FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
boohoo group
plc
("boohoo", the
"Group" or the "Company")
ISS recommends shareholders
vote "AGAINST" the Resolutions
boohoo Group plc (AIM:BOO) notes the
publication of the voting recommendation from Institutional
Shareholder Services Inc. ("ISS"), the independent proxy adviser,
in relation to the Company's forthcoming General
Meeting.
ISS
has recommended that boohoo shareholders vote "AGAINST" the
Resolutions at the General Meeting on 20 December, which seek Board
representation for Frasers. ISS states that Frasers has offered a
superficial view of performance and no specific plans for change
and the two Frasers candidates, Mike Ashley and Mike Lennon, have
real conflicts of interest, concluding that Board change at boohoo
Group is not warranted.
This
recommendation is in line with the unanimous recommendation of the
Company's Board which has previously outlined its reasoning to
investors:
1. The Board has a
credible plan to unlock and maximise value for the benefit of all
Shareholders through its Business Review and in Dan Finley has the
right CEO to lead the business
2. Frasers appears
intent on disrupting boohoo's Business Review, destabilising the
Company and acting only in its own commercial self-interest.
Frasers has prior history of this sort of corporate
behaviour
3. Shareholders are
being offered no protections in relation to the obvious risks
presented by Frasers' Demands
4. Mike Ashley is
conflicted and not a suitable appointment to the Board
5. Mike
Lennon is a practicing insolvency expert with a history of working
closely with Frasers; Shareholders should ask themselves why
Frasers would want him in situ at boohoo
6. The
Board is not deliberately seeking confrontation with Frasers, but
will at all times act in the best interests of the Company and all
Shareholders
General Meeting and How to
Vote
The General Meeting to vote on the
Resolutions will be held at the offices of Addleshaw Goddard LLP at
One St Peter's Square, Manchester M2 3DE on 20 December
2024, at 10.00 a.m.
The notice convening the General
Meeting can be found here:
Notice of General Meeting, and
includes details of how to vote at the General Meeting, some
shareholder Q&A, the Notice of General Meeting itself and
additional information in respect of the Notice of General Meeting
including in relation to the appointment of proxies.
Tim
Morris, boohoo Group Chairman, said:
"The Board of boohoo welcomes the
backing of ISS, which is in line with the recommendation we have
made to reject the proposals from Frasers Group. We are clearly
focused on doing what is right for all investors, following the
launch of our Business Review to unlock and maximise shareholder
value, the appointment of Dan Finley as our CEO and a successful
fundraising."
Dan
Finley, boohoo Group CEO, said:
"I believe
that the Group is fundamentally undervalued. There is no doubt that
there is enormous opportunity for the Group and I am determined to
get back to being a disruptive and industry leading
business.
Working with Tim, our independent
non-executive Chairman, overseen by our independent board, I am
fully focused on creating maximum value for, and protecting the
interests of, all shareholders."
Capitalised terms in this announcement, unless otherwise
defined herein, have the same meanings as set out in the Circular
posted to Shareholders on 13 November 2024.
Enquiries
|
|
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boohoo group
plc
|
|
|
Stephen
Morana, Chief Financial Officer
|
Tel: +44
(0)161 233 2050
|
Mike
Cooper, Investor Relations
|
Tel: +44
(0)161 233 2050
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|
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Zeus Capital - Joint
Financial Advisor, Nominated Advisor and Joint
Broker
|
Nick Cowles
/ Dan Bate / James Edis
|
Tel: +44
(0)161 831 1512
|
Benjamin
Robertson
|
Tel: +44
(0)20 3829 5000
|
|
|
HSBC - Joint Financial
Advisor and Joint Broker
|
|
Anthony
Parsons / Alex Thomas / Chloe Ponsonby / James
Hopton
|
Tel: +44
(0)20 7991 8888
|
|
|
Headland - PR
agency
|
|
Susanna
Voyle / Will Smith
|
Tel: +44
(0)20 3725 7514
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About boohoo group plc
"Leading the fashion eCommerce
market"
Founded in Manchester in 2006,
boohoo group is a fashion forward, inclusive and innovative
business. The Group's brands are complementary, vibrant and
scalable, delivering inspirational, on-trend fashion to our
customers 24/7. The diversity of our brands, including the group's
5 core brands, boohoo, boohooMAN, PrettyLittleThing, Karen Millen
and Debenhams, enable us to serve a broad customer base, globally,
with a primary focus on the UK and US markets. Since its
acquisition in 2021, Debenhams has been transformed from a retailer
into a digital marketplace with a capital-light, low-risk operating
model and a focus on fashion, beauty as well as home. Boohoo group
is concentrated on driving sustainable, profitable growth with
technology and automation increasing efficiency across the
business.