Mecox Lane Limited (NASDAQ:MCOX) (“Mecox Lane” or the “Company”), a
multi-brand and multi-channel retailer in China specializing in
health, beauty and lifestyle products, today announced that it has
entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger
Agreement”) with MINAT ASSOCIATED CO., LTD., a business company
incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands
(“Parent”) and ChinaEquity Alliance Victory Co., Ltd., an exempted
company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the
Cayman Islands and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger
Sub”).
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Parent will
acquire the Company for cash consideration equal to US$0.114 per
ordinary share of the Company (each, a “Share”) or US$4.00 per
American Depositary Share of the Company (each, an “ADS”), each ADS
representing thirty-five shares. This price represents a premium of
17.6% over the Company’s closing price of US$3.40 per ADS as quoted
by NASDAQ Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”) on July 20, 2015, the
last trading day prior to the Company’s announcement of its receipt
of a “going-private” proposal.
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in
the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will merge with and into the
Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving company and a
wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Merger”). Immediately
following the consummation of the Merger, Parent will be
beneficially owned by a consortium comprised of CNshangquan Limited
(“CNshangquan”), ChinaEquity USD Fortune Co., Ltd. (“ChinaEquity”,
together with CNshangquan, the “Rollover Holders”) and Chinaequity
Capital Investments Co., Limited, an affiliate of ChinaEquity.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the
effective time of the Merger (the “Effective time”), each of the
Shares issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective
Time will be cancelled and cease to exist in exchange for the right
to receive US$0.114 in cash without interest, and each of the ADSs
will be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive US$4.00 in
cash without interest, except for (a) Shares, including such Shares
represented by the ADSs, held by the Rollover Holders that will be
rolled over, or held by Parent, the Company or any of their
subsidiaries, which Shares will be cancelled and cease to exist and
no payment or distribution will be made with respect thereto, and
(b) Shares held by shareholders who have validly exercised and not
effectively withdrawn or lost their rights to dissent from the
Merger pursuant to Section 238 of the Companies Law of the Cayman
Islands (the “Dissenting Shares”), which will be cancelled and
cease to exist in exchange for the right to receive the payment of
fair value of the Dissenting Shares in accordance with Section 238
of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands.
Parent intends to fund the Merger through a cash
contribution from 北京信中利投资股份有限公司, a company organized and existing
under the laws of the PRC and an affiliate of ChinaEquity (the
“Sponsor”) pursuant to an equity commitment letter (the “Equity
Commitment Letter”) dated as of December 22, 2015 by and between
the Sponsor and Parent. ChinaEquity has also entered into a limited
guarantee in favor of the Company pursuant to which ChinaEquity has
agreed to guarantee certain obligations of Parent under the Merger
Agreement.
The Company’s board of directors (the “Board”),
acting upon unanimous recommendation of a committee of independent
directors formed by the Board (the “Special Committee”), approved
the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby,
including the Merger, and resolved to recommend that the Company’s
shareholders vote to authorize and approve the Merger Agreement and
the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger. The
Special Committee, which is composed solely of independent and
disinterested directors, negotiated the terms of the Merger
Agreement with assistance of its financial and legal advisors.
The Merger, which is currently expected to close
during the second quarter of 2016, is subject to customary closing
conditions, including the approval of the Merger Agreement by an
affirmative vote of holders of Shares representing at least
two-thirds of the Shares present and voting in person or by proxy
as a single class at an extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting
of the Company which will be convened to consider the approval of
the Merger Agreement and the Merger, as well as certain other
customary closing conditions. The Rollover Holders have agreed to
vote all of the Shares (including Shares represented by ADSs)
beneficially owned by them in favor of the Merger Agreement and the
transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger. If
completed, the Merger will result in the Company becoming a
privately-held company and its ADSs will no longer be listed on the
NASDAQ Global Select Market.
In connection with the Merger, Houlihan Lokey
(China) Limited is serving as financial advisor to the Special
Committee; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving
as U.S. legal advisor to the Special Committee; Maples and Calder
is serving as Cayman Islands legal advisor to the Special
Committee; Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP is serving as U.S. legal
advisor to the Rollover Holders; and Walkers is serving as Cayman
Islands legal advisor to the Rollover Holders.
