SalMar - Icelandic Salmon AS: Vellykket gjennomføring av privat plassering

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Kverva, 15. oktober 2020.  Det vises til meldinger fra SalMar ASA ("SalMar") vedrørende en privat plassering (den "Private Plasseringen") og notering av aksjene i Icelandic Salmon AS ("Icelandic Salmon" eller "Selskapet", og tidligere Arnarlax AS)  på Merkur Market.

Den Private Plasseringen har blitt vellykket gjennomført med en transaksjonsstørrelse på ca. NOK 647 millioner fordelt på 5.629.344 aksjer med en pris på NOK 115 per aksje. Den Private Plasseringen gir et bruttoproveny til Selskapet på ca. NOK 500 millioner gjennom salg av 4.347.826 nye aksjer ("Primærtilbudet") og ca. NOK 147 millioner til Pactum AS og Gyda EHF, eid av Kjartan Olafsson (styreleder), gjennom salg av totalt 1.281.518 eksisterende aksjer (1.000.000, aksjer solgt av Pactum AS og 281.518 aksjer solgt av Gyda EHF) ("Sekundærtilbudet").

Den Private Plasseringen mottok sterk interesse fra institusjonelle investorer av høy kvalitet og var betydelig overtegnet. Tre hjørnesteinsinvestorer fikk tildelt aksjer for ca. NOK 296 millioner: (i) Gildi-lífeyrissjóður (Gildi Pension Fund), ca. NOK 196 millioner; (ii) Stefnir Asset Management Company, ca. NOK 78 millioner; og (iii) Edvin Austbø gjennom Alden AS, ca. NOK 22 millioner.

Icelandic Salmon har til hensikt å benytte nettoprovenyet fra Primærtilbudet til å finansiere vekst og utvikling av Icelandic Salmons verdikjede innen eksisterende beholdning av lisenser, herunder investering i å utvide smoltkapasitet, oppgradere prosesseringsfasilitet (Bíldudalur), oppdrettsutstyr, varemerke-initiativer og oppbygning av biomasse.

Den Private Plasseringen og utstedelse av nye aksjer ble besluttet av styret den 14. oktober 2020 basert på fullmakt gitt til styret i forbindelse med ekstraordinær generalforsamling avholdt i Selskapet den 8. oktober 2020. Etter den Private Plasseringen vil Selskapet ha 30.961.868 utestående aksjer. Pactum AS vil eie 825.862 aksjer etter den Private Plasseringen, som representerer 2,7% av utestående aksjer i Selskapet etter emisjonen, og Gyda EHF vil eie  1.000.000 aksjer etter den Private Plasseringen, som representerer 3,2% av utestående aksjer i Selskapet etter emisjonen.

De følgende ordinære avtaler om lock-up har blitt inngått med DNB Markets, underlagt visse unntak, med en følgende lock-up periode: (i) Selskapet (12 måneder); (ii) SalMar, Pactum AS og Gyda EHF (Kjartan Olafsson) (alle 6 måneder); og (iii) Selskapets CEO (12 måneder).

Allokeringen til investorer vil bli kommunisert på eller rundt 15. oktober 2020. Oppgjør i den Private Plasseringen vil bli foretatt av Tilretteleggerne (som definert nedenfor) på basis av levering-mot-betaling på eller rundt 19. oktober 2020. Levering-mot-betaling i den Private Plasseringen vil bli gjennomført på basis av en aksjelånsavtale mellom Selskapet, DNB Markets, en del av DNB Bank ASA, og SalMar.

Icelandic Salmon har søkt om, og vil med forbehold om nødvendige godkjennelser fra Oslo Børs, notere aksjene i Selskapet på Merkur Market. Første handelsdag på Merkur Market er forventet å være på eller rundt 27. oktober 2020.

Rådgivere:

DNB Markets, en del av DNB Bank ASA opptrer som Sole Global Coordinator og Tilrettelegger og Arctic Securities AS and Arion Banki hf. opptrer som Tilretteleggere i forbindelse med den Private Plasseringen (samlet, "Tilretteleggerne"). Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS er engasjer som juridisk rådgiver til  Icelandic Salmon og Wikborg Rein Advokatfirma AS er engasjert som juridisk rådgiver til Tilretteleggerne.

For mer informasjon, vennligst kontakt:

Trine Sæther Romuld

CFO & COO

Tel:

Email:

Denne informasjonen er underlagt kravene til offentliggjøring i henhold til verdipapirhandelloven § 5-12.

Important notice:

This announcement is not and does not form a part of any offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, any securities of the Company or SalMar. Copies of this announcement are not being made and may not be distributed or sent into any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful or would require registration or other measures.

The securities referred to in this announcement have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and accordingly may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in accordance with applicable U.S. state securities laws. Neither the Company nor SalMar intends to register any part of the offering in the United States or to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States. Any sale in the United States of the securities mentioned in this announcement will be made solely to "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act.

In any EEA Member State, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation, i.e., only to investors who can receive the offer without an approved prospectus in such EEA Member State. The expression "Prospectus Regulation" means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as amended (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State.

This communication is only being distributed to and is only directed at persons in the United Kingdom that are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order") or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom this announcement may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). This communication must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only for relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Persons distributing this communication must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.

Matters discussed in this announcement may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "strategy", "intends", "estimate", "will", "may", "continue", "should" and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict, and are beyond their control. Actual events may differ significantly from any anticipated development due to a number of factors, including without limitation, changes in public sector investment levels, changes in the general economic, political and market conditions in the markets in which the Company operates, the Company's ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel, changes in the Company's ability to engage in commercially acceptable acquisitions and strategic investments, and changes in laws and regulation and the potential impact of legal proceedings and actions. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this release by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not make any guarantee that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements in this announcement are free from errors nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this announcement or any obligation to update or revise the statements in this announcement to reflect subsequent events. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this announcement.

The information, opinions and forward-looking statements contained in this announcement speak only as at its date, and are subject to change without notice. The Company does not undertake any obligation to review, update, confirm, or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that arise in relation to the content of this announcement.

Neither the Managers nor any of their affiliates makes any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of this announcement and none of them accepts any responsibility for the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.

This announcement is for information purposes only and is not to be relied upon in substitution for the exercise of independent judgment. It is not intended as investment advice and under no circumstances is it to be used or considered as an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a recommendation to buy or sell any securities of the Company or SalMar. Neither the Managers nor any of its affiliates accepts any liability arising from the use of this announcement.

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