The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state or jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion, dated October 18, 2018
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
B.A.T Capital Corporation
OFFER TO EXCHANGE (the “Exchange Offer”)
$2,250,000,000 2.297% Notes due 2020
$2,250,000,000 2.764% Notes due 2022
$2,500,000,000 3.222% Notes due 2024
$3,500,000,000 3.557% Notes due 2027
$2,500,000,000 4.390% Notes due 2037
$2,500,000,000 4.540% Notes due 2047
$1,000,000,000 Floating Rate Notes due 2020
$750,000,000 Floating Rate Notes due 2022
Guaranteed by British American Tobacco p.l.c., British American Tobacco Holdings (The Netherlands) B.V., B.A.T. Netherlands Finance B.V., B.A.T. International Finance p.l.c. and Reynolds American Inc.
This is an offer by B.A.T Capital Corporation (“BATCAP” or the “Issuer”), a wholly owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (“BAT” or the “Parent Guarantor” and, together with its subsidiaries, the “BAT Group”), to exchange (1) new 2.297% Notes due 2020 (the “2.297% Exchange Notes”), which are registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for any of its unregistered outstanding 2.297% Notes due 2020 (the “Unregistered 2.297% Notes”); (2) new 2.764% Notes due 2022 (the “2.764% Exchange Notes”), which are registered under the Securities Act, for any of its unregistered outstanding 2.764% Notes due 2022 (the “Unregistered 2.764% Notes”); (3) new 3.222% Notes due 2024 (the “3.222% Exchange Notes”), which are registered under the Securities Act, for any of its unregistered outstanding 3.222% Notes due 2024 (the “Unregistered 3.222% Notes”); (4) new 3.557% Notes due 2027 (the “3.557% Exchange Notes”), which are registered under the Securities Act, for any of its unregistered outstanding 3.557% Notes due 2027 (the “Unregistered 3.557% Notes”); (5) new 4.390% Notes due 2037 (the “4.390% Exchange Notes”), which are registered under the Securities Act, for any of its unregistered outstanding 4.390% Notes due 2037 (the “Unregistered 4.390% Notes”); (6) new 4.540% Notes due 2047 (the “4.540% Exchange Notes”), which are registered under the Securities Act, for any of its unregistered outstanding 4.540% Notes due 2047 (the “Unregistered 4.540% Notes”); (7) new Floating Rate Notes due 2020 (the “2020 Floating Rate Exchange Notes”), which are registered under the Securities Act, for any of its unregistered outstanding Floating Rate Notes due 2020 (the “Unregistered 2020 Floating Rate Notes”); and (8) new Floating Rate Notes due 2022 (the “2022 Floating Rate Exchange Notes” and, together with the 2.297% Exchange Notes, the 2.764% Exchange Notes, the 3.222% Exchange Notes, the 3.557% Exchange Notes, the 4.390% Exchange Notes, the 4.540% Exchange Notes, and the 2020 Floating Rate Exchange Notes, the “Exchange Notes”), which are registered under the Securities Act, for any of its unregistered outstanding Floating Rate Notes due 2022 (the “Unregistered 2022 Floating Rate Notes” and, together with the Unregistered 2.297% Notes, the Unregistered 2.764% Notes, the Unregistered 3.222% Notes, the Unregistered 3.557% Notes, the Unregistered 4.390% Notes, the Unregistered 4.540% Notes, and the Unregistered 2020 Floating Rate Notes, the “Unregistered Notes”).
The Exchange Offer will expire at 5 p.m., New York City time, on , 2018, unless we extend the offer. You must tender your Unregistered Notes by this deadline in order to receive the Exchange Notes. We do not currently intend to extend the expiration date.
The terms of the Exchange Notes to be issued are substantially identical to the Unregistered Notes, except that they are registered under the Securities Act, do not have any transfer restrictions and do not have registration rights. All untendered Unregistered Notes will continue to be subject to any applicable restrictions on transfer set forth in the Unregistered Notes and in the Indenture (as defined below).
There is currently no public market for the Exchange Notes to be issued to you pursuant to the Exchange Offer.
Each broker-dealer that receives Exchange Notes for its own account pursuant to the Exchange Offer must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such Exchange Notes. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, may be used by a broker-dealer in connection with resales of Exchange Notes received in exchange for the Unregistered Notes where such Unregistered Notes were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities. We have agreed to provide sufficient copies of the latest version of this prospectus to broker-dealers promptly upon request at any time for a period of 90 days (or such shorter period during which participating broker-dealers are required by law to deliver such prospectus) commencing on the day that notice of the Exchange Offer is given to holders in order to facilitate such resales. See “Plan of Distribution”.
See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 17 for a discussion of certain risks that you should consider before participating in the Exchange Offer.
The Exchange Offer is not being made available to, and the Exchange Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to, any retail investor in the European Economic Area (“EEA”). For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, “MiFID II”); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive 2002/92/EC (as amended, the “Insurance Mediation Directive”), where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II; or (iii) not a qualified investor as defined in Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended, the “Prospectus Directive”). Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the “PRIIPs Regulation”) for offering or selling the Exchange Notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Exchange Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the PRIIPS Regulation.
The Issuer is making the Exchange Offer only in those jurisdictions where it is legal to do so. This document does not constitute a “prospectus” for the purposes of Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended) and no such prospectus is required for the issue of the Exchange Notes. This Exchange Offer does not constitute an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell either Unregistered Notes or Exchange Notes in any jurisdiction in which, or to or from any person to or from whom, it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation under applicable securities laws or otherwise. The distribution of this prospectus in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this prospectus comes are required by us to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions. This prospectus may not be used for or in connection with an offer or solicitation by anyone in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation. See “The Exchange Offer—Certain Matters Relating toNon-U.S. Jurisdictions”.
Holders must comply with all laws that apply to them in any place in which they possess this prospectus. Holders must also obtain any consents or approvals that they need in order to tender their Unregistered Notes. None of the Issuer, the Guarantors or the Exchange Agent (or any of their respective directors, employees or affiliates) is responsible for holders’ compliance with these legal requirements. See “The Exchange Offer—Certain Matters Relating toNon-U.S. Jurisdictions”. The applicable provisions of the U.K. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (“FSMA”) must be complied with in respect of anything done in relation to the Exchange Offer in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2018.