Results of Court Meeting and LXI General Meeting
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
27 February 2024
RECOMMENDED ALL-SHARE MERGER
of
LXI REIT PLC
BY
LONDONMETRIC PROPERTY PLC
to be effected by means of a Scheme of Arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006
RESULTS OF COURT MEETING AND LXI GENERAL MEETING
The Board of LXi REIT plc ("LXi") announces that at the Court Meeting and the LXi General Meeting held earlier today in connection with the recommended all-share merger of LXi and LondonMetric Property plc (the "Merger"), all resolutions were duly passed with over 99.69 per cent. support from shareholders on each resolution.
As previously announced, the Merger is to be implemented by means of a scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Scheme") and today:
(i) a majority in number of Scheme Shareholders who voted and were entitled to vote, either in person or by proxy, who together represented not less than 75 per cent. in value of the Scheme Shares voted, voted in favour of the Scheme at the Court Meeting; and
(ii) the requisite majority of LXi Shareholders voted to approve the special resolution required to be approved in connection with the Scheme at the LXi General Meeting.
Full details of the resolutions passed are set out in the notices of the Court Meeting and the LXi General Meeting contained in Part 9 and Part 10 respectively of the scheme document published by LXi on 6 February 2024 in connection with the Merger (the "Scheme Document").
The tables below set out the results of the poll at the Court Meeting and the LXi General Meeting. Each Scheme Shareholder present, in person or by proxy, was entitled to one vote per Scheme Share held at the Scheme Voting Record Time. At the Scheme Voting Record Time, LXi had 1,714,473,236 Scheme Shares in issue, none of which were held in treasury. Therefore, the total number of voting rights in LXi for the purposes of the Court Meeting and the LXi General Meeting at the Scheme Voting Record Time was 1,714,473,236.
Voting results of the Court Meeting
|
Vote |
Number of Scheme Shares voted as a % of the total number of Scheme Shares** |
Number of Scheme Shareholders who voted*** |
% of the voting Scheme Shareholders** |
Number of Scheme Shares voted |
% of Scheme Shares which were voted** |
|
For* |
74.06 |
299 |
95.22 |
1,269,772,043 |
99.69 |
|
Against |
0.23 |
15 |
4.78 |
3,910,280 |
0.31 |
|
Total |
74.29 |
314 |
100 |
1,273,682,323 |
100 |
*Includes discretionary votes.
**Rounded to two decimal places.
***Where a Scheme Shareholder has cast some of their votes "for" and some of their votes "against" the resolution, such Scheme Shareholder has been counted as having voted both "for" and "against" the resolution for the purposes of determining the number of Scheme Shareholders who voted as set out in this column.
Voting results of the LXi General Meeting
|
Special Resolution |
Total votes validly cast |
Total votes validly cast as % of issued share capital* |
Number of votes "For"** |
% of votes validly cast "For"* |
Number of votes "Against" |
% of votes validly cast "Against"* |
Vote Withheld *** |
|
Resolution |
1,275,149,304 |
74.38 |
1,271,945,077 |
99.97 |
406,372 |
0.03 |
2,797,855 |
*Rounded to two decimal places.
**Includes discretionary votes.
***A vote withheld is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the proportion of votes 'For' or 'Against' the LXi Resolution.
Effective Date and Timetable
Completion of the Merger remains subject to the satisfaction, or, if applicable, the waiver of the other Conditions set out in the Scheme Document, including the Court sanctioning the Scheme at the Court Hearing, which is expected to be held on 4 March 2024, with the Scheme becoming effective thereafter on 5 March 2024.
The expected timetable of principal events for the implementation of the Scheme remains as set out on page 13 of the Scheme Document. These times and dates are indicative only and the remaining dates are subject to change. The dates will depend, among other things, on the date upon which (i) the Conditions set out in Part 4 of the Scheme Document are satisfied or, if capable of waiver, are waived; and (ii) the Court sanctions the Scheme. If any of the dates and/or times in the expected timetable change, the revised dates and/or times will be notified to LXi Shareholders by announcement through a Regulatory Information Service with such announcement being made available on LXi's website at www.LXiREIT.com.
General
Unless otherwise defined, all capitalised terms in this announcement shall have the same meaning given to them in the Scheme Document, a copy of which is available on the LXi website at www.LXiREIT.com.
Certain figures included in this announcement have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, figures shown as totals in certain tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that precede them.
