M&A Activity • Nov 23, 2021
M&A Activity
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This document is an English-language translation for convenience only of the press release relating to the availability of the response document of Europcar Mobiliy Group. In the event of any differences and/or discrepancies between this unofficial English-language translation and the official French document, the official French document shall prevail.
IN RESPONSE
This press release was prepared and made available to the public in accordance with the provisions of article 231- 27, 3° of the French Autorité des marchés financiers ("AMF")'s general regulation.
Pursuant to Article L. 621-8 of the French Monetary and Financial Code and Article 231-26 of its general regulation, the AMF has affixed the visa No. 21-500 dated November 23, 2021 on the response document prepared by Europcar Mobility Group in response to the public tender offer initiated by Green Mobility Holding S.A. (the "Response Document").
The Response Document is available on the websites of Europcar Mobility Group (www.europcar-mobilitygroup.com) and of the AMF (www.amf-france.org) and is provided to the public free of charge at the registered office of Europcar Mobility Group, 13 ter, boulevard Berthier, 75017 Paris, France.
In accordance with article 231-28 of the AMF's general regulation, the information relating to the legal, financial and accounting relating to Europcar Mobility Group will be filed with the AMF and will be provided to the public no later than the day before the offer opens.
A press release will be issued to inform the public of the manner in which this information will be made available.
This press release was prepared for informational purpose only. It is not an offer to the public and it is not for diffusion in any other country than France. The diffusion of this press release, the Offer and its acceptance may be subject to specific regulations or restrictions in certain countries. The Offer is not made for persons subject to such restrictions, neither directly nor indirectly, and may not be accepted in any way from a country where the Offer would be subject to such restrictions. Consequently, persons in possession of this press release shall inquire about potential applicable local restrictions and comply with them.
Europcar Mobility Group excludes all liability in the event of any breach of the applicable legal restrictions by any person.
Pursuant to Title III of Book II and more specifically articles 231-13 and 232-1 of the AMF's general regulation, Green Mobility Holding S.A., a limited liability company (société anonyme) incorporated under Luxembourg law with a share capital of 30,000 euros, having its registered office at 19-21, route d'Arlon, 8009 Strassen, Luxembourg, registered with the Luxembourg Trade and Companies Register under number B257696 (hereinafter the "Offeror"), is making an irrevocable offer to all shareholders of Europcar Mobility Group, a public limited company governed by a board of directors, whose registered office is located at 13 ter, boulevard Berthier, 75017 Paris, and registered with the Trade and Companies Register of Paris under number 489 099 903 ("Europcar Mobility Group" or the "Company", and together with its direct and indirect subsidiaries the "Group"), to acquire all shares in the Company (the "Shares") that the members of the Consortium (as such term is defined in the Response Document) do not hold directly or indirectly as of the date of the offer document prepared by the Offeror and filed with the AMF (the "Offer Document") at a price of 0.50 euros per Share, subject to the adjustments described in section 1.2.3 of the Response Document (the "Offer Price") through a public tender offer, the terms of which are described hereafter and more fully described in the Offer Document (the "Offer").
According to and as of the date of the Offer Document, the Offeror is fully owned by Volkswagen Finance Luxemburg S.A., a limited liability company (société anonyme) incorporated under Luxembourg law, having its registered office at 19-21, route d'Arlon, 8009 Strassen, Luxembourg, registered with the Luxembourg Trade and Companies Register under number B166745 ("VFL"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, a limited liability company (Aktiengesellschaft) incorporated under German law, having its registered office at Berliner Ring 2, 38440 Wolfsburg, Germany, registered with the commercial register at the local court of Braunschweig under number HRB 100484 ("Volkswagen"). Following the Offer, the Offeror will become jointly owned by:
(Volkswagen, Attestor and Pon, together the "Consortium").
The Shares are admitted for trading on compartment C of the Euronext Paris regulated market ("Euronext Paris") under ISIN FR0012789949 (ticker: EUCAR).
According to and as of the date of the Offer Document, Trinity Investments, an entity of the Attestor Limited group which is a member of the Consortium, holds 641,514,896 shares of the Company representing 12.79% of the share capital and voting rights (the "Attestor Stake") and has undertaken to tender all these shares to the Offer, as mentioned in section 5.3 of the Response Document, it being specified that no other entity of the Attestor group holds any shares or voting rights in the Company. The Offeror and the other Consortium members do not hold any shares or voting rights of the Company, it being specified that no other entity of the Volkswagen group or the Pon group holds any shares or voting rights in the Company.
