THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDIX) AND THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION
OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN,
INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF
SOUTH AFRICA, NEW ZEALAND OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN
WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BREACH ANY
APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES
NOT CONSTITUTE OR CONTAIN ANY INVITATION, SOLICITATION,
RECOMMENDATION, OFFER OR ADVICE TO ANY PERSON TO SUBSCRIBE FOR,
OTHERWISE ACQUIRE OR DISPOSE OF ANY SECURITIES IN COHORT PLC OR ANY
OTHER ENTITY IN ANY JURISDICTION. NEITHER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOR THE
FACT OF ITS DISTRIBUTION SHALL FORM THE BASIS OF, OR BE RELIED ON
IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY INVESTMENT DECISION IN RESPECT OF COHORT
PLC.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE
INFORMATION.
For
immediate release
21
November 2024
COHORT PLC
("Cohort", "the Company" or
"the Group")
Proposed Placing to raise £40
million
Cohort plc (AIM: CHRT), the
independent technology group, is pleased to announce the launch of
a fully underwritten non-pre-emptive placing of 4,571,428 new ordinary shares
of 10 pence each (the "Ordinary Shares") in the capital of the Company (the "Placing Shares") at a price of
875 pence per Ordinary
Share (the "Placing Price")
to institutional investors to raise gross proceeds (before expenses
and fees) of £40 million (the "Placing").
Cohort proposes to use the net
proceeds of the Placing to partly fund the cash consideration
payable by the Company for the conditional acquisition of the
entire issued share capital of EM Solutions Pty Ltd (ACN 082 157
846) which holds all of the issued share capital in EM Solutions
(Europe) B.V. (together "EM
Solutions") from Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited (ACN
092 708 364), an Australian public company which is listed on the
Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: EOS) ("EOS") (the "Acquisition"), as announced by Cohort
separately earlier today (the "Acquisition Announcement"). Details of
the Acquisition are contained in the Acquisition Announcement,
which should be read in conjunction with this
Announcement.
The Placing will be conducted,
subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, through an
accelerated bookbuild process which will be launched immediately
following this Announcement. The Placing is subject to the terms
and conditions set out in the Appendix to this Announcement (which
forms part of this Announcement).
In conjunction with the Placing,
Cohort also intends to carry out a separate retail offer on the
PrimaryBid platform of up to 114,285
new Ordinary Shares (the "Retail Offer Shares", and together with
the Placing Shares, the "New
Ordinary Shares"), at the Placing Price to raise gross
proceeds (before fees and expenses) of up to £1 million (the "Retail Offer", and together with the
Placing, the "Fundraise").
The Retail Offer will provide new investors and existing retail
shareholders in the United Kingdom with an opportunity to
participate in the Fundraise at the Placing Price. The Retail Offer
is not made subject to the terms and conditions set out in the
Appendix and instead a separate announcement will be made shortly
regarding the Retail Offer and its terms. The Retail Offer is
conditional on the Placing, but the Placing is not conditional upon
the Retail Offer. The Retail Offer will close no later than 12:00pm
today. It is expected that the Fundraise will raise total gross
proceeds (before fees and expenses) of up to £41 million for the Company.
The New Ordinary Shares will
represent approximately 11.2
per cent. of the existing issued ordinary share
capital of the Company (the "Existing Ordinary Shares") and the
Placing Price represents a discount of approximately 4.3 per cent.
to the closing mid-market price of 914 pence per Existing Ordinary Share
on 20 November 2024, being the latest practicable date prior to the
publication of this Announcement.
The Placing of 10.9% of the current
issued share capital equates to 4,571,428 New Ordinary Shares in
issue, which will result in the weighted average number of shares
outstanding in the first full financial year (FY26) being
46,437,800, assuming all
else remains equal.
The Fundraise will be effected
pursuant to the existing authorities from the Company's
shareholders. The Cohort management and founders are supportive of
the transaction however are restricted from trading due to a close
period caused by the interim results, expected to be released on
11th December 2024.
Unless the context otherwise
provides, capitalised terms used in this announcement (including
the appendix (the "Appendix" and together, this
"Announcement")) have the
meanings ascribed to them in the section headed "Definitions" at the end of this
Announcement.
Details of the Placing
Investec Bank plc
("Investec" or the
"Bookrunner") is acting as sole
bookrunner and nominated adviser in connection with the Placing.
The Placing will be effected by way of an accelerated bookbuild
(the "Bookbuild") at the Placing
Price. The Bookbuild will open with immediate effect following the
release of this Announcement in accordance with the terms and
conditions set out in the Appendix. A placing agreement has been
entered into today between the Company and Investec in connection
with the Placing (the "Placing
Agreement") and the Placing is
conditional upon the Placing Agreement between the Company and the
Bookrunner not having been terminated in accordance with its
terms.
The Placing is not conditional on
the completion of the Acquisition. The conditions to the completion
of the Acquisition are set out in the Acquisition Announcement. In
the event the Acquisition does not complete, the Company may, at
its option, decide to use the funds for alternative investments or
consider a tax efficient way to return the net proceeds to
shareholders. The Retail Offer is conditional on the Placing but
the Placing is not conditional on the Retail Offer.
The timing for the close of the
Bookbuild and allocation of the Placing Shares shall be at the
absolute discretion of the Bookrunner, in consultation with the
Company. The result of the Placing will be announced as soon as
practicable thereafter. The Placing is being fully underwritten by
Investec, subject to the conditions set out in the Placing
Agreement. The Placing Shares are not part of the Retail
Offer.
Admission, settlement and dealings
Application has been made to the
London Stock Exchange for the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to
trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange
("Admission").
Admission is expected to take place
at 8.00 a.m. (London time) on 25
November 2024 and dealings in the New
Ordinary Shares are expected to commence at 8.00 a.m. (London time)
on 25 November 2024
or, in each case, such later time and/or date as the Bookrunner and
the Company agree.
The New Ordinary Shares, when
issued, will be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the
Existing Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all
dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after the
date of issue.
The New Ordinary Shares will be in
registered form and will be capable of being held in either
certificated or uncertificated form (i.e. in CREST). Accordingly,
following Admission, settlement of transactions in the Ordinary
Shares may take place within the CREST system if a shareholder so
wishes. Shareholders who wish to receive and retain share
certificates are able to do so.
The ISIN number of the New Ordinary
Shares is GB00B0YD2B94. The TIDM is CHRT.
By choosing to participate in the
Placing 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 Appendix) and to be
making a legally binding offer on the terms and subject to the
terms and conditions in it, and to be providing the
representations, warranties and acknowledgements contained in the
Appendix.
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. The
Appendix to this Announcement sets out further information relating
to the terms and conditions of the Placing. The Retail Offer Shares
will be subscribed for on the basis of the terms and conditions of
the Retail Offer, and not pursuant to the terms and conditions of
the Placing contained in the Appendix to this
Announcement.
For
further information please contact:
Cohort plc
|
0118 909 0390
|
Andrew Thomis, Chief
Executive
|
|
Simon Walther, Finance
Director
|
|
Raquel McGrath, Company Secretary and
General Counsel
|
|
|
Investec Bank Plc (Sole Financial Adviser, Nominated Adviser,
Corporate Broker and Bookrunner)
|
020
7597 5970
|
Christopher Baird, Carlton Nelson,
Charlotte Young
|
|
|
|
MHP
|
07817 458804
|
Reg Hoare, Ollie Hoare, Hugo
Harris
|
Cohort@mhpgroup.com
|
EXPECTED TIMETABLE OF
PRINCIPAL EVENTS
Announcement of the
Acquisition
|
21
November 2024
|
Announcement of the
Placing
|
21
November2024
|
Announcement of the Retail
Offer
|
21
November 2024
|
Announcement of the results of the
Placing
|
21
November 2024
|
Announcement of the results of the
Retail Offer
|
21
November 2024
|
Admission and commencement of
dealings in the New Ordinary Shares on AIM
|
25
November 2024
|
Where applicable, expected date for
crediting of the New Ordinary Shares in uncertificated form to
CREST accounts
|
As soon as
possible following Admission
|
Where applicable, expected date for
despatch of share certificates in respect of the New Ordinary
Shares
|
within 10
Business Days of
Admission
|
IMPORTANT
NOTICES
This Announcement contains inside
information as defined in the UK version of the Market Abuse
Regulation (EU) No.596/2014, which is part of UK domestic law by
virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Upon the
publication of this Announcement via a Regulatory Information
Service, such inside information will be considered to be in the
public domain.
The person responsible for arranging
the release of this Announcement on behalf of the Company is
Raquel McGrath, Company Secretary of the
Company.
