Prague, République Tchèque / Amsterdam, Pays-Bas, le 30 septembre 2016 – Avast Software, l’éditeur des solutions de sécurité grand public et professionnelles, annonce aujourd’hui le rachat de la majorité des parts d’AVG Technologies après l’échéance de la période initiale de son offre publique d'achat pour toutes les actions ordinaires en circulation d’AVG Technologies N.V., (NYSE: AVG). Les deux acteurs agiront comme une seule et unique entreprise à compter du lundi 3 octobre 2016.

Vince Steckler devient le Président Directeur Général du nouvel Avast et supervise les plus de 700 millions de dollars de chiffre d’affaires générés par la nouvelle entité en 2016. Avast se transforme ainsi en une société de sécurité complète disposant de la base utilisateurs la plus importante au monde et d’activités significatives dédiées au mobile, aux PME et à l’entreprise mobile. Lors de la finalisation de l’offre publique d’achat, le PDG d’AVG, Gary Kovacs quitte officiellement l’entreprise mais reste disponible en tant que consultant pendant toute la durée de la transition. 

« L’entreprise consolidée compte désormais plus de 400 millions d’utilisateurs, plus de 40 % des utilisateurs de PC dans le monde en dehors de la Chine, ainsi que la base de sécurité utilisateurs la plus importante à l’échelle mondiale. Si nous étions un pays, nous serions le 3ème pays le plus peuplé au monde, confie Vince Steckler, Président Directeur Général. Les Etats-Unis sont désormais notre premier marché avec 58 millions d’utilisateurs. Nous avons réellement pris une ampleur internationale et nous sommes fiers d’être le premier choix en termes de sécurité. »

 « Nous avons maintenant les moyens techniques de fournir une protection  de niveau supérieur à nos clients. Par exemple, nos laboratoires anti-menaces combinés ont affecté des équipes dédiées aux nouvelles menaces qui touchent les utilisateurs. Parmi les menaces surveillées, l’ingénierie sociale souvent utilisée pour cibler des objets connectés et les ransomwares que nous combattons grâce à la technologie de machine learning. Nous pensons être à présent mieux équipés que jamais pour déjouer les hackers », ajoute-t-il.

En rachetant AVG, Avast offre une meilleure protection à ses utilisateurs. Désormais, Avast :

• Possède le réseau de détection des menaces le plus important au monde avec plus de 400 millions d’appareils jouant le rôle de capteurs et fournissant des informations sur les malware afin d’aider à détecter et neutraliser les nouvelles menaces dès leur apparition. 
  
• Compte probablement le réseau de sécurité Cloud et de machine learning le plus important au monde, avec plus de 9 000 serveurs et soutenant 50 millions de connexions simultanées afin de fournir une protection instantanée à ses utilisateurs
  
• Empêche environ 1 milliard d’attaques de malwares par mois
  
• Bloque plus de 500 millions d’URL frauduleux par mois
  
• Bloque environ 50 millions d’attaques de phishing par mois
  
• Traite 9 millions de nouveaux fichiers exécutables chaque mois, dont 25 % se révèlent frauduleux, ce qui donne rapidement à Avast une vision plus fine des menaces existantes
  

Avec cette acquisition, Avast développe son activité PME et s’enrichit de la base solide de revendeurs d'AVG, permettant à Avast de soutenir davantage de plus grandes entreprises. Avast récupère également les Location Labs d’AVG et leurs activités métiers, dans lesquels la société compte investir pour prendre de l’ampleur à l’international. En raison de l'infrastructure fermée des systèmes d'exploitation mobiles, la technologie de sécurité mobile et de protection de la vie privée est plus forte lorsqu'elle est intégrée dans l'infrastructure du support. La technologie Location Labs fournit principalement aux utilisateurs une solution intégrée au Cloud, contournant les faiblesses et les problèmes de sécurité liés au fonctionnement du système d'exploitation mobile.

Avast prévoit de créer toujours plus de produits de qualité pour contrer le nombre croissant de menaces sur le marché. A l’avenir, l’entreprise continuera de proposer des solutions à la fois sous AVG et sous Avast afin de soutenir les utilisateurs et les partenaires des deux marques. 

« Nous voulons rassurer nos utilisateurs, qu’ils utilisent un produit AVG ou Avast, et leur dire que nous continuerons à leur apporter notre aide. Sans eux et nos partenaires nous ne serions jamais arrivés là où nous en sommes aujourd’hui », explique Vince Steckler. 

Les termes de l’acquisition spécifient qu’Avast détient environ 87,3 % des actions ordinaires d’AVG acquis à la fin de la période d'offre initiale de l'offre publique d'achat. Avast a également annoncé avoir ouvert une période d’offre ultérieure afin de donner l’opportunité aux actionnaires d’AVG, qui n’ont pas encore soumis une offre, de le faire. Cette période ultérieure arrivera à échéance le 14 octobre 2016 à 23h59, heure de New York, sauf changement. Comme indiqué ci-dessous, Avast prévoit de radier volontairement les actions d’AVG de la Bourse de New York immédiatement après la période d’offre subséquente. 

Vous trouverez ci-après le lien vers les photos et infographie relatives à la finalisation de l’acquisition : https://www.wetransfer.com/downloads/6e773c5408730e580e5a78ae6c28ffa520160930094108/a67c10. 

