THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING APPENDICES I AND II AND THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN (TOGETHER, THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT") IS
RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN
WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM THE
UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR
JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION
OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR
FORM ANY PART OF AN OFFER TO SELL OR ISSUE, OR A SOLICITATION OF AN
OFFER TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE ANY SECURITIES
IN THE UNITED STATES,
AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR
JAPAN OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH
SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL OR TO ANY PERSON TO
WHOM IT IS UNLAWFUL TO MAKE SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION. NO PUBLIC
OFFERING OF THE NEW ORDINARY SHARES IS BEING MADE IN ANY SUCH
JURISDICTION. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESE RESTRICTIONS MAY
CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES LAWS OF SUCH
JURISDICTIONS. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICES IN THIS
NNOUNCEMENT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES
OF ARTICLE 7 OF EU REGULATION 596/2014 (AS AMENDED) (WHICH FORMS
PART OF DOMESTIC UK LAW PURSUANT TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
(WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 (AS AMENDED)). UPON THE
PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION
SERVICE, THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE
PUBLIC DOMAIN.
22 November 2024
Frontier IP Group plc
("Frontier IP", the
"Company" or the "Group")
Proposed Placing and Subscription to
raise, in aggregate, minimum gross proceeds of approximately £3.0
million
Frontier IP Group plc (AIM: FIPP), a specialist
in commercialising intellectual property, is pleased to announce a
proposed fundraising to raise, in aggregate, minimum gross proceeds
of approximately £3.0 million by way of a placing (the
"Placing") of new ordinary
shares of 10 pence each ("Ordinary
Shares") in the capital of the Company to raise a minimum of
approximately £2.7 million at a price of 28 pence per share (the
"Issue Price") resulting in
the issue of a minimum of 9,780,111 new Ordinary Shares (the
"Placing Shares") as well
as a proposed subscription by all of the Directors and an employee
of the Company (the "Subscription") for 1,042,857 new
Ordinary Shares (the "Subscription
Shares") at the Issue Price raising approximately £0.3
million.
The Placing is being conducted via
an accelerated bookbuild process (the "Bookbuild") to be undertaken by Singer
Capital Markets Securities Limited ("Singer CM"). The Bookbuild will be
launched immediately following the release of this Announcement.
The Placing is subject to the terms and conditions set out in
Appendix I to this Announcement.
In addition to the Placing and the
Subscription, it is proposed that there will be a separate
conditional retail offer (the "Retail Offer", together with the
Placing and the Subscription, the "Fundraising") of up to
3,571,428 new Ordinary Shares (the "Retail Shares", together with the
Placing Shares and the Subscription Shares, the "New Ordinary Shares") at the Issue
Price to raise up to £1.0 million to be conducted by PrimaryBid
Limited ("PrimaryBid"). The
Retail Offer aims to provide retail investors and retail
Shareholders with an opportunity to participate in the Fundraising.
A separate announcement will be made by the Company later today
regarding the Retail Offer and its terms. Those investors who
subscribe for Retail Shares pursuant to the Retail Offer will do so
pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Retail Offer contained
in that announcement. The Placing and the Subscription are not
conditional upon the Retail Offer and for the avoidance of doubt,
the Retail Offer is not part of the Placing nor the
Subscription.
The Issue Price is equal to the
closing mid-price per Ordinary Share on 21 November
2024, being the last practicable date prior to
this Announcement.
The Fundraising is being conducted
in two tranches. 357,143 Placing
Shares (the "Firm Placing
Shares") will be allotted and issued pursuant to the Firm
Placing and are expected to be admitted to trading on AIM at 8.00
a.m. on 28 November 2024 ("First Admission"), raising gross
proceeds of approximately £0.1 million for
the Company. A minimum of 9,422,968 Placing
Shares (the "Conditional Placing
Shares"), the 1,042,857 Subscription Shares and up to
3,571,428 Retail Offer Shares (together, the "Conditional Fundraising Shares") will
be allotted and issued pursuant to the Conditional Fundraising and
are expected to be admitted to trading on AIM at 8.00 a.m.
on 23 December 2024 ("Second Admission"), raising gross
proceeds of a minimum of approximately £2.6 million for the Company.
The Placing and Subscription are
conditional upon, inter
alia, the Placing Agreement not having been
terminated and becoming unconditional. Second Admission
is conditional upon, inter alia, the resolutions (the
"Fundraising Resolutions") required to implement the
Conditional Fundraising being duly passed by Shareholders at the
Company's annual general meeting to be held at
Mantle Space Offices, Nine Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2
1GE at 11.00 a.m. on 19 December 2024 (the "AGM"). A
circular containing further details of the Fundraising and a notice
convening the AGM to pass the Fundraising Resolutions and the usual
AGM resolutions (the "Circular"), is expected to be
despatched to Shareholders on or around 26 November
2024 and the Circular, once published, will
be available on the Company's website at
www.frontierip.co.uk.
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety. In particular, your attention is drawn to the
detailed terms and conditions of the Placing and further
information relating to the Placing and any participation in the
Placing that is described in Appendix I to this Announcement (which
forms part of this Announcement). Words and phrases defined in
Appendix II apply throughout this Announcement unless the context
otherwise requires.
ENQUIRIES
Frontier IP Group Plc
Neil Crabb, Chief
Executive
Andrew Johnson, Communications &
Investor Relations
Company website: www.frontierip.co.uk
|
T: 020
3968 7815 neil@frontierip.co.uk
M: 07464
546 025
andrew.johnson@frontierip.co.uk
|
Allenby Capital Limited (Nominated
Adviser)
Nick Athanas / George
Payne
|
T: 0203
328 5656
|
Singer Capital Markets
(Broker)
Charles Leigh-Pemberton / James
Fischer
|
T: 0207
496 3000
|
ABOUT FRONTIER IP
Frontier IP unites science and
commerce by identifying strong intellectual property and
accelerating its development through a range of commercialisation
services. A critical part of the Group's work is involving relevant
industry partners at an early stage of development to ensure
technology meets real world demands and needs.
The Group looks to build and grow a
portfolio of equity stakes and licence income by taking an active
involvement in spin-out companies, including support for fund
raising and collaboration with relevant industry partners at an
early stage of development.
EXPECTED
TIMETABLE OF PRINCIPAL EVENTS
Event
|
Time and date (as
applicable)
|
Latest Practicable Date
|
21
November 2024
|
Announcement of the launch of the
Placing
|
22
November 2024
|
Announcement of the launch of the
Retail Offer
|
22
November 2024
|
Announcement of the Result of the
Placing and Subscription
|
22
November 2024
|
Close of the Retail Offer
|
5.00 p.m.
on 25 November
2024
|
Publication and posting of the
Circular and Form of Proxy
|
26
November 2024
|
First Admission and
commencement of dealings in the Firm Placing Shares
|
8.00 a.m.
on 28 November
2024
|
CREST accounts expected to be
credited for the Firm Placing Shares to be held in uncertificated
form (where applicable)
|
as soon as
possible after 8.00 a.m. on 28 November
2024
|
Expected dispatch of definitive
share certificates for Firm Placing Shares to be held in
certificated form (where applicable)
|
Within 10
Business Days of First Admission
|
Latest time and date for receipt of
completed Forms of Proxy to be valid at the Annual General
Meeting
|
11.00 a.m.
on 17 December 2024
|
Annual General Meeting
|
11.00 a.m.
on 19 December 2024
|
Announcement of results of the
Annual General Meeting
|
19
December 2024
|
Second Admission and commencement of
dealings in the Conditional Fundraising Shares
|
8.00 a.m.
on 23 December
2024
|
CREST accounts expected to be
credited for the Conditional Fundraising Shares to be held in
uncertificated form (where applicable)
|
as soon as
possible after 8.00 a.m. on 23 December
2024
|
Expected dispatch of definitive
share certificates for Conditional Fundraising Shares to be held in
certificated form (where applicable)
|
Within 10
Business Days of Second 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
Events listed in the above timetable after the Annual General
Meeting are conditional on the passing at the Annual General
Meeting of the Fundraising Resolutions.
