Placing and Subscription to raise up to £1.5m
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDICES) AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN ARE RESTRICTED AND ARE NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND OR JAPAN OR IN OR INTO ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD BREACH ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDICES) IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDICES) 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 THE COMPANY IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD BREACH ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION.
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"). IN ADDITION, MARKET SOUNDINGS (AS DEFINED IN MAR) WERE TAKEN IN RESPECT OF CERTAIN OF THE MATTERS CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, WITH THE RESULT THAT CERTAIN PERSONS BECAME AWARE OF SUCH INSIDE INFORMATION, AS PERMITTED BY MAR. UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND SUCH PERSONS SHALL THEREFORE CEASE TO BE IN POSSESSION OF INSIDE INFORMATION.
8 August 2024
Getech Group plc
("Getech", or the "Company")
Placing and Subscription to raise up to £1.5 million before expenses
Getech Group plc, a world-leading locator of subsurface resources, today announces its intention to raise up to £1.5 million before expenses by way of (i) a placing of new Ordinary Shares ("Placing Shares") at a price of 2 pence per new Ordinary Share (the "Issue Price") to new and existing institutional and other investors (the "Placing") and (ii) a subscription of new Ordinary Shares ("Subscription Shares") at the Issue Price by certain of the Company's Directors (the "Subscription"). In addition, the Company is launching a separate conditional retail offer to existing retail investors via the BookBuild platform to raise up to £0.2 million at the Issue Price (the "Retail Offer" and together with the Placing and Subscription, the "Fundraising").
The Placing will be undertaken by way of an accelerated bookbuild process (the "Bookbuild"), which will be launched immediately following this announcement (being, together with the Appendices hereto, the "Announcement") and will be made available to new and existing institutional and other investors. Cavendish Capital Markets Limited ("Cavendish") is acting as nominated adviser, broker and sole bookrunner in respect of the Placing. Further details of the Bookbuild and the background to and reasons for the Fundraising are provided below and in the Appendices of this Announcement.
The Placing, Subscription and Retail Offer are conditional, inter alia, upon the Shareholders passing the Resolution to be proposed at a general meeting of the company to be held at 10.00 a.m. on 27 August 2024 at the offices of Cavendish at One Bartholomew Close, London, EC1A 7BL.
The net proceeds of the Fundraising, along with the Company's existing cash will be deployed to deliver further progress on sustainable growth, whilst also strengthening the balance sheet and enabling a modest spend on targeted research & development activities.
Further details on the background to and reasons for the Fundraising are set out below.
The Issue Price represents a premium of approximately 11.11 per cent. to the closing mid-market price on 8 August 2024, being the latest practicable date before this Announcement.
The number of Placing Shares to be issued will be agreed by the Company and Cavendish at the close of the Bookbuild. The timing of the closing of the Bookbuild and allocations are at the discretion of the Company and Cavendish. Details of the number of Placing Shares and Subscription Shares to be issued will be announced as soon as practicable after the close of the Bookbuild. The Fundraising is not conditional upon the approval of the Company's shareholders.
Your attention is drawn to the Additional Information set out below.
Appendix I sets out further information relating to the Bookbuild and the terms and conditions of the Placing. Persons who have chosen to participate in the Placing, by making an oral, electronic or written offer to acquire Placing Shares, 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 herein, and to be providing the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in Appendix I.
Unless otherwise indicated, capitalised terms in this Announcement have the meanings given to them in Appendix II to this Announcement.
Richard Bennett, CEO, commented:
"In the last 12 months we have significantly reduced Group costs, refocused the business on our core expertise of selling sub-surface data and we have worked hard to develop an expanded sales pipeline worth £9.6m. The proposed Placing will deliver financial stability, enable us to accelerate conversion of the sales pipeline and provide further R&D investment with the objective of the business becoming cash-flow positive on a sustainable basis this year. We are also ensuring that the opportunity to be involved in the Placing is being made available to all our shareholders."
For further information, please contact:
Getech Group plc | Tel: 0113 322 2200 |
Richard Bennett, CEO | |
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited | Tel: 020 7397 8900 |
Neil McDonald / Pete Lynch (Corporate Finance) | |
Dale Bellis / Jasper Berry (Sales) | |
Novella Communications | Tel: 0203 151 7008 |
Tim Robertson / Safia Colebrook | |
Additional Information
Background to and reasons for the Fundraising
Getech is seeking to expand its role in the global move to a clean energy future. The Company owns the largest commercial database of potential fields data, coupled with its geoscience expertise, AI-driven analytics and extensive GIS capabilities, the Company provides valuable and actionable insights to support resource discovery and development by exploration companies around the world. To achieve the energy transition, a substantial number of new, very large discoveries are required, with current estimates indicating that the industry needs to discover more than twelve trillion dollar of new energy resources to deliver a low-carbon economy. Getech is applying the Company's core geoscience data and skills to support exploration of these vital energy resources.
Since the appointment of Richard Bennett as CEO last year, the management team has refocused the business on its core strength of data led sub-surface exploration and reduced the costbase by approximately 28%. Despite a challenging market backdrop the restructuring of the business has enabled the management team to focus on sustainably growing the underlying profitability of the business whilst investing in enhancing its advanced geoscience technological and product distribution capabilities.
The Company's client portfolio is wide-ranging and the Board remain committed to targeting further diversification beyond the core oil and gas sector clients, with an ambition of delivering at least half of the Company's revenue from exploration companies focused on locating the natural resource discoveries needed to deliver the energy transition. The management team have delivered a significant diversification of revenue during the course of the year ended 31 December 2023, with transitional petroleum now accounting for 67 per cent of the Company's revenue as opposed to 93 per cent in the year ended 31 December 2021. This has been balanced by an increase in revenue contributions of clients in the critical minerals, geothermal and carbon storage solution sectors.
Getech's substantial database of potential fields data, covering both magnetic and gravity data, is accessed via its Globe platform, with a focus on delivering a 'software as a service' revenue model. The Globe platform continues to be developed with the introduction of advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques in addition to new search capabilities. The strategy of pursuing annual recurring revenue ("ARR") through a subscription model is aligned with the goal of delivering ARR in-excess of the Company's cost-base, which has been reduced by approximately £2.0 million per annum through the refocused strategy. ARR currently stands at approximately £2.9 million per annum, a 9 per cent increase from the position at 30 June 2023.
Encouragingly, the sales pipeline has also benefited from the refocused strategy and the emphasis on diversifying revenue across the wider energy transition. The Company currently has a pipeline of approximately £9.6 million in qualified sales prospects split across the Globe platform and software, geoscience data and geoscience services.