Enquiries
|
LXi REIT plc |
via H/Advisors Maitland |
|
Cyrus Ardalan, Non-Executive Chairman |
|
|
Hugh Seaborn, Non-Executive Senior Independent Director |
|
|
Ismat Levin, Non-Executive Independent Director |
|
|
Sandy Gumm, Non-Executive Director |
|
|
Nick Leslau, Non-Executive Director |
|
|
|
|
|
Lazard & Co., Limited (Lead Financial Adviser to LXi REIT plc) |
+44 (0) 20 7187 2000 |
|
Patrick Long |
|
|
Jolyon Coates |
|
|
Sebastian O'Shea-Farren |
|
|
|
|
|
Jefferies International Limited (Financial Adviser and Corporate Broker to LXi REIT plc) |
+44 (0) 20 7029 8000 |
|
Rishi Bhuchar |
|
|
Tom Yeadon |
|
|
Ed Matthews |
|
|
Paul Bundred |
|
|
|
|
|
Santander Corporate & Investment Banking (Financial Adviser to LXi REIT plc) |
+44 (0) 78 4071 7114 |
|
Oliver Tucker |
|
|
Ting Le Deng |
|
|
Benni Azaria |
|
|
|
|
|
H/Advisors Maitland (Communications Adviser to LXi REIT plc) |
+44 (0) 20 7379 5151 |
|
James Benjamin |
|
|
Rachel Cohen |
|
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP is acting as legal adviser to LXi in connection with the Merger. CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP is retained as legal adviser to LondonMetric.
Notices
Lazard & Co., Limited ("Lazard"), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), is acting exclusively as financial adviser and Rule 3 financial adviser to LXi and no one else in connection with the Merger and will not be responsible to anyone other than LXi for providing the protections afforded to clients of Lazard nor for providing advice in connection with the Merger or any matter referred to in this announcement. Neither Lazard nor any of its affiliates (nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees or agents), owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Lazard in connection with the Merger, this announcement, any statement contained herein or otherwise. Lazard has given, and not withdrawn, its consent to the inclusion in this announcement of the references to its name and the advice it has given to LXi in the form and context in which they appear.
Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), which is authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for LXi and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not regard any other person as its client in relation to the matters in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than LXi for providing the protections afforded to clients of Jefferies nor for providing advice in relation to any matter referred to in this announcement or any transaction or arrangement referred to herein. Neither Jefferies nor any of its affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Jefferies in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein, any transaction or arrangement referred to herein, or otherwise.
Banco Santander, S.A. ("Santander") is a credit institution which is registered with the Bank of Spain with number 0049. Banco Santander, S.A., London Branch is a branch of Santander with its principal place of business located at 2 Triton Square, Regent's Place, London NW1 3AN and is authorised by the Bank of Spain and is subject to regulatory oversight on certain matters in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulatory Authority. Santander is acting exclusively as financial adviser to LXi and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than the LXi for providing the protections afforded to clients of Santander or any of its affiliates, or for providing advice in relation to any matter referred to in this announcement. Neither Santander, nor any of its affiliates, owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Santander in connection with this announcement or any matter referred to herein.
Overseas shareholders
This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with English law, the Takeover Code, the Market Abuse Regulation, the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and the Listing Rules and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside the United Kingdom. Nothing in this announcement, the Scheme Document or the documents accompanying the Scheme Document should be relied on for any other purpose.
The availability of the New LondonMetric Shares (and the ability of persons to hold such shares) in, and the release, publication or distribution of this announcement in or into, jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom may be restricted by the laws and/or regulations of those jurisdictions. Persons into whose possession this announcement comes who are not resident in the United Kingdom, or who are subject to the laws and/or regulations of any jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom, should inform themselves of, and observe, any such applicable laws and/or regulations. Any failure to comply with the applicable requirements may constitute a violation of the laws and/or regulations of any such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the companies and persons involved in the Merger disclaim any responsibility or liability for the violation of such restrictions by any person.
Unless otherwise determined by LondonMetric or required by the Takeover Code and permitted by applicable law and regulation, participation in the Merger will not be made, and the New LondonMetric Shares to be issued pursuant to the Merger will not be made, available, directly or indirectly, in, into or from a Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction and no person may vote in favour of the Merger by any such use, means, instrumentality or form from within a Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction if to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of that jurisdiction. Accordingly, copies of this announcement, the Scheme Document, documents accompanying the Scheme Document and all documentation relating to the Merger are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from a Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction, and persons receiving this announcement and all documents relating to the Merger (including custodians, nominees and trustees) must not mail or otherwise distribute or send them in, into or from such jurisdictions as doing so may invalidate any purported vote in respect of the Merger.
If the Merger is implemented by way of a Takeover Offer (unless otherwise permitted by applicable law and regulation), the Takeover Offer may not be made, directly or indirectly, in or into or by use of the mails or any other means or instrumentality (including, without limitation, facsimile, e-mail or other electronic transmission, telex or telephone) of interstate or foreign commerce of, or any facility of a national, state or other securities exchange of, any Restricted Jurisdiction and the Takeover Offer will not be capable of acceptance by any such use, means, instrumentality or facilities or from within any Restricted Jurisdiction.