Veuillez trouver ci-dessous les détails de la transaction et la suite du communiqué de presse en anglais :

The Transaction

On July 29, 2016, Avast Software B.V. and its parent company, Avast Holding B.V., commenced a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG Technologies N.V. at a purchase price of $25.00 per share in cash, without interest and less applicable withholding taxes or other taxes. The initial offering period for the tender offer and withdrawal rights expired at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on September 29, 2016. Based on information provided by the depositary for the offer, a total of 44,543,555 shares, representing approximately 87.3% of the aggregate number of shares outstanding, had been validly tendered and had not been properly withdrawn as of the initial expiration of the offer (excluding 2,809,498 shares, representing approximately 5.5% of the aggregate number of shares outstanding, tendered pursuant to guaranteed delivery procedures that have not yet been delivered in settlement or satisfaction of such guarantee). Avast Software B.V. and Avast Holding B.V. have accepted for payment all shares that were validly tendered and were not properly withdrawn from the offer, and payment for such shares will be made promptly in accordance with the terms of the offer.

Avast Software B.V. and Avast Holding B.V. also announced today the commencement of a subsequent offering period scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on October 14, 2016. Avast may extend the subsequent offering period to provide for a minority exit offering period of up to 10 business days to provide AVG shareholders who have not yet tendered their shares the opportunity to do so. All shares validly tendered during the subsequent offering period will be immediately accepted for payment, and tendering holders will thereafter promptly be paid the same form and amount of offer consideration as in the initial offering period. The procedures for tendering shares during the subsequent offering period are the same as those applicable to the initial offering period, except that (i) the guaranteed delivery procedures may not be used during the subsequent offering period and (ii) no withdrawal rights will apply to shares tendered during the subsequent offering period.

As more fully described in the offer to purchase, if the number of shares purchased during the subsequent offering period (including, if applicable, the minority exit offering period), together with the shares purchased during the initial offering period, is equal to at least 95% of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG, Avast expects to acquire the ordinary shares of AVG that were not tendered into the tender offer through the compulsory share acquisition process under Section 2:92a/2:201a of the Dutch Civil Code. If the number of shares purchased during the subsequent offering period (including, if applicable, the minority exit offering period), together with the shares purchased during the initial offering period, is less than 95% of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG, Avast plans to effect an asset sale pursuant to which Avast will acquire substantially all of the assets, and assume substantially all of the liabilities, of AVG promptly following the tender offer. Following the completion of the asset sale, AVG will be liquidated and the remaining minority shareholders of AVG will receive cash distributions with respect to each ordinary share owned by them equal to the per share cash consideration paid in the tender offer less any applicable dividend withholding tax or any other taxes.

As soon as practicable following the completion of the subsequent offering period (including, if applicable, the minority exit offering period), AVG intends to voluntarily delist its shares from the New York Stock Exchange. AVG also intends to deregister its shares under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (as amended, the “Exchange Act”) and to suspend its reporting obligations under the Exchange Act, but will only be eligible to do so upon satisfaction of the applicable requirements for deregistration.

AVG has submitted written notice to the New York Stock Exchange of its intent to voluntarily delist its shares from the New York Stock Exchange in connection with the tender offer. AVG intends to file a Form 25, Notification of Removal from Listing and/or Registration under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to delist its shares promptly following the subsequent offering period. Delisting from the NYSE is expected to become effective 10 days after the filing date of the Form 25.

The AVG shares will not be listed or registered on another national securities exchange. Delisting is likely to reduce significantly the liquidity and marketability of any AVG shares that have not been tendered pursuant to the tender offer.

Advisors

Jefferies International Limited is acting as exclusive financial advisor, and White & Case LLP and De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek N.V. are acting as legal advisors to Avast. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is acting as financial advisor to AVG, Bridge Street Securities, LLC is acting as financial advisor to the supervisory board of AVG, and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and Allen & Overy LLP are acting as legal advisors to AVG.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should,” “will,” “expect,” “are confident that,” “objective,” “projection,” “forecast,” “goal,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “effort,” “target,” “would” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terms. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. These factors include risks and uncertainties related to, among other things: general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which Avast and AVG operate; the uncertainty of regulatory approvals; AVG's delisting from the New York Stock Exchange and suspension of AVG's reporting obligations under the Exchange Act and to consummate the transactions and their plans described in this press release; and AVG's performance and maintenance of important business relationships. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in AVG's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including AVG's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and neither Avast nor AVG assumes any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This press release does not constitute an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities of AVG. The solicitation and offer to purchase ordinary shares of AVG is being made pursuant to a tender offer statement on Schedule TO, including an Offer to Purchase, a related letter of transmittal and certain other tender offer documents, filed by Avast with the SEC on July 29, 2016 (as subsequently amended, the “Tender Offer Statement”). AVG filed a solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 with respect to the tender offer with the SEC on July 29, 2016 (as subsequently amended, the “Solicitation/Recommendation Statement”). AVG shareholders are urged to read the Tender Offer Statement and Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, as they may be amended from time to time, as well as any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, carefully and in their entirety because they will contain important information that AVG shareholders should consider before making any decision regarding tendering their securities. The Tender Offer Statement and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement are available for free at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by AVG will be available free of charge on AVG's website at investors.avg.com.