THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDIX AND THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED THEREIN) IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE,
PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR FORWARDING, IN WHOLE OR IN PART,
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 RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR
DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT
AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION. PLEASE SEE THE
IMPORTANT NOTICES AT THE END OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES
OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) NO. 596/2014 (AS AMENDED) AS IT
FORMS PART OF THE DOMESTIC LAW OF THE UNITED KINGDOM BY VIRTUE OF
THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 (AS AMENDED)
("MAR").
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
13 November
2024
boohoo group
plc
("Boohoo",
the "Group" or the
"Company")
Proposed Fundraise to
raise up to approximately £39.3
million
Boohoo Group plc (AIM:BOO), a leading online fashion
group, today announces a proposed conditional fundraise of up to
approximately £39.3 million, including a proposed placing of new
ordinary shares of £0.01 each ("Ordinary Shares") (the "Placing").
Concurrently with the Placing, the Company is proposing to offer
and sell new Ordinary Shares (the "Subscription Shares") to certain
institutional investors in the United States pursuant to direct
subscription agreements (the "Subscriptions"). The Company also
intends to carry out a separate retail offer (the "Retail Offer"
and, together with the Placing and the Subscriptions, the
"Fundraise") of up to 19,354,838 new Ordinary Shares (the "Retail
Offer Shares" and, together with the Placing Shares and the
Subscription Shares, the "New Ordinary Shares") via the BookBuild
Platform ("BookBuild") (the "Retail Offer").
The Placing, Subscriptions and
Retail Offer together are intended to raise gross proceeds of up to
approximately £39.3 million (before fees and expenses).
The New Ordinary Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing, Subscription and the Retail Offer will be
issued at a price of 31 pence per share (the "Issue Price"). The
Issue Price represents a premium of approximately 3.3 per cent. to
the closing price of 30 pence per Ordinary Share on 12 November
2024 (being the latest practicable date prior to the release of
this Announcement).
The Placing is being conducted
through an accelerated bookbuild process outside the United States
(the "ABB"), which will be launched immediately following the
release of this Announcement, in accordance with the terms and
conditions set out in the Appendix of this Announcement (the "Terms
and Conditions"). Zeus Capital Limited ("Zeus") is acting as
Nominated Adviser and Sole Bookrunner in relation to the
Placing.
The issuance of the New Ordinary
Shares under the Placing, Subscriptions and Retail Offer is
conditional upon, amongst other things, obtaining the consent of
its majority lenders under its Facilities Agreement ("Lender
Consent").
The Placing will include a firm
placing (the "Firm Placing") of up to approximately £33.3 million
of New Ordinary Shares (subject to any New Ordinary Shares sold
pursuant to the Subscriptions) (the "Firm Placing Shares")
and a placing of up to £6.0 million New Ordinary Shares ("Clawback
Placing Shares" together with the Firm Placing Shares the "Placing
Shares"), subject to clawback under the Retail Offer (the "Clawback
Placing"). To the extent that valid applications are received for
Retail Offer Shares under the Retail Offer and accepted by the
Company, the Clawback Placing will be proportionally reduced so
that the total amount raised by the Company (including any
Subscriptions) is approximately £39.3 million in
aggregate. The Retail Offer will provide qualifying existing retail
shareholders an opportunity to participate in the Fundraise at the
same price as the Placing. The issue of the Retail Offer Shares is
also conditional upon, amongst other things, Lender Consent. Only
the Clawback Placing Shares will be subject to clawback to satisfy
valid applications for Retail Offer Shares under the Retail Offer
which are accepted by the Company. The Firm Placing Shares will not
be subject to clawback under the Retail Offer.
A further announcement will be made
in due course regarding the Retail Offer, detailing its terms. It
is expected that the Retail Offer will launch at 8:00 a.m. on 14
November 2024 and will close at 5:00 p.m. on 15 November
2024.
Subject to Lender Consent,
applications will be made to London Stock Exchange plc for the
admission of the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on
AIM ("Admission").
SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED FUNDRAISE
· Proposed equity Fundraise, comprising of (i) a conditional
Firm Placing of up to 107,553,604 Firm Placing Shares at the Issue
Price(subject to any New Ordinary Shares sold pursuant to the
Subscriptions), (ii) a conditional Clawback Placing of up to
19,354,838 Clawback Placing Shares at the Issue Price (iii) a
conditional private placement of Subscription Shares at the Issue
Price to certain institutional investors in the United States
pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, and (iv) an additional
conditional Retail Offer of up to 19,354,838 Retail Offer Shares at
the Issue Price (the proceeds of the offer and sale of the Placing
Shares, the Subscription Shares and the Retail Shares, together,
the "Proceeds").
· The
Fundraise is conditional upon, amongst other things, Lender
Consent.
· The Placing is to
be conducted by way of the ABB, which will commence immediately
following this Announcement.
· A
Placing Agreement has been entered into today between the Company
and Zeus in connection with the Fundraise. If the conditions
relating to the issue of the Placing Shares, including Lender
Consent, are not satisfied by the Long Stop Date or the Placing
Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms, the Placing
Shares will not be issued, and the Company will not receive the
associated placing monies.
· The Placing
is not conditional upon the Retail Offer and, for the avoidance of
doubt, neither the Retail Offer nor the Subscriptions forms part of
the Placing. Zeus is not acting for the Company with respect to the
Retail Offer or the Subscriptions.
· Net
proceeds of the Fundraise will be used to reduce Group
borrowings.
· The
Issue Price per New Ordinary Share will be 31 pence.
· The New
Ordinary Shares, when issued, will be fully paid and will rank
pari passu in all respects
with the existing Ordinary Shares. The New Ordinary Shares will
represent up to approximately 10 per cent. of the Company's
existing issued share capital.
· Any
shareholder or shareholders acting in concert with one another will
be permitted to participate in the Fundraise only to the extent
such participation will not result in such shareholder(s) requiring
a Rule 9 waiver for the purposes of the City Code on Takeovers and
Mergers.
· The final number of New Ordinary Shares will be agreed by Zeus
and the Company at the close of the Bookbuild, and the result will
be announced as soon as practicable thereafter, confirming the
final details of the Fundraise.
· The timing
for the close of the ABB shall be at the absolute discretion of
Zeus, in consultation with the Company. The Placing is not
underwritten.
· The Fundraise is
being conducted using the authorities to issue and allot new shares
granted to the Directors by shareholders at the Company's annual
general meeting held on 20 June 2024 (the "2024 AGM"). Accordingly,
the issue of the New Ordinary Shares is not subject to the approval
of shareholders.
· It is
currently expected that Admission will become effective, and that
dealings in the respective shares will commence on AIM, on or
around 26 November 2024.
Enquiries
|
|
boohoo group plc
|
|
Stephen Morana, Chief Financial
Officer
|
Tel: +44 (0)161 233 2050
|
Mike Cooper, Head of Investor
Relations
|
Tel: +44 (0)161 233 2050
|
|
|
Zeus - Joint Financial Adviser,
Nominated adviser,
Joint Broker and Sole
Bookrunner
|
Nick Cowles / Dan Bate / James Edis
|
Tel: +44 (0)161 831 1512
|
Benjamin Robertson
|
Tel: +44 (0)20 3829 5000
|
|
|
HSBC - Joint Financial Adviser and
Joint Broker
|
|
Anthony Parsons / Alex Thomas /
Chloe Ponsonby / James Hopton
|
Tel: +44 (0)20 7991 8888
|
|
|
Headland -
Financial PR Adviser
|
|
Susanna
Voyle / Will Smith
|
Tel: +44
(0)20 3725 7514
|
Information on
the Fundraise
Background to and reasons for the Fundraise
The Company released an announcement
on 18 October 2024 titled Business Update (the "18 October
Announcement"), in which it:
· announced
that the Group has agreed a new £222 million debt facility with a
consortium of its existing relationship banking group (the "Group's
Lenders") which compromises of a £125 million revolving credit
facility and a £97 million term loan (the "Term Loan");
and
·
summarised its plans to unlock and maximise
shareholder value (the "Business Review"), further details of which
are contained in the 18 October Announcement.
The proceeds of the Fundraise are intended to
be used:
· to part satisfy
the first tranche which will become due to be paid under the Term
Loan of £50 million by the end of December 2024; and
·
provide additional strategic flexibility
to maximise value for all shareholders as part of the Group's
Business Review.
Interim results for the six months
ended 31 August 2024
The Company today separately
announced its unaudited interim results for the six months to 31
August 2024.
Structure of
the Fundraise
At the Company's 2024 AGM, certain resolutions
were passed by shareholders which granted the Directors the
authority to allot, on a non-pre-emptive basis, Ordinary Shares up
to an aggregate nominal amount of £1,269,084.43
(being approximately 10 per cent. of the issued share capital of
the Company as at the date of the 2024 AGM).
Given the proposed size of the Fundraise, the
Fundraise will not require a general meeting, and will not be
subject to shareholder approval.
However, as noted above, the issue of the New
Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Fundraise is conditional upon,
amongst other things, Lender Consent.