In addition, market soundings (as
defined in MAR) were taken in respect of the Placing with the
result that certain persons became aware of inside information (as
defined in MAR), as permitted by MAR. This inside information is
set out in this Announcement. Therefore those persons that received
inside information in a market sounding are no longer in possession
of such inside information relating to the Company and its
securities.
The information contained in this
Announcement is for information purposes only and does not purport
to be full or complete. No reliance may be placed for any purpose
on the information contained in this Announcement or its accuracy,
fairness or completeness. The information in this Announcement is
subject to change. To the extent permitted by law and regulation,
no undertaking, representation or warranty or other assurance,
express or implied, is made or given by or on behalf of the
Company, or any of their respective parent or subsidiary
undertakings or the subsidiary undertakings of any such parent
undertakings or any of their respective directors, officers,
partners, employees, agents, affiliates, representatives or
advisers, or any other person, as to the accuracy, completeness or
fairness of the information or opinions contained in this
Announcement.
Neither this Announcement, nor any
copy of it, may be taken or transmitted, published or distributed,
directly or indirectly, in, or into the United States, Australia,
Canada, Japan, or South Africa or to any persons in any of those
jurisdictions or any other jurisdiction where to do so would
constitute a violation of the relevant securities laws of such
jurisdiction.
This Announcement is for information
purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or issue, or
the solicitation of an offer to buy, acquire, underwrite or
subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any shares in the
capital of the Company in the United States, Australia, Canada,
Japan or South Africa or any other state or jurisdiction in which
such offer or solicitation is not authorised or to any person to
whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation. Any failure
to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of
securities laws of such jurisdictions.
The Placing Shares have not been, and
will not be, registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "US Securities
Act") or under any securities laws of any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered, sold,
resold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or
into the United States except pursuant to an applicable exemption
from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration
requirements of the US Securities Act and in compliance with the
securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United
States. No public offering of the Placing Shares is being made in
the United States.
This Announcement does not constitute
a prospectus or offering memorandum or an offer in respect of any
securities and is not intended to provide the basis for any
decision in respect of the Company or other evaluation of any
securities of the Company or any other entity and should not be
considered as a recommendation that any investor should subscribe
for, purchase, otherwise acquire, sell or otherwise dispose of any
such securities.
Recipients of this Announcement who
are considering acquiring Placing Shares are reminded that they
should conduct their own investigation, evaluation and analysis of
the business, data and property described in this Announcement and
publicly available information. This Announcement does not
constitute a recommendation concerning any investor's options with
respect to the Placing. The price and value of securities can go
down as well as up. Past performance is not a guide to future
performance. The contents of this Announcement are not to be
construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each
shareholder or prospective investor should consult with his or her
or its own legal adviser, business adviser, financial adviser or
tax adviser for legal, financial, business or tax
advice.
There is no intention to register any
portion of the Placing in the United States or to conduct any
public offering of securities in the United States or elsewhere.
All offers of Placing Shares will be made pursuant to an exemption
under the UK version of the Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, which is
part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act
2018, as amended from time to time, and includes any relevant
implementing measure in any member state (the "Prospectus Regulation") from the
requirement to produce a prospectus. No prospectus will be made
available in connection with the matters contained in this
Announcement and no such prospectus is required (in accordance with
the Prospectus Regulation) to be published. Persons needing advice
should consult an independent financial adviser.
Reliance on this Announcement for the
purpose of engaging in any investment activity may expose an
individual to a significant risk of losing all of the property or
other assets invested. Persons (including without limitation,
nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or other legal
obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek
appropriate advice before taking any action.
Members of the public are not
eligible to take part in the Placing. This Announcement and the
terms and conditions set out in the Appendix are for information
purposes only and are directed only at: (a) persons in Member
States of the Economic European Area who are qualified investors
within the meaning of article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Regulation
("Qualified Investors");
and (b) in the United Kingdom, persons who are qualified investors
within the meaning of the UK version of the Prospectus Regulation
and who (i) have professional experience in matters relating to
investments falling within the definition of "investments
professional" in article 19(5) of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the
"Order"); (ii) are persons
falling within article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies,
unincorporated associations, etc") of the Order; or (iii) are
persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated; (all
such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). This Announcement
must not be acted on or relied on by persons in any EEA member
state by persons who are not Qualified Investors or by persons in
the UK who are not Relevant Persons.
This Announcement (including the
Appendix) is not being distributed by, nor has it been approved for
the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000, as amended ("FSMA") by, a person authorised under
FSMA. This Announcement (including the Appendix) is being
distributed and communicated to persons in the United Kingdom only
in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not
apply.
Persons (including without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or
other legal obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement
should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.
This Announcement has been issued by,
and is the sole responsibility of, the Company. No undertaking,
representation or warranty or other assurance, express or implied,
is or will be made or given by Investec, or by any of its partners,
directors, officers, employees, advisers, consultants, affiliates
or agents as to or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of
the information or opinions contained in this Announcement or any
other written or oral information made available to any interested
person or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly
disclaimed. None of the information in this Announcement has been
independently verified or approved by Investec or any of its
partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers, consultants,
affiliates or agents. Save for any responsibilities or liabilities,
if any, imposed on Investec by FSMA or by the regulatory regime
established under it, no responsibility or liability whether
arising in tort, contract or otherwise, is accepted by Investec or
any of its partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers,
consultants or affiliates for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies
in such information or opinions or for any loss, cost or damage
suffered or incurred howsoever arising, directly or indirectly,
from any use of this Announcement or its contents or otherwise in
connection with this Announcement or from any acts or omissions of
the Company in relation to the Placing.
Investec Bank plc is authorised by
the Prudential Regulatory Authority (the "PRA") and regulated in the United
Kingdom by the PRA and the Financial Conduct Authority
("FCA"). Investec Europe
Limited (trading as Investec Europe), acting as agent on behalf of
Investec Bank plc in certain jurisdictions in the EEA,
("Investec Europe" and
Investec Bank plc together, "Investec") is regulated in Ireland by
the Central Bank of Ireland. Investec is acting exclusively for the
Company and no one else in connection with the Placing, the
contents of this Announcement and other matters described in this
Announcement. Investec will not regard any other person as its
client in relation to the Placing, the contents of this
Announcement and 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 its
clients or for providing advice to any other person in relation to
the Placing, the contents of this Announcement or any other matters
referred to in this Announcement.
Investec's responsibilities as the
Company's nominated adviser under the AIM Rules for Nominated
Advisers are owed solely to London Stock Exchange plc (the
"London Stock Exchange")
and are not owed to the Company or to any director of the Company
or to any other person.
No statement in this Announcement is
intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no statement in
this Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings per
share of the Company for the current or future financial years
would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings
per share of the Company.
The distribution of this Announcement
and the offering of the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may
be restricted by law. No action has been taken by the Company or
Investec that would permit an offering of such shares or possession
or distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or
publicity material relating to such shares in any jurisdiction
where action for that purpose is required. Persons into whose
possession this Announcement comes are required by the Company and
Investec to inform themselves about, and to observe, such
restrictions.
The information in this Announcement
may not be forwarded or distributed to any other person and may not
be reproduced in any manner whatsoever. Any forwarding,
distribution, reproduction or disclosure of this information in
whole or in part is unauthorised. Failure to comply with this
directive may result in a violation of the US Securities Act or the
applicable laws of other jurisdictions.
In connection with the Placing,
Investec and any of its affiliates, acting as investors for its own
account, may take up a portion of the shares in the Placing as a
principal position and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell,
offer to sell for the own accounts or otherwise deal for its own
account in such shares and other securities of the Company or
related investments in connection with the Placing or otherwise.
Accordingly, references to Placing Shares being offered, acquired,
placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any issue
or offer to, or acquisition, placing or dealing by, Investec and
any of its affiliates acting in such capacity. In addition,
Investec and any of its affiliates may enter into financing
arrangements (including swaps) with investors in connection with
which Investec and any of its affiliates may from time to time
acquire, hold or dispose of shares. Investec do not intend to
disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions
otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory
obligations to do so.
