Response to BPEA Statement

RNS Number : 9497I

RWS Holdings PLC

21 April 2022

 

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

THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A POSSIBLE OFFER FALLING UNDER RULE 2.4 OF THE CITY CODE ON TAKEOVERS AND MERGERS (THE "CODE"). IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A FIRM INTENTION TO MAKE AN OFFER UNDER RULE 2.7 OF THE CODE AND THERE CAN BE NO CERTAINTY THAT ANY SUCH OFFER WILL ULTIMATELY BE MADE.

21 April 2022

RWS Holdings plc

("RWS" or the "Company")

RESPONSE TO BPEA STATEMENT

RWS notes the announcement made by Baring Private Equity Asia Fund VIII Limited ("BPEA") on 21 April 2022 and confirms that RWS has not received any formal approach from BPEA in relation to a possible offer for the Company ("Possible Offer"). Shareholders are advised to take no action in relation to the Possible Offer at this time. RWS will provide an update as and when required.

In accordance with Rule 2.6(a) of the Code, BPEA is required, by not later than 5.00 p.m. on 19 May 2022, to either announce a firm intention to make an offer in accordance with Rule 2.7 of the Code or announce that it does not intend to make an offer, in which case the announcement will be treated as a statement to which Rule 2.8 of the Code applies. This deadline may be extended with the consent of the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers in accordance with Rule 2.6(c) of the Code.

In accordance with Rule 2.9 of Code, RWS hereby confirms that, as at 21 April 2022, the Company had in issue 389,432,703 ordinary shares. The Company does not hold any ordinary shares in treasury. The above figure includes 55,896 RWS ordinary shares that are held by the RWS Holdings plc Employee Benefit Trust in order to satisfy awards under the Company's employee share schemes. Therefore, the total number of voting rights in RWS is 389,376,807. The International Securities Identification Number of the shares is GB00BVFCZV34.

This announcement is not being made with the consent of BPEA.

As a consequence of the announcement by BPEA on 21 April 2022, an "Offer Period" has now commenced in respect of the Company in accordance with the rules of the Code. The attention of the Company's shareholders is drawn to the disclosure requirements of Rule 8 of the Code, which are summarised below.

Enquiries:

RWS Holdings plc Andrew Brode, Chairman Ian El-Mokadem, Chief Executive Officer Rod Day, Chief Financial Officer	01753 480200
Gleacher Shacklock (Financial Adviser to RWS) Dominic Lee Tom Quinn	020 7484 1150
Goldman Sachs International (Financial Adviser to RWS) Khamran Ali Owain Evans	020 7774 1000
Numis Securities Limited (Nomad & Joint Broker) Stuart Skinner Kevin Cruickshank	020 7260 1000
Berenberg (Joint Broker) Ben Wright Toby Flaux	020 3207 7800
MHP Katie Hunt Simon Hockridge	[e-mail] 020 3128 8789

About RWS

RWS Holdings plc is a unique, world-leading provider of technology-enabled language, content and intellectual property services. Through content transformation and multilingual data analysis, our unique combination of technology and cultural expertise helps our clients to grow by ensuring they are understood anywhere, in any language.

Our purpose is unlocking global understanding. By combining cultural understanding, client understanding and technical understanding, our services and technology assist our clients to acquire and retain customers, deliver engaging user experiences, maintain compliance and gain actionable insights into their data and content.

Our clients include 90 of the world's top 100 brands, the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and 19 of the top 20 patent filers. Our client base spans Europe, Asia Pacific and North and South America. We work in the automotive, chemical, financial, legal, medical, pharmaceutical, technology and telecommunications sectors, which we serve from 80+ global locations across five continents.

Founded in 1958, RWS is headquartered in the UK and publicly listed on AIM, the London Stock Exchange regulated market (RWS.L).

For further information, please visit: www.rws.com .

Publication on a website

In accordance with Rule 26.1 of the Code, a copy of this announcement will be available on RWS's website (www.rws.com) by no later than 12 noon (London time) on the business day following the date of this announcement. The contents of the website referred to in this announcement are not incorporated into, and do not form part of, this announcement.

Disclosure requirements of the Code

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 10th business day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th 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.

Important notices

Gleacher Shacklock LLP ("Gleacher Shacklock"), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting exclusively for RWS and no one else in connection with the Possible Offer or any other matter referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than RWS for providing the protections offered to clients of Gleacher Shacklock or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.

Goldman Sachs International ("Goldman Sachs"), 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 for RWS and no one else in connection with the Possible Offer or any other matter referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than RWS for providing the protections offered to clients of Goldman Sachs or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.

Numis Securities Limited ("Numis"), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting exclusively for RWS and no one else in connection with the Possible Offer or any other matter referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than RWS for providing the protections offered to clients of Numis or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.

Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG, London Branch ("Berenberg"), which is regulated by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany and is deemed authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for RWS and no one else in connection with the Possible Offer or any other matter referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than RWS for providing the protections offered to clients of Berenberg or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.

 

END

 

 

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