Placing
The Placing will be conducted by Zeus on behalf
of the Company. The Placing will be conducted by way of an ABB
outside of the United States which will commence immediately
following this Announcement. The Placing is subject to the detailed
Terms and Conditions contained in the Appendix to this
Announcement, which should be read in its entirety.
The final number of Firm Placing Shares will be
determined by Zeus and the Company, and will be confirmed orally or
by email following the close of the ABB. The final number of
Clawback Placing Shares will be announced as soon as practicable
after the close of the Retail Offer. The Placing Shares, when
issued, will be fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the
existing Ordinary Shares.
The Firm Placing Shares are not subject to
clawback and do not form part of the Clawback Placing. The Clawback
Placing Shares allocated pursuant to the Placing are subject to
clawback to satisfy valid applications for Retail Offer Shares
under the Retail Offer which are accepted by the
Company.
The timing of the closing of the ABB and
allocations are at the absolute discretion of Zeus having consulted
with the Company. Details of the results of the Placing will be
announced as soon as practicable after the close of the
ABB.
By choosing to participate in the Placing and
by making a legally binding recorded commitment 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 such offer on the terms and subject to the conditions of the
Placing contained herein, and to be providing the representations,
warranties and acknowledgements contained in the Terms and
Conditions.
The Placing (which is not being
underwritten) is conditional, amongst other things,
upon:
(a) Lender Consent
having been obtained;
(b) the Placing
Agreement becoming unconditional in all respects (save for
Admission) and not having been terminated in accordance with its
terms prior to Admission; and
(c) Admission of the
Placing Shares becoming effective on or before 8:00 a.m. on
26 November 2024 or such
later time and/or date as the Company and Zeus may agree, being no
later than 5:00 p.m. on 6 December 2024 (the "Long Stop
Date").
If such conditions are not satisfied
or, if capable of waiver, waived by the date(s) and time(s)
referred to above, the Placing will not proceed.
The Placing
Agreement
In connection with the Placing, the Company and
Zeus have entered into the Placing Agreement. Pursuant to the terms
of the Placing Agreement, Zeus has conditionally agreed to use its
reasonable endeavours, as agents for the Company,
to procure placees for the Placing Shares at the Issue Price. The
Placing is not being underwritten.
The Placing Agreement is conditional
on, amongst other things, (i) the conditions in the Placing
Agreement being satisfied or (if capable of waiver) waived and the
Placing Agreement not having been terminated in accordance with its
terms prior to Admission, (ii) Lender Consent having been obtained,
and (iii) Admission occurring on or before 8:00 a.m. on
26 November 2024 (or such later date as the
Company and Zeus may agree, not being later than 5:00 p.m. on the
Long Stop Date).
The Placing Agreement contains
certain customary warranties given by the Company in favour of Zeus
in relation to, inter
alia, matters relating to the Company and
its business.
In addition, the Company has agreed
to indemnify Zeus in relation to certain
liabilities it may incur in respect of the Placing.
Zeus has the right to terminate the
Placing Agreement in certain circumstances
prior to Admission, including, in particular, in the event of a
material breach of the warranties given in
the Placing Agreement, the failure of the Company to comply in any
material respect with its obligations under the Placing Agreement
or the occurrence of a force
majeure event or a material adverse change affecting the
financial position, business or prospects of the Company, in each
case which in Zeus' opinion may be material and adverse to the
Company or the Placing.
The Placing is not conditional on
the Retail Offer proceeding or on any minimum take-up under the
Retail Offer.
Subscription Agreements
Concurrently with the Placing (and
conditional upon the Placing Agreement executed in connection with
the Placing remaining in full force and effect and not having been
terminated), the Company is proposing to offer and sell New
Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price to certain institutional
investors in the United States pursuant to direct Subscription
Agreements, in transactions exempt from the registration
requirements of the US Securities Act
1933. The Subscriptions of the Subscription
Shares do not form part of the Placing.
Retail
Offer
The Company values its shareholder base and
believes that it is appropriate to provide its eligible retail
investors in the United Kingdom ("Retail Investors") the
opportunity to participate in the Retail Offer. The Retail Offer
will allow existing Retail Investors to participate in the
Fundraise by subscribing for Retail Offer Shares at the Issue
Price.
Conditional on, amongst other things, the
Placing proceeding, Lender Consent and Admission, up to 19,354,838
Retail Offer Shares will be issued to eligible Retail Investors by
way of the Retail Offer at the Issue Price to raise proceeds of up
to approximately £6.0 million (before expenses).
The Retail Offer Shares are not part
of the Placing and are not Placing Shares.
The Retail Offer is not being
underwritten.
No prospectus will be published in connection
with the Retail Offer.
Further information on the Retail Offer and how
Retail Investors can participate in the Fundraise will be contained
in a further announcement.
Expected
Timetable of Principal Events
|
2024
|
Announcement of the
Fundraise
|
13
November
|
Announcement of the results of the
Firm Placing and Clawback Placing
|
14
November
|
Announcement of the Retail
Offer
|
14
November
|
Announcement of the results of the
Retail Offer
|
18
November
|
Expected admission and commencement of dealings in the New
Ordinary Shares on AIM
|
8:00 a.m. on 26
November
|
CREST accounts expected to be
credited with New Ordinary Shares in uncertificated form
(uncertificated holders only)
|
26
November
|
Expected dispatch of definitive
share certificates in respect of New Ordinary Shares to be issued
in certificated form (certificated holders only)
|
Within 10 business days of
Admission
|
Notes:
1.
Each of the times and dates above are indicative only and are
subject to change. If any of the above times and/or dates change,
the revised times and/or dates will be notified by the Company to
shareholders by announcement through a Regulatory Information
Service.
2.
All of the above times refer to London time unless otherwise
stated.
3.
The timetable above assumes that lender consent is obtained, the
Placing Agreement becomes unconditional in all respects with
respect to Admission and is not terminated in accordance with its
terms by Zeus.
IMPORTANT NOTICES
The information contained within
this Announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside
information as stipulated under Article 7 of the Market Abuse
Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 (as amended) as it forms part of the
domestic law of the United Kingdom by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended). Upon the publication of this
Announcement via the Regulatory Information Service, this inside
information is now considered to be in the public
domain.
This Announcement contains (or may
contain) certain forward-looking statements with respect to certain
of the Company's plans and its current goals and expectations
relating to its future financial condition and performance and
which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The Company
cautions readers that no forward-looking statement is a guarantee
of future performance and that actual results could differ
materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that
they do not relate only to historical or current facts.
Forward-looking statements sometimes use words such as "aim",
"anticipate", "target", "expect", "estimate", "intend", "plan",
"goal", "believe", or other words of similar meaning. By their
nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty
because they relate to future events and circumstances, including,
but not limited to, economic and business conditions, the effects
of continued volatility in credit markets, market-related risks
such as changes in the price of commodities or changes in interest
rates and foreign exchange rates, the policies and actions of
governmental and regulatory authorities, changes in legislation,
the further development of standards and interpretations under
International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") applicable to
past, current and future periods, evolving practices with regard to
the interpretation and application of standards under IFRS, the
outcome of pending and future litigation or regulatory
investigations, the success of future explorations, acquisitions
and other strategic transactions and the impact of competition. A
number of these factors are beyond the Company's control. As a
result, the Company's actual future results may differ materially
from the plans, goals, and expectations set forth in the Company's
forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on
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. Except as required by the FCA, the London
Stock Exchange or applicable law, both the Company and Zeus
expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release
publicly any updates 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.
This Announcement is for information
purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to buy, sell,
issue, or subscribe for, or the solicitation of an offer to buy,
sell, issue, or subscribe for any securities, nor shall there be
any offer, solicitation or sale of securities in any jurisdiction
in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unauthorised or
unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the
securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Any failure to comply
with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the
securities law of any such jurisdiction.
This Announcement is not an offer of
securities for sale in or into the United States. The New Ordinary
Shares have not been and will not be registered under the US
Securities Act 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or with any
securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction
of the United States and may not be offered, sold, delivered or
transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States
except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not
subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and
in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or
other jurisdiction of the United States. There will be no public
offer of the New Ordinary Shares in the United States.
This Announcement does not contain
an offer or constitute any part of an offer to the public within
the meaning of Sections 85 and 102B of the FSMA or otherwise. This
Announcement is not an "approved prospectus" within the meaning of
Section 85(7) of the FSMA and a copy of it has not been, and will
not be, delivered to the FCA in accordance with the Prospectus
Regulation Rules or delivered to any other authority which could be
a competent authority for the purpose of the Prospectus Regulation
(EU) 2017/1129 (the "EU Prospectus Regulation") or Prospectus
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of UK domestic law by
virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended (the
"UK Prospectus Regulation"). Its contents have not been examined or
approved by the London Stock Exchange, nor has it been approved by
an "authorised person" for the purposes of Section 21 of the FSMA.
This Announcement is being distributed to persons in the United
Kingdom only in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the FSMA
does not apply.
