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Pininfarina outlined its recapitalisation
plan and revealed that Vincent Bolloré, Tata Limited, the Italian
businessmen Alberto Bombassei and Piero
Ferrari, and the Marsiaj family have all
expressed an interest in taking part. |
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The Shareholders’ Meeting of
Pininfarina S.p.A., convened on Monday in ordinary and
extraordinary session, meeting under the chairmanship of
Andrea Pininfarina:
1. Approved the 2007 Annual Report of
Pininfarina S.p.A. and reviewed the consolidated financial
statements, which confirm that the improvement in EBITDA
announced during the year is continuing and show a net loss
of 114.5 million euros caused mainly by extraordinary
writedowns of loans receivable and other assets (69.5
million euros);
2. Reviewed projections for the current year, which
underscore the Company’s unwavering commitment to a
continuous improvement in profitability;
3. Reviewed and approved the industrial and financial growth
plan developed with the advisory support of Roland Berger
and Rothschild, which is designed to relaunch the Company by
leveraging its excellence in manufacturing, developing a
Pininfarina electric car, strengthening its balance sheet
and financial position, and maximizing the value of the
Pininfarina brand;
4. Was informed of the additional disclosures provided to
supplement the information contained in the Annual Report,
as requested by the Consob on April 24, 2008;
5. Decreased from nine to eight the number of Directors who
sit on the Board and authorized the purchase and disposition
of up to 400,000 treasury shares;
6. Authorized the Board of Directors, for a period of up to
5 years, to carry out a contributory share capital increase
to be implemented, in one or more installments, through the
issuance of common shares that eligible shareholders may
acquire through the exercise of subscription rights, for a
maximum amount of 100 million euros, including additional
paid-in capital;
7. Amended the Articles of the Bylaws that concern the
deadline for convening Shareholders’ Meetings and the limit
on the number of governance posts that may be held by
Statutory Auditors, making them consistent with recent
changes in the applicable regulations
The Pininfarina family will underwrite
its pro rata share of the capital increase, exercising the
rights it will receive, relying in part on the support of
new investors. In this regard, in addition to Vincent
Bolloré, who has already stated his willingness to support
the capital increase, Tata Limited, the Italian businessmen
Alberto Bombassei and Piero Ferrari, and the Marsiaj family
have expressed an interest in such a transaction.
The table below shows the operating and
financial highlight for 2007 and provides a comparison with
those at December 31, 2006:
(amounts in millions of euros) |
2007 |
2006 |
Amount of change |
Production value |
670.4 |
588.8 |
+81.6 |
EBITDA |
12.8 |
-11.9 |
+24.7 |
Result from operations |
-33.8 |
-43.5 |
+9.7 |
Extraordinary writedowns |
-69.5 |
- |
-69.5 |
EBIT |
-103.3 |
-43.5 |
-59.8 |
Net profit (loss) |
-114.5 |
-21.9 |
-92.6 |
Net financial position |
-185.4 |
-120.9 |
-64.5 |
Shareholders’ equity |
39.0 |
155.1 |
-116.1 |
EBITDA represent the profit or loss from
operations before depreciation, amortization and additions
to provisions/The result from operations is equal to EBIT
before deducting extraordinary writedowns/EBIT represent the
profit or loss from operations.
Pursuant to of Article 154 bis, Section
2, of the Uniform Finance Code, Gianfranco Albertini, in his
capacity as Corporate Accounting Documents Officer, declares
that the accounting information provided in this press
release is consistent with the information in the supporting
documents and in the Company’s other documents and
accounting records.
1. 2007 RESULTS OF THE PININFARINA GROUP
The 2007 value of production shows an
increase of 13.9% compared with the amount reported in 2006,
reflecting the positive impact of the Ford Focus Coupé
Cabriolet order in its first year of full production. EBITDA
were positive by about 12.8 million euros, confirming that
the turnaround that began in the last few quarters is
continuing and gaining momentum. When a comparison is made
with the negative EBITDA of 11.9 million euros reported in
2006, the Groups’ performance is even more impressive, with
EBITDA growing by 24.7 million euros.
