THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPENDICES AND THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED HEREIN (TOGETHER THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT"), IS RESTRICTED AND
IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN
PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA,
AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION
WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICES AT THE END OF
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD BE READ IN ITS ENTIRETY. IN PARTICULAR, YOU
SHOULD READ AND UNDERSTAND THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN APPENDIX I
WHICH CONTAINS THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
PLACING.
THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE
MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) 596 / 2014 WHICH FORMS PART OF UK LAW
BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 ("UK MAR").
IN ADDITION, MARKET SOUNDINGS (AS DEFINED IN UK MAR) WERE TAKEN IN
RESPECT OF CERTAIN OF THE MATTERS CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT,
WITH THE RESULT THAT CERTAIN PERSONS BECAME AWARE OF SUCH INSIDE
INFORMATION, AS PERMITTED BY UK MAR. UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT, THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN
THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND SUCH PERSONS SHALL THEREFORE CEASE TO BE IN
POSSESSION OF INSIDE INFORMATION.
23 May 2024
EnSilica plc
("EnSilica", the "Company" or the "Group")
Proposed equity fundraising to raise a
minimum of £4.3 million
and retail offer for up to £0.3
million
Fundraising to provide additional
working capital to finance growth in supply revenues, investment in
technology and engineering staff, and strengthen the Company's
balance sheet
EnSilica (AIM: ENSI), a leading chip maker of
mixed signal ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits),
today announces its intention to conduct a fundraising
to raise gross proceeds of at least £4.3 million
through (i) a placing (the "Placing") of a minimum of 8,644,642 new
ordinary shares ("Placing
Shares") of 0.1p each in the capital of the
Company ("Ordinary Shares")
to new and existing institutional investors ("Placees") at an issue price of 45
pence per new Ordinary Share (the "Issue Price") and (ii) a subscription
of 910,913 new Ordinary Shares ("Subscription Shares") at the Issue Price
(the "Subscription").
In addition, the Company is proposing a retail offer to existing
shareholders for up to 666,666 new Ordinary Shares at the Issue
Price to raise up to an additional £0.3 million.
The Placing is being made available to
certain institutional investors but is not available to the public
and will be conducted by way of an accelerated
bookbuild ("Bookbuild") which will open
immediately following release of this Announcement in
accordance with the terms and conditions set out in Appendix
I.
Fundraising
summary:
·
EnSilica is conducting a conditional Placing and Subscription
to raise a minimum of £4.3 million (before expenses) through the
proposed issue of a minimum of 9,555,555 new Ordinary Shares at 45p
per share.
·
Certain directors of the Company intend conditionally to
subscribe for 49,111 new Ordinary Shares, representing
approximately £22,100 in aggregate.
· The
net proceeds of the Placing and the Subscription, which are
expected to amount to at least £4.0 million, will provide the
Company with additional working capital to finance growth in supply
revenues, investment in technology and engineering staff, and
strengthening the Company's balance sheet.
·
Allenby Capital Limited ("Allenby Capital") is acting as Joint
Broker and bookrunner in respect of the Placing and Singer Capital
Markets Securities Limited ("Singer Capital Markets") is acting as
Joint Broker and lead bookrunner in respect of the Placing
(together, the "Bookrunners").
· The
final number and allocation of the Placing Shares will be
determined by the Bookrunners in consultation with the Company and
the result of the Placing will be announced as soon as practical
after the release of this Announcement.
Due to limits on the existing share authorities
available to issue new Ordinary Shares, the Placing will be
conducted in two tranches, as follows:
· a
placing of 7,512,857 Placing Shares (the "First Placing Shares") at the Issue
Price to be issued pursuant to the Company's existing authorities
to issue and allot equity securities on a non-pre-emptive basis,
granted at the general meeting of the Company on 18 March 2024 (the
"First Placing"); and
· a
conditional placing of a minimum of 1,131,785 Placing Shares (the
"Second Placing Shares") at
the Issue Price to be issued conditional on the passing of the
Resolutions at the General Meeting (as described further below)
(the "Second
Placing").
The Subscription, which will complete at the
same time as the First Placing, will include certain directors of
the Company as well as a new institutional investor.
WRAP Retail
Offer
In addition to the Placing and the
Subscription, the Company announces that there will be a separate
conditional retail offer to existing shareholders via the
Winterflood Retail Access Platform ("WRAP") to raise up to £0.3 million
(before expenses) at the Issue Price (the "WRAP Retail Offer", and together with the
Placing and the Subscription, the "Fundraising"). This is to provide
existing UK retail shareholders in the Company an opportunity to
participate in the Fundraising.
Those investors who subscribe for new Ordinary
Shares pursuant to the WRAP Retail Offer (the "WRAP Retail Offer Shares") will do so pursuant to the
terms and conditions of the WRAP Retail Offer contained in a
separate announcement to be released by the Company, and the WRAP
Retail Offer Shares will form part of the second tranche of the
Fundraising, and therefore their issue will be conditional
inter alia upon the
passing of the Resolutions at the General Meeting (as described
further below). The WRAP Retail Offer is subject to a minimum
subscription of £100 per investor and will be open only to existing
shareholders of the Company within the United Kingdom. The WRAP
Retail Offer will be conditional on completion of the Placing and
Subscription. A separate announcement will be made by the Company
regarding the WRAP Retail Offer and its terms.
Details of the
Fundraising and the background to and rationale for it are set out
further below.
The terms and
conditions of the Bookbuild are set out in Appendix I at the end of
this Announcement.
For further
information please contact:
EnSilica
plc
Ian Lankshear, Chief Executive
Officer
www.ensilica.com
|
Via Vigo Consulting
+44 (0)20 7390 0233
|
Allenby
Capital Limited, Nominated Adviser & Joint
Broker
Joscelin Pinnington / Tony Quirke (Sales &
Corporate Broking)
Jeremy Porter / Vivek Bhardwaj (Corporate
Finance)
|
+44 (0)20 3002 2073
info@allenbycapital.com
|
Singer Capital
Markets, Joint Broker
Rick Thompson / Asha Chotai
|
+44 (0)20 7496 3000
|
Vigo
Consulting (Investor & Financial Public
Relations)
Jeremy Garcia / Kendall Hill / Anna
Stacey
|
+44 (0)20 7390 0233
ensilica@vigoconsulting.com
|
About
EnSilica
EnSilica is a leading fabless design house
focused on custom ASIC design and supply for OEMs and system
houses, as well as IC design services for companies with their own
design teams. The company has world-class expertise in supplying
custom RF, mmWave, mixed signal and digital ICs to its
international customers in the automotive, industrial, healthcare
and communications markets. The company also offers a broad
portfolio of core IP covering cryptography, radar, and
communications systems. EnSilica has a track record in delivering
high quality solutions to demanding industry standards. The company
is headquartered near Oxford, UK and has design centres across the
UK and in India and Brazil.
This
Announcement should be read in its entirety. Attention is
drawn to the section of this Announcement headed 'Important
Notices' and the terms and conditions of the Placing (representing
important information for invited Placees only) in Appendix I to
this Announcement.
This Announcement is made in accordance with
the Company's obligations under Article 17 of UK MAR and the person
responsible for arranging for the release of this Announcement on
behalf of EnSilica is Ian Lankshear, Chief Executive Officer.
Background to
the Fundraising and use of proceeds
On 14 May 2024, the Company issued a pre-close
trading update for the year ending 31 May 2024 ("FY24"), where the board of directors of
EnSilica (the "Board" or
the "Directors") announced
that EnSilica delivered a strong performance for FY24 and expects
to report (subject to audit) record revenues of approximately £25.0
million for FY24 (2023: £20.5 million), profit after tax of
approximately £1.9 million (2023: £1.8 million) and EBITDA of
approximately £1.8 million (2023: £1.6 million). This record
performance has been primarily driven by EnSilica's
continued new business momentum, the execution of significant
contracts with key customers and a maturing of the supply business
model.
However, during the second half of
FY24 the mix of business changed reflecting the slower economy and
the impact that had on the start of new supply contracts which are
now expected to begin in the first quarter
of the financial year ending 31 May 2025
("FY25"). This change in sales mix led to a reduced margin overall
although the Board is confident that this will not persist into
FY25.
EnSilica continues to experience
high rates of activity and strong demand for its services, though
the Company has seen a longer gestation period for investment
decisions from customers in the second half of FY24.
EnSilica's current sales pipeline of opportunities and
potential contracts is in excess of an estimated US$500 million of
lifetime revenues. Similarly, the Board is pleased to report that
for FY25, annualised recurring revenue ("ARR") is anticipated to be
in the region of £8 million, demonstrating the maturity of
EnSilica's business.
