THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN, IS
RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN
WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM THE
UNITED STATES, CANADA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH
AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A
VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF THAT JURISDICTION.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD BE READ IN ITS ENTIRETY. FURTHER DETAILS
OF THE FUNDRAISING ARE SET OUT BELOW.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND SHALL
NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR ISSUE OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN
OFFER TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE ANY NEW ORDINARY
SHARES OF GELION PLC.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION AS DEFINED IN
ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION NO. 596/2014 AS IT FORMS
PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
(WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 ("MAR"). UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT, THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN
THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD BE READ IN ITS ENTIRETY. IN
PARTICULAR, YOU SHOULD READ AND UNDERSTAND THE INFORMATION PROVIDED
IN THE APPENDIX WHICH CONTAINS THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
PLACING.
TERMS NOT OTHERWISE DEFINED HEREIN SHALL HAVE THE MEANINGS
GIVEN IN THE SECTION ENTITLED "DEFINITIONS" OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
18 December 2024
Gelion plc
("Gelion"
or the "Company" or the "Group")
Proposed Placing and
Subscription of 10,103,309 New Ordinary Shares
Retail Offer of up to
1,000,000 New Ordinary Shares
Proposed Appointment of Dr
Graham Cooley as Non-Executive Director
Gelion (AIM: GELN) the Anglo-Australian battery innovator announces an
equity fundraising of approximately £1.5 million (before expenses)
by way of the issue of up to 10,103,309 New
Ordinary Shares. The proposed Fundraising comprises a Placing of up
to 6,539,976 Placing Shares and a
Subscription of 3,563,333 Subscription
Shares, as detailed below, each at an Issue Price of 15 pence per New Ordinary Share.
The Company is also pleased to
announce the proposed appointment of Dr Graham Cooley as a
Non-Executive Director. Dr Cooley brings a wealth of relevant
experience and knowledge to the Gelion Board through his background
in the power, energy storage and hydrogen sectors over more than 35
years. He was previously Business Development Manager at National
Power plc, the UK's largest power generator, and CEO of ITM Power
plc, the first hydrogen related company quoted on AIM. Graham has
been involved in a wide range of corporate transactions and has
raised over £600m for UK cleantech SMEs. He has been an
active investor in AIM cleantech companies for over a decade and
holds a PhD in Materials Physics, an MBA and has several fellowship
appointments. Graham is currently a Non-Executive Director of
Cadent Gas, Non-Executive Chairman of Light Science Technologies
and Non-Executive Director of Cap-XX. Dr Cooley intends to participate in the Fundraising by way of the
Placing through the issue of 666,666 Placing Shares at the Issue
Price.
The proposed appointment of Dr
Cooley to the board of Gelion remains subject to approval from the
Company's nominated adviser and completion of the customary due
diligence to satisfy itself as to board composition and the
suitability of the proposed director for the purpose of the AIM
Rules for Nominated Advisers.
A further announcement, including
the requisite Schedule 2(g) disclosure required under the AIM Rules
for Companies, will be made in due course upon Dr Cooley's
appointment to the board of Gelion.
In addition to the Placing and
Subscription, the Company intends to provide existing Shareholders
who have not taken part in the Placing or Subscription with the
opportunity to subscribe for up to 1,000,000 Retail Offer Shares at
the Issue Price to raise up to £0.15 million (before fees and
expenses) by way of a retail offer to be conducted on the Bookbuild
Platform. A separate announcement will be made shortly regarding
the Retail Offer and its terms. The Placing and Subscription are
not conditional upon the Retail Offer. For the avoidance of doubt,
the Retail Offer is not part of the Placing or
Subscription.
Highlights of the Fundraising
· Placing and Subscription with new and existing institutional
and other investors to raise gross proceeds of approximately
£1.5 million.
· Separately, each of the following Directors, namely Steve
Mahon, Thomas Maschmeyer, Joycelyn Morton, Michael Davie, John Wood
and Amit Gupta have confirmed that they intend to subscribe for, in
aggregate, 1,033,330 New Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price
following publication of the Company's financial results for the
year ended 30 June 2024, expected to be on 27 December
2024.
· The
Issue Price represents a discount of approximately 14.3 per cent.
to the closing mid-market price of an Ordinary Share of 17.5 pence
on 17 December 2024 (being the latest practicable date prior to the
release of this Announcement).
· The
proposed Retail Offer to raise up to £150,000, via the Bookbuild
Platform, for which a separate announcement will be made
shortly.
· The
net proceeds of the Fundraising will be used to provide additional
working capital.
· Admission is expected to take place on or around 24 December
2024.
· Awarding of a grant from the Australian Government in respect
of an Advanced Commercial Prototyping Centre ("ACPC") that the Company plans to
commission.
· Appointment of Oberon Capital, as its Joint Broker, with
immediate effect. Oberon Capital is a trading name of Oberon
Investments Limited.
John Wood, CEO of Gelion, commented: "Our team is diligently advancing the commercial readiness of
our innovative battery technologies. We are deeply grateful for the
continued support of our shareholders and are pleased to welcome
new investors joining us in this fundraise. These funds will help
us drive forward our goal of integrating Gelion's technologies into
global supply chains. A key focus in the short term is securing
investment from strategic or corporate partners to establish the
ARENA-supported Advanced Cell Prototyping Centre (ACPC). The ACPC
will produce prototype cells using our technology, enabling
evaluation by end users and supply chain
partners.
This marks an important stage in our
growth, linking our advanced battery solutions with a global
network of partners committed to commercialization. The support of
investors and government agencies like ARENA empowers us to deliver
on our vision, create value, and solidify Gelion's position in the
evolving battery landscape.
I am particularly pleased also that,
subject to the completion of customary due diligence, we will be
joined by Dr. Graham Cooley in the pursuit of our mission.
With his experience and understanding of the process of
commercialization of innovation, the interaction of companies with
public markets, combined with fundamental understanding of the
science behind the products Gelion is developing, Graham will bring
very important perspective."
Dr. Graham Cooley, proposed
Non-Executive Director of Gelion, commented: 'I am looking forward to joining the Gelion board at the
invitation of the Chairman and CEO. I have been closely following
the company's progress and am deeply impressed by its
Lithium-sulfur battery technology. With world-leading energy
density, lower costs, an ethical supply chain, and enhanced safety,
Gelion's innovative approach presents a transformative opportunity
for the energy storage market. I look forward to contributing to
the company's continued growth and success.'
Accelerated Bookbuild
The Placing will be effected by way
of an accelerated bookbuild which will be launched immediately
following this Announcement, in accordance
with the terms and conditions set out in the Appendix to this
Announcement, and will be available to new
and existing eligible institutional investors.
Cavendish is acting as nominated
adviser, joint broker and joint bookrunner in connection with the
Placing. Oberon is acting as joint bookrunner in connection with
the Placing.
A placing agreement has been entered
into today between the Company, Cavendish and Oberon in connection
with the Placing. Further details on the Placing, which is subject
to the terms and conditions set out in the Appendix to this
Announcement, are set out below.
Whilst the Company has already
conducted a focused marketing exercise amongst certain Shareholders
and other investors, and the Company is pleased with the level of
indicative support received to date, there can be no certainty at
this time that the Placing will be successful.
The timing for the close of the
accelerated bookbuild and allocation of the Placing Shares shall be
at the absolute discretion of Cavendish and Oberon, in consultation
with the Company. The final number of Placing Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing will be agreed by Cavendish, Oberon and the
Company at the close of the accelerated bookbuild. The result of
the Placing will be announced as soon as practicable thereafter.
The Placing is not being underwritten.
Further information on the Fundraising, including the expected
timetable of principal events, is set out below. This announcement
should be read in its entirety.
CONTACTS
Gelion plc
John Wood, CEO
Amit Gupta, CFO
Thomas Maschmeyer, Founder and
Principal Technology Advisor
|
via
Alma
|
|
|
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited (Nominated Adviser, Joint Broker, Joint Bookrunner and
UK Retail Offer Coordinator)
|
+44
207 220 0500
|
Corporate Finance
Neil McDonald
Seamus Fricker
Adam Rae
ECM/Sales
Louise Talbot
Graham Hall
|
|
|
|
Oberon Capital (Joint Broker
and Joint Bookrunner)
Nick Lovering
Mike Seabrook
|
+44
203 179 5300
|
|
|
Alma (Financial PR
Adviser)
Justine James
Hannah Campbell
Will Ellis Hancock
|
+44
20 3405 0205
gelion@almastrategic.co.uk
|
Commercialisation milestones and progress
Since the completion of the
Company's most recent fundraising in November 2023, the Company has
achieved a number of key commercial objectives, each marking a
significant step towards Gelion producing a minimum viable product
capable of being manufactured at scale and which will be key to
securing strategic investment in the future.
