THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDICES) AND THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE,
PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, THE
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN
WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICES AT THE END OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES
NOT CONSTITUTE OR CONTAIN AN INVITATION, SOLICITATION,
RECOMMENDATION, OFFER OR ADVICE TO ANY PERSON FOR THE SALE OR
SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE SECURITIES IN EQUIPMAKE HOLDINGS PLC IN ANY
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH INVITATION, SOLICITATION,
RECOMMENDATION, OFFER, SUBSCRIPTION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL UNDER
THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS
NOT AN OFFER OF OR SOLICITATION TO PURCHASE OR SUBSCRIBE FOR
SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES
OF REGULATION (EU) 596/2014 AS IT FORMS PART OF DOMESTIC LAW IN
THE UNITED KINGDOM BY VIRTUE OF
THE EU (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 ("MAR"). IN ADDITION, MARKET
SOUNDINGS (AS DEFINED IN MAR) WERE TAKEN IN RESPECT OF THE PLACING
WITH THE RESULT THAT CERTAIN PERSONS BECAME AWARE OF INSIDE
INFORMATION (AS DEFINED IN MAR), AS PERMITTED BY MAR. THIS INSIDE
INFORMATION IS SET OUT IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. THEREFORE, THOSE
PERSONS THAT RECEIVED INSIDE INFORMATION IN A MARKET SOUNDING ARE
NO LONGER IN POSSESSION OF SUCH INSIDE INFORMATION RELATING TO THE
COMPANY AND ITS SECURITIES.
CAPITALISED TERMS USED IN THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDICES) (THE "ANNOUNCEMENT") HAVE
THE MEANINGS GIVEN TO THEM IN APPENDIX 2 TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT,
UNLESS THE CONTEXT PROVIDES OTHERWISE.
25 October 2024
Equipmake Holdings
PLC
("Equipmake" or the
"Company")
Proposed Placing and
Subscription
Equipmake, a market leader in
engineering-driven differentiated electrification technologies,
products and solutions across the automotive, truck, bus and
speciality vehicle industries, announces its intention to raise
gross proceeds of approximately £3 million in aggregate before
expenses ("Gross Proceeds")
by way of a proposed placing (the "Placing") and subscription (the
"Subscription") of new
ordinary shares of £0.0001 each in the Company ("New Ordinary Shares") at the price of 3
pence per New Ordinary Share (the "Issue Price") (the Placing and
Subscription together being the "Fundraise").
The Fundraise will
comprise:
·
A Placing of c.£ 2.1
million, conducted by way of an accelerated bookbuild process at
the Issue Price (the "Bookbuild"), which will be launched
immediately following this announcement in accordance with the
terms and conditions set out in the Appendix to this announcement;
and
·
A Subscription of c.£0.9 million, comprising
approximately 30,000,000 New Ordinary Shares ("Subscription Shares") at the Issue
Price, from existing and new investors, including an existing
corporate partner and a director of the Company.
The Placing is subject to the terms
and conditions set out in Appendix 1 to this Announcement. Panmure
Liberum Limited ("Panmure
Liberum") and VSA Capital Limited ("VSA Capital") are acting as joint
bookrunners (the "Joint
Brokers") in connection with the Placing.
The Issue Price represents a premium
of approximately 9.1 per cent. to the closing mid-price per
ordinary share on 24 October 2024, being the last Business Day
prior to this announcement.
The following sets out the
background to, and the reasons for, the Fundraise and explains why
the Directors consider the Fundraise to be in the best interests of
the Company and its Shareholders as a whole.
Rationale for the Fundraise
The "Net Proceeds" of the Fundraise
(being Gross Proceeds less costs of the Fundraise) will be used to
strengthen the balance sheet to underpin the execution of and
finance the Company's refocussed commercialisation strategy.
Proceeds are expected to fund the working capital requirements of
the Company for approximately six months from today's date. In
order to progress its refocussed strategy (as further outlined
below) the Company has a working capital requirement for the next
12 months of approximately £5.5 million. The Directors believe that
this Fundraise will also help progress the Company further towards
profitability and cash flow break-even, which is a key goal to
achieve as soon as possible.
As stated in the Company's
preliminary results for the year ended 31 May 2024 announced
earlier today the Board recognises that the Group had limited cash
resources, insufficient cash resources to take the Group to
profitability, and therefore it will require further financing over
the next 12 months in order to implement its growth strategy and to
get to achieve cash breakeven and profitability. The Company
is currently evaluating various sources of further additional
finance. The Group is also currently in advanced stage discussions
regarding a licence agreement with a major automotive supplier (the
"Licence Agreement"). Should the Company enter into the Licence Agreement on the
terms currently envisaged, which include a total of c. $6 million
(equivalent to approximately £4.6 million) of milestone payments
over the two years following entry into the Licence Agreement, the
Group estimates it will have a working capital requirement of
approximately £3 million over the next 12 months. At that stage,
and if the terms and timetable envisaged in the Licence Agreement
are met, the Group would anticipate reaching profitability, as
measured by adjusted EBITDA level; (being EBITDA, defined as
earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation,
as adjusted for any non-recurring costs or share based payment
charges, if any) and cash breakeven in the following financial year
ending 31 May 2026. Whilst the Group remains in advanced
negotiations to secure the Licence Agreement and also has a
pipeline of other potential licence contract discussions, there can
be no certainty that the Group will secure the Licence Agreement
either at all or on the currently anticipated terms, or any of the
other potential licence contract wins.
If, however, the above Licence
Agreement were not to be consummated on the timetable envisaged, as
stated in the Company's preliminary results for the year ended 31
May 2024 announced earlier today, the Board recognises that the
Group would have insufficient cash resources to take the Group to
profitability, and it would require further financing over the next
12 months in order to implement its growth strategy and to achieve
cash breakeven and profitability.
Refocussed Strategy
As Equipmake's market position has
strengthened, it intends to focus on higher margin business lines,
principally the supply of EV components and drivetrain solutions
and securing high value licence transactions. The Group has
established valuable relationships with a number of OEMs within its
EV Components and Drivetrain Supply business lines, including
Perkins Engine Company Limited, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., a
leading South American truck, bus and utility vehicle manufacturer,
Textron, a leading US aircraft, defence and industrials
conglomerate, Emergency One, the largest manufacturer of fire
trucks in the UK, and Rev Group, the manufacturer of speciality
industrial vehicles, including fire trucks.
As well as the Licence Agreement
discussed above, the Group is also in advanced discussions with a
number of other global OEM and Tier 1 suppliers, in relation to the
supply of motors and inverters. These suppliers are looking to
leverage Equipmake's high performance, differentiated offerings
which include functional safety (a much sought after compliance
requirement for road vehicles) and system integration expertise.
There can be no guarantee that the Group will agree and enter into
arrangements with such potential partners.
Bus Repowering has provided
meaningful revenues to date and has already successfully
demonstrated the quality, reliability and significant benefits of
the Company's solutions in real world operation on a wide variety
of platforms, helping to accelerate traction with OEMs and Tier 1
suppliers in relation to components and drivetrain solutions
supply. As the Group's market position has strengthened, it plans
to rationalise its Bus Repowering offering towards a limited number
of platforms and vehicles, with the objective of improving overall
gross margins. The Group plans to actively encourage the supply of
drivetrain solutions, as opposed to offering the full Bus
Repowering, to those customers seeking to retrofit existing diesel
vehicles with an EV drivetrain.
Equipmake is also progressing a
number of cost-reduction initiatives and manufacturing improvement
programmes. These include switching battery sourcing as well as
other component level sourcing for inclusion in the Group's product
portfolio. Equipmake expects significant cost reduction from
batteries and overall cost reductions from a number of initiatives
to benefit gross margins from the second half of the current
financial year.
The Group intends to further
strengthen its commercial team, particularly in the US and mainland
Europe in order to accelerate commercialisation and closely manage
key relationships with existing and potential OEM and Tier 1
partners. The Group does not expect to incur material capital
expenditure.
