THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPENDICES, AND THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN, IS RESTRICTED AND NOT FOR RELEASE,
PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN, 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. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE IN THE APPENDIX
TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES
OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) 596 / 2014 WHICH FORMS PART OF
UK LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018
("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.
13 November 2024
SRT MARINE SYSTEMS
PLC
("SRT" or
the "Company")
Fundraising to raise £8.5
million at 35 pence per New Ordinary Share
and
Notice of General
Meeting
SRT, the AIM-quoted developer and
supplier of maritime surveillance systems and navigation safety
products notes that further its announcement on 28 October 2024, it
is pleased to announce a conditional fundraising of £8.5 million
(before expenses) comprising a fully underwritten Subscription,
Placing and Retail Offer (together the "Fundraising"). The net proceeds
of the Fundraising are expected to fund working capital to further
strengthen the Company's balance sheet and facilitate the growth of
both the surveillance systems and navigation transceivers
businesses.
Certain defined terms used herein
are set out in Appendix III to this Announcement.
The Company has placed 3,237,594 new
ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each ("Ordinary
Shares") in the capital of the
Company (the "Placing Shares") at a price of
35 pence per Placing Share (the "Issue
Price") to raise approximately £1.13
million (before expenses) (the "Placing") from certain existing
shareholders.
Additionally, the Company has raised
at least £5.36 million by way of a subscription agreement entered
into between the Company and Ocean Infinity, an existing
shareholder (the "Subscription
Agreement"). Ocean Infinity has
committed to participating in the Fundraising and will subscribe
under the terms of the Subscription Agreement for a minimum of
15,333,834 New Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price (the
"Subscription" and the
"Subscription Shares").
In addition to the Subscription and
the Placing, existing Shareholders will be given the opportunity to
subscribe for, in aggregate, up to 5,714,285 New Ordinary Shares
via the Bookbuild Platform at the Issue Price by way of a retail
offer to raise up to approximately £2.0 million (before expenses)
(the "Retail Offer"). A separate
announcement will be made regarding the Retail Offer and its
terms.
The Fundraising is being
underwritten in full by Ocean Infinity.
The Fundraising is conditional on,
amongst other things, the Fundraising Resolutions being duly passed
at the General Meeting and Admission. The Subscription and the
Placing are not conditional upon the Retail Offer or on any minimum
take-up under the Retail Offer. For the avoidance of doubt the
Retail Offer forms no part of the Subscription or the
Placing.
The Company currently has
approximately £13.3 million drawn down under its loan note
programme. In connection with the Fundraising, the Company has
agreed with David Brierwood and Sandra Brierwood (the
"Noteholders") that the Company
will redeem £1,030,000 in respect of principal and accrued interest
owing under the Noteholders' loan notes in consideration of the
issue by the Company of a total of 2,942,857 New Ordinary Shares at
the Issue Price (the "Redemption
Shares"). The redemption of those
loan notes and the issue of the Redemption Shares will result in a
reduction of the Company's indebtedness by an equivalent
amount.
The Company intends to publish and
send a shareholder circular and notice of General Meeting (the
"Circular") to Shareholders in
connection with the Resolutions and the Fundraising on or around 14
November 2024.
Highlights:
· Fundraising with existing investors to raise £8.5 million
(before expenses) through the issue of 24,285,713 New Ordinary
Shares at the Issue Price including a Retail Offer to be made
available to existing shareholders for up to 5,714,285 New Ordinary
Shares to be subscribed for at the Issue Price to raise up to £2.0
million.
· Of the
expected proceeds of the Fundraising, a minimum of £5.36 million is
being invested by way of a direct Subscription to the Company by
existing shareholder, Ocean Infinity, a highly reputable marine
technology company founded in 2017 with more than 500 global
employees located across the US, Canada, UK, Portugal, Sweden,
Norway, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. The Fundraising is
also being fully underwritten by Ocean Infinity, such that the
total number of New Ordinary Shares as part of the Placing,
Subscription and Retail Offer will be no less than 24,285,713,
raising in aggregate £8.5 million. Therefore it is possible that,
if the Retail Offer is not fully taken up, the number of
Subscription Shares will increase to a maximum of 21,048,119 New
Ordinary Shares, raising up to £7.36 million.
· In
connection with the Fundraising, the Company has agreed with the
Noteholders that the Company will redeem £1,030,000 in respect of
principal and accrued interest owing under the Noteholders' loan
notes in consideration of the issue by the Company of a total of
2,942,857 Redemption Shares. The redemption of those loan notes and
the issue of the Redemption Shares will result in a reduction of
the Company's indebtedness by an equivalent amount.
· Further information about Ocean Infinity and the System
Contract Support Package is set out in paragraph 4 of the section
below.
· The
net proceeds of the Fundraising will be used to strengthen the
Company's balance sheet and facilitate the growth of both the
systems and transceivers businesses.
· The
New Ordinary Shares will represent approximately 10.90 per cent. of
the Enlarged Share Capital.
· The
Issue Price represents a discount of approximately 9.0 per cent. to
the closing mid-market price of 38.5 pence per existing Ordinary
Share on 12 November 2024, being the Latest Practicable
Date.
· The
Company requires further Shareholder authorities in order to issue
and allot, amongst others, the Subscription Shares, the Placing
Shares and the Retail Shares. The Subscription, the Placing and the
Retail Offer are therefore conditional, inter alia, upon the
Fundraising Resolutions being duly passed by Shareholders at the
General Meeting to be held at 11:00 a.m. at the offices of CMS
Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon
Street, London, EC4N 6AF on 2 December 2024. A detailed timetable
of events is set out in Appendix I to this Announcement.
Simon Tucker, CEO of SRT, commented:
"This transaction strengthens our balance sheet and provides
working capital for us to maximise the growing opportunities for
our transceiver and systems businesses."
Oliver Plunkett, CEO of Ocean Infinity,
commented:
"We're excited at the possibilities for SRT, and Ocean
Infinity, founded on our investment in the company. The
burgeoning partnership we have formed allows us both to better
serve our clients in the maritime data and services market.
We firmly believe in the company and its management to deliver as
well as in the commercial opportunities for us to work together for
the benefit of both businesses."
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited
("Cavendish") acted as Bookrunner
in connection with the Placing.
The Company intends to publish and
send the Circular to Shareholders on 14 November 2024. The Circular
will also be available on the investor section of the Company's
website (www.srt-marine.com) once published.
The person responsible for arranging
the release of this Announcement on behalf of the Company is
Richard Hurd, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the
Company.
About SRT Marine Systems plc:
SRT is a global leader in the
development and provision of next generation digital maritime
surveillance and navigation safety technologies and systems. The
Company's products and solutions are used by individual vessel
owners, port authorities, maritime infrastructure owners, coast
guards and national security agencies to enhance their maritime
domain awareness. Applications include the tracking of commercial
and leisure vessels; sustainable fishery; anti-collision; search
and rescue; waterway management, port and coast security; pollution
management; and environmental management.
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety including the appendices. In particular, you should
read and understand the information provided in the "Important
Notices" section of this Announcement.
IMPORTANT
NOTICES
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DIRECTED
ONLY AT PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN
ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS
PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE:
(1) IF IN A MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA
("EEA"), QUALIFIED
INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(e) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129
(THE "EU PROSPECTUS
REGULATION"); (2) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, QUALIFIED
INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(e) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129
AS IT FORMS PART OF UNITED KINGDOM DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 (THE "UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION") WHO; (A)
FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT
2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED
(THE "ORDER")
(INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OR (B) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(a) TO
(d) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.)
OF THE ORDER; AND (3) OTHERWISE, PERSONS TO WHOM IT IS OTHERWISE
LAWFUL TO COMMUNICATE IT TO (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 SRT MARINE
SYSTEMS PLC.
THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN
HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES
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 THEREFORE MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR
TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES
(INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED
STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) (THE "UNITED STATES" OR
THE "US") 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 ONLY OUTSIDE OF 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 SECURITIES
IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OR ELSEWHERE.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT 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, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION
WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES
FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION INTO THE UNITED STATES.
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, consultants, partners or
employees ("Representatives") 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, 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 in
the United Kingdom or the EEA will be made pursuant to an exemption
from the requirement to produce a prospectus under the UK
Prospectus Regulation. In the United Kingdom, this Announcement is
being directed solely at persons in circumstances in which section
21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended)
does not require the approval of the relevant communication by an
authorised person.
The relevant clearances have not
been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of
any province or territory of Canada, no prospectus has been lodged
with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant
clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained from the South
Africa Reserve Bank or any other applicable body in the Republic of
South Africa in relation to the Placing Shares; and the Placing
Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offered
in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or
territory of the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of
South Africa or Japan. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not
(unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is
applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or
indirectly, in or into the United States, Australia, Canada, the
Republic of South Africa or Japan 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 such
action.
This Announcement may contain, or
may be deemed to contain, "forward-looking statements" with respect
to certain of the Company's plans and its current goals and
expectations relating to its future financial condition,
performance, strategic initiatives, objectives and results.
