THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING
APPENDIX 1) AND THE INFORMATION HEREIN (THE "ANNOUNCEMENT") IS
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ENTIRETY, IN PARTICULAR, PERSONS RECEIVING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD
READ AND UNDERSTAND THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE "IMPORTANT
NOTICES" SECTION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS MADE
FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO
SELL OR ISSUE OR SOLICITATION TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE
ACQUIRE SHARES IN QUADRISE PLC IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH ANY
SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THE SECURITIES DISCUSSED HEREIN ARE
NOT AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT OF 1933,
AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD
IN THE UNITED STATES, UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT,
OR PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT
TO, REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF
THE SECURITIES DISCUSSED HEREIN IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES
AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN
OFFERING OF SECURITIES FOR SALE IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE
COMPANY DOES NOT CURRENTLY INTEND TO REGISTER ANY SECURITIES UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES
OF ARTICLE 7 OF EU REGULATION 596/2014 AS IT FORMS PART OF DOMESTIC
LAW IN THE UNITED KINGDOM BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
(WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 (AS AMENDED). UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INSIDE
INFORMATION WILL BE CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC
DOMAIN.
23 January 2025
Quadrise
Plc
(the
"Company" and together with
its subsidiaries the "Group" or "Quadrise")
Proposed Placing, Subscription and Retail
Offer
Quadrise Plc (AIM:QED), the supplier
of innovative energy solutions for a cleaner planet, today
announces its intention to conduct a placing (the
"Placing") and
subscription (the "Subscription") of new ordinary shares
of £0.01 each in the capital of the Company ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 3 pence
per new Ordinary Share (the "Issue
Price") to institutional and other investors to raise gross
proceeds of a minimum of £3 million.
In addition to the Placing and
the Subscription, and in recognition of the
continuing support from long-term shareholders, the Company also
announces that it will be providing existing eligible Retail
Investors with the opportunity to participate in a retail offer to
raise additional gross proceeds of up to £1 million at the
Issue Price (the "Retail
Offer") (together with the Placing and Subscription, the
"Fundraise").
A separate announcement will be made by the
Company in due course regarding the Retail Offer and its terms. For
the avoidance of doubt, the Retail Offer is not part of the Placing
and the Subscription.
The Placing will be conducted through an accelerated
bookbuild (the "Accelerated
Bookbuild") which will be
launched immediately following this Announcement. The Placing is
subject to the terms and conditions set out in Appendix 1 to this
Announcement.
Shore Capital Stockbrokers Limited ("Shore Capital") and VSA Capital Limited
("VSA Capital") (together,
the "Bookrunners") are
acting as joint bookrunners and placing agents in connection with
the Placing. Shore Capital will also be acting as retail offer
coordinator in relation to this Retail Offer. Cavendish Capital
Markets Limited ("Cavendish") is acting as nominated
adviser to the Company.
The New Ordinary Shares to be issued
in the Fundraise will be issued and allotted under the Company's
existing allotment and disapplication of pre-emption rights
authorities obtained at the Company's last annual general meeting
held on 22 November 2024.
For further information, please contact:
Quadrise
Plc
|
+44 (0)20 7031 7321
|
Andy Morrison, Chairman
Jason Miles, Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
|
Cavendish Capital
Markets Limited - Nominated Adviser
Ben Jeynes
Katy Birkin
George Lawson
|
+44 (0)20 7220 0500
|
|
|
Shore Capital
Stockbrokers Limited - Bookrunner & Joint Broker
Toby Gibbs, Harry Davies-Ball (Corporate
Advisory)
Fiona Conroy (Corporate Broking)
|
+44 (0)20 7408
4090
|
|
|
VSA Capital Limited
- Bookrunner & Joint Broker
Andrew Raca, Brian Wong (Corporate
Finance)
Andrew Monk (Corporate Broking)
|
+44 (0)20 3005 5000
|
|
|
Cutbill Jacoby
- Public & Investor Relations
Andy Cutbill
Frankie Dundon
|
+44 (0)7841 576000
|
|
Details of the Fundraise
Placing and Subscription
The Placing will be effected through
the issue of a minimum of 99,000,000
new Ordinary Shares (the "Placing Shares") to certain new and
existing investors. In addition to the Placing, the Company
proposes to raise approximately £30,000 from a direct subscription
by certain Directors of the Company ("Subscribers") for a total of 1,000,000
new Ordinary Shares ("Subscription
Shares") at the Issue Price.
The Placing is subject to the terms
and conditions set out in Appendix 1 to this Announcement. The
Bookrunners will commence the Accelerated Bookbuild in respect of
the Placing immediately following the release of this Announcement.
The number of Placing Shares will be determined at the close of the
Accelerated Bookbuild and will be announced as soon as practicable after the close of
the Accelerated Bookbuild.
The timing of the closing of the
Accelerated Bookbuild, pricing and allocations of the Placing
Shares are at the absolute discretion of the Bookrunners, in
consultation with Cavendish and the Company.
The Directors have indicated an intention to
participate in the Placing and/or Subscription (the latter by way
of a direct subscription with the Company for Subscription Shares)
as follows:
Director
|
Intended
Subscription
|
Number of Subscription
Shares
|
Intended Placing
participation
|
Number of Placing
Shares
|
Total intended
Fundraise
participation
|
Total Fundraise
shares
|
Andy Morrison
|
-
|
-
|
£15,000.00
|
500,000
|
£15,000.00
|
500,000
|
Jason Miles
|
-
|
-
|
£15,000.00
|
500,000
|
£15,000.00
|
500,000
|
Laurie Mutch
|
£5,000.00
|
166,667
|
-
|
-
|
£5,000.00
|
166,667
|
Vicky Boiten-Lee
|
£25,000.00
|
833,333
|
-
|
-
|
£25,000.00
|
833,333
|
Phil Hill
|
-
|
-
|
£3,500.00
|
116,667
|
£3,500.00
|
116,667
|
The Placing Shares and the
Subscription Shares, when issued, will be credited as fully paid
and will rank pari
passu in all respects with each other and with the
Existing Ordinary Shares, including, without limitation, the right
to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or
paid after the date of First Admission.
The Placing and Subscription are
conditional upon, inter
alia, (i) the Placing Agreement not being terminated in
accordance with its terms and (ii) First Admission becoming
effective.
The Placing is not being
underwritten nor is it conditional on the Retail Offer taking
place.
The Placing Agreement contains customary
indemnities and warranties from the Company in favour of Shore
Capital, VSA Capital and Cavendish together with provisions which
enable Shore Capital and VSA Capital, after prior consultation with
Cavendish to the extent practicable, to terminate the Placing
Agreement in certain circumstances, including circumstances where
any of the warranties are found to be untrue or inaccurate in any
material respect.
Appendix 1 to this Announcement sets
out further information relating to the Accelerated Bookbuild and
the terms and conditions of the Placing.
Retail
Offer
The Company values its Retail Shareholder base
and believes that it is appropriate to provide eligible Retail
Investors in the United Kingdom with the opportunity to participate
in the Retail Offer via the Bookbuild Platform.
The Retail Offer will, at all times, only be
made to, directed at and may only be acted upon by those persons
who fall within Article 43 of the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (which
includes persons who are Shareholders). Furthermore, the Retail
Offer is an offer to subscribe for transferable securities, the
terms of which ensure that the Company is exempt from the
requirement to issue a prospectus under Regulation (EU) 2017/1129
as it forms part of United Kingdom law by virtue of the European
Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended from time to
time).
Under the Retail Offer, up to 33,333,333 new
Ordinary Shares (the "Retail Offer
Shares") will be made available at the Issue Price,
although, in the event the
Retail Offer is oversubscribed, the amount to be raised pursuant to
the Retail Offer may be increased depending on the additional
demand. The Retail Offer will be conditional upon,
inter alia, completion of
the Placing and the Subscription and First Admission.
The Retail Offer Shares, when issued, will be
credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the
Existing Ordinary Shares and the other New Shares, including the
right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared,
made or paid after the date of issue.
Further information about the Retail Offer and
its terms will be set out in a separate announcement to be made by
the Company in due course.
Admission,
settlement and dealings
Placing and
Subscription
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for the Placing Shares and the Subscription
Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM.
Settlement of the Placing Shares and
the Subscription Shares is expected to take place on or
around 8.00 a.m. on 31 January 2025
("First Admission")
(or such later date as may be agreed between the
Bookrunners, Cavendish and the Company being no later than 8.00
a.m. GMT on 28 February 2025).
The Placing Shares and the
Subscription Shares will be in registered form and will be capable
of being held in either certificated or uncertificated form (i.e.
in CREST). Accordingly, following First Admission, settlement of
transactions in the Placing Shares and the Subscription Shares may
take place within the CREST system.
Retail Offer
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for the Retail Offer Shares to be admitted to
trading on AIM.
Settlement of the Retail Offer
Shares is expected to take place on or around 8.00 a.m. on 3
February 2025 ("Second
Admission") and dealings in the Retail Offer Shares are
expected to commence at or around 8.00 a.m. on 3 February 2025 or,
in each case, such later time and date as may be agreed between the
Bookrunners, Cavendish and the Company being no later than 8.00
a.m. on 28 February 2025.
The Retail Offer Shares will be in
registered form and will be capable of being held in either
certificated or uncertificated form (i.e. in CREST). Accordingly,
following Second Admission, settlement of transactions in the
Retail Offer Shares may take place within the CREST
system.
Background to
and Rationale for the Fundraise
Quadrise enters calendar year 2025 with strong
momentum, following the recent achievement of several key
milestones on the Company's path towards
commercialisation.
Signature of the 3-way trial agreement between
QIL, MSC and Cargill in November 2024 enabled Quadrise to undertake
preparatory work on the forthcoming MSAR® and bioMSAR™ vessel
trials, with equipment preparations and site works at
MAC2 in Antwerp,
Belgium, now underway for Q1 installation ahead of commencement of
the trials planned in Q2 2025.
Preparations for a commercial trial of MSAR® in
Panama are also underway following signature of a trial agreement
with Sparkle in December 2024, with commercial supply expected to
follow.
Positive engine testing results for new
bioMSAR™ prototypes, including the first with 100% biofuel, have
demonstrated the adaptability of Quadrise's technology, its
potential in biofuel markets and notable progress towards a fully
fossil-free, commercial scale bioMSAR Zero product well ahead of
2030.
Alongside these developments, Valkor made
substantial progress during 2024 with their drilling and site
development programme at their Asphalt Ridge, Utah site. Having now
finalised a comprehensive project financing package for the site,
Valkor will pay Quadrise US$1m in licensing fees during 2025, plus
further sums relating to equipment delivery and engineering
services.