Use
of Proceeds & Important Note
The Company anticipates that the Net
Proceeds of the Fundraise are expected to meet the Group's working
capital requirements for approximately six months from today's date
and that additional capital will be required to achieve a 12 month
runway and to get to profitability and cash flow break-even in the
absence of the Licence Agreement, if secured on the terms currently
envisaged.
In the event of any failure of the
Fundraise to complete and Admission occur (which the Directors
believe unlikely), given the short cash runway the Company
currently has, the Directors believe that it is unlikely that the
Company will be able to continue as a going concern and will have
to review the options available to the Company.
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety.
The
Subscription
As part of the Fundraise, existing
and new investors, including an existing corporate partner and a
director of the Company have indicated their intention to subscribe
for approximately 30,000,000 New Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price
raising gross proceeds of approximately £0.9 million. The
Subscription is conditional on the completion of the
Placing.
At the time of this announcement,
for the avoidance of doubt, no cash proceeds from the Subscription
have been received by the Company.
The
Placing
Panmure Liberum (together with its
associates) is acting as corporate adviser to the Company and joint
broker to the Placing. VSA Capital is acting as joint broker
to the Placing. A placing agreement has been entered into between
the Company and the Joint Brokers in connection with the Placing
(the "Placing Agreement")
which contains customary warranties and indemnities given by the
Company, as well as customary termination rights.
The Placing will be conducted
through an accelerated bookbuilding process (the "Bookbuild") which will be launched
immediately following this announcement. The timing of the closing
of the Bookbuild and allocations in the Bookbuild are at the
absolute discretion of Panmure Liberum, VSA and the Company. The
result of the Placing will be announced as soon as practicable
after the close of the Bookbuild. The Placing is not being
underwritten (in whole or in part) by Panmure Liberum, VSA or any
other person. The Placing is conditional on completion of the
Subscription.
As part of the Placing, the Company
is seeking to raise funds by the issue of new Ordinary Shares which
are intended to be VCT qualifying ("the VCT Placing Shares" and the
"VCT Placing", each defined
below). The VCT Placing Shares to be issued pursuant to the VCT
Placing will be capable of being a "qualifying holding" for the
purposes of investment by venture capital trusts to investors
seeking the benefit of tax advantages available to venture capital
trusts, as governed by HMRC. The VCT Placing Shares will be
unconditionally issued to the relevant Placees at First Admission
(being one Business Day prior to the anticipated date of Second
Admission, as defined below). No
assurance has been obtained from HMRC that a subscription for
Ordinary Shares is a "qualifying holding" under VCT
legislation.
The Placing is being conducted in
two tranches comprising the VCT Placing and General Placing (each
defined below).
Admission, settlement and CREST
The VCT Placing Shares will be
allotted and issued pursuant to the VCT Placing and are expected to
be admitted to trading on the Aquis Apex exchange on or around 4
November 2024 ("First
Admission"). The General Placing Shares will be allotted and
issued pursuant to the General Placing and are expected to be
admitted to trading along with the Subscription Shares on the Aquis
Apex exchange on or around 5 November 2024 ("Second Admission").
First Admission and Second Admission
are conditional, inter
alia, upon the Placing Agreement not having been terminated
and becoming unconditional in respect of the VCT Placing Shares and
the General Placing Shares.
Expected timetable of principal events
Announcement of the
Placing
|
25 October
2024
|
Close of Placing and results of
Placing and Subscription announced
|
25 October
2024
|
Admission and commencement of
dealing in VCT Placing Shares
|
At 8.00
a.m. on or around 4 November 2024
|
Admission and commencement of
dealing in General Placing Shares and Subscription
Shares
|
At 8.00
a.m. on or around 5 November 2024
|
Expected date for despatch of
definitive share certificates in respect of Placing Shares to be
issued in certificated form
|
Within 10
Business Days of Admission
|
Notes:
(1) References to times in this Announcement are to London time
(unless otherwise stated).
(2) Each
of the times and dates set out in the above timetable and mentioned
in this Announcement are subject to change by the Company, in which
event details of the new times and dates will be notified to
Placees by the Joint Brokers or by an announcement through a
Regulatory Information Service, as the case may be.
Terms and conditions of the
Bookbuild are set out in the Appendix below.
The capitalised terms not otherwise
defined in the text of this announcement are defined in the
Appendix below.
This summary should be read in
conjunction with the full text of the following
announcement.
For
further information, please contact:
Equipmake
Ian Foley, Founder and
CEO
Tony Ratcliffe, CFO
|
Via St Brides Partners
|
Panmure Liberum (Corporate Adviser and Joint
Broker)
James Sinclair-Ford / Anake Singh /
Josh Moss
Mark Murphy / Hugh Rich / Sam
Elder
|
Tel: +44 (0)20 7886 2500
|
VSA
Capital Limited (Joint Broker)
Simon Barton / Alex
Cabral
|
Tel +44 (0)20 3005
5000
|
St
Brides Partners (Financial PR Adviser)
Susie Geliher / Paul Dulieu / Will
Turner
|
Tel: +44 (0)20 7236 1177
equipmake@stbridespartners.co.uk
|
About Equipmake
Equipmake is a UK-based industrial
technology company specialising in the engineering, development and
production of electrification products to meet the needs of the
automotive and other sectors in support of the transition from
fossil-fuelled to zero-emission drivetrains.
Equipmake is a leader in high
performance technologically advanced electric motors, inverters and
complete zero-emission electric drivetrains and power electronic
systems. Equipmake has developed a vertically integrated solution
providing fully bespoke solutions to its customers. The Company is
focussed on accelerating traction with OEM and Tier 1 suppliers in
relation to higher margin component and drivetrain supply under
long-term growth contracts and securing high margin licencing
transactions.
Key differentiators of the Company
offerings are its advanced technology and performance, reliability
and adherence to ASIL-D1 functional safety. Equipmake's
advanced motor and inverter technology, featuring ASIL-D
compliance, are designed to customers' highest Functional Safety
standards. With decades of experience in electric drivetrain
integration and a dedicated prototype vehicle testing facility,
Equipmake can significantly accelerate product development for
customers.
1 Automotive Safety Integrity Level ("ASIL") is a risk
classification scheme defined by the ISO 26262 - Functional Safety
for Road Vehicles standard and is a critical requirement for road
vehicles. Of the four ASILs identified by the standard, ASIL-D
dictates the highest integrity requirements on the product, which
require exceptional rigour in their development.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
PLACING
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE
PLACING AND NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE PLACING SHARES (BEING
TOGETHER (i) THE "VCT PLACING SHARES", BEING NEW ORDINARY SHARES TO
BE ISSUED TO VCT INVESTORS; AND (ii) THE "GENERAL PLACING SHARES",
BEING NEW ORDINARY SHARES TO BE ISSUED TO NON-VCT INVESTORS) IN
EQUIPMAKE HOLDINGS PLC (THE "COMPANY") WILL BE MADE. THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS SET OUT AND REFERRED TO HEREIN ("TERMS AND CONDITIONS")
ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS SELECTED BY PANMURE LIBERUM LIMITED
("PANMURE LIBERUM") AND VSA CAPITAL LIMITED ("VSA") (PANMURE
LIBERUM AND VSA BEING, TOGETHER, THE "JOINT BROKERS") WHO ARE
PERSONS ("PLACEES") WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN
ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS
PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE
(A) PERSONS IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA WHO ARE
"QUALIFIED INVESTORS", AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE PROSPECTUS
REGULATION (REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129) AS AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME
(THE "EU PROSPECTUS REGULATION") AND (B) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,
INVESTORS WHO ARE "QUALIFIED INVESTORS", AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E)
OF THE UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION (ACTING AS PRINCIPAL OR IN
CIRCUMSTANCES TO WHICH SECTION 86(2) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND
MARKETS ACT 2000 (AS AMENDED) ("FSMA") APPLIES) AS IT FORMS PART OF
UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL)
ACT 2018 (AS AMENDED) (THE "UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION") AND
OTHER IMPLEMENTING MEASURES (SUCH PERSONS IN (A) AND (B) (I)
BEING "QUALIFIED INVESTORS"); AND WHO ARE PERSONS WHO (I) HAVE
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS WHO FALL
WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF "INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS" IN
ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000
(FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "FPO");
(II) FALL WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF "HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES,
UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS ETC" IN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) OF THE
FPO; OR (III) OTHERWISE PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE
LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED
TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS"). THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
AND THE
INFORMATION SET OUT HEREIN MUST NOT BE
ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS.
DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS MAY BE
RESTRICTED OR PROHIBITED BY LAW. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS DOCUMENT
MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO
SO.
ANY
INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS DOCUMENT RELATES IS
AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH
RELEVANT PERSONS.
THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION IN ANY
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE
UNLAWFUL UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY JURISDICTION ("RESTRICTED
JURISDICTION").
THIS DOCUMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS FOR
INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR
DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR
INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT AN
OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE SECURITIES
REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER
THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, (THE "SECURITIES ACT")
OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR OTHER
JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD,
RESOLD, TRANSFERRED OR DELIVERED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR
INTO 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. THE
PLACING SHARES ARE BEING OFFERED AND SOLD SOLELY OUTSIDE THE UNITED
STATES IN "OFFSHORE TRANSACTIONS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH REGULATION S
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF SECURITIES IS BEING
MADE IN THE UNITED STATES. 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 DOCUMENT, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
THIS DOCUMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN 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, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH
AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION
OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THIS DOCUMENT HAS NOT BEEN
APPROVED BY THE AQUIS EXCHANGE, NOR IS IT INTENDED THAT IT WILL BE
SO APPROVED.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL,
TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE PLACING
SHARES. THE PRICE OF THE PLACING SHARES AND THE INCOME FROM THEM
(IF ANY) MAY GO DOWN AS WELL AS UP AND INVESTORS MAY NOT GET BACK
THE FULL AMOUNT INVESTED ON DISPOSAL OF THE PLACING SHARES. THE
DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT, 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 DOCUMENT, ANY PART OF IT
OR ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT COMES SHOULD INFORM THEMSELVES
ABOUT, AND OBSERVE, SUCH RESTRICTIONS.
No action has been taken by the
Company or ether of the Joint Brokers or any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers, consultants, or employees
that would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or
distribution of this document 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
these Terms and Conditions come are required by the Company and the
Joint Brokers to inform themselves about and to observe any such
restrictions.
The Terms and Conditions or any part
of them are for information purposes only and do 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, the Republic of South Africa or Japan 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 document is being directed solely at persons
in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not
require the approval of the relevant communication by an authorised
person.
The relevant clearances have not
been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of
any province or territory of Canada; no prospectus has been lodged
with or registered by the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance or the South African
Reserve Bank; and the Placing Shares have not been, nor will they
be, registered under or offered in compliance with the securities
laws of any state, province or territory of Australia, Canada,
Japan or the Republic of South Africa. Accordingly, the Placing
Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities
laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold, or delivered,
directly or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, Japan, the
Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction in which such
offer, sale, resale or delivery would be unlawful.
Each Placee should consult with its
advisers as to legal, tax, business and related aspects of an
investment in Placing Shares.
Persons (including, without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or
other legal obligations to forward a copy of the Terms and
Conditions (or any part of them) should seek appropriate advice
before taking any action.
The Terms and Conditions should be
read in their entirety.
Details of the Placing Agreement and
the Placing Shares
The Joint Brokers and the Company
entered into a Placing Agreement earlier today, under which the
Joint Brokers have, on the terms and subject to the conditions set
out therein, undertaken to use their respective reasonable
endeavours to procure subscribers for the Placing Shares at the
Placing Price, in order to raise c.£2 million in gross proceeds.
The Placing is not being underwritten by Panmure Liberum, VSA or
any other person.
The VCT Placing Shares are expected
to be issued on or around 4 November 2024. The General Placing
Shares are expected to be issued on or around 5 November 2024. The
Placing Shares will, when issued, be subject to the articles of
association of the Company, will be credited as fully paid and will
rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares,
including the right to receive all dividends and other
distributions (if any) declared, made or paid on or in respect of
Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing
Shares.
The Placing Shares will trade under
EQIP with ISIN GB00BMBVXB73.
Application for admission to trading
of the Placing Shares
Application will be made to AQSE for
admission of the VCT Placing Shares to trading on AQSE with
admission of the VCT Placing Shares expected to take place on 4
November 2024 ("First
Admission").
Application will be made to AQSE for
admission of the General Placing Shares to trading on AQSE with
admission of the General Placing Shares expected to take place on 5
November 2024 ("Second
Admission").
Placing
These Terms and Conditions gives
details of the terms and conditions of, and the mechanics of
participation in, the Placing. The principal terms of the Placing
are as follows, and in this Announcement, any reference to the
"Joint Brokers" may mean either one of them:
1.
The Joint Brokers are arranging the Placing as agents for, and
joint brokers to, the Company. Panmure Liberum is regulated 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 its customers or for
providing advice in relation to the matters described in this
Announcement. VSA is regulated 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 its customers or for providing advice in relation to
the matters described in this Announcement.
2.
The price payable for the Placing Shares is fixed at 3 pence (the
"Placing
Price").
3.
The number of Placing Shares to be issued at the Placing Price
under the Placing will be agreed between the Joint Brokers and the
Company.
4.
Participation in the Placing is only available to persons who are
lawfully able to be, and have been, invited to participate by the
Joint Brokers. The Joint Brokers are entitled to participate in the
Placing as principal.
5.
Each Placee's allocation has been or will be confirmed to Placees
orally, or in writing (which can include email), by the Joint
Brokers and a trade confirmation or contract note will be
dispatched as soon as possible thereafter. The Joint Brokers' oral
or written confirmation will give rise to an irrevocable, legally
binding commitment by that person (who at that point becomes a
Placee), in favour of the Joint Brokers (as the case may be) and
the Company, under which it agrees to acquire by subscription the
number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the Placing Price and
otherwise on the Terms and Conditions and subject to the conditions
set out in this Announcement and in accordance with the Company's
articles of association. Except with the Joint Brokers' consent,
such commitment will not be capable of variation or
revocation.
6.
As noted above, each Placee's allocation will,
unless otherwise agreed between the Placee and the Joint Brokers
(as the case may be), be evidenced by a trade confirmation or
contract note issued to each such Placee by the Joint Brokers.
These Terms and Conditions will be deemed to be
incorporated in that trade confirmation, contract note or such
other confirmation and will be legally binding on the Placee on
behalf of which it is made and except with the Joint Brokers'
consent will not be capable of variation or revocation from the
time at which it is issued.
7.
Each Placee will have an immediate, separate, irrevocable, and
binding obligation, owed to the relevant Joint Broker (as agent for
the Company), to pay to such Joint Broker (or as such Joint Broker
may direct) in cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the
Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares such Placee has
agreed to acquire, and the Company has agreed to allot and issue to
that Placee.
8.
Except as required by law or regulation, no press release or other
announcement will be made by the Joint Brokers or the Company using
the name of any Placee (or its agent), in its capacity as Placee
(or agent), other than with such Placee's prior written
consent.
9.
Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation pursuant to
the Placing is 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 the heading
"Registration and
Settlement".
10.
All obligations of the Joint Brokers under the Placing will be
subject to fulfilment of the conditions referred to below under the
headings "Conditions of the VCT
Placing" and "Conditions
of the General Placing" and to the Placing not being
terminated on the basis referred to below under the heading
"Right to terminate under the
Placing Agreement".
11.
By participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees that its rights
and obligations in respect of the Placing will terminate only in
the circumstances described below and will not be capable of
rescission or termination by the Placee.
12.
The Joint Brokers and the Company shall be entitled to effect the
Placing by such alternative method as they may in their sole
discretion determine.
13.