The Offer is for all the Shares not held by the Offeror:
altogether representing a maximum number of 5,007,884,758 Shares.
As of the date of this Response Document, there are no equity securities or other financial instruments or rights that may give access, either immediately or in the future, to the Company's share capital or voting rights other than the 2019 Free Share Plan awarded by the Company to certain managers and employees described in section 1.2.5 of the Response Document.
The Offer is voluntary and will take place according to the normal procedure in accordance with articles 232-1 et seq. of the AMF's general regulation. The Offer will be open for a period of at least twenty-five (25) trading days.
The Offeror intends to implement the squeeze-out procedure for the shares of the Company not tendered to the Offer, at the end of the Offer (or the Reopened Offer), pursuant to the provisions of article L. 433-4 II of the French Monetary and Financial Code and articles 237-1 et seq. of the AMF's general regulation.
In accordance with article 231-13 of the AMF's general regulation, on September 20, 2021, BNP Paribas and Bank of America Europe DAC – Succursale en France ("Bank of America") (together the "Presenting Banks"), in their capacity as banks presenting the Offer, filed the Offer and the draft offer document with the AMF on behalf of the Offeror. Only BNP Paribas guarantees the terms and the irrevocable nature of the undertakings made by the Offeror in connection with the Offer.
The Offer is subject to the caducity threshold referred to in article 231-9, I of the AMF's general regulation, as described in section 1.2.6 of the Response Document and in section 2.10.1 of the Offer Document. The Offer also includes a withdrawal threshold, in accordance with article
1 On the basis of the Company's total numbers of shares and theoretical voting rights determined in accordance with article 223-11 of the AMF's general regulation as of November 12, 2021, i.e., 5,015,640,081 Shares representing 5,016,678,588 theoretical voting rights. Based on the same information, 8,552,323 Shares are held in treasury, representing 0.17% of the share capital and theoretical voting rights.
231-9, II of the AMF's general regulation, as described in section 1.2.7 of the Response Document and in section 2.10.2 of the Offer Document.
In addition, according to and as of the date of the Offer Document, the Offer is also subject, as condition precedent, to the EU Antitrust Authorization, as defined and described in section 1.2.8 of the Response Document (and in section 2.10.3 of the Offer Document).
The indicative timetable of the Offer is presented in section 1.4 of the Response Document and 2.11 of the Offer Document.
The board of directors of Europcar Mobility Group is currently composed of:
*Independent directors according to the independence criteria of the Afep-Medef Code.
Mr. Laurent David is an observer (censeur) on the Company's board of directors.
On June 7, 2021, the Consortium members submitted an indicative proposal letter to the Company expressing their interest regarding a contemplated transaction on the Company's share capital at a price of €0.44 per Company share.
In light of the need to set up suitable governance procedures to review this proposal and any subsequent alternative or competing projects which may arise in its wake, the board of directors, at its meeting of June 8, 2021 decided to set up the Ad Hoc Committee in accordance with the provisions of article 261-1, III of the AMF's general regulation, composed of:
it being noted that Mrs. Caroline Parot in her capacity as CEO and Mr. Laurent David in his capacity as board observer (whose appointment had been proposed and was confirmed by the Company's shareholders' meeting on June 30, 2021) participated to the work of such Ad Hoc Committee as guests.
On June 13, 2021, the Company's board of directors unanimously (excluding Mr. Simon Franks, in his capacity as director appointed upon proposal of Attestor, who withdrew from the board's work) rejected the Consortium members' proposal, stating that the proposed price did not reflect the Company's full value and value creation potential, while leaving the door open to potential discussions should the price be significantly increased.
On June 17, 2021, in anticipation of any such potential discussions, the Company's board of directors (excluding Mr. Simon Franks, in his capacity as director appointed upon proposal of Attestor, who did not take part in the deliberation or the vote), upon recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee, appointed the Independent Expert pursuant to article 261-1, I, 2° and 4° of the AMF's general regulation with a mission to produce a report regarding the financial terms of the proposed offer, including, should the Independent Expert so conclude, an opinion that the price of the Offer is fair (équitable) from a financial point of view for the Company's shareholders.
