THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE
APPENDICES) AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN ARE RESTRICTED AND
ARE NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH
AFRICA, THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND OR JAPAN OR IN OR INTO ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD BREACH ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR
REGULATION.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE
APPENDICES) IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT ITSELF
CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN
THE COMPANY. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDICES) DOES NOT
CONSTITUTE OR CONTAIN ANY INVITATION, SOLICITATION, RECOMMENDATION,
OFFER OR ADVICE TO ANY PERSON TO SUBSCRIBE FOR, OTHERWISE ACQUIRE
OR DISPOSE OF ANY SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY IN ANY JURISDICTION
WHERE TO DO SO WOULD BREACH ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR
REGULATION.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE
INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE
REGULATION (596/2014/EU) AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY
VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 (AS AMENDED)
("MAR"). IN ADDITION, MARKET SOUNDINGS (AS DEFINED IN 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 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.
8
August 2024
Getech Group
plc
("Getech", or the
"Company")
Placing and Subscription to
raise up to £1.5 million before expenses
Getech Group plc, a world-leading
locator of subsurface resources, today announces its intention to
raise up to £1.5 million before expenses by way of (i) a placing of
new Ordinary Shares ("Placing
Shares") at a price of 2 pence per new Ordinary Share (the
"Issue Price") to new and
existing institutional and other investors (the "Placing") and (ii) a subscription of new
Ordinary Shares ("Subscription
Shares") at the Issue Price by certain of the Company's
Directors (the "Subscription"). In addition, the
Company is launching a separate conditional retail offer to
existing retail investors via the BookBuild platform to raise up to
£0.2 million at the Issue Price (the "Retail Offer" and together with the
Placing and Subscription, the "Fundraising").
The Placing will be undertaken by
way of an accelerated bookbuild process (the "Bookbuild"), which will be launched
immediately following this announcement (being, together with the
Appendices hereto, the "Announcement") and will be made
available to new and existing institutional and other investors.
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited ("Cavendish") is acting as nominated
adviser, broker and sole bookrunner in respect of the Placing.
Further details of the Bookbuild and the background to and reasons
for the Fundraising are provided below and in the Appendices of
this Announcement.
The Placing, Subscription and Retail
Offer are conditional, inter alia, upon the Shareholders passing
the Resolution to be proposed at a general meeting of the company
to be held at 10.00 a.m. on 27 August 2024 at the offices of
Cavendish at One Bartholomew Close, London, EC1A 7BL.
The net proceeds of the Fundraising,
along with the Company's existing cash will be deployed to deliver
further progress on sustainable growth, whilst also strengthening
the balance sheet and enabling a modest spend on targeted research
& development activities.
Further details on the background to
and reasons for the Fundraising are set out below.
The Issue Price represents a premium
of approximately 11.11 per cent. to the closing mid-market price on
8 August 2024, being the latest practicable date before this
Announcement.
The number of Placing Shares to be
issued will be agreed by the Company and Cavendish at the close of
the Bookbuild. The timing of the closing of the Bookbuild and
allocations are at the discretion of the Company and Cavendish.
Details of the number of Placing Shares and Subscription Shares to
be issued will be announced as soon as practicable after the close
of the Bookbuild. The Fundraising is not conditional upon the
approval of the Company's shareholders.
Your attention is drawn to the
Additional Information set out below.
Appendix I sets out further
information relating to the Bookbuild and the terms and conditions
of the Placing. Persons who have chosen to participate in the
Placing, by making an oral, electronic or written offer to acquire
Placing Shares, will be deemed to have read and understood this
Announcement in its entirety (including the Appendices) and to be
making such offer on the terms and subject to the conditions
herein, and to be providing the representations, warranties,
agreements, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in Appendix
I.
Unless otherwise indicated,
capitalised terms in this Announcement have the meanings given to
them in Appendix II to this Announcement.
Richard Bennett, CEO, commented:
"In the last 12 months we have
significantly reduced Group costs, refocused the business on our
core expertise of selling sub-surface data and we have worked hard
to develop an expanded sales pipeline worth £9.6m. The proposed
Placing will deliver financial stability, enable us to accelerate
conversion of the sales pipeline and provide further R&D
investment with the objective of the business becoming cash-flow
positive on a sustainable basis this year. We are also ensuring
that the opportunity to be involved in the Placing is being made
available to all our shareholders."
For further information,
please contact:
Getech Group plc
|
Tel: 0113 322 2200
|
Richard Bennett, CEO
|
|
|
|
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited
|
Tel: 020 7397 8900
|
Neil McDonald / Pete Lynch
(Corporate Finance)
|
|
Dale Bellis / Jasper Berry
(Sales)
|
|
|
|
Novella Communications
|
Tel: 0203 151 7008
|
Tim Robertson / Safia
Colebrook
|
|
getech@novella-comms.com
|
|
Additional
Information
Background to and reasons for the
Fundraising
Getech is seeking to expand its role
in the global move to a clean energy future. The Company owns the
largest commercial database of potential fields data, coupled with
its geoscience expertise, AI-driven analytics and extensive GIS
capabilities, the Company provides valuable and actionable insights
to support resource discovery and development by exploration
companies around the world. To achieve the energy transition, a
substantial number of new, very large discoveries are required,
with current estimates indicating that the industry needs to
discover more than twelve trillion dollar of new energy resources
to deliver a low-carbon economy. Getech is applying the Company's
core geoscience data and skills to support exploration of these
vital energy resources.
Since the appointment of Richard
Bennett as CEO last year, the management team has refocused the
business on its core strength of data led sub-surface exploration
and reduced the costbase by approximately 28%. Despite a
challenging market backdrop the restructuring of the business has
enabled the management team to focus on sustainably growing the
underlying profitability of the business whilst investing in
enhancing its advanced geoscience technological and product
distribution capabilities.
The Company's client portfolio is
wide-ranging and the Board remain committed to targeting further
diversification beyond the core oil and gas sector clients, with an
ambition of delivering at least half of the Company's revenue from
exploration companies focused on locating the natural resource
discoveries needed to deliver the energy transition. The management
team have delivered a significant diversification of revenue during
the course of the year ended 31 December 2023, with transitional
petroleum now accounting for 67 per cent of the Company's revenue
as opposed to 93 per cent in the year ended 31 December 2021. This
has been balanced by an increase in revenue contributions of
clients in the critical minerals, geothermal and carbon storage
solution sectors.
Getech's substantial database of
potential fields data, covering both magnetic and gravity data, is
accessed via its Globe platform, with a focus on delivering a
'software as a service' revenue model. The Globe platform continues
to be developed with the introduction of advanced artificial
intelligence and machine learning techniques in addition to new
search capabilities. The strategy of pursuing annual recurring
revenue ("ARR") through a
subscription model is aligned with the goal of delivering ARR
in-excess of the Company's cost-base, which has been reduced by
approximately £2.0 million per annum through the refocused
strategy. ARR currently stands at approximately £2.9 million per
annum, a 9 per cent increase from the position at 30 June
2023.
Encouragingly, the sales pipeline
has also benefited from the refocused strategy and the emphasis on
diversifying revenue across the wider energy transition. The
Company currently has a pipeline of approximately £9.6 million in
qualified sales prospects split across the Globe platform and
software, geoscience data and geoscience services.
In addition to this pipeline,
additional upside potential is delivered through a new equity
participation model with specific customers aimed at earning a
future share in assets which has the potential to generate
substantially higher returns from Getech's data than has
historically been achieved. During the course of 2024, Getech has
successfully entered into the first such agreement with East Star
Resources, a company undertaking copper exploration in Kazakhstan,
and the Company has since entered into a similar deal in the
natural hydrogen sector. Whilst seeking to maximise the opportunity
when appropriate, there is a further pipeline of potential joint
exploration agreements with an additional five parties operating
across various sectors.
Use
of Proceeds of the Fundraising
The net proceeds of the Fundraising,
along with the Company's existing cash will be deployed to deliver
further progress on sustainable growth, whilst also strengthening
the balance sheet and enabling a modest spend on targeted research
& development activities.
The net proceeds of the Fundraising
will be deployed as follows:
1. £750,000
- Growth Capital - to fund key hires in the Sales and Business
Development teams to accelerate the delivery of the £9.6 million
sales pipeline as well as the joint exploration agreements, with a
view to delivering revenue in the next 6-12 months.
