NOT
FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN OR
INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA, JAPAN OR
THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH
SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE
UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPENDIX, IS FOR INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION
IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL UNDER
THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH JURISDICTION.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES
OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) 596/2014 AS IT
FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
(WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 ("MAR"), AND IS DISCLOSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
THE COMPANY'S OBLIGATIONS UNDER ARTICLE 17 OF
MAR. IN ADDITION, MARKET SOUNDINGS (AS DEFINED IN
UK MAR) WERE TAKEN IN RESPECT OF CERTAIN OF THE MATTERS CONTAINED
WITHIN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, WITH THE RESULT THAT CERTAIN PERSONS
BECAME AWARE OF INSIDE INFORMATION (AS DEFINED UNDER MAR). UPON THE
PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION
SERVICE, THOSE PERSONS THAT RECEIVED INSIDE INFORMATION IN A MARKET
SOUNDING ARE NO LONGER IN POSSESSION OF SUCH INSIDE INFORMATION,
WHICH IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC
DOMAIN.
PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICES IN THE APPENDIX AT THE END OF
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
12 April 2024
Windar Photonics
plc
("Windar", the
"Company" or the
"Group")
Proposed equity fundraising
to raise net proceeds of up to approximately £4
million
Further to the Company's
announcement on 8 April 2024, Windar (AIM: WPHO), a technology
group that has developed a LiDAR wind sensor and software suite
designed to efficiently and cost effectively increase the power
output of electricity generating wind turbines, today announces its
intention to conduct an equity fundraising to raise net proceeds of
approximately £4 million. The fundraising will comprise (i) raising
gross proceeds of up to approximately £4 million through a placing
(the "Placing") of up to
11,431,426 new Ordinary Shares of 1 penny each in the capital of
the Company (the "Placing
Shares") at a price of 35 pence per Placing Share (the
"Placing Price"), and (ii)
a direct share subscription in the Company (the "Share Subscription") (arranged by West
Hill) to raise up to £0.42m through the issue of up to 1,200,000
new Ordinary Shares at the Placing Price.
The Placing is to be conducted by
way of the Bookbuild process which will commence immediately
following the release of this announcement and will be subject to
the terms and conditions set out in the Appendix to this
Announcement (which forms part of this Announcement).
Highlights
· Proposed Placing of up to 11,431,426 Placing Shares at the
Placing Price to raise gross proceeds for the Company of
approximately £4 million;
· Placing to be conducted by way of an accelerated bookbuild
process launched today (the "Bookbuild");
· The
Placing Price represents a premium of approximately 2.94 per cent.
to the Closing Price on AIM of 34 pence per Ordinary Share on 11
April 2024, being the latest practicable business day prior to the
publication of this Announcement (the "Announcement");
· David
Lis, Non-Executive Chairman, has indicated his intention to
participate in the Placing in the amount of up to £500,000; and
Gavin Manson, a Non-Executive Director, has indicated his intention
to participate in the Placing in the amount of up to
£150,000;
· The
net proceeds of the Placing and the Share Subscription received by
the Company will be used to:
· Fund
the increased working capital necessary for the Company to fulfil
recent contract wins and to meet its growth targets by taking
advantage of the opportunity afforded through potential future
demand for Windar WindEye / WindTimizer systems;
· Continue research and development, to
take advantage of physical product and
software / service related opportunities;
· Develop the Company's sales and marketing capability and
activity in order to deliver the growth opportunity; and
· Strengthen the Company's balance sheet, pivoting the Company
into a stronger operating position;
· The
final number of Placing Shares will be agreed by WH Ireland Limited
("WHI" or "WH Ireland") and the Company at the
close of the Bookbuild, and the result of the Placing will be
announced as soon as practicable thereafter; and
· The
timing for the close of the Bookbuild and allocation of the Placing
Shares shall be at the discretion of WH Ireland, in agreement with
the Company.
This Announcement should be read in its entirety. In
particular, your attention is drawn to (i) the detailed terms and
conditions of the Placing and (ii) further information relating to
the Placing and any participation in the Placing, each of which is
set out in the Appendix to this Announcement (which forms part of
this Announcement).
Background to the Placing and Share
Subscription
The Company made an announcement
on 8 April 2024, providing an update to the
market on the following key operational and financial
factors:
1.
Significant New Order
The Company has received a significant new order with a gross value of
US$1.27m for delivery to the North American market in the first
half of this year. This initial order opens up the opportunity to
secure further orders from the same customer, which operates a
number of additional sites populated by
approximately five times as many V82 turbines as covered by today's
announcement. Given the prominence of this customer, this order
should significantly add to the visibility of Windar in the North
American Market.
2. This new
order represents the Company's third full wind farm deployment in
North America with Vestas V82 wind turbines to be equipped with the
Company's Windar WindEye / WindTimizer optimization solution.
Approximately 10% of the order value is attributable to software
related income derived from the recently launched Windar Nexus
software suite which the Company believes has been integral to
winning and enabling this order. This is the Company's first
revenue from software as it seeks to expand its offering further by
selling not only upfront software licenses but also additional
turbine performance improvement software-related services. FY 2023
Trading Update and Current Trading.
The year ended 31 December 2023
closed (based on unaudited figures) with revenue of c.€4.8m,
reflecting growth of over 150% on the prior year's revenue of
c.€1.9m in spite of being impacted negatively by currency
fluctuations late in the year. The 2023 EBITDA* of c.€0.4m
delivered the Company's first positive EBITDA* and a conversion of
YOY incremental Revenue to EBITDA* of over 40% from a 2022 EBITDA*
loss of €0.8m.
67% of 2023 revenue was earned in
the final 5 months of the year as sales conversion and production
capacity both showed significant improvements.
The Group had cash balances of
c.€0.2m as at 31 December 2023, impacted by the concentration of
sales shortly before the year end.
The current year ending 31 December
2024 has started strongly, with sales and orders representing
estimated revenue of c.€5.9m (including the significant new order),
already exceeding full year 2023 revenue, and giving the Board
confidence that the full year will see YOY revenue growth of a
similar order to the c.150% YOY growth from 2022 to
2023.
* full year EBITDA has been adjusted for the exclusion of
share-based payment charges along with depreciation, amortisation,
interest and tax from the measure of profit.
Working Capital
The Directors are of the opinion,
having made due and careful enquiry, that, taking into account the
net proceeds of the Placing and the revenue and other operating
income that the Company expects to generate over the period, the
working capital available to the Company is sufficient for its
requirements for 12 months from the date of this
announcement.
Details of the Placing
It is expected that up to 11,431,426
Placing Shares will be issued pursuant to the Placing, which would
represent up to approximately 14.06 per cent. of the Company's
issued share capital (assuming the issue of all the Placing Shares
and the Share Subscription Shares). The Placing and the Share
Subscription will utilise the existing authorities of the Company,
granted at the Company's annual general meeting held on 11 July
2023 permitting it to issue new Ordinary Shares on a non
pre-emptive basis.
WH Ireland intends to conditionally
place the Placing Shares with certain institutional and other
investors at the Placing Price.
As announced on 8 April 2024, the
Company received expressions of interest from certain directors and
other interested investors to participate in the Placing at the
Placing Price to raise up to £2m (before expenses). The Company is
now in a position to provide an update on the intention of the
directors in this regard. Certain Directors (the "Participating Directors") have
indicated their intention to subscribe for, in aggregate, 1,857,142
Placing Shares at the Placing Price, amounting to £650,000. Details
of the Participating Directors' intended participation in the
Placing, and their respective resulting interests in the Company's
share capital, as enlarged by the Placing ("Enlarged Share Capital"), are set out
below:
Director
|
Existing holding (shares)
|
Placing participation (£)
|
Placing participation
(shares)
|
% holding of Enlarged Share Capital
(assuming the issue of all the Placing Shares and the Subscription
Shares)
|
David Lis
|
397,500
|
£500,000
|
1,428,571
|
2.25
|
Gavin Manson
|
0
|
£150,000
|
428,571
|
0.53
|
The Participating Directors'
participation in the Placing will constitute a related party
transaction under the AIM Rules. The Independent Directors, Jørgen
Korsgaard and Andy Richardson, who are not participating in the
Placing or the Share Subscription, consider, having consulted with
the Company's nominated adviser, WH Ireland, that the terms of the
related party transaction are fair and reasonable insofar as its
Shareholders are concerned.
