Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Mar 26, 2024
Pre-Annual General Meeting Information
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If you are in doubt about the action you should take, you are recommended to immediately seek your own personal financial advice from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other independent professional financial adviser who, if you are taking advice in Ireland, is authorised or exempted pursuant to the European Union (Markets in Financial Instruments) Regulations 2017 of Ireland or the Investment Intermediaries Act, 1995 of Ireland (as amended), or, if you are taking advice in the United Kingdom, is authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 of the United Kingdom or from another appropriately authorised independent financial adviser if you are in a territory outside Ireland or the United Kingdom.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your shares in Grafton Group plc, please send this document and the accompanying Form of Proxy at once to the purchaser or transferee, or to the stockbroker, bank or other agent through whom the sale or transfer was effected for delivery to the purchaser or transferee.
A letter from the Chair of Grafton Group plc is set out on pages 8 to 12 of this document.
Your attention is drawn to the Notice of the Annual General Meeting ("AGM") to be held at 10:30am (Irish Time) on Thursday, 2 May 2024 at the Irish Management Institute (IMI) Conference Centre, Sandyford Road, Dublin 16, D16 X8C3, Ireland which is set out on pages 13 to 16 of this document.
A Form of Proxy for use at the meeting is enclosed. The process for appointing a proxy and/or voting at the meeting will depend on the manner in which you hold your Ordinary Shares in the Company.
For shareholders whose names appear on the register of members of the Company (i.e. those who hold ordinary shares of the Company ("Ordinary Shares") in certificated form and who therefore do not hold their interests in Ordinary Shares as Belgian law rights through the Euroclear Bank SA/NV ("Euroclear Bank") system (the "EB System") ("EB Participants") or as CREST Depositary Interests ("CDIs") through the CREST system ("CREST")), the Form of Proxy must be completed and returned to the Company's registrars, Link Registrars Limited (the "Registrar") at P.O. Box 7117, Dublin 2, Ireland if delivered by post or to Link Registrars Limited, Suite 149, The Capel Building, Mary's Abbey, Dublin 7, D07 DP79, Ireland if delivered by hand during normal business hours so as to be received by no later than 10:30am (Irish Time) on 30 April 2024. Alternatively, you may appoint a proxy electronically by visiting the website of the Company's Registrars at www.signalshares.com and entering the Company name, Grafton Group plc. You will need to register for the Share Portal by clicking on "registration section" (if you have not registered previously) and following the instructions. You will need your Investor Code ("IVC") which can be found at the top of your proxy form.
Additionally, the Registrar has launched a shareholder app: LinkVote+. It's free to download and use and gives shareholders the ability to access their shareholding record at any time and allows users to submit a proxy appointment quickly and easily online rather than through the post. The app is available to download on both the Apple App Store and Google Play, or by scanning the relevant QR code below.
| Apple App Store | GooglePlay |
|---|---|
Further instructions on how to appoint a proxy are set out on the Form of Proxy.
Persons who hold their interests in Ordinary Shares as Belgian law rights through the EB System or as CDIs through CREST should consult with their stockbroker or other intermediary at the earliest opportunity for further information on the processes and timelines for submitting proxy votes for the AGM through the respective systems.
For the avoidance of doubt, all resolutions at the AGM will be decided on a poll at the demand of the Chair in accordance with the provisions of the Articles of Association of the Company and in line with current market practice.
In respect of CDI Holders, Euroclear UK & International Limited ("EUI"), the operator of CREST, has arranged for voting instructions relating to the CDIs held in CREST to be received via a third party service provider, Broadridge Financial Solutions Limited ("Broadridge"). Further details on this service are set out on the "All you need to know about SRD II in Euroclear UK & Ireland" webpage of the Euroclear Bank website (www.euroclear.com) which is accessible to CREST participants (see the section entitled "CREST International Service – Proxy Voting").
If you are a CDI Holder, you will be required to make use of the EUI proxy voting service facilitated by Broadridge Global Proxy Voting service in order to receive meeting announcements and send back voting instructions, as required. To facilitate client set up, if you hold CDIs and wish to participate in the Broadridge Global Proxy Voting service, you will need to complete the following steps:
1 Please note that all expected times and dates referenced in this Circular are indicative only. CDI Holders should please consult with their stockbroker or other intermediary to confirm voting instruction deadlines.
offering and initiate the process for granting your access to the Broadridge platform. Should shareholders have any queries on the Broadridge service offering, Broadridge can be contacted by telephone on +1 800 353 0103 during normal US (Eastern Standard Time) business hours.
