Announcement
Nanoco Group Plc - First Day of Dealings on the Main Market
Nanoco Group plc (LSE: NANO), a world leader in the development and manufacture of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials, is pleased to announce the commencement of trading in its ordinary shares at 8.00am today on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange and admission to the premium segment of the Official List of the UK Listing Authority. The commencement of trading on the Main Market is simultaneous with the cancellation of the Company's shares on AIM.
The commencement of trading on the Main Market is the final condition for the completion of the Placing, initially announced on 31 March 2015, of 19,047,619 new ordinary shares at a price of 105 pence each, raising gross proceeds of £20 million.
Highlights
· The net proceeds of the Placing of £18.65 million will enable Nanoco to fund its Business Expansion Strategy of accelerated research, development and commercialisation in its four key target markets - electronic display, LED lighting, solar power and biological imaging.
· Use of the proceeds are planned to include:
- Improved working capital to support increased capacity and continued optimisation of Nanoco's CFQD® quantum dot production processes
- Hiring additional research and development staff and enhancing the senior management structure to re-organise the business into four distinct business divisions, reflecting the key target markets
- Broadening the Company's research capabilities in solar through the appointment of a specialist solar panel manufacturer to prove Nanoco's technology on larger solar panels
- Investment in laboratory space and the enhancement of the Company's intellectual property portfolio
· The transition from AIM to the Main Market is expected to provide a more appropriate platform for the continued growth of the business, raise its profile and improve the trading liquidity of the Company's shares
· As previously announced, Robin Williams, a Non-executive Director of Nanoco, through his SIPP, subscribed for 9,523 ordinary shares in the Placing at 105 pence per share. Therefore, on Admission, Robin is interested in of 9,532 ordinary shares, representing to 0.004% of the enlarged issued share capital of the Company
Michael Edelman, Nanoco's Chief Executive Officer, commented: "Nanoco's transition from AIM to the Main Market comes at an exciting point in the Company's development and marks an important step in the Company's evolution towards its goal of becoming a leading, global materials science business.
"I would like to thank the new and existing investors who subscribed for shares in the Placing which accompanied our move to the Main Market. The proceeds from the Placing will allow us to accelerate the commercialisation of our technology through the funding of further R&D and through the formation of four distinct business divisions focused on our key target markets of electronic display, LED lighting, solar power and biological imaging.
"We are very excited by our commercial progress in the display market. We expect, the first LCD TVs to incorporate our technology to be launched in the near future and our worldwide licensing partner Dow is close to commissioning its mass production plant in South Korea, where Nanoco quantum dots will be manufactured in much larger quantities."
Total voting rights
The total number of ordinary shares in the Company immediately following admission, including the New Ordinary Shares, is 236,378,002 each with equal voting rights. This total voting rights figure can be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine whether they are required to notify their interest in the Company under the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority.
All capitalised terms in this announcement have the meaning given to them in the Circular posted to shareholders on 31 March 2015. The Circular, and the Prospectus, are available at the investor relations section of Nanoco's website, www.nanocotechnologies.com.
For further information, please contact:
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Nanoco |
Tel: +44 (0) 161 603 7900 |
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Michael Edelman, Chief Executive Officer |
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Mark Sullivan, Interim Chief Financial Officer |
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Canaccord Genuity - Sponsor and Joint Broker |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7523 8000 |
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Simon Bridges |
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Cameron Duncan Mark Whitmore |
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Liberum - Joint Broker |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3100 2000 |
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Simon Atkinson |
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Richard Bootle |
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Buchanan |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000 |
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Mark Court / Sophie Cowles / Stephanie Watson |
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Notes for editors:
About Nanoco Group plc
Nanoco is a world leader in the development and production of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials for use in multiple applications including LCD displays, lighting, solar cells and bio-imaging. In the display market, it has an exclusive manufacturing and marketing licensing agreement with The Dow Chemical Company.
Nanoco was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Manchester, UK. It has production facilities in Runcorn, UK, and a US subsidiary, Nanoco Inc, based in Concord, MA. Nanoco also has business development executives in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Its technology is protected worldwide by a large and growing patent estate.
Nanoco is listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol NANO. For further information please visit: www.nanocotechnologies.com.
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