THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPENDICES (THE
"ANNOUNCEMENT") AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT, IS NOT FOR
PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN
WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS
TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (COLLECTIVELY, THE "UNITED STATES"),
AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY
OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR
DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL
FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY
AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION. PLEASE SEE
THE IMPORTANT NOTICES AT THE END OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE
INFORMATION
LEI: RV5B68J2GV3QGMRPW209
For
immediate release
2
October 2024
THE BRITISH LAND COMPANY PLC
("BRITISH LAND" OR THE "COMPANY")
PROPOSED PLACING TO FUND THE
CONTINUED GROWTH OF BRITISH LAND'S LEADING RETAIL PARK
PORTFOLIO
British Land today announces its
intention to raise gross proceeds of approximately £300 million
through an institutional placing (the "Placing"), conditional retail offer and
director subscription, in connection with the acquisition of a
portfolio of seven retail parks for a total consideration of £441
million (the "Acquisition"). Further details of the
Acquisition are set out in a separate announcement (the
"Acquisition Announcement"), which should be read in conjunction
with this Announcement.
The Placing is to be comprised of a
non-pre-emptive placing of new ordinary shares of 25 pence each in
the capital of the Company (the "Placing Shares") at the Placing Price
(as defined below). In conjunction with the Placing, the Company
will make a conditional retail offer and certain directors of the
Company intend to participate in a Subscription (each as defined
below), in each case at the Placing Price.
Highlights
·
Proposed Placing, Retail
Offer and director Subscription to raise
gross proceeds of approximately
£300 million to
fund the consideration for the Acquisition,
with the remainder financed from existing cash and in place
facilities;
·
Acquisition of seven
retail parks totalling c.1.9 m sq ft, let
to successful multi-channel and essential retailers with strong
covenants. The
parks are of high-quality, well maintained, with a strong occupier
mix. The assets are 99% occupied and all benefit from a major
superstore anchor;
·
The Acquisition reflects a net initial yield of
6.7% and a topped up net initial yield of 7.2%. The assets have a
passing rent of c.£29.5 million, a topped up passing rent of
c.£31.9 million and an ERV of c. £30.4 million. These assets offer
an attractive yield and strong rental growth prospects in line with
British Land's guidance of 3-5%. They are expected to deliver
double digit ungeared IRRs;
·
Since 1 April 2024, British Land has deployed £711
million of capital into retail parks (including the proposed
Placing and Acquisition). With this
Acquisition, the Company continues to build upon its market leading position in
this attractive segment, with retail parks
now comprising 32% of the total portfolio, up from 22% 18 months
ago, further consolidating British Land's
position as one of the largest owners and operators of retail parks in the UK;
·
Combined, the proposed Placing and Acquisition are
expected to be immediately accretive to earnings per share,
marginally dilutive to EPRA net tangible assets ("NTA") per share, broadly Loan to Value
("LTV") neutral and will
lower annualised Net Debt to EBITDA;
·
Following the strategic re-launch in 2021, retail
parks have remained a key pillar of British Land's overall
strategy. Parks remain the preferred format for retailers; they are
affordable (with low occupancy cost ratios), adaptable (with low
capex requirements) and easily accessible by the end consumer.
Moreover, supply of retail parks is restricted. Occupancy across
British Land's retail park portfolio remains high at 99% and the
Company expects ERV growth in the sector of 3-5% in
FY25;
·
British Land is expected to deliver underlying
profit of £142-144 million and resulting underlying EPS of
15.2-15.4p in the six months to 30 September 2024. Portfolio values
are expected to improve marginally by c.0.2% in the period, with
six month ERV growth of c.2.3% across the portfolio (of which
Retail Parks are c.3.6%);
·
British Land today confirms guidance for FY25 EPS
of 27.9p given at the Company's FY24 results, before the
Acquisition and proposed Placing announced today. The Acquisition
and proposed Placing will be accretive to EPS in FY25 and
beyond.
Background to the Placing
In 2021, British Land set out a
value-add strategy focused on three sectors with the strongest
operational fundamentals - campuses, retail parks and London urban
logistics. Since then, the Company has been successfully executing
on this strategy, driving British Land to outperform the MSCI All
Property total return benchmark by 300 bps in FY24, or 800bps on a
reweighted basis to match the Company's portfolio composition at
the sector level.
This outperformance is driven by
British Land's deep development and asset management capabilities
and the Company's positioning in the most attractive sectors.
Active capital recycling of non-core and dry assets creates further
value for its shareholders. Since the strategy was launched in
2021, capital activity has totaled £3.5bn, of which £1.7bn were
offices sold at an average yield of 4.5%. This has enabled
redeployment of capital into opportunities with higher returns and
has meant the Company's portfolio has been re-shaped, now being 93%
focused on chosen segments of campuses, retail parks and London
urban logistics.
In campuses, British Land remains
the leading owner and operator of campuses in the UK and is well
positioned to serve the needs of companies and their workforces in
the evolving post-pandemic work environment, particularly in
industries that are key to economic growth such as science and
technology. In London urban logistics, key structural growth
drivers of strong demand underpinned by the growth of e-commerce
and rising customer expectations on the speed and convenience of
deliveries continue to be a tailwind. British Land's development
pipeline remains healthy and focused on these two areas of the
strategy.
In retail parks, British Land
continues to believe that parks offer an attractive return profile
given strong occupational fundamentals, low capital expenditure
requirements and 6-7% yields. Since 2021, retail parks have been
the best performing sector in UK real estate[1], and British Land has delivered a
total property return of 11.6% per annum, outperforming the wider
retail park sector by 440 bps. The supply of retail parks is
restricted due to planning and values below replacement costs. Less
than 5% of supply has been added in the last 10 years, and retail
parks account for just 8% of a total 1.5bn sq ft UK retail
market.
British Land's market leading
position in UK retail parks gives the Company exceptional insight
into the market, knowledge of occupiers and ability to negotiate
portfolio deals, as well as economies of scale providing British
Land with a competitive advantage to lease and manage these
additional assets at a modest marginal cost. The Acquisition assets
have strong rental growth prospects given strong trading locations,
resilient occupier base and high occupancy, and are expected to
deliver attractive forward-looking returns.
British Land's scale, extensive
relationships and expertise in planning, asset management, deal
execution and value creation places the Company in a strong
position to continue to source acquisitions which deliver
attractive total returns for shareholders. In line with the
Company's rigorous approach to investment, British Land continues
to actively target acquisitions which are accretive to overall
portfolio returns, with a range of potential funding options
including capital recycling, debt and equity
consideration.
Use of Proceeds
The net proceeds of the Placing,
Retail Offer and Subscription will be used to fund the
consideration for the Acquisition, with the remainder financed from
existing cash and in place facilities.
Financial Impact of the Combination
of the Placing and Acquisition
The Acquisition reflects a net
initial yield of 6.7% and a topped up net initial yield of 7.2%.
These assets offer an attractive yield and strong rental growth
prospects in line with the Company's guidance of 3-5%. The parks
are high-quality, well maintained, with a strong occupier mix. The
assets are 99% occupied and all benefit from a major superstore
anchor. They are expected to deliver double digit ungeared
IRRs.
Combined, the Acquisition and
Placing are expected to be immediately accretive to earnings per
share, marginally dilutive to EPRA NTA per share,
broadly LTV neutral and
will lower annualised Net Debt to EBITDA.
Current Trading[2]
Included within the Acquisition
Announcement, the Company has today also published a business
update on trading for the six-month period ending 30 September 2024
("HY25"), ahead of HY25
results on 20 November 2024.
In summary, the business continues
to trade well with a good level of leasing in the period and cost
discipline underpinning the Company's profit performance. British
Land is expected to deliver underlying profit of £142-144 million
despite a number of properties entering development and the prior
year surrender of 1 Triton Square, and resulting underlying EPS of
15.2-15.4p in HY25. Over the same period, the Company expects
portfolio values to be marginally up, with
six month ERV growth of c.2.3% across the portfolio.
HY25 LTV is
expected to be at c.38% (FY24: 37.3%), reflecting capital activity
and development spend. British Land remains disciplined in its
management of leverage and will continue to actively recycle
capital.
British Land confirms guidance for
FY25 EPS of 27.9p given at the Company's FY24 results, before the
Acquisition and proposed Placing announced today. The Acquisition
and proposed Placing will be accretive to EPS in FY25 and
beyond.
Further details can be found in the
Acquisition Announcement, which should be read in conjunction with
this Announcement.
Details of the Placing, Retail Offer
and Subscription
The Placing is being conducted
through an accelerated bookbuild (the "Bookbuild") which will be launched
immediately following the release of this Announcement.
Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc
("Morgan Stanley") and UBS
AG London Branch ("UBS",
and together with Morgan Stanley, the "Joint Global Coordinators") are acting
as joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners in connection
with the Placing. Goldman Sachs International ("Goldman Sachs", and together with the
Joint Global Coordinators, the "Joint Bookrunners", or the
"Banks") is acting as a
joint bookrunner in connection with the Placing. The Banks may
close the Bookbuild at any time thereafter.
Concurrently with the Placing, there
will be a separate conditional retail offer made by the Company on
the PrimaryBid platform of new ordinary shares of 25 pence each in
the capital of the Company (the "Retail Offer
Shares") at the Placing Price (the
"Retail
Offer"), to provide retail investors
with an opportunity to participate in the Placing. The Retail Offer
is not made subject to the terms and conditions set out in Appendix
1 to this Announcement, and instead a separate announcement will be
made shortly regarding the Retail Offer and its terms.
In conjunction with the Placing and
the Retail Offer, Simon Carter, Chief Executive Officer and William
Rucker, Chair, intend to subscribe for 37,500 and 50,000 new
ordinary shares of 25 pence each in the Company, respectively. In
total, six directors of the Company intend to subscribe for new
ordinary shares of 25 pence each
in the capital of the Company (the
"Subscription Shares") at the
Placing Price pursuant to subscription letters that will be entered
into with the Company following publication of the Company's
interim results for the period to 30 September 2024 (the
"Subscription"), representing
approximately £600,000[3]
in aggregate. It is
intended that the Subscription Shares will be subscribed for
pursuant to subscription letters between the relevant directors and
the Company, rather than pursuant to the Terms and Conditions of
the Placing. For the avoidance of doubt, the Banks are playing no
role in connection with the Retail Offer or the
Subscription.
The Placing Shares, the Retail Offer
Shares and the Subscription Shares (together, the
"New
Ordinary Shares") in aggregate will
represent less than 10% of the current issued share capital of the
Company.
The price at which the Placing
Shares are to be placed (the "Placing Price") will be determined at
the close of the Bookbuild by agreement between the Company and the
Banks. The timing of the closing of the Bookbuild, the Placing
Price and the number of Placing Shares to be placed will be agreed
between the Banks and the Company following completion of the
Bookbuild and will then be announced as soon as practicable on a
Regulatory Information Service (the "Pricing Announcement").
The Banks have today entered into an
agreement with the Company (the "Placing Agreement") under which,
subject to the conditions set out therein, the Banks as agents, for
and on behalf of, the Company have agreed to use their respective
reasonable endeavours to procure subscribers for the Placing Shares
at the Placing Price. The Placing is subject to the terms and
conditions set out in Appendix 1 to this Announcement. The Placing
is not conditional upon the Retail Offer or the
Subscription.
A description of certain relevant
aspects of the Placing Agreement can be found in the Terms and
Conditions contained in Appendix 1 to this Announcement under the
headings "Details of the Placing Agreement and of the Placing
Shares", "Conditions of the Placing", "Termination of the Placing
Agreement" and "Restriction on further issue of securities". The
Placing will be made on a non-pre-emptive basis. The Company will
rely on the allotment and disapplication of pre-emption rights
authorities granted by shareholders to the Company at its annual
general meeting held on 9 July 2024.