This Announcement is directed only
at: (a) persons in member states of the European Economic Area who
are qualified investors within the meaning of article 2(e) of the
EU Prospectus Regulation and (b) if in the United Kingdom, persons
who (i) have professional experience in matters relating to
investments who fall within the definition of "investment
professionals" in article 19(5) of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the
"Order"), or are high net worth companies, unincorporated
associations or partnerships or trustees of high value trusts as
described in article 49(2) of the Order and (ii) are qualified
investors as defined in article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation and (c) otherwise, to persons to whom it may otherwise
be lawful to communicate it (all such persons together being
referenced to as "Relevant Persons"). Any investment in connection
with the Fundraise will only be available to, and will only be
engaged with, Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant
Person should not act or rely on this Announcement or any of its
contents.
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 or on behalf of Zeus or its advisers (apart from the
responsibilities or liabilities that may be imposed by the FSMA or
other regulatory regime established thereunder) or by any of its or
their affiliates or agents as to, or in relation to, the accuracy,
adequacy, fairness 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
or any other statement made or purported to be
made by or on behalf of Zeus and/or any of its affiliates and/or by
any of its representatives in connection with the Company, the
Placing Shares or the Fundraise and any responsibility and
liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise therefore
is expressly disclaimed by both the Company and Zeus. No
representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by Zeus
and/or any of its affiliates and/or any of its representatives as
to the accuracy, fairness, verification, completeness or
sufficiency of the information or opinions contained in this
Announcement or any other written or oral information made
available to or publicly available to any interested party or their
respective advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly
disclaimed by both the Company and Zeus.
Zeus, which is authorised and
regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting as nominated
adviser, broker and sole bookrunner exclusively for the Company and
for no-one else in connection with the Fundraise or any other
matter referred to in this Announcement (including the Appendix),
and Zeus will not regard any other person (whether or not a
recipient of this Announcement) as a client in relation to the
Fundraise and will not be responsible to anyone (including the
placees) other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to its clients or customers or for providing advice to any
other person in relation to the Fundraise or any other matter
referred to herein. The responsibilities of Zeus, as nominated
adviser, are owed solely to London Stock Exchange plc and are not
owed to the Company or to any director or any other person and
accordingly no duty of care is accepted in relation to them. No
representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by Zeus as
to, and no liability whatsoever is accepted by Zeus in respect of,
any of the contents of this Announcement (without limiting the
statutory rights of any person to whom this Announcement is
issued).
HSBC Bank plc ("HSBC") is authorised
by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated in the United
Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential
Regulation Authority. HSBC is not acting on the Fundraise and
will not be responsible to anyone for providing the protections
afforded to clients of HSBC, or for providing advice in connection
with the matters referred to herein. Neither HSBC nor any of its
group undertakings or affiliates owes or accepts any duty,
liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect,
whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any
person who is not a client of HSBC in connection with this
announcement any matter referred to herein.
The distribution of this
Announcement and the offering of the New Ordinary Shares in certain
jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by
the Company or Zeus or any of their
respective affiliates, or any of its or their respective directors,
officers, partners, employees, advisers and/or agents
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 to
inform themselves about, and to observe, such
restrictions.
The Announcement does not constitute
a recommendation concerning any investor's options with respect to
the Fundraise. The New Ordinary Shares to which this Announcement
relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their
resale. Prospective purchasers of the New Ordinary Shares should
conduct their own due diligence, analysis and evaluation of the
business and date described in this Announcement, including the New
Ordinary Shares. The pricing 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
financial, legal, business or tax advice. If you do not understand
the contents of this Announcement you should consult an authorised
financial adviser, legal adviser, business adviser or tax adviser
for financial, legal, business or tax advice.
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, dissemination, reproduction, or disclosure of this
information in whole or in part is unauthorised.
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 action. Persons distributing any part of this
Announcement must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do
so. Failure to comply with this directive
may result in a violation of the Securities Act or the applicable
laws of other jurisdictions.
Further information in respect of
the Company can be found on the Company's website accessible at
https://www.boohooplc.com/ (including copies of its latest annual
report and audited accounts).
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.
A copy of this Announcement has been
delivered to the registrar of companies in accordance with Article
5 of the Companies (General Provisions) (Jersey) Order 2002, and
the registrar has given, and has not withdrawn, consent to its
circulation in respect of the Retail Offer. The Jersey Financial
Services Commission has given, and has not withdrawn, its consent
under Article 2 of the Control of Borrowing (Jersey) Order 1958 to
the issue of securities in the Company. It must be distinctly
understood that, in giving these consents, neither the registrar of
companies nor the Jersey Financial Services Commission takes any
responsibility for the financial soundness of the Company or for
the correctness of any statements made, or opinions expressed, with
regard to it. If you are in any doubt about the contents of this
Announcement you should consult your stockbroker, bank manager,
solicitor, accountant or other financial adviser. The directors of
the Company have taken all reasonable care to ensure that the facts
stated in this Announcement are true and accurate in all material
respects, and that there are no other facts the omission of which
would make misleading any statement in the Announcement, whether of
facts or of opinion. All the directors accept responsibility
accordingly. It should be remembered that the price of securities
and the income from them can go down as well as up.
Information to Distributors
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within: (a) the UK's
implementation of EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial
instruments, as amended ("UK MiFID II"); and (b) the UK's
implementation of Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated
Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing UK MiFID II, and in
particular Chapter 3 of the Product Intervention and Product
Governance Sourcebook of the FCA (together, the "MiFID II Product
Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any
"manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the New
Ordinary Shares have been subject to a product approval process,
which has determined that such New Ordinary Shares are: (i)
compatible with an end target market of retail investors and
investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and
eligible counterparties, each as defined in UK MiFID II; and (ii)
eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are
permitted by UK MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment").
Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors (such
term to have the same meaning as in the MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements) should note that: the price of the New Ordinary
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the New Ordinary Shares offer no guaranteed income and
no capital protection; and an investment in the New Ordinary 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 Fundraise. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, Zeus will only
procure investors (pursuant to the Fundraise) who meet the criteria
of professional clients and eligible counterparties. For the
avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not
constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for
the purposes of UK MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any
investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take
any other action whatsoever with respect to the New Ordinary
Shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own
target market assessment in respect of the New Ordinary Shares and
determining appropriate distribution channels.
Zeus may, in accordance with
applicable laws and regulations, engage in transactions in relation
to the New Ordinary Shares and/or related instruments for its own
account and, except as required by applicable laws or regulations,
does not propose to make any public disclosure in relation to such
transactions.
APPENDIX
Terms and
Conditions of the Placing
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INVITED
PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE PLACING.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (THE "TERMS AND CONDITIONS") ARE FOR
INFORMATION ONLY AND ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY
ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND
DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES
OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS
RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (1) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,
"QUALIFIED INVESTORS", BEING PERSONS FALLING WITHIN THE MEANING OF
ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION, WHO (A) FALL WITHIN
ARTICLE 19(5) (INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES
AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED
(THE "ORDER") OR (B) FALL
WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES,
UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; (2) IF IN MEMBER
STATES OF THE EEA, "QUALIFIED INVESTORS", BEING PERSONS FALLING
WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION; OR
(3) PERSONS TO WHOM THEY MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED
(ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND THE
INFORMATION HEREIN MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO
ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT
ACTIVITY TO WHICH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATE IS AVAILABLE ONLY
TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT
PERSONS. THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS DO NOT THEMSELVES
CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN
THE COMPANY. EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO
LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN
PLACING SHARES.
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE
RESTRICTED AND ARE NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN
WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR 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 BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF
SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN
AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES
ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT") OR UNDER THE
APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY
AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND
MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN
EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN COMPLIANCE
WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER
JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES ARE
BEING OFFERED AND SOLD ONLY OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN "OFFSHORE
TRANSACTIONS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH,
REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND OTHERWISE IN ACCORDANCE
WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE PLACING
SHARES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OR ELSEWHERE.
The distribution of the Announcement
and/or the Placing and/or issue of the Placing Shares in certain
jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been
taken by the Company, Zeus or any of their respective
affiliates and/or Representatives
that would permit an offer of the Placing Shares
or possession or distribution of the Announcement or any other
offering or publicity material relating to such Placing Shares in
any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required.
Persons into whose possession the Announcement comes are required
by the Company and Zeus to inform themselves about and to observe
any such restrictions, for which such persons shall be solely
responsible.
The Announcement or any part of it
is for information purposes only and do 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 (including its territories and possessions, any state of the
United States and the District of Columbia), Australia, Canada, the
Republic of South Africa, New Zealand or Japan 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 Placing Shares have not been
approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange
Commission, any state securities commission or other regulatory
authority in the United States, nor have any of the foregoing
authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or
the accuracy or adequacy of these Terms and Conditions or the
Announcement. Any representation to the contrary is a
criminal offence in the United States. The relevant clearances have
not been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission
of any province or territory of Canada; no prospectus has been
lodged with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and
Investments Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the
relevant clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained 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, the Republic of South
Africa, New Zealand or Japan. Accordingly, the Placing Shares
may not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is
applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or
indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, the Republic of South
Africa, New Zealand or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which
such offer, sale, re-sale or delivery would be unlawful.
