UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Dated
July 03, 2024
Commission
File Number: 001-10086
VODAFONE GROUP
PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
(Translation
of registrant’s name into English)
VODAFONE
HOUSE, THE CONNECTION, NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, RG14 2FN,
ENGLAND
(Address
of principal executive offices)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form
20-F ✓
Form 40-F _
This
Report on Form 6-K contains a Stock Exchange Announcement dated 03
July 2024 entitled ‘VODAFONE ANNOUNCES FINAL RESULTS OF
TENDER OFFER’.
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO, OR TO ANY
PERSON RESIDENT AND/OR LOCATED IN, ANY JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH
RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IS UNLAWFUL
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT
QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE
MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU)
596/2014 AS IT FORMS PART OF DOMESTIC LAW IN THE UNITED KINGDOM BY
VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018
VODAFONE GROUP PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY ANNOUNCES FINAL RESULTS OF
ANY AND ALL TENDER OFFER FOR ITS 4.125% NOTES DUE MAY
2025
(Newbury, Berkshire - England) - July 3, 2024 - Vodafone Group Plc
("Vodafone" or the "Company") announced today the results of its
previously announced offer to purchase for cash any and all of its
outstanding 4.125% Notes due May 2025 (the "Any and All
Notes"), which were made upon the terms of and subject to the
conditions in the offer to purchase dated June 25,
2024 (the "Offer to Purchase") and the accompanying notice of
guaranteed delivery (the "Notice of Guaranteed Delivery," and
together with the Offer to Purchase, the "Tender Offer
Documents"), including the New Financing
Condition.
On June 28, 2024, the Company closed
the offering of $2,000,000,000 5.750% Notes due 2054 and
$1,000,000,000 5.875% Notes due 2064 (together, the "New Notes").
The proceeds from the issuance of the New Notes, together with
existing cash balances, are expected to fund the Any and All Tender
Offer. As a result, the New Financing Condition has been
satisfied with respect to the Any and All Tender
Offer.
The offer to purchase with respect to the Any and All Notes is
referred to herein as the "Any and All Tender Offer". Capitalised
terms not otherwise defined in this announcement have the same
meaning as assigned to them in the Offer to Purchase.
The Any and All Tender Offer expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City
time, on July 2, 2024 (the "Any and All Expiration Time"). In
accordance with the terms of the Any and All Tender Offer, the
Company is accepting for purchase any and all of the Any and All
Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn.
The following table sets forth the aggregate principal amount of
Any and All Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Any and All
Expiration Time and not validly withdrawn, according to information
provided by Kroll Issuer Services Limited, the Information and
Tender Agent (the "Information and Tender Agent") for the Any and
All Tender Offer:
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Title of Security
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CUSIP / ISIN
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Principal Amount Previously Outstanding
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Principal Amount Tendered(1)
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All Validly Tendered Notes Accepted?
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Principal Amount Remaining Outstanding(2)
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Any and All Purchase Price Consideration(3)
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4.125%
Notes due May 2025
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92857WBJ8
/ US92857WBJ80
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$1,500,000,000
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$766,002,000
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Yes
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$733,998,000
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$989.84
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(1)
The principal amount of Any and All Notes listed in the table above
includes $130,000 aggregate principal amount of Any and All Notes
that were tendered pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures,
the acceptance of which remains subject to the valid delivery at or
prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 5, 2024 (the
"Guaranteed Delivery Date") of such Any and All Notes, pursuant to
the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to
Purchase.
(2)
The principal amount of Any and All Notes remaining outstanding
listed in the table above assumes that the Any and All Notes
tendered pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures will be
validly tendered at or prior to the Guaranteed Delivery Date and
accepted for purchase pursuant to the Any and All Tender
Offer.
(3)
Per $1,000 in principal amount of the Any and All Notes validly
tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Any and All
Expiration Time or the Guaranteed Delivery Date pursuant to the
Guaranteed Delivery Procedures, and accepted for
purchase.
In addition to the Any and All Purchase Price Consideration,
Holders whose Any and All Notes are accepted for purchase will be
paid the Accrued Interest. Interest will cease to accrue on the Any
and All Settlement Date for all Any and All Notes accepted in the
Any and All Tender Offer.
In respect of accepted Any and All Notes that were delivered at or
prior to the Any and All Expiration Time, the Company expects the
Any and All Settlement Date to occur on the third business day
after the Any and All Expiration Time, July 8, 2024. In respect of
accepted Any and All Notes that are delivered pursuant to the
Guaranteed Delivery Procedures, the Company expects the Guaranteed
Delivery Settlement Date to occur on the business day after the
Guaranteed Delivery Date, July 8, 2024.