Forward-looking statements sometimes use words such as "aim",
"anticipate", "target", "expect", "estimate", "intend", "plan",
"goal", "believe", "seek", "may", "could", "outlook" or other words
of similar meaning. By their nature, all forward-looking statements
involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events
and circumstances which are beyond the control of the Company,
including amongst other things, United Kingdom domestic and global
economic business conditions, market-related risks such as
fluctuations in interest rates and exchange rates, the policies and
actions of governmental and regulatory authorities, the effect of
competition, inflation, deflation, the timing effect and other
uncertainties of future acquisitions or combinations within
relevant industries, the effect of tax and other legislation and
other regulations in the jurisdictions in which the Company and its
affiliates operate, the effect of volatility in the equity, capital
and credit markets on the Company's profitability and ability to
access capital and credit, a decline in the Company's credit
ratings; the effect of operational risks; and the loss of key
personnel. As a result, the actual future financial condition,
performance and results of the Company may differ materially from
the plans, goals and expectations set forth in any forward-looking
statements. Any forward-looking statements made in this
Announcement by or on behalf of the Company speak only as of the
date they are made. Except as required by applicable law or
regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or
undertaking to publish any updates or revisions to any
forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement to
reflect any changes in the Company's expectations with regard
thereto or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on
which any such statement is based.
Cavendish is authorised and
regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA") in the United Kingdom and is
acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection
with the Placing or any other matters referred to in this
Announcement, and Cavendish will not be responsible to anyone other
than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its
clients or for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any
other matters referred to in this Announcement.
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
Cavendish or by any of its respective Representatives 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 therefor is expressly disclaimed.
No statement in this Announcement is
intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, 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 New Ordinary Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Fundraising will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than the AIM market of the London Stock
Exchange.
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.
Information to
Distributors
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within Chapter 3 of the
FCA Handbook Production Intervention and Product Governance
Sourcebook (the "UK Product Governance Requirements"), and
disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort,
contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes
of the UK Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with
respect thereto, the New Ordinary Shares have been subject to a
product approval process, which has determined that such securities
are: (i) compatible with an end target market of investors who meet
the criteria of retail investors and investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each
as defined in paragraph 3 of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all
distribution channels (the "Target Market Assessment").
Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors (for the
purposes of UK Product Governance Requirements) should note that:
(a) the price of the New Ordinary Shares may decline and investors
could lose all or part of their investment; (b) the New Ordinary
Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and
(c) an investment in the New Ordinary 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 Fundraising. 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 Chapter 9A or
10A respectively of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook; 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 New Ordinary Shares.
Each distributor is responsible for
undertaking its own Target Market Assessment in respect of the New
Ordinary Shares and determining appropriate distribution
channels.
The following is an extract from the
Chairman's letter to be set out in substantially the same form in
the Circular.
1. INTRODUCTION
As announced on 28 October 2024, the
Company has agreed a substantial investment and short-term finance
bridge support package with existing shareholder Ocean Infinity,
worth approximately £31 million (the "System Contract Support Package"), in
order to enable the satisfaction of a substantial performance bond
required under the terms of a $213 million contract to deliver an
integrated SRT maritime surveillance system. That contract was
signed with the Kuwait Ministry of Interior on 30 October
2024.
Pursuant to the terms of the System
Contract Support Package:
a) on 28
October 2024, the Company issued 10,000,000 warrants over Ordinary
Shares (the "Initial
Warrants") to Ocean Infinity;
b) the Company
agreed to issue the Additional Warrants to Ocean Infinity
conditional upon the passing of the Fundraising Resolutions (the
"Additional Warrant
Issue");
c) the
Company agreed to raise additional capital by way of the
Subscription, Placing and Retail Offer (the "Fundraising") conditional upon passing
of the Fundraising Resolutions; and
d) the Company
agreed to appoint Oliver Plunkett, a board member and CEO of Ocean
Infinity to the Board as a non-executive director following
completion of the Fundraising.
On 13 November 2024, the Company
announced that it had conditionally raised £6.5 million, before expenses, by way
of a conditional Subscription and a conditional Placing of, in
aggregate, 18,571,428 New Ordinary Shares, in each case, at the
Issue Price.
The Company currently has
approximately £13.3 million drawn down under its loan note
programme. In connection with the Fundraising, the Company has
agreed with David Brierwood and Sandra Brierwood (the "Noteholders") that the Company will
redeem £1,030,000 in respect of principal and accrued
interest owing under the Noteholders' loan
notes in consideration of the issue by the Company of a total of
2,942,857 New Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price (the "Redemption Shares"). The redemption of
those loan notes and the issue of the Redemption Shares will result
in a reduction of the Company's indebtedness by an equivalent
amount. The Redemption Shares are not part
of the Fundraising but the issue of them is conditional upon the
passing of the Fundraising Resolutions and Admission.
In addition, to provide Shareholders
who have not taken part in the Placing with an opportunity to
participate in the Fundraising, the Company is providing all
existing Shareholders with the opportunity to subscribe for up
to 5,714,285 Retail
Shares at the Issue Price, via the Bookbuild Platform, to raise up
to £2.0 million
(before expenses), by way of the Retail Offer.
The Fundraising is being fully
underwritten by Ocean Infinity. The maximum total amount that the
Company will raise under the Fundraising (including the Retail
Offer) is therefore approximately £8.5 million (before
expenses).
The minimum Net Proceeds of
approximately £8.10 million (after expenses) will be used to provide general
working capital to strengthen the balance sheet, as detailed in
paragraph 5 below.
The Fundraising
comprises:
1.
A minimum of 15,333,834 Subscription Shares (in
aggregate) subscribed for by Ocean Infinity at the Issue Price,
raising proceeds of approximately £5.36 million before fees and
expenses. The Subscription is conditional, amongst other things, on
the Fundraising Resolutions being duly passed at the General
Meeting and Admission. Further details of the Subscription are set
out in paragraph 8 below.
2.
3,237,594 Placing Shares conditionally placed by
Cavendish as agent of the Company with institutional investors at
the Issue Price, raising proceeds of approximately £1.13 million
before fees and expenses. The Placing is conditional, amongst other
things, on the Fundraising Resolutions being duly passed at the
General Meeting and Admission. Further details of the Placing are
set out in paragraph 6 below.
3.
Up to 5,714,285
Retail Shares to be issued pursuant to the Retail
Offer to Retail Investors through intermediaries at the Issue
Price, raising proceeds of up to £2.0 million before fees and expenses.
The Retail Offer is conditional, amongst other things, on the
Fundraising Resolutions being duly passed at the General Meeting
and Admission. Further details of the Retail Offer are set out in
paragraph 9 below. For the avoidance of doubt, the Retail Shares
are not part of the Placing or the Subscription and are not Placing
Shares or Subscription Shares.
The Fundraising is being fully
underwritten by Ocean Infinity.
The Issue Price represents a
discount of 9.0 per
cent. to the Closing Price on the Latest Practicable Date,
being 38.5 pence per Existing Ordinary
Share.
The Subscription Shares, the Placing
Shares and the Retail Shares will represent, respectively,
approximately 6.14 per cent., 1.30 per cent. and 2.29 per cent. of the Enlarged Share Capital.
The background to and reasons for
the Fundraising and further details of the Placing, the
Subscription and the Retail Offer are set out at paragraphs
2, 6, 8 and 9 respectively below.
The issue of New Ordinary Shares may
only be implemented pursuant to the shareholder authorities
proposed pursuant to the Fundraising Resolutions, as set out
in the Notice of General Meeting.
The Subscription, the Placing and
the Retail Offer are conditional, amongst other things, on the
passing of the Fundraising Resolutions and Admission.
Shareholder approval of the
Fundraising Resolutions will be sought at the General Meeting,
which will be held at the offices of CMS
Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon
Street, London, EC4N 6AF at
11:00 a.m. on 2 December
2024. The formal notice of the General Meeting will be set out at
the end of the Circular.
Should approval of the Fundraising
Resolutions not be obtained at the General Meeting, the
Subscription, the Placing and the Retail Offer will not
proceed.
2. BACKGROUND TO, AND REASONS FOR, THE
FUNDRAISING
The Company anticipates commencing
the implementation of multiple MDA system contracts in the Middle
East and SE Asia, along with launching a new transceiver product
(NEXUS) simultaneously in the coming months. The Fundraising
strengthens the balance sheet and provides working capital required
to support all these activities and opportunities.
3. CURRENT TRADING AND OPERATIONAL
UPDATE
The Company continues to invest in
the development of its core SRT-MDA System technology, and to
complete the NEXUS VHF/DSC/AIS transceiver. Alongside these core
development activities, the Company has also invested in the system
contract sales opportunities that are now converting, resulting in
the expected commencement of multiple system contracts and the
launch preparation for NEXUS. This means that the year ending June
2024 was a year of very significant product and implementation
preparation investment, resulting in an expected significant loss
for the year. However, in the year ending June 2025, due to the
confluence of system implementation and new product launches the
Company expects to be significantly profitable.
4. SYSTEM CONTRACT SUPPORT
PACKAGE
Ocean Infinity
Ocean Infinity first became a
shareholder in the Company through the fundraising announced on 21
December 2023, where it strategically invested £7.0
million.
Ocean Infinity is a marine
technology company specialising in the development and deployment
of robotics for large-scale, subsea data acquisition. Ocean
Infinity is developing a range of innovative technologies to
transform operations at sea, enabling people and the planet to
thrive.
