AGM Information • Jun 19, 2018
AGM Information
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PLEASE NOTE: THIS PROOF IS NOT ACCURATE FOR COLOUR
This document has been prepared in confidence by Instinctif. It may not be copied or distributed to third parties without the prior permission in writing from a director of Instinctif. Instinctif reserves the right to request the return of the original copies of this document.
THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. If you are in any doubt as to the action you should take, you should immediately consult your stockbroker, solicitor or accountant or other professional adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. If you have sold or transferred all of your shares in Speedy Hire Plc, please hand this document, together with the accompanying form of proxy, as soon as possible to the purchaser or transferee, or to the bank, stockbroker or other agent through whom the sale or transfer was effected, for transmission to the purchaser or transferee.
Notice of Annual General Meeting 2018
Registered Office: Chase House 16 The Parks Newton-le-Willows Merseyside WA12 0JQ
Directors: Jan Åstrand (Chairman) Russell Down Chris Morgan Bob Contreras Rob Barclay David Garman David Shearer
19 June 2018
To the holders of ordinary shares in Speedy Hire Plc ('Company')
Dear Shareholder
I am pleased to be writing to you with details of the 2018 Annual General Meeting ('AGM') of the Company which is to be held at the offices of Instinctif at 65 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7NQ on 19 July 2018 at 11:00am. The formal notice convening the meeting is set out at pages 4 to 7 of this document. In this letter, I will provide you with a detailed explanation of the resolutions to be proposed at the meeting.
At this year's AGM we will be proposing a number of resolutions, as set out below. Resolutions 1 to 13 and resolution 18 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions. Resolutions 14 to 17 and 19 will be proposed as special resolutions. The proposed ordinary resolutions will be passed if more than 50% of the votes cast are in favour and the proposed special resolutions will be passed if at least 75% of the votes cast are in favour.
This resolution deals with the delivery by the directors of the Company ('Directors') to the shareholders of the Company ('Shareholders') of the accounts for the financial year ended 31 March 2018 (including the Directors' and auditors' report on those accounts) ('Annual Report and Accounts') and the adoption thereof by the Company.
The Directors are required to prepare an annual report detailing the remuneration of the Directors and a statement by the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee which report is set out on pages 56 to 71 of the Company's Annual Report and Accounts ('Directors' Remuneration Report'). Resolution 2 is the resolution to approve the Directors' Remuneration Report, other than the part containing the Group's remuneration policy for Directors which was approved at the 2017 AGM for a period of three years to 31 March 2020. The Company is required to seek Shareholders' approval in respect of the contents of the Directors' Remuneration Report on an annual basis. This vote is an advisory one and does not affect the actual remuneration paid to any individual Director.
Final dividends are approved by the Shareholders but cannot be more than the amount recommended by the Directors. The Directors are recommending a final dividend for the year ended 31 March 2018 of 1.15 pence per ordinary share due and payable on 10 August 2018 to the Shareholders on the register at 5:00pm on 6 July 2018. This resolution seeks Shareholders' approval of the proposed dividend.
The Company's Articles of Association ('Articles') require that each Director retires from office at the third Annual General Meeting following his or her previous appointment or re-appointment at an Annual General Meeting. If the number of Directors retiring under that provision of the Articles is less than one-third then additional Directors are required to retire by rotation so that one-third of the Directors who are subject to retirement by rotation retire at every Annual General Meeting of the Company.
Notwithstanding that the Company is not a FTSE350 company the Board has determined that all Directors will be subject to annual reelection, by means of voluntarily retiring and offering themselves for re-election at the AGM. Resolution 19 will formalise the annual re-election of Directors going forward, through an amendment to the Company's Articles.
As explained in my Chairman's Statement in the Annual Report and Accounts, this will be the last AGM at which I will be seeking re-election and I will step down as Chairman when the Board has chosen and appointed my successor.
The Board confirms that it is of the opinion that each of the Directors continues to make an effective and valuable contribution to the Board and should therefore be re-elected at the forthcoming AGM. Biographical details of each of the Directors are set out at pages 42 and 43 of the Annual Report and Accounts.
Reappointment of auditors and auditors' remuneration (Resolutions 11 and 12) Resolution 11 proposes the reappointment of KPMG LLP as auditors and, in accordance with normal practice, resolution 12 authorises the Directors to determine the auditors' remuneration.
The Companies Act 2006 ('Act') provides that the Directors may not allot shares unless authorised to do so by the Company in general meeting or by its articles of association. This resolution seeks renewal, for a further period expiring at the earlier of the close of the 2019 Annual General Meeting or 30 September 2019, of the authority previously granted to the Directors at last year's Annual General Meeting.
The authority relates to a total of 174,575,980 ordinary shares, being one third of the issued share capital of the Company as at 11 June 2018 (being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this document). In addition, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Investment Association, the resolution also contains an authority for the Directors to allot a further 174,575,980 ordinary shares in connection with a pre-emptive offer by way of rights issue.
