Allied Hotel Properties Inc. (TSX-V: AHP) (the
“
Company” or “
Allied”) is pleased
to announce that it has entered into an arrangement agreement (the
“
Arrangement Agreement”) with Allied Holdings Ltd.
(“
Allied Holdings”) (a private entity controlled
by the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company,
Peter Y.L. Eng). Pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement the Company
will redeem all of the issued and outstanding common shares
(“
Shares”) in the capital of Allied (other than
those Shares currently owned by Allied Holdings) (the
“
Minority Shares”) by paying $0.28 in cash for
each Minority Share (the “
Consideration”),
pursuant to a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations
Act (British Columbia) (the “
Arrangement”). The
Consideration represents a 19% premium to the volume weighted
average trading price (“
VWAP”) of the Shares on
the TSX Venture Exchange (“
TSX-V”) for the 20
trading days ended October 22, 2021, a 24% premium to the VWAP of
the Shares for the 10 days ended October 22, 2021, and a nil
premium to the closing price of the Shares on the TSX-V on October
25, 2021, being the date of the Arrangement Agreement and one
business day before the date of this news release. Upon the
completion of the Arrangement, the Company will become a wholly
owned subsidiary of Allied Holdings.
Mr. Eng is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
and a current director of the Company, in part through Allied
Holdings, owns or controls a total of 74,493,254 Shares,
representing in aggregate approximately 70.1% of the currently
issued and outstanding Shares.
“We are pleased to have entered into a
definitive agreement that will result in the privatization of the
Company,” said Peter Y.L. Eng, CEO. “The transaction, should it
receive all required approvals, provides our Minority Shareholders
an attractive valuation and significant premium to the current
trading price of the Company’s Shares. After careful consideration,
the Special Committee and the Board unanimously concluded that the
Agreement is fair to Allied’s shareholders and is in the best
interests of the Company.”
Summary of the Arrangement
The Arrangement is structured as a plan of
arrangement pursuant to the Business Corporations Act (British
Columbia) and will, among other conditions, require the approval
of: (i) the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and (ii) the
shareholders of the Company at a meeting of securityholders to be
held by the Company by (a) at least two-thirds of the votes cast by
shareholders at such meeting; and (b) a simple majority of the
votes cast by Minority Shareholders at such meeting, excluding any
shareholders excluded for the purpose of such vote in accordance
with Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority
Security Holders in Special Transactions (“MI
61-101”).
The board of directors of Allied (the
“Board”), having received legal and financial
advice and a unanimous recommendation from a special committee of
the Board consisting entirely of independent directors of the
Company (the “Special Committee”), has approved
the Arrangement (with interested directors abstaining from voting)
and recommends that shareholders of the Company vote in favour of
the Arrangement. The Special Committee, in conducting its review of
the Arrangement, was advised by Evans & Evans, Inc.
(“Evans & Evans”) as its financial advisor. In
addition, Evans & Evans provided the Special Committee with a
formal valuation in accordance with MI 61-101, and a fairness
opinion stating that in its opinion, based upon and subject to the
assumptions, limitations, and qualifications set forth therein, the
Consideration to be received by Minority Shareholders under the
Arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the
Minority Shareholders.
In connection with the Arrangement, the Company
has entered into support and voting agreements (the
“Support and Voting Agreements”) with Peter Y.L
Eng, Allied Holdings and certain Minority Shareholders (the
“Specified Shareholders”) and each director and
officer of the Company who owns Shares. Pursuant to the Support and
Voting Agreements, the Specified Shareholders and such directors
and officers have agreed, subject to the terms and conditions of
the Support and Voting Agreements, to vote their Shares in favour
of the Arrangement. The Specified Shareholders and such directors
and officers of the Company collectively beneficially own or
exercise control over 104,627,858 Shares, representing
approximately 98.4% of the issued and outstanding Shares and
approximately 94.7% of the Minority Shares.
In addition to the aforementioned approvals,
completion of the Arrangement is subject to other customary
conditions. The Arrangement is expected to close in December
2021.
The Arrangement Agreement provides for customary
non-solicitation covenants on the part of the Company and a right
in favour of Allied Holdings to match any unsolicited superior
proposal.
The full details of the Arrangement will be set
out in a management information circular, which will be mailed to
shareholders and filed with the Canadian securities regulatory
authorities during November 2021. The documents will also be
available under Allied’s profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).
Advisors
The Company’s legal advisor is Borden Ladner
Gervais LLP. The Special Committee’s financial advisor is Evans
& Evans, Inc. and its independent legal advisor is Dentons
Canada LLP.
About Allied Hotel Properties
Inc.
Allied is involved in the ownership, management
and development of hotels and real estate in Canada, having a
history of real estate development particularly where such
development can be undertaken on hotel lands. On January 6, 2020
the Company completed the sale of all or substantially all of the
assets of the Company. Interested parties can find further
information at www.alliedhotels.com.
On behalf of the Board of Directors:
(signed) Michael F. Chan
Michael F. ChanPresident, Chief Financial
Officer, Secretary and Director
For more information please contact:Allied Hotel
Properties Inc.Tel: 604-669-5335Fax: 604-682-8131e-mail:
mikechan@alliedhotels.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its
regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for
the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Information
This release may contain “forward-looking
information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of
applicable Canadian securities legislation. All information
contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute
forward-looking information. Often, but not always, forward-looking
statements can be identified by the use of words such as “will” and
“expected” or variations of such words and phrases. Forward-looking
statements herein include, but are not limited to, statements
regarding the anticipated Arrangement, including receipt of any
required approvals, and the timing and anticipated benefits thereof
and are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions.
Those expectations and assumptions are currently considered
reasonable by management but are inherently subject to business,
market and economic risks, uncertainties, and contingencies which
may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of
Allied to be materially different from any future results,
performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the
forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements are based on
management’s current expectations and beliefs but given the
uncertainties, assumptions and risks, readers are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements or
information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update, or to
publicly announce, any such statements, events or developments
except as required by law. Risk factors include, among others: the
risk that the Arrangement may not close on a timely basis, the risk
that the Arrangement Agreement may be terminated, the risk that all
conditions precedent to the Arrangement may not be satisfied, the
risk that Allied will incur costs and the risk that the market
price for Shares may decline.
For additional information on these risks and
uncertainties, see Allied’s most recently filed Annual MD&A
(“MD&A”) and interim MD&A (“Interim MD&A”), which are
available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The risk factors identified in
the MD&A and Interim MD&A are not intended to represent a
complete list of factors that could affect Allied. Accordingly,
readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements. Allied does not assume any obligation to update the
forward-looking information contained in this press release, unless
required by law.
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