The trial in Morocco with OCP awaits
finalisation of the client's production schedules at Jorf Lasfar,
with commercial supply to follow a positive trial result. The
Company's project in South East Asia also continues to make
progress.
Quadrise is now seeking funding to enable
projects to progress in parallel through the trial phase and into
commercialisation.
Views of the
Board
The Board believes that the net proceeds of the
Placing and Subscription will provide Quadrise with working capital
resources to 30 June 2026, by which time projects with MSC, OCP,
Valkor and Sparkle are expected to be generating commercial
revenues subject to project milestones meeting currently
anticipated timelines.
The Retail Offer is being made to raise
additional funds of approximately £1 million (before expenses),
with the net proceeds expected to enable Quadrise to accelerate
product and business development activity, commit to equipment
purchases to allow for rapid deployment and to strengthen the
balance sheet.
The Board considers the Fundraise to be in the
best interests of the Company and its Shareholders as a whole and
certain Directors and PDMRs of the Company intend to participate in
the Fundraise in respect of an aggregate of 2,116,667
New Ordinary Shares in the Company.
Key Project
Delivery
The Company's strategy is to generate demand
amongst the shipping industry and to stimulate supply of our fuels
around global marine bunkering hubs. Our projects are designed to
fulfil this strategy, with each now nearing a major milestone.
Focus is on completion of the trials and agreements that will
demonstrate MSAR® and bioMSAR™ technology at commercial
scale.
Decarbonisation of shipping:
MSC
The project with MSC is seen by the Board as an
important step in demonstrating the role that MSAR® and bioMSAR™
fuels can play in the decarbonisation of the shipping
sector.
In February 2024, an initial agreement was
signed between QIL, Cargill NV ("Cargill") and
MAC2 to secure bunker production and supply
facilities in Antwerp to supply Quadrise fuels for commercial
trials to the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp ('ARA')
region.
The signature of the subsequent 3-way trial
agreement between QIL, MSC and Cargill took longer than
originally anticipated due to the inclusion of binding terms which
strengthened the commitment between the trial parties. This
agreement was signed in November 2024. Bilateral agreements
reflecting the terms of the 3-way agreement are being expedited
during Q1 2025 by the Company with Cargill and MAC² respectively,
and between Cargill and MSC for trial fuel supply.
Fabrication of the Company's trial equipment
has now commenced, ahead of installation and commissioning at the
MAC² terminal later in Q1 2025. Fuel production and the 2-month
Proof-of-Concept MSC vessel tests of MSAR® and bioMSAR™ are
expected to commence in Q2 2025 with a view to obtaining Letters of
No Objection ("LONO") from the engine manufacturer. The bioMSAR™
LONO trial is estimated to take 6-8 months following the
anticipated successful conclusion of the Proof-of-Concept
tests.
During the LONO trial the parties intend to
conclude a Commercial Supply Agreement and secure permanent
bioMSAR™ bunker supply availability to the marine sector by Cargill
from MAC2
facilities in Antwerp and Bruges.
Alongside this opportunity with MSC, the
Company continues to assess strategic options and partnerships to
accelerate commercialisation of both bioMSAR™ and MSAR® for marine
applications.
Supporting
projects
In line with the strategy to decarbonise
shipping, the Company's other projects support demand and supply
around major marine bunker hubs.
Industrial
In addition to meeting the needs of an
important client, the Company's industrial project with OCP in
Morocco is expected to stimulate supply of MSAR® in the
Mediterranean, a significant region for maritime trade and
bunkering due to its strategic location connecting Europe, Asia,
and Africa.
Following the signature of a Commercial
Framework Agreement with OCP in May 2024, preparations for a
30-day commercial trial at OCP's largest manufacturing site at Jorf
Lasfar are now substantially complete with Quadrise trial equipment
and chemicals on site in Morocco. The Company is currently awaiting
the go-ahead from the client to commence the trial on the
designated kiln, once OCP production schedules have been
determined.
OCP have provided a Letter of Intent outlining
their intention to enter into long-term commercial supply
agreements upon successful trial completion, which has facilitated
ongoing discussions with candidate suppliers. Additionally, OCP and
Quadrise are seeking to reach an agreement to increase commercial
applications for MSAR®, and in the future, bioMSAR™ fuels more
broadly across other client locations. As a key part of this
exercise, Quadrise have completed a technical and economic
feasibility study for a potential additional industrial
demonstration test at a second OCP site.
US Lower
Carbon-Intensive Fuels
Our project with Valkor in Utah, USA, targets
the supply of low sulphur MSAR® and bioMSAR™ to the marine and
power sectors, with the fuels produced on site then transported to
major ports and power stations.
Oil production from Valkor's first well was
confirmed in September 2024 with representative barrels of
treated heavy sweet oil from Valkor's pilot plant due to be shipped
shortly to Quadrise for analysis and formulation optimisation
testing at QRF. Marketing of MSAR® to marine and power consumers in
the USA will commence once test results confirm the anticipated
commercial viability of the Valkor oil. Crude oil samples supplied
by Valkor were successfully converted to both MSAR® and bioMSAR™ at
QRF in 2022.
Following the excellent progress
made by Valkor during 2024 at their Primary Project Site ('PPS')
at Asphalt Ridge, Utah, USA, Valkor has confirmed to the
Company that it has now secured the minimum project finance
required to develop the PPS of at least US$15
million.
Following confirmation of
project financing, and reflecting the fact that PPS
production volumes of heavy sweet oil are now expected to be
phased, Quadrise and Valkor have agreed an addendum to
the 2023 Site License and Supply Agreement ("SLS Agreement") as
follows:
·
Phased payment of an initial license fee, with US$0.35
million now payable by
Valkor on 31 January 2025 and the remaining US$0.65
million due on 1 December 2025.
· The
supply by Quadrise of a smaller Multifuel Manufacturing
Unit ("MMU") of 600 bpd capacity on an interim basis during 2025,
for which Valkor will pay US$0.2 million on 1 December
2025, with a further US$0.3 million due
to Quadrise upon supply of a full size 6,000 bpd MMU to
the PPS in exchange for the 600 bpd MMU by return.
·
US$75,000 payable quarterly by Valkor from 1 April 2025
onwards, in exchange for Quadrise providing engineering and process
design and commissioning services, site operations, compliance
support and project development support services for a minimum
period of two years.
A non-binding Heads of Agreement has been
entered into between the Quadrise and Valkor which sets out the
basis on which they will seek to agree a conditionally exclusive
Sub-License Agreement to be granted to Valkor covering the state
of Utah, as well as the terms on which the resulting net
profit generated will be shared.
The overall oil sands resources at Asphalt
Ridge are substantial and estimated to comprise several billions of
barrels, with Valkor having interests in several projects at this
location.
Valkor is leading operations and development
activities across several projects that could utilise Quadrise
technology. Initial volumes of heavy oil from the drilling
operations are expected to be available later in 2025 for
conversion to bioMSAR™ and MSAR® under the SLS in support of
commercial trials by potential shipping, industrial and power
customers.
Commercial trials under the SLS are expected to
lead to commercial supply and a potential profit-share from sales,
subject to discussions with stakeholders to finalise agreements.
Through the application of CO2 sequestration and
enhanced oil recovery technology in Utah, the extracted heavy oil
is anticipated to have a lower carbon intensity than conventional
oils. Furthermore, the very low sulphur content and properties of
this heavy oil are expected to allow it to comply with the
International Maritime Organisation's regulations on marine fuel,
once converted to MSAR® or bioMSAR™, without the need for
carbon-intensive oil refining. The final product would therefore
constitute a low carbon, low sulphur MSAR® or bioMSAR™.
Central
America
The availability of MSAR® and bioMSAR™ in major
marine hubs such as in the Panama Canal region is seen by the Board
as an important element of scale-up of the Company's strategy to
decarbonise shipping. Our project in Panama is intended to provide
a base for supply of MSAR® and bioMSAR™, with demand being
cornerstoned by local power generators.
In December 2024, a Material Transfer and Trial
Agreement was signed with Sparkle, a power generator in Panama,
under which Quadrise will supply and install trial
equipment at Sparkle's 50MW El Giral power
plant, including a small-scale 5 tonne per hour MMU.
MSAR® and bioMSAR™ fuel will then be produced for a
week-long diesel engine trial on site, to supply power to
the Panama electricity grid. Successful conclusion of the
engine trial is expected to lead to a Fuel Supply
Agreement.
The trial will be performed on a MAN 4-stroke
diesel engine, a first for Quadrise on this engine type,
broadening Quadrise' application experience to include this
important engine manufacturer.
South East
Asia
In further support of its strategy, the Company
aims to establish a supply point for MSAR® and bioMSAR™ in South
East Asia, one of the world's key marine hubs.
During 2024 discussions progressed with a
refinery operator in the region who is interested in conducting a
trial using MSAR® technology for internal thermal applications in
advance of a potential commercial agreement. The refinery is well
placed for nearby bulk fuel storage and trading
opportunities.
bioMSAR™ and
bioMSAR™ Zero development
The Quadrise biofuel development programme aims
to provide the marine and industrial sectors with sustainable,
efficient, and user-friendly biofuels to address key transition
challenges for the decarbonisation of shipping and other market
sectors that we serve, and has the following goals:
·
Supplying a drop-in biofuel solution (bioMSAR™) rapidly, at
commercial scale globally at terminals or on-board
vessels.
·
Ensuring the bioMSAR™ platform is sufficiently adaptable to
incorporate a range of sustainable biofuel feedstocks.
·
Delivering a commercially viable bioMSAR™ Zero (labelled
'B100' - made with 100% biogenic energy and no fossil fuels)
solution before 2030, enabling compliance with new and future
greenhouse gas emission regulations out to 2050 and
beyond.
Quadrise is working with several strategic
partners to investigate lower cost, renewable and abundant biofuel
feedstocks for bioMSAR™. Substantial progress was made during
2024:
·
Testing on blends of bioMSAR™ incorporating B30 biofuel
supplied by major trading companies demonstrated that when compared
to diesel, these blends demonstrated over 38% well-to-wake
CO2 reductions
based on the carbon intensity of the components, enhanced diesel
engine efficiency of 3-7% and reductions in NOx emissions of
43%-59%. Inclusion of B30 further reduces the fossil fuel content
of our emulsion blends, providing an additional potential pathway
to bioMSAR™ Zero.
