THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE
APPENDICES) AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN ARE RESTRICTED AND
ARE NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE
UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH
AFRICA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN
WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE
UNLAWFUL.
FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND
DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION.
PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICES AT THE END OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE
INFORMATION.
For immediate release
10 October 2024
THG PLC
Proposed Placing,
Subscription and Retail Offer of Ordinary Shares and Update on
Ingenuity Demerger
and ESCC Step-Up
· Ingenuity to be demerged into a standalone independent private
entity
· Target
c.£75 million equity raise to facilitate the demerger, by way of a
Placing and Subscription, with additional proceeds from a Retail
Offer
· Matthew Moulding, CEO of THG PLC has indicated his intention
to invest £10 million in the equity raise, with additional
indications received from certain other long-term shareholders
including Sofina, Mark Evans, Sir Terry Leahy, West Coast Capital
and Brian Kennedy
· Matthew Moulding and such other shareholders are expected to
account for c.£33m of the target equity raise
· These
funds, in conjunction with appropriate standalone debt issuance
plans for Ingenuity, are expected to provide Ingenuity with
sufficient medium-term funding as the business approaches positive
cash generation on a standalone basis
· The
demerger of Ingenuity facilitates the simplification of THG's
business model, as a cash generative global consumer beauty
and nutrition group, with an improved balance sheet, capex and
cashflow profile
· THG's
related party committee, chaired by the Group's senior independent
director Sue Farr, will have oversight of all ongoing commercial
and governance matters between THG and the demerged Ingenuity
business. Arms-length contracts between
Ingenuity and each of Beauty and Nutrition have been in place since
2022, and would continue to operate post demerger
· Ingenuity would have no recourse to THG PLC post
demerger
· The
Company's initial notification and eligibility letter for transfer
to the ESCC category has been submitted to the FCA (1 October
2024). The Company continues to target effecting the transfer this
calendar year and to be included in the FTSE UK Index
reclassification in March 2025
Introduction
On 17 September 2024 THG PLC
("THG", the "Company" or the "Group") announced that it was
progressing options for the demerger of its Ingenuity division from
THG (the "Demerger"), with
the remaining Group consisting of THG's highly cash generative
Beauty and Nutrition divisions ("RemainCo").
The final terms of the Demerger will
be provided in due course; however, it is expected that Ingenuity
will be demerged into an independent private company
("IngenuityCo") at a valuation to be confirmed by THG's board of directors
(the "Board") and set out in a
circular to shareholders (the "Demerger Circular"). Each THG shareholder will be given a
choice (i) to elect to continue to be
invested in IngenuityCo and RemainCo in the same proportion that
their shareholding in THG represents, (ii) to apply to receive more
or less than their pro rata entitlement of IngenuityCo shares, or
(iii) not to receive any IngenuityCo shares.
The Board has approved an equity
valuation for IngenuityCo (the "Valuation") of up to £100m. The
Valuation, derived from an attributed enterprise value of the
Ingenuity division of up to £307m and adjusted for expected
post-Demerger IngenuityCo net debt (including lease liabilities and
approximately £75m of cash from the Fundraise which will be
transferred into IngenuityCo prior to completion of the Demerger),
will be confirmed by the Board at the time of the Demerger
Circular. See Summary Terms and Mechanics of the Proposed
Demerger section below for further
summary details.
The
Fundraise
Given IngenuityCo's ongoing funding
requirements, the Board of THG wishes to ensure that IngenuityCo
has an appropriate level of funding at the time of the Demerger.
Therefore, THG today announces its intention to raise approximately
£75 million by way of a Placing and Subscription, with additional
proceeds from a Retail Offer (in each case
as defined below, and together the "Fundraise") of new ordinary shares of
£0.005 each in the capital of the Company ("Ordinary Shares") at the Placing Price
(as defined below). The Fundraise is being conducted on a
non-pre-emptive basis.
The Fundraise, in conjunction with
appropriate standalone debt issuance plans for IngenuityCo, is
expected to provide IngenuityCo with sufficient medium-term funding
as the business approaches positive cash generation on a standalone
basis.
Mathew Moulding and certain of the
Company's long-term shareholders,
including Sofina, Mark Evans, Sir Terry
Leahy, West Coast Capital and Brian Kennedy, have indicated that they intend to
subscribe for, in aggregate, £33 million of new Ordinary Shares at
the Placing Price (as defined below). Certain of these shareholders
will subscribe for new Ordinary Shares (the "Subscription Shares")
pursuant to subscription agreements (the "Subscription Agreements") entered into
with the Company (the "Subscription") whilst some of these
shareholders will participate in the Placing. The terms of Matthew
Moulding's Subscription Agreement provide for his subscription for
£10 million of Subscription Shares to be settled by an undertaking
to pay the subscription proceeds within 21 days of Admission in
compliance with section 583 of the Companies Act 2006.
The placing will comprise the issue
of new Ordinary Shares (the "Placing Shares") at the Placing Price
(as defined below) (the "Placing").
Following the Placing, the Company
shall be subject to a lock-up period of 90 calendar days following
admission of the Placing Shares ("Admission"), subject to waiver by
Barclays Bank PLC ("Barclays") and Jefferies International
Limited ("Jefferies", and
together with Barclays, the "Joint
Global Coordinators"), who are acting as joint global
coordinators in relation to the Placing, and to certain customary
exceptions.
In addition to the Placing and
Subscription, an offer will be made by the Company on the
PrimaryBid platform of new Ordinary Shares (the "Retail Offer
Shares") at the Placing Price (the "Retail Offer"), to provide retail
investors with an opportunity to participate in the equity
fundraise.
The Placing, which is being
conducted by way of an accelerated bookbuild (the "Bookbuild") and is available to
qualifying new and existing institutional
investors, will be launched immediately following the release of
this announcement. The timing of the closing of the Bookbuild is at
the absolute discretion of the Joint Global
Coordinators and the Company. The
allocation of the Placing Shares shall be determined together by,
and at the absolute discretion of, Barclays, Jefferies and Peel
Hunt LLP ("Peel Hunt", and
together with Barclays and Jefferies, the "Joint Bookrunners"), who are acting as joint bookrunners in relation to the
Placing, and the Company. The results of the Placing will be
announced as soon as practicable after the close of the
Bookbuild.
The Placing is subject to the terms
and conditions set out in the Appendix to this announcement (which
forms part of this announcement, such announcement and the Appendix
together being this "Announcement").
The Placing is conditional on, inter
alia, the Subscription Agreements having been entered into, and
there being no breach or termination of such agreements prior to
Admission (save for any breach or termination which in the good
faith opinion of the Joint Global Coordinators is not material in
the context of the Placing or Admission), but is not conditional on
the completion of such agreements. The Placing is not conditional
on the Retail Offer.
Expected Timetable and Principal Events
Announcement of the Fundraise
|
10 October 2024
|
Announcement of the results of the
Placing and the Retail Offer
|
11 October 2024
|
Admission and commencement in
dealings in the new Ordinary Shares expected to commence
|
15 October 2024
|
CREST accounts expected to be
credited with new Ordinary Shares
|
15 October 2024
|
The above times and/or dates may be subject to change and, in
the event of such change, the revised times and/or dates will be
notified to shareholders by an announcement through a Regulatory
Information Service. All references to times in this document are
to London times
Proposed Demerger of Ingenuity
The Demerger follows a detailed
review of THG's businesses, consultation with major shareholders
and the legal separation of its key trading divisions in
2022.
The Group has three leading
businesses; Beauty and Nutrition are both leading global consumer
facing businesses with attractive growth profiles and strong cash
generation, and Ingenuity is a high-growth ecommerce services
business with leading digital marketing, technology and fulfilment
capabilities.
The Board believes that there is a
significant opportunity to create value for shareholders by
demerging Ingenuity into a separate private company which can focus
on scaling brands digitally, navigating the complexities of
acquiring new audiences, driving traffic, facilitating frictionless
ecommerce and distributing products to consumers.
Following the Demerger, IngenuityCo
will operate as a separate, standalone entity without recourse to
RemainCo. IngenuityCo would be expected to remain a private company
with no public listing or other trading facility for its shares.
However, IngenuityCo will explore the possibility of introducing a
matched bargain facility for IngenuityCo shareholders once it
becomes an unlisted, private company, in order to facilitate
liquidity for the expected diverse shareholder register of
IngenuityCo going forward.
Following the Demerger, RemainCo
would become a more focused and simplified global consumer group,
with an attractive growth profile and strong cash generation.
RemainCo would be comprised of two leading businesses:
· THG
Beauty: A leading digital strategic
player within the prestige beauty industry globally, combining its
portfolio of prestige owned brands across skincare, haircare and
cosmetics with the provision of a global route to market for over
1,300 third party beauty brands sold through its online retail
sites, including Lookfantastic, Cult Beauty and Dermstore,
complemented by product innovation and manufacturing capabilities
that are expected to drive long term growth and margin
expansion.
