Proposed £3m fundraising

RNS Number : 7265Y
GRC International Group PLC
17 January 2022
 

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE IMPORTANT NOTICES AND THE APPENDIX) AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE IN, INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (THE "UNITED STATES" OR THE "U.S"), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, OFFER OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICES SECTION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DEEMED BY THE COMPANY TO CONSTITUTE INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (REGULATION 596/2014/EU) AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 ("MAR"). IN ADDITION, MARKET SOUNDINGS (AS DEFINED IN MAR) WERE TAKEN IN RESPECT OF THE PLACING AND OTHER MATTERS CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, WITH THE RESULT THAT CERTAIN PERSONS BECAME AWARE OF SUCH INSIDE INFORMATION AS PERMITTED BY MAR. UPON PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. THEREFORE, UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, THOSE PERSONS WHO RECEIVED INSIDE INFORMATION IN A MARKET SOUNDING ARE NO LONGER IN POSSESSION OF INSIDE INFORMATION RELATING TO THE COMPANY AND ITS SECURITIES.

17 January 2022

 

GRC International Group plc

("GRC", the "Company" or the "Group")

 

Proposed placing by way of an accelerated bookbuild to raise up to £3 million

 

GRC  International  Group (AIM: GRC), an integrated cyber security and privacy solutions business, today announces its intention to conduct a placing (the "Placing") to raise gross proceeds of up to £3 million of new ordinary shares in the capital of the Company (the "Placing Shares") to institutional investors at a placing price of 38 pence per Placing Share (the "Placing Price").

 

The Placing will be conducted in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the Appendix to this announcement through an accelerated bookbuild process (the "Bookbuild") which will be launched immediately following release of this placing announcement (the "Announcement").

 

Dowgate Capital Limited ("Dowgate") is acting as Broker in connection with the Placing.

 

Use of Proceeds

 

Net proceeds from the Placing will be used to:

· accelerate investment in SaaS and e-Commerce platforms with the aim of further accelerating organic growth, taking advantage of current market opportunities; and

· strengthen the overall balance sheet position and support working capital.

 

Details of the Placing

 

The Bookbuild will open with immediate effect following release of this Announcement and is expected to close no later than 4.30 p.m. on the next working day following this Announcement. However, the final number of Placing Shares, the timing of the closing of the Bookbuild and allocations are at the discretion of the Company and Dowgate.

 

The Placing Shares, when issued, will be fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing ordinary shares of the Company, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after the date of issue.

 

The Placing is also subject to the conditions and termination rights set out in the placing agreement between the Company and Dowgate (the "Placing Agreement"). Further details of the Placing Agreement can be found in the terms and conditions contained in the Appendix to this Announcement.

 

The Placing does not require any shareholder approval. Application will be made for the Placing Shares to be admitted to trading on the AIM market ("AIM") of London Stock Exchange plc (the "London Stock Exchange"), ("Admission"). It is expected that settlement for the Placing Shares and Admission will take place at 8.00 a.m. on or around 21 January 2022. The Placing is conditional, among other things, upon Admission becoming effective and the Placing Agreement not being terminated in accordance with its terms.

 

Your attention is drawn to the detailed terms and conditions of the Placing described in the Appendix to this Announcement (which forms part of this Announcement). This Announcement should be read in its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the information provided in the "Important Notices" section of this Announcement . By choosing to participate in the Placing and by making an oral and legally binding offer to acquire Placing Shares, investors will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its entirety (including the Appendix) and to be making such offer on the terms and subject to the conditions in it, and to be providing the representations, warranties and acknowledgements contained in the Appendix. In particular, investors should read and understand the information provided in the "Important information for invited Placees only regarding the Placing" section of this Announcement.

 

The Placing Price of 38 pence per share represents a discount of 9.5 per cent. to the closing price of 42 pence per existing ordinary share on 14 January 2022 (being the last business day prior to this Announcement).

 

Enquiries

 

GRC International Group plc

+44 (0) 330 999 0222

Alan Calder, Chief Executive Officer


Christopher Hartshorne, Finance Director




Grant Thornton UK LLP (Nominated Adviser)

+44 (0) 20 7383 5100

Philip Secrett, Daphne Zhang; Samuel Littler




Dowgate Capital Limited (Broker)

+44 (0) 20 3903 7715

James Serjeant, Russell Cook, Nicholas Chambers




Meare Consulting

+44 (0) 7990 858548

Adrian Duffield


 

 



IMPORTANT NOTICES

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDIX) AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (1) IF IN A MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA ("EEA"), QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 (THE " PROSPECTUS REGULATION"); (2) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED (THE "UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION"), WHO (A) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER") (INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OR (B) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(a) TO (d) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; (3) PERSONS TO WHOM THE ANNOUNCEMENT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION IN IT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN GRC INTERNATIONAL GROUP PLC.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE INTO THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT") OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES ARE BEING OFFERED AND SOLD ONLY OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES ONLY IN "OFFSHORE TRANSACTIONS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF, AND 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 OR ELSEWHERE.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED BY AND IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COMPANY. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDIX) AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. PERSONS RECEIVING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING CUSTODIANS, NOMINEES AND TRUSTEES) MUST NOT FORWARD, DISTRIBUTE, MAIL OR OTHERWISE TRANSMIT IT OR ANY PART OF IT IN OR INTO SUCH JURISDICTIONS.

The distribution of this Announcement and/or the Placing and/or issue of (or subscription for) the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by the Company, Dowgate or any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees that would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of 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 Dowgate to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.

Neither this Announcement nor any part of it constitutes or forms part of any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. No public offering of the Placing Shares is being made in any such jurisdiction.

All offers of the Placing Shares will be made pursuant to exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to produce a prospectus. In the United Kingdom, this Announcement is being directed solely at persons in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) does not require the approval of the relevant communication by an authorised person.