To the fullest extent permissible by law and the applicable rules
of the FCA, neither the Joint Brokers, nor any of their respective
Affiliates or any of their officers, advisers, directors,
employees, consultants or agents, 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 whether or
not a recipient of these terms and conditions) in respect of the
Placing. Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Company is
responsible for the allotment of the Placing Shares to the Placees
and the Joint Brokers and their respective Affiliates and officers,
directors, employees, consultants or agents shall have no liability
to the Placees for the failure of the Company to fulfil those
obligations. In particular, neither of the Joint Brokers nor any of
their respective Affiliates shall have any liability (including to
the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of
the Joint Brokers' conduct of the Placing or of such
alternative method of effecting the Placing as the Joint Brokers
and the Company may agree, and where any such liability
nevertheless arises as a matter of law, each Placee shall
immediately waive any claim which it may have against any affiliate
in respect thereof.
Conditions of the VCT
Placing
The Joint Brokers' obligations under
the Placing Agreement in respect of, amongst other things, the VCT
Placing are conditional on, inter
alia:
1.
the release of this Announcement to a Regulatory Information
Service by no later than 5:00 p.m. on 25 October
2024;
2.
the Placing Results Announcement (as defined in the Placing
Agreement) having been released to a Regulatory Information Service
by no later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 October 2024;
3.
the delivery by the Company to the Joint Brokers of certain
documents required under the Placing Agreement;
4.
the Company having fully performed its obligations under the
Placing Agreement that fall to be performed prior to First
Admission;
5.
the Subscription Letters (as defined in the
Placing Agreement) pursuant to which Subscription Shares
(as defined in the Placing Agreement) are
to be admitted at Second Admission having become unconditional in
all respects with respect to such Subscription Shares, save for any
condition relating to Second Admission;
6.
in the opinion of either or both of the Joint
Brokers (acting in good faith), the warranties and undertakings
contained in the Placing Agreement ("Warranties") being true and accurate
and not misleading at the date of this agreement and none of the
Warranties having ceased to be true and accurate or having become
misleading at any time following the date of this agreement up to
and including the date of First Admission with reference to the
facts and circumstances which shall then exist;
7.
there having been no development or event which will have or is, in
the opinion of either or both of the Joint Brokers, likely to have
a material adverse effect on the condition (financial, operational,
legal or otherwise), prospects, management, results of operations,
financial position, business or general affairs of the
Group;
8.
Admission of the VCT Placing Shares becoming effective on or before
4 November 2024 (or such later date as the Company and the Joint
Brokers may agree, not being later than 5.00 p.m. on the Final
Date); and
9.
the Placing Agreement not having been terminated by the Joint
Brokers prior to First Admission.
In the event that the VCT Placing
proceeds, but the General Placing does not proceed for any reason,
this shall not affect the VCT Placing or First
Admission.
Conditions of the General
Placing
The Joint Brokers' obligations under
the Placing Agreement in respect of, amongst other things, the
General Placing are conditional on, inter alia:
1.
completion of the VCT Placing;
2.
the delivery by the Company to the Joint Brokers of certain
documents required under the Placing Agreement prior to Second
Admission;
3.
the Company having fully performed its obligations under the
Placing Agreement to the extent that fall to be performed prior to
Second Admission;
4.
the Subscription Letters (as defined in the
Placing Agreement) pursuant to which Subscription Shares
(as defined in the Placing Agreement) are
to be admitted at Second Admission having become unconditional in
all respects with respect to such Subscription Shares, save for any
condition relating to Second Admission;
5.
in the opinion of either or both of the Joint
Brokers (acting in good faith), the Warranties being true and
accurate and not misleading at the date of this agreement and none
of the Warranties having ceased to be true and accurate or having
become misleading at any time following the date of this agreement
up to and including the date of Second Admission with reference to
the facts and circumstances which shall then exist;
6.
there having been no development or event which will have or is, in
the opinion of either or both of the Joint Brokers, likely to have
a material adverse effect on the condition (financial, operational,
legal or otherwise), prospects, management, results of operations,
financial position, business or general affairs of the
Group
7.
Admission of the General Placing Shares becoming effective on or
before 5 November 2024 (or such later date as the Company and the
Joint Brokers may agree, not being later than 5.00 p.m. on the
Final Date) and
8.
the Placing Agreement not having been terminated by the Joint
Brokers prior to Second Admission.
If: (i) any of the conditions
contained in the Placing Agreement, including but not limited to
those described above, are not fulfilled or (where applicable)
waived by the Joint Brokers by the respective time or date where
specified (or such later time or date as the Joint Brokers may
notify to the Company (being not later than the Final Date)) or (ii) any of such
conditions becomes incapable of being fulfilled, the Placing will
not proceed and the Placees' rights and obligations hereunder in
relation to the Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such
time and each Placee agrees that no claim
can be made by the Placee in respect thereof. In the event that the
VCT Placing proceeds, but the General Placing does not proceed for
any reason, this shall not affect the VCT Placing or the admission
of the VCT Placing Shares.
The Joint Brokers may, at their
discretion and upon such terms as they think fit, waive, or extend
the period for, compliance by the Company with the whole or any
part of any of the Company's obligations in relation to the
conditions in the Placing Agreement, save that the condition
relating to the admission of the VCT Placing Shares taking place by
the Final Date may
not be waived and the condition relating to the admission of the
General Placing Shares taking place by the Final Date may not be waived. Any such
extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out
in this Announcement or these Terms and Conditions. Placees will
have no rights against the Joint Brokers, the Company or any of
their respective Affiliates under the Placing Agreement pursuant to
the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 (as amended) or
otherwise.
Neither of the Joint Brokers, the
Company nor any of their respective Affiliates or officers,
directors, employees, consultants or agents shall have any
liability to any Placee (or to any other person whether acting on
behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in respect of any decision they
may make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the time and/or
date for the satisfaction of any condition to the Placing nor for
any decision they may make as to the satisfaction of any condition
or in respect of the Placing generally and by participating in the
Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within the
absolute discretion of the Joint Brokers.
Right to terminate the Placing
Agreement
The Joint Brokers are entitled to
terminate the Placing Agreement at any time prior to each of First
Admission or Second Admission (as the case may be) by giving notice
to the Company in certain circumstances, including, inter alia:
1.
the Company fails to comply with any of its obligations under the
Placing Agreement which are material in the context of the Company,
its group (taken as a whole), or the Placing;
2.
the Joint Brokers becoming aware of any circumstance which results
in any of the Warranties being untrue or inaccurate or misleading
in any material respect when given at the date of the Placing
Agreement or which results in or might in the opinion of the Joint
Brokers results in any of the warranties being untrue or inaccurate
or misleading when deemed given;
3.
it should come to the notice of the Joint Brokers that any
statement contained in any of the Placing Documents (as defined in
the Placing Agreement) is untrue or inaccurate which the Joint
Brokers consider to be material or misleading in the context of the
Company, or the Placing;
4.
in the opinion of the Joint Brokers there has occurred any material
adverse change in the condition (financial, operational, legal or
otherwise) of the Company and/or any other member of its group
whether or not arising in the ordinary course;
5.
a Subscription Letter (each as defined in the Placing Agreement) no
longer being in full force and effect or having been terminated in
accordance with their respective terms or, in the opinion of the
Joint Brokers (acting in good faith) there having been a breach by
the Company of any provision of the Subscription Letter;
6.
in the opinion of the Joint Brokers, there shall develop, occur or
come into effect, a suspension or cancellation by the Aquis
Exchange of trading in the Company's securities;
7.
the application for either First Admission or Second Admission
being refused by AQSE; or
8.
there having occurred or, in the opinion of the
Joint Brokers it being reasonably likely that there will occur any
material adverse change in the financial markets in the United
Kingdom, or economic, monetary or market conditions which would
have a material impact on the business and operations of the
Company.
If the Placing Agreement is
terminated prior to the First Admission then the Placing will not
occur. If the Placing Agreement is terminated after First Admission
but before Second Admission, this will not affect the VCT Placing
or First Admission.