With the continued business momentum across
EnSilica's design and supply offering across its traditional
verticals, intellectual property ("IP") is increasingly playing a key role
in the Company's long-term growth strategy and differentiation. In
this regard, EnSilica intends to further develop
EnSilica's existing IP portfolio through customer driven
requirements, focusing on reusing the Company's IP as well as
adding to its IP portfolio to address analogue sensing and
cryptography communications applications. The Board believes
that a strong IP portfolio will contribute to EnSilica being the
go-to design house in EnSilica's selected verticals.
Traction in the strategy outlined above can be
demonstrated through EnSilica having developed additional
cybersecurity IP and licensed it to a leading global networking
chip manufacturer. The IP addresses cybersecurity threats
associated with maintaining data confidentiality when under attack
from quantum computers. While the increased attention to
cybersecurity is an attractive growth opportunity for EnSilica, as
this drives the re-design of many ASICs, this is an area that is
also a threat to customers. In particular, major customers are now
increasingly seeking adherence to higher standards of cyber and
data security compliance by their strategic suppliers. In
recognition of this, EnSilica has invested in additional systems to
meet the increasing demands associated with high levels of
cybersecurity compliance.
Against this background, and to enable EnSilica
to continue to position itself as the go-to ASIC partner in the
global market and attract mandates at the highest levels,
the Company has proposed the Fundraising to
strengthen its balance sheet and provide additional working
capital, in order for the Company to:
(i)
finance recent growth in the Company's supply revenue and
prospective revenue, including increasing the Company's inventory
levels;
(ii)
increase investment in
EnSilica's cybersecurity disaster plan technology, thereby enabling
EnSilica to strengthen its offering to customers within this
vertical; and
(iii)
increase investment in engineering staff to further enhance the
Company's design capabilities.
As stated in the Company's interim results, the
Board continues to consider and evaluate additional debt
opportunities to further strengthen the Company's balance sheet, as
appropriate.
Further
details of the Placing and the Subscription
It is expected that the Placing will result in
the issue of a minimum of 8,644,642 new Ordinary Shares
and the Subscription will result in the issue of
910,913 new Ordinary Shares, in each case at the Issue Price.
Together the Placing and the Subscription will conditionally raise
a minimum of £4.3 million before expenses for the Company. The
Placing and the Subscription Shares will, in aggregate, represent a
minimum of 10 per cent. of the enlarged issued share capital,
assuming no WRAP Retail Offer Shares are issued.
The Issue Price represents a discount of
approximately 18 per cent. to the closing middle market price of
55.00 pence per Ordinary Share on 23 May 2024, being the latest
closing price prior to this Announcement.
The Company will privately offer the
Subscription Shares to a limited number of entities and individuals
both within and outside of the United Kingdom, under applicable
regulatory exemptions as appropriate.
Pursuant to a placing agreement dated 23
May 2024 between Allenby Capital, Singer Capital Markets and
the Company (the "Placing
Agreement"), Allenby Capital and Singer Capital Markets have
conditionally agreed, as agents on behalf of the Company, to use
their respective reasonable endeavours to procure subscribers for
the Placing Shares.
The Placing is subject to the terms and
conditions set out in Appendix I to this Announcement. The
Bookrunners will commence the Bookbuild in respect of the Placing
immediately following the release of this Announcement. The exact
number of Placing Shares will be determined at the close of the
Bookbuild and will be announced as soon as practicable
thereafter.
The timing of the closing of the
Bookbuild, the number of new Ordinary Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing and allocations among
subscribers are at the absolute discretion of the Bookrunners,
in consultation with the Company. A further announcement
confirming the final details of the Placing will be made following
the closing of the Bookbuild. The Bookrunners reserve the right to
close the Bookbuild without further notice. The Placing is being
undertaken on a reasonable endeavours basis and is not being
underwritten. Furthermore, the proposed issue of the new
Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Placing and the Subscription will
take place on a non-pre-emptive basis. The Second Placing is
conditional on the approval of the Resolutions by Shareholders at
the General Meeting (as described further below).
The new Ordinary Shares, when issued,
will be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all
respects with each other and with the existing Ordinary Shares
including, without limitation, the right to receive all dividends
and other distributions declared, made or paid on or after the date
of issue.
Director
participation
Mark Hodgkins, Janet Collyer, Noel Hurley and
Kristoff Rademan, directors of the Company, have indicated their
intention to subscribe for 39,111 new Ordinary Shares at the Issue
Price pursuant to the Subscription. In addition, David Tilston,
Non-Executive Director, is intending to participate in the Placing
by subscribing for 10,000 new Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price.
In aggregate, director participation in the Fundraising is expected
to total £22,099.95.
General
Meeting
The Second Placing and the WRAP Retail Offer
are conditional upon, amongst other things, shareholders of
EnSilica ("Shareholders")
approving the passing of resolutions to (i)
authorise such issues and allotments of new Ordinary Shares and
(ii) disapply pre-emption rights to the extent necessary to
authorise such issues and allotments of new Ordinary Shares on a
non-pre-emptive basis (the "Resolutions"), to be put to
shareholders at a general meeting of the Company expected to be
held on 17 June 2024 (the "General
Meeting"). Such Resolutions will, if passed, grant to
the Directors the authority to allot the Second Placing Shares and
the WRAP Retail Offer Shares for cash on a non-pre-emptive
basis.
The General Meeting is proposed to be held at
the offices of Fieldfisher LLP at Riverbank House, 2 Swan Lane,
London, EC4R 3TT at 10.00 a.m. on 17 June 2024 and the Company
intends to publish and send a circular, which will include a notice
convening a General Meeting, to Shareholders as soon as practicable
following the closing of the WRAP Retail Offer next week (the
"Circular").
The First Placing and the Subscription are
conditional upon, amongst other things, the Placing Agreement not
having been terminated in accordance with its terms and First
Admission (as described below) becoming effective.
The First Placing and the Subscription are
not conditional on the passing of the Resolutions or the completion
of the Second Placing or the WRAP Retail Offer. Should the
Resolutions not be passed at the General Meeting, the Second
Placing and the WRAP Retail Offer will not proceed. The First
Placing and the Subscription will not be affected by any or all of
the Second Placing and the WRAP Retail Offer failing to complete
for any reason.
Admission to
AIM
Application has been made to the London Stock
Exchange plc for admission of the First Placing Shares and the
Subscription Shares to trading on AIM, subject to completion of the
Bookbuild ("First
Admission"). Subject to completion of the Bookbuild, First
Admission is expected to occur on or around 28 May 2024 or such
later time and/or date as the Bookrunners and the Company may agree
(being in any event no later than 8.00 a.m. on 11 June
2024).
Application will be made to the London Stock
Exchange plc for admission of the Second Placing Shares and the
WRAP Retail Offer Shares to trading on AIM, subject to completion
of the First Placing and the Subscription and the passing of the
Resolutions.
The times and dates set out throughout this
Announcement may be adjusted by the Company in which event the
Company will make an appropriate announcement to a Regulatory
Information Service giving details of any revised times and dates
which will also be notified to the London Stock Exchange and, where
appropriate, shareholders of the Company. Shareholders of the
Company may not receive any further written
communication.
References to times in this Announcement are to
the time in London, UK unless otherwise stated.
IMPORTANT NOTICES
Notice to Distributors
This Announcement is not for publication or
distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States
of America. This Announcement is not an offer of securities for
sale into the United States. The securities referred to
herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S.
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold
in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption
from registration. No public offering of securities is being
made in the United States.
UK Product
Governance Requirements
Solely for the purposes of the product
governance requirements contained within chapter 3 of the FCA
Handbook Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook
(the "UK Product Governance
Requirements") and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any
"manufacturer" (for the
purposes of the UK Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise
have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares have been subject to
a product approval process, which has determined that the Placing
Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail
investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in
chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook
("COBS"); and
(ii) eligible for distribution through all permitted
distribution channels (the "UK Target Market Assessment").
Notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment, distributors
should note that: the price of the Placing Shares may decline and
investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Placing
Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an
investment in Placing Shares is compatible only with investors who
do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either
alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other
adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an
investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any
losses that may result therefrom. The UK Target Market Assessment
is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal
or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing.
Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the UK Target Market
Assessment, the Bookrunners will only procure investors
who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible
counterparties.
For the avoidance of doubt, the UK Target
Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of
suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of chapters 9A
or 10A respectively of the COBS; or (b) a recommendation to
any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or
take any other action whatsoever with respect to Placing Shares.
Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target
market assessment in respect of the shares and determining
appropriate distribution channels.
