Sirius Real Estate Regulatory News (SRE)

SIRIUS REAL ESTATE LIMITED

(Incorporated in Guernsey)

Company Number: 46442

JSE Share Code: SRE

LSE (GBP) Share Code: SRE

LEI: 213800NURUF5W8QSK566

ISIN Code: GG00B1W3VF54

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR SINGAPORE OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION AS DEFINED FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU NO. 596/2014), AS IT FORMS PART OF THE UNITED KINGDOM DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED.

20 November 2023

Sirius Real Estate Limited

Results of Capital Raise

Sirius Real Estate Limited ("Sirius" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the result of the Capital Raise set out in the Company's announcement of earlier today ("Capital Raise Announcement"), the net proceeds of which enables the Company to execute on a significant near term pipeline of attractive acquisition opportunities, following the acquisition of assets in Liverpool, Barnsley and three in North London, acquired for a total of approximately £45m over the last four months.

The Capital Raise will in aggregate comprise the issue of 170,417,384 new Ordinary Shares (the "Offer Shares"), which will raise gross proceeds of £146.6m. The Offer Shares represent approximately 14.5 per cent. of the existing issued ordinary share capital of the Company prior to the Capital Raise.

The Offer Price of 86.0 pence represents a discount of approximately 5.9 per cent. to the closing share price of 91.4 pence on 17 November 2023 and a discount of approximately 2.3 per cent. to the intra-day price of 88.0 pence at 3.10 p.m. (being the time at which the Offer Price was agreed). The Offer Price represents a discount of approximately 0.1 per cent. to the thirty-day volume weighted average price on the JSE of 86.1 pence as at 17 November 2023.

Berenberg and Peel Hunt acted as joint global co-ordinators and joint bookrunners, together with Panmure Gordon who acted as joint bookrunner, in respect of the Placing. PSG Capital acted as sole bookrunner and placing agent in respect of the South Africa Placing.

The Company consulted with a number of its shareholders prior to the Capital Raise and has respected the principles of pre-emption through the allocation process, while also allowing the participation of new long-only shareholders. The Company is pleased by the strong support it has received from new and existing shareholders.

Admission

Application will be made for the admission of the Offer Shares to listing on the premium segment of the Official List of the FCA and to trading on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed securities and for listing and trading on the main board of the JSE. UK Admission is expected to become effective at 8.00 a.m. (London time) on 24 November 2023 or such later date as the Banks, the Company and PSG Capital may agree being no later than 8.00 a.m. (London time) on 8 December 2023. JSE Admission is expected to become effective at 9.00 a.m. (Johannesburg time) on 24 November 2023 or such later date as the Banks, the Company and PSG Capital may agree being no later than 9.00 a.m. (Johannesburg time) on 8 December 2023.

Following Admission, the total number of Ordinary Shares in issue in the Company will be 1,348,140,369. The Company does not hold any shares in treasury and, therefore, following Admission, the number of voting shares in issue in the Company will be 1,348,140,369. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

The Capital Raise is conditional on, inter alia (i) the Placing Agreement not having been terminated in accordance with its terms and (ii) UK Admission and JSE Admission occurring.

Director and PDMR participation in the Capital Raise

As part of the Capital Raise, the CEO, certain PDMRs, certain other Directors and persons closely associated have subscribed for new Ordinary Shares ("Subscription Shares") in the capital of the Company at the Offer Price (the "Subscription") and in the Retail Offer, contributing approximately £180,000 in aggregate.

Related party participation BlackRock is a substantial shareholder of the Company and therefore is a related party for the purposes of the UK Listing Rules.

BlackRock's subscription for 21,794,302 Offer Shares in the Placing at the Offer Price, representing an aggregate consideration of approximately £18.7m, constitutes a "smaller" related party transaction and falls within Listing Rule 11.1.10 R(1) and this announcement is therefore made in accordance with Listing Rule 11.1.10R(2)I. Following completion of the Capital Raise, BlackRock will hold approximately 10.9% of the enlarged issued share capital of the Company.

The participation in the Capital Raise by related parties (as defined in the JSE Listings Requirements) occurred on the basis outlined in the Capital Raise Announcement, as permitted in terms of resolutions 17 and 18 adopted at the Company's most recent AGM and in compliance with the JSE Listings Requirements.

Capitalised terms used but not defined in this announcement shall have the meaning given to them in the Capital Raise Announcement.

Commenting on the transaction, Andrew Coombs, Chief Executive Officer of Sirius Real Estate Limited, said: 

"The success of this capital raise is a strong endorsement of our ongoing strategy for growth as well as the track record of strong operational performance and value creation we continue to achieve. We are particularly encouraged by the strong demand we have seen for the raise from both existing and new institutions, as well as from our retail offering. We now look forward to investing the proceeds into our near term pipeline of attractive acquisition opportunities and to utilising our operating platforms in the UK and Germany to add further value to these assets once purchased."

