30th Sep 2008 07:00
Impact Holdings (UK) plc Notice of Annual General Meeting Proposed Capital Reorganisation
Impact Holdings (UK) plc (AIM: IHUK), the specialist lending business, is pleased to announce that the Company's Annual General Meeting ("AGM") will be held at the offices of the Company's solicitors, Pannone LLP of 123 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2BU at 10:00 am on Wednesday 5th November 2008.
The resolutions proposed for the AGM include a Capital Reorganisation, such that the 113,333,333 shares of 5p each ("Ordinary Shares") currently in issue will, through an initial subdivision and subsequent consolidation, change the issued share capital to principally comprise of 1,133,334 shares of 50p each ("New Ordinary Shares")
Set out below is a Letter from the Chairman of Impact Holdings (UK) plc recommending that shareholders vote in favour of the Resolutions, and an extract from the Circular:
1. Introduction
The Company has today announced that the Annual General Meeting for the Company will be held on Wednesday 5th November 2008 and that, in addition to dealing with the usual business of the AGM, its Directors are proposing to effect a Capital Reorganisation.
The purpose of this document is to provide you with information on, and to outline the reasons for, the Capital Reorganisation and to explain why the Board considers it to be in the best interests of the Company and Shareholders as a whole, and why it recommends that you vote in favour of the Resolutions required, to effect the Capital Reorganisation. Notice of the AGM and a form of proxy for use at the AGM are enclosed with this document.
2. Background to and reasons for the Capital Reorganisation
Capital Reorganisation
The Board believes that a Capital Reorganisation would help improve the marketability of the Company's share capital. Currently the Act prevents the Company from issuing new shares as the market price is below the nominal value of its Ordinary Shares. The Capital Reorganisation will, through the Subdivision initially, reduce the nominal value of each Ordinary Share from 5p to 0.5p (thereby taking it below the current market price and allowing further shares to be issued in the future) and then through the Share Consolidation immediately thereafter, increase the nominal value of each Ordinary Share to 50p (maintaining it below the consolidated market price) allowing the market to reduce the relative size of the spread of bid-offer prices available to investors and thereby reduce the costs associated with dealings in the Company's New Ordinary Shares. This process is outlined in more detail in Part 1 of this document below. The Board unanimously recommends that Shareholders approve the Capital Reorganisation.
The Directors have convened an AGM for 10 a.m. on 5th November 2008, at which Shareholders will be asked to consider, and if thought fit, approve the Resolutions (which includes those required to implement the Capital Reorganisation). Details of the AGM and the Resolutions are contained in the Notice of AGM set out at the end of this document.
As all ordinary shareholdings in the Company will be subject to the Capital Reorganisation, Shareholders' percentage holdings in the issued share capital of the Company will (save in respect of fractional entitlements) remain unchanged.
Following the Capital Reorganisation, the Company's authorised ordinary share capital will comprise 5,000,000 New Ordinary Shares and 45,000,000 New B Ordinary Shares and, assuming no further Ordinary Shares are issued between the date of this circular and the Capital Reorganisation becoming effective (other than those referred to in paragraph 1 of Part 1), the issued share capital will comprise 1,133,334 New Ordinary Shares and 10,200,006 New B Ordinary Shares. The New Ordinary Shares will have the same rights, including voting and dividend rights, as the Existing Ordinary Shares. The New B Ordinary Shares will have no voting rights, no dividend rights and only limited rights on a return of capital. Accordingly they will have no economic value.
Further details of the Capital Reorganisation are set out in Part 1 of this document below.
Taxation
A summary of the taxation consequences of the Capital Reorganisation for certain categories of UK resident Shareholders is set out in paragraph 6 of Part 1 of this document below.
As set out in more detail in that paragraph, the Directors have been advised that UK resident Shareholders should not be treated as having made a disposal of their Existing Ordinary Shares for the purposes of UK taxation of chargeable gains as a result of the Capital Reorganisation.
Shareholders should read paragraph 6 of Part 1 and, if they are in any doubt as to their tax position, should consult their professional advisers regarding their own tax position.
3. Annual General Meeting
You will find at the end of this document a notice convening an Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held at 10.00a.m. on Wednesday 5th November 2008 at the offices of the Company's Solicitors, Pannone LLP, 123 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2BU. At the Annual General Meeting six ordinary resolutions and two special resolutions will be proposed.
Resolutions 1, 2, 3, 6 and 8 deal with the usual business of the AGM. Resolution 4 deals with the Subdivision, Resolution 5 the Share Consolidation and Resolution 7 deals with the amendments to the Company's Articles of Association as a result of the Share Reorganisation.