The successful integration of the
OXLiD business has accelerated the advancement of the Company's
proprietary Li-S cell chemistry leading to the prototype
fabrication of Gelion "GEN 3" cells. During testing conducted
in September 2024, the 12 Ah GEN 3 Li pouch cell delivered an
energy density in excess of 400 wh/kg, which is approximately 60%
higher than the energy density typically achieved by traditional
lithium-ion batteries. GEN 3 also provides a path toward higher
safety and extension of cycle life. In achieving this, Gelion's
cells can address the potential needs of aerospace and defence
manufacturers and could provide a faster route to market for
Gelion's technology.
The Company announced joint
development agreements with both IONBLOX (November 2023) and
Glencore (June 2024) which the Directors believe is a clear signal
of the growing interest in Gelion's technology and product
development.
In 2024, Gelion has also seen its
first commercial order through the Group's Integration Solutions
Business. As announced in October this year, Gelion has been
selected to supply battery energy storage systems ("BESS") to Group Energy Pty Ltd (part of
the larger Borg Group), with the revenue from the circa. £1m
contract expected to be recognised in the current financial year.
The order marks an important tangible step for Gelion in
establishing a new route to market for Gelion's next-generation
battery and leverages Gelion's in-house expertise in battery
management systems ("BMS")
and BESS integration capability, both of which are critical
elements in bringing battery technology to
commerciality.
Gelion has also devised a
proprietary metallurgical recycling process for lithium-ion and
lithium sulphur batteries which has the potential to provide an
additional opportunity for diversification of revenue streams,
simultaneously optimising the cell manufacturing process through
the reduction of waste, operating costs and preservation of
equipment life. Gelion plans to incubate this technology with the
assistance of government grants and is seeking independent
investment to allow the team to focus on the core Li-S technology
development.
Background to and reasons for the
Fundraising
In order to maintain the current
trajectory of development, the Board believes that Gelion should
scale up its testing and manufacturing capability in order to
convert the interest shown by qualified customers in Gelion
products. The ability for Gelion to manufacture pouch cells 'in
house' is the most cost-efficient route to commercialisation; being
significantly less expensive than using external fabricators and
the Board views this as key to unlocking strategic investment in
the future.
The Company therefore plans to
commission an ACPC by Q1 2026 in Sydney, Australia to accelerate
this important next step in Gelion's journey with the support of a
£2.5 million grant awarded by the Australian Renewable Energy
Agency ("ARENA"), an agency
of the Australian government (the "Grant"). The Grant will cover 50% of
the total cost of the ACPC project which is expected to be £5.0
million including the capital expenditure and the operating
expenses of the project, some of which are already in Gelion's cost
base (e.g. Li-S employees, Li-S lab etc.). The award of the
Grant was subject to detailed due diligence and the finalisation of
the definitive funding agreement and underlines the Company's
important role in delivering crucial technologies for net zero, by
helping to helping to electrify multiple sectors.
The ACPC project has alignment with
the objectives of ARENA's Battery Breakthrough Initiative, which
was announced by the Australian Government in the 2024-25 Budget to
promote the development of battery manufacturing
capabilities.
Shareholders should note that the
ACPC Grant commencement is subject to Gelion securing appropriate
co-funding.
The establishment of the ACPC aligns
with Gelion's capital light business model as management believes
that the limited investment in the ACPC will potentially lead to
licencing and manufacturing partnership opportunities.
Utilisation of ARENA's funding will
enable Gelion to accelerate its pathway to scale production and
revenue, with the ACPC program targeted to deliver:
· production of c. 2,000 lithium sulfur ("LiS") and silicon sulfur ("SiS") cells per annum for validation
with potential commercial offtake partners, toward revenue
generation;
· building out key global supply chain partners to underpin
commercial scale up;
· third
party certification of Gelion sulfur battery safety;
· advanced manufacturing methods to create efficiencies when
scaling up production; and
· in-situ-assembly approach to sustainable electrode production
giving Gelion a strong advantage in reducing production costs and
carbon footprint.
The ACPC project costs
include:
· capital expenditure towards equipment enabling the Company to
build and test prototype cells at an accelerated pace. Gelion
already has circa. 10 qualified customers globally who are ready to
test the samples. Gelion will retain complete ownership of any
equipment acquired or IP developed whilst being 50% funded by the
Grant; and
· operating expenses for the following three years, part of
which includes a portion of Gelion's Li-S existing operating costs,
which is expected to reduce the Company's operating costs going
forwards.
The Company's progress over the last
12 months has led to increased recognition as to the prospectivity
of Gelion's solutions and business model across the energy storage
industry. This in turn has led to a noticeable strengthening of
relationships with customers and supply chain partners across
Australia, Asia, Europe, the UK and the US. The Company is
encouraged by its ongoing discussions with major industry
participants and is seeking to leverage these to secure strategic
investment in the medium term. The Board is confident that the net
proceeds of the Fundraising will provide sufficient working capital
to allow the Company to progress and conclude these negotiations
satisfactorily within the next six months. However, there can of
course be no certainty that such a transaction will materialise or
that it will be offered on terms that are acceptable to the
Company.
Acknowledging this risk and the fact
that the net proceeds of the Fundraising are not expected to meet
the Company's cash requirements for the next 12 months, the Board
is taking steps to raise additional funding outside of the
Fundraising and proposed strategic investment through equity or
debt including seeking independent investment in incubated business
units. Alongside this, the Board is prudently considering measures
to reduce its cash burn including discontinuing non-core
operations, reducing headcount, focusing development activities,
and implementing other cost-saving initiatives.
Following the Fundraising, the Board
will rigorously review the business to prioritise areas with near-
and long-term profitability, positive cash flow, and strategic
alignment with Gelion's core strengths to drive commercial
progress. If sufficient debt or equity funding cannot be secured
during FY25, further cost reductions, scaling back operations, or,
in extreme cases, reassessing the Group's viability may be
necessary.
Admission and Settlement
Admission of the New Ordinary Shares
is expected to occur at 8.00 a.m. on 24 December 2024 (or
such later time and/or date as Cavendish, Oberon and the Company
may agree, not being later than the Longstop Date), The New
Ordinary Shares will, on Admission, rank pari passu in all respects with the
Existing Ordinary Shares and will rank in full for all dividends
and other distributions declared, made or paid on the New Ordinary
Shares after Admission.
The Fundraising consists of the
Placing, the Subscription and the Retail Offer and will raise
approximately £1.82 million in aggregate (assuming the Retail Offer
is taken up in full). The Fundraising is conditional upon the
occurrence of Admission. The Placing and Subscription are not
conditional upon the Retail Offer. For the avoidance of doubt, the
Retail Offer is not part of the Placing or Subscription.
Use
of proceeds
The expected application of funds
raised in the Fundraising, assuming the Placing, Subscription and
Retail Offer are taken up in full, is summarised as
follows:
Source of Funds
|
£M
|
|
Use of Funds
|
£M
|
Gross Proceeds from the
Placing
|
0.98
|
|
Working Capital
|
1.58
|
Gross Proceeds from the
Subscription
|
0.53
|
|
Transaction costs
|
0.24
|
Gross Proceeds from the Retail
Offer
|
0.15
|
|
|
|
Gross Proceeds from the Directors
Intended Participation
|
0.16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total sources
|
1.82
|
|
Total use of funds available
|
1.82
|
Current trading and prospects
Based on its unaudited management
accounts, the Company expects its FY24 results to be:
· Revenue (R&D tax incentives and grant income) for the year
ended 30 June 2024 to be c.£2.0 million, in line with market
expectations (£2.0 million);
· Adjusted EBITDA loss[1] of approximately £4.8 million, which is £1.1 million lower
than FY23 Adjusted EBITDA loss of £5.9 million given tight cost
discipline and £0.8 million ahead of market expectations (Adjusted
EBITDA loss of £5.6 million); and
· Net
cash as at 30 June 2024 of £3.8 million which is c. £1.7 million
higher than market expectations.
Throughout FY24, the Company has
also had a focus on cost management reducing annualised costs by
over £1.0 million by successfully taking steps to limit expenditure
where possible.
The current financial year has
started strongly, with the Company making good progress across the
business to accelerate commercialisation and value realisation,
namely:
· In
September 2024, Gelion announced the achievement of an important
milestone - that its GEN 3 Li-S cell delivered an energy density in
excess of 400 wh/kg, which is approximately 60% higher than the
energy density typically achieved by 'traditional' lithium-ion
batteries. Having achieved this milestone, the Company now is
focusing on improving cycle life.
· In
September 2024, the Company announced the incorporation of a wholly
owned new subsidiary, Battery Minerals Ltd ("Battery Minerals") in the UK, to
develop and commercialise the Lithium-ion battery recycling
technology acquired from Johnson Matthey in 2023. Battery Minerals
has also been awarded a grant of up to £170k by the UK Government's
Department of Business and Trade, which will support a more
detailed analysis of the technology as well as an increase in the
technology readiness level. Gelion believes this may potentially
lead to value creation from this non-core IP with limited
investment.