Windar has today entered into a
placing agreement with WH Ireland to act as sole bookrunner (the
"Bookrunner") in relation
to the Placing (the "Placing
Agreement"). The Placing is conditional upon, among other
matters, Admission becoming effective and the Placing Agreement
becoming unconditional and not being terminated in accordance with
its terms.
The Placing is being conducted by
way of the Bookbuild which will be launched with immediate effect
following release of this Announcement. The timing of the closing
of the Bookbuild, the number of new Ordinary Shares issued pursuant
to the Placing and allocations are at the sole discretion of the
Company and the Bookrunner. The Bookrunner reserves the right to
close the Bookbuild without further notice. There can be no
certainty that the Placing will complete. The Placing is being
undertaken on a reasonable endeavours basis and is not being
underwritten.
Details of the Share Subscription
It is expected that up to 1,200,000
Subscription Shares will be issued pursuant to the Share
Subscription, which would represent up to approximately 1.48 per
cent. of the Company's issued share capital (assuming the issue of
all the Subscription Shares and the Placing Shares). The
Subscription Shares will utilise the existing authorities of the
Company, granted at the Company's annual general meeting held on 11
July 2023 permitting it to issue new Ordinary Shares on a
non pre-emptive basis.
At the date of this Announcement,
the Receiving Agent appointed by West Hill in connection with the
Share Subscription has received Application Forms in respect of
1,200,000 Subscription Shares to raise approximately £0.42 million,
subject to the terms and conditions set out in the Application
Forms. The Share Subscription is not being underwritten by West
Hill. However, Paul Hodges, a non- executive director of the
Company, has indicated his intention to the Company that if on the
date that is one month after the date of Admission
· the
number of Subscription Shares issued by the Company pursuant to
Share Subscription is less than 1,200,000, he will subscribe for
such number of Subscription Shares at the Placing Price as
necessary to make up the shortfall; and
· there
is a default in payment for any Subscription Shares, he will
subscribe at the Placing Price for the Subscription Shares in
respect of which the default has occurred,
provided always, that if at the
relevant time the Company is in a "closed period" under UK MAR
(being The Market Abuse Regulation EU (No 596/2014) as it forms
part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018) or he is otherwise in possession of inside
information relating to the Group or the Company's shares, he shall
not be required to purchase the Subscription Shares until such time
that the "closed period" under UK MAR has ended or he is no longer
in possession of inside information (as applicable).
Any participation by Paul Hodges in
the Share Subscription pursuant to the above arrangements will
constitute a related party transaction under the AIM Rules. The
Independent Directors, Jørgen Korsgaard and Andy Richardson, who
are not participating in the Placing or the Share Subscription,
consider, having consulted with the Company's nominated adviser, WH
Ireland, that the terms of the related party transaction are fair
and reasonable insofar as its Shareholders are
concerned.
Placing Shares and Subscription Shares
As part of the Placing and the Share
Subscription, the Company is seeking to raise funds by the issue of
the Placing Shares to VCTs and investors seeking tax relief under
the Enterprise Investment Scheme. Such Placing Shares and
Subscription Shares are intended to rank as "eligible shares" for
the purposes of EIS and VCT investors and a "qualifying holding"
for the purposes of an investment by VCTs, each pursuant to the
relevant respective sections of the Income Tax Act 2007
("ITA 2007"). The Company
has not made an advanced assurance application to HM Revenue &
Customs ("HMRC") in respect
of EIS qualification of the EIS shares issued pursuant to this
Placing, but the Company has obtained a written opinion from
specialist tax advisers confirming that the Company would, subject
to the relevant limits on such issuances, be able to issue part of
the Placing Shares as "eligible shares" under the relevant sections
of the ITA 2007. Neither the Company nor the Directors give any
warranties or undertakings that EIS reliefs or VCT reliefs will be
granted in respect of Placing Shares issued as EIS/VCT qualifying
shares pursuant to the Placing. Neither the Company nor the
Directors give any warranties or undertakings that EIS reliefs or
VCT reliefs, if granted, will not be withdrawn. If the Company
carries on activities beyond those disclosed to HMRC in a prior
advance clearance obtained in connection with a previous placing of
Ordinary Shares in the Company, then Shareholders may cease to
qualify for the tax benefits. Placees and Subscribers must take
their own advice and rely on it.
A further announcement following the
close of the Bookbuild, confirming the final details of the Placing
is expected to be made in due course.
The ticker for the Company's
Ordinary Shares is WHPO. The Company's LEI is
2138003JZZMKJGOOCR02.
For
further information, please contact:
Windar
Photonics plc
|
|
Jørgen Korsgaard Jensen, CEO
|
Tel: +45
24234930
|
|
|
WH Ireland
Limited (Sole Bookrunner, Nomad & Broker)
|
|
Hugh Morgan / James Bavister / Isaac
Hooper
|
Tel: +44 20
7220 1666
|
|
|
|
|
Notes to Editors:
Windar is a technology group that
has developed Light Detection and Ranging ("LiDAR") optimisation
systems for use on electricity generating wind turbines. LiDAR wind
sensors in general are designed to remotely measure wind speed and
direction.
https://www.windarphotonics.com/
IMPORTANT
NOTICES
This Announcement includes
statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking
statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by
the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms
"believes", "estimates", "forecasts", "plans", "prepares",
"anticipates", "projects", "expects", "intends", "may", "will",
"seeks", "should" or, in each case, their negative or other
variations or comparable terminology, or by discussions of
strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or intentions.
These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not
historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this
Announcement and include statements regarding the Company's and the
Directors' intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning,
amongst other things, the Company's prospects, growth and
strategy, planned work at the Company's
projects and the expected results of such work. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks
and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on
circumstances that may or may not occur in the future.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance. The Company's actual performance, achievements and
financial condition may differ materially from those expressed or
implied by the forward-looking statements in this Announcement. In
addition, even if the Company's results of operations, performance,
achievements and financial condition are consistent with the
forward-looking statements in this Announcement, those results or
developments may not be indicative of results or developments in
subsequent periods. Any forward-looking statements that the Company
makes in this Announcement speak only as of the date of such
statement and (other than in accordance with their legal or
regulatory obligations) neither the Company, nor WH Ireland nor any
of their respective associates, directors, officers or advisers
shall be obliged to update such statements. Comparisons of results
for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any
future trends or indications of future performance, unless
expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical
data.
WH Ireland, which is authorised and
regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting as Nominated
Adviser and broker exclusively for the Company and no one else
in connection with the Placing and the contents of this
Announcement and will not regard any other person (whether or not a
recipient of this Announcement) as its client in relation to the
Placing nor will it be responsible to anyone other than the Company
for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for
providing advice in relation to the contents of this Announcement.
Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may
be imposed on WH Ireland by the FSMA or the regulatory regime
established thereunder, WH Ireland accepts no responsibility
whatsoever, and makes no representation or warranty, express or
implied, as to the contents of this Announcement including its
accuracy, completeness or verification or for any other statement
made or purported to be made by it, or on behalf of it, the Company
or any other person, in connection with the Company and the
contents of this Announcement, whether as to the past or the
future. WH Ireland accordingly disclaims all and any liability
whatsoever, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as
referred to above), which it might otherwise have in respect of the
contents of this Announcement or any such statement. The
responsibilities of WH Ireland as the Company's Nominated Adviser
under the AIM Rules for Companies and the AIM Rules for Nominated
Advisers are owed solely to the London Stock Exchange and are not
owed to the Company or to any director or shareholder of the
Company or any other person, in respect of its decision to acquire
shares in the capital of the Company in reliance on any part of
this Announcement, or otherwise.