The Placing Shares have not been approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), any state securities commission or other regulatory authority in the United States, nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or the accuracy or adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. The relevant clearances have not been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of any province or territory of Canada, no prospectus has been lodged with, or registered by, the Australian Securities  and Investments Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained for the South Africa Reserve Bank or  any other  applicable  body in the Republic of South Africa in relation to the Placing Shares and the Placing Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offered in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or territory of the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.

Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or other legal obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.

By participating in the Bookbuilding Process and the Placing, each person who is invited to and who chooses to participate in the Placing (a "Placee") by making an oral and legally binding offer to acquire Placing Shares will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its entirety, to be participating, making an offer  and  acquiring Placing Shares on the terms and conditions contained herein and to be providing the representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in the Appendix. 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.

This Announcement may contain, and the Company may make, verbal statements containing "forward-looking statements" with respect to certain of the Company's plans and its current goals and expectations relating to its future financial condition, performance, strategic initiatives, objectives and results. Forward-looking statements sometimes use words such as "aim", "anticipate", "target", "expect", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "goal", "believe", "seek", "may", "could", "outlook" or other words of similar meaning. By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events  and  circumstances  which  are beyond the control of the Company, including amongst other things, United Kingdom domestic and global economic business conditions, market-related risks such as fluctuations in interest rates and exchange rates, the policies and actions of governmental and regulatory authorities, the effect of competition, inflation, deflation, the timing effect and other uncertainties of future acquisitions or combinations  within relevant industries, the  effect of tax and other legislation and other regulations in the jurisdictions in which the  Company  and  its  respective affiliates operate, the  effect of  volatility  in the equity, capital and credit  markets on the Company's profitability and ability to access capital and credit, a decline in the Company's credit ratings; the effect of operational risks; and the loss  of  key personnel. As a result, the actual future financial condition, performance and results of the Company may differ materially from the plans, goals and expectations set forth in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements made in this Announcement by or on behalf of the Company speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by applicable law or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to publish any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement to reflect any changes in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Dowgate is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA") in the United Kingdom and is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the Placing, and Dowgate will not be responsible to anyone (including any Placees) other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any other matters referred to in this Announcement. Each Placee should consult with its own advisers as to the legal, tax, business and other features and consequences of an investment in Placing Shares.

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 Dowgate or by any of its respective affiliates or agents as to, or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this Announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefor is expressly disclaimed.

No statement in this Announcement is intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no statement in this Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings per share of the Company for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per share of the Company.

The price of shares and any income expected or received from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested upon disposal of the shares. Past performance is no guide to future performance, and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.

The contents of this Announcement are not to be construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each shareholder and/or prospective investor should consult with his or her or its own legal, business, financial and/or tax advisers for legal, business, financial and/or tax advice.

The Placing Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.

Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this Announcement.

The term "this Announcement" as used in this Announcement or the Appendix to this Announcement shall be deemed to include the Appendix to this Announcement.

Information to Distributors

UK product governance

Solely for the purposes of Paragraph 3.2.7R regarding the responsibilities of UK Manufacturers under the product governance requirements contained within Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Production Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the "UK Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that such securities are: (i) compatible with an end target market of investors who meet the criteria of retail investors, investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in the UK Product Governance Requirements; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by UK Product Governance Requirements (the "UK Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment, distributors (for the purposes of UK Product Governance Requirements) should note that: (a) the price of the Placing Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; (b) the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and (c) an investment in the Placing Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.  The UK Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing.  Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment, Dowgate will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties.

For the avoidance of doubt, the UK Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of Chapter 9A or 10A respectively of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares.

Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.

EEA product governance

Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures in the European Economic Area (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of (a) retail investors, (b) investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and (c) eligible counterparties, each as defined in the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "EEA Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the EEA 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 EEA Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing.  Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the EEA Target Market Assessment, Dowgate will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties.

For the avoidance of doubt, the EEA Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares.

Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Placing Shares determining appropriate distribution channels.

 

APPENDIX - TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING

 

Important Information for invited Placees only regarding the Placing.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THIS APPENDIX) AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (TOGETHER, THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT") ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (1) IF IN A MEMBER STATE OF THE EEA, QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 (THE " PROSPECTUS REGULATION"); (2) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED (THE "UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION"), WHO (A) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER") (INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OR (B) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(a) TO (d) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; OR (3) PERSONS TO WHOM THE ANNOUNCEMENT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION IN IT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO.

ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN GRC INTERNATIONAL GROUP PLC.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THIS APPENDIX) AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL ("RESTRICTED JURISDICTION").

The distribution of this Announcement and/or the Placing and/or issue of (or subscription for) the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by the Company, Dowgate or any of its respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees that would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required by the Company and Dowgate to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.

This Announcement or any part of it does not constitute or form part of any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia), Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. No public offering of the Placing Shares is being made in any such jurisdiction.

All offers of the Placing Shares will be made pursuant to exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to produce a prospectus. In the United Kingdom, this Announcement is being directed solely at persons in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) (the "FSMA") does not require the approval of the relevant communication by an authorised person.

Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or other legal obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.

This Announcement should be read in its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the information provided in the "Important Notices" section of this Announcement.

By participating in the Placing, each Placee will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its entirety, to be participating, making an offer and acquiring Placing Shares on the terms and conditions contained herein and to be providing the representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in this Appendix.