· In
October 2024, the Company launched the Energy Storage Integration
business, with the award of the first commercial order circa. £1
million to supply a BESS to Group Energy Pty Ltd (part of the
larger Borg Group). With this order, the Company has accelerated
the timetable to commercial revenues of circa. £1 million and
positive gross margin to be recognised in this financial year. With
limited working capital exposure through good structuring and the
use of readily available third-party cells, these projects should
enable modest margins but, importantly, margins that are cash flow
positive.
Proposed Participation of the Directors
The directors of the Company have
confirmed their intention to subscribe for 1,033,336 new Ordinary
Shares in aggregate between them (the "Directors' Intended Participation"). As
the Company is currently in a close period under MAR until the
publication of its full year results for the period ended 30 June
2024 ("Results"), the
Directors are not permitted to enter into any arrangement until
after publication of the Results (and subject to each not being in
possession of any other unpublished price sensitive information at
such time). Results are expected to be published on 27 December
2024.
EXPECTED TIMETABLE OF
PRINCIPAL EVENTS
2024
Announcement of the
Fundraising
|
18
December
|
Announcement of the results of the
Placing and Subscription
|
19
December
|
Admission of the New Ordinary Shares
to trading on AIM and commencement of dealings
|
8.00 a.m.
on 24 December
|
CREST accounts to be credited for
New Ordinary Shares to be held in uncertificated form
|
24
December
|
Dispatch of definitive share
certificates for New Ordinary Shares to be held in certificated
form
|
within 10
working days of applicable Admission
|
The Company and Cavendish reserve
the right to alter the dates and times referred to above. If any of
the dates and times referred to above are altered by the Company,
the revised dates and times will be announced through a Regulatory
Information Service without delay.
All references to time in this
announcement are to London time, unless otherwise
stated.
FUNDRAISING
STATISTICS
Issue Price
|
15
pence
|
Number of Ordinary Shares in issue
at the date of this announcement
|
136,010,603
|
Number of Placing Shares
|
6,539,976
|
Number of Subscription
Shares
|
3,563,333
|
Number of Retail Offer
Shares
|
Up to
1,000,000
|
Number of New Ordinary
Shares(i)(ii)
|
11,103,309
|
Number of Ordinary Shares in issue
immediately following Admission(i)(ii)
|
147,113,912
|
Percentage of the Enlarged Share
Capital represented by the New Ordinary Shares(i)(ii)
|
7.5 per
cent.
|
Gross Proceeds of the
Placing
|
£0.98
million
|
Gross Proceeds of the
Subscription
|
£0.53
million
|
Gross Proceeds of the Retail
Offer
|
£0.15
million
|
Estimated cash proceeds of the
Fundraising receivable by the Company (net of
expenses)(iii)
|
£1.665
million
|
(i)
Assumes that all of the Placing Shares and Subscription Shares are
issued and that (save for the New Ordinary Shares) no other
Ordinary Shares are issued following the date of this announcement
prior to Admission.
(ii) Assumes
that the Retail Offer is taken up in full
(iii) Assumes
transaction costs of approximately £0.24m.
IMPORTANT
NOTICES
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN
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 (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY
STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
(COLLECTIVELY, THE "UNITED STATES"), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, SOUTH
AFRICA, JAPAN OR 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 PLACING 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.
This Announcement is not for public
release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, directly
or indirectly, in or into the United States, Australia, Canada,
South Africa, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such
release, publication or distribution would be unlawful.
The securities referred to herein
have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"), and may not be
offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an
applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the US
Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities
laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, or
under the securities laws of Australia, Canada, South Africa,
Japan, or any state, province or territory thereof or any other
jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom, except pursuant to an
applicable exemption from the registration requirements and in
compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state,
province or other jurisdiction of Australia, Canada, South Africa
or Japan (as the case may be).
No public offering of the Placing
Shares is being made in Australia, Canada, South Africa or Japan or
elsewhere.
No action has been taken by the
Company or Cavendish or any of their respective affiliates, or any
of its or their respective directors, officers, partners,
employees, advisers and/or agents (collectively, "Representatives") that would permit an
offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of this
Announcement or any other publicity material relating to such
Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is
required. Persons receiving this Announcement are required to
inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions contained
in this Announcement. Persons (including, without limitation,
nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other legal
obligation to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek
appropriate advice before taking any action. Persons distributing
any part of this Announcement must satisfy themselves that it is
lawful to do so.
No offering document or prospectus
will be made available in any jurisdiction in connection with the
matters contained or referred to in this Announcement or the
Placing and no such prospectus is required to be
published.
Certain statements in this
Announcement are forward-looking statements with respect to the
Company's expectations, intentions and projections regarding its
future performance, strategic initiatives, anticipated events or
trends and other matters that are not historical facts and which
are, by their nature, inherently predictive, speculative and
involve risks and uncertainty because they relate to events and
depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future.
All statements that address expectations or projections about the
future, including statements about operating performance, strategic
initiatives, objectives, market position, industry trends, general
economic conditions, expected expenditures, expected cost savings
and financial results, are forward-looking statements. Any
statements contained in this Announcement that are not statements
of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be,
forward‐looking
statements. These forward-looking statements, which may use words
such as "aim", "anticipate", "believe", "could", "intend",
"estimate", "expect", "may", "plan", "project" or words or terms of
similar meaning or the negative thereof, are not guarantees of
future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks and
uncertainties. There are a number of factors including, but not
limited to, commercial, operational, economic and financial
factors, that could cause actual results, financial condition,
performance or achievements to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by these forward‐looking statements. Many of these
risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the
Company's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as changes
in taxation or fiscal policy, future market conditions, currency
fluctuations, the behaviour of other market participants, the
actions of governments or governmental regulators, or other risk
factors, such as changes in the political, social and regulatory
framework in which the Company operates or in economic or
technological trends or conditions, including inflation, recession
and consumer confidence, on a global, regional or national basis.
Given those risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date of this Announcement. Each of
the Company and Cavendish expressly disclaims any obligation or
undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise
unless required to do so by applicable law or
regulation.
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited,
which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct
Authority ("FCA") in
the United Kingdom, is acting as nominated adviser, joint broker
and joint bookrunner exclusively for the Company and no one else in
connection with the Placing and will not regard any other person
(whether or not a recipient of this Announcement) as a client in
relation to the Placing and will not be responsible to anyone other
than the Company in connection with the Placing or for
providing the protections afforded to their clients or for giving
advice in relation to the Placing or any other matter referred to
in this Announcement. The responsibilities of Cavendish, as
nominated adviser, are owed solely to London Stock Exchange
plc and are not owed to the Company or to any director or any
other person and accordingly no duty of care is accepted in
relation to them. No representation or warranty, express or
implied, is made by Cavendish as to, and no liability whatsoever is
accepted by Cavendish in respect of, any of the contents of this
Announcement (without limiting the statutory rights of any person
to whom this Announcement is issued).
Oberon Investments Limited, trading
as Oberon Capital, which is authorised and
regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, is acting as joint
broker and joint bookrunner exclusively for the Company and no one
else in connection with the Placing and will not regard any other
person (whether or not a recipient of this Announcement) as a
client in relation to the Placing and will not be responsible to
anyone other than the Company in connection with the Placing
or for providing the protections afforded to their clients or for
giving advice in relation to the Placing or any other matter
referred to in this Announcement. No representation or warranty,
express or implied, is made by Oberon as to, and no liability
whatsoever is accepted by Oberon in respect of, any of the contents
of this Announcement (without limiting the statutory rights of any
person to whom this Announcement is issued).
This Announcement is being issued by
and is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representation or
warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in
relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be
accepted by or on behalf of Cavendish (apart from the
responsibilities or liabilities that may be imposed by
the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended
("FSMA") or the regulatory
regime established thereunder) and/or by any of its affiliates
and/or any of its Representatives as to, or in relation to, the
accuracy, adequacy, fairness or completeness of this Announcement
or any other written or oral information made available to or
publicly available to any interested party or their respective
advisers or any other statement made or purported to be made by or
on behalf of Cavendish and/or any of its affiliates and/or by any
of its Representatives in connection with the Company, the Placing
Shares or the Placing and any responsibility and liability whether
arising in tort, contract or otherwise therefor is expressly
disclaimed. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is
made by Cavendish and/or any of its affiliates and/or any of its
Representatives as to the accuracy, fairness, verification,
completeness or sufficiency of the information or opinions
contained in this Announcement or any other written or oral
information made available to or publicly available to any
interested party or their respective advisers, and any liability
therefor is expressly disclaimed.
