AGM Information • Oct 20, 2017
AGM Information
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If you are in any doubt as to what action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own financial advice from your stockbroker, solicitor, accountant or other professional adviser or other independent adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your shares in DFS Furniture plc, please forward this document, together with the accompanying documents, as soon as possible either to the purchaser or transferee or to the person who arranged the sale or transfer so they can pass the documents to the person who now holds the shares.
This document should be read as a whole. Your attention is drawn to the letter from the Chair of DFS Furniture plc set out on pages 2 and 3 of this document which contains the recommendation by the Directors to Shareholders to vote in favour of the resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting. Shareholders should read the whole of this document and not rely just on the summarised information set out in the Letter from the Chair.
Notice of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held at 2.30pm on 1 December 2017 at DFS Head Office, 1 Rockingham Way, Redhouse Interchange, Adwick-le-Street, Doncaster, DN6 7NA is set out on pages 4 to 6 of this document. Shareholders will also find enclosed with this document a form of proxy to use in connection with the Annual General Meeting.
To be valid, the form of proxy should be completed, signed and returned in accordance with the instructions printed thereon, as soon as possible and, in any event, so as to reach the Company's registrars, Equiniti, by no later than 2.30pm on 29 November 2017. You may appoint a proxy in CREST by completing and transmitting a CREST proxy instruction to Equiniti so that it is received by no later than 2.30pm on 29 November 2017. The form of proxy can be delivered by post or by hand to Equiniti Limited, Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA. Completion and return of a form of proxy will not preclude shareholders from attending and voting at the Annual General Meeting should they choose to do so. Further instructions relating to the form of proxy are set out in the notice of the Annual General Meeting.
20 October 2017 Dear Shareholder
I am pleased to give you notice of DFS Furniture plc's Annual General Meeting ("AGM") which will be held at 2.30pm on Friday 1 December 2017 at DFS Head Office, 1 Rockingham Way, Redhouse Interchange, Adwick-le-Street, Doncaster, DN6 7NA.
The formal Notice of AGM and the resolutions to be proposed at the AGM are set out on pages 4 to 6 of this document. The following is a brief summary of the items of business:
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Resolution 12 seeks shareholder approval in order to authorise the Directors, for the purposes of section 551 of the Companies Act 2006, to allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any securities into shares up to an aggregate nominal amount of £211,531,459. This represents the aggregate of two thirds of the nominal value of the Ordinary Shares in issue, excluding treasury shares, as at 13 October 2017, being the last practicable date before publication of this Notice.
Resolutions 13 and 14 seek shareholder approval in order to authorise the Directors, for the purpose of section 570 of the Companies Act 2006, to allot shares for cash, or sell treasury shares for cash as if section 561(1) of the Companies Act 2006 did not apply. Resolution 13 seeks a general authority to disapply pre-emption rights on the allotment of shares representing five per cent of the Ordinary Shares in issue, excluding treasury shares, as at 13 October 2017, being the last practicable date before publication of this Notice. In accordance with best practice, Resolution 14 seeks separate and additional authority to disapply pre-emption rights for the allotment of shares representing a further five per cent of issued share capital, excluding treasury shares, as at 13 October 2017, being the last practicable date before publication of this Notice, in connection with an acquisition or other capital investment.
Resolution 15 seeks shareholder approval in order to authorise the Directors, for the purposes of section 701 of the Companies Act 2006, to make market purchases of the Ordinary Shares up to a maximum number of 21,153,145 shares. This represents ten per cent of the total issued Ordinary Share capital of the Company, excluding treasury shares, as at 13 October 2017, being the last practicable date before publication of this Notice.
Fuller explanations of the resolutions that we will be proposing are set out in the Explanation of Resolutions section on pages 11 to 13.
The business of the meeting will be conducted on a poll. I would encourage shareholders to exercise their right to vote in the following ways:
The results of voting on the resolutions will be published on the Company's corporate website, www.dfscorporate.co.uk, as soon as practicable following the conclusion of the AGM.
