17 January 2022
RECOMMENDED CASH ACQUISITION
of
SUMO GROUP PLC
by
SIXJOY HONG KONG LIMITED
Scheme becomes effective
On 19 July 2021, Sumo Group plc (Sumo) and Tencent Holdings Limited (Tencent) announced a recommended cash offer for Sumo through Tencent’s indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Sixjoy Hong Kong Limited (Tencent Bidco), under Rule 2.7 of the Code (the Acquisition), to be implemented by way of a scheme of arrangement (the Scheme), subject to the terms and conditions set out in the circular relating to the Scheme dated 16 August 2021 (the Scheme Document).
On 13 January 2022, Sumo and Tencent Bidco announced that the Court had sanctioned the Scheme.
Sumo and Tencent Bidco are pleased to announce that the Scheme has today become effective in accordance with its terms, following delivery of the Court Order to the Registrar of Companies.
Except as otherwise defined herein, capitalised terms used but not defined in this announcement have the same meanings as given to them in the Scheme Document.
Settlement
Scheme Shareholders on Sumo’s register of members at the Scheme Record Time, being 6.00 p.m. (London time) on 14 January 2022 will be entitled to receive 513 pence in cash for each Scheme Share held. Scheme Shareholders’ consideration under the terms of the Acquisition will be settled or despatched by no later than 31 January 2022.
Cancellation of trading
The admission to trading of Sumo Shares on AIM is expected to be cancelled with effect from 7.00 a.m. (London time) on 18 January 2022.
Director resignations
Sumo further announces that, with effect from the date of this announcement (being the Effective Date), the Sumo Non-Executive Chairman (Ian Livingstone), the Sumo Senior Independent Non-Executive Director (Michael Sherwin) and the Sumo Independent Non-Executive Director (Andrea Dunstan) have resigned as directors of Sumo.
Enquiries
|
Sumo Group plc |
via Belvedere Communications |
|
Goldman Sachs International (Lead financial adviser to Sumo) Khamran Ali / Hemal Thaker / Tanguy Croguennoc / Chris Emmerson |
+44 (0) 20 7774 1000 |
|
Zeus Capital Limited (Rule 3 Adviser, Nominated Adviser, Joint Broker and financial adviser to Sumo) |
+44 (0) 161 831 1512 |
|
Investec Corporate & Investment Banking (Joint Broker to Sumo) |
+44 (0) 207 597 5970 |
|
Belvedere Communications Limited (Financial PR adviser to Sumo) |
+44 (0) 7715 769 078 |
|
Tencent |
+852 3148 5100 ext 868919 |
|
Morgan Stanley & Co. International Plc (Financial adviser to Tencent and Tencent Bidco) |
+44 (0) 20 7425 8000 |
|
Brunswick Group (Financial PR adviser to Tencent) |
+44 (0) 20 7404 5959 |
Further information
This announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to and does not constitute or form part of, any offer, invitation or the solicitation of an offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities, or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, pursuant to the Acquisition or otherwise nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities of Sumo in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law.
The Acquisition is made solely through the Scheme Document, which contains the full terms and conditions of the Acquisition.
Goldman Sachs, which is authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and the PRA in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for Sumo and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Sumo for providing the protections afforded to clients of Goldman Sachs, or for giving advice in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement.
Zeus Capital, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting as Rule 3 adviser for Sumo and no one else in connection with the matters set out in this announcement and will not regard any other person as its client in relation to the matters in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Sumo for providing the protections afforded to clients of Zeus, nor for providing advice in relation to any matter referred to herein.
Investec Bank plc, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, is acting for Sumo and for no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Sumo for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to the matters set out in this announcement.
Morgan Stanley, which is authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and the PRA in the United Kingdom, is acting as financial adviser exclusively for Tencent and Tencent Bidco and no one else in connection with the matters set out in this announcement and will not be responsible to any person other than Tencent and Tencent Bidco for providing the protections afforded to clients of Morgan Stanley, nor for providing advice in relation to the content of this announcement or any matter referred to herein. Neither Morgan Stanley nor any of its subsidiaries, branches or affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Morgan Stanley in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein or otherwise.