FUNDRAISING
STATISTICS
Issue Price
|
28
pence
|
Number of Existing Ordinary
Shares*
|
56,166,946
|
Number of New Ordinary
Shares**
|
14,394,396
|
Comprising:
|
|
·
Number of Firm Placing Shares
|
357,143
|
·
Minimum number of Conditional Placing
Shares
|
9,422,968
|
·
Number of Subscription Shares
|
1,042,857
|
·
Maximum number of Retail Shares
|
3,571,428
|
Number of Ordinary Shares in issue
immediately following First Admission
|
56,524,089
|
Number of Ordinary Shares in issue
immediately following Second Admission**
|
70,561,342
|
Percentage of the Enlarged Share
Capital represented by the New Ordinary Shares**
|
20.4
|
Minimum gross proceeds of the
Placing
|
£2.7
million
|
Gross proceeds of the
Subscription
|
£0.3
million
|
Maximum gross proceeds of the Retail
Offer**
|
£1.0
million
|
Estimated gross proceeds of the
Fundraising receivable by the Company**
|
£4.0
million
|
Estimated net proceeds of the
Fundraising receivable by the Company (net of
expenses)**
|
£3.7
million
|
ISIN
|
GB00B63PS212
|
SEDOL
B63PS21
TIDM
FIPP
LEI
213800BRYUKQPJWKJ312
*At the Latest Practicable
Date
**Assuming full take up under the
Retail Offer and minimum gross proceeds of
the Placing
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
1.
Background to and Reasons
for the Fundraising
Update on
current trading and financial position
The Company has also today announced its audited
full year results to 30 June 2024. Key highlights
include:
·
Unrealised gain on the revaluation of investments of c.£1.3
million versus prior year loss of c.£1.0 million;
·
Loss before tax of £1.3 million, a significant improvement on
prior year loss of c. £4.4 million due to continuing focus on
capital efficiency and cash management;
· Net
assets per share at 79.7 pence, broadly in line with prior
year;
· Net
Asset Value as at 30 June 2024 of £44.8 million, of which £38.8
million represents the combined equity and debt valuation of the
portfolio;
·
Fair value of the equity portfolio at £33.2 million, broadly
in line with prior year;
·
Exscientia exit completed with £2.5 million proceeds received
in the period and total proceeds of c. £14.0 million;
·
Strong third party funders of the portfolio including Aramco,
Octopus, Green Angel Ventures and Nesta; and
·
Post period end portfolio funding completions in Nandi,
GraphEnergyTech, and Deakin Bio-Hybrid Materials.
Portfolio
update
The Directors are encouraged by recent progress
within Frontier IP's portfolio and are optimistic about progression
going forward. The portfolio is maturing with more than half (ten)
both equity funded and revenue generating with these representing
82.9 per cent. of Frontier IP's total portfolio valuation while 65
per cent. of the Company's portfolio valuation has been validated
by recent investment rounds. The top six portfolio companies
represent 74 per cent. of the Company's total equity and debt
portfolio valuation of £38.8 million as at 30 June 2024.
Key portfolio highlights from Frontier IP's top
six holdings include:
·
Alusid are now mass producing tiles and surfaces from near
100 per cent. waste materials with less than half the carbon
footprint of the average Spanish tile and are meeting the demand
for lower carbon building products. Low volume customers include
Amazon, Nando's, Pret A Manger, Selfridges, Harrods and the BBC and
Alusid's recent scale-up to mass manufacturing equipment has paved
the way for high volume contracts with Topps Tiles and Starbucks.
As announced in May 2024, Alusid has launched its first range of
floor tiles through Parkside Architectural Tiles, the commercial
arm of Topps Tiles. Alusid has further products in its pipeline and
expects to partner with further major brands.
Alusid raised £1.13 million from new and existing
investors in January 2024, including
a £500,000 investment from Octopus Investments and the
company has announced it is exploring an initial public
offering.
·
Camgraphic designs, develops and manufacturers
graphene-enhanced silicon photonics which allow for faster data
transfer than equivalent technologies and with lower energy
consumption (estimated to use 70 per cent. less energy) also at a
lower cost per gigabit. Initial applications have focused on data
centres, AI and smart antennas for 5G and 6G telecoms. The company
is currently undertaking a Series A funding round and are targeting
significant grant funding in line with the strategic importance of
their product to drive a scale up to larger wafer sizes.
·
Pulsiv produce highly efficient power conversion products
with small form factor. In August 2024, Pulsiv announced that it
had launched the world's most efficient 65 Watt USB-C charger
reference design. The product is attracting a high level of
industry interest, and the first customers are expected to be
announced by the end of the year. The company thus far has raised a
mixture of equity and grant funding, and recently raised funds at a
£61 million valuation. Pulsiv are expected to announce further
product launches in due course with an up to 240 Watt USB-C
referenced design available and also expect to be in a position to
announce customer commitments.
·
Nandi Proteins develops protein based functional food
ingredients and has created high volume applications to reduce fat
and additives in processed food. Nandi has signed an agreement with
a global food ingredients group to produce and sell meat and fat
replacers and has further products under development with major
companies including for alternatives to egg white and methyl
cellulose. In August 2024, Nandi raised £500,000 from investors
including Nesta and Scottish Enterprise as part of a wider funding
initiative by the company to raise about £1.5 million.
· The
Vaccine Group develop animal vaccines and therapeutics based on a
novel herpesvirus delivery platform and have 17 vaccines and
therapeutics in the pipeline with candidates in place for 10
diseases, including zoonotic diseases. Substantial ongoing grant
funding is leveraging the development effort, including £1 million
from UK Government to combat bacterial infection as announced in
September 2024 and an Innovate UK Smart grant of £400,000 as
announced in October 2024.
·
Cambridge Raman Imaging (CRI) use fibre lasers to offer
rapid, label-free imaging technology to show morphology and, via
AI, composition, allowing for more accurate diagnosis of diseases
and a better understanding of their underlying mechanisms. The
technology produces detailed images at speed to make tumour
diagnosis faster and more accurate and CRI are already selling into
research markets and working with big pharmaceutical companies.
Additional applications of the technology are being explored
outside of the medical field.
Rationale for
the Fundraising and use of proceeds
The Company's audited full year results to 30
June 2024 announced today contain a material uncertainty related to
going concern, as the Company currently has insufficient cash to
cover its operating expenses for the twelve months from signing the
accounts without the receipt of the net proceeds of the
Fundraising. Should the Fundraising Resolutions required to implement the Conditional Fundraising be duly
passed by Shareholders at the AGM, the Company will have sufficient
cash to cover its operating expenses for twelve months from Second
Admission.
The Company therefore intends to use the net
proceeds of the Fundraising to support the ongoing working capital
requirements of the business and to provide enough headroom for the
Company to be able to deliver on the portfolio realisations it
anticipates achieving in the near term. The Company intends to also
use the net proceeds of the Fundraise to selectively support its
portfolio companies.
2.
Details of the
Fundraising
Details of the
Placing
The Company proposes to raise a
minimum of approximately £2.7 million
(before expenses) through the issue of a minimum of
9,780,111 Placing Shares at the Issue
Price.
In connection with the Placing, the
Company has today entered into a placing agreement with Singer CM
(the "Placing Agreement")
pursuant to which Singer CM (acting as agent for and on behalf of
the Company in respect of the Placing) has agreed, in accordance
with its terms, to use reasonable endeavours to procure subscribers
for the Placing Shares at the Issue Price. The Placing is not being
underwritten.
Participation in the Placing is
subject to the terms and conditions set out in Appendix I (which
forms part of this Announcement).
Following the release of this
Announcement, Singer CM will commence the Bookbuild in respect of
the Placing. The final number of Placing Shares to be placed at the
Issue Price will be determined at the close of the Bookbuild. The
timing of the closing of the Bookbuild and allocations thereunder
are at the absolute discretion of Singer CM, having consulted with
the Company. Details of the number of Placing Shares will be
announced as soon as practicable after the close of the
Bookbuild.