The result from operations (loss of 33.8 million euros) also
improved, compared with a loss of 43.5 million euros in
2006, reflecting the contribution of efficiency gains at the
Group’s Italian production facilities. The programs
implemented to increase operating efficiency and reduce
fixed costs succeeded in bringing the Group back to
profitability at the EBITDA level, but the benefits they
produced were not large enough to offset the cost of
depreciating the capital assets in which the Group invested
in previous years in anticipation of substantially higher
production volumes than those achieved in 2007. Moreover,
the result from operations reflects in part the reduced
contribution provided by gains on asset sales, which in 2007
were 7 million euros less than the previous year.
EBIT were adversely affected by the need
to adjust the carrying values of the Group’s assets to a
level consistent with the projections of the new industrial
and financial plan. Based on the results of an impairment
test of loans receivable and other assets, the Company
decided to recognize extraordinary writedowns to adjust
downward the value of these assets, adding an extraordinary
charge of 69.5 million euros to already negative EBIT. The
impairment test was based on the production volumes already
billed to customers and on a conservative estimate of
volumes to end of contracts, compared with original
investment payback projections.
Net financial expense totaled 10.6
million euros, as against net financial income of 20.8
million euros in 2006. However, the amount reported in 2006
included extraordinary financial income of 22.8 million
euros generated by the sale of trading securities. Net of
non-recurring components, the increase in financial expenses
is due to a rise in average indebtedness, the writedown of
loans receivable and a reduction in interest income caused
by the lower volumes generated by some production orders.
The profit contributed by the Pininfarina
Sverige joint venture amounted to 3.3 million euros, as
against a loss of 0.9 million euros at December 31, 2006.
The Group’s Swedish operations have benefited from the
continuing commercial success of the Volvo C70, both in
Europe and the United States.
The loss for the year, which includes
taxes of 3.8 million euros (tax benefit of 1.7 million euros
at December 31, 2006), totaled 114.5 million euros, compared
with a loss of 21.9 million euros in 2006. The loss for the
year accounts for most of the reduction in shareholders’
equity, which decreased by 116.1 million euros, falling from
155.1 million euros in 2006 to 39 million euros at December
31, 2007. The net financial position was negative by 185.4
million euros. The deterioration of 64.5 million euros,
compared with a negative balance of 120.9 million euros at
the end of 2006, is chiefly the result of a writedown of
loans receivable amounting to 53.6 million euros.
An analysis of the data by business
segment shows that the manufacturing operations generated
value of production of 536.1 million euros (19.5% more than
in 2006), which is equal to 80% of total consolidated value
of production (up from 76% the previous year). For the
reasons mentioned above, EBIT attributable to this business
segment were negative by 106.7 million euros (loss of 44.9
million euros in 2006).
The service operations, which include
design, industrial design and engineering, reported value of
production of 134.3 million euros (140.3 million euros at
December 31, 2006), equal to 20% of total consolidated value
of production (compared with 24% the previous year). EBIT
attributable to this business segment were positive by 3.3
million euros, more than double the 1.4 million euros earned
in 2006, This increase is the result of an improved
performance by the Group’s international operations and
reflects growth in services provided to non-Group
manufacturers.
The table below shows the operating and
financial highlight of Pininfarina S.p.A., the Group’s
Parent Company:
(amounts in millions of euros) |
2007 |
2006 |
Amount of change |
Production value |
576.2 |
518.6 |
+57.6 |
EBITDA |
6.5 |
-15.0 |
+21.5 |
Result from operations |
-36.3 |
-41.8 |
+5.5 |
Extraordinary writedowns |
-69.5 |
- |
-69.5 |
EBIT |
-105.9 |
-41.8 |
-64.1 |
Net profit (loss) |
-117.4 |
-16.5 |
-100.9 |
Net financial position |
-157.4 |
-91.9 |
-65.5 |
Shareholders’ equity |
56.1 |
173.5 |
-117.4 |
To a very significant extent, the
comments provided when reviewing the consolidated data are
also applicable to those of Pininfarina S.p.A. Considering
the Company’s operating performance in 2007 and in view of
current negotiations to reschedule/refinance its
indebtedness, the Shareholders’ Meeting did not approve a
dividend distribution.