Once CDI Holders have gained access to the Broadridge platform (by following the instructions set out above), they can complete and submit proxy appointments (including voting instructions) electronically. Broadridge will process and deliver any such proxy voting instructions received from CDI Holders by the Broadridge voting deadline date to Euroclear Bank by its cut-off time and to agreed market requirements. Alternatively, a CDI Holder can send a third party proxy voting instruction through the Broadridge platform in order to appoint a third party (who may be a corporate representative or the CDI Holder themselves) to attend and vote at the meeting for the number of Ordinary Shares specified in the proxy instruction (subject to the Broadridge voting deadline). There is no facility to offer a letter of representation/appoint a corporate representative other than through the submission of third party proxy appointment instructions through Broadridge.
Broadridge's voting deadline is expected to be two business days prior to Euroclear Bank's voting instruction deadline, as set out below, and is expected to be close of business on Friday 26 April 2024. As stated above, CDI Holders should please consult with their stockbrokers to confirm any relevant Broadridge deadlines.
CDI Holders should pay close attention to any notices specifically relating to the AGM and are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with Broadridge's arrangements, including the voting deadlines and procedures and to take, as soon as possible, any further actions required by Broadridge before they can avail of this voting service.
The Company understands that Broadridge will use best endeavours to accept late votes, changes and cancellations from a CDI Holder after their voting deadline but there is no guarantee that these will be processed within the requisite timeframes.
Should you have any queries in relation to completing and submitting proxy appointments (including voting instructions) electronically via Broadridge, please contact your dedicated client service representative at Broadridge.
Shareholders who hold their interests in Ordinary Shares as EB Participants can submit proxy appointments (including voting instructions) electronically in the manner described in the document issued by Euroclear Bank and entitled "Euroclear Bank as issuer CSD for Irish corporate securities – Service description" and available on the Euroclear Bank website (www.euroclear.com) (the "Euroclear Bank Service Description"). EB Participants can either send:
2 Please note that all expected times and dates referenced in this Circular are indicative only. EB Participants should please consult with their stockbroker or other intermediary to confirm voting instruction deadlines.
Euroclear Bank's voting instruction deadline is expected to be 9:30 am (Irish Time) on Tuesday 30 April 2024. Voting instructions cannot be changed or cancelled after Euroclear Bank's voting deadline.
EB Participants are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with the arrangements with Euroclear Bank, including the voting deadlines and procedures.
In order to view and listen to the AGM remotely, shareholders will need to connect to the Webcasting Platform via a link (URL) on the home page of the Company's website www.graftonplc.com which will be made available from 24 hours before the AGM start time. If you wish to raise a question verbally at the AGM, you must dial-in to the conference call number which will be accessible once you have logged in to the Webcasting Platform. If you dial into the conference call, please ensure that you mute your webcast connection to avoid any potential interference.
Once shareholders have accessed the Webcasting Platform, they will be asked to enter an email address, as well as their unique "Login Code" and "PIN". Your Login Code is your 11-digit IVC, including any leading zeros. Your PIN is the last 4 digits of your IVC. This will authenticate the identity of shareholders.
Your IVC can be found on the enclosed proxy form, your attendance card or your share certificate.
Signal Shares users (www.signalshares.com), operated by the Company's Registrars, will find the IVC under "Manage your account" when logged in to the Signal Shares portal. Shareholders can also obtain the IVC by contacting Link Registrars Limited on +353 1 553 0050. Lines are open from 9:00am to 5:00pm (Irish Time) Monday to Friday, excluding Irish bank holidays.
CDI Holders or EB Participants wishing to access the Webcasting Platform should arrange to have themselves appointed as their own proxy, as explained in Notes 6 and 7 of the Notice of AGM. Any CDI Holders or EB Participants who have not had themselves appointed as their own proxy, but who nevertheless wish to access the AGM via the Webcasting Platform, should contact Link Registrars Limited by email to [email protected].