The Placing Shares have not been and
will not be registered under the Securities Act or under the
applicable securities law or with any securities regulatory
authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States
or under the securities laws of Australia, Canada, Japan, New
Zealand, the Republic of South Africa or any state, province or
territory thereof or any other jurisdiction outside the United
Kingdom and may not be offered, sold, pledged, taken up, exercised,
resold, renounced, transferred or delivered, directly or
indirectly, through CREST or otherwise,
within, into or from Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the
Republic of South Africa or the United States, or to, or for the
account or benefit of, any person with a registered address in, or
who is a resident or ordinary resident in, or a citizen of such
jurisdictions or to any person in any country or territory where to
do so would or might contravene applicable securities laws or
regulations except pursuant to an applicable exemption. Any
securities of the Company will only be offered and sold outside of
the United States in "offshore transactions" within the meaning of
and in reliance on the safe harbour from the registration
requirements under the Securities Act provided by Regulation S
promulgated thereunder. The securities of the Company have
not been approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange
Commission, any state securities commission or other regulatory
authority in the United States, nor have any of the foregoing
authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or
the accuracy or adequacy of this presentation. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United
States. Subject to certain exceptions, the securities referred to
herein may not be offered or sold in the United States, Australia,
Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa or to, or
for the account or benefit of, any national, resident or citizen of
the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand or the
Republic of South Africa.
No public offering of securities is
being made in the United States.
The information in this
Announcement, which includes certain information drawn from public
sources, does not purport to be comprehensive and has not been
independently verified. This Announcement contains statements that
are, or may be deemed forward-looking statements, which
relate, inter alia,
to the Company's proposed strategy, plans and objectives. Such
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other important factors beyond the control of the
Company (including but not limited to future market conditions,
legislative and regulatory changes, the actions of governmental
regulators and changes in the political, social or economic
framework in which the Company operates) that could cause the
actual performance or achievements on the Company to be materially
different from such forward-looking statements.
The content of this Announcement has
not been approved by an authorised person within the meaning of the
FSMA. 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. The
price of securities 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 securities. Past performance is no
guide to future performance, and persons needing advice should
consult an appropriate independent financial adviser.
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 EU
Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation) to be
published. This Announcement and the terms and conditions set out
herein are for information purposes only and are directed only at,
unless otherwise agreed by WH Ireland, persons who are: (a) persons
in Member States who are Qualified Investors; and (b) in the United
Kingdom, Qualified Investors who are persons who (i) have
professional experience in matters relating to investments falling
within the definition of "investment professionals" in article
19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial
Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"); (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").
Any person who is not either a Qualified Investor
(if in the EEA) or relevant persons (if in the United Kingdom)
should not act or rely on the information contained in this
Announcement.
This Announcement and the terms and
conditions set out herein must not be acted on or relied on by
persons who are not relevant persons. Persons distributing this
Announcement must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.
Any investment or investment activity to which this Announcement
and the terms and conditions set out herein relates is available
only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant
persons.
No representation or warranty,
express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to,
and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by WHI or
by any of its affiliates or agents as to, or in relation to, the
accuracy or completeness of this Announcement or any other written
or oral information made available to or publicly available to any
interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is
expressly disclaimed.
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.
Neither the content of the Company's
website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's
website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this
Announcement.
APPENDIX I
Expected Timetable of
Principal Events
Announcement of the
fundraising
|
12 April
2024
|
Admission of the Placing Shares and
the Subscription Shares to trading on AIM expected to become
effective
|
17 April
2024
|
Expected date for CREST accounts to
be credited in respect of Placing Shares in uncertificated
form
|
10.00 a.m.
on 17 April 2024
|
Expected date by which certificates
in respect of Consolidated Shares and the New Shares are to be
despatched to certificated Shareholders
|
within 10
business days of Admission
|
APPENDIX II
Definitions
The following definitions apply
throughout this Announcement, unless the context otherwise
requires
Admission
|
admission of the Placing Shares and
the Subscription Shares to trading on AIM becoming effective in
accordance with the AIM Rules
|
AIM
|
AIM, a market of that name
operated by the London
Stock Exchange
|
AIM
Rules
|
the AIM Rules for Companies, as
published by the London Stock
Exchange and amended from time to
time
|
Application Forms
|
the application forms to be
submitted to the Receiving Agent under which the Subscribers agree
to purchase Subscription Shares directly from the
Company
|
Announcement
|
this announcement (including the
Appendices, which form part of this announcement)
|
Articles
|
the articles of association of the
Company
|
Board or Directors
|
the directors of the Company or any
duly authorised committee thereof
|
Bookbuild
|
the accelerated bookbuild to be
conducted by WHI pursuant to the Placing Agreement and this
Announcement
|
certificated or
in certificated
form
|
a share or other security not held
in uncertificated form (that is, not in CREST)
|
Closing Price
|
the closing middle market price of
an Existing Ordinary Share as derived from the AIM Appendix to the
Daily Official List of the London Stock Exchange
|
Company or Windar
|
Windar Photonics PLC, a company
incorporated in England and Wales with company number 09024532,
whose registered office is at Norose
Company Secretarial Services Ltd, 3 More London Riverside, London,
SE1 2AQ
|
CREST
|
the computerised settlement system
(as defined in the CREST Regulations) operated by Euroclear UK
& International Limited, which facilitates the holding and
transfer of title to shares in uncertificated form
|
CREST Regulations
|
the Uncertificated Securities
Regulations 2001 (as amended)
|
Existing Ordinary Shares
|
the 68,656,444 Ordinary Shares in
issue at the date of this Announcement
|
EU
Prospectus Regulation
|
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the
European Parliament and Council of 14 June 2017 and any relevant
implementing measures in any Member State of the European Economic
Area
|
Financial Conduct Authority or
FCA
|
the Financial Conduct Authority in
its capacity as the competent authority for the purposes of Part IV
of FSMA
|
FSMA
|
the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000 (as amended)
|
Group
|
the Company and its
subsidiaries;
|
London Stock Exchange
|
London Stock Exchange plc
|
Ordinary Shares
|
ordinary shares of 1 pence each in
the capital of the Company
|
Placees
|
subscribers for Placing
Shares
|
Placing
|
the conditional placing of the
Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing Agreement
|
Placing Agreement
|
the conditional agreement dated
12 April 2024 between the Company and WH
Ireland in connection with the Placing
|
Placing Price
|
35 pence per
Placing Share
|
Placing Shares
|
up to 11,431,426 Ordinary Shares to
be issued pursuant to the Placing following the conclusion of the
Bookbuild
|
Publicly Available Information
|
any information announced through a
Regulatory Information Service by or on behalf of the Company on or
prior to the date of this Announcement
|
Qualified Investors
|
in member states of the European
Economic Area, "qualified investors"
within the meaning of article 2(e) of the EU
Prospectus Regulation, and in the UK, "qualified
investors" within
the meaning of article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation
|
Receiving Agent
|
Woodside Corporate Services Limited,
the receiving agent appointed by West Hill in respect of the Share
Subscription
|
Regulatory Information Service
|
one of the regulatory information
services authorised by the FCA to receive, process and disseminate
regulatory information
|
Shareholders
|
the holders of Ordinary
Shares
|
Share Subscription
|
the purchase of Subscription Shares
by Subscribers under the terms of the Application Forms
|
Subscribers
|
persons procured by the West Hill to
subscribe for Subscription Shares at the Placing Price pursuant to
the provisions of the Application Forms
|
Subscription Shares
|
up to 1,200,000 new Ordinary Shares
proposed to be issued and allotted by the Company to the
Subscribers pursuant to the terms of the Application
Forms
|
uncertificated or in uncertificated form
|
recorded on the register of members
of Windar as being held in uncertificated form in CREST and title
to which, by virtue of the CREST Regulations, may be transferred by
means of CREST
|
UK or United
Kingdom
|
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland;
|
UK
Prospectus Regulation
|
the EU Prospectus Regulation as it
forms part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal)
Act 2018, as amended
|
West Hill
|
West Hill Corporate Finance and West
Hill Capital
|
West Hill Capital
|
West Hill Capital LLP, an appointed
representative of West Hill Corporate Finance, and the arranger of
the Share Subscription
|
West Hill Corporate Finance
|
West Hill Corporate Finance
Limited
|
WH
Ireland or WHI
|
W H Ireland Limited, a company
incorporated in England and Wales with company number 02002044
whose registered office is situated at 24 Martin Lane, London EC4R
0DR
|
£,
pounds, penny or pence
|
sterling, the lawful currency of the
United Kingdom
|
APPENDIX
III
Terms and conditions of the
Placing
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE
APPENDICES (TOGETHER, THE "ANNOUNCEMENT") AND THE INFORMATION IN
IT IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR
DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR
INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND, THE
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH
PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS
AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND
ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT, UNLES OTHERWISE AGREED BY WH IRELAND: (A)
PERSONS WHO ARE IN A MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA AND
ARE, UNLESS OTHERWISE AGREED BY WHI, QUALIFIED INVESTORS; AND/OR
(B) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, PERSONS WHO ARE (I) QUALIFIED INVESTORS;
AND "INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 19(5)
OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL
PROMOTION) ORDER 2005 (AS AMENDED) (THE "ORDER"); (II) PERSONS
FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) ("HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES,
UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC") OF THE ORDER; OR (III) PERSONS
TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS
TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT
PERSONS").
