Proposals including Merger

Westbury Property Fund Limited 15 August 2007 The Westbury Property Fund Limited Proposals including a merger with the Eddie Stobart Group SUMMARY The Board of Westbury is pleased to announce a series of proposed transactions which will transform the Company into a multi-modal transport and logistics business giving its customers access to road, rail, deep sea and inland waterway transport systems and deep sea port, inland port and rail-connected storage facilities. • Merger with the Eddie Stobart Group, a leading UK independent haulage and logistics company - aggregate consideration of £138 million, comprising £62 million in cash and £76 million in new shares - present owners Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart will become substantial shareholders and lead the management team of Eddie Stobart Limited as CEO and COO respectively • Westbury will be renamed Stobart Group Limited • Creation of a fully integrated asset-backed logistics company with net assets of over £250 million • Disposal of substantially all of Westbury's wholly-owned property portfolio - aggregate consideration of £142 million (£62 million net of debt repayment) - sold to WADI Properties Limited at a small premium to 30 June NAV • Acquisition of O'Connor, a rail-connected freight handling business - aggregate consideration of £23 million - assumption of circa £4.5 million of net debt - consideration to be paid in cash and loan notes As a consequence of these transactions it is proposed that changes are made to Westbury's Memorandum of Association, that the existing arrangements with the Investment Manager are terminated and that new arrangements to incentivise the Enlarged Group's personnel are implemented. A prospectus in respect of the Enlarged Group will be posted to shareholders shortly, as will a separate circular setting out further details of the Proposals and convening an EGM. Richard Burrell, investment manager of The Westbury Property Fund Limited, commented: 'The Board of Westbury believes very strongly that in the coming years the opportunity for forward-thinking more environmentally-sensitive logistics businesses will be considerable. I am delighted that in Eddie Stobart we have found a very talented team of people with a great record who share that view. Eddie Stobart is a first class business in its own right and together with Westbury's developing deep sea, inland waterway, rail and storage businesses, which are considerably strengthened by the acquisition of O'Connor, and the disposal of substantially all of Westbury's property portfolio, we believe we have the makings of a compelling multi-modal logistics business which will bring valuable benefits to customers and shareholders.' A meeting for analysts will take place at the London Stock Exchange, 10 Paternoster Square, London, EC4M 7LS at 11 a.m. this morning, 15 August 2007. Enquiries Assura Group Richard Burrell 0207 107 3830 Louise Bathersby 0207 107 3830 louise.bathersby@assuragroup.co.uk Lansons Communications Tony Langham 07979 692 287 tonyl@lansons.com Charlie Field 07884 001 148 charlief@lansons.com Karen Mignon 07766 651 327 karenm@lansons.com Cenkos Ian Soanes 020 7397 8924 isoanes@cenkos.com Cenkos Securities plc, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, is acting for The Westbury Property Fund Limited and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than The Westbury Property Fund Limited for providing the protections afforded to its customers or for providing advice to any other person in relation to the matters referred to in this announcement. This announcement does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any securities. This announcement has not been examined or approved by the FSA or the London Stock Exchange or any other regulatory authority. The distribution for this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession this announcement comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Certain statements in this announcement are forward looking statements. By their nature, forward looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions because they relate to events and/or depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward looking statements. These include, among other factors: the Group's ability to obtain capital/additional finance; the limitations of the Group's internal financial controls; any increase in competition; an unexpected decline in turnover; legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including, but not limited to, changes in environmental and safety regulations; and currency and interest rate fluctuations. These and other factors could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. Forward looking statements contained in this announcement based on past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. Subject to any requirement under the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority, neither the Company nor Cenkos Securities Limited undertakes any obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this