In the event of one Joint Broker
seeking to terminate the Placing Agreement, the other Joint Broker
may elect to proceed with the Placing and the Placing Agreement
will not terminate in such circumstances. Appropriate announcements
will be made in such circumstances.
Notwithstanding any other provision
of the Placing Agreement, once First Admission and Second Admission
have occurred no party to the Placing Agreement shall be able to
terminate any part of the Placing Agreement which relates to
Admission and/or the Placing, allotment or issue of the Placing
Shares.
The rights and obligations of the
Placees will not be subject to termination by the Placees or any
prospective Placees at any time or in any circumstances. By
participating in the Placing, Placees agree that the exercise by
the Joint Brokers of any right of termination or other discretion
under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion
of the Joint Brokers and that the Joint Brokers need not make any
reference to Placees in this regard and that neither of the Joint
Brokers nor any of their respective Affiliates shall have any
liability to Placees (or to any other
person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise)
whatsoever in connection with any such exercise or
failure so to exercise.
By agreeing with the Joint Brokers
as agents of the Company to subscribe for Placing Shares under the
Placing, a Placee (and any person acting on a Placee's behalf) will
irrevocably acknowledge and confirm and warrant and undertake to,
and agree with, each of the Company and Joint Brokers, in each case
as a fundamental term of such Placee's application for Placing
Shares and of the Company's obligation to allot and/or issue any
Placing Shares to it or at its direction, that its rights and
obligations in respect of the Placing (or any part of it) will
terminate only in the circumstances described above and under the
headings "Conditions of the VCT
Placing" or "Conditions of
the General Placing", as applicable, above and will not be
capable of rescission or termination by the Placee in any
circumstances.
No Prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered
to a limited number of specifically invited persons only and have
not been nor will be offered in such a way as to require the
publication of a prospectus, admission document, or other offering
document or any equivalent
document in the United Kingdom or in any other jurisdiction. No
prospectus, admission document or other offering document has been
or will be submitted to be approved by (i) the FCA, any competent
authority of any member state of the European Economic
Area, or (iii) AQSE 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
(including these Terms and Conditions) and the business and
financial information that the Company is required to publish in
accordance with the AQSE Rules (the "Exchange Information") or which it has
otherwise announced by means of a Regulatory Information Service
("Publicly Available
Information").
Each Placee, by accepting a
participation 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 Exchange Information/Publicly Available
Information), representation, warranty, or statement made by or on
behalf of the Company or the Joint Brokers or any other person and
neither of the Joint Brokers, or the Company 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 which the Placee
may have obtained or received and, if given or made, such
information, representation, warranty or statement must not be
relied upon as having been authorised by the Joint Brokers or the
Company or their respective officers, directors, employees or
agents. 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. Neither
the Company nor the Joint Brokers are making any undertaking or
warranty to any Placee regarding the legality of an investment in
the Placing Shares by such Placee under any legal, investment or
similar laws or regulations. No Placee should consider any
information in this Announcement to be or constitute legal, tax or
business advice. No Placee should consider any information in this
Announcement (including these Terms and Conditions) to be legal,
tax, business or other advice and each Placee should consult its
own solicitor, tax adviser and financial adviser for independent
legal, tax and financial advice regarding an investment in the
Placing Shares. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the
liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Registration and
Settlement
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares will, unless otherwise agreed, take place on a
delivery versus payment basis within CREST. By participating in the
Placing, 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 the Joint Brokers in accordance with the standing
CREST settlement instructions which they have in place with the
Joint Brokers.
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00BMBVXB73) following Admission will take
place within the system administered by Euroclear UK &
International Limited ("CREST") provided that, subject to
certain exceptions, the Joint Brokers each reserve the right to
require settlement for, and delivery of, the Placing Shares (or a
portion thereof) to Placees by such other means that it deems
necessary if delivery or settlement is not possible or practicable
within CREST within the timetable set out in this Announcement or
would not be consistent with the regulatory requirements in any
Placee's jurisdiction.
Interest is chargeable daily on
payments not received from Placees on or before the due date in
accordance with the arrangements set out above, in respect of
either CREST or certificated deliveries, at the rate of 3
percentage points above prevailing base rate of Barclays Bank plc
as determined by the Joint Brokers.
It is expected that settlement of
the VCT Placing Shares will be on 4 November 2024 unless otherwise
notified by the Joint Brokers and First Admission is expected to
occur by 4 November 2024 or such later time as may be agreed
between the Company and Joint Brokers, not being later than
the Final Date.
It is expected that settlement of
the General Placing Shares will be on 5
November 2024 unless otherwise notified by Joint Brokers and
Admission is expected to occur by 5 November 2024 or such later
time as may be agreed between the Company and Joint Brokers, not
being later than the Final
Date.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that,
if it does not comply with these obligations, the Joint Brokers may
sell any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on
such Placee's behalf and retain from the proceeds, for such Joint
Broker's account and benefit (as agent for the Company), an amount
equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest
due. The relevant Placee will, however, remain liable and shall
indemnify the Joint Brokers on demand for any shortfall below the
aggregate amount owed by it and may be required to bear any stamp
duty or stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax (together
with any interest or penalties) which may arise upon the sale of
such Placing Shares on such Placee's behalf. By communicating a bid
for Placing Shares, each Placee confers on the Joint Brokers such
authorities and powers necessary to carry out any such sale and
agrees to ratify and confirm all actions which the Joint Brokers
lawfully take in pursuance of such sale. Legal and/or beneficial
title in and to any Placing Shares shall not pass to the relevant
Placee until it has fully complied with its obligations
hereunder.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure
that any 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 UK
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax.
Neither the Joint Brokers, nor the Company will be liable in any
circumstances for the payment of stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax
or securities transfer tax in connection with any of the Placing
Shares. Placees will not be entitled to receive any fee or
commission in connection with the Placing.
Representations, Warranties and
Further Terms
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) makes
the following representations, warranties, acknowledgements,
agreements and undertakings (as the case may be, for itself and for
any such prospective Placee) to each of the Joint Brokers (for
themselves and on behalf of the Company):
1.
that it has read and understood this Announcement, including these
Terms and Conditions, in its entirety and that its subscription for
Placing Shares is subject to and based upon all the terms,
conditions, representations, warranties, acknowledgements,
agreements and undertakings and other information contained herein
and undertakes not to redistribute or duplicate this
Announcement;
2.
any decision for a Placee's allocation to be allocated to the VCT
Placing or General Placing (or to have an allocation split between
the VCT Placing and General Placing) is entirely at the discretion
of the Company and the Joint Brokers;
3.
the Joint Brokers reserve the right to scale back the number of
Placing Shares to be subscribed by any Placee in the event that the
Placing is oversubscribed. Joint Brokers also reserves the right
not to accept offers to subscribe for Placing Shares or to accept
such offers in part rather than in whole. The acceptance and, if
applicable, scaling back of offers shall be at the absolute
discretion of Joint Brokers after consultation with the Company and
taking into account its reasonable views;
4.
that its allocation (if any) of Placing Shares will represent a
maximum number of Placing Shares which it will be entitled, and
required, to subscribe for, and that Joint Brokers may call upon it
to subscribe for a lower number of Placing Shares (if any), but in
no event in aggregate more than the aforementioned
maximum;
5.
that the shares in the capital of the Company are admitted to the
trading on AQSE, and the Company is therefore required to publish
the Exchange Information, 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 Exchange 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;
6.
that its obligations are irrevocable and legally binding and shall
not be capable of rescission or termination by it in any
circumstances;
7.
that the exercise by either or both of the Joint Brokers of any
right or discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within the
absolute discretion of the Joint Brokers and neither Joint Broker
need have any reference to it and shall have no liability to it
whatsoever in connection with any decision to exercise or not to
exercise any such right and each Placee agrees that it has no
rights against the Joint Brokers or the Company, or any of their
respective officers, directors, consultants or employees, under the
Placing Agreement pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third
Parties Act) 1999;
8.
