THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR AUSTRALIA OR ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IS PROHIBITED.
Press Release |
18 July 2013 |
Avacta Group plc
("Avacta" or the "Group")
Conditional Placing to Raise £4.7 Million
Avacta Group plc (LSE: AVCT) a global provider of innovative diagnostic tools, consumables and reagents aimed at reducing the cost of human and animal healthcare, announces today that it has raised, subject to certain conditions, £4.7 million (before expenses) by way of a placing of 854,545,457 new Ordinary Shares (the "Placing Shares") with both new and existing institutional shareholders at a price of 0.55 pence per Ordinary Share.
The net proceeds of the issue of the Placing Shares of approximately £4.5 million, will be used to accelerate the Group's development and commercialisation of Affimers, to support the early stage commercialisation of the Sensipod in-clinic analyser in the veterinary market and to continue the development of the Optim instrument.
Alastair Smith, Chief Executive of Avacta, commented: "We are delighted to have successfully raised these funds through both existing and new shareholders. The Board looks forward to utilising the proceeds of the Placing to build the Life Sciences division of our business, specifically developing the Affimer platform. Although currently at an early stage, the Board sees this as being a key division contributing to revenue growth in our business in future and it is vital that the commercialisation plan is executed effectively. We will also shortly be undertaking commercial roll out of the Sensipod diagnostics system following recent successful field trials.
"It is pleasing that the Placing Price is at a small premium to the middle market share price of 0.535 pence per Ordinary Share on 17 July 2013, and that there was greater demand than the final placing amount."
The Placing Shares will, upon Admission, rank pari passu in all respects with the Ordinary Shares in issue as at that date, including as regards the right to receive all dividends or other distributions declared, made or paid after Admission. The Placing Shares will represent approximately 21.3 per cent. of the Company's enlarged issued ordinary share capital immediately following completion of the Placing.
A general meeting of Avacta in connection with, amongst other things, the Placing will be held at 10.00am on 5 August 2013 at the offices of Walker Morris LLP at Kings Court, 12 King Street, Leeds LS1 2HL.
Further details of the Placing are below.
For further information:
Avacta Group plc Alastair Smith, Chief Executive Officer Tim Sykes, Chief Financial Officer |
Tel: +44 (0) 844 414 0452 www.avacta.com |
Numis Securities Limited Michael Meade / Freddie Barnfield - Nominated Adviser James Black - Corporate Broking |
Tel: +44 (0) 207 260 1000 www.numiscorp.com |
Media Enquiries Abchurch Communications Sarah Hollins / Joanne Shears / Jamie Hooper / Harriet Rae |
Tel: +44 (0) 207 398 7700 www.abchurch-group.com [email protected] |
1. Background to and reasons for the Placing
Avacta Group is a provider of proprietary analytical and diagnostic technology, consumables and reagents to the Life Sciences sector. Since admission to trading on AIM in 2006, the Group has, to date, developed two instruments, Optim and Sensipod, along with associated consumables for both devices. Optim is an analytical instrument designed to help biopharmaceutical developers characterise their compounds more thoroughly at an early stage of development to reduce the risk of later stage failure and optimise product performance. Sensipod is an in-clinic blood testing instrument initially aimed at providing vets with point of care diagnostics.
During January 2012 the Group acquired a proprietary affinity reagent platform through the acquisition of Aptuscan Limited (now called Avacta Life Sciences Limited), a spin-out company from Leeds University. The affinity reagents derived from this platform have subsequently been branded collectively as "Affimers". Since the acquisition, the Group has invested in the facilities and team to develop Affimers as affinity reagents for Life Sciences R&D and as protein microarrays for drug and biomarker discovery and diagnostics.
The Group is structured as three business units; Avacta Analytical, Avacta Animal Health and Avacta Life Sciences, focusing on the commercialisation of analytical tools for biopharmaceutical development, veterinary diagnostics and the Group's affinity reagents and proteomics tools respectively.
Avacta Analytical manages the commercialisation of the Optim instrument which was launched during 2010 and which has recently been re-engineered to provide enhanced features for the end user and reduced material build costs. The instrument is being sold directly by Avacta Analytical in Europe and through a network of distribution partners elsewhere. Avacta Analytical is focussed on generating new applications, technical marketing data and providing enhancements to the instrument to grow the installed base and drive recurring sales of consumables.
Sensipod has now been through field trials and the feedback has been incorporated into the instrument which is now being manufactured. The first test, a canine allergy pre-screen, is ready for commercialisation. The development of the instrument has been delayed by several technical challenges but the Directors believe that the instrument is now ready for launch when the first full production runs are completed. A range of other veterinary diagnostic tests for companion animals (dogs, cats and horses) is being developed to run on Sensipod and progress is being made towards expanding the offering to the vet.
Since the Group acquired the Affimer intellectual property early in 2012 it has invested significantly in
setting up the facilities and building a team to deliver its primary commercial objectives of generating affinity reagents to replace and complement antibodies in general Life Sciences R&D and to provide protein microarrays for drug and biomarker discovery and diagnostics. The Group has now established the facilities for automated screening of the Affimer library, protein production facilities and microarray printing capabilities. Each of these areas is now being optimised and the Directors believe that the Group is on track to achieve first commercial revenues from Affimers during 2014.
