18 Dec 2012 14:29
Universe Group PLC
("Universe" or the "Company")
Granting and restructuring of share options
Directors' Dealings
Universe announces that it has awarded a total of 2,550,000 share options ("Options") to subscribe for new ordinary shares of 1p each in the Company ("Shares") to the Company's directors and to certain members of its senior management team (the "Award").
The Options have an exercise price of 1 pence per share and may be exercised only if the Company's share price is at or above 5 pence per share. The Options expire on the tenth anniversary of grant.
Separately the Company are in the process of consulting with existing Optionholders to change the exercise price of all Options in issue from zero pence to one pence per Option (being the nominal value of the Company's Shares after the share capital reorganisation announced on 24 July 2012). Accordingly, it is proposed that Optionholders be issued with five new Options for every four that they previously held. The Company expects this process to be completed shortly.
Furthermore, and as explained in the Company's circular to shareholders of 24 July 2012, certain Options had been issued pursuant to enterprise management incentive ("EMI") legislation. The Company proposes to cancel all Options issued under its EMI scheme, and to reissue these Options with an exercise price of one pence per Option. The vesting period and performance condition of all Options to be cancelled and reissued will be unchanged. These Options will be eligible to be issued pursuant to EMI legislation.
In summary, of the 8,410,000 Options currently in issue (excluding those issued pursuant to the Award as set out above) 3,150,000 will be cancelled, and 5,252,500 Options will be reissued, of which 3,937,500 will be issued pursuant to EMI legislation. Subsequent to this restructuring and to the Award, the Company will have a total of 13,062,500 Options in issue, representing 6.5% of the Company's issued share capital (assuming that each of these Options were exercised).
The table below sets out the interest of the Company's directors in these transactions:
Director | Interest in options prior to the Reissue and the Award | Options to be cancelled pursuant to the Reissue | Number of Options to be issued pursuant to the Reissue | Options issued pursuant to the Award | Consequent interest in Options |
Robert Goddard | - | - | - | 1,500,000 | 1,500,000 |
Stephen McLeod | 3,360,000 | - | 840,000 | 300,000 | 4,500,000 |
Malcolm Coster | 500,000 | - | 125,000 | 250,000 | 875,000 |
Robert Smeeton | 1,000,000 | (1,000,000) | 1,250,000 | 250,000 | 1,500,000 |
Contacts:
Universe Group PLC
Robert Goddard, Chairman
Stephen McLeod, Chief Executive
Tel: 02380 689510
finnCap | ||
Stuart Andrews / Henrik Persson (Corporate Finance) | ||
Simon Starr (Corporate Broking) | ||
Tel: 02072 200 500