In addition to this pipeline, additional upside potential is delivered through a new equity participation model with specific customers aimed at earning a future share in assets which has the potential to generate substantially higher returns from Getech's data than has historically been achieved. During the course of 2024, Getech has successfully entered into the first such agreement with East Star Resources, a company undertaking copper exploration in Kazakhstan, and the Company has since entered into a similar deal in the natural hydrogen sector. Whilst seeking to maximise the opportunity when appropriate, there is a further pipeline of potential joint exploration agreements with an additional five parties operating across various sectors.
Use of Proceeds of the Fundraising
The net proceeds of the Fundraising, along with the Company's existing cash will be deployed to deliver further progress on sustainable growth, whilst also strengthening the balance sheet and enabling a modest spend on targeted research & development activities.
The net proceeds of the Fundraising will be deployed as follows:
1. £750,000 - Growth Capital - to fund key hires in the Sales and Business Development teams to accelerate the delivery of the £9.6 million sales pipeline as well as the joint exploration agreements, with a view to delivering revenue in the next 6-12 months. Specifically:
a. The recruitment of an EMEA sales lead to drive sales of Globe and geoscience services in the mining sector and the recruitment of a US sales lead to focus on the sale of Globe and geosciences services across multiples in the region
b. The recruitment of a global business development individual to pursue and deliver joint exploration agreements for natural hydrogen and critical minerals projects
c. Supporting the marketing budget in the fast-growing data-led exploration market
2. £500,000 - Balance sheet strengthening and working capital - to deliver a stable business through the annual working capital cycle and enable the finalisation of the internal restructuring of the team with a view to delivering an EBITDA positive business in the year to 31 December 2024.
3. £250,000 - Research & Development - with a view to the expansion of the engineering team to increase the machine learning capability within the Company and to implement digital search genomes for natural hydrogen and other critical minerals.
a. The Company is seeking to hire two data scientists to deliver on this targeted approach
The remaining balance of the Fundraising (if any) will go towards general working capital needs to support growth and provide additional balance sheet strength.
Current Trading and Prospects
During a challenging year to 31 December 2023, the Company focused on implementing a significant restructuring to allow it to focus on its core competency of enabling data-led sub-surface exploration with a broad range of customers. Following these changes, Getech now operates in a different style compared to the start of 2023, with a reduced cost base and increasing contributions of ARR. Despite these circumstances, in 2023 the Company delivered revenue of £4.0 million, with ARR standing at £2.8 million and the order book stood at £4.6 million as at 31 December 2023. However, as the impact of the reduced cost base will need time to be reflected in the financial performance of the Company, Getech incurred an operating loss of £5.2 million in the year.
Evidence of the refreshed strategy being delivered can be found in the split of revenues earned in the year:
· Transitional Petroleum - 67% (FY21: 93%)
· Carbon Storage Solutions - 15% (FY21: nil)
· Critical Minerals - 11% (FY21: 5%)
· Geothermal - 7% (FY21: nil)
Trading has improved in the first six months of 2024, and based on unaudited management accounts the Company has delivered revenue of £2.2 million (FY23: £1.9 million) with ARR now standing at £2.9 million (FY23: £2.6 million) and the order book as at 30 June 2024 was £4.7 million (FY23: £4.3 million). In addition, the annualised cost base now stands at £5.5 million (FY23: £7.6m). As at 30 June 2024, the Company's cash balance stood at £0.2 million.
The Company's qualified sales pipeline now stands at £9.6 million and is split across the core competencies of the Company:
· Globe platform and software - £4.9 million
· Geoscience data - £1.9 million
· Geoscience services - £2.8 million
Outlook
Energy security remains a key global concern and the mining sector is investing significant sums in exploring for new resources which underpins Getech's future prospects for the long-term.
For the current year, the significantly increased qualified sales pipeline of £9.6 million reflects the increase in demand for the Company's services. Conversion of the sales pipeline has been slower than anticipated which will result in revenues for FY2024 being lower than current market expectations and is behind the Board's decision to resolve near-term liquidity concerns and invest in accelerating the conversion of our new business pipeline.
The Board purposely limited the amount being raised given the recent weakness in the share price and is determined to ensure that all shareholders are able to participate in the proposed Fundraising.
The Fundraising will bolster the financial stability of the business which we expect to be further enhanced by the sale of Nicholson House, the Company's headquarters, expected to be completed by the end of 2024. The property holds a RICS valuation of £860,000 and the Company expects that a successful sale would provide approximately £500,000 for use in the business.
Overall, the Board is therefore confident that the Company is in a position to convert the expanded sales pipeline and capitalise on the positive growth drivers in the sector.
Shareholders should note that in the event that the Resolution is not passed, Admission will not occur and the Company would not receive the funds from the Fundraising, which would limit the amount of working capital available to the Company. There is no certainty that other funding would be available on suitable terms or at all. Accordingly, in light of the Group's cash position, it would be likely that the Company would have to severely restrict its costs, potentially impacting its ability to progress its growth strategy and generate value for the Group.
Details of the Fundraise
The Placing
The Placing will be conducted by way of an accelerated bookbuild (the "Bookbuild") which will be launched immediately upon the publication of this Announcement and will be made available to new and existing institutional investors.
Cavendish is acting as nominated adviser, broker and sole bookrunner to the Company in respect of the Placing. The Placing is not being underwritten.
The Placing is subject to the Terms and Conditions set out in Appendix I to this Announcement. Cavendish will commence the Bookbuild immediately following the release of this Announcement. The final number of Placing Shares to be placed at the Issue Price will be decided following completion of the Bookbuild. The book will open with immediate effect following this Announcement. The timing of the closing of the book and allocations are at the absolute discretion of Cavendish and the Company. Details of the number of Placing Shares to be issued will be announced as soon as practicable after the close of the Bookbuild.
The New Ordinary Shares will be free of all liens, charges and encumbrances and will, when issued and fully paid, be identical to and rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all future distributions, declared, paid or made in respect of the Ordinary Shares following the date of Admission.
The Subscription
As part of the Fundraising, the Company is intending to enter into subscription agreements with certain of the Directors (being Michael Covington, Richard Bennett, Andrew Darbyshire, Chris Jepps and Emma Parker) and members of the senior management team of the Company, who have indicated that they intend to subscribe for a total of 6,358,958 Subscription Shares respectively at the Issue Price (the "Subscription Agreements").
The Retail Offer
The Company values its retail Shareholder base and believes that it is appropriate to provide its existing retail Shareholders resident in the United Kingdom the opportunity to participate in the Retail Offer.