The Placing Agreement contains
certain customary warranties given by the Company concerning the
accuracy of information given in this Announcement in respect of
the Placing as well as other matters relating to the Group and its
business. The Company has also agreed to indemnify Singer CM and
its affiliates against certain liabilities that they may incur in
respect of the Placing. The Placing Agreement is terminable by
Singer CM in certain customary circumstances at any time prior to
Second Admission including, inter
alia, should there be a breach of a warranty contained in
the Placing Agreement or should a force majeure event take place or
a material adverse change to the business of the Group
occur.
The Placing is conditional upon,
inter alia, the Placing
Agreement not having been terminated and becoming unconditional in
respect of the Firm Placing Shares prior to First Admission and the
Conditional Placing Shares prior to Second Admission,
and:
·
in respect of the Firm Placing
Shares, First Admission becoming effective at 8:00 a.m. on
28 November 2024. The Directors will use the Company's
existing authorities and powers to disapply pre-emption rights
granted by resolutions passed at the annual general meeting of the
Company held on 15 December
2023 to allot and issue the Firm Placing Shares.
The issue of the Firm Placing Shares is not, therefore, subject to
the approval of Shareholders; and
·
in respect of the Conditional
Placing Shares, the Fundraising Resolutions being duly passed
without amendment at the Annual General Meeting, and Second
Admission becoming effective at 8:00 a.m. on 23 December 2024.
Details of the
Subscription
All of the
Directors and an employee of the Company have indicated their
intention to subscribe for, in aggregate, 1,042,857 Subscription Shares at the Issue Price raising gross proceeds
of approximately £0.3
million.
The Subscription is
conditional upon, inter
alia, the Placing Agreement not having been terminated and
becoming unconditional in respect of the Subscription Shares prior
to Second Admission, on the Fundraising Resolutions being duly
passed without amendment at the AGM and Second Admission becoming
effective at 8:00 a.m. on 23
December 2024.
Details of the Retail
Offer
In addition to the
Placing and the Subscription, it is proposed that there will
be a separate conditional Retail Offer to raise up to
£1.0 million through the
issue of up
to 3,571,428 Retail Shares at the Issue
Price.
The Retail Offer is to be conducted
by PrimaryBid Limited ("PrimaryBid") on behalf of the
Company. The Retail Offer aims to provide
retail Shareholders and retail investors with an opportunity to
participate in the Fundraising and a separate announcement will be
made by the Company regarding the Retail Offer and its terms. Those
investors who subscribe for Retail Shares pursuant to the Retail
Offer will do so pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Retail
Offer contained in that announcement.
The Placing and the
Subscription are not conditional upon the Retail Offer and for the
avoidance of doubt, the Retail Offer is not part of the Placing nor
the Subscription. The Retail Offer is conditional upon the
Fundraising Resolutions being duly passed without amendment at the
AGM and Second Admission becoming effective at 8:00 a.m. on
23 December 2024.
3.
Admission, Settlement and
Dealings
Application will be
made to the London Stock Exchange for the New Ordinary Shares to be
admitted to trading on AIM. First Admission is expected to take
place and dealings in the Firm Placing Shares are expected to
commence at 8.00 a.m. on 28
November 2024, at
which time it is also expected that the Firm Placing Shares will be
enabled for settlement in CREST. Subject to the passing of the
Fundraising Resolutions at the Annual General Meeting, it is
expected that Second Admission will become effective and dealings
in the Conditional Fundraising Shares will commence at 8.00 a.m.
on 23 December 2024, at which time it is also expected that the Conditional
Fundraising Shares will be enabled for settlement in
CREST.
The New Ordinary Shares, when
issued, will be fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects
with the Existing Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive
all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after
the date of issue.
4.
Annual General
Meeting
The Directors do not currently have
authority and power to allot all of the Conditional Fundraising
Shares. Accordingly, the Board is seeking the approval of
Shareholders at the AGM to allot the Conditional Fundraising
Shares, together with approval to disapply pre-emption rights in
respect of the Conditional Fundraising Shares. Set out at the end
of the Circular will be a notice convening the AGM to be held
at Mantle Space Offices, Nine Hills Road, Cambridge,
CB2 1GE at 11.00 a.m. on 19 December
2024.
5.
Recommendation &
Importance to Vote
The Directors consider the
Fundraising to be in the best interests of the Company and
Shareholders as a whole and, accordingly, unanimously recommend
that Shareholders vote in favour of the Fundraising Resolutions as
they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings
amounting, in aggregate, to 3,836,568 Existing Ordinary Shares, representing
approximately 6.8 per cent. of
the Existing Ordinary Shares.
Shareholders should note that in the
event that the Fundraising Resolutions are not passed, Second
Admission will not occur and the Company would not receive the
funds from the Conditional Fundraising, which would limit the
amount of working capital available to the Company. There is no
certainty that alternative sources of funding would be available to
cover the working capital shortfall on suitable terms or at all. In
such circumstances, the Directors would need to resort to taking
mitigating actions and/or seek alternative sources of financing in
order to ensure liquidity in the short term.
Shareholders should take independent
advice if they wish to consider the suitability of these risks with
regard to their own particular circumstances and investment
criteria.
The person responsible for arranging
the release of this Announcement on behalf of the Company is
Jo Stent, Chief Financial Officer.
IMPORTANT
NOTICES
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE
PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE
APPENDIX) AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (TOGETHER,
THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT") 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 A MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA
("EEA"), QUALIFIED
INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129
(THE "EU PROSPECTUS
REGULATION"); (2) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, QUALIFIED
INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129
AS IT FORMS PART OF UNITED KINGDOM DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 (THE "UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION") WHO (A)
FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT
2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER") (INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OR
(B) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES,
UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; AND (3) OTHERWISE,
PERSONS TO WHOM IT IS OTHERWISE LAWFUL TO COMMUNICATE IT TO (ALL
SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION IN IT
MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT
PERSONS. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY
THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR
INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE
ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT
PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN
OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN FRONTIER IP
GROUP PLC.
THE NEW ORDINARY SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL
NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933,
AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES
ACT") OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY
STATE OR JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED,
SOLD OR TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM THE
UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE
OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) (THE
"UNITED STATES" OR THE
"US") 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 THE UNITED STATES. THE
NEW ORDINARY SHARES ARE BEING OFFERED AND SOLD ONLY OUTSIDE OF THE
UNITED STATES IN "OFFSHORE
TRANSACTIONS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH,
REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF
THE NEW ORDINARY SHARES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OR
ELSEWHERE.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDIX) AND
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR
RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY
OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA,
CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION
WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR
DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED
STATES. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR
SALE INTO THE UNITED STATES. THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO
HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES,
EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION.
NO PUBLIC OFFERING IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES.
The distribution of this Announcement and/or
the Placing and/or issue of the New Ordinary Shares in certain
jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been
taken by the Company, Singer CM or any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers, consultants, partners or
employees ("Representatives") that would permit an
offer of the New Ordinary Shares or possession or distribution of
this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material
relating to such New Ordinary Shares in any jurisdiction where
action for that purpose is required. Persons into whose
possession this Announcement comes are required by the Company and
Singer CM to inform themselves about and to observe any such
restrictions.
This Announcement or any part of it is for
information purposes only and does not constitute or form part of
any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an offer to
acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the United
States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or Japan or
any other jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful.
No public offering of the New Ordinary Shares is being made in any
such jurisdiction.
All offers of the New Ordinary Shares in the
United Kingdom or the EEA will be made pursuant to an exemption
from the requirement to produce a prospectus under the UK
Prospectus Regulation or the EU Prospectus Regulation, as
appropriate. In the United Kingdom, this Announcement is
being directed solely at persons in circumstances in which section
21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended)
does not apply.
