NOT FOR
RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN
WHOLE OR IN PART, INTO OR WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, NEW ZEALAND,
CHINA, SINGAPORE, HONG KONG, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN, THE UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES AND ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE
A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH
JURISDICTION.
THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT IS AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE PROSPECTUS
REGULATION RULES OF THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY ("FCA") AND
DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A PROSPECTUS OR PROSPECTUS EQUIVALENT DOCUMENT.
NOTHING HEREIN SHALL CONSTITUTE AN OFFERING OF ANY SECURITIES.
NOTHING IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD BE INTERPRETED AS A TERM OR
CONDITION OF THE RIGHTS ISSUE. ANY DECISION TO PURCHASE, SUBSCRIBE
FOR, OTHERWISE ACQUIRE, SELL OR OTHERWISE DISPOSE OF ANY NIL PAID
RIGHTS, FULLY PAID RIGHTS OR NEW ORDINARY SHARES MUST BE MADE ONLY
ON THE BASIS OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE PROSPECTUS. PLEASE
SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
PENNON GROUP PLC
PUBLICATION OF
PROSPECTUS
29 January
2025
Further to the announcement relating to the
rights issue to raise total gross proceeds of approximately £490
million (the "Rights
Issue") released earlier today by Pennon Group
plc (the "Company"), the Company is
pleased to announce that the FCA has approved the prospectus dated
29 January 2025 (the "Prospectus") in connection with the
Rights Issue and the Prospectus has been published by the
Company.
The Prospectus contains further details of the
Rights Issue and will be posted to shareholders of the Company that
have elected to receive hard copies of such shareholder
documentation on 31 January 2025. The Prospectus is also available
on the Company's
website, www.Pennon-group.co.uk/investor-information.
A copy of the Prospectus will be submitted to
the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for
inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.
For
further information, please contact:
Pennon Group plc
|
|
Institutional equity investors and analysts
|
|
Louise Rowe - Compliance, ESG and IR
Director
|
+44 (0)1392 443 260
|
|
|
James Murgatroyd - FGS
Global
|
+44 (0)20 7251 3801
|
Harry Worthington - FGS
Global
|
|
|
|
Debt investors
|
|
Chris Tregenna - Group
Treasurer
|
+44 (0)1392 443 260
|
Joint Global Co-ordinators, Joint Bookrunners, Joint Sponsors
and Joint Corporate Brokers
|
Barclays Bank PLC
Alisdair Gayne
Richard Bassingthwaighte
Iain Smedley
Chris Madderson
|
+44 (0)20 7623 2323
|
Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc
Andrew Foster
Josh Williams
Francesco Puletti
Emma Whitehouse
|
+44 (0)20 7425 8000
|
IMPORTANT
NOTICES
This announcement has been issued by and is the
sole responsibility of the Company. The information contained in
this announcement is for background purposes only and does not
purport to be full or complete. No reliance may or should be placed
by any person for any purpose whatsoever on the information
contained in this announcement or on its accuracy, fairness or
completeness. The information in this announcement is subject to
change without notice.
This announcement is an advertisement for the
purposes of the Prospectus Regulation Rules of the FCA and does not
constitute a prospectus (or prospectus equivalent document) and
investors should not subscribe for, purchase, otherwise acquire,
sell or otherwise dispose of any securities referred to in this
announcement except on the basis of information in the Prospectus.
Neither this announcement nor any part of it should form the basis
of or be relied on in connection with or act as an inducement to
enter into any contract or commitment whatsoever. Nothing in this
announcement should be interpreted as a term or condition of the
rights issue.
A copy of the Prospectus is available on the
Company's website at www.Pennon-group.co.uk/investor-information.
Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website
accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated
in, or forms part of, this announcement. The Prospectus provides
further details of the securities being offered pursuant to the
Rights Issue.
This announcement is for information purposes
only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed
as, an offer to sell or issue, or a solicitation of any offer to
purchase, subscribe for or otherwise acquire, the Nil Paid Rights,
the Fully Paid Rights and the New Ordinary Shares of the Company in
the United States, New Zealand, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, South
Africa, Japan, the United Arab Emirates or in any other
jurisdiction where such offer or sale would be unlawful and,
subject to certain exceptions, should not be distributed, forwarded
to or transmitted in or into any jurisdiction, where to do so might
constitute a violation of local securities laws or regulations. The
distribution of this announcement, the Prospectus (once published),
and any other document relating to the offering or transfer of Nil
Paid Rights, Fully Paid Rights or New Ordinary Shares into
jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom may be restricted by
law, and, therefore, persons into whose possession this
announcement, the Prospectus (once published), and/or any
accompanying documents comes should inform themselves about and
observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with any such
restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of
such jurisdiction. In particular, subject to certain exceptions,
this announcement, the Prospectus (once published) and the
provisional allotment letters (once printed) should not be
distributed, forwarded to or transmitted in or into the United
States, New Zealand, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa,
Japan, the United Arab Emirates, or any other jurisdiction where
the extension or availability of the Rights Issue (and any other
transaction contemplated thereby) would breach any applicable law
or regulation.