Since its establishment in 2017,
Ocean Infinity has pioneered the use of fleets of robotics to play
a vital part in ambitious offshore projects, including the search
for missing airliner MH370, and the discovery of the missing
Argentinian submarine, ARA San Juan. Today, Ocean Infinity serves
governments, energy organisations and scientific institutions all
over the world.
Employing more than 500 technology
and data specialists located in offices and operations centres
across Europe, South East Asia, North America and Australasia,
Ocean Infinity owns and operates a fleet of advanced robotic
lean/uncrewed ships. As well as over 20 robotic ships
currently in operation or in build it has a fleet of subsea robots
which it can deploy from the ships or on a stand-alone basis to
deliver a wide variety of outcomes for its clients.
Over the past year, SRT and
Ocean Infinity have
started to explore
commercial synergies such as the
use of USV's in maritime surveillance systems and bathymetric
surveying to enhance fisheries management.
The
Performance Bond
In order to secure the Kuwait
contract which was signed on 30 October 2024, the Company was
required to provide a performance bond in short order prior to
signing the contract. Due to the short timeframe, traditional
methods of financing the performance bond were unavailable to the
Company. As such, the Company had very few
options.
Ocean Infinity has provided a $21.4m
guarantee to SRT to enable SRT to issue a contract performance bond
of similar value. The Ocean Infinity guarantee is initially
provided as a cash loan of $21.4m with an interest rate of 0.75 per
cent. per month. The loan is expected to be repaid by SRT with a
period of approximately one month and replaced with a bank
guarantee on Ocean Infinity's behalf. It is intended that the
Ocean Infinity bank guarantee itself will then be replaced within
the next 6 months using a combination of SRT's own resources and
UKEF export guarantee program. In return for providing this
guarantee, Ocean Infinity has been granted 10,000,000 warrants (and
is to be granted a further 10,000,000 warrants conditional upon the
Fundraising Resolutions being duly passed) in each case at a strike
price of 35p, with an exercise period of 3 years from grant, which
when exercised will inject up to a further £7m of equity for SRT.
In the event that SRT does not replace the Ocean Infinity guarantee
within 8 months, the Company has agreed to issue an additional
4,000,000 warrants per month with a strike price equal to a 15 per
cent. discount on the share price at the relevant time.
Oliver Plunkett, board member and CEO of Ocean Infinity, will join SRT's board
as a non-executive director following the completion of the
Fundraising.
5. USE OF PROCEEDS
The up to £8.10 million net proceeds
raised via the Fundraising is expected to fund working capital to
strengthen the Company's balance sheet and enable the growth of
both the systems and transceivers businesses.
6. DETAILS OF THE PLACING
6.1.
Structure
At the 2024 GM, certain resolutions
were passed by Shareholders which granted the Directors the
authority to grant rights to subscribe for or convert any security
into shares, on a non-pre-emptive basis, up to an aggregate nominal
amount of £10,000 and subject to such terms as the Directors may
determine. As noted in paragraph 1 of this Part I above, the
Directors used all such existing authorities to issue the Initial
Warrants to Ocean Infinity on 28 October 2024, in part satisfaction
of the Company's obligations under the terms of the System Contract
Support Package.
The
Fundraising and the Additional Warrant Issue will only be
implemented if the new shareholder authorities being sought
pursuant to the Fundraising Resolutions are duly passed at the
General Meeting.
6.2.
Placing
The Company has conditionally raised
£1.13 million
(before fees and expenses) by way of a conditional, non-pre-emptive
placing of 3,237,594 Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing Agreement at the Issue
Price. The Placing Shares will be issued and allotted subject to
the Fundraising Resolutions being duly passed at the General
Meeting.
The Placing is conditional, amongst
other things, upon:
(a) the passing of the Fundraising Resolutions at the General
Meeting;
(b) the Placing Agreement becoming unconditional in all respects
in connection with the Placing and not having been terminated in
accordance with its terms prior to Admission; and
(c) admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM becoming
effective by no later than 8.00 a.m. on 3 December 2024 (or such
later time and/or date as the Company and Cavendish may agree
(being no later than 8.00 a.m. on the Long Stop Date)).
If such conditions are not satisfied
or, if capable of waiver, waived, by the date(s) and time(s)
referred to above, the Placing will not proceed.
Alongside the Placing, the Company
is making the Retail Offer available to existing Shareholders
pursuant to which it may raise a further amount of up to
approximately £2.0 million (before expenses). The Issue Price of 35 pence per
Retail Share is the same price as the price at which the Placing
Shares and the Subscription Shares are being issued pursuant to the
Placing and Subscription, respectively.
The Fundraising is being fully
underwritten by Ocean Infinity. Therefore, regardless of whether
the Retail Offer is fully taken up, the total aggregate number of
New Ordinary Shares that may be issued pursuant to the Fundraising
is 24,285,713 New Ordinary Shares, representing
approximately 9.72 per cent. of the Enlarged Share Capital.
The Issue Price represents a
discount of approximately 9.0 per cent. to the Closing Price of
38.5 pence per Existing Ordinary Share on the Latest Practicable
Date.
The New Ordinary Shares
will be issued 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 distributions, declared, paid or made in respect of the
Ordinary Shares following the date of Admission.
7. THE PLACING AGREEMENT
In connection with the Placing, the
Company and Cavendish have entered into the Placing Agreement
pursuant to which Cavendish has agreed, in accordance with its
terms, to use reasonable endeavours to procure, as agent for the
Company, placees for the Placing Shares at the Issue Price. The
Placing is being underwritten by Ocean Infinity.
The Placing Agreement is
conditional, amongst other things upon, the passing of the
Fundraising Resolutions, the conditions in the Placing Agreement
being satisfied or (if capable of waiver) waived, the Placing
Agreement not having been terminated in accordance with its terms
prior to Admission and Admission occurring on or before 3 December
2024 (or such later date as the Company and Cavendish may
agree).
The Placing
Agreement contains certain customary warranties given by the
Company in favour of Cavendish concerning, amongst other things,
the accuracy of information given in this announcement and the
Circular to be published by the Company in respect of the
Fundraising, 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 amongst other things, 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 in a
customary form in respect of 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.
The Subscription is not conditional
on the Retail Offer proceeding or on any minimum take-up under the
Retail Offer.
8. Details of the
Subscription
The Company has conditionally raised
at least £5.36 million (before expenses) through the issue, in
aggregate, a minimum of 15,333,834 Subscription Shares to Ocean
Infinity at the Issue Price, pursuant to the Subscription. The
Subscription Shares will be issued conditional on the Fundraising
Resolutions being duly passed at the General Meeting and
Admission.
The Subscription is not conditional
on the Placing or the Retail Offer proceeding or on any minimum
take-up under the Placing or the Retail Offer.
9. DETAILS OF THE RETAIL
OFFER
Pursuant to the terms of the Retail
Offer, the Company has made the Retail Offer to Retail Investors
only through Intermediaries via the Bookbuild Platform.
Conditional on, amongst other
things, the Fundraising Resolutions being duly passed at the
General Meeting and Admission, up to 5,714,285 Retail Shares will be issued
through the Retail Offer at the Issue Price to raise proceeds of up
to approximately £2.0 million (before expenses).
The Retail Offer is being fully
underwritten by Ocean Infinity.
If the Retail Offer is taken up in
full, the Retail Shares will represent approximately 2.29 per cent.
of the Enlarged Share Capital. The Retail Shares, when issued and
fully paid, will rank pari
passu in all respects with the Existing Ordinary
Shares then in issue.
A further announcement will be made
by the Company today regarding further details of the Retail Offer
and how investors may participate in the Fundraising.
10. THE ADDITIONAL WARRANTS
Subject to the passing of the
Fundraising Resolutions, the Company has agreed to issue additional
warrants to subscribe for up to 10,000,000 new Ordinary Shares
("Additional Warrant
Shares") to Ocean Infinity. Each Additional Warrant will
grant the holder the right to subscribe for one new Ordinary Share.
The Additional Warrants will be exercisable at a price of 35 pence
per Ordinary Share for a period of three years commencing on the
date of issue.
Accordingly, taking together with
the Initial Warrants, following the issue of the Additional
Warrants (and assuming no Warrant has been exercised), there will
be 20,000,000 Warrants in issue in respect of up to 20,000,000 new
Ordinary Shares.
The other material terms and
conditions of the Additional Warrants are set out below:
·
Adjustment to
Subscription Rights - the
subscription rights conferred by the Additional Warrants and/or the
exercise price of the Additional Warrants shall be adjusted by the
Board in its sole discretion on the occurrence of certain events in
relation to the Company, including:
i) a
subdivision, consolidation or reclassification of the Ordinary
Shares;
ii) a
cancellation or reduction of share capital, share premium account
or the capital redemption reserve of the Company;
iii) a
capitalisation of profits or reserves; and
iv) any other
event where the Company determines that an adjustment should be
made,
with the intention, in broad terms,
that any such adjustment will leave the holder in a similar
position to the position it was in immediately before the event
giving rise to the adjustment.
·
Transfer - the Additional
Warrants will only be transferable by the holders to members of the
same group of companies as the holder.