This Announcement does not
constitute a recommendation concerning any investor's options with
respect to the Placing. Recipients of this Announcement should
conduct their own investigation, evaluation and analysis of the
business, data and other information described in this
Announcement. This Announcement does not identify or suggest, or
purport to identify or suggest, the risks (direct or indirect) that
may be associated with an investment in the Placing Shares. The
price and value of securities can go down as well as up and
investors may not get back the full amount invested upon the
disposal of the shares. Past performance is not a guide to future
performance. The contents of this Announcement are not to be
construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each
investor or prospective investor should consult his or her or its
own legal adviser, business adviser, financial adviser or tax
adviser for legal, business, financial or tax advice.
No statement in this Announcement is
intended to be a profit forecast or profit estimate for any period
and no statement in this Announcement should be interpreted to mean
that earnings, earnings per share or income, cash flow from
operations or free cash flow for the Company for the current or
future financial periods would necessarily match or exceed the
historical published earnings, earnings per share or income, cash
flow from operations or free cash flow for the Company.
All offers of the Placing Shares
will be made pursuant to an exemption under the UK Prospectus
Regulation from the requirement to produce a prospectus. This
Announcement is being distributed and communicated to persons in
the United Kingdom only in circumstances in which section 21(1) of
FSMA does not apply.
The Placing Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than AIM.
The Appendix to this Announcement
sets out the terms and conditions of the Placing. By participating
in the Placing, each Placee will be deemed to have read and
understood this Announcement (including the Appendix) in its
entirety, to be participating in the Placing and making an offer to
acquire and acquiring Placing Shares on the terms and subject to
the conditions set out in the Appendix to this Announcement and to
be providing the representations, warranties, undertakings and
acknowledgements contained in the Appendix to this
Announcement.
Neither the content of the Company's
website (or any other website) nor the content of any website
accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other
website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this
Announcement.
This Announcement has been prepared
for the purposes of complying with applicable law and regulation in
the United Kingdom and the information disclosed may not be the
same as that which would have been disclosed if this Announcement
had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of
any jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.
APPENDIX
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INVITED
PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE PLACING.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (THE "TERMS AND CONDITIONS") ARE FOR
INFORMATION ONLY AND ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY
ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND
DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES
OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS
RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (1) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,
"QUALIFIED INVESTORS", BEING PERSONS FALLING WITHIN THE MEANING OF
ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION, WHO (A) FALL WITHIN
ARTICLE 19(5) (INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES
AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED
(THE "ORDER") OR (B) FALL
WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES,
UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; (2) IF IN MEMBER
STATES OF THE EEA, "QUALIFIED INVESTORS", BEING PERSONS FALLING
WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION; OR
(3) PERSONS TO WHOM THEY MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED
(ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND THE
INFORMATION HEREIN MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO
ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT
ACTIVITY TO WHICH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATE IS AVAILABLE ONLY
TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT
PERSONS. THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS DO NOT THEMSELVES
CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN
THE COMPANY. EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO
LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN
PLACING SHARES.
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE
RESTRICTED AND ARE NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN
WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE
UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR
JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION
OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF
SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN
AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES
ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT") OR UNDER THE
APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY
AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND
MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN
EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN COMPLIANCE
WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER
JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES ARE
BEING OFFERED AND SOLD ONLY OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN "OFFSHORE
TRANSACTIONS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH,
REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND OTHERWISE IN ACCORDANCE
WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE PLACING
SHARES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OR ELSEWHERE.
The distribution of the Terms and
Conditions 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, Cavendish Capital Markets Limited
("Cavendish"), Oberon
Investments Limited, trading as Oberon Capital,
("Oberon"; and together
with Cavendish, the "Joint
Bookrunners" and each a "Joint Bookrunner") or any of their
respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees
that would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or
distribution of the Terms and Conditions 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 these Terms and Conditions come are
required by the Company and the Joint Bookrunners to inform
themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.
The Terms and Conditions or any part
of them are for information purposes only and do not constitute or
form part of any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an
offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the
United States (including its territories and possessions, any state
of the United States and the District of Columbia), Australia,
Canada, the Republic of South Africa 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.
In the United Kingdom, the Terms and
Conditions are 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 these Terms and Conditions, the
Announcement or the Circular. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. The relevant
clearances have not been, nor will they be, obtained from the
securities commission of any province or territory of Canada; no
prospectus has been lodged with, or registered by, the Australian
Securities and Investments Commission or the Japanese Ministry of
Finance; the relevant clearances have not been, and will not be,
obtained for the South Africa Reserve Bank or any other applicable
body in the Republic of South Africa in relation to the Placing
Shares and the Placing Shares have not been, nor will they be,
registered under or offered in compliance with the securities laws
of any state, province or territory of Australia, Canada, the
Republic of South Africa or Japan. Accordingly, the Placing
Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities
laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly
or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, the Republic of South
Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such offer,
sale, re-sale or delivery would be unlawful.
UK
Product Governance Requirements
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook
Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the
"UK Product Governance
Requirements") and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any
"manufacturer" (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance
Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing
Shares have been subject to a product approval process which has
determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end
target market of: (A) retail investors; (B) investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients; and (C) eligible counterparties
(each as defined in MiFID II (as defined below)); and (ii) eligible
for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted
by MiFID II (the "UK Target Market
Assessment"). Notwithstanding the UK Target Market
Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no
capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is
compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income
or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an
appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient
resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
The UK Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the offer. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment, the Joint
Bookrunners will only procure investors who meet the criteria of
professional clients and eligible counterparties. For the avoidance
of doubt, the UK Target Market Assessment does not constitute an
assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of
Chapter 9A or 10A respectively of the FCA Handbook Conduct of
Business Sourcebook, or a recommendation to any investor or group
of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action
whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares. Each distributor is
responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in
respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate
distribution channels.
EU
Product Governance Requirements
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive
2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended
("MiFID II"); Articles 9
and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593
supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures
(together, the "MiFID II Product
Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any
liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which
any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product
Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto,
the Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval process
which has determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible
with an end target market of: (A) retail investors; (B) investors
who meet the criteria of professional clients; and (C) eligible
counterparties (each as defined in MiFID II); and (ii) eligible for
distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by
MiFID II (the "EU Target Market
Assessment"). Notwithstanding the EU Target Market
Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no
capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is
compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income
or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an
appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient
resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
The EU Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the offer. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the EU Target Market Assessment, the Joint
Bookrunners will only procure investors who meet the criteria of
professional clients and eligible counterparties. For the avoidance
of doubt, the EU Target Market Assessment does not constitute an
assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of
MiFID II, or a recommendation to any investor or group of investors
to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with
respect to the Placing Shares. Each distributor is responsible for
undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the
Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution
channels.
Persons (including, without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or
other legal obligations to forward a copy of the Terms and
Conditions (or any part of them) should seek appropriate advice
before taking any action.
The Terms and Conditions should be
read in their entirety.
Introduction
These Terms and Conditions apply to
persons making an offer to acquire Placing Shares under the
Placing. Each Placee which confirms its agreement to the relevant
Joint Bookrunner to subscribe for Placing Shares under the Placing
hereby agrees with the relevant Joint Bookrunner and the Company
that it will be bound by these Terms and Conditions and will be
deemed to have accepted them.
The Company and the Joint
Bookrunners may require any Placee to agree to such further terms
and/or conditions and/or give such additional warranties and/or
representations as they (in their absolute discretion) see fit
and/or may require any such Placee to execute a separate placing
letter.
By participating in the Placing
(such participation to be confirmed in and evidenced by either (i)
a recorded telephone conversation or (ii) email correspondence, in
either case between representatives of the relevant Joint
Bookrunner and the relevant Placee (a "Recorded Commitment")), each Placee
will be deemed to have read and understood these Terms and
Conditions in their entirety, to be providing the representations,
warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and undertakings
contained in these Terms and Conditions, and to be irrevocably
offering to participate and acquire Placing Shares on these Terms
and Conditions. Such offer shall be deemed to be accepted,
and a Placee shall become bound to acquire Placing Shares, when the
relevant Joint Bookrunner confirms to such Placee its allocation of
Placing Shares. Upon being notified of its allocation of
Placing Shares, a Placee shall be contractually committed to
acquire the number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the Issue
Price.
Each Placee irrevocably represents,
warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst other
things) to the Company and the Joint Bookrunners that:
1.
it is a Relevant Person and that it will acquire,
hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to
it for the purposes of its business;
2.
it is acquiring the Placing Shares for its own
account or is acquiring the Placing Shares for an account with
respect to which it exercises sole investment discretion and has
the authority to make and does make the representations,
warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements, undertakings and
agreements contained in these Terms and Conditions;
3.
it understands (or if acting for the account of
another person, such person has confirmed that such person
understands) and agrees to comply with the resale and transfer
restrictions set out in these Terms and Conditions; and
4.
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
2 above) is outside 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
(i) the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") or (ii) any competent authority
of any Relevant Member State, in relation to the Placing or the
Placing Shares and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the
basis of the information contained in this Announcement and any
information publicly announced through a Regulatory Information
Service (as defined in the AIM Rules for Companies (the
"AIM Rules")) by or on
behalf of the Company on or prior to the date of these Terms and
Conditions (the "Publicly
Available Information") and subject to any further terms set
forth in writing in any contract note sent to an individual
Placee.