EU Product
Governance Requirements
Solely for the purposes of the product
governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive
2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended and as
this is applied in the United Kingdom ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9
and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593
supplementing MiFID II and Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 of the
European Parliament, as they form part of UK law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended; and (c) local
implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether
arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the
MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with
respect thereto, the Ordinary Shares have been subject to a product
approval process, which has determined that such securities are:
(i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors who do
not need a guaranteed income or capital protection and investors
who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible
counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for
distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by
MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment"). The Ordinary Shares are
not appropriate for a target market of investors whose objectives
include no capital loss. Notwithstanding the Target Market
Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the
Ordinary Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of
their investment; the Ordinary Shares offer no guaranteed income
and no capital protection; and an investment in the Ordinary Shares
is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed
income or capital projection, who (either alone or in conjunction
with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of
evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have
sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result
therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, Allenby Capital
and Singer Capital Markets will only procure investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties. For
the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not
constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for
the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor
or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other
action whatsoever with respect to the Ordinary Shares. Each
distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market
assessment in respect of the shares and determining appropriate
distribution channels.
Forward Looking
Statements
This Announcement includes statements that are,
or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These
forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes",
"estimates", "plans", "anticipates", "targets", "aims",
"continues", "expects", "intends", "hopes", "may", "will", "would",
"could" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other
variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking
statements include matters that are not facts. They appear in a
number of places throughout this Announcement and include
statements regarding the Directors' beliefs or current
expectations. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve
risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and
circumstances. Investors should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this
Announcement.
Notice to overseas
persons
This Announcement does not constitute, or form
part of, a prospectus relating to the Company, nor does it
constitute or contain any invitation or offer to any person, or any
public offer, to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire any
shares in the Company or advise persons to do so in any
jurisdiction, nor shall it, or any part of it form the basis of or
be relied on in connection with any contract or as an inducement to
enter into any contract or commitment with the Company.
This Announcement is not for release,
publication or distribution, in whole or in part, directly or
indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of
South Africa or any jurisdiction into which the publication or
distribution would be unlawful. This Announcement is for
information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell
or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy or acquire shares
in the capital of the Company in Australia, Canada,
Japan, the Republic of South Africa or any jurisdiction in
which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful or require
preparation of any prospectus or other offer documentation or would
be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or
qualification under the securities laws of any such
jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this Announcement
comes are required by the Company to inform themselves about, and
to observe, such restrictions.
General
Neither the content of the Company's website
(or any other website) nor the content of any website accessible
from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) or
any previous Announcement made by the
Company is incorporated into, or forms part of, this
announcement.
This Announcement has been issued by, and is
the sole responsibility of, the Company.
Allenby Capital, which is authorised and
regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, is acting as Nominated
Adviser, Joint Broker and Bookrunner to the Company in connection
with the Placing. Allenby Capital will not be responsible to any
person other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Allenby Capital or for providing advice to
any other person in connection with the Placing or any acquisition
of shares in the Company. Allenby Capital has not authorised the
contents of, or any part of, this announcement, no representation
or warranty, express or implied, is made by Allenby Capital in
respect of such contents, and no liability whatsoever is accepted
by Allenby Capital for the accuracy of any information or opinions
contained in this Announcement or for the
omission of any material information, save that nothing shall limit
the liability of Allenby Capital for its own fraud. Allenby
Capital's responsibilities as the Company's nominated adviser under
the AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers are owed solely to the London
Stock Exchange and are not owed to the Company or to any Director
or to any other person.
Singer Capital Markets, which is authorised and
regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, is acting as Joint
Broker and lead Bookrunner to the Company in connection with the
Placing. Singer Capital Markets will not be responsible to any
person other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Singer Capital Markets or for providing
advice to any other person in connection with the Placing or any
acquisition of shares in the Company. Singer Capital Markets is not
making any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to
the contents of this Announcement. Singer Capital Markets has not
authorised the contents of, or any part of, this Announcement, and
no liability whatsoever is accepted by Singer Capital Markets for
the accuracy of any information, or opinions contained in this
Announcement or for the omission of any material
information, save that nothing shall limit the
liability of Singer Capital Markets for its own
fraud.
No statement in this Announcement is intended
to be a profit forecast and no statement in this Announcement
should be interpreted to mean that the earnings per share of the
Company for the current or future financial years would necessarily
match or exceed the historical published earnings per share of the
Company.
This Announcement does not constitute a
recommendation concerning any investor's investment decision with
respect to the Placing. Each investor or prospective investor
should conduct his, her or its own investigation, analysis and
evaluation of the business and data described in this Announcement
and publicly available information.
The new Ordinary Shares will not be
admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the AIM market
of the London Stock Exchange.
Appendix I to this Announcement sets out the
terms and conditions of the Placing. By participating in the
Bookbuild, each person who is invited to and who chooses to
participate in the Placing by making or accepting an oral
and/or written legally binding offer to subscribe
for Placing Shares will be deemed to have read and understood
this Announcement (including Appendix I) in its entirety, to be
making or accepting such offer on the terms and subject to the
conditions of the Placing set out in this Announcement
and to be providing the representations, warranties,
undertakings, agreements and acknowledgements contained
in Appendix I.
The price and value of securities can go down
as well as up. Past performance is not a guide to future
performance.
APPENDIX I
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING AND
BOOKBUILD
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE
PLACING FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THIS
APPENDIX) AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
(TOGETHER, THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT") ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT
PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING,
HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR
AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (1) IF IN A
MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA ("EEA") QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN
ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE EU PROSPECTUS REGULATION; (2) IF IN THE UNITED
KINGDOM, QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF
REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY
VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED (THE
"UK PROSPECTUS
REGULATION"), AND WHO: (A) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER
2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER") (INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OR
(B) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(a) TO (d) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES,
UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; OR (3) PERSONS TO
WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS
TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
NEITHER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOR THE
INFORMATION IN IT SHOULD BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO
ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT
OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS
AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH
RELEVANT PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN
OFFER FOR THE SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO
BUY OR ACQUIRE OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY IN THE UNITED
STATES OR ELSEWHERE.
THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN AND
WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS
AMENDED, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN
APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE US
SECURITIES ACT. THE PLACING SHARES ARE BEING OFFERED AND SOLD ONLY
OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES IN ACCORDANCE WITH REGULATION S UNDER
THE US SECURITIES ACT AND OTHERWISE IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE
LAWS
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT
FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART,
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES,
AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION (OR TO ANY PERSONS IN ANY OF THOSE
JURISDICTIONS) IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION
WOULD BE UNLAWFUL (THE "RESTRICTED
JURISDICTIONS"). NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE PLACING SHARES IS
BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED KINGDOM OR ELSEWHERE
WHERE SUCH OFFERING WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS
OWN ADVISORS AS TO ANY LEGAL, TAX, FINANCIAL, BUSINESS AND RELATED
ASPECTS OF A PURCHASE OF PLACING SHARES.
All offers of the Placing Shares in
the United Kingdom or the EEA will be made pursuant to an exemption
from the requirement to produce a prospectus under the UK
Prospectus Regulation or Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, as amended (the
"EU Prospectus
Regulation"), as appropriate. In the United Kingdom,
this Announcement is being directed solely at persons in
circumstances in which section 21(1) of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000, as amended ("FSMA") does not require the approval of
the relevant communication by an authorised person.
The relevant clearances have not
been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of
any province or territory of Canada, no prospectus has been lodged
with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant
clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained for the South
Africa Reserve Bank or any other applicable body in the Republic of
South Africa in relation to the Placing Shares and the Placing
Shares have not been, nor will they be registered under or offered
in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or
territory of Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South
Africa. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not (unless an
exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be
offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or
into the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of
South Africa or any other jurisdiction outside the EEA.
Persons (including without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or
other legal obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement (or
any part of it) should seek appropriate advice before taking any
action.
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety. In particular, any prospective subscriber for Placing
Shares (a "Placee") should
read and understand the information provided in the "Important
Notices" section of this Announcement.
By participating in the Bookbuild
and the Placing, each Placee will be deemed to have read and
understood this Announcement in its entirety, to be participating,
making an offer and acquiring Placing Shares on the terms and
conditions contained in this Announcement (including this Appendix)
and to be providing the representations, warranties, undertakings,
agreements, acknowledgements and indemnities contained in this
Announcement.
Save where defined in this Appendix,
capitalised terms shall have the same meaning as those given in the
Announcement.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO ANY
LEGAL, REGULATORY, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF A
SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE PLACING SHARES.
