AGM Information • Apr 3, 2020
AGM Information
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THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. 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.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your Grafton Units, 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.
Notice of 2020 Annual General Meeting
A letter from the Chairman of Grafton Group plc (the "Company") is set out on pages 3 to 5 of this document.
Your attention is drawn to the Notice of the Annual General Meeting to be held at 10.30am on 29 April 2020 at Heron House, Corrig Road, Sandyford Business Park, D18 Y2X6 which is set out on pages 6 to 8 of this document.
A Form of Proxy for use at the meeting is enclosed and, if you wish to appoint a proxy, the Form of Proxy should be returned to the Company's Registrars, Link Registrars Limited at P.O. Box 1110, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland (if delivered by post) or at Link Registrars Limited, Level 2, Block C, Maynooth Business Campus, Maynooth, Co Kildare, W23 F854, Ireland (if delivered by hand) so as to be received no later than 10.30am on 27 April 2020. 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 "Register" (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.
| Expected Timetable of Events | 2 |
|---|---|
| Agenda of Annual General Meeting | 2 |
| Letter from the Chairman | 3 |
| Notice of Annual General Meeting | 6 |
| Notes to Notice of Annual General Meeting | 9 |
Latest time for return of proxies for Annual General Meeting 10.30am on Monday, 27 April 2020
Annual General Meeting 10.30am on Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Page
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(Registered in Ireland No. 8149)
Michael Roney (Chairman) Heron House Gavin Slark (Chief Executive Officer) Corrig Road David Arnold (Chief Financial Officer) Sandyford Business Park Frank van Zanten (Non-Executive Director) D18 Y2X6 Paul Hampden Smith (Non-Executive Director) Susan Murray (Non-Executive Director) Vincent Crowley (Non-Executive Director) Rosheen McGuckian (Non-Executive Director)
Directors Registered Office:
31 March 2020
Dear Shareholder,
I am writing to you to explain the resolutions to be proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (the "AGM"), all of which the Board is recommending for your approval.
Your attention is drawn to the notice of the AGM which will be held at Heron House, Corrig Road, Sandyford Business Park, D18 Y2X6 at 10.30am on 29 April 2020, which is set out on pages 6 to 8 of this document.
The Board has agreed that all Directors, with the exception of Frank van Zanten who has indicated that he will step down from the Board at the conclusion of the AGM, will retire and seek re-election at the forthcoming 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 UK Corporate Governance Code. I recommend that each of the Directors going forward be re-elected at the 2020 AGM.
Resolution No. 3 is an advisory, non-binding resolution concerning the continuation in office of PricewaterhouseCoopers as Auditors of the Company.
Resolution 4 authorises the Directors to fix the remuneration of the Auditors.
In Resolution 5, the Board is proposing to submit the Annual Statement of the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and the Annual Report on Remuneration of the Remuneration Committee, as set out on pages 81 to 83 and 90 to 97 respectively of the 2019 Annual Report, to a non-binding advisory vote.
In Resolution 6, the Board is proposing to submit a new Remuneration Policy which is set out on pages 84 to 89 of the 2019 Annual Report (the "2020 Remuneration Policy") to a non-binding advisory vote. It is the Company's intention that the 2020 Remuneration Policy will apply for up to three years until the Annual General Meeting in 2023 unless the Remuneration Committee seeks approval from Shareholders' to adopt a new policy at an earlier date.
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 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 the authorised but unissued share capital of the Company up to an aggregate amount of €3,094,657. This is equal to approximately 26 per cent of the nominal value of the existing issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at the date of the Notice of the AGM. 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 2019, 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 up to the amount of the unissued share capital of the Company, or otherwise up to an aggregate nominal value of €594,541 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 5 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. The Board has no present intention of making such an issue of shares.
The directors confirm their intention to follow the provisions of the Pre-emption Principles regarding cumulative usage of authorities within a rolling three-year period. These principles provide that companies should consult shareholders prior to issuing, other than to existing shareholders, shares for cash representing in excess of 7.5% of the Company's issued share capital in any rolling three-year period.
At the 2019 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 consider to be in the best interests 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. The Board has no present intention of exercising this authority.
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.
