Proposed Placing to Fund Acquisitions
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE, OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO, OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE SAME WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE IN THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR SOUTH AFRICA (UNLESS AN EXEMPTION UNDER THE RELEVANT SECURITIES LAWS IS AVAILABLE) OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE SAME WOULD BE UNLAWFUL
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION AS DEFINED UNDER THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) NO. 596/2014 AS IT FORMS PART OF UK LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018
18 November 2021
LONDONMETRIC PROPERTY PLC
("LondonMetric" or "the Company")
PROPOSED PLACING TO FUND ATTRACTIVE ACQUISITIONS AND DEVELOPMENTS
LondonMetric Property Plc today announces a proposed placing of new Ordinary Shares (the "Placing Shares") to institutional investors at the Placing Price (the "Placing"). In addition to the Placing, there will be a separate offer made by the Company of new Ordinary Shares via the PrimaryBid platform (the "Retail Offer Shares") at the Placing Price (the "Retail Offer"), to provide retail investors in the UK only with an opportunity to acquire Retail Offer Shares. A separate announcement will be made shortly regarding the Retail Offer and its terms. The Retail Offer is conditional on the Placing but the Placing is not conditional on the Retail Offer.
It is intended that the Placing and the Retail Offer (together the "Issue") will raise gross proceeds of approximately £175 million. The total number of Placing Shares and Retail Offer Shares (together, the "New Ordinary Shares") is expected to represent approximately 7.4 per cent. of the Company's issued share capital.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Issue (the "Net Proceeds") to fund a programme of acquisitions and developments that are either committed or under offer.
Highlights
· Proposed Placing and Retail Offer to raise approximately £175 million of gross proceeds
· The macro trends remain supportive with structural tailwinds favouring the Company's logistics and grocery-led long income strategies which continue to deliver attractive income-led returns
· The Company has been a significant net acquirer in the financial year to date with its disposal programme now substantially complete and it is committed or under offer on attractive acquisitions and developments
· The Issue will enable the Company to:
o invest in specific income-led acquisitions and developments within its structurally supported sectors of logistics and long income
o benefit from greater scale whilst maintaining a strong balance sheet; and
o further improve the quality and granularity of its income as well as further underpin its income growth prospects
· The Company intends that the Net Proceeds will be used to fund existing committed and under offer deals which total approximately £282 million (the "Investments") and which include the following:
o £39 million used to fund a committed and pre-let logistics development asset
o Approximately £122 million used to acquire a South East focused portfolio of 15 assets which is 75 per cent. logistics and 25 per cent. long income
o Approximately £53 million used to forward fund a pre-let logistics development
o Approximately £31 million used to fund urban logistics redevelopment opportunities
o Approximately £22 million used to fund a grocery and logistics sale & leaseback portfolio
o Approximately £15 million used to fund a pre-let grocery development asset
· With this strong programme of Investments in place, the Company expects to deploy the Net Proceeds within three months and expects the Investments to be earnings enhancing in the next financial year
· The Company's progressive dividend policy remains unchanged and the New Ordinary Shares will be eligible for all future dividends and distributions declared, made or paid, including the second quarterly interim dividend of 2.2 pence per share that the Company has today declared, which will be paid on 7 January 2022
Interim results
LondonMetric has today separately announced its half year financial results for the six months ended 30 September 2021:
· Total Property Return of 10.4 per cent., outperforming IPD All Property of 7.6 per cent.
· EPRA NTA per share increased by 12.1 per cent. to 213.4p per share (March 2021: 190.3p per share), driven by 22.9p valuation gain
· Total Accounting Return of 14.5 per cent.
· EPRA earnings up 4.5 per cent. to £44.2 million (2020: £42.3 million), +2.5 per cent. on a per share basis
· Dividend progression of 4.8 per cent. to 4.4p per share, 111 per cent. covered, including second quarterly dividend declared today of 2.2p per share
· EPRA cost ratio down 50 bps to 13.2 per cent.
This Announcement should be read in conjunction with the Interim Results.
Andrew Jones, Chief Executive Officer of LondonMetric, commented:
"The performance of our favoured sectors, logistics and grocery-led long income, continue to benefit from structural tailwinds that show no sign of abating. As we look to scale our platform further, we have identified an attractive pipeline of opportunities which are underpinned by the technological and demographic shifts that support our investment strategy.
"We expect to deploy the proceeds of the Placing quickly into specific opportunities which will further enhance our earnings and provide additional underpinning to our covered and progressive dividend."
Introduction
The Placing is being conducted, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, through an accelerated bookbuild (the "Bookbuild") which will be launched immediately following this placing announcement (the "Announcement") and will be subject to the terms and conditions set out in the Appendix. Peel Hunt LLP, J.P. Morgan Securities plc (which conducts its investment banking business as J.P. Morgan Cazenove) and Barclays Bank PLC (together, the "Banks") have been appointed as joint bookrunners in respect of the Placing.
The price per Placing Share at which the Placing Shares are to be placed (the "Placing Price") and the final number of Placing Shares will be decided at the close of the Bookbuild. The timing of the closing of the book, pricing and allocations are at the discretion of the Company in consultation with the Banks. Details of the Placing Price and the number of New Ordinary Shares will be announced as soon as practicable after the close of the Bookbuild.
The Company is separately carrying out the Retail Offer, which for the avoidance of doubt, is not part of the Placing and is the sole responsibility of the Company. Each of the Banks has no responsibility, obligation, duty or liability whatsoever (whether arising pursuant to contract, law, regulation or tort) in relation to the Retail Offer.
Background to the Issue
Over a number of years, the Company has tactically shifted the portfolio into the logistics and grocery-led long income sectors which it believes are on the right side of structural change and are aligned to technological advancement and changing consumer patterns. In addition, reflecting its belief that real estate strategies focused on income-led total returns will outperform, its activities have centred around further enhancing the portfolio's ability to generate reliable, repetitive and growing income.
As at 30 September 2021 (on an unaudited basis), 74 per cent. of its £3.0 billion portfolio is invested in logistics with a further 23 per cent. in long income. It is 99 per cent. occupied, let on average lease lengths of 11.6 years to a diverse range of occupiers with 60 per cent. of its income subject to contractual rental uplifts and a further 23 per cent. subject to urban logistics open market rent reviews where rental growth is particularly strong.
The highly supportive market dynamics for logistics have continued with the sector continuing to perform very strongly, driven by further yield compression and income growth. Demand for warehouse space has been buoyant with demand from traditional 3PLs and online retailers supplemented by other growing sources of take up, including manufacturing, renewable energy, ultrafast grocery and micro fulfilment. This has driven logistics warehouse availability to all-time lows with an acute shortage apparent around London and the South East as well as the Midlands.
In response to these strong dynamics and a wider search for long income assets let to high quality occupiers on long leases, the Company has been a substantial net acquirer of real estate. Including £136 million of logistics warehousing acquired since 30 September 2021, it has acquired or committed £305 million in the financial year to date. These acquisitions have a WAULT of 18 years and 45 per cent. are located in London and the South East. Disposals over the same period totalled £168 million, transacted with a WAULT of ten years, 99 per cent. of which were located in the Midlands and the North.
The Company believes that the structural tailwinds favouring its sectors continue to provide an attractive investment outlook as well as a strong foundation for the portfolio to deliver future income progression and capital performance.
