Economy
Shareholders Okays Delisting of 7up Bottling Company From NSE
**To Get N125 Per Share Payment
By Dipo Olowookere
The delisting of Seven Up Bottling Company Plc from the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has been approved by shareholders of the firm.
As a result of the approval, shareholders of the company will now be paid N125 per share instead of the N112.70 kobo earlier proposed by the board to shareholders.
They will likely begin to get paid from next Monday.
The decision to delist 7up Bottling Company Plc from the stock exchange was reached at an Extra Ordinary Meeting (EGM) of the firm held yesterday at the Grand Ball Room of Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos.
The meeting was ordered by a court sitting in Lagos.
On December 5, 2017, a Federal High Court in Lagos directed that a meeting of the holders of the fully paid-up ordinary shares of Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc (SBC) be convened for the purpose of considering and if thought fit, approving (with or without modification) a Scheme of Arrangement between Seven Up Bottling Company Plc and the holders of its fully paid ordinary shares (the Scheme).
It was gathered that the delisting process of the firm started when the majority shareholders of Seven Up Bottling Company Plc, Affelka S.A, proposed to acquire all the outstanding and issued shares of the soft drink company not currently owned by Affelka.
It involved the transfer of 171,542,574 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each, with a nominal value of N85,771,287 comprising of the company’s issued and paid up share capital representing the minority shares.
Through the scheme, the shares would be transferred to Sparkplexi Limited, a subsidiary of Affelka S.A the majority shareholder.
At the conclusion of the process, Affelka and Sparkplexi would be the remaining shareholders of Seven Up Bottling Company Plc, with Affelka owning 73.22 percent and Sparkplexi owning 26.78 percent.
Following the scheme, the company will be re-registered as a private limited liability company pursuant to the relevant provision of the Company and Allied Matters Acts (CAMA).
However the company noted in the scheme of arrangement to shareholders that the financial performance of the company over the last couple of years has been predominantly negative, as a result of the myriad of challenges imposed by the unfavourable macro-economic environment, such as sharp currency devaluation resulting in a massive escalation in the cost of raw materials, distribution and other operating costs including overheads, high debt servicing costs due to increases in interest rates and borrowing expenses.
The company added that this is further exacerbated by the extremely competitive environment from existing and new privately owned entrants, flooding the market with cheaper products which makes the company unable to pass on the increased costs to the end consumer.
Accordingly, the board said it believes that the operating dynamics of the company were unlikely to improve in the foreseeable future and that, in the absence of a comprehensive corporate and financial restructuring, the company’s shareholder book value of equity, which lost 47 percent year on year in full year 2017, would be further eroded by the continued losses.
Going forward, Seven Up Bottling Company board said it believes that the current arrangement should create considerable benefits and opportunities’ for the employees and other stakeholders of the company; for instance protection of minority shareholders who experienced 47 percent erosion in shareholder book value of equity in the last financial year.
The restructuring will enable Affelka to provide the support required for Seven Up Bottling Company to shore up the balance sheet and capital required for maintaining and expanding the business. Enhance product portfolio which will enable the company to better compete with its industry competitors, both existing and new entrants and be better positioned to address consumers changing needs. And reinforcement of Affelka’s long term commitment to Seven Up Bottling Company as one of the leading manufacturing companies in Nigeria.
With the final approval given yesterday, shareholders of Seven Up Bottling Company would be paid a cash consideration (as defined in the Scheme Document) by Affelka and/or Sparkplexi, a wholly owned subsidiary of Affelka for the transfer of the said Scheme Shares.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government has been asked by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to suspend the implementation of the controversial tax laws.
In a reaction to the tax reform acts, the president of the group, Mr Afam Osigwe (SAN), the suspension of the laws would allow for a proper investigation into allegations of alterations in the gazetted and harmonised copies.
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that some parts of the laws passed by the parliament were different from the gazetted copy.
To address the issues raised, the NBA said it is “imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process.”
“Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” the association declared.
It noted that the controversies “raise grave concerns about the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process.”