In particular, each such Placee represents, warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst other things) to the Company and Dowgate that:

1.  it is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business; and 

2.  unless otherwise specifically agreed with Dowgate, it and/or any account or person on behalf of which it is subscribing for and/or acquiring Placing Shares, is not and will not be a national or resident of, or a corporation, partnership or other entity organised under the laws of, or with an address in, any Restricted Jurisdiction;

3.  in the case of:

i.  a Relevant Person in a member state of the EEA ("Relevant Member State") who acquires any Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing:

a)  it is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation; and

b)  in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation:

i.  the Placing Shares subscribed for and/or acquired by it in the Placing have not been subscribed for and/or acquired on behalf of, nor have they been subscribed for and/or acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Relevant Member State other than Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior written consent of Dowgate has been given to the offer or resale; or

ii.  where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any Relevant Member State other than Qualified Investors, the offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such persons; and

ii.  a Relevant Person in the UK who acquires any Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing:

a)  it is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation; and

b)  in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation:

iii.  the Placing Shares subscribed for and/or acquired by it in the Placing have not been subscribed for and/or acquired on behalf of, nor have they been subscribed for and/or acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in the UK other than Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior written consent of Dowgate has been given to the offer or resale; or

iv.  where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in the UK other than Qualified Investors, the offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the UK Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such persons; and

4.  it is subscribing for and/or acquiring the Placing Shares for its own account or is subscribing for and/or acquiring the Placing Shares for an account with respect to which it exercises sole investment discretion and has the authority to make and does make the representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements, undertakings and agreements contained in this Announcement; and 

5.  it understands (or if acting for the account of another person, such person has confirmed that such person understands) the resale and transfer restrictions set out in this Appendix; and

6.  except as otherwise permitted by the Company and subject to any available exemptions from applicable securities laws, it (and any account referred to in paragraph 3 above for which it is subscribing for and/or acquiring the Placing Shares) is either:

i.  outside the United States and is acquiring the Placing Shares in "offshore transactions" as defined in and in accordance with Regulation S; or

ii.  acquiring the Placing Shares pursuant to one or more exemptions 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,

and is aware of the restrictions of the offer and sale of the Placing Shares pursuant to Regulation S

No prospectus

The Placing Shares are being offered to a limited number of specifically invited persons only and will not be offered in such a way as to require any prospectus or other offering document to be published. No prospectus  or other offering document has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FCA or the London Stock Exchange (nor is it intended that they will be so submitted or approved) in relation to the Placing or the Placing Shares and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of the information contained in this Announcement and any information publicly announced through a Regulatory Information Service (as defined in the AIM Rules for Companies (the "AIM Rules")) by or on behalf of the Company on or prior to the date of this Announcement (the "Publicly Available Information") and subject  to  any further terms set forth in the contract note to be sent to individual Placees.

Each Placee, by participating in the Placing, acknowledges and agrees that the content of this Announcement is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it has neither received nor relied on any information (other than the Publicly Available Information), representation, warranty or statement made by or on behalf of Dowgate or the Company or any other person and none of Dowgate, the Company nor any other person acting on such person's behalf nor any of their respective affiliates has or shall have any liability for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement. Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing. Neither the Company nor Dowgate is making any undertaking or warranty to any Placee regarding the legality of an investment in the Placing Shares by such Placee under any legal, investment or similar laws of regulation. No Placee should consider any information in this Announcement to be legal, tax, financial or business advice and each Placee should consult its own solicitor, tax adviser, financial adviser and/or business advisor for independent advice regarding an investment in the Placing Shares. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation.

Details of the Placing Agreement and the Placing Shares

Dowgate have today entered into a placing agreement (the "Placing Agreement") with the Company under which, on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the Placing Agreement, Dowgate as agent for and on behalf of the Company, has agreed to use its reasonable endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing Shares. The Placing is not being underwritten by Dowgate or any other person.

The number of Placing Shares will be determined following completion of the Bookbuild (as defined below) as set out in this Announcement.

The Placing Shares will, when issued, be subject to the articles of association of the Company and credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing issued ordinary shares of £0.001 each ("Ordinary Shares") in the capital of the Company, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect of such Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing Shares.

Bookbuild

Dowgate will today commence an accelerated bookbuilding process (the "Bookbuild") to determine demand for participation in the Placing by potential Placees at the Placing Price (as defined below).

This Appendix gives details of the terms and conditions of, and the mechanics of participation in, the Placing. No commissions will be paid to Placees or by Placees in respect of any Placing Shares.

Dowgate and the Company shall be entitled to effect the Placing by such alternative method to the Bookbuild as they may, in their sole discretion, determine.

Application for admission to trading

Application will be made to the London Stock Exchange for admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM.

It is expected that Admission will take place at 8.00 a.m. on or around 20 January 2022 and that dealings in the Placing Shares on AIM will commence at the same time.

Principal terms of the Placing

1.  Dowgate is acting as agent for and on behalf of the Company in connection with the Placing.

2.  Participation in the Placing will only be available to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited by Dowgate to participate. Dowgate and any of its affiliates are entitled to participate in the Placing as principal.

3.  The Bookbuild will establish the number of Placing Shares to be issued at the Placing Price. The number of Placing Shares will be announced following the close of the Bookbuild pursuant to paragraph 8 below.

4.  To bid in the Bookbuild, prospective Placees should communicate their bid by telephone to their usual contact at Dowgate. Each bid should state the number of Placing Shares which the prospective Placee wishes to subscribe for or purchase at the Placing Price. Bids may be scaled down by Dowgate on the basis referred to in paragraph 9 below.

5.  The Bookbuild will open with immediate effect and is expected to close no later than 4.30 p.m. on the next working day following this Announcement. The Company reserves the right to reduce or seek to increase the amount to be raised pursuant to the Placing, in its absolute discretion and Dowgate reserves the right to extend the time for closing of the Bookbuild.

6.  Each Placee's allocation will be agreed between Dowgate and the Company and confirmed to Placees orally, or by email, by Dowgate following the close of the Bookbuild and a contract note or electronic trade confirmation will be dispatched as soon as practicable thereafter. The terms of this Appendix will be deemed incorporated in that contract note.