Use of Proceeds
The Company has consistently employed a strict internal competition for capital. It has funded recent investments primarily through ongoing disposals and consequently has only raised equity twice (in 2017 and 2020) since it was formed through the merger in 2013. The Company only looks to raise equity when management identifies what it believes to be compelling acquisition opportunities and it is confident of deploying the proceeds quickly.
The Company has identified a programme of Investments totalling £282 million with £39 million committed and a further £243 million under offer. The income-led Investments have a WAULT of 15 years, are 93 per cent. let or pre-let and expected to produce £13 million of additional rental income per annum with 59 per cent. of the rent subject to contractual uplifts. The Investments are approximately 79 per cent. logistics with approximately 49 per cent. made up of development commitments or fundings. The Investments have a blended yield of 4.3 per cent. and a reversionary yield of 4.9 per cent.
The Company intends that the Net Proceeds will be used to fund the committed and under offer Investments set out below:
· £39 million used to fund a committed logistics development asset in Ipswich which is pre-let to a rapidly expanding e-commerce company on a 20 year lease;
· Approximately £122 million used to acquire a South East focused portfolio of 15 assets totalling 480,000 sq ft which is approximately 75 per cent. logistics and 25 per cent. long income;
· Approximately £53 million used to forward fund a pre-let grocery logistics development;
· Approximately £31 million to fund three urban logistics redevelopment opportunities across 266,000 sq ft;
· Approximately £22 million used to fund a logistics and grocery sale & leaseback portfolio; and
· Approximately £15 million used to fund a pre-let grocery development asset
Financial impact
With this strong programme of Investments in place, the Company expects to deploy the Net Proceeds within three months. These acquisitions will further strengthen the income profile of the Company as well as further underpin its income growth potential. The Investments are expected to be earnings enhancing in the next financial year.
The Company's progressive dividend policy remains unchanged and it has today declared a second quarterly dividend for the current year of 2.2 pence per share which is to be paid on 7 January 2022. The New Ordinary Shares will be eligible for all future dividends and distributions declared, made or paid, including the second quarterly interim dividend of 2.2 pence per share.
LondonMetric continues to employ a rigorous balance sheet discipline and has a LTV of 31.1 per cent. (as at 30 September 2021 on an unaudited basis and taking into account sales that exchange in first half of the year but complete in the second half) and a current pro forma LTV of 35.0 per cent. (adjusted for acquisitions and disposals post period end and other capital commitments).
As previously announced, in the six month period ending 30 September 2021, LondonMetric arranged new debt facilities of £780 million which completed in the period, comprising a £380 million private debt placement and two revolving credit facilities totalling £400 million. These new facilities replaced existing short dated facilities and enabled the Company to increase its debt maturity to 7.2 years and hedging to 70 per cent., whilst maintaining a low average debt cost of just 2.5 per cent.
Details of the Placing
Prior to launch of the Issue, the Company consulted with a significant number of its shareholders to gauge their feedback as to the terms of the Issue. Feedback from this consultation was highly supportive and as a result the Board has chosen to proceed with the Issue. The Board intends to apply the principles of pre-emption when allocating the New Ordinary Shares to those shareholders that participate in the Issue.
The Placing is being structured as a Bookbuild to minimise execution and market risk. Under the terms of the Placing, LondonMetric intends to issue Placing Shares representing approximately 7.4 per cent. of the current issued ordinary share capital of the Company.
The Placing is being conducted, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, through an accelerated bookbuild process (the "Bookbuild") to be carried out by the Banks. The book will open with immediate effect and may close at any time thereafter. The timing of the closing of the book, the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares will be determined by the Company in consultation with the Banks following completion of the Bookbuild and will then be announced as soon as practicable on a Regulatory Information Service.
A description of certain relevant aspects of the placing agreement between the Company and the Banks (the "Placing Agreement") can be found in the terms and conditions contained in the Appendix to this Announcement under the heading "Participation in, and principal terms of, the Placing". The Placing will be made on a non-pre-emptive basis. The Company will rely on the waiver of pre-emption rights authorities given by shareholders of the Company at the Annual General Meeting held on 13 July 2021.
The Placing is conditional upon, inter alia, admission of the Placing Shares to listing on the premium listing segment of the Official List of the FCA and to trading on the main market for listed securities of the London Stock Exchange plc becoming effective not later than 8.00 a.m. (London time) on 22 November 2021 (or such later time and/or date, being not later than 8.00 a.m. (London time) on 30 November 2021, as the Banks may jointly agree with the Company) and the Placing Agreement not being terminated in accordance with its terms before that time.
The above proposed dates may be subject to change at the discretion of the Company and the Banks.
Application will be made for the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to listing on the premium listing segment of the Official List of the FCA and to be admitted to trading on the main market for listed securities of the London Stock Exchange plc (the "London Stock Exchange") (together, " Admission " ). Subject to Admission becoming effective, it is expected that settlement of subscriptions in respect of the New Ordinary Shares and trading in the New Ordinary Shares will commence at 8.00 a.m. on 22 November 2021.
The New Ordinary Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid and rank pari passu with the existing Ordinary Shares in the capital of the Company including the right to receive all future dividends and distributions declared, made or paid, including the second quarterly interim dividend of 2.2 pence per share that the Company has declared with the Company's interim results for the six month period ended 30 September 2021, which will be paid on 7 January 2022. The Company has agreed with the Banks to a 90 day lock-up from Admission, subject to certain exceptions.
The Appendix to this Announcement (which forms part of the Announcement) sets out the terms and conditions of the Placing. By choosing to participate in the Placing and by making an oral or written 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 a legally binding offer on the terms and subject to the terms and conditions in it, and to be providing the representations, warranties and acknowledgements contained in the Appendix.
The Retail Offer will be made on the terms outlined in a separate announcement to be made shortly regarding the Retail Offer and its terms.
Investors should read this Announcement in conjunction with the Company's Interim Results released earlier today.
Further enquiries:
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LondonMetric Property Plc |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7484 9000 |
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Andrew Jones |
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Martin McGann
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Gareth Price |
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Peel Hunt (Joint Bookrunner) |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7418 8900 |
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Capel Irwin |
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Alistair Rae
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Carl Gough |
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Henry Nicholls |
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J.P. Morgan Cazenove (Joint Bookrunner) |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7742 4000 |
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Nicholas Hall |
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Barry Meyers |
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Beau Freker |
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James Lane |
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Barclays (Joint Bookrunner) |
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Bronson Albery |
Tel: +44 (0) 207 623 2323 |
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Tom Macdonald |
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Dominic Harper |
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Ben Newmark |
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FTI Consulting |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3727 1000 |
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Dido Laurimore |
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Richard Gotla |
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Andrew Davis |
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The person responsible for arranging for the release of this Announcement on behalf of the Company is Jadzia Duzniak, Company Secretary.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
The information contained in this Announcement is restricted and not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in, into or from the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or any jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. This Announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy or acquire shares in the capital of the Company in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa (unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is available) or any other jurisdiction. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of such jurisdictions.
No prospectus will be made available in connection with the matters contained in this Announcement and no such prospectus is required (in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129) ("Prospectus Regulation") and the Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "UK Prospectus Regulation") to be published. Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.
