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DOMAIN.
14 May 2024
LifeSafe Holdings
plc
("LifeSafe", the
"Group", or the
"Company")
Proposed Fundraising to raise
up to £2.0 million
Key
features of the Fundraising
· Proposed equity fundraising
of up to £2.0 million comprising of a placing to raise
approximately £1.6 million, direct subscriptions to raise
approximately £0.1 million, and retail offer to raise up to a
further £0.3 million
· Placing to be conducted by
way of an accelerated bookbuild ("ABB") launching immediately
following this Announcement
· Retail Offer to be launched
following the close of the ABB on the Bookbuild
platform
· Net proceeds of the Fundraise
will ensure the Company has sufficient working capital to meet its
existing and future liabilities, as well as to permit the Board to
advance business development and leverage market
position
· Issue Price of 10 pence per
Fundraising Share
· Management to provide an
investor presentation at 5.00 p.m. on 15 May 2024
· A General Meeting of the
Company's Shareholders will take place on
30 May 2024
· A circular to shareholders
(the "Circular") will be posted to Shareholders and made available
on the Company's website in due course
· Zeus is acting as Nominated
Adviser and sole broker and bookrunner on the
Placing
LifeSafe Holdings plc (AIM:LIFS), a
fire safety technology business with innovative fire extinguishing
fluids and fire safety products, announces a fundraising to raise
up to £2.0 million (before expenses) at a price of 10 pence
per new Ordinary Share from new and existing Shareholders (the
"Issue Price").
The Fundraising will comprise
of:
i.
raising gross proceeds of up to approximately £1.6 million through
a placing (the "Placing")
of 16,050,000 new Ordinary Shares (the "Placing Shares") at a price of 10 pence
per share (the "Issue
Price")
ii. raising gross
proceeds of approximately £0.1 million through a direct
subscription (the "Subscription") of 950,000 new Ordinary Shares (the
"Subscription Shares") at
the Issue Price, and
iii. an
offer to retail investors via the BookBuild platform to raise gross
proceeds of up to £0.3 million (the "Retail Offer") at the Issue
Price.
The Issue Price represents a
discount of approximately 32 per cent. to the 30-day volume weighted
average price ("VWAP") to 13 May 2024 of 14.7 pence per Ordinary
Share and 39 per cent. to the closing share price of 16.25
pence per Ordinary Share on 13 May 2024, being the last
practicable date prior to announcement of the
Fundraising.
Further announcements will be made
shortly in connection with the Retail Offer and its terms. The
Placing and Subscription are not conditional upon the Retail Offer
and for the avoidance of doubt, the Retail Offer is not part of the
Placing nor the Subscription.
The Placing will be conducted by way
of an ABB which will commence immediately following this
Announcement. The Placing is subject to the terms and conditions
set out in the Appendix of this Announcement (the "Terms and
Conditions").
Zeus Capital
Limited ("Zeus") is
acting as sole broker in relation to the Placing. A placing
agreement has been entered into today between the Company and Zeus
in connection with the Placing (the "Placing Agreement").
The Fundraising is required to
ensure the Company has sufficient working capital to meet its
existing and future liabilities as and when they fall due, as well
as to permit the Board to advance business development and leverage
market position, accelerating the Company's move to profitability.
The Fundraising will also support product development.
The Fundraising is conditional upon,
inter alia, the approval by the Shareholders of the Resolutions to
be proposed at the General Meeting to be held at LifeSafe Holdings
plc, Basepoint Business Centre, Isidore Road, Bromsgrove Enterprise
Park, Bromsgrove, B60 3ET at 10.00 a.m. on 30 May 2024. A circular,
containing further details of the Fundraising, Notice of General
Meeting and proxy form (together the "Circular") will be posted to
Shareholders today and will be made available on the Company's
website at https://www.lifesafeholdingsplc.com/.
If the conditions relating to the
issue of the Placing Shares are not satisfied or the Placing
Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms, the Placing
Shares will not be issued, and the Company will not receive the
associated placing monies. In this scenario, the Retail Offer and
the Subscription will similarly not proceed.
Applications will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for the admission of the Placing Shares,
Subscription Shares and Retail Offer Shares to be admitted to
trading on AIM. It is currently expected that Admission will become
effective, and that dealings in the respective shares will commence
on AIM, on or around 31 May 2024. The Fundraising Shares,
when issued, will be fully paid and will rank pari passu in all
respects with the Existing Ordinary Shares.
Investor Presentation
The Company will provide a live
presentation and Q&A for investors and any other interested
parties via Teams at 5.00 p.m. on 15 May 2024.
Interested parties can register for
the presentation for free at info@lifesafetechnologies.com.
Information on LifeSafe
LifeSafe is a fire safety technology
business specialising in the development of effective, novel and
eco-friendly fire extinguishing fluids and products capable of
extinguishing and preventing multiple types of fire. The Company
has developed a market-disrupting range of fire safety protection
products across consumer, wholesale and industrial
sectors.
LifeSafe pioneered the concept of
compact and easy-to-use fire extinguishers with its first D2C
product; the 'StaySafe 5-in-1' launched in 2021 which became Amazon
Prime's top-selling fire extinguisher within the first month of
launch in the UK and, subsequently, its 'StaySafe All-in-1' in
2023.
As set out further below, LifeSafe
has been developing industrials-focused fluids in recent years with
the support of industrial partners, including its Thermal Runaway
Fluid (TRF), Pre-Trauma Fluid (PTF), Wild-Fire Pro Fluid and
Multi-Purpose Fluid.
The Company has made considerable
operational and strategic progress in the last 12 months. It has
made a number of announcements as a result of accelerating the
development of its strong pipeline of innovative new products and
fluid derivatives in response to industry demand.
Consumer and wholesale market
The Company's principal consumer
product is the StaySafe All-in-1 fire extinguisher, launched in the
UK in April 2023. The StaySafe All-in-1 is specifically designed to
tackle ten different types of fire using a variant of the Company's
core eco-friendly patented fluid, FER1000, and replacing the
Company's successful debut product, the StaySafe 5-in-1.
The types of fire which can be
extinguished using a single bottle include lithium-ion batteries,
bio-ethanol, motor oil, bio-diesel, diesel, E5 and E10 petrol,
electrical, textiles, timber/wood and cooking oil.
The StaySafe All-in-1 has since
launched in the US in July 2023 and with the Screwfix chain in
September 2023. The Board consider the market opportunity for these
products to be significant, noting that 83 per cent. of homes in
the UK do not have a fire extinguisher; fundamentally, the
Directors believe that every home should have a StaySafe All-in-1
extinguisher. The Company also notes its high product ratings on
Amazon, supported by the 4.8 'Excellent' Trustpilot score for
customer/company satisfaction alongside customer testimonials which
are all contributing in building its brand recognition.
These products are sold direct to
consumers through e-commerce and online sales channels, with
significant revenue growth in the last two years, especially in the
US.
Having invested heavily in marketing
and successfully establishing the LifeSafe brand, the Company has
recently evolved its US strategy to sell through a reseller
model. This collaboration yields notably higher gross margins
for LifeSafe, who maintain control over pricing and brand
identity. As the reseller is responsible for the advertising
costs, bundling the StaySafe All-in-1 with its complementary
products, the Company expects to save around $1.0 million per annum
in US advertising overheads compared to 2023.
Industrial market
The Company's fluorine free
derivatives of its existing fluids have been developed in response
to European legislation which, from July 2025, will ban the use of
fire-fighting foam containing perfluorooctanoic acid ("PFOA"). This
follows similar legislation in North America and Australia. The
global extinguisher market is valued at £9.1 billion per year
(Source: Grandview Research) representing a significant opportunity
for LifeSafe.
All LifeSafe's new fluids are PFAS /
fluorine free and the Company is continuing to develop a range of
products with the support of industry leaders within the fire
industry, to take advantage of potentially significant new and
incremental revenue opportunities.
Such products include:
Thermal Runaway Fluid ("TRF") -
designed to permanently extinguish and prevent the re-ignition of
lithium fires and has been engineered to remove the heat from the
lithium fire, therefore making the battery safer post trauma. The
TRF fluid has been independently tested against competition
currently in the market and deemed more effective by a major $3
billion turnover leader in the fire industry.
Pre-Trauma Fluid ("PTF") - a
unique, non-conductive coolant fluid designed specifically to
prevent thermal runaway in battery packs which can be caused by
overheating, overcharging or damage. This product aims to address
the increased threat of fire in lithium battery-powered machinery
across various sectors and potential routes to market would be via
suppression systems companies or lithium-ion battery
manufacturers.
In Q1 2024, the Company received its
first purchase orders of industrial fluids for testing and
certification purposes. The orders for PTF and TRF have come
through the recently announced partnerships with Reacton and
Lingjack for use, respectively, in testing in Reacton's suppression
system and in Lingjack's range of fire extinguishers and fixed
suppression systems.
WildFire Pro ("W-FP") - a
non-toxic and fluorine-free wildfire fluid engineered to suppress,
extinguish and prevent the spread of devastating wildfires. In
Australia, the annual wildfire operations expenses for the New
South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service were $217 million in 2016 and
$268 million in 2017. W-FP has been developed based on parameters
supplied by an industry leader and, based on tests carried out by
the Company, when pre-treatment is applied, the non-toxic residue
of the fire retardant remains effective for over 14 days post-water
evaporation. This product is expected to launch in 2025, subject to
certification approval.