7.  Each Placee's allocation and commitment to subscribe for Placing Shares will be made on the terms and subject to the conditions in this Appendix and will be an irrevocable legally binding commitment on the Placee on behalf of which it is made and except with Dowgate's consent will not be capable of variation or revocation after the time at which Dowgate makes its confirmation by way of contract note or electronic trade confirmation. It is expected that such trade confirmation will be despatched on the trade date, which is expected to be 18 January 2022. Each Placee will have an immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to Dowgate (as agent for the Company), to pay to it (or as it may direct) in cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares such Placee has agreed to acquire, and the Company has agreed to allot and issue to that Placee, in each case reflecting any scaling in accordance with paragraph 9 below.

8.  The Company will make a further announcement following the close of the Bookbuild detailing the number of Placing Shares to be issued at the Placing Price.

9.  Subject to paragraphs 4 and 5 above, Dowgate may choose not to accept bids and/or to accept bids, either in whole or in part, on the basis of allocations determined at their discretion (after consultation with the Company) and may scale down any bids for this purpose on such basis as it may determine. Dowgate may also, notwithstanding paragraphs 4 and 5 above, subject to the prior consent of the Company, allocate Placing Shares after the time of any initial allocation to any person submitting a bid after that time.

10.  Except as required by law or regulation, no press release or other announcement will be made by Dowgate or the Company using the name of any Placee (or its agent), in its capacity as Placee (or agent), other than with such Placee's prior written consent.

11.  Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation(s) pursuant to the Placing is/are confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares to be acquired pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made at the same time, on the basis explained below under "Registration and Settlement".

12.  All obligations under the Placing will be subject to fulfilment of the conditions referred to below under "Conditions of the Placing" and to the Placing not being terminated on the basis referred to below under "Termination of the Placing".

13.  By participating in the Placing, each Placee will agree that its rights and obligations in respect of the Placing will terminate only in the circumstances described below and will not be capable of rescission or termination by the Placee.

14.  To the fullest extent permissible by law and applicable FCA rules, none of Dowgate:

a.  any of its affiliates, agents, directors, officers, consultants or employees; nor

b.  any person connected with Dowgate as defined in the FSMA ((d) and (e) being together "affiliates" and individually an "affiliate" of Dowgate),

shall have any liability (including to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) to Placees or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise. In particular, neither Dowgate nor any of its respective affiliates shall have any liability (including, to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of Dowgate's conduct of the Placing or of such alternative method of effecting the Placing as Dowgate and the Company may agree.

Registration and settlement

Following the close of the Bookbuild, each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will be sent a contract note or electronic trade confirmation which will confirm the number of Placing Shares allocated to them, the Placing Price and the aggregate amount owed by them to Dowgate. It is expected that such trade confirmation will be despatched on the trade date, which is expected to be 18 January 2022.

Each Placee will be deemed to agree that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed as directed by Dowgate in accordance with either the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions which they have in place with Dowgate.

Settlement of transactions in the Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00BG06MV41) following Admission will take place within the CREST system, subject to certain exceptions. Settlement through CREST will be on a T+3 basis unless otherwise notified by Dowgate and is expected to occur on 25 January 2022 (the "Settlement Date") in accordance with the contract notes. Settlement will be on a delivery versus payment basis. However, in the event of any difficulties or delays in the admission of the Placing Shares to CREST or the use of CREST in relation to the Placing, the Company and Dowgate may agree that the Placing Shares should be issued in certificated form. Dowgate reserve the right to require settlement for the Placing Shares, and to deliver the Placing Shares to Placees, by such other means as it deems necessary if delivery or settlement to Placees is not practicable within the CREST system or would not be consistent with regulatory requirements in a Placee's jurisdiction.

Interest is chargeable daily on payments not received from Placees on the due date in accordance with the arrangements set out above, in respect of either CREST or certificated deliveries, at the rate of 2 percentage points above the prevailing base rate of Barclays Bank plc as determined by Dowgate.

Each Placee is deemed to agree that if it does not comply with these obligations, (a) the Company may elect at its discretion to be released from all obligations with respect to the issue of all or any such Placing Shares to such Placee; and/or (b) Dowgate may sell any or all of their Placing Shares on their behalf and retain from the proceeds, for Dowgate's own account and benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The relevant Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall below the Placing Price and for any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any interest or penalties) which may arise upon the sale of its Placing Shares on its behalf. Legal and/or beneficial title in and to any Placing Shares shall not pass to the relevant Placee until such time as it has fully complied with its obligations hereunder.

If Placing Shares are to be delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees must ensure that, upon receipt, the conditional contract note is copied and delivered immediately to the relevant person within that organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares are registered in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should, subject as provided below, be so registered free from any liability to United Kingdom stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax. Placees will not be entitled to receive any fee or commission in connection with the Placing. Neither Dowgate nor the Company shall be responsible for the payment of any stamp duty or any stamp duty reserve tax.

Conditions of the Placing

The Placing is conditional upon the Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not having been terminated in accordance with its terms.

The obligations of Dowgate under the Placing Agreement are, and the Placing is, conditional upon, inter alia:

a)  none of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained in the Placing Agreement being untrue or inaccurate in any material respect or misleading at any time between the date on which the Placing Agreement is signed and Admission and no fact or circumstance having arisen which would render any of the representations and warranties untrue or inaccurate in any material respect or misleading if it was repeated as at Admission;

b)  the Company complying with its obligations under the Placing Agreement to the extent that they fall to be performed on or before Admission;

c)  the Company having allotted or transferred, subject only to Admission, the Placing Shares in accordance with the Placing Agreement; and

d)  Admission having become effective at 8.00 a.m. on or around 20 January 2022 or such later time as Dowgate may agree with the Company,

(all conditions to the obligations of Dowgate included in the Placing Agreement being together, the "conditions").

If any of the conditions set out in the Placing Agreement is not fulfilled or, where permitted, waived in accordance with the Placing Agreement within the stated time periods (or such later time and/or  date as the  Company and Dowgate may agree), or the Placing Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms, the Placing will lapse and the Placee's rights and obligations shall cease and terminate at such time and each Placee agrees that no claim can be made by or on behalf of the Placee (or any person on whose behalf the Placee is acting) in respect thereof.

By participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations cease and terminate only in the circumstances described above and under "Termination of the Placing" below and will not be capable of rescission or termination by it.

Dowgate may, in its absolute discretion and upon such terms as they think fit, waive fulfilment of all or any of the conditions in the Placing Agreement in whole or in part, or extend the time provided for fulfilment of one or more conditions, save those certain conditions including the condition relating to Admission referred to in paragraph (d) above which may not be waived. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this Appendix.

Dowgate may terminate the Placing Agreement in certain circumstances, details of which are set out below.

Neither Dowgate, the Company nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any liability to any Placee (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in respect of any decision any of them may make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the time and/or date for the  satisfaction of any condition to the Placing nor for any decision any of them may make as to the satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the Placing generally and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of Dowgate.

Termination of the Placing

Dowgate may, in its absolute discretion, by notice to the Company, terminate the Placing Agreement at any time up to Admission if, inter alia:

a)  there has been a material breach of the warranties given to it;

b)  there has been a material adverse change (as defined in the Placing Agreement);

c)  any statement contained in this Announcement, or any other document or announcement issued or published by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the Placing is or has become or has been discovered to be untrue or inaccurate in any material respect or misleading in any material respect; or

d)  in the opinion of Dowgate, there has been a force majeure event (as set out in the Placing Agreement).

If the Placing Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms, the rights and obligations of each Placee in respect of the Placing as described in this Announcement shall cease and terminate at such time and no claim can be made by any Placee in respect thereof.

By participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees with Dowgate that:

a)  the exercise by the Company or Dowgate of any right of termination or any other right or other discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of the Company and Dowgate or for agreement between the Company and Dowgate (as the case may be);

b)  neither of the Company nor Dowgate need make any reference to such Placee;

c)  neither of the Company, Dowgate nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any liability to such Placee (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) whatsoever in connection with any such exercise; and

d)  the Placee has no rights against Dowgate, the Company or any of their respective officers, directors or employees under the Placing Agreement pursuant to the Contract (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

By participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations terminate only in the circumstances described above and under the "Conditions of the Placing" section above and will not be capable of rescission or termination by it after the issue by Dowgate of a contract note confirming each Placee's allocation and commitment in the Placing.

Representations, warranties and further terms

By participating in the Placing, each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) represents, warrants, acknowledges and agrees (for itself and for any such prospective Placee) to the Company and Dowgate that (save where the Company and Dowgate expressly agree in writing to the contrary):

1.  it has read and understood this Announcement in its entirety and that its acquisition of the Placing Shares is subject to and based upon all the terms, conditions, representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements, agreements  and undertakings  and other information  contained herein and that it has not relied on, and will not rely on, any information given or any representations, warranties or statements made at any time by any person in connection with Admission, the Placing, the Company, the Placing Shares or otherwise, other than the information  contained  in this Announcement  and the Publicly Available Information;

2.  it has not received a prospectus or other offering document in connection with the Placing and acknowledges that no prospectus or other offering document:

a)  is required under the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation; and

b)  has been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing;

3.  the Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on AIM, and that the Company is therefore required to publish certain business and financial information in accordance with the AIM Rules, which includes a description of the nature of the Company's business and the Company's most recent balance sheet and profit and loss account and that it is able to obtain or access such information without undue difficulty, and is able to obtain access to such information or comparable information concerning any other publicly traded company, without undue difficulty;

4.  it has made its own assessment of the Placing Shares and has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing and neither Dowgate nor the Company nor any of their respective  affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees nor any person acting on behalf of any of them has provided, and will not provide, it with any material regarding the Placing Shares or the Company or any other person other than the information in this Announcement or the Publicly Available  Information; nor has it  requested Dowgate, the Company, any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, employees or officers  or any person  acting on behalf of  any of them to provide it with any such information;

5.  neither Dowgate nor any person acting on behalf of either of them, nor any of their affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees has or shall have any liability for any Publicly Available Information, or any representation relating to the Company, provided that nothing in this paragraph excludes the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by that person; 

6.  the only information on which it is entitled to rely on and on which it has relied in committing to subscribe for the Placing Shares is contained in the Publicly Available Information, such information being all that it deems necessary to make an investment decision in respect of the Placing Shares and it has made its own assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and the terms of the Placing based on Publicly Available Information;

7.  neither Dowgate, nor the Company (nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers and employees) have made any representation or warranty to it, express or implied, with respect to the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares or the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the Publicly Available Information;

8.  it has conducted its own investigation of the Company, the Placing and the Placing Shares, satisfied itself that the information is still current and relied on that investigation for the purposes of its decision to participate in the Placing;

9.  it has not relied on any investigation that Dowgate or any person acting on its behalf may have conducted with respect to the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares;

10.  the content of this Announcement and the Publicly Available Information has been prepared by and is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and that Dowgate nor any persons acting on its behalf is responsible for or has or shall have any liability for any information, representation, warranty or statement relating to the Company contained in this Announcement or the Publicly Available Information nor will they be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any information, representation, warranty or statement contained in this Announcement, the Publicly Available Information or otherwise. Nothing in this Appendix shall exclude any liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation;

11.  it is not, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired will not be, a resident of the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or Japan, or any other Restricted Jurisdiction;

12.  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, and the Placing Shares have not been approved or disapproved by the SEC, under the securities laws of the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of South Africa and, subject to  certain exceptions, may not  be offered, sold, taken up, renounced or delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, within the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or in any country or jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is required;

13.  it has the funds available to pay for the Placing Shares for which it has agreed to subscribe and acknowledges and agrees that it will pay the total subscription amount in accordance with the terms of this Announcement on the due time and date set out herein, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other Placees or sold at such price as Dowgate determine;

