Equinix to Acquire European Network-Neutral Data Center Operator IXEurope in $482 Million Deal
Equinix to Acquire European Network-Neutral Data Center Operator IXEurope in $482 Million Deal
Thursday June 28, 2007 03:10:28
FOSTER CITY, Calif.----Equinix, Inc. Nasdaq:EQIX, the leading provider of network-neutral
data centers and Internet exchange services, announced today its firm
intention to make an offer for the entire issued share capital of
IXEurope Plc “IXEurope”AIM:IXE,
a provider of colocation services in Europe. The acquisition comes as
Equinix is in the midst of a more than $450 million expansion program in
the U.S. and Asia-Pacific since 2006, and it is expected to strengthen
Equinix’s market leading position by enabling
the company to offer a comprehensive global solution for customers.
Equinix will integrate IXEurope’s
network-neutral data center business and operations under the Equinix
brand. IXEurope’s business includes 14 data
centers comprising more than 380,000 square feet of net sellable space
throughout Europe, including centers in London, Zurich, Frankfurt,
Munich, Paris, Dusseldorf and Geneva. The company’s
more than 450 enterprise and Internet customers include Merrill Lynch,
Avis Europe, Deutsche Boerse, Citigroup, Rackspace and SurfControl.
With the addition of IXEurope to Equinix’s
announced expansions, Equinix will have a total footprint of more than
three million square feet of data center space across 17 markets in the
U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific, making it the most comprehensive, network
neutral, global service provider in the market. Equinix is targeting
completion of the transaction in mid-September 2007. The closing and its
timing are subject to the approval of IXEurope’s
stockholders and the UK courts as well as satisfaction or waiver of
other closing conditions.
The acquisition will allow Equinix to immediately expand into the
European market, and it will enable Equinix to provide customers with a
single-source global solution for their data center and network
connectivity services. Despite the differences of the European market
and the existence of multiple network-neutral players in the market,
this acquisition offers Equinix a variety of benefits as the company
builds upon its market leadership in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific.
According to Tier 1 Research, global demand has outpaced supply by a
factor of nearly three to one over the last 12 months. The European
supply and demand imbalance is more than double the global rate with
demand outpacing supply by a factor of more than six to one.
“The strategic acquisition of IXEurope by
Equinix will solidify Equinix’s position as
the world’s market leading colocation
provider with high-quality data centers across the United States,
Asia-Pacific and Europe,” said Steve Smith,
CEO of Equinix. “Customers are increasingly
demanding global solutions as the colocation industry continues to grow
at double digit rates, and IXEurope has become one of the top providers
of colocation services in Europe, operating high-quality data centers in
key markets. Its integration into Equinix will continue our growth and
allow us to meet the increasing expansion requirements of our global
content, network and enterprise customers. We look forward to welcoming
the customers and employees of IXEurope into Equinix.”
“Since its launch in 1999, IXEurope’s
management has successfully established 14 IXDatacentres in four
countries 4 IXDatacentres since its initial public offering in 2006,
providing colocation services to many blue-chip, international customers,”
said Guy Willner, CEO of IXEurope. “The
combination of IXEurope’s European reach and
operational expertise with Equinix’s existing
global operations will further extend Equinix's market leading position
and allow it to further leverage the tremendous growth opportunities
that exist in the colocation market worldwide.”
The current management team, including Guy Willner, IXEurope CEO, and
Christophe de Buchet, IXEurope COO, will join Equinix and continue to
operate the European business. Equinix and IXEurope will assemble an
integration team comprised of senior managers to ensure a seamless
integration. Equinix’s European regional
headquarters will be located in London.
Financial Terms of the Transaction
The acquisition and related transaction costs are being financed out of
Equinix corporate cash reserves and unsecured debt financing under
committed facilities from Citigroup.
Under the terms of the acquisition, IXEurope shareholders will receive
125 pence, or approximately $2.50 per share in cash at current exchange
rates, for each IXEurope share held at the Scheme Record Time, valuing
the existing issued share capital of IXEurope at approximately £241
million, or $482 million.
The Directors of IXEurope have agreed to recommend that IXEurope
shareholders vote in favor of the resolutions to approve the Offer at
the relevant shareholder and court meetings. Primary Shareholders
representing in aggregate, 120,460,826 issued IXEurope Shares,
representing approximately 67 percent of the existing issued share
capital of IXEurope have agreed, subject to customary limitations, to
vote in favor of the Offer at the relevant court and shareholder
meetings.
Equinix will hold an investor conference call today at 8:00 a.m. Eastern
Time 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time to discuss the details of this
announcement. To hear the conference call, please dial 773-799-3263
domestic and international at 7:50 a.m. ET and reference the
passcode EQIX. A simultaneous live Webcast of the call will be
available over the Internet at www.equinix.com,
under the Investor Relations heading.
A replay of the call will be available beginning on Thursday, June 28,
2007, at 11:00 a.m. ET through July 30, 2007 by dialing 203-369-3287.
In addition, the Webcast will be available on the company's Web site at www.equinix.com.
No password is required for either method of replay.
About Equinix
Equinix is the leading global provider of network-neutral data centers
and Internet exchange services for enterprises, content companies,
systems integrators and network services providers. Through the company’s
Internet Business Exchange™ IBX®
centers in 10 markets in the U.S. and Asia, customers can directly
interconnect with every major global network and ISP for their critical
peering, transit and traffic exchange requirements. These
interconnection points facilitate the highest performance and growth of
the Internet by serving as neutral and open marketplaces for Internet
infrastructure services, allowing customers to expand their businesses
while reducing costs.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from
expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that
might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the
challenges of acquiring, operating and constructing IBX centers and
developing, deploying and delivering Equinix services; unanticipated
costs or difficulties relating to the integration of IXEurope into
Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenue from customers in
recently built out data centers; failure to complete any financing
arrangements contemplated from time to time; competition from existing
and new competitors; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or
otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the
loss or decline in business from our key customers; the results of any
litigation relating to past stock option grants and practices; and other
risks described from time to time in Equinix's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see Equinix's recent
quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, copies of which are available upon request from Equinix.
Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking
information contained in this press release.
Equinix and IBX are registered trademarks of Equinix, Inc. Internet
Business Exchange is a trademark of Equinix, Inc.
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