DGAP-Adhoc: AEVIS Holding SA plans to develop a field of activity dedicated to the hotel industry and launches a public tender offer for the luxury hotel group Victoria-Jungfrau Collection AG
24.10.2013 – 17:43
AEVIS Holding SA / Key word(s): Offer 24.10.2013 17:35 Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 KR --------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Opportunity for existing Victoria-Jungfrau Collection AG shareholders to sell their shares at a premium of 37.0% over the average share price Today, AEVIS Holding SA (AEVIS) has published the pre-announcement of a public tender offer for the hotel group Victoria-Jungfrau Collection AG (Victoria-Jungfrau Collection). This tender offer, launched at a price of CHF 250.00 per share includes a 37.0% premium compared to the 60-day VWAP and is a unique opportunity for existing shareholders of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection to sell their shares in the light of the de-listing of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection's shares from the SIX Swiss Exchange and the BX Berne eXchange, the last trading day being 29 November 2013. In the event of a successful offer, Victoria-Jungfrau Collection would become a new and independently managed subsidiary of AEVIS focusing solely on hotel activities. AEVIS plans to continue the repositioning of the hotels of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection initiated by the current management, to promote organic growth by investing into the modernisation of the hotels and to develop this new business division with the addition of other hotels in Switzerland in the spirit of what has been achieved with the network of private clinics Genolier Swiss Medical Network (GSMN). Existing strategy to be pursued and continuity for employees and management The various key shareholders and the Board of Directors of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection have been contacted and informed about this friendly offer. If the offer was successful, the Board of Directors of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection would be recomposed and strengthened around the existing members. AEVIS has solid know-how in the hotel business thanks to its key shareholder and Board member Michel Reybier and its CFO Gilles Frachon. AEVIS would support the current strategy of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection and does not foresee any changes for the management or the employees of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection. The hotel group would be developed as an independent subsidiary of AEVIS. Public tender offer AEVIS and its key shareholders EMER Holding SA (Michel Reybier) and HR Finance & Participations SA (Antoine Hubert and Géraldine Hubert-Reynard) currently hold 7.8% of the shares of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection. On 21 October 2013, AEVIS, Michel Reybier, Antoine Hubert and Géraldine Hubert-Reynard entered into an agreement regarding the acquisition and holding of a stake in Victoria-Jungfrau Collection and the launch of a public tender offer by AEVIS. AEVIS offers existing shareholders of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection CHF 250.00 in cash for each share of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection (Ticker: VIJN). The offer price represents a premium of 37.0% above the volume-weighted average share price over the last 60 trading days (VWAP). The public tender offer is subject to various conditions one of which being that AEVIS and its key shareholders hold, together with the shares tendered in the public offer, 51% of the shares of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection by the end of the offer period. Further details of the offer have been announced in today's public pre-announcement. The definitive offer is expected to be published on or around 8 November 2013. With Victoria-Jungfrau Collection, AEVIS continues to diversify its service offering to people Switzerland offers considerable tourism potential and AEVIS will strengthen its market position with the addition of Victoria-Jungfrau Collection while diversifying its revenue streams. Victoria-Jungfrau Collection with its four strategic locations in Switzerland is an ideal base to develop this new area of business. AEVIS plans to further develop the hotel business and to contribute to the turnaround of the existing hotels. The company and its shareholders have a proven track record in successfully repositioning companies. Within AEVIS, the hotel activities could achieve a similar importance as the clinic network of GSMN in terms of assets and revenues in the mid-term. Substantial synergies could be developed in property management, finance, procurement, training and marketing activities. With its better-aging brand Nescens, AEVIS already has a link between the fields of activity of cosmetics (Laboratoires Genolier CSPV SA), healthcare (check-up centres in the clinics), aesthetics (Clinique Nescens - Paris Spontini) and the hotel business (SPAs - La Réserve hotels). For further information: AEVIS Holding AG Media and Investor Relations: c/o Dynamics Group, Zurich Edwin van der Geest, vdg@dynamicsgroup.ch, +41 (0) 43 268 32 35 or +41 (0) 79 330 55 22 Philippe R. Blangey, prb@dynamicsgroup.ch, +41 (0) 43 268 32 35 or +41 (0) 79 785 46 32 About AEVIS Holding AEVIS Holding SA invests in the healthcare sector, life sciences, services to people and lifestyle. AEVIS's main shareholdings are Genolier Swiss Medical Network, the second largest group of private clinics in Switzerland, Swiss Healthcare Properties AG, a company specialised in medical real estate, Nescens SA, a brand dedicated to better aging, and AS Ambulances Services SA. AEVIS wishes to progressively develop new sectors of activity, amongst others in the sector of outpatient surgical centres, radiology and dental medicine and hotel or hotel-related activities. AEVIS is listed on the Domestic Standard segment of the SIX Swiss Exchange under the ticker AEVS.SW. 24.10.2013 News transmitted by EQS Schweiz AG. The issuer is responsible for the contents of the release. EquityStory publishes regulatory releases, media releases on the capital market and press releases. The EquityStory Group distributes authentic and real-time financial news for over 1'300 listed companies. The Swiss news archive can be found at www.equitystory.ch/news ---------------------------------------------------------------------------