The launch of the Sensipod instrument and the potential of Affimers to replace antibodies in a wide range of applications provide the Group with significant growth opportunities. The Directors therefore consider that it is timely for the Group to raise additional capital to:
§ expand the Affimer development and commercialisation resources to accelerate the Affimer
development and commercialisation programmes;
§ resource the commercial roll-out of Sensipod and its growing test menu; and
§ continue the development of application notes, technical marketing data and enhancements for the Optim instrument.
2. Current Trading
The Group announced its Interim Results for the six month period ended 31 January 2013 on 30 April 2013. Since that date, the Group has progressed materially in line with management expectations and expects to announce its results for the year ending 31 July 2013 during October 2013.
3. Use of Proceeds
The net proceeds of the Placing of approximately £4.5 million will be used to accelerate the Group's development and commercialisation of Affimers, to support the early stage commercialisation of the Sensipod in-clinic analyser in the veterinary market and to continue the development of the application notes, technical marketing data and enhancements of the Optim instrument through the following activities:
§ scaling up the Group's resources to identify and supply Affimer reagents in low volumes to replace or complement antibodies as general Life Sciences reagents and to resource the early stage commercialisation of such reagents through commercial partnerships and through direct sales of custom reagents;
§ continue the development of Affimer microarray products for drug and biomarker discovery and diagnostics;
§ generating significant quantities of necessary technical marketing data to support the
commercialisation of the Affimer reagents and arrays, and to exemplify the technical and commercial advantages of Affimers for diagnostic applications in order to support future licensing activities and improve the potential terms of any such licensing deals;
§ supporting the early stage sales and marketing activities for the commercialisation of Sensipod and support a programme of price discounting or product placement during the early stages of roll-out of the instrument; and
§ continuing the ongoing programmes of test menu development for Sensipod and application notes, technical marketing data and instrument enhancements for Optim.
4. Information on the Placing
The Company is proposing to raise £4.7 million (before fees and expenses) by way of a placing of 854,545,457 new Ordinary Shares at the Placing Price. The Placing Shares will represent approximately 21.3 per cent. of the Enlarged Share Capital. The Placing Price represents a premium of approximately 2.8 per cent. to the Closing Price of 0.535 pence per Ordinary Share as at 17 July 2013 (being the last Business Day prior to the announcement of the Placing).
The Placing is conditional, inter alia, on:
§ 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;
§ the passing of Resolution 1; and
§ Admission becoming effective by no later than 8.00 a.m. on 6 August 2013 (or such later time and/or date as the Company and Numis may agree), not being later than 8.30 a.m. on 23 August 2013.
In connection with the Placing, the Company has entered into the Placing Agreement pursuant to which Numis has agreed, in accordance with its terms, to use reasonable endeavours to procure subscribers for the Placing Shares at the Placing Price. The Placing has been underwritten by Numis.
The Placing Agreement contains customary warranties given by the Company to Numis as to matters relating to the Group and its business and a customary indemnity given by the Company to Numis in respect of liabilities arising out of or in connection with the Placing. Numis is entitled to terminate the Placing Agreement in certain circumstances prior to Admission, including circumstances where any of the warranties are found not to be true or accurate or were misleading and which in any such case is material, or the occurrence of certain force majeure events. For the avoidance of doubt, termination rights under the Placing Agreement cannot be exercised after Admission.
The Placing Shares will be issued credited as fully paid and will rank in full for all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after the Admission and will otherwise rank on Admission pari passu in all respects with the Existing Ordinary Shares. The Placing Shares are not being made available to the public and are not being offered or sold in any jurisdiction where it would be unlawful to do so.
5. Related party transactions
IP Group plc ("IP Group"), which has direct and indirect interests in 1,025,644,530 Existing Ordinary Shares (representing approximately 32.5 per cent. of the Existing Ordinary Shares) has conditionally agreed to subscribe for 181,818,182 Placing Shares at the Placing Price. Consequently, immediately upon Admission, IP Group will be interested in approximately 30.1 per cent. of the Enlarged Share Capital. In addition, Henderson Global Investors ("Henderson"), which has an interest in 443,150,000 Existing Ordinary Shares (representing approximately 14.0 per cent. of the Existing Ordinary Shares) has conditionally agreed to subscribe for 272,727,273 Placing Shares at the Placing Price. Consequently, immediately upon Admission, Henderson will be interested in 17.8 per cent. of the Enlarged Share Capital.
By virtue of their current interests in the Company, each of IP Group and Henderson is a "related party" of the Company (as defined under the AIM Rules) and accordingly their participation in the Placing constitutes a related party transaction for the purposes of Rule 13 of the AIM Rules.
The Directors (apart from Alan Aubrey who, as IP Group's representative on the Board, is not regarded as independent for this purpose), having consulted with the Company's nominated adviser, Numis, consider that the terms on which IP Group and Henderson are participating in the Placing to be fair and reasonable insofar as Shareholders are concerned.
6. VCT and EIS Investments
On 18 June 2013 HMRC confirmed that the Company qualifies as a qualifying company for the purpose of the legislation relating to VCT and EIS investments. Neither the Company nor the Directors give any warranties or undertakings that VCT and/or EIS qualifying status will continue to be available to investors and not withdrawn. Should the law regarding VCT and EIS investments change then any reliefs and/or qualifying status previously obtained may be lost.
