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 THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA,
CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A BREACH OF THE
RELEVANT SECURITIES LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION. PLEASE SEE THE
IMPORTANT NOTICES AT THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION
PURPOSES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A PROSPECTUS OR OFFERING
MEMORANDUM OR AN OFFER IN RESPECT OF ANY SECURITIES AND NEITHER
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOR THE FACT OF ITS DISTRIBUTION, FORMS OR IS
INTENDED TO FORM THE BASIS FOR ANY INVESTMENT DECISION IN RESPECT
OF SERINUS ENERGY PLC OR OTHER EVALUATION OF ANY SECURITIES
OFSERNIUS ENERGY PLC OR ANY OTHER ENTITY AND SHOULD NOT BE
CONSIDERED AS A RECOMMENDATION THAT ANY INVESTOR SHOULD SUBSCRIBE
FOR OR PURCHASE ANY SUCH SECURITIES.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE
INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE UK VERSION OF THE MARKET ABUSE
REGULATION (EU NO. 596/2014) AS IT FORMS PART OF UNITED KINGDOM
DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018
("UK MAR").
13 December 2024
Press Release
Placing and Retail Offer to
conditionally raise up to £1.0 million
Jersey, Channel Islands, 13 December 2024
Serinus Energy plc ("Serinus", "SEN" or the "Company") (AIM:SENX,
WSE:SEN), is
pleased to announce that it has conditionally raised gross proceeds
of up to £0.75 million by way of a placing of up to 30,039,101 new
ordinary shares of NPV (the "Ordinary Shares") in the capital of the
Company (the "Placing
Shares") at a price of 2.5 pence per Placing Share (the
"Issue Price")(the
"Placing").
In addition, the Company intends to
carry out a separate retail offer of up to 10,000,000 new Ordinary
Shares (the "Retail Offer
Shares", and together with the Placing Shares, the
"New Ordinary Shares") at
the Issue Price on the Bookbuild Platform to raise gross proceeds
(before fees and expenses) of up to £0.25 million (the
"Retail Offer", and
together with the Placing, the "Fundraising"). The Retail Offer will
provide existing retail Shareholders in the United Kingdom with an
opportunity to participate in the Fundraising at the Issue Price. A
separate announcement will be made in due course regarding the
Retail Offer and its terms. For the avoidance of doubt, the Retail
Offer is not part of the Placing. The results of the Retail Offer
are expected to be announced on 17 December 2024.
The Fundraising is conditional upon,
amongst other things, the approval by the Shareholders of the
Resolutions to be proposed at the General Meeting. The Fundraising
has not been underwritten. The Resolutions must be passed by
Shareholders at the General Meeting in order for the Fundraising to
proceed.
Shore Capital Stockbrokers Limited
("SCS" or "Shore Capital") is acting as sole
bookrunner in connection with the Placing (the "Bookrunner").
Highlights
· The
Company has conditionally raised, in aggregate, gross proceeds of
up to £0.75 million at the Issue Price.
· The
Issue Price represents a discount of approximately 2.40 per cent.
to the 30-day VWAP of 2.56 pence per Existing Ordinary Share on 11
December 2024.
· Serinus intends to use the net proceeds of the Placing to
strengthen the Company's balance sheet and provide working capital
to support the artificial lift programme in Tunisia.
· Xtellus Capital Partners LLC ("Xtellus"), who currently hold 19.81% of
the Company's issued share Capital, have subscribed for 20,100,000
New Ordinary Shares as part of the Placing which will increase
their holding to 29.9%. Additionally, Xtellus will subscribe for up
to 4,000,000 New Ordinary Shares if the Retail Offer is taken up in
full to ensure Xtellus' holding remains at 29.9%.
Related party
transactions
Xtellus, a substantial shareholder
of the Company for the purposes of the AIM Rules, has agreed to
subscribe for up to 24,100,000 Placing Shares (20,100,000 firm and
4,000,000 conditional, as described above).
As at 12 December 2024, being the
latest practicable date prior to the date of this announcement, so
far as the Company is aware, Xtellus holds 23,958,324 Existing
Ordinary Shares representing 19.81 per cent. of the Existing
Ordinary Share Capital. As such, Xtellus is a substantial
shareholder of the Company and its participation in the Placing is
a related party transaction pursuant to AIM Rule 13. The Directors
consider, having consulted with the Company's nominated adviser,
Shore Capital and Corporate ("SCC"), that the terms of Xtellus'
participation in the Placing are fair and reasonable insofar as the
Shareholders are concerned
Directors' participation in the Placing
The Directors of the Company have
subscribed for a total of 800,000 Placing Shares as set out
below:
Director
|
Number of Placing
Shares
|
Shareholding following the
Placing
|
% shareholding following the
firm Placing (excl. the Retail Offer)
|
Jeffrey Auld
|
800,000
|
5,792,954
|
3.84
|
Details of the Placing
As of the date of this Announcement,
the Company has conditionally placed with institutional and other
investors of up to 30,039,101 Placing Shares in aggregate at the
Issue Price of 2.5 pence per Placing Share to raise up to £0.75
million (before commissions and expenses). Following Admission, the
New Ordinary Shares will rank equally with the Existing Ordinary
Shares.
Xtellus have subscribed for
20,100,000 New Ordinary Shares as part of the Placing.
Additionally, Xtellus will subscribe for up to 4,000,000 New
Ordinary Shares if the Retail Offer is taken up in full, which
would result in the Placing raising the full £0.75
million.
The Placing is conditional
upon, inter alia, the
Placing Agreement between the Company and the Bookrunner not having
been terminated in accordance with its terms. The Retail Offer is conditional on the Placing but the
Placing is not conditional on the Retail Offer.
Admission, settlement and dealings
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to
trading on AIM. Admission is expected to take place at
8.00 a.m. on 10 January 2025 and dealings in the New Ordinary
Shares are expected to commence at 8.00 a.m. on 10 January 2025 or,
in each case, such later time and/or date as the Bookrunner and the
Company agree (being in any event no later than 8.00 a.m. on 31
January 2025).
The New Ordinary Shares, when
issued, will be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the
Existing Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all
dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after the
date of issue.
The New Ordinary Shares will be in
registered form and will be capable of being held in either
certificated or uncertificated form (i.e. in CREST). Accordingly,
following Admission, settlement of transactions in the Ordinary
Shares may take place within the CREST system if a Shareholder so
wishes. Shareholders who wish to receive and retain share
certificates are able to do so.
The ISIN number of the New Ordinary
Shares is JE00BNNMKT29. The TIDM is SENX.
About
Serinus
Serinus is an international upstream oil and gas exploration
and production company that owns and operates projects in Tunisia
and Romania.