The Company is therefore making the Retail Offer available in the United Kingdom through the participating financial intermediaries which will be listed, subject to certain access restrictions, on the following website: https://www.bookbuild.live/deals/D1MGG1/authorised-intermediaries. Cavendish will be acting as retail offer coordinator in relation to this Retail Offer (the "Retail Offer Coordinator").
Existing retail Shareholders can contact their broker or wealth manager ("intermediary") to participate in the Retail Offer. In order to participate in the Retail Offer, each intermediary must be on-boarded onto the BookBuild platform, have an active trading account with the Retail Offer Coordinator and have been approved by the Retail Offer Coordinator as an intermediary in respect the Retail Offer, and agree to the final terms and conditions of the Retail Offer, which regulate, the conduct of the Retail Offer on market standard terms and provide for the payment of commission to any intermediary that elects to receive a commission and/or fee (to the extent permitted by the FCA Handbook Rules) from the Retail Offer Coordinator (on behalf of the Company).
Any expenses incurred by any intermediary are for its own account. Investors should confirm separately with any intermediary whether there are any commissions, fees or expenses that will be applied by such intermediary in connection with any application made through that intermediary pursuant to the Retail Offer.
The Retail Offer will be open to eligible investors in the United Kingdom at 8.00 a.m. on 9 August 2024. The Retail Offer is expected to close at 4.30 p.m. on 21 August 2024. Investors should note that financial intermediaries may have earlier closing times. The Retail Offer may close early if it is oversubscribed.
To be eligible to participate in the Retail Offer, applicants must be a customer of one of the participating intermediaries listed on the above website, resident in the United Kingdom and, as at the date of this Announcement or prior to placing an order for Retail Offer Shares, Shareholders in the Company, which may include individuals aged 18 years or over, companies and other bodies corporate, partnerships, trusts, associations and other unincorporated organisations.
The Company reserves the right to scale back any order at its discretion. The Company reserves the right to reject any application for subscription under the Retail Offer without giving any reason for such rejection.
It is vital to note that once an application for Retail Offer Shares has been made and accepted via an intermediary, it cannot be withdrawn.
The Retail Offer is conditional, inter alia, upon the Placing becoming unconditional and Admission taking effect.
The Retail Offer is an offer to subscribe for transferable securities, the terms of which ensure that the Company is exempt from the requirement to issue a prospectus under Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended and as modified from time to time by or under domestic law). The aggregate total consideration for the Retail Offer will not exceed €8 million (or the equivalent in pounds Sterling) and therefore the exemption from the requirement to publish a prospectus, set out in section 86(1) FSMA, will apply.
As set out above, a separate announcement will be made shortly by the Company regarding the Retail Offer and its terms.
The Placing Agreement
In connection with the Placing, the Company has entered into a placing agreement dated 8 August 2024 with Cavendish (the "Placing Agreement") pursuant to which Cavendish has agreed, in accordance with its terms, to use reasonable endeavours to procure placees ("Placees") for the Placing Shares at the Issue Price.
In accordance with the terms of the Placing Agreement, the Placing is conditional upon, amongst other things, the conditions in the Placing Agreement being satisfied or (if applicable) waived and the Placing Agreement not having been terminated in accordance with its terms prior to Admission occurring on or before 28 August 2024 (or such later date as Cavendish may agree not being later than 8.00 p.m. on 12 September 2024 (the "Long Stop Date")).
The Placing Agreement contains certain warranties given by the Company in favour of Cavendish concerning, amongst other things, the accuracy of information given in this Announcement made by the Company in respect of the Placing as well as other matters relating to the Group and its business.
The Placing Agreement is terminable by Cavendish in certain circumstances up until the time of Admission, including, inter alia, should there be a breach of a warranty contained in the Placing Agreement or a force majeure event takes place or a material adverse change occurs to the business of the Company or the Group. The Company has also agreed to indemnify Cavendish against all losses, costs, charges and expenses which Cavendish may suffer or incur as a result of, occasioned by or attributable to the carrying out of its duties under the Placing Agreement.
EIS/VCT Schemes
Although the Directors believe that the EIS/VCT Placing Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing will be 'eligible shares' and will be capable of being a qualifying holding for the purposes of investment by VCTs and will also satisfy the conditions of section 173 of ITA for the purposes of the EIS and 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 on this occasion, neither the Directors nor the Company nor Cavendish, nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees, affiliates or advisers give any warranty or undertaking or other assurance that relief will be available in respect of any investment in the EIS/ VCT Placing Shares, nor do they warrant or undertake or otherwise give any assurance that the Company will conduct its activities in a way that qualifies for or preserves its status.
Admission
Application will be made to the London Stock Exchange for the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM ("Admission"). It is anticipated that Admission will become effective, and that dealings in the New Ordinary Shares will commence at or around 8.00 a.m. BST on 28 August 2024. The Placing is conditional upon, among other things, Admission becoming effective and the Placing Agreement not being terminated in accordance with its terms.
The New Ordinary Shares will trade on AIM under GTC with ISIN GB00B0HZVP95 and SEDOL B0HZVP9.
It is expected that CREST ("CREST") accounts of the investors in the Placing Shares who hold their Ordinary Shares in CREST will be credited with their Placing Shares on 28 August 2024. In the case of investors in the Placing Shares holding their Placing Shares in certificated form, it is expected that certificates will be dispatched within 10 business days of Admission. Pending dispatch of the share certificates or the crediting of CREST accounts, the Registrar ("Registrar") will certify any instruments of transfer against the register.
For the avoidance of doubt, if the Placing Agreement between the Company and Cavendish is terminated prior to Admission then neither the Placing, the Subscription nor the Retail Offer will occur.
Unless otherwise stated, all times referenced in this Announcement are British Summer Time.
This Announcement should be read in its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the information provided in the "Important Notices" section below and the Appendices to this announcement (which form part of this Announcement) which includes the terms and conditions of the Placing. Persons who have chosen to participate in the Placing, by making an oral or written offer to acquire Placing Shares, 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 herein and, in respect of those persons participating in the Placing, to be providing the representations, warranties, agreements, confirmations, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in Appendix I.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
This Announcement should be read in its entirety.
Neither the contents of the Company's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this Announcement.
This Announcement does not constitute, or form part of, a prospectus relating to the Company, nor does it constitute or contain any invitation or offer to any person, or any public offer, to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire any shares in the Company or advise persons to do so in any jurisdiction, nor shall it, or any part of it form the basis of or be relied on in connection with any contract or as an inducement to enter into any contract or commitment with the Company.
The content of this Announcement has not been approved by an authorised person within the meaning of FSMA. This Announcement has been issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company. The information in this Announcement is subject to change.