Key Strategic Partnerships - industrials
Under the strategic partnership
agreement with Wormald Fire & Security, LifeSafe will supply
its TRF fire extinguishing fluid in Australia to Wormald for use in
their range of fire safety equipment. In addition to the
expected revenue benefits from the distribution of the Company's
fluids, Wormald has provided LifeSafe with introductions and
expertise in helping to access other geographies and market
sectors.
In December 2023, Lifesafe announced
a development partnership and collaboration agreement with
Xerotech, one of the fastest growing battery manufacturers in
Europe, which will support the development and application methods
of the TRF and PTF products.
LifeSafe has entered into a contract
and partnership agreement with Trinity Fire & Security Systems
("Trinity"), a c.£60 million turnover business with over 2,000
customers across the UK. Trinity provides fire safety equipment and
services across multiple sectors to customers including the
Ministry of Defence, the NHS, IKEA, Mitie, CBRE, John Lewis,
Selfridges and Heathrow Airport. LifeSafe intends to supply Trinity
with 6L cannisters featuring Multi-Purpose Fluid on an exclusive UK
basis with sales of c.£1.3 million estimated over three
years.
IP
portfolio
LifeSafe products are protected both
through patents as well as trade know-how. The Company currently
has one patent formally granted in the UK with pending patent
applications for eight further fluid derivations across the UK and
internationally.
The chemical composition of
LifeSafe's fire extinguishing fluid and its sophisticated
manufacturing processes are managed and controlled in
house.
Trading update and outlook
The strong performance observed in
FY23 reflects the Company's consistent success across its key
consumer sales channels. Furthermore, the Board believes that the
Company's ongoing product development augurs well for future growth
and market expansion.
Revenue for FY23 increased by 46% to
£5.9 million (FY22: £4.0 million) due to the continued
commercialisation of the Company's fire extinguishing fluid. This
is in line with the updated guidance. The growth was driven
primarily in the North American market with the launch of the
StaySafe All-in-1 in the US in July 2023. The Company's updated
product range in the UK and the US demonstrates its commitment to
reaching a broader customer base and capitalising on market
potential.
Gross profit increased to £3.4
million, representing gross margin of 57.6%, in line with FY22
(FY22: 57.0%). However, underlying LBITDA increased slightly to
£1.4 million (FY22: £1.3 million) as overheads at £4.8 million were
significantly higher due to growing digital marketing costs and
increased logistics costs to meet growth in demand (FY22: £3.6
million in overheads).
The Board currently estimates that
the R&D tax credit receivable by the Company with regard to
FY23, will be approximately £45,000.
In terms of its balance sheet, net
assets of the Group as at 31 December 2023 totalled £1.4 million, a
reduction of approximately £0.3 million (31 December 2022: £1.7
million). This was primarily due to an increase in intangible
assets of £0.3 million, offset by current assets of circa £1.8
million, being approximately £0.5 million lower than prior year
(£2.3 million).
As at 31 December 2023, the Company
had cash of £0.4 million which included £375,000 of committed
fundraise proceeds received in January 2024. The Company received
the delayed VAT refund of £0.3 million in Q1 FY24.
Shareholders should note that the
figures above in respect of FY23 are unaudited whereas the 2022
numbers are derived from the Company's audited financial statements
for the year ended 31 December 2022.
In the Board's opinion, the
Company's continued commercial success, reinforced by revenue
performance, recent product launches, and profit outlook, positions
it favourably for future growth and profitability in the coming
years. Furthermore, the Board anticipates news flow in the coming
months including:
· Certification approvals in the UK;
· Global
partnership announcement with a major $3 billion turnover
group;
· Partnership announcement with a major Australian business;
and
· Announcement of new downstream client for Reacton utilising
LifeSafe's fluid.
However, the Company remains heavily
working capital constrained, which has impacted its ability to
progress its commercial strategies as fast as it might otherwise
have liked. Cash is currently being managed very carefully, and the
Company has a number of overdue creditor payments, which, if the
proposed Fundraise is not completed, or other alternate financing
secured, will leave the Company in significant financial
difficulties.
Background to and reasons for the Fundraise
As set out above, the Company's
commercial opportunities continue to progress, and the Board
believes that the current business pipeline is more focused, not
only on its existing direct to consumer products, but also in the
new wholesale and industrial thermal runaway, pre-trauma and
wildfire products.
The Board is confident that revenue
will grow as a result of new product development together with
expansion into new territories. It expects the operating result to
improve through increased gross margin and reduced digital
advertising and logistics costs as a result of the new US reseller
relationship.
However, the Company remains heavily
working capital constrained and is therefore seeking to raise funds
to strengthen the Company's current balance sheet and provide
necessary working capital to permit the Board to advance business
development and leverage market position, accelerating the
Company's move to profitability. This Fundraising will also support
product development.
If the Company fails to complete
this Fundraising, it would need to seek urgent alternative
financing. However, there can be no guarantee that the Company will
be able to obtain any alternative financing, and even if available
would, in the opinion of the Directors, be on worse terms than the
Fundraising.
Information on the Fundraise
Placing
The Placing will be conducted by
Zeus on behalf of the Company in accordance with the Terms and
Conditions. The Placing will be conducted
by way of an ABB which will commence immediately following this
Announcement. The Placing is subject to the Terms and
Conditions. The number of Placing Shares will be determined
by Zeus and the Company, and will be confirmed orally or by email
following the close of the ABB. The Placing Shares, when issued,
will be fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with
the existing Ordinary Shares.
It is expected that the ABB will
close on 14 May 2024. However, the timing of the closing of
the ABB and allocations are at the absolute discretion of Zeus and
the Company. Details of the results of the Placing will be
announced as soon as practicable after the close of the ABB. The
Placing is not being underwritten.
This announcement should be read in
its entirety. Investors' attention is drawn to the detailed Terms
and Conditions of the Placing. By choosing to participate in the
Placing and by making an oral and legally binding offer to acquire
Placing Shares, investors will be deemed to have read and
understood this announcement in its entirety (including the
appendices) and to be making such offer on the terms and subject to
the conditions of the Placing contained here, and to be providing
the representations, warranties and acknowledgements contained in
the Terms and Conditions.
The Placing is conditional, amongst
other things, upon: (a) the Resolutions set out in the Notice of
General Meeting being approved by Shareholders: (b) the Placing
Agreement becoming unconditional in all respects save for Admission
and not having been terminated in accordance with its terms; and
(c) Admission of the Placing Shares becoming effective on or before
8.00 a.m. on 31 May 2024, or such later date as the Company and
Zeus may agree (being no later than 8.00 a.m. on 14 June
2024).
The Company received advance
assurance on 7 March 2022 from HMRC that it is a qualifying company
for the purposes of the Enterprise Investment Scheme ("EIS Advance
Assurance"). The Company currently expects to satisfy the relevant
conditions for the issue of the EIS/VCT Placing Shares to be
eligible for EIS Relief and should be regarded as a qualifying
holding for a VCT. The Directors are not aware of any subsequent
change in the qualifying conditions or the Company's circumstances
that would prevent the EIS/VCT Placing Shares from being eligible
for EIS and VCT investments, neither the Directors nor the Company
give any representation, warranty or undertaking that relief will
be available in respect of the EIS/VCT Placing Shares nor is any
representation, warranty or undertaking given that the Company will
continue to conduct its activities in a way that qualifies for, or
preserves, its eligibility status. HMRC does not consider VCT
advance assurance applications where the details of the potential
qualifying holding are not given.
Subscription
Certain investors have indicated
their intention to subscribe directly with the Company for
Subscription Shares.
The Subscription Shares will be
subscribed for directly by the Subscribers at the Issue Price. The
Subscription will remain conditional, among other things, upon (a)
the Resolutions set out in the Notice of General Meeting being
approved by the Shareholders, (b) the Placing Agreement becoming
unconditional in all respects save for Admission and not having
been terminated in accordance with its terms, and (c) Admission
becoming effective by no later than 8.00 a.m. on 31 May 2024 (or
such later date as the parties may agree, not being later than 14
June 2024).
Retail Offer
The Company values its Shareholder
base and believes that it is appropriate to provide its eligible
existing retail Shareholders in the United Kingdom the opportunity
to participate in the Retail Offer. The Retail Offer will allow
existing retail Shareholders to participate in the Placing by
subscribing for Retail Shares at the Issue Price.
The Company is proposing to raise up
to an additional £0.3 million (before expenses) by way of a retail
offer to its existing shareholders via the Bookbuild Platform (the
"Retail Offer") of up to 3,000,000 new Ordinary Shares at the Issue
Price following the close of the ABB.
Further information on how existing
Shareholders can participate in the Retail Offer will be contained
in the Retail Offer Announcement.
