THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DEEMED BY THE
COMPANY TO CONSTITUTE INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE
MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) NO. 596/2014 AS IT FORMS
PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW PURSUANT TO THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL)
ACT 2018, AS AMENDED. UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA
A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED TO
BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPENDICES TO THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT, AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN, IS RESTRICTED
AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES,
AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR NEW
ZEALAND OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH IT WOULD BE UNLAWFUL TO
DO SO.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPENDICES TO THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT, IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT ITSELF
CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN
THE COMPANY. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE APPENDICES DO NOT
CONSTITUTE OR CONTAIN ANY INVITATION, SOLICITATION, RECOMMENDATION,
OFFER OR ADVICE TO ANY PERSON TO SUBSCRIBE FOR, OTHERWISE ACQUIRE
OR DISPOSE OF ANY SECURITIES OF 80 MILE PLC IN ANY JURISDICTION IN
WHICH ANY SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE
UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD BE READ IN ITS
ENTIRETY. IN PARTICULAR, YOU SHOULD READ AND UNDERSTAND
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE APPENDICES INCLUDING APPENDIX III
WHICH CONTAINS THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
PLACING.
80 Mile plc
("80M",
the "Company" or the "Group")
Proposed Placing to raise
approximately £1.5 million
Conditional acquisition of
strategic stake in Hydrogen Valley Limited, enhancing biofuels and
industrial gas capabilities
The Company announces it is carrying
out a placing (the "Placing") to raise approximately £1.5
million, before expenses, by way of the issue
of approximately 555,555,555
new ordinary shares in the capital of the
Company (the "Placing
Shares") to certain existing shareholders and other
investors at a price of 0.27 pence per share (the "Placing Price"). The Placing Price
represents a discount of approximately 6.90 per cent. to the
Closing Price of 0.29 pence per Ordinary Share on 18 December 2024,
being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this
Announcement. The
Placing Shares are being issued pursuant to the Company's existing
share authorities.
In addition, the Company
is pleased to announce the acquisition of an
interest in Hydrogen Valley Ltd ('Hydrogen Valley' or 'HV') and its subsidiary Greenswitch
srl ('Greenswitch' or the
'Project') (the
"Acquisition").
This transformative acquisition
marks a significant step in 80 Mile's strategy to become a
vertically integrated exploration & production company for
petrochemicals as well as industrial and natural gases. The
intention is that 80 Mile will establish a new industrial gas and
petrochemical business unit, which will work to diversify the
Company's portfolio to include biofuels, sustainable aviation fuels
('SAF'), glycerine and
green hydrogen.
The following sets out the
background to, and the reasons for, the Placing and the Acquisition
and explains why the Directors consider the Placing and the
Acquisition to be in the best interests of the Company and its
Shareholders as a whole.
Capitalised terms used but not
otherwise defined in this Announcement shall have the meanings
ascribed to such terms in Appendix II of this Announcement, unless
the context requires otherwise.
Use
of Proceeds
The Company is seeking to raise
approximately £1.5 million in order to progress the Acquisition,
the details of which are set out below and for working capital
purposes. The Acquisition is still subject to, amongst other items,
due diligence and the finalisation of legal documentation and in
respect of the allotment and issue of the new 80 Mile ordinary
shares pursuant to Stage 2, the passing of the Resolutions at the
General Meeting. In the event that the Acquisition does not
progress the monies from the Placing will be used to fund working
capital, the Company's other projects and the pursuit of other
acquisition opportunities.
Placing Details
·
Placing of new Ordinary Shares to raise
approximately £1.5 million (before expenses).
·
Placing to be conducted via an accelerated
bookbuild process launching today.
·
The Placing Shares are being issued pursuant to
the Company's existing shareholder authorities,
·
The Placing Shares, assuming full take-up of the
Placing, will represent approximately 15.96 per cent. of the
Enlarged Share Capital.
Key
Highlights:
· 80
Mile is proposing to acquire up to a 49% stake in Hydrogen Valley
for a consideration of up to £2.0 million in cash and the issue of
such number of new Ordinary Shares as is equal 29% of the Issued
Ordinary Share Capital of 80 Mile (subject to shareholder
approval). Further, 80 Mile would also have the option to
increase to a 100% interest in HV exercisable at any time
commencing on the date falling 12 months and one day from the date
of exercise of the foregoing option and lapsing on the date falling
24 months from the date of exercise of such option, for an
aggregate consideration of £6.05 million (to be satisfied in cash
or by the issue of new Ordinary Shares in 80 Mile, the split of
cash and shares to be determined at the time of exercise of the
option).
· Hydrogen Valley, through its wholly owned subsidiary, owns the
Greenswitch biofuels and chemical production complex in the
Basilicata region of Italy (subject to certain payments, see Risk
Considerations below).
· The
Greenswitch refining facilities are located within a Special
Economic Zone ("ZES"), which includes a free trade zone that would
afford the Group numerous economic incentives and
subsidies.
· Greenswitch's facilities include fully permitted plants
suitable for (amongst other things) biodiesel, epoxidized soybean
oil ('ESO') and glycerine, with a capacity of up to 140,000
tonnes/year.
· A
fundraising of £1.5m by accelerated book build managed by Zeus
Capital Ltd will be launched to support this transaction alongside
the Company's existing cash resources.
· The
acquisition has the potential to create a vertically integrated
petrochemical division through large-scale production of biofuels
and the expected introduction of SAF and hydrogen, with cash flow
then available to develop the Company's other advanced petroleum
exploration assets.
· Revenue generation is
expected during Q1 2025, with
potential for revenue growth with production being scaled up over
the coming quarters and through expected expansion to include SAF
and hydrogen.
· The
Company's plans for the facilities align with European Union
('EU') and Italian
government initiatives, and the Directors expect to position
Greenswitch to attract substantial grant funding and energy
transition support. Grant applications are underway.
· 80
Mile expects to be able to finalise offtake agreements for 100% of
the anticipated Greenswitch production.
· Robert
Price is to join the Group as CEO of the newly formed industrial
gas and petrochemical business unit with Eric Sondergaard remaining
80 Mile group CEO and MD.
Short and Medium Term Targets for
Greenswitch:
· Q1
2025: Restart ESO and biofuels production at expected initial
capacities of 5,000 tonnes/year and 10,000 tonnes/year
respectively.
· Q2
2025: Aim to ramp up biodiesel production to 50,000 tons/year
following maintenance and supply chain formalisation.
· Secure
approval of green hydrogen government grant of up to €10
million.
· Initiate planning for a SAF plant in
conjunction with an international offtaker, with the aim to secure
EU energy transition grants to support this.
Eric Sondergaard, Managing Director of 80 Mile,
commented:
"This transaction could represent a transformative step for 80
Mile as we look to expand into sustainable and renewable energy
markets. Hydrogen Valley and Greenswitch bring industry expertise
in downstream processing, aligning perfectly with our long-term
vision of building a fully vertically integrated business unit,
covering Tier 1 metal and hydrocarbon exploration projects, to
large-scale production of biofuels, sustainable aviation fuels, and
industrial gases. If our due diligence is successful, which we have
every reason to believe it will be, we expect to acquire a 49%
interest in this project, following which we have the potential to
increase to 100% for a further 12 to 24 months.
In
the near term, the team at HV will focus on biodiesel and various
distillates production, an activity that is modelled to produce
significant annual revenue and will serve as a significant cash
flow driver while we look to work towards scaling up the facility
to produce the highly sought after Sustainable Aircraft Fuel and
green hydrogen. This is not just an investment in technology but a
commitment to reshaping the future of energy production and
consumption across Europe. By restarting and scaling up
Greenswitch's operations, we aim to deliver innovative and
sustainable solutions that meet both environmental goals and
shareholder expectations. We are also excited to welcome Robert
Price, Gino Mazziotta and Mark Frascogna to the team, whose
experience and leadership will be invaluable as we build out this
new gas, green fuels and petroleum strategy."
Robert Price, Incoming CEO of the newly formed 80 Mile
industrial gas and petrochemical business unit,
commented:
"We are thrilled to start the integration of Greenswitch into
80 Mile's portfolio, as we look to address key decarbonisation
challenges in aviation and heavy industry. Our focus will be on
expanding production capacity while introducing SAF and green
hydrogen to future-proof the business against evolving energy
demands. This marks the beginning of an exciting chapter where
sustainability meets profitability, and we look forward to
delivering significant value for our
stakeholders".