This Announcement is not an offer of securities for sale in or into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or jurisdiction of the United States. Subject to certain exceptions, the securities referred to herein are being offered only outside of the United States pursuant to Regulation S of the Securities Act and may not be reoffered, resold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, within the United States except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and, in each case, in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States.
No public offering of securities is being made in the United States. This Announcement is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of Ireland or Japan or any jurisdiction where to do so might constitute a violation of local securities laws or regulations (a "Prohibited Jurisdiction"). This Announcement and the information contained herein are not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, to persons in a Prohibited Jurisdiction unless permitted pursuant to an exemption under the relevant local law or regulation in any such jurisdiction.
Cavendish is authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom. Cavendish is acting as nominated adviser, broker and sole bookrunner for the Company and no one else in connection with the Placing and the Bookbuild and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this Announcement) as its client in relation to the Placing or the Bookbuild nor will it be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients.
Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed on Cavendish as broker and sole bookrunner in connection with the Placing and the Bookbuild by FSMA or the regulatory regime established thereunder, Cavendish accepts no responsibility whatsoever, and make no representation or warranty, express or implied, in relation to the Fundraising or the Bookbuild or the contents of this Announcement including its accuracy, completeness or verification or for any other statement made or purported to be made by or on behalf of either of them, the Company or any other person, in connection with the Company and the contents of this Announcement, whether as to the past or the future. Cavendish accordingly disclaims all and any liability whatsoever, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above), which they might otherwise have in respect of the contents of this Announcement or any such statement.
In connection with the Placing, Cavendish and its Affiliates, acting as investors for their own accounts, may subscribe for or purchase Ordinary Shares in the Company and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell or otherwise deal for their own accounts in such Ordinary Shares and other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the Placing or otherwise. Accordingly, references to the Ordinary Shares being offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any offer to, or subscription, acquisition, placing or dealing by Cavendish and any of its Affiliates acting as investors for their own accounts. In addition, Cavendish or its Affiliates may enter into financing arrangements and swaps in connection with which they or their Affiliates may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of Ordinary Shares. Cavendish has no intention to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so.
Forward-looking Statements
This Announcement includes "forward-looking statements" which include all statements other than statements of historical facts, including, without limitation, those regarding the Group's business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations, or any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words "targets", "believes", "expects", "aims", "intends", "will", "may", "anticipates", "would", "could" or similar expressions or negatives thereof. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors beyond the Company's control that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Group to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Group's present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Group will operate in the future. Many of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions relate to factors that are beyond the Company's ability to control or estimate precisely and include, but are not limited to, general economic climate and market conditions as well as specific factors, including the success of the Company and its subsidiaries' research and development and commercialisation strategies, uncertainties regarding regulatory clearance and acceptance of products by customers. No undue reliance should be placed upon forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this Announcement. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based, unless required to do so by applicable law or the AIM Rules.
Information to Distributors
Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended and as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II and as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended; 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 "Target Market Assessment").
Notwithstanding the 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; Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in 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 Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, Cavendish will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to Placing Shares.
Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.
APPENDIX I
APPENDIX
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE PLACING
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THIS APPENDIX AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN (TOGETHER THE "ANNOUNCEMENT") IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND, THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, HONG KONG OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, NOR IS IT INTENDED THAT IT WILL BE SO APPROVED.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS DIRECTED ONLY AT: (A) PERSONS IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA ("EEA") WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(e) OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION ("QUALIFIED INVESTORS"); AND (B) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, PERSONS WHO ARE "QUALIFIED INVESTORS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION AND WHO ALSO: (I) HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) (INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER"); (II) ARE PERSONS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; OR (III) ARE PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION IN IT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN GETECH GROUP PLC.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE INTO THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR TRANSFERRED, 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 ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. SUBJECT TO CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS AND AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF THE COMPANY, THE PLACING SHARES ARE BEING OFFERED AND SOLD ONLY OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN "OFFSHORE TRANSACTIONS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH, REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND OTHERWISE IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE PLACING SHARES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED KINGDOM OR ELSEWHERE. NO MONEY, SECURITIES OR OTHER CONSIDERATION FROM ANY PERSON INSIDE THE UNITED STATES IS BEING SOLICITED AND, IF SENT IN RESPONSE TO THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN PLACING SHARES. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, ANY PART OF IT OR ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT MAY BE RESTRICTED BY LAW IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS, AND ANY PERSON INTO WHOSE POSSESSION THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, ANY PART OF IT OR ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT COMES SHOULD INFORM THEMSELVES ABOUT, AND OBSERVE, SUCH RESTRICTIONS.
THE COMPANY'S BROKERS, CAVENDISH CAPITAL MARKETS LIMITED, WHO ARE REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY, ARE ACTING FOR THE COMPANY AND NO ONE ELSE IN RELATION TO THE PROPOSALS SET OUT IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. CAVENDISH DOES NOT HAVE ANY AUTHORITY TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY OR ANY OTHER PERSON IN CONNECTION WITH THE COMPANY.
ANY PERSON WHO IS IN ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE INVESTMENT TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES SHOULD CONSULT A PERSON DULY AUTHORISED FOR THE PURPOSES OF FSMA WHO SPECIALISES IN THE ACQUISITION OF SHARES AND OTHER SECURITIES.
The distribution of this Announcement 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, Cavendish or any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees that would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement 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 this Announcement comes are required by the Company and Cavendish to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.
This Announcement or any part of it is for information purposes only and does 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, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of South Africa, Hong Kong 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.
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. In the United Kingdom, this Announcement is being directed solely at persons in circumstances in which section 21(1) of 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 this Announcement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. The relevant clearances have not been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of any province or territory of Canada, no prospectus has been lodged with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand 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 Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong in relation to the Placing Shares and the Placing Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offering in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or territory of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong or any other jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.
Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or other legal obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.
This Announcement should be read in its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the information provided in this "Important Information" section of this Announcement.
The Company proposes to raise capital by way of, inter alia, a Placing. By participating in the Placing, each Placee will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its entirety, to be participating, making an offer and acquiring Placing Shares on the Terms and Conditions and to be providing the representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in this Appendix.
