Appendix 1
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INVITED
PLACEES ONLY.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING
THE APPENDICES) AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (THE
"ANNOUNCEMENT") ARE FOR
INFORMATION PURPOSES 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: (A) IF IN A MEMBER STATE
OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (THE "EEA"), PERSONS WHO ARE QUALIFIED
INVESTORS ("EEA QUALIFIED
INVESTORS"), BEING PERSONS FALLING WITHIN THE MEANING OF
ARTICLE 2(E) OF PROSPECTUS REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 (THE
"PROSPECTUS REGULATION");
OR (B) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, EITHER (I) PERSONS WHO ARE
QUALIFIED INVESTORS ("UK QUALIFIED
INVESTORS"), BEING PERSONS FALLING WITHIN THE MEANING OF
ARTICLE 2(E) OF PROSPECTUS REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 AS IT FORMS
PART OF DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL)
ACT 2018 (THE "UK PROSPECTUS
REGULATION") (AND WHO ARE ALSO EITHER (a) PERSONS FALLING
WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF "INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL" IN ARTICLE 19(5)
OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL
PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER"), OR (b) PERSONS WHO FALL WITHIN
ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED
ASSOCIATIONS, ETC) OF THE ORDER), OR (II) PERSONS WHO ARE IN
RECEIPT OF THE OFFER IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 1(4)(b) OF THE UK
PROSPECTUS REGULATION (AND WHO ARE ALSO PERSONS WHO FALL WITHIN
ARTICLE 43 OF THE ORDER (MEMBER AND CREDITORS OF CERTAIN BODIES
CORPORATE)), OR (C) IF IN AUSTRALIA, PERSONS WHO ARE EITHER (I)
SOPHISTICATED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 708(8) OF THE
AUSTRALIAN CORPORATIONS ACT 2001 (CTH) ("CORPORATIONS ACT"), (II) AN EXPERIENCED
INVESTOR MEETING THE CRITERIA IN SECTION 708(10) OF THE
CORPORATIONS ACT OR (III) A "PROFESSIONAL INVESTOR" WITHIN THE
MEANING OF SECTION 708(11) OF THE CORPORATIONS ACT (ALL SUCH
PERSONS REFERRED TO ABOVE AS "WHOLESALE INVESTORS"), OR (D) PERSONS
IN THE PROVINCES OF ONTARIO AND BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA WHO ARE AN
"ACCREDITED INVESTOR" WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 1.1 OF NATIONAL
INSTRUMENT 45-106 - PROSPECTUS EXEMPTIONS ("NI 45-106") OF THE CANADIAN SECURITIES
ADMINISTRATORS OR SUBSECTION 73.3(1) OF THE SECURITIES ACT
(ONTARIO) AND A "PERMITTED CLIENT" as defined in
National Instrument 31-103 - Registration Requirements, Exemptions
and Ongoing Registrant Obligations OF THE CANADIAN
SECURITIES ADMINISTRATORS, OR (E) PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE
BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS REFERRED TO IN (A), (B),
(C), (D) and (E) ABOVE TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
BY ACCEPTING THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT YOU REPRESENT AND AGREE THAT YOU
ARE A RELEVANT PERSON. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR
RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. PERSONS
DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS
LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND
WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY
SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS
OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS, ACCOUNTING AND RELATED
ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE PLACING SHARES AND HAVE COMPLIED
WITH, AND WILL COMPLY WITH, APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS IN
CONNECTION WITH THE PLACING.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR
PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF
SECURITIES FOR SALE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THE PLACING
SHARES 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, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART,
IN, INTO OR WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE SHARES
REFERRED TO IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS BEING MADE IN THE EEA, THE
UNITED KINGDOM, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, HONG KONG, THE UNITED STATES OR
ANY OTHER RESTRICTED TERRITORY (AS DEFINED BELOW) OR
ELSEWHERE.
Unless otherwise stated, capitalised
terms in this Appendix have the meanings ascribed to them in
Appendix 2.
This Announcement is for information
purposes only and does not itself constitute or form part of an
offer to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy or
subscribe for securities referred to herein in any jurisdiction
including, without limitation, the United States of America
(including its territories and possessions, any state of the United
States and the District of Columbia), Canada, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, Japan or Hong Kong (each a "Restricted Territory") or in any other
jurisdiction where such offer or solicitation is unlawful. No
public offering of securities will be made in connection with the
Placing in the EEA, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States,
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Hong Kong or any other
Restricted Territory or elsewhere.
Subject to certain exceptions, this
Announcement, and the information contained herein, is not for
release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, to
persons in any Restricted Territory or in any other jurisdiction in
which such release, publication or distribution is unlawful. The
distribution of this Announcement and the Placing and/or the offer
or sale of the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may be
restricted by law. No action has been taken by the Company or by
Fox-Davies Capital Limited ("Fox-Davies" or the "Bookrunner"), or any of its Affiliates,
or any of their, or their respective Affiliates' partners,
directors, officers, members, employees, agents or advisers which
would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or
distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or
publicity material relating to such Placing Shares in any
jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons
distributing any part of this Announcement must satisfy themselves
that it is lawful to do so. Persons (including, without limitation,
nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other legal
obligation to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek
appropriate advice before taking any such action. Persons into
whose possession this Announcement comes are required by each of
the Company and the Bookrunner to inform themselves about, and to
observe, any such restrictions.
All offers of the Placing Shares
will be made pursuant to an exemption from the requirement to
produce a prospectus under either the Prospectus Regulation, the UK
Prospectus Regulation, the Corporations Act, or Canadian securities
laws, as applicable. This Announcement is being distributed and
communicated to persons in the United Kingdom only in circumstances
to which section 21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act
2000, as amended ("FSMA")
does not apply.
Subject to certain exceptions, the
securities referred to in this Announcement may not be offered or
sold in any Restricted Territory or in any other jurisdiction where
such offer or sale is unlawful or to, or for the account or benefit
of, a citizen or resident, or a corporation, partnership or other
entity created or organised in or under the laws of a Restricted
Territory or in any other jurisdiction where such offer or sale is
unlawful.
This Announcement has been issued
by, and is the sole responsibility of, the Company. No
representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made
as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or
will be accepted by the Bookrunner or any of its Affiliates, nor
any of their or their Affiliates' partners, directors,
officers, employees, agents or advisers as to or in relation to, the
accuracy or completeness of this Announcement or any other written
or oral information made available to or publicly available to any
party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly
disclaimed (save that nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the
liability of any person for their own fraudulent
misrepresentation).
The Bookrunner is acting exclusively
for the Company and no-one else in connection with the Placing and
is not, and will not be, responsible to anyone (including the
Placees) other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to the
Placing and/or any other matter referred to in this
Announcement.
None of the Company, the Bookrunner
nor its Affiliates, nor any of its, or their respective
Affiliates', partners, directors, officers, employees, agents or advisers,
makes any representation or warranty, express or implied to any
Placees regarding any investment in the securities referred to in
this Announcement under the laws applicable to such Placees. Each
Placee should consult its own advisers as to the legal, tax,
business, financial and related aspects of an investment in the
Placing Shares.
By
participating in the Placing, Placees (including individuals, funds
or otherwise) by whom or on whose behalf a commitment to acquire
Placing Shares has been given will (i) be deemed to have read and
understood this Announcement, in its entirety; and (ii) be making
such offer on the terms and conditions contained in this Appendix,
including being deemed to be providing (and shall only be permitted
to participate in the Placing on the basis that they have provided)
the representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and
undertakings set out herein.