UK
Product Governance Requirements
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook
Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the
"UK Product Governance
Requirements") and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any
"manufacturer" (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance
Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing
Shares have been subject to a product approval process which has
determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end
target market of: (A) retail investors; (B) investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients; and (C) eligible counterparties
(each as defined in MiFID II (as defined below)); and (ii) eligible
for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted
by MiFID II (the "UK Target Market
Assessment"). Notwithstanding the UK Target Market
Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no
capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is
compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income
or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an
appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient
resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
The UK Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the offer. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment, Zeus will
only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties. For the avoidance of doubt,
the UK Target Market Assessment does not constitute an assessment
of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of Chapter 9A or
10A respectively of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook, or 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.
EU
Product Governance Requirements
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"); Articles 9
and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593
supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures
(together, the "MiFID II Product
Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any
liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which
any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product
Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto,
the Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval process
which has determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible
with an end target market of: (A) retail investors; (B) investors
who meet the criteria of professional clients; and (C) eligible
counterparties (each as defined in MiFID II); and (ii) eligible for
distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by
MiFID II (the "EU Target Market
Assessment"). Notwithstanding the EU Target Market
Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no
capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is
compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income
or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an
appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient
resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
The EU Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the offer. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the EU Target Market Assessment, Zeus will
only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties. For the avoidance of doubt,
the EU Target Market Assessment does not constitute an assessment
of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II, or
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 right or
other legal obligations to forward a copy of the Announcement (or
any part of it) should seek appropriate advice before taking any
action.
The Announcement should be read in
their entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the
information provided in the "Important Notices" section of the
Announcement.
Introduction
These Terms and Conditions apply to
persons making an offer to acquire Placing Shares under the
Placing. Each Placee which confirms its agreement to Zeus to
subscribe for Placing Shares under the Placing hereby agrees with
Zeus and the Company that it will be bound by these Terms and
Conditions and will be deemed to have accepted them in
full.
The Company and Zeus may require any
Placee to agree to such further terms and/or conditions and/or give
such additional warranties and/or representations as they (in their
absolute discretion) see fit and/or may require any such Placee to
execute a separate placing letter to enable a Placee to participate
in the Placing.
By participating in the Placing
(such participation to be confirmed in and evidenced by either (i)
a recorded telephone conversation or (ii) email correspondence, in
either case between representatives of Zeus and the relevant Placee
(a "Recorded Commitment")),
each Placee will be deemed to have read and understood the
Announcement in its entirety, to be providing the representations,
warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and undertakings
contained in these Terms and Conditions, and to be irrevocably
offering to participate and acquire Placing Shares on these Terms
and Conditions. Such offer shall be deemed to be accepted,
and a Placee shall become bound to acquire Placing Shares, when
Zeus 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 Issue
Price.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS
OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, REGULATORY, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED
ASPECTS OF A SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE PLACING SHARES.
Each Placee irrevocably represents,
warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst other
things) to the Company and Zeus that:
1.
it is a Relevant Person and that it will acquire,
hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to
it for the purposes of its business;
2.
it is acquiring the Placing Shares for its own
account or is acquiring the Placing Shares for an account with
respect to which it exercises sole investment discretion and has
the authority to make and does make the representations,
warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements, undertakings and
agreements contained in these Terms and Conditions;
3.
it understands (or if acting for the account of
another person, such person has confirmed that such person
understands) and agrees to comply with the resale and transfer
restrictions set out in these Terms and Conditions;
4.
it (and any account referred to in
paragraph 2 above)
is and, at the time the Placing Shares are acquired, will be
outside of the United States and is acquiring the Placing Shares in
an "offshore transaction" as defined in, and in accordance with,
Regulation S under the Securities Act; and
5.
the Company and Zeus will rely upon the truth and
accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties,
acknowledgments and agreements.
No
prospectus or other offering document
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 pursuant to the Companies
(Jersey) Law 1991 as amended. No prospectus or other offering
document has been or will be submitted to be approved by (i) the
FCA, (ii) the Jersey Registrar of Companies, or (iii) any competent
authority of any Relevant Member State, in relation to the Placing
or the Placing Shares and Placees' commitments will be made solely
on the basis of the information contained in this Announcement and
any information publicly announced through a Regulatory Information
Service (as defined in the AIM Rules for Companies (the
"AIM Rules")) 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
writing in any contract note sent to an individual Placee.
Each Placee, by participating in the
Placing, agrees that the content of this Announcement 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 Zeus or the Company or any other
person and none of Zeus, the Company nor any other person acting on
such person's behalf nor any of their respective affiliates has or
shall have any 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 or these Terms and Conditions to
be legal, tax, business or other advice. Nothing in this
paragraph shall exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Details of the Placing Agreement and the Placing
Shares
Zeus has entered into the Placing
Agreement with the Company under which, on the terms and subject to
the conditions set out in the Placing Agreement, Zeus, as agent for
and on behalf of the Company, has agreed to use its reasonable
endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing Shares at the Issue
Price. The Placing is not being underwritten by
Zeus.
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be subject to the memorandum and articles of association of
the Company and credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the
existing issued Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all
dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect
of such Ordinary Shares after the date of Admission.
The Firm Placing Shares are not
subject to clawback and do not form part of the Clawback
Placing.
The Clawback Placing Shares are
being offered pursuant to the Clawback Placing, subject to clawback
in respect of valid applications received for Retail Offer Shares
which are accepted by the Company.
Further details of the placing
procedure and terms on which the Firm Placing Shares and Clawback
Placing Shares are being offered are set out below.
Lock-up
As part of the Placing, the Company
has agreed that it will not for a period of 180 days from
Admission, directly or indirectly, issue, allot, offer, pledge,
sell, contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to
purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of any Ordinary
Shares or other shares in the capital of the Company or any
securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or
other shares in the capital of the Company or otherwise enter into
any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole
or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the
Ordinary Shares or other shares in the capital of the Company. This
agreement is subject to certain customary exceptions and does not
prevent (i) the issue or offer by or on behalf of the Company of
any Ordinary Shares in relation to the Placing, the
Subscription and the Retail Offer; or (ii) the grant or exercise of
options or awards under any of the Company's existing employee
share schemes (including any long term incentive plan and share
incentive plan) (in accordance with normal practice).
Application for admission to trading
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for admission of the Placing Shares to
trading on AIM.
It is expected that settlement of
the Placing Shares and Admission will become effective on or around
8:00 a.m. on the Admission Date and that dealings in the Placing
Shares on AIM will commence at the same time or such later time
and/or dates as the Company and Zeus may agree (being in any event
no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Long Stop Date).
Principal terms of the Placing
1.
Zeus is acting as nominated adviser, broker and
bookrunner to the Placing, as agent for and on behalf of the
Company.
2.
Participation in the Placing is by invitation only and will only be
available to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited by Zeus
to participate. Zeus and any of its affiliates are entitled
to participate in the Placing as principal.
3. The final
number of Firm Placing Shares, to be issued or acquired at the
Issue Price will be agreed and determined between Zeus and the
Company and such details will be announced by the Company through a
RIS pursuant to the "Result of Placing" announcement. The final
number of Clawback Placing Shares and Retail Offer Shares will be
agreed and determined between Zeus and the Company and such details
will be announced by the Company through a RIS pursuant to the
"Result of Retail Offer " announcement.
4. The price
per Placing Share (the "Issue
Price") is fixed at 31 pence.
5. Each
Placee's allocation will be confirmed to Placees orally, or in
writing (which can include email), by Zeus and a trade confirmation
or contract note will be dispatched as soon as possible thereafter.
Zeus' oral or written confirmation will give rise to an immediate,
irrevocable, legally binding commitment by that Placee, in favour
of Zeus and the Company, under which it agrees to acquire by
subscription the number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the
Issue Price and otherwise on these Terms and Conditions.
Except with the consent of Zeus, such commitment will not be
capable of variation or revocation.
6.
The Issue Price is payable to Zeus (as agent for
the Company) by all Placees.
7.
Each Placee's allocation and whether such Placee
participates in the Placing will be determined by Zeus in its
absolute discretion following consultation with the Company and
will be confirmed to Placees by Zeus.
8.
Each Placee's commitment will be confirmed in and
evidenced by a Recorded Commitment. These Terms and
Conditions will be deemed incorporated into the contract which is
entered into by way of a Recorded Commitment, and each Placee's
commitment to acquire the number of Firm Placing Shares and, once
apportioned after clawback, any Clawback Placing Shares allocated
to the Placee at the Issue Price will be made on and subject to the
Terms and Conditions and will be legally binding on the relevant
Placee(s) on behalf of whom the commitment is made with effect from
the end of the Recorded Commitment and, except with Zeus' prior
written consent, will not be capable of variation or revocation
after such time. Without prejudice to the foregoing, a
contract note recording each Placee's commitment will be sent to
them following the Recorded Commitment. These Terms and Conditions
shall be deemed incorporated into any such contract
note.
9.
Each Placee will confirm the maximum number of
Firm Placing Shares and Clawback Shares it is willing to acquire in
a Recorded Commitment. Once they have made a Recorded Commitment,
each Placee will have an immediate, separate, irrevocable and
binding obligation, owed to Zeus (as agent for the Company), to pay
to it (or as it may direct) in cleared funds an amount equal to the
product of the Issue Price and the number of Firm Placing Shares
and, once apportioned after clawback, any Clawback Placing Shares
such Placee has agreed to acquire.