Each Placee, by participating in the
Placing, agrees that the content of this Announcement is
exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it
has neither received nor relied on any information (other than the
Publicly Available Information), representation, warranty or
statement made by or on behalf of the Joint Bookrunners or the
Company or any other person and neither of the Joint Bookrunners,
the Company nor any other person acting on such person's behalf nor
any of their respective affiliates has or shall have any liability
for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on
any other information, representation, warranty or statement.
Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own
investigation of the business, financial or other position of the
Company in accepting a participation in the Placing. No
Placee should consider any information in this Announcement or
these Terms and Conditions to be legal, tax, business or other
advice. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the liability
of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation.
Details of the Placing Agreement and the Placing
Shares
The Joint Bookrunners have entered
into the Placing Agreement with the Company pursuant to which, on
the terms and subject to the conditions set out in such Placing
Agreement, each of the Joint Bookrunners as agent for and on behalf
of the Company, have agreed severally, and not jointly or jointly
and severally, to use their reasonable endeavours to procure
Placees for the Placing Shares at the Issue Price. The Placing is
not being underwritten by either of the Joint
Bookrunners
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be subject to the memorandum and articles of association of
the Company and credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the
existing issued Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all
dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect
of such Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing
Shares.
Application for admission to trading
Application(s) will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for admission of the Placing Shares to
trading on AIM.
It is expected that Admission will
take place on the Admission Date and that dealings in the Placing
Shares on AIM will commence at the same time.
Principal terms of the Placing
1. Cavendish
is acting as nominated adviser, joint broker and joint bookrunner
to the Placing, as agent for and on behalf of the
Company.
2. Oberon is
acting as joint broker and joint bookrunner to the Placing, as
agent for and on behalf of the Company.
3.
Participation in the Placing is by invitation only and will only be
available to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited by the
Joint Bookrunners to participate. The Joint Bookrunners and any of
their affiliates are entitled to participate in the Placing as
principal.
4. Each
Placee's allocation will be confirmed to Placees orally, or in
writing (which can include email), by the relevant Joint Bookrunner
and a trade confirmation or contract note will be dispatched as
soon as possible thereafter. The relevant Joint Bookrunner's oral
or written confirmation will give rise to an irrevocable, legally
binding commitment by that Placee, in favour of the relevant Joint
Bookrunner and the Company, under which it agrees to acquire by
subscription the number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the
Issue Price and otherwise on these Terms and Conditions.
Except with the consent of the relevant Joint Bookrunner, such
commitment will not be capable of variation or
revocation.
5.
The Issue Price is payable to the relevant Joint
Bookrunner (as agent for the Company) by all Placees.
6.
Each Placee's allocation and whether such Placee
participates in the Placing will be determined by the relevant
Joint Bookrunner in its reasonable discretion following
consultation with the Company and will be confirmed by the relevant
Joint Bookrunner.
7.
Each Placee's commitment will be confirmed in and
evidenced by a Recorded Commitment. These Terms and
Conditions will be deemed incorporated into the contract which is
entered into by way of a Recorded Commitment and will be legally
binding on the relevant Placee(s) on behalf of whom the commitment
is made with effect from the end of the Recorded Commitment and,
except with the relevant Joint Bookrunner's prior written consent,
will not be capable of variation or revocation after such
time. Without prejudice to the foregoing, a contract note
recording each Placee's commitment will be sent to them following
the Recorded Commitment. These Terms and Conditions shall be deemed
incorporated into any such contract note.
8.
Each Placee will confirm the maximum number of
Placing Shares it is willing to acquire in a Recorded Commitment.
Once they have made a Recorded Commitment, each Placee will have an
immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to
the relevant Joint Bookrunner (as agent for the Company), to pay to
it (or as it may direct) in cleared funds an amount equal to the
product of the Issue Price and the number of Placing Shares such
Placee has agreed to acquire.
9.
The Joint Bookrunners reserve the right to scale
back the number of Placing Shares to be subscribed by any Placee in
the event that the Placing is oversubscribed. The Joint Bookrunners
also reserve the right not to accept offers to subscribe for
Placing Shares or to accept such offers in part rather than in
whole. The acceptance and, if applicable, scaling back of offers
shall be at the absolute discretion of the Joint
Bookrunners.
10.
Except as required by law or regulation, no press
release or other announcement will be made by the Joint Bookrunners
or the Company using the name of any Placee (or its agent), in its
capacity as Placee (or agent), other than with such Placee's prior
written consent.
11.
Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's
allocation(s) pursuant to the Placing is/are confirmed, settlement
for all Placing Shares to be acquired pursuant to the Placing will
be required to be made at the same time, on the basis explained
below under "Registration and
settlement".
12.
All obligations 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".
13.
By participating in the Placing, each Placee
agrees that its rights and obligations in respect of the Placing
will terminate only in the circumstances described below and will
not be capable of rescission or termination by the
Placee.
14.
To the fullest extent permissible by law and
applicable FCA rules, neither:
(a) either of the
Joint Bookrunners;
(b) either of the
Joint Bookrunner's affiliates, agents, advisers, directors,
officers, consultants or employees; nor
(c) to the extent
not contained within (a) or (b), any person connected with either
of the Joint Bookrunners as defined in the FSMA ((b) and (c) being
together "affiliates" and
individually an "affiliate"
of each of the Joint Bookrunners),
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 of the Joint Bookrunners
nor any of their respective affiliates shall have any liability
(including, to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties)
in respect of their conduct of the Placing or of such alternative
method of effecting the Placing as the Joint Bookrunners and the
Company may agree.
Registration and settlement
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee will be deemed to agree that it will do all things
necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed as
directed by the relevant Joint Bookrunner in accordance with either
the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions which
they have in place with the relevant Joint Bookrunner.
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares following Admission will take place within the CREST
system, subject to certain exceptions. Settlement through CREST
will be on a delivery versus payment basis ("DVP") unless otherwise notified by the
Joint Bookrunners and is expected to occur on the Admission
Settlement Date.
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 each of the Joint Bookrunners may agree that the Placing Shares
(or any of them) should be issued in certificated form. Each
of the Joint Bookrunners reserves the right to require settlement
for any of the Placing Shares, and to deliver any of the Placing
Shares to any Placees, by such other means as they deem necessary
if delivery or settlement to any Placee is not practicable within
the CREST system or would not be consistent with regulatory
requirements in the jurisdiction in which a Placee is
located.
Interest is chargeable daily on
payments not received from Placees on or before the due date in
accordance with the arrangements set out above, in respect of
either CREST or certificated deliveries, at the rate of 3
percentage points above prevailing base rate of Barclays Bank plc
as determined by the Joint Bookrunners.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that
if it does not comply with these obligations, the Joint Bookrunners
may sell any or all of their Placing Shares on their behalf and
retain from the proceeds, for the Company'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 Issue Price and for any stamp
duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any interest or
penalties) which may arise upon the sale of its Placing Shares on
its behalf.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees must ensure
that, upon receipt, any relevant contract note is copied and
delivered immediately to the relevant person within that
organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares are registered in a
Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name of any person
for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of a nominee for
such person, such Placing Shares should, subject as provided below,
be so registered free from any liability to United Kingdom stamp
duty or stamp duty reserve tax. 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 the Joint
Bookrunners under the Placing Agreement are, and the Placing of the
Placing Shares is, conditional upon, inter alia:
(a) the warranties
and undertakings contained in the Placing Agreement ("Warranties") being, in all material
respects, true, accurate and not misleading when made on the date
of the Placing Agreement and at Admission by reference to the facts
and circumstances subsisting at that time;
(b) the Joint
Bookrunners not having exercised their rights to terminate the
Placing Agreement; and
(c) Admission having
occurred on or before 8.00 am on the
Admission Date.
All conditions to the obligations of
the Joint Bookrunners included in the Placing Agreement are
together referred to in these Terms and Conditions as the
"conditions".
If any of the conditions is not
fulfilled or, where permitted, waived in accordance with the
Placing Agreement within the stated time periods (or such later
time and/or date as the Company and the Joint Bookrunners may
agree), or the Placing Agreement is terminated in accordance with
its terms, the Placing (or such part of it as may then remain to be
completed) will lapse and the Placee's 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.
The Joint Bookrunners may, in their
absolute discretion and upon such terms as it thinks fit, waive
fulfilment of all or any of the conditions in the Placing Agreement
which are capable of waiver, in whole or in part, or extend the
time provided for fulfilment of one or more conditions, save that
certain conditions (including the condition relating to Admission
referred to in paragraph (c) above) may not be waived. Any
such extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as
set out in these Terms and Conditions.
The Joint Bookrunners may terminate
the Placing Agreement in certain circumstances, details of which
are set out below.
