THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN ARE
RESTRICTED AND ARE NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION,
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
OR JAPAN OR IN OR INTO ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD
BREACH ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES
NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY
SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR
CONTAIN ANY INVITATION, SOLICITATION, RECOMMENDATION, OFFER OR
ADVICE TO ANY PERSON TO SUBSCRIBE FOR, OTHERWISE ACQUIRE OR DISPOSE
OF ANY SECURITIES OF PENSIONBEE GROUP PLC IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE
TO DO SO WOULD BREACH ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. PLEASE SEE
THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE END OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES
OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (596/2014/EU) AS IT
FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
(WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 AS AMENDED ("MAR"). UPON THE PUBLICATION OF
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, SUCH INFORMATION WILL NO LONGER CONSTITUTE
INSIDE INFORMATION.
20 June 2024
PROPOSED PLACING OF 5.6 MILLION
SHARES IN PENSIONBEE GROUP PLC (THE "COMPANY" OR
"PENSIONBEE")
Certain Directors and members of the
management team of PensionBee, being Romi Savova, Jonathan Lister
Parsons and Mark Wood CBE (together the "Selling Block") announce that,
following reverse inquiry and in order to increase liquidity in the
Company's shares and to broaden the Company's shareholder register,
they intend to sell in aggregate 5.6 million ordinary shares in
PensionBee (the "Placing
Shares"), representing approximately 2.5 per cent. of the
Company's current issued ordinary share capital.
Throughout the Company's investor
relations engagements over the past 6 months, there has been
consistent feedback that increasing liquidity, free float and
institutional share ownership is important to both current and
potential investors.
The placement aims to increase the
Company's institutional ownership to approximately 35% and the free
float to approximately 50% of the issued share capital.
The Placing Shares are being offered
by way of an accelerated bookbuild (the "Placing") to institutional investors,
which will be launched immediately following this announcement.
Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (trading as Keefe, Bruyette &
Woods) ("KBW") is acting as
Sole Bookrunner (the "Sole
Bookrunner") for Equiniti Financial Services Limited
("Equiniti"), who is acting
as agent for the Selling Block in connection with the
Placing.
The final number of Placing Shares
to be placed, and the price at which the Placing Shares are to be
placed, will be agreed by the Sole Bookrunner and the Selling Block
at the close of the bookbuild process, and the results of the
Placing will be announced as soon as practicable thereafter. The
timings for the close of the bookbuild process are at the absolute
discretion of the Sole Bookrunner. The Placing is subject to
demand, price and market conditions. The Selling Block has agreed
to sell pursuant to a block trade agreement in relation to the
Placing. Completion of the Placing is conditional on the block
trade agreement not being terminated prior to completion of the
Placing.
Assuming 5.6 million Placing Shares
are sold in the Placing, the Selling Block will reduce their
ownership of ordinary share capital of the Company from 42.8% to
40.3%, as follows:
Seller
|
Current
ownership
|
Current %
stake
|
Proposed
sale
|
Resultant
ownership
|
Resultant %
stake
|
Romi Savova
|
80,040,722
|
35.6%
|
4,002,036
|
76,038,686
|
33.8%
|
Jonathan Lister Parsons
|
13,322,800
|
5.9%
|
1,332,280
|
11,990,520
|
5.3%
|
Mark Wood CBE
|
2,757,175(1)
|
1.2%
|
274,370
|
2,482,805(2)
|
1.1%
|
Total
|
96,120,697
|
42.8%
|
5,608,686
|
90,512,011
|
40.3%
|
(1) The current aggregate shareholding of Mark Wood CBE and
Persons Closely Associated with him is 2,822,175 Ordinary Shares.
Mark Wood CBE holds 2,757,175 ordinary shares and Lisa Walden holds
65,000 Ordinary Shares.
(2) Assuming completion of the Placing, the aggregate
shareholding of Mark Wood CBE and Persons Closely Associated with
him would be 2,547,805 ordinary shares, including Mark's 2,482,805
ordinary shares and Lisa Walden's 65,000 ordinary
shares.
This represents 5.0% of Romi's
shareholding and 10% of Mark and Jonathan's shareholdings. As a
result of the transaction, the directors will reduce their
collective shareholding from 42.8% to 40.3%.
The transaction is currently
intended to be a sole exercise and the Selling Block will be
subject to a lock-up for 365 days in relation to all other ordinary
shares held by them and any person controlled by or controlling or
under common control with them after completion of the Placing
(unless consent is granted by the Sole Bookrunner). This is subject
to customary exceptions and subject to transfers of ordinary shares
issued after the date of this announcement upon the exercise of
options under any share option schemes but only to the extent
necessary to cover any applicable tax liability arising on exercise
of such options.
The Company will not receive any
proceeds from the Placing.