The New Ordinary Shares have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Securities Act"), or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered, sold or transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States absent registration under the Securities Act or an available exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. There will be no public offering of the New Ordinary Shares in the United States. Subject to certain exceptions, the New Ordinary Shares are being offered and sold only outside the United States in "offshore transactions" within the meaning of, and in accordance with, Regulation S under the Securities Act. The New Ordinary Shares have not been approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission in the United States or any US regulatory authority, nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of any offering of the Placing Shares, or the accuracy or adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. No money, securities or other consideration from any person inside the United States is being solicited and, if sent in response to the information contained in this Announcement, will not be accepted.
The contents of this Announcement are not to be construed as legal, financial or tax advice. If necessary, each recipient of this Announcement should consult his, her or its own legal adviser, financial adviser or tax adviser for legal, financial or tax advice. Each placee should consult with its own advisers as to legal, tax, business and related aspects of an acquisition of Placing Shares.
This Announcement is not being distributed by, nor has it been approved for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 ("FSMA") by, a person authorised under FSMA. This Announcement is being distributed and communicated to persons in the UK only in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not apply.
This Announcement does not constitute a disclosure document under Part 7.9 or Part 6D.2 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ("Australian Corporations Act") and has not been, and will not be, lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) as a disclosure document for the purposes of the Australian Corporations Act.
This Announcement does not constitute an offer of securities to the public in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada or in any other jurisdiction. There will be no public offer of securities in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada or in any other jurisdiction.
This Announcement is directed only at: (a) persons in a member state of the European Economic Area who are qualified investors (within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation ("Qualified Investors")); (b) persons in the United Kingdom that are Qualified Investors (within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation) and who (i) have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 ("Order") (investment professionals) or (ii) fall within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc.); (c) persons in Australia that are sophisticated investors or professional investors as those terms are defined in sub-sections 708(8) and 708(11) of the Australian Corporations Act who also meet the requirements of a wholesale investor as defined in section 761G of the Australian Corporations Act); (d) persons in Canada who are both "accredited investors" within the meaning of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions of the Canadian Securities Administrators (or section 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), as applicable) and also "permitted clients" within the meaning of National Instrument 31-103 - Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations of the Canadian Securities Administrators; and (e) those persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated, (all such persons referred to above being "Relevant Persons"). 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. Any investment in connection with the Placing will only be available to, and will only be engaged with, Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this Announcement or any of its contents.
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 Peel Hunt, JPMC or Barclays (each as defined below) or by any of their 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. None of Peel Hunt, JPMC or Barclays nor any of their affiliates or agents shall have any obligation to update this Announcement or any additional information or to correct any inaccuracies in it which may become apparent.
Peel Hunt LLP ("Peel Hunt") which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA"), is acting exclusively as joint bookrunner to the Company in connection with the Placing and no-one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to clients of Peel Hunt nor for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any other matter referred to in this Announcement.
J.P. Morgan Securities plc (which conducts its UK investment banking business under the name J.P. Morgan Cazenove) ("JPMC"), which is authorised in the United Kingdom by the Prudential Regulation Authority (the "PRA") and regulated by the PRA and the FCA is acting exclusively as joint bookrunner to the Company in connection with the Placing and no-one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to clients of JPMC nor for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any other matter referred to in this Announcement.
Barclays Bank PLC ("Barclays") which is authorised in the United Kingdom by PRA and regulated by the PRA and the FCA is acting exclusively as joint bookrunner to the Company in connection with the Placing and no-one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to clients of Barclays nor for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any other matter referred to in this Announcement.
Aside from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed under FSMA or the regulatory regime established thereunder, or any other applicable regulatory regime, none of Peel Hunt, JPMC, Barclays or any of their respective affiliates accept any responsibility or liability whatsoever for, nor make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the contents of this Announcement, including its accuracy, fairness, completeness or verification, or for any other statement made or purported to be made by it, or on its behalf, in connection with the Company or the Placing and nothing in this Announcement is, or shall be relied upon as a promise or representation in this respect, whether as to the past or future. Each of Peel Hunt, JPMC, Barclays and their respective affiliates accordingly disclaims to the fullest extent permitted by law all and any responsibility or liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above) which they might otherwise have in respect of this Announcement or any such statement.
The distribution of this Announcement and the offering of the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by the Company, Peel Hunt, JPMC or Barclays that would permit an offering of such shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required by the Company, Peel Hunt, JPMC and Barclays to inform themselves about, and to observe, such restrictions.
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 information 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 contains (or may contain) certain forward-looking statements with respect to certain of the Company's current expectations and projections about future events. These statements, which sometimes use words such as "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate", "expect" and words of similar meaning, reflect the directors' beliefs and expectations and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from any expected future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking statement. 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. The information contained in this Announcement is subject to change without notice and, subject to any obligations under the Listing Rules and the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules or any other applicable law or regulation, the Company does not assume any responsibility or obligation to update publicly or review any of forward-looking statements contained herein. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Announcement. No statement in this Announcement is or is intended to be a profit forecast or to imply that the earnings of the Company for the current or future financial years will necessarily match or exceed the historical or published earnings of the Company. The price of shares and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested on disposal of the shares.
The New Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to the Issue will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the London Stock Exchange.
Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this Announcement.
APPENDIX: TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING
Terms and Conditions - Important Information for Placees Only Regarding the Placing
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (TOGETHER WITH THE APPENDIX, THE "ANNOUNCEMENT") AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE, TRANSMISSION, FORWARDING OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND, OR ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH IT WOULD BE UNLAWFUL TO DO SO.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE PLACING FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. ALL OFFERS OF THE PLACING SHARES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WILL BE MADE PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION UNDER THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION (AS DEFINED BELOW) FROM THE REQUIREMENT TO PRODUCE A PROSPECTUS. ALL OFFERS OF THE PLACING SHARES IN CANADA WILL BE MADE PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM the prospectus requirementS OF APPLICABLE CANADIAN SECURITIES LAWS, as PROVIDED in Section 2.3 of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions OR SUBSECTION 73.3(2) OF THE SECURITIES ACT (ONTARIO), AS APPLICABLE.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT IN THIS APPENDIX ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (A) PERSONS IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS ("QUALIFIED INVESTORS") WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 (AS SUPPLEMENTED BY COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2019/980 AND COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2019/979 (THE "PROSPECTUS REGULATION"); (B) PERSONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of retained EU law, as defined in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (THE "uk pROSPECTUS rEGULATION") AND WHO ARE (I) INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, (THE "ORDER") OR (II) PERSONS WHO ARE HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER PERSONS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) OF THE ORDER; (C) PERSONS WHO ARE RESIDENT in Canada or otherwise subject to the securities laws of ANY PROVINCE OR TERRITORY OF Canada that are BOTH (I) "ACCREDITED INVESTORS" AS DEFINED IN NATIONAL INSTRUMENT 45-106 - PROSPECTUS EXEMPTIONS OF THE CANADIAN SECURITIES ADMINISTRATORS OR SUBSECTION 73.3(1) OF THE SECURITIES ACT (ONTARIO), AS APPLICABLE AND (II) "permitted clients" as defined in National Instrument 31-103 - Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations OF THE CANADIAN SECURITIES ADMINISTRATORS; (D) PERSONS IN AUSTRALIA WHO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF SOPHISTICATED INVESTORS OR PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS AS THOSE TERMS ARE DEFINED IN SUB-SECTIONS 708(8) AND 708(11) OF THE CORPORATIONS ACT 2001 (CTH) WHO ALSO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF A WHOLESALE INVESTOR (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 761G OF THE AUSTRALIAN CORPORATIONS ACT); OR (E) PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
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 OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. SUBJECT TO CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS, THE PLACING SHARES ARE BEING OFFERED AND SOLD ONLY OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES IN "OFFSHORE TRANSACTIONS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH, REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE PLACING SHARES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OR ELSEWHERE. The Placing Shares have not been approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission in the United States or any US regulatory authority, nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of any proposed offering of the Placing Shares, or the accuracy or adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN 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 AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN RELATE IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THIS APPENDIX DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.