Access to the Webcasting Platform for the purpose of the AGM will be via a link (URL) on the home page of the Company's website (www.graftonplc.com) which will be available from 24 hours before the AGM start time. During the AGM, shareholders (or their proxy) must ensure that they are connected to the internet at all times in order to view and listen to the Chair and ask questions at the meeting. Therefore, it is the shareholders' (or their proxy's (as the case may be)) responsibility to ensure connection to the internet for the duration of the AGM.
There is no requirement for shareholders to give notice of their intention to log in to the AGM via the Webcasting Platform, save that persons appointed as proxy or as a corporate representative to represent a shareholder at the AGM should contact Link Registrars Limited by 10:30am (Irish Time) on Tuesday 30 April 2024 by emailing [email protected] for unique log-in credentials in order to access the AGM.
Shareholders will still need to submit their voting instruction by the relevant deadline before the AGM, as it will not be possible to vote using the Webcasting Platform.
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Expected Timetable of Events | 6 |
| Agenda of Annual General Meeting | 6 |
| Letter from the Chair | 8 |
| Notice of Annual General Meeting | 13 |
| Notes to Notice of Annual General Meeting | 17 |
| Latest time for return of proxies for AGM | 10:30am (Irish Time) on Tuesday, 30 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Record Date for AGM | 6:00pm (Irish Time) on Sunday, 28 April 2024 |
| Annual General Meeting | 10:30am (Irish Time) on Thursday, 2 May 2024 |
(Registered in Ireland No. 8149)
| Directors | Registered Office: |
|---|---|
| Michael Roney (Chair) | The Hive |
| Ian Tyler (Non-Executive Director and Chair Designate) | Carmanhall Road |
| Eric Born (Chief Executive Officer) |
Sandyford Business Park |
| David Arnold (Chief Financial Officer) |
Dublin 18, D18 Y2C9 |
| Paul Hampden Smith (Non-Executive and Senior Independent Director) |
Ireland |
| Mark Robson (Non-Executive Director) | |
| Susan Murray (Non-Executive Director) |
|
| Vincent Crowley (Non-Executive Director) |
|
| Rosheen McGuckian (Non-Executive Director) | |
| Avis Darzins (Non-Executive Director) |
Dear Shareholder,
I am writing to you to explain the resolutions to be proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (the "AGM").
26 March 2024
Your attention is drawn to the Notice of the AGM which will be held at 10:30am (Irish Time) on Thursday 2 May 2024 at the IMI Conference Centre, Sandyford Road, Dublin 16, D16 X8C3, Ireland, which is set out on pages 13 to 16 of this document.
The following briefly explains the business to be transacted at the AGM:
Resolution 1 deals with reviewing the Company's affairs and considering the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023, together with the reports of the directors and statutory auditor thereon.
Resolution 2 proposes the approval and payment of a final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2023 of 26.0 pence per Ordinary Share in the capital of the Company to be paid on 9 May 2024 to the holders of Ordinary Shares on the register of members of the Company at the close of business on 12 April 2024.
Resolution 3 proposes the election/re-election of directors. The Board has agreed that all Directors will retire and seek election/re-election at the forthcoming AGM, with the exception of Mr. Paul Hampden Smith and me, as we have indicated that we will step down from the Board at the conclusion of the AGM. This is not required legally or by the Company's Articles of Association but is in line with best practice and the provisions of the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code. As previously announced, Mr. Mark Robson and Mr. Ian Tyler were appointed as Non-Executive Directors with effect from 1 December 2023 and 1 March 2024 respectively and both will retire and put themselves forward for election by shareholders at this AGM.
I recommend that each of the Directors going forward be re-elected at the 2024 AGM.
Resolution 4 is an advisory, non-binding resolution regarding the continuation in office of PricewaterhouseCoopers as Auditors of the Company.
Resolution 5 authorises the Directors to fix the remuneration of the Auditors for the year ending 31 December 2024.
In Resolution 6, the Board is proposing to submit the Annual Statement of the Chair of the Remuneration Committee and the Annual Report on Remuneration of the Remuneration Committee, as set out on pages 142 to 145 and 156 to 170 respectively of the 2023 Annual Report, to a non-binding advisory vote.