Additional
Information:
HV Transaction
summary:
· 80
Mile, HV and/or the existing shareholders of HV have entered into
their respective Transaction Documents;
· The HV
Transaction (other than subscription by 80 Mile of the £200k Loan
Notes pursuant to Stage 1) is conditional, inter alia, on 80 Mile
conducting and being satisfied with the results of, legal,
financial, tax and commercial due diligence on the HV group and its
business, assets and liabilities and the Placing having completed
and Admission having occurred (the "Conditions");
· Stage
1: With effect from today, 80 Mile has subscribed for and converted
£200k of convertible loan notes ("£200k Loan Notes") constituted by
HV on or around the date of this announcement. Following conversion
of the £200k Loan Notes the Company now holds a 5% interest in
HV;
· Stage
2: Pursuant to Stage 2, subject to the Resolutions having been
passed at the General Meeting, 80 Mile will pay £800k in cash and
subject to the Additional Condition having been satisfied (as
defined below) as deferred consideration allot and issue
423,957,023 new ordinary shares of 80 Mile (equal to 14.5% of the
Issued Ordinary Share Capital of the Company) for a further 19%
interest in HV;
· Stage
3: as part of the Transaction Documents the HV Shareholders
have granted to the Company the 25% Option pursuant to which
80 Mile has 90 days, from the date of the Transaction Documents, to
acquire a further 25% interest in HV for £1 million in cash and the
issue of an additional 423,957,023 new ordinary shares of 80 Mile
equal to 14.5% of the Issued Ordinary Share Capital of 80
Mile;
· Stage
4: as part of the Transaction Documents, the HV Shareholders have
granted the Company the 51% Option pursuant to which 80 Mile has an
option to acquire the remaining 51% interest in HV, that it does
not hold, through the payment (in either cash and/or ordinary
shares of the Company) of £6.05 million. The option becomes
exercisable on the date falling 12 months and one day from the date
of exercise of the 25% Option and lapses on the date falling 24
months from the date of exercise of the 25% Option;
· Lock-In Agreement: Each of the HV Shareholders has undertaken
to the Company, SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP and Zeus Capital
Limited that, save in specified circumstances and intervals, they
will not dispose of any interest in such number of shares as is
equal to 80% of the shares they receive pursuant to the Transaction
Documents (being the "Locked-In
Shares") for a period of 16 months in respect of each
tranche of Locked-In Shares (commencing on the date that the
applicable tranche of Locked-In Shares are admitted to trading on
AIM), with 25% being released from the lock-in every 4
months.
Greenswitch
Project
Hydrogen Valley, a UK-based private
company headquartered in London, operates in Italy through its
subsidiary, Greenswitch (see: www.greenswitch.bio).
Located in Basilicata, a region
known for its oil industry and home to major players such as Shell,
Total, and ENI, Greenswitch is strategically positioned in the
biofuels sector. Its facility in Ferrandina is currently undergoing
final maintenance programmes to prepare for the start of
production, with a focus on delivering biofuels & SAF
initially, as well as green hydrogen in the future. The plant is
located in a Special Economic Zones (SEZ) of ZES Ionica, which
provides for the establishment of special benefits for companies
located within it. ZES Ionica involves both Puglia and Basilicata,
in particular the port and production area of Taranto, the
airport area of Grottaglie and the industrial area of Melfi,
Ferrandina and Galdo di Lauria. The SEZ (Legislative Decree "Decree
of the South") can represent an opportunity to support Lucanian
companies thanks to the reduction of the costs of product trade and
tax breaks (tax credit up to €50 million and administrative
simplification).
The Ferrandina plant is a fully
integrated chemical facility, capable of producing biodiesel,
biofuels, and epoxidized soybean oil (ESO). It has a production
capacity of 120,000 to 150,000 tonnes of biodiesel annually and can
process a diverse range of feedstocks thanks to its esterification
and transesterification technologies. Initial production will
prioritise ESO and biofuels, with biodiesel output expected to
reach 50,000 tonnes annually by the second quarter of next year.
Additionally, the facility features advanced infrastructure,
including a wastewater treatment plant, emission scrubbers, and a
cogeneration unit for efficient energy use. These initiatives will provide cash flow from existing
facilities before SAF and hydrogen production commences.
Strategically situated near the Port
of Taranto, the plant enables efficient transport of raw materials
and export of finished products. It also has a 16,000-cubic-metre
tank farm for storage, with insulated, heated, and inerted tanks
that preserve product quality. The site is expected to benefit from
excellent rail connectivity, which reduces transportation
costs.
In addition to existing operations,
Greenswitch has ambitious plans for future development. HV hopes to
secure a €10 million grant for the onsite construction of a green
hydrogen production plant with an expected design capacity of 200
tonnes per annum. HV also intends to apply for further additional
EU grants for the construction of a Sustainable Aircraft Fuel
production facility, which would be designed with the aim to
produce 40,000 tonnes per annum. A SAF facility located near key
Mediterranean airports and abundant local feedstocks underscores
its competitive potential in sustainable energy innovation and
production.
The Ferrandina plant is the largest
facility in the Valbasento valley and dwarfs nearby industrial
sites in scale and storage capacity. It is fully permitted and
supported by local communities eager for economic stimulus and job
creation, with Greenswitch aiming to expand its workforce in the
near term and contribute positively to the region's
development.
Greenswitch's history of innovation
is reflected in its two main production lines, which were last
operational in early 2020:
· The
epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) line, which was Italy's first such
facility and from a technological perspective, the Directors
understand it remains highly competitive for the production of ESO
to the Italian and wider European markets. ESO is a key green
chemistry product used as a plasticiser and stabiliser for PVC
compounds. The production capacity of the plant for ESO is 10,000
tonnes annually but the maximum production authorised is 15,000
tonnes annually, and with minor modifications, it can produce
high-value vegetable polyols.
· The
biodiesel production line includes esterification and
transesterification plants with a combined capacity of up to
approximately 200,000 tonnes annually. These plants use innovative
technology to process various raw materials, such as vegetable and
animal oils, into biodiesel and other biofuels.
The facility also features auxiliary
plants for refining vegetable crude glycerine and recovering
methanol.
The laboratory is structured with
research, development and innovation, and analysis, sections, all
of which aim to refine the products and enable more effective and
efficient production.
Greenswitch's SAF ambitions align
with the European Union's goals for reduced carbon emissions and
energy independence. With its integrated environmental permits,
strategic location, and potential access to substantial development
grants, the Directors believe Greenswitch is uniquely positioned to
contribute to Europe's energy transition while generating
significant economic value for the region.
Biofuels and Sustainable
Aviation Fuel (SAF)
SAF is an eco-friendly alternative
to traditional jet fuel, produced from renewable resources instead
of fossil fuels, thereby significantly reducing the carbon
footprint of aviation. SAF closely matches conventional jet fuel in
composition, yet offers a lower carbon dioxide emissions profile
across its lifecycle.
The Directors believe biofuels,
particularly SAF, are critical to decarbonising sectors like
aviation and heavy transport, where electrification remains
challenging. 80 Mile seeks to employ a blend of feedstocks,
including waste oils and advanced synthetic inputs, to produce SAF
that meets stringent environmental benchmarks.
The International Energy Agency
estimates that biofuels will account for 10% of transport energy
demand by 2030. Greenswitch can help address this demand, combining
innovation with sustainable practices to create a significant
impact in the European energy market. SAF is widely regarded as the
aviation sector's primary path to reducing carbon emissions. In
addition, Governments worldwide have established mandates for the
production and use of SAF in the coming years.
Hydrogen
The Directors also believe that
hydrogen is set to play a pivotal role in achieving net-zero
emissions targets globally. As both an energy carrier and a
feedstock for industrial processes, hydrogen offers unmatched
versatility. 80 Mile, Greenswitch and Hydrogen Valley are actively
exploring green hydrogen integration into their SAF and biofuels
production processes.
About the Hydrogen Valley
Team
Robert
Price
Robert Price has extensive
experience in energy and manufacturing. He co-founded and served as
CEO of Total Helium Ltd. (TSX) and was Chairman of LNEnergy Ltd. He
has held senior roles, including VP and Trust Officer at First
National Bank (now J.P. Morgan Chase), and founded Brooks Energy
Company, focused on oil, gas, and helium exploration in the
Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions.
Mr. Price sold a 75% stake in a
hydrogen power generation business to Tallgrass Energy (backed by
Blackstone) and owned S&R Compression, a natural gas compressor
manufacturing and rental company. Whilst he was Chairman and CEO of
Highlands Natural Resources, he led ventures in natural resources.
He also founded Zeledyne, acquiring Ford's Glass division and
managing 1,200 employees across three plants. Mr. Price holds a
B.A. from the University of Colorado, Denver, and a J.D. from the
University of Tulsa.
Mark Frascogna
Mark is an energy professional and
investor with more than 35 years of experience in the international
oil industry with emphasis on Italian energy sector. His experience
includes working with large public corporations such as Forest Oil
and Calpine as well as startup companies in which he either served
as an officer or director.
Initiatives of particular note
include: serving as VP of a Nasdaq listed company; forming
bid groups consisting of Enron and Intermountain Industries to bid
on Hungarian gas privatization assets; first investment in the
Italian gas distribution network by an American company; managing
portfolios of energy assets in Europe for American companies;
bidding on numerous energy assets abroad, including state owned
assets in Brazil and Italy worth over $1 billion; and permitting
sites in the US and abroad for renewable energy
developments.
He currently serves as CEO and
director of LNEnergy Ltd., a privately held UK company that holds
controlling interests in the largest onshore undeveloped gas field
in Western Europe. This development is currently in the
process of being approved for production and conversion of natural
gas to LNG, and is one of the first projects of its kind in
Europe.
Mr. Frascogna holds an undergraduate
degree in Business and a master's in international management; and
is fluent in English and Italian. Mark will join the Group as
Italian operations manager which will be a non-board
role.
Gino Mazziotta
Girolamo (Gino) Mazziotta has
extensive energy industry and public service experience in Italy.