Cautionary statements
This Announcement may contain and the
Company may make verbal statements containing "forward-looking
statements" with respect to certain of the Company's plans and its
current goals and expectations relating to its future financial
condition, performance, strategic initiatives, objectives and
results. Forward-looking statements sometimes use words such as
"aim", "anticipate", "target", "expect", "estimate", "intend",
"plan", "goal", "believe", "seek", "may", "could", "outlook" or
other words of similar meaning. By their nature, all
forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because
they relate to future events and circumstances which are beyond the
control of the Company, including amongst other things, United
Kingdom domestic and global economic and business conditions,
market-related risks such as fluctuations in interest rates and
exchange rates, the policies and actions of governmental and
regulatory authorities, the effect of competition, inflation,
deflation, the timing effect and other uncertainties of future
acquisitions or combinations within relevant industries, the effect
of tax and other legislation and other regulations in the
jurisdictions in which the Company and its respective affiliates
operate, the effect of volatility in the equity, capital and credit
markets on the Company's profitability and ability to access
capital and credit, a decline in the Company's credit ratings; the
effect of operational risks; and the loss of key personnel. As a
result, the actual future financial condition, performance and
results of the Company may differ materially from the plans, goals
and expectations set forth in any forward-looking statements. Any
forward-looking statements made in this Announcement by or on
behalf of the Company speak only as of the date they are made.
These forward looking statements reflect the Company's judgment at
the date of this Announcement and are not intended to give any
assurance as to future results and cautions that its actual results
of operations and financial condition, and the development of the
industry in which it operates, may differ materially from those
made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in
this Announcement. The information contained in this Announcement
is subject to change without notice. Except as required by
applicable law or regulation (including to meet the requirements of the AIM Rules, MAR, the
Prospectus Regulation Rules and/or FSMA), the Company expressly
disclaims any obligation or undertaking to publish any updates,
supplements or revisions to any forward-looking statements
contained in this Announcement to reflect any changes in the
Company's expectations with regard thereto or any changes in
events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is
based. Statements contained in this Announcement regarding past
trends or activities should not be taken as representation that
such trends or activities will continue in the future. You should
not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date of this Announcement.
This Announcement does not identify
or suggest, or purport to identify or suggest, the risks (direct or
indirect) that may be associated with an investment in the Placing
Shares. Any investment decisions to buy Placing Shares in the
Placing must be made solely on the basis of publicly available
information, which has not been independently verified by
Investec.
The Placing Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than AIM, a market operated by the London
Stock Exchange plc.
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.
Information to Distributors
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements of Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook
Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the
"UK Product Governance
Requirements") and/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 Requirements and/or any
equivalent requirements elsewhere to the extent determined to be
applicable) may otherwise have with respect thereto the Placing
Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has
determined that they each are: (a) 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;
and (b) eligible for distribution through all permitted
distribution channels (the "Target
Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market
Assessment, "distributors" (for the purposes of the UK Product
Governance Requirements) should note that: the price of the Placing
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no
capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is
compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income
or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an
appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient
resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, Investec will
only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties.
For the avoidance of doubt, the
Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (i) an assessment of
suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of Chapters 9A or
10A, respectively, of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook; or (ii) 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
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE PLACING
FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING
THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN
(TOGETHER, THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT") (WHICH IS FOR
INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY) ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT: (A) PERSONS IN
MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (THE "EEA") WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS
WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129, AS
AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME (THE "PROSPECTUS REGULATION") ("QUALIFIED INVESTORS"); AND (B) PERSONS
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE
MEANING OF THE UK VERSION OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION (THE
"UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION")
WHO (I) HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO
INVESTMENTS WHO FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES
AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005 AS AMENDED
(THE "ORDER") (INVESTMENT
PROFESSIONALS); (II) ARE PERSONS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO
(D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC) OF
THE ORDER; OR (III) ARE PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE BE
LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO
AS "RELEVANT
PERSONS").
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE
INFORMATION IN IT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO
ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT
OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS
AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH
RELEVANT PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN
OFFER FOR THE SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE
COMPANY.
The Placing Shares have not been and
will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "US Securities
Act"), or under any securities laws of any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered, sold,
resold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or
into the United States except pursuant to an applicable exemption
from the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and in
compliance with the securities laws of any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States. The Placing Shares are being
offered and sold only (i) outside of the United States in
accordance with Regulation S under the US Securities Act
("Regulation S") and
otherwise in accordance with applicable laws and; (ii) in the
United States to a limited number of "qualified institutional
buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the US Securities Act
("QIBs") that are also
"major US institutional investors" as defined in Rule 15a-6 under
the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Major US Institutional Investors") in
transactions not involving any "public offering" within the meaning
of section 4(a)(2) of the US Securities Act or pursuant to another
exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the
registration requirements of the US Securities Act. There will be
no public offer of the securities mentioned herein in the United
States.
The Placing has not been approved
and will not be approved, disapproved or recommended by the U.S.
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.
This announcement and the
information contained herein is restricted and is not for release,
publication or distribution, in whole or in part, directly or
indirectly, in or into or from Australia, Canada, Japan, the
Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction in which such
release publication or distribution would be unlawful.
Each Placee should consult with its
own advisors as to legal, tax, business and related aspects of an
investment in the Placing Shares.
The distribution of this
Announcement and/or 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 Bookrunner or any of
their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees that would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or
possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other
offering or publicity material relating to such Placing Shares in
any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons
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 Bookrunner to inform themselves about and to
observe any such restrictions.
This Announcement or any part of it
is for information purposes only and does not constitute or form
part of any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an offer
to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any securities in the United
States, Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or
any other jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. No
public offering of the Placing Shares is being made in any such
jurisdiction.
The relevant clearances have not
been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of
any province or territory of Canada, no prospectus has been lodged
with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant
clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained 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, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South
Africa. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not (unless an
exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be
offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or
into Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or
any other jurisdiction outside the EEA or the UK.
Persons (including without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or
other legal obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement
should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the
information provided in the "Important Notice" section of this
Announcement.
By participating in the Bookbuild
and the Placing, each Placee who is invited to and who chooses to
participate in the Placing by making an oral and legally binding
offer to acquire the Placing Shares will be deemed to have read and
understood this Announcement in its entirety, to be participating,
making an offer and acquiring Placing Shares on the terms and
conditions contained herein and to be providing the
representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and
undertakings contained in this Appendix.
In particular, each such Placee
represents, warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst
other things) that:
1.
in the case of an investor in the United Kingdom,
it is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it will acquire, hold,
manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it
for the purposes of its business;
2.
in the case of a Relevant Person in a member state
of the EEA which has implemented the Prospectus Regulation (each, a
"Relevant Member State")
who acquires any Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing:
(a)
it is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of
Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Regulation; and
(b)
in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it
as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in the Prospectus
Regulation:
(i)
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing
have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired
with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Relevant
Member State other than Qualified Investors or in circumstances in
which the prior consent of the Bookrunner has been given to the
offer or resale;
(ii)
where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on
behalf of persons in any Relevant Member State other than Qualified
Investors, the offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated
under the Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such
persons; and
3.
it is acquiring the Placing Shares for its own
account or is acquiring the Placing Shares for an account with
respect to which it has authority to exercise, and is exercising,
investment discretion and has the authority to make and does make
the representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements,
undertakings and agreements contained in this
Announcement;
4.
it understands (or if acting for the account of
another person, such person has confirmed that such person
understands) the resale and transfer restrictions set out in this
Appendix;
5.
except as otherwise permitted by the Company and
subject to any available exemptions from applicable securities
laws, it (and any person on whose account it is acting, as referred
to in paragraph 4 above) is either:
(a)
located outside the United States and is acquiring
the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" as defined in, and
in accordance with, Regulation S; or
(b)
a QIB and a Major US Institutional Investor;
and
6.
if it is a Placee in, or resident in Canada, it:
(i) is an "accredited investor" as defined in Section 1.1 of
National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106") or subsection 73.3(1) of
the Securities Act
(Ontario) (the "OSA"), as
applicable, and it is either purchasing the Placing Shares as
principal for its own account, or it is deemed to be purchasing the
Placing Shares as principal for its own account in accordance with
applicable Canadian securities laws and not as agent for the
benefit of another person or as trustee for investment only and not
with a view to resale or redistribution; (ii) was not created or
used solely to purchase or hold the Placing Shares as an accredited
investor under NI 45-106; (iii) is a "permitted client" as defined
in section 1.1 of National Instrument 31-103 - Registration Requirements, Exemptions and
Ongoing Registrant Obligations ("NI 31-103") that is not an individual;
(iv) is resident in either the Province of Alberta, British
Columbia, Ontario or Quebec and entitled under applicable Canadian
securities laws, including the securities laws applicable to such
Province, to purchase the Placing Shares without the benefit of a
prospectus; and (v) if required by applicable Canadian securities
laws, it will execute, deliver and file, or assist the Company in
obtaining, preparing and filing such reports, undertakings and
other documents relating to the purchase of the Placing Shares by
it as may be required by any Canadian securities commission or
other regulatory authority.
No prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered
to a limited number of specifically invited persons only and will
not be offered in such a way as to require any prospectus or other
offering document to be published. No prospectus or other offering
document has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FCA in
relation to the Placing or the Placing Shares and Placees'
commitments will be made solely on the basis of their own
assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and the Placing based
on the information contained in this Announcement, the announcement
of the results of the Placing (the "Placing Results Announcement")
(together, the "Placing
Documents") and any other information publicly announced
through a regulatory information service ("RIS") by or on behalf of the Company on
or prior to the date of this Announcement (the "Publicly Available Information") and
subject to any further terms set forth in the contract note sent to
individual Placees.
Each Placee, by participating in the
Placing, agrees that the content of the Placing Documents is
exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it
has neither received nor relied on any information (other than the
Publicly Available Information), representation, warranty or
statement made by or on behalf of the Bookrunner or the Company or
any other person and neither the Bookrunner, the Company nor any
other person acting on such person's behalf nor any of their
respective affiliates has or shall have any responsibility or
liability for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing
based on any other information, representation, warranty or
statement. Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied
on its own investigation of the business, financial or other
position of the Company in accepting a participation in the
Placing. No Placee should consider any information in this
Announcement to be legal, tax or business advice. Each Placee
should consult its own attorney, tax advisor, and business advisor
for legal, tax and business advice regarding an investment in the
Placing Shares. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the
liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Details of the Placing Agreement and
the Placing Shares
The Bookrunner is acting as sole
bookrunner in connection with the Placing and has today entered
into the Placing Agreement with the Company under which, on the
terms and subject to the conditions set out in the Placing
Agreement, the Bookrunner, as agent for and on behalf of the
Company, has agreed to use its reasonable endeavours to procure
placees for the Placing Shares.
In accordance with the terms of the
Placing Agreement, the Placing is fully underwritten by the
Bookrunner and if Placees fail to take up their allocation of
Placing Shares at the Placing Price, the Bookrunner agrees to take
up such shares and the Company agrees to allot and issue such
shares to the Bookrunner, at the Placing Price and on the terms set
out in the Placing Agreement.
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be credited as fully paid up and will be issued subject to
the Company's articles of association and rank pari passu in all respects with the
existing Ordinary Shares and any PrimaryBid Shares, including the
right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared,
made or paid on or in respect of the Ordinary Shares after the date
of issue of the Placing Shares, and will on issue be free of all
encumbrances, liens or other security interests.
In addition to the Placing, the
Company intends to make an offer on the PrimaryBid platform of the
PrimaryBid Shares at the Placing Price. The PrimaryBid Offer is
conditional on the Placing but the Placing is not conditional on
the PrimaryBid Offer. The Bookrunner is acting as placement agent
only in connection with the Placing and is not acting for any
person, including the Company, in respect of the PrimaryBid Offer.
Neither the Bookrunner or any of its respective affiliates will
have any liability (subject to applicable legislation and
regulations) to any person in respect of the PrimaryBid
Offer.
Application for admission to
trading
Application has been made to the
London Stock Exchange plc (the "London Stock Exchange") for the
admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM ("Admission").
It is expected that Admission of the
Placing Shares will occur at or before 8.00 a.m. (London time) on
25 November 2024.
Bookbuild
The Bookrunner will today commence
the accelerated bookbuilding process in respect of the Placing (the
"Bookbuild") to determine
demand for participation in the Placing by Placees. Members of the
public are not entitled to participate in the Placing. This
Announcement gives details of the terms and conditions of, and the
mechanics of participation in, the Placing. No commissions will be
paid to Placees or by Placees in respect of any Placing
Shares.
The Bookrunner shall be entitled to
effect the Placing by such alternative method to the Bookbuild as
it may, in its absolute discretion following consultation with the
Company, determine.
Participation in, and principal
terms of, the Placing
1.
The Bookrunner is arranging the Placing solely as
bookrunner and placing agent of the Company. Participation in the
Placing will only be available to persons who may lawfully be, and
are, invited to participate by the Bookrunner. The Bookrunner may
itself agree to be a Placee in respect of all or some of the
Placing Shares or may nominate any member of its group to do
so.
2.
The price payable to the Bookrunner as agent for
the Company by all Placees whose bids are successful is 875 pence
per Ordinary Share (the "Placing
Price"). The number of Placing Shares to be issued will be
announced on an RIS following the completion of the Bookbuild via
the Placing Results Announcement.
3.
Allocations of the Placing Shares will be
determined by the Bookrunner after consultation with the Company
(the proposed allocations having been supplied by the Bookrunner to
the Company in advance of such consultation). Allocations will be
confirmed orally by the Bookrunner and a contract note will be
despatched as soon as possible thereafter. A Bookrunner's oral
confirmation to such Placee constitutes an irrevocable legally
binding commitment upon such person (who will at that point become
a Placee), in favour of the Bookrunner and the Company, to acquire
the number of Placing Shares allocated to it and to pay the Placing
Price in respect of such shares on the terms and conditions set out
in this Appendix and in accordance with the Company's articles of
association. Except with the Bookrunner's consent, such commitment
will not be capable of variation or revocation after the time at
which it is submitted.
4.
Each Placee's allocation and commitment will be
evidenced by a contract note issued to such Placee by the
Bookrunner. The terms of this Appendix will be deemed incorporated
in that contract note.
5.
Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's
allocation pursuant to the Placing is confirmed, settlement for all
Placing Shares to be subscribed for pursuant to the Placing will be
required to be made at the same time, on the basis explained below
under "Registration and
Settlement".
6.
All obligations under the Bookbuild and the
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
"Right to terminate under the
Placing Agreement".
7.
By participating in the Placing, each Placee
agrees that its rights and obligations in respect of the Placing
will terminate only in the circumstances described below and will
not be capable of rescission or termination by the
Placee.
8.
To the fullest extent permissible by law, neither
the Bookrunner, nor the Company, nor any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any
responsibility or liability to Placees (or to any other person
whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise). In particular,
neither the Bookrunner, the Company, nor any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any
responsibility or liability (including to the extent permissible by
law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of the Bookrunner's conduct
of the Placing or of such alternative method of effecting the
Placing as the Bookrunner and the Company may determine.
9.
The Placing Shares will be issued subject to the
terms and conditions of this Announcement and each Placee's
commitment to subscribe for Placing Shares on the terms set out
herein will continue notwithstanding any amendment that may in
future be made to the terms and conditions of the Placing and
Placees will have no right to be consulted or require that their
consent be obtained with respect to the Company's or the
Bookrunner's conduct of the Placing.
10.
All times and dates in this Announcement may be
subject to amendment. The Bookrunner shall notify the Placees and
any person acting on behalf of the Placees of any
changes.
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 Bookrunner's
obligations under the Placing Agreement are conditional on
customary conditions including (amongst others) (the "Conditions"):
1.
certain announcement obligations;
2.
Admission occurring no later than 8.00 a.m.
(London time) on 25 November 2024;
3.
the warranties on the part of the Company
contained in the Placing Agreement being true and accurate in any
respect which is, in the good faith opinion of the Bookrunner (as
it determines in its absolute discretion), material in the context
of the Placing and/or Admission and not misleading as at the date
of the Placing Agreement and at all times between the date of the
Placing Agreement and Admission, as though they had been given and
made on such date by reference to the facts and circumstances then
subsisting;
4.
the Acquisition Agreement having not been
terminated nor rescinded prior to Admission;
5.
the Company having complied with all of its
obligations under the Placing Agreement which fall to be performed
or satisfied on or prior to Admission and are material in the good
faith opinion of Bookrunner in the context of the Placing or
Admission; and
6.
in the opinion of the Bookrunner (acting in good
faith) there having been no Material Adverse Change between the
date of the Placing Agreement and Admission.
The
Bookrunner may, at its discretion and upon such terms as it thinks
fit, waive compliance by the Company with the whole or any part of
any of the Company's obligations in relation to the Conditions or
extend the time or date provided for fulfilment of any such
Conditions in respect of all or any part of the performance
thereof. The condition in the Placing Agreement relating to
Admission taking place may not be waived. Any such extension or
waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this
Announcement.
If: (i) any of the Conditions are
not fulfilled or (where permitted) waived by the Bookrunner by the
relevant time or date specified (or such later time or date as the
Company and the Bookrunner may agree); or (ii) the Placing
Agreement is terminated in the circumstances specified below under
"Right to terminate under the
Placing Agreement", the Placing will not proceed and the
Placees' rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the
Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such time and each
Placee agrees that no claim can be made by it or on its behalf (or
any person on whose behalf the Placee is acting) in respect
thereof.
