TIDMBHRD
RNS Number : 1725W
Be Heard Group PLC
07 February 2017
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPIX AND THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED HEREIN, IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION,
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF
IRELAND OR THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION
IN WHICH IT WOULD BE UNLAWFUL TO DO SO.
Be Heard Group Plc
("Be Heard", the "Company" or the "Group")
Acquisition and Placing
Be Heard Group Plc (AIM: BHRD), the digital marketing services
group, announces the proposed acquisition of a 75% stake in
Freemavens Limited ("Freemavens") (the "Acquisition"), a marketing
analytics and innovation consultancy specializing in the use of big
data, for a total consideration of around GBP1.7m. The acquisition
and associated costs are being funded via a cash placing to raise
gross proceeds of GBP2.1m.
Founded in 2012 by Andrej Moyseowicz and Christopher Palengat,
Freemavens is an analytics and innovation consultancy which aims to
solve clients' business challenges and develop insights and
actionable ideas using big data. The agency, with its 20-strong
team, has developed several in-house data analytics tools and
methodologies and has clients including Unilever, Barclays, Channel
4 and RNLI.
Freemavens will become Be Heard's fourth partner, and is the
Group's first acquisition in data and analytics, which the Group
believes is central to digital marketing and will become a core
foundation of the Group as it delivers better, more cost efficient
and more creative solutions to clients. For the financial year
ended 31 December 2016 Freemavens delivered GBP1.72m gross revenue
and GBP0.41m adjusted EBITDA.
Benefits of the Acquisition
The Board believes the Acquisition will provide a number of
strategic and operational benefits which will create long-term
value for shareholders. In particular:
-- The Directors of Be Heard see analytics as central to
understanding and maximising return-on-investment in digital
marketing.
-- The Acquisition provides an entry point for Be Heard into big
data and analytics, and gives the Group a platform to develop
advanced tools and services, to use big data in solving clients'
business questions and developing insights and actionable
ideas.
-- The Acquisition adds a fourth cornerstone of Strategy,
innovation and analytics to the three already represented, i.e.
Digital media planning and buying; UX, design and build; and
Content and integrated creative. This rounds-off the Group's
initial offering, creating a solid foundation on which to
build.
-- Freemavens is data agnostic, able to ingest and analyze many
different data sources. This provides scope for further development
and application across the Group.
-- Freemavens' clients include some well-known brands, which the
Group intends to target for an expanded range of services from
other Group companies following the Acquisition.
-- In addition to retaining a 25% stake in Freemavens, at
completion its founders will own 9,303,766 Be Heard shares,
aligning their interests with those of our existing
shareholders.
Terms of the Acquisition
Be Heard will acquire 75% of Freemavens' equity for GBP0.84m,
satisfied by the payment of GBP0.48m in cash and the issue of
9,303,766 new Be Heard shares (the "Consideration Shares"). As part
of the Acquisition, Be Heard will also repay Freemavens' existing
debt obligations of around GBP0.87m, due principally to the exiting
majority shareholder Let's Go Crazy Limited, taking the total
consideration to approximately GBP1.7m.
The remaining 25% of Freemavens' equity is being retained by its
two founders, who are continuing with the business, and will be
subject to a put and call option exercisable after four years,
payable 50% in cash and 50% in new Be Heard shares, at a valuation
of the lower of 2x historic revenue and 8x historic EBITDA. The
maximum total consideration payable is GBP7.7m.
Completion of the Acquisition is conditional only upon
completion of a cashbox placing, as described below.
The Placing
The Company has entered into a placing agreement with Numis (the
"Placing Agreement"). Under the terms of the Placing Agreement,
Numis has placed 58,300,000 new ordinary shares of one pence each
in the Company (the "Placing Shares"), at a price of 3.6 pence per
share (the "Placing Price") with new and existing investors,
raising gross proceeds of GBP2.1m before expenses. The Placing has
been fully underwritten by Numis in accordance with the terms of
the Placing Agreement. The Placing Shares represent approximately
8.2 per cent of the Company's existing issued share capital (the
"Placing").
Application has been made to the London Stock Exchange for the
admission of the Placing Shares and the Consideration Shares (in
aggregate, 67,603,766 new shares) to trading on AIM. Admission is
expected to take place at 8.00am on 9 February 2017. The Company's
total issued share capital following Admission will consist of
782,080,067 ordinary shares of one pence each with one voting right
per share. The above figure of 782,080,067 may be used by
shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they
can determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or
a change to their interest in, the Company following Admission.
The issue of the Placing Shares is to be effected by way of a
cashbox placing. The Company will allot and issue the Placing
Shares on a non-pre-emptive basis to the Placees in consideration
for Numis transferring its holdings of ordinary shares and
redeemable preference shares in Project Victoria Funding Limited, a
Jersey company majority-owned by the Company ("JerseyCo"), to the
Company. Accordingly, instead of receiving cash as consideration
for the issue of the Placing Shares, at the conclusion of the
Placing the Company will own the entire issued share capital of
JerseyCo, whose only asset will be its cash reserves in an amount
approximately equal to the net proceeds of the Placing.
The Placing is subject to the terms and conditions set out in
the Appendix to this announcement.
This Announcement (including the Appendix) should be read in its
entirety.