10.
Zeus reserves the right to scale back the number
of Placing Shares to be subscribed by any Placee in the event that
the Placing is oversubscribed. Zeus also reserves the right not to
accept offers to subscribe for Placing Shares or to accept such
offers in part rather than in whole. The acceptance and, if
applicable, scaling back of offers shall be at the absolute
discretion of Zeus. Zeus may also, notwithstanding paragraphs
6 and 7 above, subject to the prior consent of the
Company:
(a)
allocate Placing Shares after the time of any
initial allocation to any person submitting a bid after that time;
and
(b)
allocate Placing Shares after the bookbuilding
process has closed to any person submitting a bid after that
time.
11.
Except as required by law or regulation, no press
release or other announcement will be made by Zeus 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.
12.
Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's
allocation(s) pursuant to the Placing is/are confirmed, settlement
for all Placing Shares to be acquired pursuant to the Placing will
be required to be made at the same time on the basis explained
below under "Registration and
settlement".
13.
All obligations under the Placing will be subject
to fulfilment of the conditions referred to below under
"Conditions of the
Placing" and to the Placing not being terminated on the
basis referred to below under "Termination of the
Placing".
14.
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.
15.
To the fullest extent permissible by law and
applicable FCA rules and regulations, none of:
(a) Zeus;
(b) any of its
affiliates, agents, advisers, directors, officers, consultants or
employees; nor
(c) to the extent
not contained within (a) or (b), any person connected with Zeus as
defined in the FSMA ((b) and (c) being together "affiliates" and individually an
"affiliate" of
Zeus),
shall have any liability (including
to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) to Placees
or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or
otherwise. In particular, neither Zeus nor any of its
affiliates shall have any liability (including, to the extent
permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of Zeus'
conduct of the Placing or of such alternative method of effecting
the Placing as Zeus and the Company may agree.
Registration and settlement
By participating in the Placing,
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 Zeus in accordance with either the standing CREST or
certificated settlement instructions which they have in place with
Zeus.
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares following Admission will take place within the CREST
system, subject to certain exceptions. Settlement through CREST is
expected to occur, subject to the Company obtaining Lender Consent,
on 26 November 2024 (the "Admission Settlement Date"), in
accordance with the contract notes or electronic trade confirmation
or other (oral or written) confirmation. Settlement will be on a
delivery versus payment basis unless otherwise notified by
Zeus.
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 Zeus may agree that the Placing Shares (or any of them) should
be issued in certificated form. Zeus reserves the right to
require settlement for any of the Placing Shares, and to deliver
any of the Placing Shares to any Placees, by such other means as
they deem necessary if delivery or settlement to any Placee 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 or before the due date in
accordance with the arrangements set out above, in respect of
either CREST or certificated deliveries, at the rate of 3%
percentage points above prevailing base rate of Barclays Bank plc
as determined by Zeus.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that
if it does not comply with these obligations, Zeus may sell any or
all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on their behalf
and retain from the proceeds, for Zeus' own 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 Issue Price and for any stamp duty or stamp
duty reserve tax (together with any interest or penalties) imposed
in any jurisdiction which may arise upon the sale of its Placing
Shares on its behalf. By communicating a bid for Placing Shares,
such Placee confers on Zeus all such authorities and powers
necessary to carry out such sale and agrees to ratify and confirm
all actions which Zeus lawfully takes in pursuance of such
sale.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees must ensure
that, upon receipt, any relevant contract note 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 United Kingdom stamp
duty or stamp duty reserve tax. If there are any circumstances in
which any United Kingdom 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
or agreement to transfer Placing Shares), the Company shall not be
responsible for payment thereof. Placees will not be entitled to
receive any fee or commission in connection with the
Placing.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing is conditional upon the
Placing Agreement becoming unconditional in all respects and not
having been terminated in accordance with its terms prior to
Admission.
The obligations of Zeus under the
Placing Agreement are, and the Placing of the Placing Shares is,
conditional upon customary conditions including, inter alia, (the "Placing Conditions") set out below:
(a) the delivery by
the Company to Zeus of certain documents required under the Placing
Agreement;
(b) the Company
having complied in all material respects, in the opinion of Zeus
(acting in good faith), with its obligations under the Placing
Agreement to the extent that such obligations fall to be performed
prior to Admission and there having occurred no material default or
breach by the Company of its terms at any time immediately prior to
Admission;
(c) in the opinion
of Zeus (acting in good faith), none of the warranties and
undertakings contained in the Placing Agreement ("Warranties") being untrue, inaccurate
or misleading at date of the Placing Agreement or having ceased to
be true and accurate or having become misleading at any time
following the date of the Placing Agreement and up to and including
the time of Admission with reference to the facts and circumstances
subsisting at that time, which in any case is material;
(d) there having
been no development or event which will have or is, in the opinion
of Zeus (acting in good faith), likely to have a material adverse
effect on the condition (financial, operational, legal or
otherwise), prospects, management, results of operations, financial
position, business or general affairs of the Group, whether or not
arising in the ordinary course;
(e) the Company
obtaining the Lender Consent by not later than 25 November
2024;
(f) the
obligations of Zeus not having been terminated pursuant to the
Placing Agreement prior to Admission; and
(g) Admission having
taken place by not later than 8:00 a.m. on the Admission Date
or such later time or date (being not later than 5:00 p.m. on the
Long Stop Date), as the Company and Zeus may agree in
writing.
Once Admission has occurred, no
party to the Placing Agreement shall be able to terminate any part
of the Placing Agreement which relates to Admission and/or the
placing, allotment or issue of the Placing Shares.
If any of the Placing Conditions is
not fulfilled or, where permitted, waived in accordance with the
Placing Agreement within the stated time periods (or such later
time and/or date as the Company and Zeus may agree), or the Placing
Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms, the Placing
will not proceed and the Placee's 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 or on
behalf of the Placee (or any person on whose behalf the Placee is
acting) in respect thereof.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations cease and
terminate only in the circumstances described above and under
"Termination of the
Placing" below and will not be capable of rescission or
termination by it.
Zeus may, in its absolute discretion
and upon such terms as it thinks fit, waive compliance by the
Company with certain of the Company's obligations in relation
to the Placing Conditions in the Placing Agreement which are
capable of waiver, in whole or in part, or extend the time provided
for fulfilment of one or more Placing Conditions, save that the
Placing Conditions in respect of the passing of the Resolutions
referred to in paragraph (b) above and the Placing Condition
relating to Admission referred to in paragraph (e) above may not be
waived. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees'
commitments as set out in these Terms and Conditions.
Zeus may terminate the Placing
Agreement in certain circumstances, details of which are set out
below.
None of Zeus, the Company, or any of
their respective affiliates nor any of
their respective Representatives 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 any
of them may make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the
time and/or date for the satisfaction of any Placing
Condition (or any part thereof) nor for any decision any of
them may make as to the satisfaction of any Placing Condition or in
respect of the Placing generally (or any part thereof) and by
participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that any such
decision is within the absolute discretion of Zeus.
Termination of the Placing
Zeus may, in its absolute
discretion, by notice to the Company, terminate the Placing
Agreement at any time up to Admission if, in the opinion of Zeus
(acting in good faith), inter
alia:
(a) any statement
contained in the Announcement or any other announcement,
presentation or document issued by or on behalf of the Company in
connection with the Placing has become untrue, incorrect or
misleading; or
(b) any of the
Warranties was untrue, inaccurate or misleading when made and/or
that any of the Warranties has ceased to be true or accurate or has
become misleading at any time prior to Admission, in each case by
reference to the facts and circumstances subsisting at that time;
or
(c) any matter or
circumstance has arisen which would be likely to give rise to an
entitlement on the part of any indemnified person to make a claim
under the indemnity contained in the Placing Agreement;
or
(h) in the opinion
of Zeus there having been a development or event which will have or
is, in the opinion of Zeus (acting in good faith), likely to have a
material adverse effect on the condition (financial, operational,
legal or otherwise), prospects, management, results of operations,
financial position, business or general affairs of the Group,
whether or not arising in the ordinary course; or
(d) the Company has
not complied or cannot comply, in all material respects with any of
its obligations under the Placing Agreement or under the Terms and
Conditions (to the extent that such obligations fall to be complied
with prior to Admission); or
(e) there having
occurred or, in the opinion of Zeus it being reasonably likely that
there will occur any material adverse change in national or
international financial markets or economic, monetary or market
conditions which would have a material impact on the business and
operations of the Company.
Upon termination, Zeus shall be
released and discharged (except for any liability arising before or
in relation to such termination) from its obligations under or
pursuant to the Placing Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.
If Zeus exercises its right to terminate the Placing Agreement
before Admission, then the Placing Agreement shall cease and
terminate and the Placing will not proceed.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees with the Company and Zeus that the exercise by
the Company or Zeus of any right of termination or any other right
or other discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within the
absolute discretion of the Company or Zeus or for agreement between
the Company and Zeus (as the case may be) and that neither the
Company nor Zeus need make any reference to, or consult with, such
Placee and that none of the Company, Zeus nor any of their
respective affiliates nor any of their
respective Representatives shall have any
liability to Placees (or to any other person whether acting on
behalf of a Placee or otherwise) whatsoever in connection with any
such exercise.