The Directors have no present intention of allotting, or agreeing to allot, any ordinary shares otherwise than in connection with employee share schemes, to the extent permitted by such schemes. The Directors continue to monitor potential opportunities for growth and in the event of one of these opportunities proceeding, this may require the allotment of ordinary shares pursuant to this authority.
The Act gives holders of ordinary shares, with limited but important exceptions, certain rights of pre-emption on the issue for cash of new equity securities. The Directors believe that it is in the best interests of the Company that, as in previous years, the Board should have limited authority to allot some shares for cash without first having to offer such shares to existing Shareholders. The Directors' current authority to do so expires at the close of the forthcoming AGM and, accordingly, this resolution seeks to renew this authority on similar terms for a further period, expiring at the earlier of the close of the 2019 Annual General Meeting or 30 September 2019.
The authority in resolution 14, if granted, will relate to allotment in respect of rights issues and similar offerings (where difficulties arise in offering shares to certain overseas Shareholders and in relation to fractional entitlements and certain other technical matters) and generally to allotments (other than in respect of rights issues) of equity securities having an aggregate nominal value not exceeding £1,309,319 (being approximately 5% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 11 June 2018 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this document)).
Resolution 15 is additional authority for the Directors to issue ordinary shares for cash in connection with an acquisition or capital investment of a kind contemplated by the Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles up to an additional aggregate nominal amount of £1,309,319 (being approximately 5% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 11 June 2018 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this document)). The Directors confirm that they will only allot shares pursuant to this authority where the allotment is in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment (as defined in the Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles) which is announced contemporaneously with the allotment or sale, or which has taken place in the preceding six month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the allotment or sale.
The Directors do not have any present intention of exercising the authorities in resolutions 14 or 15 but believe it is important for the Company to have the flexibility which these authorities afford. The Directors do not intend to issue more than 7.5% of the issued share capital of the Company on a non-pre-emptive basis in any rolling three-year period without prior consultation with the relevant investor groups (except in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment if authorised under resolution 15).
This resolution is to renew the Company's authority to make market purchases of its own shares. The authority should not be taken to imply that shares will be purchased at any particular price or, indeed, at all, and the Board has no present intention of exercising this power but would wish to retain the flexibility to do so in the future. The authority will expire at the earlier of the conclusion of the 2019 Annual General Meeting or 30 September 2019. The Board intends to seek renewal of this power at subsequent Annual General Meetings.
The resolution specifies the maximum number of shares which may be purchased (representing approximately 10% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital as at 11 June 2018) and the maximum and minimum prices at which they may be bought, reflecting the requirements of the Act and the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority. Any purchases would only be made on the London Stock Exchange. The Directors have not yet decided whether such shares, if repurchased, would be cancelled or taken into treasury, and a decision would be taken in the light of prevailing circumstances at the time of the purchase. The Board will only exercise the power to make purchases of shares after consideration of the effects on earnings per share and the benefits for Shareholders generally. As at 11 June 2018 (being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this document), there were options outstanding over 15,464,508 ordinary shares, representing 2.95% of the Company's issued share capital. If the authority given by resolution 16 was to be fully used, the options currently in issue would then represent 3.28% of the Company's issued share capital.
The Articles enable the Company to call general meetings (other than Annual General Meetings) on 14 clear days' notice. The Act increases this period to 21 days unless Shareholders have approved a shorter period, which cannot be less than 14 days. This resolution seeks such approval. The Company will also need to meet certain requirements for electronic voting before it can call a general meeting on 14 days' notice. The approval of this resolution will be effective until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company in 2019, when it is intended that the approval will be renewed.
It is the policy of the Company not to make donations to political parties or incur political expenditure and it has no present intention of making any political donation or incurring any political expenditure in respect of any political party, political organisation or independent election candidate. However, the Act contains wide definitions of 'political donation', 'political organisation' and 'political party' and, as a result, it is possible that the Company and its subsidiaries may be prohibited from supporting bodies which it is in the Shareholders' interest for the Company to support; for example, bodies concerned with policy review or law reform, with the representation of the business community (or sections of it) or special interest groups. Sponsorship, subscriptions, payment of expenses and paid leave for employees fulfilling public duties may even fall under the definitions. If this resolution is passed the Company and its subsidiaries will be authorised to make donations and incur expenditure which might otherwise be prohibited by legislation, up to a limit of, in aggregate, £50,000. The Directors consider that the authority is necessary to provide the Company with comfort that it will not, because of uncertainties as to the scope and interpretation of the legislation, unintentionally commit a technical breach of it. In common with other listed companies, the Directors are therefore seeking Shareholders' approval in the terms outlined in this resolution.
Resolution 19 sets out a proposed amendment to the Articles. The Articles are proposed to be amended to update and broaden the definition of "writing or written" for the purposes of the Articles to include written text in electronic form. The definition of "writing or written" is relevant to provisions in the Articles, which require certain notices to be served by or upon the Company, and administrative actions to be undertaken, "in writing". The change is proposed to allow greater flexibility in the administration of the Company, and to bring the Company's Articles in line with recent developments in practice. In addition, the Articles are proposed to be amended to reflect that the Board of the Company has determined that each director will submit him or herself for annual re-election. An amendment to the Articles is proposed to reflect this requirement.