In particular, each such Placee
represents, warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst
other things) that:
1. it is a
Relevant Person and undertakes that it will subscribe for, acquire,
hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to
it for the purposes of its business;
2. in the
case of a Relevant Person in a member state of the EEA which is
subject to the Prospectus Regulation (each a "Relevant Member State") who acquires
any Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing:
(a) it is an EEA Qualified
Investor; and
(b) in respect of any Placing
Shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is
used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation:
(i)
the Placing Shares acquired by and/or subscribed
for by it in the Placing will not be acquired and/or subscribed for
on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be
acquired or subscribed for with a view to their offer or resale to
persons in any Relevant Member State other than to EEA Qualified
Investors, or in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of
securities to the public other than an offer or resale in any
Relevant Member State to EEA Qualified Investors, or in
circumstances in which the prior consent of the Bookrunner has been
given to each such proposed offer or resale; or
(ii)
where Placing Shares have been acquired or
subscribed for by it on behalf of persons in any Relevant Member
State other than EEA Qualified Investors, the offer of those
Placing Shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus Regulation
as having been made to such persons;
3. in the
case of a Relevant Person in the United Kingdom who acquires any
Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing:
(a) it is either:
a. a UK
Qualified Investor; or
b. a
shareholder of the Company; and
(b) in respect of any Placing
Shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is
used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation:
(i)
the Placing Shares acquired by and/or subscribed
for by it in the Placing will not be acquired and/or subscribed for
on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be
acquired or subscribed for with a view to their offer or resale to
persons in the United Kingdom other than to UK Qualified Investors,
or in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of securities
to the public other than an offer or resale in the United Kingdom
to UK Qualified Investors, or in circumstances in which the prior
consent of the Bookrunner has been given to each such proposed
offer or resale; or
(ii)
where the Placing Shares have been acquired or
subscribed for by it on behalf of persons in the United Kingdom
other than UK Qualified Investors, the offer of those Placing
Shares to it is not treated under the UK Prospectus Regulation as
having been made to such persons;
4. in the
case of a person in Australia who acquires any Placing Shares
pursuant to the Placing, it is a Wholesale Investor, and it is not
that person's intention or purpose that any of the Placing Shares
be acquired for the purpose of selling or transferring the
securities or granting, issuing, or transferring interests in, or
options over, them; and
5. in the
case of a person in Canada who acquires any Placing Shares pursuant
to the Placing:
(a) it has duly completed a
form of Canadian representation letter with respect to the Placing
Shares;
(b) it is resident in the
Province of Ontario or British Columbia, Canada, and is subject to
the securities laws of such Province;
(c) it is an "accredited
investor" within the meaning of section 1.1 National Instrument
45-106 - Prospectus
Exemptions ("NI 45-106") or, in Ontario, as such
term is defined in section 73.3(1) of the Securities
Act (Ontario) (the
"OSA"), as
applicable;
(d) it is a "permitted client"
as defined in National Instrument 31-103 - Registration Requirements, Exemptions and
Ongoing Registrant Obligations;
(e) it is, or is deemed to be,
purchasing the Placing Shares as principal for its own account in
accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, for investment
only and not with a view to resale or redistribution;
and
(f) such person was not
created or used solely to purchase or hold the Placing Shares as an
accredited investor under NI 45-106.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE
PLACING
Bookbuild
Following the release of this
Announcement, the Bookrunner will commence an accelerated
bookbuilding process in respect of the Placing (the "Bookbuild") to determine demand for
participation in the Placing by Placees. The books will open with
immediate effect following release of this Announcement. Members of
the public are not entitled to participate in the Placing. This
Appendix gives details of the terms and conditions of, and the
mechanics of participation in, the Placing.
The Bookrunner and the Company shall
be entitled to effect the Placing by such alternative method to the
Bookbuild as they may, in their absolute discretion,
determine.
Information to Distributors
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive
2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended
("MiFID II"); (b) Articles
9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593
supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local measures implementing
retained EU law (as defined in section 6(7) of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018) in the United Kingdom) ("Retained MiFID Provisions" (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 such securities are: (i) compatible with an end
target market of retail investors and investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each
as defined in MiFID II and the Retained MiFID Provisions; and (ii)
eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are
permitted by MiFID II and the Retained MiFID Provisions (the
"Target Market
Assessment").
Notwithstanding the 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 Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is
noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, the
Bookrunner will only procure investors who meet the criteria of
professional clients and eligible counterparties.
For the avoidance of doubt, the
Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of
suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II or the
Retained MiFID Provisions; or (b) a recommendation to any investor
or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other
action whatsoever with respect to the Placing
Shares.
Each distributor is responsible for
undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the
Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution
channels.
Details of the Placing Agreement, the Placing
Shares
The Bookrunner is acting as the
Company's agent in connection with the Placing. The Bookrunner has
entered into an agreement with the Company (the "Placing Agreement") under which,
subject to the conditions set out therein, the Bookrunner has
agreed, as agent for the Company, to use its reasonable endeavours
to procure Placees for the Placing Shares at a price of 11 pence
per Placing Share (the "Issue
Price") and as set out in the Placing Agreement.
The number of Placing Shares in the
Placing will be determined following completion of the Bookbuild
and set out in the placing supplement agreement to be entered into
between Bookrunner and the Company (the "Placing Supplement Agreement"). The
final number of Placing Shares and their allocations will be
decided at the close of the Bookbuild. The timing of the closing of
the Bookbuild will be at the discretion of the Company and the
Bookrunner. Details of the number of Placing Shares will be
announced as soon as practicable after the close of the
Bookbuild.
In accordance with the terms and
subject to the conditions in the Placing Agreement, the Placing is
not being underwritten by the Bookrunner or anyone else, and in the
event that subscribers are not obtained for all or any of the
Placing Shares or in the event of a default to make payment by any
subscribers procured by the Bookrunner, there will be no obligation
on the Bookrunner to subscribe for any Placing Shares.
The Placing Shares have been or will
be duly authorised and will, when issued, be credited as fully paid
and will rank pari
passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary
Shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other
distributions declared, made or paid in respect of the Ordinary
Shares after the date of issue of the Placing Shares. The Placing
Shares will be issued free of any encumbrances, liens or other
security interests.
Application for Admission to trading on AIM
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange plc for the admission of the Placing Shares
to trading on AIM ("Admission").
It is expected that Admission will
take place at 8.00 am (London time) on 14 October 2024, or such
later date as may be agreed between the Company and the Bookrunner,
provided that such date is no later than 8.00 am (London time) on
the Long Stop Date.
Participation in, and principal terms of, the
Placing
1. The
Bookrunner is arranging the Placing as agent of the Company.
Participation in the Placing will only be available to persons who
may lawfully be, and are, invited to participate by the Bookrunner.
The Bookrunner and its affiliates are entitled to enter bids as
principal in the Bookbuild.
2. The
Bookbuild, if successful, will establish the number of Placing
Shares which will be included in the Placing. The number of Placing
Shares and the aggregate proceeds to be raised through the Placing
will be agreed between the Bookrunner and the Company following
completion of the Bookbuild.
