Roberts Manufacturing’s public share offer closes successfully

Roberts Manufacturing Co. Limited, the 80‑year‑old Barbadian manufacturer of margarines, shortening, edible oils and animal feeds with distribution across 15 Caribbean markets, has confirmed the successful close of the initial phase of its public share offer.

The outcome of the offer reflects broad and high‑quality participation from across the Barbadian and regional financial landscape.

Subscriptions were received from more than 1 600 retail investors, including employees of Roberts Manufacturing, as well as statutory pension and social insurance funds, defined‑benefit and defined‑contribution pension funds, mutual fund managers, the credit union sector, insurance companies and other regulated financial institutions. Corporate investors also participated.

The offer attracted material interest beyond Barbados, including a leading Eastern Caribbean fund manager, signalling early cross‑border institutional confidence in the company as a regional issuer.

The company said the breadth of participation underscores the confidence of Barbadian savers, fiduciaries and institutions in a company that has manufactured locally, employed Barbadians and exported from Barbados for eight decades. It also reflects the main objective of the offer, placing direct equity ownership of a profitable and established Barbadian company into the hands of citizens from across society.

Chair of Roberts Manufacturing Garfield Sinclair thanked all investors who subscribed to the offer, describing the response as outstanding.

“The response of Barbadian investors to this offer has been outstanding, and we are deeply grateful for it,” Sinclair said. “We were particularly heartened that one of Barbados’ major long‑horizon institutional investors alone subscribed for approximately 20 per cent of the offer, a substantial vote of confidence in the company’s long‑term prospects.”

“Statutory and private pension funds, mutual fund managers, the credit union sector, insurers, corporates and over 1 600 retail investors, including over 130 employees, have together built one of the most diverse and high-quality shareholder registers seen on the Barbados Stock Exchange in many years.”

“Roberts Manufacturing is now, in a way it has never been before, owned by the country it has served for eight decades. We will work hard, every day, to reward that confidence,” Sinclair said.

Allotment of shares to successful applicants is underway and, subject to the completion of customary listing procedures, admission to trading is expected during the week commencing May 25, 2026, under the ticker symbol RMCO. The precise listing date will be confirmed in a separate announcement.

The selling shareholders, PROVEN Group Limited and McAl Trading Limited, continue to hold a substantial position alongside the new public shareholders.

The board indicated it will, in due course, consider further capital-markets initiatives to broaden the company’s investor base and improve share liquidity.

The selling shareholders were advised by Caribbean Strategic Advisors Inc., with SigniaGlobe Financial Group acting as lead broker and Capita Financial Services as co‑broker. The G&A Group led marketing communications.

The prospectus dated October 31, 2025, remains available from licensed Barbados Stock Exchange brokers and the Barbados Financial Services Commission. (PR)