Resolution 7 is a special resolution which, if adopted, will maintain the existing authority in the Articles of Association which permits the Company to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting by giving at least 14 clear days' notice in writing where the purpose of the meeting is to consider an ordinary resolution. As a matter of policy, the 14 clear days' notice will only be utilised where the Directors believe that it is merited by the business of the meeting and is to the advantage of shareholders as a whole.
In addition to the ordinary business to be transacted at the AGM, there are various items of special business which are described further below:
In Resolution 8, shareholders are being asked to renew the Directors' authority to allot and issue shares. If adopted, this authority will authorise the Directors to issue shares up to a maximum aggregate nominal value of €3,374,845 (which represents one third of the nominal value of the existing issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at the latest practicable date before the publication of this AGM Circular). The authority under this resolution will expire at next year's AGM or 15 months after the forthcoming AGM, whichever is the earlier.
At the AGM held in 2023, shareholders gave the Directors power to allot shares for cash otherwise than in accordance with statutory pre-emption rights. That power will expire at the close of business on the date of the forthcoming AGM.
The Directors will, at the forthcoming AGM, seek power to allot shares for cash, otherwise than in accordance with statutory pre-emption rights, by way of rights issue or other issue up to the amount of the unissued share capital of the Company, or otherwise up to an aggregate nominal value of €504,976 on the basis that this limit shall apply to all allotments for cash and any treasury shares that may be reissued for cash. This limit is equivalent to approximately five per cent of the nominal value of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company. The power under this resolution will expire (under the Articles of Association of the Company) at next year's AGM or 15 months after the forthcoming AGM, whichever is the earlier.
Save for the allotment of shares in respect of the Company's employee share schemes, as at the date hereof, the Board has no current intention to exercise the authority sought pursuant to Resolutions 8 and 9 (as described above) and will only exercise these authorities if they consider it to be in the best interests of shareholders generally at that time. The number of treasury shares held by the Company as at the date hereof is 500,000, which is equivalent to approximately 0.25 per cent of the issued share capital of the Company (excluding treasury shares) as at the latest practicable date before the publication of this AGM Circular.
At the 2023 AGM, shareholders gave the Company and/or any of its subsidiaries authority to make stock market purchases of up to 10 per cent of the Company's own shares. Under Resolution 10 shareholders are being asked to renew this authority.
The Directors monitor the Company's share price and may from time to time exercise this power to make stock market purchases of the Company's own shares, at price levels which they believe would increase the future earnings per share on those shares not purchased and where it would be in the best interests of the Company and of shareholders generally, after taking account of the Company's overall financial position. The minimum price which may be paid for any market purchase of the Company's own shares will be the nominal value of the shares and the maximum price which may be paid will be 105 per cent of the then average market price of the shares. The power under this resolution will expire (under the Articles of Association of the Company) at next year's AGM or 15 months after the forthcoming AGM, whichever is the earlier.
In Resolution 11, shareholders are being asked to sanction the price range at which any treasury share (that is a share of the Company redeemed or purchased and held by the Company rather than being cancelled) may be re-issued other than on the Stock Exchange. The maximum and minimum prices at which such a share may be re-issued are 120 per cent and 95 per cent, respectively of the average market price of a share calculated over the five business days immediately preceding the date of such re-issue.
On 20 March 2024, the Company received a request from Mr. Michael Chadwick, in his capacity as a shareholder of the Company holding in excess of 3% of the Company's shares (the "Proposing Shareholder"), to put an additional item on the agenda of the AGM together with a draft resolution to be proposed at the AGM pursuant to the provisions of Section 1104 of the Addendum to the Company's Articles of Association (the "Shareholder Resolution").
The Shareholder Resolution (Resolution 12 in the Notice of AGM) concerns the calculation of the earnings per share performance condition of awards granted, or to be granted, under the LTIP and provides that the Board and the Remuneration Committee of the Company be directed to ensure that the vesting outcome for each financial year of the Company for performance conditions in respect of (i) any awards issued under the LTIP based on earnings per share ("EPS Condition") following the date of Resolution 12 shall be calculated based on the number of shares in issue in the capital of the Company (other than treasury shares) at the end of that financial year; and (ii) any awards issued under the LTIP based on the EPS Condition prior to the date of Resolution 12 shall be amended and recalculated based on the number of shares in issue in the capital of the Company (other than treasury shares) at the end of that financial year and any awards shall be revised to reflect such recalculated vesting outcomes.
