INSIDE INFORMATION: Storytel AB (publ) (“Storytel” or the “Company”) intends to carry out a directed issue of up to c. 6 million shares through an accelerated book building procedure (the “Directed issue”). The proceeds from the Directed issue will inter alia be used for the Company’s accelerated investments in content production, sales and marketing in accordance with the Company’s communicated expansionary strategy. Storytel has engaged ABG Sundal Collier AB and Swedbank AB (publ) in cooperation with Kepler Cheuvreux to explore the possibilities to conduct the Directed issue.
The Directed Issue
Storytel has, based on the authorization given by Storytel’s Annual General Meeting on May 15, 2019, engaged ABG Sundal Collier AB and Swedbank AB (publ) to investigate the possibilities to conduct a directed issue of up to c. 6 million shares directed to Swedish and international investors of institutional character through an accelerated book building procedure. The book building process will begin at 17.31 CET on 20 February 2020. The Directed issue is contingent on a resolution by the Board of Directors, which, alongside pricing and allocation is expected to occur prior to the beginning of trading on Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Stockholm at 09.00 CET on 21 February 2020. The Board of Directors may decide to extend or shorten the application period and can at any moment decide to terminate the book building process and thus refrain from conducting the Directed issue.
The proceeds from the Directed issue will inter alia be used for the Company’s accelerated investments in content production, sales and marketing in accordance with the Company’s communicated expansion strategy.
The reason for the deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights is to perform a capital raise in a time and cost-effective manner and to raise capital at favourable conditions for the Company’s continued expansion, as well as to diversify the shareholder base with Swedish and international investors.
Advisers
ABG Sundal Collier AB is Sole Global Coordinator and Joint Bookrunner, Swedbank AB (publ) in cooperation with Kepler Cheuvreux is Joint Bookrunner and Baker McKenzie is legal advisor to the Company in connection with the Directed issue.
Responsible person
This information is such information as Storytel AB (publ) is obliged to disclose under the EU Market Abuse Regulation 596/2014. The information was provided by the contact person below for publication at the point in time specified by Storytel’s news distributer Cision at the publication of this press release. For further information, please contact:
Jonas Tellander, CEO and founder, Storytel
Phone: +46 (0)70-261 61 36
E-mail: jonas@storytel.com
About Storytel
Storytel is the largest streaming service for audio books and e-books in Northern Europe, with more than 400 000 titles offered globally. Our vision is to make the world a more empathetic place, through amazing stories which can be shared and appreciated by anyone anywhere and at any time. Storytel offers both a digital distribution solution and publishing service. The Streaming division functions as a subscription service for audio books and e-books under the brand names Storytel and Mofibo. The Publishing division consists of the publishers Norstedts, Massolit, Kontentan, Telegram, the Danish People’s Press, Storytel Publishing, Rabén & Sjögren and B. Wahlströms, as well as Norstedts Kartor. Ztory – a streaming service for papers and magazines became a part of Storytel in January 2019. Today, Storytel is present in 20 markets and is headquartered in Stockholm.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The release, announcement or distribution of this press release may, in certain jurisdictions, be subject to restrictions and the recipients of this press release in jurisdictions where this press release has been published or distributed shall inform themselves of and follow such restrictions. The recipient of this press release is responsible for using this press release, and the information contained herein, in accordance with applicable rules in each jurisdiction. This press release does not constitute an offer, or a solicitation of any offer, to buy or subscribe for any securities in Storytel in any jurisdiction, neither from Storytel nor from someone else.
This press release does not constitute or form part of an offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein may not be sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There is no intention to register any securities referred to herein in the United States or to make a public offering of the securities in the United States. The information in this press release may not be announced, published, copied, reproduced or distributed, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, within or into the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland or in any other jurisdiction where such announcement, publication or distribution of the information would not comply with applicable laws and regulations or where such actions are subject to legal restrictions or would require additional registration or other measures than what is required under Swedish law. Actions taken in violation of this instruction may constitute a crime against applicable securities laws and regulations.
This announcement is not a prospectus for the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the “Prospectus Regulation“) and has not been approved by any regulatory authority in any jurisdiction. Storytel has not authorized any offer to the public of shares or other securities in any member state of the EEA and no prospectus has been or will be prepared in connection with the Directed New Share Issue. 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.
In the United Kingdom, this document and any other materials in relation to the securities described herein is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, and any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available only to, and will be engaged in only with, “qualified investors” who are (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of “investment professionals” in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”); or (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only to, and will be engaged in
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company’s intentions, beliefs, or current expectations about and targets for the Company’s and the Group’s future results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, anticipated growth, strategies and opportunities and the markets in which the Company and the Group operates. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by words such as “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “may”, “plan”, “estimate”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “aim” or “might”, or, in each case, their negative, or similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that they will materialize or prove to be correct. Because these statements are based on assumptions or estimates and are subject to risks and uncertainties, the actual results or outcome could differ materially from those set out in the forward-looking statements as a result of many factors. 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 guarantee that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements in this press release are free from errors and readers of this press release should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this press release. The information, opinions and forward-looking statements that are expressly or implicitly contained herein speak only as of its date and are subject to change without notice. Neither the Company nor anyone else undertake 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 press release, unless it is not required by law or Nasdaq First North Growth Market rule book for issuers.
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 (“MiFID II”); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; 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 shares in Storytel have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that such shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and 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 shares in Storytel may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the shares in Storytel offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the shares in Storytel 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 Directed New Share Issue.
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 the shares in Storytel.
Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the shares in Storytel and determining appropriate distribution channels