YUEXIU PROPERTY COMPANY LIMITED Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited take no responsibility for the contents of this announcement, make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from or in reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this announcement.
(Incorporated in Hong Kong with limited liability)
(Stock code: 00123) CONNECTED TRANSACTION Exercise of Call Option
The Board is pleased to announce that on 31 August 2015, the Parties entered into the Call Option Exercise Agreement, pursuant to which GZXJ has exercised the Call Option granted by the JV Partner under the Cooperation Agreement. On 31
August 2015, in order to effect the Equity Transfer upon the exercise of the Call Option by GZXJ, simultaneously with the entering into of the Call Option Exercise Agreement, GZXJ and the JV Partner entered into the Equity Transfer Agreement, pursuant to which GZXJ has agreed to purchase and the JV Partner has agreed to sell the JV Partner 's Equity Interests, representing 90% of the total equity interests in the Project Company. The consideration payable by GZXJ upon the full exercise of the Call Option is RMB372,738,667, which is calculated based on (a) the JV Partner's Actual Contribution plus (b) the amount equal to the JV Partner 's Actual Contribution (or if the JV Partner 's Contribution is made by instalments, in respect of each instalment of the JV Partner 's Actual Contribution) multiplied by an internal rate of return of 12% per year (before tax) based on the period of time that the JV Partner 's Actual Contribution is contributed into the Project Company.
As the JV Partner is regarded as a connected person of the Company under the Listing Rules as disclosed in the JV Announcement, the exercise of the Call Option (including the entering into of the Equity Transfer Agreement and the Call Option Exercise Agreement) constitutes a connected transaction of the Company under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules. As each of the applicable percentage ratios in respect of the exercise of the Call Option is more than 0.1% but less than 5%, the exercise of the Call Option (including the entering into of the Equity Transfer Agreement and the Call Option Exercise Agreement) is subject to the reporting and announcement requirements but is exempt from the independent shareholders' approval requirement under Rule 14A.76(2) of the Listing Rules.
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Reference is made to the JV Announcement. The Project Company is owned as to
10% and 90% respectively by GZXJ and the JV Partner as at the date of this announcement.
On 22 January 2014, GZXJ and the JV Partner entered into the Cooperation Agreement, pursuant to which the JV Partner granted the Call Option to GZXJ for it to acquire the JV Partner 's Equity Interests at an exercise price to be determined based on an internal rate of return of 12% (before tax) on the equity and shareholders loan(s) injected by the JV Partner into the Project Company.
The Exercise period
The Call Option is exercisable by GZXJ during the period commencing on the first anniversary and ending on the second anniversary (or such extended period as agreed between the Parties in writing) from the due day for payment of registered capital into the capital account of the Project Company by the JV Partner, being 10 February
2014 pursuant to the Cooperation Agreement. As such, the exercise period of the Call
Option commenced on 10 February 2015 and will end on 9 February 2016.
Exercise of the Call Option
On 31 August 2015, GZXJ exercised the Call Option granted by the JV Partner under the Cooperation Agreement by entering into the Call Option Exercise Agreement and the Equity Transfer Agreement with the JV Partner.
Consideration
Pursuant to the Cooperation Agreement, the exercise price of the Call Option for the JV Partner 's Equity Interests shall be determined based on an internal rate of return of 12% (before tax) on the equity and shareholders loan(s) injected by the JV Partner into the Project Company, as disclosed in the JV Announcement.
As at the date of this announcement, the Project Company has repaid in full all shareholders loan(s) owed by it, and there is no outstanding shareholder loan owed by the Project Company to any of its shareholders. Accordingly, the Parties have agreed that the consideration payable by GZXJ upon the full exercise of the Call
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Option is RMB372,738,667, which is calculated based on (a) the JV Partner's Actual Contribution plus (b) the amount equal to the JV Partner 's Actual Contribution (or if the JV Partner 's Actual Contribution is made by instalments, in respect of each instalment of the JV Partner 's Actual Contribution) multiplied by an internal rate of return of 12% per year (before tax) based on the period of time that the JV Partner 's Actual Contribution is contributed into the Project Company. It is intended that such consideration will be satisfied by the internal resources of the Group.
On 31 August 2015, in order to effect the Equity Transfer upon the exercise of the Call Option by GZXJ, simultaneously with the entering into of the Call Option Exercise Agreement, GZXJ and the JV Partner entered into the Equity Transfer Agreement. The principal terms of the Equity Transfer Agreement are set out below.
