THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPENDICES AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THEM, IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICES AT THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AMOUNTS TO A FINANCIAL PROMOTION FOR THE PURPOSES OF SECTION 21 OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 ("FSMA") AND HAS BEEN APPROVED BY RETAIL BOOK LIMITED WHICH IS AUTHORISED AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY (FRN 994238). THIS FINANCIAL PROMOTION IS NOT INTENDED TO BE INVESTMENT ADVICE.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) 596/2014 (WHICH FORMS PART OF DOMESTIC UK LAW PURSUANT TO THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 ("UK MAR").

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR FORM PART OF ANY OFFER OR INVITATION TO SELL OR ISSUE, OR ANY SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO PURCHASE OR SUBSCRIBE FOR, ANY SECURITIES OF SOFTCAT PLC.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LEI: 213800N42YZLR9GLVC42

17 September 2026

Softcat plc

("Softcat" or the "Company")

Retail Offer via RetailBook

·    Softcat announces a conditional retail offer of new ordinary shares of £0.0005 each in the capital of the Company ("New Ordinary Shares") in the United Kingdom via RetailBook.

·      The issue price for the New Ordinary Shares will be determined at the close of the bookbuilding process.

·    Investors in the United Kingdom can take part through RetailBook's partner network of retail brokers, wealth managers and investment platforms, (subject to such partners' participation).

·    Applications for New Ordinary Shares through these partners can be made from tax efficient savings vehicles such as ISAs or SIPPs, as well as General Investment Accounts ("GIAs").

·      The Retail Offer is available to both existing shareholders and new investors, only in the United Kingdom.

·      There is a minimum subscription of £250 per investor in the Retail Offer.

·      No commission will be charged by RetailBook on applications to the Retail Offer.

·      UK Investors that wish to receive alerts for future RetailBook transactions should sign up here: https://www.retailbook.com/investors.

·      More information on RetailBook's partner network and how investors can participate in the Retail Offer can be found here: https://app.retailbook.com/offers/softcat-plc

The Retail Offer

Softcat plc (LSE: SCT.L), a leading UK provider of IT infrastructure technology and services listed on the London Stock Exchange, is pleased to announce a conditional retail offer of New Ordinary Shares ("Retail Offer Shares") of £0.0005 each in the capital of the Company via RetailBook only in the United Kingdom (the "Retail Offer"). As separately announced by the Company today, the Company is also conducting a non-pre-emptive placing of New Ordinary Shares (the "Placing Shares") to institutional investors (the "Placing") by way of an accelerated bookbuilding process (the "Bookbuild"). For the avoidance of doubt, the Retail Offer is not part of the Placing.

The issue price of the Retail Offer Shares will be equal to the placing price for the Placing Shares (the "Placing Price") and will be determined at the close of the Bookbuild (the "Issue Price").

The Retail Offer is conditional on the New Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to the Retail Offer and the Placing being admitted to trading on the main market for listed securities of London Stock Exchange plc ("Admission"). Admission is expected to take place at 8:00 a.m. on 22 September 2026.

The Retail Offer will not be completed without the Placing also being completed. Peter Kelly and other persons acting in concert with him (within the meaning of the UK City Code on Takeovers and Mergers) are prohibited from subscribing for any Retail Offer Shares as part of the Retail Offer.

Reason for the Retail Offer

The Company values its retail investor base and believes that it is in the best interests of shareholders as well as wider stakeholders, to provide retail and other interested investors the opportunity to participate in the Retail Offer alongside the Placing in line with the Pre-Emption Group guidelines.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds raised pursuant to the Placing and the Retail Offer to part-fund the acquisition of General Datatech, L.P. ("GDT"), a leading multi-vendor IT solutions provider for an enterprise value of approximately $1,050 million (£785 million[1]) ("Acquisition").

In the event that the Acquisition does not complete, the board of directors of the Company (the "Board") would consider, in light of circumstances at the time, the appropriate use of the net proceeds raised pursuant to the Placing and the Retail Offer, including the extent to which they should be retained for general purposes or used in relation to other capital investments or acquisition opportunities as well as the appropriate extent to which the funds would be returned to the Company's shareholders. Details of the Acquisition can be found in the separate announcement made by the Company today.