Specifically:
a. The
recruitment of an EMEA sales lead to drive sales of Globe and
geoscience services in the mining sector and the recruitment of a
US sales lead to focus on the sale of Globe and geosciences
services across multiples in the region
b. The
recruitment of a global business development individual to pursue
and deliver joint exploration agreements for natural hydrogen and
critical minerals projects
c.
Supporting the marketing budget in the fast-growing data-led
exploration market
2. £500,000
- Balance sheet strengthening and working capital - to deliver a
stable business through the annual working capital cycle and enable
the finalisation of the internal restructuring of the team with a
view to delivering an EBITDA positive business in the year to 31
December 2024.
3. £250,000
- Research & Development - with a view to the expansion of the
engineering team to increase the machine learning capability within
the Company and to implement digital search genomes for natural
hydrogen and other critical minerals.
a. The
Company is seeking to hire two data scientists to deliver on this
targeted approach
The remaining balance of the
Fundraising (if any) will go towards general working capital needs
to support growth and provide additional balance sheet
strength.
Current Trading and Prospects
During a challenging year to 31
December 2023, the Company focused on implementing a significant
restructuring to allow it to focus on its core competency of
enabling data-led sub-surface exploration with a broad range of
customers. Following these changes, Getech now operates in a
different style compared to the start of 2023, with a reduced cost
base and increasing contributions of ARR. Despite these
circumstances, in 2023 the Company delivered revenue of £4.0
million, with ARR standing at £2.8 million and the order book stood
at £4.6 million as at 31 December 2023. However, as the impact of
the reduced cost base will need time to be reflected in the
financial performance of the Company, Getech incurred an operating
loss of £5.2 million in the year.
Evidence of the refreshed strategy
being delivered can be found in the split of revenues earned in the
year:
· Transitional Petroleum -
67% (FY21: 93%)
· Carbon
Storage Solutions - 15% (FY21: nil)
· Critical Minerals
- 11% (FY21: 5%)
· Geothermal
- 7% (FY21: nil)
Trading has improved in the first
six months of 2024, and based on unaudited management accounts the
Company has delivered revenue of £2.2 million (FY23: £1.9 million)
with ARR now standing at £2.9 million (FY23: £2.6 million) and the
order book as at 30 June 2024 was £4.7 million (FY23: £4.3
million). In addition, the annualised cost base now stands at £5.5
million (FY23: £7.6m). As at 30 June 2024, the Company's cash
balance stood at £0.2 million.
The Company's qualified sales
pipeline now stands at £9.6 million and is split across the core
competencies of the Company:
· Globe
platform and software
- £4.9 million
· Geoscience data
- £1.9 million
· Geoscience services
- £2.8 million
Outlook
Energy security remains a key global
concern and the mining sector is investing significant sums in
exploring for new resources which underpins Getech's future
prospects for the long-term.
For the current year, the
significantly increased qualified sales pipeline of £9.6 million
reflects the increase in demand for the Company's services.
Conversion of the sales pipeline has been slower than anticipated
which will result in revenues for FY2024 being lower than current
market expectations and is behind the Board's decision to resolve
near-term liquidity concerns and invest in accelerating the
conversion of our new business pipeline.
The Board purposely limited the
amount being raised given the recent weakness in the share price
and is determined to ensure that all shareholders are able to
participate in the proposed Fundraising.
The Fundraising will bolster the
financial stability of the business which we expect to be further
enhanced by the sale of Nicholson House, the Company's
headquarters, expected to be completed by the end of 2024. The
property holds a RICS valuation of £860,000 and the Company expects
that a successful sale would provide approximately £500,000 for use
in the business.
Overall, the Board is therefore
confident that the Company is in a position to convert the expanded
sales pipeline and capitalise on the positive growth drivers in the
sector.
Shareholders should note that in the
event that the Resolution is not passed, Admission will not occur
and the Company would not receive the funds from the Fundraising,
which would limit the amount of working capital available to the
Company. There is no certainty that other funding would be
available on suitable terms or at all. Accordingly, in light of the
Group's cash position, it would be likely that the Company would
have to severely restrict its costs, potentially impacting its
ability to progress its growth strategy and generate value for the
Group.
Details of the Fundraise
The Placing
The Placing will be conducted by way
of an accelerated bookbuild (the "Bookbuild") which will be launched
immediately upon the publication of this Announcement and will be
made available to new and existing institutional
investors.
Cavendish is acting as nominated
adviser, broker and sole bookrunner to the Company in respect of
the Placing. The Placing is not being
underwritten.
The Placing is subject to the Terms
and Conditions set out in Appendix I to this Announcement.
Cavendish will commence the Bookbuild immediately following the
release of this Announcement. The final number of Placing Shares to
be placed at the Issue Price will be decided following completion
of the Bookbuild. The book will open with immediate effect
following this Announcement. The timing of the closing of the book
and allocations are at the absolute discretion of Cavendish and the
Company. Details of the number of Placing Shares to be issued will
be announced as soon as practicable after the close of the
Bookbuild.
The New Ordinary Shares will be free
of all liens, charges and encumbrances and will, when issued and
fully paid, be identical to and rank pari passu in all respects
with the existing Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive
all future distributions, declared, paid or made in respect of the
Ordinary Shares following the date of Admission.
The Subscription
As part of the Fundraising, the
Company is intending to enter into subscription agreements with
certain of the Directors (being Michael Covington, Richard Bennett,
Andrew Darbyshire, Chris Jepps and Emma Parker) and members of the
senior management team of the Company, who have indicated that they
intend to subscribe for a total of 6,358,958 Subscription Shares
respectively at the Issue Price (the "Subscription Agreements").
The Retail Offer
The Company values its retail
Shareholder base and believes that it is appropriate to provide its
existing retail Shareholders resident in the United Kingdom the
opportunity to participate in the Retail Offer.
The Company is therefore making the
Retail Offer available in the United Kingdom through the
participating financial intermediaries which will be listed,
subject to certain access restrictions, on the following
website:
https://www.bookbuild.live/deals/D1MGG1/authorised-intermediaries.
Cavendish will be acting as retail offer coordinator in relation to
this Retail Offer (the "Retail
Offer Coordinator").
Existing retail Shareholders can
contact their broker or wealth manager ("intermediary") to participate in the
Retail Offer. In order to participate in the Retail Offer, each
intermediary must be on-boarded onto the BookBuild platform, have
an active trading account with the Retail Offer Coordinator and
have been approved by the Retail Offer Coordinator as an
intermediary in respect the Retail Offer, and agree to the final
terms and conditions of the Retail Offer, which regulate, the
conduct of the Retail Offer on market standard terms and provide
for the payment of commission to any intermediary that elects to
receive a commission and/or fee (to the extent permitted by the FCA
Handbook Rules) from the Retail Offer Coordinator (on behalf of the
Company).
Any expenses incurred by any
intermediary are for its own account. Investors should confirm
separately with any intermediary whether there are any commissions,
fees or expenses that will be applied by such intermediary in
connection with any application made through that intermediary
pursuant to the Retail Offer.
The Retail Offer will be open to
eligible investors in the United Kingdom at 8.00 a.m. on 9 August
2024. The Retail Offer is expected to close at 4.30 p.m. on 21
August 2024. Investors should note that financial intermediaries
may have earlier closing times. The Retail Offer may close early if
it is oversubscribed.
To be eligible to participate in the
Retail Offer, applicants must be a customer of one of the
participating intermediaries listed on the above website, resident
in the United Kingdom and, as at the date of this Announcement or
prior to placing an order for Retail Offer Shares, Shareholders in
the Company, which may include individuals aged 18 years or over,
companies and other bodies corporate, partnerships, trusts,
associations and other unincorporated organisations.
The Company reserves the right to
scale back any order at its discretion. The Company reserves the
right to reject any application for subscription under the Retail
Offer without giving any reason for such rejection.
It is vital to note that once an
application for Retail Offer Shares has been made and accepted via
an intermediary, it cannot be withdrawn.
The Retail Offer is conditional,
inter alia, upon the Placing becoming unconditional and Admission
taking effect.
The Retail Offer is an offer to
subscribe for transferable securities, the terms of which ensure
that the Company is exempt from the requirement to issue a
prospectus under Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of UK
law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as
amended and as modified from time to time by or under domestic
law). The aggregate total consideration for the Retail Offer will
not exceed €8 million (or the equivalent in pounds Sterling) and
therefore the exemption from the requirement to publish a
prospectus, set out in section 86(1) FSMA, will apply.
