Dfs Furn Regulatory News (DFS)

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, ISRAEL OR ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH IT WOULD BE UNLAWFUL TO DO SO. FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE ANY SHARES OR OTHER SECURITIES OF DFS FURNITURE PLC IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH ANY SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

ADVENT INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION

Completion of sale of remaining interest in DFS Furniture plc

Advent International Corporation ("Advent" or the "Seller") announces that it has completed the sale of its remaining interest in DFS Furniture plc ("DFS" or the "Company") held through Advent Diamond (Luxembourg) S.à r.l.

The disposal was conducted through a placing of 25,661,359 existing ordinary shares in the Company (the "Placing Shares") to institutional investors by means of an accelerated bookbuild offering process (the "Offering"), at a price of GBP 2.28 per share, raising gross proceeds of GBP 58.5 million.

The shares sold represent in aggregate approximately 12.1% of the issued share capital of the Company. Settlement of the Placing is expected to take place on 14 February 2017.

The Seller entered into a placing agreement with Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co KG ("Berenberg") to act as sole bookrunner and placing agent in relation to the Offering. 

For further information, please contact:

Important Notice:

MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY OFFER OF SECURITIES TO WHICH IT RELATES ARE ONLY ADDRESSED TO AND DIRECTED AT (1) IN ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA, PERSONS WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(1)(E) OF EU DIRECTIVE 2003/71/EC AND ANY RELEVANT IMPLEMENTING MEASURES (THE "PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE"); (2) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, PERSONS WHO (I) HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS WHO FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005 (AS AMENDED) (THE "ORDER"); OR (II) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) OF THE ORDER OR (III) ARE PERSONS TO WHOM AN OFFER OF THE PLACING SHARES MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE MADE; AND (3) IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO ANY US PERSONS (AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN REGULATION S ("REGULATION S") UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT")), TO QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYERS AS DEFINED IN RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT (ALL SUCH PERSONS REFERRED TO IN (1), (2) AND (3) TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS"). THE INFORMATION REGARDING THE PLACING SET OUT IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS.

This announcement and the information contained herein is for information purposes only and does not constitute or form part of any offer or an invitation to acquire or dispose of securities in the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan or Israel or in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or invitation is unlawful.

The Placing Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or under the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and, absent registration, may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, US Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and the securities laws of any relevant state or other jurisdiction of the United States. There will be no public offering of the Placing Shares in the United States or elsewhere. Any offers and sales of the Placing Shares to US persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) will be made only to persons who are "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act.

The Placing Shares have not been approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission or other regulatory authority in the United States, nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or the accuracy or adequacy of this announcement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.

No prospectus or offering document has been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing. Any investment decision to buy securities in the Placing must be made solely on the basis of publicly available information. Such information is not the responsibility of and has not been independently verified by the Seller, Berenberg or any of their respective affiliates.

Neither this announcement nor any copy of it may be taken, transmitted or distributed, directly or indirectly, in or into or from the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia), Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan or Israel. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of United States, Canadian, Australian, South African or Japanese securities laws.

The distribution of this announcement and the offering or sale of the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by the Seller, Berenberg or any of their respective affiliates that would, or which is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in any jurisdiction or possession or distribution of this announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to the Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons into whose possession this announcement comes are required by the Seller and Berenberg to inform themselves about and to observe any applicable restrictions.

Berenberg's London Branch, which is regulated by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany and subject to limited supervision by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting only for the Seller in connection with the Placing and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Seller for providing the protections offered to the clients of Berenberg, nor for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any matters referred to in this announcement.