Bank Facilities
The Group has in place an uncommitted overdraft facility with
Barclays, which it will utilise in the event of an unexpected
downturn in trading occurring. Discussions are ongoing regarding
putting in place a new term debt facility, in order to provide
longer term debt funding as the Group continues to grow.
Related party transaction
The participation of Gresham House in the Placing, by virtue of
it owning over 10% of the current issued share capital of the
Company, constitutes a related party transaction for the purposes
of AIM Rule 13. The Directors, having consulted with the Company's
nominated adviser, Numis, consider that the terms of the related
party transaction are fair and reasonable in so far as shareholders
are concerned.
Current Trading
The Board is pleased to report that Group trading for the year
ended 31 December 2016 was in line with its expectations.
Trading since the start of 2017 has begun well, with the
integration of our third agency Kameleon (acquired in early
December 2016) proceeding to plan. Significant new clients have
been won across the group over the last six months and we are
beginning to see the benefit to clients of the Group's ever
broadening digital expertise.
Peter Scott, Executive Chairman of Be Heard said:
"The Freemavens team will give Be Heard industry leading
analytics capability, and once bedded into our Group will augment
and enhance the work we do for clients. Intelligent use of data
underpins all decision making; our intention is to develop the
analytics capability at Be Heard as a central function and resource
for our clients. Bringing the exceptional Freemavens team into the
fold is, I believe, a bold first step."
Christopher Palengat, Co-founder of Freemavens said:
"Be Heard offers the perfect opportunity to take what we have
built in analytics and insight to the next level. The value they
place on analytics, and the quality of the existing partner
companies present enormous new opportunities for Freemavens. We
can't wait to get started."
For further information, please contact:
Be Heard Group plc +44 20 3828 6269
Peter Scott, Executive
Chairman
Robin Price, Group Financial
Director
Numis +44 20 7260 1000
Nick Westlake / Kevin Cruickshank
(Nominated Adviser)
James Black (Corporate
Broker)
Bell Pottinger (Financial
PR) +44 20 3772 2573
Elly Williamson ewilliamson@bellpottinger.com
Charlie Stewart
Certain information contained in this announcement would have
constituted inside information (as defined by Article 7 of
Regulation (EU) No 596/2014) prior to its release as part of this
announcement.
Notes to Editors:
About Freemavens
Freemavens is an analytics and innovation consultancy which aims
to solve clients' business questions and develop insights and
actionable ideas using big data. Founded in 2012 by Christopher
Palengat and Andrej Moyseowicz, Freemavens is data agnostic, being
able to ingest and analyze many data sources, and has developed
several in-house analytics tools and methodologies.
www.freemavens.com
@Freemavens
About Be Heard Group plc
Be Heard Group plc (AIM:BHRD) is a digital marketing services
group operating at the intersection of marketing, technology and
e-commerce. Our vision is to build an agile interconnected group
focused on helping clients maximise their return-on-investment from
digital marketing. To achieve this, we acquire and connect
best-in-class companies spanning key digital disciplines, providing
management experience, access to deeper resources and a strong
platform for growth.
www.beheardgroup.com
@Be_Heard_Group
APPIX
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THIS APPIX (TOGETHER, THE
"ANNOUNCEMENT") AND THE INFORMATION IN IT, IS RESTRICTED, AND IS
NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES,
CANADA, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND OR THE REPUBLIC
OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION
OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE PLACING FOR INVITED PLACEES
ONLY.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE
PLACING. THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES
ONLY AND ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS IN MEMBER STATES OF THE
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN
SECTION 86(7) OF FSMA ("QUALIFIED INVESTORS") BEING PERSONS FALLING
WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(1)(E) OF THE PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE;
AND IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AT QUALIFIED INVESTORS WHO (I) HAVE
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS FALLING
WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000
(FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005 (THE "ORDER"); OR (II) FALL WITHIN
ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED
ASSOCIATIONS, ETC) OF THE ORDER; OR (III) ARE PERSONS TO WHOM THEY
MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER
BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS"). 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
THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT
PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT
ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY
SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY. THE ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED BY AND
IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COMPANY.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION IN ANY
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE
UNLAWFUL UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH JURISDICTION. THE
ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF OR SOLICITATION TO PURCHASE OR
SUBSCRIBE FOR SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE SECURITIES
REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER
THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"),
AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES, EXCEPT
PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO,
THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT. NEITHER THE
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY SECURITIES
REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE
UNITED STATES HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE
SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON ORORSED THE MERITS OF THE PLACING OR THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY
REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE IN THE UNITED
STATES. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF SECURITIES IS BEING MADE IN THE
UNITED STATES. NO MONEY, SECURITIES OR OTHER CONSIDERATION FROM ANY
PERSON INSIDE THE UNITED STATES IS BEING SOLICITED AND, IF SENT IN
RESPONSE TO THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, WILL
NOT BE ACCEPTED.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL,
TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN PLACING
SHARES.
