Applegreen goes private as founders and Blackstone tie up £653m deal
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Irish petrol station and roadside convenience operator Applegreen has agreed to a bid from a consortium led by investment company Blackstone.
The deal values the firm at 718.1m euro, a premium of around 48 per cent on the firm’s share price on the day of the bid.
The buyout will see the firm go private.
The firm operates 559 sites across Ireland, the UK and in the US, with the latter properties largely formed from a buyout of Welcome Break in 2018.
Blackstone Infrastructure Partners have joined with newly-formed B&J Holdings – owned by Applegreen’s founders Robert Etchingham and Joseph Barrett – to secure the deal.
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Should it go through, it will be the sixth big deal he has overseen with a foreign buyer.
But it could be gatecrashed by a rival bidder. American private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners said it was mulling making a higher offer after its first approach was rejected.
Rudd jis a serial chairman who presided over a string of controversial mergers and sales since 2006. This included offloading glass maker Pilkington to Nippon Sheet Glass for £2billion in 2006.
He sold a division of the celebrated industrial Invensys to Siemens in 2012 and the rest of Invensys to French group Schneider Electric for £4.3billion in 2013.
Applegreen duo say private ownership best for massive spend plans Founding directors have joined forces with unit of US investor Blackstone in €718m bid
Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 09:24 Updated: Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 19:10
Applegreen’s two founding directors and main shareholders, who have joined forces with a part of US investment giant Blackstone to bid €718 million for the fuel forecourt retailer, say the business is now better off in private hands as it prepares for large investments in electric car charging facilities and US highway service areas.
The company’s independent directors, led by chairman Danny Kitchen, have also decided to unanimously recommend the €5.75-per-share takeover bid, highlighting the constraints on Applegreen borrowing heavily as a listed company, particularly amid Covid-19, to take advantage of “significant” growth opportunities, they said in a statement on Tuesday.
Applegreen Agrees EUR718 Million Takeover By Founders, Blackstone
Tue, 22nd Dec 2020 09:42
(Alliance News) - Applegreen PLC on Tuesday announced that it has agreed to a EUR718.1 million takeover offer made by the Causeway Consortium.
Applegreen operates a number of petrol stations in Ireland, the UK and the US.
The Causeway Consortium is a company owned by Blackstone Infrastructure Partners and B&J Holdings Ltd, which is wholly-owned by Applegreen founders Robert Etchingham and Joseph Barrett. B&J Holdings holds a 41% stake in Applegreen.
Under the acquisition s terms, Causeway will acquire Applegreen for EUR5.75 in cash - the same price touted earlier in December - being a 48% premium to the stock s closing price of EUR3.88 on December 9, the last business day before the publication of the possible offer announcement.
Applegreen plc to go private once the transaction is completed.
The Irish company s shareholders will get £5.23 per share in cash.
A consortium led by Blackstone Infrastructure Partners and B&J Holdings Limited struck a takeover deal with Applegreen plc (LON: APGN) on Tuesday. As per sources, the deal values the Dublin-headquartered gas station operator at roughly £652.73 million.
Applegreen shares were reported about 1% up in premarket trading on Tuesday and jumped another 3% on market open. Including the price action, the Irish company is now a little under 10% up in the stock market. If you are interested in investing in the stock market online, you will need a reliable stockbroker – here’s a list of the top few to make selection easier for you.