The Placing Agreement
Pursuant to the terms of the Placing
Agreement, Zeus has conditionally agreed to use its reasonable
endeavours, as agent for the Company, to procure subscribers for
the Placing Shares at the Issue Price. The Placing Agreement
contains customary warranties from the Company in favour of Zeus in
relation to, amongst other things, the accuracy of the information
in this document and other matters relating to the Company and its
business. In addition, the Company has agreed to indemnify Zeus and
its associates in relation to certain liabilities it and its
associates may incur in respect of the Fundraising. Zeus has the
right to terminate the Placing Agreement in certain circumstances
prior to Admission, in particular, in the event of a breach of the
warranties given in the Placing Agreement which Zeus considers to
be material, breach by the Company of any of its material
obligations under the Placing Agreement, the occurrence of a force
majeure event, or a material adverse change affecting, amongst
other things, the Placing or dealings in the Fundraising Shares in
the secondary market.
Related Party Transactions
Dominic Berger, Executive Chairman,
and Gavin Cornelius, Chief Innovation Officer, intend to subscribe
for Fundraising Shares, which will constitute a related party
transaction under the AIM Rules for Companies.
General Meeting
The Company's existing shareholder
authorities do not give the Directors the authority necessary to
allot the Fundraising Shares. Accordingly, the Board will seek the
approval of Shareholders to provide the authority to allot
Fundraising Shares in respect of the Fundraising. The General
Meeting will be held at LifeSafe Holdings plc, Basepoint Business
Centre, Isidore Road, Bromsgrove Enterprise Park, Bromsgrove, B60
3ET at 10.00 a.m. on 30 May 2024, further details of which, will be
set out in the Circular to Shareholders to be posted to
Shareholders on 14 May 2024.
For
further information please contact:
LifeSafe Holdings plc
Dominic Berger, Chairman
Neil Smith, Chief Executive
Officer
Mike Stilwell, Chief Financial
Officer
|
info@lifesafetechnologies.com
|
Zeus (Nominated Adviser &
Broker)
David Foreman, Alexandra
Campbell-Harris (Investment Banking)
Alice Lane (Corporate
Broking)
|
Tel:
+44 (0) 203 829 5000
|
Expected Timetable of Principal Events
|
2024
|
Announcement of the
Placing
|
14 May
2024
|
Publication of the Circular and Form
of Proxy
|
14 May
2024
|
Latest time and date for receipt of
Form of Proxy
|
10.00 a.m.
on 28 May 2024
|
General Meeting
|
10.00 a.m.
on 30 May 2024
|
Results of the General Meeting
Announced
|
30 May
2024
|
Admission
|
8.00 a.m.
on 31 May 2024
|
CREST accounts credited with
Fundraising Shares in uncertificated form
|
8.00 a.m.
on 31 May 2024
|
Dispatch of share certificates in
respect of the Fundraising Shares to be issued in certificated
form
|
Within 10
days of Admission Date3
|
Notes:
1. Each of the times and dates above are indicative only and are
subject to change. If any of the above times and/or dates change,
the revised times and/or dates will be notified by the Company to
Shareholders by announcement through a regulatory information
service.
2. All of the above times refer to London time unless otherwise
stated.
3. The admission and commencement of dealings in the Fundraising
Shares on AIM are conditional on, inter alia, the passing of the
Resolutions at the General Meeting.
IMPORTANT
NOTICES
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN
IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR FORM
ANY PART OF AN OFFER TO SELL OR ISSUE, OR A SOLICITATION OF AN
OFFER TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE ANY SECURITIES IN
THE UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY
STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
(COLLECTIVELY, THE "UNITED STATES"), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, SOUTH
AFRICA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER OR
SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL OR TO ANY PERSON TO WHOM IT IS
UNLAWFUL TO MAKE SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF
THE PLACING SHARES IS BEING MADE IN ANY SUCH JURISDICTION. ANY
FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESE RESTRICTIONS MAY CONSTITUTE A
VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES LAWS OF SUCH
JURISDICTIONS.
This Announcement is not for public
release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, directly
or indirectly, in or into the United States, Australia, Canada, the
Republic of South Africa, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which
such release, publication or distribution would be unlawful
("Restricted Territory") or distributed to any
individual outside a Restrictive Territory who is a resident
thereof.
The securities referred to herein
have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"), and may not be
offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an
applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the US
Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities
laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, or
under the securities laws of Australia, Canada, the Republic of
South Africa, Japan, or any state, province or territory thereof or
any other jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom, except pursuant
to an applicable exemption from the registration requirements and
in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state,
province or other jurisdiction of Australia, Canada, the Republic
of South Africa or Japan (as the case may be).
No public offering of the Placing
Shares is being made in Australia, Canada, the Republic of South
Africa or Japan or elsewhere.
No action has been taken by the
Company or Zeus or any of their respective affiliates, or any of
its or their respective directors, officers, partners, employees,
advisers and/or agents (collectively, "Representatives") that would permit an
offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of this
Announcement or any other publicity material relating to such
Placing 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. 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. Persons distributing
any part of this Announcement must satisfy themselves that it is
lawful to do so.
No offering document or prospectus
will be made available in any jurisdiction in connection with the
matters contained or referred to in this Announcement or the
Placing and no such offering document or prospectus is required to
be published by the Company.
Certain statements in this
Announcement are forward-looking statements with respect to the
Company's expectations, intentions and projections regarding its
future performance, strategic initiatives, anticipated events or
trends and other matters that are not historical facts and which
are, by their nature, inherently predictive, speculative and
involve risks and uncertainty because they relate to events and
depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future.
All statements that address expectations or projections about the
future, including statements about operating performance, strategic
initiatives, objectives, market position, industry trends, general
economic conditions, expected expenditures, expected cost savings
and financial results, are forward-looking statements. Any
statements contained in this Announcement that are not statements
of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward‐looking
statements. These forward-looking statements, which may use words
such as "aim", "anticipate", "believe", "could", "intend",
"estimate", "expect", "may", "plan", "project" or words or terms of
similar meaning or the negative thereof, are not guarantees of
future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks and
uncertainties. There are a number of factors including, but not
limited to, commercial, operational, economic and financial
factors, that could cause actual results, financial condition,
performance or achievements to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by any of these forward‐looking statements.
Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are
beyond the Company's ability to control or estimate precisely, such
as changes in taxation or fiscal policy, future market conditions,
currency fluctuations, the behaviour of other market participants,
the actions of governments or governmental regulators, or other
risk factors, such as changes in the political, social and
regulatory framework in which the Company operates or in economic
or technological trends or conditions, including inflation,
recession and consumer confidence, on a global, regional or
national basis. Given those risks and uncertainties, readers are
cautioned not to place specific reliance on forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of
this Announcement. Each of the Company and Zeus expressly disclaims
any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise unless required to do so by applicable
law or regulation.
Zeus, which is authorised and
regulated by the Financial Conduct
Authority ("FCA") in
the United Kingdom, is acting as nominated adviser, sole broker and
sole bookrunner exclusively for the Company and no one else in
connection with the Placing and will not regard any other person
(whether or not a recipient of this Announcement) as a client in
relation to the Placing and will not be responsible to anyone other
than the Company in connection with the Placing or for
providing the protections afforded to their clients or for giving
advice in relation to the Placing or any other matter referred to
in this Announcement. The responsibilities of Zeus, as nominated
adviser, are owed solely to London Stock Exchange plc and are
not owed to the Company or to any director or any other person and
accordingly no duty of care is accepted in relation to them. No
representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by Zeus as
to, and no liability whatsoever is accepted by Zeus in respect of,
any of the contents of this Announcement (without limiting the
statutory rights of any person to whom this Announcement is
issued).
This Announcement is being issued by
and is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representation or
warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in
relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be
accepted by or on behalf of Zeus (apart from the responsibilities
or liabilities that may be imposed by the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended ("FSMA") or the regulatory regime
established thereunder) and/or by any of its affiliates and/or any
of its Representatives as to, or in relation to, the accuracy,
adequacy, fairness or completeness of this Announcement or any
other written or oral information made available to or publicly
available to any interested party or their respective advisers or
any other statement made or purported to be made by or on behalf of
Zeus and/or any of its affiliates and/or by any of its
Representatives in connection with the Company, the Placing Shares
or the Placing and any responsibility and liability whether arising
in tort, contract or otherwise therefor is expressly disclaimed. No
representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by Zeus
and/or any of its affiliates and/or any of its Representatives as
to the accuracy, fairness, verification, completeness or
sufficiency of the information or opinions contained in this
Announcement or any other written or oral information made
available to or publicly available to any interested party or their
respective advisers, and any liability therefor is expressly
disclaimed.
This Announcement does not
constitute a recommendation concerning any investor's options with
respect to the Placing. Recipients of this Announcement should
conduct their own investigation, evaluation and analysis of the
business, data and other information described in this
Announcement. This Announcement does not identify or suggest, or
purport to identify or suggest, the risks (direct or indirect) that
may be associated with an investment in the Placing Shares. The
price and value of securities can go down as well as up and
investors may not get back the full amount invested upon the
disposal of the shares. Past performance is not a guide to future
performance. The contents of this Announcement are not to be
construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each
investor or prospective investor should consult his or her or its
own legal adviser, business adviser, financial adviser or tax
adviser for legal, business, financial or tax advice.
All offers of the Placing Shares
will be made pursuant to an exemption under the UK Prospectus
Regulation from the requirement to produce a prospectus. 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.