14.  it and/or each person on whose behalf it is participating:

a)  is entitled to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing under the laws and regulations of all relevant jurisdictions;

b)  has fully observed such laws and regulations;

c)  has capacity and authority and is entitled to enter into and perform its obligations as an acquirer of Placing Shares and will honour such obligations; and

d)  has obtained all necessary consents and authorities (including, without limitation, in the case of a person acting on behalf of a Placee, all necessary consents and authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred to in this Appendix) under those laws or otherwise and complied with all necessary formalities to enable it to enter into the transactions contemplated hereby and to perform its obligations in relation thereto and, in particular, if it is  a  pension  fund  or investment company it is aware of and acknowledges it is required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to its subscription for Placing Shares;

15.  it is not, and any person who it is acting on behalf of is not, and at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed will not be subject to the laws of Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa, and it acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered or otherwise qualified under  the  securities legislation of Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic  of South Africa and may not be offered, sold, or acquired, directly or indirectly, within those jurisdictions; 

16.  it and the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares either:

a)  is, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired will be, outside the United States and acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" as defined in, and in accordance with, Regulation S; or

b)  is acquiring the Placing Shares pursuant to one or more exemptions 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;

17.  it understands that the Placing Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered, sold or resold in or into or from the United States except pursuant to an effective registration under the Securities Act, or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in accordance with applicable state securities laws; and no representation is being made as to the availability of any exemption under the Securities Act for the reoffer, resale, pledge or transfer of the Placing Shares;

18.  it (and any account for which it is purchasing) is not acquiring the Placing Shares with a view to any offer, sale or distribution thereof within the meaning of the Securities Act;

19.  it understands that:

a)  the Placing Shares are "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act;

b)  no representation has been made as to the availability of the exemption provided by Rule 144, Rule 144A or any other exemption under the Securities Act for the reoffer, resale, pledge or transfer of Placing Shares; and

c)  it will not deposit the Placing Shares in a depositary receipt programme in the United States or for U.S. persons (as defined in the Securities Act);

20.  it will not offer, sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of any Placing Shares except:

a)  in an offshore transaction in accordance with Rules 903 or 904 of Regulation S; or

b)  pursuant to another exemption from registration under the Securities Act, if available,

and in each case in accordance with all applicable securities laws of the states of the United States and other jurisdictions;

21.  it acknowledges and understands that the Company and Dowgate will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing acknowledgements, representations and agreements and agrees that if any of such acknowledgements, representations or agreements made by it are no longer accurate, it shall promptly notify the Company and Dowgate, and if it is acquiring any Placing Shares as a fiduciary or agent for one or more accounts, it represents that it has sole investment discretion with respect to each such account and that it has full power to make the foregoing acknowledgements, representations and agreements on behalf of each such account;

22.  it and any account for which it is acting became aware of the Placing, and the Placing Shares were offered to it and each account for which it is acting (if any), solely by means of direct contact between it and the Company, and not by any other means. It and any account for which it is acting did not become aware of the Placing, and the Placing Shares were not offered to it or any account for which it is acting, by means of:

a)  any form of "general solicitation" or "general advertising" within the meaning of Rule 502(c) of Regulation D under the Securities Act;

b)  any public offering within the meaning of Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act; or

c)  any directed selling efforts within the meaning of Rule 902(c) of Regulation S;

23.  it understands that the Placing Shares are expected to be issued to it through CREST but may be issued to it in certificated, definitive form and acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Shares will, to the extent they are delivered in certificated form, bear a legend to the following effect unless agreed otherwise with the Company:

"THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR UNDER THE APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT (A) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (B) IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR (C) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND, IN EACH CASE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY IN THE FOREGOING, THE SHARES MAY NOT BE DEPOSITED INTO ANY UNRESTRICTED DEPOSITARY RECEIPT FACILITY IN RESPECT OF SHARES ESTABLISHED OR MAINTAINED BY A DEPOSITARY BANK. EACH HOLDER, BY ITS ACCEPTANCE OF THESE SHARES, REPRESENTS THAT IT UNDERSTANDS AND AGREES TO THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.";

24.  it has not and will not distribute, forward,  transfer  or  otherwise  transmit  this Announcement or any part of it, or any other  presentational or  other  materials  concerning the Placing or the Placing Shares, in or into or from the United States (including electronic copies thereof) to any person, or to any other person whatsoever, and it has not distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise transmitted any such materials to any person, and will not, and has not, duplicated or otherwise copied this Announcement in any way for any further distribution or redistribution;

25.  neither Dowgate, its respective affiliates and any person acting on behalf of any of them is making any recommendations to it or advising it regarding the suitability of any transactions it may enter into in connection with the Placing and that participation in the Placing is on the basis that it is not and will not be a client of Dowgate and that Dowgate has no duties or responsibilities to it for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor for the exercise or performance of any of its rights and obligations thereunder including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise any termination right;

26.  it will make payment to Dowgate for  the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Announcement on the due times and dates set out in this Announcement, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with others on such terms as Dowgate determine in their absolute discretion without Dowgate owing any liability to the Placee and the Placee will remain liable for any shortfall below the net proceeds of such sale and the placing proceeds of such Placing Shares and may be required to bear  any stamp duty or  stamp duty reserve tax (together with any interest or penalties due pursuant to  the  terms set out or referred to in this Announcement) which may arise upon the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares on its behalf;

27.  its allocation (if any) of Placing Shares will represent a maximum number of Placing Shares which it will be entitled, and required, to subscribe for, and that the Company may call upon it to subscribe for a lower number of Placing Shares (if any), but in no event in aggregate more than the aforementioned maximum;

28.  no action has been or will be taken by any of the Company, Dowgate or any person acting on behalf of the Company or Dowgate that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in the United States or in any country or jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is required;

29.  the person who it specifies for registration as holder of the Placing Shares will be:

a)  the Placee; or

b)  a nominee of the Placee, as the case may be.