For
further information, please refer to the Serinus website
(www.serinusenergy.com) or contact the
following:
Serinus Energy plc
Jeffrey Auld, Chief Executive
Officer
Calvin Brackman, Vice President,
External Relations & Strategy
|
+44 204 541
7859
|
|
|
Shore Capital (Nominated
Adviser & Broker)
Toby Gibbs
Lucy Bowden
|
+44 207
408 4090
|
|
|
|
|
-Ends-
Important
Notices
SCS and SCC are authorised and
regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom and are acting
exclusively for Serinus and no one else in connection with the
Placing, and SCS and SCC will not be responsible to anyone
(including any Placees) other than Serinus 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 the
Bookrunner or by any of their 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 therefore is expressly disclaimed.
The responsibilities of SCC as
Serinus' nominated adviser under the AIM Rules for Nominated
Advisers are owed solely to the London Stock Exchange and are not
owed to Serinus or to any Director or to any other
person.
This Announcement may contain, or
may be deemed to contain, "forward-looking statements" with respect
to certain of Serinus' 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 Serinus, 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 Serinus and its affiliates operate, the
effect of volatility in the equity, capital and credit markets on
Serinus' profitability and ability to access capital and credit, a
decline in Serinus' 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 Serinus 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 Serinus
speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required
by applicable law or regulation, Serinus 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 Serinus' expectations with regard thereto or
any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any
such statement is based.
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 Serinus for the current or future financial years would
necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per
share of Serinus.
The Placing Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing will be not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than the AIM market of the London Stock
Exchange.
The Placing Shares have not been
approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange
Commission, any state securities commission or other regulatory
authority in the United States, nor have any of the foregoing
authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or
the accuracy or adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation
to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. The
relevant clearances have not been, nor will they be, obtained from
the securities commission of any province or territory of Canada,
no prospectus has been lodged with, or registered by, the
Australian Securities and Investments Commission 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 or the EEA.
Neither the content of Serinus'
website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on Serinus'
website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this
Announcement.
EXPECTED TIMETABLE OF PRINCIPAL
EVENTS
Publication of the
Circular
|
18
December 2024
|
Latest time and date for receipt of
Forms of Proxy
|
11.00 a.m. on 7 January 2025
|
General Meeting
|
11.00 a.m.
on 9 January 2025
|
Announcement of results of General
Meeting
|
9 January 2025
|
Admission and commencement of
dealings in the New Ordinary Shares on AIM
|
8.00 a.m. on 10 January 2025
|
Crediting of the New Ordinary Shares
in uncertificated form to CREST accounts
|
10 January
2025
|
Dispatch of share certificates in
respect of the New Ordinary Shares
(if applicable)
|
within 10
business days of Admission
|
Notes:
1.
All references to times in this announcement are to London
time.
2.
The dates and times set out in the above timetable and in the rest
of this announcement are indicative only and may be subject to
change. If any such dates and times should change, the revised
times and/or dates will be notified by announcement via
RNS.
3.
All events in the above timetable scheduled to take place after the
General Meeting are conditional on the approval by the Shareholders
of the Resolutions.
PDMR
Notification Form:
1
|
Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities
/ person closely associated
|
a)
|
Name
|
Jeffrey "Jeff" Auld
|
2
|
Reason for the notification
|
a)
|
Position/status
|
President and Chief Executive
Officer
|
b)
|
Initial notification
/Amendment
|
|
Initial Notification
|
3
|
Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant,
auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
|
a)
|
Name
|
|
Serinus Energy plc
|
b)
|
LEI
|
|
|
4
|
Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i)
each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each
date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been
conducted
|
a)
|
Description of the financial
instrument, type of instrument
|
|
Ordinary Shares of NPV
|
Identification code
|
|
JE00BNNMKT29
|
|
|
|
b)
|
Nature of the transaction
|
|
Issue of Placing Shares
|
c)
|
Price(s) and volume(s)
|
|
Price(s)
|
Volume(s)
|
2.5p
|
800,000
|
|
d)
|
Aggregated information
Aggregate volume Price
|
N/A - single transaction
|
|
|
|
e)
|
Date of the transaction
|
12 December 2024
|
f)
|
Place of the transaction
|
AIM
|
APPENDIX
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE PLACING FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR THE SALE
OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THIS APPENDIX) (THE
"ANNOUNCEMENT") IS
RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION,
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED
STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND THE
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH
PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE
UNLAWFUL.
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.
Capitalised terms not otherwise
defined in this Appendix are as defined in the section headed
'Definitions' in this Announcement of which this Appendix forms a
part.
These Terms and Conditions do not
constitute an offer or invitation to acquire, underwrite or dispose
of, or any solicitation of any offer or invitation to acquire,
underwrite or dispose of, any Placing Shares or other securities of
the Company to any person in any jurisdiction to whom it is
unlawful to make such offer, invitation or solicitation in such
jurisdiction. Persons who seek to participate in the Placing
("Placees") must inform themselves about and observe any such
restrictions and must be persons who are able to lawfully receive
this Announcement in their jurisdiction. In particular, these Terms
and Conditions do not constitute an offer or invitation (or a
solicitation of any offer or invitation) to acquire, underwrite or
dispose of or otherwise deal in any Placing Shares or other
securities of the Company in the United States of America, its
territories and possessions ("United States"), Canada, Australia, Japan, Republic
of Ireland or the Republic of South Africa or in any other
jurisdiction in which any such offer, invitation or solicitation is
or would be unlawful ("Restricted
Jurisdiction").
The Placing Shares have not been,
and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act
of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or under the securities laws or
with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered, sold,
taken up, renounced, delivered or transferred, directly or
indirectly, in the United States or to or by a person resident in
or for the account of any person in the United States absent
registration under the Securities Act or pursuant to an available
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.
No public offering of the Placing
Shares is being made in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. Members of
the public are not eligible to take part in the placing and no
public offering of Placing Shares is being or will be made. This
Announcement and the terms and conditions set out and referred to
in it are directed only at persons selected by Shore Capital who is
(a) if in the United Kingdom, persons who (i) have professional
experience in matters relating to investments falling within
article 19(1) of The Financial Services and Markets Act (Financial
Promotion) Order 2005, as amended ("FPO")
and who fall within the definition of 'investment professionals' in
article 19(5) of the FPO or fall within the definition of 'high net
worth companies, unincorporated associations etc.' in article
49(2)(a) to (d) of the FPO and (ii) are 'qualified investors'
("UK Qualified
Investors")
being persons within the meaning of article 2(e) of Regulation (EU)
2017/1129 (as amended) as it forms part of UK domestic law by
virtue of, the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended)
(the "UK Prospectus
Regulation"); (b) if in a member state of the European Economic Area
("EEA"), persons who are 'qualified
investors' ("EEA Qualified
Investors")
being persons falling within the meaning of article 2(e) of
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (as amended) (the "EU
Prospectus Regulation"); or (c) persons to whom it may
otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons referred to in
(a), (b) and (c) together being referred to as "Relevant Persons").