·
Security - the Additional
Warrants are not secured.
11. EFFECT OF THE FUNDRAISING AND EXERCISE OF WARRANTS
ON THE COMPANY'S SHARE CAPITAL
Upon completion of the Fundraising,
and assuming full take up of the Retail Offer, the Subscription
Shares will represent approximately 6.14 per cent. of the Enlarged
Share Capital, the Placing Shares will represent approximately 1.30
per cent. of the Enlarged Share Capital, and the Retail Offer
Shares will represent approximately 2.29 per cent. of the Enlarged
Share Capital.
The New Ordinary Shares will
represent approximately 10.90 per cent. of the Enlarged Share
Capital and the Existing Ordinary Shares will represent
approximately 89.10 per cent. of the Enlarged Share
Capital.
If the Initial Warrants and the
Additional Warrants are exercised in full, the Initial Warrant
Shares and the Additional Warrant Shares issued would represent
approximately 7.41 per cent. of the Company's issued share capital
immediately after Admission.
12. DILUTIVE IMPACT OF THE FUNDRAISING AND EXERCISE OF
WARRANTS
The proposed issue of the New
Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Fundraising will dilute existing
shareholdings of Shareholders. Shareholders will be able to reduce
the extent of this dilution by participating in either the Placing
or the Retail Offer.
The maximum dilution which a
Shareholder will be subject to if he/she does not participate in
the Fundraising as a result of completion of the Fundraising
(assuming none of the Initial Warrants or Additional Warrants are
exercised), is 12.23 per cent.
The maximum dilution which a
Shareholder will be subject to if he/she does not participate in
the Fundraising as a result of completion of the Fundraising
(assuming all of the Initial Warrants and Additional Warrants are
exercised in full), is 21.21 per cent.
13. APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION OF THE NEW ORDINARY
SHARES
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to
trading on AIM. Subject, amongst other things, to the passing of
the Fundraising Resolutions, Admission is expected to take place,
and dealings on AIM in the Subscription Shares, the Placing Shares
and the Retail Shares are expected to commence, at 8.00 a.m. on 3
December 2024 (or such later time and/or date as may be agreed
between the Company and Cavendish, being no later than 8.00 a.m. on
the Long Stop Date).
The New Ordinary Shares will,
following Admission, rank pari passu
in all respects with the Existing Ordinary Shares
in issue at the date of Admission and will carry the right to
receive all dividends and distributions declared, made or paid on
or in respect of the New Ordinary Shares after
Admission.
For those Shareholders who hold New
Ordinary Shares in uncertificated form, it is expected that on 3
December 2024 the CREST account of Cavendish will be credited with
New Ordinary Shares subscribed for by investors in the Placing and
the Retail Offer. Cavendish will settle with investors from the
Placing and the Retail Offer within CREST by delivery versus
payment (DVP).
For New Ordinary Shares to be held
in certificated form (if any), it is expected that certificates of
title will be despatched within 10 business days of
Admission.
Pending despatch of the share
certificates or the crediting of CREST accounts, the Registrar will
certify any instruments of transfer against the
register.
14. PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES
The attention of Shareholders is
drawn to the section of the Company's annual report and accounts
for the year ended 31 March 2023 headed "Principal Risks and
Uncertainties".
15. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTION
Mr and Mrs Persey and their
associates are a related party of the Company for the purposes of
the AIM Rules by virtue of their status as a substantial
Shareholder. Mr and Mrs Persey and associates have committed to
subscribe for 1,009,768 New Ordinary Shares in the Fundraising via
the Retail Offer, representing in total 0.40 per cent. of the
Enlarged Share Capital. The Directors, being independent Directors
for this purpose, consider, having consulted with the Company's
Nominated Adviser, Cavendish, that the terms of Mr and Mrs Persey's
and their associates' participation in the Fundraising is fair and
reasonable insofar as Shareholders are concerned.
16. GENERAL MEETING
The General Meeting, notice of which
will be set out in the Circular, will be held at the offices of CMS
Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon
Street, London, EC4N 6AF at 11:00 a.m. on 2
December 2024. The General Meeting is being held for the purpose of
considering and, if thought fit, passing the Fundraising
Resolutions which are required to implement, amongst others, the
Placing, the Subscription and the Retail Offer and the Additional
Warrant Issue, together with certain other resolutions.
A summary and explanation of the
Resolutions will be set out in the Circular.
17. RECOMMENDATION
The
Directors consider the Fundraising and the Resolutions to be
proposed at the General Meeting to be in the best interests of the
Company and the Shareholders as a whole. Consequently, the
Directors unanimously recommend that you vote in favour of the
Resolutions to be proposed at the General Meeting, as they intend
to do in respect of the 18,366,999 Ordinary Shares held, directly
or indirectly, by them representing approximately 8.25 per cent. of
the Existing Ordinary Shares.
The
Fundraising is conditional, inter
alia, upon the passing of the Fundraising Resolutions at the
General Meeting. Shareholders should be aware that if the
Fundraising Resolutions are not approved at the General Meeting,
the Subscription, the Placing, the Retail Offer, the issue of the
Redemption Shares and the Additional Warrant Issue will not
proceed.
APPENDIX I - EXPECTED TIMETABLE OF PRINCIPAL
EVENTS
|
2024
|
Announcement of the
Fundraising
|
7:00 a.m.
13 November
|
Retail Offer opens
|
7:05 a.m.
13 November
|
Retail Offer Closes
|
6:00 p.m.
13 November
|
Publication and posting of the
Circular and the Form of Proxy
|
14
November
|
Announcement of results of Retail
Offer
|
14
November
|
Latest time and date for receipt of
Forms of Proxy or electronic proxy appointments for use at the
General Meeting
|
11:00 a.m.
28 November
|
General Meeting
|
11:00 a.m.
2 December
|
Announcement of the results of the
General Meeting
|
2
December
|
Admission and commencement of
dealings in the New Ordinary Shares on AIM, and Settlement
Date
|
08:00 a.m.
3 December
|
New Ordinary Shares in
uncertificated form expected to be credited to accounts in CREST
(uncertificated holders only)
|
3
December
|
Expected date of despatch of
definitive share certificates for the New Ordinary Shares in
certificated form (certificated holders only)
|
Within 10
business days of Admission
|
Long Stop Date
|
31
December 2024
|
Notes:
1. Each of the dates and
times set out in the above timetable and mentioned in this
Announcement is subject to change at the absolute discretion of the
Company (with the agreement of Cavendish), in which event details
of the new times and dates will be notified to the London Stock
Exchange and the Company will make an appropriate announcement to a
Regulatory Information Service.
2. All events listed in
the above timetable following the General Meeting are conditional
on, inter alia, the
passing of the Fundraising Resolutions at the General
Meeting.
3. All of the above
times refer to London time.
APPENDIX II - KEY STATISTICS
Number of Existing Ordinary
Shares
|
222,634,086
|
Issue Price per New Ordinary
Share
|
35
pence
|
Discount to Closing Price on the
Latest Practicable Date
|
9.0%
|
Subscription
|
|
Minimum number of Subscription
Shares to be issued
|
15,333,834
|
Percentage of Enlarged Share Capital
represented by Subscription Shares
|
6.14%
|
Minimum gross proceeds of the
Subscription
|
approximately £5.36 million
|
Placing
|
|
Number of Placing Shares to be
issued
|
3,237,594
|
Percentage of Enlarged Share Capital
represented by Placing Shares*
|
1.30%
|
Gross proceeds of the
Placing
|
approximately £1.13 million
|
Retail
Offer
|
|
Number of Retail Shares to be
issued
|
up
to 5,714,285
|
Percentage of Enlarged Share Capital
represented by Retail Shares*
|
up to
approximately 2.29%
|
Gross proceeds of the Retail
Offer
|
up to
£2.0 million
|
Redemption
|
|
Number of Redemption Shares to be
issued**
|
2,942,857
|
Percentage of Enlarged Share Capital
represented by Redemption Shares*
|
1.18%
|
Warrants
|
|
Number of existing Initial
Warrants
|
10,000,000
|
Number of Additional Warrants to be
issued
|
10,000,000
|
Fundraising
|
|
Enlarged Share Capital immediately
following Admission*
|
249,862,656 Ordinary Shares
|
Estimated Net Proceeds of the
Fundraising*
|
approximately £8.10 million
|
Ordinary Share ISIN
|
GB00B0M8KM36
|
SEDOL
|
B0M8KM3
|
Notes:
* Assumes that: (i) no further Ordinary Shares are issued as a
result of the exercise of any options or awards vesting under any
employee share incentive plan between the Latest Practicable Date
and Admission; (ii) full take up of the Retail Offer; (iii)
no issue of new Ordinary Shares in connection with the exercise of
the Initial Warrants or the Additional Warrants prior to
Admission.
**
The Redemption Shares are not part of the Fundraising but the issue
of them is conditional upon the passing of the Fundraising
Resolutions and Admission.