Prior to serving as Vice President of LNEnergy Ltd., he was most
recently the CEO of Fergas srl, an Italian oilfield services
company focusing on energy with an emphasis on environmental
services. Previous consultant experience includes Forest Oil,
Calpine Corp., Avanti Energy, UGL, CMI, TUCAM and other energy
companies. He started his career in public administration as Vice
Mayor of the town of Ferrandina, advisor to the Province of Matera
and Director of the Development Consortium for the Province of
Matera, including serving as President of commissions focused on
public works, infrastructure and economic planning. He holds a
bachelor's degree in economics from Pro Deo University. Gino is the
Greenswitch biofuels and chemical production complex manager which
is also a non-board role.
Figure 1. Glycerin distillation
column and associated storage and extraction capacity
Figure
2. Epoxidized soybean oil
storage and extraction facility
Figure 3. Partial view of
biofuel plant including distillation column
Figure 4 Onsite cogeneration
and backup power capacity.
Figure 5. Finished
product storage park and loading area.
Risk
Considerations
Hydrogen Valley's continued
ownership of Greenswitch is conditional on Hydrogen Valley making
payments totalling between c.€2.5m and c€4.1m up to 30 June 2027 to
the previous owner of Greenswitch, (the "Previous Owner") (the "Primary Acquisition Payments") pursuant
to the terms of a sale and purchase agreement. In the event that
Hydrogen Valley fails to make the Primary Acquisition Payments the
Previous Owner can terminate the original acquisition agreement
between Hydrogen Valley and Greenswitch, at which time ownership of
Greenswitch will revert to the Previous Owner and pursuant to the
Italian Civil Code it is likely, but not guaranteed, that all sums
paid by Hydrogen Valley to the Previous Owner would be returned to
Hydrogen Valley.
The amount payable as a Primary
Acquisition Payment is dependant on whether the €10m government
grant, refereed to above, is granted to
Greenswitch.
Hydrogen Valley does not currently
have the funds to make all the Primary Acquisition Payments but in
the event 80M completes the acquisition of a 100% interest in
Hydrogen Valley, as set out in this announcement, the monies
provided will ensure Hydrogen Valley can make all the Primary
Acquisition Payments. If 80M does not acquire a 100% interest in
Hydrogen Valley, and/or if Hydrogen Valley cannot source any other
funding, there can be no guarantee that 80M's interest in the
Greenswitch project will be maintained.
In addition, 80M does not currently
have the funds, or shareholder authorities in place, to enable the
completion of the proposed purchase of all of the issued share
capital of Hydrogen Valley,
The Project is also subject to
mortgages in excess of €12m which should have been discharged prior
to Hydrogen Valley acquiring Greenswitch but due to administrative
error they have not been actioned. The Directors intend that
this matter will be resolved before 80M acquires a material
interest in the Project. Greenswitch is the subject of various
disputes before the Italian courts including the ownership of the
Project. The Previous Owner has indemnified Hydrogen Valley against
all associated costs, payments and legal expenses associated with
these claims and Hydrogen Valley can suspend payments to the
Previous Owner until such time as these payments are made. 80M will
not take a material position in Hydrogen Valley until these matters
are resolved.
The
Placing
The Placing is being conducted by
Zeus Capital as agent for the Company and as broker in relation to
the Placing. A placing agreement has been entered into between the
Company and Zeus in connection with the Placing (the "Placing Agreement").
The Placing Shares are being offered
by way of an accelerated bookbuild (the "Bookbuild"), which will open with
immediate effect following the release of this Announcement, in
accordance with the terms and conditions set out in Appendix III to
this Announcement.
Each of Rod McIllree, Troy Whitaker
and Eric Sondergaard as directors of the Company, have indicated
their intention to participate in the Placing, by subscribing for
Placing Shares.
A further announcement confirming
the closing of the Bookbuild and the number of Placing Shares to be
issued pursuant to the Placing is expected to be made in due
course.
The Placing is not being
underwritten.
The allotment and issue of the
Placing Shares is conditional, inter alia, upon:
·
Admission becoming effective by no later than 8.00
a.m. on or around 07 January
2025 (or such other time and/or date, being no
later than 8.00 a.m. on 06 February
2025, as Zeus and the Company may
agree);
·
the conditions in the Placing Agreement in respect
of the Placing Shares being satisfied or (if applicable) waived;
and
·
the Placing Agreement not having been terminated
in accordance with its terms prior to Admission.
Accordingly, if any of such
conditions are not satisfied or, if applicable, waived, the Placing
will proceed.
The Placing Shares will be credited
as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the
existing Ordinary Shares then in issue, including the right to
receive all future distributions, declared, paid or made in respect
of the Ordinary Shares from the date of Admission. Assuming full
take up of the Placing, the Placing Shares will represent
approximately 15.96 per cent. of the Enlarged Share
Capital.
Subject to satisfaction of the
relevant conditions, it is expected that Admission will become
effective, and dealing in the Placing Shares will commence, at 8.00
a.m. (London time) on or around 07
January 2025. Zeus has the right to
terminate the Placing Agreement in certain circumstances prior to
Admission, including (but not limited to): in the event that any of
the warranties set out in the Placing Agreement are not true and
accurate when given or the Company fails to comply with any of its
obligations prior to Admission. Zeus may also terminate the Placing
Agreement if there has been a material adverse change in national
or international financial, political, economic, monetary or stock
market conditions (primary or secondary) or an imposition of or
compliance with any law or governmental or regulatory order, rule,
regulation, restriction or direction which, in the opinion of Zeus,
makes it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the Placing or
Admission. If this termination right is exercised, or if the
conditionality in the Placing Agreement is not satisfied, the
Placing will not proceed.
The timing of the closure of the
Bookbuild, the number of Placing Shares and the allocation of the
Placing Shares between Placees is to be determined at the
discretion of the Company and Zeus.
A further announcement will be made
following the closure of the Bookbuild, confirming the results of
the Placing and a circular convening the General Meeting to
consider the Resolutions is expected to be despatched shortly
thereafter.
The expected timetable of principal
events in connection with the Placing is set out in Appendix I to
this Announcement.
AIM
Rule 12 Disclosure
The proposed Acquisition is deemed
to be a substantial transaction pursuant to AIM Rule 10. HV
acquired the Project on 15 October 2024. HV was incorporated in
July 2024 and no audited accounts or management accounts have been
prepared for HV.
There has been an initial investment
made by the owners of HV to purchase the shares of the previous
owner of the Project for Euro 100,000 and there has been
approximately a further Euro 110,000 spent by HV in relation to
operational, employee and consultant costs from July 2024 to the
date of this announcement.
For further information,
please contact:
80
MILE PLC
|
eric@80m.com
|
Eric Sondergaard Managing
Director
|
PR
& IR Adviser - BlytheRay
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7138 3204
|
Tim Blythe / Megan Ray / Said
Izagaren
|
Nominated Adviser and Broker - SP Angel Corporate Finance
LLP
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0470
|
Ewan Leggat / Adam Cowl
|
Broker - Zeus Capital
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3 829
5000
|
Harry Ansell / Katy
Mitchell
|
|
IMPORTANT
NOTICES
This Announcement includes
statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking
statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by
the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms
"believes", "estimates", "forecasts", "plans", "prepares",
"anticipates", "projects", "expects", "intends", "may", "will",
"seeks", "should" or, in each case, their negative or other
variations or comparable terminology, or by discussions of
strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or intentions.
These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not
historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this
Announcement and include statements regarding the Company's and the
Directors' intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning,
amongst other things, the Company's prospects, growth and
strategy, planned work at the Company's
projects and the expected results of such work, mineral grades and
mineral reserve and resource estimates. By
their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on
circumstances that may or may not occur in the future.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance. The Company's actual performance, achievements and
financial condition may differ materially from those expressed or
implied by the forward-looking statements in this Announcement. In
addition, even if the Company's results of operations, performance,
achievements and financial condition are consistent with the
forward-looking statements in this Announcement, those results or
developments may not be indicative of results or developments in
subsequent periods. Any forward-looking statements that the Company
makes in this Announcement speak only as of the date of such
statement and (other than in accordance with their legal or
regulatory obligations) neither the Company, nor Zeus Capital
Limited nor any of their respective associates, directors, officers
or advisers shall be obliged to update such statements. Comparisons
of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to
express any future trends or indications of future performance,
unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical
data.
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP
("SP Angel"), which is
authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is
acting as nominated adviser exclusively for the Company and no one
else in connection with the contents of this Announcement and will
not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this
Announcement) as its client in relation to the contents of this
Announcement nor will it be responsible to anyone other than the
Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or
for providing advice in relation to the contents of this
Announcement. Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if
any, which may be imposed on SP Angel by the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000, as amended ("FSMA") or the regulatory regime
established thereunder, SP Angel accepts no responsibility
whatsoever, and makes no representation or warranty, express or
implied, as to the contents of this Announcement including its
accuracy, completeness or verification or for any other statement
made or purported to be made by it, or on behalf of it, the Company
or any other person, in connection with the Company and the
contents of this Announcement, whether as to the past or the
future. SP Angel accordingly disclaims all and any liability
whatsoever, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as
referred to above), which it might otherwise have in respect of the
contents of this Announcement or any such statement. The
responsibilities of SP Angel as the Company's Nominated Adviser
under the AIM Rules for Companies and the AIM Rules for Nominated
Advisers are owed solely to the London Stock Exchange and are not
owed to the Company or to any director or shareholder of the
Company or any other person, in respect of its decision to acquire
shares in the capital of the Company in reliance on any part of
this Announcement, or otherwise.