At its meeting of July 28, 2021, the Company's board of directors unanimously (excluding Mr. Simon Franks, in his capacity as director appointed upon proposal of Attestor, who withdrew from the board's work, and Mrs. Caroline Parot, who did not participate in the deliberation or the vote) and upon recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee:
On September 16, 2021, the Company's board of directors unanimously (excluding Mr. Simon Franks, in his capacity as director appointed upon proposal of Attestor, who withdrew from the board's work, and Mrs. Caroline Parot, who did not participate in the deliberation or the vote), and upon recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee, approved, in accordance with its internal rules and article L. 225-38 of the French Commercial Code, the execution by the Company of an amendment to the TOA in order to clarify and adjust certain provisions regarding, in particular, the Offeror's intentions, the Liquidity Agreement (as defined in section Erreur ! Source du renvoi introuvable. above) and the management bonuses and incentive plan3 .
In accordance with the provisions of article 231-19 of the AMF's general regulation, the Company's board of directors met on September 17, 2021, under the chairmanship of Mr. Alexandre de Juniac, chairman of the board, and in the presence of Ledouble, in order to review the proposed Offer and to issue a reasoned opinion on the interest and consequences of the proposed Offer for the Company, its shareholders and its employees. All the members of the board were present or represented in person or by videoconference.
Prior to the meeting, the members of the board were provided with:
2 The signature of the TOA was the subject a publication relating to related-party agreements (conventions réglementées) pursuant to articles L. 22-10-13 and R. 22-10-17 of the French Commercial Code on July 30, 2021 available on the Company's website (https://europcar-mobility-group.com/fr/communiques-de-presse)
3 This amendment to the TOA resulted in the update of the publication relating to related-party agreements (conventions réglementées) pursuant to articles L. 22-10-13 and R. 22-10-17 of the French Commercial Code regarding the TOA as of September 17, 2021, available on the Company's website (https://europcar-mobilitygroup.com/fr/communiques-de-presse).
The Company's board of directors, at the said meeting of September 17, 2021, has therefore issued the following reasoned opinion by unanimous vote of its members, (excluding Mr. Simon Franks, in his capacity as director appointed upon proposal of Attestor, who withdrew from the board's work, and Mrs. Caroline Parot, who did not participate in the deliberation or the vote):
At its meeting of June 17, 2021, upon recommendation of the ad hoc committee, the Board of Directors appointed Ledouble, represented by Mmes. Agnès Piniot and Stéphanie Guillaumin, as independent expert in accordance with the provisions of Article 261-1, I, 2° and 4° of the AMF general regulation, in charge of issuing a report on the financial terms of the Offer. The process and the basis for the appointment of the independent expert will be explained as part of the presentation of the ad hoc committee's work.
The Chairman indicates that the ad hoc committee has had several exchanges with the independent expert and followed up its work.
The representatives of Ledouble, Mmes. Agnès Piniot and Stéphanie Guillaumin, summarize to the Board the conclusions of the independent expert's work:
In accordance with the scope of the Independent Appraiser's appointment (see section 1.1), we sought to verify:
We reiterate that our assessment of the Offer Price is based on the financial conditions of the Offer and the valuation of the Shares in the current circumstances, which by definition differ from the conditions under which shareholders have been able to acquire their Shares on a case-bycase basis.
We note that:
We also obtained confirmation that:
The Related Agreements and Transactions do not have any consequence for our assessment regarding the fairness of the Offer terms.
After completing our valuation of the Shares:
Mr. Alexandre de Juniac, in his capacity as chair of the ad hoc committee, then reports on its mission and briefly summarizes the work accomplished in this context:
The ad hoc committee members reviewed the profile and experience of a selection of top-tier financial advisory firms, as well as the notable transactions some of them have conducted with the Company that could affect their independence.
Following this review, on June 17, 2021, Ledouble was selected by the ad hoc committee because of its recent experience in comparable and complex transactions, its reputation and the absence of any conflict of interest.
Ledouble confirmed that it was not in a conflict-of-interest situation and that it had sufficient resources and availability to carry out its mission within the contemplated timetable.
In light of the above, the ad hoc committee decided to recommend the appointment of Ledouble to the Board, which ratified this proposal on the same day (June 17, 2021).