“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” it noted.
“Legal and policy uncertainty of this magnitude has far-reaching consequences. It unsettles the business environment, erodes investor confidence, and creates unpredictability for individuals, businesses, and institutions required to comply with the law. Such uncertainty is inimical to economic stability and should have no place in a system governed by the rule of law.
“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy demands that laws, especially those with profound economic and social implications, emerge from processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach. Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens the foundation upon which lawful governance rests.
“We therefore call on all relevant authorities to act swiftly and responsibly in addressing this controversy, in the overriding interest of constitutional order, economic stability, and the preservation of the rule of law,” the organisation stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Demand for hot stocks, including MRS Oil Plc, buoyed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.52 per cent on Tuesday, December 23.
The energy company was one of the three price gainers for the session as it chalked up N19.69 to sell at N216.59 per share versus the previous day’s value of N196.90 per share.
Further, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N2.95 to close at N56.75 per unit versus N53.80 per unit and Golden Capital Plc appreciated by 84 Kobo to N9.29 per share from Monday’s N8.45 per share.
Consequently, the market capitalisation went up by N10.95 billion to N2.125 trillion from N2.125 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 18.31 points to 3,570.37 points from 3,552.06 points.
Yesterday, the NASD bourse recorded a price loser, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), which gave up 17 Kobo to close at N33.70 per unit against the previous trading value of N33.87 per unit.
The volume of securities traded at the session went down by 97.6 per cent to 297,902 units from the previous day’s 12.6 million units, the value of securities decreased by 98.5 per cent to N10.5 million from N713.6 million, and the number of deals remained flat at 32 deals.
By value, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc ended as the most actively traded stock on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units exchanged for N16.4 billion. This was followed by Okitipupa Plc, which traded 178.9 million units valued at N9.5 billion, and MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units worth N4.9 billion.
In terms of volume, also on a year-to-date basis, InfraCredit Plc led the chart with a turnover of 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc ranked second with 1.2 billion units sold for N420.7 million, while Impresit Bakolori Plc followed with the sale of 536.9 million units valued at N524.9 million.
By Dipo Olowookere
It was another bullish trading session for the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as it closed higher by 0.59 per cent on Tuesday.
The market further rallied due to continued interest in large and mid-cap stocks on the exchange by investors rebalancing their portfolios for the year-end.
Yesterday, Aluminium Extrusion sustained its upward trajectory after it further appreciated by 9.96 per cent to N14.90, as Austin Laz gained 9.81 per cent to close at N2.91, Custodian Investment improved by 9.69 per cent to N38.50, and First Holdco soared by 9.35 per cent to N50.30.
Conversely, Royal Exchange declined by 7.22 per cent to N1.80, Champion Breweries shrank by 6.57 per cent to N15.65, NASCON lost 5.36 per cent to trade at N105.05, Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 5.28 per cent to N3.77, and Japaul went down by 4.51 per cent to N2.33.
At the close of business, 29 shares ended on the gainers’ table and 27 shares finished on the losers’ log, representing a positive market breadth index and bullish investor sentiment.
This raised the All-Share Index (ASI) by 895.06 points to 153,354.13 points from 152,459.07 points and lifted the market capitalisation by N579 billion to N97.772 trillion from the previous day’s N97.193 trillion.
VFD Group finished the day as the busiest stock after it recorded a turnover of 192.0 million units worth N2.1 billion, GTCO exchanged 63.5 million units valued at N5.6 billion, Access Holdings traded 49.8 million units for N1.0 billion, First Holdco sold 45.8 million units valued at N2.3 billion, and Secure Electronic Technology transacted 38.3 million units worth N28.4 million.
In all, market participants bought and sold 677.4 million units valued at N20.8 billion in 27,589 deals compared with the 451.5 million units worth N13.0 billion traded in 33,327 deals on Monday, showing an improvement in the trading volume and value by 50.03 per cent and 60.00 per cent apiece, and a shortfall in the number of deals by 17.22 per cent.
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