A Form of Proxy for use at the AGM is enclosed. To be valid, the Form of Proxy must be completed and returned to the Company's Registrars, Link Asset Services, Link Registrars Limited at P.O. Box 1110, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland (if delivered by post) or at Link Registrars Limited, Level 2, Block C, Maynooth Business Campus, Maynooth, Co Kildare, W23 F854, Ireland , (if delivered by hand) no later than 10.30am on 27 April 2019.
Alternatively, you may appoint a proxy electronically, by visiting the Registrar's share portal at www.signalshares.com and entering the Company name, Grafton Group plc. If you have not previously registered for the Signal Shares Portal previously you can do so by clicking on "Register" and following the instructions. You will need your Investor Code (IVC), which can be found at the top of your proxy form.
The completion and lodging of a Form of Proxy will not prevent you from attending and voting in person at the meeting should you so wish.
Your Board considers that the proposals set out above are in the best interests of shareholders as a whole and recommends that you vote in favour of the resolutions at the AGM.
Since 1996, the settlement of stock exchange trading in most Irish incorporated companies has been carried out electronically via the settlement system called CREST which is operated from the UK by Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited. The United Kingdom's departure from the European Union causes issues for the continued availability of the CREST settlement system for many Irish companies. The Company has been liaising with the London Stock Exchange, Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited, the Central Bank of Ireland and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) concerning alternative settlement solutions. As the possible solutions are not within the control of the Company, the Company does not currently expect to be in a position to recommend a solution to shareholders until later in the year. Any solution will be subject to shareholder approval at an extraordinary general meeting.
Yours sincerely,
Michael Roney Chairman
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Grafton Group plc will be held at Heron House, Corrig Road, Sandyford Business Park, D18 Y2X6 on 29 April 2020 at 10.30am for the following purposes:
(1) To receive and consider the Company's Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2019 together with the reports of the Directors and the Auditors thereon, and to review the Company's affairs.
(2) By separate resolutions, to elect/re-elect the following Directors who retire and, being eligible, offer themselves for election/re-election:
| Michael Roney | (Resolution No. 2a) |
|---|---|
| Paul Hampden Smith | (Resolution No. 2b) |
| Susan Murray | (Resolution No. 2c) |
| Vincent Crowley | (Resolution No. 2d) |
| Rosheen McGuckian | (Resolution No. 2e) |
| David Arnold | (Resolution No. 2f) |
| Gavin Slark | (Resolution No. 2g) |
Biographical information on the Directors eligible for election/re-election is set out on pages 66 and 67 of the 2019 Annual Report.
(3) To consider the continuation in office of PricewaterhouseCoopers as Auditors of the Company. (This is an advisory, non-binding resolution).
(4) To authorise the Directors to fix the remuneration of the Auditors for the year ending 31 December 2020.
(5) To receive and consider the Annual Statement of the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and the Annual Report on Remuneration of the Remuneration Committee for the year ended 31 December 2019, which are set out on pages 81 to 83 and 90 to 97 respectively of the 2019 Annual Report. (This is an advisory, non-binding resolution.)
(6) To consider the new Remuneration Policy, which is set out on pages 84 to 89 of the 2019 Annual Report. (This is an advisory, non-binding resolution.)
"That it is hereby resolved that the provision in Article 58 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 €3,094,657, representing approximately 26% 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 2021 or 28 July 2021.
"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 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 €594,541 (11,890,829 Ordinary Shares) representing approximately 5% 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 2021 or 28 July 2021.
"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 2021 or 28 July 2021 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 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 2021 or 28 July 2021."
(Resolution No. 11)
For and on behalf of the Board
Charles Rinn Company Secretary Grafton Group plc Heron House Corrig Road Sandyford Business Park D18 Y2X6
31 March 2020
In the case of joint holders, the vote of the senior who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, will be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other registered holder(s) and, for this purpose, seniority will be determined by the order in which the names stand in the register of members.
After this time any change of instructions to proxies appointed through CREST should be communicated to the appointee through other means. CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers should note that EUI does not make available special procedures in CREST for any particular messages. Normal system timings and limitations will therefore apply in relation to the input of CREST Proxy Instructions. It is the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a CREST personal member or sponsored member or has appointed a voting service provider(s), to procure that his CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action as shall be necessary to ensure that a message is transmitted by means of the CREST system by any particular time. In this connection, CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers are referred, in particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system and timings. The Company may treat as invalid a CREST Proxy Instruction in the circumstances set out in Regulation 35(5)(a) of the CREST Regulations.
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