APPENDIX III - DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply
throughout this announcement, unless the context otherwise
requires:
"2024 GM"
|
the general meeting of the Company
held on 15 January 2024
|
"Act"
|
the Companies Act 2006 (as
amended)
|
"Additional Warrant Issue"
|
the issue of the Additional Warrants
to Ocean Infinity conditional upon the passing of the Fundraising
Resolutions
|
"Additional Warrant Shares"
|
up to 10,000,000 new Ordinary Shares
to be issued on exercise of the Additional Warrants
|
"Additional Warrants"
|
the 10,000,000 unlisted warrants to
be issued in respect of the Additional Warrant Shares, conditional
on the passing of the Fundraising Resolutions
|
"Admission"
|
the admission to trading on AIM of
the New Ordinary Shares becoming effective in accordance with Rule
6 of the AIM Rules for Companies and references to Admission
becoming "effective" shall
be construed accordingly
|
"AIM"
|
a market operated by the London
Stock Exchange
|
"AIM Rules"
|
the AIM Rules for Companies
published by the London Stock Exchange from time to time
|
"Announcement"
|
this announcement (including the
appendices)
|
"Bookbuild" or "Bookbuild Platform"
|
the online platform through which
the Retail Offer is being conducted
|
"Cavendish"
|
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited,
nominated adviser, broker and bookrunner to the Company
|
"certificated" or "in certificated form"
|
the description of an Ordinary Share
or other security which is not in uncertificated form (that is not
in CREST)
|
"Circular"
|
the circular to be published by the
Company in relation to the Fundraising and incorporating the Notice
of General Meeting
|
"Closing Price"
|
the closing middle market quotation
of an Existing Ordinary Share as derived from the Daily Official
List of the London Stock Exchange
|
"Company"
|
SRT Marine System plc (company
number: 05459678)
|
"CREST"
|
the relevant system (as defined in
the CREST Regulations) in respect of which Euroclear is the
Operator (as defined in the CREST Regulations)
|
"CREST Regulations"
|
the Uncertificated Securities
Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3755) (as amended)
|
"Directors" or "Board"
|
the board of directors of the
Company
|
"Enlarged Share Capital"
|
the issued share capital of the
Company immediately following Admission, comprising the Existing
Ordinary Shares and the New Ordinary Shares
|
"Estimated Expenses"
|
the estimated expenses incurred in
connection with the Fundraising, being approximately
£0.40 million
|
"EU"
|
the European Union
|
"Euroclear"
|
Euroclear UK & International
Limited, the operator of CREST
|
"Existing Ordinary Shares"
|
the 222,634,086 Ordinary Shares in
issue at the date of this Announcement, all of which are admitted
to trading on AIM and being the entire issued ordinary share
capital of the Company prior to the Fundraising
|
"FCA"
|
the UK's Financial Conduct
Authority
|
"Form of Proxy"
|
the form of proxy that will
accompany the Circular for use by Shareholders in connection with
the General Meeting
|
"FSMA"
|
the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000 (as amended)
|
"Fundraising"
|
together the Subscription, the
Placing and the Retail Offer
|
"Fundraising Resolutions"
|
the Resolutions numbered 1 and 2 to
be proposed at the General Meeting, the full text of which is set
out in the Notice of General Meeting
|
"General Meeting"
|
the general meeting of the Company
to be convened for 11:00 a.m. on 2 December 2024 at the offices of
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon
Street, London, EC4N 6AF to approve the Resolutions, or any
adjournment thereof, notice of which will be set out at the end of
the Circular
|
"Group"
|
the Company and its
subsidiaries
|
"Initial Warrant Shares"
|
up to 10,000,000 new Ordinary Shares
to be issued on exercise of the Initial Warrants
|
"Initial Warrants"
|
the 10,000,000 unlisted warrants
issued in respect of the Initial Warrant Shares
|
"Intermediaries"
|
any financial intermediary that is
appointed in connection with the Retail Offer and "Intermediary" shall mean any one of
them
|
"ISIN"
|
International Securities
Identification Number
|
"Issue Price"
|
35 pence per New Ordinary
Share
|
"Latest Practicable Date"
|
12 November 2024, being the latest
practicable date prior to this Announcement
|
"London Stock Exchange"
|
London Stock Exchange plc
|
"Long Stop Date"
|
31 December 2024
|
"Net Proceeds"
|
up to approximately £8.10 million,
being the proceeds from the issue of the New Ordinary Shares, after
the deduction of the Estimated Expenses
|
"New Ordinary Shares"
|
the new Ordinary Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Fundraising and the Redemption
|
"Noteholders"
|
David Brierwood and Sandra
Brierwood
|
"Notice of General Meeting"
|
the notice of the General Meeting to
be set out at the end of the Circular
|
"Ocean Infinity"
|
Ocean Infinity Group
Limited
|
"Ordinary Shares"
|
ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each in
the capital of the Company
|
"Placing"
|
the proposed conditional placing of
the Placing Shares by Cavendish, as agent for the Company, at the
Issue Price on the terms and conditions set out in the Placing
Agreement
|
"Placing Agreement"
|
the agreement between the Company
and Cavendish dated 12 November 2024 in connection with the
Placing
|
"Placing Shares"
|
the 3,237,594 New Ordinary Shares to
be allotted credited fully paid pursuant to the Placing
|
"Prospectus Regulation"
|
EU Regulation 2017/1129 (which forms
part of UK domestic law pursuant to the European Union (Withdrawal)
Act 2018) on the requirements for a prospectus to be published when
securities are offered to the public or admitted to
trading
|
"Prospectus Regulation Rules"
|
the prospectus regulation rules
published by the FCA pursuant to section 73A of FSMA
|
"Redemption"
|
the proposed redemption by the
Company of loan notes in the amount of £1,030,000 (comprising
principal and accrued interest) in consideration of the issue by
the Company of the Redemption Shares to the Noteholders
|
"Redemption Shares"
|
2,942,857 New Ordinary Shares to be
issued at the Issue Price pursuant to the Redemption subject to,
inter alia, the passing of
the Fundraising Resolutions at the General Meeting
|
"Registrar"
|
Computershare Investor Services
PLC
|
"Regulatory Information Service" or
"RIS"
|
a regulatory information service as
defined by the AIM Rules for Companies
|
"Resolutions"
|
the resolutions to be proposed at
the General Meeting, as set out in the Notice of General Meeting in
the Circular, and a reference to "Resolution" followed by a number is to
the resolution so numbered in the Notice of General
Meeting
|
"Retail Investors"
|
eligible investors in the Retail
Offer
|
"Retail Offer"
|
the offer of New Ordinary Shares to
be subscribed for by Retail Investors via the Bookbuild Platform at
the Issue Price and admitted to trading as part of Admission,
subject to and conditional upon the Fundraising Resolutions being
passed at the General Meeting
|
"Retail Shares"
|
up to 5,714,285 New Ordinary Shares to be
issued pursuant to the Retail Offer subject to, inter alia, the passing of the
Fundraising Resolutions at the General Meeting
|
"Securities Act"
|
the United States Securities Act of
1933, as amended
|
"SEDOL"
|
Stock Exchange Daily Official
List
|
"Shareholders"
|
holders of Ordinary Shares from time
to time, each individually a "Shareholder"
|
"Subscription"
|
the subscription for a minimum of
15,333,834 New Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price by Ocean Infinity
under the terms of the Subscription Agreement, comprising the
subscription for the Subscription Shares
|
"Subscription Agreement"
|
the agreement dated 12 November 2024
between the Company and Ocean Infinity in connection with the
Subscription
|
"Subscription Shares"
|
at least 15,333,834 New Ordinary
Shares which are to be conditionally subscribed for cash by Ocean
Infinity pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of the
Subscription Agreement
|
"System Contract Support
Package"
|
the substantial investment and
short-term finance bridge support package from Ocean Infinity worth
approximately £31 million, further details of which are set out in
the Company's announcement of 28 October 2024
|
"UK"
|
United Kingdom
|
"United States"
|
United States of America, its
territories and possessions, any State of the United States, and
the District of Columbia.
|
"Warrant"
|
a warrant over Ordinary Shares
(being either an Initial Warrant or an Additional
Warrant)
|
All references in this announcement
to "£", "pence", "p" or "pounds sterling" are to the lawful
currency of the UK.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE
PLACING.
THE
ANNOUNCEMENT 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, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY
OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR
DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE
PLACING. THE ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDICES) AND THE
TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (TOGETHER, THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT")
ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM
IN ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS
PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE:
(1) IF IN A MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA ("EEA"),
QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU)
2017/1129 (THE "EU PROSPECTUS REGULATION"); (2) IF IN THE UNITED
KINGDOM, QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF
REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 AS IT FORMS PART OF UNITED KINGDOM
DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018
(THE "UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION"); WHO (A) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5)
OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL
PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER") (INVESTMENT
PROFESSIONALS) OR (B) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(a) TO (d) (HIGH NET
WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER;
AND (3) OTHERWISE, PERSONS TO WHOM IT IS OTHERWISE LAWFUL TO
COMMUNICATE IT TO (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS
"RELEVANT PERSONS").
THE
ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION IN IT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR
RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. PERSONS
DISTRIBUTING THE ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS
LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO
WHICH THE ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT
PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR
SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN SRT MARINE SYSTEMS
PLC.
THE
SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE
REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES 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 THEREFORE MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR TRANSFERRED, 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 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 SECURITIES IS
BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OR ELSEWHERE.
