NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

29 June 2020

RECOMMENDED CASH ACQUISITION

of

PureCircle Limited ("PureCircle")

by

Ingredion SRSS Holdings Limited ("Bidco")

a newly formed company wholly owned by Ingredion Incorporated ("Ingredion")

to be effected by means of a scheme of arrangement
under section 99 of the Bermuda Companies Act 1981 (the "Scheme")

On 26 June 2020, PureCircle announced that the Bermuda Supreme Court had sanctioned the Scheme at the Court Sanction Hearing.

Following delivery of a copy of the Court Order to the Registrar of Companies, on 1 July 2020 the Scheme will become Effective in accordance with its terms and, pursuant to the Scheme, the entire issued and to be issued share capital of PureCircle will be owned by Bidco.

Director resignations

PureCircle announces that, subject to the Scheme becoming Effective, Jimmy Lim Kian Thong will step down from his role as Chief Financial Officer and Dato' Robert Cheim Dau Meng (Non-Executive Chairman), Datuk Ali bin Abdul Kadir (Senior Independent Non-Executive Director), Sridhar Krishnan (Independent Non-Executive Director), Olivier Maes (Independent Non-Executive Director), Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah (Non-Independent Non-Executive Director) and Guy Wollaert (Independent Non-Executive Director) will resign as directors of PureCircle each with effect on 1 July 2020.

PureCircle would like to thank all of the resigning directors for their contribution to the PureCircle board over the last years and wish them well with their other business endeavours.

Director appointments

PureCircle announces that, subject to the Scheme becoming Effective, each of Suk Gu Kim, Anthony DeLio and Michael Levy, details and CVs of whom were included in the Scheme Document, will be appointed as directors of PureCircle with effect on 1 July 2020. These incoming directors will be the Ingredion nominated directors of PureCircle pursuant to the Shareholders' Agreement between Bidco, Ingredion and the Minority Investors dated 9 April 2020 (the "Shareholders' Agreement").

Capitalised terms used but not defined in this announcement have the meanings given to them in the Scheme Document.

Enquiries:

Baker & McKenzie LLP is providing legal advice to PureCircle.

Hogan Lovells International LLP and Hogan Lovells US LLP are providing legal advice to Ingredion and Bidco. 

Important Notices

Citigroup Global Markets Limited ("Citi"), which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, is acting exclusively as financial adviser to Bidco and Ingredion and for no one else in connection with the Acquisition and other matters described in this announcement, and will not be responsible to anyone other than Bidco and Ingredion for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to the Acquisition or any other matters referred to in this announcement. Neither Citi nor any of its affiliates, directors or employees owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, consequential, whether in contract, tort, in delict, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Citi in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein, the Acquisition or otherwise.

KPMG LLP ("KPMG"), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively as financial adviser to PureCircle and for no one else in connection with the Acquisition and will not be responsible to anyone other than PureCircle for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in connection with the matters referred to herein. Neither KPMG nor any of its affiliates, respective directors, officers, employees and agents owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of KPMG in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein, the Acquisition or otherwise. 

This announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to and does not constitute or form part of an offer or inducement to sell or an invitation to purchase any securities or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, pursuant to the Acquisition or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of the securities referred to in this announcement in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law.

The Acquisition is being made solely by means of the Scheme Document which, together with the forms of proxy, forms of instruction and form of election, contains the full terms and conditions of the Acquisition, including details of how to vote in respect of the Acquisition.

This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with English law and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside England and Wales.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This announcement (including any information incorporated by reference in this announcement) contains statements which are, or may be deemed to be, "forward looking statements".

Without limitation, any statements preceded or followed by or that include the words "believes", "estimates", "will look to", "would look to", "plans", "prepares", "anticipates", "expects", "is expected to", "is subject to", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "synergy", "strategy", "goal", "cost-saving", "projects" "intends", "may", "will", "shall" or "should" or their negatives or other variations or comparable terminology, are forward looking statements.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that shall occur in the future and are based on certain key assumptions.

Neither PureCircle nor any of Bidco or any member of the Bidco Group, nor any of their respective associates or directors, officers or advisers, provides any representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the events expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements in this announcement (including information incorporated by reference into this announcement) shall actually occur. Given these risks and uncertainties, potential investors should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements.

The forward-looking statements speak only at the date of this announcement. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to any member of the Bidco Group or the PureCircle Group, or any of their respective associates, directors, officers, employees or advisers, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above.

PureCircle, the Bidco Group and Bidco expressly disclaim any obligation to update such statements other than as required by law or by the rules of any competent regulatory authority, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The Takeover Code

By virtue of its status as a Bermuda incorporated company, the Takeover Code does not apply to PureCircle. PureCircle and Ingredion have agreed, to the extent set out in the Implementation Agreement, that they will conduct themselves and the Acquisition as if the Acquisition were subject to the Takeover Code. PureCircle has also incorporated certain takeover-related provisions into the PureCircle Bye-laws but these do not provide PureCircle Shareholders with the full protections offered by the Takeover Code and enforcement of such provisions is the responsibility of PureCircle, not the Panel. Accordingly, PureCircle Shareholders are reminded that the Acquisition is not regulated by the Panel and therefore the Panel does not have responsibility, in relation to the Acquisition, for ensuring compliance, and is not able to answer shareholders' queries in this respect. In particular, public disclosures consistent with the provisions of Rule 8 of the Takeover Code, as described below, should not be e-mailed to the Panel, but, released directly through a Regulatory Information Service.

