22 Feb 2010 07:00
22 February 2010
Stellar Diamonds plc
("Stellar" or the "Company")
Admission to AIM - First Day of Dealings
Stellar, a focused diamond exploration, productionand development company with a portfolio of properties in West Africa is pleasedto announce its admission to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and thefirst day of dealings in its ordinary shares under ticker symbol STEL at 8.00 a.m.today, following the completion of the reverse acquisition of Stellar Diamonds Limitedby West African Diamonds plc ("WAD") and a £5 million placing (before expenses). On Admission, the Company will have 96,581,432 ordinary shares in issue and willhave a market capitalisation of approximately £19 million.
Highlights
· Stellar is focusedon building a leading diamond explorer and producer in West Africa
· The Company willhave a number of opportunities to harness corporate and operational synergies, thusallowing the operational cost base per carat to be reduced
· Revenue from thetwo producing alluvial mines, Bomboko and Mandala, will reduce financial risk, increasecashflow and enhance growth possibilities
· Stellar will havefour high grade kimberlite projects at various stages of development - Tongo andKono (in Sierra Leone) and Droujba and Bouro (in Guinea)
· The strengthenedbalance sheet and two producing projects provide a good platform for the Companyto seek further growth by acquisition
· The board has significantexperience in the West African mining industry and a proven track record of developingmines
RBC Capital Markets is the nominated adviser andbroker to the Company.
Commenting on Admission, Karl Smithson, Chief ExecutiveOfficer, said:
"We look forward to executing the Company's growthstrategy in an improving diamond sector. Stellar has a good balance of portfolioprojects that bring a combination of immediate cash flow and excellent explorationand development upside. I look forward to updating our shareholders on progress indue course."
Copies of the Admission Document are availableon the Company's website (www.stellar-diamonds.com) or from RBC Capital Markets,71 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4DE.
Enquiries:
Stellar Diamonds plc
Karl Smithson Tel: +44 (0) 7783 707971
RBC Capital Markets
Martin Eales / Daniel Conti Tel: +44 (0) 20 7653 4000
Astaire Securities
Jerry Keen / Charles Vaughan Tel: +44 (0) 20 7448 4400
Pelham Bell Pottinger
Charles Vivian / James MacFarlane Tel: +44 (0) 20 7337 1500
Information on Stellar
Stellar is focused on building a leading diamondexplorer and producer in West Africa.
The key short term strategy of the Company willbe to focus on production and cash flow from its two producing mines at Mandala andBomboko. However, the longer term strategy will involve the development of its advanced,high-grade kimberlite exploration projects at Tongo and Kono (in Sierra Leone) andDroujba and Bouro (in Guinea). Each of these projects demonstrates economic potentialand work programmes are planned in order to define this potential.
Background
On 27 January 2010 it was announced that the AdmissionDocument and Notice of General Meeting in relation to the acquisition of StellarDiamonds Limited by WAD (the "Acquisition") was posted to shareholders and thatWAD was successful in raising gross proceeds of £5 million (the "Placing"), conditionalon completion of the Acquisition and readmission. The proceeds from the Placingwill be utilised to capitalise existing producing mines, accelerate the Company'sproduction ramp up, and advance key kimberlite development and exploration projects.
On 19 February 2010 all resolutions at WAD's GeneralMeeting were duly passed by shareholders and subsequently the acquisition of StellarDiamonds Limited and the Placing was completed, conditional only on admission. Thename of the company has been changed from West African Diamonds plc to Stellar Diamondsplc.
Key Statistics
| Placing price per Placing share | 20p |
| Number of Placing shares being issued pursuant tothe Placing | 25,000,000 |
| Placing shares as a percentage of the enlarged sharecapital | 26 per cent. |
| Number of ordinary shares in issue immediately followingAdmission | 96,581,432 |
| Gross proceeds of the Placing | £5,000,000 |
| Estimated net proceeds of the Placing receivableby the Company | £4,300,000 |
| Market capitalisation of the Enlarged Group at thePlacing price following completion of the Acquisition | £19,386,332 |
| ISIN number | GB00B5V61531 |
| Ticker | STEL |