NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD VIOLATE THE LAWS OF THAT JURISDICTION
Executive Summary
Metlen PLC was incorporated by the Major Shareholder, to facilitate the transaction and has no operations and no material assets or liabilities other than in connection with the proposed transaction. The Major Shareholder and its controlled, within the meaning of article 3 paragraph 1 (c) of Law 3556/2007, entities, Frezia Ltd, Kilteo Ltd and Melvet Investments Ltd, have stated in writing to the Offeror that they will tender all their Company Shares in the Tender Offer, which represent in aggregate approximately 21.59% of the share capital and voting rights in Metlen S.A., for Consideration Shares in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions of the Tender Offer.
Similarly, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (“Fairfax”), who controls through subsidiaries of its group 9,188,047 Company Shares representing approximately 6.42% of the share capital and voting rights in Metlen S.A. has stated in writing to the Offeror that such shares, along with any other shares which may be acquired by Fairfax and/or its affiliate entities until the lapse of the acceptance period of the Tender Offer, shall be tendered in the Tender Offer for Consideration Shares in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions of the Tender Offer.
National Bank of Greece S.A. and Piraeus Bank Société Anonyme are acting as advisors to Metlen PLC in connection with the share exchange offer.
The Tender Offer
In accordance with the Law, Metlen PLC, a newly formed public limited company incorporated under the laws of England & Wales, announces the submission of a voluntary share exchange offer (the “Tender Offer”) to acquire all of the outstanding ordinary registered shares of Metlen S.A., which Metlen PLC does not hold, directly or indirectly, as at 25 June 2025 (the “Date of the Tender Offer”), i.e. 112,208,378 Company Shares representing approximately 78.41% of the total share capital and voting rights of Metlen S.A. as at that date. Metlen S.A. is a Greek société anonyme with General Commercial Registry No. 757001000 and registered seat at, 8 Artemidos Street, 151 25 Maroussi, Attica, Greece. The share capital of Metlen S.A. amounts to €138,814,916.17 and is divided into 143,108,161 ordinary registered shares, each having a nominal value of €0.97. The Company Shares are listed and traded on the main market of the ΑΤΗΕΧ under the symbol “ΜΥΤΙΛ”.
The Date of the Tender Offer is the date on which Metlen PLC initiated the Tender Offer process by informing the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (the “HCMC”) and the board of directors of Metlen S.A. of the Tender Offer and submitting to them a draft of the Greek information circular (the “Information Circular”), in accordance with article 10, paragraph 1 of the Law.
Pursuant to article 2, paragraph (e) of the Law, persons acting in concert with the Offeror and among themselves for the purposes of the Tender Offer are (i) the Major Shareholder, founder and sole shareholder of the Offeror, and (ii) Emergia Holdings Ltd, Frezia Ltd, Kilteo Ltd, Melvet Investments Ltd and Rocaldo Ltd, which are controlled, in the sense of article 3, paragraph 1(c) of Law 3556/2007, by the Major Shareholder (the “Concerted Persons”). Apart from the aforementioned persons, there are no other persons acting in concert with the Offeror for the purposes of the Tender Offer, pursuant to article 2, case (e) of the Law.
As at the Date of the Tender Offer, Metlen PLC held no Company Shares. However, as at that date, Metlen PLC is deemed under the Law to hold indirectly the voting rights deriving from the 30,899,783 Company Shares, which are directly held by each of the Major Shareholder and each of Frezia Ltd, Kilteo Ltd and Melvet Investments Ltd, corresponding to approximately 21.59% of the total share capital and voting rights in Metlen S.A. (the “Concerted Persons Shares”). Other than the Concerted Persons Shares, the Concerted Persons do not hold any Company Shares or voting rights in the Company.
Other than the aforementioned written statements received by the Offeror from the Major Shareholder and each of Frezia Ltd, Kilteo Ltd, Melvet Investments Ltd and Fairfax, there are no special agreements relating to the Tender Offer or the exercise of rights arising from the Company Shares to which the Offeror or another Concerted Person is a party..
The purpose of the Tender Offer is to facilitate the admission of the Company Shares to listing on the ESCC Category of the Official List and the admission to trading on the LSE's main market for listed securities. Metlen PLC has also applied for a secondary listing and admission to trading for the Offeror Shares on the Main Market of the ATHEX.