THIS APPENDIX, AND THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN, IS A FINANCIAL PROMOTION AND IS EXEMPT
FROM THE GENERAL RESTRICTION IN SECTION 21 OF FSMA ON THE
COMMUNICATION OF INVITATIONS OR INDUCEMENTS TO ENGAGE IN INVESTMENT
ACTIVITY, ON THE GROUNDS THAT IT IS ONLY BEING DISTRIBUTED TO
RELEVANT PERSONS. ACCORDINGLY, THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY
PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. DISTRIBUTION OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS MAY BE RESTRICTED OR
PROHIBITED BY LAW. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST
SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR
INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN RELATE IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT
PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS.
ANY PERSON WHO IS NOT EITHER A QUALIFIED INVESTOR
(IF IN THE EEA) OR A RELEVANT PERSON (IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM)
SHOULD NOT ACT OR RELY ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER
FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER,
SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF
ANY JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN
OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF OR SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO
PURCHASE OR SUBSCRIBE FOR SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE
SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE
REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE
"SECURITIES ACT"), AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED
STATES, EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR AS PART
OF A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF
THE SECURITIES ACT. NEITHER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY
STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES HAS APPROVED OR
DISAPPROVED OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON OR
ENDORSED THE MERITS OF THE PLACING OR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF
THE CONTENTS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE
CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. NO PUBLIC
OFFERING OF SECURITIES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS
OWN ADVISERS AS TO THE LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED
IMPLICATIONS OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE PLACING SHARES AND THE INCOME
FROM THEM (IF ANY) MAY GO DOWN AS WELL AS UP AND INVESTORS MAY NOT
GET BACK THE FULL AMOUNT INVESTED ON A DISPOSAL OF THEIR
SHARES.
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 or the South African
Reserve Bank; and the Placing Shares have not been, nor will they
be, registered or qualified for distribution, as applicable under
or offered in compliance with the securities laws of any state,
province or territory of the United States, Australia, Canada,
Japan, New Zealand, or 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 the United States, Australia, Canada,
Japan, New Zealand, or South Africa or any other jurisdiction in
which such offer, sale, resale or delivery would be
unlawful.
Market Abuse Regulation
Market soundings, as defined in
the UK version ("UK
MAR") of
the Market Abuse Regulation
No. 596/2014 ("EU
MAR"), which is part of English law by
virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as
amended), were taken in respect of the
Placing, with the result that certain persons became aware of
inside information, as permitted by UK MAR. That inside information
is set out in this announcement and has been disclosed as soon as
possible in accordance with paragraph 7 of article 17 of UK MAR.
Therefore, those persons that received inside information in a
market sounding are no longer in possession of inside information
relating to the Company and its securities.
Information to Distributors
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within the FCA Handbook
Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the
"UK
Product Governance Rules"), and
disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort,
contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes
of the UK Product Governance Rules) may otherwise have with respect
thereto, the Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval
process, which has determined that the Placing Shares are: (i)
compatible with an end target market of investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each
defined in the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook
("COBS"); and (ii) eligible for
distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by
the UK Product Governance Rules (the "UK Target Market
Assessment").
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive
2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended
("MiFID
II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of
Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID
II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the
"MiFID II
Product Governance Requirements"),
and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort,
contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" and/or
"distributor" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing
Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has
determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end
target market of: (a) investors who meet the criteria of
professional clients and (b) eligible counterparties (each as
defined in MiFID II); and (ii) eligible for distribution through
all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the
"EU Target
Market Assessment").
Notwithstanding the UK Target Market
Assessment and the EU Target Market Assessment, distributors should
note that: the price of the Ordinary Shares may decline and
investors could lose all or part of their investment; such
securities offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection;
and an investment in such securities 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.
Each of the UK Target Market
Assessment and the EU Target Market Assessment is without prejudice
to any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in
relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that,
notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment and the EU Target
Market Assessment, WHI will only procure investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties each
as defined under COBS or MiFID II, as applicable.
For the avoidance of doubt, each of
the UK Target Market Assessment and the EU Target Market Assessment
does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or
appropriateness for the purposes of Chapters 9A or 10A respectively
of COBS or MiFID II, as applicable; or (b) a recommendation to any
investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take
any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing
Shares.
Each distributor is responsible for
undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the
Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution
channels.
Persons (including, without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other
legal obligation to forward a copy of this Appendix or the
Announcement of which it forms part should seek appropriate advice
before taking any action.
These terms and conditions apply to
persons making an offer to acquire Placing Shares and should be
read in their entirety. Each Placee hereby agrees with WHI and the
Company to be bound by these terms and conditions. A Placee shall,
without limitation, become so bound if WHI confirms to such Placee
its allocation of Placing Shares.
Upon being notified of its
allocation of Placing Shares, a Placee shall be contractually
committed to acquire the number of Placing Shares allocated to it
at the Placing Price and otherwise on the terms and conditions set
out in this Announcement and, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, will be deemed to have agreed not to exercise any rights to
rescind or terminate or otherwise withdraw from such
commitment.
In this Appendix, unless the context
otherwise requires, "Placee" means a Relevant Person (including
individuals, funds or others) on whose behalf a commitment to
subscribe for or acquire Placing Shares has been given.
Details of the Placing Agreement and the Placing
Shares
WHI and the Company have entered
into a Placing Agreement, under which WHI has, on the terms and
subject to the conditions set out therein, undertaken to use its
reasonable endeavours to procure subscribers for the Placing Shares
at the Placing Price. The Placing is not being underwritten by WHI
or any other person.
The number of the Placing Shares
will be determined following completion of the Placing. The
timing of the closing of the Placing and the number and allocation
of Placing Shares to Placees are at the discretion of WHI,
following consultation with the Company. Allocations will be
confirmed orally or by email by WHI following the close of the
Placing. A further announcement confirming these details will then
be made as soon as practicable following completion of the
Placing.
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be subject to the Articles, will be credited as fully
paid and rank pari
passu in all respects with the Existing Ordinary
Shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other
distributions (if any) declared, made or paid on or in respect of
Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing
Shares.
