NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OR TRANSMISSION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA OR THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
23 March 2009
PREMIER FOODS PLC
Result of General Meeting
The Board of Directors of Premier Foods plc ('Premier', or the 'Company') is pleased to announce that the Resolution proposed at the General Meeting today to approve the proposed Placing and Open Offer and Firm Placing of 1,553,416,776 New Ordinary Shares and other related matters was duly passed without amendment by the required majority on a show of hands.
David Kappler, Chairman of Premier, commented: 'We believe that the support of the Placing and Open Offer and Firm Placing represents an important endorsement of Premier's long-term strategy and vision, and underscores the confidence of shareholders in Premier and its management team.'
Further details of the Resolution were set out in a combined prospectus and circular to shareholders of Premier published on 5 March 2009.
The proxy votes over 511,086,153 Ordinary Shares lodged in respect of the Resolution are as follows:
Resolution |
Shares For |
% of vote |
Shares Against |
% of vote |
Votes Withheld |
% of vote |
1 |
489,829,501 |
95.84% |
20,152,009 |
3.94% |
1,104,643 |
0.22% |
Premier has forwarded two copies of the Resolution passed at the General Meeting to the Document Viewing Facility of the UK Listing Authority, where they will shortly be available for viewing at the following address:
Document Viewing Facility
UK Listing Authority
The Financial Services Authority
25 The North Colonnade
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5HS
Tel: 020 7066 1000
The full text of the Resolution can also be viewed on the Company's website, www.premierfoods.co.uk.
The Placing and Open Offer and Firm Placing remain conditional upon the Placing Agreement becoming unconditional in all respects and upon Admission.
Set out below is an expected timetable of principal events in relation to the Placing and Open Offer and Firm Placing.
EXPECTED TIMETABLE OF PRINCIPAL EVENTS
|
|
Event |
Time and/or date |
Admission and commencement of dealings in the New Ordinary Shares |
8.00 a.m. on 24 March 2009 |
New Ordinary Shares in uncertificated form expected to be credited to accounts in CREST |
8.00 a.m. on 24 March 2009 |
Despatch of definitive share certificates for the New Ordinary Shares in certificated form |
by 30 March 2009 |
|
|
(1) References to times in this announcement are to London time unless otherwise stated.
(2) The times and dates set out in the expected timetable of principal events above and mentioned throughout this announcement may be adjusted by Premier in which event details of the new times and dates will be notified to the UK Listing Authority, the London Stock Exchange and, where appropriate, Qualifying Shareholders. In particular, in the event that withdrawal rights arise under Section 87Q of FSMA prior to Admission, Premier and the Banks may agree to defer Admission until such time as such withdrawal rights no longer apply.
This announcement should be read in conjunction with the full text of the Prospectus published by Premier on 5 March 2009. A copy of the Prospectus is available for inspection at the UK Listing Authority's Document Viewing Facility, which is situated at: The Financial Services Authority, 25 The North Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HS. In addition, copies of the Prospectus are available for inspection during normal business hours on Monday to Friday of each week (public holidays excepted) at Premier Foods plc, Premier House, Centrium Business Park, Griffiths Way, St. Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 2RE and at Weil Gotshal & Manges, 1 South Place, London EC2M 2WG up to and including the date of Admission and have also been published at www.premierfoods.co.uk.
Capitalised terms used, but not defined, in this announcement have the same meanings as given to them in the Prospectus.
For further information, please contact:
Premier Foods plc Gwyn Tyley, Director of Investor Relations Richard Godden, Investor Relations Manager |
+44 (0) 1727 815 850 |
Maitland Neil Bennett Brian Hudspith Emma Burdett |
+44 (0) 20 7379 5151 |
Goldman Sachs International (Joint Sponsor and Joint Financial Adviser) Anthony Gutman Dominic Lee |
+44 (0) 20 7774 1000 |
Rothschild (Joint Sponsor and Joint Financial Adviser) Akeel Sachak Adam Young |
+44 (0) 20 7280 5000 |
Citi (Joint Bookrunner, Joint Broker and Joint Underwriter) Nigel Mills Alex Carter |
+44 (0) 20 7986 4000 |
RBS Hoare Govett (Joint Bookrunner, Joint Broker and Joint Underwriter) Paul Nicholls Luke Simpson |
+44 (0) 20 7678 8000 |
This announcement has been issued by, and is the sole responsibility of, Premier.
Goldman Sachs International, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting as joint sponsor and joint financial adviser to the Company in connection with the Placing and Open Offer and the Firm Placing and will not be responsible to any person other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its customers, or for advising any such person on the contents of this announcement or any other transaction, arrangement or matter referred to herein.
N M Rothschild & Sons Limited, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting as joint sponsor and joint financial adviser to the Company in connection with the Placing and Open Offer and the Firm Placing and will not be responsible to any person other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its customers, or for advising any such person on the contents of this announcement or any other transaction, arrangement or matter referred to herein.
Citigroup Global Markets U.K. Equity Limited, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting as joint bookrunner, joint broker and joint underwriter to the Company in connection with the Placing and Open Offer and the Firm Placing and will not be responsible to any person other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its customers, or for advising any such person on the contents of this announcement or any other transaction, arrangement or matter referred to herein.
RBS Hoare Govett Limited, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting as joint bookrunner, joint broker and joint underwriter to the Company in connection with the Placing and Open Offer and the Firm Placing and will not be responsible to any person other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its customers, or for advising any such person on the contents of this announcement or any other transaction, arrangement or matter referred to herein.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
The information in this press release is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia or the Republic of South Africa.
The information in this press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, the securities referred to herein in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would require preparation of further prospectuses or other offer documentation, or be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
The information in this press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities mentioned herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the 'Securities Act'). The securities mentioned herein may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There will be no public offer of securities in the United States.
The information in this press release may not be forwarded or distributed to any other person and may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever. Any forwarding, distribution, reproduction, or disclosure of this information in whole or in part is unauthorized. Failure to comply with this directive may result in a violation of the Securities Act or the applicable laws of other jurisdictions.