Consideration and Tender Offer Structure
In consideration for every Company Share lawfully and validly tendered in the Tender Offer, Metlen PLC offers during the acceptance period of the Tender Offer one new Consideration Share. Holders of Company Shares who tender their Company Shares in the Tender Offer will have the option to receive, for each Company Share lawfully and validly tendered in the Tender Offer, one Consideration Share in dematerialised form through either CREST, a computerised system of the United Kingdom for the paperless settlement of sales and purchases of securities and the holding of uncertificated securities, or the Greek Dematerialised Securities System (“DSS”).
Metlen PLC will assume payment of the clearing duties levied in favor of the Hellenic Central Securities Depository S.A. (the “ATHEXCSD”) on the registration of the transfer of the Company Shares tendered to Metlen PLC, in accordance with the Codified Resolution 18 (Meeting 311/22.02.2021) of the Board of Directors of ATHEXCSD, which would otherwise be payable by the accepting shareholders of Metlen S.A. Such duties amount to 0.08% and are calculated in accordance with the provisions of such decision.
According to the circular issued by the Greek Independent Authority for Public Revenue with reference number Ε.2048/2024, the transfer of the tendered Company Shares to Metlen PLC in exchange for Consideration Shares will not be subject to the tax provided for by article 9 paragraph 2 of Law 2579/1998 in favour of the Greek State, which currently amounts to 0.10% and is imposed on sales of shares listed on the ATHEX, since such transfer will not qualify as a sale under such law. As a result, shareholders of Metlen S.A. who elect to receive Consideration Shares through either CREST or the DSS will not be required to pay such tax, while shareholders who elect to receive the Cash Alternative (as defined below) in the context of the exercise of the right of squeeze-out or the right to sell-out, as defined in articles 27 and 28 of the Law respectively, will be required to pay such tax.
Metlen PLC will apply to the FCA for all of the Offeror Shares to be admitted to the ESCC Category of the Official List, and to the LSE for such Offeror Shares to be admitted to trading on the LSE's main market for listed securities, which is expected to constitute the primary market for trading of the Offeror Shares, subject to the admission to the LSE occurring. Subject to the same condition, with effect from the admission to the LSE, transactions in Offeror Shares executed on the LSE will be settled and cleared in the CREST system.
Metlen PLC will publish by way of separate announcement the commencement of the acceptance period of the Tender Offer (the “Acceptance Period”) and the means to tender.
Squeeze-Out and Sell-Out Procedures, Delisting of Metlen S.A.
If at the end of the Acceptance Period, Metlen PLC holds Company Shares representing at least 90% of the total voting rights in Metlen S.A., including for this purpose the Concerted Persons Shares:
(a) Metlen PLC will initiate the squeeze-out procedure under the Law to cause any remaining holders of Company Shares to transfer those Company Shares to Metlen PLC, in accordance with the Law (the “Right of Squeeze-Out”); and
(b) holders of Company Shares who have not accepted the Tender Offer will be entitled, within a period of three (3) months from the publication of the results of the Tender Offer, to exercise the right to sell-out, in accordance with the Law (the “Right to Sell-Out”).
The consideration offered for each Company Share regarding both the Right of Squeeze-Out and the Right to Sell-Out, is, at the election of the holder, either one Consideration Share in dematerialised form held through either CREST or the DSS, or €39.62 in cash (the “Cash Alternative”), which is equal to the volume-weighted average market price of Company Shares on the ATHEX (adjusted as per the valid tick size of the price for the Company Share) over the six months ended on 24 June 2025, the last trading day preceding the Date of the Tender Offer.
The Cash Alternative meets the criteria of the fair and reasonable consideration according to article 9 of the Law, since:
a. the volume weighted average stock market price for the Company Share, as applicable, during the six (6) months preceding the Date of the Tender Offer amounts to 39.606 Euro, according to the data of the ATHEX; and
b. neither the Offeror nor the Concerted Persons acquired Company Shares during the twelve months preceding the Date of the Tender Offer at a price per Company Share above the Cash Alternative.