Whilst the Company cannot guarantee to conduct its activities in a way to allow it to maintain its status as a qualifying VCT and EIS investment, the Directors' current intention is, so far as reasonably possible, to do so. Circumstances may arise where the Directors believe that the interests of the Company are not best served by acting in a way that preserves VCT and/or EIS qualifying status. In such circumstances, the Company cannot undertake to conduct its activities in a way designed to secure or preserve any such relief and/or status claimed by any Shareholder.
The funds raised from the investment by VCT and EIS investors must be employed in a qualifying trade within two years of investment.
7. Admission and Dealings
Application will be made to the London Stock Exchange for the Admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM. It is expected that Admission will become effective on 6 August 2013 and that dealings in the Placing Shares will commence at 8.00 a.m. on that date.
8. General Meeting and Circular
A General Meeting of the Company will be convened to be held at the offices of Walker Morris LLP at Kings Court, 12 King Street, Leeds LS1 2HL at 10.00 a.m. on 5 August 2013, at which, amongst other things, a special resolution will be proposed to authorise the Directors to allot Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Placing on a non-pre-emptive basis. A circular to shareholders containing further information on the Placing and notice of the General Meeting is expected to be despatched to Shareholders later today.
APPENDIX
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE PLACING
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THIS APPENDIX (TOGETHER, THE "ANNOUNCEMENT") AND THE INFORMATION IN IT, IS RESTRICTED, AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND OR THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE PLACING FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING. THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT: (A) PERSONS IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN SECTION 86(7) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000, AS AMENDED, ("QUALIFIED INVESTORS") BEING PERSONS FALLING WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(1)(E) OF THE EU PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE (WHICH MEANS DIRECTIVE 2003/71/EC AND INCLUDES ANY RELEVANT IMPLEMENTING DIRECTIVE MEASURE IN ANY MEMBER STATE) (THE "PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE"); (B) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, QUALIFIED INVESTORS WHO ARE PERSONS WHO (I) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER"); (II) FALL 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 APPENDIX AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THIS APPENDIX, IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED BY AND IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COMPANY.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THIS APPENDIX, IS NOT AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THIS APPENDIX, IS NOT AN OFFER OF OR SOLICITATION TO PURCHASE OR SUBSCRIBE FOR SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES, EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT. NEITHER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON OR ENDORSED THE MERITS OF THE PLACING OR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF SECURITIES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES. 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 OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN PLACING SHARES. The price of shares in the Company and the income from them (if any) may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested on disposal of shares.
Persons who are invited to and who choose to participate in the Placing, by making (or on whose behalf there is made) an oral or written offer to subscribe for Placing Shares (the "Placees"), will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement, including this Appendix, in its entirety and to be making such offer on the terms and conditions, and to be providing the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, and undertakings contained in this Appendix. In particular, each such Placee represents, warrants and acknowledges that:
1. it is a Relevant Person (as defined above) 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 any Placing Shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, (i) the Placing Shares acquired by it have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Member State of the European Economic Area ("EEA") which has implemented the Prospectus Directive other than Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior consent of Numis has been given to the offer or resale; or (ii) where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any Member State of the EEA other than Qualified Investors, the offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus Directive as having been made to such persons; and/or
3. (a) (i) it is not in the United States and (ii) it is not acting for the account or benefit of a person in the United States, (b) it is a dealer or other professional fiduciary in the United States acting on a discretionary basis for a non-US person (other than an estate or trust) in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act; or (c) it is otherwise acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" meeting the requirements of Regulation S under the Securities Act.
The Company and Numis will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
This Announcement does not constitute an offer, and may not be used in connection with an offer, to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for Placing Shares in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is or may be unlawful. This Announcement and the information contained herein is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, to persons in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or in any jurisdiction in which such publication or distribution is unlawful. Persons into whose possession this Announcement may come are required by the Company to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions of transfer of this Announcement. No public offer of securities of the Company is being made in the United Kingdom, the United States or elsewhere.
In particular, the Placing Shares referred to in this Announcement have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or any laws of, or with any securities regulatory authority of, any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered, sold, pledged or otherwise transferred within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. The Placing Shares are being offered and sold outside the United States in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.
The Placing Shares have not been approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission or other regulatory authority in the United States, nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or the accuracy or adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.
The relevant clearances have not been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of any province or territory of Canada; no prospectus has been lodged with or registered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; and the Placing Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offered in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or territory of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Ireland or the Republic of South Africa. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Ireland or the Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.
Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other legal obligation to forward a copy of this Appendix or the Announcement of which it forms part should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.
In this Appendix, unless the context otherwise requires, "Placee" means a Relevant Person (including individuals, funds or others) on whose behalf a commitment to subscribe for Placing Shares has been given.
Details of the Placing
Numis has entered into a Placing Agreement with the Company under which Numis has, on the terms and subject to the conditions set out therein, undertaken to use its reasonable endeavours to procure, as agent for the Company, subscribers for the Placing Shares at the Placing Price.
The Placing Agreement contains customary warranties given by the Company to Numis as to matters relating to the Company and its business and a customary indemnity given by the Company to Numis in respect of liabilities arising out of or in connection with the Placing. The Placing is conditional upon, amongst other things, the Resolution being passed by the requisite majority.
