NOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (THE "UNITED STATES") (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or any other jurisdiction. This announcement is an advertisement and not a prospectus. Investors should not subscribe for or purchase any transferable securities referred to in this announcement except on the basis of information in the prospectus (the "Prospectus") intended to be published by Foxtons Group plc (the "Company" and, together with its subsidiaries, the "Group") in connection with the proposed admission of its ordinary shares to the premium listing segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority and to trading on the main market for listed securities of the London Stock Exchange plc (the "London Stock Exchange").
For immediate release
20 September 2013
Foxtons Group plc
Initial Public Offering - Announcement of offer price
Foxtons Group plc today announces the successful pricing of its initial public offering (the "Offer") of 169,449,025 ordinary shares of one pence each (the "Shares").
· The offer price has been set at 230 pence per Share (the "Offer Price").
· Based on the Offer Price, the market capitalisation of the Company will be approximately £649m on admission.
· The Offer is expected to raise gross proceeds of approximately £390m, comprising a primary component of £55m and secondary sales of £335m. Secondary sales will consist of a partial sell-down by Adnams BBPM Holdings Limited (an entity controlled indirectly by funds advised by BC Partners), executive directors of the Company and certain other employees of the Group.
· Conditional dealings will commence on the London Stock Exchange at 8.00 a.m. today under the ticker FOXT.
· Admission to the premium listing segment of the Official List and to trading on the main market for listed securities of the London Stock Exchange and the commencement of unconditional dealings in the Shares ("Admission") are expected to take place at 8.00 a.m. on 25 September 2013. At Admission the Company will have 282,176,468 Shares in issue.
· As stabilisation manager on behalf of the syndicate, Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited has been granted an over-allotment option by Adnams BBPM Holdings Limited of up to 16,944,902 existing Shares, representing up to 10 per cent. of the Shares comprising the Offer.
Commenting on today's announcement, Michael Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Foxtons Group plc said:
"We are delighted that our initial public offering has been successfully received and there has been strong interest from investors. We welcome our new shareholders to Foxtons and we are looking forward to the next stage in the development of the business as a listed company."
In relation to the Offer and Admission, Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited ("Credit Suisse") and Numis Securities Limited ("Numis") are acting as Joint Sponsors and Joint Bookrunners. Canaccord Genuity Limited ("Canaccord") is acting as Co-Lead Manager. N M Rothschild & Sons Limited ("Rothschild") is acting as Financial Adviser to the Company.
Full details of the Offer will be included in the Prospectus, expected to be published and available on the Company's website later today.
Enquiries
Foxtons Group plc +44 (0) 20 7893 6000
Michael Brown, Chief Executive Officer
Joint Sponsors and Joint Bookrunners
Credit Suisse +44 (0) 20 7888 8888
Jon Grussing
Simon Taurins
Nick Williams
Numis +44 (0) 20 7260 1000
Heraclis Economides
Alex Ham
Richard Thomas
Co-Lead Manager
Canaccord +44 (0) 20 7523 8350
Roger Lambert
Martin Green
Financial Adviser to the Company
Rothschild +44 (0) 20 7280 5000
Adam Young
William Marshall
Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Some of the information in this announcement may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the Company. You can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "aim", "plan", "intend", "will", "could", "should", "may" or "might" or the negative of such terms, other variations thereon or comparable terminology or by discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or intentions. They appear in a number of places throughout this announcement and include statements regarding the intentions, beliefs or current expectations of the directors or the Company with respect to future events and are subject to risks relating to future events and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the Group's business concerning, amongst other things, the results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth and strategies of the Company and the industries in which it operates. The Company wishes to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may and often do differ materially; no assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements in this announcement speak only as of the date of this announcement. The Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in the events, conditions or circumstances on which such statements are based.
Important Notice
This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for any Shares or other securities in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or in any jurisdiction to whom or in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. The Offer and the distribution of this announcement and other information in connection with the Offer and Admission in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and persons into whose possession this announcement, any document or other information referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restriction. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any part of it nor the fact of its distribution shall form the basis of or be relied on in connection with or act as an inducement to enter into any contract or commitment whatsoever.