Neither the Bookrunner, nor the
Company, nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors,
officers or employees shall have any liability to any Placee (or to
any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise)
in respect of any decision they may make as to whether or not to
waive or to extend the time and/or date for the satisfaction of any
Condition to the Placing, nor for any decision they may make as to
the satisfaction of any Condition or in respect of the Placing
generally, and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees
that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of the
Bookrunner.
Right to terminate under the Placing
Agreement
The Bookrunner is entitled, at any
time before Admission, to terminate the Placing Agreement in
accordance with its terms in certain circumstances, including
(amongst other things):
1.
where there has been a breach by the Company of
any of the warranties contained in the Placing Agreement (in each
case, save to the extent that the Bookrunner determines (in its
absolute discretion), acting in good faith, that the relevant
matter is not material in the context of the Placing);
2.
where there has been a breach by the Company of
any of its obligations under the Placing Agreement (save to the
extent that the Bookrunner considers, acting in good faith, that
the relevant matter is not material in the context of the
Placing);
3.
if any of the Conditions have (i) become incapable
of satisfaction or (ii) not been satisfied before the latest time
provided in the Placing Agreement and have not been waived if
capable of being waived by the Bookrunner; or
4.
in the opinion of the Bookrunner (acting in good
faith) the occurrence of a Material Adverse Change or certain force
majeure events, the effect of which (either singly or together) is
such as to make it, in the good faith judgment of the Bookrunner,
impracticable or inadvisable to market the Ordinary Shares or to
enforce contracts for the subscription and/or sale of the Ordinary
Shares.
Upon termination, the parties to the
Placing Agreement shall be released and discharged (except for any
liability arising before or in relation to such termination) from
their respective obligations under or pursuant to the Placing
Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that (i) the exercise by the Bookrunner of any
right of termination or of any other discretion under the Placing
Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of the Bookrunner
and that it need not make any reference to, or consult with,
Placees and that it shall have no liability to Placees whatsoever
in connection with any such exercise or failure to so exercise and
(ii) its rights and obligations terminate only in the circumstances
described above under "Right to
terminate under the Placing Agreement" and "Conditions of the Placing", and its
participation will not be capable of rescission or termination by
it after oral confirmation by the Bookrunner of the allocation and
commitments following the close of the Bookbuild.
Lock-up Arrangements
The Company has undertaken to the
Bookrunner that, between the date of the Placing Agreement and 120
days after the Admission, it will not, without the prior written
consent of the Bookrunner (such consent not to be unreasonably
withheld or delayed) allot or issue any securities of the Company
(or any interest therein or in respect thereof) or any other
securities exchangeable for, or convertible into, or substantially
similar to, Ordinary Shares or enter into any transaction having
substantially the same effect as, or agree to do, any of the
foregoing, subject to certain customary exceptions agreed between
the Bookrunner and the Company and provided that the foregoing
lock-up arrangements shall not prevent or restrict the issue of any
options or grant of any awards pursuant to (and in accordance with
the rules of) the Company's existing share option or share
incentive schemes or for the issue of Ordinary Shares pursuant to
the exercise of any options under such schemes.
By participating in the Placing,
Placees agree that the exercise by the Bookrunner of any power to
grant consent to the undertaking by the Company of a transaction
which would otherwise be subject to the lock-up provisions under
the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of
the Bookrunner and that it need not make any reference to, or
consult with, Placees and that it shall have no liability to
Placees whatsoever in connection with any such exercise of the
power to grant consent.
Registration and
Settlement
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00B0YD2B94) following Admission will take
place within the system administered by Euroclear UK &
International Limited ("CREST"), subject to certain exceptions.
The Bookrunner reserves the right to require settlement for, and
delivery of, the Placing Shares (or any part thereof) to Placees by
such other means that it may deem necessary if delivery or
settlement is not possible or practicable within the CREST system
or would not be consistent with the regulatory requirements in the
Placee's jurisdiction.
Following the close of the
Bookbuild, each Placee to be allocated Placing Shares in the
Placing will be sent a contract note in accordance with the
standing arrangements in place with the Bookrunner stating the
number of Placing Shares allocated to them at the Placing Price,
the aggregate amount owed by such Placee to the Bookrunner and
settlement instructions. Each Placee agrees that it will do all
things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed
in accordance with the standing CREST or certificated settlement
instructions in respect of the Placing Shares that it has in place
with the Bookrunner.
The Company will deliver the Placing
Shares to a CREST account operated by the Bookrunner as agent for
the Company and the Bookrunner will hold any Placing Shares
delivered to this account as nominee for the Placees. The
Bookrunner will enter its delivery instruction into the CREST
system. 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 against payment.
It is expected that settlement in
respect of the Placing Shares will take place on 25 November 2024
on a delivery versus payment basis.
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 four percentage
points above the Bank of England's base rate from time to time but
4 per cent per year for any period during which that base rate is
below zero.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that,
if it does not comply with these obligations, the Bookrunner 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
Bookrunner'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 will be required to bear any stamp
duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other taxes or duties (together
with any interest or penalties) imposed in any jurisdiction which
may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares on such Placee's
behalf.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure
that the contract note is copied and delivered immediately to the
relevant person within that organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares
are issued in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name
of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of
a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should, subject as
provided below, be so registered free from any liability to UK
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax. If there are any
circumstances in which any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or
other similar taxes or duties (including any interest and penalties
relating thereto) is payable in respect of the allocation,
allotment, issue, sale, transfer or delivery of the Placing Shares
(or, for the avoidance of doubt, if any stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax is payable in connection with any subsequent transfer
of or agreement to transfer Placing Shares), neither the Bookrunner
nor the Company shall be responsible for payment thereof. Placees
will not be entitled to receive any fee or commission in connection
with the Placing.
Representations, warranties,
undertakings and acknowledgements
By participating in the Placing each
Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably
acknowledges, confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees
(as the case may be) with the Bookrunner (in its capacity as
underwriter of the Placing Shares and bookrunner and placing agent
of the Company in respect of the Placing) and the Company, in each
case as a fundamental term of their application for Placing Shares,
the following:
General
1.
it has read and understood this Announcement in
its entirety and its subscription for and purchase of Placing
Shares is subject to and based upon all the terms, conditions,
representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings and other information contained herein and 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 the Placing, the Company, the Placing
Shares or otherwise other than the information contained in the
Placing Documents and the Publicly Available
Information;
2.
the Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on AIM
and that the Company is therefore required to publish certain
business and financial information in accordance with the rules and
practices of AIM, which includes a description of the Company's
business and the Company's financial information, including balance
sheets and income statements, and that it is able to obtain or has
access to such information without undue difficulty, and is able to
obtain access to such information or comparable information
concerning any other publicly traded companies, without undue
difficulty;
3.
its obligations are irrevocable and legally
binding and shall not be capable of rescission or termination by it
in any circumstances;
4.
that the exercise by the Bookrunner its rights or
discretions under the Placing Agreement shall be within the
absolute discretion of the Bookrunner and the Bookrunner need not
have any reference to it and shall have no liability to it
whatsoever in connection with any decision to exercise or not to
exercise any such right and each Placee agrees that it has no
rights against the Bookrunner or the Company, or any of their
respective officers, directors or employees, under the Placing
Agreement pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties Act)
1999;
5.
the person whom it specifies for registration as
holder of the Placing Shares will be (a) itself or (b) its nominee,
as the case may be. Neither the Bookrunner nor the Company will be
responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve
tax or other similar taxes or duties imposed in any jurisdiction
(including interest and penalties relating thereto) ("Indemnified Taxes"). Each Placee and
any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to indemnify the
Company and the Bookrunner on an after-tax basis in respect of any
Indemnified Taxes;
6.
neither the Bookrunner nor any of its affiliates
agents, directors, officers and employees accepts any
responsibility for any acts or omissions of the Company or any of
the directors of the Company or any other person (other than the
Bookrunner) in connection with the Placing;
7.
time is of the essence as regards its obligations
under this Announcement;
8.
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
Bookrunner;
No distribution of
Announcement
9.
it will not redistribute, forward, transfer,
duplicate or otherwise transmit this Announcement or any part of
it, or any other presentational or other material concerning the
Placing (including electronic copies thereof) to any person and
represents that it has not redistributed, forwarded, transferred,
duplicated, or otherwise transmitted any such materials to any
person;
No prospectus
10.
no prospectus or other offering document is
required under the Prospectus Regulation, nor will one be prepared
in connection with the Bookbuild, the Placing or the Placing Shares
and it has not received and will not receive a prospectus,
admission document or other offering document in connection with
the Bookbuild, the Placing or the Placing Shares;
Purchases by Bookrunner for its own
account
11.
in connection with the Placing, the Bookrunner and
any of its affiliates acting as an investor for its own account may
subscribe for Placing Shares in the Company and in that capacity
may retain, purchase or sell for its own account such Placing
Shares in the Company and any securities of the Company or related
investments and may offer or sell such securities or other
investments otherwise than in connection with the Placing.