As set out above, a separate
announcement will be made shortly by the Company regarding the
Retail Offer and its terms.
The Placing Agreement
In connection with the Placing, the
Company has entered into a placing agreement dated 8 August 2024
with Cavendish (the "Placing
Agreement") pursuant to which Cavendish has agreed, in
accordance with its terms, to use reasonable endeavours to procure
placees ("Placees") for the
Placing Shares at the Issue Price.
In accordance with the terms of the
Placing Agreement, the Placing is conditional upon, amongst other
things, the conditions in the Placing Agreement being satisfied or
(if applicable) waived and the Placing Agreement not having been
terminated in accordance with its terms prior to Admission
occurring on or before 28 August 2024 (or such later date as
Cavendish may agree not being later than 8.00 p.m. on 12 September
2024 (the "Long Stop
Date")).
The Placing Agreement contains
certain warranties given by the Company in favour of Cavendish
concerning, amongst other things, the accuracy of information given
in this Announcement made by the Company in respect of the Placing
as well as other matters relating to the Group and its
business.
The Placing Agreement is terminable
by Cavendish in certain circumstances up until the time of
Admission, including, inter alia, should there be a breach of a
warranty contained in the Placing Agreement or a force majeure
event takes place or a material adverse change occurs to the
business of the Company or the Group. The Company has also agreed
to indemnify Cavendish against all losses, costs, charges and
expenses which Cavendish may suffer or incur as a result of,
occasioned by or attributable to the carrying out of its duties
under the Placing Agreement.
EIS/VCT Schemes
Although the Directors believe that
the EIS/VCT Placing Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing
will be 'eligible shares' and will be capable of being a qualifying
holding for the purposes of investment by VCTs and will also
satisfy the conditions of section 173 of ITA for the purposes of
the EIS and the Directors are not aware of any subsequent change in
the qualifying conditions or the Company's circumstances that would
prevent the EIS/VCT Placing Shares from being eligible for EIS and
VCT investments on this occasion, neither the Directors nor the
Company nor Cavendish, nor any of their respective directors,
officers, employees, affiliates or advisers give any warranty or
undertaking or other assurance that relief will be available in
respect of any investment in the EIS/ VCT Placing Shares, nor do
they warrant or undertake or otherwise give any assurance that the
Company will conduct its activities in a way that qualifies for or
preserves its status.
Admission
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to
trading on AIM ("Admission"). It is anticipated that
Admission will become effective, and that dealings in the New
Ordinary Shares will commence at or around 8.00 a.m. BST on 28
August 2024. The Placing is conditional upon, among other things,
Admission becoming effective and the Placing Agreement not being
terminated in accordance with its terms.
The New Ordinary Shares will trade
on AIM under GTC with ISIN GB00B0HZVP95 and SEDOL
B0HZVP9.
It is expected that CREST
("CREST") accounts of the
investors in the Placing Shares who hold their Ordinary Shares in
CREST will be credited with their Placing Shares on 28 August 2024.
In the case of investors in the Placing Shares holding their
Placing Shares in certificated form, it is expected that
certificates will be dispatched within 10 business days of
Admission. Pending dispatch of the share certificates or the
crediting of CREST accounts, the Registrar ("Registrar") will certify any
instruments of transfer against the register.
For the avoidance of doubt, if the
Placing Agreement between the Company and Cavendish is terminated
prior to Admission then neither the Placing, the Subscription nor
the Retail Offer will occur.
Unless otherwise stated, all times
referenced in this Announcement are British Summer Time.
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the
information provided in the "Important Notices" section below and
the Appendices to this announcement (which form part of this
Announcement) which includes the terms and conditions of the
Placing. Persons who have chosen to participate in the Placing, by
making an oral or written offer to acquire Placing Shares, will be
deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its
entirety (including the Appendices) and to be making such offer on
the terms and subject to the conditions herein and, in respect of
those persons participating in the Placing, to be providing the
representations, warranties, agreements, confirmations,
acknowledgements and undertakings contained in Appendix
I.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety.
Neither the contents of the
Company's website nor the contents of any website accessible from
hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is
incorporated into, or forms part of, this Announcement.
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.
The content of this Announcement has
not been approved by an authorised person within the meaning of
FSMA. This Announcement has been issued by and is the sole
responsibility of the Company. The information in this Announcement
is subject to change.
This Announcement is not an offer of
securities for sale in or into the United States. The securities
referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under
the Securities Act, or with any securities regulatory authority of
any state or jurisdiction of the United States. Subject to certain
exceptions, the securities referred to herein are being offered
only outside of the United States pursuant to Regulation S of the
Securities Act and may not be reoffered, resold, transferred or
delivered, directly or indirectly, within the United States except
pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not
subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act
and, in each case, in compliance with any applicable securities
laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United
States.
No public offering of securities is
being made in the United States. This Announcement is not for
release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or
into the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the
Republic of South Africa, the Republic of Ireland or Japan or any
jurisdiction where to do so might constitute a violation of local
securities laws or regulations (a "Prohibited Jurisdiction"). This
Announcement and the information contained herein are not for
release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, to
persons in a Prohibited Jurisdiction unless permitted pursuant to
an exemption under the relevant local law or regulation in any such
jurisdiction.
Cavendish is authorised and
regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom. Cavendish is acting as
nominated adviser, broker and sole bookrunner for the Company and
no one else in connection with the Placing and the Bookbuild and
will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of
this Announcement) as its client in relation to the Placing or the
Bookbuild nor will it be responsible to anyone other than the
Company for providing the protections afforded to its
clients.
Apart from the responsibilities and
liabilities, if any, which may be imposed on Cavendish as broker
and sole bookrunner in connection with the Placing and the
Bookbuild by FSMA or the regulatory regime established thereunder,
Cavendish accepts no responsibility whatsoever, and make no
representation or warranty, express or implied, in relation to the
Fundraising or the Bookbuild or the contents of this Announcement
including its accuracy, completeness or verification or for any
other statement made or purported to be made by or on behalf of
either of them, the Company or any other person, in connection with
the Company and the contents of this Announcement, whether as to
the past or the future. Cavendish accordingly disclaims all and any
liability whatsoever, whether arising in tort, contract or
otherwise (save as referred to above), which they might otherwise
have in respect of the contents of this Announcement or any such
statement.
In connection with the Placing,
Cavendish and its Affiliates, acting as investors for their own
accounts, may subscribe for or purchase Ordinary Shares in the
Company and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to
sell or otherwise deal for their own accounts in such Ordinary
Shares and other securities of the Company or related investments
in connection with the Placing or otherwise. Accordingly,
references to the Ordinary Shares being offered, subscribed,
acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including
any offer to, or subscription, acquisition, placing or dealing by
Cavendish and any of its Affiliates acting as investors for their
own accounts. In addition, Cavendish or its Affiliates may enter
into financing arrangements and swaps in connection with which they
or their Affiliates may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose
of Ordinary Shares. Cavendish has no intention to disclose the
extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in
accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do
so.
Forward-looking
Statements
This Announcement includes
"forward-looking statements" which include all statements other
than statements of historical facts, including, without limitation,
those regarding the Group's business strategy, plans and objectives
of management for future operations, or any statements preceded by,
followed by or that include the words "targets", "believes",
"expects", "aims", "intends", "will", "may", "anticipates",
"would", "could" or similar expressions or negatives thereof. Such
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other important factors beyond the Company's
control that could cause the actual results, performance or
achievements of the Group to be materially different from future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are
based on numerous assumptions regarding the Group's present and
future business strategies and the environment in which the Group
will operate in the future. Many of these risks, uncertainties and
assumptions relate to factors that are beyond the Company's ability
to control or estimate precisely and include, but are not limited
to, general economic climate and market conditions as well as
specific factors, including the success of the Company and its
subsidiaries' research and development and commercialisation
strategies, uncertainties regarding regulatory clearance and
acceptance of products by customers. No undue reliance should be
placed upon forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements speak only as at the date of this Announcement. The
Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to
disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking
statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company's
expectations with regard thereto or any change in events,
conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based,
unless required to do so by applicable law or the AIM
Rules.