Zeus Capital, which is authorised
and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting
as broker exclusively for the Company and no one else in
connection with the Placing and the contents of this Announcement
and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of
this Announcement) as its client in relation to the Placing nor
will it be responsible to anyone other than the Company for
providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing
advice in relation to the contents of this Announcement. Apart from
the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed
on Zeus Capital by FSMA or the regulatory regime established
thereunder, Zeus Capital accepts no responsibility whatsoever, and
makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the
contents of this Announcement including its accuracy, completeness
or verification or for any other statement made or purported to be
made by it, or on behalf of it, the Company or any other person, in
connection with the Company and the contents of this Announcement,
whether as to the past or the future. Zeus Capital accordingly
disclaims all and any liability whatsoever, whether arising in
tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above), which it
might otherwise have in respect of the contents of this
Announcement or any such statement.
The Placing Shares have not been and
will not be registered under 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, pledged, taken
up, exercised, resold, renounced, transferred or delivered,
directly or indirectly, in or into the United States absent
registration under the Securities Act, except pursuant to an
exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the
registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance
with any applicable securities laws of any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States. The Placing Shares have not been
approved, disapproved or recommended by the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission, any state securities commission in the United
States or any other U.S. regulatory authority, nor have any of the
foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the
offering of the Placing Shares. Subject to certain exceptions, the
securities referred to herein may not be offered or sold in the
United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic
of South Africa or to, or for the account or benefit of, any
national, resident or citizen of the United States, Australia,
Canada, Japan, New Zealand or the Republic of South
Africa.
No public offering of securities is
being made in the United States.
The relevant clearances have not
been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of
any province or territory of Canada; no prospectus has been lodged
with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission, the Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand or the
Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant clearances have not
been, and will not be, obtained from the South Africa Reserve Bank
or any other applicable body in the Republic of South Africa in
relation to the Placing Shares; and the Placing Shares have not
been, and nor will they be, registered under or offered in
compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or
territory of Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand or the Republic
of South Africa. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not (unless an
exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be
offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or
into Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand or the Republic of South
Africa or any other jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom or to,
or for the account or benefit of any national, resident or citizen
of Australia, Japan, New Zealand or the Republic of South Africa or
to any investor located or resident in Canada.
No public offering of the Placing
Shares is being made in the United States, the United Kingdom or
elsewhere. All offers of the Placing Shares will be made pursuant
to an exemption under the EU Prospectus Regulation, or the UK
Prospectus Regulation, (as the case may be) from the
requirement to produce a prospectus. This Announcement is being
distributed to persons in the United Kingdom only in circumstances
in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not apply.
The information in this
Announcement, which includes certain information drawn from public
sources, does not purport to be comprehensive and has not been
independently verified. This Announcement contains statements that
are, or may be deemed forward-looking statements, which
relate, inter alia,
to the Company's proposed strategy, plans and objectives. Such
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other important factors beyond the control of the
Company (including but not limited to future market conditions,
legislative and regulatory changes, the actions of governmental
regulators and changes in the political, social or economic
framework in which the Company operates) that could cause the
actual performance or achievements on the Company to be materially
different from such forward-looking statements.
The content of this Announcement has
not been approved by an authorised person within the meaning of the
FSMA. Reliance on this Announcement for the purpose of engaging in
any investment activity may expose an individual to a significant
risk of losing all of the property or other assets invested. The
price of securities and any income expected from them may go down
as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount
invested upon disposal of the securities. Past performance is no
guide to future performance, and persons needing advice should
consult an appropriate independent financial adviser.
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 EU
Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation) to be
published. This Announcement and the terms and conditions set out
herein are for information purposes only and are directed only at
persons who are: (a) persons in Member States who are Qualified
Investors; and (b) in the United Kingdom, Qualified Investors who
are persons who (i) have professional experience in matters
relating to investments falling within the definition of
"investment professionals" in article 19(5) of the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as
amended (the "Order"); (ii)
are persons falling within article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth
companies, unincorporated associations, etc") of the Order; or
(iii) are persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully
communicated; (all such persons together being referred to as
relevant persons").
This Announcement 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 relates is available
only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant
persons.
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 Zeus
or by any of its 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 therefore is
expressly disclaimed.
No statement in this Announcement is
intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no statement in
this Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings per
share of the Company for the current or future financial years
would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings
per share of the Company.
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 I
Expected Timetable of
Principal Events
|
|
Announcement of the
Placing
|
19
December 2024
|
Announcement of the results of the
Placing
|
19
December 2024
|
Admission and commencement of
dealing in the Placing Shares
|
at 8.00
a.m. on or around 07 January 2025
|
Despatch of definitive share
certificates in respect of the Placing Shares to be issued in
certificated form
|
within 14
days of First Admission
|
General Meeting
|
to be held
in due course
|
Each of the times and dates set out
in the above timetable and mentioned in this Announcement are
subject to change by the Company, in which event details of the new
times and dates will be notified to Placees by Zeus or by an
announcement through a Regulatory Information Service, as the case
may be.
APPENDIX II
Definitions
The following definitions apply
throughout this Announcement, unless the context otherwise
requires:
25%
Option
|
means the option granted by the HV
Shareholders to 80 Mile to acquire 3,290 ordinary shares in the
capital of HV held by them on the terms and conditions of the 25%
Option Agreement;
|
25%
Option Agreement
|
means the option agreement between
the HV Shareholders and 80 Mile, pursuant to which the HV
Shareholders grant the 25% Option;
|
51%
Option
|
means the option granted by the HV
Shareholders to 80 Mile to acquire 6,710 ordinary shares in the
capital of HV held by them on the terms and conditions of the 51%
Option Agreement;
|
£200k CLN
|
means the convertible loan note
instrument constituted by HV, pursuant to which it has constituted
£200,000 of convertible loan notes;
|
Act
|
the Companies Act 2006
(as amended);
|
Admission
|
admission of the Placing Shares to
trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance with the AIM
Rules;
|
AIM
|
AIM, a market of that name
operated by the London
Stock Exchange;
|
AIM
Rules
|
the AIM Rules for Companies, as
published by the London Stock
Exchange and amended from time to
time;
|
Announcement
|
this announcement (including the
Appendices, which form part of this announcement);
|
Board or Directors
|
the directors of the Company or any
duly authorised committee thereof;
|
Bookbuild
|
the accelerated bookbuild to be
conducted by Zeus pursuant to the Placing Agreement and this
Announcement;
|
certificated or
in certificated
form
|
a share or other security not held
in uncertificated form (that is, not in CREST);
|
Closing Price
|
the closing middle market price of
an Existing Ordinary Share as derived from the AIM Appendix to the
Daily Official List of the London Stock Exchange;
|
Company or 80M
|
80 Mile plc, a company incorporated
in England and Wales with company number 05389216, whose registered
office is at 6 Heddon Street, London, W1B 4BT;
|
CREST
|
the computerised settlement system
(as defined in the CREST Regulations) operated by Euroclear UK
& International Limited, which facilitates the holding and
transfer of title to shares in uncertificated form;
|
CREST Regulations
|
the Uncertificated Securities
Regulations 2001 (as
amended);
|
Enlarged Share Capital
|
the Issued Ordinary Share Capital of
the Company as enlarged by the issue of the Placing
Shares;
|
|
|
EU
Prospectus Regulation
|
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the
European Parliament and Council of 14 June 2017 and any relevant
implementing measures in any Member State of the European Economic
Area;
|
Financial Conduct Authority or
FCA
|
the Financial Conduct Authority in
its capacity as the competent authority for the purposes of Part IV
of FSMA;
|
FSMA
|
the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000 (as amended);
|
General Meeting
|
the general meeting of the Company
to be convened and held in due course (or any adjournment
thereof);
|
Group
|
the Company and its
subsidiaries;
|
Hydrogen Valley or HV
|
means Hydrogen Valley
Ltd;
|
HV
Shareholders
|
means Robert Brooks Price, Steven
Mark Frascogna and Girolamo Mazziotta;
|
HV
Transaction
|
means the transactions contemplated
by the Transaction Documents;
|
Implementation Agreement
|
means the implementation agreement
entered into between the HV Shareholders, HV and 80 Mile pursuant
to which the parties have agreed to implement the HV
Transaction;
|
Issued Orindary Share Capital
|
means a total of 2,924,421,332
Ordinary Shares, consisting of the 2,089,397,216 Ordinary Shares
currently in issue and the 835,024,116 new Ordinary Shares which
are expected to be issued in connection with the acquisition of
White Flame Energy, the completion of which was notified on 19
November 2024;
|
Lock-In Agreement
|
means the lock-in agreement between,
inter alia, 80 Mile and
the HV Shareholders;
|
Locked-In Shares
|
means 80% of the aggregate number of
the Stage 2 80 Mile Shares, the Stage 3 80 Mile Shares and the
Stage 4 80 Mile Shares;
|
London Stock Exchange
|
London Stock Exchange
plc;
|
Ordinary Shares
|
ordinary shares of 0.01 pence each
in the capital of the Company;
|
Placees
|
subscribers for Placing
Shares;
|
Placing
|
the conditional placing of the
Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing Agreement;
|
Placing Agreement
|
the conditional agreement dated 19
December 2024 between the Company and Zeus Capital in connection
with the Placing;
|
Placing Price
|
0.27p;
|
Placing Shares
|
the c. 555,555,555 million Ordinary
Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing following the
conclusion of the Bookbuild;
|
Publicly Available Information
|
any information announced through a
Regulatory Information Service by or on behalf of the Company on or
prior to the date of this Announcement;
|
Qualified Investors
|
in member states of the European
Economic Area, "qualified investors" within the meaning of article
2(e) of the EU Prospectus Regulation, and in the UK, "qualified
investors" within the meaning of article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation;
|
Regulatory Information Service
|
one of the regulatory information
services authorised by the FCA to receive, process and disseminate
regulatory information;
|
Resolutions
|
the resolutions to be proposed at
the General Meeting to grant the Directors the authority to issue
the Stage 2 80 Mile Shares and the Stage 3 80 Mile
Shares;
|
Shareholders
|
the holders of Ordinary
Shares;
|
Subscription Agreement
|
means the subscription agreement
entered into between the HV Shareholders, HV and 80 Mile pursuant
to which 80 Mile agrees to pay £800k in cash (subject to the
conditions in the Implementation Agreement having been satisfied on
or before the long stop date set out therein) and allot and issue
the Stage 2 80 Mile Shares as deferred consideration (subject to
the approval of the Resolutions) in consideration for the allotment
and issue by HV of such number of new ordinary shares in HV
and the transfer by the HV Shareholders of such number of existing
ordinary shares in the capital of HV which equals 19% of the issued
share capital of HV;
|
Stage 2 80 Mile Shares
|
means 423,957,023 new ordinary
shares in the capital of 80 Mile to be issued and allotted to the
HV Shareholders on completion of the Subscription
Agreement;
|
Stage 3 80 Mile Shares
|
means 423,957,023 new ordinary
shares in the capital of 80 Mile to be issued and allotted to the
HV Shareholders on exercise of the 25% Option;
|
Stage 4 80 Mile Shares
|
means such number of new ordinary
shares to be issued and allotted by 80 Mile to the HV Shareholders
on exercise of the 51% Option;
|
Transaction Documents
|
means the £200k CLN, the
Subscription Agreement, the 25% Option, the 51% Option, the
Implementation Agreement and the Lock-In Agreement;
|
uncertificated or in uncertificated form
|
recorded on the register of members
of 80M as being held in uncertificated form in CREST and title to
which, by virtue of the CREST Regulations, may be transferred by
means of CREST;
|
UK or United
Kingdom
|
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland;
|
UK
Prospectus Regulation
|
the EU Prospectus Regulation as it
forms part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal)
Act 2018, as amended;
|
Zeus Capital or
Zeus
|
Zeus Capital Limited, a company
incorporated in England and Wales with company number 04417845
whose registered office is situated at 82 King Street, Manchester,
M2 4WQ; and
|
£,
pounds, penny or pence
|
sterling, the lawful currency of the
United Kingdom.