In particular, each such Placee represents, warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst other things) that:
1 it is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business;
2 in the case of a Relevant Person in a Relevant State who acquires any Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing:
(a) it is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation;
(b) in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation:
(i) the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in a Relevant State other than Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior consent of Cavendish has been given to the offer or resale; or
(ii) where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in a Relevant State other than Qualified Investors, the offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such persons;
3 in the case of a Relevant Person in the United Kingdom who acquires any Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing:
(a) it is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation;
(b) in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation:
(i) the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in the United Kingdom other than Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior consent of Cavendish has been given to the offer or resale; or
(ii) where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in the United Kingdom other than Qualified Investors, the offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the UK Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such persons;
4 it is acquiring the Placing Shares for its own account or is acquiring the Placing Shares for an account with respect to which it exercises sole investment discretion and has the authority to make and does make the representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements, undertakings and agreements contained in this Announcement;
5 it understands (or if acting for the account of another person, such person has confirmed that such person understands) the resale and transfer restrictions set out in this Appendix; and
6 except as otherwise permitted by the Company and subject to any available exemptions from applicable securities laws, it (and any account referred to 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
No prospectus or other offering document has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FCA in relation to the Placing or the Placing Shares and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of the information contained in this Announcement and any Publicly Available Information and subject to any further terms set forth in the form of confirmation to be sent to individual Placees.
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 the Company, Cavendish or any other person and none of the Company, Cavendish or 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 Placees should consider any information in this Announcement to be legal, tax or business advice. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation.
Details of the Placing Agreement and the Placing Shares
Cavendish has today entered into a Placing Agreement with the Company under which, on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the Placing Agreement, Cavendish, 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 of 2 pence per Placing Share.
The Placing Shares will, when issued, be subject to the Articles and credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares in the capital of the Company, 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 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 no later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 August 2024 and that dealings in the Placing Shares on AIM will commence at the same time.
Principal terms of the Placing
1 Cavendish is acting as broker to the Company in respect of the Placing, as agent for and on behalf of the Company. Cavendish is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA and is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to each of Cavendish' customers or for providing advice in relation to the matters described in this Announcement.
2 Participation in the Placing will only be available to persons who may lawfully be and are invited by Cavendish to participate. Cavendish and any of its affiliates are entitled to participate in the Placing as principal.
3 The price per Placing Share is two pence and is payable to Cavendish as agent of the Company by all Placees.
4 By participating in the Placing (such participation up to an agreed maximum level to be confirmed in and evidenced by either (i) a recorded telephone call and/or (ii) email correspondence, in either case between representatives of Cavendish to whom the Placee's commitment is given and the relevant Placee (a "Recorded Commitment")), each Placee will be deemed to have read and understood the Announcement and these Terms and Conditions in their entirety, to be participating and acquiring Placing Shares on these Terms and Conditions and to be providing the representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in these Terms and Conditions.
5 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 Cavendish (as agent for the Company), to subscribe and pay for, at the Issue Price, the number of Placing Shares allocated to it, up to the agreed maximum.
6 Each Placee's allocation (and whether such Placee participates in the Placing) will be determined by Cavendish in its discretion following consultation with the Company and will be confirmed by Cavendish either orally or in writing via a contract note or trade confirmation after the Recorded Commitment has taken place.
7 Each Placee's commitment will be confirmed in and evidenced by a Recorded Commitment. These Terms and Conditions will be deemed incorporated into each 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 Cavendish's prior written consent, will not be capable of variation or revocation after such time. A contract note or trade confirmation confirming each Placee's allocation of Placing Shares will be sent to them following the Recorded Commitment and the allocation process. These Terms and Conditions shall be deemed incorporated into any such contract note or trade confirmation.
8 Each Placee will have an immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to Cavendish (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 allocated to such Placee (subject always to such Placee's agreed maximum).
9 Cavendish 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 in consultation with the Company. Cavendish also reserves the right not to accept orders to subscribe for Placing Shares or to accept such orders in part rather than in whole. The acceptance and, if applicable, scaling back of orders shall be at the absolute discretion of Cavendish.
10 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".
11 All obligations of Cavendish 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".
12 By participating in the Placing, each Placee will agree 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.
13 To the fullest extent permissible by law and applicable FCA rules, none of (a) Cavendish, (b) any of its affiliates, agents, directors, officers, consultants, (c) to the extent not contained within (a) or (b), any person connected with Cavendish as defined in the FSMA ((b) and (c) being together "affiliates" and individually an "affiliate" of Cavendish), (d) any person acting on behalf of Cavendish, 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, Cavendish nor any of its affiliates shall have any liability (including, to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of their conduct in relation to the Placing or of such alternative method of effecting the Placing as Cavendish and the Company may agree.
Registration and Settlement
If Placees are allocated any Placing Shares in the Placing they will be sent a form of confirmation or electronic confirmation by Cavendish, as soon as it is able which will confirm the number of Placing Shares allocated to them, the Issue Price and the aggregate amount owed by them to Cavendish.
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 Cavendish in accordance with either the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions which they have in place with Cavendish.
Settlement of transactions in the Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00B0HZVP95) following Admission will take place within the CREST system, subject to certain exceptions. Settlement through CREST is expected to take place on 28 August 2024 unless otherwise notified by Cavendish and Admission is expected to occur no later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 August 2024 unless otherwise notified by Cavendish. The deadline for Placees to input instructions into CREST is 2.30 p.m. on 28 August 2024. Admission and settlement may occur at an earlier date, which if achievable, will be set out in the Circular. Settlement will be on a delivery versus payment basis. 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 Cavendish may agree that the Placing Shares should be issued in certificated form. Cavendish reserves the right to require settlement of the Placing Shares, and to deliver the Placing Shares to Placees, by such other means as it deems necessary if delivery or settlement to Placees is not practicable within the CREST system or would not be consistent with regulatory requirements in a Placee's jurisdiction.
Interest is chargeable daily on payments not received from Placees on the due date in accordance with the arrangements set out above, in respect of either CREST or certificated deliveries, at the rate of 2 percentage points above prevailing Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA) as determined by Cavendish.
Each Placee agrees that if it does not comply with these obligations, Cavendish may sell, charge by way of security (to any funder of Cavendish) or otherwise deal with any or all of their Placing Shares on their behalf and retain from the proceeds, for Cavendish' own account and benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due and any costs and expenses properly incurred by Cavendish as a result of the Placee's failure to comply with its obligations. The relevant Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall below the amount owed by it and for any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any interest or penalties) which may arise upon the sale of their Placing Shares on their behalf. Legal and/or beneficial title in and to any Placing Shares shall not pass to the relevant Placee until such time as it has fully complied with its obligations hereunder.
If Placing Shares are to be delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees must ensure that, upon receipt, the conditional form of confirmation is copied and delivered immediately to the relevant person within that organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares are registered in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should, subject as provided below, be so registered free from any liability to 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.
