUAM, AMERICAN SAMOA, WAKE ISLAND AND THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS), ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OR IN OR INTO ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO RELEASE, PUBLISH OR DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (SEE "OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS" BELOW)

16 March 2021 .  Pennon Group plc[1] (the Company) announces today an invitation to holders of its £100,000,000 Variable Rate Notes due 2022 (ISIN: XS0311717929) (the Notes) to tender such Notes for purchase by the Company for cash (such invitation, the Offer).  The Offer is being made on the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the tender offer memorandum dated 16 March 2021 (the Tender Offer Memorandum) prepared by the Company, and is subject to the offer restrictions set out below and as more fully described in the Tender Offer Memorandum.

For detailed terms of the Offer, please refer to the Tender Offer Memorandum, copies of which are (subject to distribution restrictions) available from the Tender Agent as set out below.  Capitalised terms used in this announcement but not defined have the meanings given to them in the Tender Offer Memorandum.

Rationale for the Offer  

The Offer is being made to efficiently manage the Company's finance costs, following the sale of Viridor early this financial year.

Notes purchased by the Company pursuant to the Offer are expected to be cancelled and will not be re-issued or re-sold.

Summary of the Offer

A summary of certain of the terms of the Offer appears below:

Description of the Notes	ISIN/ Common Code	Maturity Date	Outstanding Principal Amount	Benchmark Security	Purchase Spread	Amount subject to the Offer
£100,000,000 Variable Rate Notes due 2022	XS0311717929 / 031171792	13 July 2022	£100,000,000	0.50 per cent. UK Treasury Gilt due July 2022 (ISIN: GB00BD0PCK97)	25 basis points (determined on a semi-annual basis)	Any and all

Details of the Offer

Purchase Price and Accrued Coupon Amount

The Company will pay, for Notes accepted by it for purchase pursuant to the Offer, a cash purchase price (the Purchase Price) to be determined at or around 2.00 p.m. (London time) on 24 March 2021 (the Pricing Time) in the manner described in the Tender Offer Memorandum by reference to the sum (expressed as a percentage rounded to the third decimal place (with 0.0005 being rounded upwards)) (such sum, the Purchase Yield) of (i) the purchase spread of 25 bps (determined on a semi-annual basis) (the Purchase Spread) and (ii) the Benchmark Security Rate.

The Purchase Price will be determined in accordance with market convention and expressed as a percentage of the principal amount of the Notes accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offer (rounded to the nearest 0.001 per cent., with 0.0005 per cent. rounded upwards), and is intended to reflect a yield to the scheduled maturity date of the Notes on the Settlement Date equal to the Purchase Yield. Specifically, the Purchase Price will equal (a) the value of all remaining payments of principal and coupon amounts on the Notes up to and including maturity, discounted to the Settlement Date at a discount rate equal to the Purchase Yield, minus (b) the Accrued Coupon Amount.

The Company will also pay an Accrued Coupon Amount Payment in respect of Notes accepted by it for purchase pursuant to the Offer.

Tender Instructions

In order to participate in, and be eligible to receive the Purchase Price and the Accrued Coupon Amount Payment pursuant to, the Offer, Holders must validly tender their Notes for purchase by delivering, or arranging to have delivered on their behalf, a valid Tender Instruction that is received by the Tender Agent by 4.00 p.m. (London time) on 23 March 2021 unless extended, re-opened, amended and/or terminated as provided in the Tender Offer Memorandum.  Tender Instructions will be irrevocable except in the limited circumstances described in the Tender Offer Memorandum.

Tender Instructions must be submitted in respect of a minimum principal amount of Notes of no less than £50,000, being the minimum denomination of the Notes, and may be submitted in integral amounts of £50,000 thereafter.