Application for admission to trading on AIM
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for admission to trading on AIM of the
Placing Shares. It is expected that settlement of the Placing
Shares and Admission will become effective at 8.00 a.m. on
17 April 2024 and that
dealings in the Placing Shares will commence at that
time.
Bookbuild Placing
WHI will today commence an
accelerated bookbuilding process to determine demand for
participation in the Placing by potential Placees at the Placing
Price. This Appendix 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.
WHI and the Company shall be
entitled to effect the Placing by such alternative method to the
Placing as they may, in their discretion, determine.
The principal terms of the Placing
are as follows:
1. WHI is
arranging the Placing as sole agent for, and broker of, the
Company.
2.
Participation in the Placing is only available to persons who are
lawfully able to be, and have been, invited to participate by
WHI. WHI and any of its affiliates are
entitled to participate in the Bookbuild.
3. The
Bookbuild, if successful, will establish the number of Placing
Shares to be issued at the Placing Price, which will be determined
by WHI, in consultation with the Company, following completion of
the Placing. The results of the Placing, including the number of
Placing Shares, will be announced on a Regulatory Information
Service following completion of the Placing.
4. To bid in
the Placing, prospective Placees should communicate their bid by
telephone or email to their usual contact at WHI. Each bid should
state the number of Placing Shares which the prospective Placee
wishes to subscribe for. Bids may be scaled down by WHI on the
basis referred to in paragraph 8
below.
5. The
Placing is expected to close no later than 5.00 p.m. on 12 April
2024 but may be closed earlier or later subject to the agreement of
WHI and the Company. WHI may, in agreement with the Company, accept
bids that are received after the Bookbuild has closed.
The Company reserves the right to reduce or seek
to increase the amount to be raised pursuant to the Placing, in its
absolute discretion.
6.
Allocations of the Placing Shares to Placees will be determined by
WHI, following consultation with the Company. Each Placee's
allocation will be confirmed to Placees orally, or by email, by WHI
following the close of the Placing and a trade confirmation or
contract note will be dispatched as soon as possible thereafter.
Oral or emailed confirmation from WHI will give rise to an
irrevocable, legally binding commitment by that person (who at that
point becomes a Placee), in favour of WHI and the Company, under
which it agrees to acquire by subscription the number of Placing
Shares allocated to it at the Placing Price and otherwise on the
terms and subject to the conditions set out in this Appendix and in
accordance with the Articles. Except with WHI's consent, such
commitment will not be capable of variation or revocation. WHI may
choose to accept bids, either in whole or in part, on the basis of
allocations determined at their absolute discretion, in
consultation with the Company, and may scale down any bids for this
purpose on the basis referred to in paragraph 8
below.
7. The
Company will make a further announcement following the close of the
Placing detailing the results of the Placing and the number of
Placing Shares to be issued at the Placing Price.
8. Subject
to paragraphs 4 and 5 above,
WHI may choose not to accept bids and/or to accept bids, either in
whole or in part, on the basis of allocations determined at its
discretion (after consultation with the Company) and may scale down
any bids for this purpose on such basis as it may determine. WHI
may also, notwithstanding paragraphs 4 and 5
above, subject to the prior consent of the
Company, allocate Placing Shares after the time of any initial
allocation to any person submitting a bid after that time or
allocate Placing Shares after the Bookbuild has closed to any
person submitting a bid after that time.
9. A bid in
the Placing will be made on the terms and subject to the conditions
in the Announcement (including this Appendix) and will be legally
binding on the Placee on behalf of which it is made and, except
with WHI's consent, will not be capable of variation or revocation
from the time at which it is submitted. Following WHI's oral or
written confirmation of each Placee's allocation and commitment to
acquire Placing Shares, each Placee will have an immediate,
separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to WHI (as agent
for the Company), to pay to it (or as it may direct) in cleared
funds an amount equal to the product of Placing Price and the
number of Placing Shares such Placee has agreed to acquire and the
Company has agreed to allot and issue to that Placee.
10. Except as required by law
or regulation, no press release or other announcement will be made
by WHI or the Company using the name of any Placee (or its agent),
in its capacity as Placee (or agent), other than with such Placee's
prior written consent.
11. Irrespective of the time
at which a Placee's allocation pursuant to the Placing is
confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares to be acquired
pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made at the same
time, on the basis explained below under "Registration and
Settlement".
12. All obligations of WHI
under the Placing will be subject to fulfilment of the conditions
referred to below "Conditions of the Placing" and to the Placing
not being terminated on the basis referred to below under "Right to
terminate the Placing Agreement".
13. 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.
14. To the fullest extent
permissible by law and the applicable rules of the FCA, neither
WHI, nor the Company, nor any of their respective affiliates,
agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any liability
to Placees (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a
Placee or otherwise whether or not a recipient of these terms and
conditions) in respect of the Placing. In particular, neither WHI,
nor the Company, nor any of their respective affiliates, agents,
directors, officers or employees shall have any liability
(including to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties)
in respect of WHI's conduct of the Placing or of such alternative
method of effecting the Placing as WHI and the Company may
determine.
15. The Placing is not subject
to any minimum fundraising and no element of the Placing is
underwritten by WHI or any other person.
Conditions of the Bookbuild Placing
The Placing is conditional upon the
Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not having been
terminated in accordance with its terms.
WHI's obligations under the Placing
Agreement are conditional on, inter alia:
1. none of
the representations, warranties and undertakings on the part of the
Company contained in the Placing Agreement being untrue, inaccurate
or misleading;
2. the
delivery by the Company to WHI of certain documents required under
the Placing Agreement;
3. the
Company having complied with its obligations under the Placing
Agreement to the extent that such obligations fall to be performed
prior to Admission;
4. the issue
and allotment of the Placing Shares, conditional only upon
Admission;
5. Admission
becoming effective by no later than 8.00 a.m. on 17 April 2024 or
such other date and time as may be agreed between the Company and
WHI, not being later than 8.00 a.m. on 30 April 2024 (the
"Long Stop
Date"); and
6. the
Placing Agreement not having been terminated by WHI in accordance
with its terms.
If: (i) any of the conditions
contained in the Placing Agreement, including those described
above, are not fulfilled or (where applicable) waived by WHI by the
respective time or date where specified (or such later time or date
as WHI may notify to the Company, being not later than the Long
Stop Date; (ii) any of such conditions becomes incapable of being
fulfilled; or (iii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in the
circumstances specified below, 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 the Placee in respect
thereof.
WHI may, at its discretion and upon
such terms as it thinks fit, waive, or extend the period for
(subject to the Long Stop Date), compliance by the Company with the
whole or any part of any of the Company's obligations in relation
to the conditions in the Placing Agreement, save
that the conditions 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.
Neither WHI 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
WHI.
Right to terminate the Placing Agreement
WHI is entitled, at any time before
Admission, to terminate the Placing Agreement by giving notice to
the Company in certain circumstances, including, inter alia:
1. WHI
reasonably considers the Company is in material breach of a
provision of the Placing Agreement;
2. if any of
the warranties given in the Placing Agreement are misleading in any
material respect when given or which might
reasonably result in a material breach of any of the warranties
when repeated on Admission;
3. there has
occurred any material new factor, mistake or inaccuracy relating to
the information in the Placing documents;
4. if any
condition set out in the Placing Agreement is not fulfilled (or
waived) on or before the time and/or date specified for its
fulfilment (or such later time as may have been agreed) or if any
such condition becomes incapable of being fulfilled and WHI
notifies the Company that it will not waive such
condition;
5. an event
or other matter (including, without limitation, any change or
development in economic, financial, political, diplomatic or other
market conditions (which include conditions affecting securities in
the business sectors in which the Company operates and conditions
affecting securities generally) or any change in the laws or
regulation of any applicable jurisdiction) has occurred or is
reasonably likely to occur which is (or will if it occurs be)
reasonably likely to materially and adversely affect the assets,
financial position or the business or prospects of the Group and
which the Broker reasonably considers to be material in the context
of Admission and the Placing; or
6. the
Company has failed in any material respect to comply with their
respective obligations under the Placing Agreement, FSMA, the AIM
Rules or UK MAR (being the retained EU Regulation No. 596/2014 on
market abuse and applicable implementing regulations that has
applied in the UK since the end of the Brexit transition period) or
any other material regulatory requirement .
