What has happened to my Richemont units in the restructuring?
On 20 October 2008, the units separated into equal numbers of shares in Compagnie Financière Richemont SA and Reinet Investments SCA (Reinet). On 3 November, the Reinet shares were reduced and the majority of the British American Tobacco plc shares held by Reinet were distributed directly to shareholders.
The following figures provide a guide: Richemont Units held up to 20 October 2008: 1'000
From 21 October 2008: Shares in Compagnie Financière Richemont SA: 1'000 Shares in Reinet Investments SCA: 1'000
From 4 November 2008: Shares in Compagnie Financière Richemont SA: 1'000 Shares in Reinet Investments SCA: 137 Shares in British American Tobacco plc: 611
For the holder of 1'000 of the former Depositary Receipts (DRs) up to 20 October 2008, the new position from 4 November 2008 is: New DRs in Compagnie Financière Richemont SA: 1'000 New DRs in Reinet Investments SCA: 137 Shares in British American Tobacco plc: 61
How can I buy Richemont shares?
Richemont 'A' shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and traded on the SWX Europe electronic exchange. Any stockbroker or bank should be able to buy or sell 'A' shares for you. The Richemont securities reference number on SIX ('Valorennummer') is 4.503.965 and the ISIN code 'CH0045039655'. The reference on Reuters is 'CFR.VX' and on Bloomberg 'CFR VX'. Richemont South African Depository Receipts are traded on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa. The ISIN code is CH0045159024.
What is the shareholder structure and what is the number of outstanding shares?
Richemont has 522 million 'A' bearer shares and 52.2 million 'B' shares in issue. The 'A' shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and are traded on the SWX Europe in London. The 'B' shares are not listed and are held by Compagnie Financière Rupert. The company holds some 18 million 'A' bearer shares in Treasury to hedge executive stock option grants.
Can I convert my Johannesburg Depository Receipts (JDRs) into 'A' shares? If so, how?
Subject to the provisions of prevailing exchange control regulations in South Africa, JDRs may be converted into 'A' shares and vice versa in the ratio of 10 JDRs for each 'A' share.
For further information about the exchange process, please contact:
Computershare Investor Services 2004 (Pty) Limited 70 Marshall Street PO Box 61051 Marshalltown 2107 Johannesburg South Africa
Richemont pays a dividend each September after the Annual General Meeting has been held. View details of the 2007 dividend. Holders of 'A' shares who have them deposited with their bank or broker will typically have the dividend payment collected for them by the bank and credited to their account. If the 'A' share certificates are held by the investor it will be necessary to deliver the relevant dividend coupon to one of the paying agent banks: UBS AG, Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Cie and Pictet & Cie.
Holders of South African Depository Receipts will have the dividend paid to them through the STRATE system or by the Company's transfer agent in South Africa:
Computershare Investor Services 2004 (Pty) Limited 70 Marshall Street PO Box 61051 Marshalltown 2107 Johannesburg South Africa
Is there any withholding tax on the payment of dividends?
Up until 2004, dividends were only paid by Richemont SA Luxembourg. Dividends paid by Richemont SA Luxembourg are not subject to withholding tax. Since 2005, in addition to the dividends paid by Richemont SA Luxembourg, Compagnie Financière Richemont SA has also paid a dividend. Dividends paid by Compagnie Financière Richemont SA are subject to Swiss withholding tax at 35%. In accordance with the double taxation treaties between Switzerland and the unitholder's country of residence, part of this tax may be recoverable. Special arrangements have been made for holders of depository receipts resident in South Africa.
Holders of South African Depository Receipts may not attend the AGM but can give voting instructions to Richemont Securities, the issuer of the Depository Receipts, to represent them at the meeting. Dividends per unit have grown at a compound rate of 14.9% over the last five years (excluding special dividends).
You can download the annual report (pdf) or request a printed copy. If you are requesting a printed copy please indicate whether you would like to receive only the current year's annual report or whether you would like to be added to the permanent mailing list.
Richemont was formed in 1988, when the Rembrandt Group spun off its non-South African operations into the new entity. Those interests were principally a 30 per cent interest in Rothmans International and a minority interest in Cartier, Piaget and Baume & Mercier. Although Richemont is a relatively 'young' business, its underlying businesses have a long and distinguished history. Cartier was founded by Louis Cartier in 1847 and many of the Group's watch brands were established in Switzerland during the 19th century. Vacheron Constantin, the world's oldest watchmaker in continuous production, was established in 1755.
You can search the list of current job openings in the online Candidate Area. To access this, please register your details by creating a Candidate Profile. This step is required in order to search and apply for jobs on Richemont.com.
By applying online, your personal details will be saved in our secure database, which is regularly searched by our worldwide Recruitment Teams. You will be able to use this information to search and apply for other positions, without having to fill-in the form again.
Can I submit my details even if I don't see a job that interests me?
If there are no jobs listed that currently match your interest or skills, please create a Candidate Profile and 'release' it so that we can contact you should a future job opportunity arise that matches your preferences.
What career development prospects does Richemont offer?
Richemont Human Resources recognizes the importance of nurturing talent and encourages employees to actively pursue their professional and personal development.
In addition, a priority is to promote the growth of international careers.
Positions available within Richemont are often international and cover all corporate functions: General Management, Finance, Retail Development, IT, Marketing, Sales & Distribution, Logistics & Operations, Human Resources, etc.
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