The New Ordinary 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 this 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 from the South African Reserve Bank or any
other applicable body in the Republic of South Africa in relation
to the New Ordinary Shares; and the New Ordinary 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 the
United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or
Japan. Accordingly, the New Ordinary Shares may not (unless
an exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be
offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or
into the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South
Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction outside the United
Kingdom or the EEA.
Persons (including, without limitation,
nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or other legal
obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek
appropriate advice before taking any action.
By participating in the Placing, each person
who is invited to and who chooses to participate in the Placing (a
"Placee") by making an oral
and legally binding offer to acquire Placing Shares will be deemed
to have read and understood this Announcement in its entirety, to
be participating, making an offer and acquiring Placing Shares on
the terms and conditions contained herein and to be providing the
representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and
undertakings contained in the Appendix.
Allenby Capital Limited ("Allenby Capital") is acting as
nominated adviser to the Company in connection with the Placing and
the proposed admission of the New Ordinary Shares to trading on
AIM. Allenby Capital is authorised and regulated by the Financial
Conduct Authority (the "FCA") in the United Kingdom. Allenby
Capital is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in
connection with the Placing, and Allenby Capital 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 this Announcement. The
responsibilities of Allenby Capital as the Company's nominated
adviser under the AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers are owed solely
to the Exchange and are not owed to the Company or to any director
of the Company or to any other person.
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 Allenby
Capital or by any of its affiliates or agents as to, or in relation
to, the accuracy or completeness of this Announcement or any other
written or oral information made available to or publicly available
to any interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefor
is expressly disclaimed.
Singer Capital Markets Securities Limited
("Singer CM") is acting as
broker and as agent for and on behalf of the Company for the
Placing. Singer CM is authorised and regulated by the FCA in the
United Kingdom and is acting exclusively for the Company and no one
else in connection with the Placing, and Singer CM 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 this Announcement.
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 Singer CM or
by any of its Representatives as to, or in relation to, the
accuracy or completeness of this Announcement or any other written
or oral information made available to or publicly available to any
interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is
expressly disclaimed.
No statement in this Announcement is intended
to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no statement in this
Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings per share
of the Company for the current or future financial years would
necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per
share of the Company.
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 on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.
Neither the content of the Company's website
nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website
is incorporated in, or forms part of, this Announcement.
This Announcement may contain, or may be deemed
to contain, "forward-looking statements" with respect to certain of
the Company's plans and its current goals and expectations relating
to its future financial condition, performance, strategic
initiatives, objectives and results. Forward-looking
statements sometimes use words such as "aim", "anticipate",
"target", "expect", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "goal",
"believe", "seek", "may", "could", "outlook" or other words of
similar meaning. By their nature, all forward-looking
statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to
future events and circumstances which are beyond the control of the
Company, including amongst other things, United Kingdom domestic
and global economic business conditions, market-related risks such
as fluctuations in interest rates and exchange rates, the policies
and actions of governmental and regulatory authorities, the effect
of competition, inflation, deflation, the timing effect and other
uncertainties of future acquisitions or combinations within
relevant industries, the effect of tax and other legislation and
other regulations in the jurisdictions in which the Company and its
affiliates operate, the effect of volatility in the equity, capital
and credit markets on the Company's profitability and ability to
access capital and credit, a decline in the Company's credit
ratings; the effect of operational risks; and the loss of key
personnel. As a result, the actual future financial
condition, performance and results of the Company may differ
materially from the plans, goals and expectations set forth in any
forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements
made in this Announcement by or on behalf of the Company speak only
as of the date they are made. Except as required by
applicable law or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any
obligation or undertaking to publish 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.
Information to
Distributors
UK
product governance
Solely for the
purposes of the product governance requirements contained within
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 New Ordinary Shares have been subject to a
product approval process, which has determined that such securities
are: (i) compatible with an end target market of investors who meet
the criteria of retail investors and investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each
as defined in paragraph 3 of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all
distribution channels (the "Target Market Assessment").
Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors (for the
purposes of UK Product Governance Requirements) should note that:
(a) the price of the New Ordinary Shares may decline and investors
could lose all or part of their investment; (b) the New Ordinary
Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and
(c) 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 Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that,
notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, Singer CM will only
procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and
eligible counterparties.
For the
avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not
constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for
the purposes of Chapter 9A or 10A respectively of the FCA Handbook
Conduct of Business Sourcebook; 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.
EEA
product governance
Solely for the
purposes of the product governance requirements contained within:
(a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as
amended ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated
Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local
implementing measures in the European Economic Area (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 the New Ordinary 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 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 Placing. Furthermore, it is
noted that, notwithstanding the EU Target Market Assessment, Singer
CM will only procure investors who meet the criteria of
professional clients and eligible counterparties.
For the
avoidance of doubt, the EU Target Market Assessment does not
constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for
the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor
or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other
action whatsoever with respect to the 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.
Basis on which
information is presented
In this Announcement, references to "£",
"pence" and "p" are to the lawful currency of the United Kingdom.
All times referred to in this Announcement are, unless otherwise
stated, references to London time.
APPENDIX I -
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. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THIS
APPENDIX) AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (TOGETHER,
THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT") 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 A MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA
("EEA"), QUALIFIED
INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129
(THE "EU PROSPECTUS
REGULATION"); (2) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, QUALIFIED
INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129
AS IT FORMS PART OF UNITED KINGDOM DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 (THE "UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION") WHO (A)
FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT
2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER") (INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OR
(B) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES,
UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; AND (3) OTHERWISE,
PERSONS TO WHOM IT IS OTHERWISE LAWFUL TO COMMUNICATE IT TO (ALL
SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION IN IT
MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT
PERSONS. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY
THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR
INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE
ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT
PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN
OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN FRONTIER IP
GROUP PLC.
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 WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY
STATE OR JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED,
SOLD OR TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM THE
UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE
OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) (THE
"UNITED STATES" OR THE
"US") 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 OF THE UNITED STATES IN
"OFFSHORE TRANSACTIONS"
WITHIN THE MEANING OF, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH, REGULATION S UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE PLACING SHARES
IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OR ELSEWHERE.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THIS APPENDIX) AND
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR
RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY
OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA,
CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION
WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR
DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED
STATES. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR
SALE INTO THE UNITED STATES. THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO
HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES,
EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION.
NO PUBLIC OFFERING IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES.
The distribution of this 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, Singer CM or any of its Representatives that
would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or
distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or
publicity material relating to such Placing Shares in any
jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required.
Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required
by the Company and Singer CM to inform themselves about and to
observe any such restrictions.
This Announcement or any part of it is for
information purposes only and does not constitute or form part of
any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an offer to
acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the United
States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa 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.
All offers of the Placing Shares in the United
Kingdom or the EEA will be made pursuant to an exemption from the
requirement to produce a prospectus under the UK Prospectus
Regulation or the EU Prospectus Regulation, as appropriate.
In the United Kingdom, this Announcement is being directed solely
at persons in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) (the "FSMA") does not apply.
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
this 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 from the South African 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 the United States,
Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa 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 the United
States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or Japan or
any other jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom or the
EEA.
Persons (including, without limitation,
nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or other legal
obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek
appropriate advice before taking any action.
This Announcement should be read in its
entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the
information provided in the "Important Notices" section of this
Announcement.
By participating in the Placing, each Placee
will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement
(including this Appendix) in its entirety, to be participating,
making an offer and acquiring Placing Shares on the terms and
conditions contained herein and to be providing the
representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and
undertakings contained in this Appendix.
EACH PLACEE
SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, REGULATORY, TAX,
BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN ACQUISITION OF THE PLACING
SHARES.