A circular explaining the background to and reasons for the Placing, and containing the Notice of General Meeting will be sent to shareholders. A copy of the circular and the Notice of General Meeting will also be available from the Company's website at: www.avacta.com.
The Placing is also conditional upon Admission becoming effective and the Placing Agreement not being terminated in accordance with its terms.
The Placing Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing issued Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions (if any) declared, made or paid on or in respect of the Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing Shares.
The Company, subject to certain exceptions, has agreed not to allot, issue or grant any rights in respect of its Ordinary Shares in the period of 90 days from the date of Admission without prior consultation with Numis.
Application for admission to trading
Application will be made to the London Stock Exchange for Admission. Subject to, amongst other things, the Resolution being passed by the requisite majority at the General Meeting, it is expected that settlement of any such shares and Admission will become effective on or around 6 August 2013 and that dealings in the Placing Shares will commence at that time.
Participation in, and principal terms of, the Placing
1. Numis (whether through itself or any of its affiliates) is arranging the Placing as placing agent of the Company for the purpose of using reasonable endeavours to procure Placees at the Placing Price for the Placing Shares.
2. Participation in the Placing will only be available to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited to participate by Numis. Numis and its affiliates may participate in the Placing as principal.
3. This Appendix gives details of the terms and conditions of, and the mechanics of participation in, the Placing. No commissions will be paid to Placees or by Placees in respect of any Placing Shares.
4. The Placing Price will be a fixed price of 0.55 pence per new Ordinary Share.
5. Each Placee's allocation will be confirmed to Placees orally by Numis, and a trade confirmation or contract note will be dispatched as soon as possible thereafter. The oral confirmation to such Placee will constitute an irrevocable legally binding commitment upon such person (who will at that point become a Placee) in favour of Numis and the Company, under which it agrees to acquire the number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the Placing Price on the terms and conditions set out in this Appendix and in accordance with the Company's Articles of Association.
6. Except as required by law or regulation, no press release or other announcement will be made by Numis or the Company using the name of any Placee (or its agent), in its capacity as Placee (or agent), other than with such Placee's prior written consent.
7. Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation pursuant to the Placing is 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".
8. All obligations under the Placing will be subject to fulfilment or (where applicable) waiver of, amongst other things, the conditions referred to below under "Conditions of the Placing" and to the Placing not being terminated on the basis referred to below under "Right to terminate under the Placing Agreement".
9. 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.
10. To the fullest extent permissible by law, none of the Company, Numis or any of their respective affiliates shall have any liability to Placees (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise of these terms and conditions). In particular, none of the Company, Numis or any of their respective affiliates shall have any liability (including to the fullest extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of Numis' conduct of the Placing. Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that the Company is responsible for the allotment of the Placing Shares to the Placees and Numis shall have no liability to the Placees for the failure of the Company to fulfil those obligations.
Conditions of the Placing
Numis' obligations under the Placing Agreement in respect of the Placing Shares are conditional on, inter alia:
(a) the Company allotting, subject only to Admission, the Placing Shares in accordance with the Placing Agreement;
(b) Admission taking place not later than 8.00 a.m on 6 August 2013; and
(c) the passing (without material amendment) of the Resolution at the General Meeting.
If (i) any of the conditions contained in the Placing Agreement in relation to the Placing Shares are not fulfilled or waived by Numis by the respective time or date where specified (or such later time or date as the Company and Numis may agree not being later than 8.30 a.m. on 23 August 2013 (the "Final Date"), or (ii) the Placing Agreement is terminated as described below, the Placing in relation to the Placing Shares will lapse and the Placee's rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such time and each Placee agrees that no claim can be made by the Placee in respect thereof.
Numis may, at its discretion and upon such terms as it thinks fit, waive, or extend the period (up to the Final Date) for, compliance by the Company with the whole or any part of any of the Company's obligations in relation to the conditions in the Placing Agreement, save that the condition relating to the passing of the Resolution and the condition relating to Admission taking place may not be waived. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this Announcement.
Neither Numis nor the Company shall have any liability to any Placee (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in respect of any decision they may make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the time and/or date for the satisfaction of any condition to the Placing nor for any decision they may make as to the satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the Placing generally and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of Numis.
Right to terminate under the Placing Agreement
Numis is entitled, at any time before Admission, to terminate the Placing Agreement by giving notice to the Company in certain circumstances, including, inter alia:
(a) in the opinion of Numis (acting in good faith), the Warranties are not true and accurate or have become misleading (or would not be true and accurate or would be misleading if they were repeated at any time before Admission) by reference to the facts subsisting at the time when the notice referred to above is given, in each case in a way that is material in the context of the Placing; or
(b) in the opinion of Numis (acting in good faith), the Company fails to comply with any of its obligations under the Placing Agreement and that failure is material in the context of the Placing; or
(c) in the opinion of Numis (acting in good faith), there has been a development or event (or any development or event involving a prospective change of which the Company is, or might reasonably be expected to be, aware) which will or is reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on or affecting the operations, the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, management, results of operations, financial position, business or general affairs of the Company or of the Company's group (taken as a whole) respectively whether or not foreseeable and whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, which in each case is material in the context of the Placing; or
(d) there has been a change in national or international financial, political, economic or stock market conditions (primary or secondary); an incident of terrorism, outbreak or escalation of hostilities, war, declaration of martial law or any other calamity or crisis; a suspension or material limitation in trading of securities generally on any stock exchange; any change in currency exchange rates or exchange controls or a disruption of settlement systems or a material disruption in commercial banking, in each case as would be likely in the opinion of Numis (acting in good faith) to materially prejudice the success of the Placing.