The Appendix to this Announcement
sets out the terms and conditions of the Placing. By participating
in the Placing, each Placee will be deemed to have read and
understood this Announcement (including the Appendix) in its
entirety, to be participating in the Placing and making an offer to
acquire and acquiring Placing Shares on the terms and subject to
the conditions set out in the Appendix to this Announcement and to
be providing the representations, warranties, undertakings and
acknowledgements contained in the Appendix to this
Announcement.
This Announcement has been prepared
for the purposes of complying with applicable law and regulation in
the United Kingdom and the information disclosed may not be the
same as that which would have been disclosed if this Announcement
had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of
any jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.
APPENDIX - TERMS AND
CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INVITED
PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE PLACING.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (THE "TERMS AND CONDITIONS") ARE FOR
INFORMATION ONLY AND ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY
ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND
DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES
OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS
RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (1) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,
"QUALIFIED INVESTORS", BEING PERSONS FALLING WITHIN THE MEANING OF
ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION, WHO (A) FALL WITHIN
ARTICLE 19(5) (INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES
AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED
(THE "ORDER") OR (B) FALL
WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES,
UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; (2) IF IN MEMBER
STATES OF THE EEA, "QUALIFIED INVESTORS", BEING PERSONS FALLING
WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION; OR
(3) PERSONS TO WHOM THEY MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED
(ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND THE
INFORMATION HEREIN MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO
ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT
ACTIVITY TO WHICH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATE IS AVAILABLE ONLY
TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT
PERSONS. THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS DO NOT THEMSELVES
CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN
THE COMPANY. EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO
LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN
PLACING SHARES.
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE
RESTRICTED AND ARE NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN
WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE
UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR
JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION
OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF
SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN
AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES
ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT") OR UNDER THE
APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY
AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND
MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN
EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN COMPLIANCE
WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER
JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 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 OR ELSEWHERE.
The distribution of these Terms and
Conditions and/or the Placing and/or issue of the Placing Shares in
certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has
been taken by the Company, Zeus or any of their respective
affiliates and/or any of their respective
Representatives that would permit an offer
of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of these Terms
and Conditions or any other offering or publicity material relating
to such Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that
purpose is required. Persons into whose possession these
Terms and Conditions come are required by the Company and Zeus to
inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions, for
which such persons shall be solely responsible.
The Terms and Conditions or any part
of them are for information purposes only and do not constitute or
form part of any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an
offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the
United States (including its territories and possessions, any state
of the United States and the District of Columbia), Australia,
Canada, the Republic of South Africa or Japan or any other
jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. No public
offering of the Placing Shares is being made in any such
jurisdiction.
In the United Kingdom, these Terms
and Conditions are being directed solely at persons in
circumstances in which section 21(1) of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000 (as amended) (the "FSMA") does not apply.
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 these Terms and Conditions, the
Announcement or the Circular. 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, the
Republic of South Africa or Japan. 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, the Republic of South
Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such offer,
sale, re-sale or delivery would be unlawful.
UK
Product Governance Requirements
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook
Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the
"UK Product Governance
Requirements") and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any
"manufacturer" (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance
Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing
Shares have been subject to a product approval process which has
determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end
target market of: (A) retail investors; (B) investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients; and (C) eligible counterparties
(each as defined in MiFID II (as defined below)); and (ii) eligible
for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted
by MiFID II (the "UK Target Market
Assessment"). Notwithstanding the UK Target Market
Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no
capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is
compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income
or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an
appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient
resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
The UK Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the offer. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment, Zeus will
only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties. For the avoidance of doubt,
the UK Target Market Assessment does not constitute an assessment
of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of Chapter 9A or
10A respectively of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook, or a recommendation to any investor or group of
investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action
whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares. Each distributor is
responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in
respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate
distribution channels.
EU
Product Governance Requirements
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive
2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended
("MiFID II"); Articles 9
and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593
supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures
(together, the "MiFID II Product
Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any
liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which
any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product
Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto,
the Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval process
which has determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible
with an end target market of: (A) retail investors; (B) investors
who meet the criteria of professional clients; and (C) eligible
counterparties (each as defined in MiFID II); and (ii) eligible for
distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by
MiFID II (the "EU Target Market
Assessment"). Notwithstanding the EU Target Market
Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no
capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is
compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income
or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an
appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient
resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
The EU Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the offer. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the EU Target Market Assessment, Zeus will
only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties. For the avoidance of doubt,
the EU Target Market Assessment does not constitute an assessment
of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II, or
a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest
in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect
to the Placing Shares. Each distributor is responsible for
undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the
Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution
channels.
Persons (including, without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or
other legal obligations to forward a copy of these Terms and
Conditions (or any part of them) should seek appropriate advice
before taking any action.
The Terms and Conditions should be
read in their entirety.
Introduction
These Terms and Conditions apply to
persons making an offer to acquire Placing Shares under the
Placing. Each Placee which confirms its agreement to Zeus to
subscribe for Placing Shares under the Placing hereby agrees with
Zeus and the Company that it will be bound by these Terms and
Conditions and will be deemed to have accepted them in
full.
The Company and Zeus may require any
Placee to agree to such further terms and/or conditions and/or give
such additional warranties and/or representations as they (in their
absolute discretion) see fit and/or may require any such Placee to
execute a separate placing letter to enable a Placee to participate
in the Placing.
By participating in the Placing
(such participation to be confirmed in and evidenced by either (i)
a recorded telephone conversation or (ii) email correspondence, in
either case between representatives of Zeus and the relevant Placee
(a "Recorded Commitment")),
each Placee will be deemed to have read and understood these Terms
and Conditions in their entirety, to be providing the
representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and
undertakings contained in these Terms and Conditions, and to be
irrevocably offering to participate and acquire Placing Shares on
these Terms and Conditions. Such offer shall be deemed to be
accepted, and a Placee shall become bound to acquire Placing
Shares, when Zeus confirms to such Placee its allocation of Placing
Shares. Upon being notified of its allocation of Placing
Shares, a Placee shall be contractually committed to acquire the
number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the Issue
Price.
Each Placee irrevocably represents,
warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst other
things) to the Company and Zeus that:
1.
it is a Relevant Person and 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 these Terms and Conditions;
3.
it understands (or if acting for the account of
another person, such person has confirmed that such person
understands) and agrees to comply with the resale and transfer
restrictions set out in these Terms and Conditions; 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
Securities Act.
No
prospectus or other offering document
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
(i) the FCA or (ii) any competent authority of any Relevant Member
State, in relation to the Placing or the Placing Shares and
Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of the
information contained in this Announcement and any information
publicly announced through a Regulatory Information Service (as
defined in the AIM Rules for Companies (the "AIM Rules")) by or on behalf of the
Company on or prior to the date of these Terms and Conditions (the
"Publicly Available
Information") and subject to any further terms set forth in
writing in any contract note sent to an individual
Placee.
Each Placee, by participating in the
Placing, agrees that the content of this Announcement is
exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it
has neither received nor relied on any information (other than the
Publicly Available Information), representation, warranty or
statement made by or on behalf of Zeus or the Company or any other
person and none of Zeus, the Company nor any other person acting on
such person's behalf nor any of their respective affiliates has or
shall have any liability for any Placee's decision to participate
in the Placing based on any other information, representation,
warranty or statement. Each Placee acknowledges and agrees
that it has relied on its own investigation of the business,
financial or other position of the Company in accepting a
participation in the Placing. No Placee should consider any
information in this Announcement or these Terms and Conditions to
be legal, tax, business or other advice. Nothing in this
paragraph shall exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Details of the Placing Agreement and the Placing
Shares
Zeus has entered into the Placing
Agreement with the Company under which, on the terms and subject to
the conditions set out in the Placing Agreement, Zeus, as agent for
and on behalf of the Company, has agreed to use its reasonable
endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing Shares at the Issue
Price. The Placing is not being underwritten by
Zeus.
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be subject to the memorandum and articles of association of
the Company and credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the
existing issued Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all
dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect
of such Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing
Shares.
Application for admission to trading
Application(s) will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for admission of the Placing Shares to
trading on AIM.
It is expected that Admission will
take place on the Admission Date and that dealings in the Placing
Shares on AIM will commence at the same time.
Principal terms of the Placing
1.
Zeus is acting as nominated adviser, broker and
bookrunner to the Placing, as agent for and on behalf of the
Company.
2.
Participation in the Placing is by invitation only
and will only be available to persons who may lawfully be, and are,
invited by Zeus to participate. Zeus and any of its
affiliates are entitled to participate in the Placing as
principal.
3.
Each Placee's allocation will be confirmed to
Placees orally, or in writing (which can include email), by Zeus
and a trade confirmation or contract note will be dispatched as
soon as possible thereafter. Zeus' oral or written confirmation
will give rise to an immediate, irrevocable, legally binding
commitment by that Placee, in favour of Zeus and the Company, under
which it agrees to acquire by subscription the number of Placing
Shares allocated to it at the Issue Price and otherwise on these
Terms and Conditions. Except with the consent of Zeus, such
commitment will not be capable of variation or
revocation.
4.
The Issue Price is payable to Zeus (as agent for
the Company) by all Placees.
5.