In relation to Resolution 6, this gives the Directors the authority under section 80 of the Act to allot Ordinary Shares in the Company up to an aggregate nominal amount of either ‚£283,350 (representing approximately 50% of the issued ordinary share capital if the Resolutions effecting the Capital Reorganisation are approved) or ‚£2,833,350 (representing approximately 50% of the issued ordinary share capital if the Resolutions effecting the Capital Reorganisation are not approved).
In relation to Resolution 8, this gives the Directors the authority under section 95 of the Act to allot Ordinary Shares in the Company for cash on a non pre-emptive basis up to an aggregate nominal amount of either ‚£141,670 (representing approximately 25% of the issued ordinary share capital if the Resolutions effecting the Capital Reorganisation are approved) or ‚£1,416,670 (representing approximately 25% of the issued ordinary share capital if the Resolutions effecting the Capital Reorganisation are not approved).
The Directors have no current intention of exercising all or any part of these new authorities at the present time and they will only do so if, in their opinion, it would be in the best interests of Shareholders.
4. Action to be taken
A form of proxy for use by Shareholders in connection with the Annual General Meeting accompanies this document. Whether or not you intend to be present at the Annual General Meeting you are requested to complete and sign the form of proxy and return it to the Company at its registered office Manchester International Office Centre, Styal Road, Manchester, M22 5WB, as soon as possible and, in any event, so as to arrive no later than 10.00a.m. on Monday 3rd November 2008.
Unless the form of proxy is received by the date and time specified above, it will be invalid. The completion and return of the form of proxy will not prevent you from attending the Annual General Meeting and voting in person if you so wish.
5. Further information
Your attention is drawn to Part 1 of this document which provides further information on the matters detailed above.
6. Recommendation
Your Directors consider the terms of the Capital Reorganisation to be fair and reasonable so far as the Shareholders taken as a whole are concerned and recommend that you vote in favour of the Resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting, as they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings, amounting in aggregate to 17,540,679 Existing Ordinary Shares, which represent approximately 15.5% of the Company's issued share capital.
7. Expected Timetable of Principle Events:
Event Date
Latest time and date for receipt of Forms of 10.00a.m. Monday 3rd November Proxy for the Annual General Meeting of 2008
Impact Holdings (UK) plc
Annual General Meeting of Impact Holdings 10.00 a.m. Wednesday 5th (UK) plc
November 2008
Record Date for the Capital Reorganisation 5.00 p.m. Wednesday 5th
November 2008
Commencement of dealings in New Ordinary 8.00a.m. Thursday 6th November Shares
2008
Crediting of New Ordinary Shares to CREST Thursday 6th November 2008 accounts
Expected date of dispatch of cheques for Thursday 20th November 2008 fractional entitlements and share
certificates for New Ordinary Shares
Settlement:
If Shareholders hold a share certificate or certificates in respect of their Share, their Certificates will no longer be valid with effect from the Record Date and they will be issued with a new share certificate(s) evidencing their consolidated shareholding. Such certificates are expected to be despatched by Thursday 20th November and Shareholders should destroy their old certificate (s). If Shareholders hold their Shares in un-certificated form, their CREST account shall be amended accordingly to reflect the number of shares they shall hold following the implementation of the eventual consolidation. Such adjustments to CREST accounts shall be effected as soon as practicable after the consolidation become effective.
Fractional Entitlements:
Shareholders whose holdings of Existing Ordinary Shares cannot be consolidated into an exact number of New Ordinary Shares and New B Ordinary Shares will benefit with a fractional entitlement. Such Shareholders will receive cash in respect of fractional entitlements insofar as they relate only to New Ordinary Shares following the Share Consolidation. No such cash shall be payable for fractional entitlements to New B Ordinary Shares.
New Ordinary Shares representing fractional entitlements will be sold in the market on or shortly after Thursday 6th November 2008 on behalf of the relevant Shareholders. Cheques in respect of the net proceeds of sale are expected to be despatched by Thursday 20th November 2008. CREST accounts are expected to be credited on or shortly after Thursday 6th November 2008. However for those Shareholders who hold less than 100 Existing Ordinary Shares, they will only receive cash or credit if the net proceeds of sale amounts to ‚£1 or more. If the net proceeds are less than ‚£1 per entitled shareholder then the net proceeds of such sale will be retained for the benefit of the Company, in accordance with the Company's articles of association.
The Company's Annual Report and Accounts, together with the Notice of Annual General Meeting and proxy voting documents have been posted to Shareholders and are also available from the Company's website www.impactholdings.net
Further information:Impact Holdings (UK) plcPaul DaviesChief Executive OfficerTel: 0161 437 9499Daniel Stewart & Company plcSimon Leathers / Tessa SmithTel: 020 7776 6550
vendorRelated Shares:
IHUK.L