· THG
Nutrition: A digital first brand
group and manufacturer that includes the world's largest online
sports nutrition brand Myprotein. Primarily an online D2C retailer
of sports nutrition supplements, vitamins, bars & snacks,
drinks and activewear, with an evolving multi-channel revenue model
(including licensing).
In FY 2023 RemainCo generated sales
of c.£1.9 billion, adjusted EBITDA of c.£105 million and free
cashflow of c.£77 million (after interest costs but before debt
capital payments and acquisitions). Pro-forma for the Proposed
Demerger, RemainCo FY 2023 capex would have been reduced by c.£92m
(from c.£126 for THG plc to c.£34m).
In FY 2023 THG Ingenuity generated
£673.9 million in sales, of which £154.1 million was from external
(i.e. non-Group) clients and £9.0 million of adjusted
EBITDA.
The Demerger simplifies RemainCo,
providing a simpler equity story, while significantly improving its
capex and free cashflow profile. It is expected that RemainCo would
be capable of optimising returns to shareholders instead of
reinvesting profits and cashflow into Ingenuity's technology capex
requirements. A significant proportion of THG's lease liabilities
(c.£282m) will be transferred to IngenuityCo, thereby reducing
RemainCo's gross leverage following the Demerger. Consequently, the
Demerger will help accelerate the deleveraging of RemainCo, which
should be a positive for the major rating agencies given their
focus on this metric. The Group's existing debt facilities will
stay with RemainCo, namely the €600m term loan B, the £137m term
loan A and the undrawn £170m revolving credit facility.
Following the Demerger, THG's
executive team and members of the Board are expected to continue in
their roles in respect of RemainCo. Similarly, it is expected that
Ingenuity's existing executive team, including Chairman Alistair
Crane and CEO Richard Ward, will remain with IngenuityCo following
the Demerger. Further work is ongoing to design the appropriate
governance framework for IngenuityCo. Separately, THG's now
well-established related parties committee chaired by Sue Farr,
Senior Independent Director of THG will, following the Demerger, be
responsible for overseeing transactions between RemainCo and
IngenuityCo. Arms-length contracts between Ingenuity and each of
Beauty and Nutrition have been in place since 2022, and will be
expected to continue to operate post separation in the same manner
as they do today. Ingenuity would have no recourse to THG post
demerger.
Whilst at this stage no certainty
can be provided on the exact timescale of the Demerger, the current
intention is that publication of the Demerger Circular would be in
or by early November with the distribution of IngenuityCo shares
being completed at or before the end of 2024.
Summary Terms and Mechanics of the Proposed
Demerger
The Demerger is expected to involve
a distribution of shares in IngenuityCo to THG shareholders. In
common with all demergers, the Demerger would entitle all THG
shareholders to receive their pro rata proportion of IngenuityCo
shares. However, the Board recognises that not all THG shareholders
may wish to receive a distribution of an interest in a private,
unlisted company. Shareholders would therefore have the
option:
· to elect to receive their pro rata
distribution of IngenuityCo shares in which case such shareholders
would then hold an equivalent proportion of RemainCo shares and
IngenuityCo shares; or
· not to
receive any of their pro rata distribution of IngenuityCo shares in
which case such shareholders would see a commensurate increase in
their respective interests in RemainCo's ordinary share capital.
The proportion by which such shareholders' percentage interest in
RemainCo increases would be equal to the value of IngenuityCo (as
confirmed by the Board) which they have given up.
Shareholders would also be able to
elect to receive more or less than their pro rata entitlement of
IngenuityCo shares. In the event that a THG shareholder receives
more than its pro rata entitlement of IngenuityCo shares, such
shareholder would experience a proportionate reduction in its
percentage interest in RemainCo's ordinary share capital.
Conversely, in the event that a THG shareholder receives less than
its pro rata entitlement of IngenuityCo shares, such shareholder
would experience a proportionate increase in its percentage
interest in RemainCo's ordinary share capital.
A group of existing investors drawn
from the top ten shareholders, and each of whom has indicated their
intention to invest in the Placing, have indicated their intention
to elect to receive more than their respective pro rata
distribution of IngenuityCo shares if there are insufficient
elections from other shareholders so as to provide THG with
certainty that there is sufficient demand for a successful
distribution of all of the shares in IngenuityCo pursuant to the
Demerger. In the event that those shareholders were, subject to the
outcome of all shareholder elections, allocated more than their pro
rata entitlements of IngenuityCo shares, those shareholders would
experience a proportionate reduction in their respective interests
in RemainCo ordinary share capital.
As stated above, the Board has
approved an equity valuation for IngenuityCo of up to £100m. The
Valuation, derived from an attributed enterprise value of the
Ingenuity division of up to £307m and adjusted for expected
post-Demerger IngenuityCo net debt (including lease liabilities and
approximately £75m of cash from the Fundraise which will be
transferred into IngenuityCo prior to completion of the Demerger),
will be confirmed by the Board at the time of the Demerger
Circular. However, in determining the definitive Valuation,
the Board anticipates also taking into account fluctuations in the
market capitalisation of THG such that if, at the latest
practicable date prior to the publication of the Demerger Circular,
the market capitalisation of THG is:
· equal
to or greater than the market capitalisation of THG at the time of
completion of the Fundraise (calculated by reference to the number
of THG shares in issue following the Fundraise multiplied by the
Placing Price) (the "Post Placing
Market Cap"), then the Valuation to be used in establishing
the entitlement of THG shareholders to elect to receive their
respective pro rata entitlements to shares in IngenuityCo in
connection with the Demerger would be expected to be £100m;
or
· less
than the Post Placing Market Cap, then the Valuation to be used in
establishing the entitlement of THG shareholders to elect to
receive their respective pro rata entitlements to shares in
IngenuityCo in connection with the Demerger would be expected to be
reduced from £100m proportionately to the percentage by which the
Post Placing Market Cap has declined. Further details of the terms,
structure and timing of the Demerger shall be set out in the
Demerger Circular to be published and sent to THG shareholders as
referred to above.
ESCC Step-Up
The Company's initial notification
and eligibility letter for transfer to the ESCC category has been
submitted to the FCA (1 October 2024). The Company continues to
target effecting the transfer this calendar year and to be included
in the FTSE UK Index reclassification in March 2025.
Current Trading
Information regarding THG's trading
performance can be found in THG's Q3 Trading Statement which has
been published at the same time as this announcement.
Details of the Placing
Barclays and Jefferies are acting as
joint global coordinators and, together with Peel Hunt, as joint
bookrunners in relation to the Placing. The Company and the Banks
(as defined below) have entered into a placing agreement dated 10
October 2024 in connection with the Placing (the "Placing Agreement").
The Placing will be conducted
through the Bookbuild which will be launched immediately following
the release of this Announcement, in accordance with the terms and
conditions of the Placing set out in the Appendix to this
Announcement. The timing of the closing of the Bookbuild is at the
absolute discretion of the Joint Global Coordinators and the
Company. The price at which the Placing Shares are to be placed
(the "Placing Price") will
be determined at the close of the Bookbuild by agreement between
the Company and the Joint Bookrunners.
The final number of Placing Shares
will be determined at the close of the Bookbuild, and the result
will be announced as soon as practicable thereafter. The allocation
of the Placing Shares shall be determined together by, and at the
absolute discretion of, the Joint Bookrunners and the
Company.
The Placing Shares, when issued,
will be fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with
each other and with the Subscription Shares, the Retail Offer
Shares and the existing Ordinary Shares, including, without
limitation, the right to receive all dividends and other
distributions declared, made or paid after the date of
issue.
The Retail Offer Shares will be
subscribed for on the basis set out in a separate announcement
regarding the Retail Offer to be released by the Company shortly,
rather than pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Placing
contained in the Appendix to this Announcement. The Subscription
Shares will be subscribed for on the basis agreed pursuant to the
Subscription Agreements, rather than pursuant to the terms and
conditions of the Placing contained in the Appendix to this
Announcement. The Retail Offer Shares and the Subscription Shares
will be subscribed for at the Placing Price.
Applications will be made to: (i)
the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA") for admission of the Placing
Shares, the Subscription Shares and the Retail Offer Shares to the
equity shares (transition) category of the Official List of the
FCA; and (ii) London Stock Exchange plc for admission of the
Placing Shares, the Subscription Shares
and Retail Offer Shares to trading on its
main market for listed securities (together, "Admission").