Indicative Timetable for the Offer

Events		Times and Dates
Commencement of the Offer
Announcement of Offer.  Tender Offer Memorandum available from the Tender Agent.		16 March 2021
Expiration Deadline
Final deadline for receipt of valid Tender Instructions by the Tender Agent in order for Holders to be able to participate in the Offer.		4.00 p.m. (London time) on 23 March 2021
Pricing Time
Determination of the Benchmark Security Rate and calculation of the Purchase Yield and Purchase Price.		At or around 2.00 p.m. (London time) on 24 March 2021
Announcement of Results
Announcement of whether the Company will accept valid tenders of Notes for purchase pursuant to the Offer and, if so accepted, the aggregate principal amount of the Notes accepted for purchase, the Benchmark Security Rate, the Purchase Yield and the Purchase Price.		As soon as reasonably practicable after the Pricing Time
Settlement Date
Expected Settlement Date for the Offer.		26 March 2021

The Company may, in its sole discretion, extend, re-open, amend or terminate the Offer at any time (subject to applicable law and as provided in the Tender Offer Memorandum) and the above times and dates are subject to the right of the Company to so extend, re-open, amend and/or terminate the Offer.

Holders are advised to check with any bank, securities broker or other intermediary through which they hold Notes when such intermediary would need to receive instructions from a Holder in order for that Holder to be able to participate in, or (in the limited circumstances in which revocation is permitted) revoke their instruction to participate in, the Offer by the deadlines set out above.  The deadlines set by any such intermediary and each Clearing System for the submission and revocation of Tender Instructions will be earlier than the relevant deadlines set out above and in the Tender Offer Memorandum.

Unless stated otherwise, announcements in connection with the Offer will be made by the Company by (i) publication through RNS and (ii) the delivery of notices to the Clearing Systems for communication to Direct Participants.  Such announcements may also be made (a) on the relevant Reuters Insider Screen and/or (b) by the issue of a press release to a Notifying News Service. Copies of all such announcements, press releases and notices can also be obtained upon request from the Tender Agent, the contact details for which are below.  Significant delays may be experienced where notices are delivered to the Clearing Systems and Holders are urged to contact the Tender Agent for the relevant announcements during the course of the Offer. In addition, Holders may contact the Dealer Manager for information using the contact details below.

The Offer has been considered by a significant investor who holds, in aggregate 50 per cent. of the outstanding principal amount of the Notes. The investor has informed the Company that they find the Offer acceptable and that, subject to client and other approvals, they intend to participate in the Offer in respect of their holdings of Notes. The investor has advised the Company that this recommendation relates only to the Offer set out in the Tender Offer Memorandum and does not relate to any future offers or proposals which the Company may make. Holders should nonetheless undertake their own detailed assessment of the Offer.

Holders are advised to read carefully the Tender Offer Memorandum for full details of and information on the procedures for participating in the Offer.

Barclays Bank PLC is acting as Dealer Manager for the Offer and Lucid Issuer Services Limited is acting as Tender Agent.

Questions and requests for assistance in connection with the Offer may be directed to the Dealer Manager.

The Dealer Manager

Barclays Bank PLC 5 The North Colonnade Canary Wharf London E14 4BB Telephone: [phone] Attention: Liability Management Group Email: [e-mail]

Questions and requests for assistance in connection with the procedures for participating in the Offer, including the delivery of Tender Instructions, may be directed to the Tender Agent.

The Tender Agent

Lucid Issuer Services Limited Tankerton Works 12 Argyle Walk London WC1H 8HA Telephone: [phone] Attention: Owen Morris Email: [e-mail]

This announcement is released by Pennon Group plc and contains information that qualified or may have qualified as inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (UKMAR), encompassing information relating to the Offer described above. For the purposes of UK MAR and Article 2 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1055 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, this announcement is made by Simon Pugsley, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at Pennon Group PLC.

DISCLAIMER This announcement must be read in conjunction with the Tender Offer Memorandum.  This announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum contain important information which should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Offer.  If any Holder is in any doubt as to the contents of this announcement and/or the Tender Offer Memorandum or the action it should take, it is recommended to seek its own financial and legal advice, including in respect of any tax consequences, immediately from its broker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other independent financial, tax or legal adviser.  Any individual or company whose Notes are held on its behalf by a broker, dealer, bank, custodian, trust company or other nominee must contact such entity if it wishes to tender such Notes pursuant to the Offer. The Dealer Manager is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the arrangements described in this announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum and will not be responsible to any Holder for providing the protections which would be afforded to customers of the Dealer Manager or for advising any other person in connection with the Offer.  None of the Company, the Dealer Manager or the Tender Agent has made or will make any assessment of the merits and risks of the Offer or of the impact of the Offer on the interests of the Holders either as a class or as individuals, and none of them makes any recommendation as to whether Holders should tender Notes pursuant to the Offer. None of the Company, the Dealer Manager or the Tender Agent (or any of their respective directors, employees or affiliates) is providing Holders with any legal, business, tax or other advice in this announcement and/or the Tender Offer Memorandum. Holders should consult with their own advisers as needed to assist them in making an investment decision and to advise them whether they are legally permitted to tender Notes for cash.

OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS

Neither this announcement nor the Tender Offer Memorandum constitutes an offer or an invitation to participate in the Offer in any jurisdiction in which, or to any person to or from whom, it is unlawful to make such invitation or to participate in the Offer under applicable securities laws. The distribution of this announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law.  Persons into whose possession this announcement and/or the Tender Offer Memorandum come(s) are required by each of the Company, the Dealer Manager and the Tender Agent to inform themselves about, and to observe, any such restrictions.  Neither this announcement nor the Tender Offer Memorandum constitutes an offer to buy or a solicitation of an offer to sell Notes (and tenders of Notes in the Offer will not be accepted from Holders) in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful.  In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer and the Dealer Manager or any of its affiliates is such a licensed broker or dealer in any such jurisdiction, the Offer shall be deemed to be made by the Dealer Manager or such affiliate, as the case may be, on behalf of the Company in such jurisdiction.

United States.   The Offer is not being made, and will not be made, directly or indirectly in or into, or by use of the mails of, or by any means or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce of, or of any facilities of a national securities exchange of, the United States.  This includes, but is not limited to, facsimile transmission, electronic mail, telex, telephone, the internet and other forms of electronic communication.  The Notes may not be tendered in the Offer by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility from or within the United States or by persons located or resident in the United States as defined in Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act).  Accordingly, copies of this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Offer are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly mailed or otherwise transmitted, distributed or forwarded (including, without limitation, by custodians, nominees or trustees) in or into the United States or to any persons located or resident in the United States.  Any purported tender of Notes in the Offer resulting directly or indirectly from a violation of these restrictions will be invalid and any purported tender of Notes made by a person located in the United States or any agent, fiduciary or other intermediary acting on a non-discretionary basis for a principal giving instructions from within the United States will be invalid and will not be accepted.  Neither this announcement nor the Tender Offer Memorandum is an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, any Notes or other securities in the United States. Each holder of Notes participating in the Offer will represent that it is not located in the United States and it is not participating in the Offer from the United States, or it is acting on a non-discretionary basis for a principal located outside the United States that is not giving an order to participate in the Offer from the United States. For the purposes of this paragraph, United States means the United States of America, its territories and possessions (including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island and the Northern Mariana Islands), any state of the United States of America and the District of Columbia.

Italy.   None of the Offer, this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Offer has been or will be submitted to the clearance procedures of the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) pursuant to Italian laws and regulations.  The Offer is being carried out in the Republic of Italy (Italy) as an exempted offer pursuant to article 101-bis, paragraph 3-bis of the Legislative Decree No. 58 of 24 February 1998, as amended (the Financial Services Act) and article 35-bis, paragraph 4 of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of 14 May 1999, as amended.  Holders or beneficial owners of the Notes that are located in Italy may tender their Notes in the Offer through authorised persons (such as investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in Italy in accordance with the Financial Services Act, CONSOB Regulation No. 20307 of 15 February 2018, as amended from time to time, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of 1 September 1993, as amended) and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations or with requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian authority.

Each intermediary must comply with the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties vis-à-vis its clients in connection with the Notes and/or the Offer.

United Kingdom.  The communication of this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Offer is not being made, and such documents and/or materials have not been approved, by an authorised person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.  Accordingly, such documents and/or materials are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom. The communication of such documents and/or materials as a financial promotion is only being made to those persons in the United Kingdom falling within the definition of investment professionals (as defined in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the Financial PromotionOrder)) or persons who are within Article 43 of the Financial Promotion Order or any other persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be made under the Financial Promotion Order.

France.  This announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other document or material relating to the Offer have only been and shall only be distributed in the Republic of France to qualified investors as defined in Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.  None of this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum or any other document or material relating to the Offer have been or will be submitted for clearance to or approved by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers.

 

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[1] LEI:  213800V1CCTS41GWH423

 

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