30.  Dowgate and the Company will not be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax resulting from a failure to observe this requirement. Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing and agrees to indemnify the Company and Dowgate in respect of the same on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to a CREST stock account of Dowgate or transferred to a CREST stock account of Dowgate who will hold them as nominee on behalf of the Placee until settlement in accordance with its standing settlement instructions with it;

31.  the allocation, allotment, issue and delivery or transfer to it, or the person specified by it for registration as holder, of Placing Shares will not give rise to a stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax liability under (or at a rate determined under) any of sections 67, 70, 93 or 96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depository receipts and clearance services) and that it is not  participating in the  Placing as nominee or agent for  any person or  persons to  whom the allocation, allotment, issue,  delivery or transfer of Placing Shares would give rise to such a liability;

32.  it and any person acting on its behalf (if within the United Kingdom) falls within Article 19(5) and/or 49(2) of the Order   and is a "professional client" or an "eligible counterparty" within the meaning of Chapter 3 of the FCA's Conduct of Business Sourcebook and undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage and (if applicable) dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business only;

33.  it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to persons in the United Kingdom or in the EEA prior to the expiry of a period of six months from Admission except to persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their business or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and which will not result in an offer to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of section 85(1) of the FSMA or the UK Prospectus Regulation or  an offer to the public in any member state of the EEA within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation;

34.  if it is within the EEA, it is a Qualified Investor as defined in Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation;

35.  if it is within the UK, it is a Qualified Investor as defined in Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation;

36.  it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and it will only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) relating to Placing Shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of  the FSMA does not require approval of the communication by an authorised person and it acknowledges  and agrees that this Announcement  has not been approved by Dowgate in their capacity as authorised persons under section 21 of the FSMA and it may not therefore be subject to the controls which would apply if it was made or approved as financial promotion by an authorised person;

37.  it has complied and it will comply with all applicable laws with respect to anything done by it or on its behalf in relation to the Placing Shares (including all relevant provisions of the FSMA in respect of anything done in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom);

38.  it represents  and warrants that, if it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation or in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing will not be acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in a member state of the EEA or the UK other than Qualified Investors, or in circumstances in which the express prior written consent of Dowgate has been given to the offer or resale;

39.  if it has received any inside information about the Company in advance of the Placing, it has not:

a)  dealt in the securities of the Company;

b)  relied on any such information in accepting its invitation to participate in the Placing;

c)  encouraged or required another person to deal in the securities of the Company; or

d)  disclosed such information to any person, prior to the information being made publicly available;

40.  neither Dowgate, the Company nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees  nor any person acting on behalf of Dowgate or their respective  affiliates, agents, directors,  officers or employees is making any recommendations to it, advising it regarding the suitability of any transactions it may enter into in connection with the Placing nor providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations, warranties,  acknowledgements, agreements,  undertakings, or indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor the exercise or performance of any of Dowgate's rights and obligations thereunder  including any rights to  waive or vary any conditions or exercise any termination right;

41.  Dowgate and its respective affiliates, acting as investors for their own account(s), may bid or subscribe for and/or purchase Placing Shares and, in that capacity, may retain, purchase, offer to sell or otherwise deal for their own account(s) in the Placing Shares, any other securities of the Company or other related investments in connection with the Placing or otherwise. Accordingly, references in this Announcement to the Placing Shares being offered, subscribed, acquired or otherwise dealt with should be read as including any offer to, or subscription, acquisition or dealing by Dowgate and/or any of its respective affiliates acting as investors for their own account(s). Neither Dowgate nor the Company intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transaction otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation to do so;

42. 

a)  it  has complied with and will continue to comply with its obligations: (i) under the Criminal Justice Act 1993, Part VIII of FSMA, and the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 (as it forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018); and (ii) in  connection  with money  laundering and terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2006 and 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 other applicable law; and

b)  it is not a person: (i) with whom transactions are prohibited under the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 or any economic sanction programmes administered by, or regulations promulgated by, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury; (ii) named on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets maintained by HM Treasury of the United Kingdom; or (iii) subject to financial sanctions imposed pursuant to a regulation of  the European Union or a regulation adopted by the United Nations (together, the "Regulations") and, if making payment on behalf of a third party, that satisfactory evidence has been obtained and recorded by it to  verify the identity of the third party as required by the  Regulations  and it  has obtained all governmental and other consents (if any) which may be required for the purpose of, or as a consequence of, such subscription or purchase, and it will provide promptly to Dowgate or the Company such evidence, if any, as to the identity or location or legal status of any person (including in relation to the beneficial ownership of any underlying investor) which Dowgate or the Company may request from it in connection with the Placing (for the purpose of complying with such Regulations or ascertaining the nationality of any person or the jurisdiction(s) to which any person is subject or otherwise or any other information as may be required to comply with legal or regulatory requirements (including in particular under the Regulations)) in the form and manner requested by Dowgate or the Company on the basis that any failure by it to do so may result in the number of Placing Shares that are to be purchased by it or at its direction pursuant to the Placing being reduced to such number, or to nil, as Dowgate may decide at their sole discretion;

43.  in order to ensure compliance with the Regulations, Dowgate (for themselves and as agent on behalf of the Company), the Company or the Company's registrars may, in their absolute discretion, require verification of its identity or location or legal status or nationality. Pending the provision to Dowgate, the Company or the Company's registrars, as applicable, of evidence of identity, location, legal status or nationality (as the case may be) definitive certificates in respect of the Placing Shares may be retained at Dowgate's absolute discretion or, where appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in uncertificated form may be delayed at Dowgate's, the Company's or the Company's registrars', as the case may be, absolute discretion. If within a reasonable time after a request for verification of identity, location, legal status or nationality in the form and manner requested, Dowgate (for themselves and as agent on behalf of the Company), the Company or the Company's registrars have not received evidence satisfactory to them, either Dowgate and/or the Company may, at their absolute discretion, terminate their commitment in respect of the Placing, in which event the monies payable on acceptance of allotment will, if already paid, be returned without interest to the account of the drawee's bank from which they were originally debited (subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions);