By agreeing with Zeus as agent of
the Company to subscribe for Placing Shares under the Placing, a
Placee (and any person acting on a Placee's behalf) will
irrevocably acknowledge and confirm and warrant and undertake to,
and agree with, each of the Company and Zeus, in each case as a
fundamental term of such Placee's application for Placing Shares
and of the Company's obligation to allot and/or issue any Placing
Shares to it or at its direction, that its rights and obligations
in respect of the Placing (or any part of it) will terminate only
in the circumstances described above and under the "Conditions of the Placing" section
above and will not be capable of rescission or termination by it in
any other circumstances.
Representations, warranties and further
terms
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf)
irrevocably represents, warrants, acknowledges, undertakes,
confirms and agrees (for itself and for any such prospective
Placee) with the Company and Zeus (in its capacity as placing agent
of the Company in respect of the Placing) that (save where Zeus
expressly agrees in writing to the contrary):
1.
it has read and understood the Announcement in its
entirety and that its acquisition of the Placing Shares is subject
to and based upon all the terms, conditions, representations,
warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings and other information contained herein and that it has
not relied on, and will not rely on, any information given or any
representations, warranties or statements made at any time by any
person in connection with Admission, the Placing, the Company, the
Placing Shares or otherwise, other than the information contained
in this Announcement and the Publicly Available
Information;
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 Prospectus Regulation, the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 as
amended, or any other applicable law; and
(b) has been or will
be prepared in connection with the Placing,
and, in particular, that the
Subscription and Retail Offer referred to in the Announcement
relating thereto are separate from the Placing and do not form part
of any offer or agreement concerning the Placing and/or any Placing
Shares;
3.
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 AIM Rules
and the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation No. 596/2014) as it
forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR")), which includes a description
of the nature of the Company's business and the Company's most
recent balance sheet and profit and loss account and that it is
able to obtain or access such information without undue difficulty,
and is able to obtain access to such information or comparable
information concerning any other publicly traded company, without
undue difficulty;
4.
it has made its own assessment of the Placing
Shares and the terms of the Placing and has relied on its own
investigation of the business, financial position and other aspects
of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing and none
of Zeus, the Company, any of their respective affiliates or Representatives or any
person acting on behalf of any of them has provided, and will not
provide, it with any material regarding the Placing Shares or the
Company or any other person other than the information in the
Announcement (including these Terms and Conditions) or the Publicly
Available Information; nor has it requested Zeus, the Company, any
of their respective affiliates, any of
their respective Representatives or any
person acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such
information;
5.
none of Zeus, any person acting on behalf of it,
any of their respective affiliates or
Representatives has or shall have any
liability for any Publicly Available Information, or any
representation relating to the Company, provided that nothing in
this paragraph excludes the liability of any person for any
fraudulent misrepresentation made by that person;
6.
(a) the only
information which it is entitled to rely on and on which it has
relied in committing to acquire 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;
(b) none of Zeus,
the Company, or any of their respective affiliates or Representatives have
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, nor will it provide any material or information
regarding the Company, the Placing or the Placing
Shares;
(c) it has conducted
its own investigation of the Company, the Placing (including the
Terms and Conditions) and the Placing Shares, satisfied itself that
the information is still current and relied on that investigation
for the purposes of its decision to participate in the Placing;
and
(d) it has not
relied on any investigation that Zeus or any person acting on its
behalf may have conducted with respect to the Company, the Placing
or the Placing Shares;
7.
the content of the Announcement and the other
Publicly Available Information as well as any information made
available (in written or oral form) in presentations or as part of
roadshow discussions with investors relating to the Company in
connection with the Placing (together the "Information") has been prepared by and
is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and that none of
Zeus, any persons acting on its behalf or any of its affiliates or
Representatives is responsible for or has or shall have any
liability for any such Information, representation, warranty or
statement relating to the Company contained therein nor will they
be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing
based on any Information or any representation, warranty or
statement contained therein or otherwise. Nothing in these
Terms and Conditions shall exclude any liability of any person for
fraudulent misrepresentation;
8. the Placing
Shares have not been registered or otherwise qualified, and will
not be registered or otherwise qualified, for offer and sale nor
will a prospectus be cleared or approved in respect of any of the
Placing Shares under the US Securities Act or any other securities
laws of the United States, or any state or other jurisdiction of
the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa,
New Zealand or Japan and, therefore the Placing Shares may not be
offered, re-offered, sold, re-sold, taken up, renounced or
delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into the
United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa, New
Zealand or Japan or in any country or jurisdiction where any such
action for that purpose is required;
9. it may be
asked to disclose in writing or orally to Zeus: (i) if he or she is
an individual, his or her nationality; or (ii) if he or she is a
discretionary fund manager, the jurisdiction in which the funds are
managed or owned;
10. where it is
acquiring Placing Shares for one or more managed accounts,
represents and warrants that 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 Announcement
of which it forms part; and (c) to receive on its behalf any
investment letter relating to the Placing in the form provided to
it by Zeus;
11.
it has the funds available to pay for the Placing
Shares which it has agreed to acquire and acknowledges and agrees
that it will pay the total subscription amount in accordance with
the terms of the Announcement by the due time and date set out
herein, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed
with other Placees or sold at such price as Zeus
determines;
12.
it and/or each person on whose behalf it is
participating:
(a) is entitled to
acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing under the laws and
regulations of all relevant jurisdictions;
(b) has fully
observed such laws and regulations;
(c) has capacity and
authority and is entitled to enter into and perform its obligations
as an acquirer of Placing Shares and will honour such obligations;
and
(d) has obtained all
necessary consents and authorities (including, without limitation,
in the case of a person acting on behalf of a Placee, all necessary
consents and authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred
to in these Terms and Conditions) under those laws or otherwise and
complied with all necessary formalities to enable it to enter into
the transactions contemplated hereby and to perform its obligations
in relation thereto and, in particular, if it is a pension fund or
investment company it is aware of and acknowledges it is required
to comply with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to
its acquisition of Placing Shares;
13.
in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it
as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Regulation
5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation and Regulation 5(1) of the UK
Prospectus Regulation:
(a)
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing
have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired on
a non-discretionary basis on behalf or, nor will they be acquired
with a view to their offer or resale, in circumstances where either
the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation applies,
to persons in any Relevant Member State or in the UK other than
Qualified Investors (as defined under the Prospectus Regulation or
the UK Prospectus Regulation respectively) or in circumstances in
which the express prior written consent of Zeus has not been given
to the proposed offer or resale; or
(b)
where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on
behalf of persons in any member state of the EEA or in the UK other
than EU or UK Qualified Investors (as defined under the Prospectus
Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation respectively), the offer
of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus
Regulation or the EU Prospectus Regulation as having been made to
such persons;
14.
if in the United Kingdom, unless otherwise agreed
by Zeus, it is a "professional client" or an "eligible
counterparty" within the meaning of Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook
Conduct of Business Sourcebook ("COBS") and it is acquiring Placing
Shares for investment only and not with a view to resale or
distribution;
15.
it is not, and any person who it is acting on
behalf of is not, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired
will not be, a resident of, or be located in or have an address in,
or be subject to the laws of, Australia, Canada, the Republic of
South Africa, New Zealand or Japan, and it acknowledges and agrees
that the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered or
otherwise qualified under the securities legislation of Australia,
Canada, the Republic of South Africa, New Zealand or Japan and may
not be offered, sold, or acquired, directly or indirectly, within
those jurisdictions;
16.
it (and any account for which it is purchasing)
is, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired will be,
outside the United States and acquiring the Placing Shares in an
"offshore transaction" as defined in, and in accordance with,
Regulation S under the Securities Act;
17.
it understands that the Placing Shares have not
been, and will not be, registered under the 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 Securities
Act, or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not
subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and
in accordance with applicable state securities laws; and no
representation is being made as to the availability of any
exemption under the Securities Act for the reoffer, resale, pledge
or transfer of the Placing Shares;
18.
it (and any account for which it is purchasing) is
not acquiring the Placing Shares with a view to any offer, sale or
distribution thereof within the meaning of the Securities
Act;
19.
it is not taking up the Placing Shares as a result
of any "directed selling efforts" (as such term is defined in
Regulation S under the Securities Act);
20.
it will not distribute, forward, transfer or
otherwise transmit these Terms and Conditions and/or the
Announcement or any part of them, 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;
21.
none of Zeus, the Company, their respective
affiliates or Representatives or any person acting on behalf of any
of them is making any recommendations to it or advising it
regarding the suitability of any transactions it may enter into in
connection with the Placing and that participation in the Placing
is on the basis that it is not and will not be a client of Zeus and
that Zeus has no duties or responsibilities to it for providing the
protections afforded to its clients 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;
22.
it will make payment to Zeus for the Placing
Shares allocated to it in accordance with these Terms and
Conditions on or by the specified time (being the Admission
Settlement Date), failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be
placed with others on such terms as Zeus determines in its absolute
discretion without liability to the Placee and it will remain
liable for any shortfall below the net proceeds of such sale and
the Placing proceeds of such Placing Shares and may be required to
bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any
interest or penalties due pursuant to the terms set out or referred
to in these Terms and Conditions) which may arise upon the sale of
such Placee's Placing Shares on its behalf;
23.
