The Woodlands, Texas — Clariant and Huntsman jointly announced on 27 October that they had mutually terminated the proposed merger of equals announced last May. The decision was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of Clariant and Huntsman.
Clariant confirmed that White Tale Holdings had increased its stake in Clariant to over 20%. This follows earlier mandatory notifications by White Tale Holdings to the Swiss Stock Exchange regarding its holdings.
In a joint statement, Peter Huntsman CEO of Huntsman, and Hariolf Kottmann, CEO of Clariant, stated: 'We remain convinced that the proposed merger of equals as agreed to on May 21, 2017, would have been in the long-term best interests of all of our shareholders. However, given the continued accumulation of Clariant shares by activist investor White Tale Holdings and its opposition to the transaction, which is now supported by some other shareholders, we believe that there is simply too much uncertainty as to whether Clariant will be able to secure the two-thirds shareholder approval that is required to approve the transaction under Swiss law.'
They continued: 'Under these circumstances and in light of the high level of disruption and uncertainty that has been created for both companies, we have jointly decided to terminate the merger agreement. This will allow both companies to focus again fully on their respective stand-alone strategies in the best interests of the companies and their shareholders, associates, and other stakeholders. We maintain a great respect for one another, and we want to recognize and express our mutual and deep appreciation for the efforts and incredible commitment demonstrated by the associates of each company over the past several months."'
'We regret the missed opportunity for value creation and thank our shareholders for their support,' said Rudolf Wehrli, Chairman of the Clariant Board of Directors. He said the focus will now be on further strengthening the company’s market position as a specialty chemicals company.
Clariant’s CEO Kottmann said that White Tale Holdings position was 'different from ours' but that both share 'a common interest in increasing Clariant’s value.' He added: 'That said, we will continue our dialogue with all our stakeholders.'
The Termination Agreement foresees no payment of a break fee on either side. Clariant, therefore, avoids paying both the USD 210m deal breakage fee and the $ 60m EGM non-approval fee as foreseen in the Merger Agreement.
This story first appeared on the Plastics News Europe website.