No action has been taken by the
Company, Shore Capital, or any of their respective directors,
officers, partners, agents, employees or affiliates that would
permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution
of this Announcement or any other publicity material relating to
such Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that
purpose is required. Persons receiving this Announcement are
required to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions
contained in this Announcement.
This Announcement does not itself
constitute an offer for sale or subscription of any securities in
the Company. This Announcement and the terms and conditions set out
herein must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not
Relevant Persons. 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. Distribution of this
Announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted or
prohibited by law. Persons distributing this announcement must
satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.
These Terms and Conditions apply to
Placees, each of whom confirms his or its agreement, whether by
telephone or otherwise, with Shore Capital to subscribe and pay for
Placing Shares in the Placing, and hereby agrees with Shore Capital
and the Company to be legally and irrevocably bound by these Terms
and Conditions which will be the Terms and Conditions on which the
Placing Shares will be acquired in the Placing and each such Placee
is deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its
entirety (including this Appendix) and to be providing the
representations, warranties, undertakings, agreements and
acknowledgements contained in this Appendix.
These Terms and Conditions must not
be acted on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons.
Any investment or investment activity to which the Terms and
Conditions set out herein relates is available only to Relevant
Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. A Placee
may not assign, transfer, or in any manner, deal with its rights or
obligations under the agreement arising from the acceptance of the
Placing, without the prior written agreement of Shore Capital or in
accordance with all relevant requirements.
All times and dates in this Appendix
are references to times and dates in London (United
Kingdom).
Any indication in this Announcement
of the price at which the Company's shares have been bought or sold
in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance.
Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial
adviser. No statement in this Announcement is intended to be a
profit forecast and no statement in this Announcement should be
interpreted to mean that earnings per share of the Company for the
current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed
the historical published earnings per share of the
Company.
Shore Capital and Corporate Limited,
which is authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom,
acts as nominated adviser to the Company for the purposes of the
AIM Rules. Shore Capital Stockbrokers Limited is a member of the
London Stock Exchange and is authorised and regulated by the FCA in
the United Kingdom. Shore Capital and Corporate Limited and Shore
Capital Stockbrokers Limited are acting exclusively for the Company
and for no one else in connection with the Placing and will not be
responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the
protections afforded to clients of Shore Capital or for providing
advice in relation to the Placing, or any other matters referred to
in this Announcement.
Save for the responsibilities and
liabilities, if any, of Shore Capital under FSMA or the regulatory
regime established thereunder or in respect of fraudulent
misrepresentation, 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 or on behalf
of Shore Capital or by its affiliates, agents, directors, officers
and employees 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.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL,
REGULATORY, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN ACQUISITION OF
PLACING SHARES.
Persons who are invited to and who
choose to participate in the Placing, by making an oral or written
offer to acquire Placing Shares, including any individuals, funds
or others on whose behalf a commitment to acquire Placing Shares is
given, will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement
in its entirety and to be making such offer on these Terms and
Conditions, and to be providing the representations, warranties,
acknowledgements and undertakings, contained in this Appendix. In
particular, each such Placee represents, warrants and acknowledges
that:-
i. it is
a Relevant Person (as defined above) 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;
ii.
it is acquiring the Placing Shares for its own
account or for an account with respect to which it exercises sole
investment discretion;
iii.
if it is in the United Kingdom and/or if it is a
financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the
UK Prospectus Regulation, any Placing Shares acquired by it in the
Placing will not be acquired or subscribed for on a
non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be acquired or
subscribed for with a view to their offer or resale to persons in
the United Kingdom other than to UK Qualified Investors or in
circumstances which may give rise to an offer of securities to the
public other than an offer or resale in the United Kingdom to UK
Qualified Investors, or in circumstances in which the prior consent
of Shore Capital has been given to each such proposed offer or
resale; and
iv.
if it is in a member state of the EEA and/or if it
is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1)
of the EU Prospectus Regulation, any Placing Shares acquired or
subscribed for by it in the Placing will not be acquired on a
non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be acquired or
subscribed for with a view to their offer or resale to persons in
any member state of the EEA other than to EEA Qualified Investors
or in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of securities
to the public other than an offer or resale in a member state of
the EEA to EEA Qualified Investors, or in circumstances in which
the prior consent of Shore Capital has been given to each such
proposed offer or resale.
Shore Capital does not make any
representation to any Placees regarding an investment in the
Placing Shares.
In this Appendix, unless the context
otherwise requires, "Placee" means a Relevant Person (including individuals, funds or
others) by whom or on whose behalf a commitment to take up Placing
Shares has been given and who has been invited to participate in
the Placing by Shore Capital.
All obligations of Shore Capital
under the Placing will be subject to fulfilment of the conditions
referred to in this Announcement, including (without limitation)
those referred to below under 'Conditions of the
Placing'.
Information to Distributors
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements of Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook
Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the
"UK Product Governance
Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in
tort, contract or otherwise, which any 'manufacturer' (for the
purposes of the UK Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise
have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares have been subject to
a product approval process, which has determined that the Placing
Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of 'retail
investors' and investors who meet the criteria of 'professional
clients' and 'eligible counterparties', each as defined in the FCA
Conduct of Business Sourcebook; and (ii) eligible for distribution
through all permitted distribution channels (the
"UK Target Market
Assessment").
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive
2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended
("MiFID
II"); (b)
Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593
supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures
(together, the "MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements") and/or any equivalent requirements elsewhere to the extent
determined to be applicable, and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any
'manufacturer' (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing
Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has
determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end
target market of 'retail investors' and investors who meet the
criteria of 'professional clients' and 'eligible counterparties',
each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution
through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II
(the "EU Target Market
Assessment" and, together with the UK Target Market Assessment, the
"Target Market
Assessments").
Notwithstanding the Target Market
Assessments, distributors should note that: the price of the
Placing Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of
their investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and
no capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is
compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income
or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an
appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient
resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
The Target Market Assessments are without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessments, Shore Capital
will only procure investors who meet the criteria of 'professional
clients' or 'eligible counterparties'.
For the avoidance of doubt, the
Target Market Assessments do not constitute: (a) an assessment of
suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of Chapters 9A or
10A, respectively of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook (for the purposes of the UK Target Market Assessment) or
MiFID II (for the purposes of the EU Target Market Assessment); or
(b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to
invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with
respect to the Placing Shares.
Each distributor is responsible for
undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the
Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution
channels.
Timetable for the Placing
Various dates referred to in this
Announcement are stated on the basis of the expected timetable for
the Placing. It is possible that some of these dates may be
changed. The Placing Shares will be allotted on 10 January 2025,
conditional upon Admission of such shares becoming effective on 10
January 2025 ("Admission").
Terms of the Placing
Shore Capital has, prior to the
notification of this Announcement to the RNS, entered into the
Placing Agreement with the Company under which Shore Capital has
undertaken, on the terms and subject to the conditions set out
therein, to use their respective reasonable endeavours in each case
as agent of the Company, to procure Placees for the Placing Shares.