It is expected that Admission will
become effective at or around 8.00 a.m. on 15 October 2024 and that
dealings in the Placing Shares, the Subscription Shares and
the Retail Offer Shares will commence at
that time. The Placing is conditional on, inter
alia, the Subscription Agreements having been entered into, and
there being no breach or termination of such agreements prior to
Admission (save for any breach or termination which in the good
faith opinion of the Joint Global Coordinators is not material in
the context of the Placing or Admission), but is not conditional on
the completion of such agreements. The Placing is not
conditional upon the Retail Offer. The Placing is also conditional
upon the Admission becoming effective and the Placing Agreement not
being terminated in accordance with its terms. The Appendix to this
Announcement sets out further information relating to the Bookbuild
and the terms and conditions of the Placing.
For
further information, please contact:
Investor Enquiries:
Greg Feehely, SVP Investor
Relations
Kate Grimoldby, Director of Investor
Relations and Strategic Projects
|
Investor.Relations@thg.com
|
Media enquiries:
|
Sodali & Co - Financial PR adviser
|
Victoria Palmer-Moore / Russ
Lynch
|
|
|
THG
PLC
Viki Tahmasebi
|
Viki.tahmasebi@thg.com
|
Barclays (Joint Global Coordinator, Joint Bookrunner and Joint
Corporate Broker):
Alastair Blackman
Dominic Harper
Callum West
|
+44 (0)20 7623
2323
|
Jefferies International Limited (Joint Global
Coordinator, Joint Bookrunner and Joint Corporate
Broker):
Philip Noblet
Ed Matthews
Gavriel Lambert
|
+44 (0)20 7029
8000
|
Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Bookrunner)
George Sellar
Sohail Akbar
Andrew Clark
|
+44 (0)20 7418
8900
|
This Announcement should be read in its entirety. In
particular, you should read and understand the information provided
in the "Important Notices" section of this
Announcement.
IMPORTANT NOTICES
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDICES AND THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN, TOGETHER, THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT") IS FOR
INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER
TO SELL OR ISSUE, OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE
FOR OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE ANY SECURITIES IN THE
COMPANY.
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, to persons in or into the United States, Australia, the
Republic of South Africa, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which
release, publication or distribution of this Announcement and/or an
offer to sell or issue, or the solicitation of an offer to buy,
subscribe for or otherwise acquire, Placing Shares (or the
acceptance of any such offer) would be unlawful (each, a
"Restricted
Territory"). The distribution of this Announcement
and/or the Placing and/or the offer or sale of the Placing Shares
in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law.
The securities referred to herein
have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or under the
securities laws of, or with any securities regulatory authority of,
any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not
be offered, sold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly,
in or into the United States, except pursuant to an available
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 outside of the United States in accordance
with Regulation S under the Securities Act ("Regulation S") and
otherwise in accordance with applicable laws.
No public offering of the Placing
Shares is being made in the United Kingdom, the United States, any
other Restricted Territory or elsewhere.
No action has been taken by the
Company, Barclays Bank PLC ("Barclays"), Jefferies International
Limited ("Jefferies"), or
Peel Hunt LLP ("Peel Hunt",
and together with Barclays and Jefferies, the "Banks"), any of their respective
affiliates, or any person acting on behalf of any of them, 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 into whose possession this
Announcement comes are required by the
Company and the Banks 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 this Announcement (or any part
thereof) must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do
so.
This Announcement is directed at and
is only being distributed to persons whose ordinary activities
involve them 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"), "qualified investors"
("Qualified Investors"), as
defined in Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (as amended,
the "Prospectus
Regulation"), (b) if in the United Kingdom, "qualified
investors" as defined in Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129
as it forms part of assimilated law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended and supplemented (the
"UK Prospectus
Regulation"), who are also: (i) persons who fall within the
definition of "investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order
2005, as amended (the "Order"); (ii) high net worth bodies
corporate, unincorporated associations or partnerships or trustees
of high value trusts as described in Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the
Order; or (iii) persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be
communicated (all such persons referred to in (b) above together
being referred to as "Relevant
Persons").
Any investment or investment
activity to which this Announcement or the Placing relates is
available only: (i) in any member state of the EEA, to Qualified
Investors; and (ii) in the United Kingdom, to Relevant Persons, and
will be engaged in only with such persons.
This Announcement must not be acted on or relied on: (i) in any
member state of the EEA, by persons who are not Qualified
Investors; and (ii) in the United Kingdom, by persons who are not
Relevant Persons. Persons distributing this Announcement (or
any part thereof) must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do
so.
All offers of the Placing Shares in
the United Kingdom and the EEA will be made pursuant to an
exemption under the UK Prospectus Regulation and the Prospectus
Regulation, as applicable, from the requirement to produce a
prospectus. 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.
The Placing Shares and this
Announcement have not been approved and will not be approved or
disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any State
securities commission or any other regulatory authority in the
United States, nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed
upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or the accuracy or
adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation to the contrary
is a criminal offence in the United States.
Accordingly, subject to certain
exceptions, the Placing Shares may not be offered, sold,
transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into any
Restricted Territory 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.
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 Banks and the Company
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.
Barclays, which is authorised by the
Prudential Regulation Authority and authorised and regulated by the
FCA, Jefferies, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA, and
Peel Hunt, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA, are acting
exclusively for the Company and for 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, the contents of this Announcement or any other matter
referred to in this Announcement and will not be responsible to
anyone other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to their respective clients or for giving advice in
relation to the Placing, the contents of this Announcement or any
other matter referred to in this Announcement.
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 any of the Banks, any of their respective affiliates, or any
person acting on behalf of any of them 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 party or its advisers, or
any other statement made or purported to be made by or on behalf of
any of the Banks and/or any of their respective affiliates and/or
by any person acting on behalf of any of them 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.
The information in this Announcement
may not be forwarded or distributed to any other person and may not
be reproduced in any manner whatsoever. Any forwarding,
distribution, reproduction or disclosure of this Announcement, in
whole or in part, is unauthorised. Failure to comply with
this directive may result in a violation of the Securities Act or
the applicable laws of other jurisdictions.
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.
Any indication in this Announcement
of the price at which the Company's shares have been bought or sold
in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance.
Persons needing advice should consult
an independent financial adviser. 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.
The Placing Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than the main market for listed securities of
the London Stock Exchange.
Appendix 1 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 Appendices) 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 Appendix 1 to this Announcement and to be
providing the representations, warranties, undertakings and
acknowledgements contained in Appendix 1 to this
Announcement.
Members of the public are not
eligible to take part in the Placing and no public offering of
Placing Shares is being or will be made.
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.
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements of Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook
Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the
"UK MiFIR 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 MiFIR 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 retail investors and investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, as
respectively defined in paragraphs 3.5 and 3.6 of COBS; and (ii)
eligible for distribution through all permitted distribution
channels (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 any contractual, legal or
regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing.
Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target
Market Assessment, the Banks 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 Chapters 9A or
10A respectively of COBS; 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.
Appendix 1
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING 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, TOGETHER, THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT") IS FOR INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS DIRECTED AT AND IS ONLY BEING DISTRIBUTED TO
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"), "QUALIFIED INVESTORS"
("QUALIFIED INVESTORS"), AS
DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 (AS AMENDED,
THE "PROSPECTUS
REGULATION"); OR (B) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,
"QUALIFIED INVESTORS" AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU)
2017/1129 AS IT FORMS PART OF ASSIMILATED LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED AND SUPPLEMENTED
(THE "UK PROSPECTUS
REGULATION") WHO ARE ALSO (I) PERSONS WHO FALL WITHIN THE
DEFINITION OF "INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS" IN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER
2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER"), (II) HIGH NET WORTH BODIES
CORPORATE, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS OR PARTNERSHIPS OR TRUSTEES
OF HIGH VALUE TRUSTS AS DESCRIBED IN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) OF THE
ORDER, OR (III) PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY
COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS REFERRED TO IN (B) ABOVE TOGETHER
BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT
PERSONS").
ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT
ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OR THE PLACING RELATES IS
AVAILABLE ONLY (I) IN ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EEA, TO QUALIFIED
INVESTORS; AND (II) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, TO RELEVANT PERSONS, AND
WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH SUCH PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON (I) IN ANY MEMBER OF STATE OF THE
EEA, BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT QUALIFIED INVESTORS; AND (II) IN THE
UNITED KINGDOM, BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR ISSUE,
OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE
ACQUIRE ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS
OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS, ACCOUNTING, FINANCIAL AND
RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE PLACING SHARES.
THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN
HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR UNDER THE
SECURITIES LAWS OF, OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF,
ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY
NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR DELIVERED, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN
AVAILABLE 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 OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES IN
ACCORDANCE WITH REGULATION S UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT
("REGULATION S") AND
OTHERWISE IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.
NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE PLACING
SHARES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE UNITED
STATES, ANY OTHER RESTRICTED TERRITORY OR ELSEWHERE.
Unless otherwise stated, capitalised
terms in this Appendix have the meanings ascribed to them in
Appendix 2.
