Hotel Chocolat Group PLC Director/PDMR Dealing - Grant of Options (2053R)

TIDMHOTC

RNS Number : 2053R

Hotel Chocolat Group PLC

25 October 2019

25 October 2019

Hotel Chocolat Group plc

("Hotel Chocolat", the "Company" or the "Group")

Director/PDMR Dealing - Grant of Options

The Company announces today that it has granted 301,073 options over ordinary shares of 0.1p in the Company ("Ordinary Shares") to employees pursuant to the Hotel Chocolat Group plc 2016 Long Term Incentive Plan (the "Plan"). The grants comprise Unapproved Share Options (the "Options").

Certain of the Options have been granted to persons discharging managerial responsibilities ("PDMRs"), as set out below:

 
 PDMR / Director      Scheme        No. of Options   Total no. of Options 
                                     granted          now held 
 Matt Margereson 
  (Chief Operating 
  Officer)            CSOP          -                20,270 
                     ------------  ---------------  --------------------- 
  Unapproved                        56,256           256,256 
 --------------------------------  ---------------  --------------------- 
  TOTAL                             56,256           276,526 
 --------------------------------  ---------------  --------------------- 
 Matt Pritchard 
  (Chief Financial 
  Officer)            CSOP          -                20,270 
                     ------------  ---------------  --------------------- 
  Unapproved                        56,256           256,256 
 --------------------------------  ---------------  --------------------- 
  TOTAL                             56,256           276,526 
 --------------------------------  ---------------  --------------------- 
 

In addition to the Options granted to PDMRs, the Company has granted 188,561 Options to other employees of the Group.

The Options have been granted subject to a performance condition based on the Company's reported audited net profit after tax for the year ending June 2022 and will vest on the third anniversary of the grant (the "Option Period"). The Options have an exercise price of 0.1 pence per ordinary share and are exercisable at the end of the Option Period and until the day before the tenth anniversary of grant.

Following the grant of the Options, the total number of Ordinary Shares outstanding under all Group share incentive schemes arrangements is 2,250,837, representing 1.95 per cent of the Company's issued share capital.

For further information:

Hotel Chocolat Group plc c/o Citigate + 44 (0) 20 7638 9571

Angus Thirlwell, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer

Peter Harris, Co-founder and Development Director

Matt Pritchard, Chief Financial Officer

Citigate Dewe Rogerson - Financial PR + 44 (0) 20 7638 9571

Simon Rigby

Angharad Couch

Ellen Wilton

Liberum Capital Limited - Nominated Advisor and Broker + 44 (0) 20 3100 2222

Clayton Bush

James Greenwood

Notes to Editors:

Hotel Chocolat is a premium British chocolatier with a strong and distinctive brand. The business was founded in 1993 by Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris and has traded under the Hotel Chocolat brand since 2003. The Group sells its products online and through a network of stores in the UK and abroad. The Group has a cocoa plantation and eco-hotel in Saint Lucia, offering complete cocoa immersion thorough tree-to-bar experiences and wellness treatments. The Group also has a flagship restaurant and cocoa roastery in London's Borough Market: Rabot 1745. The Group was admitted to trading on AIM in 2016.

Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them

 
 1    Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities 
       / person closely associated 
 a)   Name                         1. Matthew Paul Margereson 
                                    2. Matthew Robert Phillip Pritchard 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 2    Reason for the notification 
     ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)   Position/status              1. Chief Operating Officer 
                                    2. Chief Financial Officer 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 b)   Initial notification         Initial Notification 
       /Amendment 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 3    Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, 
       auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor 
     ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)   Name                         Hotel Chocolat Group plc 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 b)   LEI                          213800B4D3J15PZHVY29 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 4    Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated 
       for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; 
       (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions 
       have been conducted 
     ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)   Description of the 
       financial instrument,         Options over Ordinary shares of 0.1 
       type of instrument            pence each 
 
       Identification code           ISIN: GB00BYZC3B04 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 b)   Nature of the transaction    Grant of options pursuant to the 
                                    Hotel Chocolat Group plc 2016 Long 
                                    Term Incentive Plan 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 c)   Price(s) and volume(s)         Price(s)        Volume(s) 
                                      1. 0.1 pence    56,256 
                                                     ---------- 
                                      2. 0.1 pence    56,256 
                                                     ---------- 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 d)   Aggregated information 
                                     N/A 
 
       - Aggregated volume 
       - Price 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 e)   Date of the transaction      24 October 2019 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 f)   Place of the transaction     Outside a trading venue 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 

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October 25, 2019 08:28 ET (12:28 GMT)