Each Placee's allocation and whether such Placee
participates in the Placing will be determined by Zeus in its
reasonable discretion following consultation with the Company and
will be confirmed by Zeus.
6.
Each Placee's commitment will be confirmed in and
evidenced by a Recorded Commitment. These Terms and
Conditions will be deemed incorporated into the contract which is
entered into by way of a Recorded Commitment and will be legally
binding on the relevant Placee(s) on behalf of whom the commitment
is made with effect from the end of the Recorded Commitment and,
except with Zeus' prior written consent, will not be capable of
variation or revocation after such time. Without prejudice to
the foregoing, a contract note recording each Placee's commitment
will be sent to them following the Recorded Commitment. These Terms
and Conditions shall be deemed incorporated into any such contract
note.
7.
Each Placee will confirm the maximum number of
Placing Shares it is willing to acquire in a Recorded Commitment.
Once they have made a Recorded Commitment, each Placee will have an
immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to
Zeus (as agent for the Company), to pay to it (or as it may direct)
in cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the Issue Price
and the number of Placing Shares such Placee has agreed to
acquire.
8.
Zeus reserves the right to scale back the number
of Placing Shares to be subscribed by any Placee in the event that
the Placing is oversubscribed. Zeus also reserves the right not to
accept offers to subscribe for Placing Shares or to accept such
offers in part rather than in whole. The acceptance and, if
applicable, scaling back of offers shall be at the absolute
discretion of Zeus.
9.
Any Placees who are existing shareholders of the
Company undertake that they shall vote in favour of each of the
Resolutions to be proposed at the General Meeting.
10.
Except as required by law or regulation, no press
release or other announcement will be made by Zeus or the Company
using the name of any Placee (or its agent), in its capacity as
Placee (or agent), other than with such Placee's prior written
consent.
11.
Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's
allocation(s) pursuant to the Placing is/are confirmed, settlement
for all Placing Shares to be acquired pursuant to the Placing will
be required to be made at the same time on the basis explained
below under "Registration and
settlement".
12.
All obligations under the Placing will be subject
to fulfilment of the conditions referred to below under
"Conditions of the
Placing" and to the Placing not being terminated on the
basis referred to below under "Termination of the
Placing".
13.
By participating in the Placing, each Placee
agrees that its rights and obligations in respect of the Placing
will terminate only in the circumstances described below and will
not be capable of rescission or termination by the
Placee.
14.
To the fullest extent permissible by law and
applicable FCA rules, neither:
(a)
Zeus;
(b)
any of its affiliates, agents, advisers,
directors, officers, consultants or employees; nor
(c)
to the extent not contained within (a) or (b), any
person connected with Zeus as defined in the FSMA ((b) and (c)
being together "affiliates"
and individually an "affiliate" of Zeus),
shall have any liability (including
to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) to Placees
or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or
otherwise. In particular, neither Zeus nor any of its
affiliates shall have any liability (including, to the extent
permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of Zeus'
conduct of the Placing or of such alternative method of effecting
the Placing as Zeus and the Company may agree.
Registration and settlement
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee will be deemed to agree that it will do all things
necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed as
directed by Zeus in accordance with either the standing CREST or
certificated settlement instructions which they have in place with
Zeus.
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares following Admission will take place within the CREST
system, subject to certain exceptions. Settlement through CREST
will be on a delivery versus payment basis ("DVP") unless otherwise notified by Zeus
and is expected to occur on the Admission Settlement
Date.
However, in the event of any
difficulties or delays in the admission of the Placing Shares to
CREST or the use of CREST in relation to the Placing, the Company
and Zeus may agree that the Placing Shares (or any of them) should
be issued in certificated form. Zeus reserves the right to
require settlement for any of the Placing Shares, and to deliver
any of the Placing Shares to any Placees, by such other means as
they deem necessary if delivery or settlement to any Placee is not
practicable within the CREST system or would not be consistent with
regulatory requirements in the jurisdiction in which a Placee is
located.
Interest is chargeable daily on
payments not received from Placees on or before the due date in
accordance with the arrangements set out above, in respect of
either CREST or certificated deliveries, at the rate of 3
percentage points above prevailing base rate of Barclays Bank plc
as determined by Zeus.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that
if it does not comply with these obligations, Zeus may sell any or
all of their Placing Shares on their behalf and retain from the
proceeds, for Zeus' own account and benefit, an amount equal to the
aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The
relevant Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall
below the Issue Price and for any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve
tax (together with any interest or penalties) which may arise upon
the sale of its Placing Shares on its behalf.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees must ensure
that, upon receipt, any relevant contract note is copied and
delivered immediately to the relevant person within that
organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares are registered in a
Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name of any person
for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of a nominee for
such person, such Placing Shares should, subject as provided below,
be so registered free from any liability to United Kingdom stamp
duty or stamp duty reserve tax. Placees will not be entitled to
receive any fee or commission in connection with the
Placing.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing is conditional upon the
Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not having been
terminated in accordance with its terms.
The obligations of Zeus under the
Placing Agreement are, and the Placing of the Placing Shares is,
conditional upon, inter
alia:
(a)
the Resolutions being passed at the General
Meeting;
(b)
the warranties and undertakings contained in the
Placing Agreement ("Warranties") being true, accurate in
all material respects and not misleading when made on the date of
the Placing Agreement and at Admission by reference to the facts
and circumstances subsisting at that time;
(c)
Zeus not having exercised its right to terminate
the Placing Agreement; and
(d)
Admission having become effective on the Admission
Date.
Once Admission has occurred, no
party to the Placing Agreement shall be able to terminate any part
of the Placing Agreement which relates to Admission and/or the
placing, allotment or issue of the Placing Shares.
All conditions to the obligations of
Zeus included in the Placing Agreement are together referred to in
these Terms and Conditions as the "conditions".
If any of the conditions is not
fulfilled or, where permitted, waived in accordance with the
Placing Agreement within the stated time periods (or such later
time and/or date as the Company and Zeus may agree), or the Placing
Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms, the Placing
(or such part of it as may then remain to be completed) will lapse
and the Placee's rights and obligations shall cease and terminate
at such time and each Placee agrees that no claim can be made by or
on behalf of the Placee (or any person on whose behalf the Placee
is acting) in respect thereof.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations cease and
terminate only in the circumstances described above and under
"Termination of the
Placing" below and will not be capable of rescission or
termination by it.
Zeus may, in its absolute discretion
and upon such terms as it thinks fit, waive fulfilment of all or
any of the conditions in the Placing Agreement which are capable of
waiver, in whole or in part, or extend the time provided for
fulfilment of one or more conditions, save that certain conditions
(including as regards the Placing Shares, the condition relating to
Admission referred to in paragraph (d) above) may not be waived.
Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments
as set out in these Terms and Conditions.
Zeus may terminate the Placing
Agreement in certain circumstances, details of which are set out
below.
Neither Zeus nor the Company nor any
of their respective affiliates nor any of
their respective Representatives shall have
any liability to any Placee (or to any other person whether acting
on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in respect of any decision any
of them may make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the
time and/or date for the satisfaction of any condition to the
Placing (or any part thereof) nor for any decision any of them may
make as to the satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the
Placing generally (or any part thereof) and by participating in the
Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within the
absolute discretion of Zeus.
Termination of the Placing
Zeus may, in its absolute
discretion, by notice to the Company, terminate the Placing
Agreement at any time up to Admission if, inter alia:
(a)
any statement contained in the Announcement, the
investor presentation relating to the Fundraising or the Circular
(the "Placing Documents")
has become untrue, incorrect in any material respect or misleading
or any matter has arisen which would, if the Placing Documents were
issued at that time, constitute a material omission from the
Placing Documents or any of them;
(b)
any of the Warranties was untrue, inaccurate in
any material respect or misleading when made and/or that any of the
Warranties has ceased to be true or accurate in any material
respect or has become misleading at any time prior to Admission, in
each case by reference to the facts and circumstances subsisting at
that time;
(c)
any matter has arisen giving an entitlement on the
part of any indemnified person to make a claim under the indemnity
contained in the Placing Agreement;
(d)
the Company has not complied or cannot comply with
any of its obligations under the Placing Agreement or otherwise
relating to the Placing and Admission (to the extent that such
obligations fall to be complied with prior to Admission);
or
(e)
there has been a force majeure event which in the
reasonable opinion of Zeus, is, will or may be materially adverse
to the Group or to the successful outcome of the
Placing.
If the Placing Agreement is
terminated in accordance with its terms, the rights and obligations
of each Placee in respect of the Placing as described in these
Terms and Conditions shall cease and terminate at such time and no
claim can be made by any Placee in respect thereof.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees with the Company and Zeus that the exercise by
the Company or Zeus of any right of termination or any other right
or other discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within the
absolute discretion of the Company or Zeus or for agreement between
the Company and Zeus (as the case may be) and that neither the
Company nor Zeus need make any reference to such Placee and that
none of the Company, Zeus nor any of their respective
affiliates nor any of their respective
Representatives shall have any liability to
such Placee (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a
Placee or otherwise) whatsoever in connection with any such
exercise.