2. OUTLOOK FOR 2008
Projections for the current year call for EBITDA to show
significant growth, rising to more than 5% of the value of
production, due to the following factors:
- A sharp improvement in the performance
of the manufacturing operations, thanks to the launch of new
versions of the Alfa Spider and Ford Focus Coupé Cabriolet;
- Building on a trend that began in the second half of 2007,
a further reduction in fixed and variable costs, which will
be achieved by steadily raising efficiency levels and
streamlining the manufacturing organization;
- The launch of service activities related to the
development of an electric car.
The result from operations is expected to
show a significant improvement, even though it will remain
negative.
At the end of 2008, the net financial position should not be
much different from the level shown in the preliminary
year-end data, due to the impact of the Financial Plan.
3. PRESENTATION OF THE INDUSTRIAL PLAN
AND FINANCIAL PLAN
The Industrial and Financial Plan
approved by the Board of Directors on March 10, 2008 was
presented to the Shareholders’ Meeting. The objectives of
the new Industrial Plan are to maximize opportunities in the
electric car business, refocus the Group’s contract vehicle
manufacturing services, expand its design and engineering
services and maximize the value of the Pininfarina Brand.
The Company intends to be a leader in the
market for electric vehicles, introducing by 2010 the first
luxury city car under the Pininfarina brand, with zero
emissions and zero fuel consumption. This project will thus
be fully consistent with the approved guidelines, as they
apply to strengthening manufacturing, leveraging knowhow and
maximizing brand value. In developing its innovative
electric car, Pininfarina will exploit both the outstanding
competencies of the entire Pininfarina Group in the areas of
design and product and process engineering and the knowhow
and strong competitive advantage provided by the cutting
edge technology developed by Bolloré, Pininfarina strategic
partner, in the production of the Lithium Metal Polymer
batteries that will be installed in the automobile, enabling
it to deliver a better performance than competing vehicles.
This new opportunity will allow the
Company to approach more selectively the contract vehicle
manufacturing business, with the specific goal of achieving
lower risk and higher profitability than under its current
contracts. The joint venture with Volvo will continue to be
a strategic asset for the Group in this area. The Group’s
Design and Engineering operations — which have grown
steadily in recent years enabling Pininfarina to achieve a
market share of more than 7% and rank among the top five
European companies in this industry — will be a further
source of growth: the Design organization, which recently
won accolades at the Geneva Motor Show for its Sintesi
concept car, will fully leverage its strong position in the
luxury goods market to seize opportunities created by
growing interest in “green tech design,” while the
Engineering activities will focus on integrating the proven
competencies of the Group’s organizations in Italy, France,
Germany and Morocco.
The main operating and financial
objectives are:
- EBITDA margin higher than 7% by 2010;
- Breakeven result from operations in 2009;
- A ratio of net financial position to EBITDA of less than
1.0x by 2010.
As announced when presenting the
preliminary year-end data and the draft financial
statements, the Company provided the market with exhaustive
information about the Industrial and Financial Plan approved
by the Board of Directors on March 10, 2008, both on the
occasion of a meeting with members of the financial
community and the financial press held at the Milan Stock
Exchange on Thursday, April 24, 2008 and by publishing the
English version of both presentations on its website the
same day.
4. ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES PROVIDED TO
SUPPLEMENT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE 2007 ANNUAL
REPORT OF PININFARINA SPA
By a communication dated April 24, 2008,
File No. DEM/8038769, Proceedings No. 20081569/1, the Consob,
the public authority responsible for regulating the Italian
securities market, acting pursuant to Article 114, Section
5, of Legislative Decree No. 58/98, asked the Company to
provide additional disclosures to supplement the information
contained in its 2007 Annual Report in response to a series
of requests for clarifications set forth in the
abovementioned communication.
As requested by the Consob, the remarks that follow provide
explanations with regard to each of the abovementioned
requests for clarifications.
1. Guidelines and objectives of the
industrial and financial plan, including launch and
marketing schedules for new products, main assumptions
underlying the abovementioned objectives and mention of
risks and uncertainties inherent in the feasibility of the
plan’s assumptions
The industrial and financial plan was
presented to the financial community on April 24, 2008. A
version in English was posted on the Company website the
same day. The plan was also discussed at the Shareholders’
Meeting and an Italian version will be posted later today on
the Company website. In addition to the documents already
presented and available on the Company website, the Company
also discloses that:
- On average, the design and engineering service operations
will account for 23% of the total revenues of the group
headed by Pininfarina S.p.A.;
- The Plan calls for the Group’s Contract Vehicle
Manufacturing (CVM) operations to introduce a new product in
2012;
- Under the Plan, manufacture of the electric car will begin
in 2010 with production starting at 2,000 units and ramping
up to 15,000 units at full capacity in 2012.