In particular, each such Placee represents,
warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst other
things) to Singer CM and the Company that:
1.
it is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it will acquire,
hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to
it for the purposes of its business;
2.
in the case of a Relevant Person in the United Kingdom who
acquires any Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing:
(a) it
is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the
UK Prospectus Regulation; and
(b) in
the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial
intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK
Prospectus Regulation:
(i)
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing have not
been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view
to their offer or resale to, persons in the United Kingdom other
than Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior
consent of Singer CM has been given to the offer or resale;
or
(ii)
where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on behalf of
persons in the United Kingdom other than Qualified Investors, the
offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the UK
Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such
persons;
3.
in the case of a Relevant Person in a member state of the EEA
(each a "Relevant
State") who acquires any Placing
Shares pursuant to the Placing:
(a) it
is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the
EU Prospectus Regulation; and
(b) in
the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial
intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the EU
Prospectus Regulation:
(i)
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing have not
been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view
to their offer or resale to, persons in a Relevant State other than
Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior consent
of Singer CM has been given to the offer or resale; or
(ii)
where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on behalf of
persons in a Relevant State other than Qualified Investors, the
offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the EU
Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such
persons;
4.
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 this
Announcement;
5.
it understands (or if acting for the account of another
person, such person has confirmed that such person understands) the
resale and transfer restrictions set out in this Appendix;
and
6.
except as otherwise permitted by the Company and
subject to any available exemptions from applicable securities
laws, it (and any account referred to in paragraph 4 above) is
outside of the United States acquiring the Placing Shares in
offshore transactions as defined in and in accordance with
Regulation S under the Securities Act.
No
prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered to a
limited number of specifically invited persons only and will not be
offered in such a way as to require any prospectus or other
offering document to be published. No prospectus or other
offering document has been or will be submitted to be approved by
the FCA in relation to the Placing or the Placing Shares and
Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of (i)
the information contained in this Announcement, (ii) 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
and (iii) the business and financial information that the Company
is required to publish in accordance with the AIM Rules and the
Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation No. 596/2014 as it
forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European
Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "UK MAR") (together, the "Publicly Available Information") and
subject to any further terms set forth in the form of confirmation
to be sent to individual Placees.
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 Singer CM or the Company or any other person and
none of Singer CM, the Company nor any other person acting on such
person's behalf nor any of their respective Representatives 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 to be legal, tax or business
advice. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the liability
of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation.
Details of the
Placing Agreement and the Placing Shares
Singer CM has today entered into a placing
agreement (the "Placing
Agreement") with the Company under which, on the terms and
subject to the conditions set out in the Placing Agreement, Singer
CM, as agent for and on behalf of the Company, has agreed to use
its reasonable endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing
Shares. The Placing is not being underwritten.
The Placing will comprise of two tranches. The
first tranche will comprise 357,143 New Ordinary Shares (the
"Firm Placing Shares"),
which will be issued pursuant to the Company's existing share
authorities which were granted to the directors at the Company's
previous annual general meeting. The second tranche will of
comprise a minimum of 9,422,968 New Ordinary Shares (the
"Conditional Placing
Shares" and together with the Firm Placing Shares, the
"Placing Shares"), which
will be issued pursuant to and conditional upon the granting of new
share authorities at the AGM.
The Placing Shares will, when issued, be
subject to the articles of association of the Company, be credited
as fully paid and will rank pari
passu in all respects with the existing issued ordinary
shares of 10 pence each ("Ordinary
Shares") in the capital of the Company, including the right
to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or
paid in respect of such Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of
the Placing Shares.
Lock-up
As part of the Placing, the Company has agreed
that it will not for a period of 90 days after (but including)
Admission, directly or indirectly, issue, offer, sell, lend,
pledge, contract to sell or issue, grant any option, right or
warrant to purchase or otherwise dispose of any Ordinary Shares (or
any interest therein or in respect thereof) or other securities of
the Company exchangeable for, convertible into or representing the
right to receive Ordinary Shares or any substantially similar
securities or otherwise enter into any transaction (including
derivative transaction) directly or indirectly, permanently or
temporarily, to dispose of any Ordinary Shares or undertake any
other transaction with the same economic effect as any of the
foregoing or announce an offering of Ordinary Shares or any
interest therein or to announce publicly any intention to enter
into any transaction described above. This agreement is
subject to certain customary exceptions and does not prevent the
grant or exercise of options under any of the Company's existing
share incentives and share option schemes, or following Admission
the issue by the Company of any Ordinary Shares upon the exercise
of any right or option or the conversion of a security already in
existence.
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 First Admission will take
place on or before 8.00 a.m. on 28 November 2024 and that dealings
in the Firm Placing Shares on AIM will commence at the same
time. It is expected that Admission of the Conditional
Placing Shares and the Subscription Shares ("Second Admission" and, together with
First Admission "Admission", as the context may
require) will take place on or before 8.00 a.m. on 20 December 2024
and that dealings in the Conditional Placing Shares on AIM will
commence at the same time.
The
Bookbuilding Process
Singer CM will commence the Bookbuilding
Process to determine demand for participation in the Placing by
Placees immediately following the publication of this
Announcement. This Appendix gives details of the terms and
conditions of, and the mechanics of participation in, the
Placing. No commissions will be paid to Placees or by Placees
in respect of any Placing Shares.
Singer CM and the Company shall be entitled to
effect the Placing by such alternative method to the Bookbuilding
Process as they may, in their sole discretion,
determine.
Principal
terms of the Placing
1.
Singer CM is acting as sole bookrunner to the Placing, as
agent for and on behalf of the Company.
2.
Participation in the Placing will only be available to
persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited by Singer CM to
participate. Singer CM and any of its affiliates are entitled
to participate in the Placing as principal.
3.
The price per Placing Share (the "Placing Price") is
fixed at 28 pence and is payable to Singer CM (as agent for
the Company) by all Placees.
4.
To participate in the Placing, prospective Placees should
communicate their bid orally by telephone or in writing to their
usual sales contact at Singer CM. Each bid should state the number
of Placing Shares which the prospective Placee wishes to subscribe
for at the Placing Price. Bids may be scaled down by Singer CM and
Singer CM reserves the right not to accept bids or to accept bids
in part rather than in whole. A bid in the Placing will be made on
the terms and subject to the conditions in this Appendix and will
be legally binding on the Placee on behalf of which it is made and
except with Singer CM's consent, such commitment will not be
capable of variation or revocation after the time at which it is
submitted.
5.
Each Placee's allocation will be determined by Singer CM and
the Company in their discretion and will be confirmed orally Singer
CM.
6.
Each Placee's allocation and commitment (including the
number of First Placing Shares and/or Conditional Placing Shares)
will be evidenced orally or in writing by Singer CM and a form of
confirmation will be despatched to such Placee by Singer CM as soon
as possible thereafter. The terms of this Appendix will be
deemed incorporated in that form of confirmation.
7.
Singer CM's oral or written confirmation to such Placee of
its allocation constitutes an irrevocable legally binding
commitment upon such person (who will at that point become a
Placee), in favour of Singer CM and the Company, to subscribe for
the number of Placing Shares the Company has agreed to allot and
issue to that Placee and to pay the Placing Price in respect of
each such share on the terms and conditions set out in this
Appendix and except with Singer CM's consent will not be capable of
variation or revocation after the time at which it is
submitted.
8.
Except as required by law or regulation, no press release or
other announcement will be made by Singer CM 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.
9.
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".
10. 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".
11. By
participating in the Placing, each Placee will agree that its
rights and obligations in respect of the Placing will terminate
only in the circumstances described below and will not be capable
of rescission or termination by the Placee.
12. To
the fullest extent permissible by law and applicable FCA rules and
regulations, neither:
(a)
Singer CM;
(b) any
of its Representatives; nor
(c) to
the extent not contained within (a) or (b), any person connected
with Singer CM as defined in the FSMA ((b) and (c) being together
"affiliates" and
individually an "affiliate"
of Singer CM);
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 Singer CM nor any of its
affiliates shall have any liability (including, to the extent
permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of Singer CM's
conduct of the Bookbuilding Process or of such alternative method
of effecting the Placing as Singer CM and the Company may
agree.
Registration
and settlement
If Placees are allocated any Placing Shares in
the Placing they will be sent a form of confirmation which will
confirm the number of Placing Shares allocated to them (including
the split between Firm Placing Shares and Conditional Placing
Shares), the Placing Price and the aggregate amount owed by them to
Singer CM.