The distribution of the 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
Representatives that would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or
possession or distribution of the 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 the Announcement comes are required
by the Company and Cavendish to inform themselves about and to
observe any such restrictions.
The 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, 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 in
the United Kingdom or the EEA will be made pursuant to an exemption
from the requirement to produce a prospectus under the UK
Prospectus Regulation or the EU Prospectus Regulation, as
appropriate. In the United Kingdom, the Announcement is being
directed solely at persons in circumstances in which section 21(1)
of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) (the
"FSMA") does not require the approval of the relevant communication
by an authorised person.
The relevant clearances have not
been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of
any province or territory of Canada, no prospectus has been lodged
with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant
clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained from the South
Africa Reserve Bank or any other applicable body in the Republic of
South Africa in relation to the Placing Shares and the Placing
Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offered
in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or
territory of the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of
South Africa or Japan. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may
not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is
applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or
indirectly, in or into the United States, Australia, Canada, the
Republic of South Africa or Japan 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 the Announcement
should seek appropriate advice before taking any such
action.
The Announcement should be read in
its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand
the information provided in the "Important Notices" section of the
Announcement.
By participating in the Bookbuilding
Process and the Placing, each Placee will be deemed to have read
and understood the Announcement in its entirety, to be
participating, making an offer and acquiring Placing Shares on the
terms and conditions contained herein and to be providing the
representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and
undertakings contained in this Appendix.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS
OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, REGULATORY, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED
ASPECTS OF A SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE PLACING SHARES.
In particular, each such Placee
represents, warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst
other things) to Cavendish and the Company that:
1. it is a
Relevant Person and undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage
or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the
purposes of its business;
2. in the case
of a Relevant Person in the United Kingdom who acquires any Placing
Shares pursuant to the Placing:
(a) it is a
Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK
Prospectus Regulation; and
(b) in the case of
any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as
that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation:
(i) the
Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing have not been acquired
on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their
offer or resale to, persons in the United Kingdom other than
Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior consent
of 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; and
3. in the case
of a Relevant Person in a member state of the EEA (each a "Relevant
State") who acquires any Placing Shares pursuant to the
Placing:
(a) it is a
Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the EU
Prospectus Regulation; and
(b) in the case of
any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as
that term is used in Article 5(1) of the EU Prospectus
Regulation:
(i) the
Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing have not been acquired
on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their
offer or resale to, persons in a Relevant State other than
Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior consent
of 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 EU Prospectus
Regulation as having been made to such persons; and
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 the
Announcement; and
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. it (and any
account referred to in paragraph 5 above) is located outside of the
United States and is acquiring the Placing Shares in "offshore
transactions" as defined in and in accordance with Regulation S
under the Securities Act; and
7. the Company
and Cavendish will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the
foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and
agreements.
No
prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered
to a limited number of specifically invited persons only and will
not be offered in such a way as to require any prospectus or other
offering document to be published. No prospectus or other
offering document has been or will be submitted to be approved by
the 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 the Announcement and any information
publicly announced through a Regulatory Information Service (as
defined in the AIM Rules for Companies (the "AIM Rules")) by or on
behalf of the Company on or prior to the date of the Announcement
(the "Publicly Available Information") and subject to any further
terms set out in the contract note, electronic trade or other (oral
or written) confirmation to be sent to individual
Placees.
Each Placee, by participating in the
Placing, agrees that the content of the 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 Cavendish or the Company or any other person and
none of Cavendish , the Company nor any other person acting on such
person's behalf nor any of their respective Representatives 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 Placee should consider any
information in the 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 will shortly enter into a
placing agreement (the "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, will agree to use its reasonable endeavours to procure
Placees for the Placing Shares.
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be subject to the memorandum and articles of association of
the Company be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in
all respects with the existing issued ordinary shares of 0.1 pence
each ("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 Admission.
Lock-up
As part of the Placing, the Company
has agreed that it will not for a period of two months after (but
including) Admission, directly or indirectly, issue, offer, sell,
lend, pledge, contract to sell or issue, grant any option, right or
warrant to purchase or otherwise dispose of any Ordinary Shares (or
any interest therein or in respect thereof) or other securities of
the Company exchangeable for, convertible into or representing the
right to receive Ordinary Shares or any substantially similar
securities or otherwise enter into any transaction (including
derivative transaction) directly or indirectly, permanently or
temporarily, to dispose of any Ordinary Shares or undertake any
other transaction with the same economic effect as any of the
foregoing or announce an offering of Ordinary Shares or any
interest therein or to announce publicly any intention to enter
into any transaction described above. This agreement is
subject to certain customary exceptions and does not prevent (i)
the grant or exercise of options or awards under any of the
Company's existing share incentives and share option schemes, or
(ii) following Admission the issue by the Company of any Ordinary
Shares upon the exercise of any right or option or the conversion
of a security already in existence, or (iii) the issue by the
Company of any Ordinary Shares in relation to the
Fundraising.
Applications for admission to trading
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for admission of the Placing Shares to
trading on AIM.
Subject to, amongst other things,
the Placing Resolutions being passed by the requisite majorities at
the General Meeting, it is expected that settlement of the Placing
Shares and Admission will become effective on or around 8.00 a.m.
on 3 December 2024 and that dealings in the Placing Shares on AIM
will commence at that time or such later time and/or dates as the
Company and Cavendish may agree (being in any event no later than
8.00 a.m. on 31 December2024).
The
Bookbuilding Process
This Appendix IV gives details of
the terms and conditions of, and the mechanics of participation in,
the Placing. No commissions will be paid to Placees or by
Placees in respect of any Placing Shares.
Cavendish and the Company shall be
entitled to effect the Placing by such alternative method to the
Bookbuilding Process as they may, in their sole discretion,
determine.
Principal terms of the Bookbuilding
Process and Placing
1. Cavendish
is arranging the Placing as broker and placing agent of the
Company.
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 enter bids in the Bookbuilding Process.
3. The price
per Placing Share (the "Issue Price") is fixed at 35
pence.
4. Each
Placee's allocation will be determined by Cavendish in its
discretion following consultation with the Company and will be
confirmed to Placees either orally or by email by Cavendish.
Cavendish may choose to accept bids, either in whole or in part, on
the basis of allocations determined at its absolute discretion, in
consultation with the Company, and may scale down any bids for this
purpose on the basis referred to in paragraph 6
below.
5. Each
Placee's allocation and commitment will be evidenced by a contract
note, electronic trade confirmation or other (oral or written)
confirmation issued to such Placee by Cavendish. The terms of
this Appendix will be deemed incorporated in that contract note,
electronic trade confirmation or other (oral or written)
confirmation.
6. Subject to
paragraphs 4 and 5 above, Cavendish may choose to accept bids,
either in whole or in part, on the basis of allocations determined
at its discretion and may scale down any bids for this purpose on
such basis as it may determine or be directed. Cavendish may
also, notwithstanding paragraphs 4 and 5 above, subject to the
prior consent of the Company:
(a) allocate Placing
Shares after the time of any initial allocation to any person
submitting a bid after that time; and
(b) allocate Placing
Shares after the Bookbuilding Process has closed to any person
submitting a bid after that time.
7. Each
Placee's allocation and commitment to acquire Placing Shares will
be made on the terms and subject to the conditions in this Appendix
and will be legally binding on the Placee on behalf of which it is
made and except with Cavendish's consent will not be capable of
variation or revocation after the time at which it is
submitted. Following Cavendish's oral or written confirmation
of each Placee's allocation and commitment to acquire Placing
Shares, 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 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 Cavendish 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(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".
10. All obligations
under the Bookbuilding Process and 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".
11. By participating
in the Bookbuilding Process, 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.
12. To the fullest
extent permissible by law and applicable FCA rules and regulations,
none of:
(a)
Cavendish;
(b) any of its
Representatives; or
(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);
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, neither Cavendish nor any of its
affiliates shall have any liability (including, to the extent
permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of Cavendish's
conduct of the Bookbuilding Process 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 contract note or
electronic trade confirmation or other (oral or written)
confirmation 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: GB00B0M8KM36) following Admission will take
place within the CREST system, subject to certain exceptions.
Settlement through CREST is expected to occur (subject to the
Placing Resolutions having been duly passed at the General
Meeting), on 3 December 2024 (each a "Settlement Date"), in
accordance with the contract notes or electronic trade confirmation
or other (oral or written) confirmation. 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 for the Placing Shares, and to deliver the
Placing Shares to Placees, by such other means as they deem
necessary if delivery or settlement to Placees is not practicable
within the CREST system or would not be consistent with regulatory
requirements in the jurisdiction in which a Placee is
located.