Persons who are invited to and who choose to participate in the
Placing, by making (or on whose behalf there is made) an oral or
written offer to subscribe for Placing Shares (the "Placees"), will
be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement, including
this Appendix, in its entirety and to be making such offer on the
terms and conditions, and to be providing the representations,
warranties, acknowledgements, and undertakings contained in this
Appendix. In particular, each Placee represents, warrants and
acknowledges that:
1. 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;
2. in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a
financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the
Prospectus Directive, (i) the Placing Shares acquired by it have
not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a
view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Member State of
the European Economic Area ("EEA") which has implemented the
Prospectus Directive other than Qualified Investors or in
circumstances in which the prior consent of Numis has been given to
the offer or resale; or (ii) where Placing Shares have been
acquired by it on behalf of persons in any Member State of the EEA
other than Qualified Investors, the offer of those Placing Shares
to it is not treated under the Prospectus Directive as having been
made to such persons; and
3. (a) it is not (i) in the United States and (ii) acting for
the account or benefit of a person in the United States, or (b) it
is a dealer or other professional fiduciary in the United States
acting on a discretionary basis for a non-US person (other than an
estate or trust) in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities
Act; or (c) it is otherwise acquiring the Placing Shares in an
"offshore transaction" meeting the requirements of Regulation S
under the Securities Act; and
4. it is not, and is not acting for the account or benefit of a
person who is, a national of Canada, Australia, Japan or the
Republic of South Africa.
The Company and Numis will rely upon the truth and accuracy of
the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
This Announcement has been prepared and issued by the Company
and is and will be the sole responsibility of the Company. No
representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made
as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or
will be accepted by Numis or any of its directors, officers,
employees, affiliates, branches, advisers, consultants or agents or
any other person as to or in relation to, the accuracy or
completeness of the Announcement or any other written or oral
information made available to or publicly available to any Placee,
any person acting on such Placee's behalf or any of their
respective advisers, and any liability therefor is expressly
disclaimed.
This Announcement does not constitute an offer, and may not be
used in connection with an offer, to sell or issue or the
solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for Placing Shares in
any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is or may be
unlawful. This Announcement and the information contained herein is
not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, to
persons in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan or the
Republic of South Africa or in any jurisdiction in which such
publication or distribution is unlawful. Persons into whose
possession this Announcement may come are required by the Company
to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions of
transfer of this Announcement. No public offer of securities of the
Company is being made in the United Kingdom, the United States or
elsewhere.
In particular, the Placing Shares referred to in this
Announcement have not been and will not be registered under the
Securities Act or any laws of, 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
within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or
in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of
the Securities Act and the securities laws of any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States. The Placing Shares are being
offered and sold outside the United States in accordance with
Regulation S under the Securities Act.
No securities commission or similar authority in Canada has in
any way passed on the merits of the securities offered hereunder
and any representation to the contrary is an offence. No document
in relation to the Placing has been, or will be, lodged with, or
registered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission,
and no registration statement has been, or will be, filed with the
Japanese Ministry of Finance in relation to the Placing or the
Shares. Accordingly, subject to certain exceptions, the Shares may
not, directly or indirectly, be offered or sold within Canada,
Australia, Japan, the Republic of South Africa or the Republic of
Ireland or offered or sold to a resident of Canada, Australia,
Japan, the Republic of South Africa or the Republic of Ireland. The
shares to be subscribed in the Placing have not been, and will not
be, registered under the Securities Act or with any securities
regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the
United States and may not be offered or sold within the United
States or to, or for the account or benefit of, any US Person as
that term is defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act,
except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not
subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The
Company has not been registered and will not register under the
United States Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees)
who have a contractual or other legal obligation to forward a copy
of this Appendix or the Announcement of which it forms part should
seek appropriate advice before taking any action.
In this Appendix, unless the context otherwise requires,
"Placee" means a Relevant Person (including individuals, funds or
otherwise) by whom or on whose behalf a commitment to subscribe for
Placing Shares has been given.
DETAILS OF THE PLACING AGREEMENT AND THE PLACING SHARES
The Company has today entered into a placing agreement (the
"Placing Agreement") with Numis. Pursuant to the Placing Agreement,
Numis has, subject to the terms set out therein, agreed to use
reasonable endeavours, as agent of the Company, to procure Placees
for the Placing Shares (the "Placing") at a price of 3.6 pence per
Placing Share (the "Placing Price").
In accordance with the terms of the Placing Agreement and a
subscription and transfer agreement between the Company, Numis and
a Jersey incorporated subsidiary of the Company ("Jersey SPV") (the
"Subscription and Transfer Agreement"), the allotment and issue of
the Placing Shares to Placees by the Company will be in
consideration for the transfer to the Company of certain shares in
Jersey SPV by Numis.
The Placing Shares will, when issued be subject to the articles
of association of the Company, be credited as fully paid and will
rank pari passu in all respects with each other and with the
existing ordinary shares in the capital of the Company ("Ordinary
Shares"), including the right to receive all dividends and other
distributions declared, made or paid in respect of the Ordinary
Shares after the date of issue of the Placing Shares. The Placing
Shares will be issued free of any encumbrance, lien or other
security interest.
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
Application will be made to AIM for admission of the Placing
Shares to trading on AIM. It is expected that Admission will become
effective on or around 8.00 a.m. on 9 February 2017 and that
dealings in the Placing Shares will commence at that time.