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 Singer CM in accordance with either the
standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions which they
have in place with Singer CM.
Settlement of transactions in the Placing
Shares (ISIN: GB00B63PS212) following Admission will take place
within the CREST system, subject to certain exceptions.
Settlement through CREST is expected to occur, in relation to the
Firm Placing Shares as soon as possible after 8.00 a.m. on 28
November 2024 and, in relation to the Conditional Placing Shares,
as soon as possible after 8.00 a.m. on 23 December 2024 (the
"Settlement Date") in
accordance with the forms of confirmation. Settlement will be
on a delivery versus payment basis. However, in the event of
any difficulties or delays in the admission of the Placing Shares
to CREST or the use of CREST in relation to the Placing, the
Company and Singer CM may agree that the Placing Shares should be
issued in certificated form. Singer CM reserves the right to
require settlement for the Placing Shares, and to deliver the
Placing Shares to Placees, by such other means as it deems
necessary if delivery or settlement to Placees is not practicable
within the CREST system or would not be consistent with regulatory
requirements in the jurisdiction in which a Placee is
located.
Interest is chargeable daily on payments not
received from Placees on the due date in accordance with the
arrangements set out above, in respect of either CREST or
certificated deliveries, at the rate of 3 percentage points above
the prevailing base rate of Barclays Bank plc as determined by
Singer CM.
Subject to the conditions set out above,
payment in respect of the Placees' allocations is due as set out
below. Each Placee should provide its settlement details in
order to enable instructions to be successfully matched in
CREST.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that, if it does
not comply with these obligations, Singer CM may sell any or all of
the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on their behalf and
retain from the proceeds, for Singer CM's 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 Placing 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 such Placing Shares on its behalf. By communicating a
bid for Placing Shares, such Placee confers on Singer CM all such
authorities and powers necessary to carry out such sale and agrees
to ratify and confirm all actions which Singer CM 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, the conditional 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. 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 and not having been terminated in
accordance with its terms.
The obligations of Singer CM under the Placing
Agreement in relation to the Firm Placing are, and the Firm Placing
is, conditional upon, inter
alia:
(a)
none of the representations, warranties and
undertakings on the part of the Company contained in the Placing
Agreement being untrue or inaccurate on the date on which the
Placing Agreement is signed or First Admission, by reference to the
facts and circumstances then subsisting;
(a) the
Company complying with its obligations under the Placing Agreement
to the extent that they fall to be performed prior to First
Admission;
(b) the
Company having allotted, subject only to First Admission, the Firm
Placing Shares in accordance with the Placing Agreement;
and
(c)
First Admission having become effective at or before 8.00
a.m. on 28 November 2024 or such later time as Singer CM may agree
with the Company (not being later than 8.00 a.m. on 27 December
2024 (the "Long Stop
Date")).
The obligations of Singer CM under the Placing
Agreement in relation to the Conditional Placing are, and the
Conditional Placing is, conditional upon, inter alia:
(a)
First Admission having occurred;
(b)
the Fundraising Resolutions having been duly
passed (without amendment) at the AGM (or at any adjournment
thereof);
(c)
none of the representations, warranties and undertakings on
the part of the Company contained in the Placing Agreement being
untrue or inaccurate on the date on which the Placing Agreement is
signed or Second Admission, by reference to the facts and
circumstances then subsisting;
(d) the
Company complying with its obligations under the Placing Agreement
to the extent that they fall to be performed prior to Second
Admission;
(e) the
Company having allotted, subject only to Second Admission, the
Second Placing Shares in accordance with the Placing Agreement;
and
(f)
Second Admission having become effective at or before 8.00
a.m. on 23 December 2024 or such later time as Singer CM may agree
with the Company (not being later than 8.00 a.m. on 27 December
2024 (the "Long Stop
Date")),
(all conditions to the obligations of Singer CM
included in the Placing Agreement being together, the "Conditions").
If any of the Conditions are not fulfilled or,
where permitted, waived by Singer CM in accordance with the Placing
Agreement within the stated time periods (or such later time and/or
date as the Company and Singer CM may agree), or the Placing
Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms, the Placing
will lapse and the Placees' rights and obligations 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.
Singer CM may, in its absolute discretion and
upon such terms as it thinks fit, waive fulfilment of all or any of
the Conditions in whole or in part, or extend the time provided for
fulfilment of one or more Conditions, save that certain Conditions
including the 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 this Appendix.
Singer CM may terminate the Placing Agreement
in certain circumstances, details of which are set out
below.
Neither Singer CM nor any of its
Representatives nor the Company 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 condition to the Placing nor for any decision
any of them may make as to the satisfaction of any condition or in
respect of the Placing generally and by participating in the
Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within the
absolute discretion of Singer CM.
Termination of
the Placing
Singer CM may, in its absolute discretion, by
notice to the Company, terminate the Placing Agreement at any time
up to Admission if, inter
alia:
(a)
there has, in the opinion of Singer CM, been a breach of the
warranties given to it;
there has, in the opinion of Singer CM, been a
material adverse change;
any statement contained in this Announcement or
any other document or announcement issued or published by or on
behalf of the Company in connection with the Placing is or has
become or has been discovered to be untrue or inaccurate or
misleading in any respect; or
in the opinion of Singer CM, there has been a
force majeure event, as would in the opinion of Singer CM be likely
to prejudice the success of the Placing.
If the Placing Agreement is terminated in
accordance with its terms, the rights and obligations of each
Placee in respect of the Placing as described in this Announcement
shall cease and terminate at such time and no claim can be made by
any Placee in respect thereof.
By participating in the Placing, each Placee
agrees with the Company and Singer CM that the exercise by the
Company or Singer CM 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 Singer CM or for agreement
between the Company and Singer CM (as the case may be) and that
neither the Company nor Singer CM need make any reference to such
Placee and that none of the Company, Singer CM nor any of their
respective Representatives shall have any liability to such Placee
(or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or
otherwise) whatsoever in connection with any such exercise.
Each Placee further agrees that they will have no rights against
Singer CM, the Company or any of their respective directors or
employees under the Placing Agreement pursuant to the Contracts
(Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 (as amended).
By participating in the Placing, each Placee
agrees that its rights and obligations 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
after confirmation by Singer CM of each Placee's allocation and
commitments in the Placing.
Representations, warranties and further
terms
By participating in the Placing, each Placee
(and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) represents,
warrants, acknowledges and agrees (for itself and for any such
prospective Placee) with the Company and Singer CM (in its capacity
as bookrunner and placing agent of the Company in respect of the
Placing) that (save where Singer CM expressly agrees in writing to
the contrary):
1.
it has read and understood this 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 UK Prospectus Regulation or other applicable
law; and
(b) has
been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing;
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 for the Companies (the "AIM Rules") and the Market Abuse
Regulation (EU Regulation No. 596/2014 as it applies in the United
Kingdom as it forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue
of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "UK 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 has
relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other
position of the Company in accepting a participation
in the Placing and neither Singer CM nor the Company nor any of
their respective Representatives nor 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 this Announcement or the
Publicly Available Information; nor has it requested Singer CM, the
Company, any of their respective Representatives or any person
acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such
information;
5.
neither Singer CM nor any person acting on
behalf of it nor any of its 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 fraudulent
misrepresentation made by that person;
6.
(a) the
only information on which it is entitled to rely on and on which it
has relied in committing to acquire the Placing Shares is contained
in 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
the Publicly Available Information;
(b)
neither Singer CM, nor the Company (nor any of their
respective 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;
(c) it
has conducted its own investigation of the Company, the Placing 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 Singer CM 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 this Announcement and the
Publicly Available Information has been prepared by and is
exclusively the responsibility of the Company and that neither
Singer CM nor any persons acting on its behalf nor any of their
respective Representatives is responsible for or has or shall have
any liability for any information, representation, warranty or
statement relating to the Company contained in this Announcement or
the Publicly Available Information nor will they be liable for any
Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any
information, representation, warranty or statement contained in
this Announcement, the Publicly Available Information or
otherwise. Nothing in this Appendix shall exclude any
liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation;
8.
neither it nor the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares is,
nor will, at the time the Placing Shares are acquired, be a
resident of the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of
South Africa or Japan;
9.