3. To bid in
the Bookbuild, Placees should communicate their bid by telephone or
in writing to their usual sales contact at the Bookrunner. Each bid
should state the number of Placing Shares which the prospective
Placee wishes to acquire at the Issue Price. Bids in the
Bookbuild may be scaled down by the Bookrunner on the basis
referred to in paragraph 6 below.
4. The
Bookbuild is expected to close no later than 7.00 am (London time)
on 9 October 2024, being the first Business Day after the date of
this Announcement, but may be closed earlier or later, at the
absolute discretion of the Bookrunner. The Bookrunner may, in
agreement with the Company, accept bids that are received after the
Bookbuild has closed.
5. Each
Placee's allocation will be confirmed to Placees either orally or
by email by the Bookrunner following the close of the Bookbuild.
Subject to paragraph 8 below, the Bookrunner's oral
confirmation to such Placee will constitute an irrevocable legally
binding commitment upon such person (who will at that point become
a Placee) in favour of the Bookrunner (as an agent of the Company)
and the Company, under which such Placee agrees to subscribe for
the number of Placing Shares allocated to it and to pay the Issue
Price for each such Placing Share on the terms and conditions set
out in this Appendix and in accordance with the Company's articles
of association.
6. Subject to
paragraphs 2 and 3 above,
the Bookrunner may choose to accept bids, either in whole or in
part, on the basis of allocations determined at their discretion
and may scale down any bids for this purpose on such basis as they
may determine or be directed. The Bookrunner may also,
notwithstanding paragraphs 2 and 3 above, (i) allocate Placing
Shares after the time of any initial allocation to any person
submitting a bid after that time, and (ii) allocate Placing Shares
after the Bookbuild has closed to any person submitting a bid after
that time. The acceptance of offers shall be at the absolute
discretion of the Bookrunner. If within a reasonable time after a
request for verification of identity, the Bookrunner has not
received such satisfactory evidence, the Bookrunner may, in its
absolute discretion, terminate the Placee's Placing participation
in which event all funds delivered by the Placee to the Bookrunner
will be returned without interest to the account of the drawee bank
or CREST account from which they were originally
debited.
7. The
allocation of Placing Shares to Placees located in Canada shall be
conditional on the execution by each Placee of an investor
representation letter or subscription agreement (in the form
required by the Bookrunner).
8. A bid in
the Bookbuild will be made on the terms and subject to the
conditions in this Appendix and will be legally binding on the
Placee on behalf of which it is made and, except with the
Bookrunner's and the Company's consent, will not be capable of
variation or revocation after the time at which it is submitted.
Each Placee will also have an immediate, separate, irrevocable and
binding obligation, owed to the Bookrunner, to pay it (or its
assignee or as it may direct) in cleared funds an amount equal to
the product of the Issue Price and the number of Placing Shares
that such Placee has agreed to acquire. Such Placees' obligations
will be owed to the
Bookrunner.
9. Except as
required by law or regulation, no press release or other
announcement will be made by either the Bookrunner 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.
10. Irrespective of the
time at which a Placee's allocation(s) pursuant to the Placing(s)
is/are confirmed, settlement for the 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".
11. All obligations under
the Bookbuild and the Placing will be subject to satisfaction,
fulfilment or (where applicable) waiver of the conditions referred
to below under "Conditions of the Placing" and to the Placing not
being terminated on the basis referred to below under "Termination
of the Placing Agreement".
12. By participating in a
Bookbuild, 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.
13. To the fullest extent
permissible by law, neither the Bookrunner, the Company nor any of
their respective Affiliates shall have any responsibility or
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 the
Bookrunner, nor the Company, nor any of their respective Affiliates
shall have any responsibility or liability (including to the extent
permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of the
Bookrunners conduct of the Bookbuild or of such alternative method
of effecting the Placing as the Bookrunner, its Affiliates and the
Company may agree or determine.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing is conditional upon the
Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not having been
terminated in accordance with its terms. The Bookrunner's
obligations under the Placing Agreement with respect to the Placing
are conditional on certain conditions, including (without
limitation):
1. Admission
of the Placing Shares having become effective;
2. the
Company complying with its obligations under the Placing Agreement
to the extent that the same fall to be performed prior to
Admission;
3. none of
the warranties or undertakings provided by the Company in the
Placing Agreement being or having become untrue, inaccurate or
misleading at any time, and no fact or circumstance having arisen
which would constitute a breach of any of the warranties or
undertakings provided by the Placing Agreement, in each case, save
to the extent that the Bookrunner consider, acting in good faith,
that the relevant matter is not material in the context of the
Placing or Admission; and
4. Admission
of the Placing Shares taking place on or around 8.00 am (London
time) on 14 October 2024, or such later date as may be agreed in
writing between the Company and the Bookrunner, being not later
than 8.00 am (London time) on the Long Stop Date.
If, in respect of the Placing: (i)
any of the conditions contained in the Placing Agreement, including
(without limitation) those described above, are not fulfilled or
(where applicable) waived by the Bookrunner by the relevant time or
date specified (or such later time or date as the Company and the
Bookrunner may agree, being not later than 8.00 am on the Long Stop
Date); or (ii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in the
circumstances specified below, the Placing will lapse and the
Placees' rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the
Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such time and each
Placee agrees that no claim can be made by it in respect
thereof.
The Bookrunner may, at its absolute
discretion, waive fulfilment of all or any of the conditions in the
Placing Agreement in whole or in part, or extend the time provided
for fulfilment of one or more conditions (to the extent that the
Bookrunner is permitted to waive such condition pursuant to the
Placing Agreement). Any such extension or waiver will not affect
Placees' commitments as set out in this Announcement. The
Bookrunner may terminate the Placing Agreement in certain
circumstances, details of which are set out below.
Neither the Bookrunner nor any of
its Affiliates, nor any of its Affiliates' partners, directors,
officers, employees, agents or advisers 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 it or another
person may make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the time
and/or date for the satisfaction of any condition to the Placing
nor for any decision it may make as to the satisfaction of any
condition or in respect of the Placing generally and by
participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that any such
decision is within the absolute discretion of the
Bookrunner.
By participating in the Bookbuild,
each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations hereunder
terminate only in the circumstances described above and under
"Termination of the Placing Agreement" below and will not be
capable of rescission or termination by the Placee.
Termination of the Placing Agreement
The Bookrunner is entitled at any
time before Admission, to terminate the Placing Agreement in
accordance with its terms in certain circumstances,
including, inter
alia, if:
1. any of the
warranties contained in the Placing Agreement was not, or has
ceased to be, true or accurate in any material respect, or was
misleading, or would not be true, accurate or not
misleading if then repeated, by reference to the facts subsisting
at the time;
2. any
statement contained in any of the Placing Documents (being the
marketing presentation in relation to the Placing and the
announcements in relation to the Placing) has become or been
discovered to be untrue or inaccurate in any material respect or
misleading or there has been a material omission therefrom;
or
3. there has
occurred, in the Bookrunner's or the Nominated Adviser's opinion,
acting in good faith, a material adverse change in the business of
the Company or in the financial or trading position or prospects of
the Company which would, or would be likely to, prejudice
materially the Company, the Placing or Admission; or
4. there have
occurred certain market disruption or force majeure events, as
specified in the Placing Agreement.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations in respect of
the Placing terminate only in the circumstances described above and
under the "Conditions of the Placing" section above and will not be
capable of rescission or termination by it after oral confirmation
by the Bookrunner following the close of the Bookbuild.
