Rights Issue, etc

ROSS GROUP PLC 10 August 1999 Ross Group PLC ('the Company') Subdivision of each Ordinary Share of 5p into one ordinary share of 0.2p and one Deferred Share of 4.8p and Consolidation of every 25 ordinary shares of 0.2p into one New Ordinary Share of 5p followed by Rights Issue of 20,093,357 Rights Shares on the basis of 17 New Ordinary Shares for every 5 New Ordinary Shares at 5.5p per Rights Issue Share Introduction The Board announced today that it proposes to raise approximately £800,000 net of expenses by way of a Rights Issue. In order to enable the Rights Issue to proceed it is necessary to carry out a Capital Reorganisation as follows: - a subdivision of each existing ordinary share of 5p into one ordinary share of 0.2p and one deferred share of 4.8p; and - the consolidation of every 25 ordinary shares of 0.2p into one New Ordinary Share of 5p. The Rights Issue involves the issue of up to 20,093,357 Rights Shares on the basis of 17 Rights Shares for every 5 New Ordinary Shares at a price of 5.5p per Rights Share after the Capital Reorganisation. The Rights Issue is conditional upon the approval of shareholders at the Extraordinary General Meeting ('EGM'), convened for 2.35p.m. or, if later, on the conclusion or adjournment of the Annual General Meeting of the Company on 3 September 1999. The Rights Issue has been fully underwritten by Mr Evans, who is a Director and the Chairman of the Company, save in respect of 929,951 Rights Shares that the Directors have irrevocably undertaken to take up in the Rights Issue. The Preference Shareholders will also be entitled to attend and vote at the EGM as their preferential dividend is more than six months in arrears. Background to and reasons for the Rights Issue At the time of Mr Evan's appointment to the Board in April 1995, the Group was experiencing severe cash flow difficulties. The Group's bankers have been supportive since that time but have set demanding targets to bring the Group's borrowings to a more acceptable level. As you will be aware the accounts for the year ended 31 December 1998 showed a pre-tax profit of £354,000 on sales of £21.3 million. In his Chairman's statement Mr Evans said that 1998 proved to be a difficult year for the Group. Adverse Trading conditions resulted in depressed sales for the Group and a reduction in pre-tax profit compared to the previous year. In 1998, the Group's available facilities were reduced by approximately £l.6 million and this year, the Group has agreed to further facility reductions. The majority of the Group's borrowing facilities are in the form of bank overdrafts. As is normal for bank overdrafts of this type, their terms include repayment on demand and regular reviews. A condition of continuing these facilities is successful completion of the Rights Issue. The demanding targets set by the Group's banks, combined with a difficult trading environment since the end of last year, which the Directors believe will result in a significant pre- tax loss in the first half of 1999, have placed severe strains on the working capital available to the Group. The difficult trading environment, during the course of this year, has principally affected both the Technical Services and Power divisions, As mentioned in the Annual Report, the Technical Services division began this year with a low order book at its Rhayader facility; in addition, a major aerospace contract that was expected to be performed mainly in the early part of 1999 will now fall predominantly into the second half of the year. This has affected the revenue from the Technical Services division for the first half of the year, The loss of a major customer to the Power division has also resulted in substantially lower revenue from this division over the same period. The Board has therefore been reviewing opportunities to improve the working capital position and is proposing the Rights Issue announced today. The net proceeds of the Rights Issue will be in part applied to reduce bank borrowings provided under a temporary facility of £300,000 and up to £200,000 will be used to increase the Group's investment in product development and marketing with the remainder being used for working capital purposes. Capital Reorganisation Immediately prior to the Rights Issue it is proposed that the Capital Reorganisation will take place. This will involve the sub-division of each existing ordinary share of 5 pence each into one ordinary share of 0.2 pence each and one deferred share of 4.8 pence each. Every twenty-five ordinary shares of 0.2pence each will then be consolidated into one New Ordinary Share of 5 pence each. The Deferred Shares will not be listed. The Deferred Shares will carry minimal rights and will have little, or no economic value. The New Ordinary Shares will have the same rights (including voting and dividend rights and rights on a return of capital) as the Ordinary Shares. Since certain Shareholders' holdings of shares are not divisible exactly by 25 and that fractions of shares cannot be issued, the holdings of some Shareholders will be rounded down. Consequently, Shareholders holding less than 25 Ordinary Shares will not hold any New Ordinary Shares following the Capital Reorganisation. The fractional entitlements of those Shareholders will be aggregated and those shares sold for the benefit of the relevant Shareholders. Under the Capital Reorganisation certificates for the New Ordinary Shares will be despatched to Shareholders on 10 September 1999 and CREST accounts will be credited with Shareholders' new entitlements on 6 September 1999. Any previous certificates will become valueless and should be destroyed. Rule 9 of the Takeover Code The Rights Issue has been underwritten by Mr Evans. Pursuant to Rule 9 of the Takeover Code, any person, or group of persons acting in concert, holding shares carrying between 30 per cent. and 50 per cent. of the voting rights of a public company may not normally acquire further shares without making a general offer to all voting and equity shareholders in that company. In addition, any such person, or group of persons acting in concert, holding shares carrying less than 30 per cent. of the voting rights of a public company may not normally acquire shares which would take his or its holding of shares to a level at which such holding carries 30 per cent. or more of the voting rights of a public company without making a general offer to all equity shareholders in that company. Mr Evans is interested in 6,497,960 Ordinary Shares, representing 4.4 per cent. of the issued voting share capital of the Company. He also holds share options in respect of another 2,000,000 Ordinary Shares, which bring his total potential shareholding (before the Rights Issue and the Capital Reorganisation) in issued voting share capital to 5.57 per cent. (including the Preference Shares which currently carry voting rights). If all the Rights Shares, the subject of the underwriting agreement, were allotted and issued to Mr Evans in connection with the Rights Issue then he would become the holder of 20,307,047 New Ordinary Shares (following the Capital Reorganisation) representing 70.63 per cent. of the Company's enlarged issued voting capital (including the Preference Shares which currently carry voting rights) and 78.1 per cent. of the Company's enlarged issued ordinary share capital. In addition, the Company and Mr Evans have entered into an agreement confirming that the Company will be capable of carrying on its business at all times independently of Mr Evans and that all transactions and relationships between the Company and Mr Evans will be at arm's length and on a normal commercial basis. In the event that Mr Evans holds over 75 per cent. of the Company's enlarged issued ordinary share capital immediately following the Rights Issue Mr Evans has undertaken to make appropriate arrangements for reducing his shareholding to below 75 per cent. The Takeover Panel has agreed, subject to the approval of the independent shareholders voting on a poll, to waive any obligation that Mr Evans might otherwise incur under Rule 9 of the Takeover Code, as a consequence of his subscription of Rights Shares in connection with the Rights Issue, to make a general offer for the New Ordinary Shares in the Company not already owned by him and those acting in concert with him. In the event that, but for the waiver referred to above, the underwriting of the Rights Issue by Mr Evans were to give rise to an obligation to make an offer pursuant to that rule, Mr Evans has informed the Company that his intentions would be to continue the Group's existing business activities and to make no major changes to the business, including any redeployment of its fixed assets, or the employment of its staff. Mr Evans has indicated that he is fully supportive of the Company and believes that the proposed Rights Issue is in the best interests of the Shareholders. Were Mr Evans to hold more than 50 per cent. of the issued voting share capital in the Company immediately following the Rights Issue, then Rule 9 of the Takeover Code would not again require him to make a general offer to all voting and equity shareholders in the Company should he increase further his shareholding. Mr Evans is chairman and sole owner of International Communications for Management, an international group of companies providing strategic business intelligence and corporate marketing services. Through a network of 19 offices worldwide, his businesses currently employ approximately 1,200 employees. The total turnover of these companies is in excess of £100 million per annum. It is Mr