Ends

For further information, contact:

Enquiries:

Sirius Real Estate Limited

Andrew Coombs, CEO / Chris Bowman, CFO

Tel: +44 (0) 203 717 1000 (via FTI)

Berenberg (Joint Global Co-ordinator & Joint Bookrunner)

Toby Flaux / Richard Bootle / Alix Mecklenburg-Solodkoff / Patrick Dolaghan

Tel: +44 (0) 203 207 7800

Peel Hunt (Joint Global Co-ordinator & Joint Bookrunner)

Capel Irwin / Carl Gough / Henry Nicholls / Flora McMicking

Tel: +44 (0) 207 418 8900

Panmure Gordon (Joint Bookrunner)

David Watkins / Amrit Mahbubani

Tel: +44 (0) 207 886 2500

PSG Capital (SA Adviser, Sole SA Bookrunner and Placing Agent, JSE Sponsor)

Johan Holtzhausen

Tel: +27 (0) 825 583 623

FTI Consulting (Financial PR)

Richard Sunderland / James McEwan / Talia Shirion

Tel: +44 (0) 203 727 1000

SiriusRealEstate@fticonsulting.com 

About Sirius Real Estate Limited

Sirius is a property company listed on the main market and premium segment of the London Stock Exchange and the main board of the JSE. It is a leading operator of branded business parks providing conventional space and flexible workspace in Germany and the UK. The Company's purpose is to create and manage optimal workspaces that empower small and medium-sized businesses to grow, evolve and thrive. Sirius seeks to unlock the potential of its people, its properties, and the communities in which it operates, so that together they can create sustainable impact, and long-term financial and social value.

The Company's core strategy is the acquisition of business parks at attractive yields, the integration of these business parks into its network of sites under the Company's own name as well as offering a range of branded products within those sites, and the reconfiguration and upgrade of existing and vacant space to appeal to the local market, through intensive asset management and investment. The Company's strategy aims to deliver attractive returns for shareholders by increasing rental income and improving cost recoveries and capital values, as well as by enhancing those returns through financing its assets on favourable terms. Once sites are mature and net income and values have been optimised, the Company may take the opportunity to refinance the sites to release capital for investment in new sites or consider the disposal of sites in order to recycle equity into assets which present greater opportunity for the asset management skills of the Company's team.

Sirius also has a venture with clients represented by AXA IM Alts. Titanium was formed through the acquisition by AXA IM Alts, on behalf of its clients, from Sirius, of a 65% stake in five business parks across Germany. Sirius retained the remaining 35%. The venture seeks to grow primarily through the acquisition of larger stabilised business park assets and portfolios of assets with strong tenant profiles and occupancy. As well as its equity interest, Sirius acts as operator of the assets in the venture, on a fee basis. Sirius will continue to grow its wholly owned portfolio through acquisitions of more opportunistic assets, where it can capitalise on its asset management expertise to maximise utilisation of the space, grow occupancy and improve quality of the tenants. The strategies have been clearly defined so that the venture does not conflict with Sirius' existing business.

For more information, please visit: www.Sirius-real-estate.com

Pre-Emption Group Reporting

The Capital Raise is a non-pre-emptive issue of equity securities for cash and accordingly the Company makes the following post transaction report in accordance with the most recently published Pre-Emption Group Statement of Principles (2022).

IMPORTANT NOTICES

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THEM, IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE, FORWARDING OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, CANADA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE FCA OR THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, NOR IS IT INTENDED THAT IT WILL BE SO APPROVED.

This Announcement is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States of America. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States.

This Announcement or any part of it does not constitute or form part of any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. No public offering of the Offer Shares is being made in any such jurisdiction.

No action has been taken by the Company, any of the Banks or PSG Capital or any of their respective affiliates, or any person acting on its or their behalf that would permit an offer of the Offer Shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such Offer Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required by the Company, the Banks and PSG Capital to inform themselves about, and to observe, such restrictions.

No prospectus, offering memorandum, offering document or admission document has been or will be made available in connection with the matters contained in this Announcement and no such prospectus is required (in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 2017/1129 (as amended) (the "Prospectus Regulation") or Regulation (EU) No 2017/1129 (as amended) as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "UK Prospectus Regulation") to be published.

In member states of the European Economic Area (the "EEA"), this Announcement is directed at and is only being distributed to "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation ("Qualified Investors"). In the United Kingdom, this Announcement is directed at and is only being distributed to "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation who are also (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of "investment professional" in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"); or (ii) high net worth companies, unincorporated associations and partnerships and trustees of high value trusts as described in Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order; or (iii) other persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being "Relevant Persons"). Any investment or investment activity to which this Announcement relates is available only to (i) in any member state of the EEA, Qualified Investors; and (ii) in the United Kingdom, Relevant Persons, and will be engaged in only with such persons. This Announcement must not be acted on or relied on (i) in any member state of the EEA, by persons who are not Qualified Investors; and (ii) in the United Kingdom, by persons who are not Relevant Persons.