·
Quadrise has developed a bioMSAR™ Zero blend which combines
100% waste-based sustainable second-generation methyl esters and
glycerine as a highly stable emulsion biofuel. This blend offers
85% lower CO2 emissions compared to conventional marine
fuels based on lifecycle analysis. Engine testing demonstrated
efficiency improvements of 9-10% and reduction in NOx emissions of
18% when compared to automotive diesel. bioMSAR™ Zero is expected
to be more cost-effective than equivalent B100 biofuel blends in
use today due to the lower price of its biofuel components and the
enhanced engine performance that the fuel delivers.
· Quadrise has
tested bioMSAR™ formulations combining 67% B50 biofuel, which is
itself a blend (of 50% methyl esters blended with 50% fuel oil),
with 33% water. In comparison to conventional marine fuels,
the B50 bioMSAR™ blend offers 39% lower CO2 equivalent emissions, and engine
testing demonstrated engine efficiency improvements of 7-8%, and
NOx reduction of 29% when compared with diesel.
In addition to the above, work is rapidly
advancing under the Company's Joint Development Agreements with BTG
Bioliquids BV ("BTL") and Vertoro BV ("Vertoro") to develop
bioMSAR™ Zero formulations using BTL's pyrolysis sugars and
Vertoro's crude sugar oil™ ("CSO™").
A pilot and engine test programme on bioMSAR™
Zero incorporating CSO™ is currently being planned to investigate
the performance of both premixed and 'blend-on-board' bioMSAR™ Zero
with CSOTM. A B100
bioMSAR™ Zero formulation is scheduled for testing at sea on-board
a newly designed prototype motor yacht built for Vertoro by Focus
Motor Yachts, with sea-testing expected to commence in Q2 2025
after land-based tests are completed.
Quadrise continues to develop relationships
with suppliers who can provide sustainable bio-feedstocks on a
commercial scale for future bioMSAR™ supply.
Outlook: 2025
and beyond
Energy economics, environmental considerations
and emissions regulations are increasingly driving the business
case for MSAR® and bioMSAR™ technology. Quadrise intends to make a
significant contribution to the decarbonisation of shipping with
the completion of commercial-scale trials, leading to supply
contracts and commercial revenues from MSAR® and bioMSAR™ during
the next 12 months.
Market and regulatory trends are set to create
an increasingly favourable environment for the Company to advance
its business. The implementation of new environmental regulations,
particularly in Europe, such as the EU ETS and 'Fit-for-55' are
expected to significantly boost biofuel use and technology
investment, especially in the shipping sector. As conventional
biofuels like biodiesel and renewable diesel, currently used in
shipping, face growing demand from other sectors, the need for
lower-cost and widely available non-conventional biofuels is likely
to rise. These regulatory trends, along with subsidies for
renewable waste-based biofuel feedstocks such as glycerine, should
enhance the attractiveness of bioMSAR™ for end-users. With
increasingly favourable market conditions, the Company is
well-positioned to gain further traction with key
clients.
Looking ahead, the Company's continued
development of bioMSAR™ and net-zero fuel solutions opens exciting
opportunities to deploy its unique and proven emulsion technology,
helping its partners and clients to deliver a cleaner
future.
With an expanding business development pipeline
generating opportunities with other potential customers, suppliers
and technology partners, Quadrise is now ready to play a key part
in accelerating the global energy transition.
Use of
proceeds
During 2024, Quadrise has continued to build
momentum towards its short-term objective of reaching sustainable
revenue and positive cashflow generation. Once this is achieved,
rapid scaling of the business to meet its vast potential is
expected to be undertaken with industry partners. The Company's
projects are intended to act as "use cases" to demonstrate traction
and to help drive partnership programmes.
The Board believes that the net proceeds of the
Placing and Subscription will provide Quadrise with working capital
resources to 30 June 2026 by which time projects with MSC, OCP,
Valkor and Sparkle are expected to be generating commercial
revenues, provided project milestones are delivered on currently
anticipated timelines.
The net proceeds of the Retail Offer are
expected to provide Quadrise with additional resources to
accelerate product and business development activity, commit to
equipment purchases to allow for rapid deployments and to
strengthen the balance sheet.
Expected
timetable of principal events
|
2025
|
Announcement of the Fundraise
|
23 January
|
Announcement of the results of the Placing and
Subscription
|
24 January
|
|
Announcement of the Retail Offer
|
24 January
|
First Admission
|
8.00 a.m. on 31 January
|
|
CREST accounts to be credited for the Placing Shares
and Subscription Shares to be held in uncertificated form
|
31 January
|
|
Dispatch of definitive share certificates for the
Placing Shares and Subscription Shares to be held in certificated
form
|
within 10 working days of
First Admission
|
Expected close of the Retail Offer
|
30 January
|
Announcement of the result of the Retail Offer
|
31 January
|
Second Admission
|
8.00 a.m. on 3 February
|
CREST accounts to be credited for the Retail Offer
Shares to be held in uncertificated form
|
3 February
|
|
|
|
|
|
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply in
Appendix 1 and, as the context shall admit, in the
Announcement:
"Accelerated
Bookbuild"
|
the bookbuilding process to be
conducted by Shore Capital and VSA Capital to arrange participation
by Placees in the Placing
|
"Admission"
|
means First Admission and/or Second
Admission as the context requires
|
"AIM"
|
AIM, a market operated by the London
Stock Exchange
|
"AIM Rules"
|
the AIM Rules for Companies
published by the London Stock Exchange (as
updated from time to time)
|
"Announcement"
|
this announcement
|
"Bookbuild
Platform"
|
the online capital markets platform
developed by BB Technology Ltd, a company registered in England and
Wales with company number 13508012 and whose registered office is
at Kinetic Business Centre, Theobald Street, Elstree,
Hertfordshire, England, WD6 4PJ
|
"Bookrunners"
|
together, Shore Capital and VSA
Capital
|
"Business
Day"
|
any day (excluding Saturdays and
Sundays) on which banks are
open in London for normal banking
business
|
"Cargill"
|
Cargill NV, a company organised and existing
under the laws of Belgium, having its registered office at
Bedrijvenlaan 9, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium
|
"Cavendish"
|
Cavendish Capital Markets
Limited
|
"certificated" or
"in certificated
form"
|
refers to an Ordinary Share which is
not in uncertificated form (that is, not in CREST)
|
"Company"
|
Quadrise plc
|
"CREST"
|
the relevant system (as defined in
the CREST Regulations) in respect of which Euroclear UK &
Ireland Limited is the operator (as defined in the CREST
Regulations)
|
"CREST
Regulations"
|
the Uncertificated Securities
Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001 No 3755) (as amended)
|
"Directors"
|
the directors of the Company or any
duly authorised committee thereof
|
"EEA"
|
the European Economic
Area
|
"Euroclear"
|
Euroclear UK & International
Limited, the operator of CREST
|
"Existing Ordinary
Shares"
|
the 1,764,714,550 ordinary shares of
£0.01 each in issue in the capital of the Company at the date of
this Announcement, all of which are admitted to trading on
AIM
|
"FCA"
|
the Financial Conduct
Authority
|
"First
Admission"
|
admission of the Placing Shares and
Subscription Shares to trading on AIM
|
"Form of
Confirmation"
|
the form of confirmation or contract
note made between Shore Capital or VSA Capital (as
applicable) and the Placees which incorporate by reference
the terms and conditions of the Placing
contained in this Announcement
|
"FSMA"
|
the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000, as amended
|
"Fundraise"
|
means the Placing, the Subscription
and the Retail Offer
|
"Group"
|
the Company and its subsidiary
undertakings (and "Group Company" shall be
construed accordingly)
|
"Issue
Price"
|
3 pence per Ordinary
Share
|
"London Stock
Exchange"
|
London Stock Exchange plc
|
"MAC²"
|
MAC2 Solutions NV, a company
organised and existing under the laws of Belgium, having its
registered office at Blauwe Weg 7 - kaai 261 2030, Antwerp,
Belgium
|
"MAR"
|
the EU Market Abuse Regulation
(2014/596/EU) as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and as modified by or under
the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 or other domestic
law
|
"MMU"
|
MSAR® Manufacturing Unit
|
"MSC"
|
MSC Shipmanagement Limited, a
limited company registered in Cyprus and located at 8 Spyrou
Kyprianou Avenue, Limassol, which is a 100% subsidiary of the MSC
Group, a global shipping company which provides worldwide seaborne
transportation solutions, including in the container
sector
|
"New Ordinary
Shares" or "New Shares"
|
the new Ordinary Shares to be issued
in the capital of the Company pursuant to the Fundraise
|
"OCP"
|
OCP S., a company incorporated under
the laws o Morocco and having its registered office at 2, reu Al
Abtal, Hay Erraha, 20200, Casablanca, Morocco
|
"Ordinary
Shares"
|
means ordinary shares of £0.01 each
in the capital of the Company
|
"Placees"
|
persons who agree to subscribe for
Placing Shares at the Issue Price
|
"Placing"
|
the conditional placing of the
Placing Shares by Shore Capital and VSA Capital on behalf of the
Company at the Issue Price, in accordance with the Placing Agreement
|
"Placing
Agreement"
|
the conditional agreement dated 23
January 2025 between the Company, Cavendish, Shore Capital and VSA
Capital in relation to the Placing and the Retail Offer
|
"Placing Results
Agreement"
|
the terms of the Placing setting out
the Issue Price and the number of Placing Shares to be issued in
the Placing, to be executed in accordance with the Placing
Agreement by the Company, Shore Capital and VSA Capital
|
"Placing
Shares"
|
99,000,000 New Ordinary Shares to be
issued pursuant to the Placing
|
"QIL"
|
Quadrise International Limited, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company
|
"Retail Investors" or
"Retail
Shareholders"
|
existing Shareholders, who are
resident in the United Kingdom and are a customer of an
intermediary who agrees conditionally to subscribe for Retail Offer
Shares in the Retail Offer
|
"Retail
Offer"
|
the proposed conditional offer of
Retail Offer Shares to Retail Investors through intermediaries on
the Bookbuild Platform pursuant to the Retail Offer Intermediaries
Agreements and the Retail Offer documents
|
"Retail Offer Intermediaries
Agreements"
|
the Retail Offer terms and
conditions and the final terms of the Retail Offer which together
set out the terms and conditions upon which each intermediary
agrees to make the UK Retail Offer available to UK Retail
Investors
|
"Retail Offer
Shares"
|
up to 33,333,333 New Ordinary Shares
being made available pursuant to the Retail Offer
|
"RIS"
|
shall have the same meaning as in
the AIM Rules
|
"Second
Admission"
|
admission of the Retail Offer Shares
to trading on AIM
|
"Shareholder"
|
a holder of Ordinary Shares from
time to time
|
"Shore
Capital"
|
Shore Capital Stockbrokers Limited,
joint broker to the Company and placing agent in respect of the
Placing
|
"Site License and Supply Agreement"
|
means the site licence and supply
agreement between QIL and Valkor, which was signed by the parties
on 9 June 2023, in respect of the use of Quadrise's MSAR® and
bioMSAR™ technology at a Valkor heavy oil asset in Utah,
USA
|
"Sparkle"
|
Sparkle Power S.A, a Panamanian
company having its registered office at Rio Duque, El Giral, Buena
Vista, province of Colon
|
"Subscribers"
|
means each subscriber for the
Subscription Shares
|
"Subscription
Letters"
|
the agreements between the Company
and each of the Subscribers dated on or around the date of this
Placing Agreement
|
"Subscription
Shares"
|
1,000,000 New Ordinary Shares as
will be recorded in the Subscription Letters from each of the
Subscribers to the Company pursuant to the Subscription at the
Issue Price, and "Subscription Share" shall be construed
accordingly
|
"Valkor"
|
means Valkor Technologies LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company
|
"VSA
Capital"
|
VSA Capital Limited, joint broker to
the Company and placing agent in respect of the Placing
|
IMPORTANT NOTICES
This Announcement, and the
information contained herein is not for release, publication or
distribution, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or
into or from the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New
Zealand or the Republic of South Africa, or any other jurisdiction
where to do so might constitute a violation of the relevant laws or
regulations of such jurisdiction (the "Restricted
Jurisdictions").