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
the prevailing base rate of Barclays Bank plc as determined by
Cavendish.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that,
if it does not comply with these obligations, Cavendish may sell
any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on their
behalf and retain from the proceeds, for Cavendish's own account
and benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the
Placee plus any interest due. The relevant Placee will,
however, remain liable for any shortfall below the Issue Price and
for any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any
interest or penalties) imposed in any jurisdiction which may arise
upon the sale of such Placing Shares on its behalf. By
communicating a bid for Placing Shares, such Placee confers on
Cavendish all such authorities and powers necessary to carry out
such sale and agrees to ratify and confirm all actions which
Cavendish lawfully takes in pursuance of such sale.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees must ensure
that, upon receipt, the conditional contract note or the electronic
trade confirmation or other (oral or written) 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. If there are any
circumstances in which any United Kingdom stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax or other similar taxes or duties (including any
interest and penalties relating thereto) is payable in respect of
the allocation, allotment, issue, sale, transfer or delivery of the
Placing Shares (or, for the avoidance of doubt, if any stamp duty
or stamp duty reserve tax is payable in connection with any
subsequent transfer or agreement to transfer Placing Shares), the
Company shall not be responsible for payment thereof. 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 in all respects and not
having been terminated in accordance with its terms prior to
Admission. Cavendish's obligations under the Placing Agreement are
conditional on customary conditions including (amongst others) (the
"Conditions") set out below:
1.
the Company having
complied, in the opinion of Cavendish (acting in good faith), with
all of its obligations under the Placing Agreement (to the extent
that such obligations fall to be performed before Admission and
there having occurred no material default or breach by the Company
of its terms at any time immediately prior to
Admission);
2. in the
opinion of Cavendish (acting in good faith), each of the warranties
contained in the Placing Agreement being true and accurate and not
misleading on and as of the date of the Placing Agreement and the
date of Admission as though they had been given and made on such
dates by reference to the facts and circumstances at the relevant
time;
3. the General
Meeting having taken place on the date set out in the Notice of
General Meeting, no adjournment of the General Meeting having
occurred without the prior written consent of Cavendish and each of
the Placing Resolutions having been passed thereat by the requisite
majority without amendment;
4. completion
of the Subscription (save for the condition relating to Admission);
and
5. Admission
occurring no later than 8.00 a.m. on 3 December2024 (or such later
time and/or date, not being later than 5.00 p.m. on 31 December
2024, as Cavendish may otherwise agree with the Company provided
that each of the parties shall perform its obligations under the
Placing Agreement until such time (if any) as any of the conditions
under the Placing Agreement shall have been incapable of being
satisfied and have not been waived).
Cavendish may, at its discretion and
upon such terms as it thinks fit, waive compliance by the Company
with the whole or any part of certain of the Company's obligations
in relation to the conditions in the Placing Agreement or extend
the time or date provided for fulfilment of certain such conditions
in respect of all or any part of the performance
thereof.
The conditions in the Placing
Agreement relating to (amongst other things) Admission taking place
may not be waived. Any such extension or waiver will not affect
Placees' commitments as set out in this Appendix.
If: (i) any of the conditions are
not fulfilled or (where permitted) waived by Cavendish by the
relevant time or date specified (or such later time or date as the
Company and Cavendish may agree); or (ii) the Placing Agreement is
terminated in the circumstances specified below under 'Right to
terminate under the Placing Agreement', the Placing will not
proceed 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 it or on
its behalf (or any person on whose behalf the Placee is acting) in
respect thereof.
None of Cavendish, the Company, or
any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees shall have any liability to any Placee (or to any other
person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in
respect of any decision they may make as to whether or not to waive
or to extend the time and/or date for the satisfaction of any
Condition to the Placing, nor for any decision they may make as to
the satisfaction of any Condition or in respect of the Placing
generally, and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees
that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of
Cavendish.
Termination of the Placing
Cavendish is entitled, at any time
on or before Admission, to terminate its obligations under the
Placing Agreement in accordance with its terms in certain
circumstances, including, inter
alia:
1. the Company
fails to comply with its obligations under the Placing Agreement or
under the terms of the Placing which, in any such case, Cavendish
(acting in good faith) considers to be material; or
2. any of the
warranties or undertakings contained in the Placing Agreement is
untrue or inaccurate by reference to the facts or circumstances
subsisting at the time or a matter has arisen that might reasonably
be expected to give rise to a claim under the indemnity contained
in the Placing Agreement, in each case in any respect which
Cavendish (acting in good faith) considered to be material;
or
3. it comes to
the notice of Cavendish that any statement contained in, amongst
other things, the Announcement or the Circular was or has become
untrue, incorrect or misleading in any respect which Cavendish
(acting in good faith) considers to be material or that any matter
which Cavendish (acting in good faith) considers to be material has
arisen which would if the Placing were made at that time,
constitute a material omission therefrom; or
4. the
occurrence of certain force majeure events, the effect of which is
such as to make it, in the judgment of Cavendish (acting in good
faith), impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the Placing in
the manner contemplated in the Placing Agreement or which may
materially and adversely affect the success of the Placing or
dealings in the Placing Shares.
Upon termination, Cavendish shall be
released and discharged (except for any liability arising before or
in relation to such termination) from its obligations under or
pursuant to the Placing Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.
If Cavendish exercises its right to terminate the Placing Agreement
before Admission, then the Placing Agreement shall cease and
terminate and the Placing will not proceed.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that (i) the exercise by Cavendish of any right
of termination or of any other discretion under the Placing
Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of Cavendish and
that it need not make any reference to, or consult with, Placees
and that it shall have no liability to Placees whatsoever in
connection with any such exercise or failure to so exercise and
(ii) its rights and obligations terminate only in the circumstances
described above under the heading 'Right to terminate under the
Placing Agreement' and the heading 'Conditions of the Placing', and
its participation will not be capable of rescission or termination
by it after oral confirmation by Cavendish of the allocation and
commitments following the close of the Bookbuild.
Representations, warranties and further
terms
By submitting a bid in the
Bookbuilding Process, each Placee (and any person acting on such
Placee's behalf) irrevocably confirms, represents, warrants,
acknowledges and agrees (for itself and for any such prospective
Placee) with the Company and Cavendish (in its capacity as placing
agent of the Company in respect of the Placing) that (save where
Cavendish expressly agrees in writing to the contrary):
1. it has read
and understood the 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 the Announcement
and the Publicly Available Information;
2. it has not
received and will not receive a prospectus or other offering
document in connection with the Placing and acknowledges that no
prospectus or other offering document:
(a) is required
under the Prospectus Regulation or other applicable law;
and
(b) has been or will
be prepared in connection with the Placing;
3. the
Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on AIM, and that the
Company is therefore required to publish certain business and
financial information in accordance with the AIM Rules for the
Companies (the "AIM Rules") and the Market Abuse Regulation (EU
Regulation No. 596/2014 as it applies in the United Kingdom as it
forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European
Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "UK MAR")), which includes a
description of the nature of the Company's business and the
Company's most recent balance sheet and profit and loss account and
that it is able to obtain or access such information without undue
difficulty, and is able to obtain access to such information or
comparable information concerning any other publicly traded
company, without undue difficulty;
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 neither
Cavendish nor the Company nor any of their respective
Representatives 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 the Announcement or the Publicly Available
Information; nor has it requested Cavendish , the Company, any of
their respective Representatives 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 behalf of it nor any of its
Representatives 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.