Insofar as the risks inherent in the overall implementation
of the plan are concerned, the Company believes that they
are not different from those entailed by any business
endeavor.
No problems are anticipated with regard
to the expected performance of the service operations, whose
contribution to total revenues was conservatively project to
hold steady at the level reported in 2007.
- The underlying assumptions applied to the new CVM product
call for the Company to assume smaller commercial and
financial risks, compared with the existing contracts, with
an attendant reduction in projected volumes, compared with
the two main current production contracts.
- As for the risks specifically related to the production
and marketing of an electric car, they arise from the degree
to which the market will be willing to accept a product that
embodies technologies and a manner of use that are
substantively different from those of products currently on
the market. Information about the opportunities available in
this business segment is provided in the presentation made
to the financial community of April 24 and today.
2. Remarks by the Board of Directors in
response to the qualifications contained in the reports of
the Independent Auditors and the Board of Statutory Auditors
regarding the existence of significant doubts about the
Company’s viability due to uncertainties about the project
to reschedule/refinance its bank debt and carry out a
related share capital increase.
The documents made available to the
shareholders in connection with the statutory and
consolidated financial statements at December 31, 2007 show
that the Independent Auditors retained to audit the
financial statements of Pininfarina S.p.A., in the report
provided pursuant to Article 156 of Legislative Decree No.
58/98, made reference “to the planned
rescheduling/refinancing of the bank indebtedness and the
related share capital increase, the outcome of which,
uncertain at this point, could raise significant doubt about
the Company’s future viability."
The Board of Statutory Auditors, in the report provided
pursuant to Article 153 of Legislative Decree No. 58/98 and
Article 2429, Section 3, of the Italian Civil Code, stated
that it concurred with the abovementioned qualification by
the Independent Auditors and, “consequently, considered the
successful conclusion of the rescheduling/refinancing of the
bank indebtedness and the related share capital increase of
fundamental importance for the Company’s future viability.”
The following considerations are in order with regard to
this issue:
The Board of Directors believes that the possibility of
executing a rescheduling/refinancing agreement is realistic,
since all of the banks that are expected to sign the
agreement have given the Company their full support.
Specifically, their support is demonstrated by the
well-known fact that, since December 2007, there has been in
place a moratorium of principal repayments owed by
Pininfarina S.p.A. under the existing loan agreements with
which all of the lender banks that are expected to be
parties to the abovementioned rescheduling/refinancing
agreement (with the exception of Fortis Bank S.A - N. V.)
have complied. The definition of the
rescheduling/refinancing agreement, which in all likelihood
will occur during an extension of the existing moratorium,
is expected to take place within a few weeks.
Once this agreement is executed, the share capital increase
will be carried out with the timing and terms decided by the
Board of Directors, consistent with the indications provided
in the accompanying report submitted with the motion to
grant the Board of Directors the power to increase the
Company’s share capital, pursuant to Article 2443 of the
Italian Civil Code, and described in the answer provided in
Item 7 below.
As explained repeatedly in the past, the Board of Directors
may exercise the power to increase the Company’s share
capital, provided such power is granted by today’s
Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting, only if the agreement
to reschedule/refinance the existing bank indebtedness that
is currently being negotiated can be concluded and, in any
case, taking into account conditions in the financial
markets. Against this background, the Company is also in
negotiations with major banks for the purpose of awarding
them the assignment of establishing a consortium to
guarantee the underwriting of the capital increase.
The Board of Directors, having been
informed of the advanced stage reached by the negotiations
of an agreement to reschedule/refinance the Company’s
indebtedness, believes that, under the circumstances, it is
highly likely that such an agreement will be reached
quickly. It is important to note that, irrespective of
market conditions and of the implementation of the share
capital increase, the Company is solvent and generates
sufficient cash flows to justify, over the medium term, the
definition of an agreement to reschedule/refinance its
existing bank indebtedness over a time horizon, consistent
with current market practices.
