Agthia Group PJSC, a leading food and beverages company owned by General Holding Corporation PJSC (Senaat) – part of ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s economy – held its 15th General Assembly Meeting today, during which the company’s shareholders approved the proposed strategic combination with Al Foah Company LLC, the world’s largest date processing and packaging company.
The combined group will have the scale, ambition, and strong capabilities across the value chain to support its future expansion plans, as one of the top ten consumer food and beverage groups in the Middle East. Furthermore, the deal will fortify Agthia’s position as a national and regional leader in four key food and beverage product lines, including water, dates, flour, and animal feed.
Khalifa Sultan Al Suwaidi, Chairman, Agthia Group and Chief Investment Officer, ADQ, said: “At Agthia, we continuously seek to diversify and enhance the value of our portfolio. Our transactions with Al Foah and, as recently announced, Kuwait’s Al Faysal Bakery, will see us joining forces with two highly complementary companies. The shareholders’ approval of the combination with Al Foah supports Agthia’s vision and our plans to expand the offering of premium quality products in our portfolio. We embrace opportunities that allow us to strengthen the food and beverage sector in the UAE and wider region, and also emphasise our commitment to an outstanding customer experience.”
Alan Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Agthia Group, said: “The strategic combinations with Al Foah and Al Faysal are two of our key achievements of the current financial year, reinforcing Agthia’s vital role in the region’s food and beverages sector. Upon completion of the transaction with Al Foah, the Group will immediately rise to become a regional champion in the date market with substantial global prospects, diversifying its product portfolio and expanding its international footprint. Moreover, the combination with Al Faysal gives us an important foothold in Kuwait via one of its leading bakery companies. We look forward to creating further shareholder value, building meaningful partnerships, and capturing new opportunities in the near future.”
Under the terms of the agreement received on October 6 from General Holding Corporation PJSC (Senaat), Senaat will transfer the entire issued share capital of its wholly-owned subsidiary Al Foah to Agthia, in exchange for the issuance of mandatory convertible instruments with a nominal value of AED 1 each in an aggregate principal amount of AED 450,000,000. These shall be convertible, immediately following completion of the transaction, into 120,000,000 ordinary shares of par value AED 1 each in the capital of Agthia.
The price at which the convertible instrument will convert into new Agthia shares is AED 3.75 per share. The issued share capital of Agthia will increase from AED 600,000,000 to AED 720,000,000 as a result.
The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2020, after which Agthia Group will be 59.17% owned by Senaat, part of ADQ.
Agthia recently submitted a binding offer to fully acquire Al Faysal Bakery and Sweets WLL, a Kuwait-owned bakery company established in 1991 with a diverse range of consumer products including mini pizzas, cupcakes and pastries.