The Proposing Shareholder has provided the following explanation in respect of the Shareholder Resolution:
"The purpose of the proposed agenda item and resolution is to address the unfair impact of share buybacks on the satisfaction of earnings per share performance conditions ("EPS Conditions") under the Company's LTIP. By requiring the satisfaction of EPS Conditions to be based on the number of shares in issue at a fixed date prior to the issue of the relevant award, LTIP participants are likely to have an artificially reduced vesting outcome in each year in which share buybacks are made, resulting in reduced vesting outcomes and limiting the incentives for senior management to drive future growth for the Company".
Following careful consideration of the Shareholder Resolution by the entire Board, the Board (excluding Mr. Eric Born and Mr. David Arnold who, as potential beneficiaries of the LTIP, recused themselves from the Board's decision in this matter) unanimously recommends that you vote AGAINST Resolution 12 at the AGM for the reasons outlined below.
Awards granted to participants under the LTIP up to, and including, the 2023 award were based on an adjusted earnings per share performance condition (the "Adjusted EPS Performance Condition") (except in the case of awards granted to the CEO, CFO and Group Financial Controller/Company Secretary during this period, which were based on a Total Shareholder Return performance condition (50%) and an Adjusted EPS Performance Condition (50%)).
Under the share buyback programmes completed during 2022 and 2023, the Company bought back a material number of shares amounting to approximately 14.5% of its issued share capital. The Remuneration Committee decided to exclude the impact of the Company's share buyback programmes in calculating the Adjusted EPS Performance Condition. If approved by shareholders at the AGM, Resolution 12 could result in a significant increase in the number of shares issued to participants of the LTIP as a consequence of the more favourable calculation of the Adjusted EPS Performance Condition.
The Remuneration Committee has determined that with respect to awards granted under the LTIP in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, participants would not benefit from the impact of the Company's share buyback programme. This approach aligns with the delivery of the Company's strategic and financial objectives. The Remuneration Committee believes that the calculation of the Adjusted EPS Performance Condition is consistent with the policies of a number of the Company's institutional shareholders. The decision of the Remuneration Committee to exclude the impact of the Company's share buyback programmes had particular regard to the materiality of share buybacks in 2022 and 2023 and was grounded in a number of key principles, including, but not limited to:
The Board (excluding Mr. Eric Born and Mr. David Arnold who, as potential beneficiaries of the LTIP, recused themselves from the Board's decision in this matter) believes that the Adjusted EPS Performance Condition, as currently implemented by the Remuneration Committee for awards granted under the LTIP, is in the best interests of the Company and it is therefore recommended that shareholders vote AGAINST Resolution 12 at the AGM.
While the Board (excluding Mr. Eric Born and Mr. David Arnold who, as potential beneficiaries of the LTIP, recused themselves from the Board's decision in this matter) is recommending a vote against Resolution 12, in accordance with its commitment to ensuring the alignment of executive incentives with the long-term interests of shareholders, the Board and the Remuneration Committee will continue to monitor and periodically reassess this topic in the future.
A Form of Proxy for use at the meeting is enclosed. The process for appointing a proxy and/or voting at the meeting will depend on the manner in which you hold your Ordinary Shares in the Company.
Further information on the conduct of the meeting (including the ability to attend the meeting virtually via the Webcasting Platform) together with the relevant voting/proxy appointment options and deadlines for the various shareholders of the Company are set out on pages 1 to 5 of this Circular and in the notes to the Notice of AGM.
Your Board considers that the proposals set out in resolutions 1 – 11 above are in the best interests of shareholders as a whole and recommends that you vote IN FAVOUR of resolutions 1 – 11 at the AGM.
The Board (excluding Mr. Eric Born and Mr. David Arnold who as potential beneficiaries of the LTIP recused themselves from the Board's decision in this matter) recommends that you vote AGAINST resolution 12 at the AGM.
