Result of Meeting
WH Smith PLC announced that all resolutions at its General Meeting on March 12, 2026, were passed by shareholders, including the election of Leo Quinn as a director effective April 7, 2026, and the approval of a one-off share option grant. Resolution 1, to elect Leo Quinn as a director, received 86,441,552 votes in favour, representing 86.70% of votes cast. Resolution 2, to approve the deed of grant of a one-off share option to Leo Quinn, passed with 72,319,456 votes in favour, or 79.35% of votes cast, though the company noted this was just below the 80% threshold and will provide an update on shareholder engagement within six months.
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WH 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
- Votes "for" and "against" are expressed as a percentage of votes received.
- At the date of the GM the issued share capital of the Company was 126,453,145 ordinary shares.
- 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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