TIDMUNG

RNS Number : 8301T

Universe Group PLC

18 December 2012

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            Options          Number     Options    Consequent 
                     in options    to be cancelled      of Options      issued      interest 
                       prior to           pursuant    to be issued    pursuant    in Options 
                    the Reissue     to the Reissue        pursuant      to the 
                        and the                             to the       Award 
                          Award                            Reissue 
----------------  -------------  -----------------  --------------  ----------  ------------ 
 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

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

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