Accordingly, references in this Announcement to the 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
Bookrunner or any of its affiliates acting in such
capacity;
12.
the Bookrunner and its affiliates may enter into
financing arrangements and swaps with investors in connection with
which the Bookrunner and any of its affiliates may from time to
time acquire, hold or dispose of such securities of the Company,
including the Placing Shares;
13.
the Bookrunner does not intend to disclose the
extent of any investment or transactions referred to in paragraphs
9 and 10 above otherwise than in accordance with any legal or
regulatory obligation to do so;
No fiduciary duty or client of the
Bookrunner
14.
the
Bookrunner does not owe any fiduciary or other duties to any Placee
in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or
indemnities in the Placing Agreement;
15.
its participation in the
Placing is on the basis that it is not and will not be a client of
the Bookrunner in connection with its participation in the Placing
and that the Bookrunner has no duties or responsibilities to it for
providing the protections afforded to its 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 its rights and obligations thereunder
including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise
any termination right;
No responsibility of the Bookrunner
for information
16. the
content of this Announcement has been prepared by and is
exclusively the responsibility of the Company and neither the
Bookrunner nor its respective affiliates agents, directors,
officers or employees nor any person acting on behalf of any of
them is responsible for or has or shall have any responsibility or
liability for any information, representation or statement
contained in, or omission from, the Placing Documents, the Publicly
Available Information or otherwise nor will they be liable for any
Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any
information, representation, warranty or statement contained in the
Placing Documents, the Publicly Available Information or otherwise,
provided that nothing in this paragraph excludes the liability of
any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by such
person;
Reliance on information regarding
the Placing
17.
(a)
the only information on which it is entitled to
rely on and on which such Placee has relied in committing itself to
subscribe for Placing Shares is contained in the Placing Documents,
or any Publicly Available Information (save that in the case of
Publicly Available Information, a Placee's right to rely on that
information is limited to the right that such Placee would have as
a matter of law in the absence of this paragraph 17(a)), such
information being all that such Placee deems necessary or
appropriate and sufficient to make an investment decision in
respect of the Placing Shares;
(b)
it has neither received nor relied on any other
information given, or representations, warranties or statements,
express or implied, made, by the Bookrunner nor the Company nor any
of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees acting on behalf of any of them (including in any
management presentation delivered in respect of the Bookbuild) with
respect to the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares or the
accuracy, completeness or adequacy of any information contained in
the Placing Documents, or the Publicly Available Information or
otherwise;
(c)
neither the Bookrunner, nor the Company, nor any
of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them has
provided, nor will provide, it with any material or information
regarding the Placing Shares or the Company or any other person
other than the information in the Placing Documents or the Publicly
Available Information; nor has it requested any of the Bookrunner,
the Company, any of their respective affiliates or any person
acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such
material or information; and
(d)
neither the Bookrunner nor the Company will be
liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing
based on any other information, representation, warranty or
statement,
provided that nothing in this
paragraph excludes the liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation made by that person;
Conducted own investigation and due
diligence
18.
it may not rely, and has not relied, on any
investigation that the Bookrunner, any of its affiliates or any
person acting on its behalf, may have conducted with respect to the
Placing Shares, the terms of the Placing or the Company, and none
of such persons has made any representation, express or implied,
with respect to the Company, the Placing, the Placing Shares or the
accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information in the
Placing Documents, the Publicly Available Information or any other
information;
19.
in making any decision to subscribe for Placing
Shares it:
(a)
has such knowledge and experience in financial and
business matters to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks
of subscribing for the Placing Shares;
(b)
will not look to the Bookrunner for all or part of
any such loss it may suffer;
(c)
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 an investment in the
Placing Shares;
(d)
is able to sustain a complete loss of an
investment in the Placing Shares;
(e)
has no need for liquidity with respect to its
investment in the Placing Shares;
(f)
has made its own assessment and has satisfied
itself concerning the relevant tax, legal, currency and other
economic considerations relevant to its investment in the Placing
Shares; and
(g)
has conducted its own due diligence, examination,
investigation and assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and
the terms of the Placing and has satisfied itself that the
information resulting from such investigation is still current and
relied on that investigation for the purposes of its decision to
participate in the Placing;
Capacity and authority
20. it
is subscribing for the Placing Shares for its own account or for an
account with respect to which it exercises sole investment
discretion and has the authority to make and does make the
acknowledgements, representations and agreements contained in this
Announcement;
21.
it is acting as principal only in respect of the
Placing or, if it is acting for any other person, it is:
(a)
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
(b)
and will remain liable to the Company and/or the
Bookrunner 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);
22. it
and any person acting on its behalf is entitled to subscribe for
the Placing Shares under the laws and regulations of all relevant
jurisdictions that apply to it and that it has fully observed such
laws and regulations, has capacity and authority and is entitled to
enter into and perform its obligations as a subscriber of Placing
Shares and will honour such obligations, and has obtained all such
governmental and other guarantees, permits, authorisations,
approvals and consents which may be required thereunder and
complied with all necessary formalities to enable it to commit to
this 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 and that it has not
taken any action or omitted to take any action which will or may
result in the Bookrunner, the Company or any of their respective
directors, officers, agents, employees or advisers acting in breach
of the legal or regulatory requirements of any jurisdiction in
connection with the Placing;
23.
where it is subscribing for Placing Shares for one
or more managed accounts, it is authorised in writing by each
managed account: (a) to acquire the Placing Shares for each managed
account and (b) to make the acknowledgements, representations,
undertakings and agreements herein on behalf of each such
account;
24.
it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised
officer of the Bookrunner as its agent for the purpose of executing
and delivering to the Company and/or its registrars any documents
on its behalf necessary to enable it to be registered as the holder
of any of the Placing Shares for which it agrees to subscribe for
upon the terms of this Announcement;
Excluded territories
25.
the Placing Shares have not been and will not be
registered or otherwise qualified and that a prospectus will not be
cleared in respect of any of the Placing Shares under the
securities laws or legislation of the United States, Australia, New
Zealand, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa, or any
state, province, territory or jurisdiction thereof;
26.
the Placing Shares may not be offered, sold, or
delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into the
above jurisdictions or any jurisdiction (subject to certain
exceptions) in which it would be unlawful to do so and no action
has been or will be taken by any of the Company, the Bookrunner or
any person acting on behalf of the Company or the Bookrunner that
would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing
Shares in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan
or the Republic of South Africa or any country or jurisdiction, or
any state, province, territory or jurisdiction thereof, where any
such action for that purpose is required;
27.
unless otherwise specifically agreed with the
Bookrunner, it is 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, nor have an address in, Australia,
New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of South Africa, any province or
territory of Canada or any other jurisdiction in which it would be
unlawful to make or accept an offer to acquire the Placing
Shares;
28.
it may be asked to disclose in writing or orally
to the Bookrunner:
(a) if
they are an individual, his or her nationality; or
(b) if
they are a discretionary fund manager, the jurisdiction in which
the funds are managed or owned;
Compliance with US securities
laws
29.
it understands and acknowledges that the Placing
Shares are being offered and sold by or on behalf of the Company
(a) outside of the United States in accordance with Regulation S;
and (b) in the United States only to QIBs that are also Major US
Institutional Investors in transactions not involving any "public
offering" within the meaning of section 4(a)(2) of the US
Securities Act or pursuant to another exemption from, or in a
transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the US
Securities Act. It is and the prospective beneficial owner of the
Placing Shares is and, at the time the Placing Shares are
subscribed for, will either be (i) outside the United States and
acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" as
defined in, and in accordance with, Regulation S under the US
Securities Act or (ii) a QIB and a Major US Institutional Investor
and will duly execute a US investor letter and deliver the same to
the Bookrunner or its affiliates. In addition, 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 and a Major US
Institutional Investor, 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 acknowledgements, representations and
agreements herein on behalf of each such account;
30.
it has not been offered to purchase or subscribe
for Placing Shares by means of any "directed selling efforts" as
defined in Regulation S or by means of any "general solicitation"
or "general advertising" within the meaning of Regulation D under
the US Securities Act;
31.
the Placing Shares offered and sold in the United
States are "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule
144(a)(3) under the US Securities Act and, so long as the Placing
Shares are "restricted securities", it will not deposit such shares
into any unrestricted depositary receipt facility maintained by any
depositary bank;
32.
it understands that the Placing Shares have not
been, and will not be, registered under the US Securities Act and
may not be offered, sold or resold in or into or from the United
States except pursuant to an effective registration under the US
Securities Act, or pursuant to an exemption from the registration
requirements of the US Securities Act and in accordance with
applicable state securities laws;
33.