Additional Information about the
Transaction
The Company will furnish to the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a report on Form 6-K regarding
the merger, which will include the Merger Agreement and related
documents. All parties desiring details regarding the merger are
urged to review these documents, which will be available at the
SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov).
In connection with the Merger, the Company will
prepare and mail a proxy statement to its shareholders. In
addition, certain participants in the Merger will prepare and mail
to the Company’s shareholders a Schedule 13E-3 transaction
statement. These documents will be filed with or furnished to the
SEC. INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY AND IN
THEIR ENTIRETY THESE MATERIALS AND OTHER MATERIALS FILED WITH OR
FURNISHED TO THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, AS THEY WILL
CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, THE MERGER AND
RELATED MATTERS. In addition to receiving the proxy statement and
Schedule 13E-3 transaction statement by mail, shareholders also
will be able to obtain these documents, as well as other filings
containing information about the Company, the Merger and related
matters, without charge, from the SEC’s website
(http://www.sec.gov) or at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F
Street, NE, Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. In addition,
shareholders will also be able to obtain these documents, without
charge, by contacting the Company at the following address and/or
telephone number:
Room 302, Qilai
Building,No. 889, Yishan
RoadShanghai 200233People’s
Republic of China(86-21) 3108 1111
The Company and certain of its directors,
executive officers and other members of management and employees
may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be “participants” in the
solicitation of proxies from the Company’s shareholders with
respect to the Merger. Information regarding the persons who may be
considered “participants” in the solicitation of proxies will be
set forth in the proxy statement and Schedule 13E-3 transaction
statement relating to the Merger when it is filed with the SEC.
Additional information regarding the interests of such potential
participants will be included in the proxy statement and Schedule
13E-3 transaction statement and the other relevant documents filed
with the SEC when they become available.
This announcement is neither a solicitation of a
proxy, an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell
any securities and it is not a substitute for any proxy statement
or other filings that may be made with the SEC should the Merger go
forward.
About Mecox Lane Limited
Mecox Lane Limited (Nasdaq:MCOX) is a
multi-brand and multi-channel retailer in China specialized in
health, beauty and lifestyle products. Since the Company’s founding
in 1996 and its listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market in 2010,
Mecox Lane has focused on the evolving fashion and lifestyle needs
of China’s young women through multiple retail channels. As part of
a strategy shift under new management and in response to current
market trends, the Company focuses on providing its broad base of
urban and upwardly mobile customers with health and beauty products
that are in step with their increasingly wellness-focused
lifestyles. For more information on Mecox Lane, please visit
http://ir.mecoxlane.com.
Safe Harbor: Forward Looking
Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements made under the “safe harbor” provisions of Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These
forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as
“may,” “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,”
“plans,” “believes,” “aims,” “estimates,” “confident,” “likely to”
and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from
management in this press release, as well as the Company’s
strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and
uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statement, including but not limited to the following: the
Company’s business strategies and initiatives as well as its
business plans; the Company’s future business development, results
of operations and financial condition; changes in the Company’s
revenues and cost or expense items; the Company’s expectations with
respect to increased revenue growth and its ability to sustain
profitability; the Company’s products under development or
planning; the Company’s ability to attract customers and further
enhance its brand recognition; trends and competition in the
industry in which the Company operates; the failure of the markets
to grow at the projected rates; the rapidly changing nature of the
industry in which the Company operates; and significant
uncertainties of any projections or estimates relating to the
growth prospects or future condition of the market. If any one or
more of the assumptions underlying the market data turns out to be
incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on
these assumptions. You should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and
other risks is included in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F
as well as in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. All information provided in this press release is
current as of the date of the press release, and the Company
undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required
under applicable law.
For investor and media inquiries please contact:
In China:
Christina Hou
Mecox Lane Limited
Tel: +86 (21) 3108-1111 Ext. 8161
Email: ir@mecoxlane.com
Derek Mitchell
Ogilvy Financial
In the U.S.: +1 (646) 867-1888
In China: +86 (10) 8520-6139
Email: mcox@ogilvy.com
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