By participating in the Bookbuild,
each Placee agrees with the Company and the Bookrunner that the
exercise by the Company or the Bookrunner 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 Bookrunner or for agreement between the Company and
the Bookrunner (as the case may be) and that neither the Company
nor the Bookrunner need make any reference to, or undertake any
consultation with, Placees and that neither they nor any of their
respective Affiliates', agents, directors, officers or employees
shall have any liability to Placees (or to any other person whether
acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) whatsoever in connection
with any such exercise.
No
prospectus
The Placing Shares that are being
issued in relation to the Placing are being offered to a limited
number of specifically invited persons only and, for the avoidance
of doubt, this will be to fewer than 150 persons and/or persons who
are UK Qualified Investors, and will not be offered in such a way
as to require any prospectus or other offering document to be
published. No offering document, prospectus or admission
document has been or will be prepared or submitted to be approved
by the FCA (or any other authority) in relation to the
Placing, or the Placing Shares and Placees' commitments will
be made solely on the basis of publicly available information taken
together with the information contained in this
Announcement.
Each Placee, by participating in the
Placing, agrees that the content of this Announcement and the
publicly available information released by or on behalf of the
Company is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and
confirms to the Bookrunner and the Company that it has neither
received nor relied on any other information, representation,
warranty, or statement made by or on behalf of the Company (other
than publicly available information) or the Bookrunner or its
Affiliates or any other person and neither the Bookrunner nor the
Company, nor any of their respective Affiliates nor any other
person will be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in
the Placing based on any other information, representation,
warranty or statement which the Placees may have obtained or
received (regardless of whether or not such information,
representation, warranty or statement was given or made by or on
behalf of any such persons). By participating in the Placing, each
Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own
investigation of the business, financial or other position of the
Company in making an offer to participate in the Placing. No Placee
should consider any information in this Announcement to be legal,
tax or business advice. Nothing in this paragraph shall
exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Post-Admission Undertakings
The Company has, inter alia,
undertaken to the Bookrunner that, except for the Placing Shares
any Ordinary Shares which may be subscribed by Directors in
conjunction with the Placing and the Broker Warrants, the exercise
of existing options and warrants, and certain issues of Ordinary
Shares to Directors in lieu of fees, for three months following
Admission of the Placing Shares it will not issue any shares or
other securities other than with the consent of the Nominated
Adviser and the Bookrunner (acting in good faith), and save for a
further fundraising expected to be completed in the second half of
2024 or an investment by a strategic partner, provided that the
Company notifies the Nominated Adviser and the Bookrunner in
advance of its intention to conduct such further
fundraising.
By participating in the Placing,
Placees agree that the exercise by the Nominated Adviser or the
Bookrunner of any power to grant consent to waive such undertaking
by the Company shall be within the absolute discretion of the
Nominated Adviser and the Bookrunner and that they need not make
any reference to, or consult with, Placees and that they shall have
no liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any such
exercise of the power to grant consent.
Registration and settlement
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares (ISIN: JE00BPCP3Z37) following Admission will take
place within the relevant system administered by Euroclear
("CREST"), using the
delivery versus payment mechanism, subject to certain exceptions.
Subject to certain exceptions, the Bookrunner and the Company
reserve the right to require settlement for, and delivery of, the
Placing Shares to Placees by such other means that they deem
necessary if delivery or settlement is not practicable in CREST
within the timetable set out in this Announcement or would not be
consistent with the regulatory requirements in the Placee's
jurisdiction.
Each Placee agrees that it will do
all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment for any
Placing Shares is completed either (a) in accordance with either
the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions that it
has in place with the Bookrunner; or (b) if there are no standing
CREST of certificated settlement instructions in place with the
Bookrunner, in accordance with such CREST or (if agreed with the
Bookrunner) certificated settlement instructions provided in
writing by the Placee to the Bookrunner.
Subject to the paragraph below, the
Company will deliver the relevant Placing Shares in accordance with
the Placing Agreement, to a CREST account operated by the
Bookrunner as
agent for the Company and the Bookrunner will enter its delivery (DEL)
instruction into the CREST system. The Bookrunner will hold any
Placing Shares delivered to this account as nominee for the
relevant Placees procured by it. The input to CREST by a Placee of
a matching or acceptance instruction will then allow delivery of
the relevant Placing Shares to that Placee against
payment.
If agreed in advance between a
Placee ("Certificated
Placee") and the Bookrunner, and notified in advance by the
Bookrunner to the Company, the Company will (subject to the
remainder of this paragraph) arrange for delivery of a share
certificate in the name of the Certificated Placee for the relevant
Placing Shares. Funds must be received by the Bookrunner from the
Certificated Placees at least three days prior to the date of
Admission. Subject to receipt of the relevant funds by the
Bookrunner and subject and conditional upon Admission, the Company
shall arrange for delivery of the relevant share certificate to the
relevant Certificated Placee. In the event that Admission does not
become effective by the Long Stop Date, any funds received by the
Bookrunner from any Certificated Placee shall be returned, without
interest, to the relevant drawee bank account.
It is expected that settlement of
the Placing Shares will be on or around 14 October 2024 on a T+3
basis in accordance with the instructions given by the
Bookrunner.
Interest is chargeable daily on
payments not received from Placees on the due date in accordance
with the arrangements set out above at the rate of two percentage
points above Barclays Bank PLC as determined by the Bookrunner,
with interest compounded on a daily basis.
Each Placee agrees that, if it does
not comply with these obligations, the Bookrunner may sell any or
all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's
behalf and retain from the proceeds, for the Company's account and
benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee
plus any interest due. The relevant Placee will, however, remain
liable for any shortfall below the aggregate amount owed by it and
shall be required to bear any stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax or
other stamp, securities, transfer, registration, execution,
documentary or other similar impost, duty or tax (together with any
interest or penalties) which may arise upon the sale of such
Placing Shares on such Placee's behalf. The foregoing is without
prejudice to any cause of action the Bookrunner may have against a
defaulting Placee.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure
that the custodian or settlement agent is notified 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 to as provided below, be so registered free from any
liability to United Kingdom stamp duty or United Kingdom stamp duty
reserve tax. If there are any circumstances in which any other
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (and/or any interest, fines or
penalties relating thereto) is payable in respect of the
allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of the Placing Shares (or
for the avoidance of doubt if any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve
tax is payable in connection with any subsequent transfer of or
agreement to transfer Placing Shares), neither of the Bookrunner
nor the Company shall be responsible for the payment thereof.
Placees will not be entitled to receive any fee or commission in
connection with the Placing.
