Aimia announces renewal of its normal course issuer bid
MONTREAL, May 13, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ – Aimia Inc. (TSX: AIM) announced
today that it has received approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange
respecting the renewal of its normal course issuer bid to purchase for
cancellation up to 15,530,762 of its common shares, or 10% of the
public float of 155,307,620 common shares as at May 13, 2014, through
the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange and through alternative
trading systems (such as Alpha ATS), or by other means as may be
permitted by the TSX, such as prearranged crosses, exempt offers and
block purchases, during the period from May 16, 2014 to no later than
May 15, 2015. Aimia may also purchase common shares for cancellation by
way of private agreements under an issuer bid exemption order issued by
a securities regulatory authority. Purchases made on the open market
through the facilities of the TSX and alternative trading systems will
be at the prevailing market price at the time of acquisition. Purchases
made by way of private agreements under an issuer bid exemption order
issued by a securities regulatory authority will be at a discount to
the prevailing market price as provided in the exemption order. As at
May 13, 2014 there were 173,432,519 common shares issued and
outstanding.
The average daily trading volume on the Toronto Stock Exchange for the
past six months was 390,106 common shares. Under the regulations of the Toronto Stock Exchange, a
maximum daily repurchase of 25% of this average may be made,
representing 97,526 common shares. In addition, Aimia may make, once
per week, a block purchase (as such term is defined in the TSX Company
Manual) of common shares not directly or indirectly owned by insiders
of Aimia, in accordance with the regulations of the Toronto Stock
Exchange. The common shares purchased pursuant to the normal course
issuer bid will be cancelled.
The Board of Directors of Aimia has concluded that the repurchase of
common shares represents an appropriate use of funds to increase
shareholder value, as the underlying value of Aimia may not be
reflected in the market price of its common shares from time to time.
From May 16, 2013 to May 13, 2014, Aimia did not purchase any of its
common shares pursuant to its current normal course issuer bid.
About Aimia
Aimia Inc. (“Aimia”) is a global leader in loyalty management. Employing
more than 4,300 people in 20 countries worldwide, Aimia offers clients,
partners and members proven expertise in launching and managing
coalition loyalty programs, delivering proprietary loyalty services,
creating value through loyalty analytics and driving innovation in the
emerging digital, mobile and social communications spaces.
Aimia owns and operates Aeroplan, Canada’s premier coalition loyalty
program, Nectar, the United Kingdom’s largest coalition loyalty
program, Nectar Italia, Italy’s largest coalition loyalty program and
Smart Button, a leading provider of SaaS loyalty solutions. In
addition, Aimia owns stakes in Air Miles Middle East, Travel Club,
Spain’s largest coalition loyalty program, Club Premier, Mexico’s
leading coalition loyalty program, China Rewards, the first coalition
loyalty program in China that enables members to earn and redeem a
common currency, Think Big, the owner and operator of BIG – AirAsia and
Tune Group’s loyalty program, Brazil’s Prismah Fidelidade and i2c, a
joint venture with Sainsbury’s offering insight and data analytics
services in the UK to retailers and suppliers. Aimia also holds a
minority position in Cardlytics, a US-based private company operating
in card-linked marketing. Aimia is listed on the Toronto Stock
Exchange (TSX: AIM). For more information, visit us at www.aimia.com.
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Forward-looking statements are included in this news release. These
forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms and
phrases such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”,
“intend”, “may”, “plan”, “predict”, “project”, “will”, “would”, and
“should”, and similar terms and phrases, including references to
assumptions. Such statements may involve but are not limited to
comments with respect to strategies, expectations, planned operations
or future actions.
Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions
and are subject to important risks and uncertainties. Any forecasts,
predictions or forward-looking statements cannot be relied upon due to,
among other things, changing external events and general uncertainties
of the business and its corporate structure. Results indicated in
forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results
for a number of reasons, including without limitation, dependency on
top Accumulation Partners and clients, changes to the Aeroplan Program,
failure to safeguard databases and consumer privacy, conflicts of
interest, greater than expected redemptions for rewards, regulatory
matters, retail market/economic conditions, industry competition, Air
Canada liquidity issues, Air Canada or travel industry disruptions,
airline industry changes and increased airline costs, supply and
capacity costs, unfunded future redemption costs, changes to coalition
loyalty programs, seasonal nature of the business, other factors and
prior performance, foreign operations, legal proceedings, reliance on
key personnel, labour relations, pension liability, technological
disruptions and inability to use third party software, failure to
protect intellectual property rights, interest rate and currency
fluctuations, leverage and restrictive covenants in current and future
indebtedness, uncertainty of dividend payments, managing growth, credit
ratings, as well as the other factors identified in this news release
and throughout Aimia’s public disclosure record on file with the
Canadian securities regulatory authorities.
The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Aimia’s
expectations as of May 13, 2014, and are subject to change after such
date. However, Aimia disclaims any intention or obligation to update or
revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required under
applicable securities regulations.
SOURCE AIMIA
Contact:
Media, Analysts and Investors
Karen Keyes
416-352-3728
karen.keyes@aimia.com