7 Nov 2019 12:48
Hotel Chocolat Group plc
("Hotel Chocolat", the "Company" or the "Group")
Director/PDMR Dealings
Hotel Chocolat announces that, in response to investor demand, it has been notified by certain Directors of the Company, being founders Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris (the "Founders"), that they have sold in aggregate, 2,400,000 ordinary shares of 0.1p in the Company ("Ordinary Shares"), representing 2.08% of the issued share capital of the Company.
The Founders remain strongly aligned to the long term success of Hotel Chocolat and will continue to hold, in aggregate, 63.15% of the issued share capital of the Company. In addition, the Founders have confirmed they have no plans to sell any further shares for 12 months.
The Company has also been notified by Non-Executive Director Sophie Tomkins that she has sold 5,000 Ordinary Shares.
Following the sale of Ordinary Shares, the selling shareholders will have the following resultant shareholdings:
Initial Holding | Resultant Holding |
| ||||||
Selling Shareholder | Number of Ordinary Shares | Percentage of issued share capital | Ordinary shares sold | Price of Ordinary shares sold | Number of Ordinary Shares | Percentage of issued share capital | ||
Angus Thirlwell | 37,566,769 | 32.62% | 1,200,000 | 420p | 36,366,769 | 31.58% | ||
Peter Harris | 37,566,769 | 32.62% | 1,200,000 | 420p | 36,366,769 | 31.58% | ||
Sophie Tomkins | 13,514 | 0.01% | 5,000 | 445p | 8,514 | 0.01% | ||
The notification below, made in accordance with the requirements of the EU Market Abuse Regulation, provides further detail.
Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them:
1
| Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated
| |||||
a)
| Name
| Angus Thirlwell | ||||
2
| Reason for the notification
| |||||
a)
| Position/status
| Chief Executive Officer
| ||||
b)
| Initial notification /Amendment
| Initial Notification | ||||
3
| Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
| |||||
a)
| Name
| Hotel Chocolat Group plc | ||||
b)
| LEI
| 213800B4D3J15PZHVY29 | ||||
4
| Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted | |||||
a)
| Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument
Identification code
|
Ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each
ISIN: GB00BYZC3B04 | ||||
b)
| Nature of the transaction
| Sale of Ordinary Shares | ||||
c)
| Price(s) and volume(s)
|
| ||||
d)
| Aggregated information
- Aggregated volume - Price | n/a (single transaction)
| ||||
e)
| Date of the transaction
| 6 November 2019 | ||||
f)
| Place of the transaction
| London Stock Exchange, AIM | ||||
1
| Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated
| |||||
a)
| Name
| Peter Mark Harris | ||||
2
| Reason for the notification
| |||||
a)
| Position/status
| Development Director
| ||||
b)
| Initial notification /Amendment
| Initial Notification | ||||
3
| Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
| |||||
a)
| Name
| Hotel Chocolat Group plc | ||||
b)
| LEI
| 213800B4D3J15PZHVY29 | ||||
4
| Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted | |||||
a)
| Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument
Identification code
|
Ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each
ISIN: GB00BYZC3B04 | ||||
b)
| Nature of the transaction
| Sale of Ordinary Shares | ||||
c)
| Price(s) and volume(s)
|
| ||||
d)
| Aggregated information
- Aggregated volume - Price | n/a (single transaction)
| ||||
e)
| Date of the transaction
| 6 November 2019 | ||||
f)
| Place of the transaction
| London Stock Exchange, AIM | ||||
1
| Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated
| |||||
a)
| Name
| Sophie Alice Tomkins | ||||
2
| Reason for the notification
| |||||
a)
| Position/status
| Non-Executive Director
| ||||
b)
| Initial notification /Amendment
| Initial Notification | ||||
3
| Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
| |||||
a)
| Name
| Hotel Chocolat Group plc | ||||
b)
| LEI
| 213800B4D3J15PZHVY29 | ||||
4
| Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted | |||||
a)
| Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument
Identification code
|
Ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each
ISIN: GB00BYZC3B04 | ||||
b)
| Nature of the transaction
| Sale of Ordinary Shares | ||||
c)
| Price(s) and volume(s)
|
| ||||
d)
| Aggregated information
- Aggregated volume - Price | n/a (single transaction)
| ||||
e)
| Date of the transaction
| 7 November 2019 | ||||
f)
| Place of the transaction
| London Stock Exchange, AIM | ||||
For further information:
Hotel Chocolat Group plc | c/o Citigate | + 44 (0) 20 7638 9571 |
Angus Thirlwell, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Peter Harris, Co-founder and Development Director
Matt Pritchard, Chief Financial Officer
Citigate Dewe Rogerson - Financial PR | + 44 (0) 20 7638 9571 |
Simon Rigby
Angharad Couch
Ellen Wilton
Liberum Capital Limited - Nominated Advisor and Broker | + 44 (0) 20 3100 2222 |
Clayton Bush
James Greenwood
Notes to Editors:
Hotel Chocolat is a premium British chocolatier with a strong and distinctive brand. The business was founded in 1993 by Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris and has traded under the Hotel Chocolat brand since 2003. The Group sells its products online and through a network of stores in the UK and abroad. The Group has a cocoa plantation and eco-hotel in Saint Lucia, offering complete cocoa immersion thorough tree-to-bar experiences and wellness treatments. The Group also has a flagship restaurant and cocoa roastery in London's Borough Market: Rabot 1745. The Group was admitted to trading on AIM in 2016.