PRESS RELEASE
Public takeover offer by Kublai GmbH
Successful completion of the takeover offer for Tele Columbus
– Together with the stake held by United Internet, Kublai will hold a total of 91,96 percent of all Tele Columbus shares after closing of the takeover offer
– With the antitrust clearance by the EU Commission on April 12, 2021, the transaction can be completed
– Closing of the offer and payment expected on April 19, 2021
– The current members of the Supervisory Board will resign from office with effect from the end of the next Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled for the end of May, in order to allow for a replacement
– Start of the rights offering guaranteed by Kublai in the amount of
EUR 475 million expected at the end of April
– Dr. Daniel Ritz, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tele Columbus AG: “The successful takeover offer and the capital increase pave the way for sustainable, organic growth for Tele Columbus”
Berlin, 14 April 2021. Tele Columbus AG (ISIN: DE000TCAG172, WKN: TCAG17), one of Germany’s leading fiber network operators, today announces that with the antitrust clearance granted on April 12, 2021, all offer conditions have been fulfilled. This means that the takeover offer by Kublai GmbH, backed by Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, can be completed.
By the end of the further acceptance period on April 1, 2021, the takeover offer was accepted for a total of 79.158.047 shares. This equals a stake of approximately 62,06 percent in Tele Columbus. As part of the closing of the offer, United Internet will also contribute its stake of around 29.90 percent to Kublai. This increases the shareholding to 91,96 percent. The parties received antitrust clearance from the EU Commission on April 12, 2021 and the relevant Clearance Certificate of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy on March 30, 2021. This means that the final conditions to the successful completion of the transaction have been fulfilled. Closing of the offer is scheduled for April 19, 2021.
In view of the forthcoming change of control, the current members of the Supervisory Board have announced today that they will resign from office with effect from the end of the next Annual General Meeting. The next ordinary Annual General Meeting is planned to take place by the end of May. Kublai has announced that it will appoint new members to the Supervisory Board after the closing of the offer in order to be represented according to the size of its shareholding as previously communicated in the Offer Document. The new members proposed by Kublai are to be elected at the next Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled for the end of May.
“We are pleased that the offer has been accepted by so many shareholders and that all regulatory approvals have been granted. This is great news for all parties involved. This means that the capital increase, which was approved in January 2021, can be launched before the end of April and we can go ahead with the implementation of our strategy at full speed. The successful takeover offer and the capital increase pave the way for sustainable, organic growth for Tele Columbus in light of the Fiber Champion strategy. I look forward to working with Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and United Internet,” says Dr. Daniel Ritz, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tele Columbus AG.
The Fiber Champion strategy presented in August 2020 aims to create a sustainable capital structure and enable substantial investments in the fiber roll-out in Germany. Over the next ten years, the company plans to invest EUR 2 billion in network infrastructure and fiber roll-out and as well as significantly increase internet penetration via open access.
After the closing of the takeover offer, the planned rights offering in the amount of EUR 475 million is expected to start at the end of April 2021. Kublai guarantees the rights offering.
Further information on the takeover offer is available at www.faser-angebot.de.
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About Tele Columbus
Tele Columbus AG is one of Germany’s leading fibre network operators, which reaches more than three million homes. Through its brand PŸUR, the Company offers high-speed internet including telephony and more than 250 TV channels on a digital entertainment platform that combines linear TV with video on demand entertainment. To its housing as-sociation partners the Tele Columbus Group offers tailored models of cooperation and state-of-the-art services such as telemetric and tenant portals. As a full-service partner for municipalities and regional utilities, the Company is actively supporting the fibre-based infrastructure and broadband internet expansion in Germany. For its business customers, the Group offers carrier services and corporate solutions on its proprietary fibre network. Besides its headquarter in Berlin, the Company has locations in Hamburg, Leipzig, Ratingen and Unterföhring. Since January 2015, Tele Columbus AG is listed on the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock exchange.
Disclaimer
This release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements reflect the Company’s current knowledge and expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and assumptions may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements.
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