|
APPENDIX
III
Terms and conditions of the
Placing
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE
APPENDICES (TOGETHER, THE "ANNOUNCEMENT") AND THE INFORMATION IN
IT IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR
DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR
INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND, THE
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH
PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS
AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND
ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT: (A) PERSONS WHO ARE IN A MEMBER STATE OF THE
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA AND ARE, UNLESS OTHERWISE AGREED BY ZEUS
QUALIFIED INVESTORS; AND/OR (B) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, PERSONS WHO
ARE (I) QUALIFIED INVESTORS; AND "INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS" WITHIN
THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS
ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005 (AS AMENDED) (THE
"ORDER"); (II) PERSONS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D)
("HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC") OF
THE ORDER; OR (III) PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY
COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS
"RELEVANT PERSONS").
THIS APPENDIX, AND THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN, IS A FINANCIAL PROMOTION AND IS EXEMPT
FROM THE GENERAL RESTRICTION IN SECTION 21 OF FSMA ON THE
COMMUNICATION OF INVITATIONS OR INDUCEMENTS TO ENGAGE IN INVESTMENT
ACTIVITY, ON THE GROUNDS THAT IT IS ONLY BEING DISTRIBUTED TO
RELEVANT PERSONS. ACCORDINGLY, 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. DISTRIBUTION OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS MAY BE RESTRICTED OR
PROHIBITED BY LAW. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST
SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR
INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS APPENDIX 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 IS NOT AN OFFER
FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER,
SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF
ANY JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN
OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF OR SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO
PURCHASE OR SUBSCRIBE FOR SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE
SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE
REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE
"SECURITIES ACT"), AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED
STATES, EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR AS PART
OF A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF
THE SECURITIES ACT. NEITHER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY
STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES HAS APPROVED OR
DISAPPROVED OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON OR
ENDORSED THE MERITS OF THE PLACING OR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF
THE CONTENTS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE
CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. NO PUBLIC
OFFERING OF SECURITIES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS
OWN ADVISERS AS TO THE LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED
IMPLICATIONS OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE PLACING SHARES AND THE INCOME
FROM THEM (IF ANY) MAY GO DOWN AS WELL AS UP AND INVESTORS MAY NOT
GET BACK THE FULL AMOUNT INVESTED ON A DISPOSAL OF THEIR
SHARES.
The relevant clearances have not
been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of
any province or territory of Canada; no prospectus has been lodged
with or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance or the South African
Reserve Bank; and the Placing Shares have not been, nor will they
be, registered or qualified for distribution, as applicable under
or offered in compliance with the securities laws of any state,
province or territory of the United States, Australia, Canada,
Japan, New Zealand, or the Republic of South Africa. Accordingly,
the Placing Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant
securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or
delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States,
Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, or the Republic of South
Africa or any other jurisdiction in which such offer, sale, resale
or delivery would be unlawful.
Market Abuse Regulation
Market soundings, as defined in
the UK version ("UK MAR") of
the Market Abuse Regulation
No. 596/2014 ("EU MAR"), which is
part of English law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal)
Act 2018 (as amended) were taken in respect
of the Placing, with the result that certain persons became aware
of inside information, as permitted by UK MAR. That inside
information is set out in this announcement and has been disclosed
as soon as possible in accordance with paragraph 7 of article 17 of
UK MAR. Therefore, those persons that received inside information
in a market sounding are no longer in possession of inside
information relating to the Company and its securities.
Information to Distributors
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within the FCA Handbook
Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the "UK
Product Governance Rules"), and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any
"manufacturer" (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance
Rules) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares
have been subject to a product approval process, which has
determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end
target market of investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties, each defined in the FCA
Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook ("COBS"); and (ii) eligible
for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted
by the UK Product Governance Rules (the "UK Target Market
Assessment").
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive
2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID
II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU)
2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing
measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether
arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer"
and/or "distributor" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product
Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto,
the Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval process,
which has determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible
with an end target market of: (a) investors who meet the criteria
of professional clients and (b) eligible counterparties (each as
defined in MiFID II); and (ii) eligible for distribution through
all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "EU
Target Market Assessment").
Notwithstanding the UK Target Market
Assessment and the EU Target Market Assessment, distributors should
note that: the price of the Ordinary Shares may decline and
investors could lose all or part of their investment; such
securities offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection;
and an investment in such securities is compatible only with
investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital
protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate
financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits
and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources
to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
Each of the UK Target Market
Assessment and the EU Target Market Assessment is without prejudice
to any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in
relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that,
notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment and the EU Target
Market Assessment, Zeus will only procure investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties each
as defined under COBS or MiFID II, as applicable.
For the avoidance of doubt, each of
the UK Target Market Assessment and the EU Target Market Assessment
does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or
appropriateness for the purposes of Chapters 9A or 10A respectively
of COBS or MiFID II, as applicable; or (b) a recommendation to any
investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take
any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing
Shares.
Each distributor is responsible for
undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the
Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution
channels.
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.
These terms and conditions apply to
persons making an offer to acquire Placing Shares and should be
read in their entirety. Each Placee hereby agrees with Zeus and the
Company to be bound by these terms and conditions. A Placee shall,
without limitation, become so bound if Zeus confirms to such Placee
its allocation of Placing Shares.
Upon being notified of its
allocation of Placing Shares, a Placee shall be contractually
committed to acquire the number of Placing Shares allocated to it
at the Placing Price and otherwise on the terms and conditions set
out in this Announcement and, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, will be deemed to have agreed not to exercise any rights to
rescind or terminate or otherwise withdraw from such
commitment.
In this Appendix, unless the context
otherwise requires, "Placee" means a Relevant Person (including
individuals, funds or others) on whose behalf a commitment to
subscribe for or acquire Placing Shares has been given.
Details of the Placing Agreement and the Placing
Shares
Zeus and the Company have entered
into a Placing Agreement, under which Zeus has, on the terms and
subject to the conditions set out therein, undertaken to use its
reasonable endeavours to procure subscribers for the Placing Shares
at the Placing Price. The Placing is not being underwritten by Zeus
or any other person.
The number of the Placing Shares
will be determined following completion of the Placing. The
timing of the closing of the Placing and the number and allocation
of Placing Shares are at the discretion of Zeus, following
consultation with the Company. Allocations will be confirmed orally
or by email by Zeus following the close of the Placing. A further
announcement confirming these details will then be made as soon as
practicable following completion of the Placing.
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be subject to the Articles, will be credited as fully
paid and rank pari
passu in all respects with the Existing Ordinary
Shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other
distributions (if any) declared, made or paid on or in respect of
Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing
Shares.
