NOT FOR
RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY
OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO
WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF
SUCH JURISDICTION
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
1 October 2024
Recommended Cash
Acquisition
of
Virgin Money UK PLC ("Virgin
Money")
by
Nationwide Building Society
("Nationwide")
De-Listing and Cancellation of Trading
of Virgin Money Ordinary Shares
The boards of Virgin Money and Nationwide are
pleased to announce that, following the recommended cash
acquisition of the entire issued and to be issued share capital of
Virgin Money by Nationwide (the "Acquisition") having become Effective
earlier today and following an application by Virgin Money, the
Financial Conduct Authority has cancelled the listing of Virgin
Money Ordinary Shares on the Official List and the London Stock
Exchange has cancelled the trading of Virgin Money Ordinary Shares
on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed securities,
in each case with effect from 8:00 a.m. today, 1 October
2024.
Following an application on behalf of Virgin
Money, the Australian Securities is expected to cancel the listing
of Virgin Money on the Australian Securities Exchange with effect
from later today, 1 October 2024.
Unless otherwise defined, all capitalised terms
in this announcement have the meaning given to them in the scheme
document relating to the Acquisition published on 22 April 2024
(the "Scheme Document").
All references to times are to London, UK, times unless otherwise
stated.
Virgin Money's LEI Number is
213800ZK9VGCYYR6O495.
Announcement authorised for release by Lorna
McMillan, Group Company Secretary of Virgin Money.
Enquiries:
Virgin
Money UK PLC
Investors and
Analysts
Richard Smith
Head of Investor Relations &
Sustainability
Company Secretary
Lorna McMillan
Group Company Secretary
Media Relations
Press Office
Goldman Sachs International (joint Rule
3 independent financial adviser and joint corporate broker to
Virgin Money)
Anthony Gutman
Nimesh Khiroya
Ronan Breen
Bertie Whitehead
J.P. Morgan Cazenove (joint Rule 3
independent financial adviser and joint corporate broker to Virgin
Money)
Conor Hillery
Dwayne Lysaght
Claire Brooksby
Ravin Mehta
Teneo (public relations adviser to
Virgin Money)
Douglas Campbell (UK)
Julia Henkel (Australia)
|
+44 (0)7483
399303
richard.smith@virginmoney.com
+44 (0)7834
585436
lorna.mcmillan@virginmoney.com
+44 (0)800 066
5998
press.office@virginmoney.com
+44 (0)20 7774
1000
+44 (0)20 3493
8000
+44 (0)7753
136628
+61 406
918080
|
Nationwide Building
Society
|
+44 (0)7587 886500
|
Sarah Abercrombie, Head of Treasury Funding
& External Relations
|
|
|
Media enquiries:
|
Nationwide-UK@fgsglobal.com
|
Investor enquiries:
|
Nationwide.treasury@Nationwide.co.uk
|
|
|
UBS (financial adviser to
Nationwide) Sam Small
Ben Crystal
David Sissons
|
+44 (0)20 7567
8000
|
FGS Global (public relations adviser to
Nationwide) James Murgatroyd
Charlie Chichester
Richard Webster-Smith
Sophia Johnston
|
+44 (0)20 7251
3801
|
|
| |
Clifford Chance LLP is acting as legal adviser
to Virgin Money in connection with the Acquisition.
Slaughter and May is acting as legal adviser to
Nationwide in connection with the Acquisition.
Further information
This
announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended
to and does not constitute, or form any 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 Virgin
Money in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. The
Acquisition is made and implemented solely pursuant to the terms of
the Scheme Document, which contains the full terms and conditions
of the Acquisition. This announcement does not constitute a
prospectus or a prospectus equivalent document.
The
statements contained in this announcement are made as at the date
of this announcement, unless some other time is specified in
relation to them, and publication of this announcement shall not
give rise to any implication that there has been no change in the
facts set forth in this announcement since such
date.
Disclaimers
Goldman Sachs
International, which is authorised by the PRA and regulated by the
FCA and the PRA in the United Kingdom, is acting as joint financial
adviser for Virgin Money and no one else in connection with the
Acquisition and the distribution of this announcement and will not
be responsible to anyone other than Virgin Money for providing the
protections afforded to clients of Goldman Sachs International, or
for giving advice in connection with the Acquisition or any matter
referred to herein.
J.P. Morgan
Securities plc, which conducts its UK investment banking business
as J.P. Morgan Cazenove ("J.P. Morgan Cazenove"), is authorised in
the United Kingdom by the PRA and regulated in the United Kingdom
by the PRA and the FCA. J.P. Morgan Cazenove is acting as joint
financial adviser exclusively for Virgin Money 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 Virgin Money for providing the protections afforded to
clients of J.P. Morgan Cazenove or its affiliates, nor for
providing advice in relation to any matter referred to
herein.
UBS AG,
London Branch ("UBS") is authorised and regulated by the Financial
Market Supervisory Authority in Switzerland. It is authorised by
the PRA and subject to regulation by the FCA and limited regulation
by the PRA in the United Kingdom. UBS is acting exclusively for
Nationwide and no one else in connection with the Acquisition. In
connection with such matters, UBS will not regard any other person
as its client, nor will it be responsible to any other person for
providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing
advice in relation to the Acquisition, the contents of this
announcement or any other matter referred to
herein.
Information for Overseas
Shareholders
Copies of
this announcement and all documents relating to the Acquisition are
not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or
otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from a
Restricted Jurisdiction, and persons receiving this announcement
and all other documents relating to the Acquisition (including
custodians, nominees and trustees) must not mail or otherwise
distribute or send them in, into or from any Restricted
Jurisdiction.
It is the
responsibility of each Overseas Shareholder to satisfy himself or
herself as to the full observance of the laws of the relevant
jurisdiction in connection with the Acquisition, including the
obtaining of any governmental, exchange control or other consents
which may be required, or the compliance with other necessary
formalities which are required to be observed and the payment of
any issue, transfer or other taxes due in such
jurisdiction.
Neither the
US Securities and Exchange Commission nor any US state securities
commission has approved or disapproved of the Acquisition, or
passed comment upon the adequacy or completeness of this
announcement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offence.
Notice to Australian Virgin Money
Shareholders
This
announcement is not a disclosure document for the purposes of the
Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the "Australian Corporations Act"),
and is not required to, and does not, contain all the information
which would be required in a disclosure document under the
Australian Corporations Act. This announcement has not been and
will not be lodged or registered with the Australian Securities and
Investments Commission, ASX Limited or any other regulatory body or
agency in Australia.
Publication on website
A copy of
this announcement will be made available free of charge, subject to
certain restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted
Jurisdictions, on Nationwide's website at
www.nationwide.co.uk/investor-relations/virgin-money-terms-of-access/
and Virgin Money's website at
www.virginmoneyukplc.com/investor-relations/announcements/ by no
later than 12 noon (London time) on the first Business Day
following the date of this announcement. For the avoidance of
doubt, neither the contents of these websites nor the contents of
any websites accessible from any hyperlinks are incorporated into
or form part of this announcement.
General
If you are in
any doubt about the contents of this announcement or the action you
should take, you are recommended to seek your own independent
financial advice immediately from your stockbroker, bank manager,
solicitor, accountant or independent financial adviser duly
authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 if you
are taking advice in the United Kingdom or, if not, from another
appropriately authorised independent financial
adviser.