Work of the ad hoc committee and interactions with the independent expert
to be updated about and discuss (i) the ongoing discussions among the Company and the Consortium regarding the contemplated transaction, including a potential tender offer support agreement to be entered into between the Consortium and the Company, (ii) communication matters in connection with such discussions (including the leak in the press regarding the Consortium's initial proposal which led to the Company's press release of June 23, 2021), (iii) the related due diligence process conducted by the Consortium in the framework of a data room opened on July 15, 2021, (iv) the valuation work conducted by the Company's financial advisors, Rothschild & Co and Guggenheim Partners, (v) the organization and outcome of various meetings among principals representing the Company and the Consortium held over the course of that period, (vi) the main legal aspects regarding the contemplated transaction, such as appropriate governance procedures, required antitrust clearances or compliance of the contemplated Consortium agreements with stock exchange regulations, (vii) the potential reward, retention and incentive package to the benefit of the Company's management team in the context of the contemplated transaction, and (viii) the parallel discussions led between the Consortium and some institutional shareholders of the Company regarding potential tender undertakings to the benefit of the Offeror;
expert in order to receive an update on the process (including about the ongoing works council consultation process and regulatory filings) and discuss its ongoing work with the independent expert;
interests of the Company, its employees and its shareholders. Consequently, following its meeting of September 17, it recommends to the Board of Directors to resolve accordingly.
The Board of Directors takes note the work of the ad hoc committee and its recommendations on the Offer as well as the conclusions of the independent expert.
while being subject to a 67% withdrawal threshold, the chances of success of the Offer appear to be preserved by the irrevocable tender undertakings executed by key shareholders (namely, Anchorage, Marathon, Diameter, Centerbridge, Carval and Syquant Capital) representing together c. 55.3% of the Company's share capital (and c. 68% with Attestor), it being noted that such undertakings would lapse in case of superior offer; and
the customary exclusivity undertaking by the Company in favor of the Offeror included in the TOA provides for certain exceptions in the event of a superior qualifying alternative offer.
the Offeror further stated that:
the Offer should have "no significant impact on Europcar Mobility Group's current workforce and human resources management principles";
In view of the elements submitted and in particular (i) the objectives and intentions expressed by the Offeror, (ii) the valuation elements prepared by the presenting banks BNP Paribas and Bank of America Europe DAC – Succursale en France, (iii) the conclusions of the report of the independent expert on the financial conditions of the Offer, (iv) the conclusions of the review work of the ad hoc committee, (v) the draft press releases submitted to the Board of Directors and (vi) the other elements set out above, the Board of Directors, after deliberations in respect of the corporate interest, by unanimous vote of its members present or represented (excluding Mr. Simon Franks, in his capacity as director appointed upon proposal of Attestor having withdrawn from the Board's work, and Mrs. Caroline Parot, who did not participate in the deliberation or the vote) considers that the Offer is in line with the interests of the Company, its shareholders and its employees and decides:
accordingly, to recommend to the Company's shareholders to tender their shares to the Offer,
to decide, as the case may be, that the Company will not tender the treasury shares held by the Company to the Offer (including any extension or reopening thereof, if any); and
Following the receipt by Ledouble (in its capacity as Independent Expert) of a letter sent by a minority shareholder via the AMF on November 8, 2021, Ledouble prepared an addendum dated November 15, 2021 to its report established on September 17, 2021, in order to respond to certain observations contained in such letter and to update their valuation work by incorporating the latest forecasts communicated by the Company and current market parameters.
The members of the Ad Hoc Committee, in the presence of Ledouble, met on November 15, 2021 to review the addendum dated November 15 , 2021 to the Independent Expert's report dated September 17, 2021. On this occasion, the Ad Hoc Committee, by a unanimous vote of its members (without the participation of the board observer Mr. Laurent David), (i) took note of the elements of response of the Independent Expert to the observations made by the minority shareholder, as well as the reiteration of the conclusions of the Independent Expert formulated in the fairness opinion dated September 17, 2021 and (ii) confirmed that these new elements do not affect its initial recommendation to the board of directors made on September 17, 2021 to (A) decide that the Offer is in the interest of the Company, its shareholders, employees and the other stakeholders and (B) recommend to the shareholders of the Company to tender their shares to the Offer.
The Company's board of directors met on November 15, 2021, after the meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on the same day, convened and chaired by Mr. Alexandre de Juniac, chairman of the board of directors, in the presence of Ledouble, to review the draft addendum to the Independ Expert's report.
All members of the board of directors were present (physically or by videoconference) or represented.