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 Zeus 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;
24.
no action has been or will be taken by any of the
Company, Zeus or any person acting on behalf of the Company or Zeus
that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing
Shares in the United States or in any country or jurisdiction where
any such action for that purpose is required;
25.
the person who it specifies for registration as
holder of the Placing Shares will be:
(a) the Placee;
or
(b) a nominee of the
Placee, as the case may be;
and that neither Zeus or the Company
will be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax resulting from a failure to observe this
requirement. Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of
such Placee agrees to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the
Placing and agrees to indemnify the Company and Zeus in respect of
the same on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to a
CREST stock account of Zeus or transferred to a CREST stock account
of Zeus who will hold them as nominee on behalf of the Placee until
settlement in accordance with its standing settlement instructions
with it;
26.
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 (depository
receipts and clearance services) and that it, or the person
specified by it for registration as holder of Placing Shares, is
not participating in the Placing as nominee or agent for any person
or persons to whom the allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of
Placing Shares would give rise to such a liability;
27.
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 Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules published by the FCA;
28. its
participation in the Placing would not give rise to an offer being
required to be made by it, or any person with whom it is acting in
concert (within the meaning given in The City Code on Takeovers and
Mergers) with any other person in relation to the Company, pursuant
to Rule 9 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers;
29.
if it is within the United Kingdom, it and any
person acting on its behalf (if within the United Kingdom) falls
within Article 19(5) and/or 49(2) of the Order and undertakes that
it will acquire, hold, manage and (if applicable) dispose of any
Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its
business only;
30.
it has not offered or sold and will not offer or
sell any Placing Shares to persons in the United Kingdom or in a
Relevant State 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 FSMA or within the meaning of
the UK Prospectus Regulation, or an offer to the public in any
member state of the EEA within the meaning of the Prospectus
Regulation;
31.
if it is within the United Kingdom, it is a
Qualified Investor as defined in Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation and if it is within a Relevant State, it is a Qualified
Investor as defined in Article 2(e) of the Prospectus
Regulation;
32.
it has only communicated or caused to be
communicated and it will only communicate or cause to be
communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment
activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) relating to
Placing Shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the FSMA
does not require approval of the communication by an authorised
person and it acknowledges and agrees that neither these Terms and
Conditions nor the Announcement has been approved by Zeus 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 financial promotion by an authorised
person;
33.
it has complied and it will comply with all
applicable laws in any jurisdiction with respect to anything done
by it or on its behalf in relation to the Placing Shares (including
all relevant provisions of the FSMA and the MAR in respect of
anything done in, from or otherwise involving the United
Kingdom);
34.
the Placing Shares acquired 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, any
person save in circumstances in which the express prior written
consent of Zeus has been given to the offer or resale;
35.
if it has received any inside information (for the
purposes of the MAR and/or section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act
1993 or other applicable law) about the Company in advance of the
Placing, it has not:
(a) dealt (or
attempted to deal) in the securities of the Company or cancelled or
amended a dealing in the securities of the Company;
(b) encouraged,
recommended or induced another person to deal in the securities of
the Company or to cancel or amend an order concerning the Company's
securities; or
(c) unlawfully
disclosed such information to any person, prior to the information
being made publicly available;
36.
neither of Zeus, nor the Company nor any of their
respective affiliates nor any of their
respective Representatives nor any person
acting on behalf of Zeus or its affiliates
or its Representatives nor any person
acting on behalf of any 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 nor providing advice
in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations,
warranties, acknowledgements, agreements, undertakings, or
indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor the exercise or
performance of any of Zeus' rights and obligations thereunder
including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise
any termination right;
37.
Zeus and its affiliates, acting as an investor for
its or their own account(s), may bid or subscribe for and/or
purchase Placing Shares and, in that capacity, may retain,
purchase, offer to sell or otherwise deal for its or their own
account(s) in the Placing Shares, any other securities of the
Company or other related investments in connection with the Placing
or otherwise. Accordingly, references in this Announcement
and/or these Terms and Conditions to the Placing Shares being
offered, subscribed, acquired or otherwise dealt with should be
read as including any offer to, or subscription, acquisition or
dealing by, Zeus and/or any of its affiliates acting as an investor
for its or their own account(s). Neither of Zeus nor the
Company intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or
transaction otherwise than in accordance with any legal or
regulatory obligation to do so;
38.
it:
(a) has complied,
and will comply, with its obligations in connection with money
laundering and terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act
2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000 (as amended), the
Terrorism Act 2006, the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and
Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (as
amended) and all 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;
(b) is not a
person:
(i)
with whom transactions are prohibited under the US
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;
(ii)
named on the Consolidated List of Financial
Sanctions Targets maintained by HM Treasury of the United Kingdom;
or
(iii)
subject to financial sanctions imposed pursuant to
a regulation of the European Union or a regulation adopted by the
United Nations or other applicable law,
(all such statutes, rules and
regulations referred to in this paragraph 38 together, the "Regulations") and if making payment on
behalf of a third party, satisfactory evidence has been obtained
and recorded by it to verify the identity of the third party as
required by the Regulations and it 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 Zeus such evidence, if any, as to the identity or
location or legal status of any person which they may request from
it in connection with the Placing (for the purpose of complying
with the 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 Zeus on the basis that any
failure by it to do so may result in the number of Placing Shares
that are to be acquired by it or at its direction pursuant to the
Placing being reduced to such number, or to nil, as Zeus may decide
at its sole discretion;
39.
in order to ensure compliance with the
Regulations, Zeus (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 Zeus or the Company's registrars, as applicable, of
evidence of identity, definitive certificates in respect of the
Placing Shares may be retained at Zeus' absolute discretion or,
where appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in
uncertificated form may be delayed at Zeus' or the Company's
registrars', as the case may be, absolute discretion. If within a
reasonable time after a request for verification of identity Zeus
(for itself and as agent on behalf of the Company) or the Company's
registrars have not received evidence satisfactory to them, either
Zeus 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;
40. any money held
in an account with Zeus 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. The Placee acknowledges that the money will
not be subject to the protections conferred by the client money
rules; as a consequence, this money will not be segregated from
Zeus's money in accordance with the client money rules and will be
used by Zeus in the course of its business; and the Placee will
rank only as a general creditor of Zeus;
41. neither it nor,
as the case may be, its clients expect Zeus to have any duties or
responsibilities to such persons similar or comparable to the
duties of "best execution" and "suitability" imposed by the COBS,
and that Zeus is not acting for it or its clients, and that Zeus
will not be responsible for providing the protections afforded to
clients of Zeus or for providing advice in respect of the
transactions described in the Announcement;
42.
its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on these
Terms and Conditions will continue notwithstanding any amendment
that may in future be made to the terms and conditions of the
Placing and that Placees will have no right to be consulted or
require that their consent be obtained with respect to the
Company's or Zeus' conduct of the Placing;
43.
it has knowledge and experience in financial,
business and international investment matters as is required to
evaluate the merits and risks of acquiring the Placing
Shares. It further acknowledges that it is experienced in
investing in securities of this nature and is aware that it may be
required to bear, and is able to bear, the economic risk of, and is
able to sustain, a complete loss in connection with the
Placing. It has relied upon its own examination and due
diligence of the Company and its affiliates taken as a whole, and
the terms of the Placing, including the merits and risks
involved;
44.
it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised
officer of Zeus 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 which it agrees to acquire upon these
Terms and Conditions;
45.
the Company, Zeus and others (including each of
their respective affiliates and
Representatives) will rely upon the truth
and accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties,
acknowledgements and agreements, which are given to Zeus on its own
behalf and on behalf of the Company and are irrevocable;
46.
it is acting as principal only in respect of the
Placing or, if it is acquiring the Placing Shares as a fiduciary or
agent for one or more investor accounts:
(a) it is duly
authorised to do so and it has full power and authority to make,
and does make, the foregoing representations, warranties,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings on behalf of each
such accounts; and
(b) will remain
liable to the Company and Zeus 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);
47.
time is of the essence as regards its obligations
under these Terms and Conditions;
48.
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 Zeus;
49.
the Placing Shares will be issued subject to these
Terms and Conditions; and
50.
these Terms and Conditions and all documents into
which these Terms and Conditions are incorporated by reference or
of which they otherwise validly form a part and/or any agreements
entered into pursuant to these Terms and Conditions and all
agreements to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing and
all non-contractual or other obligations arising out of or in
connection with them, will be governed by and construed in
accordance with English law and it submits to the exclusive
jurisdiction of the English courts in relation to any claim,
dispute (contractual or otherwise) or matter arising out of or in
connection with 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 interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by the
Company or Zeus 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.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) agrees
to indemnify and hold the Company, Zeus and each of their
respective affiliates and
Representatives 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 these Terms and Conditions or incurred by Zeus,
the Company or any of their respective affiliates and Representatives arising
from the performance of the Placee's obligations as set out in
these Terms and Conditions, and further agrees that the provisions
of these Terms and Conditions shall survive after the completion of
the Placing.
