Headlam Regulatory News (HEAD)

18 January 2018

Headlam Group plc

('Headlam' or the 'Company')

Board Changes

Headlam Group plc (LSE: HEAD), Europe's largest distributor of floorcoverings, announces the following Board Changes.

Amanda Aldridge is to be appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director, and a member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees, with effect from 1 February 2018.

Amanda brings broad financial and sector experience gained as an auditor and risk consultant. Amanda was a partner in KPMG LLP from 1996 until 2017, when she retired from the partnership, having joined the firm in 1984 and qualified as a chartered accountant in 1987. 

Amanda has significant experience as an external auditor, working predominately with quoted clients in the retail and distribution sectors. She has also advised quoted companies on corporate transactions and the assessment and remediation of internal controls. Her most recent experience has been advising on risk and resilience in the supply chain and governance of major contracts including outsource contracts, licencing arrangements and joint ventures. She also held a number of strategic and line management roles during her 32 years with KPMG LLP. Amanda is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. 

Dick Peters, the Company's Non-Executive Chairman, has informed the Board that after 12 years as a member of the Board it is his intention to step down from the Board on 31 May 2018. Philip Lawrence, a Non-Executive Director of the Board since June 2015 and current Chairman of the Audit Committee, will be appointed Non-Executive Chairman and a member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees with effect from 1 June 2018 subject to his re-election as a Director of the Company at the Company's AGM to be held in May 2018. Following this appointment, Amanda Aldridge will assume the position of Chairman of the Audit Committee with effect from 1 June 2018.

Steve Wilson, Chief Executive, said:

"I would like to offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to Dick for his invaluable contribution to Headlam over the past 12 years. He has been pivotal in shaping the Company's strategic direction and the overall development of the corporate governance framework, both of which have been instrumental in supporting Headlam's ongoing development.

"I am delighted to be welcoming Philip to the position of Non-Executive Chairman after three years on the Board, which ensures an orderly succession and allows the business to build on Dick's legacy and Philip's in-depth knowledge.

"Finally, it gives me great pleasure to be welcoming Amanda to the Board, and I am sure her considerable experience and knowledge will be enormously helpful as Headlam pursues its strategic ambitions."

Philip Lawrence has informed the Board that he will be stepping down as Chief Executive of the Coal Authority on 31 May 2018.

No further information is required to be disclosed pursuant to LR 9.6.13 in respect of Amanda Aldridge.

The Company has separately today issued a Pre-close Trading Update announcement ahead of announcing its final results for the year ended 31 December 2017 on Tuesday, 6 March 2018.

Enquiries:

Notes for Editors:

Headlam is Europe's largest distributor of floorcoverings having grown significantly via organic growth and acquisition since 1992.

Headlam's core business provides the distribution link between suppliers and customers of floorcoverings, providing suppliers with the greatest coverage and customer penetration for their products across the UK and Continental Europe, and customers with the broadest range of products supported by next day delivery.

The Company is engaged with suppliers across 17 countries whose products cover a significant proportion of the floorcoverings market including carpet, residential vinyl, engineered wood, laminate, luxury vinyl tiles, ceramic tiles, underlay and commercial flooring. The Company's customers are within both the residential and commercial sectors and comprise principally independent retailers and flooring contractors.

The Company comprises 62 wholly-owned businesses in the UK and Continental Europe each operating under their own trade brand and utilising their individual sales team which achieves a greater reach into the customer base.

Each of the businesses is supported by the Company's centralised and financial resources and extensive distribution network across the UK and Continental Europe.

www.headlam.com