Dealing Disclosure Requirements

As summarised above, PureCircle is a Bermuda company and is therefore not subject to the Takeover Code. Accordingly, PureCircle Shareholders and others dealing in PureCircle Shares are not obliged to disclose any of their dealings under the provisions of the Takeover Code. Market participants, however, are requested to make disclosures of dealings as if the Takeover Code applied and as if PureCircle were in an "offer period" under the Takeover Code. In addition, PureCircle Shareholders and persons considering the Acquisition or disposal of any interest in PureCircle Shares are reminded that they are subject to the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules made by the Financial Conduct Authority and other applicable regulatory rules regarding transactions in PureCircle Shares.

Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Takeover Code, any person who is, or becomes, "interested" (directly or indirectly) in 1 per cent. or more of any class of "relevant securities" of PureCircle or of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person "deals" in any "relevant securities" of PureCircle or of any securities exchange offeror. In a situation where the Takeover Code applies, this requirement would continue until the date on which any "offer" becomes, or is declared, unconditional as to acceptances, lapses or is otherwise withdrawn, or on which the "offer period" otherwise ends. Under Rule 8 of the Takeover Code, a Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the "dealing" concerned and of the person's "interests" and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of: (i) PureCircle; and (ii) any securities exchange offeror, save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8.  A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the Business Day following the date of the relevant "dealing".

If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in "relevant securities" of PureCircle or a securities exchange offeror, they would, if the Takeover Code were applicable, be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3.

Dealing Disclosures must also be made by PureCircle, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them by no later than 12:00 p.m. on the Business Day following the date of the relevant transaction (as if Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4 of the Takeover Code applied).

"Interests in securities" arise, in summary, when a person has long economic exposure, whether conditional or absolute, to changes in the price of "securities". In particular, a person will be treated as having an "interest" by virtue of the ownership or control of "securities", or by virtue of any option in respect of, or derivative referenced to, "securities".

Terms in quotation marks are defined in the Takeover Code, which can be found on the website of the Panel.

PureCircle's website contains the form of Dealing Disclosure requested. If you are in any doubt as to whether the request to disclose a "dealing" by reference to the above applies to you, you should contact an independent financial adviser authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under FSMA (or, if you are resident in a jurisdiction other than the UK, a financial adviser authorised under the laws of such jurisdiction).

Overseas Shareholders

Any securities referred to in the information in this announcement have not been and will not be registered under the securities laws of the US, Canada, Japan, South Africa or Australia or any other Restricted Jurisdiction referred to in the Acquisition Announcement and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, within such jurisdictions except pursuant to an applicable exemption from and in compliance with any applicable securities laws.

Unless otherwise determined by Bidco, and permitted by applicable law and regulation, the Acquisition has not been and shall not be made available, directly or indirectly, in, into or from a Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction and no person may vote in favour of the Acquisition by any such use, means, instrumentality or form within a Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction if to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of that jurisdiction. Accordingly, copies of this announcement and all documents relating to the Acquisition have not been, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from a Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws of that jurisdiction, and persons receiving this announcement and all documents relating to the Acquisition (including custodians, nominees and trustees) must not mail or otherwise distribute or send them in, into or from any such jurisdictions where to do so would violate the laws of that jurisdiction.

Nothing in this announcement is intended to, and does not, constitute or form any part of an offer for sale or subscription or any solicitation for any offer to purchase or subscribe for any securities, or the solicitation of any votes attaching to securities which are the subject of the Acquisition in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful.

The Acquisition is subject to the applicable requirements of the Listing Rules, the London Stock Exchange and the Financial Conduct Authority.

Additional Information for US Investors

The Acquisition relates to shares of a Bermuda incorporated company and is to be effected by means of a scheme of arrangement under the laws of Bermuda. A transaction effected by means of a scheme of arrangement is not subject to the tender offer rules or the proxy solicitation rules under the US Exchange Act.

Any securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and have not been and may not be offered or sold in the US absent registration under the Securities Act or an available exemption from, or transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the US. There will be no public offer of the securities of Bidco in the US.

Please refer to the Scheme Document for the restrictions applicable to Overseas Shareholders in connection with the Acquisition.

Publication on Website

A copy of this announcement shall be made available, subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted Jurisdictions, on PureCircle's website at www.purecircle.com/about-purecircle/offer-for-purecircle/ and on Bidco's website at www.ingredioncompany.co.uk. For the avoidance of doubt, neither the contents of these websites nor the content of any website accessible from hyperlinks is incorporated into or forms part of this announcement.