In particular, each such Placee
represents, warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst
other things) that:
1. it
is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it will acquire, hold,
manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it
for the purposes of its business;
2. in the case of a
Relevant Person in the United Kingdom who acquires any Placing
Shares pursuant to the Placing:
(a) it
is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the
UK Prospectus Regulation; and
(b) in
the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial
intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK
Prospectus Regulation:
(i)
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing have not been
acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to
their offer or resale to, persons in the United Kingdom other than
Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior consent
of Singer Capital Markets Securities Limited ("Singer Capital Market") and Allenby
Capital Limited ("Allenby
Capital") has been given to the offer or resale;
or
(ii) where Placing Shares
have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in the United Kingdom
other than Qualified Investors, the offer of those Placing Shares
to it is not treated under the UK Prospectus Regulation as having
been made to such persons;
3. in the case of a
Relevant Person in a member state of the EEA (each a "Relevant
State") who acquires any Placing Shares pursuant to the
Placing:
(a) it
is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the
EU Prospectus Regulation; and
(b) in
the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial
intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the EU
Prospectus Regulation:
(i)
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing
have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired
with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in a Relevant
State other than Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which
the prior consent of Singer Capital Markets and Allenby Capital has
been given to the offer or resale; or
(ii)
where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on
behalf of persons in a Relevant State other than Qualified
Investors, the offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated
under the EU Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such
persons;
4. it
is acquiring the Placing Shares for its own account or is acquiring
the Placing Shares for an account with respect to which it
exercises sole investment discretion and has the authority to make
and does make the representations, warranties, undertakings,
agreements, acknowledgements and indemnities contained in this
Announcement;
5. it
understands (or if acting for the account of another person, such
person has confirmed that such person understands) the resale and
transfer restrictions set out in this Announcement; and
6. except as otherwise
permitted by the Company and subject to any available exemptions
from applicable securities laws, it (and any account referred to in
paragraph 5 above)
is outside the United States acquiring the Placing Shares in
offshore transactions as defined in and in accordance with
Regulation S under the Securities Act.
The Company, Singer Capital Markets
and Allenby Capital will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the
foregoing representations, warranties, undertakings, agreements and
acknowledgements. Each Placee hereby agrees with Singer Capital
Markets, Allenby Capital and the Company to be bound by these terms
and conditions as being the terms and conditions upon which Placing
Shares will be allotted and issued. A Placee shall, without
limitation, become so bound if Singer Capital Markets or Allenby
Capital confirms (orally or in writing) to such Placee its
allocation of Placing Shares.
Upon being notified of its
allocation of Placing Shares, a Placee shall be contractually
committed to subscribe for the number of Placing Shares allocated
to it at the Issue Price and, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, will be deemed to have agreed not to exercise any rights to
rescind or terminate or otherwise withdraw from such
commitment.
No
prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered
to a limited number of specifically invited persons only and will
not be offered in such a way as to require any prospectus or other
offering document to be published. No prospectus or other offering
document has been or will be submitted to be approved by the UK's
Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") in relation to the Placing or the
Placing Shares and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the
basis of their own assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares
and the Placing based on the information contained in this
Announcement and the announcement of the results of the Placing
(the "Result of Placing
Announcement") (together, the "Placing Documents") and any information
publicly announced through a regulatory information service
("RIS") by or on behalf of
the Company on or prior to the date of this Announcement (the
"Publicly Available
Information") and subject to any further terms set forth in
the trade confirmation sent to Placees.
Each Placee, by participating in the
Placing, agrees that the content of the Placing Documents is
exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it
has neither received nor relied on any information (other than the
Publicly Available Information), representation, warranty or
statement made by or on behalf of Singer Capital Markets, Allenby
Capital or the Company or any other person and none of Singer
Capital Markets, Allenby Capital, the Company nor any other person
acting on such person's behalf nor any of their respective
affiliates has or shall have any responsibility or liability for
any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any
other information, representation, warranty or statement
(regardless of whether or not such information, representation,
warranty or statement was given or made by or on behalf of any such
persons). Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on
its own investigation of the business, financial or other position
of the Company in accepting a participation in the
Placing.
No Placee should consider any
information in this Announcement to be legal, financial, tax or
business advice. Each Placee should consult its own legal advisor,
tax advisor, financial advisor and business advisor for legal, tax,
financial and business advice regarding an investment in the
Placing Shares. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the
liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Details of the Placing Agreement and the Placing
Shares
Singer Capital Markets and Allenby
Capital (the "Bookrunners")
are acting as joint brokers and bookrunners (with Singer Capital
Markets as Lead Bookrunner) in connection with the Placing and have
entered into a placing agreement with the Company (the
"Placing Agreement") under
which, on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the
Placing Agreement, each of the Bookrunners, as agents for and on
behalf of the Company, has severally agreed to use its respective
reasonable endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing Shares.
The Placing is not being underwritten by either of the Bookrunners
or any other person.
The price per Ordinary Share at
which the Placing Shares are to be placed is 45 pence (the
"Issue Price"). The timing
of the closing of the book and allocations are at the discretion of
the Bookrunners, in consultation with the Company.
By participating in the Placing,
Placees agree to subscribe for Placing Shares. The Placing will be
conducted in two tranches. An initial tranche of up to
7,512,857 Placing Shares (the
"First Placing Shares")
will be allotted and issued within the Directors' existing
authorities to allot and issue Ordinary Shares in the Company on a
non-preemptive basis. Allotment and issue of the balance of the
Placing Shares (the "Second
Placing Shares") will be subject inter alia to the passing of the
necessary resolutions of the shareholders of the Company (the
"Resolutions") at a General
Meeting to be held on or around 17 June 2024. Placees'
participation in the Placing as between the First Placing Shares
and the Second Placing Shares (each, a "Tranche" of the Placing) will be at the
absolute discretion of the Bookrunners, in consultation with each
Placee and the Company.
The Placing Shares have been or will
be duly authorised and will, when issued, be credited as fully paid
up and will be issued subject to the Articles of Association of the
Company and rank pari
passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary
Shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other
distributions declared, made or paid on or in respect of the
Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing Shares, and
will on issue be free of all pre-emption rights, claims, liens,
charges, encumbrances and equities.
Application for admission to trading on AIM
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange plc for admission of the Placing Shares to
trading on AIM.
It is expected that admission to
trading on AIM of the First Placing Shares and the Subscription
Shares ("First Admission")
will occur at 8.00 a.m. on 28 May 2024 (or such later time or date
as the Bookrunners may agree with the Company, being no later than
8.00 a.m. on 11 June 2024) and that dealings in the First Placing
Shares and the Subscription Shares on AIM will commence at that
time.
Subject to the passing of the
Resolutions, is expected that admission of the Second Placing
Shares ("Second Admission")
will occur at 8.00 a.m. on 19 June 2024 (or such later time or date
as the Bookrunners may agree with the Company, being no later than
8.00 a.m. on 3 July 2024) and that dealings in the Second Placing
Shares on AIM will commence at that time.
Bookbuild
The Bookrunners will today commence
the accelerated bookbuilding process to determine demand for
participation in the Placing by Placees (the "Bookbuild"). This Appendix gives
details of the terms and conditions of, and the mechanics of
participation in, the Placing. No commissions will be paid to
Placees or by Placees in respect of any Placing Shares.
The Bookrunners and the Company
shall be entitled to effect the Placing by such alternative method
to the Bookbuild as they may, in their sole discretion,
determine.
Participation in, and principal terms of, the
Placing
1. The
Bookrunners are severally acting as brokers and bookrunners to the
Placing, as agent for and on behalf of the Company, on the terms
and subject to the conditions of the Placing Agreement. Allenby
Capital is acting as nominated adviser to the Company in connection
with the Placing and Admission. Each of Singer Capital Markets and
Allenby Capital are authorised and regulated entities in the United
Kingdom by the FCA and are acting exclusively for the Company and
no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this
Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than the
Company in relation to the matters described in this
Announcement.
2. Participation in the Placing
will only be available to persons who may lawfully be, and are,
invited to participate by one of the Bookrunners. Each Bookrunner
may itself agree to be a Placee in respect of all or some of the
Placing Shares or may nominate any member of its group to do
so.
3. Following a successful
completion of the Bookbuild, the Company will confirm the closing
of the Placing via the Result of Placing Announcement.
4. To
bid in the Bookbuild, prospective Placees should communicate their
bid orally by telephone or in writing to their usual sales contact
at Singer Capital Markets or Allenby Capital. Each bid should state
the number of Placing Shares which the prospective Placee wishes to
subscribe for at the Issue Price. Bids may be scaled down by the
Bookrunners on the basis referred to in paragraph 6 below. Each
Bookrunner reserves the right not to accept bids or to accept bids
in part rather than in whole. The acceptance of the bids shall be
at the Bookrunners' absolute discretion, subject to agreement with
the Company.
5. The
Bookbuild is expected to close at or around 6.30 p.m. on 23 May
2024 but may be closed earlier or later at the discretion of the
Bookrunners. The Bookrunners may, in agreement with the Company,
accept bids that are received after the Bookbuild has closed. The
Company reserves the right (upon the prior agreement of the
Bookrunners) to vary the number of shares to be issued pursuant to
the Placing, in its absolute discretion.
6.