Representations and warranties
By submitting a bid and/or
participating in the Placing each prospective Placee (and any
person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably acknowledges,
confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees (as the case
may be and (or
itself and for any such prospective Placee) with each of the
Nominated Adviser, and the Bookrunner (in its capacity as placing
agent in respect of the Placing), and the Company, in each case as
a fundamental term of its application for Placing Shares, the
following:
1. it has
read and understood this Announcement, including this Appendix, in
its entirety and that its subscription for and purchase of 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 undertakes not to redistribute, duplicate or otherwise transmit
this Announcement 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 Bookbuild, the Placing, the Company, the Placing
Shares or otherwise;
2. other than
the marketing presentation provided to it by the Bookrunner or the
Company in connection with the Placing, that no offering document
or prospectus or admission document has been or will be prepared in
connection with the Placing or is required under the Prospectus
Regulation, the UK Prospectus Regulation, the Corporations Act or
Canadian securities laws and it has not received and will not
receive a prospectus, admission document or other offering document
in connection with Admission, the Bookbuild, the Company, the
Placing, the Placing Shares;
3. time is of
the essence as regards its obligations under this
Announcement;
4. any
document that is to be sent to it in connection with the Placing
will be sent at its risk and may be sent to it at any address
provided by it to the Bookrunner;
5. that 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 MAR, the AIM Rules, and other
applicable law and regulation;
6. that
neither the Bookrunner nor the Company nor any of their respective
Affiliates nor any person acting on behalf of any of them has
provided, and none of them will provide, it with any material or
information regarding the Placing Shares, the Bookbuild, the
Placing or the Company or any other person other than this
Announcement, nor has it requested any of the Bookrunner, the
Company, or any of their respective Affiliates nor any person
acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such
material or information;
7. unless
otherwise specifically agreed with the Bookrunner, that it is not,
and at the time that the Placing Shares are acquired neither it nor
the beneficial owner of such Placing Shares will be, a resident of
a Restricted Territory or any other jurisdiction in which it would
be unlawful to make or accept an offer to acquire the Placing
Shares, subject to certain restrictions; and further acknowledges
that the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered or
otherwise qualified for offer and sale nor will an offering
document, prospectus or admission document be cleared or approved
in respect of any of the Placing Shares under the securities
legislation of any Restricted Territory and, subject to certain
exceptions, may not be offered, sold, transferred, delivered or
distributed, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in, into
or within those jurisdictions or in any other country or
jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is
required;
8. that the
content of this Announcement is exclusively the responsibility of
the Company and that neither the Bookrunner, the Nominated Adviser
nor any of their respective Affiliates nor any person acting on
their behalf has or shall have any responsibility or liability for
any information, representation or statement contained in this
Announcement or any information previously or subsequently
published by or on behalf of the Company and will not be liable for
any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any
information, representation or statement contained in this
Announcement or any information previously published by or on
behalf of the Company or otherwise;
9. that the
only information on which it is entitled to rely and on which such
Placee has relied in committing itself to acquire the Placing
Shares is contained in this Announcement, such information being
all that it deems necessary to make an investment decision in
respect of the Placing Shares, and that it has neither received nor
relied on any other information given or investigations,
representations, warranties or statements made by the Nominated
Adviser, the Bookrunner or the Company or any of their respective
Affiliates and neither the Bookrunner nor the Company nor any of
their respective Affiliates or any person acting on any of their
respective behalf will be liable for any Placee's decision to
accept an invitation to participate in the Placing based on any
other information, representation, warranty or
statement;
10. that it has relied on
its own investigation, examination and due diligence of the
business, financial or other position of the Company in deciding to
participate in the Placing and that neither of the Nominated
Adviser, the Bookrunner nor any of their respective Affiliates nor
any person acting on any of their respective behalf have made any
representations to it, express or implied, with respect to the
Company, the Bookbuild or the Placing or the Placing Shares, and
each of them expressly disclaims any liability in respect
thereof;
11. that it has not
relied on any information relating to the Company contained in any
research reports prepared by the Bookrunner or any of its
Affiliates or any person acting on the Bookrunner's or any of its
Affiliates' behalf and understands that (i) neither of the
Nominated Adviser nor the Bookrunner nor any of their respective
Affiliates nor any person acting on their behalf has or shall have
any liability for public information or any representation; (ii)
neither of the Nominated Adviser nor the Bookrunner nor any of
their respective Affiliates nor any person acting on their behalf
has or shall have any liability for any additional information that
has otherwise been made available to such Placee, whether at the
date of publication, the date of this Announcement or otherwise;
and that (iii) neither of the Nominated Adviser nor the Bookrunner
nor any of their respective Affiliates nor any person acting on
their behalf makes any representation or warranty, express or
implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of such
information, whether at the date of publication, the date of this
Announcement or otherwise;
12. that 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 liability under any of sections 67, 70, 93 or 96 of the Finance
Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance services) and that it
is not participating in the Placing as nominee or agent for any
person to whom the allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of the
Placing Shares would give rise to such a liability and that the
Placing Shares are not being acquired in connection with
arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to issue or transfer
Placing Shares into a clearance service;
13. that no action has
been or will be taken by the Company, the Bookrunner, nor any
person acting on behalf of the Company, that would, or is intended
to, permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in any country or
jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is
required;
14. that it and any
person acting on its behalf is entitled to acquire the Placing
Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions which apply to
it and that it has fully observed such laws and obtained all such
governmental and other guarantees, permits, authorisations,
approvals and consents which may be required thereunder and
complied with all necessary formalities and that it has not taken
any action or omitted to take any action which will or may result
in the Bookrunner, the Company or any of their respective
Affiliates acting in breach of the legal or regulatory requirements
of any jurisdiction in connection with the Placing;
15. that it (and any
person acting on its behalf) has all necessary capacity and has
obtained all necessary consents and authorities to enable it to
commit to its participation in the Placing and to perform its
obligations in relation thereto (including, without limitation, in
the case of any person on whose behalf it is acting, all necessary
consents and authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred
to in this Announcement) and will honour such
obligations;
16. that it has complied
with its obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993, Part VIII
of FSMA and MAR and in connection with money laundering and
terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as
amended), the Terrorism Act 2000, the Anti-Terrorism Crime and
Security Act 2001, the Terrorism Act 2006, the Money Laundering,
Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the
Payer) Regulations 2017 and the Money Laundering Sourcebook of the
FCA and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines
issued, administered or enforced by any government agency having
jurisdiction in respect thereof (the "Regulations") and, if making payment on
behalf of a third party, that satisfactory evidence has been
obtained and recorded by it to verify the identity of the third
party as required by the Regulations. If within a reasonable time
after a request for verification of identity, the Bookrunner has
not received such satisfactory evidence, the Bookrunner may, in its
absolute discretion, terminate the Placee's Placing participation
in which event all funds delivered by the Placee to the Bookrunner
will be returned without interest to the account of the drawee bank
or CREST account from which they were originally
debited;
17. that it is a Relevant
Person and acting as principal only in respect of the Placing or,
if it is acting for any other person: (i) it is duly authorised to
do so and has full power to make, and does make, the
acknowledgments, representations and agreements herein on behalf of
each such person; and (ii) it is and will remain liable to the
Bookrunner and the Company for the performance of all its
obligations as a Placee in respect of the Placing (regardless
of the fact that it is acting for another person). Each Placee
