Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods OJSC [NYSE: WBD] announced that the Company
intends to complete a one-to-four Depository Receipt split on November
16, 2009.
Following a resolution by the Board of Directors on October 16, 2009 to
amend its Depository Receipt program, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods intends to
complete a one-to-four split of its Depository Receipts on November 16,
2009. From this date, four Depository Receipts will represent one common
share. The number of common shares remains unchanged.
The share split is being carried out in order to increase the liquidity
of the Company’s shares by facilitating the expansion of the shareholder
base and providing existing shareholders with additional flexibility in
managing their portfolios. The stock split is being carried out on a
pro-rata basis and applies to all holders of Depository Receipts and
does not have an effect on the ownership structure of the Company or the
total value of its share capital.
Effective date of the proposed split is November 16, 2009.
Some of the information contained in this press release may contain
projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events
or the future financial performance of Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods OJSC, as
defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We wish to caution you that these
statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may
differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements to
conform them to actual results. We refer you to the documents
Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods OJSC files from time to time with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically, the Company's most
recent Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important
factors, including those contained in the section captioned "Risk
Factors" in our Form 20-F, that could cause the actual results to differ
materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking
statements, including, among others, potential fluctuations in quarterly
results, and risks associated with our competitive environment,
acquisition strategy, ability to develop new products or maintain market
share, brand and company image, operating in Russia, volatility of stock
price, financial risk management, and future growth.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods OJSC was founded in 1992 and is the largest
manufacturer of dairy products and a leading producer of juices and
beverages in Russia and the CIS. The company produces dairy products
(main brands include: Domik v Derevne, Neo, 2Bio, 33 Korovy, Chudo and
more), juices (J7, Lubimy Sad, 100% Gold), Essentuki mineral water and
Agusha baby food.
The company has 37 manufacturing facilities in Russia, Ukraine,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Georgia with over 16,000 employees. In 2005,
Wimm-Bill-Dann became the first Russian dairy producer to receive
approval from the European Commission to export its products into the
European Union.
In 2009, Standard & Poor's Governance Services confirmed on WBD its
governance, accountability, management, metrics, and analysis (GAMMA)
score "GAMMA- 7+”. The score reflects the effective work of the Board of
Directors and, in particular, the real influence of independent
directors in the decision-making process and the adherence of the
controlling shareholders to the highest standards of corporate
governance.