Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Mar 25, 2011
Pre-Annual General Meeting Information
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If you are in any doubt as to any aspect of the proposals referred to in this document or as to the action you should take, you should seek your own advice from a stockbroker, solicitor, accountant, or other professional adviser.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your shares, please pass this document together with the accompanying documents to the purchaser or transferee, or to the person who arranged the sale or transfer so they can pass these documents to the person who now holds the shares.
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 00177991)
Notice of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held at the offices of Peel Hunt, 111 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1PH on Wednesday 27 April 2011 at 11 a.m. is set out on page 4 of this circular.
Whether or not you propose to attend the Annual General Meeting, please complete and submit a proxy form in accordance with the instructions printed on the enclosed proxy form. The proxy form must be received not less than 48 hours before the time of the Annual General Meeting.
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 00177991)
7/8 Market Place London W1W 8AG
25 March 2011
To the holders of 4imprint Group plc shares
Dear Shareholder,
I am pleased to be writing to you with details of our Annual General Meeting ("AGM") which we are holding at the offices of Peel Hunt, 111 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1PH on Wednesday 27 April 2011 at 11 a.m. The formal notice of Annual General Meeting is set out on page 4 of this document.
If you would like to vote on the resolutions but cannot come to the AGM, please fill in the proxy form sent to you with this notice and return it to our registrars as soon as possible. They must receive it by 11 a.m. on 25 April 2011.
Shareholders are being asked to receive the accounts, including the Directors' Remuneration Report for the period ended 1 January 2011, together with the report of the Directors and auditors thereon.
Shareholders are being asked to approve a final dividend of 9p per ordinary share for the year ended 1 January 2011. If you approve the recommended final dividend, this will be paid on 4 May 2011 to all ordinary shareholders who were on the register of members on 1 April 2011.
Shareholders are being asked to approve the Directors' Remuneration Report for the period ended 1 January 2011, as set out on pages 22 to 26 of the annual report.
John William Poulter was appointed as a director by the Board on 1 May 2010 and offers himself for election. Shareholders are being asked to approve his appointment
In line with most recent corporate governance guidelines, each other director will retire and offer themself for re-election as a director. Shareholders are being asked to approve each of their re-elections.
Shareholders are being asked to approve the re-appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditors to the Company for the financial period ending 31 December 2011, and authorise the Board to set the auditors' fees.
Shareholders are being asked to authorise the Directors to allot shares pursuant to section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 and to disapply pre-emption rights in respect of some of those shares.
Shareholders are being asked to authorise the Company to purchase its own shares in accordance with section 701 of the Companies Act 2006.
Shareholders are being asked to approve a new Performance Share Plan. A summary of the Plan is set out in Part III on pages 9 and 10 of this document.
Explanatory notes on all the business to be considered at this year's AGM appear on pages 7 and 8 of this document.
The Board considers that all the resolutions to be put to the meeting are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. Your Board will be voting in favour of them and unanimously recommends that you do so as well.
Yours sincerely,
Chairman
The following documents will be available for inspection at the registered office of the Company from 25 March 2011 until the time of the AGM and at the offices of Peel Hunt, 111 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1PH from 15 minutes before the AGM until it ends:
This year's Annual General Meeting will be held at the offices of Peel Hunt, 111 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1PH on Wednesday 27 April 2011 at 11 a.m. You will be asked to consider and pass the resolutions below. Resolutions 12 and 13 will be proposed as special resolutions. All other resolutions will be proposed as ordinary resolutions.
and so that the Board may impose any limits or restrictions and make any arrangements which it considers necessary or appropriate to deal with treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter; and
(B) in the case of the authority granted under resolution 11 and/or in the case of any sale of treasury shares for cash, to the allotment (otherwise than under paragraph (A) above) of equity securities or sale of treasury shares up to a nominal amount of £496,933,
such power to apply until the end of next year's Annual General Meeting (or, if earlier, until the close of business on 27 July 2012) but, in each case, during this period the Company may make offers, and enter into agreements, which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the power ends and the Board may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the power had not ended.
(A) to a maximum number of 2,584,055 ordinary shares; and
(B) by the condition that the minimum price which may be paid for an ordinary share is 38 6/13 pence and the maximum price which may be paid for an ordinary share is the highest of:
in each case, exclusive of expenses;
such power to apply until the end of next year's Annual General Meeting (or, if earlier, 27 July 2012), but in each case so that the Company may enter into a contract to purchase ordinary shares which will or may be completed or executed wholly or partly after the power ends and the Company may purchase ordinary shares pursuant to any such contract as if the power had not ended.
