NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR
DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, INTO OR
IN THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR
ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH OFFERS OR SALES WOULD BE PROHIBITED
BY APPLICABLE LAW. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR FORM AN
OFFER FOR SALE OF, OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, THE
SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN IN ANY JURISDICTION, INCLUDING THE
UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION IN WHICH OFFERS OR SALES WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY
APPLICABLE LAW.
PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT
THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
PROPOSED PLACING OF ORDINARY SHARES IN AUCTION TECHNOLOGY
GROUP PLC ("ATG" OR THE "COMPANY") REPRESENTING APPROXIMATELY 5.0%
OF THE COMPANY'S ISSUED SHARE CAPITAL
27 June 2024
TA Associates announce its intention
to sell ordinary shares of 0.01 pence each (the "Placing Shares") representing
approximately 5.0% of the Company's issued share capital through a
placing to institutional investors (the "Placing").
The Placing Shares will be sold by
TA Associates through its sub-funds TA XIII-A L.P., TA XIII-B L.P.,
TA Investors XIII L.P., TA Investors IV EU AIV L.P. and TA
Subordinated Debt Fund IV L.P. (together, the "Sellers").
TA Associates currently owns
approximately 17.6% of the Company's issued share capital,
corresponding to approximately 21.4 million shares.
The price per Placing Share will be
determined by way of an accelerated bookbuilding process to
institutional investors. The bookbuilding period will commence
immediately following this announcement, and may close at any time
on short notice. J.P. Morgan Securities plc ("J.P. Morgan"), which conducts its UK
investment banking activities as J.P. Morgan Cazenove ("J.P. Morgan Cazenove") is acting as
sole global coordinator and sole bookrunner in connection with the
Placing.
The Sellers will be locked up in
respect of their residual holdings until 60 days post settlement of
the Placing, subject to customary exceptions.
The final number of Placing Shares
to be placed will be agreed by J.P. Morgan Cazenove and the Sellers
at the close of the bookbuilding process, and the results of the
Placing will be announced as soon as practicable
thereafter.
ATG will not receive any proceeds
from the Placing.
Enquiries
J.P. Morgan Cazenove
(Sole Global Coordinator and Sole
Bookrunner)
|
+44 (0) 20 7742 4000
|
Virginie De Grivel Nigam, Harry Sanders, Edoardo Maria
Giacobbe
|
|
IMPORTANT NOTICE
This announcement is not for
publication or distribution or release, directly or indirectly, in
or into the United States of America (including its territories and
possessions, any state of the United States and the District of
Columbia), Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan or any other
jurisdiction where such an announcement would be unlawful. The
distribution of this announcement may be restricted by law in
certain jurisdictions and persons into whose possession this
document or other information referred to herein comes should
inform themselves about and observe any such restriction. Any
failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a
violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No
action has been taken that would permit an offering of the Placing
Shares or possession or distribution of this announcement in any
jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required.
This announcement does not
constitute or form part of an offer for sale or solicitation of an
offer to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States,
Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan or any other jurisdiction
and the securities referred to herein have not been registered
under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The Placing
Shares have not been and will not be registered under the United
States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities
Act"), or under the securities laws
of any State or any other jurisdiction of the United States, and
may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in the United
States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction
not subject to, the registration requirements of, the Securities
Act and in compliance with all applicable securities laws of any
State or any other jurisdiction of the United States. No public
offering of securities is being made in the United States or in any
other jurisdiction.
In member states of the European
Economic Area ("EEA"), this announcement and any offer of Placing Shares if made
subsequently is directed exclusively at persons who are "qualified
investors" within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation
("Qualified Investors"). For
these purposes, the expression "Prospectus
Regulation" means Regulation (EU)
2017/1129. In the United Kingdom this announcement is only being
distributed to, and is only directed at, and any investment or
investment activity to which this announcement relates is available
only to, and will be engaged in only with, Qualified Investors who
are (i) investment professionals falling with Article 19(5) of the
UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion)
Order 2005 (as amended) (the "Order"); or (ii) high net worth
entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, or
(iii) other persons to whom an offer of the Placing Shares may
otherwise be lawfully communicated (all such persons together being
referred to as "relevant
persons"). Persons who are not
relevant persons should not take any action on the basis of this
announcement and should not act or rely on it.
No prospectus or offering document
has been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing. Any
investment decision in connection with the Placing must be made on
the basis of all publicly available information relating to ATG and
its shares. Such information has not been independently verified
and the Sellers and J.P. Morgan Cazenove are not responsible, and
expressly disclaim any liability, for such information. The
information contained in this announcement is for background
purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. No
reliance may be placed for any purpose on the information contained
in this announcement or its accuracy or completeness.
In connection with the Placing, J.P.
Morgan Cazenove or any of its respective affiliates may take up a
portion of the Placing Shares as a principal position and in that
capacity may retain, purchase, sell or offer to sell for its own
account such Placing Shares and other securities of ATG or related
investments in connection with the Placing or otherwise.
Accordingly, references to the Placing Shares being issued,
offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should
be read as including any issue or offer to, or subscription,
acquisition, placing or dealing by J.P. Morgan Cazenove and any of
its respective affiliates acting as investors for their own
accounts. J.P. Morgan Cazenove does not intend to disclose the
extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in
accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do
so.
This announcement does not purport
to identify or suggest the risks (direct or indirect) which may be
associated with an investment in ATG or its shares.
This announcement does not
constitute a recommendation concerning the Placing. The price and
value of securities and any income from them can go down as well as
up. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
Acquiring Placing Shares to which this announcement relates may
expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all of the
amount invested. Potential investors should consult a professional
advisor as to the suitability of the Placing for the entity or
person concerned. This announcement does not represent the
announcement of a definitive agreement to proceed with the Placing
and, accordingly, there can be no certainty that the Placing will
proceed. The Sellers reserve the right not to proceed with the
Placing or to vary the terms of the offering in any way.
J.P. Morgan Securities plc, which
conducts its UK investment banking activities as J.P. Morgan
Cazenove, is authorised by the Prudential Regulatory Authority
("PRA") and regulated by the
Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") and the PRA. J.P. Morgan Cazenove is acting for the
Sellers only in connection with the Placing and no one else, and
will not be responsible to anyone other than the Sellers for
providing the protections offered to clients nor for providing
advice in relation to the Placing Shares or the Placing, the
contents of this announcement or any transaction, arrangement or
other matter referred to in this announcement.
Certain figures contained in this
announcement, including financial information, have been subject to
rounding adjustments. Accordingly, in certain instances, the sum or
percentage change of the numbers contained in this announcement may
not conform exactly with the total figure given.
This announcement includes
statements that are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements may be identified by
the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms
"intends", "expects", "will", or "may", or, in each case, their
negative or other variations or comparable terminology, or by
discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or
intentions. These forward-looking statements include all matters
that are not historical facts and include statements regarding
intentions, beliefs or current expectations. No assurances can be
given that the forward-looking statements in this announcement will
be realised. As a result, no undue reliance should be placed on
these forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual events
or otherwise.