Skip to main content

AI assistant

Sign in to chat with this filing

The assistant answers questions, extracts KPIs, and summarises risk factors directly from the filing text.

Tsim Sha Tsui Properties Limited Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement 2003

Oct 20, 2003

49066_rns_2003-10-20_ca94311d-1d5e-4d8b-b94f-8db449264372.pdf

Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement

Open in viewer

Opens in your device viewer

THIS CIRCULAR IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION

If you are in any doubt as to any aspect of this circular or as to the action you should take, you should consult your stockbroker or other registered dealer in securities, bank manager, solicitor, professional accountant or other professional adviser.

If you have sold all your shares in Tsim Sha Tsui Properties Limited you should at once hand this circular to the purchaser or to the bank, stockbroker or other agent through whom the sale was effected for transmission to the purchaser.

The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited takes no responsibility for the contents of this circular, makes no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaims any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from or in reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this circular.

==> picture [48 x 49] intentionally omitted <==

Tsim Sha Tsui Properties Limited

(Incorporated in Hong Kong with limited liability)

General Mandates to Repurchase Shares

and

to Issue Shares

The notice convening the annual general meeting of Tsim Sha Tsui Properties Limited (“the Company”) to be held at The Pacific Rooms, 9th Floor, Tower Block, The Royal Pacific Hotel & Towers, 33 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, at 10:00 a.m. or as soon as the annual general meeting of the Shareholders of Sino Land Company Limited closes, whichever is the later, on Tuesday, 18th November, 2003 (the “Annual General Meeting”) was given on 23rd September, 2003 and is contained in the 2003 Annual Report of the Company. Shareholders are advised to read the notice and to complete and return the form of proxy enclosed with the 2003 Annual Report not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the instructions printed thereon.

7th October, 2003

==> picture [43 x 43] intentionally omitted <==

Tsim Sha Tsui Properties Limited

(Incorporated in Hong Kong with limited liability)

Directors: Robert NG Chee Siong (Chairman) Ronald Joseph ARCULLI, GBS, OBE, JP Paul CHENG Ming Fun, JP Raymond TONG Kwok Tung

(* Independent Non-Executive Directors)

Registered Office: 12th Floor Tsim Sha Tsui Centre Salisbury Road Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon Hong Kong 7th October, 2003

To the shareholders

Dear Sir or Madam,

General Mandates to Repurchase Shares and to Issue Shares

Introduction

At the last annual general meeting of the Company held on 13th November, 2002, general mandates were given to the Directors to exercise the powers of the Company to repurchase shares and to issue shares of the Company. Under the terms of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“Listing Rules”), these general mandates will lapse at the conclusion of the forthcoming annual general meeting of the Company to be held at The Pacific Rooms, 9th Floor, Tower Block, The Royal Pacific Hotel & Towers, 33 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, at 10:00 a.m. or as soon as the annual general meeting of the Shareholders of Sino Land Company Limited closes, whichever is the later, on Tuesday, 18th November, 2003 (“Annual General Meeting”) unless renewed at that meeting.

The purpose of this circular is to provide you with information regarding the proposed general mandates to repurchase shares and to issue shares.

General Mandate to Repurchase Shares

An ordinary resolution will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting to approve a general and unconditional mandate to be given to the Directors to exercise the powers of the Company to repurchase, at any time until the next annual general meeting of the Company or such earlier period as stated in the ordinary resolution, shares of the Company (“Shares”) up to a maximum of 10% of the issued share capital of the Company at the date of the resolution (“Share Repurchase Mandate”).

— 1 —

An explanatory statement as required under the Listing Rules to provide the requisite information is set out in the appendix hereto.

General Mandate to Issue Shares

It will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting two ordinary resolutions respectively granting to the Directors a general and unconditional mandate to allot, issue and deal with Shares not exceeding 20% of the issued share capital of the Company at the date of the resolution until the next annual general meeting of the Company or such earlier period as stated in the ordinary resolution (the “Share Issue Mandate”) and adding to such general mandate so granted to the Directors any Shares repurchased by the Company under the Share Repurchase Mandate.

Annual General Meeting

At the Annual General Meeting, ordinary resolutions will be proposed to approve the Share Repurchase Mandate and the Share Issue Mandate.

The notice convening the Annual General Meeting was given on 23rd September, 2003 and is contained in the 2003 Annual Report of the Company. Shareholders are advised to read the notice and to complete and return the form of proxy enclosed with the 2003 Annual Report not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the instructions printed thereon.

Recommendation

The Directors believe that the Share Repurchase Mandate and the Share Issue Mandate are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole and accordingly the Directors, together with their associates, intend to vote in favour of the resolutions in respect of their respective shareholdings in the Company and recommend you to vote in favour of such resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting.

Yours faithfully, Robert NG Chee Siong Chairman

— 2 —

Appendix

Explanatory Statement

This appendix serves as an explanatory statement, as required by the Listing Rules, to provide requisite information to you for your consideration of the Share Repurchase Mandate and also constitutes the memorandum as required under Section 49BA(3) of the Companies Ordinance.

1. Listing Rules

The Listing Rules permit companies whose primary listing are on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“Stock Exchange”) to repurchase their securities on the Stock Exchange or on another stock exchange recognised for this purpose by the Securities and Futures Commission and the Stock Exchange, subject to certain restrictions, the most important of which are summarised below:

(a) Shareholders’ Approval

The Listing Rules provide that all on-market repurchases of securities by a company with its primary listing on the Stock Exchange must be approved in advance by an ordinary resolution, either by way of a specific approval in relation to specific transactions or by a general mandate to the directors of the company to make such repurchases.

