Issue of Equity & EGM Notice

Cashbox PLC 17 April 2007 Cashbox plc Proposed Issue of Equity, Notice of EGM and Further re Directorate The Board is pleased to announce a proposal to issue 21,762,618 new ordinary shares of 1 penny each ('New Ordinary Shares') at 15p per share to raise approximately £3.26 million as part of proposals for Cashbox plc ('the Company') to obtain new banking facilities, to repay existing loans and raise additional working capital (the 'Proposals'). The Company is seeking shareholder approval to grant the Directors the requisite authority to issue the New Ordinary Shares and to renew the authorities granted to the Directors under the Companies Act 1985 ('the Act') to issue new shares in the Company. The Company will today post a circular to shareholders to explain the reasons for the issue of the New Ordinary Shares and to seek shareholders' approval of the resolutions to be proposed at an Extraordinary General Meeting ('EGM') on 11 May 2007 ('Resolutions'), notice of which is set out in the circular to shareholders. Background to and reasons for the Proposals As a direct result of the difficulties experienced with the current lease provider, General Capital Venture Finance Limited ('GCVF'), and as stated in the Company's interim results for the six months to 31 December 2006 published on 30 March 2007, the Board decided to seek alternative financing for the business. The Company has secured loans of £2.8 million as an interim measure, while discussions are taking place with Bank of Scotland to provide new lending facilities. These discussions are at an advanced stage, credit approval has been received, and the Company is working towards completion in the near future. The Company has also secured commitments for additional equity investment of £585,000 from certain directors and other investors. The Company has repaid £130,000 (plus accrued interest) of these loans and is proposing to settle the balance of £2,670,000 (plus accrued interest (although one group of lenders, being clients of UK investment bank Fairfax I.S. plc, has waived its entitlement to accrued interest)) and raise £585,000 of additional working capital through the issue of 21,762,618 New Ordinary Shares at 15p per share to the outstanding lenders and other investors, conditional on approval of the Resolutions at the EGM and admission of the New Ordinary Shares to AIM. Part of the new equity is required to satisfy a pre-condition of the proposed new lending facilities that the Company raises at least £2 million in new equity capital. The new facility is expected to comprise £8 million of debt finance, £500,000 of vehicle finance and a £750,000 overdraft facility. The Company currently has 1,264 ATMs in operation with its customers and continues to see strong demand for more ATMs to be installed both with existing customers and potential new customers. The Bank of Scotland facilities, together with additional capital that will be made available to the Company on completion of the fundraising, will enable the Company to resolve matters with GCVF and will enable a faster roll-out of ATMs to meet such demand than would otherwise be the case and enable the Company to aggressively pursue new sites. As part of the equity issue, the following Directors are investing in the business and will be issued New Ordinary Shares at the same price of 15p per share as follows (conditional on approval of the Resolutions at the EGM and admission to AIM of the New Ordinary Shares): New Total shareholding Approx. % of enlarged Ordinary after the issued share capital Shares equity issue after the equity issue Anthony Sharp (via Annenberg Investment Management S.A.) 1,666,666 24,004,666 28.84 Ciaran Morton 200,000 200,000 0.24 Robin Saunders 676,334 676,334 0.81 John Maples 135,184 135,184 0.16 David Auger 133,333 133,333 0.16 Admission to AIM The Company will make application for the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM and admission is expected to take place on 14 May 2007. The New Ordinary Shares will rank pari passu with the existing ordinary shares of 1 penny each in the capital of the Company, including the rights to all dividends and other distributions declared, paid or made after the date of issue. Extraordinary General Meeting At the Extraordinary General Meeting on 11 May 2007 shareholders will be asked to consider and if thought fit to pass the following resolutions: 1. an ordinary resolution to give the directors authority under section 80 of the Act to allot the 21,762,618 New Ordinary Shares and to allot new ordinary shares of 1 penny each up to an aggregate nominal amount of £415,858, such authority to expire at the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company; and 2. a special resolution to authorise the Directors to allot the New Ordinary Shares, to allot new ordinary shares of 1 penny each up to an aggregate nominal amount of £124,757 and to allot ordinary shares of 1 penny each pursuant to a rights issue, as if Section 89 (1) of the Act did not apply, such authority expiring at the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company. As an explanation of Resolution 2, Section 95 of the Act concerns the dis-application of statutory preemption rights pursuant to Section 89 of the Act. Section 89 of the Act provides that, if the directors wish to issue new securities for cash, they must be first be offered to current holders of shares in proportion to the number of shares they each hold at that time. By Section 95 of the Act, shareholders can resolve by special resolution, as proposed above, to dis-apply Section 89 of the Act for a specified nominal amount of shares. Recommendation The Directors consider that the passing of the Resolutions is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. Accordingly, the Board unanimously recommends shareholders to vote in favour of the Resolutions to be proposed at the EGM as they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings of, in aggregate, 25,494,000 Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 41.5 per cent. of the Company's existing issued share capital. The independent Directors consider, having consulted with Seymour Pierce Limited as nominated adviser, that the Proposals are fair and reasonable insofar as shareholders are concerned. Further copies of the circular to shareholders and notice of EGM will be available from the offices of Seymour Pierce Limited, Bucklersbury House, 3 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 8EL. Further re Directorate Further to the announcement on 30 March 2007 regarding the appointment of William Hughes, Mr Hughes was also a director of Medicsight Inc. and Tactica Fund plc within the last five years. William Hughes was also a director of Megap Limited when a receiver (Scottish Companies) was appointed on 4 September 1987 and net liabilities were estimated at being less than £500,000. William Hughes was also a director of Caledonian Golf and Leisure Limited until 1 December 1997 which later, on 25 September 1998, had a receiver (Scottish Companies) appointed. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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