Cavendish' obligations under the Placing Agreement are, and the Placing is, conditional upon, inter alia:
1 Admission taking place not later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 August 2024 or such later date as is agreed in writing between the Company and Cavendish, but in any event not later than the Long Stop Date;
2 the Company complying with its obligations under the Placing Agreement to the extent that the same fall to be performed prior to Admission;
3 there not occurring, in Cavendish' opinion (acting in good faith), a Material Adverse Change;
4 the General Meeting having taken place, no adjournment of the General Meeting having occurred without the prior written consent of Cavendish and the Resolutions having been passed at the General Meeting by the requisite majority without amendment;
5 satisfaction or, where appropriate, the waiver of certain other conditions set out in the Placing Agreement,
(all conditions to the obligations of Cavendish included in the Placing Agreement being together, the "conditions").
For the avoidance of doubt, the Placing is not conditional on the Retail Offer (or any take up of the Retail Offer Shares) or the Subscription.
If any of the conditions set out in the Placing Agreement are 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 Cavendish may agree), or the Placing Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms, the Placing 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.
Certain conditions may be waived in whole or in part by Cavendish, in its absolute discretion, by notice in writing to the Company and Cavendish may also agree in writing with the Company to extend the time for satisfaction of any condition. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this Announcement.
Cavendish may terminate the Placing Agreement in certain circumstances, details of which are set out below.
Neither Cavendish, the Company nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any liability to any Placee (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in respect of any decision 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 nor for any decision any of them may make as to the satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the Placing generally and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within Cavendish' absolute discretion.
Termination of the Placing
Cavendish may terminate the Placing Agreement, in accordance with its terms, at any time prior to Admission if, inter alia:
1 any of the warranties in the Placing Agreement were, when given, untrue, inaccurate, or misleading; or
2 the Company fails or is unable to comply with its obligations under the Placing Agreement; or
3 any statement contained in the Placing Documents (as defined in the Placing Agreement) has become or been discovered to be untrue, inaccurate or misleading or there has been a material omission therefrom; or
4 a matter, fact, circumstance or event has arisen such that in the opinion of Cavendish (acting in good faith) a supplementary circular and/or supplementary press announcement is required to be published or released; or
5 a Material Adverse Change has occurred.
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 this Announcement 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 Cavendish that the exercise by the Company or Cavendish 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 and / or Cavendish and that neither the Company nor Cavendish need make any reference to such Placee and that none of the Company, Cavendish nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees 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 participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations 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 after the issue by Cavendish of a form of confirmation confirming each Placee's allocation and commitment in the Placing.
Restrictions on issues of shares and other securities by the Company
The Company has undertaken to Cavendish that, during the period ending on the later of (i) 180 days after the date of Admission, and (ii) publication of the audited results of the Company for financial period ending 31 December 2024, it will not without the prior consent of Cavendish allot or issue, or enter into any agreement or arrangement which would give rise to an obligation or an increased obligation (in each case whether contingent or otherwise) to allot or issue, any share or any instrument or security convertible into a share in the capital of the Company (save for the allotment and issue of new Ordinary Shares in the capital of the Company pursuant to the Placing and the separate Subscription and Retail Offer being made by the Company or the issue of shares or the grant and exercise of options pursuant to the option schemes, agreements and arrangements disclosed in the Circular).
By participating in the Placing, each Placee agrees that the exercise by Cavendish of any power to grant consent to the undertaking by the Company of a transaction which would otherwise be subject to these restrictions under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of Cavendish and that it need not make any reference to, or consult with, any Placee and that it shall have no liability to any Placee whatsoever in connection with any such exercise of the power to grant consent.
Representations, warranties and further terms
By participating in the Placing, each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably represents, warrants, acknowledges, undertakes and agrees (for itself and for any such prospective Placee) that in each case as a fundamental term of such Placee's application for Placing Shares (save where Cavendish expressly agrees in writing to the contrary) that:
1 it has read and understood this Announcement in its 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 Pacing and acknowledges that no prospectus or other offering document: (a) is required under the Prospectus Regulation or the UK Prospectus Regulation; and (b) has been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing;
3 the Ordinary Shares in the capital of the Company are admitted to trading on AIM, and that, in addition to complying with its obligations pursuant to MAR, the Company is therefore required to publish certain business and financial information in accordance with the AIM Rules, 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 has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing and none of Cavendish, the Company nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them has provided, and will not provide, it with any material regarding the Placing Shares or the Company or any other person other than the information in this Announcement, or the Publicly Available Information; nor has it requested any of Cavendish, the Company, any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such information;
5 neither Cavendish nor any person acting on its behalf or any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees has or shall have any liability for any Publicly Available Information, or any representation relating to the Company, provided that nothing in this paragraph excludes the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by that person;
6 the only information on which it is entitled to rely on and on which it has relied in committing to subscribe for the Placing Shares is contained in 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 Publicly Available Information;
7 neither the Company, Cavendish nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees has made any representation or warranty to it, express or implied, with respect to the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares or the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the Publicly Available Information;
8 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;
9 it has not relied on any investigation that Cavendish or any person acting on its behalf may have conducted with respect to the Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares;
10 the content of this Announcement and the Publicly Available Information has been prepared by and is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and that neither Cavendish nor any persons acting on its behalf are responsible for or has or shall have any liability for any information, representation, warranty or statement relating to the Company contained in this Announcement or the Publicly Available Information nor will they be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any information, representation, warranty or statement contained in this Announcement, the Publicly Available Information or otherwise. Nothing in this Appendix shall exclude any liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation;
11 the Placing is not conditional on the Retail Offer (or any take up of the Retail Offer Shares) or the Subscription;
12 the Placing Shares have not been registered or otherwise qualified, and will not be registered or otherwise qualified, for offer and sale nor will a prospectus be cleared or approved in respect of any of the Placing Shares under the securities laws of the United States, or any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered, sold, taken up, renounced or delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, within the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong or in any country or jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is required;
13 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 this Appendix) 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 that it is required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to its subscription for Placing Shares;
14 it is not, and any person who it is acting on behalf of is not, and at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed will not be, a resident of, or with an address in, or subject to the laws of, the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong 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 the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Hong Kong and may not be offered, sold, or acquired, directly or indirectly, within those jurisdictions;
15 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;
16 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;
17 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;
18 it will not distribute, forward, transfer or otherwise transmit this Announcement or any part of it, or any other presentational or other materials concerning the Placing in or into or from the United States (including electronic copies thereof) to any person, and it has not distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise transmitted any such materials to any person;
19 neither Cavendish, nor its affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees 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 and that participation in the Placing is on the basis that it is not and will not be a client of Cavendish and that Cavendish does not have any 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;
20 it has the funds available to pay for the Placing Shares for which it has agreed to subscribe and acknowledges and agrees that it will make payment to Cavendish for the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with the Terms and Conditions on the due times and dates set out in this Announcement, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with others on such terms as Cavendish may, in its absolute discretion determine 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 this Announcement) which may arise upon the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares on its behalf;