All resolutions at the AGM will be decided on a poll at the demand of the Chair in accordance with the provisions of the Articles of Association of the Company and in line current market practice. The results will be published on the company's website at https://www.graftonplc.com/investors/shareholderservices/shareholder-meetings/ as soon as possible after the conclusion of the AGM.
If you have any questions, please contact Link Registrars Limited on +353 (0) 1 553 0050. Lines are open 9:00am to 5:00pm (Irish Time) Monday to Friday, excluding Bank or Public Holidays in Ireland.
Yours sincerely,
_______________ Michael Roney Chair
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Grafton Group plc will be held at the Irish Management Institute (IMI) Conference Centre, Sandyford Road, Dublin 16, D16 X8C3, Ireland on 2 May 2024 at 10:30am (Irish Time) for the following purposes:
(1) To receive and consider the Company's Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 together with the reports of the Directors and the Auditors thereon, and to review the Company's affairs.
(2) To declare a final dividend of 26.0 pence per Ordinary Share for the year ended 31 December 2023 to be paid on 9 May 2024 to the holders of Ordinary Shares on the register of members of the Company at the close of business on 12 April 2024.
(3) By separate resolutions to elect/re-elect the following Directors who retire and, being eligible, offer themselves for election/re-election (as appropriate):
| Eric Born | (Resolution No. 3a) |
|---|---|
| David Arnold | (Resolution No. 3b) |
| Susan Murray | (Resolution No. 3c) |
| Vincent Crowley | (Resolution No. 3d) |
| Rosheen McGuckian | (Resolution No. 3e) |
| Avis Darzins | (Resolution No. 3f) |
| Mark Robson | (Resolution No. 3g) |
| Ian Tyler | (Resolution No. 3h) |
Biographical information on the Directors eligible for election/re-election (as appropriate) is set out on pages 116 to 118 of the 2023 Annual Report.
(4) To consider the continuation in office of PricewaterhouseCoopers as Auditors of the Company. (This is an advisory, non-binding resolution).
(5) To authorise the Directors to fix the remuneration of the Auditors for the year ending 31 December 2024.
(6) To receive and consider the Annual Statement of the Chair of the Remuneration Committee and the Annual Report on Remuneration of the Remuneration Committee for the year ended 31 December 2023 as set out on pages 142 to 145 and 156 to 170 respectively of the 2023 Annual Report. (This is an advisory, non-binding resolution.)
"That it is hereby resolved that the provision in Article 61 of the Articles of Association of the Company allowing for the convening of an Extraordinary General Meeting on at least fourteen clear days' notice (where such meetings are not convened for the passing of a special resolution) shall continue to be effective."
"That the Directors of the Company be and are hereby generally and unconditionally authorised to allot relevant securities (within the meaning of Section 1021 of the Companies Act 2014) in accordance with the powers, provisions and limitations in Article 9(b) of the Articles of Association of the Company provided that the sum of the nominal value of all allotments made pursuant to this authority shall not exceed €3,374,845, representing one third of the nominal value of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company.
To the extent provided in Article 9(b) of the Articles of Association of the Company, this authority shall expire at the close of business on the earlier of the date of the Annual General Meeting in 2025 or 2 August 2025."
"That subject to the approval of Resolution 8 in the Notice of this meeting, the Directors be and are hereby authorised to allot equity securities (within the meaning of Section 1023 of the Companies Act 2014) for cash in accordance with the powers, provisions and limitations in Article 9(c)(i) and (ii) of the Articles of Association of the Company provided that the sum of the nominal value of all allotments made pursuant to this authority in accordance with subparagraph (ii) of Article 9(c) and all treasury shares (as defined in Section 106 of the Companies Act 2014) re-issued while this authority remains operable shall not exceed an aggregate nominal value of €504,976 (10,099,520 Ordinary Shares) representing approximately five per cent of the nominal value of the issued ordinary share capital."
To the extent provided in Article 9(c) of the Articles of Association of the Company, this authority shall expire at the close of business on the earlier of the date of the Annual General Meeting in 2025 or 2 August 2025."