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 securities laws of
the United States, or any state or other jurisdiction of the United
States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or Japan
and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered, sold, taken
up, renounced or delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly,
within the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South
Africa or Japan or in any country or jurisdiction where any such
action for that purpose is required;
10. it
may be asked to disclose in writing or orally to
Singer CM: (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;
11. it
has the funds available to pay for the Placing Shares for which it
has agreed to acquire and acknowledges and agrees that it will pay
the total subscription amount in accordance with the
terms of this Announcement on 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 Singer CM 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
the 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 this Appendix) 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. 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 with an address in, or subject to the laws of, the United
States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa 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 the United States, Australia, Canada, the
Republic of South Africa or Japan and may not be offered, sold, or
acquired, directly or indirectly, within those
jurisdictions;
14. it
and the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares 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;
15. 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;
16. 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;
17. it
understands that:
(a) the
Placing Shares are "restricted securities" within the meaning of
Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act and will be subject to
restrictions on resale and transfer subject to certain exceptions
under US law;
(b) no
representation is made as to the availability of the exemption
provided by Rule 144 of the Securities Act for resales or transfers
of Placing Shares; and
(c) it
will not deposit the Placing Shares in an unrestricted depositary
receipt programme in the United States or for US persons (as
defined in the Securities Act);
18. it
will not offer, sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of any
Placing Shares except:
(a) in
an offshore transaction in accordance with Rules 903 or 904 of
Regulation S under the Securities Act; or
(b)
pursuant to another exemption from registration under the
Securities Act, if available,
and in each case in accordance with all
applicable securities laws of the states of the United States and
other jurisdictions;
19. no
representation has been made as to the availability of the
exemption provided by Rule 144, Rule 144A or any other exemption
under the Securities Act for the reoffer, resale, pledge or
transfer of the Placing Shares;
20. it
understands that the Placing Shares are expected to be issued to it
through CREST but may be issued to it in certificated, definitive
form and acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Shares will, to
the extent they are delivered in certificated form, bear a legend
to the following effect unless agreed otherwise with
the Company:
"THESE SECURITIES 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 OTHER JURISDICTION
OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR
OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT (A) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION
STATEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES
ACT, (B) IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR
RULE 904 OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR (C) PURSUANT
TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND, IN EACH CASE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANY
APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF
THE UNITED STATES. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY
IN THE FOREGOING, THE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE DEPOSITED INTO ANY
UNRESTRICTED DEPOSITARY RECEIPT FACILITY IN RESPECT OF THE
COMPANY'S SECURITIES ESTABLISHED OR MAINTAINED BY A DEPOSITARY
BANK. EACH HOLDER, BY ITS ACCEPTANCE OF THESE SHARES,
REPRESENTS THAT IT UNDERSTANDS AND AGREES TO THE FOREGOING
RESTRICTIONS.";
21. it
is not taking up the Placing Shares as a result of any "general
solicitation" or "general advertising" efforts (as those terms are
defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act) or any "directed
selling efforts" (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the
Securities Act);
22. it
understands that there may be certain consequences under United
States and other tax laws resulting from an investment in the
Placing and it has made such investigation and has consulted its
own independent advisers or otherwise has satisfied itself
concerning, without limitation, the effects of United States
federal, state and local income tax laws and foreign tax laws
generally;
23. it
will not distribute, forward, transfer or otherwise transmit this
Announcement or any part of it, or any other presentational or
other materials concerning the Placing in or into or from the
United States (including electronic copies thereof) to any person,
and it has not distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise
transmitted any such materials to any person;
24.
none of Singer CM, the Company nor any of their
respective Representatives nor 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 Singer
CM and that Singer CM 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;
25. it
will make payment to Singer CM for the Placing Shares
allocated to it in accordance with the terms and conditions of this
Announcement on the due times and dates set out in this
Announcement, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be
placed with others on such terms as Singer CM 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 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 this Announcement) which may arise upon the sale of such
Placee's Placing Shares on its behalf;
26. no
action has been or will be taken by any of the
Company, Singer CM or any person acting on behalf of the Company or
Singer CM 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;
27. 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 Singer CM and the Company will not 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 Singer CM in respect of the same on the
basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to a CREST stock
account of Singer CM or transferred to a CREST stock account of
Singer CM who will hold them as nominee on behalf of the Placee
until settlement in accordance with its standing settlement
instructions with it;
28. 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 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;
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 a Relevant State prior
to the expiry of a period of six months from Admission 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 EU 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 EU 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 this Announcement has not been approved by
Singer CM 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 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 UK MAR in respect of anything done in, from or otherwise
involving the United Kingdom);
34. if
it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article
5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, 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, persons in the United Kingdom other than
Qualified Investors, or in circumstances in which the express prior
written consent of Singer CM has been given to each
proposed offer or resale;
35. if
in the United Kingdom, unless otherwise agreed by Singer CM, 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;
36. if
it has received any inside information (for the purposes of the UK
MAR and section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act 1993 or other
applicable law) about the Company in advance of the
Placing, it warrants that it has received such information within
the market soundings regime provided for in Article 11 of UK MAR
and 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;
37.
Singer CM 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 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, Singer CM and/or any of
its affiliates acting as an investor for its or their own
account(s). Neither Singer CM 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 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 (together, the "Money
Laundering Regulations");
(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,
(together with the Money Laundering
Regulations, the "Regulations") and if making payment on
behalf of a third party, that satisfactory evidence has been
obtained and recorded by it to verify the identity of the third
party as required by the Regulations and has obtained all
governmental and other consents (if any) which may be required for
the purpose of, or as a consequence of, such purchase, and it will
provide promptly to Singer CM such evidence, if any, as to the
identity or location or legal status of any person which it 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 Singer CM 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
Singer CM may decide at its sole discretion;
39. in
order to ensure compliance with the Regulations,
Singer CM (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 Singer CM or the Company's registrars, as applicable, of
evidence of identity, definitive certificates in respect of the
Placing Shares may be retained at Singer CM' absolute discretion
or, where appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in
uncertificated form may be delayed at Singer CM' or the Company's
registrars', as the case may be, absolute discretion. If
within a reasonable time after a request for verification of
identity Singer CM (for itself and as agent on behalf of the
Company) or the Company's registrars have not received evidence
satisfactory to them, either Singer CM 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. 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, pursuant to Rule 9 of the City Code on Takeovers and
Mergers;
41. any
money held in an account with Singer CM 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 Singer CM' money in accordance with the
client money rules and will be used by Singer CM' in the course of
its business; and the Placee will rank only as a general creditor
of Singer CM;
42.
neither it nor, as the case may be, its clients expect Singer
CM 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 Singer CM is not acting for it or its
clients, and that Singer CM will not be responsible for providing
the protections afforded to clients of Singer CM or for providing
advice in respect of the transactions described in this
Announcement;
43. it
acknowledges that its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on the
terms set out in this Announcement and in the form of
confirmation will continue notwithstanding any
amendment that may in future be made to the terms and conditions of
the Placing and that Placees will have no right to be consulted or
require that their consent be obtained with respect to the
Company's or Singer CM's conduct of the Placing;
44. 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;
45. it
irrevocably appoints any duly authorised officer of
Singer CM as its agent for the purpose of executing and
delivering to the Company and/or its registrars any documents on
its behalf necessary to enable it to be registered as the holder of
any of the Placing Shares for which it agrees to acquire upon the
terms of this Announcement;
46. the
Company, Singer CM and others (including each of their respective
Representatives) will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the
foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and
agreements, which are given to Singer CM on its own behalf and on
behalf of the Company and are irrevocable;
47. 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, it:
(a) 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 Singer CM
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);
48.
subject to acquiring any Placing Shares, it will be bound by
the terms of the articles of association of the
Company;
49.
time is of the essence as regards its obligations under this
Appendix;
50. 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 Singer CM;
51. the
Placing Shares will be issued subject to the terms and conditions
of this Appendix; and
52. the
terms and conditions contained in this Appendix and all documents
into which this Appendix is incorporated by reference or otherwise
validly forms 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 or matter arising out of such
contract (including any dispute regarding the existence, validity
or termination or 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 Singer CM 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, Singer CM and each of their respective
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 this Appendix or incurred by Singer CM, the
Company or each of their respective Representatives arising from
the performance of the Placee's obligations as set out in this
Announcement, and further agrees that the provisions of this
Appendix shall survive after the completion of the
Placing.