The accuracy of the situation described is also demonstrated
by the fact that the resources generated through the share
capital increase will be used to develop an electric car and
strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and financial
position and not to reduce indebtedness owed to the lender
banks, which, consistent with the terms of the
rescheduling/refinancing agreement, will benefit exclusively
from the cash flow generated by the Company’s operations.
The highly unlikely possibility that an agreement to
reschedule/refinance the Company’s debt could not be reached
with the lender banks would create some risk with regard to
the Company’s viability.
3. Business outlook with indication of
the main variables affecting the income statement, financial
position and balance sheet that the Company can reasonably
anticipate will be viewed by the market as necessary for an
informed decision about its expectations, and of the
uncertainties entailed by the process of quantifying these
expectations and determining the fiscal year in which the
Company will regain its overall economic equilibrium.
The expectations for the current year
were presented at the meeting with the financial community
held on April 24, 2008 and at the Shareholders’ Meeting. A
table with the highlights of the 2008 targets is included in
a presentation that can be downloaded from the Company
website and was distributed to the shareholder attending the
Shareholders’ Meeting. Early results for the current year
confirm that these targets are achievable. Under the plan,
breakeven at the operating level is projected for 2009. At
present, it is still impossible to determine the year when
bottom-line breakeven will be achieved because work is still
ongoing on the definition of the financial plan and,
consequently, assumptions about debt service costs in future
years are not yet sufficiently reliable.
4. Bank debt exposure, as of the most
recent date after December 31, 2007, listing the types of
facilities, amount of credit provided and used, currency,
maturity and status of each facility, with detailed
information about any debt collection actions taken by
banks, financial institutions or other parties.
At March 31, 2008, the gross indebtedness
of Pininfarina S.p.A. amounted to 604.4 million euros,
compared with 608.8 million euros at December 31, 2007. The
decrease is due exclusively to a reduced use of short term
credit lines. A breakdown of the balance at March 31, 2008
is as follows:
- Indebtedness for obligations under finance leases of 349.7
million euros;
- Indebtedness for bank financing facilities of 201.2
million euros;
- Indebtedness for utilization of short-term credit lines of
53.5 million euros.
Excluding the amount previous provided by
Fortis Bank S.A.- N.V. (10 million euros), the amount
currently available under short-term credit lines is 60
million euros. Pending the conclusion of an agreement to
reschedule the existing debt, the average maturity of
indebtedness owed under finance lease and bank facilities is
2.5 years. As for the distinction between current and
long-term debt, the long-term portion of the Company’s
indebtedness, when computed in accordance with the criterion
provided in IAS 1.65, amounts to 11.8 million euros. At
present, aside form the action filed by Fortis Bank S.A.-
N.V., which is discussed in Item 6 below, no credit
collection action has been taken by banks, financial
institutions or other parties.
5. Description of any financial
compliance covenants contained in the existing loan
agreements and information about them.
The existing loan agreements (including
contracts with leasing companies) do not contain financial
compliance covenants. However, some contract do include
commitments and obligations that are customary in such types
of credit facilities, including negative pledge clauses
(commitment to refrain from providing some lenders with
collateral or guarantees) and pari passu clauses applicable
to all lender banks. Pininfarina S.p.A. has scrupulously
complied with these clauses.
6. Detailed description of legal
initiative taken in connection with credit collection
actions by Fortis Bank S.A. – N.V. and/or other lenders
Thus far, Fortis Bank S.A. – N.V. is the
only bank that has filed a legal action against Pininfarina
S.p.A.
More specifically, as explained in the section of the Report
on Operations entitled “Significant Events Occurring Since
December 31, 2007,” on March 28, 2008, the Company was
served with a temporarily enforceable injunction for the
amount of about 35 million euros obtained by Fortis Bank S.A.
– N.V. on March 18, 2008.
This injunction is for the repayment in full of financing
provided on January 20, 2006, with respect to which, pending
the negotiation of the moratorium agreement, Pininfarina
S.p.A. failed to pay a single principal installment of
3,500,000 euros due on December 31, 2007, but did pay the
corresponding accrued interest.