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, to persons in or into the United States, Australia, the
Republic of South Africa, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which
release, publication or distribution of this Announcement and/or an
offer to sell or issue, or the solicitation of an offer to buy,
subscribe for or otherwise acquire, Placing Shares (or the
acceptance of any such offer) would be unlawful (each a
"Restricted
Territory"). The distribution of this Announcement
and/or 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, Barclays Bank PLC ("Barclays"), Jefferies International
Limited ("Jefferies", and
together with Barclays, the "Joint
Global Coordinators"), or Peel Hunt LLP ("Peel Hunt", and together with the Joint
Global Coordinators, the "Banks") or any of their respective
Affiliates, or any person acting on behalf of any of them, 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 this
Announcement (or any part thereof) 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 the
Company and the Banks to inform themselves about, and to observe,
any restrictions contained in this Announcement.
All offers of the Placing Shares in
the United Kingdom and the EEA will be made pursuant to an
exemption under the UK Prospectus Regulation and the Prospectus
Regulation, as applicable, from the requirement to produce a
prospectus. 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.
The Placing Shares and this
Announcement have not been approved and will not be approved or
disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any State
securities commission or any other regulatory authority in the
United States, nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed
upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or the accuracy or
adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offence in the United
States.
Accordingly, subject to certain
exceptions, the Placing Shares may not be offered, sold,
transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into any
Restricted Territory 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.
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety.
This Announcement has been issued
by, and is the sole responsibility of, the Company. No
representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made
as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or
will be accepted by or on behalf of any of the Banks, any of their
respective Affiliates, or any person acting on behalf of any of
them 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 party or
its advisers, or any other statement made or purported to be made
by or on behalf of any of the Banks, any of their respective
affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them in
connection with the Company, the Placing Shares or the Placing and
any responsibility and liability whether arising in tort, contract
or otherwise is expressly disclaimed.
Barclays, which is authorised by the
Prudential Regulation Authority and authorised and regulated by the
FCA, Jefferies, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA, and
Peel Hunt, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA, are acting
exclusively for the Company and for 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, the contents of this Announcement or any other matter
referred to in this Announcement and will not be responsible to
anyone other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to their respective clients or for giving advice in
relation to the Placing, the contents of this Announcement or any
other matter referred to in this Announcement.
None of the Banks, the Company, any
of their respective Affiliates, or any person acting on behalf of
any of them, 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, accounting, financial and related aspects
of an investment in the Placing Shares. In addition, none of
the Banks, any of their respective Affiliates or any person acting
on behalf of any of them are acting for the Company with respect to
the Retail Offer or the Subscription and none of the Banks, any of
their respective Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any
of them will have any responsibilities, duties or liabilities,
whether direct or indirect, whether arising in tort, contract or
otherwise in connection with the Retail Offer or the Subscription
or to any person in connection with the Retail Offer or the
Subscription.
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
bound by the terms and conditions contained in this Appendix,
including being deemed to provide (and shall only be permitted to
participate in the Placing on the basis that they have provided)
the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, indemnities,
undertakings, confirmations and agreements set out
herein.
In particular, each such Placee
represents, warrants, acknowledges, undertakes, confirms and agrees
that:
a)
if it is in the United Kingdom, it is a Relevant Person and
undertakes that it will subscribe for, hold, manage and dispose of
any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its
business;
b)
if it is in a member state of the EEA, it is a Qualified Investor
and undertakes that it will subscribe for, hold, manage and dispose
of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of
its business;
c)
it is and, at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed for, will
be: (i) outside the United States and is acquiring the Placing
Shares in an "offshore transaction" in accordance with Rule 903 or
Rule 904 of Regulation S; or (ii) (a) a "qualified institutional
buyer" (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act)
("QIB") that has executed
and delivered, or will execute and deliver, a US Investor Letter,
and (b) subscribing for the Placing Shares in a transaction
pursuant to an exemption from, or not subject to, the registration
requirements of the Securities Act, acknowledging that the Placing
Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the
Securities Act or with any state or other jurisdiction of the
United States;
d)
it is acquiring the Placing Shares for its own account or for an
account with respect to which it exercises sole investment
discretion in each case for investment purposes only and has the
authority to make and does make the representations, warranties,
acknowledgements, indemnities, undertakings, confirmations and
agreements contained in this Announcement on behalf of each such
account; and
e)
if it is a financial intermediary, including as that term is used
in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation and Article 5(1) of
the UK Prospectus Regulation, as applicable, that it understands
the resale and transfer restrictions set out in this Appendix and
that any 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
circumstances which may give rise to an offer of securities to the
public other than an offer or resale in a member state of the EEA
to Qualified Investors or in the United
Kingdom to Relevant Persons, or in circumstances in which the
prior consent of the Banks has been given to each such proposed
offer or resale.
NOTICE TO CANADIAN INVESTORS
The Placing Shares may be sold only
to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal
that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument
45-106 Prospectus
Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), as
applicable, and are permitted clients, as defined in National
Instrument 31-103 Registration
Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant
Obligations. The Company is not, and has no intention
of becoming, a "reporting issuer", as such term is defined under
Canadian securities laws, in any province or territory of
Canada. Any resale of the Placing Shares must be made in
accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject
to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities
laws.
The offering of the Placing Shares
may be made on a private placement basis in the provinces of
Ontario, Québec, British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, and is
exempt from the requirement that the Company prepare and file a
prospectus with the relevant securities regulatory authorities in
Canada. No offer of securities is made pursuant to this
Announcement in Canada except to a person who has represented to
the Company and the Banks that such person: (i) is purchasing as
principal, or is deemed to be purchasing as principal in accordance
with applicable Canadian securities laws, for investment only and
not with a view to resale or distribution; (ii) is an "accredited
investor" as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National
Instrument 45-106 Prospectus
Exemptions or, in Ontario, as such term is defined in
section 73.3(1) of the Securities
Act (Ontario); and (iii) is a "permitted client" as such
term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 31-103
Registration Requirements,
Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any
resale of the Placing Shares subscribed for by a Canadian investor
in this offering must be made in accordance with applicable
Canadian securities laws, which may vary depending on the relevant
jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made in
accordance with Canadian prospectus requirements, a statutory
exemption from the prospectus requirements, in a transaction exempt
from the prospectus requirements or otherwise under a discretionary
exemption from the prospectus requirements granted by the
applicable local Canadian securities regulatory authority.
These resale restrictions may under certain circumstances apply to
resales of the Placing Shares outside of Canada.
NOTICE TO SWISS INVESTORS
The Placing Shares may not be
publicly offered, directly or indirectly, in Switzerland within the
meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act ("FinSA") and no application has or will
be made to admit the Placing Shares to trading on any trading venue
(exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland.
Neither this Announcement nor any other offering or marketing
material relating to the Placing Shares constitutes a prospectus
pursuant to the FinSA, and neither this Announcement nor any other
offering or marketing material relating to the Placing Shares may
be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in
Switzerland. The offering of the Placing Shares in
Switzerland is exempt from the requirement to prepare and publish a
prospectus under the FinSA because such offering is made to
professional clients within the meaning of the FinSA
only.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE
PLACING
Bookbuild
Following this Announcement, the
Banks will commence a bookbuilding process in respect of the
Placing (the "Bookbuild")
to determine demand for participation in the Placing by
Placees. No commissions will be paid to Placees or by Placees
in respect of any Placing Shares. The book will open with
immediate effect. 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.
Details of the Placing Agreement and of the Placing
Shares
Barclays and Jefferies are acting as
joint global coordinators and, together with Peel Hunt, as joint
bookrunners in relation to the Placing. The Banks entered
into an agreement with the Company (the "Placing Agreement") under which,
subject to the terms and conditions set out therein, each of the
Banks, as agent for and on behalf of the Company, has agreed to use
its reasonable endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing Shares
at the Placing Price, or failing which to itself subscribe for its
respective proportion of such Placing Shares at the Placing Price
on the Closing Date.
The timing of the closing of the
Bookbuild and allocations are at the discretion of the Company and
the Banks. Results of the Placing will be announced as soon
as practicable after the close of the Bookbuild.
The Banks are not acting for the
Company with respect to the Retail Offer or the
Subscription.
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all
respects with the existing Ordinary Shares, the Subscription Shares
and the Retail Offer Shares including the right to receive all
dividends and other distributions declared in respect of the
Ordinary Shares after the date of issue. The Placing Shares
will be issued free of any encumbrances, liens or other security
interests.
Application for admission to trading
Applications will be made to the
Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") for admission of the Placing
Shares to the equity securities (transition) category of the
Official List of the FCA and to London Stock Exchange plc
("London Stock Exchange")
for admission to trading of the Placing Shares on its Main Market
for listed securities ("Admission"). It is expected that
Admission will become effective at 8.00 a.m. (London time) on 15
October 2024 (or such later date as may be agreed between the
Company and the Joint Global Coordinators). The Company will
also apply for the Retail Offer Shares to be so
admitted.