announcement. The Westbury Property Fund Limited Proposals including a merger with the Eddie Stobart Group Introduction Westbury has, today, announced a series of proposed transactions which will transform the Company into a multi-modal transport and logistics business giving its customers access to road, rail, deep sea and inland waterway transport systems and deep sea port, inland port and rail-connected storage facilities. The Proposals include the merger of Westbury with the Eddie Stobart Group, the disposal of the WPL Portfolio and the acquisition of O'Connor. Eddie Stobart is a leading independent transport company in the UK logistics market. It is proposed that the Merger will be effected by the acquisition of the Eddie Stobart Group by the Company for an aggregate consideration of £137.7 million. The consideration will be satisfied by a cash payment of £61.7 million and the issue of the Consideration Shares to the Stobart Shareholders upon Completion at a price of 166.2 pence per share. It is proposed that the WPL Portfolio be sold to WADI Properties, a company owned and controlled by the Stobart Shareholders, by means of a sale by the Company of WPL for a consideration of £142.0 million before expenses. The consideration will be satisfied by the novation to and the assumption by WADI Properties of the existing bank debt of £79.8 million associated with the WPL Portfolio, a cash payment anticipated to be in the region of £30.2 million upon Completion and WADI Properties agreeing to procure the repayment of WPL's outstanding intercompany debt to the Company which is anticipated to be in the region of £32.0 million. The Company's subsidiary, Westlink, proposes to acquire O'Connor for an aggregate consideration of £23.0 million. The consideration will be satisfied by a payment of £2.6 million in cash and the issue by Westlink of £20.4 million in Guaranteed Loan Notes. Westlink will also assume O'Connor's existing indebtedness, which the Directors estimate will be approximately £4.5 million upon completion of the Acqusition. Upon completion of the Merger, it is proposed that Westbury will be renamed Stobart Group Limited and changes will be made to its Memorandum of Association so that it more accurately reflects the activities of the Enlarged Group following completion of the Transactions. Given the transformation of the Company it is proposed that the existing arrangements with the Investment Manager will be terminated and that the Investment Manager will be paid in cash the full amount of its notice period entitlement and that it will receive the Settlement Shares in respect of its accrued performance fee. New arrangements to incentivise the Enlarged Group's personnel are also proposed. In view of the sizes of the Eddie Stobart Group and the WPL Portfolio in relation to the Company and the nature of the Transactions each of the Merger and the Disposal are conditional inter alia on the approval of Shareholders which will be sought at an Extraordinary General Meeting. The Acquisition is conditional inter alia upon completion of the Merger. Completion of the Merger and the Disposal is expected to take place on or around 20 September 2007 and the Acquisition is expected to complete shortly thereafter. As the Merger is being treated as a reverse takeover under the Listing Rules, trading in the Shares will be suspended pending publication of a prospectus relating to the Enlarged Group. The prospectus is expected to be published shortly. Background to and reasons for the Proposals In August 2006 Westbury repositioned itself as a commercial property and ports business with the intention of redeploying its assets from commercial property into the ports and logistics sectors over time in order to create a ports and logistics business able to provide customers with access to road, rail and deep sea and inland shipping transport networks. The Company has benefited from strong growth in the UK commercial property market over the last five years and the Board considers that future returns from the WPL Portfolio are unlikely to exceed the total returns that may be achieved from ports, rail and logistics businesses. Westbury is actively pursuing its revised strategy with the acquisition of AHC and the recent disposal of its interest in Mid City Place in addition to seeking to complete the proposed Transactions. Eddie Stobart is a long-established logistics business. The core of its business is domestic road transport but the group has also developed integrated transport, storage, rail freight and European operations in recent years. Like Westbury, Eddie Stobart has recognised the potential importance of rail freight to the UK transport industry and has recently been successful in establishing a rail transport service for one of its largest customers. The Directors consider rail transport could offer a complementary service to road transport operations and could deliver financial, operational and environmental benefits in certain circumstances. They also believe that access to deep sea