Offer Appendices
Brooks Service Group PLC
5 December 2000
Appendix I
Conditions of the Offer
The Offer is subject to the following conditions:
(a) valid acceptances of the Offer being received (and not, where permitted,
withdrawn) by not later than 3.00 p.m. on 3 January 2001 (or such later
time(s) and/or date(s) as Bravo Investments may, subject to the rules of
the Code, decide) in respect of not less than 90 per cent. (or such lower
percentage as Bravo Investments may decide) in nominal value of the
Brooks Service Group Shares to which the Offer relates, provided that
this condition will not be satisfied unless Bravo Investments shall have
acquired or agreed to acquire (whether pursuant to the Offer or
otherwise) Brooks Service Group Shares carrying, in aggregate, more than
50 per cent. of the voting rights then normally exercisable at general
meetings of Brooks Service Group including, to the extent (if any)
required by the Panel, any voting rights attaching to any Brooks Service
Group Shares which are unconditionally allotted or issued before the
Offer becomes or is declared unconditional as to acceptances pursuant to
the exercise of any options under any of the Brooks Service Group Share
Option Schemes or otherwise. For the purposes of this condition:
(i) Brooks Service Group Shares which have been unconditionally
allotted but not issued shall be deemed to carry the voting rights
they will carry upon issue;
(ii) the expression 'Brooks Service Group Shares to which the Offer
relates' shall be construed in accordance with Sections 428 to
430F of the Companies Act and, in particular, excludes the Brooks
Service Group Shares that are the subject of the Shareholders'
Agreement;
(b) no government, or governmental, quasi-governmental, supranational,
statutory, regulatory or investigative body, authority (including any
national anti-trust or merger control authority), court, trade agency,
association, institution or professional or environmental body or any
other person or body in any jurisdiction (each a 'Relevant Authority')
having decided to take, institute, implement or threaten any action,
proceedings, suit, investigation, enquiry or reference (and in each case
not having irrevocably withdrawn the same), or made, proposed or enacted,
any statute, regulation, order or decision (and any such statute,
regulation, order or decision remaining in force), or taken any other
steps which would or might reasonably be expected to:
(i) make the Offer, or its implementation, or the acquisition or
proposed acquisition of any Brooks Service Group Shares or other
securities in the control of Brooks Service Group by Bravo
Investments or by any other member of the Bravo Holdings Group,
void, illegal and/or unenforceable under the laws of any relevant
jurisdiction or otherwise, directly or indirectly, restrain,
prohibit, restrict, delay or otherwise interfere with the Offer,
its implementation or such acquisition or proposed acquisition by
Bravo Investments or impose additional conditions or obligations
with respect thereto, or otherwise challenge or interfere
therewith or require amendment to the terms of the Offer in a
material respect in the context of the Offer or such acquisition
or proposed acquisition;
(ii) result in a delay in the ability of Bravo Investments or any
other member of the Bravo Holdings Group, or render Bravo
Investments or any other member of the Bravo Holdings Group
unable to acquire all or some of the Brooks Service Group Shares
or require, prevent or delay a divestiture or alter the terms of
any proposed divestiture by Bravo Investments of any such Brooks
Service Group Shares;
(iii) require, prevent or delay the divestiture by Bravo Investments or
any other member of the Bravo Holdings Group, or any member of
the Group of all or any portion of their respective businesses,
assets or properties (including, in the case of Bravo
Investments, any Brooks Service Group Shares) or impose any
limitation on the ability of any of them to conduct or deal with
all or any portion of their respective businesses or to own or
deal with all or any portion of their respective assets or
properties or part thereof;
(iv) impose any limitation or delay on the ability of Bravo
Investments or any other member of the Bravo Holdings Group to
acquire, directly or indirectly, or to hold or exercise
effectively, directly or indirectly, all or any rights of
ownership of shares or other securities (or the equivalent)
convertible into shares in any member of the Group or to exercise
management control over any member of the Group;
(v) require Bravo Investments or any other member of the Bravo
Holdings Group to offer to acquire or repay any shares or other
securities (or the equivalent) convertible into shares in and/or
indebtedness of any member of the Group owned by any third party
other than by implementation of the Offer;
(vi) result in any member of the Group ceasing to be able to carry on