THE CONTENTS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAVE NOT BEEN REVIEWED BY ANY REGULATORY AUTHORITY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM OR ELSEWHERE. YOU ARE ADVISED TO EXERCISE CAUTION IN RELATION TO THE PLACING. EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN ACQUISITION OF PLACING SHARES.
By participating in the Placing, placees ("Placees") will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its entirety and to be participating in the Placing on the terms and conditions, and to be providing the representations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings, contained in this Appendix. In particular, each Placee represents, warrants and acknowledges that:
(1) it is, and will at the time the Placing Shares are acquired be, a Relevant Person (as defined above) and undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business;
(2) it is and, at the time the Placing Shares are acquired, will be either (a) outside the United States and acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act ("Regulation S") or (ii) a "qualified institutional buyer" ("QIB") as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act who has duly executed a US investor letter in the form provided to it and delivered the same to the Banks;
(3) if it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 2(d) of the Prospectus Regulation or Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation (as applicable), 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 European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Regulation to Qualified Investors, or in the United Kingdom to qualified investors within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the Banks has been given to each such proposed offer or resale; and
(4) unless it has signed a US investor letter in a form satisfactory to the Company and the relevant Bank, it is acquiring the Placing Shares for its own account or for an account with respect to which it exercises sole investment discretion, and that it (and any such account) is outside the United States and is acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.
The Company and each of the Banks will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and agreements.
The Placing Shares are, subject to certain exceptions (in which case the investor will be required to sign a US investor letter in a form satisfactory to the Company and the relevant Bank), being offered and sold outside the United States in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act in an offshore transaction (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act).
No prospectus has been or will be lodged or filed with, or registered by, the securities commission or similar regulatory authority of any province or territory of Canada or the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in respect of the Placing or the Placing Shares. The Placing Shares (a) are being issued pursuant to an exemption from the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws and any resale of Placing Shares must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, such prospectus requirements, and (b) have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offered in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or territory of Australia. 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, Canada, Australia or any other jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.
The distribution of this Announcement and the Placing or issue of the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by the Company, the Banks or any of their affiliates 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 the Banks to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.
Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other legal obligation to forward a copy of this Appendix or the Announcement of which it forms part should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.
Bookbuild
Following this Announcement, the Banks will commence 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 and will close at the discretion of the Company and the Banks. 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 the Placing Shares
The Banks have today entered into the Placing Agreement under which, subject to the terms and conditions set out therein, each of the Banks has agreed to use reasonable endeavours to procure subscribers for the Placing Shares.
The price per Placing Share at which the Placing Shares are to be placed (the "Placing Price") and the final number of Placing Shares will be decided at the close of the Bookbuild following the execution of the pricing agreement by the Company and the Banks (the "Pricing Agreement"). The timing of the closing of the book, pricing and allocations are at the discretion of the Company and the Banks. Details of the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares will be announced as soon as practicable after the close of the Bookbuild.
The Placing is conditional upon the Placing Agreement becoming unconditional in all respects, including, inter alia, Admission occurring not later than 8.00 a.m. (London time) on 22 November 2021(or such later date as may be agreed between the Company and the Banks), the execution of the Pricing Agreement and the warranties in the Placing Agreement not being, in the opinion of any of the Banks, untrue, inaccurate or misleading in any respect when made nor becoming untrue, inaccurate or misleading in any respect by reference to the facts and circumstances existing at the time.
The Placing Shares will, when issued, be subject to the articles of association of the Company, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing ordinary shares in the Company (the "Ordinary Shares"), including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect of such Ordinary Shares after the date of this Announcement.
As part of the Placing, the Company has agreed with the Banks that it will not, for a period of 90 days after the date of Admission, (i) enter into, or incur any obligation to make, any commitment or agreement, or put itself in a position where it is obliged to announce that any commitment or agreement may be entered into or made, which in either case is or might be material in the context of the Placing or (ii) provide any public statement or commentary regarding the Placing Shares or the Placing or make any other announcement through a Regulatory Information Service ("RIS") relating to the Group or its business or any event, which in either case is or might be material in the context of the Placing, in each case without the prior written approval of the Banks.
Applications for Admission
Application will be made for the Placing Shares to be admitted to the premium segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") and to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (the "Main Market"). It is expected that Admission will take place at 8.00 a.m. (London time) on 22 November 2021(or such later date as may be agreed between the Company and the Banks) and that dealings in the Placing Shares will commence at that time.
Participation in, and principal terms of, the Placing
1. The Banks are acting as joint bookrunners and brokers and agents of the Company in connection with the Placing. Participation in the Placing will only be available to persons who are Relevant Persons or who may lawfully be, and are, invited to participate by the Banks.
2. The Banks and their respective affiliates and/or their agents are each entitled to participate in the Placing as principal.
3. The Placing Shares will be issued to Placees at the Placing Price to be determined by the Company and the Banks, and announced by the Company, following completion of the Bookbuild.
4. To bid in the Bookbuild, Placees should communicate their bid by telephone and in writing to their usual sales contact at the relevant Bank. Each bid should state the number of Placing Shares which the prospective Placee wishes to subscribe for at either the Placing Price, which is ultimately established by the Company and the Banks, or at prices up to a price limit specified in its bid. Each Bank reserves the right not to accept a bid from a potential Placee. Bids may also be scaled down by the Banks on the basis referred to in paragraph 6 below.
5. Each prospective Placee's allocation in the Bookbuild ("Placing Participation") will be determined by the Company in consultation with the Banks and their Placing Participation and the Placing Price will be confirmed orally and/or via written correspondence by the relevant Bank as agent of the Company. That oral and/or written confirmation constitutes an irrevocable legally binding commitment upon that person (who will at that point become a Placee) to subscribe for the number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the Placing Price on the terms and conditions set out in this Appendix and in accordance with the articles of association of the Company.
6. The Bookbuild will open with immediate effect. The timing of the closing of the Bookbuild, pricing and allocations are at the absolute discretion of the Company in consultation with the Banks. The Banks may, in agreement with the Company, accept bids that are received after the Bookbuild has closed. The Banks reserve the right to scale back the number of Placing Shares to be subscribed by any Placee in the event of an oversubscription under the Placing. The Banks also reserve the right not to accept offers for Placing Shares or to accept such offers in part rather than in whole.
7. Each Placee also has an immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to the Banks, each as agents of the Company, to pay in cleared funds in Sterling at the relevant time in accordance with the requirements set out below under "Registration and Settlement", an amount equal to the product of the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares such Placee has agreed to subscribe and the Company has agreed to allot and issue to that Placee, conditional upon Admission becoming effective.
8. Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's Placing Participation is confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares to be acquired pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made on the same day, on the basis explained below under "Registration and Settlement".