agrees that the provisions of this paragraph shall survive the
resale of the Placing Shares by or on behalf of any person for whom
it is acting;
18. if in a member state
of the EEA and except as disclosed in this Announcement under
"Details of the Placing", that it is (i) an EEA Qualified Investor
and (ii) a "professional client" or an "eligible counterparty"
within the meaning set out in EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in
financial instruments (MIFID II), as implemented into national law
of the relevant EEA state;
19. if in the United
Kingdom, and it is a UK Qualified Investor, that it 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;
20. that it has not
distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise transmitted, and
will not distribute, forward, transfer or otherwise transmit, this
Announcement or any part of it, or any other presentation or other
materials concerning the Placing (including electronic copies
thereof), directly or indirectly, whether in whole or in part, in
or into any Restricted Territory or any other jurisdiction in which
such distribution, forwarding, transfer or transmission would be
unlawful;
21. where it is acquiring
the Placing Shares for one or more managed accounts, it represents,
warrants and undertakes that it is authorised in writing by each
managed account: (a) to acquire the Placing Shares for each managed
account; and (b) it has full power to make the acknowledgements,
representations and agreements herein on behalf of each such
account;
22. that if it is a
pension fund or investment company, it represents, warrants and
undertakes that its acquisition of Placing Shares is in full
compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
23. if it is acting as a
financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 2(d) of the
Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation, as the case
may be, that the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing will
not be acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will
they be acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons
in a member state of the EEA other than EEA Qualified Investors or
persons in the United Kingdom other than UK Qualified Investors, or
in circumstances in which the prior consent of the Bookrunner and
the Company has been given to the proposed offer or
resale;
24. that it has not
offered or sold and, prior to the expiry of a period of six months
from Admission, will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to
persons in the EEA, except to EEA Qualified Investors or otherwise
in circumstances which have not resulted and which will not result
in an offer to the public in any member state in the EEA within the
meaning of Article 2(d) of the Prospectus Regulation;
25. that it has not
offered or sold and, prior to the expiry of a period of six months
from Admission, will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to
persons in the United Kingdom, except to UK Qualified Investors 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 Article 2(d) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation;
26. that any offer of
Placing Shares may only be directed at persons in member states of
the EEA who are EEA Qualified Investors and represents, warrants
and undertakes that it has not offered or sold and will not offer
or sell any Placing Shares to persons in the EEA prior to Admission
except to EEA Qualified Investors or otherwise in circumstances
which have not resulted in and which will not result in an offer to
the public in any member state of the EEA within the meaning of the
Prospectus Regulation;
27. that any offer of
Placing Shares may only be directed at persons in the United
Kingdom who are either UK Qualified Investors or are shareholders
of the Company and represents, warrants and undertakes that it has
not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares
to persons in the United Kingdom prior to Admission except to UK
Qualified Investors or otherwise in circumstances which have not
resulted in and which will not result in an offer to the public in
the United Kingdom within the meaning of the UK Prospectus
Regulation;
28. that it has only
communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate
or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage
in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the
FSMA) relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances in which
section 21(1) of the FSMA does not require approval of the
communication by an authorised person;
29. that it has complied
and will comply with all applicable laws (including all relevant
provisions of the FSMA) with respect to anything done by it in
relation to the Placing Shares in respect of anything done in, from
or otherwise involving, the United Kingdom;
30. if it has received
any inside information (as that term is defined in MAR) about the
Company in advance of the Placing, it has not: (i) dealt in the
securities of the Company; (ii) encouraged, required, recommended
or induced another person to deal in the securities of the Company;
or (iii) disclosed such information to any person except as
permitted by MAR, prior to the information being made publicly
available;
31. that (i) it (and any
person acting on its behalf) has capacity and authority and is
otherwise entitled to purchase the Placing Shares under the laws of
all relevant jurisdictions which apply to it; (ii) it has paid any
issue, transfer or other taxes due in connection with its
participation in any territory; (iii) it has not taken any action
which will or may result in the Company, the Bookrunner, any of
their respective Affiliates or any person acting on their behalf
being in breach of the legal and/or regulatory requirements and/or
any anti-money laundering requirements of any territory in
connection with the Placing; and (iv) that the subscription for and
purchase of the Placing Shares by it or any person acting on its
behalf will be in compliance with applicable laws and regulations
in the jurisdiction of its residence, the residence of the Company,
or otherwise;
32. it (and any person
acting on its behalf) has the funds available to pay for the
Placing Shares it has agreed to acquire, agree and undertake that
it (and any person acting on its behalf) will make payment for the
Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this Announcement
on the due time and date set out herein and, in the case of the
Placing Shares, against delivery of such Placing Shares to it,
failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other
Placees or sold as the Bookrunner and the Company may in their
absolute discretion determine and without liability to such Placee.
It will, however, 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 this Announcement which may
arise upon the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares on its
behalf;
33. that its allocation
(if any) of Placing Shares will represent a maximum number of
Placing Shares to which it will be entitled, and required, to
acquire, and that the Bookrunner or the Company may call upon it to
acquire a lower number of Placing Shares (if any), but in no event
in aggregate more than the aforementioned maximum;
34. that none of the
Company, the Bookrunner, the Nominated Advisor nor any of their
respective Affiliates nor any person acting on their behalf, is
making any recommendations to it, or advising it regarding the
suitability or merits 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 the
Bookrunner and that the Bookrunner does not have any duties or
responsibilities to it for providing the protections afforded to
their respective clients or customers or for providing advice in
relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations,
warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained in the Placing
Agreement nor for the exercise or performance of any of the
Bookrunner's rights and obligations thereunder including any rights
to waive or vary any conditions or exercise any termination
right;
35. no prospectus will be
cleared or approved in respect of the Placing Shares under the
securities laws of any Restricted Territory and, subject to certain
exceptions, the Placing Shares may not be offered, sold, taken up,
renounced or delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, in
whole or in part, in, into or within any Restricted Territory, or
in any country or jurisdiction where any action for that purpose is
required;
36. that the person whom
it specifies for registration as holder of the Placing Shares will
be (i) itself or (ii) its nominee, as the case may be. Neither the
Bookrunner, nor the Company nor any of their respective Affiliates
will be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax or other similar duties or taxes (together with any
interest or penalties) resulting from a failure to observe this
requirement. Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of such
Placee agrees to indemnify the Bookrunner, the Company and any of
their respective Affiliates and any person acting on their
respective behalf in respect of the same on an after-tax basis on
the basis that (in the case of uncertificated Placing Shares)
the relevant Placing Shares will (where they are not held in
certificated form) be allotted to the CREST stock account of the
Bookrunner who will hold them as nominee on behalf of such Placee
until settlement in accordance with its settlement
instructions;
37. that these terms and
conditions and any agreements entered into by it pursuant to these
terms and conditions, and any non-contractual obligations arising
out of or in connection with such agreements, shall be governed by
and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and
it submits (on behalf of itself and on behalf of any person on
whose behalf it is acting) to the exclusive jurisdiction of the
English courts as regards any claim, dispute or matter arising out
of any such agreements, except that enforcement proceedings in
respect of the obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares
(together with any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by the
Bookrunner or the Company 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;
38. that the Bookrunner,
the Company and their respective Affiliates and others will rely
upon the truth and accuracy of the representations, warranties,
