Information for Shareholders
Company Calendar
| Final results announcement | 27 May 2009 |
| Annual General Meeting | 23 July 2009 |
| 3pm at the Marriott Hotel, Leicester | |
| Record date for final dividend | 26 June 2009 |
| Final dividend payment date | 24 July 2009 |
| Financial year end | 31 March 2009 |
Shareholder Analysis at 31 March 2009
| By size of holding (up to) | No. of shareholders |
% | No. of shares | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 67 | 4.23% | 2,047 | 0.002% |
| 200 | 49 | 3.10% | 7,983 | 0.007% |
| 500 | 117 | 7.40% | 41,540 | 0.034% |
| 1,000 | 177 | 11.19% | 137,612 | 0.111% |
| 2,000 | 283 | 17.89% | 424,767 | 0.344% |
| 5,000 | 318 | 20.10% | 1,067,894 | 0.865% |
| 10,000 | 211 | 13.34% | 1,510,434 | 1.223% |
| 50,000 | 184 | 11.63% | 3,798,747 | 3.076% |
| 100,000 | 52 | 3.29% | 3,641,253 | 2.948% |
| 500,000 | 75 | 4.74% | 17,386,639 | 14.079% |
| 1,000,000 | 26 | 1.64% | 18,043,753 | 14.611% |
| 5,000,000 | 19 | 1.20% | 41,553,097 | 33.648% |
| 10,000,000 | 3 | 0.19% | 17,114,145 | 13.858% |
| 50,000,000 | 1 | 0.06% | 18,763,215 | 15.194% |
| 1,582 | 100.00 | 123,493,126 | 100.00% |
| By category | No. of shareholders |
% | No. of shares | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Shareholders | 1,110 | 70.16% | 5,741,837 | 4.65% |
| Deceased Accounts | 12 | 0.76% | 31,660 | 0.03% |
| Insurance Companies | 1 | 0.06% | 14,886 | 0.01% |
| Investment Trusts | 1 | 0.06% | 4 | – |
| Pension Funds | 1 | 0.06% | 2,700,000 | 2.19% |
| Nominee Companies | 408 | 25.79% | 111,912,217 | 90.62% |
| Limited Companies | 26 | 1.65% | 854,257 | 0.69% |
| Bank and Bank Nominees | 11 | 0.70% | 1,681,573 | 1.36% |
| Other Institutions | 12 | 0.76% | 556,692 | 0.45% |
| 1,582 | 100.00 | 123,493,126 | 100.00% |
Shareholders’ Services and Helpline
Shareholders who change address, want to have their dividends paid direct into their bank account, have a query on their shares, or otherwise require information about their holding should contact our Registrars, Capita, on the shareholder information telephone line: 0870 162 3100. Alternatively, they can email ssd@capitaregistrars.com or write to Capita Registrars, Northern House, Woodsome Park, Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD8 0LA indicating that they are a BSS Group plc shareholder.
Shareholders are now able to access their shareholding at http://www.capitaregistrars.com/shareholders/.
Capita offers a simple and easy-to-use service for our private shareholders to buy and sell shares either by calling 0870 458 4577 Monday to Friday 8am to 4.30pm or at https://sharedealing.capitadeal.com.
Dividend Re-Investment Plan
You can choose to invest your cash dividends in purchasing BSS Group shares in the market under the terms of Capita IRG Trustees Ltd Dividend Re-Investment Plan. For further information on the Plan and how to join please call on 0870 162 3181 or email Capita at shares@capitaregistrars.com.
Duplicate Share Register Accounts
If you are receiving more than one copy of our Annual Report, it may be that your shares are registered in two or more accounts on the register of members. If that was not your intention you might consider merging them into one single entry. Please contact Capita Registrars who will be pleased to carry out your instructions.
Dividend Mandates
Using BACS, shareholders may have dividends paid electronically into their bank or building society account. This ensures that the amount of the dividend is passed into their account, as cleared funds, on the date the payment is due. Confirmation of these details will be contained in a dividend tax voucher, which is posted to shareholders’ registered addresses at the time of payment. This voucher should be kept for future reference.
Gifting Shares to Charity
If you have a small holding of BSS Group shares, you may wish to consider gifting them to charity. You can do so through ‘ShareGift’, run by a registered charity, Orr Mackintosh Foundation Ltd. Shares gifted are re-registered into the name of charity, combined with other donated shares and then sold through stockbrokers who charge no commission. The proceeds are distributed to a wide range of recognised charities. For further details, contact Capita Registrars or approach ShareGift directly on www.sharegift.org/sharegift or telephone them on 020 7337 0501.
Electronic Voting
If you would like to submit your form of proxy electronically via the internet go to www.bssgroup.com, click on ‘Investor Relations’, select ‘AGM’ and then select ‘Form of Proxy’. You will be asked to enter your name and the investor code, which is printed on your form of proxy, and agree, to certain terms and conditions.
Unsolicited Mail
As the Company’s share register is, by law, open to public inspection, shareholders may receive unsolicited mail from organisations that use it as a mailing list. Shareholders wishing to limit the amount of such mail should write to the Mailing Preference Society, Freepost 22, London W1E 7EZ.
Warning to Shareholders
Over the last year or so many companies have become aware that their shareholders have received unsolicited phone calls or correspondence concerning investment matters. These are typically from overseas based ‘brokers’ who target UK shareholders offering to sell them what often turn out to be worthless or high risk shares in US or UK investments. They can be very persistent and extremely persuasive and a 2006 survey by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has reported that the average amount lost by investors is around £20,000. It is not just the novice investor that has been duped in this way; many of the victims had been successfully investing for several years. Shareholders are advised to be very wary of any unsolicited advice, offers to buy shares at a discount or offers of free company reports. If you receive any unsolicited investment advice:
- Make sure you get the correct name of the person and organisation; and
- Check that they are properly authorised by the FSA before getting involved.
You can check at www.fsa.gov.uk/register on their website, the FSA also maintain a list of unauthorised overseas firms who are targeting, or have targeted, UK investors, and any approach from such organisations should be reported to the FSA so that this list can be kept up to date and any other appropriate action can be considered. If you deal with an unauthorised firm, you would not be eligible to receive payment under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. If you have any further queries, you can contact Capita Registrars on 0871 664 0300 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras).
Registered Office
Fleet House
Lee Circle
Leicester
LE1 3QQ
Registered Number: 60987 England
Registrars
Capita Registrars
Northern House
Woodsome Park
Fenay Bridge
Huddersfield
West Yorkshire
HD8 0LA
Auditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, East Midlands
Stockbrokers
Hoare Govett Limited, London
Legal Advisers
Hammonds, London
Financial PR
Hogarth Partnership Limited, London







Chief Executive's Review