and inland shipping will prove attractive to customers of the Enlarged Group. The Merger brings together the established integrated logistics operations of Eddie Stobart with the emerging multi-modal port and rail operations of Westbury and provides Eddie Stobart with an asset base which can be used to fund the growth of the business. The Directors believe that the Merger will enable both groups to accelerate their growth plans and that the combination of the businesses brings considerable synergy potential to the Enlarged Group. O'Connor is a rail-linked freight handling business located adjacent to the Company's recently acquired AHC business in Widnes. In the Directors' view, bringing the two operations together will bring significant benefits in terms of operational effectiveness and enable them to offer a wider range of services to their customers. In addition to the Transactions, the Company is also proposing: to terminate the Investment Management Agreement, as the role of the Investment Manager will be greatly diminished following the Disposal; to implement the Incentive Plan to incentivise management and Directors in an appropriate manner following Completion; to change the name of the Company to better reflect the operations of the Company following the Merger and Disposal; and to change the Company's Memorandum of Association to reflect the Company's transition from investment company to trading company. Information on the Transactions Principal terms and conditions of the Transaction Agreements Merger Agreement and Warranty Deed Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement the Stobart Shareholders have conditionally agreed to sell and the Company has conditionally agreed to purchase the entire issued share capital of Stobart Holdings for an aggregate consideration of £137.7 million. The consideration is to be satisfied by a payment of £61.7 million in cash and the issue of the Consideration Shares at 166.2 pence per share. The Merger Agreement contains commercial warranties from the Stobart Shareholders which are usual for this type of transaction. As a result of the issue of the Consideration Shares, Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart will together hold 28.5 per cent. of the enlarged issued share capital of the Company. The Stobart Shareholders have agreed, save in certain circumstances, not to dispose of the Consideration Shares for a period of 12 months following Completion. Completion of the Merger remains subject to various conditions precedent including the approval of Shareholders. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Investment Manager, the Company and the Stobart Shareholders have entered into a warranty deed under which the Investment Manager and the Company have given certain warranties and undertakings in respect of Westbury in favour of the Stobart Shareholders. Disposal Agreement Pursuant to the terms of the Disposal Agreement, the Company has conditionally agreed to sell and WADI Properties has conditionally agreed to purchase the entire issued share capital of WPL, the holding company for the WPL Portfolio. The consideration for the sale of the entire issued share capital of WPL is £142.0 million which is to be satisfied by a cash payment of £30.2 million and the novation by the Company to WADI Properties of bank debt of £79.8 million and WADI Properties agreeing to procure the repayment of WPL's outstanding intercompany debt to the Company which is anticipated to be in the region of £32.0 million at Completion. The Disposal Agreement is on conventional terms for a transaction of this type. Completion of the Disposal remains subject to various conditions precedent including the approval of Shareholders. Acquisition Agreement Pursuant to the terms of the Acquisition Agreement, the O'Connor Shareholders have conditionally agreed to sell and Westlink has conditionally agreed to purchase O'Connor for an aggregate consideration of £23.0 million. The consideration is to be satisfied by a payment of £2.6 million in cash and the issue of £20.4 million in Guaranteed Loan Notes by Westlink. Westlink will also assume O'Connor's existing indebtedness which the Directors estimate will be approximately £4.5 million at Completion. The Acquisition Agreement contains commercial warranties from the O'Connor Shareholders which are usual for this type of transaction. Completion of the Acquisition is conditional upon inter alia completion of the Merger and the consent of the National Westminster Bank plc and certain finance lessors to the change of control of O'Connor. Financial Effects of the Transactions The Transactions will transform Westbury from being a property investment company with significant logistics investments into a multi-modal transport and logistics business and the financial profile of the business will change accordingly. The Merger and the Acquisition will bring substantial trading businesses into the Group, increasing the Group's turnover and trading profits considerably whilst the Disposal will release funds for