AIM Rule 26 – Merit Group plc

The following information is disclosed in accordance with Rule 26 of the AIM Rules for Companies:

All information was last updated as at 31 January 2023, unless otherwise stated

Details of any restrictions on the transfer of securities

There are no restrictions on the transfer of securities.

Institutional and Director Holdings

Rank	Shareholder	Shareholding	% Total Shareholding
1	Lord Ashcroft, KCMG PC	10,061,771	42.00%
2	Gresham House Asset Management Limited	2,441,578	10.19%
3	Schroder Investment Management Limited	1,788,481	7.47%
4	Sasqua Fields Management LLC	1,626,611	6.79%
5	Con Conlon	1,580,791	6.60%

The Directors hold interests in 49.64% of the Company’s shares; as follows:

Director	Shareholding	%Total Shareholding
Lord Ashcroft, KCMG PC	10,061,771	42.00%
David Beck	107,732	0.45%
Cornelius Conlon	1,580,791	6.60%
Diane Lees	1,523	0.01%
Philip Machray	100,000	0.42%
Mark Smith	40,671	0.17%

The percentage of holdings not in public hands is 59.83%.

Number of securities in issue / Total voting rights

The issued share capital of the Company is 23,956,124 ordinary shares of £0.28 each.

Directors’ names, biographies and responsibilities:

View a list of directors’ names, biographies and responsibilities

Details of any other exchanges or trading

The Company’s ordinary shares are listed on AIM (EPIC code: MRIT.L) and not on any other exchanges or trading platforms.

Proposed Admission to the Alternative Investment Market (7428KB PDF)

Constitutional documents

Please click on the link below for the Articles of Association.

Articles of Association (412KB PDF)

Country of incorporation and main country of operation

Country of Incorporation: England
Main Country of Operation: UK

Description of the business

Merit are experts in data, business and political intelligence, providing essential information and connections to clients in more than 50 countries across 6 continents.

Everyday, clients rely on Merit to provide the relevant information, topical knowledge, actionable insights and critical connections vital for informed decision-making in rapidly developing commercial, public policy and political environments across the United Kingdom and European Union.

Directors’ responsibilities statement

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Strategic Report, the Annual Report, the Directors’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare Group and Company financial statements for each financial year. The Directors have elected under company law and as required by the AIM Rules of the London Stock Exchange to prepare the financial statements in accordance with international accounting standards in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and to prepare the Company financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom applicable accounting standards in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Under company law the Directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs and profit or loss of the Company and Group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Directors are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether they have been prepared in accordance with relevant accounting standards and in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.