9. Completion of the Placing will be subject to the 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 Agreement". In the event that the Placing Agreement does not become unconditional in any respect or is terminated, the Placing will not proceed.
10. 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, and is not subject to any further conditions or requirements other than those set out in this Announcement or Placing Agreement.
11. To the fullest extent permissible by law, neither the Banks nor the Company nor any of their affiliates, agents, directors, officers, consultants or employees shall have any liability to Placees (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise). In particular, neither the Banks nor any of their affiliates, agents, directors, officers, consultants or employees shall have any liability (including to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of the Banks' conduct of the Bookbuild (including the Banks entering or not entering into the Pricing Agreement) or of such alternative method of effecting the Placing as the Banks and the Company may agree.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing Agreement is conditional on, inter alia:
(a) each of the warranties in the Placing Agreement not being, in the opinion of any of the Banks, untrue, inaccurate or misleading in any respect when made nor becoming untrue, inaccurate or misleading in any respect by reference to the facts and circumstances existing at the time;
(b) the Banks and the Company entering into the Pricing Agreement;
(c) the Company allotting, subject only to Admission, the Placing Shares; and
(d) Admission taking place not later than 8.00 a.m. (London time) on 22 November 2021or such later date as the Company and the Banks may otherwise agree.
If (i) any of the conditions contained in the Placing Agreement have not been fulfilled or waived by the Banks by the applicable time or date where specified (or such later time and/or date as the Company and the Banks may agree), (ii) any of the conditions contained in the Placing Agreement becomes incapable of being satisfied or (iii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in accordance with their terms (as summarised below), the Placing will lapse and the Placees' rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such time and each Placee agrees that no claim can be made by the Placee in respect thereof.
The Banks may, in their absolute discretion and upon such terms as they think fit, waive fulfilment, in whole or in part, of any or all of the conditions in the Placing Agreement, other than that relating to, inter alia, Admission (to the extent permitted by law or regulations), by giving notice in writing to the Company. Any such waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this Announcement.
None of the Banks, the Company or any other person 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 the date for the satisfaction of any condition to the Placing nor for any decision they may make as to the satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the Placing generally or for entering or not entering into the Pricing Agreement and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of the Banks and the Company.
Termination of the Placing Agreement
The Banks are entitled, at any time before Admission and in accordance with its terms, to terminate the Placing Agreement by giving notice to the Company if, inter alia:
(a) any of the warranties given by the Company in the Placing Agreement are, in the opinion of any of the Banks, untrue, inaccurate or misleading in any respect when made or have become untrue, inaccurate or misleading in any respect by reference to the facts and circumstances existing at the time;
(b) the Company breaches any of its obligations under the Placing Agreement and such breach is, in the opinion of any of the Banks, material in the context of the Placing and/or Admission;
(c) in the opinion of any of the Banks any statement in this Announcement or the management presentation given by the Company in relation to the Placing is untrue, inaccurate or misleading in any respect or becomes untrue, inaccurate or misleading in any respect;
(d) in the opinion of any of the Banks there has been a material adverse change in or any development or event reasonably likely to involve a prospective material adverse change in or affecting the condition (financial, operational, legal or otherwise) or the earnings or business affairs or business prospects of the Group; or
(e) there has been: (i) the suspension of trading in securities generally on the London Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange or any other securities exchange in the EEA, or trading is limited or minimum prices established on any such exchange; the declaration of a banking moratorium in London, any EEA member state or by the US federal or New York State authorities or any material disruption to commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the US or the UK; (iii) any change, or development involving a prospective change, in national or international financial, economic, political, industrial or stock market conditions or currency exchange rates or exchange controls, or any incident of terrorism or outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any declaration by the UK or the US or any EEA member state of a national emergency or war or any other calamity or crisis (including, without limitation, a significant escalation of any pandemic or epidemic) and whether or not foreseeable at the date of the Placing Agreement; (iv) there is an announcement of intended withdrawal from the Euro currency or intended redenomination of any obligation, public or private, by any EEA member state; or (v) any adverse change or prospective adverse change since the date of the Placing Agreement in UK tax, in each case which any of the Banks considers in its discretion to be likely to have an adverse effect on the financial or trading position or the business or prospects of the Group which is material in the context of the Group as a whole or which renders the Placing impracticable or inadvisable.
Upon such termination, the parties to the Placing Agreement shall be released and discharged (except for any liability arising before or in relation to such termination) from their respective obligations under or pursuant to the Placing Agreement and the Placing will not proceed.
By participating in the Placing, Placees agree that the exercise by any Bank of any right of termination or by any Bank of any other discretion under the Placing Agreement, shall be within the absolute discretion of the relevant Bank and that it need not make any reference to Placees and that it shall have no liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any such exercise or failure so to exercise.
Lock-up
The Company has undertaken to the Banks that, between the date of the Placing Agreement and 90 calendar days from the date of Admission, it will not issue Ordinary Shares or enter into certain transactions involving or relating to the Ordinary Shares, subject to certain carve-outs agreed between the Banks and the Company.
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 of a transaction which would otherwise be subject to the lock-up under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of the Banks and that they need not make any reference to, or consultation with, Placees and that they shall have no liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any such exercise of the power to grant consent.
No Prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered to Relevant Persons only and will not be offered in such a way as to require a prospectus in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. No offering document or prospectus has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FCA in relation to the Placing and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of the information contained in this Announcement and any information publicly released to a RIS by or on behalf of the Company on or prior to the date of this Announcement and subject to any further terms set forth in the electronic contract note to be provided to the individual prospective Placees.
Each Placee, by accepting a participation in the Placing, agrees that the content of this Announcement (including this Appendix) is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it has neither received nor relied on any other information, representation, warranty, or statement made by or on behalf of the Company or the Banks or any other person and neither the Company nor the Banks nor any other person will be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement which the Placees may have obtained or received. Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in participating in the Placing. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation.
Registration and Settlement
The Placing
Settlement of transactions in the Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00B4WFW713) will take place within the system administered by Euroclear UK & International Limited ("CREST"). 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 the Banks may agree that the Placing Shares should be issued in certificated form.
The Banks reserve the right to require settlement for the Placing Shares, and to deliver the Placing Shares to Placees, by such other means as they deem 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.
Each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will be sent an electronic contract note/confirmation stating the number of Placing Shares to be allocated to it. Each such Placee agrees that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed in accordance with the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions as set out in the electronic contract note/confirmation.
The Company will deliver such Placing Shares to the CREST account operated by Peel Hunt as agent for the Company and Peel Hunt, J.P. Morgan Cazenove and Barclays Bank PLC will enter its respective delivery (DEL) instruction into the CREST system. 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.
General provisions
It is expected that settlement will be on 22 November 2021in accordance with the instructions given to the Banks unless otherwise notified by 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 prevailing market rates as determined by the Banks.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that, if it does not comply with these obligations, the Company may without limiting any other rights it may have, and subject to the provisions of the Placing Agreement, 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 may be required to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any interest or penalties) which may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares on such Placee's behalf.
If Placing Shares are to be delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure that the electronic contract note/confirmation is forwarded 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 United Kingdom stamp duty reserve tax. Placees will not be entitled to receive any fee or commission in connection with the Placing from the Company or the Banks.