"That, the Company and/or any of its subsidiaries (as defined by section 7 of the Companies Act 2014) be and are hereby generally authorised to purchase on a securities market (within the meaning of Section 1072 of the Companies Act 2014) from time to time shares of any class in the Company up to a maximum number of shares equal to ten per cent of the Company's issued ordinary share capital at the date of the passing of this resolution and provided further that purchases of shares will be limited to a maximum price which will not exceed the higher of:
and shall be limited to a minimum price which will not be less than the par value of the shares at the time the purchase is made.
This authority shall expire at the close of business on the earlier of the date of the Annual General Meeting in 2025 or 2 August 2025 save that the Company and/or any of its subsidiaries may before such expiry make a contract of purchase which would or might be executed wholly or partly after the expiry of this authority."
"That, for the purposes of Sections 109 and/or Section 1078 of the Companies Act 2014, the re-issue price range at which any treasury shares (as contemplated by the said Section 1078) for the time being held by the Company may be re-issued off-market shall be as follows:
For the purposes of this resolution, the expression "Appropriate Price" shall mean the average of five amounts resulting from determining whichever of the following {(i), (ii) or (iii) specified below} in relation to shares of the class of which such treasury shares is to be re-issued shall be appropriate in respect of each of the five business days immediately preceding the day on which the treasury share is re-issued, as determined from information published in the Official List of the London Stock Exchange reporting the business done on each of these five business days:-
and if there shall be only a bid (but not an offer) or an offer (but not a bid) price reported, or if there shall not be any bid or offer price reported, for any particular day then that day shall not count as one of the said five business days for the purposes of determining the Appropriate Price. If the means of providing the foregoing information as to dealings and prices by reference to which the Appropriate Price is to be determined is altered or is replaced by some other means, then the Appropriate Price shall be determined on the basis of the equivalent information published by the relevant authority in relation to dealings on the London Stock Exchange. This authority shall expire at the close of business on the earlier of the date of the Annual General Meeting in 2025 or 2 August 2025."
"That the Board and Remuneration Committee of the Company be and hereby are directed to:
and the Remuneration Policy of the Company be and hereby is amended to reflect the foregoing, provided however that in line with best practice and shareholder expectations, the Remuneration Committee shall retain discretion to adjust the vesting outcome if it is not considered to be reflective of the underlying financial and/or non-financial performance of the business of the Company, the performance of the individual over the performance period or where the outcome is not considered appropriate in the context of the experience of the Company's shareholders and other stakeholders."
(Resolution No. 12)
For and on behalf of the Board
Charles Rinn Company Secretary Grafton Group plc The Hive Carmanhall Road Sandyford Business Park Dublin 18 D18 Y2C9 Ireland
26 March 2024
Persons who hold their interests in the Ordinary Shares as Belgian law rights through the EB System or as CDIs through CREST should consult with their stockbroker or other intermediary at the earliest opportunity for further information on the processes and timelines for submitting proxies and voting instructions for the AGM through the respective systems.
For voting services offered by custodians holding Irish corporate securities directly with Euroclear Bank, please contact your custodian.
Alternatively, a member may appoint a proxy or proxies electronically by logging on to the website of the Registrars, Link Registrars Limited at www.signalshares.com and entering the Company name, Grafton Group plc. You will need to register for the Share Portal by clicking on "registration section" (if you have not registered previously) and following the instructions. Shareholders will be asked to enter their Investor Code ("IVC") as printed on the top of the Form of Proxy and agree to certain conditions.
Link Registrars Limited, the company's Registrar, has launched a shareholder app: LinkVote+. The app is free to download and use and gives shareholders the ability to access their shareholding record at any time and allows users to submit a proxy appointment quickly and easily online rather than through the post. The app is available to download on both the Apple App Store and Google Play or by scanning the relevant QR code below:
| Apple App Store | GooglePlay |
|---|---|
Further instructions on how to appoint a proxy are set out on the Form of Proxy.