By agreeing with Zeus as agent of
the Company to subscribe for Placing Shares under the Placing, a
Placee (and any person acting on a Placee's behalf) will
irrevocably acknowledge and confirm and warrant and undertake to,
and agree with, each of the Company and Zeus, in each case as a
fundamental term of such Placee's application for Placing Shares
and of the Company's obligation to allot and/or issue any Placing
Shares to it or at its direction, that its rights and obligations
in respect of the Placing (or any part of it) will terminate only
in the circumstances described above and under the "Conditions of the Placing" section
above and will not be capable of rescission or termination by it in
any other circumstances.
Representations, warranties and further
terms
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf)
represents, warrants, acknowledges, undertakes, confirms and agrees
(for itself and for any such prospective Placee) that (save where
Zeus expressly agrees in writing to the contrary):
1.
it has read and understood these Terms and
Conditions in their entirety and that its acquisition of the
Placing Shares is subject to and based upon all the terms,
conditions, representations, warranties, indemnities,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings and other information
contained herein and that it has not relied on, and will not rely
on, any information given or any representations, warranties or
statements made at any time by any person in connection with
Admission, the Placing, the Company, the Placing Shares or
otherwise, other than the information contained in this
Announcement and the Publicly Available Information;
2.
it has not received a prospectus or other offering
document in connection with the Placing and acknowledges that no
prospectus or other offering document:
(a)
is required under any applicable law;
and
(b)
has been or will be prepared in connection with
the Placing,
and, in particular, that the
Subscription and Retail Offer referred to in the Announcement and
the Circular relating thereto are separate from the Placing and do
not form part of any offer or agreement concerning the Placing
and/or any Placing Shares;
3.
the Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on
AIM, and that the Company is therefore required to publish certain
business and financial information in accordance with the AIM Rules
and the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation No. 596/2014) as it
forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR")), which includes a description
of the nature of the Company's business and the Company's most
recent balance sheet and profit and loss account and that it is
able to obtain or access such information without undue difficulty,
and is able to obtain access to such information or comparable
information concerning any other publicly traded company, without
undue difficulty;
4.
it has made its own assessment of the Placing
Shares and the terms of the Placing and has relied on its own
investigation of the business, financial position and other aspects
of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing and
neither Zeus nor the Company nor any of their respective
affiliates nor any of their respective
Representatives nor any person acting on
behalf of any of them has provided, and will not provide, it with
any material regarding the Placing Shares or the Company or any
other person other than the information in the Announcement and
these Terms and Conditions or the Publicly Available Information;
nor has it requested Zeus, the Company, any of their
respective affiliates, any of their
respective Representatives or any person
acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such
information;
5.
neither Zeus nor any person acting on behalf of it
nor any of their respective affiliates nor
any of their respective Representatives has
or shall have any liability for any Publicly Available Information,
or any representation relating to the Company, provided that
nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes the liability of any
person for any fraudulent misrepresentation made by that
person;
6.
(a)
the only information which it is entitled to rely
on and on which it has relied in committing to acquire the Placing
Shares is contained in this Announcement and the Publicly Available
Information, such information being all that it deems necessary to
make an investment decision in respect of the Placing Shares and it
has made its own assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and
the terms of the Placing based on this Announcement and the
Publicly Available Information;
(b)
neither Zeus nor any of its affiliates nor any of their respective Representatives
have made any representation or warranty to it,
express or implied, with respect to the Company, the Placing or the
Placing Shares or the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the
Placing Documents or the Publicly Available Information;
(c)
it has conducted its own investigation of the
Company, the Placing and the Placing Shares, satisfied itself that
the information is still current and relied on that investigation
for the purposes of its decision to participate in the Placing;
and
(d)
it has not relied on any investigation that Zeus
or any person acting on its behalf may have conducted with respect
to the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares;
7.
the content of the Announcement and the other
Publicly Available Information as well as any information made
available (in written or oral form) in presentations or as part of
roadshow discussions with investors relating to the Company (the
"Information") has been
prepared by and is exclusively the responsibility of the Company
and that neither Zeus nor any persons acting on its behalf is
responsible for or has or shall have any liability for any such
Information, representation, warranty or statement relating to the
Company contained therein nor will they be liable for any Placee's
decision to participate in the Placing based on any Information or
any representation, warranty or statement contained therein or
otherwise. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall
exclude any liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation;
8.
it has the funds available to pay for the Placing
Shares which it has agreed to acquire and acknowledges and agrees
that it will pay the total subscription amount in accordance with
these Terms and Conditions by the due time and date set out herein,
failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other
Placees or sold at such price as Zeus determines;
9.
it and/or each person on whose behalf it is
participating:
(a)
is entitled to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to
the Placing under the laws and regulations of all relevant
jurisdictions;
(b)
has fully observed such laws and
regulations;
(c)
has capacity and authority and is entitled to
enter into and perform its obligations as an acquirer of Placing
Shares and will honour such obligations; and
(d)
has obtained all necessary consents and
authorities (including, without limitation, in the case of a person
acting on behalf of a Placee, all necessary consents and
authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred to in these
Terms and Conditions) under those laws or otherwise and complied
with all necessary formalities to enable it to enter into the
transactions contemplated hereby and to perform its obligations in
relation thereto and, in particular, if it is a pension fund or
investment company it is aware of and acknowledges it is required
to comply with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to
its acquisition of Placing Shares;
10.
in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it
as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Regulation
5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation and Regulation 5(1) of the UK
Prospectus Regulation:
(a)
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing
have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired
with a view to their offer or resale in circumstances where either
the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation applies
to, persons in any Relevant Member State or in the UK other than
Qualified Investors (as defined under the Prospectus Regulation or
the UK Prospectus Regulation respectively) in circumstances in
which the prior consent of Zeus has not been given to the offer or
resale; or
(b)
where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on
behalf of persons in any member state of the EEA or in the UK other
than EU or UK Qualified Investors (as defined under the Prospectus
Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation respectively), the offer
of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus
Regulation or the EU Prospectus Regulation as having been made to
such persons;
11.
it is not, and any person who it is acting on
behalf of is not, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired
will not be, a resident of, or have an address in, or be subject to
the laws of, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or
Japan, and it acknowledges and agrees that the Placing Shares have
not been and will not be registered or otherwise qualified under
the securities legislation of Australia, Canada, the Republic of
South Africa or Japan and may not be offered, sold, or acquired,
directly or indirectly, within those jurisdictions;
12.
it and the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares
is, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired will be,
outside the United States and acquiring the Placing Shares in an
"offshore transaction" as defined in, and in accordance with,
Regulation S under the Securities Act;
13.
it understands that the Placing Shares have not
been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act and may
not be offered, sold or resold in or into or from the United States
except pursuant to an effective registration under the Securities
Act, or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not
subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and
in accordance with applicable state securities laws; and no
representation is being made as to the availability of any
exemption under the Securities Act for the reoffer, resale, pledge
or transfer of the Placing Shares;
14.
it (and any account for which it is purchasing) is
not acquiring the Placing Shares with a view to any offer, sale or
distribution thereof within the meaning of the Securities
Act;
15.
it will not offer, sell, transfer, pledge or
otherwise dispose of any Placing Shares except:
(a)
in an offshore transaction in accordance with
Rules 903 or 904 of Regulation S under the Securities Act;
or
(b)
pursuant to another exemption from registration
under the Securities Act, if available,
and in each case in accordance with
all applicable securities laws of the states of the United States
and all other applicable jurisdictions;
16.
no representation has been made as to the
availability of the exemption provided by Rule 144, Rule 144A or
any other exemption under the Securities Act for the reoffer,
resale, pledge or transfer of the Placing Shares;
17.
it understands that the Placing Shares are
expected to be issued to it through CREST but may be issued to it
in certificated, definitive form and acknowledges and agrees that
the Placing Shares will, to the extent they are delivered in
certificated form, bear a legend to the following effect unless
agreed otherwise with the Company and Zeus:
"THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN AND
WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF
1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES
ACT"), OR UNDER THE APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OR WITH ANY
SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION
OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR
OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, WITHIN, INTO OR FROM
THE UNITED STATES OR TO, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OR BENEFIT OF, US
PERSONS (AS DEFINED IN REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT)
EXCEPT (A) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN
DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (B) IN AN OFFSHORE
TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 OF REGULATION S
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR (C) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE
EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT
AND, IN EACH CASE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES
LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES.
NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY IN THE FOREGOING, THE
SECURITIES MAY NOT BE DEPOSITED INTO ANY UNRESTRICTED DEPOSITARY
RECEIPT FACILITY IN RESPECT OF THE COMPANY'S SECURITIES ESTABLISHED
OR MAINTAINED BY A DEPOSITARY BANK. EACH HOLDER, BY ITS
ACCEPTANCE OF THESE SHARES, REPRESENTS THAT IT UNDERSTANDS AND
AGREES TO THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS";
18.
it is not taking up the Placing Shares as a result
of any "general solicitation" or "general advertising" efforts (as
those terms are defined in the Securities Act) or any "directed
selling efforts" (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the
Securities Act);
19.
it will not distribute, forward, transfer or
otherwise transmit these Terms and Conditions and/or the
Announcement or any part of them, 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;
20.
none of Zeus, its affiliates or any person acting
on behalf of any of them is making any recommendations to it or
advising it regarding the suitability of any transactions it may
enter into in connection with the Placing and that participation in
the Placing is on the basis that it is not and will not be a client
of Zeus and that Zeus has no duties or responsibilities to it for
providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing
advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any
representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained
in the Placing Agreement nor for the exercise or performance of any
of its rights and obligations thereunder including any rights to
waive or vary any conditions or exercise any termination
right;
21.
it will make payment to Zeus for the Placing
Shares allocated to it in accordance with these Terms and
Conditions on or by the specified time (being the Admission
Settlement Date), failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be
placed with others on such terms as Zeus determines in its absolute
discretion without liability to the Placee and it will remain
liable for any shortfall below the net proceeds of such sale and
the placing proceeds of such Placing Shares and may be required to
bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any
interest or penalties due pursuant to the terms set out or referred
to in these Terms and Conditions) which may arise upon the sale of
such Placee's Placing Shares on its behalf;
22.