Participation in, and principal terms of, the
Placing
1.
The Banks are arranging the Placing severally, and not jointly, nor
jointly and severally, as agents of the Company.
Participation will only be available to persons who may
lawfully be, and are, invited to participate by a Bank. Each
of the Banks and their respective Affiliates, and any person acting
on their behalf, are entitled to enter bids as principal in the
Bookbuild.
2.
The Bookbuild, if successful, will establish the Placing Price and
the number of Placing Shares to be allocated to all Placees whose
bids are successful. The Placing Price and the aggregate
proceeds to be raised through the Placing will be agreed between
the Banks and the Company following completion of the
Bookbuild. The results of the Placing will be announced on a
Regulatory Information Service following the completion of the
Bookbuild.
3.
To participate in the Bookbuild, Placees should communicate their
bid by telephone or in writing to their usual sales contact at one
of the Banks. Each bid should state the number of Placing
Shares which the prospective Placee wishes to acquire at the
Placing Price. Bids may be scaled down on the basis referred
to in paragraph 6 below. Each of the Banks reserves the right not to
accept bids or to accept bids in part rather than in
whole.
4.
The Bookbuild is expected to close no later than 7:00 a.m.
(London time) on 11 October 2024 but may be closed earlier or
later, at the discretion of the Banks and the Company. The
Banks may, in agreement with the Company, accept bids that are
received after the Bookbuild has closed. The Company reserves
the right (upon the agreement of the Banks) to reduce the number of
shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing, in its absolute
discretion.
5.
Each Placee's allocation will be confirmed to Placees orally or in
writing by a Bank, acting as agent of the Company, following the
close of the Bookbuild, and a contract note or trade confirmation
will be dispatched as soon as possible thereafter. The terms
of this Appendix will be deemed incorporated into the contract note
or trade confirmation. Subject to
paragraph 7 below, a Bank's oral or
written 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 Banks and the Company, under
which such Placee agrees to acquire the number of Placing Shares
allocated to it and to pay the Placing Price on the terms and
conditions set out in this Appendix.
6.
Subject to paragraphs 2 and 3 above, the Banks will, in
effecting the Placing, agree with the Company the identity of the
Placees and the basis of allocation of the Placing Shares and may
scale down any bids for this purpose on such basis as they may
determine. The Banks may also, notwithstanding
paragraphs 2 and 3 above and subject to the prior consent of the Company, (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 Company and the
Banks.
7.
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 Banks'
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 relevant Bank, to pay the relevant Bank (or as it may direct)
in cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the Placing
Price and the number of Placing Shares that such Placee has agreed
to acquire. Each Placee's obligations will be owed to the
relevant Bank.
8.
Except as required by law or regulation, no press release or other
announcement will be made by the Banks or the Company using the
name of any Placee (or its agent), in its capacity as Placee (or
agent), other than with such Placee's prior written
consent.
9.
Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation(s) pursuant
to the Placing is/are confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares
to be acquired pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made
at the same time, on the basis explained below under "Registration
and Settlement".
10.
All obligations under the Bookbuild and Placing will be subject to
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".
11.
By participating in the 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 after confirmation (oral
or otherwise) by a Bank.
12.
To the fullest extent permissible by law, none of the Banks, the
Company, any of their respective Affiliates, or any person acting
on behalf of any of them shall have any responsibility or liability
to Placees (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a
Placee or otherwise). In particular, none of the Banks, the
Company, any of their respective Affiliates or any person acting on
behalf of any of them shall have any responsibility or liability
(including to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties)
in respect of the Banks' conduct of the Bookbuild or of such
alternative method of effecting the Placing as the Banks, their
respective Affiliates and the Company may agree.
13.
The Placing Shares will be issued subject to the terms and
conditions of this Announcement and each Placee's commitment to
subscribe for 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 Placees will have no
right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained
with respect to the Company's or the Banks' conduct of the
Placing.
14.
All times and dates in this Announcement may be subject to
change. The Banks shall notify the Placees and any person
acting on behalf of the Placees of any changes.
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 Banks'
obligations under the Placing Agreement are conditional on certain
conditions, including (but not limited to):
a)
the publication by the Company of the results of the Placing
through a Regulatory Information Service;
b)
in the opinion of each of the Joint Global Coordinators (acting in
good faith), there having been no Material Adverse Change since
entering into the Placing Agreement at any time prior to
Admission;
c)
the Company having complied with all of the agreements and
undertakings, and satisfied or performed all of the conditions and
obligations on its part to be performed or satisfied, under the
Placing Agreement and in connection with the Placing, the
Subscription and Admission in each case which fall to be performed
or satisfied on or prior to Admission, save in each case for any
non-compliance, non-performance or non-satisfaction which in the
opinion of the Joint Global Coordinators acting jointly and in good
faith, is not material in the context of the Placing or the
Admission;
d)
the representations and warranties given by the Company in the
Placing Agreement being true and accurate and not misleading on and
as of the times they are given by reference to the facts and
circumstances then subsisting;
e)
the Subscription Agreements having been duly executed and delivered
by the parties thereto, being valid, binding and enforceable in
accordance with their respective terms, remaining in full force and
effect and not having been amended or terminated and there having
occurred no default or breach by the parties thereto of any such
agreement, save for any amendment, termination, default or breach
which, in the opinion of the Joint Global Coordinators acting
jointly and in good faith, is not material in the context of the
Placing or the Admission;
f)
the Company having allotted, subject only to Admission, the Placing
Shares in accordance with the Placing Agreement; and
g)
Admission of the Placing Shares occurring at or before 8:00 a.m.
(London time) on 15 October 2024 (or such later date as the Company
and the Banks may agree).
If: (i) any of the conditions
contained in the Placing Agreement, including those described
above, are not fulfilled or (where applicable) waived by the Joint
Global Coordinators by the relevant time or date specified (or such
later time or date as the Company and the Joint Global Coordinators
may agree); or (ii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in the
circumstances specified below under "Termination of the Placing
Agreement", 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 or on its behalf in respect thereof.
The Joint Global Coordinators may,
at their discretion, and upon such terms as they think fit, extend
the time for the satisfaction of any condition or waive compliance
by the Company with the whole or any part of any of the Company's
obligations in relation to the conditions in the Placing Agreement
save that the above conditions relating, inter alia, to Admission taking place
and the Company allotting the Placing Shares may not be
waived. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees'
commitments as set out in this Announcement.
None of the Banks, the Company, any
of their respective Affiliates, or any person acting on behalf of
any of them shall have any liability to any Placee (or to any other
person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in
respect of any decision they may make as to whether or not to waive
or to extend the time and/or date for the satisfaction of any
condition to the Placing nor for any decision 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
Joint Global Coordinators.
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 Joint Global Coordinators may
(acting jointly and in good faith and following consultation with
the Company to the extent reasonably practicable), at any time
before Admission, terminate the Placing Agreement in accordance
with its terms in certain circumstances,
including, inter
alia, if (in summary): (i) there has been a
breach by the Company of any of the representations, warranties or
undertakings given by the Company under the Placing Agreement, save
for any breach which in the opinion of the Joint Global
Coordinators (acting jointly and in good faith) is not material in
the context of the Placing or Admission; (ii) there has been a
breach by the Company of any of its obligations in the Placing
Agreement or the Subscription Agreements, save for any breach which
in the opinion of the Joint Global Coordinators (acting jointly and
in good faith) is not material in the context of the Placing or
Admission; (iii) in the opinion of the Joint Global Coordinators
(acting jointly and in good faith), there has been a Material
Adverse Change; (iv) an application for Admission is refused by the
FCA or the London Stock Exchange; or (v) there has occurred, or in
the opinion of the Joint Global Coordinators (acting jointly and in
good faith) it is reasonably likely that there will occur, a
material adverse change in certain financial markets, any outbreak
of hostilities or escalation thereof, any act of terrorism or war
or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving
a prospective change in national or international political,
financial economic conditions, currency exchange rates or exchange
controls, a suspension or material limitation to trading generally
on the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ National Market or the
London Stock Exchange, a material disruption in commercial banking
or securities settlement or clearance services, the declaration of
a banking moratorium, or an actual or prospective adverse change in
taxation or the imposition of exchange controls, and, in the
opinion of the Joint Global Coordinators (acting in good faith),
such event makes it impossible, impracticable or inadvisable to
proceed with the Placing or the delivery of the Placing Shares
pursuant to the Placing Agreement.
By participating in the Placing,
Placees agree that the exercise by the Joint Global Coordinators of
any right of termination or other discretion under the Placing
Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of the Joint
Global Coordinators or for agreement between the Company and the
Joint Global Coordinators and that none of the Banks or the Company
need make any reference to, or consult with, Placees and that none
of the Banks, the Company, any of their respective
affiliates. directors, officers or employees, or any person
acting on behalf of any of them shall have any liability to Placees
whatsoever in connection with any such exercise or failure to so
exercise.