21 save to the extent confirmed in writing to Cavendish, none of the monies advanced by it to satisfy its payment obligations in connection with the Placing are, or otherwise derive from, State Aid or a Risk Capital Investment;
22 no action has been or will be taken by any of the Company, Cavendish or any person acting on their behalf 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;
23 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. Neither the Company nor Cavendish will be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax resulting from a failure to observe this requirement. Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to acquire Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing and agrees to pay the Company and Cavendish in respect of the same (including any interest or penalties) on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to the CREST stock account of Cavendish or transferred to the CREST stock account of Cavendish, whereupon Cavendish will hold them as a nominee on behalf of the Placee until settlement in accordance with its standing settlement instructions with it;
24 it is acting as principal only in respect of the Placing or, if it is acting for any other person, (a) it is duly authorised to do so and has full power to make the acknowledgments, representations and agreements herein on behalf of each such person and (b) it is and will remain liable to the Company and Cavendish for the performance of all its obligations as a Placee in respect of the Placing (regardless of the fact that it is acting for another person);
25 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 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;
26 it will not make an offer to the public of the Placing Shares and it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to persons in the United Kingdom or in the EEA prior to the expiry of a period of six months from Admission 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 or within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation, or an offer to the public in any member state of the EEA within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation;
27 if it is within the United Kingdom, it and any person acting on its behalf (if within the United Kingdom) is a person of a kind described in: (a) Article 19(5) (Investment Professionals) and/or 49(2) (High net worth companies etc.) of the FSMA (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended, and/or an authorised person as defined in section 31 of FSMA; and (b) a "Qualified Investor" being a person falling within Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation. If it is within a member state of the EEA, it is a Qualified Investor as defined in Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation. For such purposes, it 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;
28 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 that this Announcement is not being issued by Cavendish as an authorised person under Section 21 of FSMA and therefore is not subject to the same controls applicable to a financial promotion made by an authorised person;
29 it has complied and it will comply with all applicable laws with respect to anything done by it or on its behalf in relation to the Placing Shares (including all relevant provisions of the FSMA in respect of anything done in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom);
30 if it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation or the Prospectus Regulation, 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, persons in the UK or in a Relevant State other than Qualified Investors, or in circumstances in which the express prior written consent of Cavendish has been given to the offer or resale;
31 it has neither received nor relied on any confidential price sensitive information about the Company in accepting this invitation to participate in the Placing;
32 neither Cavendish nor any of its affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them has or shall have any liability for any information, representation or statement contained in this Announcement or for any information previously published by or on behalf of the Company or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available or filed information or any representation, warranty or undertaking relating to the Company, and will not be liable for its decision to participate in the Placing based on any information, representation, warranty or statement contained in this Announcement or elsewhere, provided that nothing in this paragraph shall exclude any liability of any person for fraud;
33 neither the Company nor Cavendish, nor any of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of the Company, Cavendish or their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees 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 Cavendish' rights and obligations thereunder including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise any termination right;
34 it acknowledges and accepts that Cavendish may, in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory provisions, engage in transactions in relation to the Placing Shares and/or related instruments for its own account for the purpose of hedging its underwriting exposure or otherwise and, except as required by applicable law or regulation, Cavendish will not make any public disclosure in relation to such transactions;
35 Cavendish and each of its affiliates, each 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 this Announcement 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 Cavendish and/or any of its affiliates, acting as an investor for its or their own account(s). Neither the Company nor Cavendish intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transaction otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation to do so;
36 it is aware of the obligations (i) regarding insider dealing in the Criminal Justice Act 1993, FSMA, MAR and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and confirms that it has and will continue to comply with those obligations; and (ii) otherwise arising under the Regulations;
37 in order to ensure compliance with the Regulations, either Cavendish (for itself and as agent on behalf of the Company) or the Registrars may, in their absolute discretion, require verification of its identity. Pending the provision to Cavendish or the Registrars, as applicable, of evidence of identity, definitive certificates in respect of the Placing Shares may be retained at Cavendish' absolute discretion or, where appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to it in uncertificated form may be delayed at either Cavendish' or the Registrars', as the case may be, absolute discretion. If within a reasonable time after a request for verification of identity, Cavendish (for itself and as agent on behalf of the Company) or the Registrars have not received evidence satisfactory to them, Cavendish and/or the Company may, at their absolute discretion, terminate their 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;
38 it acknowledges that its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on the terms set out in this Announcement and in the form of confirmation 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 Cavendish' conduct of the Placing;
39 it has knowledge and experience in financial, business and international investment matters as is required to evaluate the merits and risks of subscribing for 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;
40 it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised officer of Cavendish as its agent for the purpose of executing and delivering to the Company and/or its Registrars any documents on its behalf necessary to enable it to be registered as the holder of any of the Placing Shares for which it agrees to subscribe or purchase upon the terms of this Announcement;
41 the Company, Cavendish and others (including each of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees) will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and agreements, which are given to Cavendish, on its behalf and on behalf of the Company and are irrevocable;
42 if it is acquiring the Placing Shares as a fiduciary or agent for one or more investor accounts, 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;
43 time is of the essence as regards its obligations under this Appendix;
44 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 Cavendish;
45 the Placing Shares will be issued subject to the Terms and Conditions; and
46 these Terms and Conditions and all documents into which this Appendix is incorporated by reference or otherwise validly forms a part and/or any agreements entered into pursuant to these Terms and Conditions and all agreements to acquire Ordinary 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 or matter arising out of any such contract, except that enforcement proceedings in respect of the obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together with any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by the Company or Cavendish 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, Cavendish and each of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers and employees harmless from any and all costs, claims, liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) arising out of or in connection with any breach of the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings given by the Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) in this Appendix or incurred by the Company, Cavendish or each of their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees arising from the performance of the Placee's obligations as set out in this Announcement, and further agrees that the provisions of this Appendix 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, direct 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 of the Company nor Cavendish 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 Cavendish 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 Cavendish in the event that either the Company and/or Cavendish has incurred any such liability to such taxes or duties.
The representations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in this Appendix are given to Cavendish for itself and on behalf of the Company and are irrevocable.
Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of the Placee acknowledges that Cavendish 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.
Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of the Placee acknowledges and agrees that Cavendish may (at its absolute discretion) satisfy its obligations to procure Placees by itself 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 Cavendish, any money held in an account with Cavendish 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 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 Cavendish' money (as applicable) in accordance with the client money rules and will be held by it under a banking relationship and not as trustee.
References to time in this Announcement are to London time, unless otherwise stated.