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 Zeus 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;
23.
no action has been or will be taken by any of the
Company, Zeus or any person acting on behalf of the Company or Zeus
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;
24.
the person who it specifies for registration as
holder of the Placing Shares will be:
(a)
the Placee; or
(b)
a nominee of the Placee, as the case may
be;
25.
neither Zeus or the Company will be responsible
for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax payable
on the acquisition of the Placing Shares. Each Placee and any
person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to acquire Placing
Shares pursuant to the Placing and agrees to indemnify the Company
and Zeus in respect of the same on the basis that the Placing
Shares will be allotted to a CREST stock account of Zeus or
transferred to a CREST stock account of Zeus who will hold them as
nominee on behalf of the Placee until settlement in accordance with
its standing settlement instructions with it;
26.
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 (depository
receipts and clearance services) and that it, or the person
specified by it for registration as holder of Placing Shares, is
not participating in the Placing as nominee or agent for any person
or persons to whom the allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of
Placing Shares would give rise to such a liability;
27.
it will (or will procure that its nominee will),
if applicable, make notification to the Company of the interest in
its ordinary shares in accordance with the Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules published by the FCA;
28.
as far as it is aware it is not acting in concert
(within the meaning given in The City Code on Takeovers and
Mergers) with any other person in relation to the Company, save as
previously disclosed to Zeus;
29.
if it is within the United Kingdom, it and any
person acting on its behalf (if within the United Kingdom) falls
within Article 19(5) and/or 49(2) of the Order and undertakes that
it will acquire, hold, manage and (if applicable) dispose of any
Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its
business only;
30.
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 FSMA;
31.
it has only communicated or caused to be
communicated and it will only communicate or cause to be
communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment
activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) relating to
Placing Shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the FSMA
does not require approval of the communication by an authorised
person and it acknowledges and agrees that neither these Terms and
Conditions nor the Announcement has been approved by Zeus in its
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 financial promotion by an authorised
person;
32.
it has complied and it will comply with all
applicable laws in any jurisdiction with respect to anything done
by it or on its behalf in relation to the Placing Shares (including
all relevant provisions of the FSMA in respect of anything done in,
from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom);
33.
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing
will not be acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor
will they be acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, any
person save in circumstances in which the express prior written
consent of Zeus has been given to the offer or resale;
34.
if it has received any inside information (for the
purposes of the MAR and/or section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act
1993 or other applicable law) about the Company in advance of the
Placing, it has not:
(a)
dealt (or attempted to deal) in the securities of
the Company;
(b)
encouraged, recommended or induced another person
to deal in the securities of the Company; or
(c)
unlawfully disclosed such information to any
person, prior to the information being made publicly
available;
35.
neither of Zeus, nor the Company nor any of their
respective affiliates nor any of their
respective Representatives nor any person
acting on behalf of Zeus or its affiliates
or its Representatives nor any person
acting on behalf of any 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 nor providing advice
in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations,
warranties, acknowledgements, agreements, undertakings, or
indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor the exercise or
performance of any of Zeus' rights and obligations thereunder
including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise
any termination right;
36.
Zeus and its affiliates, acting as an investor for
its or their own account(s), may bid or subscribe for and/or
purchase Placing Shares and, in that capacity, may retain,
purchase, offer to sell or otherwise deal for its or their own
account(s) in the Placing Shares, any other securities of the
Company or other related investments in connection with the Placing
or otherwise. Accordingly, references in the Announcement
and/or these Terms and Conditions to the Placing Shares being
offered, subscribed, acquired or otherwise dealt with should be
read as including any offer to, or subscription, acquisition or
dealing by, Zeus and/or any of its affiliates acting as an investor
for its or their own account(s). Neither of Zeus nor the
Company intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or
transaction otherwise than in accordance with any legal or
regulatory obligation to do so;
37.
it:
(a)
has complied, and will comply, with its
obligations in connection with money laundering and terrorist
financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, 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;
(b)
is not a person:
(i)
with whom transactions are prohibited under the US
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 or any economic sanction
programmes administered by, or regulations promulgated by, the
Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury;
(ii)
named on the Consolidated List of Financial
Sanctions Targets maintained by HM Treasury of the United Kingdom;
or
(iii)
subject to financial sanctions imposed pursuant to
a regulation of the European Union or a regulation adopted by the
United Nations or other applicable law,
(all such statutes, rules and
regulations referred to in this paragraph 37 together, the "Regulations") and if making payment on
behalf of a third party, satisfactory evidence has been obtained
and recorded by it to verify the identity of the third party as
required by the Regulations and it has obtained all governmental
and other consents (if any) which may be required for the purpose
of, or as a consequence of, such purchase, and it will provide
promptly to Zeus such evidence, if any, as to the identity or
location or legal status of any person which they may request from
it in connection with the Placing (for the purpose of complying
with the Regulations or ascertaining the nationality of any person
or the jurisdiction(s) to which any person is subject or otherwise)
in the form and manner requested by Zeus on the basis that any
failure by it to do so may result in the number of Placing Shares
that are to be acquired by it or at its direction pursuant to the
Placing being reduced to such number, or to nil, as Zeus may decide
at its discretion;
38.
in order to ensure compliance with the
Regulations, Zeus (for itself and as agent on behalf of the
Company) or the Company's registrars may, in their absolute
discretion, require verification of its identity. Pending the
provision to Zeus or the Company's registrars, as applicable, of
evidence of identity, definitive certificates in respect of the
Placing Shares may be retained at Zeus' absolute discretion or,
where appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in
uncertificated form may be delayed at Zeus' or the Company's
registrars', as the case may be, absolute discretion. If within a
reasonable time after a request for verification of identity Zeus
(for itself and as agent on behalf of the Company) or the Company's
registrars have not received evidence satisfactory to them, either
Zeus 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;
39.
its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on these
Terms and Conditions will continue notwithstanding any amendment
that may in future be made to the terms and conditions of the
Placing and that Placees will have no right to be consulted or
require that their consent be obtained with respect to the
Company's or Zeus' conduct of the Placing;
40.
it has knowledge and experience in financial,
business and international investment matters as is required to
evaluate the merits and risks of acquiring the Placing
Shares. It further acknowledges that it is experienced in
investing in securities of this nature and is aware that it may be
required to bear, and is able to bear, the economic risk of, and is
able to sustain, a complete loss in connection with the
Placing. It has relied upon its own examination and due
diligence of the Company and its affiliates taken as a whole, and
the terms of the Placing, including the merits and risks
involved;
41.
it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised
officer of Zeus 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 which it agrees to acquire upon the these
Terms and Conditions;
42.
the Company, Zeus and others (including each of
their respective affiliates and their
respective Representatives) will rely upon
the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations,
warranties, acknowledgements and agreements, which are given to
Zeus on its own behalf and on behalf of the Company and are
irrevocable;
43.
it is acting as principal only in respect of the
Placing or, if it is acquiring the Placing Shares as a fiduciary or
agent for one or more investor accounts, it is duly authorised to
do so and it has full power and authority to make, and does make,
the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements,
agreements and undertakings on behalf of each such
accounts;
44.
time is of the essence as regards its obligations
under these Terms and Conditions;
45.
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 Zeus;
46.
the Placing Shares will be issued subject to these
Terms and Conditions; and
47.
these Terms and Conditions and all documents into
which these Terms and Conditions are incorporated by reference or
of which they otherwise validly form a part and/or any agreements
entered into pursuant to these Terms and Conditions and all
agreements to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing will
be governed by and construed in accordance with English law and it
submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts in
relation to any claim, dispute (contractual or otherwise) or matter
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 interest chargeable
thereon) may be taken by the Company or Zeus in any jurisdiction in
which the relevant Placee is incorporated or in which any of its
securities have a quotation on a recognised stock
exchange.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) agrees
to indemnify and hold the Company, Zeus and each of their
respective affiliates and their respective
Representatives 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 these Terms and Conditions or incurred by Zeus,
the Company or any of their respective affiliates and their respective Representatives
arising from the performance of the Placee's
obligations as set out in these Terms and Conditions, and further
agrees that the provisions of these Terms and Conditions shall
survive after the completion of the Placing.