A valuation of the Company Shares is not required under paragraph 6 of article 9 of the Law, as none of the conditions mentioned therein apply, namely:
a. The conditions of paragraph 6, case (a) are not fulfilled, since no sanctions have been imposed by the Board of Directors of the HCMC for market manipulation of the Company Shares within the eighteen (18) months prior to the Date of the Tender Offer,
b. The conditions of case (b) of paragraph 6 are not met, since the Company Shares have been traded for more than three-fifths (3/5) of the operating days of the ATHEX, i.e., 120 days out of 120 days operating days, and the transactions carried out exceed ten percent (10%) of all Company Shares, during the six (6) months prior to the Date of the Tender Offer, i.e., in particular amounted to approximately 24% of all Company Shares.
c. The conditions of case (c) of paragraph 6 are not met, since the fair and reasonable consideration, as determined by the criteria of paragraph 4 of article 9 of the Law, is greater than eighty percent (80%) of the book value per Company Share, based on the average figures from the last two published financial statements of the Company under Law 3556/2007, on a consolidated basis, i.e., 80% of €20.30 per Company Share (which equals to approximately €16.24).
Furthermore, in the event that following completion of the Tender Offer or the exercise of the Right of Squeeze-out or the Right to Sell-out, as applicable, Metlen PLC holds Company Shares representing at least 95% of the Metlen S.A.’s total voting rights, it will request the convocation of a General Meeting of the shareholders of Metlen S.A. to approve the submission of an application to the HCMC requesting the delisting of the Company Shares from the ATHEX, in accordance with article 17, paragraph 5 of Law 3371/2005, at which (general meeting) Metlen PLC will exercise its voting rights in favour of such resolution.
Plans for Metlen S.A. and Metlen PLC following the Tender Offer
It is intended that Metlen PLC will be the new ultimate parent company of the Group following completion of the Tender Offer. The Tender Offer will not cause any change in the business, scope, strategy and focus of the Group’s operations. The Group’s current management will continue to lead the Group’s business and long-term strategy. The Group’s commitment to Greece will remain unaffected given that Metlen S.A. will maintain its operations, its investments and human resources in Greece, its continuous contribution to the local economy and society, as well as through the secondary trading of the Offeror Shares on the ATHEX, and Metlen PLC’s tax residence being in Greece. There will be no impact on the employment positions, remuneration or benefits for any employees of the Group as a result of the transaction.
Conditions of the Tender Offer
1. The Tender Offer becoming effective is subject to the following conditions:
a. the FCA shall have approved the prospectus relating to admission of the Offeror Shares to listing on the ESCC Category of the Official List and to trading on LSE’s Main Market (the “UK Prospectus”);
b. the HCMC shall have approved the prospectus relating to the public offering of the Consideration Shares in Greece pursuant to the Tender Offer and the listing and admission to trading of all Offeror Shares on the ATHEX (the “Prospectus”); and
c. the Information Circular shall have been approved by the HCMC.
2. Completion of the Tender Offer is subject to the following conditions:
(1) (a) the FCA and the LSE shall have acknowledged to Metlen PLC or its agent (and such acknowledgment shall not have been withdrawn) on or prior to the end of the Acceptance Period that the application for admission of the Offeror Shares to the ESCC Category of the Official List and to trading on the LSE's main market for listed securities has been or will be approved, provided that such approval will become effective upon (i) the submission by Metlen PLC or its agent (in practice, the financial institution(s) acting as sponsor(s) for the admission) to the FCA of a shareholder statement in customary form, evidencing satisfaction of the requirement under UK Listing Rule 5.5.1 that a minimum percentage of the Offeror Shares will be in "public hands" upon such admission (the "minimum free float requirement"), and confirmation of the number and par value of the Offeror Shares to be issued pursuant to the Tender Offer; (ii) the issuance of the Offeror Shares pursuant to the Tender Offer; and (iii) the issuance of a dealing notice by the FCA; and (b) based on the level of valid acceptances received by the end of the Acceptance Period the minimum free float requirement (10 per cent.) will be met as at Admission (together the "Admission Condition"), and
(2) no later than the end of the Acceptance Period, at least 128,797,345 Company Shares corresponding to at least 90% of the total issued share capital and voting rights of Metlen S.A., including, for this purpose, the Concerted Persons Shares, shall have been lawfully and validly tendered and not withdrawn as at the end of the Acceptance Period (the "Acceptance Prerequisite ").
In case the Admission Condition and/or the Acceptance Prerequisite is not satsfied by the end of the Acceptance Period, the Tender Offer will automatically lapse, namely that it will have no legal effect, and the Company Shares tendered will be returned to their holders.