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, offering
document or admission document to be published. No
prospectus, offering document or admission document has been or
will be prepared or submitted to be approved by the FCA (or any
other competent authority) in relation to the Placing, and no
prospectus or equivalent document is required (in accordance with
the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation) to be
published in the United Kingdom or in any other
jurisdiction.
Placees' commitments will be made
solely on the basis of their own assessment of the Company, the
Placing Shares and the Placing based on publicly available
information taken together with the information contained in this
Announcement and the Exchange Information (as defined below)
published by or on behalf of the Company simultaneously with or
prior to the date of this Announcement and subject to the further
terms set forth in the contract note or trade confirmation to be
provided to individual prospective Placees by a Bank.
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 Banks 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 Banks or their respective Affiliates
or any other person and none of the Banks, the Company, or any of
their respective Affiliates or any other person will be responsible
or liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing
based on any other information, representation, warranty or
statement which the Placee 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 when
deciding to participate in the Placing. No Placee should
consider any information in this Announcement to be legal, tax,
business, accounting, financial or other advice. Each Placee
should consult its own attorney, tax adviser, business adviser,
accountant and financial adviser for legal, tax, business,
accounting, financial and other advice regarding an investment in
the Placing Shares.
Restriction on issues of securities
The Company has undertaken to the
Banks that, from the date of the Placing Agreement until 90
calendar days after the Closing Date (both dates inclusive), it
will not, without the prior written consent of the Joint Global
Coordinators enter into certain transactions involving or relating
to the Ordinary Shares, subject to certain customary
exceptions.
By participating in the Placing,
Placees agree that the exercise by the Banks of any power to grant
consent to waive the undertaking by the Company shall be within the
absolute discretion of the Banks 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: GB00BMTV7393) 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 Banks 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 possible or
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.
Following the close of the
Bookbuild, each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will
be sent a contract note or trade confirmation in accordance with
the standing arrangements in place with the relevant Bank stating
the number of Placing Shares to be allocated to it at the Placing
Price, the aggregate amount owed by such Placee to the Bank and
settlement instructions. It is expected that such contract
note or trade confirmation will be dispatched on or around 11
October 2024 and that this will also be the trade date.
Each Placee agrees that it will do
all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is
completed in accordance with either the standing CREST or
certificated settlement instructions that it has in place with the
relevant Bank. 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 the Banks may agree that
the Placing Shares will be issued in certificated form.
The Company will deliver the Placing
Shares to a CREST account operated by a Bank and that Bank will
enter into its delivery (DEL) instruction into the CREST
system. The Bank will hold any Placing Shares delivered to
its CREST account as nominee for the Placees. 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.
It is expected that settlement will
be on 15 October 2024 on a T+2 basis in accordance with the
instructions given to the Banks.
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 SONIA as determined by the Banks.
Each Placee agrees that, if it does
not comply with these obligations, the Banks may acquire and retain
such shares as principal or may sell any or all of the Placing
Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's behalf and retain
from the proceeds 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 in any
jurisdiction upon the sale of such Placing Shares on such Placee's
behalf. The foregoing is without prejudice to any cause of
action the Banks may have against a defaulting Placee. If
Placing Shares are to be delivered to a custodian or settlement
agent, Placees should ensure that the contract note or trade
confirmation is copied and delivered immediately to the relevant
person within that organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares
are registered in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the
name of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or
that of a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should, save
as provided below, be so registered free from any liability
to UK stamp duty or UK 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), none of the Banks or the
Company shall be responsible for the payment thereof.
Representations and warranties
By participating in the Placing each
Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably
acknowledges, confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees
(as the case may be) with the Banks (in their capacity as joint
global coordinators, joint bookrunners and as placing agents (as
applicable) of the Company 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 acquisition 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 or duplicate 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 (other than as expressly stated in this
Announcement);
2.
that no prospectus, offering document or admission document has
been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing or is
required under the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus
Regulation and it has not received and will not receive a
prospectus, offering document or admission document in connection
with Admission, the Bookbuild, the Placing or the Placing
Shares;
3.
that the issued Ordinary Shares are admitted to listing on the
equity shares (transition) category of the Official List of the FCA
and to trading on the main market of the London Stock Exchange and
the Company is therefore required to publish certain business and
financial information in accordance with applicable law, including
UK MAR, the DTRs and the rules and practices of the London Stock
Exchange and/or the FCA (collectively, the "Exchange Information"), 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 similar statements for preceding financial years and that it
has reviewed such Exchange Information and that it is able to
obtain or access such Exchange Information;
4.
that none of the Banks, the Company, any of their respective
Affiliates or 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 Bookbuild, the Placing, the Placing
Shares or the Company or any other person other than this
Announcement and the Placing Results Announcement (each of which is
the sole responsibility of the Company), nor has it requested any
of the Banks, the Company, any of their respective Affiliates or
any person acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any
such material or information;
5.
unless otherwise specifically agreed with the Banks, that it is
not, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired, neither it
nor any beneficial owner of the Placing Shares will be, a resident
of, nor have an address in, a Restricted Territory, and further
acknowledges that the Placing Shares have not been and will not be
registered or otherwise qualified, for offer or sale nor will a
prospectus, offering document or admission document be cleared or
approved in respect of any of the Placing Shares under the
securities legislation of the United States or any other Restricted
Territory or elsewhere and, subject to certain exceptions, may not
be offered, sold, transferred, delivered or distributed, directly
or indirectly, in or into those jurisdictions or in any country or
jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is
required;
6.
that the content of this Announcement is exclusively the
responsibility of the Company and that none of the Banks, any of
their respective Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any
of them has or shall have any responsibility or liability for any
information, representation or statement contained in this
Announcement or any information, representation or statement
previously or subsequently published by or on behalf of the
Company, including, without limitation, the Exchange Information,
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, representation
or statement previously published by or on behalf of the Company or
otherwise. Each Placee further represents, warrants and
agrees 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 and the
Exchange Information (save that in the case of Exchange
Information, a Placee's right to rely on that information is
limited to the right that such Placee would have as a matter of law
in the absence of this paragraph), 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 any of the Banks, the Company, any
of their respective Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of
any of them and none of the Banks, the Company, any of their
respective Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them
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. Each Placee further
acknowledges and agrees 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 none of the Banks, any of their
respective Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them
have made any representations to it, express or implied, with
respect to the Company, the Bookbuild, the Placing or the Placing
Shares or the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of this
Announcement or the Exchange Information, and each of them
expressly disclaims any liability in respect thereof;
7.
that it has not relied on any information, representation or
statement relating to the Company contained in any research report
prepared by any of the Banks, any of their respective Affiliates or
any person acting on behalf of any of them and understands that (i)
none of the Banks, any of their respective Affiliates or any person
acting on behalf of any of them has or shall have any liability for
any such information, representation or statement; (ii) none of the
Banks, any of their respective Affiliates or any person acting on
behalf of any of them 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
document or otherwise; and that (iii) none of the Banks, any of
their respective Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any
of them makes any representation or warranty, express or implied,
as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of such information,
representation or statement, whether at the date of publication,
the date of this Announcement or otherwise;
8.
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;
9.
that it acknowledges that no action has been or will be taken by
any of the Banks, the Company, any of their respective Affiliates
or any person acting on behalf of any of them 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;
10.
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 any of the Banks, the Company, any of their
respective Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them
acting in breach of the legal or regulatory requirements of any
jurisdiction in connection with the Placing;
11.
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;
12.
that it has complied with its obligations under the Criminal
Justice Act 1993 and UK 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 Banks (for themselves and as agents
on behalf of the Company) have not received such satisfactory
evidence, the Banks and/or the Company may, in their absolute
discretion, terminate the Placee's Placing participation in which
event all funds delivered by the Placee to the Banks will be
returned without interest to the account of the drawee bank or
CREST account from which they were originally debited;
13.
that it is 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, confirmations, undertakings, representations,
warranties and agreements herein on behalf of each such person; and
(ii) it is and will remain liable to the Banks and the Company for
the performance of all its obligations in respect of the Placing
(regardless of the fact that it is acting for another
person);
14.
if in a member state of the EEA, it is a Qualified
Investor;
15.
if in the United Kingdom, it is a Relevant Person;
16.
if in Switzerland, it is a professional client within the meaning
of article 4, paragraph 3 of FinSA;
17.
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;
18.
that it 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, in or
into the United States or any other Restricted Territory
(including electronic copies thereof), directly or indirectly,
whether in whole or in part, to any person, and it has not
distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise transmitted any
such materials to any person;
19.
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 to acquire the
Placing Shares for each managed account and it has full power to
make the acknowledgements, confirmations, undertakings,
representations, warranties and agreements herein on behalf of each
such account;
20.