The rights and remedies of Zeus and
the Company under these Terms and Conditions are in addition to any
rights and remedies which would otherwise be available to each of
them and the exercise or partial exercise of one will not prevent
the exercise of others.
The agreement to allot and issue
Placing Shares to Placees (or the persons for whom Placees are
contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax
in the United Kingdom relates only to their allotment and issue to
Placees, or such persons as they nominate as their agents, directly
by the Company. Such agreement assumes that the Placing
Shares are not being acquired 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 related to any other dealings in the Placing Shares,
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax may be payable. In that
event, the Placee agrees that it shall be responsible for such
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax and neither the Company nor
Zeus shall be responsible for such stamp duty or stamp duty reserve
tax. If this is the case, each Placee should seek its own
advice and they should notify Zeus accordingly. In addition,
Placees should note that they will be liable for any capital duty,
stamp duty and all other stamp, issue, securities, transfer,
registration, documentary or other duties or taxes (including any
interest, fines or penalties relating thereto) payable outside the
United Kingdom by them or any other person on the acquisition by
them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to acquire any
Placing Shares and each Placee, or the Placee's nominee, in respect
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
non-United Kingdom stamp, registration, documentary, transfer or
similar taxes or duties undertakes to pay such taxes and duties,
including any interest and penalties (if applicable), forthwith and
to indemnify on an after-tax basis and to hold harmless the Company
and Zeus in the event that either of the Company and/or Zeus have
incurred any such liability to such taxes or duties.
The representations, warranties,
acknowledgements and undertakings contained in these Terms and
Conditions are given to Zeus for itself and on behalf of the
Company and are irrevocable.
Zeus is authorised and regulated by
the FCA and is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else
in connection with the Placing or any other matter referred to in
the Announcement, and Zeus 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 in
relation to the Placing or any other matters referred to in the
Announcement.
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of the Placee acknowledges that Zeus does not owe any
fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in respect of any
representations, warranties, undertakings, acknowledgements,
agreements or indemnities in the Placing Agreement.
The provisions of these Terms and
Conditions may be varied, waived or modified as regards specific
Placees or on a general basis by Zeus provided always that such
variation, waiver or modification is not materially prejudicial to
the interests of the Company.
In the case of a joint agreement to
acquire Placing Shares, references to a "Placee" in these Terms and
Conditions are to each of such Placees and such joint Placees'
liability is joint and several.
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of the Placee acknowledges and agrees that Zeus may (at its
absolute discretion) satisfy its obligations to procure Placees by
itself agreeing to become a Placee in respect of some or all of the
Placing Shares or by nominating any connected or associated person
to do so.
When a Placee or any person acting
on behalf of the Placee is dealing with Zeus, any money held in an
account with Zeus 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
Zeus' money in accordance with the client money rules and will be
held by it under a banking relationship and not as
trustee.
In these Terms and Conditions any
words following the terms "including", "include", "in particular", "for example" or any similar expression
shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of
the words, description, definition, phrase or term preceding those
terms.
References to time in this
Announcement are to London time, unless otherwise
stated.
All times and dates and certain
other information in the Announcement may be subject to amendment
and/or updating. Placees will be notified of any material
changes.
No statement in the Announcement is
intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no statement in
the 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 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.
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
Announcement.
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply to
these Terms and Conditions:
Admission
|
admission of the Placing Shares to
trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance with the AIM
Rules;
|
Admission Date
|
8:00 a.m. on 26 November 2024 or
such later time as Zeus may agree with the Company but in any event
no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Long Stop Date;
|
Admission Settlement Date
|
the date the settlement of
transactions in the Placing Shares following Admission will take
place within the CREST system (subject to certain exceptions) which
is expected to occur on 26 November 2024;
|
AIM
|
AIM, a market operated by the London
Stock Exchange;
|
AIM Rules
|
the AIM Rules for Companies
published by the London Stock Exchange;
|
Announcement
|
the announcement regarding
the Placing, including the Terms and
Conditions;
|
certificated or in certificated
form
|
refers to an Ordinary Share which is
not in uncertificated form (that is, not in CREST)
|
Clawback Placing
|
the conditional placing, subject to
clawback, by Zeus (on behalf of the Company) of the Retail Offer
Shares at the Issue Price
|
Clawback Placing Shares
|
up to 19,354,838 New Ordinary Shares
which have been placed pursuant to the Placing Agreement, subject
to clawback to satisfy valid applications for Retail Offer Shares
under the Retail Offer which are accepted by the Company
|
Company
|
boohoo group plc registered in
Jersey under number 114397 whose registered office is at 3rd
Floor, 44 Esplanade, St Helier, Jersey, JE4 9WG;
|
CREST
|
the computerised settlement system
to facilitate transfer of the title to an interest in securities in
uncertificated form operated by Euroclear UK & International
Limited;
|
CREST Regulations
|
the Uncertificated Securities
Regulations 2001 (SI 2001 No 3755) and or the Companies
(Uncertificated Securities) (Jersey) Order 1999, as amended (as
applicable);
|
FCA
|
the Financial Conduct Authority of
the United Kingdom;
|
Facilities Agreement
|
a facilities agreement documenting
the Term Facility and a £125,000,000 revolving credit facility (the
Revolving Facility and, together with the Term Facility, the
Facilities) between the Company and the Group's Lenders dated 17
October 2024;
|
Firm Placing
|
the conditional firm placing by Zeus
(on behalf of the Company) of the Firm Placing Shares at the Issue
Price
|
Firm Placing Shares
|
up to 107,553,604 New Ordinary
Shares conditionally placed for cash with investors pursuant to the
Placing in accordance with the terms of the Placing Agreement and
whose allotment and issue is conditional (amongst other things) on
the Company obtaining the Lender Consent
|
FSMA
|
the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000, as amended;
|
Issue Price
|
31 pence per Placing
Share;
|
Lender Consent
|
the consent of its majority lenders
under its Facilities Agreement;
|
London Stock Exchange
|
London Stock Exchange
plc;
|
Long Stop Date
|
6 December 2024;
|
MAR
|
the Market Abuse Regulation
(EU/596/2014) as it forms part of the domestic law of England and
Wales by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as
amended from time to time);
|
MiFID II
|
EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets
in financial instruments, as amended;
|
Ordinary Shares
|
ordinary shares of £0.01 each in the
capital of the Company;
|
Placees
|
the persons with whom Placing Shares
are placed pursuant to the Placing;
|
Placing
|
the placing of the Placing Shares by
Zeus on behalf of the Company at the Issue Price, in accordance
with the Placing Agreement;
|
Placing Agreement
|
the placing agreement entered into
today relating to the Placing of the Placing Shares between the
Company and Zeus;
|
Placing Conditions
|
the conditions to the Placing
contained in the Placing Agreement;
|
Placing Shares
|
the new Ordinary Shares which are to
be issued by the Company pursuant to the Placing and whose
allotment and issue is conditional (amongst other things) on the
Company obtaining the Lender Consent;
|
Prospectus Regulation
|
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017;
|
Publicly Available
Information
|
information contained in the
Announcement and any information publicly announced through a
Regulatory Information Service by or on behalf of the Company on or
prior to the date of the Announcement;
|
Recorded Commitment
|
either (i) a recorded telephone
conversation or (ii) email correspondence, in either case between
representatives of Zeus and the relevant Placee;
|
Regulation S
|
Regulation S under the Securities
Act;
|
Relevant Member State
|
a member state of the European
Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus
Regulation;
|
Representatives
|
directors, officers, partners,
employees, advisers and/or agents;
|
Restricted Territory
|
the United States, Australia,
Canada, The Republic of South Africa, New Zealand, Japan or any
other jurisdiction in which release, publication or distribution of
the Announcement would be unlawful;
|
Retail Offer
|
the proposed conditional offer of
new Ordinary Shares to be subscribed for by eligible existing
Shareholders at the Issue Price as set out in the Announcement
whose allotment and issue is conditional (amongst other things) on
the Company obtaining the Lender Consent;
|
Shareholders
|
holders of Ordinary
Shares;
|
Subscription
|
the proposed direct conditional
subscription of new Ordinary Shares to be subscribed for at the
Issue Price by certain persons procured by the Company as set out
in the Announcement;
|
Terms and Conditions
|
the terms and conditions to the
Placing contained in the Appendix to the Announcement;
|
UK Prospectus Regulation
|
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017, as it forms
part of the law of England and Wales by virtue of section 3 of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and as modified by or under
domestic law;
|
uncertificated or in uncertificated
form
|
recorded on a register of securities
maintained by Computershare Investor Services (Jersey) Limited
in accordance with the CREST Regulations as being in
uncertificated form in CREST and title to which, by virtue of the
CREST Regulations, may be transferred by means of CREST;
|
United States or US
|
the United States of America, its
territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the
District of Columbia;
|
US Securities Act
|
the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as
amended;
|
Warranties
|
the warranties and undertakings contained in the Placing
Agreement; and
|
Zeus
|
Zeus Capital Limited, registered in
England and Wales under number 04417845 whose registered office is
at 82 King Street, Manchester, M2 4WQ (together with its
affiliates).
|