12 March 2026
WH SMITH PLC Result of General MeetingWH Smith PLC held a General Meeting for shareholders at 9.00am on 12 March 2026 to elect Leo Quinn as a director with effect from 7 April 2026 and approve the deed of grant of a one-off share option. All resolutions put to the GM were passed by shareholders.
The following table shows the results of the poll on the resolutions.
|
Resolution |
Votes For |
% |
Votes Against |
% |
Votes Total |
% of ISC Voted |
Votes Withheld |
|
|
1 |
To elect Leo Quinn as a director with effect from 7 April 2026 |
86,441,552 |
86.70 |
13,264,434 |
13.30 |
99,705,986 |
78.85 |
15,815 |
|
2 |
To approve the deed of grant of a one-off share option to Leo Quinn |
72,319,456 |
79.35 |
18,819,506 |
20.65 |
91,138,962 |
72.07 |
8,582,839 |
Simon Emeny, Interim Non-executive Chairman and Senior Independent Director, commented:
"On behalf of the Board, I would like to welcome Leo Quinn as Executive Chairman from 7 April 2026. We look forward to working closely with Leo as he leads the Group's transformation."
Notes
1. Votes "for" and "against" are expressed as a percentage of votes received.
2. A "vote withheld" is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the proportion of the votes "for" and "against" a resolution.
3. At the date of the GM the issued share capital of the Company was 126,453,145 ordinary shares.
4. The Board notes that while a significant majority of shareholders voted in favour of both resolutions, the overall vote level for Resolution 2 was just below 80%. An update on shareholder engagement, and on any action taken as a result of these votes, will be published within six months, in accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code.
I Houghton
Company Secretary
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Enquiries:
WH Smith PLC
Mark Boyle Investor Relations 07879 897687
Nicola Hillman Media Relations 01793 563354
Brunswick
Tim Danaher 020 7404 5959