Allocations of the Placing Shares will be determined by the
Bookrunners after consultation with the Company (and in accordance
with each Bookrunner's allocation policy as has been supplied by
them to the Company in advance of such consultation). Placees'
participation in the Placing as between the First Placing Shares
and the Second Placing Shares (each, a "Tranche" of the Placing)
will be at the absolute discretion of the Bookrunners, in
consultation with each Placee and the Company. Allocations will be
confirmed orally by each Bookrunner to its respective Placees and a
trade confirmation will be despatched as soon as possible
thereafter. A Bookrunner's oral confirmation to such Placee
constitutes an irrevocable legally binding commitment upon such
person (who will at that point become a Placee), in favour of that
Bookrunner and the Company, to subscribe for the number of Placing
Shares allocated to it and to pay the Issue Price in respect of
each such share on the terms and conditions set out in this
Appendix and in accordance with the Articles of Association of the
Company. A bid in the Bookbuild will be made on the terms and
subject to the conditions in this Appendix and will be legally
binding on the Placee on behalf of which it is made and except with
the relevant Bookrunner's consent, such commitment will not be
capable of variation or revocation after the time at which it is
submitted.
7. Each
Placee's allocation and commitment will be evidenced by a trade
confirmation issued to such Placee. The terms of this Appendix will
be deemed incorporated in that trade confirmation.
8. Irrespective of the time at
which a Placee's allocation pursuant to the Placing is confirmed,
settlement for all Placing Shares to be subscribed for/purchased
pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made at the same
time, on the basis explained below under "Registration and
Settlement".
9. All
obligations under the Bookbuild and the Placing will be subject to
fulfilment or (where applicable) waiver of the conditions referred
to below under "Conditions of the
Placing" and to the Placing not being terminated on the
basis referred to below under "Right to terminate under the Placing
Agreement".
10. By
participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees that its rights
and obligations in respect of the Placing will terminate only in
the circumstances described below and will not be capable of
rescission or termination by the Placee.
11. To the fullest
extent permissible by law, none of Singer Capital Markets, Allenby
Capital, the Company nor any of their respective affiliates,
agents, directors, officers, employees or advisers shall have any
responsibility or liability to Placees (or to any other person
whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise). In particular,
none of Singer Capital Markets, Allenby Capital, the Company, nor
any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers,
employees or advisers shall have any responsibility or liability
(including to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties)
in respect of the conduct of the Placing or of such alternative
method of effecting the Placing as the Bookrunners and the Company
may agree.
12. The Placing
Shares will be issued subject to the terms and conditions of this
Appendix and each Placee's commitment to subscribe for Placing
Shares on the terms set out in this Appendix will continue
notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be made to the
terms and conditions of the Placing and Placees will have no right
to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained with
respect to the Company's or the Bookrunners' conduct of the
Placing.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing is conditional, amongst
others, upon the Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not
having been terminated in accordance with its terms. The
Bookrunners' obligations under the Placing Agreement are
conditional on customary conditions, including (amongst others)
(the "Conditions"):
1. First Admission
occurring no later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 May 2024 (or such later
time or date as the Bookrunners may otherwise agree with the
Company, being no later than 8.00 a.m. on 11 June 2024);
2. in respect of the Second Placing Shares only, the Resolutions
having been passed and Second Admission
occurring no later than 8.00 a.m. on 19 June 2024 (or such later
time or date as the Bookrunners may otherwise agree with the
Company, being no later than 8.00 a.m. on 3 July 2024);
3.
none of the commitments under the Subscription
having been terminated; and
4. the Placing
Agreement not having been terminated in accordance with its
terms.
The Bookrunners may, at their
discretion and upon such terms as they think fit, waive compliance
by the Company with the whole or any part of any of its obligations
in relation to the Conditions or extend the time or date provided
for fulfilment of any such Conditions in respect of all or any part
of the performance thereof, save in respect of Conditions 1 and 2
above relating to Admission taking place and the passing of the
Resolutions. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees'
commitments as set out in this Appendix.
If: (i) any of the Conditions are
not fulfilled or (where permitted) waived by the Bookrunners by the
relevant time or date specified (or such later time or date as the
Bookrunners may agree with the Company, being no later than 8.00
a.m. on 11 June 2024 in relation to the First Placing Shares or
8.00 a.m. on 3 July 2024 in relation to the Second Placing Shares);
or (ii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in the circumstances
specified below under "Right to
terminate under the Placing Agreement", the Placing will not
proceed (save to the extent that any Tranche of the Placing has
already completed) and the Placees' rights and obligations
hereunder in relation to any Tranche of the Placing Shares that has
not been unconditionally issued at such time shall cease and
terminate at such time and each Placee agrees that no claim can be
made by it or on its behalf (or any person on whose behalf the
Placee is acting) in respect thereof.
Neither of the Bookrunners, nor the
Company, nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors,
officers or employees shall have any liability to any Placee (or to
any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise)
in respect of any decision they may make as to whether or not to
waive or to extend the time and/or date for the satisfaction of any
Condition to the Placing, nor for any decision they may make as to
the satisfaction of any Condition or in respect of the Placing
generally, and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees
that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of the
Bookrunners.
Right to terminate under the Placing
Agreement
The Bookrunners are entitled, at any
time before Admission of each Tranche of the Placing Shares, to
terminate the Placing Agreement in relation to any Tranche of the
Placing Shares that has not at that time been unconditionally
issued in accordance with its terms in certain circumstances,
including (amongst other things):
1.
any of the warranties given by the Company under
the Placing Agreement has ceased or is likely to cease to be true
and accurate or has become or is likely to become
misleading;
2. a matter has
arisen that is likely to give rise to a claim under any of the
indemnities given by the Company to the Bookrunners under the
Placing Agreement;
3. the occurrence
of certain material adverse changes or significant
events;
4. the occurrence
of certain events of force
majeure,
which, in each case, either of the
Brokers (acting in good faith) considers is or would likely be
material and prejudicial to the Placing
Upon termination, the parties to the
Placing Agreement shall be released and discharged (except for any
liability arising before or in relation to such termination) from
their respective obligations under or pursuant to the Placing
Agreement in relation to any Tranche of the Placing Shares that has
not been unconditionally issued at such time, subject to certain
exceptions.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that (a) the exercise by the Bookrunners of any
right of termination or of any other discretion under the Placing
Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of each
Bookrunner and that they need not make any reference to, or consult
with, Placees and that they shall have no liability to Placees
whatsoever in connection with any such exercise or failure to so
exercise, and (b) its rights and obligations terminate only in the
circumstances described above under "Right to terminate under the Placing
Agreement" and "Conditions
of the Placing", and its participation will not be capable
of rescission or termination by it after oral confirmation by
either Bookrunner of the allocation and commitments following the
close of the Bookbuild.
Restriction on Further Issue of Shares
Under the terms of the Placing
Agreement, the Company has undertaken to the Bookrunners that it
will not, until the date falling 180 days from the date of First
Admission, offer, issue, sell, contract to sell, issue options,
convertibles or derivatives in respect of or otherwise dispose of
(including any sale or transfer or any disposition whatsoever,
including an agreement to effect any of the foregoing or the
creation of any option or charge which could lead to any of the
foregoing) any Ordinary Shares or other securities of the Company
or any other member of its group (or any interest therein or in
respect thereof) or any other securities exchangeable for, or
convertible into, or substantially similar to, Ordinary Shares or
any share in any other member of the Company's group, or enter into
any transaction having substantially the same effect or agree to do
any of the foregoing, other than with the prior written consent of
the Brokers
By participating in the Placing,
Placees agree that the exercise by the Bookrunners of any power to
grant consent to the undertaking by the Company of a transaction
which would otherwise be subject to the restrictive provisions on
further issuance under the Placing Agreement shall be within the
absolute discretion of the Bookrunners and that they need not make
any reference to, or consult with, Placees and that they shall have
no liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any such
exercise of the power to grant consent.
Registration and Settlement
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00BN7F1618)
following Admission will take place within the
computerised settlement system to facilitate transfer of the title
to an interest in securities in uncertificated form operated by
Euroclear UK & International Limited ("CREST"), subject to certain exceptions.
The Bookrunners reserve the right to require settlement for, and
delivery of, the Placing Shares (or any part thereof) to Placees by
such other means that they may deem necessary if delivery or
settlement is not possible or practicable within the CREST system
or would not be consistent with the regulatory requirements in the
Placee's jurisdiction.
Following the close of the
Bookbuild, each Placee to be allocated Placing Shares in each
Tranche of the Placing will be sent a trade confirmation stating
the number of Placing Shares allocated to them at the Issue Price
in each Tranche, the aggregate amount owed by such Placee to each
Bookrunner for each Tranche of Placing Shares allocated and
settlement instructions. Each Placee agrees that it will do all
things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed
in accordance with the standing CREST or certificated settlement
instructions in respect of the Placing Shares that it has in place
with the respective Bookrunners.
The Company will deliver (or will
procure the delivery of) each Tranche of the Placing Shares to a
CREST account operated by each Bookrunner as agent for the Company
and each Bookrunner will enter its delivery instruction into the
CREST system. The input to CREST by a Placee of a matching or
acceptance instruction will then allow delivery of the relevant
Placing Shares to that Placee against payment.
