PRESS RELEASE
British American Tobacco Announces Pricing of Its Previously
Announced Cash Capped Debt Tender Offers
London, United Kingdom; April 29,
2024 - British American Tobacco p.l.c. ("BAT") announces today the
pricing of the previously announced cash capped debt tender offers
(the "Tender Offers") to purchase the debt securities listed in the
table below (collectively, the "Securities") by B.A.T Capital
Corporation, a corporation incorporated in the State of Delaware
("BATCAP") and B.A.T. International Finance p.l.c., a public
limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales
("BATIF" and, together with BATCAP, the "Offerors"), wholly owned
subsidiaries of BAT.
As of 5:00 p.m., New York City time,
on April 26, 2024 (the "Early Tender Deadline"), as reported by
Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the tender and information
agent for the Tender Offers, the principal amounts of the
Securities listed in the table below had been validly tendered and
not validly withdrawn.
The following table sets forth
certain pricing information for the Tender Offers, including the
Total Consideration determined based on yields of the applicable
Reference Securities at 10:00 a.m., New York City time,
today:
Issuer of
Security /
Offeror
|
|
|
Principal
Amount Outstanding
|
Principal Amount
Tendered
|
Principal Amount
Accepted
|
|
Acceptance
Priority
Level
|
|
|
Fixed Spread (basis
points)
|
Total Consideration
(2)(3)
|
BATIF
|
2.250% Guaranteed Notes due
2052
|
XS1488409977
|
£650,000,000
|
£385,519,000
|
£385,519,000
|
N/A
|
1
|
£50
|
4.738%
|
175
|
£448.83
|
BATIF
|
4.000% Guaranteed Notes due
2055
|
XS1324911608
|
£350,000,000
|
£169,682,000
|
£169,682,000
|
N/A
|
2
|
£50
|
4.733%
|
180
|
£654.39
|
BATIF
|
2.000% Guaranteed Notes due
2045
|
XS1203860934
|
€600,000,000
|
€160,078,000
|
€160,078,000
|
N/A
|
3
|
€50
|
2.730%
|
145
|
€700.37
|
BATCAP
|
3.984% Notes due 2050
|
05526DBU8/ US05526DBU81
|
$1,000,000,000
|
$687,038,000
|
$687,038,000
|
N/A
|
4
|
$50
|
4.764%
|
160
|
$697.51
|
BATCAP
|
3.734% Notes due 2040
|
05526DBT1/ US05526DBT19
|
$750,000,000
|
$344,435,000
|
$344,435,000
|
N/A
|
5
|
$50
|
4.879%
|
155
|
$729.26
|
BATCAP
|
4.540% Notes due 2047
|
05526DBF1/ US05526DBF15
|
$2,500,000,000
|
$1,157,676,000
|
$386,193,000
|
33.3999%
|
6
|
$50
|
4.879%
|
165
|
$763.50
|
BATCAP
|
4.758% Notes due 2049
|
05526DBK0/ US05526DBK00
|
$1,000,000,000
|
$388,247,000
|
$0
|
N/A
|
7
|
$50
|
N/A
|
170
|
N/A
|
________________
(1) The purchase price for
Dollar Securities, Sterling Securities and Euro Securities will be
paid in U.S. Dollars, Sterling and Euro, respectively. To determine
whether the Maximum Tender Amount has been reached, we converted
the applicable aggregate purchase price payable with respect to the
Dollar Securities and Euro Securities validly tendered into
Sterling using the exchange rates of $1=£0.7997 and €1=£0.85645,
respectively, as reported at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on
April 26, 2024, on the Bloomberg screen page "BFIX" under the
heading "USDGBP" and "EURGBP", respectively.
(2) Per $1,000, £1,000 or
€1,000, as applicable, principal amount of Securities validly
tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Deadline and accepted for
purchase.