Further details in relation to Overseas Shareholders are contained in the Scheme Document.
Additional information for US investors
LXi Shareholders located in the United States should note that the Merger relates to the securities of an English company with a listing on the London Stock Exchange and is proposed to be implemented pursuant to a scheme of arrangement provided for under English law. A transaction effected by means of a scheme of arrangement is not subject to the tender offer rules or the proxy solicitation rules under the US Exchange Act. Accordingly, the Scheme is subject to procedural and disclosure requirements and practices applicable to a scheme of arrangement involving a target company in England listed on the London Stock Exchange, which are different from the disclosure requirements of the US tender offer and proxy solicitation rules.
The Merger may, in circumstances provided for in the Scheme Document, instead be carried out by way of a Takeover Offer under English law. If in the future LondonMetric exercises its right to implement the Merger by way of a Takeover Offer, such Takeover Offer will be made in compliance with applicable US tender offer and securities laws and regulations, including the exemptions therefrom. Such Takeover Offer would be made in the United States by LondonMetric and no one else. In addition to any such Takeover Offer, in accordance with normal practice in the United Kingdom, LondonMetric, certain affiliated companies, and their nominees or brokers (acting as agents) may make certain purchases of, or arrangements to purchase, LXi Shares outside the United States, other than pursuant to the Takeover Offer, until the date on which such Takeover Offer would become effective, lapses or is otherwise withdrawn. If such purchases or arrangements to purchase were to be made, they would be made outside the United States and would comply with applicable law, including the US Exchange Act. These purchases may occur either in the open market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at negotiated prices. Any information about such purchases will be disclosed, as required in the United Kingdom, will be reported to a Regulatory Information Service of the FCA and will be available on the London Stock Exchange website: http://www.LondonStockExchange.com/.
The financial information included in this announcement, the Scheme Document, documentation accompanying the Scheme Document and other documentation related to the Merger has been or will have been prepared in accordance with IFRS and thus may not be comparable to financial information of US companies or companies whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.
The New LondonMetric Shares to be issued under the Scheme have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act or under the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an available exemption from the registration requirements under the US Securities Act and applicable US state securities laws. If LondonMetric effects the Merger by way of a scheme of arrangement under English law, the New LondonMetric Shares to be issued in the Merger will be issued in reliance on the exemption from the registration requirements of the US Securities Act provided by Section 3(a)(10) thereof. LXi will advise the Court that its sanction of the Scheme will be relied upon by LondonMetric as an approval of the scheme of arrangement following a hearing on its fairness to LXi Shareholders at which hearing all such LXi Shareholders are entitled to attend in person or through counsel to support or oppose the sanctioning of the Scheme and with respect to which notification has been given to all LXi Shareholders.
The New LondonMetric Shares to be issued to LXi Shareholders in the Merger pursuant to a scheme of arrangement under English law may generally be resold without restriction under the US Securities Act, except for resales by persons who are or will be affiliates (within the meaning of Rule 144 under the US Securities Act). "Affiliates" of a company are generally defined as persons who directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, control, or are controlled by, or are under common control with, that company. Whether a person is an affiliate of a company for purposes of the US Securities Act depends on the circumstances, but affiliates can include certain officers, directors and significant shareholders. LXi Shareholders who are or will be affiliates of LondonMetric or LXi prior to, or of LondonMetric after, the Effective Date will be subject to certain US transfer restrictions relating to the New LondonMetric Shares received pursuant to the Scheme as described in the Scheme Document. LXi Shareholders who believe that they may be or will be affiliates for purposes of the US Securities Act should consult their own legal advisors prior to any resale of New LondonMetric Shares received under the Scheme.
None of the securities referred to in this announcement and the Scheme Document have been approved or disapproved by the SEC or any US state securities commission, nor have any such authorities passed judgment upon the fairness or the merits of the Merger or determined if the Scheme Document is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.
US holders of LXi Shares also should be aware that the transaction contemplated herein may have tax consequences in the United States and that such consequences, if any, are not described herein. US holders of LXi Shares are urged to consult with independent professional advisors regarding the legal, tax and financial consequences of the Merger applicable to them.