Neither this announcement nor any copy of it may be taken or transmitted, directly or indirectly, into the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or to any persons in any of those jurisdictions or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant securities laws of such jurisdiction. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of United States, Australian, Canadian, Japanese or South African securities laws. The distribution of this announcement in other jurisdictions may be restricted by law and persons into whose possession this announcement comes should inform themselves about, and observe, any such restrictions.
The Offer timetable, including the publication of the Prospectus and/or the date of Admission, may be influenced by a range of circumstances, including market conditions. There is no guarantee that the Prospectus will be published or that Admission will occur and you should not base your financial decisions on the Company's intentions in relation to the Offer and Admission at this stage. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all of the amount invested. Persons considering making such an investment should consult an authorised person specialising in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the Offer. The value of the Shares can decrease as well as increase. Potential investors should consult a professional adviser as to the suitability of the Offer for the person concerned. Past performance cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance.
This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer or sale would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any jurisdiction. The securities proposed to be offered by the Company have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or under any securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There will be no public offer of the securities referred to herein in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been registered under the applicable securities laws of Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered or sold within Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or to any national, resident or citizen of Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa.
This announcement has been issued by the Company and is directed only at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom, or (ii) persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended from time to time (the "Order"), or (iii) persons who fall within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc), or (iv) persons to whom this announcement may otherwise be lawfully communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). Any investment activity to which this announcement relates will only be available to, and will only be engaged with, Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this announcement or any of its contents.
Any purchase or subscription of Shares in the proposed Offer should be made solely on the basis of the information contained in the Prospectus to be published by the Company in connection with the Offer and Admission. The information in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. No reliance may or should be placed for any purposes whatsoever on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy, completeness or fairness. The information in this announcement is subject to change. However, the Company does not undertake to provide the recipient of this announcement with any additional information, or to update this announcement or to correct any inaccuracies, and the distribution of this announcement shall not be deemed to be any form of commitment on the part of the Company to proceed with the Offer or any transaction or arrangement referred to herein. This announcement has not been approved by any competent regulatory authority.
Credit Suisse and Rothschild each of which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom, and Numis and Canaccord each of which is authorised and regulated solely by the Financial Conduct Authority, are acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the Offer and Admission, and will not regard any other person as its client in relation to the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients, nor for providing advice in relation to the Offer or the contents of this announcement or any transaction, arrangement or other matter referred to herein.
In connection with the Offer, Credit Suisse, Numis, Canaccord and Rothschild and any of their respective affiliates, acting as investors for their own accounts, may subscribe for or purchase Shares and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell or otherwise deal for their own accounts in such Shares and other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the Offer or otherwise. Accordingly, references in the Prospectus, once published, to the Shares being issued, offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any issue or offer to, or subscription, acquisition, placing or dealing by Credit Suisse, Numis, Canaccord and Rothschild and any of their respective affiliates acting as investors for their own accounts. In addition, certain of Credit Suisse, Numis, Canaccord and Rothschild or their respective affiliates may enter into financing arrangements and swaps in connection with which they or their affiliates may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of Shares. None of Credit Suisse, Numis, Canaccord and Rothschild intends to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so.
None of Credit Suisse, Numis, Canaccord and Rothschild, nor any of their respective subsidiary undertakings, affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, advisers, agents or any other person accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for, or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy, completeness or fairness of the information or opinions in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company, its subsidiaries or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith.
In connection with the Offer, a stabilising manager, or any of its agents, may (but will be under no obligation to), to the extent permitted by applicable law, over-allot Shares or effect other transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the Shares at a higher level than that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. The stabilising manager may, for stabilisation purposes, over-allot Shares up to a maximum of 10 per cent. of the total number of Shares comprised in the Offer. The stabilising manager will not be required to enter into such transactions and such transactions may be effected on any stock market, over-the-counter market, stock exchange or otherwise and may be undertaken at any time during the period commencing on the date of the commencement of conditional dealings of the Shares on the London Stock Exchange and ending no later than 30 calendar days thereafter. However, there will be no obligation on the stabilising manager or any of its agents to effect stabilising transactions and there is no assurance that stabilising transactions will be undertaken. Such stabilising measures, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time without prior notice. In no event will measures be taken to stabilise the market price of the Shares above the offer price. Save as required by law or regulation, neither the stabilising manager nor any of its agents intends to disclose the extent of any over-allotments made and/or stabilisation transactions conducted in relation to the Offer.