Information to
Distributors
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
it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of
Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II
and as it forms part of UK domestic 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 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: (a) retail investors; (b) investors
who meet the criteria of professional clients; and (c) 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").
Notwithstanding the 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; 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 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, Cavendish 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 Placing Shares.
Each distributor is responsible for
undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the
Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution
channels.
APPENDIX I
APPENDIX
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR
INVITED PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE PLACING
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THIS APPENDIX AND THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED HEREIN (TOGETHER THE "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 IRELAND, THE
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, HONG KONG OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN
WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE LONDON STOCK
EXCHANGE, NOR IS IT INTENDED THAT IT WILL BE SO
APPROVED.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE
PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS
DIRECTED ONLY AT: (A) PERSONS IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN
ECONOMIC AREA ("EEA") WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE
MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(e) OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION ("QUALIFIED
INVESTORS"); AND (B) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, PERSONS WHO ARE
"QUALIFIED INVESTORS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE UK PROSPECTUS
REGULATION AND WHO ALSO: (I) HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN
MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5)
(INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS)
OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL
PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER"); (II) ARE PERSONS
FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED
ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; OR (III) ARE PERSONS TO
WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS
TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT
PERSONS").
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION IN IT MUST NOT 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 SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY
SECURITIES IN GETECH GROUP PLC.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE INTO
THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE
REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR WITH ANY SECURITIES
REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED
STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION
FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION
REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH ANY
APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF
THE UNITED STATES. SUBJECT TO CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS AND AT THE SOLE
DISCRETION OF THE COMPANY, THE PLACING SHARES ARE BEING OFFERED AND
SOLD ONLY OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN "OFFSHORE TRANSACTIONS"
WITHIN THE MEANING OF, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH, REGULATION S UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT AND OTHERWISE IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE
LAWS. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE PLACING SHARES IS BEING MADE IN THE
UNITED STATES, THE UNITED KINGDOM OR ELSEWHERE. NO MONEY,
SECURITIES OR OTHER CONSIDERATION FROM ANY PERSON INSIDE THE UNITED
STATES IS BEING SOLICITED AND, IF SENT IN RESPONSE TO THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX,
BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN PLACING SHARES.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, ANY PART OF IT OR ANY
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT MAY BE RESTRICTED BY LAW IN CERTAIN
JURISDICTIONS, AND ANY PERSON INTO WHOSE POSSESSION THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT, ANY PART OF IT OR ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT
COMES SHOULD INFORM THEMSELVES ABOUT, AND OBSERVE, SUCH
RESTRICTIONS.
THE
COMPANY'S BROKERS, CAVENDISH CAPITAL MARKETS LIMITED, WHO ARE
REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY, ARE ACTING FOR THE
COMPANY AND NO ONE ELSE IN RELATION TO THE PROPOSALS SET OUT IN
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. CAVENDISH DOES NOT HAVE ANY AUTHORITY TO MAKE
ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY OR ANY
OTHER PERSON IN CONNECTION WITH THE COMPANY.
ANY
PERSON WHO IS IN ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE INVESTMENT TO WHICH THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES SHOULD CONSULT A PERSON DULY AUTHORISED FOR
THE PURPOSES OF FSMA WHO SPECIALISES IN THE ACQUISITION OF SHARES
AND OTHER SECURITIES.
The distribution of this
Announcement and/or the Placing and/or issue of the Placing Shares
in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has
been taken by the Company, Cavendish or any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees that would
permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution
of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material
relating to such Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action
for that purpose is required. Persons into whose possession this
Announcement comes are required by the Company and Cavendish to
inform themselves about and to observe any such
restrictions.
This Announcement or any part of it
is for information purposes only and does not constitute or form
part of any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an offer
to acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the United
States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the
United States and the District of Columbia), Australia, Canada,
Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of South
Africa, Hong Kong or any other jurisdiction in which the same would
be unlawful. No public offering of the Placing Shares is being made
in any such jurisdiction.
All offers of the Placing Shares
will be made pursuant to an exemption under the UK Prospectus
Regulation, from the requirement to produce a prospectus. In the
United Kingdom, this Announcement is being directed solely at
persons in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not
apply.
The Placing Shares have not been
approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange
Commission, any state securities commission or other regulatory
authority in the United States, nor have any of the foregoing
authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or
the accuracy or adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation
to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. 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, the Financial
Markets Authority of New Zealand 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 Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or
Hong Kong in relation to the Placing Shares and the Placing Shares
have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offering in
compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or
territory of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of
Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong. 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 Australia, Canada,
Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of South
Africa or Hong Kong or any other jurisdiction outside the United
Kingdom.
Persons (including, without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or
other legal obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement
should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the
information provided in this "Important Information" section of
this Announcement.
The Company proposes to raise
capital by way of, inter
alia, a Placing. By participating in 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 and to be providing the
representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and
undertakings contained in this Appendix.
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 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 Prospectus Regulation;
(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 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 Cavendish 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 Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such
persons;
3
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;
(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 Cavendish 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;
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, indemnities,
acknowledgements, undertakings and agreements 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 Appendix; 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 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.
No
prospectus
No prospectus or other offering
document has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FCA in
relation to the Placing or the Placing Shares and Placees'
commitments will be made solely on the basis of the information
contained in this Announcement and any Publicly Available
Information and subject to any further terms set forth in the form
of confirmation to be sent to individual Placees.
Each Placee, by participating in the
Placing, agrees that the content of this Announcement 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 the Company, Cavendish or any
other person and none of the Company, Cavendish or any other person
acting on such person's behalf nor any of their respective
affiliates has or shall have any liability for any Placee's
decision to participate in the Placing based on any other
information, representation, warranty or statement. 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 Placees should
consider any information in this Announcement to be legal, tax or
business advice. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the
liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Details of the Placing Agreement and the Placing
Shares
Cavendish has today entered into a
Placing Agreement with the Company under which, on the terms and
subject to the conditions set out in the Placing Agreement,
Cavendish, as agent for and on behalf of the Company, has agreed to
use its reasonable endeavours to procure placees for the Placing
Shares at the issue price of 2 pence per Placing Share.
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be subject to the Articles and credited as fully paid and
will rank pari
passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares
in the capital of the Company, including the right to receive all
dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect
of such Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing
Shares.
Application for admission to trading
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for admission of the Placing Shares to
trading on AIM.
It is expected that Admission will
take place no later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 August 2024 and that
dealings in the Placing Shares on AIM will commence at the same
time.
Principal terms of the Placing
1
Cavendish is acting as broker to the Company in respect of the
Placing, as agent for and on behalf of the Company. Cavendish is
authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA and is
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 for providing the
protections afforded to each of Cavendish' customers or for
providing advice 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 by Cavendish to participate.
Cavendish and any of its affiliates are entitled to participate in
the Placing as principal.
3
The price per Placing Share is two
pence and is payable to Cavendish as agent of the
Company by all Placees.
4
By participating in the Placing (such participation up to an agreed
maximum level to be confirmed in and evidenced by either (i) a
recorded telephone call and/or (ii) email correspondence, in either
case between representatives of Cavendish to whom the Placee's
commitment is given and the relevant Placee (a "Recorded Commitment")), each Placee
will be deemed to have read and understood the Announcement and
these Terms and Conditions in their entirety, to be participating
and acquiring Placing Shares on these Terms and Conditions and to
be providing the representations, warranties, indemnities,
acknowledgements and undertakings contained in these Terms and
Conditions.
5
Each Placee will confirm the maximum number of Placing Shares it is
willing to acquire in a Recorded Commitment. Once they have made a
Recorded Commitment, each Placee will have an immediate, separate,
irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to Cavendish (as agent for
the Company), to subscribe and pay for, at the Issue Price, the
number of Placing Shares allocated to it, up to the agreed
maximum.
6
Each Placee's allocation (and whether such Placee participates in
the Placing) will be determined by Cavendish in its discretion
following consultation with the Company and will be confirmed by
Cavendish either orally or in writing via a contract note or trade
confirmation after the Recorded Commitment has taken
place.