This Appendix gives details of the terms and conditions of, and the
mechanics for participation in, the Placing.
Each Placee's commitment to
subscribe for Placing Shares under the Placing and to participate
in the Bookbuild (as defined below) will be agreed (by email,
orally or otherwise) with Shore Capital (as agent for the Company)
and such agreement will constitute a binding irrevocable commitment
by a Placee, subject to the Terms and Conditions set out in this
Appendix, to subscribe for and pay for Placing Shares
("Placing
Participation") at the Issue Price of 2.5 pence per
Placing Share ("Placing
Price"). Such commitment is not capable of variation, termination or
rescission by the Placee in any circumstances except fraud. Upon
making this oral offer, each Placee has an immediate, separate,
irrevocable and binding obligation owed to Shore Capital, in each
case as agent for the Company, to pay Shore Capital (or as it may
direct) in cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the
Placing Price and the total number of Placing Shares such Placee
has agreed to subscribe for in the Placing. All such obligations
are entered into by the Placee with Shore Capital, acting in its
capacity as agent of the Company, and are therefore directly
enforceable by the Company.
Each Placee's allocation of Placing
Shares will be agreed between Shore Capital and the Company and
will be confirmed by email or orally to each Placee by Shore
Capital (as agent for the Company). A contract note confirming this
allocation, the aggregate amount owed by such Placee and settlement
instructions ("Contract
Note") will
be despatched shortly. The oral confirmation to such Placee by
Shore Capital (as agent for the Company) will constitute an
irrevocable legally binding commitment upon that person (who will
at that point become a Placee) in favour of Shore Capital and the
Company to subscribe for the number of Placing Shares allocated to
it at the Placing Price on the terms and conditions set out in this
Appendix and in accordance with the Company's articles of
association. All obligations under the Placing will be subject to
fulfilment of the conditions referred to below under 'Conditions of
the Placing' and to the Placing not being terminated on the basis
referred to below under 'Right to terminate the Placing Agreement'.
By participating in Placing, each Placee agrees that its rights and
obligations in respect of the Placing will terminate only in the
circumstances described below and will not be capable of rescission
or termination by the Placee.
Shore Capital and its respective
affiliates are entitled to enter bids as principal in the
Placing.
Irrespective of the time at which a
Placee's allocation pursuant to the Placing is confirmed,
settlement for all Placing Shares to be subscribed for pursuant to
the Placing will be required to be made at the same time, on the
basis explained below under 'Registration and
Settlement'.
The Company confirms that the
Placing Shares will when issued, subject to the constitution of the
Company, rank pari passu
in all respects and form one class with the existing Ordinary
Shares of the Company in issue on Admission, including the right to
receive dividends or other distributions after the date of issue of
the Placing Shares, if any. The Placing Shares are or will be
issued free of any encumbrance, lien or other security
interest.
Applications for Admission
Applications will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for the Placing Shares to trading on the AIM,
the market of that name operated by the London Stock Exchange
("AIM"). Subject to the resolutions being
passed at the general meeting of shareholders, the details of which
are set out in the Circular, it is anticipated that settlement of
the Placing Shares and Admission is anticipated to become effective
at 8.00am on 10 January 2025 and dealings in the Placing Shares to
commence at that time and date for normal account
settlement.
Bookbuild
The Placing will be conducted
through an accelerated bookbuilding process (the "Bookbuild" or the "Bookbuilding Process"), which will be
launched immediately following this Announcement. The timing of the
closing of the Bookbuild and allocations are at the absolute
discretion of Shore Capital and the Company.
Scaling back
Shore Capital (after consulting with
the Company) reserves the right to scale back the number of Placing
Shares to be subscribed by any Placee or the number of Placing
Shares to be subscribed for by all Placees in aggregate. Shore
Capital also reserves the right not to offer allocations of Placing
Shares to any person and not to accept offers to subscribe for
Placing Shares or to accept such offers in part rather than in
whole. Shore Capital shall be entitled to effect the Placing by
such alternative method to the Bookbuild as they shall in their
sole discretion lawfully determine in the exercise of their
appointment and the powers, authority and discretion conferred on
them as Shore Capital.
To the fullest extent permissible by
law, neither Shore Capital nor any holding company of any of it,
nor any subsidiary, branch or affiliate of Shore Capital (each
an "Affiliate") nor any person acting on behalf of any of the foregoing
shall have any liability to Placees (or to any other person whether
acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise). In particular, neither
Shore Capital, nor any of its respective Affiliates nor any person
acting on behalf of any such person shall have any liability to
Placees in respect of its conduct of the Placing.
Placing Agreement
Pursuant to the Placing Agreement,
Shore Capital has agreed as agent of the Company to use its
reasonable endeavours to procure persons to subscribe for the
Placing Shares at the Placing Price, subject to these Terms and
Conditions. The Placing will not be underwritten.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing is conditional upon the
Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not having been
terminated in accordance with its terms.
The obligations of Shore Capital
under the Placing Agreement (which are several, and not joint or
joint and several) in respect of the Placing Shares are
conditional, inter alia, on:-
·
the Company allotting, subject only to Admission,
the Placing Shares in accordance with the Placing
Agreement;
·
the Company having complied with its obligations
under the Placing Agreement; and
·
Admission taking place not later than 8.00am on 10
January 2025 or such later time or date as the Company and Shore
Capital may otherwise agree (but not being later than 8.00am on the
Long Stop Date).
The Placing Agreement contains,
inter alia, certain warranties and indemnities from the Company for
the benefit of Shore Capital.
If any of the conditions contained
in the Placing Agreement ("Conditions") are not fulfilled (or, where appropriate, waived in whole or
part by Shore Capital) by the times and dates stated (or such later
dates as Shore Capital and the Company may agree, being not later
than 31 January 2025) the Placing Agreement shall cease and
determine and no party to the Placing Agreement will have any claim
against any other party for costs, damages, charges, compensation
or otherwise except that, amongst other things, Shore Capital shall
return to prospective Placees, in accordance with the Terms and
Conditions, any monies received from them.
Shore Capital may, in its absolute
discretion and upon such terms as they think fit, waive or extend
the time for fulfilment of all or any part of any of the Conditions
which are capable of waiver or extension by them, but provided that
the latest time for fulfilment of any Condition shall not be later
than 8.00 a.m. on 10 January 2025. Any such waiver or extension
will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this
Announcement.
