The WAY Group | Press Release: 26 October 2009
26 October 2009
Share plc to acquire minority shareholding in WAY Group Ltd as part of commercial arrangement
Share plc (AIM:SHRE.LN), parent company of The Share Centre Ltd (one of the UK's leading independent stockbrokers) and Sharefunds Ltd (the fund manager and hosted fund provider), is pleased to announce that Share plc has entered into a contract to acquire a minority shareholding in WAY Group Limited ("WAY") as part of a commercial arrangement.
WAY is the holding company for 3 operating companies: WAY Fund Managers Ltd, WAY Investment Services Ltd and Elite Administration Services Ltd. Between them, the group offers management of UK authorised unit trusts and Investment Companies with Variable Capital, the derivation of financial management solutions and the distribution of these via Independent Financial Advisers.
Subject to progress on various levels of co-operation over the next 9 months, including the migration of the outsourced fund accounting services currently supplied to WAY Fund Managers' range of circa 40 collective investment schemes to Sharefunds, Share plc will acquire 1,500 shares in WAY, equating to approximately 5% of its issued share capital, in return for 3 equal instalments of £157,500 each.
It is also intended that following a transitional period of 18 months the issued share capital of WAY will be admitted to trading on The Share Centre's stock market for smaller companies, Sharemark. At that time the Board of WAY intends to establish a Share Incentive Plan for the benefit of its employees and directors, to be administered by The Share Centre.
As part of the commercial arrangement and strategic alliance, Iain Wallace, Group Compliance and Legal Services Director of Share plc and Managing Director of Sharefunds and Sharemark, also joins the Board of WAY as a Non-Executive Director.
Welcoming the investment and commercial arrangement, Gavin Oldham, Share plc Chief Executive, said "We look forward to providing WAY and its corporate clients with a high quality fund accounting solution, and welcome the opportunity to establish a strategic alliance in the fund administration market with a progressive organisation similarly committed to delivering high quality investment solutions."
Paul Wilcox, Chairman of WAY, commented "This is an excellent collaboration and meeting of minds between two progressive companies which share similar cultures."
By way of further update, Share plc intends to release its quarterly benchmarked revenue data on Thursday, 29 October 2009.
For further information please contact:
Share plc
Gavin Oldham - CEO - Tel:01296 439 100
Iain Wallace - Group Compliance & Legal Services Director - Tel: 01296 439 410
Guy Wiehahn / Oliver Stratton - KBC Peel Hunt - Nominated advisor and broker - Tel: 0207 418 8900
26 October 2009
Oxford House Oxford Road Aylesbury Buckinghamshire HP21 8SZ
Phone 01296 41 41 41
Visit: www.shareplc.com
Registered in England number 2966283
Risk Warning:
This document is not intended to constitute an offer or agreement to buy or sell investments and does not constitute a personal recommendation. The investments and services referred to in this document may not be suitable for every investor and if in doubt independent financial advice should be sought. No liability is accepted whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from any information in this document subject to the rules of the Financial Services Authority or the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Share prices, values and income can go down as well as up and investors may get back less than their initial investment. Sharemark is an auction-based dealing facility designed primarily for emerging or smaller companies to which a higher investment risk tends to be attached than to larger or more established companies. The securities traded on Sharemark may not be listed. The Sharemark trading facility is operated by The Share Centre Limited. The Share Centre is a member of the London Stock Exchange and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority under reference 146768. Sharefunds is a member of the Investment Management Association and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority under reference 227807. Sharemark is a Multilateral Trading Facility and is not a recognised investment exchange, clearing house or regulated market within the meaning of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive.
Notes for Editors:
1. Share plc is the parent holding company of The Share Centre Ltd and Sharefunds Limited and its shares are traded on Sharemark (www.sharemark.com), the auction-based trading platform designed especially for growing companies, as well as on AIM and PLUS Markets.
2. The Share Centre (www.share.com) was formed in 1990 and provides a range of account-based services to enable investors to share in the wealth of the stock market.
3. Sharefunds (www.sharefunds.com) was established in 2003 to provide an in-house fund management solution for the Share plc Group, which has since expanded into the provision of third party fund administration solutions.
4. For more details on the Share plc Group contact 0800 800 008, or visit: www.shareplc.com