Evans' intention to realise sufficient current investments to fund his subscription in connection with the Rights Issue. Group Strategy The proposed fund-raising will provide the Group with sufficient working capital for its current requirement. It is anticipated that up to £200,000 of the funds raised will also be used to increase the Group's investment in product development and marketing. The investment in these two areas should result in an improvement in the long-term prospects for the businesses within the Group. The Directors are continuing to review ways of reducing the Group's debt and are optimistic that further reductions are possible over the coming 12 months. The Board believes that any reduction in funding should not be carried out at the expense of reducing the working capital available to the Group. It is the Board's intention to appoint a new executive director within six months of completion of the Rights Issue and at the time of this appointment Mr Evans will become the Company's non-executive Chairman. Current trading and prospects The difficult trading conditions experienced in the latter part of 1998 have continued and worsened in the first half of 1999 and the interim results of the Group will be substantially below those in the comparable period in 1998. The Group's interim results should be available for release before the end of October and the Directors anticipate a significant pre-tax loss. However, the outlook for the second half is more promising and the Board expects the Group, subject to the completion of the Rights Issue, to enter the new millennium in a stronger position than it is currently experiencing. Terms and Conditions of the Rights Issue Subject to the fulfillment of various conditions the Company will offer 20,093,357 Rights Shares by way of rights to Qualifying Shareholders at 5.5p per share payable in full on acceptance. The Rights Issue will be made on the basis of 17 Rights Shares for every 125 Ordinary Shares held by Qualifying Shareholders on the Record Date, and so proportion for any other number of Ordinary Shares then held, which is equivalent to: 17 Rights Shares for every 5 New Ordinary Shares after the Capital Reorganisation and otherwise on the terms and conditions as set out in the Prospectus and the Provisional Allotment Letter. Fractional entitlements will not be allotted to Qualifying Shareholders but will be aggregated and sold and the proceeds retained for the benefit of the Company. The Rights Shares will, when issued and fully paid, rank pari passu in all respects with the New Ordinary Shares. No dividend is payable to shareholders for the year to 31 December 1998. The Rights Issue has been underwritten by Mr Evans, save for those rights the Directors have irrevocably undertaken to take up, and is conditional on Admission becoming effective on or before 28 September 1999 (or such later date as Mr Evans and the Company may agree, being not later than 29 October 1999). Mr Evans will receive an underwriting commission in respect of 19,163,406 Rights Shares, the subject of the underwriting calculated by reference to the Issue Price per Rights Share. Application has been made to the London Stock Exchange for the New Ordinary Shares and the Rights Shares to be admitted to the Official List. For Qualifying Shareholders, Provisional Allotment Letters in respect of Rights Shares are expected to be despatched on 3 September 1999 and dealings in the Rights Shares, nil paid, are expected to commence at 8:30 a.m. on 6 September 1999. Provisional Allotment Letters are not being sent to certain Overseas Shareholders to whom the Rights issue is not being extended. The Provisional Allotment Letters will show the number of Rights Shares provisionally allotted to Qualifying Shareholders and certain instructions regarding acceptance and payment, renunciation, splitting and registration in respect of the Rights Shares. The Provisional Allotment Letters will be renouncable until 3.00 p.m. 23 September 1999. Extraordinary General Meeting An EGM of the Company to be held at 150 Aldersgate Street, London EC1A 4EJ at 2.35 p.m. or, if later, on the conclusion or adjournment of the Annual General Meeting of the Company on 3 September 1999, at which the Resolutions will be proposed: (i) to sub-divide each Ordinary Share into one deferred share of 4.8p and one ordinary share of 0.2p; and to consolidate every 25 ordinary shares of 0.2p into one New Ordinary Share of 5p; (ii) to authorise the subscription by Mr Evans of Rights Shares carrying (together with all New Ordinary Shares derived from existing Ordinary Shares) 30 per cent. or more of the voting rights of the Company in connection with the Rights Issue without him being required to make a general offer for the Company under Rule 9 of the Takeover Code; (iii)to increase