The New Ordinary Shares referred to
herein have not been and will not be registered under the US
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or under
any securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the
United States and may not be offered, sold, resold, transferred or
delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States
except in transactions exempt from, or not subject to, the
registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance
with the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the
United States. The New Ordinary Shares are being offered and sold
solely outside the United States in "offshore transactions" as
defined in and pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act.
No public offering of New Ordinary Shares is being made in the
United States.
This Announcement does not
constitute or form part of an offer to sell or issue or a
solicitation of an offer to buy, subscribe for or otherwise acquire
any securities in any jurisdiction including, without limitation,
the Restricted Jurisdictions or any other jurisdiction in which
such offer or solicitation would be unlawful. This Announcement and
the information contained in it is not for publication or
distribution, directly or indirectly, to persons in a Restricted
Jurisdiction, unless permitted pursuant to an exemption under the
relevant local law or regulation in any such
jurisdiction.
No action has been taken by the
Company, the Bookrunners or Cavendish or any of their respective
directors, officers, partners, agents, employees or affiliates that
would permit an offer of the New Ordinary Shares or possession or
distribution of this Announcement or any other publicity material
relating to such New Ordinary Shares in any jurisdiction where
action for that purpose is required. Persons receiving this
Announcement are required to inform themselves about and to observe
any restrictions contained in this Announcement.
This Announcement is directed only
at: (a) persons in member states of the European Economic Area who
are "qualified investors", as defined in article 2 (e) of the
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (together with its delegated and
implementing regulations) (the "EU Prospectus Regulation"), (b) in
the United Kingdom, persons who (i) have professional experience in
matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of
"investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as
amended (the "Order"), or are high net worth companies,
unincorporated associations or partnerships or trustees of high
value trusts as described in Article 49(2) of the Order and (ii)
are "qualified investors", as defined in Article 2 (e) of the
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by
virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended)
(the "UK Prospectus Regulation"), and (c) persons to whom it may
otherwise lawfully be communicated (each such person being a
"Relevant Person"). No other person should act on or rely on this
Announcement and persons distributing this Announcement must
satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so. By accepting the
terms of this announcement, investors represent and agree that they
are a Relevant Person.
This Announcement must not be acted
on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons. Any
investment or investment activity to which this Announcement or the
Placing relate is available only to Relevant Persons and will be
engaged in only with Relevant Persons. As regards all persons other
than Relevant Persons, the details of the Placing set out in this
Announcement are for information purposes only.
Persons (including, without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other
legal obligation to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek
appropriate advice before taking any action.
This Announcement is not being
distributed by, nor has it been approved for the purposes of
section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as
amended) ("FSMA") by Cavendish, the Bookrunners or any other person
authorised under FSMA. This Announcement is being distributed and
communicated to persons in the United Kingdom only in circumstances
in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not apply.
No prospectus or offering document
will be made available in connection with the matters contained in
this Announcement and no such prospectus is required (in accordance
with the UK Prospectus Regulation) to be published.
Certain statements in this
Announcement are forward-looking statements which are based on the
Company's expectations, intentions and projections regarding its
future performance, anticipated events or trends and other matters
that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements,
which may use words such as "aim", "anticipate", "believe",
"could", "intend", "estimate", "expect" and words of similar
meaning, include all matters that are not historical facts. These
forward-looking statements involve risks, assumptions and
uncertainties that could cause the actual results of operations,
financial condition, liquidity and dividend policy and the
development of the industries in which the Group's businesses
operate to differ materially from the impression created by the
forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of
future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Given those risks and uncertainties,
prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only
as of the date of such statements and, except as required by the
Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom ("FCA"), the
London Stock Exchange or applicable law, the Company undertakes no
obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise.
Any indication in this Announcement
of the price at which the Company's shares have been bought or sold
in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance.
Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial
adviser. No statement in this Announcement is intended to be a
profit forecast 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
Group.
Cavendish, 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 Fundraise and will not regard any other person (whether or
not a recipient of this Announcement) as a client in relation to
the Fundraise and will not be responsible to anyone other than the
Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients, nor
for providing advice, in relation to the Fundraise or any other
matter referred to in this Announcement. Cavendish's
responsibilities as the Company's nominated adviser under the AIM
Rules for Companies and the AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers are
owed to the London Stock Exchange and the Company and not to any
other person.
Shore Capital and VSA Capital, who
are authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, are
acting exclusively for the Company as joints bookrunners and
brokers and no one else in connection with the Fundraise and will
not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this
Announcement) as their client in relation to the Fundraise and will
not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing
the protections afforded to its clients, nor for providing advice,
in relation to the Fundraise or any other
matter referred to in this Announcement. The responsibilities of
Shore Capital and VSA Capital as the Company's joint brokers are
owed to the London Stock Exchange and not to any other
person.
No representation or warranty,
express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to,
and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by or on
behalf of the Company, Cavendish, Shore Capital or VSA Capital or
by their affiliates or their respective agents, directors, officers
and employees as to, or in relation to, the accuracy or
completeness of this Announcement or any other written or oral
information made available to or publicly available to any
interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefor is
expressly disclaimed.
The Placing Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than to trading on AIM.
Appendix 1 to this Announcement sets
out the terms and conditions of the Placing. By participating in
the Placing, each person who is invited to and who chooses to
participate in the Placing by making or accepting an oral and
legally binding offer to acquire Placing Shares will be deemed to
have read and understood this Announcement in its entirety and to
be making such offer on the terms and subject to the conditions set
out in this Announcement and to be providing the representations,
warranties, undertakings and acknowledgements contained in Appendix
1.
Members of the public are not
eligible to take part in the Placing and no public offering of
Placing Shares is being or will be made.
Neither the content of the Company's
website (or any other website) nor the content of any website
accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other
website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this
Announcement.
APPENDIX
1
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE
PLACING FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY
THIS APPENDIX 1 CONTAINS IMPORTANT
INFORMATION FOR INVITED PLACEES REGARDING THE PLACING. THIS
INFORMATION AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (THE "PLACING TERMS") DO NOT APPLY TO THE
RETAIL OFFER.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THIS
APPENDIX 1 AND THE PLACING TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (TOGETHER, THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT") (WHICH IS FOR
INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY) ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT
PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING,
HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR
AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (A) IF IN
THE UNITED KINGDOM, QUALIFIED INVESTORS WHO FALL WITHIN ARTICLE
19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL
PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER") ("INVESTMENT
PROFESSIONALS") OR FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(a) TO (d) (HIGH NET
WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER;
OR (B) PERSONS TO WHOM THEY MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED
(ALL SUCH PERSONS, INCLUDING INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS, TOGETHER
BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE
INFORMATION IN IT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR
RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. PERSONS
DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR
INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS
AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL
BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR THE SALE
OR SUBSCRIPTION OR A SOLICITATION OF AN
OFFER TO BUY OR ACQUIRE ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.
THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "US SECURITIES ACT") OR WITH ANY
SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY
STATE OR JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED
STATES OR UNDER ANY SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY
STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED
STATES AND MAY NOT
BE OFFERED, SOLD, RESOLD, PLEDGED, TRANSFERRED OR DELIVERED,
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE
UNITED STATES EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN
APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE US SECURITIES ACT, IN EACH CASE, AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE
SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER
JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. THE
PLACING SHARES ARE BEING OFFERED AND SOLD ONLY OUTSIDE THE UNITED
STATES IN "OFFSHORE TRANSACTIONS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF, AND IN
ACCORDANCE WITH, REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND
OTHERWISE IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF
THE PLACING SHARES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED KINGDOM OR ELSEWHERE WHERE SUCH
OFFERING WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE,
PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY,
IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES,
AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND, THE
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION
WOULD BE UNLAWFUL (THE "RESTRICTED
JURISDICTIONS").
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS
OWN ADVISORS AS TO LEGAL, TAX OR BUSINESS
CONSEQUENCES AND RELATED ASPECTS OF A PURCHASE OF PLACING
SHARES.
The Placing Shares have not been
approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange
Commission, any state securities commission or other regulatory
authority in the United States nor have any of the foregoing
authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or
the accuracy or adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation
to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. The
relevant clearances have not been, nor will they be, obtained from
the securities commission of any province or territory of Canada,
no prospectus has been lodged with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant
clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained for the South
Africa Reserve Bank or any other applicable body in the Republic of
South Africa in relation to the Placing Shares and the Placing
Shares have not been, nor will they be registered under or offered
in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or
territory of Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South
Africa. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not (unless an
exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be
offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or
into Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa.
Persons (including without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right
or other legal obligations to forward a
copy of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before
taking any action.
This Announcement (including this
Appendix 1) should be read in its entirety. In particular, any
Placee should read and understand the information provided in the
"Important Notices" section of this Announcement.
By participating in the Accelerated
Bookbuild (as defined below) and the Placing, each Placee will be
deemed (i) to have read and understood this Announcement in its
entirety, (ii) to be participating, making an offer to acquire and
acquiring Placing Shares on the terms and conditions contained
herein and (iii) to be providing the representations, warranties,
indemnities, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in this
Announcement (including for the avoidance of doubt this Appendix
1).