The rights and remedies of Singer CM 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 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, direct 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
Singer CM 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 Singer CM 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 Singer CM in the event that either
the Company and/or Singer CM have incurred any such liability to
such taxes or duties.
The representations, warranties,
acknowledgements and undertakings contained in this Appendix are
given to Singer CM for itself and on behalf of the Company and are
irrevocable.
Singer CM is authorised and regulated in the
United Kingdom by the FCA and is acting exclusively for the Company
and no one else in connection with the Placing, and Singer CM 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 this Announcement.
Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of
the Placee acknowledges that Singer CM 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.
Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of
the Placee acknowledges and agrees that Singer CM 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 Singer CM, any money held in an account
with Singer CM 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 Singer CM's
money in accordance with the client money rules and will be held by
it under a banking relationship and not as trustee.
References to time in this Announcement are to
London time, unless otherwise stated.
All times and dates in this Announcement may be
subject to amendment. Placees will be notified of any
changes.
No statement in this Announcement is intended
to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no statement in this
Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings per share
of the Company for the current or future financial years would
necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per
share of the Company.
The 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 the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.
Neither the content of the Company's website
nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website
is incorporated in, or forms part of, this Announcement.
APPENDIX II - DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply
throughout this Announcement unless the context otherwise
requires:
"Admission"
First Admission and/or Second Admission (as the context
requires);
"AGM" or "Annual General Meeting" the
Annual General Meeting of the Company to be
held at Mantle Space Offices, Nine Hills Road,
Cambridge, CB2 1GE at 11.00 a.m. on 19 December 2024 or any
adjournment thereof, notice of which is set out at the end of the
Circular;
"AIM"
the market of that name operated by the London Stock
Exchange;
"AIM Rules"
the AIM Rules for Companies, as published and amended
from
time to time by the London Stock
Exchange;
"Allenby Capital"
Allenby Capital Limited, the Company's nominated adviser
pursuant to the AIM Rules;
"Business Day"
any day (other than a Saturday or Sunday) upon
which
commercial banks are open for
business in London, UK;
"certificated" or "in certificated form" an
ordinary share or other security recorded on a company's register
as being held in certificated form (that is not in
CREST);
"Circular"
the circular to be posted to Shareholders shortly in relation to
the Fundraising and incorporating the Notice of Annual General
Meeting;
"Company" or "Frontier IP"
Frontier IP Group plc, a company registered in England and Wales
with company number 06262177;
"Conditional
Fundraising"
the Conditional Placing, the Subscription and the
Retail Offer;
"Conditional
Placing"
the conditional placing of the Conditional Placing
Shares pursuant to the Placing in accordance with Appendix I to
this Announcement;
"Conditional Placing
Shares"
the New Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to
the Conditional Placing, the maximum number as specified in the
executed Placing Terms;
"CREST"
the relevant system (as defined in the CREST Regulations) for the
paperless settlement of share transfers and the holding of
securities in uncertificated form which is administered by
Euroclear;
"Directors" or "Board"
the directors of the Company;
"Enlarged Share Capital"
the issued ordinary share capital of the Company immediately
following Second Admission comprising the Existing
Ordinary Shares and the New Ordinary Shares;
"Existing Ordinary Shares"
the 56,166,946 existing Ordinary Shares in issue as at the date of
this Announcement;
"FCA"
the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom;
"Firm
Placing"
the placing of the Firm Placing Shares pursuant to
the Placing in accordance with Appendix I to this
Announcement;
"Firm Placing
Shares"
the New Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to
the Firm Placing, the maximum number as specified in the executed
Placing Terms;
"First
Admission"
the admission of the Firm Placing Shares to
trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance with Rule 6 of the
AIM Rules for Companies;
"Form of Proxy"
the form of proxy for use in connection with the Annual General
Meeting which accompanies the Circular;
"FSMA"
the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as
amended);
"Fundraising" or "Fundraise"
together, the Placing, the Subscription and the Retail
Offer;
"Fundraising Resolutions"
the resolutions numbered 16 and 17 set out in the Notice of Annual
General Meeting, to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting;
"Group"
together, the Company and its subsidiary undertakings;
"ISIN"
International Securities Identification Number;
"Issue Price"
28 pence per New Ordinary Share;
"Latest Practicable Date"
21 November 2024 being the latest practicable date prior to the
publication of this Announcement;
"London Stock Exchange"
London Stock Exchange plc;
"New Ordinary Shares"
together, the Placing Shares the Subscription Shares and the Retail
Shares;
"Notice of Annual General Meeting" or "Notice"
the notice convening the Annual General Meeting
set out at the end of this Announcement;
"Ordinary Shares"
the ordinary shares of 10 pence each in the capital of the
Company;
"Placees"
the persons who have conditionally agreed to subscribe for
the
Placing Shares under the Placing;
"Placing"
the Firm Placing and/or the Conditional Placing (as the context
requires);
"Placing Agreement"
the conditional placing agreement dated 22 November 2024 between
the Company and Singer CM relating to the
Placing;
"Placing Shares"
the Firm Placing Shares and the Conditional Placing
Shares;
"Placing
Terms"
the terms and conditions set out in Appendix I to
this Announcement;
"Regulatory Information Service"
a service approved by the London Stock Exchange for the
distribution to the public of AIM announcements and included within
the list on the website of the London Stock Exchange;
"Resolutions"
the Resolutions set out in the Notice of Annual
General Meeting to be proposed at the Annual
General Meeting, including the Fundraising Resolutions;
"Retail Offer"
means the conditional offer of the Retail Shares via the PrimaryBid
platform in the United Kingdom at the Issue Price;
"Retail Shares"
up to 3,571,428 New Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to the
Retail Offer subject to, inter
alia, the passing of the Fundraising Resolutions;
"Second
Admission"
the admission of the Conditional Placing Shares,
such number of Retail Shares as are subscribed for pursuant to the
Retail Offer and the Subscription Shares to trading on AIM becoming
effective in accordance with Rule 6 of the AIM Rules for
Companies;
"Shareholder(s)"
holder(s) of Existing Ordinary Shares;
"Singer CM"
Singer Capital Markets Securities Limited, a company incorporated
in England and Wales with company number 05792780, the Company's
broker for the Placing;
"sterling", "pounds
sterling",
the lawful currency of the United Kingdom; "£", "pence" or "p"
"Subscribers"
Professor Dame Julia King, Baroness Brown of
Cambridge, Neil Crabb, Jackie McKay, Nigel
Grierson, Joanne Stent, Matthew White, David Holbrook and Andrew
Johnson being persons who have indicated an intention to subscribe
for the Subscription Shares pursuant to the Subscription Letters,
and each a "Subscriber";
"Subscription"
the conditional subscription for the Subscription
Shares pursuant to the Subscription Letters at the Issue
Price;
"Subscription Letters"
the subscription letters to be entered into
between; the Company and the Subscribers;
"Subscription Shares"
the 1,042,857 New Ordinary Shares proposed to be issued by the
Company to the Subscribers;
"uncertificated" or "in uncertificated
form" recorded on
the register of members of a company as being held in
uncertificated form in CREST and title to which, by virtue of the
CREST Regulations, many be transferred by means of
CREST;
"US$" or "US dollar"
the lawful currency of the United States of America;
and
"US
Person"
a US person as defined in Regulation S promulgated under
the US Securities Act.