The rights and obligations of the
Placees will not be subject to termination by the Placees or any
prospective Placees at any time or in any circumstances. By
participating in the Placing, Placees agree that the exercise by
WHI of any right of termination or other discretion under the
Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of WHI
and that WHI need not make any reference to Placees in this regard
and that neither WHI nor any of its respective affiliates shall
have any liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any
such exercise or failure so to exercise.
No
Admission Document or Prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered
to a limited number of specifically invited persons only and have
not been nor will they be offered in such a way as to require the
publication of a prospectus in the United Kingdom or in any other
jurisdiction. No offering document, admission document or
prospectus has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FCA
or the London Stock Exchange in relation to the Placing or the
Placing Shares, and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the
basis of the information contained in the Announcement (including
this Appendix) and the Publicly Available Information and subject
to any further terms set out in the contract note, electronic trade
confirmation or other (oral or written) confirmation to be sent to
individual Placees. Each Placee, by accepting a participation
in the Placing, agrees that the content of this Announcement is
exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it
has not relied on any other information (other than the Publicly
Available Information), representation, warranty, or statement made
by or on behalf of the Company or WHI or any other person and
neither WHI, the Company nor any other person will be liable for
any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any
other information, representation, warranty or statement which the
Placees may have obtained or received and, if given or made, such
information, representation, warranty or statement must not be
relied upon as having been authorised by WHI, the Company or their
respective officers, directors, employees or agents. 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. Neither the Company nor
WHI are making any undertaking or warranty to any Placee regarding
the legality of an investment in the Placing Shares by such Placee
under any legal, investment or similar laws or regulations. Each
Placee should not consider any information in this Announcement to
be legal, tax or business advice. Each Placee should consult its
own solicitor, tax adviser and financial adviser for independent
legal, tax and financial advice regarding an investment in the
Placing Shares. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the
liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Registration and Settlement
Following closure of the Placing,
each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will be sent a
trade confirmation or contract note in accordance with the standing
arrangements in place with WHI, stating the number of Placing
Shares allocated to it at the Placing Price, the aggregate amount
owed by such Placee (in pounds sterling) and a form of confirmation
in relation to settlement instructions.
Each Placee will be deemed to agree
that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and
payment is completed as directed by WHI in accordance with the
standing CREST settlement instructions which they have in place
with WHI.
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00BTFR4F17) following Admission will
take place within CREST provided that, subject to certain
exceptions. Settlement through CREST is expected to occur on
or around 17 April 2024 (the "Settlement Date") in accordance with
the contract note, electronic trade confirmation or other (oral or
written) confirmation. Settlement will be on a delivery versus
payment basis. However, in the event of any difficulties or
delays in the admission of the Placing Shares to CREST or the use
of CREST in relation to the Placing, the Company and WHI may agree
that the Placing Shares should be issued in certificated
form. WHI reserve the right to require settlement for the
Placing Shares, and to deliver the Placing Shares to Placees, by
such other means as they deem necessary if delivery or settlement
to Placees is not practicable within the CREST system or would not
be consistent with regulatory requirements in the jurisdiction in
which a Placee is located.
Interest is chargeable daily on
payments not received from Placees on the due date(s) in accordance
with the arrangements set out above at the rate of 4 percentage
points above the prevailing Bank of England base rate as determined
by WHI.
Subject to the conditions set out
above, payment in respect of the Placees' allocations is due as set
out below. Each Placee should provide its settlement details in
order to enable instructions to be successfully matched in
CREST.
The relevant settlement details for
the Placing Shares are as follows:
CREST Participant ID of WH
Ireland:
|
601
|
Expected trade time &
date:
|
at or around 4:35 p.m. on 12 April
2024
|
Settlement Date:
|
17 April 2024
|
ISIN code for the Placing
Shares:
|
GB00BTFR4F17
|
Deadline for Placee to input
instructions into CREST:
|
12.00 p.m. on 16 April
2024
|
Each Placee is deemed to agree that,
if it does not comply with these obligations, WHI may sell any or
all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's
behalf and retain from the proceeds, for WHI's account and benefit
(as agent for the Company), an amount equal to the aggregate amount
owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The relevant Placee will,
however, remain liable and shall indemnify WHI on demand for any
shortfall below the aggregate amount owed by it and may be required
to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or securities
transfer tax (together with any interest or penalties) which may
arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares on such Placee's behalf.
By communicating a bid for Placing Shares, each Placee confers on
WHI such authorities and powers necessary to carry out any such
sale and agrees to ratify and confirm all actions which WHI
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.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure
that the form of confirmation is copied and delivered immediately
to the relevant person within that organisation.
Insofar as Placing Shares are
registered in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name
of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of
a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should, subject as
provided below, be so registered free from any liability to UK
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax.
Neither WHI nor the Company will be liable in any circumstances for
the payment of stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax or securities
transfer tax in connection with any of the Placing Shares. Placees
will not be entitled to receive any fee or commission in connection
with the Placing.
Representations, Warranties and Further
Terms
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf)
irrevocably makes the following representations, warranties,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings (as the case may be)
to WHI for itself and on behalf of the Company:
1. that it
has read and understood this Announcement, including this Appendix,
in its entirety and that its subscription for Placing Shares is
subject to and based upon all the terms, conditions,
representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings and other information contained herein and undertakes
not to redistribute or duplicate this Announcement;
2. it has
not received and will not receive a prospectus or other offering
document in connection with the Placing and acknowledges that no
prospectus or other offering document:
a. is
required under the UK Prospectus Regulation or other applicable
law; and
b. has been
or will be prepared in connection with the Placing;
3. that 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 WHI of any right or discretion under the Placing
Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of WHI, and WHI
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 WHI or the Company, or any of their respective
officers, directors, employees agents or advisers, under the
Placing Agreement pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third
Parties Act) 1999;
5. that
these terms and conditions represent the whole and only agreement
between it, WHI and the Company in relation to its participation in
the Placing and supersedes any previous agreement between any of
such parties in relation to such participation. Accordingly, each
Placee, in accepting its participation in the Placing, is not
relying on any information or representation or warranty in
relation to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of the
Placing Shares other than as contained in this Announcement and the
Publicly Available Information, such information being all that it
deems necessary to make an investment decision in respect of the
Placing Shares. Each Placee agrees that neither the Company, nor
WHI, nor any of their respective officers, directors or employees
will have any liability for any such other information,
representation or warranty, express or implied;
6. that in
the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial
intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the EU
Prospectus Regulation and Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation, (i) the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing
have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired
with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Member
State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the EU
Prospectus Regulation or the UK, respectively, other than Qualified
Investors or in circumstances in which the prior consent of WHI has
been given to the offer or resale; or (ii) where Placing Shares
have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any member state
of the EEA, or the UK respectively, other than Qualified Investors,
the offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the EU
Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation as having
been made to such persons;
7. that
neither it nor, as the case may be, its clients expect WHI to have
any duties or responsibilities to such persons similar or
comparable to the duties of "best execution" and "suitability"
imposed by the FCA's Conduct of Business Source Book, and that WHI
is not acting for it or its clients, and that WHI will not be
responsible for providing the protections afforded to customers of
WHI or for providing advice in respect of the transactions
described herein;
8. that it
has made its own assessment of the Placing Shares and has relied on
its own investigation of the business, financial or other position
of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing and that
it shall not be entitled to rely upon any material regarding the
