Result of Second General Meeting and Scheme Entitlements
In connection with the proposals for the combination of JPMorgan Japan Small Cap Growth & Income plc (the "Company" or "JSGI") with JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust plc ("JFJ") by way of a scheme of reconstruction and voluntary winding up of the Company under section 110 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (the "Scheme"), the Board of the Company is pleased to announce the result of the Second General Meeting and Shareholders' entitlements under the Scheme.
Defined terms used in this announcement have the meanings given in the Company's circular to Shareholders dated 19 September 2024 (the "Circular").
Result of Second General Meeting
The Company announces that the special resolution to place the Company into members' voluntary liquidation was voted on and approved by Shareholders at the Second General Meeting held earlier today. Accordingly, Gareth Rutt Morris and Jonathan Dunn, both of FRP Advisory Trading Limited of Kings Orchard, 1 Queen Street, Bristol BS2 0HQ, have been appointed as joint liquidators of the Company. Details of the number of votes cast for, against and withheld in respect of the resolution, which was held on a poll, is set out below and will also be published on the Company's website www.jpmjapansmallcapgrowthandincome.co.uk.
- A ‘vote withheld’ is not a vote in law and will not be counted in the calculation of the proportion of the votes for and against the resolution.
The full text of the special resolution is set out in the Notice of Second General Meeting contained in the Circular.
Suspension and Cancellation of Shares
The Company's Reclassified Shares were suspended from listing on the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority and from trading on the London Stock Exchange at 7.30 a.m. this morning, 24 October 2024, in anticipation of the Second General Meeting.
The Company, through its advisers, has notified the Financial Conduct Authority and the London Stock Exchange of the Company's intention to cancel the Company's admission of the Reclassified Shares to listing and trading at 8:00 a.m. on 25 October 2024.
Results of election
The Board of the Company is pleased to announce the following Elections in connection with the Scheme:
- Rollover Option: 21,166,023 Shares
- Cash Option: 32,740,626 Shares
The Cash Option, which is limited to 25 per cent. of the Shares in issue, was therefore oversubscribed. Accordingly, the Basic Entitlement of all Shareholders who have validly elected or deemed to have elected for the Cash Option will be accepted in full and Excess Applications for the Cash Option will be scaled back into New JFJ Shares on a pro rata basis. Excess Applications will be satisfied to the extent of approximately 14.728827 per cent of the Excess Applications made.
Accordingly, after scaling back Excess Elections, 75 per cent. of the Company's Shares will roll over into JFJ, with the balance receiving the Cash Option.
Entitlements under the Scheme
As at the Calculation Date, Shareholders’ entitlements under the Scheme calculated in accordance with the terms of the Scheme were as follows:
- JSGI Rollover FAV per Share: 356.946798 pence
- JSGI Cash FAV per Share: 342.474527 pence
- JFJ FAV per share: 617.638780 pence
Therefore, Shareholders will receive the following cash and/or number of JFJ Shares.
For Shareholders that elected (or are deemed to have elected) to receive JFJ Shares:
- each Reclassified Share with "A" rights attached to it will receive 0.577922 JFJ Shares.
Fractional entitlements to JFJ Shares will not be issued under the Scheme and entitlements will be rounded down to the nearest whole number. No cash payment will be made or returned in respect of any fractional entitlements, which will be retained for the benefit of JFJ.
For Shareholders that elected for the Cash Option:
- each Reclassified Share with "B" rights attached to it will receive 342.474527 pence in cash.
As noted in the Circular, the Directors have set aside sufficient assets in the Liquidation Pool to meet all estimated liabilities and contingencies, including the costs of the winding up of the Company and the costs of implementing the Scheme. The Directors have also provided in the Liquidation Pool for a retention of £100,000 which they, together with the joint Liquidators, consider sufficient to meet any unknown or unascertained liabilities of the Company.
The Liquidation Pool will be applied by the joint Liquidators in discharging all current and future, actual and contingent liabilities of the Company and any balance remaining after discharging such liabilities from the Liquidation Pool will in due course be distributed to Shareholders on the Register on the Effective Date pro rata to their respective holdings of JSGI Shares in accordance with the terms of the Scheme.
In accordance with the Scheme, Shareholders will receive their JFJ Shares; (i) in relation to holders in CREST, via CREST on 25 October 2024; and (ii) in relation to certificated shareholders, in certificated form by 8 November 2024.
Following the appointment of the Liquidators, all further enquiries regarding the Company should be made to the Liquidators, whose contact details are below.
Pre-liquidation Dividend
As announced on 1 October 2024, the pre-liquidation dividend of 3.7 pence per Share was paid on 21 October 2024 to those Shareholders who were on the register as at close of business on 11 October 2024.
The Circular regarding the scheme of reconstruction and voluntary winding up can be found here.
and at the National Storage Mechanism at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism
For further information please contact:
Liquidators : +44(0) 117 203 3700
Gareth Morris
Susan Evans