PARTICIPATION IN, AND PRINCIPAL TERMS OF, THE PLACING
Numis (whether through itself or any of its affiliates) is
arranging the Placing as broker to the Company for the purpose of
using reasonable endeavours to procure Placees at the Placing Price
for the Placing Shares. Participation in the Placing will only be
available to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited to
participate by Numis. Numis and its affiliates may participate in
the Placing as principal(s).
Each Placee which confirms its agreement to Numis (whether
orally or in writing) to subscribe for Placing Shares hereby agrees
with Numis that it will be bound by these terms and conditions and
will be deemed to have irrevocably accepted them.
A commitment to subscribe for Placing Shares which has been
communicated by a prospective Placee to Numis and which has not
been withdrawn or revoked prior to publication of this announcement
shall not be capable of withdrawal or revocation following the
publication of this announcement without the consent of Numis.
Each Placee's allocation will be confirmed to Placees orally or
in writing by Numis, and a trade confirmation or contract note will
be despatched as soon as practicable thereafter. The confirmation
to such Placee will constitute an irrevocable legally binding
commitment upon such person (who will at that point become a
Placee) in favour of Numis and the Company, under which it agrees
to acquire the number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the
Placing Price on these terms and conditions and in accordance with
the Company's Articles of Association.
Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation pursuant
to the Placing is confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares to
be acquired pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made at
the same time, on the basis explained below under "Registration and
Settlement".
All obligations under the Placing will be subject to fulfilment
or (where applicable) waiver of amongst other things, the
conditions referred to below under "Conditions of the Placing" and
to the Placing not being terminated on the basis referred to below
under "Right to terminate under the Placing Agreement".
By participating in the Placing, each Placee will agree that its
rights and obligations in respect of the Placing will terminate
only in the circumstances described below and will not be capable
of rescission or termination by the Placee. Each Placee's
obligations will be owed to the Company and to Numis. Following the
oral confirmation referred to above, each Placee will also have an
immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to
the Company and Numis as agent of the Company, to pay to Numis in
cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the Placing Price
and the number of Placing Shares such Placee has agreed to acquire.
Numis will procure the allotment of the Placing Shares to each
Placee.
To the fullest extent permissible by law, none of Numis, any
holding company thereof, any subsidiary thereof, any subsidiary of
any such holding company, any branch, affiliate or associated
undertaking of any such company nor any of their respective
directors, officers and employees (each an "Affiliate") nor any
person acting on their behalf shall have any liability to Placees
(or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or
otherwise).
Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Company is
responsible for the allotment of the Placing Shares to the Placees
and Numis shall have no liability to the Placees for the failure of
the Company to fulfil those obligations. No commissions will be
paid to Placees or by Placees in respect of any Placing Shares.
All obligations of Numis under the Placing will be subject to
fulfilment of the conditions referred to below under "Conditions of
the Placing".
CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING
The Placing is conditional upon the Placing Agreement becoming
unconditional and not having been terminated in accordance with its
terms. The obligations of Numis under the Placing Agreement are
conditional, inter alia, on:
(a) the performance by the Company of its obligations under the
Placing Agreement to the extent that they fall to be performed
prior to Admission;
(b) the Acquisition Agreement (i) not having been terminated or,
without the prior written consent of Numis, varied or amended and
(ii) having become unconditional in all respects, save for any
condition relating to this Agreement becoming unconditional in
accordance with its terms (including, for the avoidance of doubt,
Admission);
(c) the Placing Agreement not having been terminated in
accordance with its terms; and
(d) Admission occurring not later than 8.00 a.m. on 9 February
2017 or such later time as Numis may agree in writing with the
Company (but in any event not later than 8.00 a.m. on 13 February
2017).
If (a) the conditions are not fulfilled (or to the extent
permitted under the Placing Agreement waived by Numis), or (b) the
Placing Agreement is terminated in the circumstances specified
below, the Placing will lapse and each Placee's rights and
obligations hereunder shall cease and determine at such time and no
claim may be made by a Placee in respect thereof. None of Numis,
the Company, nor any of their respective Affiliates 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 it may
make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the time and/or
date for the satisfaction of any condition in the Placing Agreement
or in respect of the Placing generally.
By participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees that its
rights and obligations hereunder terminate only in the
circumstances described below under "Right to terminate under the
Placing Agreement", and will not be capable of rescission or
termination by the Placee.
RIGHT TO TERMINATE UNDER THE PLACING AGREEMENT
Numis may, at any time before Admission, terminate the Placing
Agreement by giving notice to the Company if, inter alia:
(a) it comes to the knowledge of Numis that any of the
warranties was untrue or inaccurate in any respect which Numis
considers to be material; or
(b) it comes to the notice of Numis that any statement contained
in this announcement is or has become untrue, incorrect or
misleading in any respect or is misleading or that any matter has
arisen which would, if the Placing were made at that time,
constitute an inaccuracy or omission therefrom and which Numis
considers (acting in good faith) to be material; or
(c) it comes to the notice of Numis that a matter has arisen
which is likely to give rise to a claim under any of the
indemnities given by the Company; or
(d) the Company or Jersey SPV shall fail to comply, in any
material respect with any of its obligations under the Placing
Agreement or the Subscription and Transfer Agreement, as
applicable; or
(e) there has occurred a force majeure event which would make it
inadvisable or impracticable to proceed with the placing or any
material adverse change has occurred in the financial position or
prospects or business of the Company and its subsidiary
undertakings (taken as whole) which, in the opinion of Numis, would
materially prejudice the success of the Placing.
By participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees with Numis
that the exercise by Numis of any right of termination or other
discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute
discretion of Numis without the need to make any reference to the
Placees in this regard and that, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, Numis shall not have any liability whatsoever to the Placees
in connection with any such exercise.
NO PROSPECTUS
No offering document or prospectus has been or will be prepared
in relation to the Placing and no such prospectus is required (in
accordance with the Prospectus Directive) to be published and
Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of the
information contained in this document and any information
previously published by or on behalf of the Company by notification
to a Regulatory Information Service (as defined in the AIM Rules).
Each Placee, by accepting a participation in the Placing, agrees
that the content of this document is exclusively the responsibility
of the Company and confirms to Numis and the Company that it has
neither received nor relied on any information, representation,
warranty or statement made by or on behalf of Numis (other than the
amount of the relevant Placing participation in the oral
confirmation given to Placees and the trade confirmation referred
to below), any of their respective Affiliates, any persons acting
on its behalf or the Company and none of Numis any of its
respective Affiliates, any persons acting on their behalf, nor the
Company will be liable for the decision of any Placee to
participate in the Placing based on any other information,
representation, warranty or statement which the Placee may have
obtained or received (regardless of whether or not such
information, representation, warranty or statement was given or
made by or on behalf of any such persons). By participating in the
Placing, each Placee acknowledges to and agrees with Numis for
itself and as agent for the Company that, except in relation to the
information contained in this document, it has relied on its own
investigation of the business, financial or other position of the
Company in deciding to participate in the Placing. Nothing in this
paragraph shall exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
REGISTRATION AND SETTLEMENT
Settlement of transactions in the Placing Shares (ISIN
GB00BT6SJV45) following Admission will take place within the CREST
system, using the DVP mechanism, subject to certain exceptions.
Numis reserves the right to require settlement for and delivery of
the Placing Shares to Placees by such other means that they deem
necessary, if delivery or settlement is not possible or practicable
within the CREST system within the timetable set out in this
document or would not be consistent with the regulatory
requirements in the Placee's jurisdiction.
Each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will be sent
a trade confirmation stating the number of Placing Shares allocated
to it, the Placing Price, the aggregate amount owed by such Placee
to Numis and settlement instructions. It is expected that such
trade confirmation will be despatched on 7 February 2017 and that
this will also be the trade date. Each Placee agrees that it will
do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is
completed in accordance with either the standing CREST or
certificated settlement instructions which it has in place with
Numis.
It is expected that settlement will be on 9 February 2017 on a
DVP basis in accordance with the instructions set out in the trade
confirmation unless otherwise notified by Numis.
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 two percentage points above the base rate of
Barclays Bank Plc.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that if it does not comply with
these obligations, Numis may sell any or all of the Placing Shares
allocated to the Placee on such Placee's behalf and retain from the
proceeds, for Numis' own account and profit, an amount equal to the
aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The
Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall below the
aggregate amount owed by such Placee and it may be required to bear
any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any
interest or penalties) which may arise upon the sale of such
Placing Shares on such Placee's behalf.
If Placing Shares are to be delivered to a custodian or
settlement agent, the Placee should ensure that the trade
confirmation is copied and delivered immediately to the relevant
person within that organisation.
Insofar as Placing Shares are registered in the Placee's name or
that of its nominee or in the name of any person for whom the
Placee is contracting as agent or that of a nominee for such
person, such Placing Shares will, subject as provided below, be so
registered free from any liability to PTM levy, stamp duty or stamp
duty reserve tax. If there are any circumstances in which any other
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax is payable in respect of the
issue of the Placing Shares, neither Numis nor the Company shall be
responsible for the payment thereof. Placees will not be entitled
to receive any fee or commission in connection with the
Placing.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
By receiving this document, each Placee and, to the extent
applicable, any person confirming his agreement to acquire Placing
Shares on behalf of a Placee or authorising Numis to notify a
Placee's name to the Company's registrar, Share Registrars Limited
(in this Appendix, the "Registrar"), is deemed to acknowledge,
agree, undertake, represent and warrant to each of Numis, the
Registrar and the Company that:
(a) the Placee has read this document in its entirety and
acknowledges that its participation in the Placing shall be made
solely on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in these
terms and conditions, the Placing Agreement and the Articles. Such
Placee agrees that these terms and conditions and the contract note
issued by Numis to such Placee represent the whole and only
agreement between the Placee, Numis and the Company in relation to
the Placee's participation in the Placing and supersedes any
previous agreement between any of such parties in relation to such
participation. Accordingly, all other terms, conditions,
representations, warranties and other statements which would
otherwise be implied (by law or otherwise) shall not form part of
these terms and conditions. Such Placee agrees that none of the
Company, Numis nor any of their respective officers or directors
will have any liability for any such other information or
representation and irrevocably and unconditionally waives any
rights it may have in respect of any such other information or
representation;
(b) if the Placee is a natural person, such Placee is not under
the age of majority (18 years of age in the UK) on the date of such
Placee's agreement to acquire Placing Shares under the Placing and
will not be any such person on the date any such offer is
accepted;
(c) neither Numis nor any person affiliated with Numis or acting
on its behalf is responsible for or shall have any liability for