that these terms and conditions represent the whole and only
agreement between it, the Joint Brokers and the Company in relation
to its participation in the Placing and supersedes any previous
agreement between any of such parties in relation to such
participation. Accordingly, each Placee, in accepting its
participation in the Placing, is not relying on any information or
representation or warranty in relation to the Company or any of its
subsidiaries or any of the Placing Shares other than as contained
in this Announcement, the Exchange Information and the Publicly
Available Information, such information being all that it deems
necessary to make an investment decision in respect of the Placing
Shares. Each Placee agrees that neither the Company, the Joint
Brokers, nor any of their respective officers, directors,
employees, consultants or agents will have any liability for any
such other information, representation or warranty, express or
implied;
9.
that in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a
financial intermediary, as that term is used in Regulation 5(1) of
the Prospectus Regulation and Regulation 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 or any Member State of the European Economic Area other
than "Qualified Investors" (as defined under the Prospectus
Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation respectively) or in
circumstances in which the prior consent of the Joint Brokers 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
or any member state of the EEA other than "Qualified Investors" (as
defined under the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus
Regulation respectively), the offer of those Placing Shares to it
is not treated under the EU Prospectus Regulation as having been
made to such persons;
10.
that neither it nor, as the case may be, its clients expect the
Joint Brokers to have any duties or responsibilities to such
persons similar or comparable to the duties of "best execution" and
"suitability" imposed by the FCA's Conduct of Business Source Book,
and that neither of the Joint Brokers are acting for it or its
clients, and that neither of the Joint Brokers will be responsible
for providing the protections afforded to customers of the Joint
Brokers or for providing advice in respect of the transactions
described herein;
11.
that it has made its own assessment of the Company, the Placing
Shares and the terms of the Placing, satisfied itself that the
information is still current, has relied on its own investigation
of the business, financial or other position of the Company in
accepting a participation in the Placing and has not relied on any
investigation that the Joint Brokers or any person acting on its
behalf may have conducted with respect to the Company, the Placing
or the Placing Shares and neither the Joint Brokers or the Company
nor any of their respective Affiliates, agents, advisers,
directors, officers, consultants or employees nor 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,
including these Terms and Conditions, or the Publicly Available
Information; nor has it requested the Joint Brokers, the Company or
any of their respective Affiliates, agents, advisers, directors,
officers, consultants or employees or any person acting on behalf
of any of them to provide it with any such information;
12.
that the content of this Announcement and the other Publicly
Available Information as well as any information made available (in
written or oral form) in presentations or as part of roadshow
discussions with investors relating to the Company (the
"Information") has been
prepared by and is exclusively the responsibility of the Company
and that neither the Joint Brokers nor any persons acting on their
behalf is responsible for or has or shall have any liability for
any such Information, representation, warranty or statement
relating to the Company contained therein nor will they be liable
for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on
any Information or any representation, warranty or statement
contained therein or otherwise, save that nothing in these Terms
and Conditions shall exclude any liability of any person for
fraudulent misrepresentation;
13.
that the only information on which it is entitled to rely on and on
which it has relied upon in committing to subscribe for the Placing
Shares is contained in this Announcement and 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 this Announcement and the
Publicly Available Information;
14.
that neither the Joint Brokers nor the Company nor any of their
respective Affiliates, agents, directors, officers, consultants or
employees has or shall have any liability for any Publicly
Available Information, or any representation relating to the
Company, provided that nothing in the Terms and Conditions excludes
the liability of any person for any fraudulent misrepresentation
made by that person;
15.
that neither of the Joint Brokers, nor the Company nor any of their
respective Affiliates, agents, directors, officers, consultants 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 this
Announcement or the Publicly Available Information;
16.
that it understands, and each account it represents has been
advised that the Placing Shares (i) have not been and will not be
registered under the Securities Act or under the securities laws of
any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be
offered or sold except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a
transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the
Securities Act and (ii) are being offered and sold solely outside
of the United States in "offshore transactions" in accordance with
Regulation S under the Securities Act;
17.
that it and the person(s), if any, for whose account or benefit it
is subscribing for the Placing Shares is not subscribing for and/or
purchasing Placing Shares as a result of any "directed selling
efforts" as defined in Regulation S;
18.
that it is not and was not acting on a non-discretionary basis for
the account or benefit of a person located in the United States at
the time the undertaking to subscribe for Placing Shares was given
and it is not acquiring Placing Shares with a view to the offer,
sale, resale, transfer, delivery or distribution, directly or
indirectly, of any Placing Shares into the United States and it
will not reoffer, resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Placing
Shares except pursuant to an exemption from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act and otherwise in accordance with
any applicable securities laws of any state or jurisdiction of the
United States;
19.
that it is not, and any person who it is acting on behalf of is
not, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired will not be, a
national or resident or located in the United States, Canada,
Australia, the Republic of South Africa or Japan or a corporation,
partnership or other entity organised under the laws of the United
States, Canada, Australia, the Republic of South Africa or Japan
and that it will not offer, sell, renounce, transfer or deliver,
directly or indirectly, any of the Placing Shares in the United
States, Canada, Australia, the Republic of South Africa or Japan or
to or for the benefit of any person resident in the United States,
Canada, Australia, the Republic of South Africa or Japan and each
Placee acknowledges that the relevant exemptions are not being
obtained from the US Securities and Exchange Commission or the
Securities Commission of any province of Canada, that no document
has been or will be lodged with, filed with or registered by the US
Securities and Exchange Commission, the Australian Securities and
Investments Commission or Japanese Ministry of Finance and that the
Placing Shares are not being offered for sale and may not be,
directly or indirectly, offered, sold, transferred or delivered in
or into the United States, Canada, Australia, the Republic South
Africa or Japan;
20.
that it does not have a registered address in, and is not a
citizen, resident or national of, any jurisdiction in which it is
unlawful to make or accept an offer of the Placing Shares and it is
not acting on a non-discretionary basis for any such
person;
21.
that it has not, directly or indirectly, distributed, forwarded,
transferred or otherwise transmitted, and will not, directly or
indirectly, distribute, forward, transfer or otherwise transmit,
any presentation or offering materials concerning the Placing or
the Placing Shares to any persons within the United
States;
22.
that it (and any person acting on its behalf) will make payment for
the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this
Announcement on the due time and date set out herein, failing which
the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other subscribers or
sold as the Joint Brokers may in their discretion determine and
without liability to such Placee;
23.
that it (and/ or each person on whose behalf it is participating)
is entitled to subscribe for Placing Shares under the laws of all
relevant jurisdictions which apply to it and that it has fully
observed such laws and obtained all governmental and other consents
which may be required thereunder or otherwise and complied with all
necessary formalities and that it has not taken any action which
will or may result in the Company or the Joint Brokers or any of
their respective directors, officers, consultants, employees or
agents acting in breach of any regulatory or legal requirements of
any territory in connection with the Placing or its
acceptance;
24.
that it 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;
25.
that it 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 these Terms and Conditions)
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 it is required to comply
with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to its
acquisition of Placing Shares;
26.
if the investor is a natural person, such investor is not under the
age of majority (18 years of age in the United Kingdom) on the date
of such investor's agreement to subscribe for the Placing Shares
under the Placing and will not be any such person on the date any
such Placing is accepted;
27.
that where it is acquiring Placing Shares for one or more managed
accounts, it is authorised in writing by each managed account: (a)
to acquire the Placing Shares for each managed account; (b) to make
on its behalf the representations, warranties, acknowledgements,
undertakings and agreements in these Terms and Conditions and this
Announcement of which they forms part; and (c) to receive on its
behalf any investment letter relating to the Placing in the form
provided to it by the Joint Brokers;
28.
that it is either: (a) a person of a kind described in paragraph 5
of Article 19 (persons having professional experience in matters
relating to investments and who are investment professionals) of
the FPO; or (b) a person of a kind described in paragraph 2 of
Article 49 (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations,
partnerships or trusts or their respective directors, officers or
employees) of the FPO; or (c) a person to whom it is otherwise
lawful for this Announcement to be communicated and in the case of
(a) and (b) undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage or
dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the
purposes of its business;
29.
