Offer Document Posted

Guinness Peat Group PLC 07 December 2007 Not for release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, in, into or from the US, Canada or Australia or any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of such jurisdiction. Cash Offer By Strand Partners Limited on behalf of GPG Acquisitions No. 5 Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of Guinness Peat Group plc) for the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of NEWBURY RACECOURSE PLC 7 December 2007 GPG Acquisitions No. 5 Limited ("GPG Acquisitions") announces that, following the announcement on 14 November 2007 of its all cash offer of £11 per Newbury Racecourse Share (the "Offer") for the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Newbury Racecourse, Strand Partners Limited acting on GPG Acquisition's behalf has today posted an Offer Document formally making the Offer to the Newbury Racecourse Shareholders (the "Offer Document"). The following is the text of the letter (the "Chairman's Letter") incorporated in the Offer Document that has been sent to holders of ordinary shares of 10p each in Newbury Racecourse ("Newbury Racecourse Shares") today together with the Offer Document and the form of acceptance relating to the Offer (the "Form of Acceptance"). "7 December 2007 Dear Shareholder Cash offer by Strand Partners Limited on behalf of GPG Acquisitions No. 5 Limited for the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Newbury Racecourse PLC Introduction On 14 November 2007, Strand Partners announced a formal cash offer on our behalf for your Newbury Racecourse Shares. This letter sets out the background to and reasons for the Offer and explains why the GPG Acquisitions Board and the directors of GPG plc believe that you should accept the Offer. The Offer The Offer, which is being made on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the accompanying letter from Strand Partners and in Appendix I to this document, is made on the following basis: for each Newbury Racecourse Share £11 in cash The Offer Price exceeds the highest Closing Price of Newbury Racecourse Shares since dealings commenced on the PLUS market in 1995 and represents a premium of approximately 11.68 per cent. to the Closing Price of £9.85 per Newbury Racecourse Share on 13 November, being the last Business Day prior to the announcement of the Offer. The Offer values the whole of Newbury Racecourse's existing issued share capital at approximately £33.49 million. Background to and reasons for the Offer GPG is Newbury Racecourse's largest shareholder, holding approximately 20.66 per cent. of the Company's issued share capital and, since its initial investment some thirteen years ago, has been supportive of the Company. Over this period, GPG has played a substantial role in the raising of capital by Newbury Racecourse. NEWBURY RACECOURSE'S SPECULATIVE NEW STRATEGY In July 2006, the Newbury Board announced a strategy to transform the Company into a leisure, hospitality, entertainment and events business. A requirement was outlined for some £45m in expenditure on infrastructure and facilities at Newbury Racecourse, including a bridge across the adjacent railway line, and the relocation of many existing buildings as well as the golf course. Integral to these plans was the release of the Company's substantial surplus land for residential development. GPG has a number of fundamental concerns about the proposed new strategy for the Company, and no faith that - as currently contemplated - it would prove beneficial to shareholder value. In consequence, GPG indicated to the Newbury Board that it could not support the mooted land sale, together with the associated heavy capital expenditure, unless the project could meet the criterion of generating cash inflows to the Company, net of tax and necessary expenditure (in particular in respect of essential racing infrastructure), equivalent, in today's monetary terms, to at least £7 per share (approximately £21.31 million in aggregate). Given nearly 50 acres of land would be sold, this minimum criterion is not regarded by GPG as particularly onerous. Nevertheless, the Newbury Board has been unable to confirm that such a minimum net inflow would be achieved. The redevelopment project, allied to the Company's continuing loss making performance (as set out in the table below), has caused Newbury Racecourse to run up net debt of approximately £4.91 million as at 31 December 2006. Newbury Racecourse: Key financial indicators 2003 2004 2005 2006 £m £m £m £m Turnover 5.889 5.610 6.001 5.759 Operating profit/(loss) before exceptional (0.951) (0.297) (0.284) (1.043) items Debt at year end, net of cash 0.127 1.71 2.81 4.91 Newbury Racecourse's operational record provides Shareholders with scant comfort as to the Newbury Board's ability to execute successfully a fundamental shift in the Company's strategy. Indeed, it is GPG's strong belief that the business is suffering from an insufficiently proprietorial approach. Furthermore, it is increasingly likely that, despite GPG's concerns having been raised with the Company, the Newbury Board will imminently be in a position to enter into binding development contracts to implement its ill-considered plans. These plans, amongst other things, are likely to involve Newbury Racecourse, notwithstanding its paucity of relevant management experience, being locked into the new development partnership for some 10 years. In spite of its contentious nature, the Newbury Board was unwilling to submit the proposed partnership for approval by Shareholders. In light of this, GPG has been obliged to act to protect its investment by making the Offer. For the reasons set out above, Shareholders should note that the Offer is conditional on no agreement, arrangement or commitment, or amendment to any existing agreement, having been entered into for the sale or development of any material real estate asset owned by any member of the Newbury Racecourse Group. GPG Acquisitions considers that any such action would be of material significance to it in the context of the Offer. GPG'S POST-ACQUISITION STRATEGY Our involvement in Newbury Racecourse has been predicated on the two key elements of the Company's business: the operation of its prestigious racecourse and its large holding of property surplus to racecourse requirements. GPG regards the successful development of each as essential to a satisfactory outcome for Shareholders. Following the Offer becoming or being declared unconditional in all respects, GPG will appoint to the Newbury Board nominees sufficient in number to comprise a majority. The reconstituted Newbury Board will immediately thereafter conduct a comprehensive strategic review of the Company. Ensuring the appropriate approach is adopted for Newbury Racecourse's surplus property is the crucial factor behind the making of the Offer. Moreover, GPG is strongly committed