reinvestment, reducing tangible net assets and rental income. As at 30 June 2007 the book value of the WPL Portfolio being sold was £139.4 million, or £59.6 million net of associated bank debt. The Disposal sale proceeds are estimated to be £141.2 million after expenses representing a premium of £1.8 million to the net book value. The net proceeds of the Disposal are estimated to be £58.4 million, after the novation of the Company's associated bank debt facility to WADI Properties and transaction costs. These net proceeds will be used to satisfy the cash element of the consideration payable by the Company to the Stobart Shareholders pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement. In the year ended 28 February 2007 the Eddie Stobart Group generated EBITDA of £14.1 million on turnover of £167.9 million and as at that date had net assets of £11.5 million. In the year ended 30 March 2007 O'Connor generated profit before tax of £1.6 million on turnover of £11.2 million and as at that date had net assets of £3.9 million. The Directors consider there to be opportunities to save costs when O'Connor's operations are combined with those of AHC and they expect the multi-modal logistics service that the Enlarged Group will be able to offer its customers to bring considerable revenue synergies. The profits and cash flow of the Eddie Stobart Group and O'Connor are expected to enhance the Company's ability to pay a progressive dividend, as described below, whilst further joint venture investment property sales will release cash for further investment in the Company's logistics operations. Information on Eddie Stobart Introduction Eddie Stobart is an integrated logistics company which serves the United Kingdom, as well as having operations in Europe. It has grown significantly since its incorporation in 1970, by the eponymous Eddie Stobart, and today it operates a fleet of over 900 vehicles and 1,500 trailers from 27 sites (including ten customer sites), across the UK, and one site in Belgium. Eddie Stobart's core business is domestic road haulage, but the company has also developed integrated transport, storage, rail freight and European operations in recent years. Having been in the ownership of the Stobart family since its incorporation, in 2004 Eddie Stobart was sold to a company owned by Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart. As Chairman and Managing Director respectively of Eddie Stobart, Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart built and led a management team which has refocused the business of Eddie Stobart and firmly re-established its growth. Eddie Stobart is a strong brand in the UK logistics industry. Having grown turnover and profits in recent years and established an efficient, effective operation, including scaleable and comprehensive IT, vehicle tracking and scheduling systems and management structures, the Directors are confident that Eddie Stobart can exploit its brand and continue to grow strongly. Eddie Stobart operates primarily from three management locations: Carlisle, which focuses on specialist fleet planning, storage, logistics and branding; Appleton Thorn, Warrington which focuses on general and European fleet planning; and Daventry which is dedicated to Tesco fleet planning and rail operations. Integrated services provided to customers cover the following: Transport and Storage Eddie Stobart operates from a network of 27 sites (including ten customer sites) across the UK, with one site in Belgium, utilising a fleet of over 900 vehicles. By targeting and winning complementary contracts Eddie Stobart's planners do not have to rely solely on finding non-contracted back loads to utilise the transport fleet (including rail containers). An integrated approach to planning the fleet and strategic sourcing of contracts that fit the network helps maximise fleet utilisation, maintains consistent customer service and supports higher margin work. The efficiency of the fleet benefits from: • national network covering the whole of the UK mainland; • the critical mass of fleet and drivers; • use of a growing number of owner-drivers; and • a strategic mix of customers and associated route requirements throughout the UK. The fleets are planned from dedicated centres which ensures: • a greater degree of integration than a multi-site planning operation; • a better understanding and stronger relationships between planners and drivers; • greater levels of visibility and control for key management; and • lower overheads. The large UK fleet is supported by a fleet of vehicles offering services across Europe and focusing on niche operations using specialist trailers including walking floor, fridge, double-deck fridge, mega and secure trailers. The transport offering integrates with the storage offering of Eddie Stobart which includes approximately 2.6 million square feet of storage space, strategically located throughout the UK together with the depot at Lokeren, Belgium. Eddie Stobart warehouses offer adaptable storage and racking solutions to a variety of