Proposed StrategicAlliance
Savills PLC
10 May 2000
Savills plc
Proposed strategic alliance with Trammell Crow Company
* Savills plc ('Savills') announces the proposed formation
of a strategic alliance with Trammell Crow Company ('Trammell
Crow'), involving:
(i) the establishment of arrangements for providing a full
range of property services to customers of Savills and Trammell
Crow in Europe and the US;
(ii) the purchase by Trammell Crow of a 10 per cent.
shareholding in Savills (from First Pacific Company) and the
grant by Savills to Trammell Crow of an option over new shares
in Savills;
(iii) the appointment by Trammell Crow of two directors to
the Board of Savills; and
(iv) the establishment of a new European outsourcing joint
venture company, which will be branded 'Trammell Crow Savills'.
* Trammell Crow is one of the largest diversified commercial
real estate companies in the United States and Canada,
specialising in property management, brokerage, outsourcing and
retail services. Through its 170 offices in the United States
and Canada, Trammell Crow has developed a comprehensive range
of service offerings to clients, which include multi-national
corporations, institutional investors and other users of real
estate services. Trammell Crow has over 6,500 employees and in
1999 executed 9,400 transactions. The company's current
portfolio comprises 520 million sq. ft. of managed or leased
space, which includes 138 million sq. ft. of corporate
facilities. Trammell Crow is quoted on the NYSE with a market
capitalisation of $464 million (£298 million), and in 1999 had
revenues of approximately $687 million (£441 million).
* The formation of the strategic alliance with Trammell Crow
greatly enhances the capability of both companies to provide
their customers with consistent, high quality execution of
transactions in markets that each company has previously not
been able to serve comprehensively. The Board of Savills
considers the opportunities for referral of business from the
US to Europe to be excellent, and believes that this alliance
will enhance the company's ability to provide its customers
with access to the US market through the expertise of Trammell
Crow.
* Trammell Crow has agreed to acquire from First Pacific
Company 6,250,000 Savills ordinary shares, representing
approximately 10 per cent. of Savills' existing ordinary
shares, at a price of 222.5 pence per share. In addition,
Savills has agreed, subject to the approval of shareholders, to
grant Trammell Crow an option over further new Savills shares,
exercisable between three and five years henceforth, at a
minimum of a 20 per cent. premium to the then prevailing market
price, which would take Trammell Crow's shareholding in the
enlarged group to 20 per cent.. These arrangements are
intended to cement the relationship between Savills and
Trammell Crow and to signify the commitment of both companies
to the successful implementation of the strategic alliance.
* As a result of its sale of shares to Trammell Crow, First
Pacific Company's shareholding in Savills will be reduced to
approximately 19.6 per cent.. First Pacific Company has
confirmed to Savills that it is not First Pacific Company's
current intention to increase its shareholding in Savills to
above 20 per cent..
* On completion of the arrangements described in this
announcement, Trammell Crow will appoint two non-executive
directors to the Board of Savills, one of whom will be William
Concannon, the President of Trammell Crow's outsourcing
subsidiary.
* Savills and Trammell Crow have agreed to form a European
joint venture company, which will focus primarily on the
development of significant opportunities in the outsourcing
industry in Europe. The new company will be owned 51 per cent.
by Trammell Crow and 49 per cent. by Savills and will be
branded 'Trammell Crow Savills'. Headquartered in London, the
venture's core service offerings will be facilities,
transaction and project management for corporate customers.
* In order to establish a base from which to grow this
business, Savills has agreed to contribute into the joint
venture the Corporate Services division of Savills, and Trigon,
Savills' wholly owned facility management business. For the
year ended 30 April 1999, the operating profits of the
businesses that Savills will contribute to the joint venture
(Trigon Limited and the Corporate Services division) totalled
approximately £181,000. Net assets of these businesses as at
30 April 1999 totalled £230,000. Trammell Crow's contribution
will include the referral of the European element of
significant global outsourcing contracts developed in the US.
Trammell Crow has 90 full service corporate outsourcing clients
in the US, and enjoys a reputation as the leader in outsourcing
services.
* It is the intention of both Savills and Trammell Crow to
explore the opportunity to expand the geographic scope of the
outsourcing joint venture to Asia-Pacific and Australia in the
near future. This is expected to involve the inclusion in the
joint venture of the outsourcing elements of Savills' recently
acquired subsidiary, First Pacific Davies, and would further
develop the joint venture's capability to undertake
international mandates for clients.
* The strategic alliance between Savills and Trammell Crow,
which follows the recent acquisition by Savills of First
Pacific Davies, represents a further key step in Savills'
strategy to develop and expand its international presence
outside its traditional UK market. The alliance is intended to
enable both companies to meet the increasingly global
requirements of their clients and will enable the development
of further international opportunities in the future.
* All elements of the transaction are inter-conditional.
Various aspects of the transaction, including the grant by
Savills of the option to Trammell Crow, are conditional upon
the approval of Savills shareholders at an extraordinary
general meeting. The notice for the meeting and supporting
documentation will be posted to shareholders shortly.
Completion of the transaction is expected to take place in
June.
Aubrey Adams, Managing Director of Savills, commented:
'Following the acquisition of First Pacific Davies, the
remaining major gap in our property service business was
clearly access to the USA. I am delighted to announce this
alliance with Trammell Crow, which will give us access to the
world's largest real estate market.. As a leading provider of
property outsourcing services to major US multinational
corporations, Trammell Crow is an ideal partner for Savills and
together we are creating a leading global property services
grouping. Our corporate real estate joint venture in Europe is
an exciting opportunity to build on our existing facilities
management and corporate consultancy business combined with the
know-how and extensive client base which Trammell Crow has
developed in the US. We plan to extend this joint venture
concept into Asia-Pacific and Australia in due course.'
Enquiries:
Savills 020 7409 9923
Aubrey Adams
Buchanan Communications 020 7466 5000
Andy Yeo