agreements, undertakings and acknowledgements set forth herein and
which are given to the Bookrunner on its own behalf and on behalf
of the Company and are irrevocable and it irrevocably authorises
the Bookrunner and the Company to produce this Announcement,
pursuant to, in connection with, or as may be required by any
applicable law or regulation, administrative or legal proceeding or
official inquiry with respect to the matters set forth
herein;
39. that it will
indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold the Bookrunner, the
Company and their respective Affiliates and any person acting on
their behalf harmless from any and all costs, claims, liabilities
and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) arising out of,
directly or indirectly, or in connection with any breach by it of
the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings in this Appendix and further agrees that the Company
and the Bookrunner will rely on the truth and accuracy of the
confirmations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings herein
and, if any of the foregoing is or becomes no longer true or
accurate, the Placee shall promptly notify the Bookrunner and the
Company. All confirmations, warranties, acknowledgements and
undertakings given by the Placee, pursuant to this Announcement are
given to the Bookrunner for itself and on behalf of the Company and
will survive completion of the Placing and Admission;
40. that any documents
(including without limitation share certificates) sent to Placees
will be sent at the Placees' risk. They may be sent by post to such
Placees at an address notified to the Bookrunner;
41. that it irrevocably
appoints any director of the Bookrunner as its agent for the
purposes 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 agreed to be
taken up by it under the Placing;
42. that, as far as it is
aware it is not acting in concert (within the meaning given in The
City Code on Takeovers and Mergers) with any other person in
relation to the Company;
43. that its commitment
to acquire Placing Shares on the terms set out herein will continue
notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be made to the
terms and conditions of the Placing and that Placees will have no
right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained
with respect to the Company's or the Bookrunner' conduct of the
Placing or any of them;
44. that in making any
decision to acquire the Placing Shares (i) it has sufficient
knowledge, sophistication and experience in financial, business and
international investment matters as is required to evaluate the
merits and risks of subscribing for or purchasing the Placing
Shares; (ii) it is experienced in investing in securities of this
nature in the Company's sector and is aware that it may be required
to bear, and is able to bear, the economic risk of participating
in, and is able to sustain a complete loss in connection with, the
Placing; (iii) it has relied on its own examination, due diligence
and analysis of the Company and its Affiliates taken as a whole,
including the markets in which the Group operates, and the terms of
the Placing, including the merits and risks involved and not upon
any view expressed or information provided by or on behalf of the
Bookrunner or any of its Affiliates; (iv) it has had sufficient
time and access to information to consider and conduct its own
investigation with respect to the offer and purchase of the Placing
Shares, including the legal, regulatory, tax, business, currency
and other economic and financial considerations relevant to such
investment and has so conducted its own investigation to the extent
it deems necessary for the purposes of its investigation; (v) it is
aware and understands that an investment in the Placing Shares
involves a considerable degree of risk and it will not look to the
Company, the Bookrunner, any of their respective Affiliates or any
person acting on their behalf for all or part of any such loss or
losses it or they may suffer; and (vi) has no need for liquidity
with respect to its investment in the Placing Shares;
45. it agrees that
neither of the Bookrunner, the Nominated Adviser nor the Company
owe any fiduciary or other duties to it or any Placee in respect of
any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities in the
Placing Agreement;
46. it understands and
agrees that it may not rely on any investigation that the
Bookrunner or any person acting on its behalf may or may not have
conducted with respect to the Company and its Affiliates or the
Placing and the Bookrunner and its Affiliates have not made any
representation or warranty to it, express or implied, with respect
to the merits of the Placing, the subscription for or purchase of
the Placing Shares, or as to the condition, financial or otherwise,
of the Company and its Affiliates, or as to any other matter
relating thereto, and nothing herein shall be construed as any
investment or other recommendation to it to acquire the Placing
Shares. It agrees that no information has been prepared by, or is
the responsibility of, the Bookrunner or any of its Affiliates for
the purposes of this Placing;
47. it agrees that it
will not hold either of the Nominated Adviser or the Bookrunner or
any of their respective Affiliates or any person acting on their
behalf responsible or liable for any misstatements in, or omissions
from, any publicly available information relating to the
Group or information made available (whether in written or
oral form) relating to the Group (the "Information") and that neither of the
Nominated Adviser, the Bookrunner nor any person acting on behalf
of the Nominated Adviser or the Bookrunner makes any representation
or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or
completeness of such Information or accepts any responsibility for
any of such Information;
48. that in connection
with the Placing, the Bookrunner and any of its Affiliates acting
as an investor for its own account may take up shares in the
Company and in that capacity may retain, purchase or sell for its
or their own account such shares in the Company and any securities
of the Company or related investments and may offer or sell such
securities or other investments otherwise than in connection with
the Placing. Accordingly, references in this Announcement to shares
being issued, offered or placed should be read as including any
issue, offering or placement of such shares in the Company to the
Bookrunner and any of their respective Affiliates acting in such
capacity. In addition, the Bookrunner or any of its Affiliates may
enter into financing arrangements (including swaps, warrants or
contracts for differences) with investors in connection with which
the Bookrunner or any of its Affiliates may from time to time
acquire, hold or dispose of such securities of the Company,
including the Placing. Neither the Bookrunner nor any of its
Affiliates intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or
transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or
regulatory obligation to do so;
49. that it will not
distribute any document relating to the Placing Shares and it will
be acquiring the Placing Shares for its own account as principal or
for a discretionary account or accounts (as to which it has the
authority to make the statements set out herein) for
investment purposes only and it does not have any contract,
understanding or arrangement with any person to sell, pledge,
transfer, deliver or grant a participation therein to such person
or any third person with respect of any Placing
Shares;
50. none of the Company
nor the Bookrunner, nor any of their respective, partners,
directors, officers, employees, Affiliates or agents has made any
written or oral representation: (i) that any person will resell or
repurchase the Placing Shares; (ii) that any person will refund all
or any part of the purchase price for the Placing Shares; or (iii)
as to the future price or value of the Placing Shares;
51. if it is a person in
Australia, that it is a Wholesale Investor, and it is not that
person's intention or purpose that any of the Placing Shares be
acquired for the purpose of selling or transferring the securities
or granting, issuing, or transferring interests in, or options
over, them;
52. if it is a person in
Canada, that it is in and resident in Ontario or British Columbia,
it is an "accredited investor" as such term is defined in section
1.1 of NI 45-106 or, in Ontario, as such term is defined in section
73.3(1) of the OSA, and it is a "permitted client" (as defined in
National Instrument 31-103 - Registration Requirements and
Exemptions);
and
53. that the Bookrunner
and its Affiliates may have engaged in transactions with, and
provided various commercial banking, investment banking, financial
advisory transactions and services in the ordinary course of their
business with the Company and/or its Affiliates for which they
would have received customary fees and commissions and that the
Bookrunner and its Affiliates may provide such services to the
Company and/or its Affiliates in the future.
The foregoing acknowledgements,
agreements, undertakings, representations, warranties and
confirmations are given for the benefit of the Company as well the
Bookrunner (for their own benefit and, where relevant, the benefit
of its Affiliates and any person acting on their behalf) and are
irrevocable. Each Placee, and any person acting on behalf of a
Placee, acknowledges that neither the Bookrunner nor the Company
owe any fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in respect of any
representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities in the
Placing Agreement.
Please also note that the agreement
to allot and issue Placing Shares to Placees (or the persons for
whom Placees are contracting as nominee or agent) free of UK stamp
duty and UK stamp duty reserve tax relates only to their allotment
and issue to Placees, or such persons as they nominate as their
agents or nominees, direct from the Company for the Placing Shares
in question. Neither the Company or the Bookrunner will be
responsible for any UK stamp duty or UK stamp duty reserve tax or
any other transfer taxes (including any interest, fines and
penalties relating thereto) arising in relation to the Placing
Shares in any other circumstances.