This announcement does not constitute a
recommendation concerning any investor's options with respect to
the Rights Issue. The price and value of securities can go down as
well as up. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
The contents of this announcement are not to be construed as legal,
business, financial or tax advice. Each shareholder or prospective
investor should consult his, her or its own legal adviser, business
adviser, financial adviser or tax adviser for legal, financial,
business or tax advice.
NOTICE TO ALL
INVESTORS
Each of Barclays Bank PLC and Morgan Stanley
& Co. International plc is authorised by the Prudential
Regulation Authority ("PRA") and regulated by the FCA and the
PRA in the United Kingdom. Each of Barclays Bank PLC and Morgan
Stanley & Co. International plc is acting exclusively for the
Company and no one else in connection with this announcement and
the Rights Issue and will not regard any other person as a client
in relation to the Rights Issue and will not be responsible to
anyone other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to its clients nor for providing advice to any person in
relation to the Rights Issue or any other matter, transaction or
arrangement referred to in this announcement.
None of Barclays Bank PLC and Morgan Stanley
& Co. International plc nor any of their respective affiliates,
directors, officers, employees or advisers owes or accepts any
duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or
indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise)
which they might otherwise have in connection with the Rights
Issue, this announcement, any statement contained herein, or
otherwise.
NOTICE TO US
INVESTORS
This announcement does not constitute an offer
to sell, or a solicitation of offers to purchase or subscribe for,
securities in the United States. The securities being offered
pursuant to the Rights Issue have not been and will not be
registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"U.S. Securities Act"), or with any
securities regulatory authority or under the relevant securities
laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and
may not be offered, sold, resold, pledged, taken up, exercised,
renounced, delivered, distributed or transferred, directly or
indirectly, into or within the United States except pursuant to an
exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the
registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance
with any applicable securities laws of any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States. Any sale in the United States of
the securities mentioned in this communication will be made solely
to "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under
the U.S. Securities Act. No public offering of the securities has
been or will be made in the United States.
INFORMATION TO
DISTRIBUTORS
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements of Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook
Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the
"UK Product Governance
Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any
"manufacturer" (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance
Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the New
Ordinary Shares have been subject to a product approval process,
which has determined that the New Ordinary Shares are: (a)
compatible with an end target market of retail investors and
investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and
eligible counterparties, each as defined in Chapter 3 of the FCA
Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook; and (b) eligible for
distribution through all permitted distribution channels (the
"Target Market
Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment,
"distributors" (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance
Requirements) should note that: the price of the New Ordinary
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the New Ordinary Shares offer no guaranteed income and
no capital protection; and an investment in the New Ordinary Shares
is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed
income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction
with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of
evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have
sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result
therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to any
contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation
to the offer of New Ordinary Shares. Furthermore, it is noted that,
notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, the Underwriters will
only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties.
For the avoidance of doubt, the
Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (i) an assessment of
suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of Chapters 9A or
10A, respectively, of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook; or (ii) a recommendation to any investor or group of
investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action
whatsoever with respect to, the New Ordinary Shares. Each
distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market
assessment in respect of the New Ordinary Shares and determining
appropriate distribution channels.
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This announcement may contain projections and
other forward-looking statements. The words "believe", "expect",
"anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "intend" and "plan" and similar
expressions identify forward-looking statements. All statements
other than statements of historical facts included in this
announcement, including, without limitation, those regarding the
Company's financial position, business strategy, potential plans
and potential objectives, are forward-looking
statements.
None of the Company, its officers, advisers or
any other person gives 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, in part or in whole.
By their nature, forward-looking statements
involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking
statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors, which may cause the Company's actual results,
performance or achievements to be materially different from those
expected, any future results, performance or achievements expressed
or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are advised
to read the Prospectus and the information incorporated by
reference therein in their entirety, and, in particular, the
section of the Prospectus headed Part I (Risk Factors), for a further
discussion of the factors that could affect the Group's future
performance and the industry in which it operates. In light of
these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described in
the forward-looking statements in this announcement, the Prospectus
and/or the information incorporated by reference into the
Prospectus may not prove to be accurate or may not occur.
Prospective investors should therefore carefully review the
Prospectus. Such forward-looking statements are based on numerous
assumptions regarding the Company's present and future business
strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in
the future.
Nothing in this announcement is intended as a
profit forecast or estimate for any period, and no statement in
this announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings or
earnings per share or dividend per share for the Company for the
current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed
the historical published earnings or earnings per share or dividend
per share for the Company.
The forward-looking statements in this
announcement speak only as at the date of this announcement. To the
extent required by applicable law or regulation (including as may
be required by the Companies Act, the Prospectus Regulation Rules,
the UK Listing Rules, MAR, the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency
Rules and FSMA), the Company will update or revise the information
in this announcement. Otherwise, neither the Company nor the
Underwriters assume any obligation to update or provide any
additional information in relation to such forward-looking
statements. Additionally, statements of the intentions or beliefs
of the Board and/or the Directors reflect the present intentions
and beliefs of the Board and/or Directors, respectively, as at the
date of this announcement and may be subject to change as the
composition of the Board alters, or as circumstances
require.