Following Admission, the Placing Agreement is not capable of termination to the extent that it relates to the Placing of the Placing Shares.
The rights and obligations of the Placees shall terminate only in the circumstances described in these terms and conditions and in the Placing Agreement and will not be subject to termination by the Placee or any prospective Placee at any time or in any circumstances. By participating in the Placing, Placees agree that the exercise by Numis of any right of termination or other discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of Numis, and that it need not make any reference to Placees and that it shall have no liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any such exercise or decision not to exercise. Placees will have no rights against Numis, the Company or any of their respective directors or employees under the Placing Agreement pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 (as amended).
No Admission Document or Prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered to a limited number of specifically invited persons only and will not be offered in such a way as to require an admission document or prospectus in the United Kingdom or in any other jurisdiction. No offering document, admission document or prospectus has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FCA or submitted to the London Stock Exchange in relation to the Placing, and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of the information contained in the Announcement (including this Appendix) and the Exchange Information (as defined further below). Each Placee, by accepting a participation 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 other information (other than the Exchange Information), representation, warranty, or statement made by or on behalf of the Company or Numis or any other person and neither Numis nor the Company nor any other person will be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement which the Placees may have obtained or received and, if given or made, such information, representation, warranty or statement must not be relied upon as having been authorised by Numis, the Company, or their respective officers, directors, employees or agents. 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. Neither the Company, nor Numis are making any undertaking or warranty to any Placee regarding the legality of an investment in the Placing Shares by such Placee under any legal, investment or similar laws or regulations. Each Placee should not consider any information in this Announcement to be legal, tax or business advice. Each Placee should consult its own solicitor, tax adviser and financial adviser for independent legal, tax and financial advice regarding an investment in the Placing Shares. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation.
Registration and Settlement
Settlement of transactions in the Placing Shares (ISIN: GB0033519546) following Admission will take place within CREST provided that, subject to certain exceptions, Numis reserves the right to require settlement for, and delivery of, the Placing Shares (or a portion thereof) to Placees by such other means that it deems necessary if delivery or settlement is not possible or practicable within CREST within the timetable set out in this Announcement or would not be consistent with the regulatory requirements in any Placee's jurisdiction.
Each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will be sent a trade confirmation or contract note stating the number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the Placing Price, the aggregate amount owed by such Placee to Numis (as agent for the Company) and settlement instructions. Each Placee agrees that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed in accordance with either the CREST or certificated settlement instructions that it has in place with Numis.
It is expected that settlement in respect of the Placing Shares will be on 6 August 2013 on a T+3 basis in accordance with the instructions set out in the trade confirmation.
Interest is chargeable daily on payments not received from Placees on the due date in accordance with the arrangements set out above at the rate of two percentage points above LIBOR as determined by Numis.
Each Placee is deemed to agree that, if it does not comply with these obligations, Numis may sell any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's behalf and retain from the proceeds, for Numis' account and benefit (as agent for the Company), an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The relevant Placee will, however, remain liable and shall indemnify Numis on demand for any shortfall below the aggregate amount owed by it and may be required to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax (together with any interest or penalties) which may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares on such Placee's behalf. By communicating a bid for Placing Shares, each Placee confers on Numis all such authorities and powers necessary to carry out any such sale and agrees to ratify and confirm all actions which Numis lawfully takes in pursuance of such sale.
If Placing Shares are to be delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure that the trade confirmation or contract note is copied and delivered immediately to the relevant person within that organisation.
Insofar as Placing Shares are registered in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should, subject as provided below, be so registered free from any liability to UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or securities transfer tax. Placees will not be entitled to receive any fee or commission in connection with the Placing.