Representations and Warranties
By participating in the Placing each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably represents, warrants, undertakes, acknowledges, confirms and agrees with the Company and each of the Banks, in each case as a fundamental term of its participation, that:
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, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings and other information contained in this Announcement and not in reliance on any information, representation, warranties or statements other than those contained in the Announcement;
2. none of the Banks nor the Company nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers, consultants or employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them has provided, nor will they provide, it with any material regarding the Placing Shares or the Company or any other person other than the information contained in this Announcement; nor has it requested any of the Banks or the Company, any of their affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such material or information;
3. the exercise by the Banks of any right of termination or any right of waiver exercisable by the Banks contained in the Placing Agreement including, without limitation, the right to terminate the Placing Agreement and/or to enter into or refrain from entering into the Pricing Agreement, is within the absolute discretion of the Banks and the Banks will not have any liability to any Placee whatsoever in connection with any decision to exercise or not exercise any such rights;
4. if (i) any of the conditions in the Placing Agreement are not satisfied (or, where relevant, waived), or (ii) the Placing Agreement is terminated, or (iii) the Pricing Agreement is not executed by the Banks and the Company, or (iv) the Placing Agreement does not otherwise become unconditional in all respects, the Placing will lapse and its rights (save as to return of funds) and obligations hereunder shall cease and determine at such time and no claim shall be made by any Placee in respect thereof;
5. no offering document or prospectus has been, or will be, prepared in connection with the Placing and represents and warrants that it has not received a prospectus or other offering document in connection therewith;
6. the Ordinary Shares are (and the Placing Shares will be) admitted to the Official List and to trading on the Main Market, and the Company is therefore required to publish certain business and financial information in accordance with the rules and practices of the Main Market and applicable legislation, 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 Main Market listed company, without undue difficulty;
7. unless it is a Canadian Purchaser (as defined below under to "Notice to Canadian Investors"), it is not a resident of Canada or otherwise subject to the securities laws of any province or territory of Canada, and is not purchasing the Placing Shares for a principal who is a resident of Canada or otherwise subject to the laws of any province or territory of Canada;
8. if it is a resident of Canada or otherwise subject to the securities laws of any province or territory of Canada: (a) it is a Canadian Purchaser (as defined below under to "Notice to Canadian Investors"); (b) it undertakes to deliver to the Banks, upon request, a duly executed representation letter in the form provided by the Banks;
9. if it is a resident of Australia or otherwise subject to the securities laws of Australia: (a) it is a Relevant Person (as defined below under "Notice to Australian Investors"); (b) it undertakes to deliver to the Banks, upon request, a duly executed representation letter in the form provided by the Banks;
10. it is not and, if different, the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares is not, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired will not be, a resident of Australia or Japan;
11. the Placing Shares have not been and will not be (A) registered under the securities legislation of the Australia or Japan or (B) qualified for distribution pursuant to a prospectus filed and receipted under the securities laws of any province or territory of Canada and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered, sold, taken up, renounced or delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into those jurisdictions;
12. it is and, at the time the Placing Shares are acquired, will be either (a) outside the United States and acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" in accordance with Regulation S or (ii) a QIB as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act who has duly executed a US investor letter in the form provided to it and delivered the same to the Banks;
13. 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, nor approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission in the United States or any other US regulatory authority, and further acknowledges that, subject to certain exceptions (in which case the investor shall be required to sign a US investor letter in a form satisfactory to the Company and the relevant Bank), the Placing Shares are being offered and sold only outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act in an "offshore transaction" (as such terms are defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act);
14. it will not distribute, forward, transfer or otherwise transmit this Announcement or Appendix, or any other presentational or other materials concerning the Placing in or into the United States (including electronic copies thereof) to any person, and it has not distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise transmitted any such materials to any person;
15. except as otherwise permitted by the Company in writing, it is not an ERISA Entity or using the assets of an ERISA Entity to purchase the Placing Shares. "ERISA Entity" shall mean any person that is (i) an "employee benefit plan" as defined in Section 3(3) of the United States Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"), that is subject to Title I of ERISA; or (ii) a "plan" as defined in Section 4975 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), including an individual retirement account or other arrangement that is subject to Section 4975 of the Code; or (iii) an entity which is deemed to hold the assets of any of the foregoing types of plans, accounts or arrangements that is subject to Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code; or (iv) any governmental, church, non-US or other employee benefit plan that is subject to any federal, state, local or non-US law that is substantially similar to the provisions of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code whose purchase, holding, and disposition of the Placing Shares could constitute or result in a non-exempt violation of any such substantially similar law;
16. the content of this Announcement is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and that none of the Banks nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers, consultants or employees nor any person acting on their behalf has or shall have any liability, in contract, tort or otherwise for any information, representation or statement contained in this Announcement or any information previously published by or on behalf of the Company and will not be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any information, representation or statement contained in this Announcement or 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 subscribe for the Placing Shares is contained in this Announcement and any information previously or contemporaneously published by the Company by notification to a RIS, 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 representations, warranties or statements made by any of the Banks or the Company and none of the Banks nor the Company 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 of the business, financial or other position of the Company in deciding to participate in the Placing;
17. neither it, nor the person specified by it for registration as a holder of Placing Shares is, or is acting as nominee or agent for, and that the Placing Shares will not be allotted to, a person who is or may be liable to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax under any of sections 67, 70, 93 and 96 of the UK Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance services) 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;
18. it has complied with its obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993 (the "CJA"), the Market Abuse Regulation (Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014), the Market Abuse Regulation (Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014) as it forms part of retained EU law, as defined in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("UKMAR"), and in connection with money laundering and terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism Act 2006, the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019 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 the Money Laundering Sourcebook of the FCA 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;
19. if it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 2(d) of the Prospectus Regulation or Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation (as applicable), 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 European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Regulation to Qualified Investors, or in the United Kingdom to qualified investors within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the Banks has been given to each such proposed offer or resale;
20. it has not offered or sold and, prior to the expiry of a period of 6 months from Admission, will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to persons in the United Kingdom, except to persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their business or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and which will not result in an offer to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of section 85(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 ("FSMA");
21. that any offer of Placing Shares may only be directed at persons in member states of the European Economic Area 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 European Economic Area prior to Admission 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 European Economic Area within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation (including any relevant implementing measure in any member state) except in circumstances which do not result in any requirement for the publication of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation;
22. 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 FSMA) relating to the Placing in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not require approval of the communication by an authorised person;
23. it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the Placing from or otherwise involving, the United Kingdom companies, securities and financial and intermediary services laws and regulations;
24. 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 the acknowledgments, representations and agreements herein on behalf of each such person; (ii) it exercises sole investment discretion as to each such person's account; and (iii) it is and will remain liable to the Banks and the Company for the performance of all its obligations as a Placee in respect of the Placing (regardless of the fact that it is acting for another person);
25. it is a Relevant Person (as defined above);
26. it and any person acting on its behalf is entitled to subscribe for and purchase the Placing Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions which would apply to it, and that it and any person acting on its behalf is in compliance with applicable laws in the jurisdiction of its residence, the residence of the Company, or otherwise (including all relevant provisions of UK MAR, FSMA and the Financial Services Act 2012 in respect of anything done in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom);