(3) For the avoidance of
doubt, the Early Tender Premium is included within the Total
Consideration (which, in the case of all Securities, has been
calculated using the Fixed Spread over the relevant Reference Yield
as described herein), and is not in addition to the Total
Consideration. In addition, Holders whose Securities are accepted
for purchase will also receive Accrued Interest on such
Securities.
The amount of each series of
Securities that is purchased in the Tender Offers on the Early
Settlement Date (as defined below) has been determined in
accordance with the acceptance priority levels specified in the
table above (each, an "Acceptance Priority Level"), with 1 being
the highest Acceptance Priority Level and 7 being the lowest
Acceptance Priority Level, subject to the Maximum Tender Amount, as
increased as announced earlier today, and as described in more
detail in the Offer to Purchase (as defined below).
The Tender Offers are being made
upon and are subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the
Offer to Purchase, dated April 15, 2024 (as amended, supplemented,
modified and updated by Supplement No. 1 dated April 18, 2024
and as further amended by the press release issued by BAT earlier
today, the "Offer to Purchase"). The Tender Offers will expire at
5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 13, 2024, unless extended or
earlier terminated (the "Expiration Date"). However, because the
aggregate purchase price of all series of Securities validly
tendered in the Tender Offers at or prior to the Early Tender
Deadline exceeds the Maximum Tender Amount, the Offerors will not
accept for purchase any Securities tendered after the Early Tender
Deadline and at or prior to the Expiration Date. The Withdrawal
Deadline was 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 26, 2024;
therefore, Securities that have been validly tendered and not
validly withdrawn may not be withdrawn unless otherwise required by
applicable law.
The applicable Offerors plan to
accept (a) the entire principal amount of the 2052 Notes, the 2055
Notes, the 2045 Notes, the 2050 Notes and the 2040 Notes and (b)
$386,193,000 principal amount of the 2047 Notes using a proration
factor of approximately 33.3999% in accordance with the Offer to
Purchase, in each case validly tendered and not validly withdrawn
prior to the Early Tender Deadline. None of the tendered 2049 Notes
will be accepted for purchase. Securities not accepted for purchase
will be promptly returned or credited to the holder's
account.
Holders of Securities who validly
tendered and did not validly withdraw their Securities at or prior
to the Early Tender Deadline and whose Securities were accepted for
purchase will receive the applicable Total Consideration, which
already includes the applicable early tender premium specified in
the table above (the "Early Tender Premium").
In addition to the applicable Total
Consideration, accrued and unpaid interest from and including the
most recent interest payment date applicable to the relevant series
of Securities up to, but not including, the applicable Early
Settlement Date will be paid in cash on all validly tendered
Securities accepted for purchase.
Each Offeror's obligation to accept
for payment and pay for the Securities validly tendered in the
Tender Offers is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the
conditions described in the Offer to Purchase.
Securities that are accepted in the
Tender Offers will be purchased by the applicable Offeror and
retired and canceled and will no longer remain outstanding
obligations of the applicable Offeror.
The settlement date for the
Securities that have been validly tendered at or prior to the Early
Tender Deadline and accepted for purchase is expected to be May 1,
2024 with respect to the Dollar Securities
and the Sterling Securities and May 2, 2024 with respect to the
Euro Securities (such date, as applicable to each relevant Tender
Offer, the "Early Settlement Date").
All capitalized terms which are used
but not defined in this announcement shall have the meanings
ascribed to them in the Offer to Purchase.