Notice to Overseas Shareholders
General
The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in or into jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom may be restricted by law and therefore any persons who are subject to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom should inform themselves about, and observe, any applicable legal or regulatory requirements. Any failure to comply with the applicable restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the companies and persons involved in the Acquisition disclaim any responsibility or liability for the violation of such restrictions by any person. This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with English law, the Code and the AIM Rules 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 of jurisdictions outside of England.
The Acquisition will not be made, directly or indirectly, in, into or from a Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws of that jurisdiction. Copies of this announcement and formal documentation relating to the Acquisition will not be, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction or any jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws of that jurisdiction and persons receiving such documents (including custodians, nominees and trustees) must not mail or otherwise forward, distribute or send them in, into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction. Doing so may render invalid any related purported vote in respect of the Acquisition.
Further details in relation to Overseas Shareholders is contained in paragraph 15 of Part Two of the Scheme Document.
Certain notices to US investors in Sumo
The Acquisition relates to the shares of an English company that is a “foreign private issuer” as defined in Rule 3b-4 under the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and has been effected by means of a scheme of arrangement under English law. Neither the US proxy solicitation rules nor the tender offer rules under the US Exchange Act will apply to the Acquisition. Accordingly, the Scheme has been subject to the disclosure requirements and practices applicable to the United Kingdom and under the Code to schemes of arrangement, which differ from the disclosure and procedural requirements of the US proxy solicitation rules and the tender offer rules. Neither the SEC, nor any securities commission of any state of the United States, has approved the Acquisition, passed upon the fairness of the Acquisition or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this document. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. Financial information relating to Sumo included in this announcement and the Scheme Document has been or will have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and accounting standards applicable in the United Kingdom that may not be comparable to financial information of US companies or companies whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.
The receipt of cash by a beneficial owner of Sumo Shares pursuant to the Acquisition as consideration for the transfer of its Scheme Shares pursuant to the Scheme will likely be a taxable transaction for United States federal income tax purposes and may also be a taxable transaction under other applicable tax laws, including any applicable United States state and local, as well as non-US, tax laws. Each Sumo Shareholder is urged to consult its independent professional adviser immediately regarding the tax consequences to it (or to its beneficial owners) of the Acquisition.
Sumo is organised under the laws of England, Tencent is organised under the laws of the Cayman Islands and Tencent Bidco is organised under the laws of Hong Kong. All of the officers and directors of Sumo and Tencent are residents of countries other than the United States and the majority of the assets of Sumo and Tencent are located outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible to effect service of process within the United States upon Sumo, Tencent, Tencent Bidco or any of their respective officers or directors, or to enforce outside the United States judgements obtained against Sumo, Tencent, Tencent Bidco or any of their respective officers or directors in courts in the United States, including, without limitation, judgements based upon the civil liability provisions of the US federal securities laws or the laws of any state or territory within the United States. It may not be possible to sue Sumo, Tencent and Tencent Bidco in a non-US court for violations of US securities laws. It may be difficult to compel Sumo, Tencent, Tencent Bidco and their respective affiliates to subject themselves to the jurisdiction and judgment of a court in the United States.
Publication of this announcement and availability of hard copies
A copy of this announcement will be available, subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted Jurisdictions, on Tencent’s website (at www.tencent.com/en-us/investors.html) and Sumo’s website (at www.sumogroupplc.com/investors-centre/) by no later than 12 noon (London time) on the Business Day following this announcement. For the avoidance of doubt, the contents of the websites referred to in this announcement are not incorporated into and do not form part of this announcement.
Sumo Shareholders may request a hard copy of this announcement by contacting Link Group on 0371 664 0321 (if calling from within the UK) or +44 371 664 0321 (if calling from outside the UK). Calls are charged at the standard geographic rate and will vary by provider. Calls outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international rate. The helpline is open between 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in England and Wales. Please note that Link Group cannot provide any financial, legal or tax advice and calls may be recorded and monitored for security and training purposes. Your attention is drawn to the fact that a hard copy of this announcement will not be sent to you unless so requested. You may also request that all future documents, announcements and information to be sent to you in relation to the Acquisition should be in hard copy form.