Application for admission to trading on AIM
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for admission to trading on AIM of the
Placing Shares. It is expected that settlement of the Placing
Shares and Admission will become effective at 8.00 a.m. on or
around 07 January 2025 and that dealings in the Placing Shares will
commence at that time.
Placing
Zeus will today commence an
accelerated bookbuilding process to determine demand for
participation in the Placing by potential Placees at the Placing
Price. This Appendix gives details of the terms and conditions of,
and the mechanics of participation in, the Placing. No commissions
will be paid to Placees or by Placees in respect of any Placing
Shares.
Zeus and the Company shall be
entitled to effect the Placing by such alternative method to the
Placing as they may, in their discretion, determine.
The principal terms of the Placing
are as follows:
1.
Zeus is arranging the Placing as agent for, and broker of, the
Company.
2.
Participation in the Placing is only available to persons who are
lawfully able to be, and have been, invited to participate by
Zeus
3. The
bookbuild, if successful, will establish the number of Placing
Shares to be issued at the Placing Price, which will be determined
by Zeus, in consultation with the Company, following completion of
the Placing. The results of the Placing, including the number of
Placing Shares, will be announced on a Regulatory Information
Service following completion of the Placing.
4. To
bid in the Placing, prospective Placees should communicate their
bid by telephone to their usual contact at Zeus. Each bid should
state the number of Placing Shares which the prospective Placee
wishes to subscribe. Bids may be scaled down by Zeus on the basis
referred to in paragraph 8 below.
5. The
timing of the closing of the Placing will be at the discretion of
Zeus. The Company reserves the right
to reduce or seek to increase the amount to be raised pursuant to
the Placing, in its absolute discretion.
6.
Allocations of the Placing Shares will be determined by Zeus,
following consultation with the Company. Each Placee's allocation
will be confirmed to Placees orally, or by email, by Zeus following
the close of the Placing and a trade confirmation or contract note
will be dispatched as soon as possible thereafter. Oral or emailed
confirmation from Zeus will give rise to an irrevocable, legally
binding commitment by that person (who at that point becomes a
Placee), in favour of Zeus and the Company, under which it agrees
to acquire by subscription the number of Placing Shares allocated
to it at the Placing Price and otherwise on the terms and subject
to the conditions set out in this Appendix and in accordance with
the Articles. Except with Zeus's consent, such commitment will not
be capable of variation or revocation.
7. The
Company will make a further announcement following the close of the
Placing detailing the results of the Placing and the number of
Placing Shares to be issued at the Placing Price.
8.
Subject to paragraphs 4 and 5 above, Zeus may choose not to accept
bids and/or to accept bids, either in whole or in part, on the
basis of allocations determined at its discretion (after
consultation with the Company) and may scale down any bids for this
purpose on such basis as it may determine. Zeus may also,
notwithstanding paragraphs 4 and 5 above, subject to the prior
consent of the Company, allocate Placing Shares after the time of
any initial allocation to any person submitting a bid after that
time.
9. A
bid in the Placing will be made on the terms and subject to the
conditions in the Announcement (including this Appendix) and will
be legally binding on the Placee on behalf of which it is made and,
except with Zeus' consent, will not be capable of variation or
revocation from the time at which it is submitted.
10. Except as required
by law or regulation, no press release or other announcement will
be made by Zeus or the Company using the name of any Placee (or its
agent), in its capacity as Placee (or agent), other than with such
Placee's prior written consent.
11. Irrespective of the
time at which a Placee's allocation pursuant to the Placing is
confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares to be acquired
pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made at the same
time, on the basis explained below under "Registration and
Settlement".
12. All obligations of
Zeus under the Placing will be subject to fulfilment of the
conditions referred to below "Conditions of the Placing" and to the
Placing Agreement not being terminated on the basis referred to
below under "Right to terminate the Placing Agreement".
13. By participating in
the Placing, each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations in
respect of the Placing will terminate only in the circumstances
described below and will not be capable of rescission or
termination by the Placee.
14. To the fullest
extent permissible by law and the applicable rules of the FCA,
neither Zeus, nor the Company, nor any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any
liability to Placees (or to any other person whether acting on
behalf of a Placee or otherwise whether or not a recipient of these
terms and conditions) in respect of the Placing. In particular,
neither Zeus, nor the Company, nor any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any
liability (including to the extent permissible by law, any
fiduciary duties) in respect of Zeus's conduct of the Placing or of
such alternative method of effecting the Placing as Zeus and the
Company may determine.
15.
The Placing is not subject to any minimum
fundraising and no element of the Placing is underwritten by
Zeus or any other
person.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing is conditional upon the
Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not having been
terminated in accordance with its terms.
Zeus 's obligations under the
Placing Agreement are conditional on, inter alia:
1. the
delivery by the Company to Zeus of certain documents required under
the Placing Agreement;
2. the
Company having fully performed its obligations under the Placing
Agreement to the extent that such obligations fall to be performed
prior to Admission;
3. the
issue and allotment of the Placing Shares, conditional only upon
Admission;
4.
Admission becoming effective by no later than 8.00 a.m. on or
around 07 January 2025 or such other date and time as may be agreed
between the Company and Zeus not being later than 8.00 a.m. on 06
February 2025 (the "Long Stop
Date");
5. the
Placing Agreement not having been terminated by Zeus in accordance
with its terms.
If: (i) any of the conditions
contained in the Placing Agreement, including those described
above, are not fulfilled or (where applicable) waived by Zeus by
the respective time or date where specified (or such later time or
date as Zeus may notify to the Company, being not later than the
Long Stop Date; (ii) any of such conditions becomes incapable of
being fulfilled; or (iii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in
the circumstances specified below, the Placing will not proceed 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.
Zeus may, at its discretion and upon
such terms as it thinks fit, waive, or extend the period for
(subject to the Long Stop Date), compliance by the Company with the
whole or any part of any of the Company's obligations in relation
to the conditions in the Placing Agreement, save
that the conditions relating to Admission taking
place may not be waived. Any such extension or
waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this
Announcement.
Neither Zeus nor the Company nor any
of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees shall have any liability to any Placee (or to any other
person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in
respect of any decision they may make as to whether or not to waive
or to extend the time and/or date for the satisfaction of any
condition to the Placing nor for any decision they may make as to
the satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the Placing
generally and, by participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees
that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of
Zeus.
Right to terminate the Placing Agreement
Zeus is entitled, at any time before
Admission, to terminate the Placing Agreement by giving notice to
the Company in certain circumstances, including, inter alia:
1. if any of the warranties
given by the Company in the Placing Agreement are not true and
accurate or are misleading in any material respect when
given;
2. the
Company has failed to comply with its material obligations under
the Placing Agreement in the period prior to Admission;
3. any
significant change or new matter arises, or is likely to arise, as
a result of which any of the conditions set out in the Placing
Agreement will not be satisfied or (if capable of waiver) waived by
the requisite time and/or date;
4. if
any of the Transaction Documents is terminated, rescinded,
repudiated or otherwise ceases to be in full force and effect or if
any of the parties to it are in breach of any Transaction
Document;
5.
there has been any material change in, or
any development likely to involve a prospective material change in,
or affecting, the condition (financial, operational, legal or
otherwise), earnings, business, management, properties, assets,
rights, results of operations or prospects of any Group company;
or
6.
there has been, or is reasonably likely to occur, a material
adverse change in national or international monetary, political, financial or economic conditions or
currency exchange rates or foreign exchange controls which in the
opinion of Zeus has
a material and adverse effect on the Placing or otherwise render
the Placing temporarily or permanently impracticable or
inadvisable.
The rights and obligations of the
Placees will not be subject to termination by the Placees or any
prospective Placees at any time or in any circumstances. By
participating in the Placing, Placees agree that the exercise by
Zeus of any right of termination or other discretion under the
Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of Zeus
and that Zeus need not make any reference to Placees in this regard
and that neither Zeus nor any of its respective affiliates shall
have any liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any
such exercise or failure so to exercise.
No
Admission Document or Prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered
to a limited number of specifically invited persons only and have
not been nor will they be offered in such a way as to require the
publication of a prospectus in the United Kingdom or in any other
jurisdiction. No offering document, admission document or
prospectus has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FCA
or the London Stock Exchange in relation to the Placing or the
Placing Shares, and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the
basis of the information contained in the Announcement (including
this Appendix) and the Publicly Available Information. Each
Placee, by accepting a participation in the Placing, agrees that
the content of this Announcement is exclusively the responsibility
of the Company and confirms that it has not relied on any other
information (other than the Publicly Available Information),
representation, warranty, or statement made by or on behalf of the
Company or Zeus or any other person and neither Zeus, the Company
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 and, if given or made, such information,
representation, warranty or statement must not be relied upon as
having been authorised by Zeus, the Company or any of their
respective officers, directors, employees or agents. Each Placee
acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation
of the business, financial or other position of the Company in
accepting a participation in the Placing. Neither the Company nor
Zeus are making any undertaking or warranty to any Placee regarding
the legality of an investment in the Placing Shares by such Placee
under any legal, investment or similar laws or regulations. Each
Placee should not consider any information in this Announcement to
be legal, tax or business advice. Each Placee should consult its
own solicitor, tax adviser and financial adviser for independent
legal, tax and financial advice regarding an investment in the
Placing Shares. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the
liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Registration and Settlement
Following closure of the Placing,
each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will be sent a
trade confirmation or contract note in accordance with the standing
arrangements in place with Zeus stating the number of Placing
Shares allocated to it at the Placing Price, the aggregate amount
owed by such Placee (in pounds sterling) and a form of confirmation
in relation to settlement instructions.
