Heads of Terms Announcement
Equest Investments Balkans Ltd
26 February 2008
26 February 2008
EQUEST INVESTMENTS BALKANS LTD
('EIB' or the 'Company')
Signing of Heads of Terms with Equest Capital Management Limited
Introduction
Equest Investments Balkans Ltd today announces the signing of non-binding Heads
of Terms (the 'Heads of Terms') with, inter alia, Equest Capital Management
Limited ('ECML' or the 'Investment Manager'), its investment manager, relating
to proposed changes to the structure of the management of the Company.
Under the Proposals, EIB is to be transformed from an externally managed fund
structure to an internally managed holding company structure. The Proposals
include internalising the key management team within the Investment Manager as
the executive management of the Company and acquiring the Investment Manager's
operating platform for EIB in London, Sofia, Bucharest and Belgrade. The annual
management fee of 2.5% per annum currently payable by EIB to ECML will terminate
and be replaced by new compensation arrangements and restricted equity and
warrants under a new four year service agreement. EIB will also establish a new
long-term incentive plan ('LTIP') in relation to performance of the management
with effect from 1 January 2008.
Background
On 13 December 2007, the board of directors (the 'Board') of the Company
announced that it was evaluating a number of strategic options including
changing the structure of the Company from an externally managed fund to more of
an internally managed holding company structure, whilst retaining the Company's
Investment Manager as the operative management of the Company.
Following consultations with a number of key shareholders representing a
majority of the Company's shares, and with the Company's advisers, the Board
entered into discussions with the Investment Manager in order to seek to align
more closely the interests of shareholders and the Investment Manager. The Board
believes that the internalisation of the management of the Company will ensure
the most effective means by which the Company manages its existing investments
and the delivery of shareholder value.
The Proposals are expected to benefit the strategic development of EIB. The
Company is seeking to continue its growth across the South East European region
as an active and concentrated holding company owning, managing and developing
its principal holdings in retail (including TechnomarketDomo), waste management
& infrastructure (including Novera) and select property developments (including
the Borovets resort development). Furthermore the Proposals and other associated
changes outlined below are expected to improve the Company's access to debt
finance and lead to improved analyst coverage of the Company.
The Proposals
The Board believes the benefits of the Proposals include:
• Key management of the Investment Manager (being Kari Haataja, Petri
Karjalainen and Georgi Krumov) will become executives of the Company
and commit to devote substantially all of their time to the Company
with service contracts for an initial term of four years renewable on
an annual basis, thereafter. It is expected that some of the key
managers will join the board of the Company in an executive capacity;
• Acquisition of the EIB management team, operating platform and rights
of use for the Equest brand name in the South East European region;
• EIB's annual management fee (currently Euros 5.76 million per annum)
will be terminated with effect from 1 January 2008 and replaced with
service agreements and a technical support agreement, which will, it
is expected, provide cost savings of approximately 50 per cent. of the
current annual management fee to the shareholders of EIB;
• Additional cost savings to shareholders over time from the termination
of contracts with other third party service providers associated with
a fund structure including administrators and custodians; and
• Key management of the Investment Manager agreeing not to raise any new
external funds to be managed by the Key Management team, but with a
carve out for continuing with their existing obligations to Equest
Balkan Properties PLC and for other non-competing businesses.
In return for terminating the existing management arrangements, the Investment
Manager will receive shares in the Company representing 5% of the Company's
issued share capital, (on a fully diluted basis) and will be granted warrants to
purchase, for nil consideration, shares representing approximately 3% of the
Company's issued share capital, on a fully diluted basis. Any shares issued to
the Investment Manager as part of the Proposals will be subject to lock in
arrangements and exercise of the warrants will be subject to the conditions
outlined in the Appendix to this announcement.
The Proposals are subject to the negotiation of detailed agreements and
implementation will be subject to the approval of shareholders in general
meeting, which, is expected to be held in April 2008.
Further details of the Heads of Terms in connection with the Proposals are set
out in the Appendix to this announcement.
Listings
At present the ordinary shares of the Company are listed for trading on the
Irish Stock Exchange and on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. Should
the Proposals be implemented, the Irish Stock Exchange has confirmed that the
structure of the Company following implementation would be such that the Company
will no longer comply with the rules relating to the Investment Funds section of
the Irish Stock Exchange Listing requirements. Accordingly, implementation of
the Proposals will be conditional upon de-listing of the Company's shares from
the Irish Stock Exchange.