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;
21.
if it is acting as a financial intermediary, including as that term
is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation and Article
5(1) of 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 Qualified Investors or persons
in the United Kingdom other than Relevant Persons, or in
circumstances in which the prior consent of the Banks and the
Company has been given to the proposed offer or resale;
22.
that in the United Kingdom any offer of Placing Shares may only be
directed at persons who are Relevant Persons 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 except to Relevant Persons 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 and section 85(1) of FSMA;
23.
that in member states of the EEA any offer of Placing Shares may
only be directed at persons who are 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
except to 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;
24.
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 and
agrees that this Announcement has not been approved by any of the
Banks in their respective capacity as an authorised person under
section 21 of FSMA and it may not therefore be subject to the
controls which would apply if it was made or approved as a
financial promotion by an authorised person;
25.
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, from or
otherwise involving, the United Kingdom;
26.
if it has received any "inside information" for
the purposes of UK MAR about the Company in advance of the Placing,
it has not: (i) dealt in the securities of the Company; (ii)
encouraged or required another person to deal in the securities of
the Company; or (iii) disclosed such information to any person
except as permitted by UK MAR, prior to the information being made
publicly available; or (iii) taken any other action that is in
breach of UK MAR;
27.
that (i) it (and any person acting on its behalf)
has capacity and authority and is otherwise entitled to acquire 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 any of the
Banks, the Company, any of their respective Affiliates or any
person acting on behalf of any of them 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 acquisition 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, and otherwise;
28.
that it (and any person acting on its behalf) has the funds
available to pay for and will make payment for the Placing Shares
allocated to it in accordance with this Announcement on the due
time and date set out herein against delivery of such Placing
Shares to it, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be
placed with other Placees, acquired or sold as the Banks may in
their absolute discretion determine (subject to the allocation
policies agreed with the Company) and without liability of any
person to such Placee. The Placee will, however, remain
liable for any shortfall and may be required to bear any stamp duty
or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any interest or penalties)
imposed in any jurisdiction 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;
29.
that it acknowledges and confirms that if it fails to make payment
for Placing Shares allocated to it, the Banks may assign their
rights and powers under this Appendix against such defaulting
Placees to a third party without notice to the relevant
Placees;
30.
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 Banks 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;
31.
that none of the Banks, any of their respective Affiliates or any
person acting on behalf of any of them, is making any
recommendation to it, or advising it regarding the suitability or
merits of any transaction 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 Banks and that the Banks
do 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 Bank's rights and obligations thereunder
including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise
any termination right;
32.
that the person whom it specifies for registration as holder of the
Placing Shares will be (i) itself or (ii) its nominee (on its
behalf), as the case may be. None of the Banks, the Company
or 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 imposed in any jurisdiction (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 each of the Banks, the Company and
each of their respective Affiliates in respect of the same on an
after-tax basis on the basis that the Placing Shares will be
allotted to the CREST stock account of a Bank who will hold them as
nominee on behalf of such Placee until settlement in accordance
with its standing settlement instructions;
33.
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 or in connection with these terms and
conditions and any such agreement and/or non-contractual
obligations, 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 Banks 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;
34.
that the Banks, the Company and their respective Affiliates and
others will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the
representations, warranties, agreements, undertakings,
confirmations and acknowledgements set forth herein and which are
given to the Banks and the Company and are irrevocable and it
irrevocably authorises the Banks 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;
35.
that it will indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold each of the
Banks, the Company, each of their respective Affiliates and any
person acting on behalf of any of them 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,
agreements, undertakings, confirmations and acknowledgements given
by the Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) in
this Appendix and further agrees that the provisions of this
Appendix shall survive after completion of the Placing;
36.
that it acknowledges that it irrevocably appoints any director or
authorised signatory of the Banks 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 or its nominee (on
its behalf) to be registered as the holder of any of the Placing
Shares agreed to be taken up by it under the Placing;
37.
that it acknowledges that its commitment to acquire Placing Shares
on the terms set out herein, and in the contract note or trade
confirmation, will continue notwithstanding any amendment that may
in future be made to the terms and conditions of the Placing and
that Placees will have no right to be consulted or require that
their consent be obtained with respect to the Company's or the
Banks' conduct of the Placing;
38.
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 acquiring 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 a
Bank, (iv) it has had sufficient time and access to information to
consider and conduct its own investigation with respect to the
acquisition 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 to enable it to
make an informed investment decision, (v) it is aware and
understands that an investment in the Placing Shares involves a
considerable degree of risk, and (vi) it will not look to any of
the Banks, the Company, any of their respective Affiliates or any
person acting on behalf of any of them for all or part of any such
loss or losses it or they may suffer;
39.
that it acknowledges and agrees that none of the Banks, the
Company, any of their respective Affiliates or any person acting on
behalf of any of them owe any fiduciary or other duties to it or
any Placee in respect of any representations, warranties,
undertakings or indemnities in the Placing Agreement;
40.
that it understands and agrees that it may not rely on any
investigation that any of the Banks, any of their respective
Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them may or may
not have conducted with respect to the Company and its Affiliates
or the Placing, and none of the Banks, any of their respective
Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them have made
any representation or warranty to it, express or implied, with
respect to the merits of the Placing, the acquisition 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
acknowledges and agrees that no information has been prepared by,
or is the responsibility of, the Banks for the purposes of this
Placing;
41.
that it acknowledges and agrees that it will not hold any of the
Banks, any of their respective Affiliates or any person acting on
behalf of any of them responsible or liable for any misstatements
in or omission 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 none of the
Banks nor any of their respective Affiliates nor any person acting
on behalf of any of them 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;
42.
that in connection with the Placing, a Bank and its Affiliates may
acquire a portion of the shares in the Company and in that capacity
may retain, acquire or sell for its 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 a Bank and its Affiliates (as
applicable) acting in such capacity. In addition, a Bank and
its Affiliates may enter into financing arrangements (including
swaps, warrants or contracts for differences) with investors in
connection with which such person(s) may from time to time
subscribe for, acquire, hold or dispose of such securities of the
Company, including the Placing Shares. None of the Banks
or any of their respective Affiliates intends to disclose the
extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in
accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation to do
so;
43.
that a communication that a transaction or the book is "covered"
refers to the position at the time of the communication and is not
any indication or assurance that the book will remain covered, that
the Placing will take place on any terms indicated or at all, or
that if the Placing does take place the Placing and securities will
be fully distributed by the Banks. Each of the Banks reserves
the right to take up a portion of the securities in the Placing as
a principal position at any stage at its sole discretion and will,
inter alia, take account of the Company's objectives, requirements
under UK MiFIR, requirements under MiFID II and/or the allocation
policy;
44.
that it acknowledges that the Placing Shares have not been
registered or otherwise qualified, and will not be registered or
otherwise qualified, for offer and sale nor will a prospectus be
cleared or approved in respect of any of the Placing Shares under
the securities laws of the United States, or any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States, nor approved or disapproved
by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities
commission or other regulatory authority in the United States,
nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed
the merits of the Placing or the accuracy or adequacy of this
Announcement. The Placing Shares have not been and will not
be registered or otherwise qualified for offer and sale nor will a
prospectus be cleared or approved in respect of the Placing Shares
under the securities laws of any Restricted Territory and, subject
to certain exceptions, may not be offered, sold, taken up,
renounced or delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, in,
into or within the United States or any other Restricted
Territory, or in any country or jurisdiction where any action for
that purpose is required, and no action has been or will be taken
by any of the Banks, the Company, any of their respective
Affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them that
would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing
Shares in the United States or any other Restricted Territory
or any country or jurisdiction, or any state, province, territory
or jurisdiction thereof, where any such action for that purpose is
required;
45.
that the Placing Shares are being offered and sold by or on behalf
of the Company in "offshore transactions" (as defined in Regulation
S under the Securities Act) or pursuant to another exemption from,
or transaction not subject to, the registration requirements under
the Securities Act. It and the prospective 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" or a QIB (as
defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act). It is acquiring the
Placing Shares for investment purposes only and not with a view to
any distribution or for resale in connection with the distribution
thereof in whole or in part, in the United States;
46.
to be bound by the terms of the articles of association of the
Company;
47.
that it is not acquiring any of the Placing Shares as a result of
any form of directed selling efforts (as defined in Regulation S)
or by means of any 'general solicitation' or 'general advertising'
(as described in Regulation D under the Securities
Act);
48.