Neither of the Joint Bookrunners nor
any of their affiliates, agents, advisers, directors, officers or
employees 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 (or any part thereof)
nor for any decision any of them may make as to the satisfaction of
any condition or in respect of the Placing generally (or any part
thereof) and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees
that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of the
Joint Bookrunners.
Termination of the Placing
Either of the Joint Bookrunners may,
in their absolute discretion, by notice to the Company, terminate
the Placing Agreement at any time up to Admission if, inter alia:
(a) any statement
contained in the Announcement, the investor presentation relating
to the Fundraising or the Circular (the "Placing Documents") has become or been
discovered to be untrue, incorrect or misleading in any material
respect, or there is a material mistake or inaccuracy in the
Placing Documents, or any matter has arisen which would, if the
Placing Documents were issued at that time, constitute a material
omission from the Placing Documents or any of them
or there arises any material new factor, mistake
or inaccuracy relating to the information in the Placing
Documents;
(b) any of the
Warranties was untrue, inaccurate or misleading in any material
respect when made and/or that any of the Warranties has ceased to
be true or accurate or has become misleading in any material
respect at any time prior to Admission, in each case by reference
to the facts and circumstances subsisting at that time;
(c) any matter has
arisen giving an entitlement on the part of any indemnified person
to make a claim under the indemnity contained in the Placing
Agreement in any material respect;
(d) the Company has
not complied or cannot comply with any of its obligations under the
Placing Agreement or otherwise relating to the Placing (to the
extent that such obligations falls due to be undertaken prior to
Admission) and which is material in the context of the Company, the
Placing Agreement or the Fundraising; or
(e) there has been a
force majeure event which in the opinion of the relevant Joint
Bookrunner, is, will or may be materially prejudicial to the
Company or to the successful outcome 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 these
Terms and Conditions 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 the Joint Bookrunners that
the exercise by the Company or either of the Joint Bookrunners 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 the Joint Bookrunners or for agreement between
the Company and the Joint Bookrunners (as the case may be) and that
neither the Company nor either of the Joint Bookrunners need make
any reference to such Placee and that neither of the Company, the
Joint Bookrunners nor any of their respective affiliates, agents,
advisers, directors, officers or employees 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.
By agreeing with the relevant Joint
Bookrunner as agent of the Company to subscribe for Placing Shares
under the Placing, a Placee (and any person acting on a Placee's
behalf) will irrevocably acknowledge and confirm and warrant and
undertake to, and agree with, each of the Company and the relevant
Joint Bookrunner, in each case as a fundamental term of such
Placee's application for Placing Shares and of the Company's
obligation to allot and/or issue any Placing Shares to it or at its
direction, that its rights and obligations in respect of the
Placing (or any part of it) will terminate only in the
circumstances described above and under the "Conditions of the Placing" section
above and will not be capable of rescission or termination by it in
any other circumstances.
Representations, warranties and further
terms
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf)
represents, warrants, acknowledges, undertakes, confirms and agrees
with each of the Joint Bookrunners (for itself and for any such
prospective Placee) that (save where the Joint Bookrunners
expressly agree in writing to the contrary):
1.
it has read and understood these Terms and
Conditions in their 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 a prospectus or other offering
document in connection with the Placing and acknowledges that no
prospectus or other offering document:
(a) is required
under any applicable law; and
(b) has been or will
be prepared in connection with the Placing,
and, in particular, that the
Subscription and Retail Offer referred to in the Announcement and
the Circular relating thereto are separate from the Placing and do
not form part of any offer or agreement concerning the Placing
and/or any Placing Shares;
3.
the Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on
AIM, and that the Company is therefore required to publish certain
business and financial information in accordance with the AIM Rules
and the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation No. 596/2014) as it
forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "MAR")), which includes a description
of the nature of the Company's business and the Company's most
recent balance sheet and profit and loss account and that it is
able to obtain or access such information without undue difficulty,
and is able to obtain access to such information or comparable
information concerning any other publicly traded company, without
undue difficulty;
4.
it has made its own assessment of the Placing
Shares and the terms of the Placing and has relied on its own
investigation of the business, financial position and other aspects
of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing and
neither of the Joint Bookrunners nor the Company nor any of their
respective affiliates, agents, advisers, directors, officers or
employees 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 the Announcement and these Terms and Conditions or
the Publicly Available Information; nor has it requested from the
Joint Bookrunners, the Company, any of their respective affiliates,
agents, advisers, directors, employees or officers or any person
acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such
information;
5.
neither of the Joint Bookrunners nor any person
acting on behalf of them nor any of their respective affiliates,
agents, directors, officers or employees has or shall have any
liability for any Publicly Available Information, or any
representation relating to the Company, provided that nothing in
the Terms and Conditions excludes the liability of any person for
any fraudulent misrepresentation made by that person;
6.
(a) the only
information which it is entitled to rely on and on which it has
relied in committing to acquire the Placing Shares is contained in
this Announcement and the Publicly Available Information, such
information being all that it deems necessary to make an investment
decision in respect of the Placing Shares and it has made its own
assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and the terms of the
Placing based on this Announcement and the Publicly Available
Information;
(b) neither of the
Joint Bookrunner's nor any of their affiliates, agents, directors,
officers or employees 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
Placing Documents or 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 the Joint Bookrunners or any
person acting on their behalf may have conducted with respect to
the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares;
7.
the content of the Announcement and the other
Publicly Available Information as well as any information made
available (in written or oral form) in presentations or as part of
roadshow discussions with investors relating to the Company (the
"Information") has been
prepared by and is exclusively the responsibility of the Company
and that neither the Joint Bookrunners nor any persons acting on
their behalf are responsible for or has or shall have any liability
for any such Information, representation, warranty or statement
relating to the Company contained therein nor will they be liable
for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on
any Information or any representation, warranty or statement
contained therein or otherwise. Nothing in these Terms and
Conditions shall exclude any liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation;
8.
it has the funds available to pay for the Placing
Shares which it has agreed to acquire and acknowledges and agrees
that it will pay the total subscription amount in accordance with
these Terms and Conditions by the due time and date set out herein,
failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other
Placees or sold at such price as the Joint Bookrunners
determine;
9.
it and/or each person on whose behalf it is
participating:
(a) is entitled to
acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing under the laws and
regulations of all relevant jurisdictions;
(b) has fully
observed such laws and regulations;
(c) has capacity and
authority and is entitled to enter into and perform its obligations
as an acquirer of Placing Shares and will honour such obligations;
and
(d) has obtained all
necessary consents and authorities (including, without limitation,
in the case of a person acting on behalf of a Placee, all necessary
consents and authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred
to in these Terms and Conditions) under those laws or otherwise and
complied with all necessary formalities to enable it to enter into
the transactions contemplated hereby and to perform its obligations
in relation thereto and, in particular, if it is a pension fund or
investment company it is aware of and acknowledges it is required
to comply with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to
its acquisition of Placing Shares;
10.
in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it
as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Regulation
5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation and Regulation 5(1) of the UK
Prospectus Regulation:
(a)
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing
have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired
with a view to their offer or resale in circumstances where either
the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation applies
to, persons in any Relevant Member State or in the UK other than
Qualified Investors (as defined under the Prospectus Regulation or
the UK Prospectus Regulation respectively) in circumstances in
which the prior consent of the Joint Bookrunners has not been given
to the offer or resale; or
(b)
where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on
behalf of persons in any member state of the EEA or in the UK other
than EU or UK Qualified Investors (as defined under the Prospectus
Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation respectively), the offer
of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus
Regulation or the EU Prospectus Regulation as having been made to
such persons;
11.
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 have an address in, or be subject to
the laws of, 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 Australia, Canada, the Republic of
South Africa or Japan and may not be offered, sold, or acquired,
directly or indirectly, within those jurisdictions;
12.
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;
13.
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;
14.
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;
15.
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 all other applicable jurisdictions;
16.
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;
17.
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 and the Joint
Bookrunners:
"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, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, WITHIN, INTO OR FROM
THE UNITED STATES OR TO, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OR BENEFIT OF, US
PERSONS (AS DEFINED IN REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT)
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";
18.