27. it (and any person acting on its behalf) will make or procure payment for the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this Announcement on the due time and date set out herein or as directed by the relevant Bank, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other subscribers or sold as the applicable Bank may in its discretion determine and without liability to such Placee, who will remain liable for any amount by which the net proceeds of such sale falls short of the product of the relevant Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares allocated to it and may be required to bear any stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax or other similar taxes (together with any interest or penalties) which may arise upon the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares;
28. 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;
29. none of the Banks, nor any of their respective affiliates, nor any person acting on behalf of the Banks, is making any recommendations to it, advising it or providing intermediary services 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 any Bank and that the Banks have no duties or responsibilities to it for providing the protections afforded to their clients or customers or for providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor for the exercise or performance of any of its rights and obligations thereunder including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise any termination right;
30. the person whom it specifies for registration as holder of the Placing Shares will be (i) itself or (ii) its nominee, as the case may be. None of the Banks nor the Company will 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 participate in the Placing and it agrees to indemnify the Company and the Banks in respect of the same on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to the CREST stock account of Peel Hunt who will hold them as nominee on behalf of such Placee, in accordance with the provisions for registrations and settlement set out in this Announcement;
31. these terms and conditions and any agreements entered into by it pursuant to these terms and conditions and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with such agreements shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and it submits (on behalf of itself and on behalf of any person on whose behalf it is acting) to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts as regards any claim, dispute or matter arising out of any such contract, 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 Company or the Banks 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;
32. the Company and the Banks and their respective affiliates and others will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings which are given to the Banks on their own behalf and on behalf of the Company and are irrevocable;
33. it shall indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold the Company and the Banks and their respective affiliates 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 in this Appendix and further agrees that the provisions of this Appendix shall survive after completion of the Placing;
34. its 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 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 conduct of the Placing. The foregoing representations, warranties and confirmations are given for the benefit of the Company and the Banks. The agreement to settle a Placee's subscription (and/or the subscription of a person for whom such Placee is contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax depends on the settlement relating only to the subscription by it and/or such person direct from the Company for the Placing Shares in question. In respect of the Placing, such agreement assumes, and is based on a warranty from each Placee, that neither it, nor the person specified by it for registration as holder, of Placing Shares is, or is acting as nominee or agent for, and that the Placing Shares will not be allotted to, a person who is or may be liable to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax under any of sections 67, 70, 93 and 96 of the UK Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance services). If there are any such arrangements, or the settlement relates to any other dealing in the Placing, stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax may be payable. In that event the Placee agrees that it shall be responsible for such stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax, and neither the Company nor the Banks shall be responsible for such stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax. If this is the case, each Placee should seek its own advice and notify the Banks accordingly;
35. unless paragraph 36 below applies, it has neither received nor relied on any inside information (for the purpose of and section 56 of the CJA) in relation to its participation in the Placing;
36. if it has received any inside information (for the purposes of UK MAR and section 56 of the CJA) in relation to the Company and its securities, it confirms that it has received such information within the marketing soundings regime provided for in article 11 of UK MAR and associated delegated regulations and it has not: (i) dealt (or attempted to deal) in the securities of the Company; (ii) encouraged, recommended or induced another person to deal in the securities of the Company; or (iii) unlawfully disclosed inside information to any person, prior to the information being made publicly available;
37. the Company may be a passive foreign investment company ("PFIC") for US federal income tax purposes, and it could be a PFIC in future years and acknowledges that if the Company is a PFIC, then US taxable investors may be subject to adverse US tax consequences in respect of their investment in the Placing Shares, whether or not they are resident in the United States;
38. if it is a pension fund or investment company, its purchase of Placing Shares is in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
39. the Placing Shares will be allotted and issued subject to the terms and conditions of this Appendix;
40. no action has been or will be taken by any of the Company, the Banks or any person acting on behalf of the Company or the Banks 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; and
41. 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 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 are 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 associates taken as a whole, and the terms of the Placing, including the merits and risks involved.
NOTICE TO CANADIAN INVESTORS
General
The Banks may, but are under no obligation to, permit certain persons that are in Canada or subject to the securities laws of any province or territory Canada to participate in the Placing. This Announcement, including this Appendix, is being delivered solely to, and for the confidential use of, only the Canadian Purchasers (as defined below) identified by a Bank to evaluate an investment in the Placing Shares. The information contained within this Announcement does not constitute an offer in Canada to any other person, or a general offer to the public, or a general solicitation from the public, to subscribe for or purchase the Placing Shares. The distribution of this Announcement and the offer and sale of Placing Shares in any province or territory of Canada may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes must inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions.
Any distribution made in any Canadian jurisdiction or otherwise to any person in a transaction that is subject to the securities laws of any province or territory of Canada will be made in reliance upon an exemption from the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws. Accordingly, Placees do not and will not receive the benefits associated with a subscription for securities distributed pursuant to a prospectus, including the review of offering materials by any securities regulatory authority. No securities commission or similar securities regulatory authority in Canada has reviewed, expressed an opinion about or in any way passed upon this Announcement or the merits of the Placing Shares and any representation to the contrary is an offence under applicable Canadian securities laws.
Placing in Canada
The offering of Placing Shares in Canada or to any person subject to the securities laws of any province or territory of Canada is being made only: (a) to persons who are both "accredited investors" as defined in National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions of the Canadian Securities Administrators ("NI 45-106") or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), as applicable, and also "permitted clients" as defined in National Instrument 31-103 - Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations of the Canadian Securities Administrators ("NI 31-103"); (b) through a Bank that is permitted to rely on the "international dealer exemption" contained in section 8.18 of NI 31-103; and (c) in reliance upon the "accredited investor" exemption from the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws as provided in Section 2.3 of NI 45-106 or subsection 73.3(2) of the Securities Act (Ontario), as applicable. A Placee that is in Canada or subject to the securities laws any province or territory of Canada will, upon its Placing Participation being confirmed, be deemed to have represented and warranted to the Company and the Banks that: (a) it is both an "accredited investor" and a "permitted client" as set out in the preceding sentence, and (b) it was not created, and is not used, solely to purchase or hold securities as an accredited investor; and (c) in respect of its purchase of Placing Shares, it purchases as principal for its own account, or is deemed under applicable Canadian securities laws to purchase as principal, for investment purposes only and not with a view to resale or redistribution (such a Placee, a "Canadian Purchaser"). A "permitted client" includes, among other things: (i) a person or company, other than an individual or an investment fund, that has net assets of at least Cdn. $25 million as shown on its most recently prepared financial statements; (ii) an individual who beneficially owns financial assets (being cash or securities, or a contract of insurance, a deposit or an evidence of a deposit that is not a security) having an aggregate realizable value that, before taxes but net of any related liabilities, exceeds Cdn. $5 million; and (iii) a person or company acting on behalf of a managed account which is managed by that person or company, if it is registered or authorized to carry on business as an adviser or the equivalent under the securities legislation of any province or territory of Canada, or the securities legislation of another country.
By purchasing the Placing Shares, the Canadian Purchaser acknowledges that its name, address, telephone number and other specified information, including the number of Placing Shares it has purchased, may be disclosed to Canadian securities regulatory authorities and become available to the public in accordance with the requirements of applicable laws. The Canadian Purchaser consents to the disclosure of that information.
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a Canadian purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if any "offering memorandum" (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser's province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser's province or territory for the particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
The Canadian Purchaser acknowledges that, pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 - Underwriting Conflicts of the Canadian Securities Administrators ("NI 33-105"), the Banks may not be required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with the offering of Placing Shares.
