FC Private Equity Realty Management Corp. (“
Firm
Capital”) and Telsec Property Corporation
(“
Telsec” and, together with Firm Capital, the
“
Offerors”), announced today that, further to
their press release of October 25, 2024, the Offerors have formally
commenced their offer (the “
Tender Offer”) to
acquire up to 1,296,316 participating trust units (the
“
Trust Units”) of Melcor Real Estate Investment
Trust (TSX: MR.UN) (“
Melcor REIT”) from holders
thereof other than Melcor Developments Ltd. (“
Melcor
Developments”) and any related party of Melcor REIT or
Melcor Developments (“
Minority Unitholders”) at a
price of $4.95 per Trust Unit, payable in cash.
The Tender
Offer is not a formal or exempt take-over bid under Canadian
securities laws and regulations and is limited to a maximum of
1,296,316 Trust Units.
Each depositing Minority Unitholder whose Trust
Units are taken up and paid for must be a holder as of the record
date (the “Record Date”) for the upcoming special
meeting (the “Special Meeting”) of unitholders of
Melcor REIT being held to vote on the recently announced going
private transaction led by Melcor Developments, the founder, 55%
owner, and the external manager of Melcor REIT (the “Take
Under Offer”), such Record Date and Special Meeting
currently scheduled as October 22, 2024, and November 26, 2024,
respectively.
Minority Unitholders should accept the Tender
Offer for the following reasons:
-
Immediate Liquidity: The Tender Offer provides
Minority Unitholders who wish to tender to the Take Under Offer
with the opportunity to liquidate ownership in Melcor REIT without
requiring, or waiting for, unitholder approval for the Take Under
Offer. Firm Capital and Telsec – who collectively own or control
12.2% of the issued and outstanding voting units of Melcor REIT –
intend to vote all Trust Units held and taken up under the Tender
Offer against the Take Under Offer on its current terms. If it
appears that the Take Under Offer may succeed, Firm Capital and
Telsec may exercise their right to dissent under the Take Under
Offer.
-
Definite and Reliable: The Tender Offer is
definite with no financing requirement and provides guaranteed
consideration to Minority Unitholders. The Offerors confirm that
they have sufficient cash resources to pay for all Trust Units
subject to the Tender Offer.
-
Inadequate Take Under Offer and Problematic
Management: If the Take Under Offer is defeated, Firm
Capital and Telsec intend to use their expanded holdings to hold
Melcor REIT accountable for the benefit of all stakeholders:
-
Despite framing the Take Under Offer as a “premium” to Unitholders,
the price actually represents a discount of ~46% to IFRS NAV (being
$9.09, which valuation has been recently supported by third parties
in connection with asset sales by Melcor REIT) and a discount to
$5.00, being the closing price of the Trust Units of the TSX on
January 29, 2024 – approximately three weeks preceding the
announcement of the distribution cut by Melcor REIT.
- The
Offerors believe that Melcor REIT should, at a minimum, be paying
the missing distributions for 2024 to Unitholders – totaling ~$0.44
per Trust Unit – given its cash position and apparent lack of any
justifiable reason to not do so. Furthermore, Melcor REIT should
have factored the distribution cut into accepting the price under
the Take Under Offer.
- The
Offerors had offered Melcor Developments and Melcor REIT support
for a revised bid of $6.50 per Trust Unit, a price that represents
a premium of ~30% to $5.00 and still a discount to NAV, plus
payment of unpaid distributions of ~$0.04 from February to the
proposed closing date of the Take Under Offer. Melcor Developments
and Melcor REIT have ignored the Offerors proposal without any
legitimate reason to do so – especially in light of such clear
rationale for such proposal – highlighting the clear and obvious
issues with management of Melcor REIT and the terms of the Take
Under Offer.
The Tender Offer is subject to certain terms and
conditions as set out in the Tender Offer Documents which, unless
waived, must be satisfied. In particular, the Tender Offer
Documents provide that each depositing Minority Unitholder whose
Trust Units are taken up and paid for must appoint representatives
of the Offerors as its nominees and proxies for the Special
Meeting. In addition, each depositing Minority Unitholder whose
Trust Units are taken up and paid for will not be entitled to
participate in the Take Under Offer (if it closes) with respect to
such Trust Units, including any revised terms thereof, or any
distribution on such deposited Trust Units.
The Tender Offer is open for acceptance by
Minority Unitholders on a rolling “first come, first served” basis
until the earlier of (i) 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on November 18,
2024, or (ii) 1,296,316 Trust Units are taken up and paid for by
the Offerors, unless the Tender Offer is extended, varied or
withdrawn. Deposited Trust Units may be withdrawn at any
time prior to the time they are taken up by the
Offerors.
