EQS-News: SWOCTEM GmbH publishes acceptance rate for voluntary public takeover offer for shares of Klöckner & Co SE after expiry of initial acceptance period

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO, WITHIN, OR FROM ANY COUNTRY WHERE SUCH PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH COUNTRY.

SWOCTEM GmbH publishes acceptance rate for voluntary public takeover offer for shares of Klöckner & Co SE after expiry of initial acceptance period

• Acceptance rate is 2.77 % after expiry of the first acceptance period
• Additional acceptance period for shareholders of Klöckner & Co SE begins on April 29, 2023, and ends on May 12, 2023, 24:00 (local time Frankfurt am Main) resp. 18:00 (local time New York) 

April 28, 2023 – SWOCTEM GmbH, 100 % of whose shares are directly held by Prof. Dr.-Ing. E.h. Friedhelm Loh, today announced the acceptance rate for the voluntary public takeover offer for shares of Klöckner & Co SE after the expiry of the first acceptance period. Up to the reporting deadline on April 25, 2023, the offer has been accepted for a total of 2,762,114 Klöckner Shares. This corresponds to a share of approximately 2.77 % of the registered share capital and the existing voting rights of Klöckner & Co SE. The total number of Klöckner & Co SE Shares for which the offer was accepted as of the reporting date plus the Klöckner & Co SE Shares held directly as of the reporting date amounts to 29,895,025 Klöckner & Co SE Shares, which corresponds to 29.97 % of the share capital and voting rights. Including the financial instruments acquired by SWOCTEM GmbH within the meaning of Section 38 para. 1 sentence 1 no. 1 WpHG, the total number of Klöckner & Co SE Shares amounts to 32,687,139 Klöckner & Co SE Shares, which corresponds to a share of 32.77 % of the share capital and the voting rights.

Shareholders of Klöckner & Co SE who have not yet accepted the offer may tender their shares during a further acceptance period from April 29, 2023, until May 12, 2023, 24:00 (local time Frankfurt am Main) resp. 18:00 (local time New York). The cash offer price in the amount of 9.75 Euro per share of Klöckner & Co SE complies with the statutory requirements. The offer does not contain a minimum acceptance threshold. The closing of the offer is subject to antitrust and other regulatory approvals.

The offer document for the offer (in German and as a non-binding translation in English) and other information in connection with the offer are published on the internet at https://www.offer-swoctem.com.

Important Notice:

This announcement constitutes neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares in Klöckner & Co SE. The Offer itself as well as its final terms and conditions and other provisions relating to the Offer are communicated in the Offer Document, the publication of which has been permitted by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, “BaFin”). Investors and shareholders of Klöckner & Co SE are strongly advised to read the Offer Document and all other documents relating to the Offer carefully, as they contain important information.

The offer will be governed exclusively by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and certain applicable provisions of the securities laws of the United States of America (the “United States“). Any contract formed by acceptance of the offer will be governed exclusively by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Shareholders of Klöckner & Co SE whose place of residence, incorporation, or habitual abode is in the United States should note that the offer is made in respect of securities of a company which is a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act“), and the shares of which are not registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. The offer is being made in the United States in reliance on the Tier II exemption from certain requirements of the Exchange Act and is principally governed by disclosure and other regulations and procedures of the Federal Republic of Germany, which are different from those of the United States. To the extent that the offer is subject to the securities laws of the United States, such laws only apply to shareholders of Klöckner & Co SE whose place of residence, incorporation, or habitual abode is in the United States, so no other person has any claims under such laws.

It may be difficult for shareholders of Klöckner & Co SE whose place of residence, incorporation, or habitual abode is outside the Federal Republic of Germany to enforce rights and claims subject to the laws of a country other than their country of residence, incorporation, or habitual abode, in particular since Klöckner & Co SE is organized under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and registered with a commercial register maintained in the Federal Republic of Germany, and some or all of its directors and officers may be residents of a country other than the country of residence, incorporation, or habitual abode of the relevant shareholder of Klöckner & Co SE. Shareholders of Klöckner & Co SE may not be able to sue in a court in their country of residence, incorporation, or habitual abode, a foreign entity or its directors and officers for violations of the laws of their country of residence, incorporation, or habitual abode. Further, it may be difficult to compel a foreign entity or its affiliates to subject themselves to a judgment of a court in the country of residence, incorporation, or habitual abode of a shareholder of Klöckner & Co SE.

SWOCTEM GmbH and its affiliates or brokers (acting as agents of SWOCTEM GmbH or its affiliates, if any) may, to the extent permitted by applicable laws or regulations, directly or indirectly acquire shares in Klöckner & Co SE or enter into agreements to acquire shares outside of the offer before, during or after the term of the offer. This also applies to other securities convertible into, exchangeable for or exercisable for shares of Klöckner & Co SE. These purchases may be concluded via the stock exchange at market prices or outside the stock exchange on negotiated terms. If such purchases or agreements to purchase are made, they will be made outside the United States and will comply with applicable law, including, to the extent applicable, the Exchange Act. All information regarding such purchases will be disclosed in accordance with the laws or regulations applicable in Germany or any other relevant jurisdiction and on the website of SWOCTEM GmbH at https://www.offer-swoctem.com. To the extent that information on such purchases or purchase agreements is published in Germany, such information shall also be deemed to be publicly disclosed in the United States. In addition, the financial advisors of the Bidder may also act in the ordinary course of trading in securities of Klöckner & Co SE, which may include purchases or agreements to purchase such securities.

To the extent any announcements in this document contain forward-looking statements, such statements do not represent facts and are characterized by the words “will”, “expect”, “believe”, “estimate”, “intend”, “aim”, “assume”, “consider” and similar expressions. Such statements express the intentions, opinions or current expectations and assumptions of SWOCTEM GmbH and the persons acting together with it. Such forward-looking statements are based on current plans, estimates and forecasts, which SWOCTEM GmbH and the persons acting together with it have made to the best of their knowledge, but which they do not claim to be correct in the future. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and usually cannot be influenced by SWOCTEM GmbH or the persons acting together with it. It should be kept in mind that actual events or consequences may materially differ from those contained in or expressed by such forward-looking statements.

About SWOCTEM GmbH:

SWOCTEM GmbH, based in Haiger, Hesse, serves to hold and manage domestic and foreign corporate investments. The sole shareholder is Prof. Friedhelm Loh.

Contact:

SWOCTEM GmbH I Rudolf-Loh-Straße 1 I 35708 Haiger

registered with the commercial register of the local court (Amtsgericht) of Wetzlar, Germany,

under HRB 3483

Media Contact:

Alexander Schmidt

Gauly Advisors

[email protected]

M +49 151 22 939 765