Such agreement is subject to the
representations, warranties and further terms above and also
assumes, and is based on a warranty from each Placee, that the
Placing Shares are not being acquired in connection with
arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to issue or transfer
the Placing Shares into a clearance service. Neither the Bookrunner
nor the Company are liable to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax or any other similar duties or taxes ("transfer taxes") or related interest,
fines or penalties that arise (i) if there are any such
arrangements (or if any such arrangements arise subsequent to the
acquisition by Placees of Placing Shares) or (ii) on a sale of
Placing Shares, or (iii) otherwise than under the laws of the
United Kingdom. Each Placee to whom (or on behalf of whom, or in
respect of the person for whom it is participating in the Placing
as an agent or nominee) the allocation, allotment, issue or
delivery of Placing Shares has given rise to such transfer taxes
undertakes to pay such transfer taxes forthwith, and agrees to
indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold the Bookrunner, the
Company, their respective Affiliates and any person acting on any
of their respective behalf harmless from any such transfer taxes,
and all interest, fines or penalties in relation to such transfer
taxes. Each Placee should, therefore, take its own advice as to
whether any such transfer tax liability arises.
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Bookrunner
or any of its Affiliates may, at their absolute discretion, agree
to become a Placee in respect of some or all of the Placing Shares.
Each Placee acknowledges and is aware that the Bookrunner is
receiving a fee in connection with their role in respect of the
Placing as detailed in the Placing Agreement.
When a Placee or person acting on
behalf of the Placee is dealing with the Bookrunner, any money held
in an account with the Bookrunner on behalf of the Placee and/or
any person acting on behalf of the Placee may not be treated as
client money within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the
FCA made under the FSMA. The Placee acknowledges that the money
will not be subject to the protections conferred by the client
money rules, as a consequence, this money may not be segregated
from the Bookrunner's money in accordance with the client money
rules and may be used by the Bookrunner in the course of its own
business, and the Placee may rank only as a general creditor of the
Bookrunner.
All times and dates in this
Announcement may be subject to amendment. The Bookrunner shall
notify the Placees and any person acting on behalf of the Placees
of any changes.
No statement in the Placing
Documents is intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no
statement in the Placing Documents should be interpreted to mean
that earnings per share of the Company for the current or future
financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical
published earnings per share of the Company. Past performance is no
guide to future performance and persons needing advice should
consult an independent financial adviser.
The rights and remedies of the
Nominated Adviser, Bookrunner and the Company under these Terms and
Conditions are in addition to any rights and remedies which would
otherwise be available to each of them and the exercise or partial
exercise of one will not prevent the exercise of others.
Each Placee may be asked to disclose
in writing or orally to the Bookrunner:
a)
if he or she is an individual, his or her
nationality; or
b)
if he or she is a discretionary fund manager, the
jurisdiction in which the funds are managed or owned.
Appendix 2
Definitions
The following definitions apply
throughout this Announcement unless the context otherwise
requires:
Admission
|
means admission of the Placing
Shares to trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance with the
AIM Rules.
|
Affiliate
|
has the meaning given in Rule 501(b)
of Regulation D under the US Securities Act or Rule 405 under the
US Securities Act, as applicable and, in the case of the Company,
includes its subsidiary undertakings.
|
AIM
Rules
|
means the AIM Rules for Companies
published by the London Stock Exchange plc.
|
ASX
|
the Australian Securities
Exchange.
|
Announcement
|
means this announcement (including
its Appendices).
|
Bookbuild
|
means the accelerated bookbuilding
process to be commenced by the Bookrunner to use reasonable
endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing Shares, as described
in this Announcement and subject to the terms and conditions set
out in this Announcement and the Placing Agreement.
|
Bookrunner
|
means FDC.
|
Broker Warrants
|
has the meaning given to it in the
main body of this Announcement.
|
Company
|
means CleanTech Lithium
PLC.
|
Corporations Act
|
means the Australian Corporations
Act 2001 (Cth).
|
CREST
|
means the relevant system (as
defined in the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 (SI 2001
No. 3755)) in respect of which Euroclear is the Operator (as
defined in such Regulations) in accordance with which securities
may be held and transferred in uncertificated form.
|
EEA
|
means European Economic
Area.
|
EEA
Qualified Investor
|
means qualified investors as defined
in Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation.
|
Euroclear
|
means Euroclear UK &
International Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of
England and Wales.
|
FCA
or Financial Conduct Authority
|
means the UK Financial Conduct
Authority.
|
FDC and Fox-Davies
|
means Fox-Davies Capital
Limited.
|
FSMA
|
means the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000 (as amended, including any regulations made
pursuant thereto).
|
Group
|
means the Company and its subsidiary
undertakings.
|
Hong Kong
|
means the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.
|
Information
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 of this Announcement.
|
Issue Price
|
means 11 pence per new Ordinary
Share.
|
Long Stop Date
|
means 31
October 2024.
|
MAR
|
means the Market Abuse Regulation
(EU) No.596/2014 as it forms part of the law of the United Kingdom
by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
|
NI
45-106
|
means National Instrument 45-106
- Prospectus
Exemptions of the Canadian Securities
Administrators.
|
Nominated Adviser
|
Beaumont Cornish Limited.
|
Order
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 of this Announcement.
|
Ordinary Shares
|
means the ordinary shares of £0.01
each in the capital of the Company.
|
OSA
|
means the Securities
Act (Ontario).
|
Placee
|
means any person procured by the
Bookrunner (acting as agents for and on behalf of the Company), on
the terms and subject to the conditions of the Placing Agreement,
to subscribe for the Placing Shares pursuant to the
Placing.
|
Placing
|
has the meaning given to it in the
main body of this Announcement.
|
Placing Agreement
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix I to this Announcement.
|
Placing Documents
|
means the marketing presentation in
relation to the Placing and the announcements in relation to the
Placing.
|
Placing Shares
|
has the meaning given to it in the
main body of this Announcement.
|
Placing Supplement Agreement
|
means the placing supplement
agreement as may be executed by the Company and the
Bookrunner.
|
Professional Investor
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 of this Announcement.
|
Prospectus Regulation
|
means the Prospectus Regulation (EU)
2017/1129.
|
QIB
|
means a "qualified institutional
buyer" as defined in Rule 144A under the US Securities
Act.
|
Regulations
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 of this Announcement.
|
Regulation S
|
means Regulation S promulgated under
the US Securities Act.
|
Regulatory Information Service
|
means a primary information provider
that has been approved by the FCA to disseminate regulated
information.
|
Relevant Persons
|
has the meaning given to in Appendix
1 of this Announcement.
|
Restricted Territory
|
means the United States, Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa or
Japan.
|
subsidiary
|
has the meaning given to that term
in the Companies Act 2006.
|
subsidiary undertaking
|
has the meaning given to that term
in the Companies Act 2006.
|
Target Market Assessment
|
has the meaning given to it in the
main body of this Announcement.
|
Terms and Conditions
|
means the terms and conditions of
the Placing set out in Appendix I to this Announcement.
|
transfer taxes
|
means stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax or any other similar duties or taxes.
|
uncertificated or in uncertificated form
|
means in respect of a share or other
security, where that share or other security is recorded on the
relevant register of the share or security concerned as being held
in uncertificated form in CREST and title to which may be
transferred by means of CREST.
|
UK
Prospectus Regulation
|
means Prospectus Regulation (EU)
2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
|
UK
Qualified Investor
|
means qualified investors as defined
in Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
|
United Kingdom or UK
|
means the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland.
|
US
Securities Act
|
means the U.S. Securities Act of
1933, as amended.
|
Wholesale Investor
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 of this Announcement.
|
|
|
|
|
Unless otherwise indicated in this
Announcement, all references to "£", "GBP", "pounds", "pound sterling", "sterling", "p", "penny" or "pence" are to the lawful currency of
the UK. All references to "U.S.$","$" or "dollars" are to the lawful currency of
the United States of America.