In particular, each such Placee
represents, warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst
other things) that:
1.
it is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it will acquire, hold,
manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it
for the purposes of its business;
2.
it is acquiring the Placing Shares for its own account or is
acquiring the Placing Shares for an account with respect to which
it exercises sole investment discretion and has the authority to
make and does make the representations, warranties, indemnities,
acknowledgements, undertakings and agreements contained in this
Announcement (including for the avoidance of doubt this Appendix
1;
3.
it understands (or if acting for the account of another person,
such person has confirmed that such person understands) the resale
and transfer restrictions set out in this Appendix 1; and
4.
except as otherwise permitted by the Company and subject to any
available exemptions from applicable securities laws, it (and any
account referred to in paragraph 2 above) is outside the United
States acquiring the Placing Shares in offshore transactions as
defined in, and in accordance with, Regulation S under the US
Securities Act.
No prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered
to a limited number of specifically invited persons only and will
not be offered in such a way as to require any prospectus or other
offering document to be published. No
prospectus or other offering document has been or will be submitted
to be approved by the FCA in relation to the Placing or the Placing
Shares and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of
their own assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and the
Placing, based on the information contained in this Announcement,
the announcement of the pricing of the Placing (the "Result of Placing Announcement")
(together, the "Placing
Documents") and any information publicly announced through a
regulatory information service ("RIS") by or on behalf of the Company
on or prior to the date of this Announcement (the "Publicly Available Information") and
subject to any further terms set forth in the Form of Confirmation
sent to Placees by Shore Capital or VSA Capital to confirm their
acquisition of Placing Shares.
Each Placee, by participating in the
Placing, agrees that the content of the Placing Documents is
exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it
has neither received nor relied on any information (other than the
Publicly Available Information), representation, warranty or
statement made by or on behalf of Shore Capital, VSA Capital or the
Company or any other person and none of Shore Capital, VSA Capital
the Company nor any other person acting on such person's behalf nor
any of their respective affiliates has or shall have any
responsibility or liability for any Placee's decision to
participate in the Placing based on any other information,
representation, warranty or statement (regardless of whether or not
such information, representation, warranty or statement was given
or made by or on behalf of any such persons). 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. No Placee should consider any information in this
Announcement to be legal, tax or business advice. Each Placee
should consult its own attorney, tax advisor and business advisor
for legal, tax and business advice regarding an investment in the
Placing Shares. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the
liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Details of the Placing Agreement and the
Placing Shares
Shore Capital and VSA Capital are
acting as bookrunners and placing agents in connection with the
Placing and have entered into the Placing Agreement with the
Company and Cavendish under which, on the terms and subject to the
conditions set out in the Placing Agreement, Shore Capital and VSA
Capital, as agent for and on behalf of the Company, have agreed to
use their reasonable endeavours to procure placees for the Placing
Shares. The Placing is not being
underwritten by Shore Capital, VSA Capital or any other
person.
The price per Ordinary Share at
which the Placing Shares are to be placed is 3 pence per Placing
Share (the "Issue Price")
and the final number of Placing Shares will be decided at the close
of the Accelerated Bookbuild following the execution of an
agreement setting out the placing terms by the Company, Shore
Capital and VSA Capital (the "Placing Results Agreement"). The timing
of the closing of the book and allocations
are at the discretion of the Company, Shore Capital and VSA
Capital. Details of the number of Placing Shares will be announced
as soon as practicable after the close of the Accelerated Bookbuild.
The Placing Shares will be duly
authorised and will, when issued, be credited as fully paid up and will be issued subject to the
Company's articles of association in place at the time and rank
pari
passu in all respects with the Existing Ordinary Shares,
including the right to receive all dividends and other
distributions declared, made or paid on or in respect of the
Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing Shares, and
will on issue be free of all pre-emption rights, claims, liens,
charges, encumbrances and equities.
Application for admission to trading on
AIM
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange plc (the "London Stock Exchange") for admission
to trading of the Placing Shares on AIM.
It is expected that First Admission
of the Placing Shares will occur at or before 8.00 a.m. on 31
January 2025 (or such later time or date as Shore Capital, VSA
Capital and Cavendish may agree with the
Company, being no later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 February 2025) and
that dealings in the Placing Shares will commence at that
time.
Accelerated Bookbuild
Shore Capital and VSA Capital will
today commence the accelerated bookbuilding process to determine
demand for participation in the Placing by
Placees at the Issue Price (the "Accelerated Bookbuild"). This Announcement 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.
Shore Capital, VSA Capital and the
Company shall be entitled to effect the Placing by such alternative
method to the Accelerated Bookbuild as they may, in their sole
discretion, determine.
Participation in, and principal terms of, the
Placing
1.
Shore Capital and VSA Capital are arranging the Placing as
bookrunners and placing agents of the Company.
2.
Participation in the Placing will only be available to persons who
may lawfully be, and are, invited to participate by Shore Capital
and/or VSA Capital. Shore Capital and VSA Capital may themselves
agree to be a Placee in respect of all or some of the Placing
Shares or may nominate any member of their group to do so.
3.
The number of Placing Shares to be issued at the Issue Price will
be agreed by Shore Capital and VSA Capital (in consultation with
the Company) following completion of the Accelerated Bookbuild.
Subject to the execution of the Placing Results Agreement, the
Issue Price and the number of Placing Shares to be issued will be
announced on an RIS following the completion of the Accelerated
Bookbuild via the Result of Placing Announcement.
4.
To bid in the Accelerated Bookbuild, prospective Placees should
communicate their bid orally by telephone or in writing to their
usual sales contact at Shore Capital or VSA Capital. Each bid
should state the number of Placing Shares which the prospective
Placee wishes to subscribe for at the Issue Price. Bids may be
scaled down by Shore Capital and VSA Capital on the basis referred
to in paragraph 6 below. Shore Capital and VSA Capital reserve the
right not to accept bids or to accept bids in part rather than in
whole. The acceptance of bids shall be at the absolute discretion
of Shore Capital and VSA Capital, subject to agreement with the
Company.
5.
The Accelerated Bookbuild is expected to close no later than 6.30
p.m. today (23 January 2025) but may be closed earlier or later at
the discretion of Shore Capital and VSA Capital subject to
agreement with the Company. Shore Capital and VSA Capital may,
subject to agreement with the Company, accept bids that are
received after the Accelerated Bookbuild has closed. The Company
reserves the right (subject to the agreement of Shore Capital and
VSA Capital) to reduce the number of shares to be issued pursuant
to the Placing, in its absolute discretion.
6.
Allocations of the Placing Shares will be determined by Shore
Capital and VSA Capital after consultation with the Company (the
proposed allocations having been supplied by Shore Capital and VSA
Capital to the Company in advance of such consultation).
Allocations will be confirmed orally by Shore Capital or VSA
Capital and a Form of Confirmation will be despatched as soon as
possible thereafter. Shore Capital or VSA Capital oral
confirmation, as applicable, to such Placee constitutes an
irrevocable legally binding commitment upon such person (who will
at that point become a Placee), in favour of Shore Capital, VSA
Capital and the Company, to acquire the number of Placing Shares
allocated to it and to pay the Issue Price in respect of such
Placing Shares on the terms and conditions set out in this Appendix
1 and in accordance with the Company's articles of association. A
bid in the Accelerated Bookbuild will be made on the terms and
subject to the conditions in this Announcement (including this
Appendix 1) and will be legally binding on the Placee on behalf of
which it is made and except with Shore Capital and VSA Capital
consent, such commitment will not be capable of variation or
revocation after the time at which it is submitted.
7.
Each Placee's allocation and commitment will be evidenced by a Form
of Confirmation issued to such Placee by Shore Capital or VSA
Capital. The terms of this Appendix 1 will be deemed incorporated
in that Form of Confirmation.
8.
Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation pursuant to
the Placing is confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares to be
subscribed for pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made
at the same time, on the basis explained below under "Registration
and Settlement".
9.
All obligations under the Accelerated Bookbuild and the Placing
will be subject to fulfilment or (where applicable) waiver of the
conditions referred to below under "Conditions of the Placing" and
to the Placing not being terminated on the basis referred to below
under "Right to terminate under the Placing Agreement".
10.
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.
11.
To the fullest extent permissible by law, neither Shore Capital,
nor VSA Capital nor the Company, nor any of their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any
responsibility or liability to Placees (or to any other person
whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise). In particular,
none of Shore Capital, VSA Capital, the Company, nor any of their
respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees
shall have any responsibility or liability (including to the extent
permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of Shore
Capital or VSA Capital conduct of the Placing.
12.
The Placing Shares will be issued subject to the terms and
conditions of this Announcement and each Placee's commitment to
subscribe for Placing Shares on the terms set out herein will
continue notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be made
to the terms and conditions of the Placing and Placees will have no
right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained
with respect to the Company's, Shore Capital's or VSA Capital's
conduct of the Placing.
13.
All times and dates in this Announcement may be subject to
amendment. Shore Capital or VSA Capital, as applicable, shall
notify the Placees and any person acting on behalf of the Placees
of any changes.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing is conditional
upon, inter alia, (i) the
conditions in the Placing Agreement relating to the Placing being
fulfilled and (ii) the Placing Agreement not having been terminated
in accordance with its terms. The obligations of Shore Capital and
VSA Capital under the Placing Agreement in relation to the Placing
are conditional on customary conditions, including (amongst others)
(the "Conditions"):
1.
the London Stock Exchange agreeing to admit the Placing Shares and
the Subscription Shares to trading on AIM (subject only to
allotment);
2.
the Placing Results Agreement having been executed by the Company
and the Bookrunners no later than 6.00 p.m. on 24 January 2025 (or
such later time or date as Shore Capital and VSA Capital may
otherwise agree with the Company);
3.
the delivery by the Company to Shore Capital and VSA Capital of a
warranty confirmation certificate signed by a Director for and on
behalf of the Company not later than 5.00 p.m. on the Business Day
immediately prior to the date on which First Admission is expected
to occur (and dated as of such date);
4.
the Company having complied in all material respects with its
obligations which fall to be performed on or prior to First
Admission under the Placing Agreement;
5.
the Subscription having become unconditional in accordance with its
terms, save for any condition as to First Admission; and
6.
First Admission occurring no later than 8.00 a.m. on 31 January
2025 (or such later time or date as Shore Capital and VSA Capital
may otherwise agree with the Company, being no later than 8.00 a.m.
on 28 February 2025) (the "Closing
Date").