All cash payments under the Tender Offer will be
made in Canadian Dollars.
Minority Unitholders are advised to seek
independent legal, financial and tax advice with respect to the
Tender Offer and the consequences of the consummation of the
transactions contemplated thereby.
Full details of the Tender Offer are now
available in the offer letter, letter of transmittal and any
ancillary documentation thereto (the “Tender
Offer Documents”) made available to unitholders of
Melcor REIT. Minority Unitholders can visit Melcor REIT’s SEDAR+
profile on www.sedarplus.ca to access the Tender Offer
Documents.
Firm Capital and Telsec’s Advisors
The Offerors have engaged Norton Rose Fulbright
Canada LLP as legal advisor and Shorecrest Group Ltd. as proxy
advisor and depositary and information agent.
Early Warning Disclosure
Telsec, a corporation controlled by Dick Van
Grieken, announced that it has filed an amended early warning
report related to the Tender Offer given that the Tender Offer
represents a change in a material fact disclosed in the previously
filed early warning report. Telsec owns 650,000 Trust Units, which
when taken together with the 2,301,714 Trust Units held by Van
Grieken family members, represent approximately 10.1% of the Trust
Units of Melcor REIT (in each case assuming the exchange of the
Class B Limited partnership units of a subsidiary limited
partnership of Melcor REIT, which Class B Limited partnership units
are economically equivalent to and exchangeable for Trust Units on
a one-for-one basis). The holdings of Telsec on its own represent
approximately 2.2% of the Trust Units.
As disclosed in Telsec’s October 22, 2024 press
release, in connection with the Take Under Offer, Telsec began to
engage with and supports Firm Capital in respect of its opposition
to the proposed transaction. Firm Capital is the manager of certain
entities that hold Trust Units. As a result of this relationship it
is possible that Telsec and the entities managed by Firm Capital
that hold Trust Units could be considered to be joint actors under
applicable securities laws. Accordingly, out of an abundance of
caution and in the interest of full transparency, the entities
managed by Firm Capital own or control an aggregate of 544,730
Trust Units and hold $500,000 principal amount of debentures which
are convertible into a total of 56,180 Trust Units and which when
taken together with the Trust Units owned by Telsec and the Van
Grieken family members, represent approximately 12.2% of the Trust
Units (assuming the exchange of the Class B Limited partnership
units of the subsidiary limited partnership of Melcor REIT referred
to above).
The early warning disclosure provided in this
portion of the news release is being provided in accordance with
National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related
Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues in connection with the
filing of an early warning report dated October 28, 2024. A copy of
the early warning report relating to the above will be available
under Melcor REIT’s profile on SEDAR + at www.sedarplus.ca.
About Firm Capital
FC Private Equity Realty Management Corp. is a
leading real estate private equity investment firm in Toronto,
Canada.
About Telsec
Telsec Property Corporation is a leading real
estate developer in Calgary, Canada with commercial flex
industrial, retail, office, and residential property for lease and
sale.
Unitholder Questions
For further information regarding the Tender
Offer, please contact:
Shorecrest Group
Ltd.North American Toll-Free: 1-888-637-5789Calls outside North
America: 647-931-7454Email: contact@shorecrestgroup.com
Additional Information
The Offerors are relying on the exemption under
section 9.2(4) of National Instrument 51-102 – Continuous
Disclosure Obligations to make this public broadcast
solicitation.
Any solicitation made by the Offerors in advance
of the Special Meeting is, or will be, as applicable, made by the
Offerors, and not by or on behalf of management of Melcor REIT. All
costs incurred for any solicitation will be borne by the Offerors,
provided that, subject to applicable law, the Offerors may seek
reimbursement from Melcor REIT for out-of-pocket expenses,
including proxy solicitation expenses and legal fees.
Any proxies solicited by the Offerors may be
solicited in reliance upon the public broadcast exemption to the
solicitation requirements under applicable Canadian corporate and
securities laws, conveyed by way of public broadcast, including
press release, speech or publication, and by any other manner
permitted under applicable Canadian securities laws. In addition,
solicitation may be made by mail, telephone, facsimile, email or
other electronic means as well as by newspaper or other media
advertising and in person by representatives of the Offerors in
accordance with Canadian securities laws and regulations. All costs
incurred for such solicitation will be borne by the Offerors. The
Offerors have also retained Shorecrest Group Ltd. as their proxy
advisor and depositary and information agent under the Tender
Offer. Shorecrest Group Ltd. will receive an anticipated fee of
$75,000 for its services plus ancillary payments and disbursements.