44.  acknowledges that its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on the terms set out in this Announcement and in the contract note 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 Dowgate's conduct of the Placing;

45.  it has knowledge and experience in financial, business and international investment matters as is required to evaluate the merits and risks of subscribing for the Placing Shares. It further acknowledges and confirms that it is experienced in investing in securities of this nature and is aware that it may be required to bear, and is able to bear, the economic risk of, and is able to sustain, a complete loss in connection with the Placing. It has relied upon its own examination and due diligence of the Company and its affiliates taken as a whole, and the terms of the Placing, including the merits and risks involved;

46.  it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised officer of Dowgate as its agent for the purpose of executing and delivering to the Company and/or its registrars any documents on its behalf necessary to enable it to be registered as the holder of any of the Placing Shares for which it agrees to subscribe for upon the terms of this Announcement;

47.  the Company, Dowgate and others (including each of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers and employees) will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and agreements, which are given to Dowgate on its own behalf and on behalf of the Company, and to the Company, and are irrevocable;

48.  if it is acquiring the Placing Shares as a fiduciary or agent for one or more investor accounts, it has full power and authority to make, and does make, the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings on behalf of each such accounts;

49.  time is of the essence as regards its obligations under this Appendix;

50.  any document that is to be sent to it in connection with the Placing will be sent at its risk and may be sent to it at any address provided by it to Dowgate;

51.  the Placing Shares will be issued subject to the terms and conditions of this Appendix, and the obligation to subscribe is legally binding on the Placee on behalf of which it is made and except with Dowgate's consent will not be capable of variation or revocation after the time at which it is submitted; and

52.  the terms and conditions contained in this Appendix and all documents into which this Appendix is incorporated by reference or otherwise validly forms a part and/or any agreements entered into pursuant to these terms and conditions and all agreements to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing will be governed by and construed in accordance with English law and it submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts in relation to any claim, dispute or matter arising out of such contract except that enforcement proceedings in respect of the obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together with interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by the Company and/or Dowgate in any jurisdiction in which the relevant Placee is incorporated or in which any of its securities have a quotation on a recognised stock exchange.

By participating in the Placing, each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) agrees to indemnify and hold the Company, Dowgate and each of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers and employees (together "Indemnified Persons") harmless from any and all costs, claims, liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) arising out of or in connection with any breach of the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings given by the Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) in this Appendix or incurred by Dowgate, the Company or each of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees arising from any breach of the Placee's obligations as set out in this Announcement, and further agrees that the provisions of this Appendix shall survive after the completion of the Placing.

The representations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in this Appendix are given by the Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) to Dowgate for themselves and on behalf of the Company, and to the Company, and to their respective affiliates and are irrevocable.

The agreement to allot and issue Placing Shares to Placees (or the persons for whom Placees are contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax in the United Kingdom relates only to their allotment and issue or transfer to Placees, or such persons as they nominate as their agents, direct by the Company. Such agreement assumes that the Placing Shares are not being acquired in connection with arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to transfer the Placing Shares into a clearance service. If there are any such arrangements, or the settlement related to any other dealings in the Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax may be payable. In that event, the Placee agrees that it shall be responsible for such stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax and neither the Company nor Dowgate shall be responsible for such stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax. If this is the case, each Placee should seek its own advice and they should notify Dowgate accordingly. In addition, Placees  should note that they will be liable for any capital duty, stamp duty and all other  stamp,  issue, securities, transfer, registration, documentary or other duties or taxes (including any interest, fines or penalties relating thereto) payable outside the United Kingdom by them or any other person on the acquisition by them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to acquire any Placing Shares and each Placee, or the Placee's nominee, in respect of whom (or in respect of the person  for  whom it  is participating in the Placing as an agent or nominee) the allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of Placing Shares has given rise to such non-United Kingdom stamp, registration, documentary, transfer or similar taxes or duties undertakes to pay such taxes and duties, including any interest and penalties (if  applicable), forthwith and to  indemnify on an after-tax basis and to hold harmless the Company and Dowgate in the  event that either the Company or Dowgate have incurred any such liability to such taxes or duties.

Dowgate is authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom and is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the Placing, and Dowgate will not be responsible to anyone (including any Placees and any person acting on any Placee's behalf) other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to  their  clients  or  for  providing advice in relation to the Placing or any other matters referred to in this Announcement.

Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of the Placee acknowledges that Dowgate do not owe any fiduciary or other duties to any Placee or to any other person (except the Company) in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings, acknowledgements, agreements or indemnities in the Placing Agreement.

Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of the Placee acknowledges and agrees that Dowgate may (at its absolute discretion and without any obligation to do the same) satisfy their obligations to procure Placees by themselves agreeing to become Placees in respect of some or all of the Placing Shares or by nominating any connected or associated person to do so.

When a Placee or any person acting on behalf of the Placee is dealing with Dowgate, any money held in an account with Dowgate on behalf of the Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the Placee will not be treated as client money within the meaning of the relevant rules and regulations of the FCA made under the FSMA. Each Placee acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the protections conferred by the FCA's client money rules: as a consequence, this money will not be segregated from Dowgate's money in accordance with the client money rules and will be held by it under a banking relationship and not as trustee.

References to time in this Announcement are to London time, unless otherwise stated.

All times and dates in this Announcement may be subject to amendment. Placees will be notified of any changes.

No statement in this Announcement is intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no statement in this Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings per share of the Company for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per share of the Company.

The price of shares and any income expected or received from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested upon disposal of the shares. Past performance is no guide to future performance, and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.

The Placing Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.

Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this Announcement.

 

 

 

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