Date
31 August 2015
Parties
GZXJ and the JV Partner
Assets to be acquired by the Group
GZXJ has agreed to purchase and the JV Partner has agreed to sell the JV Partner 's Equity Interests, representing 90% of the total equity interests in the Project Company.
Consideration and payment terms
The consideration in the amount of RMB372,738,667 shall be payable in full by GZXJ in RMB to the JV Partner via wire transfer within 10 business days from the effective date of the Equity Transfer Agreement.
Completion of the Equity Transfer
The articles of association of the Project Company shall be amended to reflect the Equity Transfer, and such amended articles of association together with the Equity Transfer Agreement and other relevant documents in relation to the Equity Transfer shall be submitted to the relevant approval authority for approval and/or filing.
Upon signing of the Equity Transfer Agreement, the Parties shall arrange for the necessary procedures and provide the necessary documents to the Project Company for it to apply to the relevant approval authority for approval of the Equity Transfer.
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Within 5 business days from the day on which the abovementioned filing and registration are made, the Parties shall procure the Project Company to arrange for the registration of the Equity Transfer with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce of the PRC or its relevant local counterpart. Completion of the Equity Transfer shall take place on the day that such registration is completed.
Termination
The Equity Transfer Agreement may be terminated at the occurrence of any one of the following events:
1. force majeure;
2. loss of capacity to fulfil the Equity Transfer Agreement by a Party;
3. material breach by a Party;
4. the relevant approval authority not approving the Equity Transfer not due to the fault of either Parties; or
5. agreement between the Parties to terminate.
Upon termination of the Equity Transfer Agreement, the JV Partner shall fully refund the consideration already paid by GZXJ within 10 business days from the date of termination, failing which, the JV Partner must pay to GZXJ on a daily basis a penalty equal to 0.05% of the amount of refund payable but not yet paid by the JV Partner until such refund amount has been paid by the JV Partner.
As a result of the exercise of the Call Option, the Cooperation Agreement will be terminated on the day that the Equity Transfer is completed. Upon completion of the exercise of the Call Option, the Project Company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of GZXJ and an indirect non wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.
BASIS OF VALUATION OF PROPERTY
To assist the Directors to assess whether the Company should exercise the Call Option, the Company has appointed the Independent Valuer to conduct valuation on the fair value of the equity interests in the Project Company and the fair value of the Property. According to the valuation of the Independent Valuer, the fair value of the
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equity interests in the Project Company and the fair value of the Property as at the Valuation Date were approximately RMB416.3 million and approximately RMB1,330 million respectively. The appreciation in value was approximately RMB98 million in respect of the Property.
In respect of the valuation of the fair value of the equity interests in the Project Company, the Independent Valuer had adopted the asset approach, which is based on the economic principle of substitution and measures the fair value of the Project Company as at the Valuation Date and the cost of replacing such assets.
In respect of the valuation of the Property, the Independent Valuer had adopted the direct comparison approach as the main methodology, which is generally and commonly considered to be the appropriate methodology to value real properties when relevant sale evidence is available. Such valuation pursuant to the direct comparison approach was cross checked by another approach by the Independent Valuer, which assumed the Property will be developed and completed in accordance with the latest development proposal and has taken into account the development costs relevant to the stage of construction and the remainder costs to completion as at the Valuation Date. The Directors (including the independent non-executive Directors) consider this methodology appropriate taking into account that the Property is still in the early stage of development and market comparable transactions are readily available for reference.
According to the valuation by the Independent Valuer, the fair value of the equity interests in the Project Company after taking into account the appraised value of the Property is approximately RMB416.3 million, accordingly the JV Partner 's Equity Interests would be valued at approximately RMB374.7 million. As such, the consideration payable upon the full exercise of the Call Option of RMB372,738,667 represents a discount of approximately 0.5% to the fair value of the JV Partner 's Equity Interests.
During the first half of 2015, the PRC government implemented numerous policies which affected the PRC real estate market, such as removing the restriction on having more than two sets of properties, lowering the down payment ratio, lowering the reserve requirement ratio for banks, and lowering standard interest rates. These policies contributed to the rebounding of the Hangzhou property market. In addition, it is reported from publicly available information that, as at 30 June 2015, the contracted sales of the newly constructed residential property in Hangzhou, where the Property is located, reached a record high for half year sales in the past 7 years and represents an increase of approximately 89.8% compared to the corresponding period
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of 2014. The average transacted price of residential flats increased significantly by approximately 15.6% while the inventory of residential flat has dropped from April
2015 to June 2015, which indicated a signal of growing property market development in Hangzhou.
