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MSM - Massmart Holdings Limited - Competition Tribunal ruling and finalisation

Release Date: 01/06/2011 07:31
Code(s): MSM
Wrap Text

MSM - Massmart Holdings Limited - Competition Tribunal ruling and finalisation date announcement Massmart Holdings Limited Wal-Mart Stores, Inc (Incorporated in the Republic of Incorporated in the State of Delaware South Africa) United States of America Registration number 1940/014066/06 Traded on the New York Stock Exchange Share code: MSM under the symbol "WMT" ISIN: ZAE000029534 Acting through its indirect wholly- ("Massmart") owned subsidiary Main Street 830 (Proprietary) Limited Registration number 2010/016839/07 ("Walmart")
COMPETITION TRIBUNAL RULING AND FINALISATION DATE ANNOUNCEMENT 1. Introduction Massmart shareholders are referred to the joint announcements previously published by Massmart and Walmart as well as the circular to Massmart shareholders dated 9 December 2010 ("Scheme circular") regarding Walmart`s offer to acquire 51 Massmart ordinary shares from each Massmart ordinary shareholder (other than the excluded shareholders) for every 100 Massmart ordinary shares held for a cash consideration of R148,00 per ordinary share by way of a scheme of arrangement in terms of section 311 of the Companies Act (Act 61 of 1973), as amended ("the Companies Act, 1973") ("the Scheme"). On 2 February 2011, Massmart shareholders were advised that the Scheme had been sanctioned by the South Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg) on Tuesday, 1 February 2011. Massmart and Walmart are pleased to announce that the Competition Tribunal of South Africa ("the Tribunal") has conditionally approved the Scheme on 31 May 2011. Walmart has considered the Tribunal`s ruling and conditions thereto and has elected to accept such conditions for the purposes of implementing the Scheme. The Tribunal has approved the Scheme subject to the following conditions: * The merged entity must ensure that there are no retrenchments, based on the merged entity`s operational requirements in South Africa, resulting from the merger, for a period of two (2) years from the effective date of the transaction. * The merged entity must, when employment opportunities become available within the merged entity, give preference to the re-employment of the 503 Massdiscounters employees that were retrenched during June 2010 and must take into account those employees` years of service in the Massmart Group. * The merged entity must honour existing labour agreements and must continue to honour the current practice of the Massmart Group not to challenge SACCAWU`s current position, as the largest representative union within the merged entity, to represent the bargaining units, for at least three (3) years from the effective date of the transaction. * The merged entity must establish a programme aimed exclusively at the development and training of local South African suppliers, including SMMEs, funded in a fixed amount of R100 million to be contributed by the merged entity and expended within three (3) years from the effective date of the order. The Tribunal`s decision and press statement are available on Massmart`s website at http://www.massmart.co.za. The non-confidential Tribunal`s full decision and conditions thereto will be published on Massmart`s website at http://www.massmart.co.za on or about 29 June 2011. 2. Registration of order of court Massmart shareholders are advised that in light of unforeseen delays in the competition approval process and in order to avoid potential further delays with the coming into effect of the Companies Act, 71 of 2008, as amended, Massmart and Walmart agreed, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 15.7 on page 51 of the Scheme circular, to amend the date and time of lodging the CM18 forms and the court order sanctioning the Scheme with the Registrar of Companies in South Africa ("Registrar") for registration in terms of section 311(6) of the Companies Act, 1973. Accordingly, the CM18 forms and court order sanctioning the Scheme were lodged and registered with the Registrar prior to 1 May 2011 and prior to the fulfilment of the outstanding suspensive conditions, being receipt of regulatory approval from the competition authorities and the condition as set out in paragraph 5.3 on page 45 of the Scheme circular relating to no material adverse change which was fulfilled as at 17h00 on 30 May 2011. 3. Fulfilment of conditions precedent Massmart shareholders are advised that following the Tribunal`s ruling and acceptance of the conditions thereto by Walmart, all conditions precedent have therefore been met and the Scheme is now unconditional. 4. Final salient dates and times The final salient dates and times applicable to the Scheme are set out below: 2011
Last day to trade Massmart ordinary shares on the Thursday, 9 June JSE in order to be recorded in the share register on the Scheme record date Massmart ordinary shares trade "ex" the Scheme Friday, 10 June consideration under a new ISIN ZAE000152617. The Massmart JSE share code and abbreviated name will remain the same. Scheme record date to determine participation in Friday, 17 June the Scheme at 17:00 Operative date of the Scheme, from the Monday, 20 June commencement of business on Date from which the Scheme consideration will be Monday, 20 June made available to certificated Scheme participants (if the duly completed form of surrender and transfer and the documents of title are received by the transfer secretaries on or prior to 12:00 on the Scheme record date, or failing that, within 5 business days of receipt of the duly completed form of surrender and transfer and relevant documents of title by the transfer secretaries) Certificated shareholders will have their Monday, 20 June replacement share certificates posted on, or within 5 business days (provided the old share certificates have been surrendered by 12:00 on the Scheme record date) after Dematerialised Scheme participants will have their Monday, 20 June accounts held at their CSDP or broker credited with the Scheme consideration and updated with the balance of their Massmart ordinary shares on the operative date Notes: 1. All times indicated above are South African times. 2. In order to be recorded in the register on the Scheme record date no dematerialisation or rematerialisation of Massmart ordinary shares will take place after the last day to trade for the Scheme, being Thursday, 9 June 2011. Replacement share certificates (reflecting the new Massmart ISIN ZAE000152617) may be dematerialised or rematerialised after Monday, 20 June 2011. 3. Certificated Scheme participants are required to complete their respective form of surrender and transfer (which was enclosed in the Scheme circular) to be received by the transfer secretaries by the Scheme record date, being Friday, 17 June 2011. 4. Share certificates issued prior to Thursday, 9 June 2011 under the old ISIN ZAE000029534 may not be dematerialised or rematerialised after Thursday, 9 June 2011. For media enquiries: Brunswick Tel: +2711 502 7300 Rob Pinker (Managing Partner) Tel: +2783 326 7794 Cecilia de Almeida (Director) Tel: +2783 325 9169 Johannesburg 1 June 2011 Sponsor to Massmart Deutsche Securities (SA) (Proprietary) Limited Legal advisors to Massmart Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Communications advisors to Massmart Brunswick Legal advisors to Walmart Webber Wentzel Attorneys Date: 01/06/2011 07:31:34 Supplied by www.sharenet.co.za Produced by the JSE SENS Department. The SENS service is an information dissemination service administered by the JSE Limited (`JSE`). The JSE does not, whether expressly, tacitly or implicitly, represent, warrant or in any way guarantee the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information published on SENS. The JSE, their officers, employees and agents accept no liability for (or in respect of) any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential loss or damage of any kind or nature, howsoever arising, from the use of SENS or the use of, or reliance on, information disseminated through SENS.

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