The Offer may revoke the Tender Offer if (i) a competing offer, as provided by the Law, has been submitted, or (ii) subject to the HCMC’s approval, if an unforeseen change in circumstances beyond the control of the Offeror occurs that makes the Tender Offer particularly onerous.
The declarations of acceptance which are submitted cannot be revoked, unless (i) a competing offer, as provided by the Law, has been submitted, or (ii) following the publication of any supplement to the Prospectus by the Offeror, in which case the accepting shareholder will be entitled to exercise a revocation right.
Shareholders’ Statements
Metlen PLC has received written statements from the Major Shareholder and each of Frezia Ltd, Kilteo Ltd, Melvet Investments Ltd, and Fairfax, to tender in the Tender Offer 40,087,830 Company Shares, which represent in total approximately 28.01% of the voting rights in Metlen S.A., in exchange for Consideration Shares, in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions of the Tender Offer.
Metlen PLC’s Advisors
National Bank of Greece S.A. and Piraeus Bank Société Anonyme, act as advisors of Metlen PLC in respect of the Tender Offer, in accordance with article 12 of the Law (each an “Advisor” and together the “Advisors”).
For the purpose of the Tender Offer only, National Bank of Greece S.A. has certified to the HCMC that Metlen PLC (i) has taken all appropriate measures to be able to issue and deliver the Metlen PLC Shares to the shareholders who accept the Tender Offer and (ii) has the necessary wherewithal to pay the above duties in favour of ATHEXCSD in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Tender Offer. However, National Bank of Greece S.A. provides no guarantee, within the meaning of Articles 847 et seq. of the Greek Civil Code, for the performance of the delivery, payment and other obligations undertaken by Metlen PLC under the Tender Offer, nor do they bear any liability within the scope of Article 729 of the Greek Civil Code.
The Advisors are also acting as listing advisors to Metlen PLC in relation to the secondary listing of all Offeror Shares on the ATHEX.
About Metlen PLC
Metlen PLC was incorporated on 9 September 2024 under the laws of England and Wales and the Companies Act 2006 as a private limited company under the name "Metlen Energy & Metals Limited" with registered number 15944520. On 20 May 2025, the Company was re-registered as a public limited company and changed its name to Metlen Energy & Metals PLC. Its registered address is 19th Floor, 51 Lime Street, London EC3M 7DQ.
As of the date of this announcement, Metlen PLC has a fully paid-up share capital comprised of one ordinary share of £1.00 nominal value (the “Initial GBP Share”), one ordinary share € 11.00 nominal value (the "Initial EUR Share" and together with the "Initial GBP Share", the "Initial Shares") and 49,999 redeemable non-voting preference shares of £1.00 nominal value each (the “Redeemable Shares”). Metlen PLC was incorporated by the Major Shareholder to facilitate this transaction and has no operations and no material assets or liabilities other than in connection with this transaction. Metlen PLC’s Initial Shares will be converted into and re-designated as subscriber shares with no voting rights (the "Subscriber Shares"), upon the issuance of the new Offeror Shares offered in connection with the Tender Offer being admitted to the Official List and to trading on the Main Market of the LSE. It is expected that, following Admission, the Redeemable Shares and the Subscriber Share will be cancelled. Such cancellation is expected to be effected no earlier than the completion of the Right of Squeeze-out process.
Important Notices
General
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The information contained in this announcement does not purport to be full or complete. The exact dates of the Tender Offer and the Admission may change. The Tender Offer and the Admission will occur, and you should not base your financial decisions on Metlen PLC’s intentions at this stage in relation to the Tender Offer and the Admission.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties relating to, amongst others, the business activities and certain plans and objectives that Metlen PLC has in respect of the Group. There are many factors (including, without limitation, commercial, operational, economic, political and financial), as a consequence of which the actual results and the actual developments may potentially substantially differ from the plans and the objectives of Metlen PLC and the Group set out in the announcement.
Although Metlen PLC believes that, as of the date of this announcement, the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Metlen PLC cannot assure you that future events will meet these expectations. Moreover, neither Metlen PLC nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. After the date of this announcement, unless Metlen PLC is required by applicable law to update these forward-looking statements, Metlen PLC will not necessarily update any of these forward-looking statements to conform them either to actual results or to changes in expectations.
[1] Source: https://www.londonstockexchange.com