For the avoidance of doubt, holders of the Maximum Tender Offer
Notes (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) may validly tender such
Maximum Tender Offer Notes, subject to the terms and conditions set
forth in the Offer to Purchase, at or prior to the Early Tender
Time (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), being 5:00 p.m., New
York City time, on July 9, 2024 and/or at or prior to the Maximum
Tender Expiration Time (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), being
5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 24, 2024.
For additional information, please contact the Dealer Managers,
Merrill Lynch International at +1 (888) 292-0070 (toll free), +1
(980) 387-3907 or +44 207 996 5420 (in London) or by email to
DG.LM-EMEA@bofa.com and to Santander US Capital Markets LLC at +1
(855) 404-3636 (toll free) or +1 (212) 350-0660 or by email to
AmericasLM@santander.us. or the Information and Tender Agent, Kroll
Issuer Services Limited at +44 20 7704 0880 or by email to
vodafone@is.kroll.com, Attention: Owen Morris.
This announcement is for informational purposes
only and does not constitute an offer to buy, or a solicitation of
an offer to sell, any security. No offer, solicitation, or sale
will be made in any jurisdiction in which such an offer,
solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. The Any and All Tender
Offer is only being made pursuant to the Offer to Purchase. Holders
of the Any and All Notes are urged to carefully read the Offer to
Purchase before making any decision with respect to the Any and All
Tender Offer.
The New Notes were issued pursuant to a registration statement
(File No. 333-273441) filed on Form F-3ASR with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission. Any investment decision to
purchase any New Notes should be made solely on the basis of the
information contained in the prospectus dated July 26, 2023, as
supplemented by the prospectus supplement dated June 25, 2024
(together, the "Company Prospectus"), and no reliance is to be
placed on any representations other than those contained in the
Company Prospectus. The distribution of this announcement in
certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose
possession this announcement comes are required by each of the
Company, the Dealer Managers and the Information and Tender Agent
to inform themselves about and to observe any such
restrictions.
The distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may
be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this
announcement comes are required by each of the Company, the Dealer
Managers and the Information and Tender Agent to inform themselves
about and to observe any such restrictions.
This announcement is made by Vodafone Group Plc and contains
information that qualified or may have qualified as inside
information for the purposes of Article 7(1) of the Market Abuse
Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as it forms part of domestic law in the
United Kingdom by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act
2018 (the "EUWA") ("UK MAR"), encompassing information relating to
the Any and All Tender Offer described above. For the purposes of
UK MAR and Article 2 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU)
2016/1055 as it forms part of domestic law in the United Kingdom by
virtue of the EUWA, this announcement is made by Maaike de Bie,
Group General Counsel and Company Secretary of
Vodafone.
Offer and Distribution Restrictions
Italy
None of the Any and All Tender Offer, this announcement, the Offer
to Purchase or any other document or material relating to the Any
and All Tender Offer has been or will be submitted to the clearance
procedures of the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la
Borsa ("CONSOB") pursuant to Italian laws and regulations. The Any
and All Tender Offer is being carried out in the Republic of Italy
("Italy") as an exempt offer pursuant to article 101-bis, paragraph
3-bis of the Legislative Decree No. 58 of February 24, 1998, as
amended (the "Financial Services Act") and article 35-bis,
paragraph 4 of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of May 14, 1999, as
amended. Holders or beneficial owners of the Any and All Notes that
are resident or located in Italy can tender Notes for purchase in
the Any and All Tender Offer through authorised persons (such as
investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to
conduct such activities in Italy in accordance with the Financial
Services Act, CONSOB Regulation No. 20307 of February 15, 2018, as
amended from time to time, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of
September 1, 1993, as amended) and in compliance with any other
applicable laws and regulations and with any requirements imposed
by CONSOB or any other Italian authority.
Each intermediary must comply with the applicable laws and
regulations concerning information duties vis-à-vis its
clients in connection with the Any and All Notes and/or the Any and
All Tender Offer.
United Kingdom
The communication of this announcement and the Offer to Purchase
and any other documents or materials relating to the Any and All
Tender Offer is not being made by and such documents and/or
materials have not been approved by an "authorised person" for the
purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act
2000 ("FSMA 2000"). Accordingly, such documents and/or materials
are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the
general public in the United Kingdom. The communication of such
documents and/or materials is exempt from the restriction on
financial promotions under section 21(1) of the FSMA on the basis
that it is only directed at and may only be communicated to: (1)
persons who are outside of the United Kingdom; (2) investment
professionals falling within the definition contained in Article
19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial
Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Financial Promotion Order"); (3) those
persons who are existing members or creditors of the Company or
other persons falling within Article 43(2) of the Financial
Promotion Order; or (4) any other persons to whom such documents
and/or materials may lawfully be communicated in accordance with
the Financial Promotion Order (all such persons together referred
to as "relevant persons"). This announcement, the Offer to Purchase
and any other documents or materials relating to the Any and All
Tender Offer are only available to relevant persons. Any person who
is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or
any of its contents.