customers. Services offered range from arms length landlord and tenant agreements through to running consolidated distribution centres. Each warehouse is Eddie Stobart branded, is serviced by a range of the latest IT equipment and operates a networked, bespoke, dedicated management system allowing tight controls over stock, conforming with customers' traceability requirements. Customers can access their stock levels in real time via electronic communication. Products catered for include food, medical, packaging, building materials and consumer goods. Within some of the warehouse locations Eddie Stobart offers a full 'contract-out ' service. This is an extensive range of solutions tailored to meet individual customer requirements. Due to the growth of outsourcing, the market for this service is growing, meaning that there are significant opportunities to generate additional revenues through focusing on the strategic marketing of this service. Rail Services Eddie Stobart recognises the growing demand for energy efficient transport solutions. Eddie Stobart started its rail operations in 2006 and now operates a daily round trip rail service from Daventry to Grangemouth five days a week. In order to reduce carbon emissions and reduce road congestion, the EU and UK governments are encouraging greater use of rail freight over road transport. There now exists significant scope for extending this service to existing customers and for introducing new services to other customers. Branding and Merchandising Branding and Merchandising deals with the subscribers to the members club and sells branded merchandise to the general public via the website and three shops based at Carlisle, Appleton Thorn and Daventry. Information on Westbury Westbury was established in January 2002 as a closed-ended investment company (The Westbury Property Fund Ltd) incorporated in Guernsey. For the three year period to December 2006 Westbury achieved a total return (measured by IPD) of 26.6% per annum compared to its benchmark which returned 18% per annum. This placed Westbury first out of a peer group of 56 over the period.(1) In August 2006 Westbury repositioned itself as a commercial property, ports and rail business with the intention of redeploying its assets from commercial property into ports and logistics sectors. In January 2007 Westbury announced that it was considering the disposal of a portfolio of its properties. Westbury owns Port of Weston in Runcorn - a 50 acre site with road, deep sea, inland waterway and proposed rail access. A significant, 5 year phased regeneration of the site into an inter-modal port facility is proposed which will enable freight currently transported by road to be transferred to water and rail. The proposed regeneration intends to incorporate: • up to 400,000 square feet of warehousing including a bulk processing capability and palletised and bonded storage facilities; • new container handling facilities fronting the Manchester Ship Canal capable of handling 1 million tonnes of freight per annum; • an extension to the nearby existing West Coast main line rail siding into a new on-site rail connected warehouse facility; • a new link road providing improved access from the local road and wider motorway network; • improved navigable access between the dock and the Manchester Ship Canal in order to accommodate short sea and coastal, as well as deep sea, shipping vessels; and • a bulk liquid tank farm and packing facility. Westbury, through its subsidiary Westlink, has recently completed a strategic joint venture, VWR, with Victa Railfreight, a rail freight operator. Westbury announced in March 2007 that it had acquired AHC, a rail terminal operator and storage, facilities handling and transport business on a 103 acre site. AHC has a long track record in logistics and train terminal operations and benefits from longstanding client relationships and secure revenue streams. There is a substantial rail head on site with four rail sidings which, once fully operational, offers the potential to boost income levels through rail freight operations. Information on the WPL Portfolio The WPL Portfolio comprises 19 properties located across the UK in the retail, office, industrial and education sectors and represents the majority of the Company's wholly-owned portfolio. The WPL Portfolio has been valued by Knight Frank LLP at £139.4 million as at 30 June 2007 and was producing at that date rental income of £7.4 million per annum. Information on O'Connor O'Connor is a rail terminal operation located immediately adjacent to the AHC site at Widnes covering approximately 39 acres. O'Connor currently handles four trains per day with an annual throughput of approximately 70,000 containers. The operation is a partner in the Mersey Multi Modal Gateway Project. In addition to its railhead operations O'Connor operates approximately 73 tractor units hauling containers from the railhead to their final destination. O'Connor currently operates solely in railhead and in transportation and has no warehousing activities. Information