Atos Offer to Acquire Bull Approved
Atos and Bull together announced the successful completion of the tender offer launched by Atos for all the issued and outstanding shares in the capital of Bull. The transaction represents a key milestone in the creation in Europe of a world leader in Cloud, Cyber security, and Big Data.
The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) published today the outcome of the tender offer targeting Bull’s outstanding shares and OCEANEs between June 27 and July 31, 2014 included (report filed on August 11, 2014 under the registration number 214C1660). 103,145,480 shares and 10,792 convertible bonds (“OCEANEs”) were tendered to the offer.
As of the settlement date set on August 18, 2014, Atos will consequently hold 84.25% of Bull’s share capital and voting rights based on the total number of shares outstanding as of July 31, 2014, and 18.41% of the company’s OCEANEs in circulation. The offer’s success was subject to reaching a 50% + 1 share threshold of Bull’s share capital and voting rights in accordance with the offer document approved by the AMF on June 24, 2014. This condition was met.
In accordance with the provisions of Article 232-4 of the AMF General Regulation, the offer will be reopened during 10 trading days according to a calendar that will be published soon by the AMF, with the same offer prices of € 4.90 per share and € 5.55 per OCEANE.
This combination will enhance the new entity’s #1 position in Cloud services in Europe, create a leader in Big Data, and Cyber security services with over 2,000 dedicated experts and anchor its global leadership in Managed Services and Systems Integration. Complementary technologies will further increase Atos’ businesses impact and the relevance of its innovative offerings.
Thierry Breton, Chairman and CEO of Atos said: “The success of the public offer represents a key step in our development project and I warmly welcome among us Bull’s 9,200 employees. Thanks to them, Atos enters a new dimension with a stronger positioning in Cloud, Cyber security and Big Data. The new group will also be strengthened in Managed Services and Systems Integration. We can now launch the integration phase without further delay and start reorganizing and regrouping operations to generate the synergies announced.”
Philippe Vannier, Chairman and CEO of Bull Group, commented: “I welcome this outcome. The combination with Atos will give birth to a new industry leader and a recognized IT brand in Europe. The new entity will become #1 in Cloud private services in Europe and one of the key players in cyber security and Big Data.”