France
The Any and All Tender Offer is not being made, directly or
indirectly, and neither this announcement, the Offer to Purchase
nor any other document or material relating to the Any and All
Tender Offer has been or shall be distributed, to the public in the
Republic of France other than to qualified investors as defined in
Article 2(e) of the Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus
Regulation"). Neither this announcement, the Offer to Purchase nor
any other document or material relating to the Any and All Tender
Offer has been or will be submitted for clearance to nor approved
by the Autorité des Marchés
Financiers.
Belgium
Neither this announcement, the Offer to Purchase nor any other
brochure, documents or materials relating to the Any and All Tender
Offer has been, or will be, submitted or notified to, or approved
or recognized by, the Belgian Financial Services and Markets
Authority ("Autorité des services et
marchés financiers"/"Autoriteit voor
Financiële Diensten en Markten"). In Belgium, the Any and All Tender Offer does
not constitute a public offering within the meaning of Articles 3,
§1, 1° and 6, §1 of the Belgian Law of April 1, 2007
on public takeover bids ("loi relative aux offres
publiques d'acquisition"/"wet op de openbare
overnamebiedingen"), as amended
or replaced from time to time. Accordingly, the Any and All Tender
Offer may not be, and is not being advertised, and this
announcement, the Offer to Purchase, as well as any brochure, or
any other material or document relating thereto (including any
memorandum, information circular, brochure or any similar document)
may not, has not and will not be distributed or made available,
directly or indirectly, to any person located and/or resident
within Belgium, other than to "qualified investors"
("investisseurs
qualifiés"/"qekwalificeerde
belegge"), within the meaning
of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation acting on their own
account. Insofar as Belgium is concerned, the Any and All Tender
Offer is made only to qualified investors, as this term is defined
above. Accordingly, the information contained in this announcement,
the Offer to Purchase or in any brochure or any other document or
material relating thereto may not be used for any other purpose or
disclosed or distributed to any other person in
Belgium.
General
This announcement does not constitute an offer to buy or the
solicitation of an offer to sell the Any and All Notes (and tenders
of Any and All Notes in the Any and All Tender Offer will not be
accepted from Holders) in any circumstances in which such offer or
solicitation or acceptance is unlawful. In those jurisdictions
where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the Any and
All Tender Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer and any
Dealer Manager or any of the Dealer Managers' affiliates is such a
licensed broker or dealer in any such jurisdiction, the Any and All
Tender Offer shall be deemed to be made by such Dealer Manager or
such Dealer Manager's affiliate, as the case may be, on behalf of
the Company in such jurisdiction.
Each tendering Holder participating in the Any and All Tender Offer
will be deemed to give certain representations in respect of the
jurisdictions referred to above and generally as set out in the
section titled "Description of the Offers-Procedures for Tendering
Notes-Other Matters" in the Offer to Purchase. Any tender of the
Any and All Notes for purchase pursuant to the Any and All Tender
Offer from a Holder that is unable to make these representations
will not be accepted. Each of the Company, the Dealer Managers and
the Information and Tender Agent reserves the right, in its sole
and absolute discretion, to investigate, in relation to any tender
of Any and All Notes for purchase pursuant to the Any and All
Tender Offer, whether any such representation given by a Holder is
correct and, if such investigation is undertaken and as a result
the Company determines (for any reason) that such representation is
not correct, such tender shall not be accepted.
Forward-Looking Information
This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements which
reflect the Company's intent, beliefs or current expectations about
the future and can be recognised by the use of words such as
"expects," "will," "anticipate," or words of similar meaning. These
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of any future
performance and are necessarily estimates reflecting the best
judgment of the senior management of the Company and involve a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking
statements. As a consequence, these forward-looking statements
should be considered in light of various important factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or
projections contained in the forward-looking statements, which
include, without limitation, the risk factors set forth in the
Offer to Purchase. The Company cannot guarantee that any
forward-looking statement will be realised, although it believes it
has been prudent in its plans and assumptions. Achievement of
future results is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions
that may prove to be inaccurate. Should known or unknown risks or
uncertainties materialise, or should underlying assumptions prove
inaccurate, actual results could vary materially from those
anticipated, estimated or projected. The Company undertakes no
obligation to update publicly or release any revisions to these
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances or to
reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required
by applicable law.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorised.
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VODAFONE
GROUP
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PUBLIC
LIMITED COMPANY
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(Registrant)
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Date:
July 03, 2024
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By: /s/ M D B
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Name: Maaike de Bie
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Title: Group General Counsel and Company Secretary
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