Shore Capital and VSA Capital
may, at their discretion and upon such
terms as they think fit, waive compliance by the Company with the
whole or in part of any of the Company's obligations in relation to
the Conditions or extend the time or date
provided for fulfilment of any such Conditions in respect of all or
any part of the performance thereof. Any such extension or waiver
will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this
Announcement.
If (i) any of the Conditions
are not fulfilled or (where permitted) waived by Shore Capital and
VSA Capital by the relevant time or date specified (or such later
time or date as Shore Capital and VSA Capital may agree with the
Company, being no later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 February 2025) or (ii)
the Placing Agreement is terminated in the circumstances specified
below under "Right to terminate
under the Placing Agreement", 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 it or on its behalf (or any
person on whose behalf the Placee is acting) in respect thereof.
Neither Shore Capital, VSA Capital
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 Shore Capital and VSA Capital.
Right to terminate under the Placing
Agreement
Each of Shore Capital and VSA
Capital is entitled, but after prior consultation with Cavendish to
the extent practicable, at any time before First Admission or
Second Admission (as the case may be), to terminate the Placing
Agreement in accordance with its terms in
certain circumstances, including (amongst other things):
1.
Shore Capital or VSA Capital becomes aware of any fact, matter or
circumstance which constitutes or might reasonably be expected to
constitute a breach of the warranties in the Placing Agreement or
which indicates that any of such warranties has become or might
reasonably be expected to become untrue, inaccurate or misleading
by reference to the facts and circumstances then subsisting; or
2.
the Company fails to comply in any material respect with any of its
obligations under the Placing Agreement, or with the requirements
of any laws or regulations in relation to the Placing, the
Subscription and/or the Retail Offer or it comes to the attention
of Shore Capital or VSA Capital that the Company has failed, in any
material respect, to comply with any of its obligations under the
Placing Agreement; or
3.
it comes to the attention of Shore Capital or VSA Capital that any
statement contained in the Placing Documents and/or in the
documentation used in connection with the Retail Offer (together
with the Placing Documents, the "Fundraise Documents") is untrue,
inaccurate or misleading which Shore Capital or VSA Capital (acting
reasonably) considers to be material in the context of the
Fundraise or that matters have arisen which would, if the Fundraise
Documents were issued at that time, constitute an omission
therefrom which Shore Capital or VSA Capital (acting reasonably)
considers to be material in the context of the Placing, the
Subscription and/or Retail Offer;
4.
the appointment of Shore Capital as the coordinator of the Retail
Offer for the Company pursuant to the terms of the Placing
Agreement is terminated for whatever reason; or
5.
there has occurred a force majeure event, or any material adverse
change has occurred in the financial position or prospects or
business of the Company and its subsidiary undertakings (taken as
whole) which, in the opinion of Shore Capital or VSA Capital
(acting reasonably), will or is likely to be prejudicial to the
Placing, the Subscription and/or the Retail Offer.
If either Shore Capital or VSA Capital (the
"Withdrawing Bookrunner")
elects to terminate the Placing Agreement in accordance with its
terms but the other Bookrunner (the "Continuing Bookrunner") elects not to
do so, then the Continuing Bookrunner has the right to elect to
continue to act as the sole placing agent of the Company in
connection with the Placing (the "Step-in Right") and in those
circumstances the Placing Agreement will continue, the Continuing
Bookrunner will assume all rights of the Withdrawing Bookrunner
under the Placing Agreement and all obligations of the Withdrawing
Bookrunner will cease and determine, subject to certain
exceptions.
Assuming the Step-in Right is not exercised and the
Placing Agreement is terminated, upon termination, the parties to
the Placing Agreement shall be released and discharged (except for
any liability arising before or in relation to such termination)
from their respective obligations under or pursuant to the Placing
Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that (i) the exercise by Shore Capital or VSA
Capital of any right of termination or of any other discretion
under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion
of Shore Capital or VSA Capital and that it need not make any
reference to, or consult with, Placees and that it shall have no
liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any such
exercise or failure to so exercise and (ii) its rights and
obligations terminate only in the circumstances described above
under "Right to terminate under
the Placing Agreement" and "Conditions of the Placing", and its
participation will not be capable of rescission or termination by
it after oral confirmation by Shore Capital or VSA Capital of the
allocation and commitments following the close of the
Accelerated Bookbuild.
Restriction on Further Issue of
Shares
The Company has undertaken to Shore
Capital and VSA Capital that, between the date of the Placing
Agreement and 90 days after the date of Second Admission (the
"Restricted Period"), it
will not, without the prior written consent of Shore Capital and
VSA Capital directly or indirectly offer,
issue, lend, sell or contract to sell, issue options in respect of
or otherwise dispose of or announce an offering or issue of any
Ordinary Shares (or any interest therein or in respect thereof) or
any other securities exchangeable for or convertible into, or
substantially similar to, Ordinary Shares or enter into any
transaction with the same economic effect as, or agree to do, any
of the foregoing (whether or not legally or contractually obliged
to do so) provided that the foregoing
restrictions shall not restrict the ability of the Company or any
other member of the Group during the Restricted Period to grant of
options under, or the allotment and issue of shares pursuant to
options under, any employee or non-executive share or option
schemes or long term incentive plans of the Company (in accordance
with its normal practice), or the allotment
and issue of the Retail Offer Shares pursuant to the provisions of
the Retail Offer.
By participating in the Placing,
Placees agree that the exercise by Shore Capital and VSA Capital of
any power to grant consent to the undertaking by the Company of a
transaction which would otherwise be subject to the restrictive provisions on further issuance under
the Placing Agreement shall be within the
absolute discretion of Shore Capital and VSA Capital and that it
need not make any reference to, or consult with, Placees and that
it shall have no liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with
any such exercise of the power to grant consent.
Registration and Settlement
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00B11DDB67) following First Admission will
take place within the system administered by Euroclear
("CREST"), subject to
certain exceptions. Shore Capital and VSA Capital reserve the right
to require settlement for, and delivery of,
the Placing Shares (or any part thereof) to Placees by such other
means that they may deem necessary if delivery or settlement is not
possible or practicable within the CREST system or would not be consistent with the regulatory
requirements in the Placee's jurisdiction.
Shore Capital and VSA Capital are
acting as settlement banks. Following the close of the Accelerated
Bookbuild, each Placee to be allocated Placing Shares in the
Placing will be sent a Form of Confirmation stating the number of
Placing Shares allocated to them at the Issue Price, the aggregate
amount owed by such Placee to Shore Capital or VSA Capital (as the
case may be) and settlement instructions. Each Placee agrees that
it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment
is completed in accordance with the standing CREST or certificated
settlement instructions in respect of the Placing Shares that it
has in place with Shore Capital or VSA Capital.
The Company will deliver the Placing
Shares to CREST accounts operated by Shore Capital and VSA Capital
as agent for the Company and Shore Capital and VSA Capital will
enter their respective delivery instructions into the CREST system.
The input to CREST by a Placee of a matching or acceptance
instruction will then allow delivery of the relevant Placing Shares
to that Placee against payment.
It is expected that settlement in
respect of the Placing Shares will take place on 31 January 2025 on
a delivery versus payment basis.
Interest is chargeable daily on
payments not received from Placees on the due date in accordance with the arrangements set out above at
the rate of two percentage points above LIBOR as determined by
Shore Capital or VSA Capital (as the case may be).
Each Placee is deemed to agree that,
if it does not comply with these obligations, Shore Capital or VSA
Capital (as the case may be) may sell any or all of the Placing
Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's behalf and retain
from the proceeds, for Shore Capital or VSA Capital account and
benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee
plus any interest due. The relevant Placee will, however, remain
liable for any shortfall below the aggregate amount owed by it and
will be required to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other taxes or duties (together
with any interest or penalties) imposed in any jurisdiction which
may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares on such Placee's
behalf.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure
that the Form of Confirmation is copied and delivered immediately
to the relevant person within that organisation. Insofar as Placing
Shares are issued 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.
If there are any circumstances in which any stamp duty or stamp
duty reserve tax or other similar taxes or duties (including any
interest and penalties relating thereto) is payable in respect of
the allocation, allotment, issue, sale,
transfer or delivery of the Placing Shares (or, for the avoidance of doubt, if any stamp duty or
stamp duty reserve tax is payable in connection with any subsequent
transfer of or agreement to transfer Placing Shares), neither Shore
Capital, VSA Capital nor the Company shall be responsible for
payment thereof.
Representations, warranties, undertakings and
acknowledgements
By participating in the Placing each
Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably
acknowledges, confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees
(as the case may be) with Shore Capital and VSA Capital (in their
capacity as bookrunners and placing agents of the Company in
respect of the Placing) and the Company, in each case as a
fundamental term of their application for Placing Shares, the
following:
1.
it has read and understood this Announcement in its entirety and
its acquisition of Placing Shares is subject to and based upon all
the terms, conditions, representations, warranties,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings and other information
contained herein and it has not relied on, and will not rely on,
any information given or any representations, warranties or
statements made at any time by any person in connection with the
Placing, the Company, the Placing Shares or otherwise other than
the information contained in the Placing Documents and the Publicly
Available Information;
2.
the Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on AIM and that the
Company is therefore required to publish certain business and
financial information in accordance with the rules and practices of
AIM, which includes a description of the Company's business and the
Company's financial information, including balance sheets and
income statements, and that it is able to obtain or has access to
such information without undue difficulty, and is able to obtain
access to such information or comparable information concerning any
other publicly traded companies, without undue difficulty;
3.
to be bound by the terms of the articles of association of the
Company;
4.
the person whom it specifies for registration as holder of the
Placing Shares will be (a) itself or (b) its nominee, as the case
may be. Neither Shore Capital, VSA Capital nor the Company will be
responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve
tax or other similar taxes or duties imposed in any jurisdiction
(including interest and penalties relating thereto) ("Indemnified Taxes"). Each Placee and
any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to indemnify the
Company, VSA Capital and Shore Capital on an after-tax basis in
respect of any Indemnified Taxes;
5.
neither Shore Capital, VSA Capital, nor any of their affiliates
agents, directors, officers and employees accepts any
responsibility for any acts or omissions of the Company or any of
the directors of the Company or any other person in connection with
the Placing;
6.
time is of the essence as regards its obligations under this
Announcement;
7.
any document that is to be sent to it in connection with the
Placing will be sent at its risk and may be sent to it at any
address provided by it to Shore Capital or VSA Capital;
8.
it will not redistribute, forward, transfer, duplicate or otherwise
transmit this Announcement or any part of it, or any other
presentational or other material concerning the Placing (including
electronic copies thereof) to any person and represents that it has
not redistributed, forwarded, transferred, duplicated, or otherwise
transmitted any such documents to any person;
9.
no prospectus or other offering document is required under the UK
Prospectus Regulation or the EU Prospectus Regulation, nor will one
be prepared in connection with the Accelerated Bookbuild, the
Placing or the Placing Shares and it has not received and will not
receive a prospectus or other offering document in connection with
the Accelerated Bookbuild, the Placing or the Placing Shares;
10.
in connection with the Placing, Shore Capital, VSA Capital and any
of their affiliates acting as an investor for its own account may
subscribe for Placing Shares in the Company and in that capacity
may retain, purchase or sell for its own account such Placing
Shares in the Company and any securities of the Company or related
investments and may offer or sell such securities or other
investments otherwise than in connection with the Placing.