Representations, Warranties and Further Terms
By participating in the Placing each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) makes the following representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings (as the case may be) to the Company and Numis, namely that, each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf):
1. represents and warrants that it has read and understood the Announcement, including this Appendix, in its entirety and that its subscription of Placing Shares is subject to and based upon all the terms, conditions, representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings and other information contained herein and undertakes not to redistribute or duplicate this Announcement;
2. acknowledges that no offering document, admission document or prospectus has been prepared in connection with the Placing and represents and warrants that it has not received and will not receive a prospectus, admission document or other offering document in connection therewith;
3. acknowledges that the Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on AIM, and the Company is therefore required to publish certain business and financial information in accordance with the AIM Rules for Companies (collectively "Exchange Information"), which includes the Company's most recent balance sheet and profit and loss account and the Company's announcements and circulars published in the past 12 months and that it is able to obtain or access such information without undue difficulty;
4. acknowledges that none of Numis, the Company, any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them has provided it, and will not provide it, with any material regarding the Placing Shares or the Company other than this Announcement; nor has it requested any of Numis, the Company, their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such information and has read and understood the Exchange Information;
5. acknowledges that the content of this Announcement is exclusively the responsibility of the Company, and that none of Numis, its affiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf has or shall have any liability for any information, representation or statement contained in this Announcement or any information previously or concurrently published by or on behalf of the Company, and will not be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any information, representation or statement contained in this Announcement or otherwise. Each Placee further represents, warrants and agrees that the only information on which it is entitled to rely and on which such Placee has relied in committing itself to acquire the Placing Shares is contained in this Announcement and any Exchange Information, such information being all that it deems necessary to make an investment decision in respect of the Placing Shares and that it has neither received nor relied on any other information given or representations, warranties or statements made by Numis, the Company or any of their respective directors, officers or employees or any person acting on behalf of any of them, or, if received, it has not relied upon any such information, representations, warranties or statements (including any management presentation that may have been received by any prospective Placee or any material prepared by the Research Department of Numis (the views of such Research Department not representing and being independent from those of the Company and the Corporate Finance Department of Numis and not being attributable to the same)), and neither Numis nor the Company will be liable for any Placee's decision to accept an invitation to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement. Each Placee further acknowledges and agrees that it may not place the same degree of reliance on this Announcement as it may otherwise place on a prospectus or admission document. Each Placee further acknowledges and agrees that it has relied solely on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in deciding to participate in the Placing and it will not rely on any investigation that Numis, its affiliates or any other person acting on its or their behalf has or may have conducted;
6. represents and warrants that it has neither received nor relied on any confidential price sensitive information concerning the Company in accepting this invitation to participate in the Placing;
7. acknowledges that Numis does not have any duties or responsibilities to it, or its clients, similar or comparable to the duties of "best execution" and "suitability" imposed by the Conduct of Business Sourcebook in the FCA's Handbook of Rules and Guidance and that Numis is not acting for it or its clients and that Numis will not be responsible for providing protections to it or its clients;
8. acknowledges that none of Numis, any of its affiliates or any person acting on behalf of it or them has or shall have any liability for the Exchange Information, any publicly available or filed 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;
9. that, save in the event of fraud on the part of Numis (and to the extent permitted by the Rules of the FCA), neither Numis, its ultimate holding company nor any direct or indirect subsidiary undertakings of that holding company, nor any of their respective directors and employees shall be liable to Placees for any matter arising out of Numis' role as placing agent or otherwise in connection with the Placing and that where any such liability nevertheless arises as a matter of law Placees will immediately waive any claim against any of such persons which you may have in respect thereof;
10. represents and warrants that (i) it is not in the United States and (ii) it is not acting for the account or benefit of a person in the United States;
11. acknowledges that the Placing Shares are being offered and sold only pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act in a transaction not involving a public offering of securities in the United States and the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or with any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, nor approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission in the United States or any other United States regulatory authority, and that the offer and sale of the Placing Shares to it has been made outside of the United States in an 'offshore transaction' (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) and agrees not to reoffer, resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Placing Shares except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and otherwise in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state or jurisdiction of the United States;
12. unless otherwise specifically agreed in writing with Numis, represents and warrants that neither it nor the beneficial owner of such Placing Shares will be a resident of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan or the Republic of South Africa;
13. acknowledges that the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered under the securities legislation of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Ireland or the Republic of South Africa and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered, sold, taken up, renounced or delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, within those jurisdictions;
14. represents and warrants that the issue to it, or the person specified by it for registration as holder, of Placing Shares will not give rise to a liability under any of sections 67, 70, 93 or 96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance services) and that the Placing Shares are not being acquired in connection with arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to transfer Placing Shares into a clearance system;
15. represents and warrants that: (i) it has complied with its obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993 and Part VIII of FSMA; (ii) in connection with money laundering and terrorist financing, it has complied with its obligations under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Money Laundering Regulations 2007; and (iii) it is not a person: (a) with whom transactions are prohibited under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 or any economic sanction programmes administered by, or regulations promulgated by, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury; (b) named on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets maintained by HM Treasury of the United Kingdom; or (c) subject to financial sanctions imposed pursuant to a regulation of the European Union or a regulation adopted by the United Nations (together, the "Regulations"); and, if making payment on behalf of a third party, that satisfactory evidence has been obtained and recorded by it to verify the identity of the third party as required by the Regulations and has obtained all governmental and other consents (if any) which may be required for the purpose of, or as a consequence of, such purchase, and it will provide promptly to Numis such evidence, if any, as to the identity or location or legal status of any person which Numis may request from it in connection with the Placing (for the purpose of complying with such Regulations or ascertaining the nationality of any person or the jurisdiction(s) to which any person is subject or otherwise) in the form and manner requested by Numis on the basis that any failure by it to do so may result in the number of Placing Shares that are to be purchased by it or at its direction pursuant to the Placing being reduced to such number, or to nil, as Numis may decide at its sole discretion;
