Intertek Rejects £54.00 per Share Offer from EQT

Go to News Explorer RNS Statement re Possible Offer Share this article

Rejection of possible offer from EQT

INTERTEK GROUP PLC Released 18:22:19 24 April 2026 RNS Number : 9145B Intertek Group PLC 24 April 2026 NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT FALLING UNDER RULE 2.4 OF THE CITY CODE ON TAKEOVERS AND MERGERS (THE "CODE") AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A FIRM INTENTION TO MAKE AN OFFER UNDER RULE 2.7 OF THE CODE. THERE CAN BE NO CERTAINTY THAT AN OFFER WILL BE MADE, NOR AS TO THE TERMS ON WHICH ANY OFFER WILL BE MADE

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

24 April 2026

Intertek Group plc ("Intertek")

Rejection of possible offer from EQT

As previously announced, on 21 April 2026, the Board of Intertek received an unsolicited, indicative and conditional revised proposal from EQT X EUR SCSp and EQT X USD SCSp (collectively referred to as "EQT"), each represented by its manager (gérant) EQT Fund Management S.à r.l. to acquire the entire ordinary share capital of Intertek at a price of £54.00 per share in cash.

The Board of Intertek has carefully reviewed the revised proposal with its advisers and unanimously concluded that it fundamentally undervalues Intertek and its future prospects. Accordingly, the Intertek Board unanimously and unequivocally rejected the proposal on 24 April 2026.

In accordance with Rule 2.6(a) of the Code, EQT is required, by not later than 5.00 p.m. on 14 May 2026, to either announce a firm intention to make an offer for Intertek in accordance with Rule 2.7 of the Code or announce that it does not intend to make an offer, in which case the announcement will be treated as a statement to which Rule 2.8 of the Code applies. This deadline can be extended with the consent of the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers (the " Panel") in accordance with Rule 2.6(c) of the Code.

A further announcement will be made if and when appropriate.

For the purpose of Rule 2.5(a) of the Code, this announcement has been made by Intertek without the prior agreement or approval of EQT.

The person responsible for arranging for the release of this announcement on behalf of Intertek is Ida Woodger.

| Enquiries

For further information, please contact:

Denis Moreau, Investor Relations

Telephone:     +44 (0) 20 7396 3415

investor@intertek.com

Jonathon Brill/James Styles, DGA

Telephone:     +44 (0) 78 3662 2683

+44 (0) 75 1038 5554

intertek@dgagroup.com | |

Goldman Sachs International and J.P. Morgan Cazenove are acting as financial advisers to Intertek.

About Intertek

Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide.

Our network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices in more than 100 countries, delivers innovative and bespoke Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification solutions for our customers' operations and supply chains. Intertek is a purpose-led company that brings Quality, Safety and Sustainability to Life.

Our Science-based Customer Excellence USP and the 24/7 mission critical Quality Assurance solutions we provide, ensure that our clients can operate with well-functioning supply chains in each of their operations.

Our Customer Promise is: Intertek Total Quality Assurance expertise, delivered consistently, with precision, pace and passion, enabling our customers to power ahead safely.

Important Information

Goldman Sachs International, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for Intertek and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Intertek for providing the protections afforded to clients of Goldman Sachs International, or for providing advice in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement.

J.P. Morgan Securities plc, which conducts its UK investment banking business as J.P. Morgan Cazenove ("J.P. Morgan Cazenove"), is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom. J.P. Morgan Cazenove is acting exclusively for Intertek and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Intertek for providing the protections afforded to clients of J.P. Morgan Cazenove or its affiliates, or for providing advice in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement.

Additional Information

This announcement is not intended to, and does not, constitute or form part of any offer, invitation or the solicitation of an offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities, or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, pursuant to this announcement or otherwise.

This announcement has been prepared in accordance with English law and information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside England. The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in, into or from certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Therefore, any persons who are subject to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom or shareholders of Intertek who are not resident in the United Kingdom will need to inform themselves about, and observe, any applicable requirements. Any failure to comply with the restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities law of any such jurisdiction.

Rule 26.1 disclosure

In accordance with Rule 26.1 of the Code, a copy of this announcement will, subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in restricted jurisdictions, be available on Intertek's website at www.intertek.com/investors, by no later than 12 noon (London time) on the business day following the date of this announcement. For the avoidance of doubt, the content of the website referred to in this announcement is not incorporated into and does not form part of this announcement.

Disclosure requirements of the Code

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period and, if later, following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified.

An Opening Position Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) of the Code applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a securities exchange offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing Disclosure.

Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s), save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8 of the Code. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) of the Code applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the business day following the date of the relevant dealing.

If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a securities exchange offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3 of the Code.

Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4 of the Code).

Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Takeover Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the offer period commenced and when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on +44 (0) 20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy Policy. END OFDFLFLDSAISFIR London Stock Exchange plc is not responsible for and does not check content on this Website. Website users are responsible for checking content. Any news item (including any prospectus) which is addressed solely to the persons and countries specified therein should not be relied upon other than by such persons and/or outside the specified countries. Terms and conditions, including restrictions on use and distribution apply.

© 2026 London Stock Exchange plc. All rights reserved.