25 March 2011
By order of the Board
Andrew Scull Company Secretary
Registered Office: 7/8 Market Place London W1W 8AG Registered in England and Wales No. 00177991
The notes on the following pages give an explanation of the proposed resolutions.
Resolutions 1 to 11 and 14 are proposed as ordinary resolutions. This means that for each of those resolutions to be passed, more than half of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution. Resolutions 12 and 13 are proposed as special resolutions. This means that for each of those resolutions to be passed, at least three-quarters of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution.
This resolution would give the Directors the authority to allot ordinary shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any securities into ordinary shares up to an aggregate nominal amount equal to £3,312,890 (representing 8,613,517 ordinary shares of 38 6/13p each). This amount represents approximately one-third of the issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) of the Company as at 24 March 2011, the latest practicable date prior to publication of this Notice.
The authority sought under this resolution will expire at the earlier of 27 July 2012 and the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company held in 2012.
The Directors have no present intention to exercise the authority sought under this resolution.
As at the date of this Notice, no ordinary shares are held by the Company in treasury.
This resolution would give the Directors the authority to allot ordinary shares (or sell any ordinary shares which the Company elects to hold in treasury) for cash without first offering them to existing Shareholders in proportion to their existing shareholdings.
This authority would be limited to allotments or sales in connection with pre-emptive offers and offers to holders of other equity securities if required by the rights of those shares or as the Board otherwise considers necessary, or otherwise up to an aggregate nominal amount of £496,933 (representing 1,292,027 ordinary shares). This aggregate nominal amount represents approximately 5% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 24 March 2011, the latest practicable date prior to publication of this Notice. In respect of this aggregate nominal amount, the Directors confirm their intention to follow the provisions of the Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles regarding cumulative usage of authorities within a rolling 3-year period where the Principles provide that usage in excess of 7.5% should not take place without prior consultation with Shareholders.
The authority will expire at the earlier of 27 July 2012 and the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company held in 2012.
Authority is sought for the Company to purchase up to 10 per cent. of its issued ordinary shares (excluding any treasury shares), renewing the authority granted by the Shareholders at previous annual general meetings.
The Directors have no present intention of exercising the authority to make market purchases, however the authority provides the flexibility to allow them to do so in the future. The Directors will exercise this authority only when to do so would be in the best interests of the Company, and of its Shareholders generally, and could be expected to result in an increase in the earnings per share of the Company.
Ordinary shares purchased by the Company pursuant to this authority may be held in treasury or may be cancelled. The Directors will consider holding any ordinary shares the Company may purchase as treasury shares. The Company currently has no ordinary shares in treasury. The minimum price, exclusive of expenses, which may be paid for an ordinary share is 38 6/13p, its nominal value. The maximum price, exclusive of expenses, which may be paid for an ordinary share is the highest of (i) an amount equal to 5% above the average market value for an ordinary share for the five business days immediately preceding the date of the purchase and (ii) the higher of the price of the last independent trade and the highest current independent bid on the trading venues where the purchase is carried out.
The Company has options outstanding over 1,090,237 ordinary shares, 4.2 per cent. of the Company's ordinary issued share capital as at 1 January 2011. If the existing authority given at the 2010 AGM and the authority now being sought by resolution 13 were to be fully used, these would represent 5.3 per cent. of the Company's ordinary issued share capital.
The authority will expire at the earlier of 27 July 2012 and the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2012.
Authority is sought for the Company to introduce a new Performance Share Scheme. This is a new share-based incentive scheme for selected Executive Directors and senior employees. Initially five individuals will participate in the Performance Share Plan. The Performance Share Plan will be supervised by the Remuneration Committee. The Remuneration Committee believes that the Performance Share Plan will more closely align the interests of the participating Executive Directors and senior employees with the interests of the Shareholders.
A summary of the plan is set out in Part III at pages 9 and 10 of this circular. A draft copy of the plan will be available for inspection at the place of the meeting for 15 minutes before and during the meeting, and will be initialled by the Chairman for the purposes of identification.