on the Enlarged Group Strategy of the Enlarged Group Upon Completion, the Enlarged Group will comprise five principal elements: • the Eddie Stobart contract logistics business; • the Westlink port interests of Westbury, comprising the Port of Weston and associated road infrastructure and warehousing, proposed rail and property interests on connected land; • AHC and O'Connor which together will create a rail-connected transport and storage facility operating on adjacent sites comprising in aggregate 142 acres with ten rail sidings and approximately 650,000 square feet of warehousing; • VWR, a rail freight operator; and • the property and property joint venture interests of Westbury, comprising one property and nine investments with a book value as at 30 June 2007 of £80.6 million. The strategy of the Enlarged Group will be: • to invest in the Westlink port and rail terminal interests to create an inter-modal port facility with road, rail, deep sea and inland waterway access, capable of handling significant cargo volumes and establish a link to the Eddie Stobart transport network; • to pursue organic expansion of the Eddie Stobart business, with particular emphasis on new opportunities with new and existing customers; • to invest in complementary logistics businesses, including port, rail and road transport businesses, in order to further develop the Eddie Stobart offering in the UK and Europe; and • to realise the existing joint venture property interests according to individual business plans. Termination of Investment Management Agreement As a result of the Disposal, the role of the Investment Manager will be greatly diminished. Therefore, in accordance with the terms of the Investment Management Agreement it has been agreed between the Company and the Investment Manager that, should the Disposal be effected, the Investment Management Agreement will be terminated. On termination of the Investment Management Agreement, the Investment Manager will be paid £10.7 million in cash, representing the full amount of its notice period entitlement and the accrued performance fee of £10.6 million will be discharged by the issue of the Settlement Shares at 166.2 pence per share to the Investment Manager. The Investment Manager has agreed, save in certain circumstances, not to dispose of the Settlement Shares for a period of 12 months following Completion. Amendment to the Memorandum of Association In order to reflect the Company's transition from being a property investment company to being an asset-backed logistics group the Directors propose certain changes to the Company's Memorandum of Association including the addition of a general objects clause 'to carry on business as a general commercial company' (which, under the Law, shall permit the Company to carry on any trade or business whatsoever) and more specific objects clauses relating to carrying on multi-model ports, rail and logistics businesses. Incentive Plan The Board considers that the Enlarged Group's personnel are key to its development and should be appropriately incentivised. Accordingly, it is proposed that the Company should adopt the Incentive Plan to retain key employees and to attract new employees. The proposed Incentive Plan provides for a series of share-based payments, subject to achievement of a variety of performance criteria. The maximum number of Ordinary Shares which may be awarded under the Incentive Plan is 5 per cent. of the issued share capital of the Company from time to time. Directors and Senior Management of the Enlarged Group Following Completion, the board of Westbury will remain composed of the current Directors, each of whom is non-executive. Each of Stobart Holdings and the principal operating subsidiary of the Enlarged Group, Eddie Stobart, will be managed by an operational board of directors composed of the current Eddie Stobart directors and personnel, as well as further directors who will join from Westlink and the Investment Manager's team to undertake roles within the Enlarged Group. Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart will be Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer respectively of each operational board of Stobart Holdings and Eddie Stobart. It is the Board's intention that Richard Burrell and Nigel Rawlings will both assume part time executive roles on the board of Eddie Stobart and will assume operational roles in the running of the operational business of the Enlarged Group during the transitional phase. There is an intention in the medium term that Richard Burrell and Nigel Rawlings will be invited to join the Board as non-executive directors. Employee Option Arrangements The Board recognises that Richard Burrell and Nigel Rawlings will have important roles within the Enlarged Group and the development and implementation of its future strategy. In order to incentivise Richard Burrell and Nigel Rawlings going forward the Board intends to grant them options to acquire in aggregate up to 1,504,159 Ordinary Shares at the option price of 166.2 pence per Ordinary Share for a