NOT
FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO, OR TO ANY
PERSON RESIDENT AND/OR LOCATED IN, ANY JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH
RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IS UNLAWFUL
VODAFONE GROUP PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY ANNOUNCES FINAL RESULTS
OF TENDER OFFERS FOR U.S. DOLLAR NOTES DUE 2025 AND
2028
(Newbury, Berkshire - England) -
February 12, 2025 - Vodafone Group Plc ("Vodafone" or the
"Company") announces today the results of its previously announced
offers to purchase for cash in two concurrent, but separate offers,
any and all of its outstanding (i) 4.125% Notes due May 2025
(the "Fixed Price Notes"), of which $734,128,000
is outstanding, and (ii) 4.375% Notes due May 2028 (the "Fixed
Spread Notes" and, together with the Fixed Price Notes, the
"Notes"), of which $575,122,000 is outstanding, which were made
upon the terms of, and subject to the conditions in, the offer to
purchase dated February 5, 2025 (the "Offer to Purchase") and the
accompanying notice of guaranteed delivery (the "Notice of
Guaranteed Delivery" and, together with the Offer to Purchase, the
"Tender Offer Documents").
Each offer to purchase each series
of Notes is referred to herein as an "Offer" and the offers to
purchase the Notes as the "Offers." Capitalised terms not otherwise
defined in this announcement have the same meaning as assigned to
them in the Offer to Purchase.
The Offers expired at 5:00 p.m., New
York City time, on February 11, 2025 (the "Expiration Time"). In
accordance with the terms of the relevant Offer, the Company is
accepting for purchase any and all of the Notes validly tendered
and not validly withdrawn.
The following table sets forth the
aggregate principal amount of the Notes validly tendered at or
prior to the Expiration Time and not validly withdrawn, according
to information provided by Kroll Issuer Services Limited, the
Tender and Information Agent (the "Tender and Information Agent")
for the Offers:
Title of
Security
|
CUSIP /
ISIN
|
Principal Amount Previously
Outstanding
|
Principal Amount Tendered and
Accepted(1)
|
Principal Amount Remaining
Outstanding(2)
|
Purchase Price
Consideration(3)
|
4.125%
Notes due May 2025
|
92857WBJ8
/ US92857WBJ80
|
$734,128,000
|
$226,409,000
|
$507,719,000
|
$1,000
|
4.375%
Notes due May 2028
|
92857WBK5/ US92857WBK53
|
$575,122,000
|
$151,570,000
|
$423,552,000
|
$995.43
|
(1) The respective
principal amounts of the Notes tendered pursuant to the Offers
include $13,781,000 aggregate principal amount of Fixed Price Notes and
$5,885,000 aggregate principal amount of Fixed Spread Notes tendered
pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures, the acceptance of
which remains subject to the valid delivery at or prior to 5:00
p.m., New York City time, on February 12, 2025 (the "Guaranteed
Delivery Date") of such Notes, pursuant to the terms and subject to
the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase.
(2) The principal amount
of the Notes remaining outstanding listed in the table above
assumes that the Notes tendered pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery
Procedures will be validly tendered at or prior to the Guaranteed
Delivery Date and accepted for purchase pursuant to the
Offers.
(3) Per $1,000 in
principal amount of the Notes validly tendered and not validly
withdrawn at or prior to the Expiration Time or the Guaranteed
Delivery Date pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures, and
accepted for purchase.
In addition to the Purchase Price
Consideration, Holders whose Notes are accepted for purchase will
be paid the Accrued Interest. Interest will cease to accrue on the
Settlement Date for all Notes accepted in the Offers.
In respect of accepted Notes that
were delivered at or prior to the Expiration Time, the Company
expects the Settlement Date to occur on the third business day
after the Expiration Time, February 14, 2025. In respect of
accepted Notes that are delivered pursuant to the Guaranteed
Delivery Procedures, the Company expects the Guaranteed Delivery
Settlement Date to occur on the second business day after the
Guaranteed Delivery Date, February 14, 2025.
For additional information, please
contact the Dealer Managers, Merrill Lynch International at +1
(888) 292-0070 (toll free), +1 (980) 387-3907 or +44 207 996 5420
(in London) or by email to DG.LM-EMEA@bofa.com and to Barclays
Capital Inc. at +1 (800) 438-3242 (toll free), +1 (212) 528-7581 or
+44 203 134 8515 (in London) or by email to us.lm@barclays.com or
the Tender and Information Agent, Kroll Issuer Services Limited at
+44 20 7704 0880 or by email to vodafone-usd@is.kroll.com,
Attention: Owen Morris.
This announcement is for informational
purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy, or a
solicitation of an offer to sell, any security. No offer,
solicitation, or sale will be made in any jurisdiction in which
such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. The Offers
are only being made pursuant to the Offer to Purchase. Holders of
the Notes are urged to carefully read the Offer to Purchase before
making any decision with respect to the Offers.
The distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may
be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this
announcement comes are required by each of the Company, the Dealer
Managers and the Tender and Information Agent to inform themselves
about and to observe any such restrictions.