Accordingly, references in this Announcement to the Placing Shares
being issued, offered or placed should be read as including any
issue, offering or placement of such shares in the Company to Shore
Capital, VSA Capital or any of their affiliates acting in such
capacity;
11.
Shore Capital, VSA Capital and their affiliates may enter into
financing arrangements and swaps with investors in connection with
which Shore Capital, VSA Capital and any of their affiliates may
from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of such securities of
the Company, including the Placing Shares;
12.
Shore Capital and VSA Capital do not intend to disclose the extent
of any investment or transactions referred to in paragraphs 10 and
11 above otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory
obligation to do so;
13.
Shore Capital and VSA Capital do not owe any fiduciary or other
duties to any Placee in respect of any representations, warranties,
undertakings or indemnities in the Placing Agreement;
14.
its participation in the Placing is on the basis that it is not and
will not be a client of any of Shore Capital or VSA Capital in
connection with its participation in the Placing and that neither
Shore Capital nor VSA Capital have any duties or responsibilities
to it for providing the protections afforded to its clients or
customers or for providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in
respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or
indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor for the exercise
or performance of any of its rights and obligations thereunder
including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise
any termination right;
15.
the content of the Placing Documents and the Publicly Available
Information has been prepared by and is exclusively the
responsibility of the Company and neither Shore Capital, VSA
Capital nor any of their affiliates agents, directors, officers or
employees nor any person acting on behalf of any of them is
responsible for or has or shall have any responsibility or
liability for any information, representation or statement
contained in, or omission from, this Announcement, the Publicly
Available Information or otherwise nor will they be liable for any
Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any
information, representation, warranty or statement contained in
this Announcement, the Publicly Available Information or otherwise,
provided that nothing in this paragraph excludes the liability of
any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by such
person;
16.
the only information on which it is entitled to rely and on which
such Placee has relied in committing itself to subscribe for
Placing Shares is contained in the Placing Documents or any
Publicly Available Information (save that in the case of Publicly
Available Information, a Placee's right to rely on that information
is limited to the right that such Placee would have as a matter of
law in the absence of this paragraph 16), such information being
all that such Placee deems necessary or appropriate and sufficient
to make an investment decision in respect of the Placing
Shares;
17.
it has neither received nor relied on any other information given,
or representations, warranties or statements, express or implied,
made, by Shore Capital, VSA Capital or the Company nor any of their
respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees
acting on behalf of any of them (including in any management
presentation delivered in respect of the Accelerated Bookbuild)
with respect to the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares or
the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of any information contained
in the Placing Documents, or the Publicly Available Information or
otherwise;
18.
neither Shore Capital, VSA Capital nor the Company, nor any of
their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them has
provided, nor will provide, it with any material or information
regarding the Placing Shares or the Company or any other person
other than the information in the Placing Documents or the Publicly
Available Information; nor has it requested any of Shore Capital,
VSA Capital, the Company, any of their respective affiliates or any
person acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such
material or information;
19.
neither Shore Capital, VSA Capital nor the Company will be liable
for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on
any other information, representation, warranty or statement,
provided that nothing in this paragraph excludes the liability of
any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by that
person;
20.
it may not rely, and has not relied, on any investigation that
Shore Capital, VSA Capital, any of their affiliates or any person
acting on its behalf, may have conducted with respect to the
Placing Shares, the terms of the Placing or the Company, and none
of such persons has made any representation, express or implied,
with respect to the Company, the Placing, the Placing Shares or the
accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information in the
Placing Documents, the Publicly Available Information or any other
information;
21.
in making any decision to subscribe for Placing Shares it:
(a)
has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters
to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of subscribing for
the Placing Shares;
(b)
will not look to Shore Capital or VSA Capital for all or part of
any such loss it may suffer;
(c)
is experienced in investing in securities of this nature in this
sector and is aware that it may be required to bear, and is able to
bear, the economic risk of an investment in the Placing Shares;
(d)
is able to sustain a complete loss of an investment in the Placing
Shares;
(e)
has no need for liquidity with respect to its investment in the
Placing Shares;
(f)
has made its own assessment and has satisfied itself concerning the
relevant tax, legal, currency and other economic considerations
relevant to its investment in the Placing Shares; and
(g)
has conducted its own due diligence, examination, investigation and
assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and the terms of the
Placing and has satisfied itself that the information resulting
from such investigation is still current and relied on that
investigation for the purposes of its decision to participate in
the Placing;
22.
it is subscribing for the Placing Shares for its own account or for
an account with respect to which it exercises sole investment
discretion and has the authority to make and does make the
acknowledgements, representations and agreements contained in this
Announcement;
23.
it is acting as principal only in respect of the Placing or, if it
is acting for any other person, it is:
(a)
duly authorised to do so and has full power to make the
acknowledgments, representations and agreements herein on behalf of
each such person; and
(b)
will remain liable to the Company and/or Shore Capital or VSA
Capital for the performance of all its obligations as a Placee in
respect of the Placing (regardless of the fact that it is acting
for another person);
24.
it and any person acting on its behalf is entitled to subscribe for
the Placing Shares under the laws and regulations of all relevant
jurisdictions that apply to it and that it has fully observed such
laws and regulations, has capacity and authority and is entitled to
enter into and perform its obligations as a subscriber of Placing
Shares and will honour such obligations, and has obtained all such
governmental and other guarantees, permits, authorisations,
approvals and consents which may be required thereunder and
complied with all necessary formalities to enable it to commit to
this participation in the Placing and to perform its obligations in
relation thereto (including, without limitation, in the case of any
person on whose behalf it is acting, all necessary consents and
authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred to in this
Announcement) and will honour such obligations and that it has not
taken any action or omitted to take any action which will or may
result in Shore Capital, VSA Capital the Company or any of their
respective directors, officers, agents, employees or advisers
acting in breach of the legal or regulatory requirements of any
jurisdiction in connection with the Placing;
25.
where it is subscribing for Placing Shares for one or more managed
accounts, it is authorised in writing by each managed account to
subscribe for the Placing Shares for each managed account;
26.
it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised officers of Shore
Capital or VSA Capital as its agent for the purpose of executing
and delivering to the Company and/or its registrars any documents
on its behalf necessary to enable it to be registered as the holder
of any of the Placing Shares for which it agrees to subscribe for
upon the terms of this Announcement;
27.
the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered or
otherwise qualified and that a prospectus will not be cleared in
respect of any of the Placing Shares under the securities laws or
legislation of the Restricted Jurisdictions, or any state,
province, territory or jurisdiction thereof;
28.
the Placing Shares may not be offered, sold, or delivered or
transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into the above
jurisdictions or any jurisdiction (subject to certain exceptions)
in which it would be unlawful to do so and no action has been or
will be taken by any of the Company, Shore Capital, VSA Capital or
any person acting on behalf of the Company, VSA Capital or Shore
Capital that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the
Placing Shares in the Restricted Jurisdictions or any country or
jurisdiction, or any state, province, territory or jurisdiction
thereof, where any such action for that purpose is required;
29.
no action has been or will be taken by any of the Company, Shore
Capital, VSA Capital or any person acting on behalf of the Company
or Shore Capital or VSA Capital that would, or is intended to,
permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in the United States or
in any country or jurisdiction where any such action for that
purpose is required;
30.
unless otherwise specifically agreed with Shore Capital and VSA
Capital, it is not and at the time the Placing Shares are
subscribed for, neither it nor the beneficial owner of the Placing
Shares will be, a resident of, nor have an address in, Australia,
New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of South Africa or any province or
territory of Canada;
31.
it may be asked to disclose in writing or orally to Shore Capital
or VSA Capital, as applicable:
(a)
if he or she is an individual, his or her nationality; or
(b)
if he or she is a discretionary fund manager, the jurisdiction in
which the funds are managed or owned;
32.
it is and the prospective beneficial owner of the Placing Shares
is, and at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed for will be
(i) outside the United States and is acquiring the Placing Shares
in an "offshore transaction" as defined in, and in accordance with,
Regulation S under the US Securities Act or (ii) a QIB and will
duly execute a US investor letter and deliver the same to Shore
Capital, VSA Capital or their affiliates;
33.
it has not been offered to purchase or subscribe for Placing Shares
by means of any "directed selling efforts" as defined in Regulation
S under the US Securities Act or by means of any "general
solicitation" or "general advertising" within the meaning of
Regulation D under the US Securities Act;
34.
it understands that the Placing Shares have not been, and will not
be, registered under the US Securities Act and may not be offered,
sold or resold, pledged or delivered in or into or from the United
States except pursuant to (i) an effective registration statement
under the US Securities Act; or (ii) pursuant to an exemption from
the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and, in each
case, in accordance with applicable United States state securities
laws and regulations;
35.
it (and any account for which it is purchasing) is not acquiring
the Placing Shares with a view to any offer, sale or distribution
thereof within the meaning of the US Securities Act;
36.
it will not distribute, forward, transfer or otherwise transmit
this Announcement or any part of it, or any other presentational or
other materials concerning the Placing in or into or from the
United States (including electronic copies thereof) to any person,
and it has not distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise
transmitted any such materials to any person;
37.
it understands that there may be certain consequences under United
States and other tax laws resulting from an investment in the
Placing and it has made such investigation and has consulted its
own independent advisers or otherwise has satisfied itself
concerning, without limitation, the effects of United States
federal, state and local income tax laws and foreign tax laws
generally;
38.
it understands that the Company has not undertaken to determine
whether it will be treated as a passive foreign investment company
("PFIC") for US federal
income tax purposes for the current year, or whether it is likely
to be so treated for future years and neither the Company, VSA
Capital nor Shore Capital make any representation or warranty with
respect to the same. Accordingly, neither the Company nor Shore
Capital or VSA Capital can provide any advice to United States
investors as to whether the Company is or is not a PFIC for the
current tax year, or whether it will be in future tax years.
