NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

6 APRIL 2023

RECOMMENDED CASH ACQUISITION

OF

ADEPT TECHNOLOGY GROUP PLC ("AdEPT")

BY

THETIS BIDCO LIMITED ("BIDCO")

a member of the Wavenet Group

to be effected by means of a Court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement
under Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006 ("Scheme")

Rule 2.9 Announcement

Following the announcement made on 5 April 2023 by AdEPT and Bidco, AdEPT confirms that 10,000 ordinary shares of 10 pence each in the share capital of AdEPT ("AdEPT Shares") have today been allotted and issued by AdEPT to satisfy the exercise of certain share options ("Option Shares") in connection with the Scheme. The Option Shares have today been admitted to trading on AIM ("Admission"). 

Following the Admission and allotment of the Option Shares, and in accordance with Rule 2.9 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers, the Company confirms that the Company's total issued share capital is 25,039,957 AdEPT Shares. The Company does not hold any shares in treasury. Therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 25,039,957. The International Securities Identification Number for AdEPT Shares is GB00B0WY3Y47.

Shareholder Helpline

If you are an AdEPT Shareholder and you have any questions relating to this announcement, please contact Computershare on 0370 889 3192. Lines are open between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (excluding English and Welsh public holidays). Calls will be charged at the applicable national or international rates as the case may be. Different charges may apply to calls from mobile telephones. Please note that calls may be monitored or recorded and Computershare cannot provide legal, tax or financial advice or advice on the merits of the Acquisition or the Scheme.

Enquiries

Cripps LLP is acting as legal adviser to AdEPT.

Travers Smith LLP is acting as legal adviser to Bidco.

Important notices

Houlihan Lokey UK Limited ("Houlihan Lokey"), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting exclusively as financial adviser to AdEPT and for no one else in connection with the Acquisition and will not be responsible to anyone other than AdEPT for providing the protections afforded to clients of Houlihan Lokey for providing advice in relation to the Acquisition, the contents of this announcement or any other matters referred to in this announcement. Neither Houlihan Lokey nor any of its affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Houlihan Lokey in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein or otherwise.

Singer Capital Markets Advisory LLP ("Singer Capital Markets"), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting exclusively as financial adviser to AdEPT and for no one else in connection with the Acquisition and will not be responsible to anyone other than AdEPT for providing the protections afforded to clients of Singer Capital Markets for providing advice in relation to the Acquisition, the contents of this announcement or any other matters referred to in this announcement. Neither Singer Capital Markets nor any of its affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Singer Capital Markets in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein or otherwise.

Cardean Bell Ltd ("Cardean Bell"), which is an Appointed Representative of Sturgeon Ventures LLP, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), is acting as financial adviser to Bidco and for no one else in connection with the Acquisition and will not be responsible to anyone other than Bidco for providing the protections afforded to clients of Cardean Bell in relation to the Acquisition, the contents of this announcement or any other matters referred to in this announcement. Neither Cardean Bell nor any of its affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Cardean Bell in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein or otherwise.

MarchHarvey Ltd ("March Harvey"), which is an Appointed Representative of Kroll Securities Ltd, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting as financial adviser to Bidco and for no one else in connection with the Acquisition and will not be responsible to anyone other than Bidco for providing the protections afforded to clients of March Harvey in relation to the Acquisition, the contents of this announcement or any other matters referred to in this announcement. Neither March Harvey nor any of its affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of March Harvey in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein or otherwise.

Further information

This announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to and does not constitute, or form part of, an offer to sell or an invitation to purchase any securities or the solicitation of an offer to buy, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities, pursuant to the Acquisition or otherwise, nor shall there be any purchase, sale, issuance or exchange of securities or such solicitation in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, sale, issuance or exchange would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the laws of such jurisdiction. The Acquisition will be made solely by means of the Scheme Document or any document by which the Acquisition is made which will contain the full terms and Conditions of the Acquisition.

This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with English law and the Code and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside the United Kingdom.

Each AdEPT Shareholder is advised to consult its independent professional adviser regarding the tax consequences to it (or to its beneficial owners) of the Acquisition.

Overseas jurisdictions

This announcement has been prepared in accordance with and for the purpose of complying with the laws of England and Wales, the Code, the AIM Rules, and the Market Abuse Regulation (EU 596/2014) (which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018) and information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside England and Wales.

The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in or into certain jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom may be restricted by law and therefore any persons into whose possession this Announcement comes should inform themselves of, and observe, such restrictions. Further details in relation to the Overseas AdEPT Shareholders are contained in the Scheme Document. Any failure to comply with any such restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the companies and persons involved in the Acquisition disclaim any responsibility or liability for the violation of such restrictions by any person.

Unless otherwise determined by Bidco or required by the Code, and permitted by applicable law and regulation, the Acquisition shall not be made available, directly or indirectly, in, into or from a Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction and no person may vote in favour of the Scheme by any such means from within a Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction if to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of that jurisdiction. Accordingly, copies of this Announcement and all documents relating to the Acquisition are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from a Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction, and persons receiving this Announcement and all documents relating to the Acquisition (including custodians, nominees and trustees) must not mail or otherwise distribute or send them in, into or from such jurisdictions where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction.

The availability of the Acquisition to AdEPT Shareholders who are not resident in the United Kingdom may be affected by the laws of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are resident. Persons who are not resident in the United Kingdom should inform themselves of, and observe, any applicable requirements. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the companies and persons involved in the Acquisition disclaim any responsibility or liability for the violation of such restrictions by any person.

The Acquisition shall be subject to the applicable requirements of the Code, the Panel, the London Stock Exchange, the FCA, the AIM Rules and the Registrar of Companies.

Disclosure Requirements of the Code

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1 per cent. or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period and, if later, following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. An Opening Position Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a securities exchange offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing Disclosure.

Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1 per cent. or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s), save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the business day following the date of the relevant dealing.

If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a securities exchange offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3 of the Code.

Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4 of the Code).

Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the offer period commenced and when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on +44 (0)20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.

 Publication on website and hard copies

This announcement and the documents required to be published pursuant to Rule 26 of the Code will be available free of charge, subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted Jurisdictions, on AdEPT's website at https://documents.adept.co.uk/wavenet-acquisition and Wavenet Limited's website at https://uk.wavenetuk.com/offer-for-adept by no later than 12.00 p.m. on the Business Day following this announcement.

Neither the content of any website referred to in this announcement nor the content of any website accessible from hyperlinks is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.

AdEPT Shareholders may request a hard copy of this announcement by contacting Computershare during business hours on 0370 889 3192. Calls outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international rate. Lines are open between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (excluding English and Welsh public holidays). Calls will be charged at the applicable national or international rates as the case may be. Different charges may apply to calls from mobile telephones. Please note that calls may be monitored or recorded and Computershare cannot provide legal, tax or financial advice or advice on the merits of the Acquisition or the Scheme. AdEPT Shareholders may also request that all future documents, announcements and information to be sent to them in relation to the Acquisition should be in hard copy form. If an AdEPT Shareholder has received this announcement in electronic form, hard copies of this announcement and any document or information incorporated by reference into this announcement will not be provided unless such a request is made.

General

If you are in any doubt about the contents of this announcement or the action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own independent financial advice immediately from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor or independent financial adviser duly authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) if you are resident in the United Kingdom or, if not, from another appropriate authorised independent financial adviser.