business under the name which it presently does so or impose any
limitation on Bravo Investments or any other member of the Bravo
Holdings Group and/or any member of the Group integrating its
business, or any material part of it, with the business of any
member of the Group or Bravo Investments or any member of the
Bravo Holdings Group, respectively; or
(vii) otherwise materially adversely affect the business, assets,
profits or prospects of any member of the Group or the Bravo
Holdings Group, in each case, taken as a whole;
and all applicable waiting and other time periods during which any
Relevant Authority could decide to take, institute, implement or threaten
any such action, proceedings, suit, investigation, enquiry or reference
or otherwise intervene having expired, lapsed or been terminated;
(c) all filings in connection with the Offer or its implementation having
been made, all appropriate waiting periods (including extensions thereof)
in respect of the Offer under any applicable legislation or regulations
of any jurisdiction having expired, lapsed or been terminated and all
authorisations, orders, recognitions, grants, consents, licences,
confirmations, clearances, permissions and approvals ('Authorisations')
which are necessary or are reasonably considered appropriate by Bravo
Investments for or in respect of the Offer and the proposed acquisition
of any Brooks Service Group Shares by Bravo Investments or any other
member of the Bravo Holdings Group, or which are reasonably considered
appropriate by Bravo Investments for any member of the Group to carry on
its business, having been obtained in terms and in a form reasonably
satisfactory to Bravo Investments from all appropriate Relevant
Authorities or (without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing)
other persons or bodies with whom Bravo Investments or any member of the
Group has entered into contractual arrangements (in relation to the
carrying on of the business of the Group where the absence of such
Authorisations would have a material adverse effect on the Bravo
Holdings Group or the Group taken as a whole) and all such Authorisations
remaining in full force and effect and there being no intimation or
notice of an intention to revoke, suspend, restrict, modify or not to
renew any of the same having been received, in each case as may be
necessary in connection with the Offer under the laws or regulations of
any jurisdiction and all necessary statutory or regulatory obligations
which are material to the Offer and its implementation in any relevant
jurisdiction having been complied with;
(d) save as disclosed in the Offer Document or in Brooks Service Group's
annual report and accounts for the year ended 25 December 1999 or in any
public announcement by Brooks Service Group to, and released by, the
Company Announcements Office of the London Stock Exchange after that date
and before the date of the announcement of the Offer (in each case
'publicly announced'), and save as known by Bravo Investments from its
due diligence at the date of the Offer, there being no provision of any
arrangement, agreement, licence, permit, franchise or other instrument to
which any member of the Group is a party or by or to which any such
member or any of its assets is or are or may be bound, entitled or
subject, or any circumstance which, as a consequence of the making of the
Offer or the acquisition or proposed acquisition by Bravo Investments or
any other member of the Bravo Holdings Group of Brooks Service Group
Shares or because of a change in control of Brooks Service Group would or
might be reasonably expected to result in:
(i) any monies borrowed by or other indebtedness or liabilities
(actual or contingent) or any grant available to any member of the
Group being or becoming repayable or being capable of being
declared repayable immediately or prior to the stated maturity
date or repayment date or the ability of any such member to borrow
monies or incur any indebtedness being withdrawn or inhibited or
being capable of becoming or being withdrawn or inhibited;
(ii) the creation of any mortgage, charge or other security interest
over the whole or any part of the business, property or assets of
any member of the Group or any such security (whenever arising or
having arisen) becoming enforceable;
(iii) any such arrangement, agreement, licence, permit, franchise or
instrument, or the rights, liabilities, obligations or interests
or business of any member of the Group under any such arrangement,
agreement, licence, permit, franchise or instrument, being or
becoming capable of being, terminated or adversely modified or
affected in accordance with or, pursuant to its terms or any
action being taken or any onerous obligation arising thereunder in
accordance with or pursuant to its terms;
(iv) any assets or interests of any member of the Group being or