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 the Securities Act) or any "directed
selling efforts" (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the
Securities Act);
19.
it will not distribute, forward, transfer or
otherwise transmit these Terms and Conditions and/or the
Announcement or any part of them, or any other presentational or
other materials concerning the Placing in or into or from the
United States (including electronic copies thereof) to any person,
and it has not distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise
transmitted any such materials to any person;
20.
neither the Joint Bookrunners, nor their
affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them is making
any recommendations to it or advising it regarding the suitability
of any transactions it may enter into in connection with the
Placing and that participation in the Placing is on the basis that
it is not and will not be a client of either of the Joint
Bookrunners and that no Joint Bookrunner has any 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;
21.
it will make payment to the relevant Joint
Bookrunner for the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance
with these Terms and Conditions on or by the specified time (being
the Admission Settlement Date in respect of any Placing Shares),
failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with others
on such terms as the Joint Bookrunners determine in their absolute
discretion without liability to the Placee and it will remain
liable for any shortfall below the net proceeds of such sale and
the placing proceeds of such Placing Shares and may be required to
bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any
interest or penalties due pursuant to the terms set out or referred
to in these Terms and Conditions) which may arise upon the sale of
such Placee's Placing Shares on its behalf;
22.
its allocation (if any) of Placing Shares will
represent a maximum number of Placing Shares which it will be
entitled, and required, to subscribe for, and that the relevant
Joint Bookrunner may call upon it to subscribe for a lower number
of Placing Shares (if any), but in no event in aggregate more than
the aforementioned maximum;
23.
no action has been or will be taken by any of the
Company, the Joint Bookrunners or any person acting on behalf of
the Company or the Joint Bookrunners 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;
24.
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;
25.
neither of the Joint Bookrunners or the Company
will be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax payable on the acquisition of the Placing Shares.
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 each of the Joint Bookrunners in respect
of the same on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted
to a CREST stock account of either of the Joint Bookrunners or
transferred to a CREST stock account of either of the Joint
Bookrunners who will hold them as nominee on behalf of the Placee
until settlement in accordance with its standing settlement
instructions with it;
26.
the allocation, allotment, issue and delivery to
it, or the person specified by it for registration as holder, of
Placing Shares will not give rise to a stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax liability under (or at a rate determined under) any of
sections 67, 70, 93 or 96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depository
receipts and clearance services) and that it, or the person
specified by it for registration as holder of Placing Shares, is
not participating in the Placing as nominee or agent for any person
or persons to whom the allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of
Placing Shares would give rise to such a liability;
27.
it will (or will procure that its nominee will),
if applicable, make notification to the Company of the interest in
its ordinary shares in accordance with the Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules published by the FCA;
28. as far as it is
aware it is not acting in concert (within the meaning given in The
City Code on Takeovers and Mergers) with any other person in
relation to the Company, save as previously disclosed to the Joint
Bookrunners;
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 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;
31.
it has only communicated or caused to be
communicated and it will only communicate or cause to be
communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment
activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) relating to
Placing Shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the FSMA
does not require approval of the communication by an authorised
person and it acknowledges and agrees that neither these Terms and
Conditions nor the Announcement has not been approved by either of
the Joint Bookrunners in their 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;
32.
it has complied and it will comply with all
applicable laws in any jurisdiction with respect to anything done
by it or on its behalf in relation to the Placing Shares (including
all relevant provisions of the FSMA in respect of anything done in,
from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom);
33.
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing
will not be acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor
will they be acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, any
person save in circumstances in which the express prior written
consent of the Joint Bookrunners has been given to the offer or
resale;
34.
if it has received any inside information (for the
purposes of the MAR and/or section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act
1993 or other applicable law) about the Company in advance of the
Placing, it has not:
(a) dealt (or
attempted to deal) in the securities of the Company;
(b) encouraged,
recommended or induced another person to deal in the securities of
the Company; or
(c) unlawfully
disclosed such information to any person, prior to the information
being made publicly available;
35.
neither of the Joint Bookrunners, the Company nor
any of their respective affiliates, agents, advisers, directors,
officers or employees nor any person acting on behalf of the Joint
Bookrunners or their affiliates, agents, advisers, directors,
officers or employees nor any person acting on behalf of any of
them is making any recommendations to it, advising it regarding the
suitability of any transactions it may enter into in connection
with the Placing nor providing advice in relation to the Placing
nor in respect of any representations, warranties,
acknowledgements, agreements, undertakings, or indemnities
contained in the Placing Agreement nor the exercise or performance
of any of the Joint Bookrunner's rights and obligations thereunder
including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise
any termination right;
36.
the Joint Bookrunners and their 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 the
Announcement and/or these Terms and Conditions to the Placing
Shares being offered, subscribed, acquired or otherwise dealt with
should be read as including any offer to, or subscription,
acquisition or dealing by, the Joint Bookrunners and/or any of
their affiliates acting as an investor for its or their own
account(s). Neither of the Joint Bookrunners 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;
37.
it:
(a) has complied,
and will comply, with its obligations in connection with money
laundering and terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act
2002, the Terrorism Act 2000 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2006
and the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds
(Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017;
(b) is not a
person:
(i)
with whom transactions are prohibited under the US
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 or any economic sanction
programmes administered by, or regulations promulgated by, the
Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury;
(ii)
named on the Consolidated List of Financial
Sanctions Targets maintained by HM Treasury of the United Kingdom;
or
(iii)
subject to financial sanctions imposed pursuant to
a regulation of the European Union or a regulation adopted by the
United Nations or other applicable law,
(all such statutes, rules and
regulations referred to in this paragraph 37 together, the "Regulations") and if making payment on
behalf of a third party, satisfactory evidence has been obtained
and recorded by it to verify the identity of the third party as
required by the Regulations and it has obtained all governmental
and other consents (if any) which may be required for the purpose
of, or as a consequence of, such purchase, and it will provide
promptly to the Joint Bookrunners such evidence, if any, as to the
identity or location or legal status of any person which they may
request from it in connection with the Placing (for the purpose of
complying with the Regulations or ascertaining the nationality of
any person or the jurisdiction(s) to which any person is subject or
otherwise) in the form and manner requested by the Joint
Bookrunners 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 the Joint Bookrunners may decide in their
discretion;
38.
in order to ensure compliance with the
Regulations, the Joint Bookrunners (each for themselves and as
agent on behalf of the Company) or the Company's registrars may, in
their absolute discretion, require verification of its
identity. Pending the provision to the Joint Bookrunners or
the Company's registrars, as applicable, of evidence of identity,
definitive certificates in respect of the Placing Shares may be
retained at the Joint Bookrunners' absolute discretion or, where
appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in uncertificated
form may be delayed at the Joint Bookrunners' or the Company's
registrars', as the case may be, in their absolute discretion. If
within a reasonable time after a request for verification of
identity the Joint Bookrunners (each for themselves and as agent on
behalf of the Company) or the Company's registrars have not
received evidence satisfactory to them, either the Joint
Bookrunners and/or the Company may, at their absolute discretion,
terminate their 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;
39.
its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on the
Terms and Conditions will continue notwithstanding any amendment
that may in future be made to the terms and conditions of the
Placing and that Placees will have no right to be consulted or
require that their consent be obtained with respect to the
Company's or the Joint Bookrunners' conduct of the
Placing;
40.
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;
41.
it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised
officer of any of the Joint Bookrunners as its agent for the
purpose of executing and delivering to the Company and/or its
registrars any documents on its behalf necessary to enable it to be
registered as the holder of any of the Placing Shares which it
agrees to acquire upon the these Terms and Conditions;
42.
the Company, the Joint Bookrunners and others
(including each of their respective affiliates, agents, advisers,
directors, officers and employees) will rely upon the truth and
accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties,
acknowledgements and agreements, which are given to the Joint
Bookrunners, each on their own behalf and on behalf of the Company
and are irrevocable;
43.
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 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;
44.
time is of the essence as regards its obligations
under these Terms and Conditions;
45.
any document that is to be sent to it in
connection with the Placing will be sent at its risk and may be
sent to it at any address provided by it to the Joint
Bookrunners;
46.
the Placing Shares will be issued subject to these
Terms and Conditions; and
47.
these Terms and Conditions and all documents into
which these Terms and Conditions are incorporated by reference or
of which they otherwise validly form a part and/or any agreements
entered into pursuant to these Terms and Conditions and all
agreements to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing will
be governed by and construed in accordance with English law and it
submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts in
relation to any claim, dispute (contractual or otherwise) or matter
arising out of or in connection with such contract 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 the Joint Bookrunners 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, the Joint Bookrunners and each
of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers and
employees harmless from any and all costs, claims, liabilities and
expenses (including legal fees and expenses) arising out of or in
connection with any breach of the representations, warranties,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings given by the Placee
(and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) in these Terms and
Conditions or incurred by the Joint Bookrunners, the Company or any
of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees arising from the performance of the Placee's obligations
as set out in these Terms and Conditions, and further agrees that
the provisions of these Terms and Conditions shall survive after
the completion of the Placing.
The agreement to allot and issue
Placing Shares to Placees (or the persons for whom Placees are
contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax
in the United Kingdom relates only to their allotment and issue to
Placees, or such persons as they nominate as their agents, directly
by the Company. Such agreement assumes that the Placing
Shares are not being acquired in connection with arrangements to
issue depositary receipts or to transfer the Placing Shares into a
clearance service. If there are any such arrangements, or the
settlement related to any other dealings in the Placing Shares,
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax may be payable. In that
event, the Placee agrees that it shall be responsible for such
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax and neither the Company nor
the Joint Bookrunners 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 the Joint
Bookrunners 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 the
Joint Bookrunners in the event that either of the Company and/or
the Joint Bookrunners have incurred any such liability to such
taxes or duties.