Accordingly, the Directors believe that the exercise of the Call Option will provide a good opportunity for the Group to increase its land bank in Hangzhou without exposing itself to the market risks and financial burden associated with the initial stage of project development, which is strategically important to the Group's operation and future development. It is also estimated that demand for properties in Hangzhou will continue to increase in the future as a result of the above relaxation in property related policies and depreciation of RMB.
It is currently intended that the Property will be sold in phases shortly after completion of the exercise of the Call Option. It is estimated that the completion of the exercise of the Call Option will provide immediate contribution to the Group's contracted sales and cash flows. Therefore, the Directors consider that through the exercise of the Call Option and the subsequent sale of the Property, the Group can realize its investment in the Project Company and the Property and maximize the revenue generated from the Property for the Group.
Taking into account: (i) the valuation of the Project Company and the Property by the Independent Valuer; (ii) the exercise price of the Call Option representing a discount of approximately 0.5% to the fair value of the JV Partner 's Equity Interests; and (iii) the reasons and benefits described above, the Directors (including the independent non-executive Directors) consider that the terms of the exercise of the Call Option, the Call Option Exercise Agreement and Equity Transfer Agreement (including the consideration payable upon full exercise of the Call Option) are on normal commercial terms, in the ordinary course of business of the Company, fair and reasonable and in the interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole.
The Project Company is a limited company incorporated under the laws of the PRC. It is principally engaged in operation and development of real estate and property management. The Project Company is owned as to 10% and 90% respectively by GZXJ and the JV Partner as at the date of this announcement.
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A summary of the unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Project Company prepared in accordance with the PRC Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for the period from the date of its incorporation (i.e. 21 February 2014) up to 31 December 2014 and for the six months ended 30 June 2015 is as follows:
RMB'000 RMB'000
Revenue - - Net loss before taxation 12,257 7,037
Net loss after taxation 12,257 7,037
RMB'000 RMB'000
Total assets 1,404,396 1,502,154
Total liabilities 1,056,654 1,161,449
Net assets 347,742 340,705
The Land Parcel has a site area of approximately 57,257 sq.m. and a total gross floor area of approximately 185,400 sq.m.. The total land premium of the Land Parcel is RMB1,000,570,000.
The Land Parcel is located in Yuhang district, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang province of the PRC. The Land Parcel extends to Gudun Road to the east, Guihuazhi Road to the south, Guihua Road to the west and Chaijiaba Gang to the north. Yuhang District is a key sub-city centre planned by the Hangzhou Municipal Government, positioned as a quality new metropolitan district of modernized life, comprising elements of a strong economic zone, an ecological zone and a cultural zone, located in the north of the Hangzhou metropolitan area. The Land Parcel is situated within the Hangzhou City highway, linking Yuhang District and the West Lake District and is close to the city centre. The Land Parcel is surrounded by educational institutions, rivers and parks. The transportation of the Land Parcel is convenient, it is located near the Gudun Road, which is a main road that connects directly to the city center. The Land Parcel is also located near the Xinyue Road Station of Metro Line 2, which is currently under construction and is expected to commence operations in 2018, adding land appreciation potential to the Land Parcel.
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The Company is incorporated in Hong Kong with limited liability and the shares of which are listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 00123) and on Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited. It is principally engaged in property development and investment, mainly focusing on properties in Guangzhou and gradually expanding into the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, Bohai Rim Economic Zone and Central Region.
GZXJGZXJ is an indirect 95.48% owned subsidiary of the Company incorporated under the laws of the PRC.