falling to be disposed of or charged or any right arising under
which any such asset or interest could be required to be disposed
of or charged or cease to be available to any member of the Group
otherwise than in the ordinary course of business;
(v) the rights, liabilities, obligations, interests or business of
Bravo Investments or any other member of the Bravo Holdings
Group or any member of the Group in or with any person, firm,
company or body (or any arrangement or arrangements relating to
such rights, liabilities, obligations, interests or business)
being terminated or adversely modified or affected;
(vi) any member of the Group ceasing to be able to carry on business in
the manner or under any name under which it presently does so; or
(vii) the value or the financial or trading position or prospects of the
Group taken as a whole being adversely prejudiced or affected;
(e) no member of the Group having since 25 December 1999 (save as publicly
announced and save as known by Bravo Investments from its due diligence
at the date of the Offer):
(i) issued, agreed, authorised or proposed the issue of additional
shares of any class, or securities convertible into or
exchangeable for, or rights, warrants or options to subscribe for
or acquire, any such shares or convertible securities (save for
the options granted pursuant to the Brooks Service Group Share
Option Schemes in so far as details of those options have been
disclosed to Bravo Investments or any of its advisers prior to 5
December 2000 and for any Brooks Service Group Shares allotted
upon exercise of options granted prior to the date of the
announcement of the Offer under the Brooks Service Group Share
Option Schemes);
(ii) recommended, declared, paid or made or proposed to recommend,
declare, pay or make any bonus, dividend or other distribution
other than by a wholly-owned subsidiary, whether payable in cash
or otherwise;
(iii) authorised or proposed or announced its intention to propose any
change in its loan capital;
(iv) merged with any body corporate or acquired or disposed of, or
demerged or transferred, mortgaged or charged or created any
security interest over, any assets or any right, title or interest
in any asset (including shares and trade investments), or
authorised, proposed or announced any intention to propose any
such merger, demerger, acquisition, disposal, transfer, mortgage,
charge or security interest;
(v) issued, authorised or proposed the issue of any debentures or
incurred or increased any indebtedness or contingent liability in
each case to an extent which is material in the context of the
Group, taken as a whole;
(vi) purchased, redeemed or repaid or announced any proposal to
purchase, redeem or repay any of its own shares or other
securities or redeemed or reduced or made any other change to any
part of its share capital;
(vii) entered into, or varied, or authorised, proposed or announced its
intention to enter into or vary any contract, transaction,
arrangement or commitment (whether in respect of capital
expenditure or otherwise) which is of a long-term, onerous or
unusual nature or magnitude, or which involves or might reasonably
be expected to involve an obligation of a nature or magnitude, or
might be restrictive on the business of any member of the Group or
any member of the Bravo Holdings Group, or is other than in the
ordinary course of business which, in any case, is material in the
context of the Group, taken as a whole;
(viii) implemented, or authorised, proposed or announced its intention to
implement or enter into any reconstruction, amalgamation,
commitment, scheme or other transaction or arrangement, which in
any case, is material in the context of the Group, taken as a
whole;
(ix) entered into or varied or made an offer (which remains open for
acceptance) to enter into or vary (to any significant extent) the
terms of any service agreement or any other agreement or
arrangement (or given or received notice of termination of any
such service agreement or arrangement) with any of its directors
or senior executives or any connected person of any such person
(within the meaning of section 346 of the Companies Act);
(x) waived or compromised any claim other than in the ordinary course
of business as presently conducted;
(xi) taken any corporate action or had any order made for its winding
up, dissolution or re-organisation or for the appointment of a
receiver, administrative receiver, trustee or similar officer of
all of any of its assets or revenues or any analogous event,
proceedings or steps having occurred in any jurisdiction or had
any such analogous person appointed or been unable to pay its
debts or having stopped or suspended payment of its debts
generally or ceased or threatened to cease carrying on all or a
significant part of its business;
(xii) merged with any body corporate or acquired or disposed (in either
case otherwise than in the ordinary course of trading) of any