7
Each Placee's commitment will be confirmed in and evidenced by a
Recorded Commitment. These Terms and Conditions will be deemed
incorporated into each contract which is entered into by way of a
Recorded Commitment and will be legally binding on the relevant
Placee(s) on behalf of whom the commitment is made with effect from
the end of the Recorded Commitment and, except with Cavendish's
prior written consent, will not be capable of variation or
revocation after such time. A contract note or trade confirmation
confirming each Placee's allocation of Placing Shares will be sent
to them following the Recorded Commitment and the allocation
process. These Terms and Conditions shall be deemed incorporated
into any such contract note or trade confirmation.
8
Each Placee will have an immediate, separate, irrevocable and
binding obligation, owed to Cavendish (as agent for the Company),
to pay to it (or as it may direct) in cleared funds an amount equal
to the product of the Issue Price and the number of Placing Shares
allocated to such Placee (subject always to such Placee's agreed
maximum).
9
Cavendish reserves the right to scale back the number of Placing
Shares to be subscribed by any Placee in the event that the Placing
is oversubscribed in consultation with the Company. Cavendish also
reserves the right not to accept orders to subscribe for Placing
Shares or to accept such orders in part rather than in whole. The
acceptance and, if applicable, scaling back of orders shall be at
the absolute discretion of Cavendish.
10
Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation(s) pursuant
to the Placing is/are confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares
to be acquired pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made
at the same time, on the basis explained below under "Registration
and Settlement".
11
All obligations of Cavendish under the Placing will be subject to
fulfilment 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 "Termination of the Placing".
12
By participating in the Placing, each Placee will agree 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.
13
To the fullest extent permissible by law and applicable FCA rules,
none of (a) Cavendish, (b) any of its affiliates, agents,
directors, officers, consultants, (c) to the extent not contained
within (a) or (b), any person connected with Cavendish as defined
in the FSMA ((b) and (c) being together "affiliates" and
individually an "affiliate" of Cavendish), (d) any person acting on
behalf of Cavendish, shall have any liability (including to the
extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) to Placees or to
any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise.
In particular, Cavendish nor any of its affiliates shall have any
liability (including, to the extent permissible by law, any
fiduciary duties) in respect of their conduct in relation to the
Placing or of such alternative method of effecting the Placing as
Cavendish and the Company may agree.
Registration and Settlement
If Placees are allocated any Placing
Shares in the Placing they will be sent a form of confirmation or
electronic confirmation by Cavendish, as soon as it is able which
will confirm the number of Placing Shares allocated to them, the
Issue Price and the aggregate amount owed by them to
Cavendish.
Each Placee will be deemed to agree
that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and
payment is completed as directed by Cavendish in accordance with either
the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions which
they have in place with Cavendish.
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00B0HZVP95) following Admission will take
place within the CREST system, subject to certain exceptions.
Settlement through CREST is expected to take place on 28 August
2024 unless otherwise notified by Cavendish and Admission is
expected to occur no later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 August 2024 unless
otherwise notified by Cavendish. The deadline for Placees to input instructions into CREST
is 2.30 p.m. on
28 August 2024. Admission and settlement may
occur at an earlier date, which if achievable, will be set out in
the Circular. Settlement will be on a delivery versus payment
basis. However, in the event of any difficulties or delays in
the admission of the Placing Shares to CREST or the use of CREST in
relation to the Placing, the Company and Cavendish may agree that
the Placing Shares should be issued in certificated form. Cavendish
reserves the right to require settlement of the Placing Shares, and
to deliver the Placing Shares to Placees, by such other means as it
deems necessary if delivery or settlement to Placees is not
practicable within the CREST system or would not be consistent with
regulatory requirements in a Placee's jurisdiction.
Interest is chargeable daily on
payments not received from Placees on the due date in accordance
with the arrangements set out above, in respect of either CREST or
certificated deliveries, at the rate of 2 percentage points above
prevailing Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA) as determined
by Cavendish.
Each Placee agrees that if it does
not comply with these obligations, Cavendish may sell, charge by
way of security (to any funder of Cavendish) or otherwise deal with
any or all of their Placing Shares on their behalf and retain from
the proceeds, for Cavendish' own account and benefit, an amount
equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest
due and any costs and expenses properly incurred by Cavendish as a
result of the Placee's failure to comply with its obligations. The
relevant Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall
below the amount owed by it and for any stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax (together with any interest or penalties) which may
arise upon the sale of their Placing Shares on their
behalf. Legal and/or beneficial title in and to any Placing
Shares shall not pass to the relevant Placee until such time as it
has fully complied with its obligations hereunder.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees must ensure
that, upon receipt, the conditional form of confirmation is copied
and delivered immediately to the relevant person within that
organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares are registered 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 United Kingdom stamp
duty or stamp duty reserve tax. Placees will not be entitled to
receive any fee or commission in connection with the
Placing.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing is conditional upon the
Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not having been
terminated in accordance with its terms.
Cavendish' obligations under the
Placing Agreement are, and the Placing is, conditional
upon, inter
alia:
1
Admission taking place not later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 August 2024
or such later date as is agreed in writing between the Company and
Cavendish, but in any event not later than
the Long Stop Date;
2
the Company complying with its obligations under the Placing
Agreement to the extent that the same fall to be performed prior to
Admission;
3
there not occurring, in Cavendish' opinion (acting in good faith),
a Material Adverse Change;
4
the General Meeting having taken place, no adjournment of the
General Meeting having occurred without the prior written consent
of Cavendish and the Resolutions having been passed at the General
Meeting by the requisite majority without amendment;
5
satisfaction or, where appropriate, the waiver of certain other
conditions set out in the Placing Agreement,
(all conditions to the obligations
of Cavendish included in the Placing Agreement being together, the
"conditions").
For
the avoidance of doubt, the Placing is not conditional on the
Retail Offer (or any take up of the Retail Offer Shares) or the
Subscription.
If any of the conditions set out in
the Placing Agreement are not fulfilled or, where permitted, waived
in accordance with the Placing Agreement within the stated time
periods (or such later time and/or date as the Company and
Cavendish may agree), or the Placing Agreement is terminated in
accordance with its terms, the Placing will lapse and the Placee's
rights and obligations shall cease and terminate at such time and
each Placee agrees that no claim can be made by or on behalf of the
Placee (or any person on whose behalf the Placee is acting) in
respect thereof.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations cease and
terminate only in the circumstances described above and under
"Termination of the Placing" below and will not be capable of
rescission or termination by it.
Certain conditions may be waived in
whole or in part by Cavendish, in its absolute discretion, by
notice in writing to the Company and Cavendish may also agree in
writing with the Company to extend the time for satisfaction of any
condition. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees'
commitments as set out in this Announcement.
Cavendish may terminate the Placing
Agreement in certain circumstances, details of which are set out
below.
Neither Cavendish, 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 any of them 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 any of them 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 Cavendish' absolute
discretion.
Termination of the Placing
Cavendish may terminate the Placing
Agreement, in accordance with its terms, at any time prior to
Admission if, inter
alia:
1
any of the warranties in the Placing Agreement were, when given,
untrue, inaccurate, or misleading; or
2
the Company fails or is unable to comply with its obligations
under the Placing Agreement; or
3
any statement contained in the Placing Documents (as defined in the
Placing Agreement) has become or been discovered to be untrue,
inaccurate or misleading or there has been a material omission
therefrom; or
4
a matter, fact, circumstance or event has arisen such that in the
opinion of Cavendish (acting in good faith) a supplementary
circular and/or supplementary press announcement is required to be
published or released; or
5
a Material Adverse Change has occurred.
If the Placing Agreement is
terminated in accordance with its terms, the rights and obligations
of each Placee in respect of the Placing as described in this
Announcement shall cease and terminate at such time and no claim
can be made by any Placee in respect thereof.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees with the Company and Cavendish that the exercise
by the Company or Cavendish of any right of termination or any
other right or other discretion under the Placing Agreement shall
be within the absolute discretion of the Company and / or Cavendish
and that neither the Company nor Cavendish need make any reference
to such Placee and that none of the Company, Cavendish nor any of
their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees shall have any liability to such Placee (or to any other
person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise)
whatsoever in connection with any such
exercise.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations terminate only
in the circumstances described above and under the "Conditions of
the Placing" section above and will not be capable of rescission or
termination by it after the issue by Cavendish of a form of
confirmation confirming each Placee's allocation and commitment in
the Placing.