Accordingly, neither the Company nor Shore Capital and VSA Capital
undertakes to provide to United States investors or shareholders
any information necessary or desirable to facilitate their filing
of annual information returns, and United States investors and
shareholders should not assume that this information will be made
available to them;
39.
if in a member state of the EEA, unless otherwise specifically
agreed with Shore Capital and VSA Capital in writing, it is a
qualified investor as defined in article 2 (e) of the EU Prospectus
Regulation ("Qualified
Investors");
40.
it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing
Shares to persons in the EEA except to Qualified Investors or
otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted in and which
will not result in an offer to the public in any member state of
the EEA within the meaning of the EU Prospectus Regulation;
41.
if a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1)
of the UK Prospectus Regulation, the Placing Shares subscribed for
or acquired by it in the Placing will not be acquired on a
non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be acquired
with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in the United
Kingdom other than Qualified Investors (as defined in Article 2(e)
of the UK Prospectus Regulation), or in circumstances in which the
prior consent of Shore Capital and VSA Capital has been given to
each proposed offer or resale;
42.
if in the United Kingdom, that it is a person (i) having
professional experience in matters relating to investments who
falls within the definition of "investment professionals" in
Article 19(5) of the Order or (ii) who falls within Article 49(2)
(a) to (d) ("High Net Worth
Companies, Unincorporated Associations, etc") of the Order,
or (iii) to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated;
43.
it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing
Shares to persons in the United Kingdom, except to persons whose
ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or
disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes
of their business or otherwise in circumstances which have not
resulted and which will not result in an offer to the public in the
United Kingdom within the meaning of section 85(1) of the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended ("FSMA");
44.
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 and it acknowledges and
agrees that the Placing Documents have not and will not have been
approved by Shore Capital and VSA Capital in their capacity as an
authorised person under section 21 of the FSMA and it may not
therefore be subject to the controls which would apply if it was
made or approved as a financial promotion by an authorised
person;
45.
it has complied and will comply with all applicable laws with
respect to anything done by it or on its behalf in relation to the
Placing Shares (including all applicable provisions in FSMA and
MAR) in respect of anything done in, from or otherwise involving,
the United Kingdom);
46.
if it is a pension fund or investment company, its subscription for
Placing Shares is in full compliance with applicable laws and
regulations;
47.
it has complied with its obligations under the Criminal Justice Act
1993 and Articles 8, 10 and 12 of MAR and in connection with money
laundering and terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act
2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000 (as amended), the
Terrorism Act 2006 and the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing
and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017
(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 (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;
48.
in order to ensure compliance with the Regulations, Shore Capital
and VSA Capital (for themselves and as agents on behalf of the
Company) or the Company's registrars may, in their absolute
discretion, require verification of its identity. Pending the
provision to Shore Capital, VSA Capital or the Company's
registrars, as applicable, of evidence of identity, definitive
certificates in respect of the Placing Shares may be retained at
Shore Capital and VSA Capital's absolute discretion or, where
appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in uncertificated
form may be delayed at Shore Capital, VSA Capital or the Company's
registrars', as the case may be, absolute discretion. If within a
reasonable time after a request for verification of identify Shore
Capital or VSA Capital (for themselves and as agents on behalf of
the Company) or the Company's registrars have not received evidence
satisfactory to them, either Shore Capital, VSA Capital and/or the
Company may, at its absolute discretion, terminate its commitment
in respect of the Placing, in which event the monies payable on
acceptance of allotment will, if already paid, be returned without
interest to the account of the drawee's bank from which they were
originally debited;
49.
the allocation, allotment, issue and delivery to it, or the person
specified by it for registration as holder, of Placing Shares will
not give rise to a stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax liability
under (or at a rate determined under) any of sections 67, 70, 93 or
96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance
services) and that the Placing Shares are not being acquired in
connection with arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to
issue or transfer Placing Shares into a clearance service;
50.
it (and any person acting on its behalf) has the funds available to
pay for the Placing Shares for which it has agreed to subscribe and
acknowledges and agrees that it will make payment in respect of the
Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this Announcement
on the due time and date set out herein, failing which the relevant
Placing Shares may be placed with other subscribers or sold as
Shore Capital or VSA Capital 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 relevant Issue Price and the number of Placing
Shares allocated to it and will be required to bear any stamp duty,
stamp duty reserve tax or other taxes or duties (together with any
interest, fines or penalties) imposed in any jurisdiction which may
arise upon the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares;
51.
any money held in an account with Shore Capital or VSA Capital on
behalf of the Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the
Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the Placee will not be
treated as client money within the meaning of the relevant rules
and regulations of the FCA made under the FSMA. Each Placee
acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the protections
conferred by the client money rules; as a consequence this money
will not be segregated from Shore Capital or VSA Capital, as
appropriate, money in accordance with the client money rules and
will be held by it under a banking relationship and not as
trustee;
52.
its allocation (if any) of Placing Shares will represent a maximum
number of Placing Shares which it will be entitled, and required,
to subscribe for, and that Shore Capital, VSA Capital or the
Company may call upon it to subscribe for a lower number of Placing
Shares (if any), but in no event in aggregate more than the
aforementioned maximum;
53.
Shore Capital, VSA Capital nor any of their affiliates, nor any
person acting on behalf of them, is making any recommendations to
it, advising it regarding the suitability of any transactions it
may enter into in connection with the Placing;
54.
if it has received any 'inside information' (for the purposes of
MAR and section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act 1993 or other
applicable law) in relation to the Company and its securities in
advance of the Placing, it confirms that it has received such
information within the market soundings regime provided for in
article 11 of MAR and associated delegated regulations and it has
not:
(a)
used that inside information to acquire or dispose of securities of
the Company or financial instruments related thereto or cancel or
amend an order concerning the Company's securities or any such
financial instruments;
(b)
used that inside information to encourage, require, recommend or
induce another person to deal in the securities of the Company or
financial instruments related thereto or to cancel or amend an
order concerning the Company's securities or such financial
instruments; or
(c)
unlawfully disclosed such information to any person, prior to the
information being made publicly available;
55.
the rights and remedies of the Company, VSA Capital and Shore
Capital under the terms and conditions in this Announcement are in
addition to any rights and remedies which would otherwise be
available to each of them and the exercise or partial exercise of
one will not prevent the exercise of others; and
56.
these terms and conditions of the Placing and any agreements
entered into by it pursuant to the terms and conditions of the
Placing, and all non-contractual or other obligations arising out
of or in connection with them, shall be governed by and construed
in accordance with the laws of England 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
(including any dispute regarding the existence, validity or
termination of such contract or relating to any non-contractual or
other obligation arising out of or in connection with 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 either the Company
or Shore Capital or VSA Capital in any jurisdiction in which the
relevant Placee is incorporated or in which any of its securities
have a quotation on a recognised stock exchange.
The foregoing representations,
warranties, confirmations, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings are given for the benefit of the Company as well Shore
Capital and VSA Capital and are irrevocable. Shore Capital, VSA
Capital the Company and their respective affiliates and others will
rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations,
warranties, confirmations, acknowledgements, agreements
and undertakings. Each prospective Placee,
and any person acting on behalf of such Placee, irrevocably
authorises the Company, VSA Capital and Shore Capital to produce
this Announcement, pursuant to, in connection with, or as may be
required by any applicable law or regulation, administrative or
legal proceeding or official inquiry with respect to the matters
set forth herein.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) agrees
to indemnify on an after tax basis and hold the Company, Shore
Capital, VSA Capital and their respective affiliates, agents,
directors, officers and employees harmless from any and all costs,
claims, liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and
expenses) arising out of or in connection with any breach of the representations, warranties,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings given by the Placee
(and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) in this
Announcement or incurred by Shore Capital or VSA Capital, the
Company or any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors,
officers or employees arising from the performance of the Placees'
obligations as set out in this
Announcement, and further agrees that the provisions of this
Announcement shall survive after completion of the
Placing.
Taxation
The agreement to allot and issue
Placing Shares to Placees (and/or to persons for whom such Placee
is contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve
tax relates only to their allotment and issue to Placees, or such
persons as they nominate as their agents, direct from the Company
for the Placing Shares in question. Such agreement also assumes
that the Placing Shares are not being acquired in connection with
arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to issue or transfer
the Placing Shares into a clearance service. If there are any such
arrangements, or the settlement relates to any other dealing in the
Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other
similar taxes or duties may be payable, for which neither the
Company nor Shore Capital nor VSA Capital will be responsible and
the Placees shall indemnify the Company, Shore Capital and VSA
Capital on an after- tax basis for any stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax or other similar taxes or duties (together with
interest, fines and penalties) in any jurisdiction paid by the
Company or Shore Capital or VSA Capital in respect of any such
arrangements or dealings. If this is the case, each Placee should
seek its own advice and notify Shore Capital or VSA Capital
accordingly. Placees are advised to consult with their own advisers
regarding the tax aspects of the subscription for Placing
Shares.
The Company, Shore Capital and VSA
Capital are not liable to bear any taxes that arise on a sale of
Placing Shares subsequent to their acquisition by Placees,
including any taxes arising otherwise than under the laws of any
country in the EEA. Each prospective Placee should, therefore, take
its own advice as to whether any such tax liability arises and
notify Shore Capital or VSA Capital and the Company accordingly.
Furthermore, each prospective Placee agrees to indemnify on an
after-tax basis and hold Shore Capital, VSA
Capital and/or the Company and their respective affiliates
harmless from any and all interest, fines or penalties in relation
to stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax and
all other similar duties or taxes in any
jurisdiction to the extent that such interest, fines or penalties
arise from the unreasonable default or delay of that Placee or its
agent.
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, whether inside or outside the UK, by
them or any other person on the
subscription, acquisition, transfer or sale by them of any Placing
Shares or the agreement by them to subscribe for, acquire, transfer or sell any Placing
Shares.
No statement in the Placing
Documents is intended to be a profit forecast or estimate, and no
statement in the Placing Documents should be interpreted to mean
that earnings per share of the Company for the current or future
financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical
published earnings per share of the Company. Past performance is no
guide to future performance and persons needing advice should
consult an independent financial adviser.
The price of shares 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 shares.
Past performance is no guide to future
performance, and persons needing advice should consult an
independent financial adviser.
The Placing Shares to be issued
pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than AIM, a market operated by the London
Stock Exchange.
Neither the content of the Company's
website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's
website is incorporated in, or forms part of, the Placing
Documents.