assets (including shares in subsidiaries, associates and trade
investments) or made any change in its share or loan capital to an
extent which is material in the context of the Group taken as a
whole or authorised or proposed or announced an intention to
propose the aforesaid;
(xiii) entered into any contract, transaction or arrangement which would
be restrictive on the business of any member of the Group to an
extent which is material in the context of the Group taken as
whole;
(xiv) made any alteration to its memorandum or articles of association
or other incorporation or constitutional documents which is
material in the context of the Offer; or
(xv) entered into or made an offer (which remains open for acceptance)
to enter into an agreement, contract, arrangement or commitment or
passed any resolution or announced or made any proposal with
respect to any of the transactions or events referred to in this
condition (e);
(f) since 25 December 1999, save as publicly announced or known by Bravo
Investments from its due diligence at the date of the Offer:
(i) there having been no adverse change or deterioration in the
business, assets, financial or trading position or profits or
prospects of any member of the Group to an extent which is
material in the context of the Group taken as a whole;
(ii) there not having been instituted or remaining outstanding
arbitration proceedings, prosecution or other legal proceedings to
which any member of the Group is a party (whether as plaintiff or
defendant or otherwise) and no such proceedings having been
threatened against any such member and no inquiry or investigation
by or complaint or reference to any Relevant Authority against or
in respect of any such member or the business carried on by any
such member having been threatened, announced or instituted or
remaining outstanding by, against or in respect of any such member
and the effect of which in each case is or might reasonably be
deemed likely to be material in the context of the Group, taken as
a whole;
(iii) no contingent or other liability having arisen or been incurred or
become apparent to Bravo Investments which might reasonably be
expected adversely to affect any member of the Group, taken as a
whole;
(g) Bravo Investments not having discovered after the date of the Offer
that:
(i) any financial or business information concerning Brooks Service
Group or the Group publicly announced or disclosed in writing to
Bravo Investments by Brooks Service Group (or its directors
acting in their capacity as directors of Brooks Service Group or
to professional advisers to Bravo Investments in the course of
due diligence conducted by or on behalf of Bravo Investments) is
materially misleading or contains a misrepresentation of fact or
omits to state a fact necessary to make the information contained
therein not materially misleading;
(ii) any member of the Group is subject to any liability, contingent or
otherwise, which is material in the context of the Group, taken as
a whole;
(iii) any past or present member of the Group has failed to comply to a
material degree with any environmental legislation, regulation,
notice or order relating to it or with any permit, licence or
other authorisation required to be held by it under such
environmental legislation, regulation, notice or order;
For the purpose of these conditions, the 'Bravo Holdings Group' means any
holding companies of Bravo Holdings, its subsidiary undertakings and
associated undertakings and any other undertakings in which any such holding
company, Bravo Holdings and any such undertaking (aggregating their interests)
have a substantial interest and for these purposes, 'subsidiary undertaking',
'associated undertaking' and 'undertaking' have the meanings given by the
Companies Act (but for this purpose ignoring paragraph 20(1)(b) of schedule 4A
of the Companies Act) and 'substantial interest' means a direct or indirect
interest in 20 per cent. or more of the equity share capital (as defined in
section 744 of the Companies Act).
Bravo Investments reserves the right to waive, in whole or in part, all or any
of conditions (b) to (g) inclusive. If Bravo Investments is required by the
Panel to make an offer for Brooks Service Group Shares under the provisions of
Rule 9 of the Code, Bravo Investments may make such alterations to the above
conditions, including condition (a) above, as are necessary to comply with the
provisions of that Rule.
The Offer will lapse unless the conditions set out above (other than condition
(a) to the Offer) are fulfilled or (if capable of waiver) waived or, where
appropriate, have been determined by Bravo Investments in its reasonable
opinion to be or to remain satisfied no later than 21 days after the latest of
the first closing date of the Offer and the date on which the Offer becomes or
is declared unconditional as to acceptances, or such later date as the Panel
may agree.