any information, representation or statement contained in this
document or any supplementary admission document (as the case may
be) or any information previously published by or on behalf of the
Company or any member of the Group and will not be liable for any
decision by a Placee to participate in the Placing based on any
information, representation or statement contained in this document
or otherwise;
(d) the Placee has not relied on Numis or any person affiliated
with Numis in connection with any
investigation of the accuracy of any information contained in
this document or their investment decision;
(e) in agreeing to acquire Placing Shares under the Placing, the
Placee is relying on this document or any supplementary admission
document (as the case may be) and not on any other information or
representation concerning the Group, the Placing or the Placing
Shares. Such Placee agrees that neither the Company nor Numis nor
their respective officers, directors, employees or affiliates will
have any liability for any such other information or representation
and irrevocably and unconditionally waives any rights it may have
in respect of any such other information or representation;
(f) save in the event of fraud on its part (and to the extent
permitted by the rules of the FCA), neither Numis nor any of its
officers, directors, employees or affiliates shall be liable to a
Placee for any matter arising out of the role of Numis as the
Company's nominated adviser and broker or otherwise, and that where
any such liability nevertheless arises as a matter of law each
Placee will immediately waive any claim against Numis and any of
its directors and employees which a Placee may have in respect
thereof;
(g) the Placee has complied with all applicable laws and such
Placee will not infringe any applicable law as a result of such
Placee's agreement to acquire Placing Shares under the Placing
and/or acceptance thereof or any actions arising from such Placee's
rights and obligations under the Placee's agreement to acquire
Placing Shares under the Placing and/or acceptance thereof or under
the Articles;
(h) all actions, conditions and things required to be taken,
fulfilled and done (including the obtaining of necessary consents)
in order (i) to enable the Placee lawfully to enter into, and
exercise its rights and perform and comply with its obligations to
acquire the Placing Shares under, the Placing and (ii) to ensure
that those obligations are legally binding and enforceable, have
been taken, fulfilled and done. The Placee's entry into, exercise
of its rights and/or performance under, or compliance with its
obligations under the Placing, does not and will not violate (a)
its constitutive documents or (b) any agreement to which the Placee
is a party or which is binding on the Placee or its assets;
(i) it understands that no action has been or will be taken in
any jurisdiction by the Company or Numis or any other person that
would permit a public offering of the Placing Shares, or possession
or distribution of this document, in any country or jurisdiction
where action for that purpose is required; and that, if the Placee
is in a member state of the European Economic Area which has
implemented the Prospectus Directive ("Relevant Member State"), it
is (i) a legal entity which is authorised or regulated to operate
in the financial markets or, if not so authorised or regulated, its
corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities; (ii) a legal
entity which has two or more of (a) a total balance sheet of more
than EUR20,000,000; (b) an annual net turnover of more than
EUR40,000,000; or (c) own funds in excess of EUR2,000,000; in each
case as shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts; (iii)
otherwise permitted by law to be offered and sold Placing Shares in
circumstances which do not require the publication by the Company
of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive
or other applicable laws; or (iv) in the case of any Placing Shares
acquired by a Placee as a financial intermediary, as that term is
used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive either:
(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 placing or resale to, persons in any Relevant Member State
other than qualified investors, as that term is defined in the
Prospectus Directive or in circumstances in which the prior consent
of Numis has been given to the placing or resale; or
(ii) where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on behalf of
persons in any Relevant Member State other than qualified
investors, the placing of those Placing Shares to it is not treated
under the Prospectus Directive as having been made to such
persons;
(j) to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Placee
acknowledges and agrees to the disclaimers contained in this
document and acknowledges and agrees to comply with the selling
restrictions set out in this document;
(k) the Ordinary Shares have not been and will not be registered
under the Securities Act, or under the securities legislation of,
or with any securities regulatory authority of, any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States or under the applicable
securities laws of Canada, Australia, the Republic of Ireland, the
Republic of South Africa or Japan or where to do so may contravene
local securities laws or regulations;
(l) the Placee is not a person located in the United States and
is eligible to participate in an "offshore transaction" as defined
in and in accordance with Regulation S of the Securities Act and
the Placing Shares were not offered to such Placee by means of
"directed selling efforts" as defined in Regulation S of the
Securities Act;
(m) it is acquiring the Placing Shares for investment purposes
only and not with a view to any resale, distribution or other
disposition of the Placing Shares in violation of the US Securities
Act or any other United States federal or applicable state
securities laws;
(n) the Company is not obliged to file any registration
statement in respect of resales of the Placing Shares in the United
States with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or with any
state securities administrator;
(o) the Company, and any registrar or transfer agent or other
agent of the Company, will not be required to accept the
registration of transfer of any Placing Shares acquired by the
Placee, except upon presentation of evidence satisfactory to the
Company that the foregoing restrictions on transfer have been
complied with;
(p) the Placee invests in or purchases securities similar to the
Placing Shares in the normal course of its business and it has such
knowledge and experience in financial and business matters as to be
capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the
Placing Shares;
(q) the Placee has conducted its own investigation with respect
to the Company and the Placing Shares and has had access to such
financial and other information concerning the Company and the
Placing Shares as the Placee deemed necessary to evaluate the
merits and risks of an investment in the Placing Shares, and the
Placee has concluded that an investment in the Placing Shares is