Right to terminate the Placing Agreement
Shore Capital may, in its absolute
discretion, terminate the Placing Agreement, inter alia,
if:-
(i)
the sum of the aggregate number of Placing Shares set out in the
notice given by Shore Capital to the Company of, inter alia, the numbers of the Placing Shares resulting
from the Bookbuild multiplied by the Issue
Price, is less than
£1 million in aggregate (and Shore Capital and the Company do not
agree such lesser sum); or
(ii)
the Company is in breach of any of its
material obligations under the Placing
Agreement or cannot comply with any such
material obligation; or
(iii)
any of the Warranties is, or as repeated
immediately prior to and on Admission (by reference to the facts, circumstances and
knowledge, opinions, intentions and expectations of the Company)
would cause it to be untrue or inaccurate or misleading in any
material respect; or
(iv)
there occurs or arises prior to Admission any
significant change or new material matter which would require to be
notified to shareholders of the Company or potential Placees
(except to the extent that a supplementary announcement or a
supplementary Circular is published by the Company); or
(v)
the Company fails to accept the reasonable advice of Shore Capital
on a material matter concerning action to be taken in respect of or
in relation to the Placing, Admission or any other material matter
contained in this Announcement or the Circular; or
(vi) the
Company is in material breach of the Act, the AIM Rules for
Companies, MAR, the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules
("DTRs"),
the FSMA or any other laws or regulations to which the Company or
any Group Company and/or the Directors are subject from time to
time and, to the extent it can be remedied, such breach has not
been remedied within five (5) Business Days; or
(vii) Shore
Capital (acting reasonably, in good faith and at its sole
discretion) is not satisfied that it can proceed with the Placing
or Admission without defaulting on its responsibilities under the
FSMA, MAR or any other material regulatory requirement;
or
(viii) any event of
'Force Majeure' (as defined in the Placing Agreement) occurs prior
to Admission which prevents any party not seeking to terminate from
performing its obligations under this Agreement; or
(ix) at
any time prior to Admission, Shore Capital becomes aware of any
substantial change in any national or international political,
military, diplomatic, economic, financial or market conditions
(including disruption to trading on any relevant stock exchange) or
currency exchange rates or exchange controls or any statutory or
regulatory matter which, in the opinion of Shore Capital (acting
reasonably, in good faith and after such consultation with the
Company as shall be practicable in the circumstances), would have
or be likely to have a material and adverse effect on the Placing,
the Retail Offer or dealings in the New Ordinary Shares in the
secondary market or is of such magnitude to render the Placing or
the creation of a market in the New Ordinary Shares temporarily or
permanently impracticable or inadvisable; or
(x)
it shall come to the notice of Shore Capital that
any statement contained in this Announcement or the Circular (or
any amendment or supplement thereto) is or has become untrue,
inaccurate or misleading in any material respect, or matters have
arisen which would, if this Announcement and/or the Circular were
issued at that time, constitute a material omission therefrom
(except to the extent that a supplementary announcement or a
supplementary Circular is published by the Company); or
(xi)
Shore Capital believes (in its sole and absolute
discretion and acting in good faith) that termination is necessary
in order to preserve its reputation (without liability or
continuing obligations on the part of Shore Capital to the
Company).
Following Admission, the Placing
Agreement is not capable of termination to the extent it relates to
the Placing of any of the Placing Shares.
The exercise by Shore Capital of a
right of termination (or any right of waiver exercisable by Shore
Capital contained in the Placing Agreement or the exercise of any
discretion under the Terms and Conditions set out herein is within
the absolute discretion of Shore Capital and Shore Capital will not
have any liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any
decision to exercise or not exercise any such rights.
By accepting the Placing Shares
referred to in the Announcement to which this Appendix is annexed,
each Placee agrees that, without having any liability to such
Placee, Shore Capital may exercise the right: (i) to extend the
time for fulfilment of any of the conditions in the Placing
Agreement (provided that Placees' commitments are not extended
beyond the Long Stop Date); (ii) to, in its absolute discretion,
waive, in whole or in part, fulfilment of certain of the conditions
(but not including Admission); or (iii) to terminate the Placing
Agreement, in each case without consulting Placees (or any of
them).
If any of the conditions in the
Placing Agreement are not satisfied (or, where relevant, waived),
the Placing Agreement is terminated or the Placing Agreement does
not otherwise become unconditional in all respects, the Placing
will not proceed and all funds delivered by Placees to Shore
Capital pursuant to the Placing and this Appendix will be returned
to Placees at their risk (without interest), and Placees' rights
and obligations under the Placing shall cease and determine at such
time and no claim shall be made by Placees in respect
thereof.
Registration and Settlement
Irrespective of the time at which
the 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 on the basis
explained below.
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares following Admission will take place on a delivery
versus payment basis in accordance with the instructions set out in
the trade confirmation within the CREST system ("CREST")
(subject to certain exceptions). Shore Capital reserves the right
to require settlement for, and delivery of, the Placing Shares (or
a portion thereof) to Placees by such other means that it may deem
necessary if delivery or settlement is not possible or practicable
within CREST within the timetable set out in the Announcement or
would not be consistent with the regulatory requirements in the
jurisdiction of any Placee.
Subject to the resolutions being
passed at the general meeting of shareholders of the Company, the
details of which are set out in the Circular, it is expected that
settlement for the Placing Shares will take place at 8.00 a.m. on
10 January 2025 unless otherwise notified by Shore
Capital.
Interest is chargeable daily on
payments not received from Placees on the due date in accordance
with the arrangements set out above at the rate of 2 percentage
points above the base rate of Barclays Bank Plc as determined by
Shore Capital, with interest compounded on a daily
basis.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that,
if it does not comply with these obligations, Shore Capital may
sell any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on
such Placee's behalf and retain from the proceeds, for its account
and benefit (as agent for the Company), an amount equal to the
aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The
relevant Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall
below the aggregate amount owed by it and may be required to bear
any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax
(together with any interest or penalties) which may arise in any
jurisdiction upon the sale of such Placing Shares on such Placee's
behalf. By communicating a bid for Placing Shares, each Placee
confers on Shore Capital all such authorities and powers necessary
or desirable to carry out any such sale and agrees to ratify and
confirm all actions which Shore Capital lawfully takes in pursuance
of such sale.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure
that the Contract Note is copied and delivered immediately to the
relevant person within that organisation.
The Company confirms that, insofar
as Placing Shares are registered in a Placee's name or that of its
nominee or in the name of any person for whom a Placee is
contracting as agent or that of a nominee for such person, such
Placing Shares should, subject as provided below, be so registered
free from any liability to UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax
or securities transfer tax.
Placees will not be entitled to
receive any fee or commission in connection with the
Placing.