Each Placee will be deemed to agree
that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and
payment is completed as directed by Zeus in accordance with the
standing CREST settlement instructions which they have in place
with Zeus.
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00BFD3VF20) following Admission will
take place within CREST provided that, subject to certain
exceptions, Zeus reserves the right to require settlement for, and
delivery of, the Placing Shares (or a portion thereof) to Placees
by such other means that it deems necessary if delivery or
settlement is not possible or practicable within CREST within the
timetable set out in this Announcement or would not be consistent
with the regulatory requirements in any Placee's
jurisdiction.
It is expected that settlement will
take place in accordance with the instructions set out in the
contract note.
Interest is chargeable daily on
payments not received from Placees on the due date(s) in accordance
with the arrangements set out above at the rate of 4 percentage
points above the prevailing Bank of England base rate as determined
by Zeus.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that,
if it does not comply with these obligations, Zeus may sell any or
all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's
behalf and retain from the proceeds, for Zeus 's account and
benefit (as agent for the Company), an amount equal to the
aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The
relevant Placee will, however, remain liable and shall indemnify
Zeus on demand for any shortfall below the aggregate amount owed by
it and may be required to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve
tax or securities transfer tax (together with any interest or
penalties) which may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares on
such Placee's behalf. By communicating a bid for Placing Shares,
each Placee confers on Zeus such authorities and powers necessary
to carry out any such sale and agrees to ratify and confirm all
actions which Zeus lawfully takes in pursuance of such sale. Legal
and/or beneficial title in and to any Placing Shares shall not pass
to the relevant Placee until it has fully complied with its
obligations hereunder.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure
that the form of confirmation is copied and delivered immediately
to the relevant person within that organisation.
Insofar as Placing Shares are
registered in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name
of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of
a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should, subject as
provided below, be so registered free from any liability to UK
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax.
Neither Zeus nor the Company will be liable in any circumstances
for the payment of stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax or securities
transfer tax in connection with any of the Placing Shares. Placees
will not be entitled to receive any fee or commission in connection
with the Placing.
Representations, Warranties and Further
Terms
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf)
irrevocably makes the following representations, warranties,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings (as the case may be)
to Zeus for itself and on behalf of the Company:
1. that it has read and
understood this Announcement, including this Appendix, in its
entirety and that its subscription for Placing Shares is subject to
and based upon all the terms, conditions, representations,
warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings and other
information contained herein and undertakes not to redistribute or
duplicate this Announcement;
2.
that its obligations are irrevocable and legally binding and shall
not be capable of rescission or termination by it in any
circumstances;
3.
that the exercise by Zeus of any right or discretion under the
Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of Zeus,
and Zeus need not have any reference to it and shall have no
liability to it whatsoever in connection with any decision to
exercise or not to exercise any such right and each Placee agrees
that it has no rights against Zeus or the Company, or any of their
respective officers, directors, employees agents or advisers, under
the Placing Agreement pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third
Parties Act) 1999;
4.
that these terms and conditions represent the whole and only
agreement between it, Zeus and the Company in relation to its
participation in the Placing and supersedes any previous agreement
between any of such parties in relation to such participation.
Accordingly, each Placee, in accepting its participation in the
Placing, is not relying on any information or representation or
warranty in relation to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or
any of the Placing Shares other than as contained in this
Announcement and the Publicly Available Information, such
information being all that it deems necessary to make an investment
decision in respect of the Placing Shares. Each Placee agrees that
neither the Company, nor Zeus, nor any of their respective
officers, directors or employees will have any liability for any
such other information, representation or warranty, express or
implied;
5.
that in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a
financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the
EU Prospectus Regulation and Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation, (i) the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing
have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired
with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Member
State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the EU
Prospectus Regulation or the UK, respectively, other than Qualified
Investors or in circumstances in which the prior consent of Zeus
has been given to the offer or resale; or (ii) where Placing Shares
have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any member state
of the EEA, or the UK respectively, other than Qualified Investors,
the offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the EU
Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation as having
been made to such persons;
6.
that neither it nor, as the case may be, its clients expect Zeus to
have any duties or responsibilities to such persons similar or
comparable to the duties of "best execution" and "suitability"
imposed by the FCA's Conduct of Business Source Book, and that Zeus
is not acting for it or its clients, and that Zeus will not be
responsible for providing the protections afforded to customers of
Zeus or for providing advice in respect of the transactions
described herein;
7.
that it has made its own assessment of the Placing Shares and has
relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other
position of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing
and that it shall not be entitled to rely upon any material
regarding the Placing Shares or the Company (if any) that Zeus or
the Company or any of their respective affiliates, agents,
directors, officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of
any of them has provided, other than the information in this
Announcement and the Publicly Available Information; nor has it
requested any of Zeus the Company or any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees or any person
acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such
information;
8.
that it is: (i) located outside the United States and is not a US
Person as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act
("Regulation S") and is
subscribing for and/or purchasing the Placing Shares only in
"offshore transactions" as defined in and pursuant to Regulation S,
and (ii) it is not subscribing for and/or purchasing Placing Shares
as a result of any "directed selling efforts" as defined in
Regulation S or by means of any form of "general solicitation" or
"general advertising" as such terms are defined in Regulation D
under the Securities Act;
9.
that the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered
under the Securities Act, or under the securities legislation of,
or with any securities regulatory authority of, any state or other
jurisdiction of the United States and accordingly the Placing
Shares may not be offered, sold, pledged, resold, transferred,
delivered or distributed into or within the United States except in
compliance with the registration requirements of the Securities Act
and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to
exemptions therefrom;
10. that the only
information on which it is entitled to rely on and on which it has
relied in committing to subscribe for the Placing Shares is
contained in this Announcement and the Publicly Available
Information, such information being all that it deems necessary to
make an investment decision in respect of the Placing Shares and it
has made its own assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and
the terms of the Placing based on this Announcement and the
Publicly Available Information only;
11. that neither
Zeus, nor the Company, nor any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees has made any
representation or warranty to it, express or implied, with respect
to the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares or the accuracy,
completeness or adequacy of the Publicly Available
Information;
12. that, unless
specifically agreed with Zeus, it is not and was not acting on a
non-discretionary basis for the account or benefit of a person
located within the United States or any US Person at the time the
undertaking to subscribe for and/or purchase Placing Shares was
given and it is not acquiring Placing Shares with a view to the
offer, sale, resale, transfer, delivery or distribution, directly
or indirectly, of any Placing Shares into the United States or to
any US Person and it will not reoffer, resell, pledge or otherwise
transfer the Placing Shares except pursuant to an exemption from,
or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements
of the Securities Act and otherwise in accordance with any
applicable securities laws of any state or jurisdiction of the
United States;
13. that it is not a
national or resident of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the
Republic of South Africa or a corporation, partnership or other
entity organised under the laws of Australia, Canada, Japan,
New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa and that it will not
(unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is
applicable) offer, sell, renounce, transfer or deliver, directly or
indirectly, any of the Placing Shares in Australia, Canada, Japan,
New Zealand or the Republic of South Africa or to or for the
benefit of any person resident in Australia, Canada, Japan, New
Zealand, the Republic of South Africa and each Placee acknowledges
that the relevant clearances or exemptions are not being obtained
from the Securities Commission of any province or territory of
Canada, that no prospectus has been or will be lodged with, filed
with or registered by the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission, the Canadian Securities Administrators, the Japanese
Ministry of Finance, the Securities Commission of New Zealand or
the South African Reserve Bank and that the Placing Shares are not
being offered for sale and may not (unless an exemption under the
relevant securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or
delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States,
Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa
or any other jurisdiction in which such offer, sale, resale or
delivery would be unlawful;
14. that it does not
have a registered address in, and is not a citizen, resident or
national of, any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful to make or
accept an offer of the Placing Shares and it is not acting on a
non-discretionary basis for any such person;
15. that it has not,
directly or indirectly, distributed, forwarded, transferred or
otherwise transmitted, and will not, directly or indirectly,
distribute, forward, transfer or otherwise transmit, any
presentation or offering materials concerning the Placing or the
Placing Shares to any persons within the United States or to any US
Persons;
16. that it is entitled
to subscribe for and/or purchase Placing Shares under the laws of
all relevant jurisdictions which apply to it and that it has fully
observed such laws and obtained all governmental and other consents
which may be required thereunder or otherwise and complied with all
necessary formalities and that it has not taken any action which
will or may result in the Company or Zeus or any of their
respective directors, officers, employees or agents acting in
breach of any regulatory or legal requirements of any territory in
connection with the Placing or its acceptance;
17. that it has obtained
all necessary consents and authorities to enable it to give its
commitment to subscribe for and/or purchase the Placing Shares and
to perform its subscription and/or purchase obligations;
18. that where it is
acquiring Placing Shares for one or more managed accounts, it is