It is expected that settlement in
respect of the First Placing Shares will take place on 28 May 2024
on a delivery versus payment basis, and (subject inter alia to the passing of the
Resolutions) settlement in respect of the Second Placing Shares
will take place on 19 June 2024 on a delivery versus payment
basis.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that,
if it does not comply with these obligations, each Bookrunner may
sell any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on
such Placee's behalf and retain from the proceeds, for the relevant
Bookrunner's account and benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate
amount owed by that Placee plus any interest due. The relevant
Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall below the
aggregate amount owed by it and will be required to bear any stamp
duty or stamp duty reserve tax ("SDRT") or other taxes or duties
(together with any interest or penalties) imposed in any
jurisdiction which may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares
on such Placee's behalf.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure
that the trade confirmation is copied and delivered immediately to
the relevant person within that organisation. Insofar as Placing
Shares are issued in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in
the name of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or
that of a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should,
subject as provided below, be so registered free from any liability
to UK stamp duty or SDRT. If there are any circumstances in which
any stamp duty or SDRT or other similar taxes or duties (including
any interest and penalties relating thereto) is payable in respect
of the allocation, allotment, issue, sale, transfer or delivery of
the Placing Shares (or, for the avoidance of doubt, if any stamp
duty or SDRT is payable in connection with any subsequent transfer
of or agreement to transfer Placing Shares), neither of the
Bookrunners or the Company shall be responsible for payment
thereof.
Representations, warranties, undertakings and
acknowledgements
By participating in the Placing each
Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably
acknowledges, confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees
(as the case may be) with Singer Capital Markets and Allenby
Capital (in their capacity as Bookrunners and placing agents of the
Company in respect of the Placing) and the Company, in each case as
a fundamental term of their application for Placing Shares, the
following:
1. it
has read and understood this Announcement (including this Appendix)
in its entirety and its subscription for Placing Shares is subject
to and based upon all the terms, conditions, representations,
warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings and other
information contained in this Announcement and it has not relied
on, and will not rely on, any information given or any
representations, warranties or statements made at any time by any
person in connection with the Placing, the Company, the Placing
Shares or otherwise other than the information contained in the
Placing Documents and the Publicly Available
Information;
2. the Ordinary Shares are
admitted to trading on AIM, and that the Company is therefore
required to publish certain business and financial information in
accordance with the AIM Rules and EU Market Abuse Regulation
(EU/596/2014) as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the
European (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended)("MAR"), which includes a description of
the nature of the Company's business and the Company's most recent
balance sheet and profit and loss account and that it is able to
obtain or access such information without undue difficulty, and is
able to obtain access to such information or comparable information
concerning any other publicly traded company, without undue
difficulty;
3. to
be bound by the terms of the Articles of Association of the
Company;
4. the
person whom it specifies for registration as holder of the Placing
Shares will be (a) itself or (b) its nominee, as the case may be.
Neither of the Bookrunners nor the Company will be responsible for
any liability to stamp duty or SDRT or other similar taxes or
duties imposed in any jurisdiction (including interest and
penalties relating thereto) ("Indemnified Taxes"). Each Placee and
any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to indemnify the
Bookrunners and the Company on an after-tax basis in respect of any
Indemnified Taxes;
5. neither the Bookrunners nor
any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers and
employees accepts any responsibility for any acts or omissions of
the Company or any of the directors of the Company or any other
person in connection with the Placing;
6. time
is of the essence as regards its obligations under this
Appendix;
7. any
document that is to be sent to it in connection with the Placing
will be sent at its risk and may be sent to it at any address
provided by it to the Bookrunners;
8. it
will not redistribute, forward, transfer, duplicate or otherwise
transmit this Announcement or any part of it, or any other
presentational or other material concerning the Placing (including
electronic copies thereof) to any person and represents that it has
not redistributed, forwarded, transferred, duplicated, or otherwise
transmitted any such documents to any person;
9. it has not received
(and will not receive) a prospectus or other offering document in
connection with the Placing and acknowledges that no prospectus or
other offering document (a) is required under the UK Prospectus
Regulation or other applicable law; and (b) has been or will be
prepared in connection with the Placing;
10. in connection
with the Placing, either of the Bookrunners and any of its
affiliates acting as an investor for its own account may subscribe
for Placing Shares and in that capacity may retain, purchase or
sell for its own account such Placing Shares and any securities of
the Company or related investments and may offer or sell such
securities or other investments otherwise than in connection with
the Placing. Accordingly, references in this Announcement to the
Placing Shares being issued, offered or placed should be read as
including any issue, offering or placement of such shares to the
Bookrunners or any of their respective affiliates acting in such
capacity;
11. The Bookrunners
and their respective affiliates may enter into financing
arrangements and swaps with investors in connection with which
either Bookrunner and any of their respective affiliates may from
time to time acquire, hold or dispose of such securities of the
Company, including the Placing Shares;
12. The Bookrunners
do not intend to disclose the extent of any investment or
transactions referred to in paragraphs 10 and 11 above otherwise
than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation to do
so;
13. neither
Bookrunner owes any fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in
respect of any discretions, obligations, representations,
warranties, undertakings or indemnities in the Placing
Agreement;
14. its
participation in the Placing is on the basis that it is not and
will not be a client of either Bookrunner in connection with its
participation in the Placing and that neither Bookrunner has any
duties or responsibilities to it for providing the protections
afforded to its clients or customers or for providing advice in
relation to the Placing nor in respect of any discretions,
obligations, representations, warranties, undertakings or
indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor for the exercise
or performance of any of its rights and obligations thereunder
including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise
any termination right;
15. the content of
the Placing Documents and the Publicly Available Information has
been prepared by and is exclusively the responsibility of the
Company (and such other persons specifically identified as
accepting responsibility to certain parts thereto (if any)) and
neither the Bookrunners nor any of their respective affiliates
agents, directors, officers or employees nor any person acting on
behalf of any of them is responsible for or has or shall have any
responsibility or liability for any information, representation or
statement contained in, or omission from, the Placing Documents,
the Publicly Available Information or otherwise nor will they be
liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing
based on any information, representation, warranty or statement
contained in the Placing Documents, the Publicly Available
Information or otherwise, provided that nothing in this paragraph
excludes the liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation made by such person;
16. the only
information on which it is entitled to rely and on which such
Placee has relied in committing itself to subscribe for Placing
Shares is contained in the Placing Documents or any Publicly
Available Information (save that, in the case of Publicly Available
Information, a Placee's right to rely on that information is
limited to the right that such Placee would have as a matter of law
in the absence of this paragraph 16), such information being all
that such Placee deems necessary or appropriate and sufficient to
make an investment decision in respect of the Placing
Shares;
17. it has neither
received nor relied on any other information given, or
representations, warranties or statements, express or implied,
made, by either Bookrunner nor the Company nor any of their
respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees
acting on behalf of any of them (including in any management
presentation delivered in respect of the Bookbuild) with respect to
the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares or the accuracy,
completeness or adequacy of any information contained in the
Placing Documents, or the Publicly Available Information or
otherwise;
18. neither the
Bookrunners nor the Company nor any of their respective affiliates,
agents, directors, officers or employees or any person acting on
behalf of any of them has provided, nor will provide, it with any
material or information regarding the Placing Shares or the Company
or any other person other than the information in the Placing
Documents or the Publicly Available Information; nor has it
requested either of the Bookrunners or the Company or any of their
respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them
to provide it with any such material or information;
19. neither the
Bookrunners nore the Company will be liable for any Placee's
decision to participate in the Placing based on any other
information, representation, warranty or statement, provided that
nothing in this paragraph excludes the liability of any person for
fraudulent misrepresentation made by that person;
20. it may not
rely, and has not relied, on any investigation that either
Bookrunner, any of their respective affiliates or any person acting
on its behalf, may have conducted with respect to the Placing
Shares, the terms of the Placing or the Company, and no such
persons has made any representation, express or implied, with
respect to the Company, the Placing, the Placing Shares or the
accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information in the
Placing Documents, the Publicly Available Information or any other
information;
21. in making any
decision to subscribe for Placing Shares it:
(a) has such
knowledge and experience in financial and business matters to be
capable of evaluating the merits and risks of subscribing for the
Placing Shares;
(b) will not
look to either Bookrunner for all or any part of any such loss it
may suffer;
(c) is
experienced in investing in securities of this nature in this
sector and is aware that it may be required to bear, and is able to
bear, the economic risk of an investment in the Placing
Shares;
(d) is able
to sustain a complete loss of an investment in the Placing
Shares;
(e) has no
need for liquidity with respect to its investment in the Placing
Shares;
(f) has made
its own assessment and has satisfied itself concerning the relevant
tax, legal, currency and other economic considerations relevant to