A summary of the main features of the Plan is set out below, together with details of the way in which the Plan is intended to operate. The Plan will be supervised by the Remuneration Committee. Initially, five directors/senior employees will participate in the Plan.
The Plan allows the award of "nil cost" (or nominal cost) share options, contingent share awards and restricted shares (together referred to as "awards"). It is intended that the awards made in 2011 will be made as nil cost share options. References to an award "vesting" include an option becoming exercisable. More information on the award price is contained in paragraph (g) below.
The Plan will offer selected Executive Directors and senior employees of the Group the opportunity to acquire ordinary shares in the capital of the Company.
The maximum number of shares that may be awarded to a participant under the Plan in any three year period is 350,000.
The Plan contains a limit on the number of new shares to be issued pursuant to awards made under the Plan. Awards which have lapsed or been renounced are disregarded. Shares which have been purchased in the market, including any so purchased and held by trustees for the purpose of satisfying awards are disregarded. The reissue of treasury shares will be treated as a new issue of shares.
The rules of the Plan provide that no more than 10% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company, from time to time, should be issued under the Plan in any rolling ten year period.
Awards may only be made within the period of 42 days beginning on the day on which the Plan is approved by shareholders, or within the period of 42 days beginning on the dealing day following the announcement of the Company's interim or final results, or, at other times if the Remuneration Committee considers there are exceptional circumstances.
No award may be made to a participant when prevented by restrictions on dealings in shares by Directors or certain employees of the Group imposed by statute, order or regulation or Government directive, or by the Model Code or the Company's own code on dealing by Directors and employees in its securities.
An award will be personal to the participant and not transferable (other than on death when it can be exercised by the participant's personal representatives).
No award can be made more than 10 years after adoption of the Plan.
At the time of making an award the Remuneration Committee will set performance targets which must be satisfied before the award can vest. Ordinarily, awards will not vest until after the third anniversary of grant even if the performance targets have been satisfied before that date.
Performance targets once set will not be amended unless an event occurs which causes the Remuneration Committee to consider that an amended target would be a fairer measure of performance and not materially less difficult to satisfy, in which case the performance targets may be amended.
It is the intention of the Remuneration Committee that the awards made to Executive Directors and senior employees in 2011 will be subject to share price based performance targets as follows:
| Share price achieved | % of award that may potentially vest |
|---|---|
| £3.00 | 33.333% |
| £3.50 | 33.333% (66.666% in total) |
| £4.00 | 33.333% (100% in total) |
The share price targets are achieved if the share price of the Company reaches the target set out in the table above and remains at that level or above for any period of 30 consecutive dealing days during the 3 years from the date of grant.
No re-testing of the performance targets will occur.
The award price shall be determined by the Remuneration Committee and may be any price but shall not be less than the nominal value of an ordinary share, unless, in the case where awards will be satisfied by the issue of shares directly to the award holder, alternative arrangements are put in place to pay up the nominal value at the time shares are issued. Flexibility has been retained for the award price to be set at any price.
An award will "vest" only at a time or times between the third anniversary of its date of grant and the tenth anniversary of that date, except in the following circumstances:
Upon any variation of the share capital of the Company, whether by way of a capitalisation issue, rights issue, demerger or other distribution, a special dividend or distribution, rights offer or bonus issue or any sub-division, consolidation, or reduction in the Company's share capital, the description of the shares, the award price and/or the number of shares comprised in an award may be adjusted in such manner as the Remuneration Committee determines.
Gains made on awards under the Plan are not taken into account when calculating pensionable remuneration for a defined benefit pension scheme or in calculating mandatory contributions under a defined contribution pension scheme.
The Plan allows the satisfaction of awards through the use of newly issued ordinary shares and ordinary shares acquired "on market" either through the medium of an employee benefit trust or the holding of shares in treasury.
The Plan may at any time be amended. However the provisions in the Plan relating to:
will not be altered for the benefit of existing or future participants without the prior approval of Shareholders in general meeting (except for minor amendments to benefit the administration of the Plan or to take account of a change in legislation or to obtain or maintain favourable tax, exchange control or regulatory treatment for participants, the Company or a member of the Group). Additionally, no amendment can be made which would adversely affect the rights of existing participants without their consent.
Group office 7/8 Market Place London W1W 8AG Telephone + 44 (0)20 7299 7201 Fax + 44 (0)20 7299 7209 E-mail [email protected]
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