Mascot Bidco Oy
Stock Exchange Release
February 4, 2019 at 9:15 a.m. (EET)
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO CANADA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA OR SOUTH AFRICA OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE TENDER OFFER WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
Mascot Bidco Oy's Voluntary Recommended Cash Tender Offer for All the Shares in Amer Sports Corporation Has Received Authority Approvals from the Competition Authorities in China, Russia, Canada and the United States. The Tender Offer Remains Subject to Approval by Other Regulatory Authorities.
Mascot Bidco Oy (the "Offeror") has on December 20, 2018 commenced a voluntary recommended public cash tender offer to purchase all the issued and outstanding shares in Amer Sports Corporation ("Amer Sports") that are not held by Amer Sports or any of its subsidiaries (the "Tender Offer"). The acceptance period of the Tender Offer commenced on December 20, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. (Finnish time) and will expire on February 28, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. (Finnish time) (the "Offer Period"). The Offeror has reserved the right to extend the Offer Period in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Tender Offer.
ANTA Sports Products Limited ("ANTA Sports"), FV Fund (an investment vehicle managed by FountainVest Partners), Anamered Investments (an investment vehicle owned by Mr. Chip Wilson) and Tencent (which will invest through Tencent SPV as a limited partner in FV Fund) form an Investor Consortium for the purposes of the Tender Offer, which indirectly will own 100 percent of Mascot Bidco Oy upon completion of the Tender Offer.
ANTA Sports has today published the notice of the extraordinary general meeting ("EGM") and a circular for the EGM to be held on February 22, 2019 as required by the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The circular is available online from February 4, 2019 onwards on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at www.hkexnews.hk and the ANTA Sports’ website at www.anta.com. In the notice and circular, ANTA Sports has given an update on the progress of the authority approval processes in connection with the Tender Offer. The Offeror has so far received approvals for the Tender Offer from the State Administration for Market Regulation of People's Republic of China and the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia. In addition, the Competition Bureau in Canada has completed its review process concerning the Tender Offer, and the relevant Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period in the United States have expired.
The completion of the Tender Offer is still conditional on the receipt of authority approvals from the Foreign Investment Review Board in Australia and the competition authorities in the European Union, Mexico and Turkey. The completion of the Tender Offer is also still subject to the satisfaction or waiver by the Offeror of certain other conditions on or prior to Offeror’s announcement of the final results of the Tender Offer including, among others, the Offeror having gained control of more than 90 percent of the issued and outstanding Amer Sports shares and voting rights.
MEDIA AND INVESTOR ENQUIRIES:
ANTA Sports:
Cora Wan
Tel. +852 98774860
consortium@hkstrategies.com
FountainVest Partners:
Cora Wan
Tel. +852 98774860
consortium@hkstrategies.com
Amer Sports:
Samppa Seppälä, Head of Corporate Communications and IR
Tel. +358 50 568 0533
samppa.seppala@amersports.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This stock exchange release contains statements that, to the extent they are not historical facts, constitute "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, expectations, projections, objectives, targets, goals, strategies, future events, future revenues or performance, capital expenditures, financing needs, plans or intentions relating to acquisitions, competitive strengths and weaknesses, plans or goals relating to financial position, future operations and development, business strategy and the trends in the industries and the political and legal environment and other information that is not historical information. In some instances, they can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes", "intends", "may", "will" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or variations on comparable terminology. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks, uncertainties and assumptions, both general and specific, and risks exist that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved. Given these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as at the date of this stock exchange release.
Information for U.S. Shareholders
The Tender Offer is being made for the securities of Amer Sports, a public limited liability company incorporated under Finnish law, and is subject to Finnish disclosure and procedural requirements, which are different from those of the United States of America. The Tender Offer will be made in the United States of America in compliance with Section 14(e) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, including Regulation 14E (subject to any exemptions or relief therefrom, if applicable) and otherwise in accordance with the requirements of Finnish law. Accordingly, the Tender Offer will be subject to disclosure and other procedural requirements, including with respect to the Tender Offer timetable, settlement procedures, withdrawal, waiver of conditions and timing of payments that are different from those applicable under U.S. domestic tender offer procedures and laws.