period of three years following Completion. The granting of such options is conditional upon inter alia the completion of the Transactions. Change of Name Upon completion of the Merger it is proposed that the name of the Company be changed to Stobart Group Limited. Financial Reporting Upon Completion, the Company's accounting reference date will be changed from 31 December to 28 February to conform to that of the Enlarged Group's principal trading subsidiaries. The first audited annual results for the Enlarged Group will be prepared for the period to 28 February 2008 and are expected to be published in May 2008. Dividend policy Upon Completion, the Company will adopt a dividend policy more suited to a trading company. The Board intends to declare dividends on its Ordinary Shares twice annually at the time of announcement of its interim and final results. Dividends on the Company's Income Shares will continue to be declared on the present basis. The Directors are targeting a dividend of 8 pence per Ordinary Share for the 14 month period ending 29 February 2008. Extraordinary General Meeting An Extraordinary General Meeting will be held to consider the Proposals and notice of this will be shortly despatched to Shareholders. Completion of the Proposals and admission of the Shares to the Official List and to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange is expected to take place shortly after the EGM. Enquiries Assura Group Richard Burrell 0207 107 3830 Louise Bathersby 0207 107 3830 louise.bathersby@assuragroup.co.uk Lansons Communications Tony Langham 07979 692 287 tonyl@lansons.com Charlie Field 07884 001 148 charlief@lansons.com Karen Mignon 07766 651 327 karenm@lansons.com Cenkos Ian Soanes 020 7397 8924 isoanes@cenkos.com Cenkos Securities plc, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, is acting for The Westbury Property Fund Limited and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than The Westbury Property Fund Limited for providing the protections afforded to its customers or for providing advice to any other person in relation to the matters referred to in this announcement. This announcement does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any securities. This announcement has not been examined or approved by the FSA or the London Stock Exchange or any other regulatory authority. The distribution for this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession this announcement comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Certain statements in this announcement are forward looking statements. By their nature, forward looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions because they relate to events and/or depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward looking statements. These include, among other factors: the Group's ability to obtain capital/additional finance; the limitations of the Group's internal financial controls; any increase in competition; an unexpected decline in turnover; legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including, but not limited to, changes in environmental and safety regulations; and currency and interest rate fluctuations. These and other factors could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. Forward looking statements contained in this announcement based on past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. Subject to any requirement under the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority, neither the Company nor Cenkos Securities Limited undertakes any obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this announcement. DEFINITIONS The following definitions apply throughout this announcement, unless the context otherwise requires: Acquisition the proposed acquisition of the entire issued share capital of O'Connor in accordance with the terms of the Acquisition Agreement Acquisition Agreement the conditional acquisition agreement dated 15 August 2007 between (1) the O'Connor Shareholders and (2) Westlink, pursuant to which the O'Connor Shareholders have agreed to sell and Westlink has agreed to purchase, the entire issued share capital of O'Connor Admission the admission of the Shares to the Official List and to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange AHC AHC Warehousing Limited, a subsidiary of the Company, acquired on 23 March 2007 Articles of Association the articles of association of the Company Board or Directors the directors of the Company Cenkos Cenkos Securities plc, which is authorised and regulated in the UK by the FSA to carry on investment business Channel Islands Stock The Channel Island Stock Exchange, LBG Exchange or CISX Company or Westbury The Westbury Property Fund Limited, a closed-ended investment company incorporated in Guernsey and registered with number 39117, to be renamed Stobart Group Limited upon completion of the Merger Completion completion of the Transactions Consideration Shares the 45,726,434 Ordinary Shares to be issued as part of the consideration pursuant to the Merger Agreement