Disposal

Teather & Greenwood Holdings PLC 15 January 2003 TEATHER & GREENWOOD HOLDINGS PLC ('TEATHER & GREENWOOD') 15 JANUARY 2003 PROPOSED DISPOSAL OF PART OF TEATHER & GREENWOOD INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT KEY POINTS - Teather & Greenwood Holdings plc, a fully listed independent stockbroker, announces the proposed disposal to Prudential-Bache Limited ('PBL'), a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. (USA), of part of Teather & Greenwood Investment Management ('TGIM') for an aggregate consideration of up to £3,650,000. - TGIM, the investment management division of the Teather & Greenwood group, provides investment advisory and stockbroking services to private clients. - That part of TGIM proposed to be sold (the 'Transferring Part') consists of that part of the business carried on by 13 employees (the 'Transferring Employees') (out of a total of 36 within TGIM as at 31 December 2002). For the 12 month period to 30 April 2002 revenues relating to the Transferring Part were approximately £3.9 million, representing approximately 11.4 per cent of the revenues of Teather & Greenwood for that period. - Following completion of the disposal Teather & Greenwood will continue to provide individual and IFA clients with a tax efficient investment service; including an EIS portfolio service, film funds and EIS companies, AIM and VCT funds, open-ended investment companies, management for PEPs and ISAs, on-line trading and client trading (including derivative products). - Ken Ford, Chief Executive Officer of Teather & Greenwood, said: 'TGIM operates in an increasingly competitive market following stock market falls. The disposal provides Teather & Greenwood with cash, firstly, to reduce borrowings and, secondly, to invest in other areas of the Teather & Greenwood group which we believe could produce superior returns in the future. In particular, we have given strategic priority to the business relating to smaller companies (comprised of agency sales, research, corporate finance and market making), closed-end funds, fixed income and convertible securities, derivatives products (and, in particular, contracts for difference) and large and mid cap agency sales.' Enquiries: Teather & Greenwood Holdings plc Ken Ford, Chief Executive Officer 020 7426 9000 Nick Stagg, Chief Operating Officer Hawkpoint Partners Limited Hugh Elwes 020 7665 4500 Mark Olivier College Hill Richard Pearson 020 7457 2020 INTRODUCTION Teather & Greenwood announces that it has today conditionally agreed through Teather & Greenwood Limited ('TGL') to dispose ('the Disposal') of the Transferring Part to PBL for up to £3.65 million. The Disposal is conditional, inter alia, upon the approval of shareholders (because of the size of the Disposal relative to Teather & Greenwood) as well as regulatory clearances. A circular to shareholders ('Circular') will be posted shortly convening an extraordinary general meeting to seek shareholder approval. Prudential Financial, Inc. and PBL are not affiliated with Prudential plc (UK). Teather & Greenwood has been advised on the Disposal by Hawkpoint Partners Limited and, in respect of the recommendation to shareholders by the directors of Teather & Greenwood (the 'Directors'), by Smith & Williamson Corporate Finance Limited. Reasons for the Disposal and Information on the Transferring Part The principal activities of TGIM are the provision of execution-only stockbroking services, investment advisory services and discretionary investment management services to private clients, charities, pension funds, trustees, local authorities and other government bodies. In addition, TGIM operates three open-ended investment companies, a specialist tax-efficient advisory service to clients and an on-line dealing service. The Transferring Part forms part of TGIM, the investment management division of TGL. Following the Disposal and the recent restructuring of loss making elements of TGIM, the Directors believe the cost base of the continuing business within TGIM will be in line with revenues. The continuing business within TGIM consists of activities carried on by nine individuals who will be integrated into the rest of the Teather & Greenwood Group and who will continue to provide individual and IFA clients with an EIS portfolio, film financing partnerships, AIM and VCT funds advice, three open-ended investment companies, management for PEPs and ISAs, on-line trading and client trading (including access to derivative products). As can be seen from the table below, the revenues of the Transferring Part in the year to 30 April 2002 were £3,931,000 which represented 11.4 per cent. of the revenues of the Teather & Greenwood Group in that period. The Transferring Part operates in an increasingly competitive market following stock market falls. Accordingly, the Directors resolved to sell the Transferring Part in order, firstly, to realise cash to decrease borrowings and, secondly, to invest in other business areas of the Teather & Greenwood Group which they believe could produce superior returns in the future. In particular, the Directors have given strategic priority to the business relating to smaller companies (comprised of agency sales, research, corporate finance, sales trading, dealing and market making), closed end funds, fixed income and convertible securities, derivative products (in particular, contracts for difference) and large and mid cap agency sales. The Transferring Employees number 13 out of a total of 36 within TGIM as at 31 December 2002. The