To the extent permissible under applicable laws and regulations, including Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, and in accordance with normal Finnish practice, the Offeror and its affiliates or its broker and its broker’s affiliates (acting as agents or on behalf of the Offeror or its affiliates, as applicable) may from time to time after the date of this stock exchange release, and other than pursuant to the Tender Offer, directly or indirectly purchase, or arrange to purchase shares of Amer Sports or any securities that are convertible into, exchangeable for or exercisable for shares of Amer Sports. These purchases may occur either in the open market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at negotiated prices. In no event will any such purchases be made for a price per share that is greater than the price offered in the Tender Offer. To the extent information about such purchases or arrangements to purchase is made public in Finland, such information will be disclosed by means of a press release or other means reasonably calculated to inform U.S. shareholders of Amer Sports of such information. No purchases will be made outside of the Tender Offer in the United States of America by or on behalf of the Offeror or its affiliates. In addition, the financial advisors to the Offeror may also engage in ordinary course trading activities in securities of Amer Sports, which may include purchases or arrangements to purchase such securities. To the extent required in Finland, any information about such purchases will be made public in Finland in the manner required by Finnish law.
The receipt of cash pursuant to the Tender Offer by a U.S. holder of Amer Sports shares may be a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes and under applicable state and local, as well as foreign and other tax laws. Each holder of Amer Sports shares is urged to consult his independent professional advisor regarding the tax consequences of accepting the Tender Offer.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any securities commission of any state of the United States has (a) approved or disapproved the Tender Offer, (b) passed upon the merits or fairness of the Tender Offer, or (c) passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure in this stock exchange release. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.
American Depositary Shares and American Depositary Receipts
Amer Sports has in place an ADR program in respect of its shares. The Tender Offer will not be made for the ADSs, nor for the ADRs. However, the Tender Offer will be made for the shares underlying the ADSs. Holders of ADSs and ADRs are encouraged to consult with the appropriate depositary regarding the tender of shares that are represented by ADSs.
THIS STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE MAY NOT BE RELEASED OR OTHERWISE DISTRIBUTED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO CANADA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA OR SOUTH AFRICA OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE TENDER OFFER WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
THIS STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE IS NOT A TENDER OFFER DOCUMENT AND AS SUCH DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OR INVITATION TO MAKE A SALES OFFER. IN PARTICULAR, THIS STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE IS NOT AN OFFER TO BUY OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN, AND IS NOT AN EXTENSION OF THE TENDER OFFER, IN CANADA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA OR SOUTH AFRICA. INVESTORS SHALL ACCEPT THE TENDER OFFER FOR THE SHARES ONLY ON THE BASIS OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN A TENDER OFFER DOCUMENT. OFFERS WILL NOT BE MADE DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE EITHER THE TENDER OFFER OR ACCEPTANCE THEREOF IS PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR WHERE ANY TENDER OFFER DOCUMENT OR REGISTRATION OR OTHER REQUIREMENTS WOULD APPLY IN ADDITION TO THOSE UNDERTAKEN IN FINLAND.
THE TENDER OFFER IS NOT BEING MADE DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW AND, WHEN PUBLISHED, THE TENDER OFFER DOCUMENT AND RELATED ACCEPTANCE FORMS WILL NOT AND MAY NOT BE DISTRIBUTED, FORWARDED OR TRANSMITTED INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
Other matters
Goldman Sachs International, which is authorized 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 Amer Sports and no one else in connection with the Tender Offer and the matters set out in this announcement, and will not be responsible to anyone other than Amer Sports for providing the protections afforded to clients of Goldman Sachs International, or for giving advice in connection with the Tender Offer or any matter or arrangement referred to in this announcement.
Citigroup Global Markets Asia Limited, an entity organized and regulated in Hong Kong, is acting exclusively for its clients and no one else in connection with the Tender Offer and the matters set out in this announcement, and will not be responsible to anyone other than its clients for providing the protections afforded to its clients, or for giving advice in connection with the Tender Offer or any matter or arrangement referred to in this announcement.