(b) Source of Funds

Repurchases must be made out of funds which are legally available for the purpose and in accordance with the company’s constitutive documents and the laws of the jurisdiction in which the company is incorporated or otherwise established.

2. Share Capital

As at 30th September, 2003 (the latest practicable date prior to the printing of this circular), the issued share capital of the Company comprised 1,367,905,827 Shares of HK$0.20 each. On the basis of such figure and assuming that no further shares are issued or repurchased after 30th September, 2003 and up to the date of the Annual General Meeting, the Company would be allowed under the Share Repurchase Mandate to repurchase a maximum of 136,790,582 Shares.

3. Reasons for Repurchases

The Directors believe that the flexibility afforded by the Share Repurchase Mandate would be beneficial to the Company and its shareholders. Repurchases of Shares will only be made when the Directors believe that such repurchases will benefit the Company and its shareholders. Such repurchases may, depending on market conditions and funding arrangements at the time, lead to an enhancement of the net assets of the Company and/or its earnings per Share. It will then be beneficial to those shareholders who retain their investment in the Company since their percentage interest in the assets of the Company would increase in proportion to the number of Shares repurchased by the Company.

— 3 —

4. Funding of Repurchases

Any repurchases will be made out of funds of the Company legally permitted to be utilised in this connection, being distributable profits of the Company or the proceeds of a fresh issue of Shares made for such purpose.

There might be an adverse impact on the working capital or gearing position of the Company as compared with the position disclosed in the audited accounts contained in the annual report for the year ended 30th June, 2003 in the event that the Share Repurchase Mandate were to be carried out in full at any time during the proposed repurchase period. However, the Directors do not propose to exercise the Share Repurchase Mandate to such extent as would, in the circumstances, have a material adverse effect on the working capital requirements of the Company or the gearing levels which in the opinion of the Directors shall from time to time be appropriate for the Company.

5. Disclosure of Interest

Neither the Directors nor, to the best of their knowledge having made all reasonable enquiries, their associates, have any present intention to sell any Shares to the Company under the Share Repurchase Mandate if such is approved by the shareholders.

No other connected persons (as defined in the Listing Rules) have notified the Company that they have a present intention to sell Shares to the Company, or have undertaken not to do so, in the event that the Share Repurchase Mandate is approved by the shareholders.

6. Undertaking of Directors

The Directors have undertaken to the Stock Exchange that, so far as the same may be applicable, they will only exercise the powers of the Company to make repurchases pursuant to the Share Repurchase Mandate and in accordance with the Listing Rules and the applicable laws of Hong Kong.

7. Share Prices

The highest and lowest prices at which the Shares were traded on the Stock Exchange during each of the previous twelve months were as follows:

Shares
Highest Lowest
HK$ HK$
2002
October 8.00 7.60
November 8.25 7.15
December 7.50 5.90

— 4 —

Shares
Highest Lowest
HK$ HK$
2003
January 7.25 6.60
February 7.55 7.00
March 7.65 7.20
April 7.70 7.50
May 7.80 6.30
June 7.15 6.20
July 8.05 7.20
August 8.55 8.00
September 8.60 8.05

8. Effect of the Takeovers Code

If on the exercise of the power to repurchase shares pursuant to the Share Repurchase Mandate, a shareholder’s proportionate interest in the voting rights of the Company increases, such increase will be treated as an acquisition for the purposes of Rule 32 of the Hong Kong Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the “Takeovers Code”). As a result, a shareholder or group of shareholders acting in concert, could obtain or consolidate control of the Company and become obliged to make a mandatory offer in accordance with Rules 26 and 32 of the Takeovers Code.

As at 30th September, 2003 (being the latest practicable date prior to the printing of this circular), Mr. NG Teng Fong held beneficial interests in approximately 71.71% of the issued share capital of the Company. Since Mr. NG Teng Fong, his associates and his concert parties hold more than 50% of the issued share capital of the Company, any increase in their holdings, including the exercise in full to repurchase Shares under the Share Repurchase Mandate, will not incur any obligation under Rule 26 of the Takeovers Code to make a general offer. The Directors are not aware of any consequences which may arise under Rules 26 and 32 of the Takeovers Code as a result of any purchases made under the Share Repurchase Mandate.

However, since Mr. NG Teng Fong together with other connected persons of the Company were beneficially interested in approximately 71.76% of the issued share capital of the Company, any repurchase of Shares exceeding approximately 4.32% of the issued Shares would reduce the public shareholding to below 25%. Any purchase of Shares which would result in the amount of Shares held by the public being reduced to less than 25% could only be implemented with the prior approval of the Stock Exchange to waive the dealing restriction regarding the public shareholding referred to above. However, a waiver of this restriction would not normally be given except in exceptional circumstances justifying the waiver of such restriction. The Directors wish to state that they would not exercise the Share Repurchase Mandate to such extent that the public shareholding would be reduced to less than 25% of the issued share capital of the Company.

9. Share Purchases made by the Company

The Company had not purchased any of its Shares (whether on the Stock Exchange or otherwise) in the six months preceding the date of this circular.

— 5 —