Restrictions on issues of shares and other securities by the
Company
The Company has undertaken to
Cavendish that, during the period ending on the later of (i) 180
days after the date of Admission, and (ii) publication of the
audited results of the Company for financial period ending 31
December 2024, it will not without the prior consent of Cavendish
allot or issue, or enter into any agreement or arrangement which
would give rise to an obligation or an increased obligation (in
each case whether contingent or otherwise) to allot or issue, any
share or any instrument or security convertible into a share in the
capital of the Company (save for the allotment and issue of new
Ordinary Shares in the capital of the Company pursuant to the
Placing and the separate Subscription and Retail Offer being made
by the Company or the issue of shares or the grant and
exercise of options pursuant to the option schemes, agreements and
arrangements disclosed in the Circular).
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that the exercise by Cavendish of any power to
grant consent to the undertaking by the Company of a transaction
which would otherwise be subject to these restrictions under the
Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of
Cavendish and that it need not make any reference to, or consult
with, any Placee and that it shall have no liability to any Placee
whatsoever in connection with any such exercise of the power to
grant consent.
Representations, warranties and further
terms
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf)
irrevocably represents, warrants, acknowledges, undertakes and
agrees (for itself and for any such prospective Placee) that in
each case as a fundamental term of such Placee's application for
Placing Shares (save where Cavendish expressly agrees in writing to
the contrary) that:
1
it has read and understood this Announcement in its entirety and
that its acquisition of the Placing Shares is subject to and based
upon all the terms, conditions, representations, warranties,
indemnities, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings and
other information contained herein and that 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 Admission, the Placing, the Company, the Placing
Shares or otherwise, other than the information contained in this
Announcement and the Publicly Available Information;
2
it has not received a prospectus or other offering document in
connection with the Pacing and acknowledges that no prospectus or
other offering document: (a) is required under the Prospectus
Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation; and (b) has been or
will be prepared in connection with the Placing;
3
the Ordinary Shares in the capital of the Company are admitted to
trading on AIM, and that, in addition to complying with its
obligations pursuant to MAR, the Company is therefore required to
publish certain business and financial information in accordance
with the AIM Rules, 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;
4
it has made its own assessment of the Placing Shares and has relied
on its own investigation of the business, financial or other
position of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing
and none of Cavendish, 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, and will not provide,
it with any material regarding the Placing Shares or the Company or
any other person other than the information in this Announcement,
or the Publicly Available Information; nor has it requested any of
Cavendish, the Company, any of their respective affiliates, agents,
directors, officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of
any of them to provide it with any such information;
5
neither Cavendish nor any person acting on its behalf or any of
their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees has or shall have any liability for any Publicly
Available Information, or any representation relating to the
Company, provided that nothing in this paragraph excludes the
liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by
that person;
6
the only information on which it is entitled to rely on and on
which it has relied in committing to subscribe for the Placing
Shares is contained in the Publicly Available Information, such
information being all that it deems necessary to make an investment
decision in respect of the Placing Shares and it has made its own
assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and the terms of the
Placing based on Publicly Available Information;
7
neither the Company, Cavendish nor any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees has made any
representation or warranty to it, express or implied, with respect
to the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares or the accuracy,
completeness or adequacy of the Publicly Available
Information;
8
it has conducted its own investigation of the Company, the Placing
and the Placing Shares, satisfied itself that the information is
still current and relied on that investigation for the purposes of
its decision to participate in the Placing;
9
it has not relied on any investigation that Cavendish or any person
acting on its behalf may have conducted with respect to the
Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares;
10
the content of this Announcement and the Publicly Available
Information has been prepared by and is exclusively the
responsibility of the Company and that neither Cavendish nor any
persons acting on its behalf are responsible for or has or shall
have any liability for any information, representation, warranty or
statement relating to the Company contained in this Announcement or
the Publicly Available Information 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
this Announcement, the Publicly Available Information or otherwise.
Nothing in this Appendix shall exclude any liability of any person
for fraudulent misrepresentation;
11
the Placing is not conditional on the Retail Offer (or any take up
of the Retail Offer Shares) or the Subscription;
12
the Placing Shares have not been registered or otherwise qualified,
and will not be registered or otherwise qualified, for offer and
sale nor will a prospectus be cleared or approved in respect of any
of the Placing Shares under the securities laws of the United
States, or any state or other jurisdiction of the United States,
Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the
Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong and, subject to certain
exceptions, may not be offered, sold, taken up, renounced or
delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, within the United
States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of
Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong or in any
country or jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is
required;
13
it and/or each person on whose behalf it is
participating:
(a)
is entitled to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing under
the laws and regulations of all relevant jurisdictions;
(b)
has fully observed such laws and regulations;
(c)
has capacity and authority and is entitled to enter into and
perform its obligations as an acquirer of Placing Shares and will
honour such obligations; and
(d)
has obtained all necessary consents and authorities (including,
without limitation, in the case of a person acting on behalf of a
Placee, all necessary consents and authorities to agree to the
terms set out or referred to in this Appendix) under those laws or
otherwise and complied with all necessary formalities to enable it
to enter into the transactions contemplated hereby and to perform
its obligations in relation thereto and, in particular, if it is a
pension fund or investment company it is aware of and acknowledges
that it is required to comply with all applicable laws and
regulations with respect to its subscription for Placing
Shares;
14
it is not, and any person who it is acting on behalf of is not, and
at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed will not be, a
resident of, or with an address in, or subject to the laws of, the
United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic
of Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong and it
acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Shares have not been and
will not be registered or otherwise qualified under the securities
legislation of the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New
Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or
Hong Kong and may not be offered, sold, or acquired, directly or
indirectly, within those jurisdictions;
15
the Placing Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under
the Securities Act and may not be offered, sold or resold in or
into or from the United States except pursuant to an effective
registration under the Securities Act, or pursuant to an exemption
from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration
requirements of the Securities Act and in accordance with
applicable state securities laws; and no representation is being
made as to the availability of any exemption under the Securities
Act for the reoffer, resale, pledge or transfer of the Placing
Shares;
16
it and the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares is, and at the
time the Placing Shares are acquired will be, outside the United
States and acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore
transaction" as defined in, and in accordance with, Regulation S
under the Securities Act;
17
it (and any account for which it is purchasing) is not acquiring
the Placing Shares with a view to any offer, sale or distribution
thereof within the meaning of the Securities Act;
18
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;
19
neither Cavendish, nor its affiliates, agents, directors, officers
or employees nor any person acting on behalf of any 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 that participation in the Placing is on the
basis that it is not and will not be a client of Cavendish and that
Cavendish does not have any duties or responsibilities to it for
providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing
advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any
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;
20
it 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 to Cavendish for the Placing Shares allocated to it in
accordance with the Terms and Conditions on the due times and dates
set out in this Announcement, failing which the relevant Placing
Shares may be placed with others on such terms as Cavendish may, in
its absolute discretion determine without liability to the Placee
and it will remain liable for any shortfall below the net proceeds
of such sale and the placing proceeds of such Placing Shares and
may be required to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax
(together with any interest or penalties due pursuant to the terms
set out or referred to in this Announcement) which may arise upon
the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares on its behalf;
21
save to the extent confirmed in writing to Cavendish, none of the
monies advanced by it to satisfy its payment obligations in
connection with the Placing are, or otherwise derive from, State
Aid or a Risk Capital Investment;
22
no action has been or will be taken by any of the Company,
Cavendish or any person acting on their behalf 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;
23
the person who it specifies for registration as holder of the
Placing Shares will be: (a) the Placee; or (b) a nominee of the
Placee, as the case may be. Neither the Company nor Cavendish will
be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax resulting from a failure to observe this requirement.
Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees
to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing and agrees to pay
the Company and Cavendish in respect of the same (including any
interest or penalties) on the basis that the Placing Shares will be
allotted to the CREST stock account of Cavendish or transferred to
the CREST stock account of Cavendish, whereupon Cavendish will hold
them as a nominee on behalf of the Placee until settlement in
accordance with its standing settlement instructions with
it;
24
it is acting as principal only in respect of the Placing or, if it
is acting for any other person, (a) it is duly authorised to do so
and has full power to make the acknowledgments, representations and
agreements herein on behalf of each such person and (b) it is and
will remain liable to the Company and Cavendish 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);
25
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 stamp duty reserve tax liability
under (or at a rate determined under) any of sections 67, 70, 93 or
96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depository receipts and clearance
services) and that it is not participating in the Placing as
nominee or agent for any person or persons to whom the allocation,
allotment, issue or delivery of Placing Shares would give rise to
such a liability;
26
it will not make an offer to the public of the Placing Shares and
it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing
Shares to persons in the United Kingdom or in the EEA prior to the
expiry of a period of six months from Admission 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
the FSMA or within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation, or
an offer to the public in any member state of the EEA within the
meaning of the Prospectus Regulation;
27
if it is within the United Kingdom, it and any person acting on its
behalf (if within the United Kingdom) is a person of a kind
described in: (a) Article 19(5) (Investment Professionals) and/or
49(2) (High net worth companies etc.) of the FSMA (Financial
Promotion) Order 2005, as amended, and/or an authorised person as
defined in section 31 of FSMA; and (b) a "Qualified Investor" being
a person falling within Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation. If it is within a member state of the EEA, it is a
Qualified Investor as defined in Article 2(e) of the Prospectus
Regulation. For such purposes, it undertakes that it will acquire,
hold, manage and (if applicable) dispose of any Placing Shares that
are allocated to it for the purposes of its business
only;
28
it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and it will
only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or
inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of
section 21 of the FSMA) relating to Placing Shares in circumstances
in which section 21(1) of the FSMA does not require approval of the
communication by an authorised person and it acknowledges that this
Announcement is not being issued by Cavendish as an authorised
person under Section 21 of FSMA and therefore is not subject to the
same controls applicable to a financial promotion made by an
authorised person;
29
it has complied and it 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 relevant provisions of the FSMA in
respect of anything done in, from or otherwise involving the United
Kingdom);
30
if it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article
5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation or the 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
UK or in a Relevant State other than Qualified Investors, or in
circumstances in which the express prior written consent of
Cavendish has been given to the offer or resale;
31
it has neither received nor relied on any confidential price
sensitive information about the Company in accepting this
invitation to participate in the Placing;
32
neither Cavendish nor any of its affiliates, agents, directors,
officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them
has or shall have any liability for any information, representation
or statement contained in this Announcement or for any information
previously published by or on behalf of the Company or any other
written or oral information made available to or publicly available
or filed information or any representation, warranty or undertaking
relating to the Company, and will not be liable for its decision to
participate in the Placing based on any information,
representation, warranty or statement contained in this
Announcement or elsewhere, provided that nothing in this paragraph
shall exclude any liability of any person for fraud;
33
neither the Company nor Cavendish, nor any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees or any person
acting on behalf of the Company, Cavendish or their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees is making any
recommendations to it, advising it regarding the suitability of any
transactions it may enter into in connection with the Placing nor
providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any
representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements,
undertakings, or indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor
the exercise or performance of Cavendish' rights and obligations
thereunder including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or
exercise any termination right;
34
it acknowledges and accepts that Cavendish may, in accordance with
applicable legal and regulatory provisions, engage in transactions
in relation to the Placing Shares and/or related instruments for
its own account for the purpose of hedging its underwriting
exposure or otherwise and, except as required by applicable law or
regulation, Cavendish will not make any public disclosure in
relation to such transactions;
35
Cavendish and each of its affiliates, each acting as an investor
for its or their own account(s), may bid or subscribe for and/or
purchase Placing Shares and, in that capacity, may retain,
purchase, offer to sell or otherwise deal for its or their own
account(s) in the Placing Shares, any other securities of the
Company or other related investments in connection with the Placing
or otherwise. Accordingly, references in this Announcement to the
Placing Shares being offered, subscribed, acquired or otherwise
dealt with should be read as including any offer to, or
subscription, acquisition or dealing by Cavendish and/or any of its
affiliates, acting as an investor for its or their own account(s).
Neither the Company nor Cavendish intend to disclose the extent of
any such investment or transaction otherwise than in accordance
with any legal or regulatory obligation to do so;
36
it is aware of the obligations (i) regarding insider dealing in the
Criminal Justice Act 1993, FSMA, MAR and the Proceeds of Crime Act
2002 and confirms that it has and will continue to comply with
those obligations; and (ii) otherwise arising under the
Regulations;
37
in order to ensure compliance with the Regulations, either
Cavendish (for itself and as agent on behalf of the Company) or the
Registrars may, in their absolute discretion, require verification
of its identity. Pending the provision to Cavendish or the
Registrars, as applicable, of evidence of identity, definitive
certificates in respect of the Placing Shares may be retained at
Cavendish' absolute discretion or, where appropriate, delivery of
the Placing Shares to it in uncertificated form may be delayed at
either Cavendish' or the Registrars', as the case may be, absolute
discretion. If within a reasonable time after a request for
verification of identity, Cavendish (for itself and as agent on
behalf of the Company) or the Registrars have not received evidence
satisfactory to them, Cavendish and/or the Company may, at their
absolute discretion, terminate their 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;
38
it acknowledges that its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on
the terms set out in this Announcement and in the form of
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
Cavendish' conduct of the Placing;
39
it has knowledge and experience in financial, business and
international investment matters as is required to evaluate the
merits and risks of subscribing for the Placing Shares. It further
acknowledges that it is experienced in investing in securities of
this nature and is aware that it may be required to bear, and is
able to bear, the economic risk of, and is able to sustain, a
complete loss in connection with the Placing. It has relied upon
its own examination and due diligence of the Company and its
affiliates taken as a whole, and the terms of the Placing,
including the merits and risks involved;
40
it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised officer of Cavendish 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 or purchase upon the terms
of this Announcement;
41
the Company, Cavendish and others (including each of their
respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees)
will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing
representations, warranties, acknowledgements and agreements, which
are given to Cavendish, on its behalf and on behalf of the Company
and are irrevocable;
42
if it is acquiring the Placing Shares as a fiduciary or agent for
one or more investor accounts, it has full power and authority to
make, and does make, the foregoing representations, warranties,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings on behalf of each
such accounts;
43
time is of the essence as regards its obligations under this
Appendix;
44
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 Cavendish;
45
the Placing Shares will be issued subject to the Terms and
Conditions; and
46
these Terms and Conditions and all documents into which this
Appendix is incorporated by reference or otherwise validly forms a
part and/or any agreements entered into pursuant to these Terms and
Conditions and all agreements to acquire Ordinary Shares pursuant
to the Placing will be governed by and construed in accordance with
English law and it submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the
English courts in relation to any claim, dispute or matter arising
out of any 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 the
Company or Cavendish 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.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) agrees
to indemnify and hold the Company, Cavendish and each of 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 the Company, Cavendish or each of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees arising from
the performance of the Placee's obligations as set out in this
Announcement, and further agrees that the provisions of this
Appendix shall survive after the completion of the
Placing.
The agreement to allot and issue
Placing Shares to Placees (or the persons for whom Placees are
contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax
in the United Kingdom relates only to their allotment and issue to
Placees, or such persons as they nominate as their agents, direct
by the Company. Such agreement assumes that the Placing Shares are
not being acquired in connection with arrangements to issue
depositary receipts or to transfer the Placing Shares into a
clearance service. If there are any such arrangements, or the
settlement related to any other dealings in the Placing Shares,
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax may be payable. In that event,
the Placee agrees that it shall be responsible for such stamp duty
or stamp duty reserve tax and neither of the Company nor Cavendish
shall be responsible for such stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax.
If this is the case, each Placee should seek its own advice and
they should notify Cavendish accordingly. In addition, Placees
should note that they will be liable for any capital duty, 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 outside the
United Kingdom by them or any other person on the acquisition by
them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to acquire any
Placing Shares and each Placee, or the Placee's nominee, in respect
of whom (or in respect of the person for whom it is participating
in the Placing as an agent or nominee) the allocation, allotment,
issue or delivery of Placing Shares has given rise to such
non-United Kingdom stamp, registration, documentary, transfer or
similar taxes or duties undertakes to pay such taxes and duties,
including any interest and penalties (if applicable), forthwith and
to indemnify on an after-tax basis and to hold harmless the Company
and Cavendish in the event that either the Company and/or Cavendish
has incurred any such liability to such taxes or duties.
The representations, warranties,
acknowledgements and undertakings contained in this Appendix are
given to Cavendish for itself and on behalf of the Company and are
irrevocable.
