ASHTEAD GROUP PLC
SENIOR NOTES OFFERING
This announcement contains
inside information
25 January
2024
Ashtead
Group plc ("Ashtead" or the "Company") today
announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, Ashtead Capital, Inc.
("Ashtead Capital"), is conducting a private offering, subject to
market and other conditions, of a single series of benchmark-sized,
senior notes (the "Notes"). The Notes will be fully and
unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by Ashtead
and certain of Ashtead's direct and indirect
subsidiaries.
The exact
terms and timing of the offering, including the final aggregate
principal amount of the Notes offered, will depend on market
conditions and other factors.
Ashtead
intends to use the net proceeds of the offering for general
corporate purposes and will initially repay a portion of the
outstanding borrowings under the First Priority Senior Secured
Credit Facility, without a reduction in commitment.
The person responsible for
the release of this announcement on behalf of Ashtead is Eric
Watkins.
1. The Notes will be offered in
the United States only to qualified institutional buyers pursuant
to the exemption from registration under Rule 144A under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and
outside the United States only to non-U.S. investors pursuant to
Regulation S under the Securities Act. The Notes have not been
registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws
and unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United
States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction
not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act
and applicable state securities laws.
2. This release shall not
constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to
purchase the securities described herein or any other securities,
and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any
state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale
would be unlawful.
3. Ashtead is a public limited company
incorporated under the laws of England and Wales and its stock is
publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: AHT). The
Company is one of the largest international equipment rental
companies, with a network of 1,478 stores in the United States
("US"), Canada and the United Kingdom ("UK") as of 31 October 2023.
Ashtead conducts its equipment rental operations across all
markets under the name "Sunbelt Rentals".
4. The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold
or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or
otherwise made available to any retail investor in the European
Economic Area (the "EEA"). For these purposes, a retail investor
means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as
defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as
amended or superseded, "MiFID II"); or (ii) a customer within the
meaning of Directive 2016/97/EU (as amended or superseded, the
"Insurance Distribution Directive"), where that customer would not
qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of
Article 4(1) of MiFID II. Consequently, no key information document
required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended or superseded,
the "PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the Notes or
otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has
been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Notes or
otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA
may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation.
5. The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold
or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or
otherwise made available to any retail investor in the UK. For
these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or
more) of: (i) a retail client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2
of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of domestic law by
virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "EUWA"); or
(ii) a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended, the "FSMA")
and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement the
Insurance Distribution Directive, where that customer would not
qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of
Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of
domestic law by virtue of the EUWA. Consequently, no key
information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as it
forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "UK PRIIPs
Regulation") for offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making
them available to retail investors in the UK has been prepared and,
therefore, offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them
available to any retail investor in the UK may be unlawful under
the UK PRIIPs Regulation.
6. This communication is directed only to, and is
only directed at, persons who (i) are outside the United Kingdom,
(ii) have professional experience in matters relating to
investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services
and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended
or superseded, the "Financial Promotion Order"), (iii) are high net
worth entities or other persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to
(d) of the Financial Promotion Order, or (iv) are persons to whom
an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity
(within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with
the issue or sale of any Notes may otherwise lawfully be
communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons
together being referred to as "relevant persons"). This
communication is directed only at relevant persons and must not be
acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant
persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this
communication relates is available only to relevant persons and
will be engaged in only with relevant persons.
7. FCA/Stabilisation.
Enquiries:
|
|
Michael
Pratt, Chief Financial Officer
Will Shaw,
Director of Investor Relations
|
+44 (0)20
7726 9700
|
Neil
Bennett, H/Advisors Maitland
Sam
Cartwright, H/Advisors Maitland
|
+44 (0)20
7379 5151
|