It may be difficult for US holders of LXi Shares to enforce their rights and claims arising out of the US federal securities laws since LondonMetric and LXi are organized in countries other than the United States and some or all of their officers and directors may be residents of, and some or all of their assets may be located in, jurisdictions other than the United States. US holders of LXi Shares may have difficulty effecting service of process within the United States upon those persons or recovering against judgments of US courts, including judgments based upon the civil liability provisions of the US federal securities laws. US holders of LXi Shares may not be able to sue a non-US company or its officers or directors in a non-US court for violations of US securities laws. Further, it may be difficult to compel a non-US company and its affiliates to subject themselves to a US court's judgment.
Further details in relation to US investors are contained in the Scheme Document.
Forward-looking statements
This announcement (including information incorporated by reference into this announcement), any oral statements made by LondonMetric or LXi in relation to the Merger and other information published by LondonMetric or LXi may contain statements about LondonMetric, LXi and/or the Combined Group that are or may be forward looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement may be forward looking statements. Without limitation, any statements preceded or followed by or that include the words "targets", "plans", "goals", "believes", "expects", "aims", "intends", "will", "may", "anticipates", "estimates", "projects", hopes", "continues", "would", "could", "should" or words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements include statements relating to the following: (i) future capital expenditures, expenses, revenues, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, dividend policy, losses and future prospects; (ii) business and management strategies and the expansion and growth of LondonMetric's or LXi's or the Combined Group's operations and potential synergies resulting from the Merger; and (iii) the effects of government regulation on LondonMetric's or LXi's or the Combined Group's business.
These forward looking statements are not based on historical fact and are not guarantees of future performance. By their nature, such forward looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results and/or the operations of LondonMetric, LXi or the Combined Group and are based on certain assumptions and assessments made by LondonMetric and LXi in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current conditions, future developments and other factors they believe appropriate.
There are several factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, expressed or implied in forward looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward looking statements are the satisfaction of or failure to satisfy all or any of the conditions to the Merger, as well as additional factors, such as changes in the global, political, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory forces, fluctuations in exchange and interest rates, changes in tax rates and future business acquisitions or disposals, the success of business and operating initiatives and restructuring objectives and the outcome of any litigation. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Except as expressly provided in this announcement, they have not been reviewed by the auditors of LondonMetric or LXi. Neither LondonMetric or LXi, nor any of their respective associates or directors, officers, employees or advisers, provides any representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the events expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements in this announcement will actually occur. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this announcement. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to LondonMetric or LXi or any of their respective members, directors, officers, employees or advisers or any persons acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above. LondonMetric and LXi disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking or other statements contained in this announcement, except as required by applicable law or by the rules of any competent regulatory authority, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Electronic Communications
Please be aware that addresses, electronic addresses and certain other information provided by LXi Shareholders, persons with information rights and other relevant persons for the receipt of communication from LXi may be provided to LondonMetric during the Offer Period as required by Section 4 of Appendix 4 of the Takeover Code to comply with Rule 2.11(c) of the Takeover Code.
Publication on Website and Requesting Hard Copy Documents
A copy of this announcement and the documents required to be published pursuant to Rules 26.1 and 26.2 of the Takeover Code will be available, free of charge, subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted Jurisdictions, on LXi's website at www.LXiREIT.com and LondonMetric's website at www.LondonMetric.com by no later than 12.00 p.m. on the Business Day following the date of this announcement.
In accordance with Rule 30.3 of the Takeover Code, LXi Shareholders and persons with information rights may request a hard copy of this announcement by contacting LXi's registrars, Link Group, Corporate Actions, Central Square, 29 Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 4DL, United Kingdom or by calling Link Group on +44 (0) 371 664 0321. Calls are charged at the standard geographical rate and will vary by provider. Calls outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international rate. Lines are open between 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (London time), Monday to Friday (except public holidays in England and Wales). Please note that Link Group cannot provide any financial, legal or tax advice. Calls may be recorded and monitored for security and training purposes. For persons who receive a copy of this announcement in electronic form or via a website notification, a hard copy of this announcement will not be sent unless so requested. Such persons may also request that all future documents, announcements and information to be sent to them in relation to the Merger should be in hard copy form.
For the avoidance of doubt, the contents of the aforementioned websites, and any websites accessible from hyperlinks on those websites, are not incorporated into and do not form part of this announcement.
Dealing disclosure requirements
Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period and, if later, following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. An Opening Position Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a securities exchange offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing Disclosure.
Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s), save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the business day following the date of the relevant dealing.
If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a securities exchange offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3.
Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4).
Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Takeover Panel's website at www.TheTakeOverPanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the offer period commenced and when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on +44 (0)20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.
RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy Policy.
Latest directors dealings
- 5 minutes ago 3i Infrastructure
- 11 minutes ago QinetiQ Group
- 32 minutes ago JPMorgan Emerging Markets Growth & Income plc
- 34 minutes ago National Grid
- 1 hour ago City of London Investment Group