(a) the only
information on which it is entitled to rely on and on which it has
relied in committing to acquire the Placing Shares is contained in
the 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 the information in the Announcement and the
Publicly Available Information;
(b) neither
Cavendish, nor the Company (nor any of their respective
Representatives) have 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, nor will it provide any material or
information regarding the Company, the Placing or the Placing
Shares;
(c) it has conducted
its own investigation of the Company, the Placing (including its
terms and conditions) 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;
and
(d) 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;
7. the content
of the 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 nor
any of its Representatives is responsible for or has or shall have
any liability for any information, representation, warranty or
statement relating to the Company contained in the 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 the
Announcement, the Publicly Available Information or
otherwise. Nothing in this Appendix shall exclude any
liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation;
8. 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 Act or any other securities
laws of the United States, or any state or other jurisdiction of
the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa
or Japan and, therefore the Placing Shares may not be offered,
re-offered, sold, re-sold, taken up, renounced or delivered or
transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States,
Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or Japan or in any
country or jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is
required;
9. it may be
asked to disclose in writing or orally to Cavendish : (i) if he or
she is an individual, his or her nationality; or (ii) if he or she
is a discretionary fund manager, the jurisdiction in which the
funds are managed or owned;
10. where it is
acquiring Placing Shares for one or more managed accounts,
represents and warrants that 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 the Announcement
of which it forms part; and (c) to receive on its behalf any
investment letter relating to the Placing in the form provided to
it by Cavendish;
11. it has the funds
available to pay for the Placing Shares for which it has agreed to
acquire and acknowledges and agrees that it will pay the total
amount in accordance with the terms of the Announcement on the due
time and date set out herein, failing which the relevant Placing
Shares may be placed with other Placees or sold at such price as
Cavendish determines;
12. 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 the 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 it is required
to comply with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to
its acquisition of Placing Shares;
13. 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 resident of, or be
located or have an address in, or subject to the laws of, the
United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or
Japan, 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,
the Republic of South Africa or Japan and may not be offered, sold,
or acquired, directly or indirectly, within those
jurisdictions;
14. 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;
15. it understands
that 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 understands
that the Placing Shares are expected to be issued to it through
CREST but may be issued to it in certificated, definitive form and
acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Shares may, to the extent
they are delivered in certificated form, bear a legend to the
following effect unless agreed otherwise with the
Company:
"THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN AND
WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF
1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR UNDER THE APPLICABLE
SECURITIES LAWS OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY
STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE
OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT (A) PURSUANT
TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT, (B) IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE
WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT
OR (C) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND, IN EACH CASE,
IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR
OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. NOTWITHSTANDING
ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY IN THE FOREGOING, THE SECURITIES MAY NOT
BE DEPOSITED INTO ANY UNRESTRICTED DEPOSITARY RECEIPT FACILITY IN
RESPECT OF THE COMPANY'S SECURITIES ESTABLISHED OR MAINTAINED BY A
DEPOSITARY BANK. EACH HOLDER, BY ITS ACCEPTANCE OF THESE
SHARES, REPRESENTS THAT IT UNDERSTANDS AND AGREES TO THE FOREGOING
RESTRICTIONS.";
17. it is not taking
up the Placing Shares as a result of any "directed selling efforts"
(as such term is defined in Regulation S under the Securities
Act);
18. it will not
distribute, forward, transfer or otherwise transmit the
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. none of
Cavendish, the Company nor any of their respective Representatives
nor any person acting on behalf of any of them is making any
recommendations to it or 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 will make
payment to Cavendish for the Placing Shares allocated to it in
accordance with the terms and conditions of the Announcement on the
due times and dates set out in the Announcement, failing which the
relevant Placing Shares may be placed with others on such terms as
Cavendish determines in its absolute discretion 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 the Announcement) which may
arise upon the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares on its
behalf;;
21. 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 the Company may call upon it to subscribe
for a lower number of Placing Shares (if any), but in no event in
aggregate more than the aforementioned maximum;
22. 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,
and that Cavendish and the Company
will not 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 indemnify the Company and Cavendish in
respect of the same on the basis that the Placing Shares will be
allotted to a CREST stock account of Cavendish or transferred to a
CREST stock account of Cavendish who will hold them as nominee on
behalf of the Placee until settlement in accordance with its
standing settlement instructions with it;
23. 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;
24. if it is within
the United Kingdom, it and any person acting on its behalf (if
within the United Kingdom) falls within Article 19(5) and/or 49(2)
of the Order and 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;
25. it has not
offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to
persons in a Relevant State 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 EU
Prospectus Regulation;
26. if it is within
the United Kingdom, it is a Qualified Investor as defined in
Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation and if it is within a
Relevant State, it is a Qualified Investor as defined in Article
2(e) of the EU Prospectus Regulation;
27. 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 and
agrees that the Announcement has not been approved by Cavendish 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;
28. 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 and the MAR
in respect of anything done in, from or otherwise involving the
United Kingdom);
29. if it is a
financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the
UK Prospectus Regulation, the Placing Shares acquired by it in the
Placing will not be acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf
of, nor will they be acquired with a view to their offer or resale
to, persons in the United Kingdom other than Qualified Investors,
or in circumstances in which the express prior written consent of
Cavendish has been given to each proposed offer or
resale;
30. if in the United
Kingdom, unless otherwise agreed by Cavendish, it is a
"professional client" or an "eligible counterparty" within the
meaning of Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook ("COBS") and it is acquiring Placing Shares for
investment only and not with a view to resale or
distribution;
31. if it has
received any inside information (for the purposes of the UK MAR and
section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act 1993 or other applicable
law) about the Company in advance of the Placing, it has
not:
(a) dealt (or
attempted to deal) in the securities of the Company or cancelled or
amended a dealing in the securities of the Company;
(b) encouraged,
recommended or induced another person to deal in the securities of
the Company or to cancel or amend an order concerning the Company's
securities; or
(c) unlawfully
disclosed such information to any person, prior to the information
being made publicly available;
32. Cavendish and
its affiliates, 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 the 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 Cavendish
nor the Company intend to disclose the extent of any such
investment or transaction otherwise than in accordance with any
legal or regulatory obligation to do so;
33. it:
(a) has complied
with its obligations in connection with money laundering and
terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as
amended), the Terrorism Act 2000 (as amended), the Terrorism Act
2006, the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of
Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (as amended) and
all related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued,
administered or enforced by any government agency having
jurisdiction in respect thereof and the Money Laundering Sourcebook
of the FCA (together, the "Money Laundering
Regulations");
(b) is not a
person:
(i) with whom
transactions are prohibited under the US 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;
(ii) named on
the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets maintained by
HM Treasury of the United Kingdom; or
(iii) subject to
financial sanctions imposed pursuant to a regulation of the
European Union or a regulation adopted by the United Nations or
other applicable law,
(together with the Money Laundering
Regulations, 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 Cavendish such evidence, if any, as to the identity or location
or legal status of any person which they may request from it in
connection with the Placing (for the purpose of complying with the
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 Cavendish on the basis that any
failure by it to do so may result in the number of Placing Shares
that are to be acquired by it or at its direction pursuant to the
Placing being reduced to such number, or to nil, as Cavendish may
decide at its sole discretion;
34. in order to
ensure compliance with the Regulations, Cavendish (for itself and
as agent on behalf of the Company) or the Company's registrars may,
in their absolute discretion, require verification of its
identity. Pending the provision to Cavendish or the Company's
registrars, as applicable, of evidence of identity, definitive
certificates in respect of the Placing Shares may be retained at
Cavendish's absolute discretion or, where appropriate, delivery of
the Placing Shares to it in uncertificated form may be delayed at
Cavendish's or the Company's 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 Company's registrars have
not received evidence satisfactory to them, either Cavendish and/or
the Company may, at its absolute discretion, terminate its
commitment in respect of the Placing, in which event the monies
payable on acceptance of allotment will, if already paid, be
returned without interest to the account of the drawee's bank from
which they were originally debited;
35. its
participation in the Placing would not give rise to an offer being
required to be made by it, or any person with whom it is acting in
concert, pursuant to Rule 9 of the City Code on Takeovers and
Mergers;
36. 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 the FSMA. The 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 's money in accordance with the client money rules
and will be used by Cavendish in the course of its business; and
the Placee will rank only as a general creditor of
Cavendish's;
37. Cavendish may
choose to invoke the CASS Delivery Versus Payment exemption (under
CASS 7.11.14R within the FCA Handbook Client Assets Sourcebook)
with regard to settlement of funds, in connection with the Placing,
should it see fit;
38. neither it nor,
as the case may be, its clients expect Cavendish to have any duties
or responsibilities to such persons similar or comparable to the
duties of "best execution" and "suitability" imposed by the COBS,
and that Cavendish is not acting for it or its clients, and that
Cavendish will not be responsible for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Cavendish or for providing advice in respect
of the transactions described in the Announcement;
39. it acknowledges
that its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on the terms set out
in the Announcement and in the contract note, through the
electronic trade confirmation or other (oral or written)
confirmation will continue notwithstanding any amendment that may
in future be made to the terms and conditions of the Placing and
that Placees will have no right to be consulted or require that
their consent be obtained with respect to the Company's or
Cavendish's conduct of the Placing;
40. it has knowledge
and experience in financial, business and international investment
matters as is required to evaluate the merits and risks of
acquiring 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;
41. 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 acquire upon the terms of the Announcement;
42. the Company,
Cavendish and others (including each of their respective
Representatives) will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the
foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and
agreements, which are given to Cavendish on its own behalf and on
behalf of the Company and are irrevocable;
43. it is acting as
principal only in respect of the Placing or, if it is acquiring the
Placing Shares as a fiduciary or agent for one or more investor
accounts, it:
(a) is duly
authorised to do so and 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; and
(b) 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);
44. time is of the
essence as regards its obligations under this Appendix;
45. 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;
46. the Placing
Shares will be issued subject to the terms and conditions of this
Appendix; and
47. the terms and
conditions contained in this Appendix 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 Placing Shares
pursuant to the Bookbuilding Process and/or the Placing and all
non-contractual or other obligations arising out of or in
connection with them, 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 such contract (including any
dispute regarding the existence, validity or termination or such
contract or relating to any non-contractual or other obligation
arising out of or in connection with such contract), except that
enforcement proceedings in respect of the obligation to make
payment for the Placing Shares (together with 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 Representatives 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 Cavendish, the
Company or each of their respective Representatives arising from
the performance of the Placee's obligations as set out in the
Announcement, and further agrees that the provisions of this
Appendix shall survive after the completion of the
Placing.
The rights and remedies of Cavendish
and the Company under these terms and conditions are in addition to
any rights and remedies which would otherwise be available to each
of them and the exercise or partial exercise or partial exercise of
one will not prevent the exercise of others.
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 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 have 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.
Cavendish is authorised and
regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom and is acting
exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the
Bookbuilding Process and the Placing or any other matter referred
to in the Announcement, and Cavendish will not be responsible to
anyone (including any Placees) other than the Company for providing
the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in
relation to the Bookbuilding Process or the Fundraising or any
other matters referred to in the Announcement.
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 the FSMA. Each Placee acknowledges that
the money will not be subject to the protections conferred by the
client money rules: as a consequence this money will not be
segregated from the Cavendish's money 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 the
Announcement are to London time, unless otherwise
stated.
All times and dates in the
Announcement may be subject to amendment. Placees will be
notified of any changes.
No statement in the Announcement is
intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no statement in
the 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
pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than the AIM market of the London Stock
Exchange.
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, the
Announcement.