Further Terms, Confirmations and Warranties
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf)
irrevocably makes the following confirmations, acknowledgements,
representations, warranties and/or undertakings (as the case may
be) to Shore Capital (as agent of the Company) and the Company and
their respective directors, agents and advisers, in each case as a
fundamental term of its offer to acquire and subscribe for Placing
Shares:
1 each Placee
confirms, represents and warrants that it has read and understood
the Announcement (including this Appendix) in its entirety and
acknowledges that its Placing Participation will be governed by the
terms, conditions, representations, warranties, acknowledgements,
agreements and undertakings in this Appendix;
2 each Placee
acknowledges and agrees that its Placing Participation on the Terms
and Conditions set out in this Appendix is legally binding,
irrevocable and is not capable of termination or rescission by such
Placee in any circumstances and that it has the funds available to
pay the Placing Price in respect of the Placing Shares for which it
has given a commitment under the Placing;
3 each Placee
confirms, represents and warrants that it has not relied on,
received or requested nor does it have any need to receive, any
prospectus, offering memorandum, listing particulars or any other
document (other than the Announcement), any information given or
any representations, warranties, agreements or undertakings
(express or implied), written or oral, or statements made at any
time by the Company or Shore Capital or by any subsidiary, holding
company, branch or associate of the Company or Shore Capital or any
of its respective officers, directors, agents, employees or
advisers, or any other person in connection with the Placing, the
Company and its subsidiaries or the Placing Shares and that in
making its application under the Placing it is relying solely on
the information contained in the Announcement and this Appendix and
it will not be relying on any agreements by the Company and its
subsidiaries or Shore Capital, or any director, employee or agent
of the Company or of Shore Capital other than as expressly set out
in this Appendix, for which neither Shore Capital nor any of its
respective directors and/or employees and/or person(s) acting on
their behalf shall to the maximum extent permitted under law have
any liability except in the case of fraud;
4 each Placee
acknowledges that the content of this Announcement and any
information publicly announced to a Regulatory Information Service
by or on behalf of the Company on or prior to the date of this
Announcement is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and
that neither Shore Capital, nor any of its Affiliates, directors,
officers, employees or agents, or any person acting on behalf of
any of them has or shall have any responsibility or liability for
any information, representation or statement contained in this
Announcement or any information previously or subsequently
published by or on behalf of the Company and will not be liable for
any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any
information, representation or statement contained in this
Announcement, any information previously published by or on behalf
of the Company or otherwise. Each Placee further represents,
warrants and agrees that the only information on which it is
entitled to rely and on which such Placee has relied in committing
itself to subscribe for the Placing Shares is contained in this
Announcement, any information publicly announced to a Regulatory
Information Service by or on behalf of the Company on or prior to
the date of this Announcement, such information being all that it
deems necessary to make an investment decision in respect of the
Placing Shares, and that it has neither received nor relied on any
other information given or investigations, representations,
warranties or statements made by Shore Capital or the Company, or
any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf
of any of them (including in any research report prepared by any of
them) and none of the foregoing persons will be liable for any
Placee's decision to accept an invitation to participate in the
Placing based on any such other information, representation,
warranty or statement. Each Placee further acknowledges and agrees
that it has relied on its own investigation of the business,
financial or other position of the Company in deciding to
participate in the Placing and that neither Shore Capital nor any
of its respective Affiliates have made any representations to it,
express or implied, with respect to the Company, the Placing and
the Placing Shares or the truth, accuracy, completeness or adequacy
of any publicly available information about the Company or any
other information that has otherwise been made available to Placees
concerning the Company, whether at the date of publication, the
date of this Announcement or otherwise, and each of them expressly
disclaims any liability in respect thereof. Nothing in this
paragraph or otherwise in this Announcement excludes the liability
of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by that
person;
5 each Placee
confirms, represents and warrants that it is sufficiently
knowledgeable to understand and be aware of the risks associated
with, and other characteristics of, the Placing Shares and, among
others, of the fact that it may not be able to resell the Placing
Shares except in accordance with certain limited exemptions under
applicable securities legislation and regulatory
instruments;
6 each Placee
confirms, represents and warrants, if a company or partnership,
that it is a valid and subsisting company or partnership and has
all the necessary capacity and authority to execute its obligations
in connection with the Placing Participation and confirms,
represents and warrants that any person who confirms to Shore
Capital on behalf of a Placee an agreement to subscribe for Placing
Shares is duly authorised to provide such confirmation to Shore
Capital;
7 each Placee agrees
that the entry into the Placing Agreement or the exercise by Shore
Capital of any right of termination or any right of waiver
exercisable by Shore Capital contained in the Placing Agreement or
the exercise of any discretion is within the absolute discretion of
Shore Capital, and Shore Capital will not have any liability to any
Placee whatsoever in connection with any decision to exercise or
not exercise any such rights. Each Placee acknowledges that if: (i)
any of the conditions in the Placing Agreement are not satisfied
(or, where relevant, waived); (ii) the Placing Agreement is
terminated; or (iii) the Placing Agreement does not otherwise
become unconditional in all respects; the Placing will lapse and
such Placee's rights and obligations in relation to the Placing
shall cease and determine at such time and no claim shall be made
by any Placee in respect thereof;
8 each Placee
acknowledges and agrees that Shore Capitals does not act for, and
that it does not expect any of Shore Capital to have any duties or
responsibilities towards, such Placee, including, without
limitation, for providing protections afforded to customers or
clients of any of Shore Capital under the FCA's Conduct of Business
Sourcebook or advising such Placee with regard to its Placing
Participation and that such Placee is not, and will not be, a
customer or client of Shore Capital as defined by the FCA's Conduct
of Business Sourcebook in connection with the Placing. Likewise,
Shore Capital will not treat any payment by such Placee pursuant to
its Placing Participation as client money and governed by the FCA's
Client Assets Sourcebook;
9 each Placee
undertakes and agrees that it will be responsible for any stamp
duty or stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax in
relation to the Placing Shares comprised in its Placing
Participation and that neither Shore Capital nor the Company will
be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax or securities transfer tax in relation to the Placing
Shares comprised in such Placee's Placing Participation;
10
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Participation
confirmed in writing by email or orally by each Placee to Shore
Capital (as agent for the Company) and further confirmed by the
Contract Note is a legally binding contract between it and Shore
Capital and the Company subject to any scaling back, as described
above, in Shore Capital's absolute discretion and the Terms and
Conditions of such Placee's Placing Participation will be governed
by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of England and
Wales, to the exclusive jurisdiction of whose courts such Placee
irrevocably agrees to submit;
11
each Placee agrees that it will ensure delivery and payment is
completed in accordance with the settlement instructions set out in
the Contract Note and acknowledges and agrees that time shall be of
the essence as regards such Placee's obligations pursuant to its
Placing Participation;
12
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it is the responsibility
of such Placee (if it is outside of the United Kingdom) to satisfy
itself that, in doing so, such Placee complies with the laws and
regulations of any relevant territory in connection with its
Placing Participation and that it obtains any requisite
governmental or other consents and observes any other applicable
formalities;
13
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Announcement does not
constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to
subscribe for or buy, Placing Shares in any jurisdiction in which
such an offer or solicitation is unlawful. Accordingly, such Placee
acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Shares may not, subject to
certain limited exceptions, be offered or sold, directly or
indirectly, in or into the United States, any province of Canada or
Australia, Japan, Republic of Ireland or the Republic of South
Africa or offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, a
national, citizen or resident of the United States, any province of
Canada or Australia, Japan, Republic of Ireland or the Republic of
South Africa, in each case subject to limited exemptions, or any
other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of
the relevant laws of such jurisdiction;
14
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Shares have
not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or
with any securities regulatory authority of any state or
jurisdiction of the United States, or the relevant Canadian, Japan,
Republic of Ireland ese, Australian or South African securities
legislation and therefore the Placing Shares may not be offered,
sold, transferred or delivered directly or indirectly into the
United States, Canada, Japan, Republic of Ireland, Australia or the
Republic of South Africa or their respective territories and
possessions, subject to limited exemptions, and in the case of the
United States, pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction
not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act
and in compliance with United States securities laws;
15
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the allocation of the
Placing Shares to Placees located in the United States of America
shall be conditional on the execution by each such Placee of an
investor representation letter (each an "Investor Representation
Letter") in the form provided to it. The Company shall not be
obligated to allot any Placing Shares to any Placees in the United
States of America unless it has received an executed Investor
Representation Letter from each such Placee attesting to certain
factual representations, warranties and acknowledgements, in a form
satisfactory to the Company.