All times and dates in this Announcement may be subject to amendment.
No statement in this Announcement is intended to be a profit forecast, and no statement in this Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings per share of the Company for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per share of the 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 or sold 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, this Announcement.
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply throughout this Announcement unless the context otherwise requires:
"Admission" | admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance with Rule 6 of the AIM Rules. | |
"AIM" | the AIM Market operated by the London Stock Exchange. | |
"AIM Rules" | the AIM Rules for Companies published by the London Stock Exchange from time to time. | |
"Articles" | the articles of association of the Company. | |
"Business Day" | a day (other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday) on which clearing banks are open for all normal banking business in the city of London. | |
"Cavendish" | Cavendish Capital Markets Limited, a company incorporated in England and Wales with company number 06198898, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, and for the purpose of trade settlement in the Placing, Cavendish Securities plc a company incorporated in England and Wales with company number 05210733, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. | |
"certificated form" or "in certificated form" | an Ordinary Share recorded on a company's share register as being held in certificated form (namely, not in CREST). | |
"Circular" | the circular, containing further details of the Placing and notice of the General Meeting to, inter alia, approve the Resolutions, which is expected to be published and despatched to Shareholders on or around 9 August 2024. | |
"Company" | Getech Group plc, a company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales with company number 02891368. | |
"CREST" | the relevant system (as defined in the CREST Regulations) in respect of which Euroclear is the operator (as defined in those regulations). | |
"CREST Regulations" | the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001 No. 3755) (as amended). | |
"EIS" | means the Enterprise Investment Scheme as detailed in Part V of the Income Tax Act 2007 | |
"EIS/VCT Placing" | means the conditional placing of the EIS/VCT Placing Shares at the Issue Price by Cavendish, details of which are set out in this document | |
"Euroclear" | Euroclear UK & International Limited, the operator of CREST. | |
"FCA" | the UK Financial Conduct Authority | |
"FSMA" | the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) | |
"General Meeting" | the general meeting of the Company to be held at the offices of Cavendish at One Bartholomew Close, London, EC1A 7BL at 10.00 a.m. on 27 August 2024, notice of which will be set out at the end of the Circular. | |
"Group" | the Company and its subsidiary undertakings from time to time and which as at the date of this Agreement comprises the Company, and its subsidiary undertakings from time to time and which as at the date of this Agreement comprises the Company, H2 Green Limited, Exprodat Consulting Limited, ERCL Limited and Geophysical Exploration Technology Inc. | |
"Issue Price" | 2 pence per Placing Share. | |
"London Stock Exchange" | London Stock Exchange plc. | |
"Long Stop Date" | 12 September 2024. | |
"MAR" | the UK version of the Market Abuse Regulation ((EU) No 596/2014) which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended and supplemented from time to time. | |
"Material Adverse Change" | a material adverse change, or any development reasonably likely to involve a prospective material adverse change, in the condition (financial, operational, legal or otherwise), or the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company or the Group which is material in the context of the Group taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business and whether or not foreseeable as at the date of the Placing Agreement. | |
"New Ordinary Shares" | the Placing Shares, the Retail Offer Shares and the Subscription Shares. | |
"Ordinary Shares" | ordinary shares of 0.25 pence in the capital of the Company. | |
"Placees" | subscribers for the Placing Shares. | |
"Placing" | the conditional placing of the Placing Shares by Cavendish, as agent on behalf of the Company, pursuant to the Placing Agreement, further details of which will be set out in the Circular. | |
"Placing Agreement" | the conditional placing agreement dated the same date as this Announcement and made between Cavendish and the Company in relation to the Placing, further details of which will be set out in the Circular. | |
"Placing Shares" | the new Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing. | |
"Publicly Available Information" | information publicly announced through a Regulatory Information Service (as defined in the AIM Rules) by or on behalf of the Company on or prior to the date of this Announcement. | |
"Regulations" | the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2006 (as amended) and the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (as amended). | |
"Regulatory Information Service" | a service approved by the FCA for the distribution to the public of regulatory announcements and included within the list maintained on the FCA's website. | |
"Relevant State" | a member state of the EEA. | |
"Resolutions" | the resolutions set out in the notice convening the General Meeting, which will be set out at the end of the Circular. | |
"Retail Offer" | the separate offer for subscription of the Retail Offer Shares at the Issue Price to be made by the Company via BookBuild. | |
"Retail Offer Shares" | means up to 10,000,000 new Ordinary Shares to be issued by the Company pursuant to the Retail Offer. | |
"Risk Capital Investment" | an investment from an investor who: (i) is a venture capital trust (as defined in Part 6 of the Income Tax Act 2007 ("ITA")); or
(ii) has claimed, or is intending to claim, tax relief on that investment under the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (under Part 5A of the ITA) or the Enterprise Investment Scheme (under Part 5 of the ITA) or Social Investment Tax Relief (under Part 5B of ITA). | |
"Shareholders" | holders of Ordinary Shares. | |
"State Aid" | any aid, investment, grant or loan which was received by the recipient pursuant to a measure approved by the European Commission as compatible with Article 107 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union in accordance with the principles laid down in the European Commission's Guidelines on State aid to promote risk finance investments (as those guidelines may be amended or replaced from time to time). | |
"Subscribers" | each of (i) Michael Covington, (ii) Richard Bennett, (iii) Andrew Darbyshire (iv) Chris Jepps; and (v) Emma Parker; (vi) Patrick Cantrill; (vii) Max Brouwers; and (viii) Simon Brown. | |
"Subscription" | means the subscription for the Subscription Shares pursuant to the Subscription Agreement. | |
"Subscription Agreement" | the subscription agreement between the Company and the Subscribers. | |
"Subscription Shares" | the 6,358,958 new Ordinary Shares proposed to be issued by the Company pursuant to the Subscription in accordance with the terms of the Subscription Agreement. | |
"Terms and Conditions" | the terms and conditions contained in this Appendix. | |
"UK" | the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. | |
"UK Prospectus Regulation" | the latest edition of the "Prospectus Regulation Rules" made pursuant to the UK version of the EU Prospectus Regulation (2017/1129) which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended and supplemented from time to time (including, but not limited to, by the UK Prospectus Amendment Regulations 2019 and the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Prospectus) Regulations 2019)). | |
"UK" or "United Kingdom" | the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | |
"VCT" | means venture capital trust | |
"uncertificated" or "in uncertificated form" | an Ordinary Share recorded on a company's share register as being held in uncertificated form in CREST and title to which, by virtue of the CREST Regulations, may be transferred by means of CREST. | |
"£", "pounds sterling", "pence" or "p" | are references to the lawful currency of UK |
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