its investment in the Placing Shares; and
(g) has
conducted its own due diligence, examination, investigation and
assessment of the Company and its group, the Placing Shares and the
terms of the Placing and has satisfied itself that the information
resulting from such investigation is still current and relied on
that investigation for the purposes of its decision to participate
in the Placing;
22. it is
subscribing for the Placing Shares for its own account or for an
account with respect to which it exercises sole investment
discretion and has the authority to make and does make the
acknowledgements, confirmations, undertakings, representations,
warranties and agreements contained in this Appendix;
23. it is acting as
principal only in respect of the Placing or, if it is acting for
any other person, it is:
(a) duly
authorised to do so and has full power to make the acknowledgments,
representations and agreements in this Announcement on behalf of
each such person; and
(b) will
remain liable to the Company and/or the Bookrunners for the
performance of all its obligations as a Placee in respect of the
Placing (regardless of the fact that it is acting for another
person);
24. it and any
person acting on its behalf is entitled to subscribe for the
Placing Shares under the laws and regulations of all relevant
jurisdictions that apply to it and that it has fully observed such
laws and regulations, has capacity and authority and is entitled to
enter into and perform its obligations as a subscriber of Placing
Shares and will honour such obligations, and has obtained all such
governmental and other guarantees, permits, authorisations,
approvals and consents which may be required thereunder and
complied with all necessary formalities to enable it to commit to
this participation in the Placing and to perform its obligations in
relation thereto (including, without limitation, in the case of any
person on whose behalf it is acting, all necessary consents and
authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred to in this
Appendix) and will honour such obligations and that it has not
taken any action or omitted to take any action which will or may
result in either of the Bookrunners or the Company or any of their
respective affiliates and its and their directors, officers,
agents, employees or advisers acting in breach of the legal or
regulatory requirements of any jurisdiction in connection with the
Placing;
25. where it is
subscribing for Placing Shares for one or more managed accounts, it
is authorised in writing by each managed account to subscribe for
the Placing Shares for each managed account;
26. it irrevocably
appoints any duly authorised officer of the relevant Bookrunner as
its agent for the purpose of executing and delivering to the
Company and/or its registrars any documents on its behalf necessary
to enable it to be registered as the holder of any of the Placing
Shares for which it agrees to subscribe for upon the terms of this
Appendix;
27. the Placing
Shares have not been and will not be registered or otherwise
qualified and that a prospectus will not be cleared in respect of
any of the Placing Shares under the securities laws or legislation
of the Restricted Jurisdictions, or any state, province, territory
or jurisdiction thereof;
28. the Placing
Shares may not be offered, sold, or delivered, directly or
indirectly, in or into the Restricted Jurisdictions or any
jurisdiction (subject to certain exceptions) in which it would be
unlawful to do so and no action has been or will be taken by any of
the Company or either of the Bookrunners or any person acting on
behalf of the Company or either of the Bookrunners that would, or
is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in the
Restricted Jurisdictions or any country or jurisdiction, or any
state, province, territory or jurisdiction thereof, where any such
action for that purpose is required;
29. no action has
been or will be taken by any of the Company or the Bookrunners or
any person acting on behalf of the Company or the Bookrunners that
would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing
Shares in the United States or in any country or jurisdiction where
any such action for that purpose is required;
30. unless
otherwise specifically agreed with the Bookrunners, it is not and
at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed for, neither it nor
the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares will be, a resident of,
nor have an address in, a Restricted Jurisdiction;
31. it may be asked
to disclose in writing or orally to the Bookrunners:
(a) if he or
she is an individual, his or her nationality; or
(b) if he or
she is a discretionary fund manager, the jurisdiction in which the
funds are managed or owned;
32. it is, and the
prospective beneficial owner of the Placing Shares is, and at the
time the Placing Shares are subscribed for will be outside the
United States and is acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore
transaction" as defined in, and in accordance with, Regulation S
under the US Securities Act of 1933, as
amended ("US Securities
Act");
33. it will not
distribute, forward, transfer or otherwise transmit this
Announcement or any part of it, or any other presentational or
other materials concerning the Placing in or into or from the
United States (including electronic copies thereof) to any person,
and it has not distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise
transmitted any such materials to any person;
34. it understands
that there may be certain consequences under United States and
other tax laws resulting from an investment in the Placing and it
has made such investigation and has consulted its own independent
advisers or otherwise has satisfied itself concerning, without
limitation, the effects of United States federal, state and local
income tax laws and foreign tax laws generally;
35. it understands
that the Company has not undertaken to determine whether it will be
treated as a passive foreign investment company ("PFIC") for US federal income tax
purposes for the current year, or whether it is likely to be so
treated for future years and neither the Company nor either
Bookrunner makes any representation or warranty with respect to the
same. Accordingly, neither the Company nor the Bookrunners can
provide any advice to United States investors as to whether the
Company is or is not a PFIC for the current tax year, or whether it
will be in future tax years. Accordingly, neither the Company nor
either of the Bookrunners undertakes to provide to United States
investors or shareholders any information necessary or desirable to
facilitate their filing of annual information returns, and United
States investors and shareholders should not assume that this
information will be made available to them;
36. if it is
within the United Kingdom, it is a Qualified Investor as defined in
Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation and if it is within a
Relevant State, it is a Qualified Investor as defined in Article
2(e) of the EU Prospectus Regulation;
37. it has not
offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to
persons in the EEA except to Qualified Investors or otherwise in
circumstances which have not resulted in and which will not result
in an offer to the public in any member state of the EEA within the
meaning of the EU Prospectus Regulation;
38. if it is a
financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the
UK Prospectus Regulation, the Placing Shares acquired by it in the
Placing will not be acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf
of, nor will they be acquired with a view to their offer or resale
to, persons in the United Kingdom other than Qualified Investors,
or in circumstances in which the express prior written consent of
the Bookrunners has been given to each proposed offer or
resale;
39. if in the
United Kingdom, that it is a person (a) having professional
experience in matters relating to investments who falls within the
definition of "investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the
Order or (b) who falls within Article 49(2) (a) to (d)
("High Net Worth Companies,
Unincorporated Associations, etc") of the Order, or (c) to
whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated;
40. if in the
United Kingdom, unless otherwise agreed by the Bookrunners, it is a
"professional client" or an "eligible counterparty" within the
meaning of Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook ("COBS") and it
is purchasing Placing Shares for investment only and not with a
view to resale or distribution;
41. it has not
offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to
persons in the United Kingdom, except to persons whose ordinary
activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or
disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes
of their business or otherwise in circumstances which have not
resulted and which will not result in an offer to the public in the
United Kingdom within the meaning of section 85(1) of
FSMA;
42. it has only
communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate
or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage
in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of FSMA)
relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances in which section
21(1) of FSMA does not require approval of the communication by an
authorised person and it acknowledges and agrees that the Placing
Documents have not and will not have been approved by either of the
Bookrunners in its capacity as an authorised person under section
21 of the FSMA and it may not therefore be subject to the controls
which would apply if it was made or approved as a financial
promotion by an authorised person;
43. it has complied
and will comply with all applicable laws with respect to anything
done by it or on its behalf in relation to the Placing Shares
(including all applicable provisions in FSMA and MAR) in respect of
anything done in, from or otherwise involving, the United
Kingdom);
44. if it is a
pension fund or investment company, its subscription for/purchase
of Placing Shares is in full compliance with applicable laws and
regulations;
45. it has complied
with its obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993 and
Articles 8, 10 and 12 of MAR, the EU Market Abuse Regulation
596/2014 and in connection with money laundering and terrorist
financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the Anti-Terrorism
Crime and Security Act 2001, the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism
Act 2006 and the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer
of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 and any
related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued,
administered or enforced by any government agency having
jurisdiction in respect thereof (the "Regulations") and the Money Laundering
Sourcebook of the FCA and, if making payment on behalf of a third
party, that satisfactory evidence has been obtained and recorded by
it to verify the identity of the third party as required by the
Regulations;
46. in order to
ensure compliance with the Regulations, each of the Bookrunners
(for itself and as agent on behalf of the Company) or the Company's
registrars may, in their absolute discretion, require verification
of its identity. Pending the provision to the Bookrunners or the
Company's registrars, as applicable, of evidence of identity,
definitive certificates in respect of the Placing Shares may be
retained at the Bookrunners' absolute discretion or, where
appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in uncertificated
form may be delayed at the Bookrunners' or the Company's
registrars', as the case may be, absolute discretion. If within a
reasonable time after a request for verification of identify each
of the Bookrunners (for itself and as agent on behalf of the
Company) or the Company's registrars have not received evidence
satisfactory to them, either of the Bookrunners and/or the Company
may, at its absolute discretion, terminate its commitment in
respect of the Placing, in which event the monies payable on
acceptance of allotment will, if already paid, be returned without
interest to the account of the drawee's bank from which they were