16
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it and
the person(s), if any, for whose account or benefit it is
subscribing for the Placing Shares was given and it is not
acquiring Placing Shares with a view to the offer, sale, resale,
transfer, delivery or distribution, directly or indirectly, of any
Placing Shares into the United States of America;
17 each Placee
acknowledges and agrees that it and the person(s), if
any, for whose account or benefit it is subscribing for Placing
Shares is, and at the time it subscribes for the Placing Shares
will be either (a) outside the United States of America and
acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" as
defined in and pursuant to Regulation S; or (b) if in the United
States of America, a qualified institutional buyer within the
meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act and will have duly
executed an investor letter in a form provided to it;
18
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants that it has complied
with all relevant laws of all relevant territories, obtained all
requisite governmental or other consents which may be required, in
connection with its Placing Participation and complied with all
requisite formalities and paid any issue, transfer or other taxes
due in connection with its offer commitment in any territory and
that it has not taken any action or omitted to take any action
which will or may result in Shore Capital, the Company or any of
their respective directors, officers, agents, employees or advisers
acting in breach of the legal or regulatory requirements of any
territory in connection with the Placing or such Placee's Placing
Participation;
19
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants if it is receiving
the Placing in circumstances under which the laws or regulations of
a jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom would apply, that it
is a person to whom the Placing Shares may be lawfully offered
under that other jurisdiction's laws and regulations;
20
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants if it is a resident
in any EEA state, it is (i) an EEA Qualified Investor; and (ii) a
'professional client' or an 'eligible counterparty' within the
meaning of Article 4(1)(11) and Article 24(2), (3) and (4),
respectively, of Directive 2004/39/EC as implemented into national
law of the relevant EEA state;
21
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants if it is outside the
United Kingdom, neither this Announcement nor any other offering,
marketing or other material in connection with the Placing
constitutes an invitation, offer or promotion to, or arrangement
with, it or any person whom it is procuring to subscribe for
Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing unless, in the relevant
territory, such offer, invitation or other course of conduct could
lawfully be made to it or such person and such documents or
materials could lawfully be provided to it or such person and
Placing Shares could lawfully be distributed to and subscribed and
held by it or such person without compliance with any unfulfilled
approval, registration or other regulatory or legal
requirements;
22
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants if it is a resident
in the UK: (i) it is a UK Qualified Investor and (ii) it is a
person of a kind described in Article 19 and/or Article 49 of the
FPO and it understands that the information contained in this
Appendix is only directed at any of the following: (A) persons
falling within Article 19 of the FPO having professional experience
in matters relating to investments; (B) persons falling within
Article 49 of the FPO (including companies and unincorporated
associations of high net worth and trusts of high value); (C)
persons falling within Article 43(2) of the FPO or (D) persons to
whom it would otherwise be lawful to distribute it; and that,
accordingly, any investment or investment activity to which this
Appendix relates is available to it as such a person or will be
engaged in only with it as such a person;
23
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants that it does not have
a registered address in and is not a citizen, resident or national
of, any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful to make or accept an
offer of the Placing Shares and it is not acting on a
non-discretionary basis for any such person;
24
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants that its subscription
for Placing Shares does not trigger, in the jurisdiction in which
such Placee is resident or located: (i) any obligation to prepare
or file a prospectus or similar document or any other report with
respect to such subscription; (ii) any disclosure or reporting
obligation of the Company; or (iii) any registration or other
obligation on the part of Shore Capital or the Company;
25
that it and any person acting on its behalf is entitled to acquire
the Placing Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions
which apply to it and that it has fully observed such laws and
obtained all such governmental and other guarantees, permits,
authorisations, approvals and consents which may be required
thereunder and complied with all necessary formalities and that it
has not taken any action or omitted to take any action which will
or may result in any of Shore Capital, the Company or any of their
respective affiliates acting in breach of the legal or regulatory
requirements of any jurisdiction in connection with the
Placing;
26
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants it is acting as
principal and for no other person and that its Placing
Participation will not give any other person a contractual right to
require the issue or sale by the Company of any Placing
Shares;
27
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants that in accepting its
Placing Participation it is not applying for registration as, or as
a nominee or agent for, a person who is or may be a person
mentioned in sections 67 to 72 inclusive and sections 93 to 97
inclusive of the UK Finance Act 1986;
28
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants that, to the extent
applicable to it, it is aware of its obligations in connection with
MAR, UK Criminal Justice Act 1993, Terrorism Act 2006,
Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001, Money Laundering
Regulations, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000 (each as amended), it has identified
its clients in accordance with the Money Laundering, Terrorist
Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer)
Regulations 2017 and it has complied fully with its obligations
pursuant to those Regulations;
29
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that all times and dates in the
Announcement and the Terms and Conditions set out in this Appendix
may be subject to amendment and that Shore Capital will notify it
of any such amendments;
30
where it is acquiring the Placing Shares for one or more managed
accounts, it represents, warrants and undertakes that it is
authorised in writing by each managed account to acquire the
Placing Shares for each managed account and it has full power to
make the acknowledgements, representations and agreements herein on
behalf of each such account;
31
that if it is a pension fund or investment company, it represents,
warrants and undertakes that its acquisition of Placing Shares is
in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
32
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that no term of the agreement
confirmed by the Contract Note shall be enforceable under the
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 by any person other
than the Company or Shore Capital or any affiliate of Shore Capital
or any Indemnified Persons (as hereinafter defined);
33
each Placee acknowledges that any of its monies held or received by
any Shore Capital will not be subject to the protections conferred
by the Client Money Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority
("FCA");
34
each Placee confirms and agrees that, in connection with any
permitted transfer, the Company or Shore Capital will have the
right to obtain, as a condition to such transfer, a legal opinion
of counsel, in form and by counsel satisfactory to the Company or
Shore Capital, that no Securities Act registration is or will be
required along with appropriate certifications by the transferee as
to the 'Accredited Investor' status and/or other appropriate
matters;
35
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants that it has not
distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise transmitted the
Announcement or any other presentation or offering materials
concerning the Placing Shares within the United States, nor will it
do any of the foregoing. Such Placee further confirms that it
understands that the information in the Announcement, including
financial information, may be materially different from any
disclosure that would be provided in a United States
offering;
36
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants that if it has