The representations, warranties,
acknowledgements and undertakings contained in these Terms and
Conditions are given to each Joint Bookrunner for itself and on
behalf of the Company and are irrevocable.
Cavendish 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 Cavendish 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 these Terms and
Conditions.
Oberon 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 Oberon
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 these Terms and Conditions.
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of the Placee acknowledges that the Joint Bookrunners do not
owe any fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in respect of any
representations, warranties, undertakings, acknowledgements,
agreements or indemnities in the Placing Agreement.
The provisions of these Terms and
Conditions may be varied, waived or modified as regards specific
Placees or on a general basis by the Joint Bookrunners provided
always that such variation, waiver or modification is not
materially prejudicial to the interests of the Company.
In the case of a joint agreement to
acquire Placing Shares, references to a "Placee" in these Terms and
Conditions are to each of such Placees and such joint Placees'
liability is joint and several.
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of the Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Joint
Bookrunners may (at their absolute discretion) satisfy their
obligations to procure Placees by themselves 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 a Joint Bookrunner, any
money held in an account with the relevant Joint Bookrunner on
behalf of the Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the
Placee will not be treated as client money within the meaning of
the relevant rules and regulations of the FCA made under the
FSMA. Each Placee acknowledges that the money will not be
subject to the protections conferred by the client money rules: as
a consequence this money will not be segregated from the relevant
Joint Bookrunner 's money in accordance with the client money rules
and will be held by it under a banking relationship and not as
trustee.
In these Terms and Conditions any
words following the terms "including", "include", "in particular", "for example" or any similar expression
shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of
the words, description, definition, phrase or term preceding those
terms.
References to time in the Terms and
Conditions are to London time, unless otherwise stated.
All times and dates and certain
other information in these Terms and Conditions and in the
Announcement may be subject to amendment and/or updating.
Placees will be notified of any material changes.
No statement in the Announcement or
these Terms and Conditions is intended to be a profit forecast or
estimate, and no statement in the Announcement or these Terms and
Conditions should be interpreted to mean that earnings per share of
the Company for the current or future financial years would
necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per
share of the Company.
The price of shares and any income
expected from them may go down as well as up and investors may not
get back the full amount invested upon disposal of the
shares. Past performance is no guide to future performance,
and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial
adviser.
The Placing Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than AIM.
Neither the content of the Company's
website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's
website is incorporated in, or forms part of, these Terms and
Conditions.
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply to
these Terms and Conditions:
Admission
|
admission of the Placing Shares, the
Subscription Shares and the Retail Offer Shares to trading on AIM
becoming effective as provided in Rule 6 of the AIM Rules for
Companies;
|
Admission Date
|
8.00 a.m. on 24 December 2024 or
such later time as the Joint Bookrunners may agree with the Company
but in any event no later than 8.00 a.m. on the Long Stop
Date;
|
Admission Settlement Date
|
the date the settlement of
transactions in the Placing Shares, the Subscription Shares and the
Retail Offer Shares following Admission will take place within the
CREST system (subject to certain exceptions) which is expected to
occur on 24 December 2024;
|
AIM
|
AIM, a market operated by the London
Stock Exchange;
|
AIM Rules
|
the AIM Rules for Companies
published by London Stock Exchange from time to time;
|
Announcement
|
the announcement regarding
the Fundraising, including these Terms and
Conditions;
|
Board
|
the board of directors of the
Company;
|
Bookbuild Platform
|
the online capital markets platform
developed by BB Technology Limited which will host the Retail
Offer;
|
Cavendish
|
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited,
registered in England and Wales under number 06198898 whose
registered office is at One Bartholomew Close, London EC1A 7BL
(together with its affiliates), and for the purpose of trade
settlement in the Placing means Cavendish Securities plc,
registered in England and Wales under number 05210733 whose
registered office is at One Bartholomew Close, London EC1A
7BL;
|
certificated or in certificated
form
|
refers to an Ordinary Share which is
not in uncertificated form (that is, not in CREST);
|
Company
|
Gelion plc registered in England and
Wales under number 09796512 whose registered office is at C/O
Armstrong Level 4 Ldn:W, 3 Noble Street, London, EC2V
7EE;
|
Companies Act
|
the Companies Act 2006, as
amended;
|
CREST
|
the computerised settlement system
to facilitate transfer of the title to an interest in securities in
uncertificated form operated by Euroclear UK &
International;
|
Directors
|
the directors of the
Company;
|
Enlarged Share Capital
|
the Ordinary Shares in issue
immediately following Admission;
|
Euroclear UK &
International
|
Euroclear UK & International
Limited;
|
Existing Ordinary Shares
|
the 136,010,603 issued Ordinary
Shares of the Company as at the date of this
announcement;
|
FCA
|
the Financial Conduct
Authority;
|
FSMA
|
the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000, as amended;
|
Fundraising
|
together the Placing, the
Subscription and the Retail Offer;
|
Group
|
the Company and its subsidiary
undertakings (as defined in the Companies Act) as at the date of
this announcement;
|
Intermediaries
|
any financial intermediaries that
are appointed by Cavendish as the "Retail Offer Coordinator" in
connection with the Retail Offer;
|
Issue Price
|
15 pence per New Ordinary
Share;
|
Joint Brokers or Joint
Bookrunners
|
together, Cavendish and Oberon and
"Joint Broker" or "Joint Bookrunner" shall mean any one of
them;
|
London Stock Exchange
|
London Stock Exchange
plc;
|
Long Stop Date
|
7 January 2025;
|
MAR
|
the Market Abuse Regulation
(EU/596/2014) as it forms part of the domestic law of England and
Wales by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as
amended from time to time);
|
New Ordinary Shares
|
together, the Placing Shares,
Subscription Shares and the Retail Offer Shares;
|
Oberon
|
Oberon Investments Limited,
registered in England and Wales under number 02198303 whose
registered office is at 1st Floor 12 Hornsby Square, Southfields
Business Park, Basildon, Essex, England, SS15 6SD (together with
its affiliates);
|
Ordinary Shares
|
the ordinary shares of £0.001 each
in the capital of the Company;
|
Placees
|
the persons with whom Placing Shares
are placed pursuant to the Placing;
|
Placing
|
the conditional placing of the
Placing Shares by the Joint Bookrunners on behalf of the Company at
the Issue Price, in accordance with the Placing
Agreement;
|
Placing Agreement
|
the conditional placing agreement
dated 18 December 2024 relating to the Placing of the Placing
Shares between the Company and the Joint Bookrunners;
|
Placing Shares
|
the new Ordinary Shares to be issued
by the Company at the Issue Price pursuant to the Placing to
Placees which are proposed to be admitted to trading on AIM on the
Admission Date;
|
Prospectus Regulation
|
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017;
|
Regulation S
|
Regulation S under the Securities
Act;
|
Regulatory Information
Service
|
has the meaning given to it in the
AIM Rules
|
Relevant Member State
|
a member state of the European
Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus
Regulation;
|
Retail Investors
|
existing shareholders of the Company
who are resident in the United Kingdom and are a customer of an
Intermediary who agree conditionally to subscribe for Retail Offer
Shares in the Retail Offer;
|
Retail Offer
|
the proposed offer of the Retail
Offer Shares to Retail Investors through Intermediaries via the
Bookbuild Platform pursuant to the "Retail Offer Intermediaries
Agreement";
|
Retail Offer Shares
|
the new Ordinary Shares to be issued
by the Company at the Issue Price pursuant to the Retail
Offer;
|
Shareholders
|
registered holders of Ordinary
Shares;
|
Subscribers
|
persons who agree to subscribe for
Subscription Shares pursuant to Subscription Agreements;
|
Subscription
|
the subscription by the Subscribers
directly with the Company for Subscription Shares pursuant to the
Subscription Agreements;
|
Subscription Agreements
|
the agreements entered into between
the Company and the Subscribers pursuant to which the Subscribers
will agree to subscribe for the Subscription Shares at the Issue
Price;
|
Subscription Shares
|
the new Ordinary Shares to be issued
by the Company to the Subscribers at the Issue Price pursuant to
the Subscription which are proposed to be admitted to trading on
AIM on the Admission Date;
|
uncertificated or in uncertificated
form
|
recorded on a register of securities
maintained by Euroclear in accordance with the CREST Regulations as
being in uncertificated form in CREST and title to which, by virtue
of the CREST Regulations, may be transferred by means of
CREST;
|
United Kingdom or UK
|
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland;
|
UK Prospectus Regulation
|
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017, as it forms
part of the law of England and Wales by virtue of section 3 of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and as modified by or under
domestic law; and
|
United States or US
|
the United States of America, its
territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the
District of Columbia and all areas subject to its jurisdiction, or
any political subdivision thereof.
|