The Offer will lapse if it is referred to the Competition Commission before
3.00 p.m. on 3 January 2001 or the date on which the Offer becomes or is
declared unconditional as to acceptances, whichever is the later. If the Offer
so lapses, the Offer will cease to be capable of further acceptance and
accepting Brooks Service Group Shareholders and Bravo Investments will cease
to be bound by Forms of Acceptance submitted before the time when the Offer
lapses.
Appendix II
Definitions
The following definitions apply throughout this press announcement unless the
context requires otherwise:
'Alchemy Investment Plan' the discretionary funds managed by Alchemy
Partners (Guernsey) with advice from Alchemy
Partners
'Alchemy Partners' Alchemy Partners Nominees, Alchemy Partners or
Alchemy Partners (Guernsey) as the context may
require
'Alchemy Partners (Guernsey)' Alchemy Partners (Guernsey) Limited, the
manager of the Alchemy Investment Plan
'Bravo Holdings' Bravo (Holdings) Limited (registered number
4114383) whose registered office is at 20
Bedfordbury, London WC2N 4BL
'Bravo Holdings Group' Bravo Holdings and its subsidiary
undertakings
'Bravo Holdings Shares' or ordinary shares of 1 pence each in the share
'Consideration Shares' capital of Bravo Holdings
'Bravo Investments' or Bravo Investments plc (registered number
'Offeror' 4092652) whose registered office is 20
Bedfordbury, London WC2N 4BL
'Bravo Investments Shares' ordinary shares of £1 each in the share
capital of Bravo Investments
'Brooks Service Group' Brooks Service Group Plc
or 'the Company'
'Brooks Service Group Share the Brooks Service Group Share Option Scheme
Option Schemes' and the Brooks Service Group Share Option
Scheme (1996)
'Brooks Service Group holders of Brooks Service Group Shares
Shareholders' or 'Shareholders'
'Brooks Service Group Shares' the existing unconditionally allotted or
or 'Shares' issued and fully paid ordinary shares of 25p
each in the capital of Brooks Service Group
(including such of those ordinary shares as
are the subject of the Shareholders'
Agreement) and any further such shares which
are unconditionally allotted or issued and
fully paid before the date on which the Offer
closes (or such earlier date(s) as Bravo
Investments may, subject to the Code,
determine)
'Closing Price' the closing middle market price of a Brooks
Service Group Share as derived from the
Official List
'Code' the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers
'the Companies Act' the Companies Act 1985 (as amended)
'Discounted Loan Stock' the discounted, unsecured loan stock of Bravo
Investments to be issued pursuant to the
Shareholders' Agreement
'Form of Acceptance' the form of acceptance, authority and election
to be issued in connection with the Offer
which will accompany the Offer Document
'the Group' Brooks Service Group, and its subsidiary
undertakings
'Independent Directors' R S Brooks, A J Davison, D M Telling and C G
Botsford
'LIBOR' London Inter-bank Offered Rate for six monthly
sterling deposits
'Loan Notes' the variable rate, guaranteed, unsecured loan
notes of Bravo Investments to be issued
pursuant to the Loan Note Alternative and the
Shareholders' Agreement
'Loan Note Alternative' the loan note alternative whereby eligible
Brooks Service Group Shareholders who validly
accept the Offer may elect to receive Loan
Notes in lieu of all or part of the cash
consideration to which they would otherwise
have been entitled under the Offer
'London Stock Exchange' London Stock Exchange plc
'Management' John Walters and Patrick Mulcahy (each a
'Manager')
'Management Brooks Service the Brooks Service Group Shares held by the
Group Shares' Managers and/or their immediate families
(including any Brooks Service Group Shares
which may be issued to Management and their
immediate families pursuant to the exercise of
options under the Brooks Service Group Share
Option Schemes) and which are the subject of
the Shareholders' Agreement
'Offer' the recommended offer to be made by Rickitt
Mitchell on behalf of Bravo Investments to
acquire all of the issued and to be issued
Brooks Service Group Shares not already held
by Bravo Investments subject to the terms and
conditions to be set out in the Offer Document
and in the Form of Acceptance, and including,
where the context so permits, the Loan Note
Alternative, and, where the context so
requires, any subsequent revision, variation,
extension or renewal of such offer or the Loan
Note Alternative
'Offer Document' the formal offer document to be sent to Brooks
Service Group Shareholders which will contain
the Offer.