The agreement to allot and issue
Placing Shares to Placees (or the persons for whom Placees are
contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax
in the United Kingdom relates only to their allotment and issue to
Placees, or such persons as they nominate as their agents, directly
by the Company. Such agreement assumes that the Placing
Shares are not being acquired in connection with arrangements to
issue depositary receipts or to transfer the Placing Shares into a
clearance service. If there are any such arrangements, or the
settlement related to any other dealings in the Placing Shares,
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax may be payable. In that
event, the Placee agrees that it shall be responsible for such
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax and neither the Company nor
Zeus shall be responsible for such stamp duty or stamp duty reserve
tax. If this is the case, each Placee should seek its own
advice and they should notify Zeus accordingly. In addition,
Placees should note that they will be liable for any capital duty,
stamp duty and all other stamp, issue, securities, transfer,
registration, documentary or other duties or taxes (including any
interest, fines or penalties relating thereto) payable outside the
United Kingdom by them or any other person on the acquisition by
them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to acquire any
Placing Shares and each Placee, or the Placee's nominee, in respect
of whom (or in respect of the person for whom it is participating
in the Placing as an agent or nominee) the allocation, allotment,
issue or delivery of Placing Shares has given rise to such
non-United Kingdom stamp, registration, documentary, transfer or
similar taxes or duties undertakes to pay such taxes and duties,
including any interest and penalties (if applicable), forthwith and
to indemnify on an after-tax basis and to hold harmless the Company
and Zeus in the event that either of the Company and/or Zeus have
incurred any such liability to such taxes or duties.
The representations, warranties,
acknowledgements and undertakings contained in these Terms and
Conditions are given to Zeus for itself and on behalf of the
Company and are irrevocable.
Zeus is authorised and regulated by
the FCA and is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else
in connection with the Placing, and Zeus will not be responsible to
anyone (including any Placees) other than the Company for providing
the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in
relation to the Placing or any other matters referred to in these
Terms and Conditions.
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of the Placee acknowledges that Zeus does not owe any
fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in respect of any
representations, warranties, undertakings, acknowledgements,
agreements or indemnities in the Placing Agreement.
The provisions of these Terms and
Conditions may be varied, waived or modified as regards specific
Placees or on a general basis by Zeus provided always that such
variation, waiver or modification is not materially prejudicial to
the interests of the Company.
In the case of a joint agreement to
acquire Placing Shares, references to a "Placee" in these Terms and
Conditions are to each of such Placees and such joint Placees'
liability is joint and several.
Each Placee and any person acting on
behalf of the Placee acknowledges and agrees that Zeus may (at its
absolute discretion) satisfy their obligations to procure Placees
by themselves agreeing to become a Placee in respect of some or all
of the Placing Shares or by nominating any connected or associated
person to do so.
When a Placee or any person acting
on behalf of the Placee is dealing with Zeus, any money held in an
account with Zeus 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 the
Zeus' money in accordance with the client money rules and will be
held by it under a banking relationship and not as
trustee.
In these Terms and Conditions any
words following the terms "including", "include", "in particular", "for example" or any similar expression
shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of
the words, description, definition, phrase or term preceding those
terms.
References to time in these Terms
and Conditions are to London time, unless otherwise
stated.
All times and dates and certain
other information in these Terms and Conditions and in the
Announcement may be subject to amendment and/or updating.
Placees will be notified of any material changes.
No statement in the Announcement or
these Terms and Conditions is intended to be a profit forecast or
estimate, and no statement in the Announcement or these Terms and
Conditions should be interpreted to mean that earnings per share of
the Company for the current or future financial years would
necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per
share of the Company.
The price of shares and any income
expected 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.
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, these Terms and
Conditions.
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply to
these Terms and Conditions:
Admission
|
admission of the Fundraising Shares
to trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance with the AIM
Rules;
|
Admission Date
|
8.00 a.m. on 31 May 2024 or such
later time as Zeus may agree with the Company but in any event no
later than 8.00 a.m. on the Long Stop Date;
|
Admission Settlement Date
|
the date the settlement of
transactions in the Fundraising Shares following Admission will
take place within the CREST system (subject to certain exceptions)
which is expected to occur on 31 May 2024;
|
AIM
|
AIM, a market operated by the London
Stock Exchange;
|
AIM Rules
|
the AIM Rules for Companies
published by the London Stock Exchange;
|
Announcement
|
the announcement regarding
the Fundraising, including these Terms and
Conditions;
|
Bookbuild or Bookbuild
Platform
|
the online platform through which
the Retail Offer is being conducted;
|
certificated or in certificated
form
|
refers to an Ordinary Share which is
not in uncertificated form (that is, not in CREST)
|
Circular
|
the Company's circular to
Shareholders to be published on or about 14 May 2024
relating to the Fundraising and incorporating the
Notice of General Meeting;
|
Company
|
LifeSafe Holdings plc registered in
England and Wales under number 09770600 whose registered office is
at 1 Sopwith Crescent, Wickford, Essex, England, SS11
8YU;
|
CREST
|
the computerised settlement system
to facilitate transfer of the title to an interest in securities in
uncertificated form operated by Euroclear;
|
EIS
|
the Enterprise Investment Scheme
whose rules are contained in Part 5 of the Income Tax Act 2007
(income tax) and sections 150A to 150C of, and Schedule 5B to, the
Taxation and Chargeable Gains Act 1992 (capital gains
tax);
|
Euroclear
|
Euroclear UK & International
Limited;
|
FSMA
|
the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000, as amended;
|
Fundraising
|
the Placing, the Subscription and
the Retail Offer;
|
Fundraising Shares
|
together, the Placing Shares, the
Retail Offer Shares and the Subscription Shares
|
General Meeting
|
the general meeting of Shareholders
to be held at 10:00 a.m. on 30 May 2024 at LifeSafe Holdings plc,
Basepoint Business Centre, Isidore Road, Bromsgrove Enterprise
Park, Bromsgrove, B60 3ET (or any reconvened meeting following
adjournment of the general meeting);
|
Intermediaries
|
any financial intermediaries that
are appointed by Zeus as the "Retail Offer Coordinator" in
connection with the Retail Offer;
|
Issue Price
|
10 pence per Fundraising
Share;
|
London Stock Exchange
|
London Stock Exchange
plc;
|
Long Stop Date
|
14 June 2024;
|
MAR
|
the Market Abuse Regulation
(EU/596/2014) as it forms part of the domestic law of England and
Wales by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as
amended from time to time);
|
Notice of General Meeting
|
the notice of the General Meeting
contained within the Circular;
|
Ordinary Shares
|
ordinary shares of £0.01 each in the
capital of the Company;
|
Placees
|
the persons with whom Placing Shares
are placed pursuant to the Placing;
|
Placing
|
the conditional placing of the
Placing Shares by Zeus on behalf of the Company at the Issue Price,
in accordance with the Placing Agreement;
|
Placing Agreement
|
the conditional placing agreement
dated 14 May 2024 relating to the Placing of the Placing Shares
between the Company and Zeus;
|
Placing Shares
|
the new Ordinary Shares which are to
be issued by the Company pursuant to the Placing;
|
Prospectus Regulation
|
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017;
|
Regulation S
|
Regulation S under the Securities
Act;
|
Relevant Member State
|
a member state of the European
Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus
Regulation;
|
Representatives
|
directors, officers, partners,
employees, advisers and/or agents;
|
Resolutions
|
the resolutions contained in the
Notice of General Meeting;
|
Retail Investors
|
existing shareholders of the Company
who are resident in the United Kingdom and are a customer of an
Intermediary who agree conditionally to subscribe for Retail Offer
Shares in the Retail Offer;
|
Retail Offer
|
the proposed offer of the Retail
Offer Shares to Retail Investors through Intermediaries via the
Bookbuild Platform;
|
Retail Offer Shares
|
the new Ordinary Shares to be issued
by the Company at the Issue Price pursuant to the Retail
Offer;
|
Shareholders
|
holders of Ordinary
Shares;
|
Subscribers
|
persons who agree to subscribe for
Subscription Shares pursuant to Subscription Agreements;
|
Subscription
|
the subscription by the Subscribers
directly with the Company for Subscription Shares pursuant to the
Subscription Agreements;
|
Subscription Agreements
|
the agreements entered into between
the Company and the Subscribers pursuant to which the Subscribers
will agree to subscribe for the Subscription Shares at the Issue
Price;
|
Subscription Shares
|
in aggregate, certain new Ordinary
Shares proposed to be issued by the Company to the Subscribers
pursuant to the Subscription;
|
UK Prospectus Regulation
|
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017, as it forms
part of the law of England and Wales by virtue of section 3 of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and as modified by or under
domestic law;
|
uncertificated or in uncertificated
form
|
recorded on a register of securities
maintained by Euroclear in accordance with the CREST Regulations as
being in uncertificated form in CREST and title to which, by virtue
of the CREST Regulations, may be transferred by means of
CREST;
|
United States or US
|
the United States of America, its
territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the
District of Columbia;
|
VCT or Venture Capital
Trust
|
a company which is, or which is
seeking to become, approved as a venture capital trust under the
provisions of Part 6 of the ITA;
|
Zeus
|
Zeus Capital Limited, registered in
England and Wales under number 04417845 whose registered office is
at 82 King Street, Manchester, M2 4WQ (together with its
affiliates).
|
|
|