suitable for it or, where the Placee is not acting as principal,
for any beneficial owner of the Placing Shares, based upon each
such person's investment objectives and financial requirements;
(r) the Placee or, where the Placee is not acting as principal,
any beneficial owner of the Placing Shares, is able to bear the
economic risk of an investment in the Placing Shares for an
indefinite period and the loss of its entire investment in the
Placing Shares;
(s) there may be adverse consequences to the Placee under United
States and other tax laws resulting from an investment in the
Placing Shares and the Placee has made such investigation and has
consulted such tax and other advisors with respect thereto as it
deems necessary or appropriate;
(t) the Placee is not a resident of the United States, Canada,
Australia, the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of Ireland or
Japan and acknowledges that the Placing Shares have not been and
will not be registered nor will a prospectus be prepared in respect
of the Placing Shares under the securities legislation of the
United States, Canada, Australia, the Republic of South Africa, the
Republic of Ireland or Japan and, subject to certain exceptions,
the Placing Shares may not be offered or sold, directly or
indirectly, in or into those jurisdictions or in any other
jurisdiction in which any such offer, invitation or solicitation is
or would be unlawful;
(u) the Placee is 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 UK by it or any
other person on the acquisition by it of any Placing Shares or the
agreement by it to acquire any Placing Shares;
(v) in the case of a person who confirms to Numis on behalf of a
Placee an agreement to acquire Placing Shares under the Placing
and/or who authorises Numis to notify such Placee's name to the
Registrar, that person represents and warrants that he has
authority to do so on behalf of the Placee;
(w) the Placee has complied with its obligations in connection
with money laundering and terrorist financing under the Proceeds of
Crime Act 2002, the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Money Laundering
Regulations 2007 and any other applicable law concerning the
prevention of money laundering and, if it is 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 Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and, in
each case, agrees that pending satisfaction of such obligations,
definitive certificates (or allocation under the CREST system) in
respect of the Placing Shares comprising the Placee's allocation
may be retained at Numis' discretion;
(x) the Placee agrees that, due to anti-money laundering and the
countering of terrorist financing requirements, Numis and/or the
Company may require proof of identity of the Placee and related
parties and verification of the source of the payment before the
application can be processed and that, in the event of delay or
failure by the Placee to produce any information required for
verification purposes, Numis and/or the Company may refuse to
accept the application and the subscription moneys relating
thereto. It holds harmless and will indemnify Numis and/or the
Company against any liability, loss or cost ensuing due to the
failure to process this application, if such information as has
been required has not been provided by it or has not been provided
on a timely basis;
(y) the Placee is not, and is not applying as nominee or agent
for, a person which is, or may be, mentioned in any of sections 67,
70, 93 and 96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depository receipts and
clearance services);
(z) the Placee has complied with and will comply with all
applicable provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by the
Placee in relation to the Placing in, from or otherwise involving
the UK;
(aa) if the Placee is in the UK, the Placee is a person (i) who
has professional experience in matters relating to investments
falling within article 19(5) of the Order or (ii) a high net worth
entity falling within article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, or is a
person to whom this document may otherwise be lawfully
communicated, and in all cases is capable of being categorised as a
Professional Client or Eligible Counterparty for the purposes of
the FCA Conduct of Business Rules (all such persons together being
referred to as "relevant persons");
(bb) if the Placee is in the European Economic Area, the person
is a "Professional Client/Eligible Counterparty" within the meaning
of Annex II/Article 24 (2) of MiFID and is not participating in the
Placing on behalf of persons in the European Economic Area other
than Professional Clients or persons in the UK and other member
states (where equivalent legislation exists) for whom the Placee
has authority to make decisions on a wholly discretionary basis as
above;
(cc) in the case of a person who confirms to Numis on behalf of
a Placee an agreement to acquire Placing Shares under the Placing
and who is acting on behalf of a third party, that the terms on
which the Placee (or any person acting on its behalf) are engaged
enable it to make investment decisions in relation to securities on
that third party's behalf without reference to that third
party;
(dd) Numis is not making any recommendation to the Placee or
advising the Placee regarding the suitability or merits of
participation in the Placing or any transaction the Placee may
enter into in connection with the Placing or otherwise. The Placee
is not Numis' client in connection with the Placing and Numis will
not be responsible to any Placee for providing the protections
afforded to Numis' clients or providing advice in relation to the
Placing and Numis will not have any duties or responsibilities to
any Placee similar or comparable to "best execution" and
"suitability" imposed by the Conduct of Business Sourcebook
contained in the rules of the FCA;
(ee) the exercise by Numis of any rights or discretions under
the Placing Agreement shall be within its absolute discretion and
Numis need not have any reference to any Placee and shall have no
liability to any Placee whatsoever in connection with any decision
to exercise or not to exercise or to waive any such right and each
Placee agrees that it shall have no rights against Numis or its
directors or employees under the Placing Agreement;
(ff) the Placee's commitment to acquire Placing Shares on the
terms set out herein will continue notwithstanding any amendment
that may in future be made to the terms 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 conduct of the
Placing;
(gg) it irrevocably appoints any director of Numis 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 and otherwise to do all acts,
matters and things as may be necessary for, or incidental to, its
acquisition of any Placing Shares in the event of its failure so to
do; and
(hh) it will indemnify and hold the Company and Numis and their
respective affiliates 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 in this Part V and further agrees that the provisions
of this Part V will survive after completion of the Placing. The
Company and Numis will rely upon the truth and accuracy of each of
the foregoing representations, warranties and undertakings.