authorised in writing by each managed account: (a) to acquire the
Placing Shares for each managed account; (b) to make on its behalf
the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, undertakings and
agreements in this Appendix and the Announcement of which it forms
part; and (c), if applicable, to receive on its behalf any
investment letter relating to the Placing in the form provided to
it by Zeus;
19. that it is either:
(a) a person of a kind described in paragraph 5 of Article 19
(persons having professional experience in matters relating to
investments and who are investment professionals) of the Order; or
(b) a person of a kind described in paragraph 2 of Article 49(2)(A)
to (D) (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations,
partnerships or trusts or their respective directors, officers or
employees) of the Order; or (c) a person to whom it is otherwise
lawful for this Announcement to be communicated and in the case of
(a) and (b) undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage or
dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the
purposes of its business;
20. that, unless
otherwise agreed by Zeus, it is a Qualified Investor;
21. that, unless
otherwise agreed by Zeus, it is a "professional client" or an
"eligible counterparty" within the meaning of Chapter 3 of the
FCA's Conduct of Business Sourcebook and it is purchasing Placing
Shares for investment only and not with a view to resale or
distribution;
22. that it has only
communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate
or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage
in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of FSMA)
relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances in which section
21(1) of FSMA does not require approval of the communication by an
authorised person;
23. that any money held
in an account with Zeus (or its nominee) on its behalf and/or any
person acting on its behalf will not be treated as client money
within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the FCA. Each
Placee further acknowledges that the money will not be subject to
the protections conferred by the FCA's client money rules. As a
consequence, this money will not be segregated from Zeus 's (or its
nominee's) money in accordance with such client money rules and
will be used by Zeus in the course of its own business and each
Placee will rank only as a general creditor of Zeus;
24. that it will (or
will procure that its nominee will) if applicable, make
notification to the Company of the interest in its Ordinary Shares
in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 5 of the Disclosure
Guidance and Transparency Rules of the FCA);
25. that it is not, and
it is not acting on behalf of, a person falling within subsections
(6), (7) or (8) of sections 67 or 70 respectively or subsections
(2) and (3) of section 93 or subsection (1) of section 96 of the
Finance Act 1986;
26. that it will not
deal or cause or permit any other person to deal in all or any of
the Placing Shares which it is subscribing for under the Placing
unless and until Admission becomes effective;
27. that it appoints
irrevocably any director of either of Zeus as its agent for the
purpose of executing and delivering to the Company and/or its
registrars any document on its behalf necessary to enable it to be
registered as the holder of the Placing Shares;
28. that the
Announcement does not constitute a securities recommendation or
financial product advice and that neither Zeus nor the Company has
considered its particular objectives, financial situation and
needs;
29. that it has
sufficient knowledge, sophistication and experience in financial,
business and investment matters as is required to evaluate the
merits and risks of subscribing for or purchasing the Placing
Shares and is aware that it may be required to bear, and it, and
any accounts for which it may be acting, are able to bear, the
economic risk of, and is able to sustain, a complete loss in
connection with the Placing;
30. that it will
indemnify and hold the Company and Zeus 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 Company and Zeus will rely on the truth and
accuracy of the confirmations, warranties, acknowledgements and
undertakings herein and, if any of the foregoing is or becomes no
longer true or accurate, the Placee shall promptly notify Zeus and
the Company. All confirmations, warranties, acknowledgements and
undertakings given by the Placee, pursuant to this Announcement
(including this Appendix) are given to Zeus for itself and on
behalf of the Company and will survive completion of the Placing
and Admission;
31. that time shall be
of the essence as regards obligations pursuant to this
Appendix;
32. that it is
responsible for obtaining any legal, financial, tax and other
advice that it deems necessary for the execution, delivery and
performance of its obligations in accepting the terms and
conditions of the Placing, and that it is not relying on the
Company or Zeus to provide any legal, financial, tax or other
advice to it;
33. that all dates and
times in this Announcement (including this Appendix) may be subject
to amendment and that Zeus shall notify it of such
amendments;
34. that (i) it has
complied with its obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993,
FSMA and UK MAR, (ii) in connection with money laundering and
terrorist financing, it has complied with its obligations under the
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000 (as
amended), the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Money Laundering,
Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (information on the
Payer) Regulations 2017 (as amended) and
any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued,
administered or enforced by any government agency having
jurisdiction in respect thereof and the Money Laundering Sourcebook
of the FCA and (iii) it is not a person:
(a) with whom transactions are prohibited under the Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act of 1977 or any economic sanction programmes
administered by, or regulations promulgated by, the Office of
Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury or
the United States Department of State; (b) named on the
Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets maintained by HM
Treasury of the United Kingdom; or (c) subject to financial
sanctions imposed pursuant to a regulation of the European Union or
a regulation adopted by the United Nations (together, the
"Regulations"); and, if making payment on behalf of a third party,
that satisfactory evidence has been obtained and recorded by it to
verify the identity of the third party as required by the
Regulations and has obtained all governmental and other consents
(if any) which may be required for the purpose of, or as a
consequence of, such purchase, and it will provide promptly to Zeus
such evidence, if any, as to the identity or location or legal
status of any person which Zeus may request from it in connection
with the Placing (for the purpose of complying with such
Regulations or ascertaining the nationality of any person or the
jurisdiction(s) to which any person is subject or otherwise) in the
form and manner requested by Zeus on the basis that any failure by
it to do so may result in the number of Placing Shares that are to
be subscribed for by it or at its direction pursuant to the Placing
being reduced to such number, or to nil, as Zeus may decide in its
absolute discretion;
35. that it will not
make any offer to the public within the meaning of the EU
Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation of those
Placing Shares to be subscribed for and/or purchased by
it;
36. that it will not
distribute any document relating to the Placing Shares and it will
be acquiring the Placing Shares for its own account as principal or
for a discretionary account or accounts (as to which it has the
authority to make the statements set out herein) for investment
purposes only and it does not have any contract, understanding or
arrangement with any person to sell, pledge, transfer or grant a
participation therein to such person or any third person with
respect of any Placing Shares; save that if it is a private client
stock, broker or fund manager it confirms that in purchasing the
Placing Shares it is acting under the terms of one or more
discretionary mandates granted to it by private clients and it is
not acting on an execution only basis or under specific
instructions to purchase the Placing Shares for the account of any
third party;
37. that it acknowledges
that these terms and conditions and any agreements entered into by
it pursuant to these terms and conditions 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 Zeus in any jurisdiction in which the relevant Placee is
incorporated or in which its assets are located or any of its
securities have a quotation on a recognised stock
exchange;
38. that any documents
sent to Placees will be sent at the Placees' risk. They may be sent
by post to such Placees at an address notified to Zeus;
39. that Zeus owes no
fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in respect of any
representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities in the
Placing Agreement;
40.
that Zeus
may, in its absolute discretion, agree to become a
Placee in respect of some or all of the Placing Shares;
41. that no prospectus
or offering document has been or will be prepared in connection
with the Placing and it has not received and will not receive a
prospectus or other offering document in connection with the
Placing or the Placing Shares;
42. undertakes
that it (and any person acting on its behalf) will make payment in
respect of the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with
this Appendix on the due time and date set out herein, failing
which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other
acquirers or sold as Zeus may in its sole 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 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;
43. that its
allocation (if any) of Placing Shares will represent a maximum
number of Placing Shares which it will be entitled, and required,
to acquire, and that Zeus and/or the Company may call upon it to
acquire a lower number of Placing Shares (if any), but in no event
in aggregate more than the aforementioned maximum; and
44. that if it has
received any confidential price sensitive information concerning
the Company in advance of the publication of this Announcement, it
has not: (i) dealt in the securities of the Company; (ii)
encouraged, required, recommended or induced another person to deal
in the securities of the Company; or (iii) disclosed such
information to any person, prior to such information being made
publicly available.
The Company, Zeus and their
respective affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of each
of the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and
undertakings which are given to Zeus for itself and on behalf of
the Company and are irrevocable.
The provisions of this Appendix may
be waived, varied or modified as regards specific Placees or on a
general basis by Zeus.
The agreement to settle a Placee's
subscription and/or purchase (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 a subscription by it and/or such person direct from the Company
for the Placing Shares in question. Such agreement assumes that the
Placing Shares are not being subscribed for in connection with
arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to transfer the
Placing Shares into a clearance service. If there are any such
arrangements, or the settlement relates to any other subsequent
dealing in the Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax
may be payable, for which neither the Company or Zeus will be
responsible, and the Placee to whom (or on behalf of whom, or in
respect of the person for whom it is participating in the Placing
as an agent or nominee) the allocation, allotment, issue or
delivery of Placing Shares has given rise to such UK stamp duty or
stamp duty reserve tax undertakes to pay such UK stamp duty or
stamp duty reserve tax forthwith and to indemnify on an after-tax
basis and to hold harmless the Company and Zeus in the event that
any of the Company and/or Zeus have incurred any such liability to
UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax. If this is the case, each
Placee should seek its own advice and notify Zeus
accordingly.
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 UK by them or any other
person on the subscription or purchase by them of any Placing
Shares or the agreement by them to subscribe for or purchase any
Placing Shares.
All times and dates in this
Announcement (including the Appendices) may be subject to
amendment. Zeus shall notify the Placees and any person acting on
behalf of the Placees of any changes.
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 Zeus or by any of its respective affiliates or
agents as to or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of
this Announcement or any other written or oral information made
available to or publicly available to any interested party or its
advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly
disclaimed.