3 Jan 2020 15:00
Just Eat plc
3 January 2020
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY (IN WHOLE OR IN PART) IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION. IN PARTICULAR, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD NOT BE RELEASED, PUBLISHED, DISTRIBUTED, FORWARDED OR TRANSMITTED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY RESTRICTED JURISDICTION, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Just Eat plc ("Just Eat")
Publication of Response Circular in relation to final offers for Just Eat
The Board of Just Eat (the "Board") announces that it is today publishing its response circular (the "Response Circular") in connection with the final offers to acquire the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Just Eat by Takeaway.com N.V. ("Takeaway.com") and Prosus N.V. ("Prosus").
On 19 December 2019, Takeaway.com and Prosus announced their final offers to acquire the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Just Eat. Just Eat announced on 20 December 2019 that its Board had unanimously recommended that Just Eat Shareholders accept the final offer from Takeaway.com and reject the final offer from Prosus.
Takeaway.com released a revised offer document in respect of its final offer on 20 December 2019 (the "Final Takeaway.com Offer Document") and Prosus released a revised offer document in respect of its final offer on 23 December 2019 (the "Final Prosus Offer Document").
In accordance with the requirements of Rule 25.1(b) of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the "City Code"), a copy of the Response Circular addressing the Final Takeaway.com Offer Document and Final Prosus Offer Document will shortly be made available on www.justeatplc.com. A copy of the Response Circular has been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be made available for inspection at www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM/.
Enquiries
Just Eat +44 (0) 20 3667 6948
Chris Dyett, Natalia Dyett, Investor Relations
Jo de Koning, Ellen Freeth, Corporate Communications press@just-eat.com
Goldman Sachs International (Financial adviser and corporate broker to Just Eat)
Anthony Gutman +44 (0) 20 7774 1000
Nick Harper
Clif Marriott
Duncan Stewart
Oakley Advisory (Financial adviser to Just Eat) +44 (0) 20 7766 6900
Christian Maher
Marc Jones
Max Gilbert
UBS (Financial adviser and corporate broker to Just Eat) +44 (0) 20 7567 8000
Rahul Luthra
Craig Calvert
Sandip Dhillon
Christian Lesueur
Brunswick Group LLP +44 (0) 20 7404 5959
Sarah West
David Litterick
James Baker
Linklaters are retained as legal advisers to Just Eat.
Further Information
Goldman Sachs International, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for Just Eat and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Just Eat for providing the protections afforded to clients of Goldman Sachs International, or for providing advice in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement.
Oakley Advisory, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for Just Eat and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Just Eat for providing the protections afforded to clients of Oakley Advisory, or for providing advice in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement.
UBS AG London Branch ("UBS") is authorised and regulated by the Financial Market Supervisory Authority in Switzerland. It is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom. UBS is acting as financial adviser to Just Eat and no one else in connection with the matters set out in this Announcement. In connection with such matters, UBS, its affiliates, and its or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents will not regard any person other than Just Eat as their client, nor will they be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to their clients or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this Announcement or any other matter referred to herein.
Publication of this announcement
A copy of this announcement and the Response Circular will be available, subject to certain restrictions relating to persons located or resident in the Restricted Jurisdictions, on Just Eat's website at www.justeatplc.com, by no later than 12 noon (London time) on the business day following the date of this announcement. The content of the websites referred to in this announcement is not incorporated into and does not form part of this announcement.
Important notice
This announcement is not intended to, and does not, constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of an offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities whether pursuant to this announcement or otherwise.
Overseas Shareholders
The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions, including the United States, may be restricted by law ("Restricted Jurisdictions"). Persons who are not located or resident in the United Kingdom or who are subject to the laws of other jurisdictions should inform themselves of, and observe, any applicable requirements.
Unless otherwise determined by Takeaway.com or required by the City Code, and permitted by applicable law and regulation, the Takeaway.com Offer will not be made, directly or indirectly, in, into or from the United States or any other Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws of that jurisdiction, and the Takeaway.com Offer will not be capable of acceptance from or within the United States or any other Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws of that jurisdiction. Accordingly, copies of this announcement and all documents relating to the Takeaway.com Offer are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from the United States or any other Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction, and persons receiving this announcement and all documents relating to the Takeaway.com Offer (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 acceptance of the Takeaway.com Offer.
The availability of the Takeaway.com Offer and the Prosus Offer to Just Eat Shareholders who are not resident in the United Kingdom may be affected by the laws of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are resident. Persons who are not resident in the United Kingdom should inform themselves of, and observe, any applicable requirements.
This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or an exemption from registration. There will be no public offering of these securities in the United States.
Securities to be issued pursuant to the Takeaway.com Offer have not been, and will not be, registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act") and may not be offered, sold or resold except in transactions exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements of the US Securities Act. Such securities will only be made available in the United States to qualified institutional buyers (as defined in Rule 144A under the US Securities Act) or accredited investors (as defined in Rule 501(a) under the US Securities Act) in transactions that are exempt from the registration requirements of the US Securities Act. Such shareholders will be required to make such acknowledgements and representations to, and agreements with, Takeaway.com as Takeaway.com may require to establish that they are entitled to receive such securities. A person who receives securities pursuant to the Takeaway.com Offer may not resell such securities without registration under the US Securities Act or without an applicable exemption from registration or in a transaction not subject to registration (including a transaction that satisfies the applicable requirements of Regulation S under the US Securities Act).
Securities to be issued pursuant to the Takeaway.com Offer have not been, and will not be, registered or qualified under the securities laws of any state or jurisdiction in the United States and, accordingly, will only be issued to the extent that exemptions from the registration or qualification requirements of state "blue sky" securities laws are available or such registration or qualification requirements have been complied with.
For purposes of the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "US Exchange Act"), it is intended that the Takeaway.com Offer will be made pursuant to Section 14(e) and Regulation 14E under the US Exchange Act benefitting from exemptions available to "Tier II" tender offers. Accordingly, the Takeaway.com Offer will be subject to disclosure and other procedural requirements, including with respect to withdrawal rights, offer timetable, settlement procedures and timing of payments that may be different from those applicable under US domestic tender offer procedures and law, and certain rules applicable to tender offers made into the United States, including rules promulgated under Section 14(d) of the US Exchange Act, do not apply. In accordance with normal UK market practice and Rule 14e-5 under the US Exchange Act, Takeaway.com, certain affiliated companies and its nominees, or its brokers (acting as agents) may from time to time make certain purchases of, or arrangements to purchase, Just Eat Shares, other than pursuant to the Takeaway.com Offer, before or during the period in which the Takeaway.com Offer remains open for acceptance. If such purchases or arrangements were to be made they would be made outside the United States either in the open market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at negotiated prices and would comply with applicable law, including the US Exchange Act. Any information about such purchases will be disclosed as required in the United Kingdom.
The receipt of consideration by a US holder for the transfer of its Just Eat Shares pursuant to the Takeaway.com Offer or the Prosus Offer may be a taxable transaction for United States federal income tax purposes and under applicable United States state and local, as well as non-US and other, tax laws. Each Just Eat Shareholder is urged to consult their independent professional adviser immediately regarding the tax consequences of the Takeaway.com Offer and Prosus Offer applicable to them, including under applicable United States federal, state and local, as well as non-US and other, tax laws.
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, 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 Takeover 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.