If you are a CDI Holder, you will be required to make use of the EUI proxy voting service facilitated by Broadridge Global Proxy Voting service in order to receive meeting announcements and send back voting instructions as required. To facilitate client set up, if you hold CDIs and wish to participate in the Broadridge Global Proxy Voting service, you will need to complete the following steps:
Once CDI Holders have gained access to the Broadridge platform (by following the instructions set out above), they can complete and submit proxy appointments (including voting instructions) electronically. Broadridge will process and deliver any such proxy voting instructions received from CDI Holders by the Broadridge voting deadline date to Euroclear Bank by its cut-off time and to agreed market requirements. Alternatively, a CDI Holder can send a third party proxy voting instruction through Broadridge in order to appoint a third party (who may be a corporate representative or the CDI Holder themselves) to attend and vote at the meeting the number of shares specified in the proxy instruction (subject to the Broadridge voting deadline). There is no facility to offer a letter of representation/appoint a corporate representative other than through the submission of third party proxy appointment instructions through Broadridge.
Broadridge's voting deadline is expected to be two business days prior to Euroclear Bank's voting instruction deadline as set out below and is expected to be the close of business on Friday 26 April 2024. As stated above, CDI Holders should consult with their stockbrokers to confirm any relevant Broadridge deadlines.
CDI Holders should pay close attention to any notices specifically relating to the AGM and are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with the arrangements with Broadridge, including the voting deadlines and procedures and to take, as soon as possible, any further actions required by Broadridge before they can avail of this voting service.
The Company understands that Broadridge will use best endeavours to accept late votes, changes and cancellations from a CDI Holder after the voting deadline but there is no guarantee that these will be processed within the requisite timeframes.
Should you have any queries in relation to completing and submitting proxy appointments (including voting instructions) electronically via Broadridge, please contact your dedicated client service representative at Broadridge.
Euroclear Bank's voting instruction deadline is expected to be 9:30 am (Irish time) on Tuesday 30 April 2024. Voting instructions cannot be changed or cancelled after Euroclear Bank's voting deadline.
EB Participants are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with the arrangements with Euroclear Bank, including the voting deadlines and procedures.
provisions in company law which impose other conditions on the right of shareholders to propose resolutions at the general meeting of a company.
In order to view and listen to the AGM remotely, shareholders will need to connect to the Webcasting Platform operated by BRR Media via a link (URL) on the home page of the Company website www.graftonplc.com which will be available from 24 hours before the AGM start time. If you wish to raise a question verbally at the AGM, you must dial in to the conference call number which will be accessible once you have logged in to the Webcasting Platform. If you dial into the conference call, please ensure that you mute your webcast connection to avoid any potential interference.
Once shareholders have accessed the Webcasting Platform, they will be asked to enter an email address, as well as their unique "Login Code" and "PIN". Your Login Code is your 11-digit IVC, including any leading zeros. Your PIN is the last 4 digits of your IVC. This will authenticate the identity of shareholders.
Your IVC can be found on the enclosed proxy form, your attendance card or your share certificate.
Signal Shares users (www.signalshares.com) will find the IVC under "Manage your account" when logged in to the Signal Shares portal. Shareholders can also obtain the IVC by contacting Link Registrars Limited on +353 1 553 0050. Lines are open from 9:00am to 5:00 pm (Irish Time) Monday to Friday, excluding Irish bank holidays.
CDI Holders or EB Participants wishing to access the Webcasting Platform should arrange to have themselves appointed as their own proxy, as explained in notes 6 and 7 above. Any CDI Holders or EB Participants who have not had themselves appointed as their own proxy, but who nevertheless wish to access the AGM via the Webcasting Platform, should contact the Company's Registrars by email to [email protected].
If any shareholder encounters difficulties in obtaining their IVC, please contact the Company's Registrars by email to [email protected].
Access to the Webcasting Platform for the purpose of the AGM will be via a link (URL) made available from 24 hours before the meeting start time. During the AGM, shareholders (or their proxy) must ensure that they are connected to the internet at all times in order to view and listen to the Chair and ask questions at the meeting. Therefore, it is the shareholders' (or their proxy's) responsibility to ensure connection to the internet for the duration of the AGM.
There is no requirement for shareholders to give notice of their intention to log in to the AGM via the Webcasting Platform, save that persons appointed as proxy or as a corporate representative to represent a shareholder at the AGM should contact Link Registrars Limited by 10:30am (Irish Time) on Tuesday 30 April 2024 by emailing [email protected] for unique log-in credentials in order to access the AGM.
Shareholders will still need to submit their voting instruction by the relevant deadline before the AGM, as it will not be possible to vote using the Webcasting Platform.
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