Resale Restrictions
The Placing Shares have not been and will not be qualified for distribution to the public pursuant to a prospectus filed and receipted under the securities laws of any province or territory of Canada and, accordingly, any Placing Shares acquired by a Canadian Purchaser may not be sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of in any manner unless such sale, transfer or other disposition complies with the resale restrictions of the applicable securities laws of the relevant Canadian jurisdiction.
Unless otherwise permitted under, and in any event subject to compliance with, all applicable laws, Canadian Purchasers acquiring Placing Shares must not trade the Placing Shares before the date that is four months and a day after the later of the distribution date of the Placing Shares and the date that the Company became a reporting issuer in any province or territory of Canada and the Placing Shares will be subject to the following legend restriction, and a legend to the following effect will be placed on certificates, if any, representing the Placing Shares:
"UNLESS PERMITTED UNDER SECURITIES LEGISLATION, THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY MUST NOT TRADE THE SECURITY BEFORE THE DATE THAT IS 4 MONTHS AND A DAY AFTER THE LATER OF (I) [INSERT SETTLEMENT DATE], AND (II) THE DATE THAT THE ISSUER BECAME A REPORTING ISSUER IN ANY PROVINCE OR TERRITORY OF CANADA."
The above constitutes written notice of the legend restriction notation pursuant to subsection 2.5(2)(3.1) of National Instrument 45-102 - Resale of Securities of the Canadian Securities Administrators.
The Company is not, and does not intend to become, a "reporting issuer" under the applicable Canadian securities laws of any province or territory of Canada. The Placing Shares will not be listed on any stock exchange in Canada, and no public market for the Placing Shares is expected to exist in Canada following the Placing. The Company is not required to file, and does not intend to file, a prospectus with any securities commission or similar securities regulatory authority in Canada qualifying the resale of Placing Shares to the public in any province or territory of Canada. Accordingly, the "hold period" applicable to the Placing Shares under applicable Canadian securities laws may never expire, and any resale of Placing Shares by a Canadian Purchaser must be made in accordance with a further exemption from, or in a transaction that is not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws.
The foregoing is a summary only of applicable Canadian resale restrictions and is subject in all respects to the express provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws. Every Canadian Purchasers is responsible for ensuring its own compliance with such laws in respect of any subsequent transactions in Placing Shares, and should consult with its own Canadian legal advisor to determine the particulars of the resale restrictions, the conditions for reliance on any further exemptions from the prospectus requirements, and other applicable compliance requirements.
NOTICE TO AUSTRALIAN INVESTORS
This Announcement does not constitute an offer or invitation in any jurisdiction in which, or to any person to whom, it would not be lawful to make such an offer or invitation in Australia. The distribution of this Announcement (including in electronic form) may be restricted by law and persons who come into possession of it should seek advice on and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with such restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws.
This Announcement (a) does not constitute a disclosure document under Part 7.9 or Part 6D.2 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ("Australian Corporations Act"); and (b) has not been, and will not be, lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission ("ASIC") as a disclosure document for the purposes of the Australian Corporations Act; and (c) may not be provided in Australia except to Relevant Persons (defined below) for which a disclosure document is not required because they satisfy one of the investor categories in Section 708 of the Australian Corporations Act (and if so provided, is provided on the basis that they are a Relevant Person (defined below)).
The provisions of the Australian Corporations Act that define these categories of Relevant Person (defined below) are complex, and if you are in any doubt as to whether you fall within one of these categories, you should seek appropriate professional advice regarding these provisions.
This document is only provided to the following persons (who are "Relevant Persons") and each person who receives this Announcement will be required to represent and warrant that they are an Relevant Person:
· "sophisticated investors" that meet the criteria set out in section 708(8) of the Australian Corporations Act; or
· "professional investors" referred to in section 708(11) and as defined in section 9 (except a person mentioned in paragraph (e) of that definition) of the Australian Corporations Act;
· investors who receive the offer through an Australian financial services licensee, where all of the criteria set out in section 708(10) of the Australian Corporations Act have been satisfied; or
· persons to whom an offer of the Placing Shares may be made without disclosure to investors under Part 6D.2 of the Australian Corporations Act in reliance on one or more applicable exemptions in section 708 of the Australian Corporations Act.
This document is being distributed to a limited number of "wholesale clients" (as defined in section 761G of the Australian Corporations Act), who are also Relevant Persons (defined above). The person receiving this document represents and warrants that if it is in Australia, it is a "wholesale client" and Relevant Person and that it will not distribute this document to any person outside of Australia.
The Placing Shares may not be directly or indirectly offered for subscription or purchased or sold, and no invitations to subscribe for or buy the Placing Shares may be issued, and no draft or definitive offering memorandum, advertisement or other offering material relating to any Placing Shares may be distributed in Australia except where disclosure to investors is not required under Chapter 6D of the Australian Corporations Act or is otherwise in compliance with all applicable Australian laws and regulations.
As any offer of Placing Shares under this document will be made without disclosure in Australia under Part 6D.2 of the Australian Corporations Act, the offer of those securities for resale in Australia within 12 months may, under section 707 of the Australian Corporations Act, require disclosure to investors under Part 6D.2 if none of the exemptions in section 708 apply to that offer for resale. Accordingly, any person who acquires securities pursuant to this Announcement should not, within 12 months of acquisition of the Placing Shares, offer, transfer, assign or otherwise alienate those securities to investors in Australia except in circumstances where disclosure is not required under Part 6D.2 of the Australian Corporations Act or unless a compliant disclosure document is prepared and lodged with the ASIC.
No financial product advice is provided in the documentation related to this offer and nothing in the documentation should be taken to constitute a recommendation or statement of opinion that it intended to influence you in making a decision to participate in the offer. Any information contained in the documentation should be seen as general information only and does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. The Company and the Banks are not licensed to provide financial product advice in relation to the Placing Shares, and the Banks are relying on an exemption to the requirement to hold an Australian Financial Services Licence in marketing and providing financial services to eligible Australian wholesale clients in connection with this documentation and the Placing. Before acting on the information contained in this documentation or on the website, or making a decision to participate in the offer, you should read the documentation in full and consider seeking professional financial product advice from an independent person licensed by ASIC to give such advice. Placees should, before acting on this information, consider the appropriateness of this information having regard to their personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Neither a prospectus nor Product Disclosure Statement has been or will be issued in relation to this offer. No cooling-off regime applies to the financial products offered to you pursuant to this Announcement or any accompanying documentation.
This document has not been prepared specifically for Australian Placees. It:
· may contain references to Dollar amounts which are not in Australian Dollars;
· may contain financial information which is not prepared in accordance with Australian law or practices;
· may not address risks associated with investment in foreign currency denominated investments; and
· does not address Australian tax issues.
Other notices
In addition, Placees should note that they will be liable for any 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 subscription by them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to subscribe for any Placing Shares.
Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Banks and any of their 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 fees in connection with their roles in respect of the Placing as detailed in the Placing Agreement.
Past performance is no guide to future performance and persons seeking advice should consult an independent financial adviser.
All times and dates in this Announcement may be subject to amendment, and Placees' commitments, representations and warranties are not conditional on any of the expected times and dates in this Announcement being achieved. The Banks shall notify their respective Placees and any person acting on behalf of the Placees of any changes.
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 or partial exercise of one will not prevent the exercise of others.
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