By virtue of the abovementioned
injunction, Fortis Bank S.A. – N.V. entered a Court ordered
mortgage lien on Company buildings in Grugliasco, Beinasco
and Cambiano. On April 22, 2008, Pininfarina filed with the
Court of Milan a complaint challenging the temporarily
enforceable injunction notified by Fortis Bank S.A.- N.V.,
asking to Court:
- preliminarily, to void or, otherwise, suspend the
temporary enforceability of the challenged injunction;
- on the merit and in the main, find that the claim put
forth by Fortis Bank S.A.- N.V. does not exists and,
consequently, rule that the challenged injunction is void or
ineffective or, otherwise, void or revoke the abovementioned
injunction;
- alternatively, find that Fortis Bank S.A.- N.V. is only
entitled to the payment of a single principal installment
and, consequently, void or revoke the challenged injunction
or rule that it is void or ineffective or, otherwise, reduce
the amount of the challenged injunction.
In the meantime, on April 19, 2008,
Fortis Bank S.A.- N.V. notified an additional temporarily
enforceable injunction for about 10 million euros concerning
the repayment of financing provided to Pininfarina S.p.A.
pursuant to an agreement for the establishment of a credit
line executed in October 2004. With regard to this
agreement, Fortis Bank S.A.- N.V. availed itself of the ad
nutum cancellation clause, while a moratorium agreement was
being negotiated with all of the lender banks, even though
Pininfarina S.p.A. had performed all of its obligations
under this agreement.
The Company intends to challenge this
additional injunction on timely basis. The Company is
already in negotiations with Fortis Bank S.A.- N.V. to
quickly settle this dispute within the context of and
consistent with the broader negotiations that are being
carried out to reschedule/refinance the Company’s entire
debt exposure
7. Factors upon which the Directors will
base decisions about the timing and amount of the upcoming
share capital increase; update about the negotiation for the
establishment of a guarantee consortium and indications
about the willingness of the Company’s shareholders to
underwrite the share capital increase.
A. As explained in the report of the
Board of Directors that accompanies the motion to amend
Article 5 of the Bylaws for the purpose of delegating to the
Board of Directors the power to increase the Company’s share
capital, the power thus delegated will be exercised only
after an agreement to reschedule/refinance the Company’s
indebtedness is executed and consistent with the terms of
such an agreement.
In view of the abovementioned circumstances and in order to
allow maximum flexibility in the manner in which the share
capital increase will be carried out, the proposed
delegation of power would allow the Board of Directors to
increase the Company’s share capital — by a total amount of
about 100 million euros, including additional paid-in
capital — in one or more installments and, possibly, through
the use of warrants attached to the newly issued shares.
Moreover, the Board of Directors would have the power to
determine the timing of and any other issue related to the
share capital increase, including the subscription price,
taking into account conditions in the financial markets and
the price of the Company’s shares, in order to determine the
best possible moment for the implementation of the share
capital increase.
The timing and conditions of the share capital increase and
the determination whether warrants should be issued and/or
whether the share capital increase should be carried out in
one or more installments will be determined by the Board of
Directors consistent with the terms of the refinancing
agreement and any restrictions contained therein and, in any
case, taking into account market conditions and the price of
the Pininfarina shares. At this point, no decision has been
made with regard to these issues because, as explained in
Item 2 above, the Company is currently in negotiations with
its lender banks, which have agreed since December 1, 2007
to a moratorium of principal repayments, to define the terms
of an agreement to reschedule/refinance the existing
indebtedness.
B. As for the guarantee consortium, in
March, the Company began negotiations with two major banks
to define the terms of the assignment to establish such a
consortium. Currently, these negotiations are still ongoing,
since the terms of the assignment must be consistent with
the terms and conditions of the debt
rescheduling/refinancing agreement, which, as we all know,
have not yet been defined.
C. Lastly, with regard to the willingness
of the shareholders to underwrite a portion of the share
capital increase, the Company confirms that, as announced to
the market, the entire portion of the share capital increase
for which the companies controlled by the Pininfarina family
will be offered subscription rights will be underwritten by
these companies and, in all likelihood, other investors.
Specifically, the abovementioned companies are expected to
subscribe a sufficient number of newly issued shares to
ensure that, after the share capital increase is
implemented, the Pininfarina family will continue to hold an
equity interest equal to at least 30% of the entire share
capital.