SUPPLY AND DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION
If any of Numis, the Registrar or the Company or any of their
respective agents request any information about a Placee's
agreement to acquire Placing Shares, such Placee must promptly
disclose it to them.
MISCELLANEOUS
The rights and remedies of Numis, the Registrar 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 will not prevent the exercise
of others.
On application, each Placee may be asked to disclose, in writing
or orally to Numis:
(a) if he is an individual, his nationality; or
(b) if he is a discretionary fund manager, the jurisdiction in
which the funds are managed or owned.
All documents will be sent at the Placee's risk. They may be
sent by post to such Placee at an address notified to Numis. Each
Placee agrees to be bound by the Articles once the Placing Shares
which such Placee has agreed to acquire have been acquired by such
Placee. The provisions of this Part V may be waived, varied or
modified as regards specific Placees or on a general basis by
Numis. The contract to acquire Placing Shares and the appointments
and authorities mentioned herein will be governed by, and construed
in accordance with, the laws of England and Wales. For the
exclusive benefit of Numis, the Company and the Registrar, each
Placee irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the
English courts in respect of these matters. This does not prevent
an action being taken against a Placee in any other jurisdiction.
In the case of a joint agreement to acquire Placing Shares,
references to an "Placee" in these terms and conditions are to each
of such Placees and such joint Placees' liability is joint and
several. All times and dates in this document are subject to
amendment and Numis and the Company each expressly reserve the
right to modify the Placing (including, without limitation, its
timetable and settlement) at any time before allocations of Placing
Shares under the Placing are determined.
The Placing is subject to the satisfaction of the conditions
contained in the Placing Agreement and the Placing Agreement not
having been terminated. Further details of the terms of the Placing
Agreement are set out above.
DEFINITIONS USED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
"Acquisition" means the acquisition by the Company of 67 A
ordinary shares of GBP1 each and 71 B ordinary shares of GBP1 each
in the capital of Target representing 75% of the issued share
capital of Target at the date of this agreement;
"Acquisition Agreement" means the conditional agreement dated 6
February 2017 between (1) the shareholders of Target (as Sellers
and/or Warrantors, as defined therein) and (2) the Company relating
to the Acquisition;
"Admission" means admission of the Consideration Shares and the
Placing Shares to trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance
with the AIM Rules ;
"AIM" the market of that name operated by the London Stock
Exchange;
"AIM Rules" the AIM Rules for Companies;
"Business Day" a day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays or public
holidays in England and Wales) on which banks generally are open in
London for the transaction of business;
"certificated" or "in certificated form" where a security is not
held in uncertificated form (i.e. not in CREST);
"Company" Be Heard Group plc;
"Consideration Shares" means the 9,303,766 new Ordinary Shares
to be issued to those persons who were shareholders of Target
immediately prior to completion of the Acquisition as part
consideration for the sale of shares in Target by them pursuant to
and in accordance with the terms of the Acquisition Agreement;
"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);
"Directors" the directors of the Company;
"Euroclear" Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited, the operator of
CREST;
"FCA" the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom;
"FSMA" the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as
amended);
"Group" the Company and its subsidiary undertakings;
"London Stock Exchange" London Stock Exchange plc;
"Numis" Numis Securities Limited, registered in England and
Wales with number 2285918, whose registered office is at 10
Paternoster Square, London EC4M 7LT;
"Ordinary Shares" the ordinary shares of GBP0.01 in the capital
of the Company;
"Placees" the placees procured by Numis pursuant to the Placing
Agreement who agree to subscribe for the Placing Shares;
"Placing" the placing of Placing Shares as described in this
document;
"Placing Agreement" the agreement relating to the Placing dated
6 February 2017 between the Company and Numis;
"Placing Price" 3.6 pence per Placing Share;
"Placing Shares" the 58,300,000 new Ordinary Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing;
"Prospectus Directive" the Directive of the European Parliament
and of the Council of the European Union 2003/71/EC;
"Regulation S" Regulation S under the Securities Act;
"Securities Act" the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended;
"Shareholders" holders of Ordinary Shares;
"Target" means Freemavens Limited (company registration number
8269001) whose registered office is at 3 Loughborough Street,
London, SE11 5RB;
"uncertificated" or "in uncertificated form" recorded on the
register of members of the Company as being
held in uncertificated form in CREST and title to which, by
virtue of the CREST Regulations, may be transferred by means of
CREST;
"United Kingdom" or "UK" the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland; and
"United States" or "US" the United States of America, its
territories and possessions and the District of Columbia.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
ACQUNUURBRAURUR
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 07, 2017 02:00 ET (07:00 GMT)
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