A copy of the proposed new Articles of Association and a copy of the existing Articles marked up to show the changes being proposed will be available for inspection at the registered office of the Company during normal business hours on any weekday (but not at weekends or on public holidays) from 19 June 2018 until the time of the AGM and at the offices of Instinctif at 65 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7NQ for at least 15 minutes prior to and during the AGM.
Whether or not you are able to attend the meeting, you are asked to complete the enclosed form of proxy and to post it to the Company's Registrars at Equiniti Limited, Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA, as soon as possible but, in any event, to arrive no later than 11:00am on 17 July 2018. Completion and posting of the form of proxy will not preclude you from attending and voting in person at the AGM should you wish to do so.
If you are a member of CREST, you may register your appointment of a proxy through the CREST electronic appointment service using CREST ID RA19. For further details refer to the CREST manual. Completion of a form of proxy or the appointment of a proxy electronically will not stop you attending the AGM and voting in person should you so wish.
A 'vote withheld' option is provided on the form of proxy accompanying this Notice of Meeting which is to enable you to withhold your vote on any particular resolution. It should be noted that a vote withheld is not a vote in law and will not be counted in the calculation of the proportion of votes 'for' or 'against' a resolution.
Pursuant to Regulation 41 of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001, the Company specifies that only those Shareholders registered in the register of members of the Company as at 6:30pm on 17 July 2018 shall be entitled to attend or vote at the AGM in respect of the number of shares registered in their name at that time. Changes to entries on the relevant register of securities after that time will be disregarded in determining the rights of any person to attend or vote at the AGM.
Copies of (a) the Directors' service contracts; (b) a Statement of Directors' share interests and those of their families; and (c) the Articles, together with a copy of the proposed new Articles of Association and the existing Articles marked up to show the changes being proposed will be available for inspection during business hours on any weekday from the date of this letter until the conclusion of the AGM at the Company's registered office and, in the case of the proposed new Articles of Association and the Articles marked up to show the changes being proposed, also at the offices of Instinctif at 65 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7NQ . All these documents will also be available for inspection at the place of the AGM for at least 15 minutes prior to, and during, the AGM.
The Directors believe that the resolutions referred to above which are to be proposed at the AGM are in the best interests of the Company and of the Shareholders as a whole and recommend Shareholders to vote in favour of them, as each of the Directors intends to do in respect of their own beneficial holding.
Yours faithfully
Jan Åstrand Chairman
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting ('AGM') of Speedy Hire Plc ('Company') will be held at the offices of Instinctif at 65 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7NQ on 19 July 2018 at 11:00am to consider and, if thought fit, to pass the following resolutions, of which the resolutions numbered 1 to 13 and 18 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and the resolutions numbered 14 to 17 and 19 will be proposed as special resolutions:
section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 ('Act'), to exercise all powers of the Company to allot shares in the Company or grant rights
(b) comprising equity securities (as defined in the Act) up to a nominal amount of £17,457,598 (such amount to be reduced by the nominal amount of any shares allotted or rights granted under paragraph (a) above of this resolution) in connection with an offer
(i) to the holders of ordinary shares in proportion (as nearly as may be practicable) to their existing holdings of ordinary shares;
(ii) to the holders of other equity securities if this is required by the rights of those securities or, if the Directors consider it
and this authority shall expire on 30 September 2019 or, if earlier, at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2019 but the Company may, before this authority expires, make any offer, agreement or arrangement which would or might require shares to be allotted or rights to be granted after such expiry and the Directors may allot shares or grant rights pursuant to such offer, agreement or arrangement as if the authority had not expired.
and this power shall expire on 30 September 2019 or, if earlier, at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2019 but the Company may, before this power expires, make any offer, agreement or arrangement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities pursuant to such offer, agreement or arrangement as if this power had not expired.
and this power shall expire on 30 September 2019 or, if earlier, at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2019 but the Company may, before this power expires, make any offer, agreement or arrangement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities pursuant to such offer, agreement or arrangement as if this power had not expired.
in each case during the period commencing on the date of this resolution and ending at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2019 and provided that the aggregate amount of any such donations and expenditure shall not exceed £50,000 during such period. For the purpose of this resolution the terms 'political donations', 'political parties', 'independent election candidates', 'political organisations' and 'political expenditure' shall have the meanings set out in sections 363 to 365 (inclusive) of the Act.
(a) by the deletion of the definition of "writing or written", and replacing it with the following:
" "writing or written" includes references to any method, or combination of methods, of representing or reproducing words in a legible and non-transitory form whether sent or supplied in electronic form or otherwise."; and
(b) by the deletion of Article 90 of the Articles of Association of the Company, and replacing it with the following:
A director will retire from office at each annual general meeting."
By Order of the Board
Neil Hunt Company Secretary 19 June 2018
Registered Office: Chase House 16 The Parks Newton-le-Willows Merseyside WA12 0JQ
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