The relevant clearances have not been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of any province or territory of Canada, no prospectus has been lodged with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained for the South Africa Reserve Bank or any other applicable body in South Africa in relation to the Offer Shares and the Offer Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offering in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or territory of Australia, Canada, South Africa or Japan. Accordingly, the Offer Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such activities would be unlawful.

In South Africa, the South Africa Placing has only been made by way of a private placement of Ordinary Shares to selected persons (i) falling within one of the specified categories listed in section 96(1)(a) of the South African Companies Act, 2008 (the "South African Companies Act"); or (ii) acting as principal, acquiring PSG Placed Shares for a total contemplated acquisition cost of ZAR1,000,000 or more, as contemplated in section 96(1)(b) of the South African Companies Act ("South African Eligible Investors"). This Announcement is only being made available to such South African Eligible Investors. Accordingly (i) the South Africa Placing is not an "offer to the public" as contemplated in the South African Companies Act; (ii) this Announcement does not, nor does it intend to, constitute a "registered prospectus" or an "advertisement", as contemplated by the South African Companies Act; and (iii) no prospectus has been filed with the South African Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (the "CIPC") in respect of the South Africa Placing. As a result, this Announcement does not comply with the substance and form requirements for a prospectus set out in the South African Companies Act, 2008 and the South African Companies Regulations of 2011, and has not been approved by, and/or registered with, the CIPC, or any other South African authority.

The information contained in this Announcement constitutes factual information as contemplated in section 1(3)(a) of the South African Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, 37 of 2002, as amended (the "FAIS Act") and should not be construed as an express or implied recommendation, guide or proposal that any particular transaction in respect of the PSG Placed Shares or in relation to the business or future investments of the Company, is appropriate to the particular investment objectives, financial situations or needs of a prospective investor, and nothing in this Announcement should be construed as constituting the canvassing for, or marketing or advertising of, financial services in South Africa. The Company is not a financial services provider licensed as such under the FAIS Act.

Certain statements contained in this Announcement constitute "forward-looking statements" with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and businesses and plans of the Company and the Group. Words such as "believes", "anticipates", "estimates", "expects", "intends", "plans", "aims", "potential", "will", "would", "could", "considered", "likely", "estimate" and variations of these words and similar future or conditional expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. These statements and forecasts involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend upon future circumstances that have not occurred. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements and forecasts. As a result, the Group's actual financial condition, results of operations and business and plans may differ materially from the plans, goals and expectations expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. No representation or warranty is made as to the achievement or reasonableness of, and no reliance should be placed on, such forward-looking statements. No statement in this Announcement is intended to be, nor may it be construed as, a profit forecast or be relied upon as a guide to future performance. The forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement speak only as of the date of this Announcement. The Company, its directors, the Banks, PSG Capital their respective affiliates and any person acting on its or their behalf each expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required to do so by applicable law or regulation, the FCA, the London Stock Exchange or the JSE.

Berenberg is authorised and regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority and is authorised and subject to limited regulation by the FCA in the United Kingdom. Panmure Gordon is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA. Peel Hunt is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA. PSG Capital is authorised and regulated by the JSE Limited. Each Bank and PSG Capital is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the Placing and the South Africa Placing, as applicable, the contents of this Announcement and other matters described in this Announcement. No Bank or PSG Capital will regard any other person as its client in relation to the Placing and the South Africa Placing, as applicable, the content of this Announcement and other matters described in this Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone (including any Placees or SA Placees) other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients or for providing advice to any other person in relation to the Placing and the South Africa Placing, as applicable, the content of this Announcement or any other matters referred to in this Announcement.

This Announcement has been issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by any Bank or PSG Capital or by any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on their behalf as to, or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this Announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.

This Announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning any investor's investment decision with respect to the Capital Raise. Any indication in this Announcement of the price at which Ordinary Shares have been bought or sold in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. The price of shares and any income expected from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested upon disposal of the shares. Past performance is no guide to future performance. The contents of this Announcement are not to be construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each investor 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.

Any indication in this Announcement of the price at which the Ordinary Shares have been bought or sold in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser. No statement in this Announcement is intended to be a profit forecast or profit estimate for any period and no statement in this Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings, earnings per share or income, cash flow from operations or free cash flow for the Company for the current or future financial periods would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings, earnings per share or income, cash flow from operations or free cash flow for the Company.

All offers of the Offer Shares will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to produce a prospectus. This Announcement is being distributed and communicated to persons in the UK only in circumstances to which section 21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended does not apply.

The Offer Shares to be issued or sold pursuant to the Capital Raise will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the London Stock Exchange and the JSE.

Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other legal obligation to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.

Neither the content of the Company's website (or any other website) nor the content of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into or forms part of this Announcement.

This Announcement has been prepared for the purposes of complying with applicable law and regulation in the United Kingdom and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this Announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of any jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.

UK Product Governance Requirements

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 Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that such Placing Shares are: (i) 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 the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook; and (ii) 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 Placing Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Placing 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 the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, the Banks 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: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of Chapters 9A or 10A respectively of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.