that, unless otherwise agreed by the Joint Brokers, it is a
qualified investor (as defined in section 86(7) of
FSMA);
30.
that, unless otherwise agreed by the Joint Brokers, it is a
"professional client" or an "eligible counterparty" within the
meaning of Chapter 3 of the FCA's Conduct of Business Sourcebook
and it is purchasing Placing Shares for investment only and not
with a view to resale or distribution;
31.
it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only
communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or
inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of
section 21 of FSMA) relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances
in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not require approval of the
communication by an authorised person and it acknowledges and
agrees that neither these Terms and Conditions nor this
Announcement has not been approved by the Joint Brokers in its
capacity as an authorised person under section 21 of the FSMA and
it may not therefore be subject to the controls which would apply
if it was made or approved as financial promotion by an authorised
person;
32.
that any money held in an account with either of the Joint Brokers
(or a nominees of a Joint Broker) on its behalf and/or any person
acting on its behalf will not be treated as client money within the
meaning of the rules and regulations of the FCA. Each Placee
further acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the
protections conferred by the FCA's client money rules. As a
consequence, this money will not be segregated from the relevant
Joint Broker's (or its nominee's) money in accordance with such
client money rules and will be used by the Joint Broker in the
course of its own business and each Placee will rank only as a
general creditor of the Joint Broker;
33.
that it will (or will procure that its nominee will) if applicable,
make notification to the Company of the interest in its ordinary
shares in accordance with the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency
Rules published by the FCA;
34.
that it is not, and it is not acting on behalf of, a person falling
within subsections (6), (7) or (8) of sections 67 or 70
respectively or subsections (2) and (3) of section 93 or
subsection (1) of section 96 of the Finance Act
1986;
35.
that it will not deal or cause or permit any other person to deal
in all or any of the Placing Shares which it is subscribing for
and/or purchasing under the Placing unless and until Admission
becomes effective;
36.
that it appoints irrevocably any director of the Joint Brokers as
its agent for the purpose of executing and delivering to the
Company and/or the Registrar any document on its behalf necessary
to enable it to be registered as the holder of the Placing
Shares;
37.
that, as far as it is aware, it is not acting in concert (within
the meaning given in The City Code on Takeovers and Mergers) with
any other person in relation to the Company, save as previously
disclosed to the Joint Brokers;
38.
that this Announcement does not constitute a securities
recommendation or financial product advice and that neither the
Joint Brokers, nor the Company has considered its particular
objectives, financial situation and needs;
39.
that it has sufficient knowledge, sophistication and experience in
financial, business and investment matters as is required to
evaluate the merits and risks of subscribing for or purchasing the
Placing Shares and is aware that it may be required to bear, and
it, and any accounts for which it may be acting, are able to bear,
the economic risk of, and is able to sustain, a complete loss in
connection with the Placing;
40.
that it will indemnify and hold the Company and the Joint Brokers
and their respective Affiliates, officers, directors, employees,
consultants and agents 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 (or many person acting on such
Placee's behalf) in these Terms and Conditions or incurred by Joint
Brokers, the Company or any of their respective affiliates, agents,
directors, officers or employees arising from the performance of
the Placee's obligations as set out in these Terms and Conditions,
and further agrees that the Company and the Joint Brokers will rely
on the truth and accuracy of the confirmations, warranties,
acknowledgements and undertakings herein and, if any of the
foregoing is or becomes no longer true or accurate, the Placee
shall promptly notify the Joint Brokers and the Company. All
confirmations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings given
by the Placee pursuant to this Announcement (including these Terms
and Conditions) are given to the Joint Brokers for themselves and
on behalf of the Company and will survive completion of the Placing
and Admission;
41.
that time shall be of the essence as regards obligations pursuant
to these Terms and Conditions;
42.
that it is responsible for obtaining any legal, financial, tax and
other advice that it deems necessary for the execution, delivery
and performance of its obligations in accepting the terms and
conditions of the Placing, and that it is not relying on the
Company or the Joint Brokers to provide any legal, financial, tax
or other advice to it;
43.
that all dates and times in this Announcement (including these
Terms and Conditions) may be subject to amendment and that the
Joint Brokers shall notify it of such amendments;
44.
that (i) it has complied with, and will comply with, its
obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993, and UK MAR, (ii)
in connection with money laundering and terrorist financing, it has
complied with, and will comply with, its obligations under the
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000 (as
amended),the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Money Laundering, Terrorist
Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer)
Regulations 2017 and (iii) it is not a person: (a) with whom
transactions are prohibited under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
of 1977 or any economic sanction programmes administered by, or
regulations promulgated by, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of
the U.S. Department of the Treasury; (b) named on the Consolidated
List of Financial Sanctions Targets maintained by His Majesty's
Treasury of the United Kingdom; or (c) subject to financial
sanctions imposed pursuant to a regulation of the European Union or
a regulation adopted by the United Nations (together, the
"Regulations"); and, if
making payment on behalf of a third party, that satisfactory
evidence has been obtained and recorded by it to verify the
identity of the third party as required by the Regulations and, if
making payment on behalf of a third party, that satisfactory
evidence has been obtained and recorded by it to verify the
identity of the third party as required by the Regulations and has
obtained all governmental and other consents (if any) which may be
required for the purpose of, or as a consequence of, such purchase,
and it will provide promptly to the Joint Brokers such evidence, if
any, as to the identity or location or legal status of any person
which the Joint Brokers may request from it in connection with the
Placing (for the purpose of complying with such Regulations or
ascertaining the nationality of any person or the jurisdiction(s)
to which any person is subject or otherwise) in the form and manner
requested by the Joint Brokers on the basis that any failure by it
to do so may result in the number of Placing Shares that are to be
subscribed for by it or at its direction pursuant to the Placing
being reduced to such number, or to nil, as the Joint Brokers may
decide in their absolute discretion;
45.
that in order to ensure compliance with the Regulations, the Joint
Brokers (for themselves and as agent on behalf of the Company) or
the Registrar may, in their absolute discretion, require
verification of its identity. Pending the provision to the Joint
Brokers or the Registrar, as applicable, of evidence of identity,
definitive certificates in respect of the Placing Shares may be
retained at the Joint Brokers' absolute discretion or, where
appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in uncertificated
form may be delayed at the Joint Brokers' or the Registrar's, as
the case may be, absolute discretion. If, within a reasonable time
after a request for verification of identity, the Joint Brokers
(for themselves and as agent on behalf of the Company) or the
Registrar have not received evidence satisfactory to them, either
the Joint Brokers and/or the Company may, at their absolute
discretion, terminate its commitment in respect of the Placing, in
which event the monies payable on acceptance of allotment will, if
already paid, be returned without interest to the account of the
drawee's bank from which they were originally debited;
46.
that its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on the Terms and
Conditions 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 Joint Brokers'
conduct of the Placing;
47.
that it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised officer of Joint
Brokers as its agent for the purpose of executing and delivering to
the Company and/or the Registrar any documents on its behalf
necessary to enable it to be registered as the holder of any of the
Placing Shares which it agrees to acquire upon the these Terms and
Conditions;
48.
that it will not make any offer to the public of those Placing
Shares to be subscribed for by it for the purposes of the
Prospectus Regulation Rules made by the FCA pursuant to Prospectus
Regulation Rules Instrument 2019 (FCA 2019/80);
49.
that it will not distribute any document relating to the Placing
Shares and it will be acquiring the Placing Shares for its own
account as principal or for a discretionary account or accounts (as
to which it has the authority to make the statements set out
herein) for investment purposes only and it does not have any
contract, understanding or arrangement with any person to sell,
pledge, transfer or grant a participation therein to such person or
any third person with respect of any Placing Shares; save that if
it is a private client stockbroker or fund manager it confirms that
in purchasing the Placing Shares it is acting under the terms of
one or more discretionary mandates granted to it by private clients
and it is not acting on an execution only basis or under specific
instructions to purchase the Placing Shares for the account of any
third party;
50.