to the future operation of the racecourse. It will consider all options to return the racecourse to profitability including bringing in external expertise, whether by way of direct management involvement or via joint venture. BENEFITS OF THE OFFER Given the chronically poor operating performance of the Company, its weakened financial position and what GPG considers to be the inherently speculative nature of the strategy the current Newbury Board proposes to commit Shareholders to for the long term, GPG believes that Newbury is at a crossroads. The Offer value of approximately £33.49 million provides Shareholders with an alternative to the Newbury Board's new strategy: to accept a premium cash offer for their Newbury Racecourse Shares. The Offer of £11 per Newbury Racecourse Share represents a generous price for Newbury Racecourse. In this regard, the Offer value of approximately £33.49 million equates to a premium of 176% to the published consolidated shareholders' funds of the Company as at 30 June 2007. As Newbury Racecourse has not achieved an operating profit for a number of years, Shareholders should note that the usual earnings comparison cannot be drawn. Substantial premium to consolidated shareholders' funds Offer Price per Newbury Racecourse Share £11.00 Number of Newbury Racecourse Shares in issue 3,044,333 Offer value £33,487,663 Consolidated shareholders' funds as 30 June 2007 £12,144,000 Offer premium to consolidated shareholders' funds 176% The Offer Price exceeds the highest Closing Price of Newbury Racecourse Shares since dealings commenced on the PLUS market in 1995 and represents a premium of approximately 11.68 per cent. to the Closing Price of £9.85 per Newbury Racecourse Share on 13 November, being the last Business Day prior to the announcement of the Offer. In view of the circumstances of the Offer, GPG does not expect to receive a formal recommendation from the Newbury Board. Notwithstanding this, GPG strongly believes the Offer, which provides the certainty of cash at a premium price, merits serious and immediate consideration by Shareholders. The Offer also provides Shareholders with a further alternative: to accept the Offer for part of their shareholding - thereby assisting GPG to gain control of the business, with a view to maximising the value of the racecourse and surplus land for the benefit of all remaining Shareholders. In light of the foregoing, we have no hesitation in strongly commending our premium Offer to Shareholders. Yours sincerely Blake Nixon Chairman GPG Acquisitions No. 5 Limited" Copies of the Offer Document and the Form of Acceptance are available (during normal business hours) from Strand Partners at 26 Mount Row, London W1K 3SQ and from the offices of Computershare Investor Services PLC, The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol BS99 7NH throughout the period during which the Offer remains open for acceptance. ENQUIRIES GPG Acquisitions No. 5 Limited Tel: (020) 7484 3370 Blake Nixon, Director Strand Partners Limited Tel: (020) 7409 3494 Simon Raggett OTHER INFORMATION This announcement should be read in conjunction with the full text of the accompanying Offer Document and Form of Acceptance. Appendix III of the Offer Document contains sources and bases for certain information contained in this announcement and the Offer Document. Terms defined in the Offer Document have the same meaning in this announcement. Strand Partners, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting exclusively for GPG Acquisitions and no one else in connection with the Offer and Strand Partners will not regard any other person as a client in relation to the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than GPG Acquisitions for providing the protections afforded exclusively to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Offer, the contents of this announcement or any transaction or arrangement referred to herein. The availability of the Offer to persons not resident in and citizens of the United Kingdom may be affected by laws of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are citizens or in which they are resident. Such Overseas Shareholders should inform themselves about, and observe, any applicable legal or regulatory requirements of any such relevant jurisdiction. In particular, the Offer is not being made, directly or indirectly, in, into or from or by the use of the mails of or any means or instrumentality (including, without limitation, by means of facsimile transmission, telex, telephone, internet or other forms of electronic communication) of interstate or foreign commerce of, or by any facility of a national, state or other securities exchange of, the United States, or in, into or from Canada or Australia or any other jurisdiction if to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant laws of such jurisdiction, and the Offer will not be capable of acceptance by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility from or within the United States, Canada or Australia or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a breach of any relevant securities laws of that jurisdiction. Accordingly, copies of this announcement and the Offer Document are not being, and must not be, mailed or otherwise distributed or sent in or into or from the United States, Canada or Australia. This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer to sell or purchase or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of an offer to sell, purchase or subscribe for any securities, pursuant to the Offer or otherwise. The Offer will be made solely by way of the Offer Document and the related Form of Acceptance, contain the full terms and conditions of the Offer. This announcement, including information included or incorporated by reference in this announcement, may contain "forward-looking statements" concerning Newbury Racecourse, GPG Acquisitions or GPG plc. Generally, the words "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "intend", "may", "plan", "project", "should" and "will" or similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the relevant company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the relevant company's abilities to control or estimate precisely, such as changes in general economic and business conditions, changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates, lack of acceptance of new exchange rates and interest rates, introduction of competing products or services, lack of acceptance of new products or services, changes in business strategy and the behaviour of other market participants and therefore undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. No party intends to, nor assumes any obligation to, update these forward-looking statements, except as required pursuant to applicable law. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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