Brumby’s Bakeries Holdings Limited Announcement
2 March, 2007
Announcement
Brumby’s Bakeries Holdings Limited (Bsx:Bbh)
Change Of Recommendation
The non-conflicted members of the Board of Brumby’s confirm that, as advised in its announcement of earlier today, the offer from BBS (2006) Pty Ltd (a company backed by the syndicate of director Marcus Barlow, CEO and managing director, Michael Sherlock, and general manager and company secretary Steve Brown) is no longer conditional on finance.
The BBS offer is for the acquisition of 78.98 per cent of the company held in non-associated shareholders hands for $2.80 cash for each BBH share by way of scheme of arrangement under Chapter 5.1 of the Corporations Act. BBS also proposes that the Company pay a fully-franked dividend of 10.883 cents per share.
The BBS offer followed an announcement on 18th December 2006 that Brumby’s had entered into a Merger Implementation Agreement (MIA) with Retail Food Group (RFG) under which RFG agreed to purchase all Brumby’s shares for $2.68026 per share and also proposed that an additional special fully franked dividend of 10.883 cents per share be paid by Brumby's.
As a result
of receiving the BBS confirmation that its offer is
unconditional as to finance, and considering the terms of
each proposed scheme, the non-conflicted members of the
Board have changed their recommendation in relation to the
RFG Scheme. They now recommend the BBS offer to
shareholders.
BBS has informed Brumby’s that it has
received an exemption from the operation of section 606 of
the Corporations Act from the Australian Securities and
Investments Commission in relation to a joint offer.
The exemption instrument provides that where an offer which is 5% higher than the BBS offer is made, either by way of takeover or scheme of arrangement, BBS must improve the consideration offered under its offer to match that offered under a takeover bid or proposed scheme within either 7 days of the offer under a takeover bid being made or within 7 days of the date upon which a meeting is convened under section 411 of the Corporations Act in respect of a scheme. If BBS fail to do this then BBS’ associates must accept the offer (in the case of a takeover), vote in favour of the scheme, or abstain from voting at the scheme meeting.
Brumby’s has signed an Implementation Agreement
with BBS. However, the BBS Implementation Agreement does
not come into force or effect unless and until the RFG MIA
has been terminated. The other material terms provided for
in the BBS Implementation Agreement are detailed in the
attached schedule.
Brumby’s Chairman Terry O’Dwyer
said the non-conflicted members of the Board had
“recommended the BBS offer because they considered it to
be in the best interests of shareholders and in the absence
of a better or higher offer”.
Having recommended the BBS offer, certain provisions in the RFG MIA are triggered:
Brumby’s has given notice to RFG that each of the
non-conflicted members of the Board have changed their
recommendation in relation to the RFG proposed scheme and
recommend the offer made by BBS.
Brumby’s may
terminate the RFG MIA by seven days notice in writing to RFG
if any Brumby’s director has changed, withdrawn or
modified their recommendation and, if by the end of that
seven day period, they have not reinstated their
recommendation and Brumby’s has paid RFG the reimbursement
fee of $360,000.
Brumby’s and RFG must discuss in
good faith whether the recommendation can be reinstated
within the seven day period.
Brumby’s must within
three business days after receiving a written demand from
RFG pay to RFG the reimbursement fee.
RFG may
immediately terminate the agreement upon the Board's change
in recommendation.
Brumby’s will keep shareholders
informed of any further developments as they arise.
ENDS