Placing Shares or the Company (if any) that WHI or the Company or
any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them has
provided, other than the information in this Announcement and the
Publicly Available Information; nor has it requested any of WHI,
the Company or any of their respective affiliates, agents,
directors, officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of
any of them to provide it with any such information;
9. that it
is: (i) located outside the United States and is not a US Person as
defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act
("Regulation S") and is
subscribing for and/or purchasing the Placing Shares only in
"offshore transactions" as defined in and pursuant to Regulation S,
and (ii) it is not subscribing for and/or purchasing Placing Shares
as a result of any "directed selling efforts" as defined in
Regulation S or by means of any form of "general solicitation" or
"general advertising" as such terms are defined in Regulation D
under the Securities Act;
10. it is not taking up the
Placing Shares as a result of any "general solicitation" or
"general advertising" efforts (as those terms are defined in
Regulation D under the Securities Act) or any "directed selling
efforts" (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the
Securities Act);
11. that the Placing Shares
have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act,
or under the securities legislation of, or with any securities
regulatory authority of, any state or other jurisdiction of the
United States and accordingly the Placing Shares may not be
offered, sold, pledged, resold, transferred, delivered or
distributed into or within the United States except in compliance
with the registration requirements of the Securities Act and
applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions
therefrom;
12. it understands
that:
a. the
Placing Shares are "restricted securities" within the meaning of
Rule 144(a)(3) of the Securities Act and will be subject to
restrictions on resale and transfer subject to certain exceptions
under US law;
b. no
representation is made as to the availability of the exemption
provided by Rule 144 of the Securities Act for resales or transfers
of Placing Shares; and
c. it will
not deposit the Placing Shares in an unrestricted depositary
receipt programme in the United States or for US persons (as
defined in the Securities Act);
13. it will not offer, sell,
transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of any Placing Shares
except:
a. in an
offshore transaction in accordance with Rules 903 or 904 of
Regulation S under the Securities Act; or
b. pursuant
to another exemption from registration under the Securities Act, if
available,
c. and in
each case in accordance with all applicable securities laws of the
states of the United States and other jurisdictions;
14. no representation has been
made as to the availability of the exemption provided by Rule 144,
Rule 144A or any other exemption under the Securities Act for the
reoffer, resale, pledge or transfer of the Placing
Shares;
15. it understands that the
Placing Shares are expected to be issued to it through CREST but
may be issued to it in certificated, definitive form and
acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Shares may, to the extent
they are delivered in certificated form, bear a legend to the
following effect unless agreed otherwise with the
Company:
16. it understands that there
may be certain consequences under United States and other tax laws
resulting from an investment in the Placing and if applicable it
has made such investigation and has consulted its own independent
advisers or has otherwise satisfied itself concerning, without
limitation, the effects of United States federal, state and local
income tax laws and foreign tax laws generally;
17. that the only information
on which it is entitled to rely on and on which it has relied in
committing to subscribe for the Placing Shares is contained in this
Announcement and the Publicly Available Information, such
information being all that it deems necessary to make an investment
decision in respect of the Placing Shares and it has made its own
assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and the terms of the
Placing based on this Announcement and the Publicly Available
Information only;
18. that neither WHI, nor the
Company, nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors,
officers or employees has made any representation or warranty to
it, express or implied, with respect to the Company, the Placing or
the Placing Shares or the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the
Publicly Available Information;
19. that, unless specifically
agreed with WHI, it is not and was not acting on a
non-discretionary basis for the account or benefit of a person
located within the United States or any US Person at the time the
undertaking to subscribe for and/or purchase Placing Shares was
given and it is not acquiring Placing Shares with a view to the
offer, sale, resale, transfer, delivery or distribution, directly
or indirectly, of any Placing Shares into the United States or to
any US Person and it will not reoffer, resell, pledge or otherwise
transfer the Placing Shares except pursuant to an exemption from,
or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements
of the Securities Act and otherwise in accordance with any
applicable securities laws of any state or jurisdiction of the
United States;
20. that it is not a national
or resident of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic
of South Africa or a corporation, partnership or other entity
organised under the laws of Australia, Canada, Japan, New
Zealand, the Republic of South Africa and that it will not (unless
an exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable)
offer, sell, renounce, transfer or deliver, directly or indirectly,
any of the Placing Shares in Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand
or the Republic of South Africa or to or for the benefit of any
person resident in Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the
Republic of South Africa and each Placee acknowledges that the
relevant clearances or exemptions are not being obtained from the
Securities Commission of any province or territory of Canada, that
no prospectus has been or will be lodged with, filed with or
registered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission,
the Canadian Securities Administrators, the Japanese Ministry of
Finance, the Securities Commission of New Zealand or the South
African Reserve Bank and that the Placing Shares are not being
offered for sale and may not (unless an exemption under the
relevant securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or
delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States,
Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa
or any other jurisdiction in which such offer, sale, resale or
delivery would be unlawful;
21. that it does not have a
registered address in, and is not a citizen, resident or national
of, any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful to make or accept an
offer of the Placing Shares and it is not acting on a
non-discretionary basis for any such person;
22. that it has not, directly
or indirectly, distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise
transmitted, and will not, directly or indirectly, distribute,
forward, transfer or otherwise transmit, any presentation or
offering materials concerning the Placing or the Placing Shares to
any persons within the United States or to any US
Persons;
23. that it is entitled to
subscribe for and/or purchase Placing Shares under the laws of all
relevant jurisdictions which apply to it and that it has fully
observed such laws and obtained all governmental and other consents
which may be required thereunder or otherwise and complied with all
necessary formalities and that it has not taken any action which
will or may result in the Company or WHI or any of their respective
directors, officers, employees or agents acting in breach of any
regulatory or legal requirements of any territory in connection
with the Placing or its acceptance;
24. that it has obtained all
necessary consents and authorities to enable it to give its
commitment to subscribe for and/or purchase the Placing Shares and
to perform its subscription and/or purchase obligations;
25. that where it is acquiring
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; (b) to make on its behalf the
representations, warranties, acknowledgements, undertakings and
agreements in this Appendix and the Announcement of which it forms
part; and (c), if applicable, to receive on its behalf any
investment letter relating to the Placing in the form provided to
it by WHI;
26. that it is either: (a) a
person of a kind described in paragraph 5 of Article 19 (persons
having professional experience in matters relating to investments
and who are investment professionals) of the Order; or (b) a person
of a kind described in paragraph 2 of Article 49(2)(A) to (D) (high
net worth companies, unincorporated associations, partnerships or
trusts or their respective directors, officers or employees) of the
Order; or (c) a person to whom it is otherwise lawful for this
Announcement to be communicated and in the case of (a) and (b)
undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage or dispose of any
Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its
business;
27. that, unless otherwise
agreed by WHI, it is a Qualified Investor;
28. that, unless otherwise
agreed by WHI, it is a "professional client" or an "eligible
counterparty" within the meaning of Chapter 3 of the FCA's COBS and
it is purchasing Placing Shares for investment only and not with a
view to resale or distribution;
29. that 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;
30. that any money held in an
account with WHI (or its nominee) on its behalf and/or any person
acting on its behalf will not be treated as client money within the
meaning of the rules and regulations of the FCA. Each Placee
further acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the
protections conferred by the FCA's client money rules. As a
consequence, this money will not be segregated from WHI's (or its
nominee's) money in accordance with such client money rules and
will be used by WHI in the course of its own business and each
Placee will rank only as a general creditor of WHI;
31. that it will (or will
procure that its nominee will) if applicable, make notification to
the Company of the interest in its Ordinary Shares in accordance
with the requirements of Chapter 5 of the Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules of the FCA);
32. that it is not, and it is
not acting on behalf of, a person falling within subsections (6),
(7) or (8) of sections 67 or 70 respectively or subsections (2) and
(3) of section 93 or subsection (1) of section 96 of the Finance
Act 1986;
33. that it will not deal or
cause or permit any other person to deal in all or any of the
Placing Shares which it is subscribing for under the Placing unless
and until Admission becomes effective;
34. that it appoints
irrevocably any director of either of WHI as its agent for the