originally debited;
47. the allocation,
allotment, issue and delivery to it, or the person specified by it
for registration as holder, of Placing Shares will not give rise to
a stamp duty or SDRT liability under (or at a rate determined
under) any of sections 67, 70, 93 or 96 of the Finance Act 1986
(depositary receipts and clearance services) and that the Placing
Shares are not being acquired in connection with arrangements to
issue depositary receipts or to issue or transfer Placing Shares
into a clearance service;
48. it (and any
person acting on its behalf) has the funds available to pay for the
Placing Shares for which it has agreed to subscribe and
acknowledges and agrees that it will make payment in respect of the
Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this Appendix on
the due time and date set out in this Announcement, failing which
the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other subscribers or
sold as the relevant Bookrunner may in its sole discretion
determine and without liability to such Placee, who will remain
liable for any amount by which the net proceeds of such sale falls
short of the product of the relevant Issue Price and the number of
Placing Shares allocated to it and will be required to bear any
stamp duty, SDRT or other taxes or duties (together with any
interest, fines or penalties) imposed in any jurisdiction which may
arise upon the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares;
49. any money held
in an account with a Bookrunner on behalf of the Placee and/or any
person acting on behalf of the Placee and/or any person acting on
behalf of the Placee will not be treated as client money within the
meaning of the relevant rules and regulations of the FCA made under
FSMA. Each Placee acknowledges that the money will not be subject
to the protections conferred by the client money rules: as a
consequence this money will not be segregated from the Bookrunners'
money in accordance with the client money rules and will be held by
it under a banking relationship and not as trustee;
50. its allocation
(if any) of Placing Shares will represent a maximum number of
Placing Shares which it will be entitled, and required, to
subscribe for, and that either of the Bookrunners or the Company
may call upon it to subscribe for a lower number of Placing Shares
(if any), but in no event in aggregate more than the aforementioned
maximum;
51. neither of the
Bookrunners nor any of their respective affiliates, nor any person
acting on behalf of them, is making any recommendations to it,
advising it regarding the suitability of any transactions it may
enter into in connection with the Placing and neither Bookrunner is
acting for it or its clients, and that the Bookrunners will not be
responsible for providing the protections afforded to clients or
customers of the Bookrunners or for providing advice in respect of
the transactions described in this Announcement;
52. it
acknowledges that its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on the
terms set out in this Announcement and in the trade confirmation,
contract note or other (oral or written) confirmation will continue
notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be made to the
terms and conditions of the Placing and that Placees will have no
right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained
with respect to the Company's or the Bookrunners' conduct of the
Placing;
53. if it has
received any 'inside information' (for the purposes of MAR and
section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act 1993) in relation to the
Company and its securities in advance of the Placing, it confirms
that it has received such information within the market soundings
regime provided for in article 11 of MAR and associated delegated
regulations and it has not:
(a) used that
inside information to acquire or dispose of securities of the
Company or financial instruments related thereto or cancel or amend
an order concerning the Company's securities or any such financial
instruments;
(b) used that
inside information to encourage, require, recommend or induce
another person to deal in the securities of the Company or
financial instruments related thereto or to cancel or amend an
order concerning the Company's securities or such financial
instruments; or
(c) disclosed
such information to any person, prior to the information being made
publicly available;
54. the rights and
remedies of the Company and each Bookrunner under the terms and
conditions in this Appendix are in addition to any rights and
remedies which would otherwise be available to each of them and the
exercise or partial exercise of one will not prevent the exercise
of others; and
55. these terms and
conditions of the Placing and any agreements entered into by it
pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Placing, and all
non-contractual or other obligations arising out of or in
connection with them, shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of England and it submits (on behalf of
itself and on behalf of any person on whose behalf it is acting) to
the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts as regards any
claim, dispute or matter arising out of any such contract
(including any dispute regarding the existence, validity or
termination of such contract or relating to any non- contractual or
other obligation arising out of or in connection with such
contract), except that enforcement proceedings in respect of the
obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together with
any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by either the Company
or either Bookrunner in any jurisdiction in which the relevant
Placee is incorporated or in which any of its securities have a
quotation on a recognised stock exchange.
The foregoing representations,
warranties, confirmations, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings are given for the benefit of the Company as well as
each Bookrunner and are irrevocable. Each of the Bookrunners and
the Company and their respective affiliates and others will rely
upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations,
warranties, confirmations, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings.
Each prospective Placee, and any
person acting on behalf of such Placee, irrevocably authorises the
Company and each Bookrunner to produce this Announcement, pursuant
to, in connection with, or as may be required by any applicable law
or regulation, administrative or legal proceeding or official
inquiry with respect to the matters set forth in this
Announcement.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) agrees
to indemnify on an after tax basis and hold the Company, each of
the Bookrunners and their respective affiliates, agents, directors,
officers and employees harmless from any and all costs, claims,
liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and expenses)
arising out of or in connection with any breach of the
representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings given by the Placee (and any person acting on such
Placee's behalf) in this Appendix or incurred by either Bookrunner,
the Company or any of their respective affiliates, agents,
directors, officers or employees arising from the performance of
that Placees' obligations as set out in this Announcement, and
further agrees that the provisions of this Appendix shall survive
after completion of the Placing.
No statement in the Placing
Documents is intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no
statement in the Placing Documents should be interpreted to mean
that earnings per share of the Company for the current or future
financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical
published earnings per share of the Company. Past performance is no
guide to future performance and persons needing advice should
consult an independent financial adviser.
The Placing Shares will not be
admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than
AIM.
Singer Capital Markets Securities
Limited is authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United
Kingdom and is acting as Lead Bookrunner exclusively for the
Company and no one else in connection with the Placing and will not
be responsible to anyone (including any Placees) other than the
Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or
for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any other
matters referred to in this Announcement.
Allenby Capital Limited is
authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom and is
acting as Nominated Adviser and Bookrunner exclusively for the
Company and no one else in connection with the Placing and will not
be responsible to anyone (including any Placees) other than the
Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or
for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any other
matters referred to in this Announcement. Allenby Capital's
responsibilities as the Company's nominated adviser under the AIM
Rules for Nominated Advisers are owed solely to the London Stock
Exchange and are not owed to the Company or to any Director or to
any other person.
Taxation
The agreement to allot and issue
certain of the Placing Shares by the Company to Placees (and/or to
persons for whom such Placee is contracting as agent) free of stamp
duty and SDRT relates only to their allotment and issue to Placees,
or such persons as they nominate as their agents, direct from the
Company for the Placing Shares in question.
There should be no liability to
stamp duty or SDRT arising on the allotment of the Placing Shares
by the Company. The registration of and the issue of definitive
share certificates to Placees should not give rise to any liability
to stamp duty or SDRT.
In addition, neither UK stamp duty
nor SDRT should arise on the transfers/sale of Ordinary Shares
on AIM (including instruments transferring Shares and agreements to
transfer Ordinary Shares).
Such statements assume that the
Placing Shares are not being acquired in connection with
arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to issue or transfer
the Placing Shares into a clearance service. If there are any such
arrangements, or the settlement relates to any other dealings in
the Placing Shares, stamp duty or SDRT or other similar taxes or
duties may be payable, for which neither the Company nor either of
the Bookrunners will be responsible and the Placees shall indemnify
the Company and each Bookrunner on an after-tax basis for any stamp
duty or SDRT or other similar taxes or duties (together with
interest, fines and penalties) in any jurisdiction paid by the
Company or either of the Bookrunners in respect of any such
arrangements or dealings. If this is the case, each Placee should
seek its own advice and notify the Bookrunners accordingly. Placees
are advised to consult with their own advisers regarding the tax
aspects of the subscription for Placing Shares.
The Company and each of the
Bookrunners are not liable to bear any taxes that arise on a sale
of Placing Shares subsequent to their acquisition by Placees,
including any taxes arising otherwise than under the laws of any
country in the EEA. Each prospective Placee should, therefore, take
its own advice as to whether any such tax liability arises and
notify the Bookrunners and the Company accordingly. Furthermore,
each prospective Placee agrees to indemnify on an after-tax basis
and hold either of the Bookrunners and/or the Company and their
respective affiliates harmless from any and all interest, fines or
penalties in relation to stamp duty, SDRT and all other similar
duties or taxes in any jurisdiction to the extent that such
interest, fines or penalties arise from the unreasonable default or
delay of that Placee or its agent.
In addition, Placees should note
that they will be liable for any stamp duty and all other stamp,
issue, securities, transfer, registration, documentary or other
duties or taxes (including any interest, fines or penalties
relating thereto) payable, whether inside or outside the UK, by
them or any other person on the subscription, acquisition, transfer
or sale by them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to
subscribe for, acquire, transfer or sell any Placing
Shares.