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 or from the United States (including electronic copies
thereof) to any person, and it has not distributed, forwarded,
transferred or otherwise transmitted any such materials to any
person;
Compliance with Canadian securities laws
34. if
it is a Placee in, or is resident in Canada, it: (i) is an
"accredited investor", as defined in Section 1.1 of NI 45-106 or
subsection 73.3(1) of the OSA, as applicable, and it is either
purchasing the Placing Shares as principal for its own account, or
it is deemed to be purchasing the Placing Shares as principal for
its own account in accordance with applicable Canadian securities
laws and not as agent for the benefit of another person or as
trustee for investment only and not with a view to resale or
redistribution; (ii) was not created or used solely to purchase or
hold the Placing Shares as an accredited investor under NI 45-106;
(iii) is a "permitted client" as defined in Section 1.1 of NI
31-103 that is not an individual; (iv) is resident in either the
Province of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario or Quebec and
entitled under applicable Canadian securities laws, including the
securities laws applicable to such Province, to purchase the
Placing Shares without the benefit of a prospectus; and (v) if
required by applicable Canadian securities laws, it will execute,
deliver and file, or assist the Company in obtaining, preparing and
filing such reports, undertakings and other documents relating to
the purchase of the Placing Shares by it as may be required by any
Canadian securities commission or other regulatory
authority;
35.
it understands, and each account it represents has
been advised that: (i) any offer and sale of the Placing Shares in
Canada is being made on a private placement basis only and is
exempt from the requirement that the Company prepares and files a
prospectus under applicable Canadian securities laws; and (ii) any
resale of the Placing Shares into Canada 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 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;
Compliance with EEA selling
restrictions and the Prospectus Regulation
36.
if in a member state of the EEA, unless otherwise
specifically agreed with the Bookrunner in writing, it is a
Qualified Investor;
37.
it has not offered or sold and will not offer or
sell any Placing Shares to persons in the EEA 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;
38.
if a financial intermediary, as that term is used
in the Prospectus Regulation, the Placing Shares subscribed for by
it in the Placing will not be acquired on a non-discretionary basis
on behalf of, nor will they be acquired with a view to their offer
or resale to, persons in a member state of the EEA which has
implemented the Prospectus Regulation other than Qualified
Investors, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the
Bookrunner has been given to each proposed offer or
resale;
Compliance with FSMA, the UK
financial promotion regime, the UK Prospectus Regulation and
MAR
39.
if in the United Kingdom, that it is a "Qualified
Investor" for the purposes of the UK version of the Prospectus
Regulation which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 and is a person (i) having professional
experience in matters relating to investments who falls within the
definition of "investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the
Order or (ii) who falls within Article 49(2) (a) to (d) ("High Net
Worth Companies, Unincorporated Associations, etc") of the Order,
or (iii) to whom it may otherwise lawfully be
communicated;
40.
it has not offered or sold and will not offer or
sell any Placing Shares to persons in the United Kingdom, except to
persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring,
holding, managing or disposing of investments (as principal or
agent) for the purposes of their business or otherwise in
circumstances which have not resulted and which will not result in
an offer to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of
section 85(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as
amended ("FSMA");
41.
it has only communicated or caused to be
communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated
any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity
(within the meaning of section 21 of FSMA) relating to the Placing
Shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not
require approval of the communication by an authorised person and
it acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Documents have not and
will not have been approved by the Bookrunner in its capacity as an
authorised person under section 21 of the FSMA and it may not
therefore be subject to the controls which would apply if it was
made or approved as a financial promotion by an authorised
person;
42.
it has complied and will comply with all
applicable laws with respect to anything done by it or on its
behalf in relation to the Placing Shares (including all applicable
provisions in FSMA and the UK version of Regulation (EU) No.
596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April
2014 on market abuse which is part of UK law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR")) in respect of anything done in,
from or otherwise involving, the United Kingdom);
Compliance with laws
43.
if it is a pension fund or investment Company, its
subscription for Placing Shares is in full compliance with
applicable laws and regulations;
44.
it has complied with its obligations under the
Criminal Justice Act 1993 and Articles 8, 10 and 12 of MAR and in
connection with money laundering and terrorist financing under the
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000,
the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Money Laundering, Terrorist
Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer)
Regulations 2017 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 the Money Laundering
Sourcebook of the FCA 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;
45.
in order
to ensure compliance with the Regulations, the Bookrunner (for
itself and as agent on behalf of the Company) or the Company's
registrars may, in their absolute discretion, require verification
of its identity. Pending the provision to the Bookrunner or the
Company's registrars, as applicable, of evidence of identity,
definitive certificates in respect of the Placing Shares may be
retained at the Bookrunner's absolute discretion or, where
appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in uncertificated
form may be delayed at the Bookrunner's or the Company's
registrars', as the case may be, absolute discretion. If within a
reasonable time after a request for verification of identify the
Bookrunner (for itself and as agent on behalf of the Company) or
the Company's registrars have not received evidence satisfactory to
them, either the Bookrunner and/or the Company may, at its absolute
discretion, terminate its commitment in respect of the Placing, in
which event the monies payable on acceptance of allotment will, if
already paid, be returned without interest to the account of the
drawee's bank from which they were originally debited;
Depositary receipts and clearance
services
46. the
allocation, allotment, issue and delivery to it, or the person
specified by it for registration as holder, of Placing Shares will
not give rise to a stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax liability
under (or at a rate determined under) any of sections 67, 70, 93 or
96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance
services) and that the Placing Shares are not being acquired in
connection with arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to
issue or transfer Placing Shares into a clearance
service;
Undertaking to make
payment
47. it
(and any person acting on its behalf) has the funds available to
pay for the Placing Shares for which it has agreed to subscribe and
acknowledges and agrees that it will make payment in respect of the
Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this Announcement
on the due time and date set out herein, failing which the relevant
Placing Shares may be placed with other subscribers or sold as the
Bookrunner may in its sole discretion determine and without
liability to such Placee, who will remain liable for any amount by
which the net proceeds of such sale falls short of the product of
the relevant Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares
allocated to it and will be required to bear any stamp duty, stamp
duty reserve tax or other taxes or duties (together with any
interest, fines or penalties) imposed in any jurisdiction which may
arise upon the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares. By
communicating a bid for Placing Shares, each Placee confers on the
Bookrunner such authorities and powers necessary to carry out any
such sale and agrees to ratify and confirm all actions which the
Bookrunner lawfully takes in pursuance of such sale. Legal and/or
beneficial title in and to any Placing Shares shall not pass to the
relevant Placee until it has fully complied with its obligations
hereunder;
Money held on account
48.
any money held in an account with the Bookrunner
on behalf of the Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the
Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the Placee will not be
treated as client money within the meaning of the relevant rules
and regulations of the FCA made under the FSMA. Each Placee
acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the protections
conferred by the client money rules: as a consequence this money
will not be segregated from the Bookrunner's money in accordance
with the client money rules and will be held by it under a banking
relationship and not as trustee;
Allocation
49.
its allocation (if any) of Placing Shares will
represent a maximum number of Placing Shares which it will be
entitled, and required, to subscribe for, and that the Bookrunner
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;
No recommendation
50.
neither the Bookrunner, nor any of its affiliates,
nor any person acting on behalf of them, is making any
recommendations to it, advising it regarding the suitability of any
transactions it may enter into in connection with the
Placing;
Inside information
51.
if it has received any 'inside information' (for
the purposes of MAR and section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act
1993) in relation to the Company and its securities in advance of
the Placing, it confirms that it has received such information
within the market soundings regime provided for in article 11 of
MAR and associated delegated regulations and it has not:
(a)
used that inside information to acquire or dispose
of securities of the Company or financial instruments related
thereto or cancel or amend an order concerning the Company's
securities or any such financial instruments;
(b)
used that inside information to encourage,
require, recommend or induce another person to deal in the
securities of the Company or financial instruments related thereto
or to cancel or amend an order concerning the Company's securities
or such financial instruments; or
(c)
disclosed such information to any person, prior to
the information being made publicly available;
Acting in concert
52.
that, as far as it is aware it is not acting in
concert (within the meaning given in The City Code on Takeovers and
Mergers) with any other person in relation to the
Company;
Ordinary course
transactions
53.
the Bookrunner and its Affiliates 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 with the Company and/or its
affiliates for which they would have received customary fees and
commissions. The Bookrunner and its respective Affiliates may
provide such services to the Company and/or its affiliates in the
future;
Rights and remedies
54.
the rights and remedies of the Company and the
Bookrunner under the terms and conditions in this Announcement 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; and
Governing law and
jurisdiction
55.
these terms and conditions of the Placing and any
agreements entered into by it pursuant to the terms and conditions
of the Placing, and all non-contractual or other obligations
arising out of or in connection with them, shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of England and it submits (on
behalf of itself and on behalf of any person on whose behalf it is
acting) to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts as
regards any claim, dispute or matter arising out of any such
contract (including any dispute regarding the existence, validity
or termination of such contract or relating to any non-contractual
or other obligation arising out of or in connection with such
contract), except that enforcement proceedings in respect of the
obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together with
any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by either the Company
or the Bookrunner 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.