Prior to launch of the Placing, the
Company consulted with a number of its shareholders to gauge their
feedback as to the terms of and potential participation in the
Placing. The Board has concluded that the Placing is in the best
interests of shareholders and wider stakeholders and will promote
the long-term success of the Company and has chosen to proceed with
the Placing. The Placing is being structured through the Bookbuild
to minimise execution and market risk. The Board intends to apply
the principles of pre-emption when allocating Placing Shares to
those shareholders that participate in the Placing.
Application will be made for the
Placing Shares and the Retail Offer Shares to be admitted to
listing in the Equity Shares (Commercial Companies) category of the
Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA") (the "Official List") and to be admitted to
trading on the main market for listed securities of London Stock
Exchange plc (the "London Stock
Exchange") (together, "Admission"). Subject to Admission
becoming effective, it is expected that settlement of subscriptions
in respect of the Placing Shares and trading in the Placing Shares
and the Retail Offer Shares will commence at 8:00 a.m. (London
time) on 7 October 2024.
The Placing is conditional upon,
inter alia, admission of the Placing Shares becoming effective not
later than 8:00 a.m. (London time) on 7 October 2024 (or such later
time and/or date, being not later than 8:00 a.m. (London time) 9
October 2024, as the Joint Global
Coordinators may agree (on behalf of the Banks) with the Company) and the Placing Agreement not being
terminated in accordance with its terms before that time. Further
details can be found in Appendix 1 to this Announcement.
The above proposed dates and times
may be subject to change at the discretion of the Company and the
Banks.
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be credited as fully paid and rank pari passu with the
existing Ordinary Shares in the capital of the Company including
the right to receive all future dividends and distributions
declared, made or paid.
The Company has undertaken to the
Banks that, between the date of this Announcement and 90 calendar
days after the date of Admission, it will not, directly or
indirectly, issue or allot Ordinary Shares, subject to customary
exceptions or waiver by the Joint Global Coordinators.
Appendix 1 to this Announcement
(which forms part of the Announcement) sets out the Terms and
Conditions of the Placing. By choosing to participate in the
Placing and by making an oral or written offer to acquire Placing
Shares, investors will be deemed to have read and understood this
Announcement in its entirety (including the Appendices) and to be
making a legally binding offer subject to the terms and conditions
in it, and to be providing the representations, warranties and
acknowledgements contained in Appendix 1.
The person responsible for making
this Announcement on behalf of the Company is Gavin
Bergin.
For
further information please contact:
British
Land
+44 (0) 20 7486 4466
Sean Pearcey-Stone, Investor
Relations
Lizzie King, Investor
Relations
Morgan Stanley (Joint Global Coordinator, Joint Bookrunner and
Joint Corporate Broker)
+44 (0) 20 7425 8000
Ben Grindley
Nick White
Emma Whitehouse
Jessica Pauley
Parnion Khoshan
UBS
(Joint Global Coordinator, Joint Bookrunner and Joint Corporate
Broker)
+44 (0) 20 7567 8000
Fergus Horrobin
Jonathan Retter
Alexander Bloch
Aadhar Patel
Meera Sheth
Goldman Sachs (Joint
Bookrunner)
+44 (0) 20 7774 1000
Johannes Fritze
Heiko Weber
Tom Hartley
Press enquiries
Charlotte Whitley
+44 (0) 78 8780 2535
Guy Lamming / Gordon Simpson, FGS
Global
+44 (0) 20 7251 3801
BritishLand-UK@fgsglobal.com
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP are
acting as UK and US legal advisers to the Company. Freshfields
Bruckhaus Deringer LLP are acting as UK and US legal advisers to
the Banks.
IMPORTANT NOTICES
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the
information provided in the "Important Notices" section of this
Announcement. Unless otherwise stated, defined terms in this
Announcement have the meanings ascribed to them in Appendix
2.
No action has been taken by the
Company, the Banks or any of their respective Affiliates or any
person acting on its or their behalf that would permit an offer of
the Placing Shares or Subscription Shares in any jurisdiction or
result in the possession or distribution of this Announcement or
any other offering or publicity material relating to such Placing
Shares or Subscription Shares in any jurisdiction where action for
that purpose is required. Any failure to comply with these
restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of
such jurisdictions. Persons into whose possession this Announcement
comes are required by the Company and the Banks to inform
themselves about, and to observe, such restrictions.
No prospectus, offering memorandum,
offering document or admission document has been or will be made
available in any jurisdiction in connection with the matters
contained or referred to in this Announcement and no such document
is required (in accordance with Prospectus Regulation (EU)
2017/1129 (the "Prospectus
Regulation") or the UK version of the Prospectus Regulation
as it forms part of UK law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended and supplemented (the
"UK Prospectus
Regulation")) to be published. Persons needing advice should
consult a qualified independent legal adviser, business adviser,
financial adviser or tax adviser for legal, financial, business or
tax advice.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE
APPENDICES, AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED 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,
AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY
OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR
DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL (EACH A "RESTRICTED TERRITORY"). FURTHER, THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER
OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS NOT
BEEN APPROVED BY THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, NOR IS IT INTENDED THAT
IT WILL BE SO APPROVED.
This Announcement or any part of it
does not constitute or form part of any offer to issue or sell, or
the solicitation of an offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for,
any securities in the United States, Canada, Australia, the
Republic of South Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction in
which the same would be unlawful or to any person to whom it is
unlawful to make such offer or solicitation. No public offering of
the Placing Shares or the Subscription Shares is being made in any
such jurisdiction.
This Announcement is for information
purposes only and is directed only at persons whose ordinary
activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing and
disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes
of their business and who have professional experience in matters
relating to investments and are: (i) if in a member state of the
European Economic Area (the "EEA"), "qualified investors" within the
meaning of article 2(e) of the Prospectus
Regulation ("Qualified
Investors"); or (ii) if in the UK, "qualified investors"
within the meaning of article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation
who are (a) persons who fall within the definition of "investment
professionals" in article 19(5) of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the
"Order"), or (b) persons
who fall within article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies,
unincorporated associations, etc.") of the Order, or (c) other
persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated (all such
persons referred to in (a), (b) and (c) together being referred to
as "Relevant Persons"). Any
investment or investment activity to which this Announcement
relates is available only (i) in any member state of the EEA, to
Qualified Investors; and (ii) in the United Kingdom, to Relevant
Persons, and will only be engaged in with such persons. This
Announcement must not be acted on or relied on (i) in any member
state of the EEA, by persons who are not Qualified Investors; and
(ii) in the United Kingdom, by persons who are not Relevant
Persons.
The securities referred to herein
have not been and will not be registered under the United States
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or under the
securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United
States, and may not be offered or sold directly or indirectly in or
into the United States absent registration under the Securities Act
or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject
to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in
compliance with the securities laws of any state or any other
jurisdiction of the United States. The Placing Shares are being
offered and sold by the Company (a) outside the United States in
offshore transactions as defined in, and pursuant to, Regulation S
under the Securities Act ("Regulation S"), or (b) in the United
States only to persons reasonably believed to be "qualified
institutional buyers" (as defined in Rule 144A of the Securities
Act) ("QIBs") in
transactions pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not
subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
The Subscription Shares are being offered and sold by the Company
only outside the United States in offshore transactions as defined
in, and pursuant to, Regulation S.
There can be no assurance that the
Company will not be classified a passive foreign investment company
("PFIC") for US federal
income tax purposes. Investors subject to US federal income tax
should consult their own tax advisers in connection with any
potential investment in the Placing Shares.
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.
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 for 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 Australia, the Republic of South Africa or Japan, and
may only be sold in Canada pursuant to an exemption from the
prospectus requirements of Canadian securities laws. Accordingly,
the Placing Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant
securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or
delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada,
the Republic of South Africa, or Japan or any other jurisdiction in
which such activities would be unlawful.
For the attention of residents of
Australia: This Announcement is not a prospectus or product
disclosure statement or otherwise a disclosure document for the
purposes of Chapter 6D or Part 7.9 of the Australian Corporations
Act 2001 (Cth) ("Corporations
Act") and does not constitute an offer, or an invitation to
purchase or subscribe for the Placing Shares offered by this
Announcement except to the extent that such an offer or invitation
would be permitted under Chapter 6D or Part 7.9 of the Corporations
Act without the need for a lodged prospectus or product disclosure
statement. In addition, for a period of 12 months from the date of
issue of the Placing Shares, no transfer of any interest in the
Placing Shares may be made to any person in Australia except to
"sophisticated investors" or "professional investors" within the
meaning of sections 708(8) and (11) of the Corporations Act or
otherwise in accordance with section 707(3) of the Corporations
Act.
Private Placement Sales in Canada:
In Canada, the offering of the Placing Shares is being made on a
private placement basis only in the provinces of British Columbia,
Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec on a basis exempt from the
requirement that the Company prepare and file a prospectus with the
relevant securities regulatory authorities in Canada. No offer of
securities is made pursuant to this Announcement in Canada except
to a person who has represented to the Company and the Banks that
such person: (i) is purchasing as principal, or is deemed to be
purchasing as principal in accordance with applicable Canadian
securities laws, for investment only and not with a view to resale
or redistribution; (ii) is an "accredited investor" as such term is
defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or, in Ontario,
as such term is defined in section 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario); and (iii) is
a "permitted client" as such term is defined in section 1.1 of
National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and
Ongoing Registrant Obligations; any resale of the Placing
Shares acquired by a Canadian investor in this offering must be
made in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, which
may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may
require resales to be made in accordance with Canadian prospectus
requirements, a statutory exemption from the prospectus
requirements, in a transaction exempt from or not subject to the
prospectus requirements or otherwise under a discretionary
exemption from the prospectus requirements granted by the
applicable local Canadian securities regulatory authority. These
resale restrictions may under certain circumstances apply to
resales of the Placing Shares outside of Canada.
By participating in the Bookbuild
and the Placing, each person who is invited to and who chooses to
participate in the Placing (each a "Placee") by making an oral or written
and legally binding offer to subscribe for Placing Shares will be
deemed (i) to have read and understood this Announcement (including
the appendices) in its entirety, (ii) to be participating, making
an offer and subscribing for Placing Shares on the Terms and
Conditions contained in Appendix 1 to this Announcement and (iii)
to be providing the representations, warranties, indemnities,
acknowledgements and undertakings contained in Appendix 1 to this
Announcement.
Certain statements contained in this
Announcement constitute "forward-looking statements" with respect
to the financial condition, performance, strategic initiatives,
objectives, results of operations and business of the Company. All
statements other than statements of historical facts included in
this Announcement are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking
statements. Without limitation, any statements preceded or followed
by or that include the words ''targets'', ''plans'', ''believes'',
''expects'', ''aims'', ''intends'', ''anticipates'', ''estimates'',
''projects'', ''will'', ''may'', "would", "could" or "should", or
words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, are
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include
statements relating to the following: (i) future capital
expenditures, expenses, revenues, earnings, cashflows, synergies,
economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, dividend
policy and future prospects; and (ii) business and management
strategies and the expansion and growth of the Company's
operations. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results and
are based on certain key assumptions, some of which are outside of
the Company's influence and/or control. Many factors could cause
actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially
from those projected or implied in any forward-looking statements.