received any confidential price sensitive information about the
Company in advance of the Placing, it has received such information
within the market soundings regime provided for in article 11 of
MAR and associated delegated regulations and has not: (a) dealt in
the securities of the Company; (b) encouraged or required another
person to deal in the securities of the Company; or (c) disclosed
such information to any person, prior to the information being made
publicly available;
37
each Placee confirms, represents and warrants that, in making its
investment decision with respect to the Placing Shares:
37.1 it has not relied
on the Company or any of its respective affiliates or on any
document published by any of them (other than the
Announcement);
37.2 it has the ability
to bear the economic risk of its investment in the Placing Shares
and has no need for liquidity with respect to its investment in the
Placing Shares;
37.3 it has such
knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that it
is capable of evaluating the merits, risks and suitability of
investing in the Placing Shares, and is able to sustain a complete
loss of any investment in the Placing Shares;
37.4 it has investigated
independently and made its own assessment and satisfied itself
concerning the relevant tax, legal, currency and other economic
considerations relevant to its investment in the Placing Shares,
including any federal, state and local tax consequences, affecting
it in connection with its subscription for and any subsequent
disposal of the Placing Shares;
37.5 if it is a
'financial intermediary' in the United Kingdom, as that term is
used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, the Placing
Shares purchased 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 to UK Qualified Investors, or in circumstances
in which the prior consent of Shore Capital has been given to the
offer or resale;
37.6 if it is a
'financial intermediary' in a member state of the EEA, as that term
is used in Article 5(1) of the EU Prospectus Regulation, the
Placing Shares purchased 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 a
member state of the EEA other than to EEA Qualified Investors, or
in circumstances in which the prior consent of Shore Capital has
been given to the offer or resale; and
37.7 it has not offered
or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to the public
in the United Kingdom or any member state of the EEA except in
circumstances falling within Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation or the EU Prospectus Regulation which do not result in
any requirement for the publication of a prospectus pursuant to the
UK Prospectus Regulation or the EU Prospectus
Regulation;
38
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that neither Shore Capital, nor
any of its respective Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of
any of them, is making any recommendations to it, or advising it
regarding the suitability or merits of any transactions it may
enter into in connection with the Placing and that it is not
entitled to the protections afforded to clients of Shore Capital in
connection with the Placing and that neither Shore Capital nor any
of its respective Affiliates nor any of its respective officers,
directors, employees or advisers shall be liable for any losses
(including, without limitation, loss of profit, loss of business or
opportunity and special interest or consequential losses), damages
or costs of the Placee save as a result of fraud or for death or
personal injury;
39
each Placee acknowledges and agrees the Placing does not constitute
a recommendation or financial product advice and Shore Capital has
not had regard to its particular objectives, financial situation
and needs;
40
each Placee acknowledges that the Company, Shore Capital, CREST,
the Registrar, any transfer agent, any distributors or dealers and
their respective affiliates and others will rely on the truth and
accuracy of the foregoing warranties, acknowledgements,
representations, undertakings and agreements, and agrees to notify
the Company and Shore Capital promptly in writing if any of its
warranties, acknowledgements, representations, undertakings or
agreements set out above cease to be accurate and complete and to
indemnify and hold harmless on an after-tax basis the Company,
Shore Capital and any of their respective officers, directors,
agents, employees or advisers ("Indemnified Persons") from
and against any and all loss, damage, liability or expense,
including reasonable costs and attorneys' fees and disbursements,
which an Indemnified Person may incur by reason of, or in
connection with, any representation or warranty made by such Placee
as set out above not having been true when made, any
misrepresentation made or any failure by such Placee to fulfil any
of its undertakings or agreements set out above or any other
document such Placee provides to the Company or Shore Capital. Such
Placee irrevocably authorises each of the Company and Shore Capital
to produce a copy hereof to any interested party in any
administrative or legal proceeding or official inquiry with respect
to the matters covered hereby;
41
acknowledges that it irrevocably appoints any member or officer of
Shore Capital as its agent for the purposes of executing and
delivering to the Company and/or the Registrar any documents on its
behalf necessary to enable it to be registered as the holder of any
of the Placing Shares agreed to be taken up by it under the
Placing; each Placee acknowledges that the rights and remedies of
Shore Capital 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 of
one right or remedy will not prevent the exercise of the other
rights and/or remedies;
42
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that its commitment to
subscribe for Placing Shares on the terms set out herein and in the
trade 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 Shore
Capital's conduct of the Placing;
43
each Placee acknowledges and agrees that in connection with the
Placing, Shore Capital and any of its respective Affiliates acting
as an investor for its own account may take up shares in the
Company and in that capacity may retain, purchase or sell for its
own account such shares in the Company and any securities of the
Company or related investments and may offer or sell such
securities or other investments otherwise than in connection with
the Placing. Accordingly, references in this Announcement to shares
being issued, offered or placed should be read as including any
issue, offering or placement of such shares in the Company to Shore
Capital and any of its respective Affiliates acting in such
capacity. In addition, Shore Capital may enter into financing
arrangements and swaps with investors in connection with which
Shore Capital may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of
such securities of the Company, including the Placing Shares.
Neither Shore Capital nor any of its respective Affiliates intends
to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions
otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory
obligation to do so;
44
each Placee authorises and instructs Shore Capital, the Company and
their respective agents to receive and hold any personal data and
information of or belonging to the Placee which is received in
relation to the Placing, and it consents to the lawful use by Shore
Capital, the Company and their respective agents of such data and
information for the purposes of the Placing; and
45
each Placee undertakes that it (and any person acting on its
behalf) will make payment for the Placing Shares allocated to it in
accordance with the Announcement and these Terms and Conditions on
the due time and date set out herein, failing which the relevant
Placing Shares may be placed with other subscribers or sold as
Shore Capital may in its sole discretion determine and without
liability to such Placee and such Placee 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 the
liability for any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together
with any interest or penalties due pursuant to or referred to in
these Terms and Conditions) which may arise upon the placing or
sale of such Placee's Placing Shares on its behalf.
The foregoing acknowledgements,
agreements, undertakings, representations, warranties and
confirmations are given for the benefit of the Company and Shore
Capital (for its own benefit and, where relevant, the benefit of
their respective officers and affiliates and any person acting on
their behalf) and are irrevocable. Each Placee, and any person
acting on behalf of a Placee, acknowledges that the neither the
Company nor Shore Capital owes any fiduciary or other duties to any
Placee in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings
or indemnities in the Placing Agreement.
Responsibility
The Terms and Conditions set out in
this Appendix and the Announcement of which it forms part have been
issued by the Company and are the sole responsibility of the
Company.