Prior to the meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee and of the board of directors which took place on November 15, 2021, the members of the Ad Hoc Committee and the directors of the Company were provided with:
The board of directors, unanimously (excluding Mr. Simon Franks, in his capacity as a director appointed on the proposal of Attestor, who withdrew from the work of the board, and Mrs. Caroline Parot, who did not participate in the deliberations or the vote, and without the participation of the board observer Mr. Laurent David), in the light of the information provided, took note of the deliberation of the Ad Hoc Committee dated November 15, 2021 which confirmed its recommendation dated September 17, 2021 and itself confirmed the reasoned opinion dated September 17, 2021 and the board of directors' recommendation to the Company's shareholders to tender their shares to the Offer.
In accordance with article 261-1, I, 2° and 4° of the AMF's general regulation, Ledouble, represented by Mrs. Agnès Piniot and Mrs. Stéphanie Guillaumin, has been appointed as independent expert by the Company's board of directors on June 17, 2021 in order to issue a report on the financial terms of the Offer and the possible squeeze-out.
The conclusion of this report, dated September 17, 2021, as reiterated in the addendum to that report dated November 15, 2021 is reproduced below:
In accordance with the scope of the Independent Appraiser's appointment (see section 1.1), we sought to verify:
We reiterate that our assessment of the Offer Price is based on the financial conditions of the Offer and the valuation of the Shares in the current circumstances, which by definition differ from the conditions under which shareholders have been able to acquire their Shares on a caseby-case basis.
We also obtained confirmation that:
The Related Agreements and Transactions do not have any consequence for our assessment regarding the fairness of the Offer terms.
After completing our valuation of the Shares:
This report, dated September 17, 2021, and its addendum dated November 15, 2021, are reproduced in their entirety in section 8 of the Response Document.
Other information relating to the Company, in particular its legal, financial and accounting characteristics will be filed with the AMF no later than the day before the opening of the Offer. Pursuant to article 231-28 of the AMF's general regulation, these information will be made available on the Company's website (www.europcar-mobility-group.com) and on the AMF's website (www.amf-france.org) the day before the opening of the Offer and may be obtained free of charge at the Company's registered office, 13 ter, boulevard Berthier – 75017 Paris.
Pursuant to the Draft Offer Document, the Offer is made exclusively in France.
No document relating to the Offer is intended for distribution in countries other than France. The Offer is not open and has not been submitted to the control and/or authorization of any regulatory authority and no steps will be taken in this respect.
Neither the Draft Response Document nor any other document relating to the Offer constitutes an offer to buy or sell financial instruments or a solicitation of an offer in any country in which such offer or solicitation would be illegal, or to any person to whom such an offer cannot legally be made. The shareholders of the Company located outside of France may participate in the Offer only to the extent that such participation is authorized by the local law to which they are subject.
The Offer is not being made to persons subject directly or indirectly to such restrictions, and may not in any way be the subject of an acceptance from a country in which the Offer is subject to restrictions. Those who come into possession of the Draft Response Document or any other document relating to the Offer must inform themselves of the applicable legal restrictions and comply with them. A failure to comply with legal restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable stock exchange laws and regulations in certain jurisdictions. The Company will not be liable for the violation of applicable legal restrictions by any person.
None of the documents relating to the Offer, including the Draft Response Document, constitutes an extension of the Offer into the United States and the Offer is not being made, directly or indirectly, in the United States to U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended), by means of the mails or by any means of communication or instrumentality of commerce (including, without limitation, transmission by telecopy, telex, telephone or electronic mail) of the United States or through the facilities of a United States securities exchange. As a result, no copy of the Draft Response Document or any other document relating to the Offer may be mailed, disclosed or distributed by any intermediary or other person in the United States in any manner whatsoever. No holder of shares in the Company will be permitted to tender their shares to the Offer unless they can represent that (i) they are not a U.S. Person, (ii) they have not received in the United States a copy of the Draft Response Document or any other document relating to the Offer, and have not sent any such documents to the United States, (iii) they have not used, directly or indirectly, the postal services (iv) was not in the United States when it accepted the Offer or submitted its tender order, and (v) is not acting as an agent or nominee for any principal other than a principal who has instructed it outside the United States. Authorized intermediaries will not be able to accept orders for the tender of securities that have not been made in accordance with the above provisions, except for any authorization or instruction to the contrary from or on behalf of the Offeror, at the Offeror's discretion. Any acceptance of the Offer that could be assumed to result from a violation of these restrictions will be deemed void.
The Draft Response Document does not constitute an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an order to buy or sell any securities in the United States and has not been filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
For purposes of the preceding two paragraphs, the United States means the United States of America, its territories and possessions, or any of those states and the District of Columbia.
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