Enquiries:
KBW, a Stifel Company (Sole Bookrunner)
Alistair McKay
Alberto Moreno Blasco
Erik Anderson
Nick Harland
Important Information:
This announcement is not for
publication or distribution or release, directly or indirectly, in
or into the United States of America (including its territories and
possessions, any state of the United States and the District of
Columbia), Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan or any other
jurisdiction where such an announcement would be unlawful. The
distribution of this announcement may be restricted by law in
certain jurisdictions and persons into whose possession this
document or other information referred to herein comes should
inform themselves about and observe any such restriction. Any
failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a
violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No
action has been taken that would permit an offering of the Placing
Shares or possession or distribution of this announcement in any
jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required.
This announcement does not
constitute or form part of an offer for sale or solicitation of an
offer to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States,
Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan or any other jurisdiction
and the securities referred to herein have not been registered
under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The Placing
Shares have not been and will not be registered under the US
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or under the
securities laws of any State or any other jurisdiction of the
United States, and may not be offered or sold, directly or
indirectly, in the United States except pursuant to an exemption
from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration
requirements of, the Securities Act and in compliance with all
applicable securities laws of any State or any other jurisdiction
of the United States. No public offering of securities is being
made in the United States or in any other jurisdiction.
In member states of the European
Economic Area ("EEA"), this
announcement and any offer of Placing Shares if made subsequently
is directed exclusively at persons who are "qualified investors"
within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation ("Qualified Investors"). For these
purposes, the expression "Prospectus Regulation" means Regulation
(EU) 2017/1129. In the United Kingdom this announcement is only
being distributed to, and is only directed at, and any investment
or investment activity to which this announcement relates is
available only to, and will be engaged in only with, Qualified
Investors who are (i) investment professionals falling with Article
19(5) of the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial
Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended) (the "Order"); or (ii) high net worth
entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, or
(iii) other persons to whom an offer of the Placing Shares may
otherwise be lawfully communicated (all such persons together being
referred to as "relevant
persons"). Persons who are not relevant persons should not
take any action on the basis of this announcement and should not
act or rely on it.
No prospectus or offering document
has been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing. Any
investment decision in connection with the Placing must be made on
the basis of all publicly available information relating to the
Company and its shares. Such information has not been independently
verified and the Selling Block and the Sole Bookrunner are not
responsible, and expressly disclaim any liability, for such
information. The information contained in this announcement is for
background purposes only and does not purport to be full or
complete. No reliance may be placed for any purpose on the
information contained in this announcement or its accuracy or
completeness.
In connection with the Placing, the
Sole Bookrunner or any of its affiliates may take up a portion of
the Placing Shares as a principal position and in that capacity may
retain, purchase, sell or offer to sell for its own account such
Placing Shares and other securities of the Company or related
investments in connection with the Placing or otherwise.
Accordingly, references to the Placing Shares being issued,
offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should
be read as including any issue or offer to, or subscription,
acquisition, placing or dealing by the Sole Bookrunner and any of
its affiliates acting as investors for their own accounts. The Sole
Bookrunner does not intend to disclose the extent of any such
investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any
legal or regulatory obligations to do so.
This announcement does not purport
to identify or suggest the risks (direct or indirect) which may be
associated with an investment in the Company or its
shares.
This announcement does not
constitute a recommendation concerning the Placing. The price and
value of securities and any income from them can go down as well as
up. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
Acquiring Placing Shares to which this announcement relates may
expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all of the
amount invested. Potential investors should consult a professional
advisor as to the suitability of the Placing for the entity or
person concerned. This announcement does not represent the
announcement of a definitive agreement to proceed with the Placing
and, accordingly, there can be no certainty that the Placing will
proceed. The Selling Block reserves the right not to proceed with
the Placing or to vary the terms of the offering in any
way.
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (acting
through Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited), which is authorised and
regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority,
is acting for Equiniti only in connection with the Placing and no
one else, and will not be responsible to anyone other than Equiniti
for providing the protections offered to clients nor for providing
advice in relation to the Placing Shares or the Placing, the
contents of this announcement or any transaction, arrangement or
other matter referred to in this announcement.
Certain figures contained in this
announcement, including financial information, have been subject to
rounding adjustments. Accordingly, in certain instances, the sum or
percentage change of the numbers contained in this announcement may
not conform exactly with the total figure given.
This announcement includes
statements that are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements may be identified by
the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms
"intends", "expects", "will", or "may", or, in each case, their
negative or other variations or comparable terminology, or by
discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or
intentions. These forward-looking statements include all matters
that are not historical facts and include statements regarding
intentions, beliefs or current expectations. No assurances can be
given that the forward-looking statements in this announcement will
be realised. As a result, no undue reliance should be placed on
these forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual events
or otherwise.