'Official List' the official list of the UK Listing Authority
'Panel' the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers
'Pinto Partners LP' the limited partnership through which Mr M
Pinto and his family make investments
'Rickitt Mitchell' Rickitt Mitchell & Partners Limited
'Rowan Dartington' Rowan Dartington & Co. Limited
'Shareholders' Agreement' the shareholders' agreement details of which
are set out in the Offer Document
'subsidiary' and 'subsidiary have the meanings given to them in the
undertaking' Companies Act
'The RMP Investment the partnership through which the directors
Partnership' and employees of Rickitt Mitchell make
investments
'UK' or 'United Kingdom' the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland
'UK Listing Authority' the Financial Services Authority acting in its
capacity as the competent authority for the
purposes of Part IV of the Financial Services
Act 1986 and in the exercise of its functions
in respect of the Official List otherwise than
in accordance with Part IV of the Financial
Services Act 1986
'United States of America', the United States of America, its territories
'US' or 'United States' and possessions, any state of the United
States of America, the District of Columbia,
and all other areas subject to its
jurisdictions
'US person' a US person as defined in Regulation S under
the US Securities Act of 1933
Appendix III
Financial effects of acceptance of the Offer
The following tables show, for illustrative purposes only, and on the bases
and assumptions set out in the notes below, the financial effects of
acceptance of the Offer on capital value and gross income for a holder of one
Brooks Service Group Share if the Offer becomes or is declared unconditional
in all respects:
(a) Increase in capital value under the terms of the Offer
(1) (2)
Notes Offer Loan Note
(p) Alternative
(p)
Market value of one Brooks Service
Group Share (i) 165.00 165.00
Cash consideration/estimated market value
of Loan Notes (ii) 200.00 196.00
------ ------
Increase in capital value 35.00 31.00
====== ======
Representing an effective increase
in capital value of approximately 21.21% 18.79%
(b) Increase in gross income under the
terms of the Offer
Gross annual income from re-investment
of cash consideration (iii) 10.18 -
Gross income from Loan Notes (iv) - 10.04
Gross dividend income on one Brooks
Service Group Share (v) 7.22 7.22
----- -----
Increase in gross income 2.96 2.82
===== =====
Representing an effective increase in
gross income of approximately 41.00% 39.06%
Notes:
(i) The market value of one Brooks Service Group Share is based on the
Closing Price of 165p at the close of business on 27 November 2000
(being the last dealing day prior to the date on which Brooks Service
Group announced that it had received an approach which could lead to an
offer).
(ii) This represents Rickitt Mitchell's estimated valuation of the Loan Notes
of not less than 98p per £1 nominal value, based on market conditions on
4 December 2000 (the last practicable date prior to this announcement).
(iii) Consideration in cash is assumed to be re-invested so as to yield 5.09
per cent. per annum, being the FT Actuaries Average Gross Redemption
Yield for medium coupon British Government Securities with maturities of
five to ten years on 1 December 2000, as published in the Financial
Times on 4 December 2000 (being the last practicable date prior to
this announcement).
(iv) The gross income from the Loan Notes is based on an annual interest rate
of 5.02 per cent. calculated as 1 per cent. per annum below LIBOR as
at 4 December 2000 (the last practicable date prior to this
announcement).
(v) The gross income from one Brooks Service Group Share is based on the
aggregate of: (i) the final dividend of 4.00p (net) per Share in respect
of the year ended 25 December 1999 and (ii) the interim dividend of 2.5p
(net) per Share in respect of the financial year ending 30 December
2000, together with the associated tax credits of 10/90ths on those
dividends.
(vi) Save as referred to in note (v) above, no account has been taken of any
liability to taxation.