the authorised share capital of the Company by £1,340,000 to £15,840,000 by the creation of 26,800,000 New Ordinary Shares. The increase will represent a 343.6 per cent. increase to the Company's authorised ordinary share capital as compared with the Company's authorised ordinary share capital immediately after the Capital Reorganisation and is required to facilitate the Rights Issue; (iv) to authorise the Directors for the purposes of section 80 of the Act to allot relevant securities (as defined in section 80 (2) of the Act) up to £1,004,667.85 in connection with the Rights Issue and otherwise up to £430,000 in nominal amount (representing 33 per cent. of the enlarged issued ordinary share capital of the Company after the Capital Reorganisation and the Rights Issue). This authority shall expire on the earlier of 30 October 2000 and the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company; (v) to authorise the Directors to allot equity securities for cash, outside the pre-emption provisions of section 89 of the Act, for the purposes of the Rights Issue, in connection with any other offer by way of rights in the future and otherwise up to £65,000 in nominal amount representing approximately 5 per cent. of the issued ordinary share capital after the Capital Reorganisation and the Rights Issue; and (vi) to make various changes to the Company's articles of association ('Articles'). Following the Capital Reorganisation and the Rights Issue, there will remain authorised but unissued at least 8,596,832 New Ordinary Shares (representing approximately 25 per cent. of the Company's enlarged authorised ordinary share capital). The Directors have no present intention of issuing any of such authorised but unissued share capital other than in connection with options granted under the Share Option Scheme. Irrevocable Undertakings The Directors (including Mr Evans) have irrevocably undertaken to vote in favour of all the Resolutions, except Mr Evans who will abstain from voting on Resolution 2 to be proposed at the EGM, and to take up their rights in respect of their own aggregate holdings of 6,837,960 Ordinary Shares representing 4.63 per cent. of the current issued ordinary share capital of the Company. Working Capital The majority of the Group's borrowing facilities are in the form of bank overdrafts and as is normal for this type of facility, their terms include repayment on demand and regular reviews. The next such review is due on 31 December 1999. Key conditions attaching to the Group's currently available bank facilities include: (i) satisfactory completion of the Rights Issue; (ii) satisfactory completion of the banks' review due on 31 December 1999; and (iii) repayment of a temporary bank facility, In the event that the bank facilities are withdrawn, the Group would experience difficulties in continuing to trade and the Directors would be required to seek alternative sources of funding. Actions related to this might include: (i) a sale or sales of businesses and/or assets which are considered to be non-core; (ii) the reorganisation and relocation of certain businesses in order to achieve appropriate cost savings, potentially releasing assets for disposal; (iii) negotiation of alternative sources of finance from Shareholders; and (iv) approaching the existing lenders with a view to re- scheduling the bank debt. In the event that the existing bank facilities are withdrawn and these actions are unsuccessful the Group would be unable to continue to trade. Notwithstanding the above, the Directors are of the opinion that, subject to the banks being satisfied that all necessary conditions for the renewal of these facilities will be met, and after taking into account the net proceeds of the Rights Issue, the Group has sufficient working capital for its present requirements, that is for at least 12 months from the date of this document. Expected Timetable of Events 1999 Record date for Rights Issue close of business on 27 August Latest time and date for receipt of 2.35pm on 1 September forms of proxy Extraordinary General Meeting 2.35pm on 3 September Despatch of Provisional Allotment 3 September Letters Dealings commence in New Ordinary Shares 6 September and Rights Shares nil paid Latest time and date for splitting 3.00pm on 23 September Provisional Allotment Letters Latest time for acceptance and payment 3.00pm on 27 September in full and registration of renunciation Despatch of definitive certificate for 4 October the Rights Shares Enquiries: Ross Group PLC Peter Mottershead, Managing Director Tel:01621 854 499 / 01703 663 030 Simon Ashworth, Company Secretary Beeson Gregory Limited Tim Redfern and Tony Bartlett Tel: 0171 488 4040

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Ross Group (RGP)
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