A registered Minority Unitholder (other than those attached to
Trust Units taken up and paid for by the Offerors) may revoke a
proxy by instrument in writing, including a proxy bearing a later
date. The instrument revoking the proxy may be executed by the
Minority Unitholder or Minority Unitholder’s attorney authorized in
writing and deposited at the registered office of Melcor REIT at
any time up to and including the last business day preceding the
date of the meeting, or an adjournment or postponement thereof at
which the proxy is to be used, or with the chair of the meeting on
the day of the meeting or an adjournment of the meeting, or in any
other manner permitted by law or set out in the amended and
restated declaration of trust of Melcor REIT, provided that, in
each circumstance, a copy of such revocation has been delivered to
Shorecrest Group Ltd. at its principal office at 250 University
Ave., Suite 211 Toronto, Ontario M5H 3E5 during business hours
prior to the Trust Units relating to such proxy having been taken
up and paid for under the Offer. A beneficial Minority Unitholder
may revoke a form of proxy or voting instruction form given to an
intermediary at any time by written notice to the intermediary in
accordance with the instructions given to the beneficial Minority
Unitholder by its intermediary. Beneficial Minority Unitholders
should contact their broker for assistance in ensuring that forms
of proxies or voting instructions previously given to an
intermediary are properly revoked.
Other than in respect of the Take Under Offer,
none of the Offerors nor, to their knowledge, any of their
associates or affiliates, have any material interest, direct or
indirect, in any transaction since the commencement of Melcor
REIT’s most recently completed financial year, or in any proposed
transaction which has materially affected or will materially affect
Melcor REIT or any of its subsidiaries. None of the Offerors nor,
to their knowledge, any of their associates or affiliates, have any
material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial
ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter to be acted
upon at any upcoming unitholders’ meeting (including the Special
Meeting), other than as set out herein.
Based upon publicly available information,
Melcor REIT’s registered office and head office is located at 900,
10310 Jasper Av., Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 1Y8, Canada. A copy of
this press release may be obtained on Melcor REIT’s SEDAR+ profile
at www.sedarplus.com.Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Information
Certain statements contained in this press
release, including without limitation statements regarding taking
up and paying for Trust Units deposited under the Tender Offer,
benefits of the Tender Offer and the Offerors’ assessment of Melcor
REIT’s future prospects, immediate liquidity and guaranteed value
for Minority Unitholders and actions that will be taken if the Take
Under Offer is blocked, contain “forward-looking information” and
are prospective in nature. Statements containing forward-looking
information are not based on historical facts, but rather on
current expectations and projections about future events, and are
therefore subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from the future outcomes
expressed or implied by the statements containing forward-looking
information. Often, but not always, statements containing
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of
forward-looking words such as “plans”, “expects”, “intends”,
“anticipates”, or variations of such words and phrases or
statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”,
“should”, “would”, “might”, or “will” be taken, occur or be
achieved. Although the Offerors believe that the expectations
reflected in statements containing forward-looking information
herein made by it (and not, for greater certainty, any
forward-looking statements attributable to Melcor REIT) are
reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and
undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Material
factors or assumptions that were applied in formulating the
forward-looking information contained herein include the assumption
that the business and economic conditions affecting Melcor REIT’s
operations will continue substantially in the current state,
including, without limitation, with respect to industry conditions,
general levels of economic activity, continuity and availability of
personnel, local and international laws and regulations, foreign
currency exchange rates and interest rates, inflation, taxes, that
there will be no unplanned material changes to Melcor REIT’s
operations, and that Melcor REIT’s public disclosure record is
accurate in all material respects and is not misleading (including
by omission). The Offerors caution that the foregoing list of
material factors and assumptions is not exhaustive. Many of these
assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the
control of the Offerors and there is no assurance that they will
prove correct. Important facts that could cause outcomes to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking
information include, among other things, actions taken by Melcor
REIT in respect of the Tender Offer, the extension or variation of
the Tender Offer by the Offerors, the content of subsequent public
disclosures by Melcor REIT, the failure to satisfy the conditions
to the Tender Offer or waiver thereof by the Offerors, the ultimate
outcome of the Take Under Offer, general economic conditions,
legislative or regulatory changes and changes in capital or
securities markets. These are not necessarily all of the important
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those expressed in any of the Offerors’ forward-looking
information. Other unknown and unpredictable factors could also
impact outcomes. Statements containing forward-looking information
in this press release are based on Offerors’ beliefs and opinions
at the time the statements are made, and there should be no
expectation that such forward-looking information will be updated
or supplemented as a result of new information, estimates or
opinions, future events or results or otherwise, and the Offerors
disclaim any obligation to do so, except as required by applicable
law.
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