16. if a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, represents and warrants that the Placing Shares purchased 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 a Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive other than Qualified Investors, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of Numis has been given to the offer or resale;
17. represents and warrants that it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to persons in the European Economic Area prior to 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 in and which will not result in an offer to the public in any member state of the European Economic Area within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive (including any relevant implementing measure in any member state);
18. represents and warrants that it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the FSMA does not require approval of the communication by an authorised person;
19. represents and warrants that it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the Placing Shares in, from or otherwise involving, the United Kingdom;
20. if in a Member State of the European Economic Area, unless otherwise specifically agreed with Numis in writing, represents and warrants that it is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive;
21. if in the United Kingdom, represents and warrants that it is a person (i) who has professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order"); (ii) falling within Article 49(2)(A) to (D) ("High Net Worth Companies, Unincorporated Associations, etc") of the Order; or (iii) to whom this Announcement may otherwise be lawfully communicated;
22. represents and warrants that it and any person acting on its behalf is entitled to acquire the Placing Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions and that it has all necessary capacity and has obtained all necessary consents and authorities and taken any other necessary actions to enable it to commit to this participation in the Placing and to perform its obligations in relation thereto (including, without limitation, in the case of any person on whose behalf it is acting, all necessary consents and authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred to in this Announcement) and will honour such obligations;
23. where it is acquiring Placing Shares for one or more managed accounts, represents and warrants that it is authorised in writing by each managed account: (a) to acquire the Placing Shares for each managed account; (b) to make on its behalf the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, undertakings and agreements in this Appendix and the Announcement of which it forms part; and (c) to receive on its behalf any investment letter relating to the Placing in the form provided to it by Numis;
24. undertakes that it (and any person acting on its behalf) will make payment for the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this Announcement on the due time and date set out herein, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other subscribers or sold as Numis may in its sole discretion determine and without liability to such Placee and it will remain liable and will indemnify Numis on demand for any shortfall below the net proceeds of such sale and the placing proceeds of such Placing Shares and may be required to bear the liability for any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or security transfer tax (together with any interest or penalties due pursuant to or referred to in these terms and conditions) which may arise upon the placing or sale of such Placee's Placing Shares on its behalf;
25. acknowledges that none of Numis, any of its affiliates, or 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 treated for these purposes as a client of Numis and that Numis has no duties or responsibilities to it for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients or customers or for providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor for the exercise or performance of any of their rights and obligations thereunder including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise any termination right;
26. undertakes that the person whom it specifies for registration as holder of the Placing Shares will be (i) itself or (ii) its nominee, as the case may be. Neither Numis nor the Company 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 participate in the Placing and it agrees to indemnify the Company and Numis in respect of the same on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to the CREST stock account of Numis who will hold them as nominee on behalf of such Placee until settlement in accordance with its standing settlement instructions;
27. acknowledges that these terms and conditions and any agreements entered into by it pursuant to these terms and conditions and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with such agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and it submits (on behalf of itself and on behalf of any person on whose behalf it is acting) to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts as regards any claim, dispute or matter (including non-contractual matters) 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 Numis 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;
28. acknowledges that time shall be of the essence as regards to obligations pursuant to this Appendix;
29. agrees that the Company, Numis and their respective affiliates and others will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings which are given to Numis on its own behalf and on behalf of the Company and are irrevocable and are irrevocably authorised to produce this Announcement or a copy thereof to any interested party in any administrative or legal proceeding or official inquiry with respect to the matters covered hereby;
30. agrees to indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold the Company, Numis and their respective affiliates 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 in this Appendix and further agrees that the provisions of this Appendix shall survive after completion of the Placing;
31. acknowledges that no action has been or will be taken by any of the Company, Numis or any person acting on behalf of the Company or Numis that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in any country or jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is required;
32. acknowledges that it is an institution that 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 in this sector and is aware that it may be required to bear, and it, and any accounts for which it may be acting, are 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 associates taken as a whole, and the terms of the Placing, including the merits and risks involved;
33. acknowledges that its commitment to subscribe for Placing Shares on the terms set out herein and in the trade confirmation or contract note will continue notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be made to the terms 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 conduct of the Placing;
34. acknowledges that Numis or any of its affiliates acting as an investor for its own account may take up shares in the Company and in that capacity may retain, purchase or sell for its own account such shares and may offer or sell such shares other than in connection with the Placing;
35. represents and warrants that, if it is a pension fund or investment company, its purchase of Placing Shares is in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulation;
36. to the fullest extent permitted by law, it acknowledges and agrees to the disclaimers contained in the Announcement including this Appendix.
The representations, warranties, acknowledgments and undertakings contained in this Appendix are given to Numis and the Company and are irrevocable and shall not be capable of termination in any circumstances.
The agreement to settle a Placee's subscription (and/or the subscription of a person for whom such Placee is contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax depends on the settlement relating only to a subscription by it and/or such person direct from the Company for the Placing Shares in question. Such agreement assumes that the Placing Shares are not being subscribed for 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 relates to any other subsequent dealing in the Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax may be payable, for which neither the Company nor Numis will be responsible, and the Placee to whom (or on behalf 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 UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax undertakes to pay such UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax forthwith and to indemnify on an after-tax basis and to hold harmless the Company and Numis in the event that any of the Company and/or Numis has incurred any such liability to UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax. If this is the case, each Placee should seek its own advice and notify Numis accordingly.
In addition, Placees should note that they will be liable for any stamp duty and all other stamp, issue, securities, transfer, registration, documentary or other duties or taxes (including any interest, fines or penalties relating thereto) payable outside the UK by them or any other person on the subscription by them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to subscribe for any Placing Shares.
Each Placee, and any person acting on behalf of the Placee, acknowledges that Numis does not owe any fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities in the Placing Agreement.
Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of the Placee acknowledges and agrees that Numis or any of its affiliates may, at their absolute discretion, agree to become a Placee in respect of some or all of the Placing Shares.
When a Placee or person acting on behalf of the Placee is dealing with Numis, any money held in an account with Numis 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 rules and regulations of the FCA made under the FSMA. The 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 Numis' money in accordance with the client money rules and will be used by Numis in the course of its own business and the Placee will rank only as a general creditor of Numis.
All times and dates in this Announcement may be subject to amendment. Numis shall notify the Placees and any person acting on behalf of the Placees of any changes.
Past performance is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.
DEFINITIONS
In this Appendix to the Announcement and, as the context shall admit, in the Announcement:
'Act' means the Companies Act 2006;
'Admission' means the admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance with the AIM Rules for Companies;
'AIM' means the market of that name operated by the London Stock Exchange;
'AIM Rules for Companies' means the provisions of the London Stock Exchange AIM Rules for Companies as amended from time to time governing, inter alia, admission to AIM and the continuing obligations of AIM companies;
'Announcement' means this announcement (including the appendix to this announcement);
'Business Day' any day on which banks are generally open in England and Wales for the transaction of business, other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday;
'Company' means Avacta Group plc;
'Closing price' the closing middle market quotation of an Ordinary Share as derived from the AIM Appendix to the Daily Official List of the London Stock Exchange;
'Circular' means the circular to be issued by the Company to the holders of Ordinary Shares containing, inter alia, further details of the Placing and the Notice of General Meeting;
'CREST' means the relevant system (as defined in the CREST Regulations) in respect of which Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited is the Operator (as defined in the CREST Regulations);
'CREST Regulations' means the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3755) as amended from time to time;
'Directors' or 'Board' means the directors of the Company as at the date of this Announcement;
'EIS' the Enterprise Investment Scheme pursuant to the provisions of Part 5 of ITA;
'Enlarged Share Capital' means the issued ordinary share capital of the Company as it will be immediately following completion of the Placing (assuming no further Ordinary Shares are issued following the date of this Announcement and prior to completion of the Placing and that the Placing is fully subscribed);
"Existing Ordinary Shares" the 3,157,344,912 Ordinary Shares in issue at the date of this Announcement;
'FCA' means the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom;
'FSMA' means the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended);
'General Meeting' means the general meeting of the Company to be convened at 10.00 a.m. on 5 August 2013 (or any adjournment thereof);
'HMRC' Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs;
'ITA' the Income Tax Act 2007;
'London Stock Exchange' means London Stock Exchange plc;
'Notice of General Meeting' means the notice of the General Meeting which is set out at the end of the Circular;
'Numis' means Numis Securities Limited, registered in England and Wales with number 2285918, whose registered office is at 10 Paternoster Square, London EC4M 7LT;
'Ordinary Shares' means the ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each in the capital of the Company;
'Placee' means any person (including individuals, funds or otherwise) by whom or on whose behalf a commitment to acquire Placing Shares has been given;
'Placing' means the placing of the Placing Shares by Numis, on behalf of the Company, with Placees;
'Placing Agreement' means the placing agreement dated 18 July 2013 between the Company and Numis in respect of the Placing;
'Placing Price' means 0.55 pence per Placing Share;
'Placing Shares' means the 854,545,457 Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing;
'Resolution' means the resolution to be proposed at the General Meeting as resolution 1 as set out in the Notice of General Meeting;
'Prospectus Directive' means the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union 2003/71/EC;
'Securities Act' means the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended;
'Shareholders' the holders of Ordinary Shares from time to time;
'United Kingdom' or 'UK' means the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
'United States' or 'US' means the United States of America, its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia; and
'VCT' a Venture Capital Trust within the meaning of Part 6 of ITA.
Important information
The distribution of this announcement and the offering of the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by the Company or Numis Securities Limited that would permit an offering of such shares or possession or distribution of this announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons into whose possession this announcement comes are required by the Company and Numis Securities Limited to inform themselves about, and to observe such restrictions.
This announcement contains (or may contain) certain forward-looking statements with respect to certain of the Company's current expectations and projections about future events. These statements, which sometimes use words such as "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate", "expect" and words of similar meaning, reflect the directors' beliefs and expectations and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from any expected future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking statement. Statements contained in this announcement regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. The information contained in this announcement is subject to change without notice and neither Numis Securities Limited nor, except as required by applicable law, the Company assumes any responsibility or obligation to update publicly or review any of the forward-looking statements contained herein. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this announcement.
Numis Securities Limited, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting as nominated adviser, financial adviser and broker to the Company in relation to the Placing and Admission and is not acting for any other persons in relation to the Placing and Admission. Numis Securities Limited is acting exclusively for the Company and for no one else in relation to the matters described in this announcement and is not advising any other person and accordingly will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to clients of Numis Securities Limited, or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matter referred to in it. The responsibilities of Numis Securities Limited as the Company's nominated adviser and broker under the AIM Rules for Companies and the AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers are owed solely to the London Stock Exchange and are not owed to the Company or to any director or shareholder of the Company or any other person, in respect of his decision to acquire shares in the capital of the Company in reliance on any part of this announcement, or otherwise.
No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by Numis Securities Limited or by any of its affiliates or agents as to, or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefor is expressly disclaimed.
