Samarkand Group plc : Strategic Investment by leading international express delivery company

 

DATE: 10 May 2021

 

Samarkand Group plc

("Samarkand" or the "Company" or together with its subsidiaries the "Group")

 

Strategic investment by leading international express delivery company

 

Samarkand Group plc, the recently floated cross-border eCommerce technology solution provider, is pleased to announce a placing of 2,737,840 new ordinary shares ("New Ordinary Shares") at a price of 115 pence raising £3,148,516 from United Win Asia Limited as part of a strategic investment to further develop the Group's international expansion and technology.  The placing price represents a discount of 20.3% to the 30 day Volume Weighted Average Price of a Samarkand share preceding this announcement being 144 pence.

 

On 22 March 2021, the Company floated on the APEX segment of the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market ("AQSE") following a significantly oversubscribed fundraising of £17 million at an issue price of 115 pence per share, which was scaled up from the original £10 million target to accommodate demand from institutional investors and Qualified Investors. The proceeds of the fundraising have begun to be applied by the Company to further develop the Nomad Platform's functionality and brand services, expanding the Group's business development activities and to make further strategic acquisitions.

 

The parent company of United Win Asia Limited, S.F. Holding Co., Ltd., ("SF Holding") trades on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE: 002352) with a market capitalisation of approximately CNY289 billion (£32 billion) as at 30 April 2021. SF Holding is a leading express delivery company in China employing over 100,000 people globally as at the end of 2020. SF Holding's global reach and logistics and delivery network in China combine strongly with Samarkand Group's Nomad technology platform, and as a result the two companies are providing the full solution to allow international brands to access this market.

 

Application has been made to the Aquis Stock Exchange for the admission to trading on the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market ("Admission") of the 2,737,840 New Ordinary Shares in the capital of the Company. The New Ordinary Shares will rank pari passu in all respects with the Company's existing ordinary shares and Admission is expected to become effective on 13 May 2021.

 

Total Voting Rights

 

Following Admission of the 2,737,840 New Ordinary Shares on 13 May 2021, the Company's enlarged issued share capital will comprise of 54,714,783 ordinary shares, each with voting rights. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company, under the Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

 

Samarkand Group CEO David Hampstead commented: "SF Holding, with its global coverage and extensive delivery capability in China allows us to address a wide range of international clients with our technology solutions.  We have worked with SF Holding commercially for some time and this strategic investment is a massive vote of confidence in our expanding relationship and is a natural progression as we look to increase our capability and footprint internationally."

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information, please contact:

 

Samarkand Group plc	Via Alma PR
David Hampstead, Chief Executive Officer Eva Hang, Chief Financial Officer	http://samarkand.global/
VSA Capital - AQSE Corporate Adviser and Broker	+44(0)20 3005 5000
Andrew Raca, James Deathe, Pascal Wiese (Corporate Finance) Andrew Monk (Corporate Broking)	IPO@vsacapital.com
Alma PR	+44(0)20 3405 0213
Josh Royston Robyn Fisher Joe Pederzolli	samarkand@almapr.co.uk

 

Notes to Editors

 

Samarkand is a cross-border eCommerce technology and retail group focusing on connecting Western Brands with China, the world's largest eCommerce market. The Group has developed a proprietary software platform, the Nomad platform, which is integrated across all necessary touch-points required for eCommerce in China including eCommerce platforms, payments, logistics, social media and customs. The Nomad platform is the foundation on which the Group's Nomad technology and service solutions are built. The core products include Nomad Checkout, Nomad Storefront, Nomad Commerce, Nomad Distribution and Nomad Analytics.

 

The Company's current customer base comprises leading European brands such as 111SKIN, Shay & Blue, Omorovicza, ICONIC London, Philip Kingsley, Temple Spa and Planet Organic. Samarkand has also successfully grown its own brand, Probio7, acquired in December 2017 and recently announced the acquisition of Zita West Products and Babawest.

 

Founded in 2016, Samarkand is headquartered in London, UK with an office in Shanghai employing over 90 staff.

 

For further information please visit https://www.samarkand.global/