Citigroup Global Markets Limited,
Merrill Lynch International, NatWest Markets Plc and SMBC Nikko
Capital Markets Limited are acting as Dealer Managers in connection
with the Tender Offers. The information and tender agent is Global
Bondholder Services Corporation. Copies of the Offer to Purchase
and related offering materials are available via the Tender Offers
website at https://www.gbsc-usa.com/bata/ or by contacting the
information and tender agent in New York at +1 (212) 430-3774
(banks and brokers) or +1 (855) 654-2014 (U.S. Toll-Free) or by
email at contact@gbsc-usa.com. Questions regarding the Tender
Offers should be directed to Citigroup Global Markets Limited at
+44 20 7986 8969 (London) or +1 (800) 558-3745 (U.S. Toll-Free) or
+1 (212) 723-6106 (U.S.) or by email at
liabilitymanagement.europe@citi.com, Merrill Lynch International at
+44 207 996 5420 (Europe) or +1 (888) 292-0070 (U.S. Toll Free) or
+1 (980) 387-3907 (U.S.) or by email at DG.LM-EMEA@bofa.com,
NatWest Markets at +44 20 7678 5222 (London) or +1 (800) 231-5380
(U.S. Toll Free) or +1 (203) 897 6166 (U.S.) or by email at
NWMliabilitymanagement@natwestmarkets.com or SMBC Nikko Capital
Markets Limited at +44 204 507 5043 or by email at
liability.management@smbcnikko-cm.com.
This announcement is for
informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to
sell, a solicitation to buy or an offer to purchase or sell any
securities. The Tender Offers are being made only pursuant to the
Offer to Purchase and only in such jurisdictions as is permitted
under applicable law. Please see the Offer to Purchase for certain
important information on offer restrictions applicable to the
Tender Offers.
This announcement is released by BAT
and contains information that qualifies as inside information for
the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No
596/2014 as it forms part of United Kingdom domestic law ("MAR"),
encompassing information relating to the Tender Offers described
above. For the purposes of MAR, this announcement is made by
Caroline Ferland, Company Secretary.
Forward-Looking
Statements
Statements included in this
announcement and the Offer to Purchase regarding the future
expectations of BAT and its subsidiaries (the "BAT Group"),
beliefs, plans, objectives, financial conditions, assumptions or
future events or performance that are not historical facts are
forward-looking statements, including "forward-looking" statements
made within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation
These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of
words or phrases such as "believe," "anticipate," "could," "may,"
"would," "should," "intend," "plan," "potential," "predict,"
"will," "expect," "estimate," "project," "positioned," "strategy,"
"outlook," "target" and similar expressions. These include
statements regarding the BAT Group's intentions, beliefs or current
expectations concerning, amongst other things, the BAT Group's
results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects,
growth, strategies and the economic and business circumstances
occurring from time to time in the countries and markets in which
the BAT Group operates. All such forward-looking statements involve
estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties
and other factors. It is believed that the expectations reflected
in this announcement are reasonable, but they may be affected by a
wide range of variables that could cause actual results and
performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated.
Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements
are uncertainties related to the following: the impact of
competition from illicit trade; the impact of adverse domestic or
international legislation and regulation; the inability to develop,
commercialise and deliver the BAT Group's New Categories strategy;
the impact of supply chain disruptions; adverse litigation and
dispute outcomes and the effect of such outcomes on the BAT Group's
financial condition; the impact of significant increases or
structural changes in tobacco, nicotine and New Categories related
taxes; translational and transactional foreign exchange rate
exposure; changes or differences in domestic or international
economic or political conditions; the ability to maintain credit
ratings and to fund the business under the current capital
structure; the impact of serious injury, illness or death in the
workplace; adverse decisions by domestic or international
regulatory bodies; changes in the market position, businesses,
financial condition, results of operations or prospects of the BAT
Group; direct and indirect adverse impacts associated with Climate
Change and the move towards a Circular Economy; and Cyber Security
caused by the heightened cyber-threat landscape and the increased
digital interactions with consumers, and changes to regulation; and
risks related to other factors discussed or incorporated by
reference in the Offer to Purchase, including in the sections
captioned "Group Principal Risks" and "Group Risk Factors" in the
2023 Form 20-F (as defined in the Offer to Purchase).
Past performance is no guide to
future performance and persons needing advice should consult an
independent financial adviser. The forward-looking statements in
this announcement and the Offer to Purchase reflect knowledge and
information available at the date of the document and the BAT Group
undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
such forward-looking statements. All subsequent written or oral
forward-looking statements attributable to BAT or any person acting
on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the
cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section of
the announcement.