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In the opinion of the Directors, each of the resolutions to be proposed at the AGM are in the best interests of the Company and Shareholders as a whole. Accordingly the Directors of the Company recommend that shareholders vote in favour of the resolutions at the AGM, as the Directors intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings of ordinary shares, which amount to 0.81% of the issued ordinary shares/voting rights, as at 13 October 2017, being the last practicable date before publication of this Notice.
If I am appointed as proxy I will, of course, vote in accordance with any instructions given to me. If I am given discretion as to how to vote, I will vote in favour of each of the resolutions to be proposed at the AGM.
Yours faithfully
Ian Durant Non-Executive Chair DFS Furniture plc
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of DFS Furniture plc will be held at 2.30pm on Friday 1 December 2017 at DFS Head Office, 1 Rockingham Way, Redhouse Interchange, Doncaster, DN6 7NA to consider and, if thought appropriate, pass the following resolutions of which resolutions 1 to 12 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and resolutions 13 to 17 will be proposed as special resolutions.
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THAT Ian Durant be elected as a Director of the Company.
THAT the Directors be and are hereby authorised generally and unconditionally to exercise all the powers of the Company to allot relevant securities (as defined in section 551 of the Companies Act 2006):
(a) up to a nominal amount of £105,765,729
and so that the Directors may impose any limits or restrictions and make any arrangements which they consider necessary or appropriate to deal with any treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or laws of, any territory or any matter.
The authorities conferred on the Directors to allot securities under paragraph (a) and (b) will expire on the date of the Company's next annual general meeting, or on 1 March 2019, whichever is sooner, unless previously revoked or varied by the Company, and such authority shall extend to the making before such expiry of an offer or an agreement that would or might require relevant securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot relevant securities in pursuance of that offer or agreement as if the authority conferred hereby had not expired.
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and so that the Directors may impose any limits or restrictions and make any arrangements which they consider necessary or appropriate to deal with any treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or laws of, any territory or any matter; and
(b) to the allotment of equity securities or sale of treasury shares (otherwise than under paragraph (a) above) up to a nominal amount of £15,864,859,
such authority to expire at the conclusion of the Company's next annual general meeting or on 1 March 2019, whichever is sooner (unless previously revoked or varied by the Company in general meeting), but in each case, prior to its expiry 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 authority ends and the Directors may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
such authority to expire at the conclusion of the Company's next annual general meeting or on 1 March 2019 whichever is sooner (unless previously revoked or varied by the Company in general meeting), but in each case, prior to its expiry 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 authority expires and the Directors may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
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• the highest current independent bid for an ordinary share as derived from the London Stock Exchange Trading System.
The authority conferred by this resolution shall expire at the conclusion of the Company's next annual general meeting or on 1 March 2019, whichever is sooner, save that the Company may, before the expiry of the authority granted by this resolution, enter into a contract to purchase ordinary shares under the authority conferred by this resolution which will or may be executed wholly or partly after the expiry of such authority.
(a) donations to political parties and/or independent election candidates not exceeding £100,000 in total;
(b) donations to political organisations other than political parties not exceeding £100,000 in total; and
(c) political expenditure not exceeding £100,000 in total,
from the date of the passing of this resolution until the conclusion of the next annual general meeting, or on 1 March 2019, whichever is sooner. All existing authorisations and approvals relating to political donations or expenditure under Part 14 of the Companies Act 2006 are hereby revoked without prejudice to any donation made or expenditure incurred prior to the date hereof pursuant to such authorisation or approval.
For the purposes of this resolution the terms "political donation", "political parties", "independent election candidates", "political organisation" and "political expenditure" have the meanings given by sections 363 to 365 of the Companies Act 2006.
By order of the Board of Directors
Group Company Secretary DFS Furniture plc 20 October 2017
Registered Office DFS Furniture plc 1 Rockingham Way, Redhouse Interchange, Adwick-le-Street Doncaster DN6 7NA
Registered in England and Wales No. 07236769
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If you are a shareholder who is entitled to attend and vote at the AGM, you are entitled to appoint a proxy to exercise all or any of your rights to attend, speak and vote at the AGM and you should have received a Proxy Form with this notice of meeting. You can only appoint a proxy using the procedures set out in these Notes and the Notes to the Proxy Form.
If you are not a member of the Company but you have been nominated by a member of the Company to enjoy information rights, you do not have a right to appoint any proxies under the procedures set out in this "Appointment of proxies" section. Please read the section "Nominated persons" below.
A proxy does not need to be a shareholder of the Company but must attend the meeting to represent you. You may appoint more than one proxy provided each proxy is appointed to exercise rights attached to different shares. You may not appoint more than one proxy to exercise rights attached to any one share. To appoint more than one proxy you may photocopy the form. Alternatively, (an) additional Proxy Form(s) may be obtained by contacting Equiniti's helpline on 0371 384 2030. Overseas holders should contact +44 (0)121 415 7047. Lines are open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. Please indicate in the space next to the proxy holder's name the number of shares in relation to which they are authorised to act as your proxy. Please also indicate by ticking the box provided if the proxy instruction is one of multiple instructions being given. All forms must be signed and should be returned together. If you wish your proxy to speak on your behalf at the meeting you will need to appoint your own choice of proxy (not the Chair) and give your instructions directly to them.
Shareholders can:
Appoint a proxy and give proxy instructions by returning the enclosed Proxy Form by post (see Note 8).
Appointment of a proxy does not preclude you from attending the meeting and voting in person.
The Notes to the Proxy Form explain how to direct your proxy how to vote on each resolution or withhold their vote. To appoint a proxy using the Proxy Form, the form must be:
completed and signed;
In the case of a shareholder which is a company, the Proxy Form must be executed under its common seal or signed on its behalf by an officer of the company or an attorney for the company. Any power of attorney or any other authority under which the Proxy Form is signed (or a duly certified copy of such power or authority) must be included with the Proxy Form. If you have not received a Proxy Form and believe that you should have one, or if you require additional Proxy Forms, please contact Equiniti Umited at Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA or on 0371 384 2030, lines open 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. Overseas holders should contact +44 (0)121 415 7047.
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CREST Personal Members or other CREST sponsored members, and those CREST members who have appointed a voting service provider(s), should refer to their CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s), who will be able to take the appropriate action on their behalf. In order for a proxy appointment made using the CREST service to be valid, the appropriate CREST message (a CREST Proxy Instruction) must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear UK & Ireland Umited's (EUI) specifications and must contain the information required for such instructions, as described in the CREST Manual. The message, regardless of whether it constitutes the appointment of a proxy or is an amendment to the instruction given to a previously appointed proxy, must, in order to be valid, be transmitted so as to be received by Equiniti Limited (ID RA19) no later than 2.30pm on 29 November 2017, or, in the event of an adjournment of the meeting, 48 hours before the adjourned meeting. For this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the timestamp applied to the message by the CREST Applications Host) from which the issuer's agent is able to retrieve the message by enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST. 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 message. 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/her 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 Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001.
If you submit more than one valid proxy appointment, the appointment received last before the latest time for the receipt of proxies will take precedence.
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The revocation notice must be received by Equiniti no later than 2.30pm on 29 November 2017. If you attempt to revoke your proxy appointment but the revocation is received after the time specified, your original proxy appointment will remain valid unless you attend the meeting and vote in person.
The website referred to in Note 23 will include information on the number of shares and voting rights.
Any member attending the meeting has the right to ask questions. The Company must answer any question you ask relating to the business being dealt with at the meeting unless:
answering the question would interfere unduly with the preparation for the meeting or involve the disclosure of confidential information;
Where the Company is required to publish such a statement on its website:
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In order to be able to exercise the shareholders' right to require the Company to publish audit concerns (see Note 17), the relevant request must be made by:
a shareholder or shareholders having a right to vote at the meeting and holding at least 5% of total voting rights of the Company; or
For information on voting rights, including the total number of voting rights, see Note 15 above and the website referred to in Note 23.
If you are a person who has been nominated under section 146 of the Companies Act 2006 to enjoy information rights ("Nominated Person"):
You may have a right, under an agreement between you and the shareholder of the Company who has nominated you to have information rights ("Relevant Shareholder"), to be appointed or to have someone else appointed as a proxy for the meeting.
Except as provided above, shareholders who have general queries about the meeting should use the following means of communication (no other methods of communication will be accepted):
by contacting the Registrar's helpline on 0371 384 2030. Overseas holders should contact +44 (0)121 415 7047. Lines are open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday; or
in writing to: Equiniti Limited, Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, BN99 6DA.
You may not use any electronic address provided either in this Notice of Annual General Meeting or in any related documents (including the Letter from the Chair and Proxy Form) to communicate with the Company for any purposes other than those expressly stated.
Resolutions 1 to 12 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 13 to 17 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.
An explanation of each of the resolutions is set out below.
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The Directors present the Company's Annual Report, including the financial statements, the Directors' report and the Independent Auditor's report for the 52 weeks ended 29 July 2017, to the shareholders at the AGM.
This resolution seeks shareholder approval of the final dividend recommended by the Directors. The Directors are proposing a final dividend of 7.5 pence per ordinary share in respect of the 52 weeks ended 29 July 2017 for the shareholders to approve which will be paid on 27 December 2017 to the holders of ordinary shares on 8 December 2017.
At the 2015 AGM, Shareholders were asked to approve both the Remuneration Policy Report and the Annual Remuneration Report sections of the Directors' Remuneration Report. These two resolutions were duly passed. The Companies Act 2006 requires that the Remuneration Policy Report be put to a binding vote by ordinary resolution at least every three years or sooner if there are changes required to the Remuneration Policy. As there are no changes proposed to the Remuneration Policy, Shareholders are being asked to approve the Annual Remuneration Report section of the Directors' Remuneration Report only, which is set out on pages 58 to 64 of the Annual Report and Accounts 2017. The Company's auditors, KPMG LLP, have audited those parts of the Directors' Remuneration Report that are required to be audited and their report may be found on pages 66 to 70 of the Annual Report.
Resolutions 4 to 9 deal with the re-election/election of Directors. In accordance with the requirements of the UK Corporate Governance Code, all of the Directors, with the exception of Ian Durant, are subject to re-election by shareholders at the AGM. Ian Durant is subject to election at the AGM, being the first AGM after his appointment to the Board. The biographies of each of the Directors are set out on pages 36 to 37 of the Annual Report.
The Board considers that each of the Directors proposed for re-election/election has made and continues to make an effective contribution to the Company, is committed to their roles and makes available the time necessary to perform their duties.
The Company considers that each independent Director is independent by taking into consideration the independence criteria set by the UK Corporate Governance Code. The Company confirms that there have been no previous or existing relationships, transactions or arrangements between each of the independent Directors and the Company, any of its Directors, any controlling shareholder of the Company or any associate of a controlling shareholder within the meaning of Listing Rule 13.8.17R (1).
All of the independent Directors are experienced and have a broad knowledge of the retail sector. In light of their career experience and knowledge, the Board considers that each Director brings valuable skills to the Board and provides an impartial viewpoint.
Under section 489 of the Companies Act 2006, the auditor of a public company has to be appointed before the end of each AGM at which the Company's annual accounts are presented. The Board recommends the re-appointment of KPMG LLP as auditor of the Company, to hold office from the conclusion of the AGM until the conclusion of the next AGM at which accounts are presented.
Resolution 11 seeks shareholder consent for the Audit Committee of the Company to determine KPMG LLP's remuneration.
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Under the Companies Act 2006, the directors of a company may only allot new shares (or grant rights over shares) if authorised to do so by the shareholders in a general meeting. The authority which is sought in this respect is dealt with in Resolution 12. The authority sought in paragraph (a) of Resolution 12 will allow the Directors to allot shares up to a maximum nominal amount of £105,765,729 which represents approximately one third of the Company's issued ordinary shares (excluding treasury shares) as at 13 October 2017, being the last practicable date prior to publication of this Notice.
In accordance with the latest institutional guidelines issued by the Investment Association, the authority sought in paragraph (b) of Resolution 12 will also allow the Directors to allot shares (in connection with a rights issue and inclusive of any ordinary shares issued pursuant to the authority granted under paragraph (a)) up to a maximum nominal amount of £211,531,459 which represents approximately two thirds of the Company's issued ordinary shares (excluding treasury shares) as at 13 October 2017, being the last practicable date prior to publication of this Notice.
The Directors have no present intention to allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any security into shares pursuant to this authority. However, the Directors consider it desirable to have the flexibility to respond to market developments and to enable allotments to take place in appropriate circumstances.
If this resolution is passed, it will expire at the conclusion of the Company's next annual general meeting or on 1 March 2019, whichever is sooner.
If the Directors wish to allot shares or other equity securities for cash or to sell any shares which the Company holds in treasury, the Companies Act 2006 requires that such shares or other equity securities are offered first to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing holding.
Resolution 13 renews the Directors' power to allot equity securities and sell treasury shares for cash without first offering them to existing shareholders. Apart from rights issues or any other pre-emptive offer concerning equity securities, the authority contained in this resolution will be limited to the issue of shares for cash up to a nominal value of £15,864,859 (which includes the sale on a non-pre-emptive basis of any shares held in treasury). This number represents approximately 5% of the Company's issued share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 13 October 2017, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this Notice.
Resolution 13 also seeks a disapplication of pre-emption rights on a rights issue, so as to allow the Directors to make appropriate arrangements in relation to fractional entitlements or other legal or practical problems which might arise. If this resolution is passed, it will expire at the conclusion of the Company's next annual general meeting or on 1 March 2019, whichever is sooner.
The Pre-emption Group Statement of Principles ("Statement of Principles") supports the annual disapplication of preemption rights in respect of allotments of shares and other equity securities (and sales of treasury shares for cash) representing no more than an additional 5% of issued ordinary share capital (exclusive of treasury shares), to be used only in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment. The Statement of Principles defines 'specified capital investment' as meaning one or more specific capital investment related uses for the proceeds of an issuance of equity securities, in respect of which sufficient information regarding the effect of the transaction on the company, the assets the subject of the transaction and (where appropriate) the profits attributable to them is made available to shareholders to enable them to reach an assessment of the potential return.
Resolution 14 seeks this separate and additional authority. The Directors confirm, in accordance with the Statement of Principles, that they will only allot shares representing more than 5% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company (excluding treasury shares) for cash pursuant to the authority referred to in Resolution 14 where the allotment is in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment, which is announced contemporaneously with the allotment. Where the authority granted under Resolution 14 is used, the circumstances that have led to its use and the consultation process undertaken will be disclosed by the Company in its next Annual Report.
The Board also intends to adhere to the guidelines set out in the Statement of Principles and will not (except in relation to an issue pursuant to Resolution 14 in respect of the additional 5% referred to above) allot shares for cash on a non-pre emptive basis pursuant to the authority in Resolution 13:
(i) in excess of an amount equal to 5% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares); or
(ii) in excess of an amount equal to 7.5% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) in a rolling three-year period,
If this resolution is passed, it will expire at the conclusion of the Company's next annual general meeting or on 1 March 2019, whichever is sooner.
The Board has no present intention to exercise the authority granted under Resolution 13 or 14, other than to satisfy existing employee share-based awards, but the Directors consider that the authority sought is appropriate as it also provides the Company with the necessary flexibility to take advantage of business opportunities as they arise.
This resolution seeks authority for the Company to make market purchases of its own ordinary shares and is proposed as a special resolution. If passed, the resolution gives authority for the Company to purchase up to 21,153,145 of its ordinary shares, representing 10% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 13 October 2017, being the last practicable date before the publication of this Notice.
The resolution specifies the minimum and maximum prices which may be paid for any ordinary shares purchased under this authority, which reflect the requirements of the Listing Rules. If this resolution is passed, it will expire at the conclusion of the Company's next annual general meeting or on 1 March 2019, whichever is sooner.
Pursuant to the Companies Act 2006, the Company can hold the shares which have been purchased as treasury shares and either resell them for cash, cancel them, either immediately or at a point in the future, or use them for the purposes of its employee share schemes. No dividends will be paid on, and no voting rights will be exercised in respect of, treasury shares. The Directors believe that it is desirable for the Company to have this choice as holding the purchased shares as treasury shares gives the Company the ability to re-sell or transfer them in the future, and so provide the Company with additional flexibility in the management of its capital base. The Directors therefore intend to hold any ordinary shares purchased under this authority as treasury shares.
Ordinary shares will only be repurchased for the purposes of employee share schemes, or if the directors consider such purchases to be in the best interests of shareholders generally and that they can be expected to result in an increase in earnings per share. The authority will only be used after careful consideration, taking into account market conditions prevailing at the time, other investment opportunities, appropriate gearing levels and the overall financial position of the Company. Ordinary shares held as treasury shares will not automatically be cancelled and will not be taken into account in future calculations of earnings per share (unless they are subsequently resold or transferred out of treasury).
As at 13 October 2017 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this Notice), there were 5,171,496 outstanding share-based awards or options granted under all incentive plans operated by the Company, which if exercised would represent 2.44% of the issued share capital of the Company (excluding shares held in treasury). If this authority were exercised in full, that percentage would increase to 2.72%.
This resolution seeks the approval of shareholders to reduce the notice period required for a general meeting to 14 clear days. Changes made to the Companies Act 2006 by the Companies (Shareholders' Rights) Regulations 2009 (the "Shareholders' Rights Regulations") increased the notice period required for general meetings (other than annual general meetings) to 21 days unless shareholders approve a shorter notice period, which cannot be less than 14 clear days. Please note that if this resolution is approved, it will not apply to AGMs, which will continue to be held on at least 21 clear days' notice.
It is intended that the shorter notice period would not be used as a matter of routine for such meetings, but only where the flexibility is merited by the business of the meeting and is thought to be in the interests of the shareholders as a whole. The Company will comply with the requirement under the Shareholders' Rights Regulations to provide appropriate facilities for electronic voting at general meetings held on less than 21 clear days' notice. If given, the approval will be effective until the Company's next annual general meeting, at which point it is intended that a similar resolution will be proposed.
Part 14 of the Companies Act 2006 requires companies to obtain shareholders' authority for donations to registered political parties and other political organisations in the EU totalling more than £5,000 in any twelve month period, and for any political expenditure in the EU, subject to limited exceptions. The definition of donation in this context is very wide and extends to bodies such as those concerned with policy review, law reform and the representation of the business community. There are further restrictions on companies incurring political expenditure (as defined in the Companies Act 2006) without first obtaining shareholders' consent. The Company has not made any and does not envisage making any political donations; however, this resolution is proposed for approval as a precaution in order to avoid inadvertent breach of the legislation as a result of the wide meanings given to the terms "political donations" and "political expenditure".
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Directions to the Annual General Meeting
DFS Head Office 1 Rockingham Way Redhouse Interchange Adwick-le-Street Doncaster DN6 7NA
Leave the A1(M) at junction 38 and take the A638 towards Doncaster. At the 1st roundabout ("Redhouse Interchange"), take the 3rd exit (signposted "Business Park"). Within approximately 100 metres, go straight over the next small roundabout and take the 2nd turning on the left into the Head Office car park.
Leave the A1 at junction 38 and take the 1st right turn (signposted "The NORTH, Wakefield A638, Business Park"). At the roundabout ("Redhouse Interchange"), take the 2nd exit (signposted "Business Park"). Within approximately 100 metres, go straight over the next small roundabout and take the 2nd turning on the left into the Head Office car park.
Leave the M1 at junction 32 and take the M18 northbound towards Doncaster. Leave the M18 at junction 2 and take the A1(M) northbound. Follow the directions above for "From the A1(M) Northbound".
Leave the M62 at junction 33 and take the A1 southbound. Follow the directions above for "From the A1 southbound".
Take the A638 towards Wakefield. Follow this road for approximately 5 miles until you reach the "Redhouse Interchange" roundabout. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit, (signposted "Business Park"). Within approximately 100 metres, go straight over the next small roundabout and take the 2nd turning on the left into the Head Office car park.
Doncaster railway station is situated within 5 miles (c.20 minutes by car).
Doncaster Sheffield airport ("Robin Hood airport") is situated within 15 miles (c.30 minutes by car).
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