Transferring Employees provide the majority of the discretionary, managed advisory and advisory services of TGIM. The principal assets which are the subject of the Disposal constitute certain client contracts, the records that relate to these clients, certain additional assets and goodwill associated with the Transferring Part and the Transferring Employees. TGL will be writing to each of the clients of the Transferring Part in due course. The Transferring Part is a distinguishable part of TGIM's business but has never been managed or accounted for as a business unit. As such, no financial information on the Transferring Part as a business is available including attributable costs. Therefore, while it has been possible to extract revenues generated by the Transferring Part, it is not possible to calculate the profits of the Transferring Part. Illustrative operational information on the Transferring Part is set out in the table below for each of the three previous financial years of TGL ended 30 April 2002, 2001 and 2000. Years ended 30 April 2002 2001 2000 Notes Transferring Employees (i) 13 9 7 Transferring Client Accounts (ii) 4,164 3,941 3,279 Revenues generated by Transferring Client £'000 3,931 3,691 3,695 Accounts Assets under management ('AUM') (iii) £'m 679 741 677 Employment costs of (iv) £'000 1,293 1,128 598 Transferring Employees Notes: (i) the number of the Transferring Employees who were employed by TGL at the specified dates. (ii) the number of client accounts of the Transferring Part at the specified dates. (iii) the value of AUM is the value of the Transferring Client Accounts at the specified dates. (iv) the aggregate costs of salary, employer's national insurance contributions, signing-on bonuses (but excluding discretionary bonuses) and benefits of the Transferring Employees for that part of the specified period for which they were employed by TGIM. Principal terms and conditions of the Disposal The consideration (before expenses) for the Disposal is up to a maximum of £3,650,000 payable as to: (i) £2,000,000 on completion, subject to the AUM at completion being not less than 75 per cent. of the value of AUM at 30 November 2002 and subject to possible retentions by PBL. In the event that the value of AUM are less than 75 per cent. of the value of AUM at 30 November 2002 the amount payable on completion will be reduced; (ii) £250,000 to be held in escrow from completion and payable four months from completion, provided that not less than 75 per cent. of a certain pool of clients has transferred to PBL, failing which no payment would be made to Teather & Greenwood but the amount referred to in (iv) below would be increased to £900,000; (iii) a further £750,000 to be held in escrow from completion and payable four months from completion, subject to possible retentions by PBL; and (iv) up to an additional £650,000 (or £900,000 - see (ii) above) payable after the 12 month anniversary of completion, depending upon minimum levels of revenues generated from the client accounts which have transferred to PBL being met, subject to possible retentions by PBL. The Sale Agreement excludes the debtors and creditors of the Transferring Part as at completion, which will be collected or paid by the Teather & Greenwood Group. The Sale Agreement contains certain warranties and indemnities given by TGL to PBL and its affiliates. TGL is to pay a break fee of £200,000 (exclusive of VAT) to PBL in the event that both (i) the Directors withdraw or adversely alter their recommendation to shareholders of the Disposal and (ii) shareholders do not approve the Disposal at the extraordinary general meeting. It is a term of the Sale Agreement that TGL and PBL enter into the Transition Services Agreement under which TGL will provide dealing and back office support to PBL for a minimum period of three months following Completion for £270,000 in total for the first three months and thereafter for a monthly fee of £90,000 and will assist with data migration for a further £40,000. Further details of each of the Sale Agreement and Transition Services Agreement will be set out in the Circular. The Disposal is conditional, inter alia, upon Teather & Greenwood obtaining the approval of its shareholders. The Disposal is also conditional upon certain regulatory clearances. As such, completion is expected to take place not later than 31 May 2003. FINANCIAL EFFECTS OF THE DISPOSAL AND USE OF PROCEEDS The net initial proceeds of the Disposal (after expenses) receivable on Completion are expected to be £1,090,000 and will be used to repay existing borrowings and to invest in other business areas of the Teather & Greenwood Group. The net deferred and contingent elements of the consideration of up to £1,650,000 are also expected to be used similarly in due course. Due to their nature, the assets being transferred under the Disposal had negligible book value in Teather & Greenwood's consolidated accounts as at 31 October 2002. Hawkpoint Partners Limited, which is regulated in the United Kingdom by The Financial Services Authority, is acting exclusively for Teather & Greenwood and no one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than Teather & Greenwood for providing the protections afforded to clients of Hawkpoint Partners Limited or for giving advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any transaction or arrangement referred to herein. END -------------------------- This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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