JV PartnerThe JV Partner is a limited partnership investment fund established under the laws of the PRC. The JV Partner principally engages in the business of investment, investment advisory and investment management. Guangzhou Yuexiu, which indirectly holds approximately 49.7% of the total issued shares in the Company as of the date of this announcement, is a majority shareholder of the general partner of the JV Partner. The JV Partner is regarded as a connected person of the Company by virtue of its relationship with Guangzhou Yuexiu.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE LISTING RULES
As the JV Partner is regarded as a connected person of the Company under the Listing Rules as disclosed in the JV Announcement, the exercise of the Call Option (including the entering into of the Equity Transfer Agreement and the Call Option Exercise Agreement) constitutes a connected transaction of the Company under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules. As each of the applicable percentage ratios in respect of the exercise of the Call Option is more than 0.1% but less than 5%, the exercise of the Call Option (including the entering into of the Equity Transfer Agreement and the Call Option Exercise Agreement) is subject to the reporting and announcement requirements but is exempt from the independent shareholders' approval requirement under Rule 14A.76(2) of the Listing Rules.
As none of the Directors had a material interest in the exercise of the Call Option and the Equity Transfer, no Director was required to abstain from voting on the relevant board resolution.
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In this announcement, the following expressions have the meanings set out below unless the context requires otherwise:
"Board" the board of Directors of the Company
"Call Option" the call option granted by the JV Partner to GZXJ for it to acquire the JV Partner's Equity Interests of the Project Company under the Cooperation Agreement
"Call Option Exercise
Agreement"
the call option exercise agreement dated 31 August 2015 entered into between the Parties regarding the exercise
of the Call Option by GZXJ
"Company" Yuexiu Property Company Limited, a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of Hong Kong and the shares of which are listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 00123) and on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited
"connected person" has the meaning ascribed to it under the Listing Rules
"Cooperation
Agreement"
the cooperation agreement dated 22 January 2014 entered into between the Parties, including if the context requires, the previous bidding agreement between the Parties that have been superseded by the
said cooperation agreement
"Directors" the directors of the Company
"Equity Transfer" the transfer of the JV Partner's Equity Interests by the JV Partner to GZXJ pursuant to the Equity Transfer Agreement as a result of the exercise of the Call Option under the Cooperation Agreement
"Equity Transfer
Agreement"
the equity transfer agreement entered into between the
Parties dated 31 August 2015 regarding the Equity
Transfer
"Group" the Company and its subsidiaries
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"Guangzhou Yuexiu" J+�*�IIlff/l0PJ (Guangzhou Yue Xiu Holdings Limited*), a limited liability company incorporated in the PRC which is beneficially wholly-owned by the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government of the PRC
"GZXJ" J+��m-t!Jifkff/l0PJ (Guangzhou Xiangjin Property Development Limited*), an indirect 95.48% owned subsidiary of the Company incorporated under the laws of PRC with limited liability
"Hong Kong" the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the
PRC
"Independent Valuer" Greater China Appraisal Limited
"JV Announcement" the announcement of the Company dated 22 January
2014 in relation to, among others, the formation of the Project Company for the development of the Land Parcel
"JV Partner" J+�* (ff/l )
(Guangzhou Yuexiu Ren Da No. 2 Business Investment
Enterprise (Limited Partnership)*)
"JV Partner's Actual
Contribution"
the contribution of registered capital in the Project
Company actually made by the JV Partner
"JV Partner's Equity
Interests"
all of the 90% equity interests in the Project Company held by the JV Partner as at the date of this
announcement
"Land Parcel" the parcel of land situated in Yuhang District, Hangzhou
City, Zhejiang Province of the PRC
"Listing Rules" the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on the
Stock Exchange
"Parties" GZXJ and the JV Partner and each a "Party"
"PRC" the People's Republic of China and for the purpose of this announcement excluding Hong Kong, Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan
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"Project Company" +� ff/l0PJ (Hangzhou Yuegang Business Investment Co., Ltd.*), the joint venture established by the Parties in relation to the development of the Land Parcel pursuant to the terms of the Cooperation Agreement
"Property" the mixed use residential and commercial complex being developed on the Land Parcel
"RMB" Renminbi, the lawful currency of the PRC
"Stock Exchange" The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited
"subsidiary" has the meaning ascribed to it under the Listing Rules
"Valuation Date" 30 June 2015
* for identification purposes only
Hong Kong, 31 August 2015
By Order of the Board
Company Secretary
As at the date of this announcement, the Board comprises:
Executive Directors: ZHANG Zhaoxing (Chairman), ZHU Chunxiu, TANG Shouchun, CHEN Zhihong, LI Feng and OU Junming
Independent Non-executive
Directors:
YU Lup Fat Joseph, LEE Ka Lun and LAU Hon Chuen Ambrose
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