purpose of executing and delivering to the Company and/or its
registrars any document on its behalf necessary to enable it to be
registered as the holder of the Placing Shares;
35. that the Announcement does
not constitute a securities recommendation or financial product
advice and that neither WHI nor the Company has considered its
particular objectives, financial situation and needs;
36. that it has sufficient
knowledge, sophistication and experience in financial, business and
investment matters as is required to evaluate the merits and risks
of subscribing for or purchasing the Placing Shares and is aware
that it may be required to bear, and it, and any accounts for which
it may be acting, are able to bear, the economic risk of, and is
able to sustain, a complete loss in connection with the
Placing;
37. that it will indemnify and
hold the Company and WHI and their respective affiliates harmless
from any and all costs, claims, liabilities and expenses (including
legal fees and expenses) arising out of or in connection with any
breach of the representations, warranties, acknowledgements,
agreements and undertakings in this Appendix and further agrees
that the Company and WHI will rely on the truth and accuracy of the
confirmations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings herein
and, if any of the foregoing is or becomes no longer true or
accurate, the Placee shall promptly notify WHI and the Company. All
confirmations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings given
by the Placee, pursuant to this Announcement (including this
Appendix) are given to WHI for itself and on behalf of the Company
and will survive completion of the Placing and
Admission;
38. that time shall be of the
essence as regards obligations pursuant to this
Appendix;
39. that it is responsible for
obtaining any legal, financial, tax and other advice that it deems
necessary for the execution, delivery and performance of its
obligations in accepting the terms and conditions of the Placing,
and that it is not relying on the Company or WHI to provide any
legal, financial, tax or other advice to it;
40. that all dates and times
in this Announcement (including this Appendix) may be subject to
amendment and that WHI shall notify it of such
amendments;
41. that (i) it has complied
with its obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993, FSMA and
UK MAR, (ii) in connection with money laundering and terrorist
financing, it has complied with its obligations under the Proceeds
of Crime Act 2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000 (as
amended), the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Money Laundering,
Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (information on the
Payer) Regulations 2017 (as amended) and any related or similar
rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced
by any government agency having jurisdiction in respect thereof and
the Money Laundering Sourcebook of the FCA and (iii) it is not a
person: (a) with whom transactions are prohibited under the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 or any economic sanction programmes
administered by, or regulations promulgated by, the Office of
Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury or
the United States Department of State; (b) named on the
Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets maintained by HM
Treasury of the United Kingdom; or (c) subject to financial
sanctions imposed pursuant to a regulation of the European Union or
a regulation adopted by the United Nations (together, the
"Regulations"); and, if making payment on behalf of a third party,
that satisfactory evidence has been obtained and recorded by it to
verify the identity of the third party as required by the
Regulations and has obtained all governmental and other consents
(if any) which may be required for the purpose of, or as a
consequence of, such purchase, and it will provide promptly to WHI
such evidence, if any, as to the identity or location or legal
status of any person which WHI may request from it in connection
with the Placing (for the purpose of complying with such
Regulations or ascertaining the nationality of any person or the
jurisdiction(s) to which any person is subject or otherwise) in the
form and manner requested by WHI on the basis that any failure by
it to do so may result in the number of Placing Shares that are to
be subscribed for by it or at its direction pursuant to the Placing
being reduced to such number, or to nil, as WHI may decide in its
absolute discretion;
42. that it will not make any
offer to the public within the meaning of the EU Prospectus
Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation of those Placing Shares
to be subscribed for and/or purchased by it;
43. that it will not
distribute any document relating to the Placing Shares and it will
be acquiring the Placing Shares for its own account as principal or
for a discretionary account or accounts (as to which it has the
authority to make the statements set out herein) for investment
purposes only and it does not have any contract, understanding or
arrangement with any person to sell, pledge, transfer or grant a
participation therein to such person or any third person with
respect of any Placing Shares; save that if it is a private client
stock, broker or fund manager it confirms that in purchasing the
Placing Shares it is acting under the terms of one or more
discretionary mandates granted to it by private clients and it is
not acting on an execution only basis or under specific
instructions to purchase the Placing Shares for the account of any
third party;
44. that it acknowledges that
these terms and conditions and any agreements entered into by it
pursuant to these terms and conditions shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales 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, except that enforcement proceedings in respect of
the obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together
with any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by the Company
or WHI in any jurisdiction in which the relevant Placee is
incorporated or in which its assets are located or any of its
securities have a quotation on a recognised stock
exchange;
45. that any documents sent to
Placees will be sent at the Placees' risk. They may be sent by post
to such Placees at an address notified to WHI;
46. that WHI owes no fiduciary
or other duties to any Placee in respect of any representations,
warranties, undertakings or indemnities in the Placing
Agreement;
47. that WHI may, in its absolute discretion, agree to become a
Placee in respect of some or all of the Placing Shares;
48. that no prospectus or
offering document has been or will be prepared in connection with
the Placing and it has not received and will not receive a
prospectus or other offering document in connection with the
Placing or the Placing Shares;
49. undertakes that it (and
any person acting on its behalf) will make payment in respect of
the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this Appendix
on the due time and date set out herein, failing which the relevant
Placing Shares may be placed with other acquirers or sold as WHI
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 Placing
Price and the number of Placing Shares allocated to it and may be
required to bear any stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax or other
similar taxes (together with any interest or penalties) which may
arise upon the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares;
50. that its allocation (if
any) of Placing Shares will represent a maximum number of Placing
Shares which it will be entitled, and required, to acquire, and
that WHI and/or the Company may call upon it to acquire a lower
number of Placing Shares (if any), but in no event in aggregate
more than the aforementioned maximum; and
51. that if it has received
any confidential price sensitive information concerning the Company
in advance of the publication of this Announcement, it has not: (i)
dealt in the securities of the Company; (ii) encouraged, required,
recommended or induced another person to deal in the securities of
the Company; or (iii) disclosed such information to any person,
prior to such information being made publicly available.
The Company, WHI and their
respective affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of each
of the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and
undertakings which are given to WHI for itself and on behalf of the
Company and are irrevocable.
The provisions of this Appendix may
be waived, varied or modified as regards specific Placees or on a
general basis by WHI.
The agreement to settle a Placee's
subscription and/or purchase (and/or the subscription of a person
for whom such Placee is contracting as agent) free of stamp duty
and stamp duty reserve tax depends on the settlement relating only
to a subscription by it and/or such person direct from the Company
for the Placing Shares in question. Such agreement assumes that the
Placing Shares are not being subscribed for in connection with
arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to transfer the
Placing Shares into a clearance service. If there are any such
arrangements, or the settlement relates to any other subsequent
dealing in the Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax
may be payable, for which neither the Company or WHI will be
responsible, and the Placee to whom (or on behalf of whom, or in
respect of the person for whom it is participating in the Placing
as an agent or nominee) the allocation, allotment, issue or
delivery of Placing Shares has given rise to such UK stamp duty or
stamp duty reserve tax undertakes to pay such UK stamp duty or
stamp duty reserve tax forthwith and to indemnify on an after-tax
basis and to hold harmless the Company and WHI in the event that
any of the Company and/or WHI have incurred any such liability to
UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax. If this is the case, each
Placee should seek its own advice and notify WHI
accordingly.
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 outside the UK by them or any other
person on the subscription or purchase by them of any Placing
Shares or the agreement by them to subscribe for or purchase any
Placing Shares.
References to time in this
Announcement are to London time, unless otherwise
stated.
All times and dates in this
Announcement (including the Appendices) may be subject to
amendment. WHI shall notify the Placees and any person acting on
behalf of the Placees of any changes.
This Announcement has been issued
by, and is the sole responsibility, of the Company. No
representation or warranty express or implied, is or will be made
as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or
will be accepted by WHI or by any of its respective affiliates or
agents as to or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of
this Announcement or any other written or oral information made
available to or publicly available to any interested party or its
advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly
disclaimed.