Offer and Distribution Restrictions
Italy
None of the Offers, this
announcement, the Offer to Purchase or any other document or
materials relating to the Offers has been or will be submitted to
the clearance procedures of the Commissione Nazionale per le
Società e la Borsa ("CONSOB") pursuant to Italian laws and
regulations. The Offers are being carried out in the Republic of
Italy ("Italy") as an exempt offer pursuant to article 101-bis,
paragraph 3-bis of the Legislative Decree No. 58 of February 24,
1998, as amended (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 Notes that are
resident or located in Italy can tender Notes for purchase in the
Offers through authorised 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 from time to
time, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of September 1, 1993, as
amended) and in compliance with any other 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 Notes and/or the
Offers.
United Kingdom
The communication of this
announcement and the Offer to Purchase and any other documents or
materials relating to the Offers is not being made by 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 ("FSMA 2000"). 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(1) of the FSMA
on the basis that it is only directed at and may only be
communicated to: (1) persons who are outside of the United Kingdom;
(2) investment professionals falling within the definition
contained in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Financial Promotion
Order"); (3) those persons who are existing members or creditors of
the Company or other persons falling within Article 43(2) of the
Financial Promotion Order; or (4) any other persons to whom such
documents and/or materials may lawfully be communicated in
accordance with the Financial Promotion Order (all such persons
together referred to as "relevant persons"). This announcement, the
Offer to Purchase and any other documents or materials relating to
the Offers are only available to relevant persons. Any person who
is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or
any of its contents.
France
The Offers are not being made,
directly or indirectly, and neither this announcement, the Offer to
Purchase nor any other document or material relating to the Offers
has been or shall be distributed, to the public in the Republic of
France other than to qualified investors as defined in Article 2(e)
of the Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation").
Neither this announcement, the Offer to Purchase nor any other
document or materials relating to the Offers have been or will be
submitted for clearance to nor approved by the Autorité des Marchés
Financiers.
Belgium
Neither this announcement, the Offer
to Purchase nor any other brochure, documents or materials relating
to the Offers has been, or will be, submitted or notified to, or
approved or recognized by, the Belgian Financial Services and
Markets Authority ("Autorité des
services et marchés financiers"/"Autoriteit voor Financiële Diensten en
Markten"). In Belgium, the Offers do not constitute a public
offering within the meaning of Articles 3, §1, 1° and 6, §1 of the
Belgian Law of April 1, 2007 on public takeover bids ("loi relative aux offres publiques
d'acquisition"/"wet op de
openbare overnamebiedingen"), as amended or replaced from
time to time. Accordingly, the Offers may not be, and is not being
advertised, and this announcement, the Offer to Purchase, as well
as any brochure, or any other material or document relating thereto
(including any memorandum, information circular, brochure or any
similar document) may not, has not and will not be distributed or
made available, directly or indirectly, to any person located
and/or resident within Belgium, other than to "qualified investors"
("investisseurs
qualifiés"/"qekwalificeerde belegge"), within the
meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation acting on
their own account. Insofar as Belgium is concerned, the Offers are
made only to qualified investors, as this term is defined above.
Accordingly, the information contained in this announcement, the
Offer to Purchase or in any brochure or any other document or
material relating thereto may not be used for any other purpose or
disclosed or distributed to any other person in Belgium.
General
This announcement does not
constitute an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell
Notes (and tenders of Notes in the Offers will not be accepted from
Holders) in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation
or acceptance is unlawful. In those jurisdictions where the
securities, blue sky or other laws require the Offers to be made by
a licensed broker or dealer and any Dealer Manager or any of the
Dealer Managers' affiliates is such a licensed broker or dealer in
any such jurisdiction, the Offers shall be deemed to be made by
such Dealer Manager or such Dealer Manager's affiliate, as the case
may be, on behalf of the Company in such jurisdiction.
Each tendering Holder participating
in the Offers will be deemed to give certain representations in
respect of the jurisdictions referred to above and generally as set
out in the section titled "Description of the Offers-Procedures for
Tendering Notes-Other Matters" in the Offer to Purchase. Any tender
of Notes for purchase pursuant to the Offers from a Holder that is
unable to make these representations will not be accepted. Each of
the Company, the Dealer Managers and the Tender and Information
Agent reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to
investigate, in relation to any tender of Notes for purchase
pursuant to the Offers, whether any such representation given by a
Holder is correct and, if such investigation is undertaken and as a
result the Company determines (for any reason) that such
representation is not correct, such tender shall not be
accepted.
Forward-Looking Information
This announcement contains certain
forward-looking statements which reflect the Company's intent,
beliefs or current expectations about the future and can be
recognised by the use of words such as "expects," "will,"
"anticipate," or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of any future performance and are
necessarily estimates reflecting the best judgment of the senior
management of the Company and involve a number of risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. As a
consequence, these forward-looking statements should be considered
in light of various important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from estimates or projections
contained in the forward-looking statements, which include, without
limitation, the risk factors set forth in the Offer to Purchase.
The Company cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement
will be realised, although it believes it has been prudent in its
plans and assumptions. Achievement of future results is subject to
risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may prove to be
inaccurate. Should known or unknown risks or uncertainties
materialise, or should underlying assumptions prove inaccurate,
actual results could vary materially from those anticipated,
estimated or projected. The Company undertakes no obligation to
update publicly or release any revisions to these forward-looking
statements to reflect events or circumstances or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by
applicable law.