To the best of the Company’s knowledge, the rest of the
newly shares for which the Pininfarina family would receive
option rights would be subscribed by investors who have
expressed an interest in acquiring an equity interest in
Pininfarina S.p.A., to whom the Pininfarina family would
sell the corresponding option rights. At present, these
investors include Vincent Bolloré, Tata Limited, the Italian
businessmen Alberto Bombassei and Piero Ferrari, and the
Marsiaj family.
The preceding information, which is being
provided to comply with a request by the Consob, has been
forwarded to the Board of Statutory Auditors for any
relevant observations.
5. REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF DIRECTORS
AND AUTHORIZATION TO BUY AND SELL TREASURY SHARES
The Board of Directors currently in
office was elected by the Shareholders’ Meeting of May 12,
2006, which set at nine the number of Directors sitting on
the Board. Following the resignation of the Director Franco
Bernabè on September 28, 2007, the Board of Directors has
eight members. The decision not to fill the vacancy caused
by Mr. Bernabè’s resignation is based on the consideration
that future share capital transactions could alter the
Company’s shareholder base and require changes in the
composition of the Board of Directors. For this reason and
considering that Article 15 of the Bylaws allows for a Board
of Directors comprised of seven to eleven members, the
Shareholders’ Meeting approved a resolution reducing from
nine to eight the number of Directors who will be sitting on
the Board, until a different resolution is approved.
The Shareholders’ Meeting also approved
the purchase of up to 400,000 treasury shares. Up to 250,000
of these shares will be reserved for the implementation of
the 2002-2004 and 2005-2007 stock option plans reserved for
executives of the Company and its Italian subsidiaries. The
authorization to purchase the treasury shares, in one or
more installments, will be valid for 18 months from the date
of the resolution. The share may be purchased at a price
that shall not be more than 15% lower or more than 15%
higher than the closing price of the shares for the stock
market trading session held on the day before the
transaction. Lastly, the resolution authorizes the sale at
any time, in one or more installments, of the treasury
shares already held and of those purchased pursuant to the
foregoing resolution. The sales price may not be lower by
more than 10% than the closing price of the shares for the
stock market trading session held on the day before the
transaction or, if the shares are used in connection with
stock option plans, less than the market value of the share
at the time the options were awarded, computed in accordance
with the applicable tax laws. Currently, Pininfarina S.p.A.
holds 15,958 treasury shares, equal to about 0.2% of the
entire share capital.
Upon the approval of today’s resolution,
the Shareholders’ Meeting voided an earlier resolution dated
May 11, 2007, pursuant to which the Company purchased 40.352
shares (average price 25.65 euros) and sold 52.192 shares
(average price 23.14 euros). These purchases and sales were
executed to implement the 2002-2004 and 2005-2007 stock
option plans.
6. SHARE CAPITAL INCREASE
The Shareholders’ Meeting, acting
pursuant to Article 2443 of the Italian Civil Code,
authorized the Board of Directors, for a period of up to 5
years, to carry out, in one or more installments, a
contributory share capital increase of up to 100,000,000.00
to be implemented through the issuance of common shares that
the shareholders of Pininfarina S.p.A. may acquire through
the exercise of subscription rights. The abovementioned
authorization empowers the Board of Directors to determine,
on each occasion, the manner, terms and conditions of the
capital increase, including the subscription price, taking
into account market conditions and the prices of the
Pininfarina shares during the period immediately preceding
the transaction. The Board of Directors is also authorized
to determine on each occasion the portion, if any, of the
share capital increase that will be reserved for the
exercise of warrants and the required warrant regulations.
The share capital increase will be used to develop the
Pininfarina electric car, strengthen the Company’s balance
sheet and financial position and support the implementation
of the industrial and financial plans approved by the Board
of Directors on March 10, 2008.
7. AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
Lastly, the Shareholders’ Meeting amended
Articles 9 and 24 of the Bylaws, which concern,
respectively, the deadline for convening Shareholders’
Meetings and the limit on the number of governance posts
that may be held by Statutory Auditors, making the
abovementioned provisions consistent with recent changes in
the applicable regulations.
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