BOUCHERVILLE, QUÉBEC--(Marketwired - March 1, 2016) -
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION INTO THE UNITED STATES OR TO UNITED STATES WIRE SERVICES
RONA inc. (TSX:RON)(TSX:RON.PR.A) ("RONA" or the "Corporation") confirms that it does not intend to exercise its right to redeem all or any part of its currently outstanding 6,900,000 Cumulative 5-Year Rate Reset Series 6 Class A Preferred Shares (the "Series 6 Shares") on March 31, 2016. As a result and subject to certain conditions set out in the short form prospectus dated February 11, 2011 relating to the issuance of the Series 6 Shares, the holders of the Series 6 Shares have the right, at their option, to convert all or any of their Series 6 Shares into Cumulative Floating Rate Series 7 Class A Preferred Shares of RONA (the "Series 7 Shares") on March 31, 2016, on the basis of one Series 7 Share for each Series 6 Share. Holders who do not exercise their right to convert their Series 6 Shares into Series 7 Shares on such date will continue to hold their Series 6 Shares.
The foregoing conversion right is subject to the conditions that: (i) if RONA determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series 7 Shares outstanding after March 31, 2016, then holders of Series 6 Shares will not be entitled to convert their shares into Series 7 Shares, and (ii) alternatively, if RONA determines that there would remain outstanding less than 1,000,000 Series 6 Shares after March 31, 2016, then all remaining Series 6 Shares will automatically be converted into Series 7 Shares on March 31, 2016, on the basis of one Series 7 Share for each Series 6 Share. In either case, RONA will give written notice to that effect to registered holders of Series 6 Shares no later than March 24, 2016.
With respect to any Series 6 Shares that remain outstanding after March 31, 2016, holders of the Series 6 Shares will be entitled to receive fixed, cumulative, preferential cash dividends, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of RONA, payable quarterly on the last business day of each of March, June, September and December each year and subject to the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (Québec). The dividend rate for the five-year period from and including March 31, 2016 to but excluding March 31, 2021 will be 3.324% per annum or $0.20775 per share per quarter, being 2.65% over the five-year Government of Canada bond yield, as determined in accordance with the terms of the Series 6 Shares.
With respect to any Series 7 Shares that may be issued on March 31, 2016, holders of the Series 7 Shares will be entitled to receive floating rate, cumulative, preferential cash dividends, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of RONA, payable quarterly on the last business day of each of March, June, September and December each year and subject to the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (Québec). The dividend rate for the floating rate period from and including March 31, 2016 to but excluding June 30, 2016 will be 3.110% per annum or $0.19384 per share, being 2.65% over the 90-day Government of Canada Treasury Bill yield (calculated on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed in such quarterly period divided by 365), as determined in accordance with the terms of the Series 7 Shares.
An application will be made to list the Series 7 Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX").
Beneficial owners of Series 6 Shares who wish to exercise their conversion right should communicate as soon as possible with their broker or other nominee to obtain instructions for exercising such right on or prior to the deadline for exercise, which is 5:00 p.m. (Montreal time) on March 16, 2016.
On February 3, 2016, RONA announced that it had entered into an arrangement agreement with Lowe's Companies, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Lowe's Companies Canada, ULC under which Lowe's has agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of RONA at a price of $24.00 per share in cash by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Québec) (the "Arrangement"). Under the terms of the arrangement agreement, Lowe's has also agreed to acquire all of the outstanding Series 6 Shares and any then outstanding Series 7 Shares for $20 per share in cash (plus any accrued but unpaid dividends thereon at closing), which represents a premium of approximately 59% to the closing price of the Series 6 Shares on the TSX on February 2, 2016 and a premium of approximately 58% to the 20 trading day volume weighted average price of the Series 6 Shares on the TSX up to and including February 2, 2016. RONA's board of directors has unanimously approved the arrangement agreement.
Completion of the Arrangement is conditional upon approval of at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the common shareholders at the special meeting to be held on March 31, 2016 for such purpose (the "Meeting") and satisfaction of other customary conditions including regulatory approvals in Canada and the issuance of a final order by the Québec Superior Court. Preferred shareholders will vote on the Arrangement as a separate class of securities and their participation in the Arrangement will require the approval of 66 2/3% of the votes cast by holders of preferred shares represented in person or by proxy at the Meeting. However, completion of the Arrangement is not conditional on approval by the preferred shareholders and, if the requisite approval of the preferred shareholders is not obtained, the Series 6 Shares and Series 7 Shares will be excluded from the Arrangement and will remain outstanding in accordance with their terms. It is expected that the Arrangement will be completed in the second half of 2016.
A copy of the arrangement agreement, the information circular and related documents have been filed with Canadian securities regulators and are available on RONA's profile at www.sedar.com.
The Series 6 Shares and the Series 7 Shares have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons, absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This News Release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation, or sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated timing of the Meeting and the anticipated timing for completion and the outcome of the Arrangement, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Canadian securities legislation and regulations. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "plan," "foresee," "believe" or "continue" or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct.
In respect of the forward-looking statements and information concerning the anticipated timing of the Meeting and the anticipated timing for completion and the outcome of the Arrangement, the Corporation has provided such in reliance on certain assumptions that it believes are reasonable at this time, including assumptions as to the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, court, and shareholder approvals, including but not limited to the receipt of applicable foreign investment approval required in Canada; that the business of the Meeting concludes as anticipated; the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the closing of the Arrangement including that there be no material adverse effect and that registered holders of common shares shall not have exercised their rights to demand repurchase of their common shares with respect to more than 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Corporation; and other expectations and assumptions concerning the Arrangement. The anticipated dates provided may change for a number of reasons, such as the inability to secure the necessary shareholder, regulatory or court approvals in the time assumed or the need for additional time to satisfy the other conditions to the completion of the Arrangement. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding certain key elements of the Corporation's objectives, strategic priorities, management's current expectations and plans, and in obtaining a better understanding of the Corporation's business and anticipated operating environment as at and for, the periods ended on certain dates and the reader is cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Investors and others are cautioned that undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statements.
Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Risks and uncertainties inherent in the nature of the Arrangement include the failure of the parties to obtain the necessary shareholder, regulatory and court approvals, including those noted above, or to otherwise satisfy the conditions to the completion of the Arrangement, in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to obtain such approvals, or the failure of the parties to otherwise satisfy the conditions to or complete the Arrangement, may result in the Arrangement not being completed on the proposed terms, or at all. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. For more information on the risks and uncertainties that could cause the Corporation's actual results to differ materially from current expectations, and about material factors or assumptions applied in making forward-looking statements, please also refer to the Corporation's public filings available at www.sedar.com. In particular, further details and descriptions of these and other factors are disclosed in the "Risks and uncertainties" section of the Corporation's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2015.
The forward-looking statements in this Press Release reflect the Corporation's expectations as at March 1st, 2016, and are subject to change after this date. The Corporation expressly disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by the applicable securities laws.
ABOUT RONA
RONA inc. is a major Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, building materials and home renovation products. The Corporation operates a network of nearly 500 corporate and independent affiliate stores of complementary formats. With its nine distribution centers, RONA serves its own network as well as many independent dealers operating under different banners, including Ace, for which RONA owns the licensing rights and is the exclusive distributor in Canada. With the help of its nearly 22,000 employees, the Corporation generates annual consolidated sales of $4.2 billion. For more information, visit www.rona.ca.
Contact Information:
Valerie Gonzalo
Media Relations
514-626-6976
media@rona.ca
Financial Community
Stephane Milot
Vice President - Development, Real Estate
and Investor Relations
514-599-5951
stephane.milot@rona.ca