Daventry Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal Disposal the proposed disposal of the WPL Portfolio which is to be effected by the proposed sale by the Company of WPL pursuant to the terms of the Disposal Agreement Disposal Agreement the conditional agreement dated 15 August 2007 between (1) Westbury and (2)WADI Properties relating to the Disposal Eddie Stobart Eddie Stobart Limited, the principal trading company of the Eddie Stobart Group, incorporated in England & Wales with registered number 995045 Eddie Stobart Group the Eddie Stobart group of companies comprising Stobart Holdings and its subsidiary undertakings Enlarged Group the Group following completion of the Transactions Extraordinary General Meeting or EGM the extraordinary general meeting of the Company to consider the Proposals FSA the Financial Services Authority FSMA the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended Group the Company, its subsidiaries and its subsidiary undertakings from time to time Guaranteed Loan Notes the £20,400,000 guaranteed loan notes 2009 to be constituted pursuant to the terms of the loan note instrument to be made by Westlink Incentive Plan the proposed executive equity plan Incentive Plan Shares the 8,029,836 Ordinary Shares to be issued in accordance with the Incentive Plan Income Shares income shares of 10p each in the capital of the Company Investment Management Agreement or IMA the investment management agreement originally between (1) Westbury Fund Management Limited, (2) the Company and (3) WPL and dated 15 April 2002 (and most recently novated to the Investment Manager on 15 May 2006) Investment Manager Assura Fund Management LLP, the Company's investment manager IPD Investment Property Databank Law The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 1994, as amended Listing Rules the listing rules issued by the UK Listing Authority, as amended London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange plc Merger the proposed merger of Westbury and the Eddie Stobart Group to be effected by the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Stobart Holdings pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement Merger Agreement the conditional merger agreement dated 15 August 2007 between (1) Westbury and (2) the Stobart Shareholders relating to the Merger Mid City Place Mid City Place, a property in which Westbury had an interest of 19.7 per cent. New Ordinary Shares the Consideration Shares, the Settlement Shares, the Incentive Plan Shares and the Settlement Shares O'Connor O'Connor Group Management Limited, incorporated in England and Wales with registered number 4270084 O'Connor Shareholders S. P. O'Connor, D.S. O'Connor and L.P O'Connor Official List or Official Lists the Official List maintained by the FSA pursuant to Part VI of FSMA and/or the Official List of the CISX, as the context may require Ordinary Shares ordinary shares of 10p each in the capital of the Company Port of Weston the Company's port located at Weston Point, Runcorn Proposals the Merger, the Disposal, the Acquisition, the change of name of the Company to Stobart Group Limited, the proposed changes to the Memorandum of Association the proposed termination of the Investment Management Agreement and the adoption of the Incentive Plan, each to be voted on at the Extraordinary General Meeting Settlement Shares the 6,382,474 Ordinary Shares to be issued to the Investment Manager in connection with the termination of the Investment Management Agreement Shares Ordinary Shares and Income Shares Shareholders holders of Income Shares and/or Ordinary Shares, as the context may require Stobart Holdings Stobart Holdings Limited, the holding company of the Eddie Stobart Group, incorporated in England & Wales with registered number 5907280 Stobart Shareholders Messrs Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart, the shareholders of Stobart Holdings Limited Transactions the Merger, the Disposal and the Acquisition UK Listing Authority or UKLA the Financial Services Authority acting in its capacity as the competent authority for the purposes of Part VI of the FSMA VWR Victa Westlink Rail Limited WADI W. A. Developments International Limited (company number 4163442) WADI Properties WADI Properties Limited Warranty Deed the deed dated 15 August between the Company (1) the Investment Manager (2) and the Stobart Shareholders (3) pursuant to which the Company and the Investment Manager have provided certain warranties and undertakings to the Stobart Shareholders in connection with the Company Westlink Westlink Group Limited Weston Point location of the Company's port, Port of Weston WPL Westbury Properties Limited WPL Portfolio the portfolio of 19 properties owned by WPL Note 1: These figures are taken from a report prepared by Investment Property Databank Limited and are calculated on a hypothetical basis given that some of the Company's assets do not qualify for inclusion in IPD indices. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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