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of the Placee acknowledges that Cavendish does not owe any
fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in respect of any
representations, warranties, undertakings, acknowledgements,
agreements or indemnities in the Placing Agreement.
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of the Placee acknowledges and agrees that Cavendish may (at
its absolute discretion) satisfy its obligations to procure Placees
by itself agreeing to become a Placee in respect of some or all of
the Placing Shares or by nominating any connected or associated
person to do so.
When a Placee or any person acting
on behalf of the Placee is dealing with Cavendish, any money held
in an account with Cavendish 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 Cavendish' money (as applicable) in accordance with the client
money rules and will be held by it under a banking relationship and
not as trustee.
References to time in this
Announcement are to London time, unless otherwise
stated.
All times and dates in this
Announcement may be subject to amendment.
No statement in this Announcement is
intended to be a profit forecast, and no statement in this
Announcement 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.
The price of shares and any income
expected from them may go down as well as up and investors may not
get back the full amount invested upon disposal of the shares. Past
performance is no guide to future performance, and persons needing
advice should consult an independent financial adviser.
The Placing Shares to be issued or
sold pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than AIM.
Neither the content of the Company's
website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's
website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this
Announcement.
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply
throughout this Announcement unless the context otherwise
requires:
"Admission"
|
admission of the Placing Shares to
trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance with Rule 6 of the
AIM Rules.
|
|
"AIM"
|
the AIM Market operated by the
London Stock Exchange.
|
|
"AIM Rules"
|
the AIM Rules for Companies
published by the London Stock Exchange from time to
time.
|
|
"Articles"
|
the articles of association of the
Company.
|
|
"Business Day"
|
a day (other than a Saturday, a
Sunday or a public holiday) on which clearing banks are open for
all normal banking business in the city of London.
|
|
"Cavendish"
|
Cavendish Capital Markets
Limited, a company incorporated in England
and Wales with company number 06198898, authorised and regulated by
the Financial Conduct Authority, and for the purpose of trade
settlement in the Placing, Cavendish Securities plc a company
incorporated in England and Wales with company number 05210733,
authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct
Authority.
|
|
"certificated form" or "in
certificated form"
|
an Ordinary Share recorded on a
company's share register as being held in certificated form
(namely, not in CREST).
|
|
"Circular"
|
the circular, containing further
details of the Placing and notice of the General Meeting to, inter
alia, approve the Resolutions, which is expected to be published
and despatched to Shareholders on or around 9 August
2024.
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"Company"
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Getech Group plc, a company
incorporated under the laws of England and Wales with company
number 02891368.
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"CREST"
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the relevant system (as defined in
the CREST Regulations) in respect of which Euroclear is the
operator (as defined in those regulations).
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"CREST Regulations"
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the Uncertificated Securities
Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001 No. 3755) (as amended).
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"EIS"
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means the Enterprise Investment
Scheme as detailed in Part V of the Income Tax Act 2007
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"EIS/VCT Placing"
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means the conditional placing of the
EIS/VCT Placing Shares at the Issue Price by Cavendish, details of
which are set out in this document
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"Euroclear"
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Euroclear UK & International
Limited, the operator of CREST.
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"FCA"
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the UK Financial Conduct
Authority
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"FSMA"
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the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000 (as amended)
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"General Meeting"
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the general meeting of the Company
to be held at the offices of Cavendish at One Bartholomew Close,
London, EC1A 7BL at 10.00 a.m. on 27 August 2024, notice of which
will be set out at the end of the Circular.
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"Group"
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the Company
and its subsidiary undertakings from time to time and which as at
the date of this Agreement comprises the Company, and its
subsidiary undertakings from time to time and which as at the date
of this Agreement comprises the Company, H2 Green Limited, Exprodat
Consulting Limited, ERCL Limited and Geophysical Exploration
Technology Inc.
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"Issue Price"
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2 pence per Placing
Share.
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"London Stock Exchange"
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London Stock Exchange
plc.
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"Long Stop Date"
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12 September 2024.
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"MAR"
|
the UK version of the Market Abuse
Regulation ((EU) No 596/2014) which is part of UK law by virtue of
the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended and
supplemented from time to time.
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"Material Adverse Change"
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a material adverse change, or any
development reasonably likely to involve a prospective material
adverse change, in the condition (financial, operational, legal or
otherwise), or the earnings, business affairs or business prospects
of the Company or the Group which is material in the context of the
Group taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary
course of business and whether or not foreseeable as at the date of
the Placing Agreement.
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"New Ordinary Shares"
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the Placing Shares, the Retail Offer
Shares and the Subscription Shares.
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"Ordinary Shares"
|
ordinary shares of 0.25 pence in the
capital of the Company.
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"Placees"
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subscribers for the Placing
Shares.
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"Placing"
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the conditional placing of the
Placing Shares by Cavendish, as agent on behalf of the Company,
pursuant to the Placing Agreement, further details of which will be
set out in the Circular.
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"Placing Agreement"
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the conditional placing agreement
dated the same date as this Announcement and made between Cavendish
and the Company in relation to the Placing, further details of
which will be set out in the Circular.
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"Placing Shares"
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the new Ordinary Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing.
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"Publicly Available Information"
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information publicly announced
through a Regulatory Information Service (as defined in the AIM
Rules) by or on behalf of the Company on or prior to the date of
this Announcement.
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"Regulations"
|
the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as
amended), the Terrorism Act 2000 (as amended), the Terrorism Act
2006 (as amended) and the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and
Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (as
amended).
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"Regulatory Information Service"
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a service approved by the FCA for
the distribution to the public of regulatory announcements and
included within the list maintained on the FCA's
website.
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"Relevant State"
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a member state of the
EEA.
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"Resolutions"
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the resolutions set out in the
notice convening the General Meeting, which will be set out at the
end of the Circular.
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"Retail Offer"
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the separate offer for subscription
of the Retail Offer Shares at the Issue Price to be made by the
Company via BookBuild.
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"Retail Offer Shares"
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means up to 10,000,000 new Ordinary
Shares to be issued by the Company pursuant to the Retail
Offer.
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"Risk Capital Investment"
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an investment from an investor
who:
(i) is a
venture capital trust (as defined in Part 6 of the Income Tax Act
2007 ("ITA")); or
(ii) has claimed, or
is intending to claim, tax relief on that investment under the Seed
Enterprise Investment Scheme (under Part 5A of the ITA) or the
Enterprise Investment Scheme (under Part 5 of the ITA) or Social
Investment Tax Relief (under Part 5B of ITA).
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"Shareholders"
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holders of Ordinary
Shares.
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"State Aid"
|
any aid, investment, grant or loan
which was received by the recipient pursuant to a measure approved
by the European Commission as compatible with Article 107 of the
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union in accordance with
the principles laid down in the European Commission's Guidelines on
State aid to promote risk finance investments (as those guidelines
may be amended or replaced from time to time).
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"Subscribers"
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each of (i) Michael Covington, (ii)
Richard Bennett, (iii) Andrew Darbyshire (iv) Chris Jepps; and (v)
Emma Parker; (vi) Patrick Cantrill; (vii) Max Brouwers; and (viii)
Simon Brown.
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"Subscription"
|
means the subscription for the
Subscription Shares pursuant to the Subscription
Agreement.
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"Subscription Agreement"
|
the subscription agreement between
the Company and the Subscribers.
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"Subscription Shares"
|
the 6,358,958 new Ordinary Shares
proposed to be issued by the Company pursuant to the Subscription
in accordance with the terms of the Subscription
Agreement.
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"Terms and Conditions"
|
the terms and conditions contained
in this Appendix.
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"UK"
|
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland.
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"UK
Prospectus Regulation"
|
the latest edition of the
"Prospectus Regulation Rules" made pursuant to the UK version of
the EU Prospectus Regulation (2017/1129) which is part of UK law by
virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended and
supplemented from time to time (including, but not limited to, by
the UK Prospectus Amendment Regulations 2019 and the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000 (Prospectus) Regulations
2019)).
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"UK" or "United Kingdom"
|
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
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"VCT"
|
means venture capital
trust
|
|
"uncertificated" or "in
uncertificated form"
|
an Ordinary Share recorded on a
company's share register as being held in uncertificated form in
CREST and title to which, by virtue of the CREST Regulations, may
be transferred by means of CREST.
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"£", "pounds sterling", "pence" or "p"
|
are references to the lawful
currency of UK
|
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