that it will not directly or indirectly offer, reoffer, resell,
transfer, assign, pledge or otherwise dispose of any Placing Shares
except: (a) in an offshore transaction as defined in, and in
accordance with, Rule 903 or Rule 904 of Regulation S outside the
United States; (b) in the United States to a person that it or any
person acting on its behalf reasonably believes to be a QIB who is
purchasing for its own account or for the account of another person
who is a QIB in a transaction pursuant to Rule 144A under the
Securities Act (it being understood that all offers or
solicitations in connection with such a transfer are limited to
QIBs and do not involve any means of general solicitation or
general advertising); (c) pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities
Act (if available); (d) to the Company; or (e) pursuant to another
available exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the
registration requirements of the Securities Act, and if the Company
shall so require, subject to delivery to the Company of an opinion
of counsel (and such other evidence as the Company may reasonably
require) that such transfer or sale is in compliance with the
Securities Act, in each case, in accordance with any applicable
securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United
States; and that it will notify any transferee to whom it
subsequently reoffers, resells, pledges or otherwise transfers the
Placing Shares of the foregoing restrictions on
transfer;
49.
that the Placing Shares offered and sold in the United States are
"restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under
the Securities Act, and for so long as the Placing Shares are
restricted securities, it will not deposit such shares in any
unrestricted depositary facility established or maintained by any
depositary bank, and it agrees to notify any transferee to whom it
subsequently reoffers, resells, pledges or otherwise transfers the
Placing Shares of the foregoing restrictions on
transfer;
50.
that no representation has been made as to the availability of the
exemption provided by Rule 144 or any other exemption under the
Securities Act for the reoffer, resale, pledge or transfer of the
Placing Shares; and
51.
that each of the Banks and their respective Affiliates may have
engaged in transactions with, and provided various commercial
banking, investment banking and financial advisory services in the
ordinary course of their business to, the Company and/or its
Affiliates for which they would have received customary fees and
commissions and that each of the Banks and their respective
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 as
each of the Banks (for their own benefit and, where relevant, the
benefit of their respective Affiliates and any person acting on
behalf of any of them) and are irrevocable. Each Placee, and
any person acting on behalf of a Placee, acknowledges that none of
the Banks 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. None of the
Company or the Banks nor their respective Affiliates nor any person
acting on its or their behalf will be responsible for
any UK stamp duty or UK stamp duty reserve tax
(including any interest 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 and representation 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. None of the Banks, the Company, or their respective
Affiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf will be
liable to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or any
other similar duties or taxes ("transfer taxes") 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) for transfer taxes arising
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 Banks, the Company and their respective
Affiliates 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 each of the
Banks and any of their respective 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 Banks are 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 a Bank, any money held in an
account with the Bank 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 rules and regulations of
the FCA made under the FSMA. The Placee
acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the protections
conferred by the client money rules; as a consequence, this money
will not be segregated from the relevant Bank's money in accordance
with the client money rules and will be used by the Bank in the
course of its own business; and the Placee will rank only as a
general creditor of the Bank.
All times and dates in this
Announcement may be subject to amendment by the Banks and the
Company (in their absolute discretion). The Banks will notify
the Placees and any person acting on behalf of the Placees of any
changes.
Past performance is not a guide to
future performance and persons needing advice should consult an
independent financial adviser being, (i) if you are resident in
the United Kingdom a financial adviser who is authorised
under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended, or
(ii) another appropriately authorised professional adviser if you
are resident in a territory outside of the United
Kingdom.
The rights and remedies of the Banks
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 Banks:
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.
Unless the context requires
otherwise, references in this Appendix 1 to acquire (and related
terms such as acquired, acquiring and acquisition) shall include to
subscribe (and its related terms such as subscribed, subscribing
and subscription).
Time is of the essence as regards
each Placee's obligations under this Appendix 1.
Any document that is to be sent to a
Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) 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 Banks.
Appendix 2
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply
throughout Appendices 1 and 2 of this Announcement unless the
context otherwise requires:
Admission
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Affiliate
|
has the meaning given in Rule 501(b)
of Regulation D under the Securities Act or Rule 405 under the
Securities Act, as applicable and, in the case of the Company,
includes its subsidiary undertakings;
|
Announcement
|
means this announcement (including
its Appendices);
|
Banks
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Barclays
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Bookbuild
|
means the bookbuilding process to be
conducted by the Banks using 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;
|
Closing Date
|
means the day on which the
transactions effected in connection with the Placing will be
settled;
|
Company
|
means THG plc;
|
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;
|
DTRs
|
means the disclosure guidance and
transparency rules produced by the FCA and forming part of the FCA
Handbook as from time to time amended;
|
EEA
|
means European Economic
Area;
|
Euroclear
|
means Euroclear UK &
International Limited, a company incorporated under the laws
of England and Wales;
|
EUWA
|
means the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended, and together with any statutory
instruments made in exercise of the powers conferred by such
Act);
|
Exchange Information
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 of this Announcement;
|
FCA or Financial Conduct Authority
|
means the UK Financial Conduct
Authority;
|
FSMA
|
means the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000 (as amended);
|
Group
|
means the Company and its subsidiary
undertakings, and "Group
Company" shall be construed accordingly;
|
Information
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Jefferies
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Joint Global Coordinators
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Listing Rules
|
means the listing rules made by the
FCA under Part VI of the FSMA;
|
LSE
or London Stock Exchange
|
means London Stock Exchange
plc;
|
MAR
or Market Abuse Regulation
|
means Regulation (EU) No.596/2014 of
the European Parliament and of the Council;
|
Material Adverse Change
|
means a material adverse change in
or affecting, or any development reasonably likely to involve a
material adverse change in or affecting, the condition (financial,
operational, legal or otherwise), earnings, management, results of
operations, business affairs, solvency, credit rating or prospects
of the Group (taken as a whole), whether or not arising in the
ordinary course of business and whether or not foreseeable at the
date of the Placing Agreement;
|
MiFID II
|
means Directive 2014/65/EU of the
European Parliament and of the Council, as amended and
supplemented;
|
Ordinary Shares
|
means the ordinary shares of £0.005
each in the capital of the Company;
|
Peel Hunt
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Placee
|
means any person (including
individuals, funds or otherwise) by whom or on whose behalf a
commitment to acquire Placing Shares has been given;
|
Placing
|
means the placing of the Placing
Shares by the Banks pursuant to the Placing Agreement;
|
Placing Agreement
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Placing Price
|
means the price at which the Placing
Shares are to be placed, which will be determined at the close of
the Bookbuild by agreement between the Company and the
Banks;
|
Placing Shares
|
means the new Ordinary Shares to be
allotted and issued by the Company pursuant to the
Placing;
|
Prospectus Regulation
|
means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of
the European Parliament and of the Council, as amended and
supplemented;
|
QIB
|
means "qualified institutional
buyer" as defined within Rule 144A of the Securities
Act;
|
Regulation S
|
means Regulation S promulgated under
the Securities Act;
|
Regulations
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Regulatory Information Service
|
means a primary information provider
which has been approved by the FCA to disseminate regulated
information;
|
Relevant Person
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Restricted Territory
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
Retail Offer
|
means the offer to be made by the
Company on the PrimaryBid platform of new Ordinary Shares at the
Placing Price, the terms of which will be detailed in a separate
announcement by the Company published shortly after this
Announcement;
|
Retail Offer Shares
|
means the Ordinary Shares acquired
(if any) by retail and other investors pursuant to the Retail
Offer;
|
Securities Act
|
means the US Securities Act of 1933,
as amended;
|
SONIA
|
means Sterling Overnight Index
Average;
|
Subscription
|
means the subscription of new
Ordinary Shares by the subscribers thereof at the Placing Price
pursuant to the Subscription Agreements;
|
Subscription Shares
|
means the new Ordinary Shares to be
subscribed for by the subscribers thereof pursuant to the
Subscription Agreements;
|
Subscription Agreements
|
means the subscription agreements
entered into between the Company and the subscribers thereof dated
10 October 2024;
|
subsidiary undertaking
|
has the meaning given to that term
in the Companies Act 2006;
|
Terms and Conditions
|
means the terms and conditions of
the Placing set out in Appendix 1 to this Announcement;
|
UK
MAR
|
means Regulation (EU) No.596/2014 of
the European Parliament and of the Council (as it forms part of
assimilated law by virtue of the EUWA), as amended and
supplemented;
|
UK
MiFIR
|
means Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 of
the European Parliament and of the Council (as it forms part of
assimilated law by virtue of the EUWA), as amended and
supplemented;
|
UK
Prospectus Regulation
|
means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of
the European Parliament and of the Council (as it forms part of
assimilated law by virtue of the EUWA), as amended and
supplemented;
|
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;
|
United Kingdom or UK
|
means the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland; and
|
United States or US
|
means the United States of America,
its territories and possessions, any state of the United States of
America, the District of Columbia and all other areas subject to
its jurisdiction and any political sub- division
thereof.
|
Unless otherwise indicated in this
Announcement, any references to "£", "GBP", "pounds", "pound sterling", "sterling", "p", "penny" or "pence" are to the lawful currency of
the UK, any references to "US$", "$" or "dollars" are to the lawful currency of
the United States of America, and any references to "€" or "Euro" are to the lawful currency of the
eurozone.