SCHIPHOL AIRPORT, Netherlands, June 23, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Royal Numico N.V. announces that it has successfully completed the issuance of USD 425 mln of senior notes through a private placement in the United States of America.
The senior notes of USD 425 mln consist of 4 tranches with maturities of seven years (USD 90 mln), nine years (USD 85 mln), ten years (USD 165 mln) and twelve years (USD 85 mln). The US private placement provides Numico with an excellent opportunity to diversify the company's capital structure and further improve its overall debt maturity profile at very attractive conditions. The notes have an overall average maturity of approximately 10 years and have been swapped into euros at a fixed rate of under 4% -- a clear reflection of Numico's strong financial position today. The proceeds will be used to repay part of the EUR 627 mln subordinated convertible bonds 2000, due on Monday 27 June 2005. The remaining portion of the bonds will be paid by the bank loan facility of EUR 1 bn, of which EUR 175 mln was drawn down as at 31 March 2005.
Royal Numico is a high-growth, high-margin specialised nutrition company with leading positions in Baby Food and Clinical Nutrition and brings products to the market under the brand names Nutricia, Milupa and Cow & Gate, among others. The company serves customers in over 100 countries and employs approximately 11,000 people (see also: www.numico.com).
For any questions you might have, please contact:
Royal Numico N.V. Corporate Communications tel +31 20 456 9077 Royal Numico N.V. Investor Relations tel +31 20 456 9003 http://hugin.info/130673/R/999938/152757.pdf
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