that it acknowledges that these terms and conditions and any
agreements entered into by it pursuant to these terms and
conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with
the laws of England and Wales and it submits (on behalf of itself
and on behalf of any person on whose behalf it is acting) to the
exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts as regards any claim,
dispute or matter arising out of any such contract, 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 the Joint
Brokers in any jurisdiction in which the relevant Placee is
incorporated or in which its assets are located or any of its
securities have a quotation on a recognised stock
exchange;
51.
that any documents sent to Placees will be sent at the Placees'
risk. They may be sent by post to such Placees at an address
notified by such Placees to the Joint Brokers;
52.
that neither of the Joint Brokers owe no fiduciary or other duties
to any Placee in respect of any representations, warranties,
undertakings or indemnities in the Placing Agreement;
53.
that any of the Joint Brokers or their respective Affiliates may,
at their absolute discretion, agree to become a Placee in respect
of some or all of the Placing Shares;
54.
that no prospectus, admission document or other offering document
has been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing and it
has not received and will not receive a prospectus, admission
document or other offering document in connection with the Placing
or the Placing Shares and, in particular, that the Subscription
referred to in this Announcement relating thereto is separate from
the Placing and does not form part of any offer or agreement
concerning the Placing and/or any Placing Shares; and
55.
that if it has received any confidential price sensitive
information or inside information (for the purposes of the Market
Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation No. 596/2014) as it forms part of
UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act
2018 and/or section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act 1993 or other
applicable law) concerning the Company in advance of the
publication of this Announcement, it has not: (i) dealt in the
securities of the Company; (ii) encouraged, required, recommended
or induced another person to deal in the securities of the Company;
or (iii) unlawfully disclosed such information to any person, prior
to such information being made publicly available.
The Company, the Joint Brokers, and
their respective Affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy
of each of the foregoing representations, warranties,
acknowledgements and undertakings which are given to the Joint
Brokers for themselves and on behalf of the Company and are
irrevocable.
The provisions of these Terms and
Conditions may be waived, varied or modified as regards specific
Placees or on a general basis by the Joint Brokers or on a general
basis by Joint Brokers provided always that such variation, waiver
or modification is not materially prejudicial to the interests of
the Company.
The agreement to settle a Placee's
subscription (and/or the subscription of a person for whom such
Placee is contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty
reserve tax depends on the settlement relating only to a
subscription by it and/or such person direct from the Company for
the Placing Shares in question. Such agreement assumes that the
Placing Shares are not being subscribed for 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 relates to any other subsequent
dealing in the Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax
may be payable, for which neither the Company or the Joint Brokers
will be responsible, and the Placee to whom (or on behalf 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 UK stamp duty or
stamp duty reserve tax undertakes to pay such UK stamp duty or
stamp duty reserve tax forthwith and to indemnify on an after-tax
basis and to hold harmless the Company, the Joint Brokers in the
event that any of the Company and/or the Joint Brokers have
incurred any such liability to UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve
tax. If this is the case, each Placee should seek its own advice
and notify the Joint Brokers accordingly.
In addition, Placees should note
that they will be liable for any stamp duty and all other stamp,
issue, securities, transfer, registration, documentary or other
duties or taxes (including any interest, fines or penalties
relating thereto) payable outside the UK by them or any other
person on the subscription by them of any Placing Shares or the
agreement by them to subscribe for any Placing Shares.
This Announcement has been issued
by, and is the sole responsibility, of the Company. No
representation or warranty express or implied, is or will be made
as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or
will be accepted by the Joint Brokers or by any of their respective
Affiliates officers, directors, employees, consultants or agents as
to or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this
Announcement or any other written or oral information made
available to or publicly available to any interested party or its
advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly
disclaimed.
In these Terms and Conditions any
words following the terms "including", "include", "in particular", "for example" or any similar expression
shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of
the words, description, definition, phrase or term preceding those
terms.
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. Placees
will be notified of any material changes.
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 Placees 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 the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth
Market.
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.
Product Governance
Requirements
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU
Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as
amended ("MiFID II");
(b) Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Production Intervention and
Product Governance Sourcebook; and (c) Articles 9 and 10
of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID
II and UK MiFID II; and (d) local implementing measures (together,
the "Product Governance
Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any
"manufacturer" (for the purposes of the 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 the Product Governance
Requirements); and (ii) eligible for distribution through all
distribution channels as are permitted by Product Governance
Requirements (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;
the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital
protection; and an investment in the 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.
For the avoidance of doubt, the
Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an
assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of
the Product Governance Requirements; or (b) a recommendation to any
investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take
any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing
Shares.
Each distributor is responsible for
undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the
Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution
channels.
In this Announcement, the following
words and expressions shall have the following meanings:
Admission
|
First Admission and/or Second
Admission, as the context requires;
|
Affiliate
|
has the meaning given in Rule 50I(b)
of Regulation D under the Securities Act or Rule 405 under the
Securities Act, as applicable and, in the case of the Company,
includes its subsidiary undertakings;
|
AQSE
|
the AQSE Growth Market, a market
operated by the Aquis Exchange;
|
AQSE Company Rules
|
the AQSE Growth Market Apex Rulebook
published by the Aquis Exchange (as amended from time to
time);
|
AQSE Corporate Adviser Rules
|
the AQSE Corporate Adviser Handbook
published by the Aquis Stock Exchange (as amended from time to
time);
|
AQSE Rules
|
together, the AQSE Company Rules and
the AQSE Corporate Adviser Rules;
|
Aquis Exchange
|
Aquis Stock Exchange
Limited;
|
CREST
|
the computerised settlement system
to facilitate transfer of the title to an interest in securities in
uncertificated form operated by Euroclear UK & International
Limited;
|
FCA
|
the Financial Conduct
Authority;
|
Final Date
|
29 November 2024;
|
First Admission
|
admission of the VCT Placing Shares
to trading on the Aquis Exchange becoming effective as provided in
AQSE Rules;
|
General Placing
|
the placing of the General Placing Shares with Placees pursuant to the
Placing Agreement;
|
General Placing Shares
|
the new Ordinary Shares to be issued
by the Company pursuant to the Placing to Placees not seeking VCT
tax relief on their investment;
|
Ordinary Shares
|
the ordinary shares of £0.0001 each
in the capital of the Company;
|
Placees
|
the persons with whom Placing Shares
are placed pursuant to the Placing;
|
Placing
|
the VCT Placing and the General Placing;
|
Placing Agreement
|
the placing agreement entered into
today between the Company, Panmure Liberum and VSA in relation to
the Placing;
|
Placing Shares
|
the new Ordinary Shares to be issued
for cash in connection with the Placing;
|
Prospectus Regulation
|
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017;
|
Registrar
|
Link Group;
|
Regulation S
|
Regulation S promulgated under the
Securities Act;
|
Regulatory Information Service
|
any of the services set out in the
list set out in the AQSE Rules;
|
Second Admission
|
admission of the General Placing Shares to trading on the Aquis Exchange
becoming effective as provided in AQSE Rules;
|
Securities Act
|
the United States Securities Act of
1933, as amended;
|
Subscription
|
the subscription by certain new and
existing investors directly with the Company for new Ordinary
Shares at the Placing Price pursuant to separate subscription
agreements dated on or around the date of this
Announcement;
|
UK
MAR
|
Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 as in
force in the United Kingdom pursuant to the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended;
|
UK
Prospectus Regulation
|
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017, as it forms
part of the law of England and Wales by virtue of section 3 of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and as modified by or under
domestic law;
|
United States or US
|
the United States of America, its
territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the
District of Columbia;
|
VCT
|
a venture capital trust for the
purposes of Part 6 of the Income Tax Act 2007 and sections 151A and
151B of the Taxation of Capital Gains Act 1992;
|
VCT
Placing
|
the placing of the VCT Placing
Shares with Placees pursuant to the Placing Agreement;
and
|
VCT
Placing Shares
|
the new Ordinary Shares to be issued
by the Company pursuant to the Placing to Placees seeking VCT tax
relief on their investment.
|