PARIS, Aug. 6, 2002 -- Vivendi Environnement announces the successful completion of its Euro 1.529 billion capital increase.
The capital increase, first announced on June 24, represents 57,698,184 new shares or 14.3% of its share capital (after the increase in capital). Despite a difficult market environment, two thirds of Vivendi Environnement's shareholders, excluding Vivendi Universal, subscribed to this operation.
The capital increase was achieved through the exercise of preferential subscription rights, whereby six preferential subscription rights entitled their holder to subscribe to one new share in the capital increase.
Vivendi Universal sold all of its preferential subscription rights to Declared Investors (Financial Institutions in the group: Caisse des Depots et Consignations, Groupama, BNP Paribas, Societe Generale, Dexia, Assurances Generales de France, Credit Lyonnais, Caisse Nationale des Caisses d'Epargne, Natexis Banques populaires).
These investors subscribed to (i) the new shares issued in respect of the preferential subscription rights acquired from Vivendi Universal and (ii) all of the new shares to be issued in respect of preferential subscription rights that were not exercised by their holders. These Declared Investors have agreed to a 6 month lock-up period within the framework of the capital increase. The details of this agreement can be found within the prospectus approved by the French Commission des operations de bourse on June 26, 2002.
Taking into account all of the preferential subscription rights exercised by the other shareholders, the Declared Investors acquired in aggregate 38,073,817 new shares in the capital increase, representing 9.4% of Vivendi Environnement's share capital. The Declared Investors have indicated that they are not acting, and will not act, in concert with respect to the shares of Vivendi Environnement.
Vivendi Environnement's shareholder structure after the capital increase is the following as of August 2, 2002:
Vivendi Universal: 164,868,926 shares, thus 40.8% of share capital;
Declared Investors: 38,073,817 shares acquired during the capital increase, thus 9.4% of share capital;
Public: 200,944,545 shares, thus 49.8% of share capital (Note: Includes ownership of the Declared Investors before the capital increase)
Total number of shares: 403,887,288.
A prospectus relating to the capital increase was approved by the French Commission des operations de bourse under number 02-801 on June 26, 2002.
Press release also available on our website: http://www.vivendienvironnement-finance.com