The important factors that could cause the Company's actual
results, performance or achievements to differ materially from
those in the forward-looking statements include, among others,
economic and business cycles, the terms and conditions of the
Company's financing arrangements, foreign currency rate
fluctuations, competition in the Company's principal markets,
acquisitions or disposals of businesses or assets, changes in
government and other regulation, including in relation to the
environment, travel, health and safety and taxation, labour
relations and work stoppages, changes in political and economic
stability and trends in the Company's principal industries. Due to
such uncertainties and risks, undue reliance should not be placed
on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date
hereof. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the
events described in the forward-looking statements in this
Announcement may not occur. No statement in this Announcement is
intended to be a profit estimate or profit forecast. The
forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement speak
only as of the date of this Announcement. The Company, its
directors, the Banks and their respective Affiliates and any person
acting on its or their behalf each expressly disclaim any
obligation or undertaking to update or revise publicly any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, unless required to do so by applicable
law or regulation, the UK Listing Rules made by the Financial
Conduct Authority ("FCA")
(the "Listing Rules") under
the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended)
("FSMA"), the Market Abuse
Regulation (EU) No.596/2014 ("EU
MAR") and the UK version of EU MAR as it forms part of UK
law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as
amended and supplemented ("UK
MAR"), the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules made
by the FCA under FSMA (the "DTRs"), the rules of London Stock
Exchange plc (the "London Stock
Exchange") or the FCA.
UBS is authorised and regulated by
the Financial Market Supervisory Authority in Switzerland,
authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (the
"PRA") and subject to
regulation by the FCA and limited regulation by the PRA in the
United Kingdom. Each of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs is
authorised by the PRA and regulated in the United Kingdom by the
FCA and the PRA. Each of the Banks is acting exclusively for the
Company and no one else in connection with the Placing, the content
of this Announcement and other matters described in this
Announcement. Each of the Banks will not regard any other person as
their respective clients in relation to the Placing, the content of
this Announcement or any other matters described in this
Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone (including any
Placees) other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to their respective clients or for providing advice to any
other person in relation to the Placing, the content of this
Announcement or any other matters referred to in this Announcement.
The Banks are not acting for the Company with respect to the Retail
Offer or the Subscription and will have no responsibilities, duties
or liabilities, whether direct or indirect, whether arising in
tort, contract or otherwise in connection with the Retail Offer or
the Subscription or to any person in connection with the Retail
Offer or the Subscription.
This Announcement has been issued by
and is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representation or
warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in
relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be
accepted by either of the Banks or by any of their respective
Affiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf 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 in relation to
the Company, the Placing Shares, the Placing, or the Acquisition,
and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed. No reliance
may be placed by any person for any purpose on the information
contained in this Announcement, which is subject to change, or its
accuracy, fairness or completeness.
This Announcement does not
constitute a recommendation concerning any investor's investment
decision with respect to the Placing. 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 cannot be relied upon as a guide to future
performance. The contents of this Announcement are not to be
construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each
investor or prospective investor should consult his, her or its own
legal adviser, business adviser, financial adviser or tax adviser
for legal, financial, business or tax advice.
Any indication in this Announcement
of the price at which securities (including the Ordinary Shares)
have been bought or sold in the past cannot be relied upon as a
guide to future performance. No statement in this Announcement is
intended as a profit forecast or estimate for any period and no
statement in this Announcement should be interpreted to mean that
earnings, earnings per share or income, cash flow from operations
or free cash flow for the Company, as appropriate, for the current
or future years would necessarily match or exceed the historical
published earnings, earnings per share or income, cash flow from
operations or free cash flow for the Company.
In connection with the Placing, each
of the Banks, any of their respective Affiliates and/or any person
acting on its or their behalf, may take up a portion of the Placing
Shares in the Placing in a principal position and in that capacity
may retain, purchase or sell for its own account such shares and
other securities of the Company or related investments and may
offer or sell such shares, securities or other investments
otherwise than in connection with the Placing. Accordingly,
references in this Announcement to Placing Shares being issued,
offered or placed should be read as including any issue, offering
or placement of such shares in the Company to the Banks or any of
their respective Affiliates or any person acting on its or their
behalf acting in such capacity. In addition, either of the Banks,
their respective Affiliates and/or any person acting on its or
their behalf may enter into financing arrangements (including
swaps, warrants or contracts for difference) with investors in
connection with which either of the Banks or any of their
respective Affiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf
may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of such securities
of the Company, including the Placing Shares. Furthermore, in the
event that the Banks acquire Placing Shares in the Placing, they
may co-ordinate disposals of such shares in accordance with
applicable law and regulation. Neither of the Banks, any of their
respective Affiliates nor any person acting on its or their behalf
intends to disclose the extent of any such investment or
transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or
regulatory obligation to do so.
The Banks, their respective
Affiliates and/or any person acting on its or their behalf may have
engaged in transactions with, and provided various commercial
banking, investment banking, financial advisory transactions and
services in the ordinary course of their business to the Company
and/or its Affiliates for which it would have received customary
fees and commissions. The Banks, their respective Affiliates and/or
any person acting on its or their behalf may provide such services
to the Company and/or its Affiliates in the future.
The Placing Shares to be issued or
sold pursuant to the Placing, the Retail Offer Shares to be issued
or sold pursuant to the Retail Offer and the Subscription Shares to
be issued under the Subscription will not be admitted to trading on
any stock exchange other than the London Stock Exchange.
Neither the content of the Company's
website (or any other website) nor the content of any website
accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other
website) is incorporated into or forms part of this
Announcement.
This Announcement has been prepared
for the purposes of complying with applicable law and regulation in
the United Kingdom and the information disclosed may not be the
same as that which would have been disclosed if this Announcement
had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of
any jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.
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
Rules") 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 UK Product Governance
Rules) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares
have been subject to a product approval process, which has
determined that such 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 Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook ("COBS"); and
(ii) eligible for distribution through all permitted distribution
channels (the "UK Target Market
Assessment"). Notwithstanding the UK Target Market
Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no
capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is
compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income
or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an
appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient
resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
The UK Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment, the Banks
will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties.
For the avoidance of doubt, the UK
Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of
suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of COBS 9A and COBS
10A, respectively; 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.
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 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 such 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"). Notwithstanding the EU
Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price
of the Placing Shares may decline and investors could lose all or
part of their investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed
income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Placing
Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a
guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in
conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are
capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment
and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses
that may result therefrom. The EU Target Market Assessment is
without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or
regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing.
Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the EU Target Market
Assessment, the Banks will only procure investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible
counterparties.
For the avoidance of doubt, the EU
Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of
suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b)
a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest
in, or purchase or take any other action whatsoever with respect to
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.
Appendix 1 - Terms and Conditions of the Placing for invited
placees only
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY
ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND
DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES
OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS
RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (I) IF IN A MEMBER STATE OF THE
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (THE "EEA"), PERSONS WHO ARE "QUALIFIED
INVESTORS" ("QUALIFIED
INVESTORS") WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION
(EU) 2017/1129 (THE "PROSPECTUS
REGULATION"); OR (II) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, "QUALIFIED
INVESTORS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE UK VERSION OF
THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION AS IT FORMS PART OF UK LAW BY VIRTUE OF
THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED AND
SUPPLEMENTED (THE "UK PROSPECTUS
REGULATION") WHO ARE (A) PERSONS WHO FALL WITHIN THE
DEFINITION OF "INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS" IN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER
2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER"), OR (B) PERSONS WHO FALL WITHIN
ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) ("HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED
ASSOCIATIONS, ETC") OF THE ORDER, OR (C) OTHER PERSONS TO WHOM IT
MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS REFERRED
TO IN (A), (B) AND (C) ABOVE TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS
"RELEVANT PERSONS"). ANY
INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY (I) IN ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EEA, TO
QUALIFIED INVESTORS; AND (II) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, TO RELEVANT
PERSONS, AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH SUCH PERSONS. THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON (I) IN ANY MEMBER OF
STATE OF THE EEA, BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT QUALIFIED INVESTORS; OR
(II) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT
PERSONS.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF
CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF, OR THE
SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO ACQUIRE OR SUBSCRIBE FOR, ANY
SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.
PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX,
BUSINESS, FINANCIAL AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE
PLACING SHARES.
THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN AND
WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED
(THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR
UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF, OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY
AUTHORITY OF, ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES,
AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO 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. THE
PLACING IS BEING MADE (A) OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN "OFFSHORE
TRANSACTIONS" AS DEFINED IN AND PURSUANT TO REGULATION S UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT AND (B) IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY TO PERSONS
REASONABLY BELIEVED TO BE "QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYERS" PURSUANT
TO AN EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT. NO PUBLIC OFFERING
OF THE SHARES REFERRED TO IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS BEING MADE IN THE
UNITED KINGDOM, THE UNITED STATES, ANY OTHER RESTRICTED TERRITORY
OR ELSEWHERE.
This Announcement is for information
only and does not itself constitute or form part of an offer to
sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe
for securities referred to herein in any jurisdiction including,
without limitation, the United States or any Restricted Territory
or in any jurisdiction where such offer or solicitation is
unlawful.
This Announcement, and the
information contained herein, is not for release, publication or
distribution, directly or indirectly, to persons in any Restricted
Territory. The distribution of this Announcement and the Placing
and/or the offer or sale of the Placing Shares in certain
jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by
the Company, the Banks nor any of its or their respective
Affiliates nor any person acting on its or their behalf which would
permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution
of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material
relating to such Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action
for that purpose is required.
Persons distributing any part of
this Announcement must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do
so. Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees)
who have a contractual or other legal obligation to forward a copy
of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking
any such action. Persons into whose possession this Announcement
comes are required by the Company and the Banks to inform
themselves about, and to observe, any such restrictions. Failure to
comply with this directive may result in a violation of the
Securities Act or the applicable laws of other
jurisdictions.
All offers of the Placing Shares
will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus
Regulation and the UK Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to
produce a prospectus. This Announcement is being distributed and
communicated to persons in the UK only in circumstances to which
section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply.
Neither the Placing nor the Placing
Shares have been approved and nor will they be approved,
disapproved or recommended by the US Securities and Exchange
Commission, any state securities commission or any 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 unlawful.
Subject to certain exceptions, the
securities referred to in this Announcement may not be offered or
sold in any Restricted Territory or to, or for the account or
benefit of, a citizen or resident, or a corporation, partnership or
other entity created or organised in or under the laws of a
Restricted Territory.
This Announcement has been issued
by, and is the sole responsibility of, the Company. No
representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made
as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or
will be accepted by either of the Banks or any of their respective
Affiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf 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 party or its advisers, and any liability therefore
is expressly disclaimed.
Each of the Banks is acting
exclusively for the Company and no-one else in connection with the
Placing and is not, and will not be, responsible to anyone
(including the Placees) other than the Company for providing the
protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in
relation to the Placing and/or any other matter referred to in this
Announcement.
None of the Company, the Banks nor
any of their respective Affiliates nor any person acting on its or
their behalf makes any representation or warranty, express or
implied to any Placees regarding any investment in the securities
referred to in this Announcement under the laws applicable to such
Placees. Each Placee should consult its own advisers as to the
legal, tax, business, financial and related aspects of an
investment in the Placing Shares.
By participating in the Placing,
Placees (including individuals, funds or otherwise) by whom or on
whose behalf a commitment to subscribe for Placing Shares has been
given will (i) be deemed to have read and understood this
Announcement, in its entirety; and (ii) be making such offer and
subscribing for Placing Shares on the Terms and Conditions
contained in this Appendix, including being deemed to be providing
(and shall only be permitted to participate in the Placing on the
basis that they have provided) the representations, warranties,
acknowledgements and undertakings set out herein.
In particular each such Placee
represents, warrants and acknowledges that:
a. if it is in a
member state of the EEA, it is a Qualified Investor and undertakes
that it will subscribe for, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing
Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its
business;
b. if it is in the
United Kingdom, it is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it will
subscribe for, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that
are allocated to it for the purposes of its business;
c. it is
and, at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed for, will be,
(i) outside the United States and subscribing for the Placing
Shares in an "offshore transaction" as defined in, and in
accordance with, Regulation S; or (ii) (a) a QIB that has executed
and delivered, or will execute and deliver, a US Investor Letter,
and (b) subscribing for the Placing Shares pursuant to an exemption
from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration
requirements under the Securities Act, acknowledging that the
Placing Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the
Securities Act or with any state or other jurisdiction of the
United States;
d. it is acquiring
the Placing Shares for its own account or is acquiring the Placing
Shares for an account with respect to which it exercises sole
investment discretion and has the authority to make and does make
the representations, warranties, indemnities, agreements and
acknowledgements, contained in these terms and
conditions;
e. if it is a
financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1)
of the Prospectus Regulation and Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation, that it understands the resale and transfer
restrictions set out in this Appendix and that any Placing Shares
subscribed for by it in the Placing will not be subscribed for on a
non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be subscribed
for with a view to their offer or resale to, persons 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 Qualified Investors or in the United Kingdom to Relevant
Persons, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the
Banks has been given to each such proposed offer or resale;
and
f. the
Company and each of the Banks will rely upon the truth and accuracy
of the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and
agreements.
No representation is made by any of
the Banks to any Placees regarding an investment in the Placing
Shares.
Defined terms used in this Appendix
1 are set out in Appendix 2.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE
PLACING
Bookbuild
Following this Announcement, the
Banks will commence the Bookbuild to determine demand for
participation in the Placing by Placees. No commissions will be
paid to Placees or by Placees in respect of any Placing Shares. The
book will open with immediate effect. Members of the public are not
entitled to participate in the Placing. This Appendix gives details
of the Terms and Conditions of, and the mechanics of participation
in, the Placing.
The Banks and the Company shall be
entitled to effect the Placing by such alternative method to the
Bookbuild as they may, in their absolute discretion,
determine.
Details of the Placing Agreement and of the Placing
Shares
Morgan Stanley and UBS are acting as
Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners in connection with
the Placing. Goldman Sachs is acting as a Joint Bookrunner in
connection with the Placing. The Banks have today entered into an
agreement with the Company (the "Placing
Agreement") under which, subject to
the terms and conditions set out therein, each of the Banks as
agent for and on behalf of the Company, has agreed to use its
respective reasonable endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing
Shares at a price determined following completion of the Bookbuild
(the "Placing Price"), and, subject
to agreement with the Company as to the number of Placing Shares to
be placed with the Placees and the Placing Price, to the extent
that such Placees fail to pay for any of the Placing Shares
allocated to them, to subscribe for those Placing Shares for which
such Placees fail to pay. The Banks are not acting for the Company
with respect to the Retail Offer or the Subscription
and will have no responsibilities, duties or
liabilities, whether direct or indirect, whether arising in tort,
contract or otherwise in connection with the Retail Offer or the
Subscription or to any person in connection with the Retail Offer
or the Subscription.
The Placing Price and the final
number of Placing Shares will be decided at the close of the
Bookbuild following the execution of an agreement between the
Company and the Banks recording the final details of the Placing
(the "Pricing Agreement"). The timing
of the closing of the book, pricing and allocations are at the
discretion of the Company and the Banks. Details of the Placing
Price and the number of Placing Shares will be announced as soon as
practicable after the close of the Bookbuild.
The Placing Shares have been duly
authorised and will, when issued, 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 in respect of the Ordinary
Shares after the date of issue. The Placing Shares will be issued
free of any encumbrances, liens or other security
interests.
Application for admission to trading
It is expected that Admission of the
Placing Shares will become effective at 8:00 a.m. (London time) on
7 October 2024 (or such later date as may be agreed between the
Company and the Joint Global Coordinators (on behalf of the Banks)
but being no later than 8:00 a.m. (London time) on 9 October
2024).
Participation in, and principal terms of, the
Placing
1. Morgan Stanley
and UBS are acting as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint
Bookrunners in connection with the Placing. Goldman Sachs is acting
as a Joint Bookrunner in connection with the Placing and as agents
of the Company, in each case severally, and not jointly nor jointly
and severally. Participation in the Placing will only be available
to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited to participate by
either of the Banks. Each of the Banks and their respective
Affiliates and any person acting on their behalf, are entitled to
enter bids as principal in the Bookbuild.
2. The Bookbuild,
if successful, will establish the Placing Price payable to the
Banks by all Placees whose bids are successful. The Placing Price
and the aggregate proceeds to be raised through the Placing will be
agreed between the Banks and the Company following completion of
the Bookbuild. Any discount to the market price of the Ordinary
Shares of the Company will be determined in accordance with the
Listing Rules. The Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares
will be announced on a Regulatory Information Service following the
completion of the Bookbuild.
3. To participate
in the Bookbuild, Placees should communicate their bid by telephone
or in writing to their usual sales contact at one of the Banks.
Each bid should state the number of Placing Shares which the
prospective placee wishes to subscribe for at the Placing Price
which is ultimately established by the Company and the Banks or at
prices up to a price limit specified in its bid. Bids may be scaled
down by the Banks on the basis referred to in paragraph
6 below. Each of the
Banks reserves the right not to accept bids or to accept bids in
part rather than in whole. The acceptance of the bids shall be at
the relevant Bank's absolute discretion.
4. The Bookbuild
is expected to close no later than 7:00 a.m. (London time) on 3
October 2024 but may be closed earlier or later, at the discretion
of the Banks and the Company. The Banks may, in agreement with the
Company, accept bids that are received after the Bookbuild has
closed.
5. Each
prospective placee's allocation will be agreed between the Banks
and the Company and will be confirmed to prospective placees orally
or in writing by the relevant Bank, acting as agent of the Company,
following the close of the Bookbuild, and an electronic contract
note/trade confirmation will be dispatched as soon as possible
thereafter. Subject to paragraph 9 below, the relevant Bank's oral
or written confirmation to such prospective placee will constitute
an irrevocable legally binding commitment upon such person (who
will at that point become a Placee) in favour of such Bank and the
Company, under which such Placee agrees to subscribe for the number
of Placing Shares allocated to it and to pay the relevant Placing
Price for each such Placing Share on the Terms and Conditions set
out in this Appendix and in accordance with the Company's articles
of association and each Placee will be deemed to have read and
understood this Announcements (including the appendices) in its
entirety.
6. Subject to
paragraphs 3 and 4 above, the Banks will, in effecting the Placing, agree
with the Company the identity of the Placees and the basis of
allocation of the Placing Shares and may scale down any bids for
this purpose on such basis as it may determine. The Banks may also,
notwithstanding paragraphs 3 and 4 above (i) allocate Placing
Shares after the time of any initial allocation to any person
submitting a bid after that time and (ii) allocate Placing Shares
after the Bookbuild has closed to any person submitting a bid after
that time. The acceptance of offers shall be at the absolute
discretion of the Banks, subject to agreement with the Company. If
within a reasonable time after a request for verification of
identity, the Banks have not received such satisfactory evidence,
the Banks may, in their absolute discretion, terminate the Placee's
Placing participation in which case all funds delivered by the
Placee to the Banks will be returned without interest to the
account of the drawee bank or CREST account from which they were
originally debited.
7. The Placing
Shares are being offered and sold by the Company (a) outside the
United States in "offshore transactions" as defined in, and
pursuant to, Regulation S under the Securities Act; and (b) in the
United States only to persons reasonably believed to be QIBs in
transactions pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not
subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. A
potential placee and the prospective beneficial owner of the
Placing Shares is, and at the time the Placing Shares are
subscribed for will be, either: (i) outside the United States and
subscribing for the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" as
defined in, and pursuant to, Regulation S under the Securities Act;
or (ii) (a) a QIB that has executed and delivered, or will execute
and deliver, a US Investor Letter, and (b) subscribing for the
Placing Shares pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction
not subject to, the registration requirements under the Securities
Act, acknowledging that the Placing Shares have not been, and will
not be, registered under the Securities Act or with any state or
other jurisdiction of the United States. With respect to (ii)
above, it is subscribing for the Placing Shares for its own account
or for one or more accounts as to each of which it exercises sole
investment discretion and each of which is a QIB, for investment
purposes only and not with a view to any distribution or for resale
in connection with the distribution thereof in whole or in part, in
the United States, and it has full power to make the
representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements,
agreements and undertakings in this Announcement on behalf of each
such account.
8. Each potential
placee located or resident in Canada must qualify as both an
"accredited investor" and a "permitted client" under applicable
Canadian securities laws that has either executed and delivered, or
will execute and deliver, a Canadian Investor Letter and satisfy
the eligibility requirements set forth therein.
9. A bid in the
Bookbuild will be made on the terms and subject to the conditions
in this Appendix and will be legally binding on the Placee on
behalf of which it is made and except with the relevant Bank's
consent will not be capable of variation or revocation after the
time at which it is submitted. Each Placee will also have an
immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to
the relevant Bank, to pay it (or as it may direct) in cleared funds
an amount equal to the product of the Placing Price and the number
of Placing Shares that such Placee has been allocated to it and has
agreed to subscribe for. Each Placee's obligations will be owed to
the relevant Bank. The Company shall, conditional on Admission,
allot such Placing Shares to each Placee following each Placee's
payment to the relevant Bank of such amount.
10. Except as required by law
or regulation, no press release or other announcement will be made
by any Bank or the Company using the name of any Placee (or its
agent), in its capacity as Placee (or agent), other than with such
Placee's prior written consent.
11. Irrespective of the time
at which a Placee's allocation(s) pursuant to the Placing is/are
confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares to be 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".
12. All obligations under the
Bookbuild and Placing will be subject to fulfilment or (where
applicable) waiver of the conditions referred to below under
"Conditions of the Placing" and to the Placing not being terminated
on the basis referred to below under "Termination of the Placing
Agreement".
13. By participating in the
Bookbuild, 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 after confirmation (oral or otherwise) by
a Bank.
14. To the fullest extent
permissible by law, none of the Banks nor any of their respective
Affiliates nor any person acting on its or their behalf shall have
any responsibility or liability to any Placee (or to any other
person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in
connection with the Placing, the Placing Shares, the Acquisition or
otherwise. In particular, none of the Banks nor any of their
respective Affiliates nor any person acting on its or their behalf
shall have any responsibility or liability (including to the
fullest extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect
of the Banks' conduct of the Bookbuild or of such alternative
method of effecting the Placing as the Banks and the Company may
agree.
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 Banks' obligations
under the Placing Agreement are conditional on certain conditions,
including (but not limited to):
1. the execution
of the agreement entered into by the Company on the date of this
Announcement pursuant to which it has made the Acquisition (the
"Acquisition Agreement") by the
parties thereto, the Acquisition Agreement not having lapsed or
been terminated or rescinded and no condition thereto having become
incapable of satisfaction which has not otherwise been waived, in
each case prior to Admission;
2. there having
been no alteration, revision or amendment of any of the terms or
conditions of the Acquisition Agreement (or any document entered
into pursuant to or in connection with the Acquisition Agreement)
or waiver, variation, compromise or release of any obligation under
the Acquisition Agreement nor the grant of any time for performance
or other indulgence to any party under the Acquisition Agreement,
in each case prior to Admission;
3. the Pricing
Agreement having been executed by the Company and the
Banks;
4. the release by
the Company of the Pricing Announcement;
5. the Company
having allotted the Placing Shares to the Placees, prior to and
conditional only on Admission;
6. each of the
warranties on the part of the Company in the Placing Agreement not
being untrue, inaccurate or misleading (i) as at the date of the
Placing Agreement; (ii) as at the time the Pricing Agreement is
executed (if different from the date of this Announcement); and
(iii) immediately prior to Admission, in each case by reference to
the facts and circumstances then subsisting;
7. the Company
having complied with all of its obligations under the Placing
Agreement;
8. there not
having occurred a material adverse change in relation to the
Company and its subsidiaries (the "Group") at any time prior to
Admission; and
9. Admission of
the Placing Shares occurring at or before 8:00 a.m. (London time)
on 7 October 2024, or such later time and/or date as the Company
and the Joint Global Coordinators may agree (on behalf of the
Banks) in writing.
If: (i) any of the conditions
contained in the Placing Agreement, including those described
above, is not fulfilled or (where applicable) waived by the Banks
by the relevant time or date specified (or such later time or date
as the Company and the Joint Global Coordinators may agree (on
behalf of the Banks), being not later than 8:00 a.m. (London time)
on 9 October 2024); or (ii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in
the circumstances specified below, the Placing will lapse and the
Placees' rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the
Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such time and each
Placee agrees that no claim can be made by it in respect
thereof.
The Banks may, at their discretion
and upon such terms as they think fit, extend the time for the
satisfaction of any condition or waive compliance by the Company
with the whole or any part of any of the Company's obligations in
relation to the conditions in the Placing Agreement (other than
those conditions described in points 4, 5, 9
and certain other conditions, which may not be
waived under the terms of the Placing Agreement). Any such
extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out
in this Announcement.
None of the Banks nor their
respective Affiliates nor any person acting on its or their behalf
shall have any liability or responsibility 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 to the Placing nor for any decision it may make as to the
satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the Placing
generally and by participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees
that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of the
Banks.
By participating in the Bookbuild,
each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations hereunder
terminate only in the circumstances described above and under
"Termination of the Placing Agreement" below, and will not be
capable of rescission or termination by the Placee.
Termination of the Placing Agreement
The Banks are entitled, at any time
before Admission, to terminate the Placing Agreement in accordance
with its terms in certain circumstances,
including, inter
alia, if: (i) there has been a breach by the Company of any
of the warranties or any failure by the Company to perform any of
its obligations contained in the Placing Agreement; (ii) any
statement contained in any document or announcement issued or
published in connection with the Placing or the Acquisition being
untrue, incorrect or misleading; (iii) there has been a material
adverse change in relation to the Group; (iv) there is a
cancellation or suspension by the FCA or the London Stock Exchange
of trading in the Company's securities; or (v) upon the occurrence
of certain force
majeure events.
If circumstances arise that would
allow the Banks to terminate the Placing Agreement, they may
nevertheless determine to allow Admission to proceed. By
participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees that its rights
and obligations terminate only in the circumstances described above
and under "Conditions of the Placing" above and will not be capable
of rescission or termination by it after oral or written
confirmation by the Banks following the close of the
Bookbuild.
By participating in the Placing,
Placees agree that the exercise or non-exercise by each Bank of any
right of termination or other discretion under the Placing
Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of the Banks or
for agreement between the Company and the Banks (as the case may
be) and that neither the Company nor the Banks need make any
reference to, or consultation with, Placees and that neither they
nor any of their respective Affiliates nor any person acting on its
or their behalf shall have any liability to Placees whatsoever in
connection with any such exercise or failure to so
exercise.
No
prospectus
No offering document, prospectus,
offering memorandum or admission document has been or will be
prepared or submitted to be approved by the FCA (or any other
authority) or submitted to the London Stock Exchange or in any
other jurisdiction in relation to the Placing or Admission and no
such prospectus is required (in accordance with the Prospectus
Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation) to be published in the
United Kingdom or any equivalent document in any
jurisdiction.
Placees' commitments will be made
solely on the basis of publicly available information taken
together with the information contained in this Announcement, and
any Exchange Information (as defined below) previously published by
or on behalf of the Company simultaneously with or prior to the
date of this Announcement and subject to the further terms set
forth in the electronic contract note/trade confirmation to be
provided to individual prospective placees.
Each Placee, by accepting a
participation in the Placing, agrees that the content of this
Announcement and the publicly available information released by or
on behalf of the Company is exclusively the responsibility of the
Company and confirms to the Banks and the Company that it has
neither received nor relied on any other information,
representation, warranty, or statement made by or on behalf of the
Company (other than publicly available information), the Banks or
their respective Affiliates or any person acting on its or their
behalf. None of the Company, the Banks, any of their respective
Affiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf will be
liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing
based on any other information, representation, warranty or
statement which the Placees 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
and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation of the
business, financial or other position of the Company and the assets
being acquired pursuant to the Acquisition in accepting a
participation in the Placing. Nothing in this paragraph shall
exclude or limit the liability of any person for fraud or
fraudulent misrepresentation by that person.
Restriction on further issue of securities
The Company has undertaken to the
Banks that, between the date of the Placing Agreement and
90 calendar days after
(but including) the date of Admission, it will not, without the
prior written consent of the Joint Global
Coordinators, directly or indirectly
issue or allot Ordinary Shares, subject to customary exceptions and
waiver by the Joint Global Coordinators.
By participating in the Placing,
Placees agree that the exercise by the Joint Global
Coordinators of any power to grant
consent to waive the aforementioned undertaking by the Company
shall be within the absolute discretion of the Joint Global
Coordinators and that they need not
make any reference to, or consultation with, Placees and that they
shall have no liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with
any such exercise of the power to grant consent.
Registration and settlement
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares (ISIN: GB0001367019) following Admission will take
place within the relevant system administered by Euroclear
("CREST"), using the delivery
versus payment mechanism, subject to certain exceptions. Subject to
certain exceptions, the Banks and the Company reserve 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 in CREST within the
timetable set out in this Announcement or would not be consistent
with the regulatory requirements in the Placee's
jurisdiction.
Following the close of the Bookbuild
for the Placing, each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the
Placing will be sent an electronic contract note/trade confirmation
in accordance with the standing arrangements in place with the
relevant Bank stating the number of Placing Shares to be allocated
to it at the Placing Price, the aggregate amount owed by such
Placee to the relevant Bank and settlement instructions. It is
expected that such electronic contract note/trade confirmation will
be despatched on or around 3 October 2024 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 that it has in place with the
relevant Bank. In the event of any difficulties or delays in the
admission of the Placing Shares to CREST or the use of CREST in
relation to the Placing, the Company and the Banks may agree that
the Placing Shares will be issued in certificated form.
The Company will deliver the Placing
Shares to Morgan Stanley (CREST Participant ID: 50703, Member
Account ID: FIRM) as agent for the Company. The Placing Shares will
be credited to Morgan Stanley's CREST account by way of a
Registrars Adjustment and therefore British Land will not be
required to enter any form of receipt instruction into CREST. The
input to CREST by a Placee of a matching or acceptance instruction
will then allow delivery of the relevant Placing Shares to that
Placee on a delivery against payment basis.
It is expected that settlement will
be on 7 October 2024 on a T+2 basis in accordance with the
instructions given to the Banks.
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 (2)
percentage points above SONIA as determined by the
Banks.
Each Placee agrees that, if it does
not comply with these obligations, the Banks may sell any or all of
the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's behalf
and retain from the proceeds, for the Company's account and
benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee
plus any interest due. The relevant Placee will, however, remain
liable for any shortfall below the aggregate amount owed by it and
shall be required to bear any Transfer Taxes imposed in any
jurisdiction which may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares
on such Placee's behalf. By communicating a bid for Placing Shares,
each Placee confers on the Banks all such authorities and powers
necessary to carry out any such sale and agrees to ratify and
confirm all actions which the Banks lawfully take in pursuance of
such sale.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure
that the electronic contract note/trade confirmation is copied and
delivered immediately to the relevant person within that
organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares are registered in a
Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name of any person
for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of a nominee for
such person, such Placing Shares should, subject to as provided
below, be so registered free from any liability to UK stamp duty or
UK stamp duty reserve tax. If there are any circumstances in which
any other Transfer Taxes are payable in respect of the allocation,
allotment, issue or delivery of the Placing Shares (or for the
avoidance of doubt if any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax is
payable in connection with any subsequent transfer of or agreement
to transfer Placing Shares), neither the Banks nor the Company
shall be responsible for the payment of such amounts.
Representations and warranties
By participating in the Placing each
Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably
acknowledges, confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees
(for itself and for any such prospective placee) with the Banks (in
their capacity as Joint Bookrunners, as agents of the Company in
respect of the Placing and as underwriters of the Placing Shares)
and the Company, in each case as a fundamental term of its
application for Placing Shares, that:
1. it has read and
understood this Announcement, in its entirety and that its
participation in the Bookbuild and the Placing and its subscription
for and purchase of Placing Shares is subject to and based upon all
the terms, conditions, representations, warranties, indemnities,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings and other information
contained herein and undertakes not to redistribute or duplicate
this Announcement and that it has not relied on, and will not rely
on, any information given or any representations, warranties or
statements made at any time by any person in connection with
Admission, the Bookbuild, the Placing, the Company, the Placing
Shares or otherwise;
2. no offering
document, prospectus, offering memorandum or admission document has
been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing or is
required under the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus
Regulation and it has not received and will not receive an offering
document, prospectus, offering memorandum or admission document in
connection with the Bookbuild, the Placing, the Company, Admission,
the Placing Shares or otherwise;
3. (i) it has made
its own assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and the terms
of the Placing based on 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;
(ii) the Ordinary Shares are admitted to the Equity Shares
(Commercial Companies) category of the Official List of the FCA and
are admitted to trading on the main market of the London Stock
Exchange and that the Company is therefore required to publish
certain business and financial information in accordance with UK
MAR and the rules and practices of the London Stock Exchange and/or
the FCA (collectively and together with the information referred to
in (i) above, the "Exchange
Information"), which includes a
description of the nature of the Company's business and the
Company's most recent balance sheet and profit and loss account,
and similar statements for preceding financial years and that it
has reviewed such Exchange Information and that it is able to
obtain or access such Exchange Information without undue
difficulty, and is able to obtain access to such information or
comparable information concerning any other publicly traded
company, without undue difficulty; and (iii) it has had access
to such Exchange Information concerning the Company, the Placing
and the Placing Shares as it has deemed necessary in connection
with its own investment decision to acquire any of the Placing
Shares and has relied on that investigation for the purposes of its
decision to participate in the Placing;
4. none of the
Banks, nor the Company nor any of their respective Affiliates nor
any person acting on its or their behalf has provided, and none of
them will provide, it with any material or information regarding
the Placing Shares, the Bookbuild, the Placing or the Company or
any other person other than this Announcement, such information
being all that it deems necessary to make any investment decision
in respect of the Placing Shares, nor has it requested any Bank,
the Company, or any of their respective Affiliates or any person
acting on its or their behalf to provide it with any such material
or information;
5. unless
otherwise specifically agreed with the Banks, that they are not,
and at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed for, neither it
nor the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares will be, a resident
of a Restricted Territory or any other jurisdiction in which it
would be unlawful to make or accept an offer to subscribe for the
Placing Shares; and further acknowledges that the Placing Shares
have not been and will not be registered or otherwise qualified,
for offer and sale nor will an offering document, prospectus,
offering memorandum or admission document be cleared or approved in
respect of any of the Placing Shares under the securities
legislation of the United States, the United Kingdom or any other
Restricted Territory and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be
offered, sold, transferred, delivered or distributed, directly or
indirectly, in or into those jurisdictions or in any country or
jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is
required;
6. the content of
this Announcement is exclusively the responsibility of the Company
and that none of the Banks nor any of their respective Affiliates
nor any person acting on its or their behalf 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, including, without limitation, any Exchange Information,
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, the Acquisition Announcement or any
information previously published by or on behalf of the Company or
otherwise;
7. 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 and any Exchange
Information, that it received and reviewed all information that it
believes is necessary or appropriate 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 the Banks or the
Company and none of the Banks, the Company nor any of their
respective Affiliates nor any person acting on its or their behalf
will be liable for any Placee's decision to accept an invitation to
participate in the Placing based on any other information,
representation, warranty or statement. Each Placee further
acknowledges and agrees that it has relied solely on its own
investigation, examination and due diligence of the business,
financial or other position of the Company and the assets being
acquired pursuant to the Acquisition in deciding to participate in
the Placing and that none of the Banks nor any of their Affiliates
nor any person acting on its or their behalf have made any
representations to it, express or implied, with respect to the
Company, the Bookbuild, the Placing and the Placing Shares or the
accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the Exchange Information, and
each of them expressly disclaims any liability in respect
thereof;
8. it has not
relied on any information relating to the Company contained in any
research reports prepared by any of the Banks or their respective
Affiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf and
understands that (i) none of the Banks nor any of their respective
Affiliates nor any person acting on its or their behalf has or
shall have any liability for public information or any
representation; (ii) none of the Banks nor any of their respective
Affiliates nor any person acting on its or their behalf has or
shall have any liability for any additional information that has
otherwise been made available to such Placee, whether at the date
of publication, the date of this document or otherwise; and that
(iii) none of the Banks nor any of their respective Affiliates nor
any person acting on its or their behalf makes any representation
or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or
completeness of such information, whether at the date of
publication, the date of this Announcement or otherwise;
9. the allocation,
allotment, issue and delivery to it, or the person specified by it
for registration as holder, of Placing Shares will not give rise to
a liability under any of sections 67, 70, 93 or 96 of the
Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance services) and
that it is not participating in the Placing as nominee or agent for
any person to whom the allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of
the Placing Shares would give rise to such a liability and that the
Placing Shares are not being subscribed for in connection with
arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to issue or transfer
Placing Shares into a clearance service;
10. no action has been or will
be taken by the Company, the Banks or their respective Affiliates
or any person acting on its or their behalf that would, or is
intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in the
United States or in any country or jurisdiction where any such
action for that purpose is required;
11. it and any person acting
on its behalf is entitled to subscribe for and purchase 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 the Banks, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates or
any person acting on its or their behalf acting in breach of the
legal or regulatory requirements of any jurisdiction in connection
with the Placing;
12. it (and any person acting
on its behalf) has all necessary capacity and has obtained all
necessary consents and authorities to enable it to commit to its
participation in the Placing and to perform its obligations in
relation thereto (including, without limitation, in the case of any
person on whose behalf it is acting, all necessary consents and
authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred to in this
Announcement) and will honour such obligations;
13. it has complied with its
obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993, UK MAR and in
connection with money laundering and terrorist financing under the
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the Terrorism Act 2000, the
Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001, the Terrorism Act 2006,
the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds
(Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 and the Money
Laundering Sourcebook of the FCA and any related or similar rules,
regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any
government agency having jurisdiction in respect thereof (the
"Regulations") and, if making
payment on behalf of a third party, that satisfactory evidence has
been obtained and recorded by it to verify the identity of the
third party as required by the Regulations. If within a reasonable
time after a request for verification of identity, the Banks have
not received such satisfactory evidence, the relevant Bank may, in
its absolute discretion, terminate the Placee's Placing
participation in which event all funds delivered by the Placee to
the Banks will be returned without interest to the account of the
drawee bank or CREST account from which they were originally
debited;
14. it is acting as principal
only in respect of the Placing or, if it is acting for any other
person: (i) it is duly authorised to do so and has full power to
make, and does make, the acknowledgments, representations and
agreements herein on behalf of each such person; and (ii) it is and
will remain liable to the Banks and the Company for the performance
of all its obligations as a Placee in respect of the Placing
(regardless of the fact that it is acting for another
person);
15. it will not acquire or
subscribe for, or procure the acquisition or subscription of, any
new Ordinary Shares offered by the Company on or about the date
hereof on the PrimaryBid platform;
16. if it is in a member state
of the EEA, it is a Qualified Investor and undertakes that it will
subscribe for, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that
are allocated to it for the purposes of its business
only;
17. if it is in the United
Kingdom, it is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it will
subscribe for, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that
are allocated to it for the purposes of its business
only;
18. it understands that any
investment or investment activity to which this Announcement
relates is available only to, in the United Kingdom, Relevant
Persons, and in any member state of the EEA, Qualified Investors,
and will be engaged in only with such persons, and further
understands that this Announcement must not be acted on or relied
on by persons who are not, in the United Kingdom, Relevant Persons
and, in any member state of the EEA, Qualified
Investors;
19. it will not distribute,
forward, transfer or otherwise transmit this Announcement or any
part of it, or any other presentational or other materials
concerning the Placing in or into the United States (including
electronic copies thereof) to any person, and it has not
distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise transmitted any
such materials to any person;
20. where it is subscribing
for 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 subscribe for 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;
21. if it is a pension fund or
investment company, it represents, warrants and undertakes that its
subscription for Placing Shares is in full compliance with
applicable laws and regulations;
22. if it is acting as a
financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1)
of the Prospectus Regulation and Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation, that the Placing Shares subscribed for by it in the
Placing will not be subscribed for on a non-discretionary basis on
behalf of, nor will they be subscribed for with a view to their
offer or resale to, persons in a member state of the EEA other than
Qualified Investors or persons in the United Kingdom other than
Relevant Persons, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of
the Banks has been given to the proposed offer or
resale;
23. any offer of Placing
Shares may only be directed at persons in member states of the EEA
who are Qualified Investors and represents, warrants and undertakes
that it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any
Placing Shares to persons in the EEA prior to Admission except to
Qualified Investors or otherwise in circumstances which have not
resulted in and which will not result in an offer to the public in
any member state of the EEA within the meaning of the Prospectus
Regulation;
24. any offer of Placing
Shares may only be directed at persons in the United Kingdom who
are Relevant Persons and represents, warrants and undertakes that
it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing
Shares to persons in the United Kingdom prior to the expiry of a
period of six months from Admission except to Relevant Persons or
otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted in and which
will not result in an offer to the public in the United Kingdom
within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation and
section 85(1) of FSMA;
25. it has only communicated
or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to
be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in
investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the
FSMA) relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances in which
section 21(1) of the FSMA does not require approval of the
communication by an authorised person and agrees that this
Announcement has not been approved by any of the Banks in their
respective capacity as an authorised person under section 21
of FSMA and it may not therefore be subject to the controls which
would apply if it was made or approved as financial promotion by an
authorised person;
26. it has complied and will
comply with all applicable laws (including without limitation, all
relevant provisions of the FSMA in the UK) with respect to anything
done by it in relation to the Placing Shares;
27. if it has received any
inside information (as defined under the Market Abuse Regulation)
about the Company in advance of the Placing, it has not: (i) dealt
in the securities of the Company; (ii) encouraged or required
another person to deal in the securities of the Company; or (iii)
disclosed such information to any person except as permitted by the
Market Abuse Regulation, prior to the information being made
publicly available;
28. (i) it (and any person
acting on its behalf) has the funds available to pay for, and has
capacity and authority and is otherwise entitled to purchase the
Placing Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions which
apply to it; (ii) it has paid any Transfer Taxes due in connection
with its participation in any territory; (iii) it has not taken any
action which will or may result in the Company, the Banks or any of
their respective Affiliates or any person acting on its or their
behalf being in breach of the legal and/or regulatory requirements
and/or any anti-money laundering requirements of any territory in
connection with the Placing; and (iv) that the subscription for and
purchase of the Placing Shares by it or any person acting on its
behalf will be in compliance with applicable laws and regulations
in the jurisdiction of its residence, the residence of the Company,
or otherwise;
29. it (and any person acting
on its behalf) will make payment for the Placing Shares allocated
to it in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of this
Announcement on the due time and date set out herein against
delivery of such Placing Shares to it, failing which the relevant
Placing Shares may be placed with other Placees or sold as the
Banks may in their absolute discretion determine and without
liability to such Placee. It will, however, remain liable for any
shortfall below the net proceeds of such sale and the placing
proceeds of such Placing Shares and may be required to bear any
Transfer Taxes due pursuant to the terms set out or referred to in
this Announcement which may arise upon the sale of such Placee's
Placing Shares on its behalf;
30. its allocation (if any) of
Placing Shares will represent a maximum number of Placing Shares to
which it will be entitled, and required, to subscribe for, and that
the Banks or the Company may call upon it to subscribe for a lower
number of Placing Shares (if any), but in no event in aggregate
more than the aforementioned maximum;
31. none of the Banks nor any
of their respective Affiliates nor any person acting on its or
their behalf 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 participation in
the Placing is on the basis that it is not and will not be a client
of the Banks and that the Banks do not have any duties or
responsibilities to it for providing the protections afforded to
their respective clients or customers or for providing advice in
relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations,
warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained in the Placing
Agreement nor for the exercise or performance of any of the Banks'
rights and obligations thereunder including any rights to waive or
vary any conditions or exercise any termination right. In addition,
it acknowledges and agrees that none of the Banks nor their
respective Affiliates are acting for the Company with respect to
the Subscription and will have no responsibilities, duties or
liabilities, whether direct or indirect, whether arising in tort,
contract or otherwise in connection with the Retail Offer or the
Subscription or to any person in connection with the Retail Offer
or the Subscription;
32. the person whom it
specifies for registration as holder of the Placing Shares will be
(i) itself or (ii) its nominee, as the case may be. Neither the
Company, the Banks nor any of their respective Affiliates nor any
person acting on its or their behalf will be responsible for any
liability to Transfer Taxes resulting from a failure to observe
this requirement ("Indemnified Taxes"). Each Placee and any person
acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to indemnify each of the
Company, the Banks and any of their respective Affiliates and any
person acting on its or their behalf on an after-tax basis in
respect of any Indemnified Taxes;
33. the Placing Shares will be
allotted to the CREST stock account of Morgan Stanley who will hold
them as nominee on behalf of such Placee until settlement in
accordance with its standing settlement instructions with payment
for the Placing Shares being made simultaneously upon receipt of
the Placing Shares in the Placee's stock account on a delivery
versus payment basis;
34. these Terms and Conditions
and any agreements entered into by it pursuant to these Terms and
Conditions, and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or
in connection with such agreements, shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and it
subjects (on behalf of itself and on behalf of any person on whose
behalf it is acting) to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English
courts as regards any claim, dispute or matter arising out of any
such contract, except that enforcement proceedings in respect of
the obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together
with any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by the Banks or
the Company in any jurisdiction in which the relevant Placee is
incorporated or in which any of its securities have a quotation on
a recognised stock exchange;
35. each of the Banks, the
Company, their respective Affiliates and any person acting on its
or their behalf will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the
representations, warranties, agreements, undertakings and
acknowledgements contained in this Announcement and which are given
to each of the Banks on their own behalf and on behalf of the
Company and are irrevocable and it irrevocably authorises each of
the Banks and the Company to produce this Announcement, pursuant
to, in connection with, or as may be required by any applicable law
or regulation, administrative or legal proceeding or official
inquiry with respect to the matters contained in this
Announcement;
36. it will indemnify on an
after-tax basis and hold each of the Banks, the Company and their
respective Affiliates and any person acting on its or their behalf
harmless from any and all costs, claims, liabilities and expenses
(including legal fees and expenses) arising out of, directly or
indirectly, or in connection with any breach by it of the
representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings in this Appendix and further agrees that the
provisions of this Appendix 1 shall survive after completion of the
Placing;
37. it irrevocably appoints
any director or authorised signatories of the Banks as its agent
for the purposes of executing and delivering to the Company and/or
its registrars any documents on its behalf necessary to enable it
to be registered as the holder of any of the Placing Shares agreed
to be taken up by it under the Placing;
38. its commitment to
subscribe for Placing Shares on the terms set out herein and in the
electronic contract note/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 the Banks' conduct of the
Placing;
39. in making any decision to
subscribe for the Placing Shares (i) it has sufficient knowledge,
sophistication and experience in financial, business and
international investment matters as is required to evaluate the
merits and risks of subscribing for or purchasing the Placing
Shares, (ii) it is experienced in investing in securities of this
nature in this sector and is aware that it may be required to bear,
and is able to bear, the economic risk of participating in, and is
able to sustain a complete loss in connection with, the Placing,
(iii) it has relied on its own examination, due diligence and
analysis of the Company and its Affiliates taken as a whole,
including the markets in which the Group and the assets being
acquired in the Acquisition operate, and the terms of the Placing,
including the merits and risks involved and not upon any view
expressed or information provided by or on behalf of the Banks,
(iv) it has had sufficient time and access to information to
consider and conduct its own investigation with respect to the
offer and purchase of the Placing Shares, including the legal,
regulatory, tax, business, currency and other economic and
financial considerations relevant to such investment and has so
conducted its own investigation to the extent it deems necessary to
enable it to make an informed and intelligent decision with respect
to making an investment in the Placing Shares, (v) it is aware and
understands that an investment in the Placing Shares involves a
considerable degree of risk and (vi) it will not look to the Banks
or any of their respective Affiliates or any person acting on its
or their behalf for all or part of any such loss or losses it or
they may suffer;
40. neither the Company, the
Banks, their respective Affiliates nor any person acting on its or
their behalf owe any fiduciary or other duties to it or any Placee
in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or
indemnities in the Placing Agreement;
41. it may not rely on any
investigation that any of the Banks or their respective Affiliates
or any person acting on its or their behalf may or may not have
conducted with respect to the Company and its Affiliates, the
assets being acquired in the Acquisition or the Placing and each of
the Banks has not made any representation or warranty to it,
express or implied, with respect to the merits of the Placing, the
subscription for or purchase of the Placing Shares, or as to the
condition, financial or otherwise, of the Company and its
Affiliates and the assets being acquired in the Acquisition, or as
to any other matter relating thereto, and nothing herein shall be
construed as any investment or other recommendation to it to
subscribe for the Placing Shares. It acknowledges and agrees that
no information has been prepared by, or is the responsibility of,
any of the Banks or their respective Affiliates or any person
acting on its or their behalf for the purposes of this
Placing;
42. it will not hold any of
the Banks and/or any of their respective Affiliates or any person
acting on its or their behalf responsible or liable for any
misstatements in or omission from any publicly available
information relating to the Group or information made available
(whether in written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and
howsoever transmitted or made available) relating to the Group or
the assets being acquired in the Acquisition and that no such
person makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as
to the truth, accuracy or completeness of such information or
accepts any responsibility for any of such information;
43. in connection with the
Placing, each of the Banks and any of their respective Affiliates
and any person acting on its or their behalf may take up a portion
of the Placing Shares as a principal position and in that capacity
may retain, purchase or sell for its own account such shares in the
Company and any other securities of the Company or related
investments and may offer or sell such shares, securities or other
investments otherwise than in connection with the Placing.
Accordingly, references in this Announcement to Placing Shares
being issued, offered or placed should be read as including any
issue, offering or placement of such shares in the Company to the
Banks or any of their respective Affiliates or any person acting on
its or their behalf, in each case, acting in such capacity. In
addition any of the Banks and any of their respective Affiliates
and any person acting on its or their behalf may enter into
financing arrangements (including swaps, warrants or contracts for
difference) with investors in connection with which such person(s)
may from time to time subscribe for, hold or dispose of such
securities of the Company, including the Placing Shares. None of
the Banks nor any of their respective Affiliates nor any person
acting on its or their behalf 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. a communication that the
transaction or the book is "covered" (i.e. indicated demand from
investors in the book equals or exceeds the amount of the
securities being offered) is not any indication or assurance that
the book will remain covered or that the transaction and securities
will be fully distributed by the Bank(s). Each of the Banks
reserves the right to take up a portion of the securities in the
Placing as a principal position at any stage at its sole discretion
and will, inter alia, take
account of the Company's objectives, UK MiFIR and MiFID II
requirements and/or its allocation policies;
45. if it is in Australia, it
is a "sophisticated investor" or a "professional investor" within
the meaning of sections 708(8) and (11) of the Corporations Act and
it understands and acknowledges that, for a period of 12 months
from the date of this Announcement, no transfer of any interest in
the Placing Shares may be made to any person in Australia except to
"sophisticated investors" or "professional investors" or otherwise
in accordance with section 707(3) of the Corporations
Act;
46. if it is in
Canada:
a.
it understands that the offering of the Placing
Shares is being made on a private placement basis only in the
provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and
Quebec (the "Canadian Private
Placement Provinces") on a basis exempt from the requirement
that the Company prepare and file a prospectus with the relevant
securities regulatory authorities in Canada and as such,
any resale of the Sale Shares must be made in accordance with an
exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus
requirements of applicable securities laws;
b.
it is located and resident in one of the Canadian
Private Placement Provinces;
c.
it purchasing the Placing Shares as principal, or
is deemed to be purchasing as principal in accordance with
applicable Canadian securities laws, for investment only and not
with a view to resale or redistribution;
d.
it is not an individual;
e.
it is an "accredited investor" as such term is
defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or,
in Ontario, as such term is defined in section 73.3(1) of the
Securities Act (Ontario),
as applicable;
f. it is
a "permitted client" as such term is defined in section 1.1 of
National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and
Ongoing Registrant Obligations;
g. it has not received any offering memorandum (as such term is
defined under Canadian securities law) from any party in respect of
this offering or the Placing Shares;
h. it understand that any resale of the Placing Shares acquired
by it in this offering must be made in accordance with applicable
Canadian securities laws, which may vary depending on the relevant
jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made in
accordance with Canadian prospectus requirements, a statutory
exemption from the prospectus requirements, in a transaction exempt
from or not subject to the prospectus requirements or otherwise
under a discretionary exemption from the prospectus requirements
granted by the applicable local Canadian securities regulatory
authority and that these resale restrictions may under certain
circumstances apply to resales of the Placing Shares outside
of Canada;
47. it acknowledges that the
Placing Shares have not been registered or otherwise qualified, and
will not be registered or otherwise qualified, for offer and sale
nor will a prospectus be prepared in respect of any of the Placing
Shares under the securities laws of the United States, or any state
or other jurisdiction of the United States, nor 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. The Placing Shares have not been registered or
otherwise qualified for offer and sale nor will a prospectus be
cleared or approved in respect of the Placing Shares under the
securities laws of Australia, Canada, South Africa or Japan and,
subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered, sold, taken up,
renounced or delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly,
within the United States, Australia, Canada, South Africa or Japan
or in any country or jurisdiction where any action for that purpose
is required;
48. it understands and
acknowledges that the Placing Shares are being offered and sold by
the Company (a) outside the United States in offshore transactions
as defined in, and pursuant to, Regulation S; and (b) in the United
States only to persons reasonably believed to be QIBs in
transactions pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not
subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. It
and the prospective beneficial owner of the Placing Shares is, and
at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed for will be, either:
(i) outside the United States and subscribing for the Placing
Shares in an "offshore transaction" as defined in, and pursuant to,
Regulation S; or (ii) (a) a QIB that has executed and delivered, or
will execute or deliver, and agrees to be bound to the terms of,
the US Investor Letter, and (b) subscribing for the Placing Shares
pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to,
the registration requirements under the Securities Act,
acknowledging that the Placing Shares have not been, and will not
be, registered under the Securities Act or with any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States. With respect to (ii) above, a
potential placee is subscribing for the Placing Shares for its own
account or for one or more accounts as to each of which it
exercises sole investment discretion and each of which is a QIB,
for investment purposes only and not with a view to any
distribution or for resale in connection with the distribution
thereof in whole or in part, in the United States, and it has full
power to make the representations, warranties, indemnities,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings herein on behalf of
each such account;
49. the Placing Shares offered
and sold in the United States are "restricted securities" within
the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act and for so
long as the Placing Shares are "restricted securities", it will not
deposit such shares in any unrestricted depositary facility
established or maintained by any depositary bank and it agrees to
notify any transferee to whom it subsequently reoffers, resells,
pledges or otherwise transfers the Placing Shares of the foregoing
restrictions on transfer;
50. it will not directly or
indirectly offer, reoffer, resell, transfer, assign, pledge or
otherwise dispose of any Placing Shares except: (a) outside the
United States in "offshore transactions" defined in, and in
accordance with, Regulation S; (b) in the United States to a person
that it and any person acting on its behalf reasonably believes is
a QIB who is purchasing for its own account or for the account of
another person who is a QIB pursuant to Rule 144A under the
Securities Act (it being understood that all offers or
solicitations in connection with such a transfer are limited to
QIBs and do not involve any means of general solicitation or
general advertising); (c) pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities
Act (if available); (d) to the Company; or (e) pursuant to an
exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the
registration requirements of the Securities Act, and, if the
Company shall so require, subject to delivery to the Company of an
opinion of counsel (and such other evidence as the Company may
reasonably require) that such transfer or sale is in compliance
with the Securities Act, in each case in accordance with any
applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of
the United States; and that that it will notify any transferee to
whom it subsequently reoffers, resells, pledges or otherwise
transfers the Placing Shares of the foregoing restrictions on
transfer;
51. the Company may be a
passive foreign investment company ("PFIC") for US federal income
tax purposes, and it could be a PFIC in future years. If the
Company is a PFIC, then US taxable investors may be subject to
adverse US tax consequences in respect of their investment in the
Company's shares; and
52. no representation has been
made as to the availability of the exemption provided by Rule 144
or any other exemption under the Securities Act for the reoffer,
resale, pledge or transfer of the Placing Shares.
The foregoing acknowledgements,
agreements, undertakings, representations, warranties and
confirmations are given for the benefit of the Company as well as
each of the Banks (for their own benefit and, where relevant, the
benefit of their respective Affiliates and any person acting on its
or their behalf) and are irrevocable. Each Placee, and any person
acting on behalf of a Placee, acknowledges that neither the Company
nor the Banks owe any fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in
respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or
indemnities in the Placing Agreement or these Terms and
Conditions.
Please also note that the agreement
to allot and issue Placing Shares to Placees (or the persons for
whom Placees are contracting as nominee or agent) free of UK stamp
duty and UK stamp duty reserve tax relates only to their allotment
and issue to Placees, or such persons as they nominate as their
agents, direct from the Company for the Placing Shares in question.
None of the Company, the Banks nor their respective Affiliates nor
any person acting on its or their behalf will be responsible for
any UK stamp duty or UK stamp duty reserve tax (including any
interest, fines and penalties relating thereto) or any other
Transfer Taxes arising in relation to the Placing Shares in any
other circumstances.
Such agreement is subject to the
representations, warranties and further terms above and also
assumes, and is based on a warranty and representation from each
Placee, that the Placing Shares are not being subscribed for in
connection with arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to
issue or transfer the Placing Shares into a clearance service.
Neither the Banks, the Company nor their respective Affiliates nor
any person acting on its or their behalf will be liable to bear any
interest or any Transfer Taxes that arise (i) if there are any such
arrangements (or if any such arrangements arise subsequent to the
subscription by Placees for Placing Shares) or (ii) on a sale of
Placing Shares, or (iii) otherwise than under the laws of the
United Kingdom. Each Placee to whom (or on behalf of whom, or in
respect of the person for whom it is participating in the Placing
as an agent or nominee) the allocation, allotment, issue or
delivery of Placing Shares has given rise to such Transfer Taxes
undertakes to pay such Transfer Taxes forthwith and agrees to
indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold the Banks and/or the
Company (as the case may be) and their respective Affiliates and
any person acting on its or their behalf harmless from any such
Transfer Taxes. Each Placee should, therefore, take its own advice
as to whether any such Transfer Tax liability arises.
In this Announcement, "after-tax
basis" means in relation to any payment made to the Company, any of
the Banks or their respective Affiliates pursuant to this
Announcement where the payment (or any part thereof) is chargeable
to any tax, a basis such that the amount so payable shall be
increased so as to ensure that after taking into account any tax
chargeable (or which would be chargeable but for the availability
of any relief unrelated to the loss, damage, cost, charge, expense
or liability against which the indemnity is given on such amount
(including on the increased amount)) there shall remain a sum equal
to the amount that would otherwise have been so payable.
Miscellaneous
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of each Placee acknowledges and agrees that any of the Banks
or any of their respective Affiliates may, at their absolute
discretion, agree to become a Placee in respect of some or all of
the Placing Shares. Each Placee acknowledges and is aware that the
Banks are receiving a fee in connection with their role in respect
of the Placing as detailed in the Placing Agreement.
When a Placee or person acting on
behalf of the Placee is dealing with any of the Banks, any money
held in an account with any of the Banks on behalf of the Placee
and/or any person acting on behalf of the Placee will not be
treated as client money within the meaning of the rules and
regulations of the FCA made under the FSMA.
The Placee acknowledges that the
money will not be subject to the protections conferred by the
client money rules; as a consequence, this money will not be
segregated from the relevant Bank's money in accordance with the
client money rules and will be used by each of the Banks in the
course of its own business; and the Placee will rank only as a
general creditor of the relevant Bank.
All times and dates in this
Announcement may be subject to amendment by the Banks and the
Company (in their absolute discretion). The Banks shall notify the
Placees and any person acting on behalf of the Placees of any
changes.
Past performance is no guide to
future performance and persons needing advice should consult an
independent financial adviser.
The rights and remedies of the Banks
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.
Time is of the essence as regards
each Placee's obligations under this Appendix.
Any document that is to be sent to
it in connection with the Placing will be sent at its risk and may
be sent to it at any address provided by it to the
Banks.
Each Placee may be asked to disclose
in writing or orally to the Banks:
1. if they are an
individual, their nationality; or
2. if they are a
discretionary fund manager, the jurisdiction in which the funds are
managed or owned.
Appendix 2 - Definitions
The following definitions apply
throughout this Announcement unless the context otherwise
requires:
"£", "GBP", "pounds", "pound sterling" or "sterling", "p", "penny" or "pence" are to the lawful currency of
the UK.
"Acquisition" means the Company's
proposed acquisition of seven retail parks from funds managed by
Brookfield , details of which are set out in the Acquisition
Announcement;
"Acquisition Agreement" means the
agreement entered into by the Company on the date of this
Announcement pursuant to which it has made the Acquisition
;
"Acquisition Announcement" means the
announcement published simultaneously with this announcement
regarding the Acquisition;
"Admission" means admission of the
Placing Shares and the Retail Offer Shares to the Equity Securities
(Commercial Companies) listing category of the Official List and to
trading on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed
securities;
"Affiliate" of any person means any
other person that, directly or indirectly through one or more
intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common
control with, such person and specifically includes subsidiaries,
branches, associated companies and holding companies and the
subsidiaries of such holding companies, branches, associated
companies and subsidiaries; and for these purposes "controlling person" means any person
who controls any other person; "control" (including the terms
"controlling",
"controlled by" and
"under common control
with") means the possession, direct or indirect, of the
power to direct or cause the direction of the management, policies
or activities of a person whether through the ownership of
securities, by contract or agency or otherwise; and the term
"person" is deemed to include a partnership, and this definition
also includes the respective directors, officers, employees, agents
and advisers of all such persons;
"Announcement" means this announcement
and its appendices;
"Banks" means Morgan Stanley, UBS and
Goldman Sachs;
"Bookbuild" means the bookbuilding
process to be commenced by the Banks to use reasonable endeavours
to procure placees for the Placing Shares at the Placing Price, as
described in this Announcement and subject to the terms and
conditions set out in this Announcement and the Placing
Agreement;
"Canadian Investor Letter" means the
investor representation letter in the form provided by the Banks to
prospective purchasers of Placing Shares that are located or
resident in Canada;
"Canadian Private Placement Provinces"
the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba,
Ontario and Quebec;
"COBS" means Chapter 3 of the FCA
Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook;
"Company" means The British Land Company
plc;
"Corporations Act" means the Australian
Corporations Act 2001 (Cth);
"CREST" means the relevant system (as
defined in the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 (SI 2001
No. 3755)) in respect of which Euroclear is the Operator (as
defined in such Regulations) in accordance with which securities
may be held and transferred in uncertificated form;
"DTRs" means the Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules made by the FCA pursuant to Part VI of
FSMA;
"EU
MAR" means the Market Abuse Regulation (EU)
No.596/2014;
"EU
Target Market Assessment" means the assessment 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
permitted distribution channels;
"Euroclear" means Euroclear UK &
International Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of
England and Wales;
"Exchange Information" means certain
business and financial information that the Company is required to
publish in accordance with UK MAR and the rules and practices of
the London Stock Exchange and/or the FCA;
"FCA" or "Financial Conduct Authority" means the
UK Financial Conduct Authority;
"FSMA" means the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000 (as amended);
"Goldman Sachs" means Goldman Sachs
International;
"Group" means the Company and its
subsidiaries;
"Joint Global Coordinators" means Morgan
Stanley and UBS;
"Joint Bookrunners" means Morgan
Stanley, UBS and Goldman Sachs;
"Listing Rules" means the rules and
regulations made by the FCA under FSMA;
"LSE" or "London Stock Exchange" means London
Stock Exchange plc;
"Market Abuse Regulation" means EU MAR
or UK MAR (as applicable);
"MiFID II" means EU Directive 2014/65/EU
on markets in financial instruments;
"MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements" means the product governance requirements of
(a) MiFID II; (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated
Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local
implementing measures;
"Morgan Stanley" means Morgan Stanley
& Co. International plc;
"Net Proceeds" means the net proceeds of
the Placing, Retail Offer and Subscription;
"New Ordinary Shares" means the Placing
Shares, the Retail Offer Shares and the Subscription
Shares;
"Official List" means the list of
publicly listed companies maintained by the FCA;
"Order" means the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as
amended;
"Ordinary Share" means an ordinary share
of 25 pence each in the capital of the Company;
"PFIC" means passive foreign investment
company within the meaning of Section 1297 of the US Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;
"Placee" means a person procured by a
Bank to subscribe for Placing Shares;
"Placing" has the meaning given in the
first paragraph of this Announcement;
"Placing Agreement" has the meaning
given to it in Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
"Placing Price" means the price per
Ordinary Share at which the Placing Shares are placed;
"Placing Shares" means the new Ordinary
Shares to be allotted and issued under the Placing;
"PRA" or "Prudential Regulation Authority" means
the UK Prudential Regulation Authority;
"Pricing Agreement" has the meaning
given to it in Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
"Pricing Announcement" means the
announcement published by the Company confirming the results of the
Placing on a Regulatory Information Service immediately following
the execution of the Pricing Agreement;
"Prospectus Regulation" means the
Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129;
"QIBs" means "qualified institutional
buyers" as defined in Rule 144A of the Securities Act;
"Qualified Investors" means qualified
investors within the meaning of article 2(e) of the Prospectus
Regulation;
"Regulation S" means Regulation S
promulgated under the Securities Act;
"Regulations" means the Criminal Justice
Act 1993, UK MAR and in connection with money laundering and
terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the
Terrorism Act 2000, the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001,
the Terrorism Act 2006, the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing
and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017
and the Money Laundering Sourcebook of the FCA and any related or
similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or
enforced by any government agency having jurisdiction in respect
thereof;
"Regulatory Information Service" means
an information service that is approved by the FCA and on the FCA's
list of Registered Information Services;
"Relevant Person" has the meaning given
to it in Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
"Restricted Territory" has the meaning
given to it in Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
"Retail Offer" means the conditional
offer to be made by the Company on the PrimaryBid platform of new
Ordinary Shares at the Placing Price, the terms of which will be
detailed in a separate announcement by the Company published
shortly after this announcement;
"Retail Offer Shares" means the new
Ordinary Shares to be allotted and issued under the Retail
Offer;
"Securities Act" means the
US Securities Act of 1933, as amended;
"Subscription" means the proposed
subscription for new Ordinary Shares by certain directors of the
Company;
"Subscription Shares" means the new
Ordinary Shares proposed to be allotted and issued under the
Subscription;
"subsidiary" or "subsidiary undertaking" each have the
meaning given to such term in the Companies Act 2006;
"Terms and Conditions" means the terms
and conditions of the Placing set out in Appendix 1 to this
Announcement;
"Trading Update" means the announcement
published by the Company simultaneously with this Announcement and
providing an update on the Company's trading in the first half of
its financial year;
"Transfer Taxes" means any stamp duty or
stamp duty reserve tax or any other similar duties or taxes
(including, without limitation, other stamp, issue, securities,
transfer, registration, capital, execution, or documentary or other
similar imposts, duties or taxes), together with any interest,
fines and penalties relating thereto;
"UBS" means UBS AG London
branch;
"UK
MAR" means the UK version of the Market Abuse Regulation
(EU) No.596/2014 as it forms part of UK law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended and
supplemented;
"UK MiFIR" means the UK version of the
Market in Financial Instruments Regulation (EU) 600/2014 as it
forms part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal)
Act 2018, as amended and supplemented;
"UK
Product Governance Rules" means the product governance
requirements of Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Product Intervention
and Product Governance Sourcebook;
"UK
Prospectus Regulation" means the UK version of the
Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of UK law by
virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended and
supplemented;
"UK
Target Market Assessment" means the assessment 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 Chapter 3 of COBS; and (ii) eligible for distribution through
all permitted distribution channels;
"uncertificated" or "in uncertificated form" means in
respect of a share or other security, where that share or other
security is recorded on the relevant register of the share or
security concerned as being held in uncertificated form in CREST
and title to which may be transferred by means of CREST;
"United Kingdom" or "UK" means the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland;
"United States" or "US" means the United States of America,
its territories and possessions, any state of the United States of
America, the District of Columbia and all other areas subject to
its jurisdiction and any political sub-division thereof;
and
"US
Investor Letter" means the investor representation letter in
the form provided by the Banks to QIBs in the United
States.