The foregoing representations,
warranties, confirmations, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings are given for the benefit of the Company as well as
the Bookrunner and are irrevocable. The Bookrunner, the Company and
their respective affiliates and others will rely upon the truth and
accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties,
confirmations, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings. Each
prospective Placee, and any person acting on behalf of such Placee,
irrevocably authorises the Company and the Bookrunner 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
set forth herein.
Indemnity
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) agrees
to indemnify on an after tax basis and hold the Company, the
Bookrunner and their respective affiliates, agents, directors,
officers and employees harmless from any and all costs, claims,
liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and expenses)
arising out of or in connection with any breach of the
representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings given by the Placee (and any person acting on such
Placee's behalf) in this Announcement or incurred by the
Bookrunner, the Company or each of their respective affiliates,
agents, directors, officers or employees arising from the
performance of the Placees' obligations as set out in this
Announcement, and further agrees that the provisions of this
Announcement shall survive after completion of the
Placing.
Taxation
The agreement to allot and issue
Placing Shares to Placees (and/or to persons for whom such Placee
is contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and 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. Such agreement also assumes
that the Placing Shares are not being acquired in connection with
arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to issue or transfer
the Placing Shares into a clearance service. If there are any such
arrangements, or the settlement relates to any other dealing in the
Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other
similar taxes or duties may be payable, for which neither the
Company nor the Bookrunner will be responsible and the Placees
shall indemnify the Company and the Bookrunner on an after-tax
basis for any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other similar
taxes or duties (together with interest, fines and penalties) in
any jurisdiction paid by the Company or the Bookrunner in respect
of any such arrangements or dealings. If this is the case, each
Placee should seek its own advice and notify the Bookrunner
accordingly. Placees are advised to consult with their own advisers
regarding the tax aspects of the subscription for Placing
Shares.
The Company and the Bookrunner are
not liable to bear any taxes that arise on a sale of Placing Shares
subsequent to their acquisition by Placees, including any taxes
arising otherwise than under the laws of the United Kingdom. Each
prospective Placee should, therefore, take its own advice as to
whether any such tax liability arises and notify the Bookrunner and
the Company accordingly. Furthermore, each prospective Placee
agrees to indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold each of the
Bookrunner and/or the Company and their respective affiliates
harmless from any and all interest, fines or penalties in relation
to stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax and all other similar duties
or taxes in any jurisdiction to the extent that such interest,
fines or penalties arise from the unreasonable default or delay of
that Placee or its agent.
In addition, Placees should note
that they will be liable for any stamp duty and all other stamp,
issue, securities, transfer, registration, documentary or other
duties or taxes (including any interest, fines or penalties
relating thereto) payable, whether inside or outside the UK, by
them or any other person on the subscription, acquisition, transfer
or sale by them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to
subscribe for, acquire, transfer or sell any Placing
Shares.
No statement in the Placing
Documents is intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no
statement in the Placing Documents should be interpreted to mean
that earnings per share of the Company for the current or future
financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical
published earnings per share of the Company. Past performance is no
guide to future performance and persons needing advice should
consult an independent financial adviser.
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Bookrunner
or any of its 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
Bookrunner is receiving a fee in connection with its roles in
respect of the Placing as detailed in the Placing
Agreement.
The price of shares and any income
expected from them may go down as well as up and investors may not
get back the full amount invested upon disposal of the shares. Past
performance is no guide to future performance, and persons needing
advice should consult an independent financial adviser.
The Placing Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than AIM, a market operated by the London
Stock Exchange.
Neither the content of the Company's
website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's
website is incorporated in, or forms part of, the Placing
Documents.
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply
throughout this Announcement, unless the context requires
otherwise:
Acquisition
|
the proposed acquisition by
Purchaser of the Target Group in accordance with the terms of the
Acquisition Agreement.
|
Acquisition Agreement
|
the conditional agreement dated 21
November 2024 relating to the Acquisition entered into between (1)
the Company, (2) the Purchaser and (3) the Vendor, in respect of
the Target Group.
|
Acquisition Documents
|
the Acquisition Agreement and any
ancillary documents referred to therein (other than the Placing
Agreement).
|
Admission
|
the admission of the Placing Shares
and the PrimaryBid Shares to trading on AIM becoming effective in
accordance with the AIM Rules.
|
AIM
|
AIM, a market operated by London
Stock Exchange plc.
|
AIM
Rules
|
the rules of AIM published by London
Stock Exchange plc.
|
Bookrunner
|
Investec Bank plc registered in
England and Wales under number 00489604 whose registered office is
at 30 Gresham Street, London, England, EC2V 7QP.
|
Company
|
Cohort plc registered in England and
Wales under number 05684823 whose registered office is at 1
Waterside Drive, Arlington Business Park, Theale, Reading, England,
RG7 4SW.
|
Group
|
the Company and its subsidiary
undertakings.
|
Material Adverse Change
|
any adverse change in, or any
development involving or reasonably likely to involve a prospective
adverse change in, or affecting, the condition (financial,
operational, legal or otherwise), earnings, management, business
affairs, properties, assets, rights, results of operations,
solvency, credit rating or prospects of the Company, the Group
and/or the Company which is material in the context of the Company,
the Group and/or of the Company (as applicable) as a whole, whether
or not arising in the ordinary course of business and whether or
not foreseeable.
|
Ordinary Shares
|
ordinary shares of 10 pence each in
the capital of the Company.
|
Placee
|
the placees procured by the
Bookrunner pursuant to the Placing Agreement.
|
Placing
|
the placing of the Placing Shares in
accordance with the Placing Agreement and the Placing
Documents.
|
Placing Agreement
|
the placing agreement between the
Company and the Bookrunner dated 21 November 2024 in connection
with the Placing.
|
Placing Documents
|
the Placing Announcement, the
Presentation Materials, the contract notes referred to in this
Announcement between the Bookrunner and each of the Placees and any
other document issued by or on behalf of the Company in connection
with the Placing with the authority of the Company and any
supplement or amendment to any of them, excluding for the avoidance
of doubt, the PrimaryBid Documents.
|
Placing Price
|
875 pence per Ordinary
Share.
|
Placing Shares
|
4,571,428 new Ordinary Shares
(which, for the avoidance of doubt, does not include the PrimaryBid
Shares).
|
Presentation Materials
|
the written presentation materials
in the approved terms used by the Company in meetings with
institutional investors in connection with the Placing prior to the
date of the Placing Agreement.
|
PrimaryBid
|
PrimaryBid Limited.
|
PrimaryBid Documents
|
any information or documentation
used by PrimaryBid in connection with the PrimaryBid Offer, or any
webpage relating to the PrimaryBid Offer.
|
PrimaryBid Offer
|
the offer by the Company (through
PrimaryBid) of the PrimaryBid Shares on the terms set out in the
PrimaryBid Engagement Letter, gross proceeds of which shall not
exceed £1 million.
|
PrimaryBid Shares
|
any Ordinary Shares to be issued by
the Company under the PrimaryBid Offer.
|
Purchaser
|
a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Company incorporated in Australia for the purposes of the
Acquisition.
|
Target
|
E M Solutions Pty Limited (ACN 082
157 846) whose registered office is at 55 Curzon Street, Tennyson,
QLD, 4105.
|
Target Group
|
the Target and its subsidiary, EM
Solutions (Europe) B.V. (company number 866484115) Australia and
subsidiary undertakings and Target Group Company shall be construed
accordingly.
|
Vendor
|
means Electro Optic Systems Holdings
Limited (ACN 092 708 364) incorporated in Australia whose
registered office is at 18 Wormald Street, Symonston, ACT 2609
Australia.
|