United Kingdom
The communication of this
announcement, the Offer to Purchase and any other documents or
materials relating to the Tender Offers is not being made, and such
documents and/or materials have not been approved, by an authorised
person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000, as amended (the "FSMA"). Accordingly, such
documents and/or materials are not being distributed to, and must
not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom. The
communication of such documents and/or materials is exempt from the
restriction on financial promotions under section 21 of the FSMA on
the basis that it is only directed at and may only be communicated
to (1) those persons who are existing members or creditors of the
Offerors or other persons falling within Article 43 of the
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order
2005, as amended (the "Financial Promotion Order") and (2) any
other persons to whom these documents and/or materials may
otherwise lawfully be communicated under the Financial Promotion
Order.
Belgium
The Tender Offers do not constitute
a public offering within the meaning of Articles 3, §1, 1° and 6,
§1, of the Belgian Takeover Law. The Tender Offers are exclusively
conducted under applicable private placement exemptions and have
therefore not been, and will not be, notified to, and none of this
announcement, the Offer to Purchase and any other document or
material relating to the Tender Offers have been, or will be,
approved by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority
(Autorité des Services et Marchés
Financiers / Autoriteit voor Financiële Diensten en
Markten). Accordingly, the Tender Offers, this announcement,
the Offer to Purchase, any memorandum, information circular,
brochure or any similar documents relating to the Tender Offers may
not be advertised, offered or distributed, directly or indirectly,
to any person located and/or resident in Belgium other than to
persons who qualify as "Qualified Investors" in the meaning of
Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation, as referred to in
Article 6, §3 of the Belgian Takeover Law, and who is acting for
its own account, or in other circumstances which do not constitute
a public offering in Belgium pursuant to the Belgian Takeover Law.
This announcement and the Offer to Purchase have been issued only
for the personal use of the above Qualified Investors and
exclusively for the purpose of the Tender Offers. Accordingly, the
information contained herein and therein may not be used for any
other purpose or disclosed to any other person in
Belgium.
France
The Tender Offers are not being
made, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. This
announcement, the Offer to Purchase and any other documents or
offering materials relating to the Tender Offers have only been,
and shall only be, distributed in France to qualified investors
(investisseurs qualifiés)
as defined in Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation. None of
this announcement, the Offer to Purchase and any other documents or
offering materials has been or will be submitted to the clearance
procedures (visa) of the
Autorité des marchés
financiers.
Italy
None of the Tender Offers, this
announcement, the Offer to Purchase or any other documents or
materials relating to the Tender Offers has been or will be
submitted to the clearance procedure of the CONSOB, pursuant to
applicable Italian laws and regulations.
The Tender Offers are being carried
out in Italy as exempted offers pursuant to article 101-bis,
paragraph 3-bis of the Financial Services Act and article 35-bis,
paragraph 4 of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of May 14, 1999, as
amended. Holders or beneficial owners of the Securities that are a
resident of and/or located in Italy can tender the Securities for
purchase through authorized persons (such as investment firms,
banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such
activities in Italy in accordance with the Financial Services Act,
CONSOB Regulation No. 20307 of February 15, 2018, as amended, and
Legislative Decree No. 385 of September 1, 1993, as amended) and in
compliance with applicable laws and regulations and with any
requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian
authority.
Each intermediary must comply with
the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties
vis-à-vis its clients in connection with the Securities or the
Tender Offers.
Enquiries:
Investor Relations
Victoria Buxton/Amy Chamberlain/John
Harney/Jane Henderson
+44 (0) 20 7845 2012/1124/1263/1117
Press Office
+44 (0) 20 7845 2888 (24 hours) |
@BATPlc