In addition, as previously discussed, the Board will pursue a listing of the
Company's shares on the regulated stock exchanges of Sofia and/or Bucharest. All
of the investments of the Company are concentrated in this region and, since its
launch in 2004, the Company and the Investment Manager have enjoyed strong brand
recognition in the region. The Board may bring forward proposals to approve
these listings at the same time that approval is sought for the Proposals.
The planned IPO of TechnomarketDomo is currently expected to be undertaken in
the second quarter of 2008, on the Sofia and/or Bucharest Stock Exchanges, which
will further increase the profile of the Company within the region.
Commenting on these strategic developments, John Carrington, chairman of EIB,
said:
'The Proposals will provide EIB with direct access to the significant investment
resources, expertise and brand value of Equest within South Eastern Europe. The
transition represents a significant step in the transformation of EIB to an
internally managed active investment group focused on leveraging the potential
of South Eastern Europe across several key sectors'.
For further information please contact:
Equest Partners Limited Petri Karjalainen + 44 20 7240 7600
Naomi Kora
Collins Stewart Europe Limited Hugh Field + 44 20 7523 8350
Financial Dynamics Ed Gascoigne-Pees + 44 20 7831 3113
Nick Henderson
APPENDIX
SUMMARY OF THE HEADS OF TERMS
The Heads of Terms, which are not legally binding, provide that the Company
shall undertake the following actions for the purpose of implementing the
Proposals:
1. EIB shall enter into a service agreement (the 'Service Contract') with
Equest Capital Limited ('ECL'), the parent company of ECML, for an initial
term of fours years, renewable on an annual basis thereafter. The Service
Contract will contain provisions whereby ECL shall procure the provision of
the services of Petri Karjalainen, Kari Haataja and Georgi Krumov (the
'Executives') and other senior managers to EIB. The Executives shall devote
substantially all of their professional time and attention (whether as
managers or directors of Company) to the affairs of the Company and shall
be subject to customary restrictive covenants. The compensation
arrangements under the Service Contract shall be in line with remuneration
arrangements that are customary for senior executives operating similarly
situated companies. In addition, during a transition period, ECL will
provide 'back office' logistics necessary for EIB's day to day operations
under a technical services agreement (the 'Technical Services Agreement')
for an annual fee representing ECL's actual cost of providing the services
without any profit to ECL.
It is expected that the Service Contract and the Technical Services
Agreement will cost no more than 50 per cent. of the annual management fee
currently payable to ECML.
2. The Company shall put into place a new long term share incentive plan
('LTIP') that will entitle the Executives to be awarded shares in the
Company. Such LTIP is expected to offer participation on comparable
economics to the existing performance arrangements with ECML i.e. 20% of
excess performance over a hurdle rate. The LTIP will incentivise the
Executives based on a balance of NAV growth and long term share price
performance over the closing NAV/share price on 31 December 2007. The LTIP
will be structured to provide transparent alignment of interests between
the Executives and the Company's shareholders. Shares issued under the LTIP
will be issued within 90 days of the end of each annual performance period
and shall be subject to lock-up arrangements.
3. In the light of the proposed changes, EIB shall terminate the existing
investment management agreement between ECML and the Company (the
'Investment Management Agreement') in consideration for the issue by EIB to
ECL of:
• 941,540 ordinary shares of no par value representing 5% of the issued
share capital of EIB on a fully diluted basis (the 'Consideration
Shares'); and
• warrants entitling ECL to purchase for nil consideration 564,925
ordinary shares of no par value representing 3% of the issued share
capital of EIB on a current fully diluted basis (the 'Warrants'). The
Warrants will be exercisable at any time after the expiry of 12 months
from 1 January 2008 on the condition that the last reported NAV for
EIB immediately prior to the exercise of the Warrants is not less than
the reported NAV as at 31 December 2007 (for the avoidance of doubt
excluding the Consideration Shares).
4. In addition, the current investment advisory agreement between the Company,
the Investment Manager and Equest Partners Limited will also be terminated.
5. Lock-up arrangements will be put into place in respect of the Consideration
Shares and the Warrants to reflect ECL's long-term commitment to the
success of EIB.
--oo--
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange