Result of General Meeting

RNS Number : 2145L

Sports Direct International Plc

02 July 2014

 

2 July 2014

Sports Direct International plc

2015 Bonus Share Scheme

Result of General Meeting Held on 2 July 2014

Sports Direct International plc ("Sports Direct" or the "Group"), the UK's leading sports retailer, announces that the resolution to implement the 2015 Bonus Share Scheme, as described in the notice posted to shareholders on 9 June 2014 ("the Resolution"), was voted in favour by its shareholders.

The results of the poll, incorporating proxy votes lodged in advance of the meeting is set out below:

Resolution	For	Against	Withheld*	Total Vote
To implement the 2015 Bonus Share Scheme	111,926,611	73,372,592	213,882	185,513,085

* A vote withheld is not counted towards votes cast "For" or "Against".

The issued share capital of the Group on the day on which shareholders had to be on the register in order to be eligible to vote on the Resolution was 598,464,861 ordinary shares of 10.0p each ⁽¹⁾. The total votes cast in relation to the Resolution represent 73.2% of the issued share capital entitled to vote⁽²⁾ on the Resolution.

(1)  Excludes 42,137,508 ordinary shares held in Treasury; and

(2)  Excludes 42,137,508 ordinary shares held in Treasury and 345,450,000 ordinary shares held by the executive directors.

The percentage of votes cast for and against the resolution were as follows:

Resolution	For	Against
To implement the 2015 Bonus Share Scheme	60.4%	39.6%

Speaking at the General Meeting, Keith Hellawell, Non-Executive Chairman of Sports Direct International plc, said:

"On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to thank our shareholders for their support and participation in this process.  Sports Direct's Employee Bonus Share Scheme is one of the most wide reaching and successful employee reward schemes in the UK.  The success of the scheme is demonstrated by the substantial shareholder value created over the last five years.

"The Board and the Remuneration Committee responded to the feedback received from shareholders and today's vote in favour of the resolution will ensure that the Group continues to retain and motivate its hard-working employees.  The resolution today also recognises the substantial contribution made by Mike Ashley over many years and, as demonstrated by the previous schemes, has the potential to create a further significant increase in shareholder value."

The Group's Preliminary Results for FY2014 will be announced on 17 July 2014.

Sports Direct International plc                                                                                   0845 129 9229

Dave Forsey - Chief Executive

Jeff Blue - Director, Strategic Development

Powerscourt                                                                                                                      020 7250 1446

Rory Godson

Victoria Palmer-Moore

Greg Lawless

Notes to Editors

Sports Direct is the UK's leading sports retailer by revenue and operating profit, with approximately 400 stores across the UK.  The Group provides an unrivalled range of products, offering exceptional quality and unbeatable value, from a wide variety of third-party and Group-owned brands, both in-store and online.  Sports Direct operates approximately 270 stores in 19 European countries, including Belgium, Austria, Slovenia, Portugal and France.

The Group has an extensive brand portfolio, comprising 28 internationally recognised sports, fashion and lifestyle brands including Dunlop, Slazenger, Everlast, Lonsdale and Karrimor.

Sports Direct was founded in 1982, listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2007 and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. For more information please visit www.sportsdirectplc.com 

 

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