Details of the Retail Offer

The Retail Offer is open to eligible investors resident and physically located in the United Kingdom following release of this announcement. The Retail Offer is expected to close at 9:00 p.m. on 17 September 2026 and may close earlier at the discretion of the Company or if it is oversubscribed.

Investors can participate through RetailBook's partner network of investment platforms, retail brokers and wealth managers, subject to such partners' participation. More information on RetailBook's partner network can be found here: https://app.retailbook.com/offers/softcat-plc

Applications for Retail Offer Shares through participating partners can be made from tax efficient savings vehicles such as ISAs or SIPPs, as well as GIAs. Investors wishing to apply using their ISA, SIPP or GIA should contact their investment platform, retail broker or wealth manager for details of their terms and conditions, process and any relevant fees or charges.

The Retail Offer Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with existing ordinary shares including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after their date of issue.

Brokers wishing to offer their customers access to the Retail Offer and future RetailBook transactions, should contact [email protected]. UK Investors that wish to receive alerts for future RetailBook transactions should sign up here: https://www.retailbook.com/investors.  

Eligibility for the Retail Offer

The Retail Offer is available to new and existing shareholders of the Company. To be eligible to participate in the Retail Offer, applicants must be a customer of a participating partner.

Eligible investors wishing to subscribe for Retail Offer Shares should contact their investment platform, retail broker or wealth manager to confirm if they are participating in the Retail Offer.

Some partners may only accept applications from existing shareholders and/or existing customers.

There is a minimum subscription amount of £250 per investor. The terms and conditions on which investors subscribe will be provided by the relevant financial intermediaries including relevant commission or fee charges. Note, no commission will be charged to investors by RetailBook in connection with the Retail Offer.

The Company reserves the right to scale back any order under the Retail Offer at its discretion. The Company reserves the right to reject any application for subscription under the Retail Offer without giving any reason for such rejection.

Investors should also note that the RetailBook Offer may remain open alongside a live share price and

the market price of the shares may be less than the Issue Price.

Investors should make their own investigations into the merits of an investment in the Company. Nothing in this announcement amounts to a recommendation to invest in the Company or amounts to investment, taxation or legal advice.

It should be noted that a subscription for Retail Offer Shares and investment in the Company carries a number of risks. Investors should take independent advice from a person experienced in advising on investment in securities such as the Retail Offer Shares if they are in any doubt.

An investment in the Company will place capital at risk. The value of your investment in the Company and any income from it is not guaranteed and can go down as well as rise due to stock market and currency movements. When you sell your investment, you may get back less than the amount originally invested.

Neither past performance nor any forecasts should be considered a reliable indicator of future results.

This announcement should be read in its entirety. In particular, the information in the "Important Notices" section of the announcement should be read and understood.

Enquiries

Further information on the Company can be found on its website at https://www.softcat.com/

Important Notices

The contents of this announcement, which has been prepared by and is the sole responsibility of the Company, have been approved by Retail Book Limited ("RetailBook") solely for the purposes of section 21(2)(b) of FSMA.

This Announcement has been determined to contain inside information. The responsible individual for inside information at the Company is Luke Thomas (Company Secretary).

The Retail Offer is offered in the United Kingdom under an exemption from the requirement to publish a prospectus contained in Schedule 1 of the Public Offers and Admissions to Trading Regulations 2024 (the "POATR"). As such, there is no need for publication of a prospectus pursuant to the FCA Prospectus Rules: Admission to Trading on a Regulated Market Sourcebook (the "PRM"), or for approval of the same by the FCA. The Retail Offer is not being made into any jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom.

No offering document, prospectus or admission document has been or will be prepared or submitted to be approved by the FCA (or any other authority) in relation to the Retail Offer, and investors' commitments will be made solely on the basis of the information contained in this announcement and information that has been published by or on behalf of the Company prior to the date of this announcement by notification to a Regulatory Information Service in accordance with the FCA Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and UK MAR.

This announcement is not for publication or distribution in or into the United States.  This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States.

The Retail Offer Shares are being offered and sold outside the United States in "offshore transactions", as defined in, and in compliance with, Regulation S under the US Securities Act. In addition, the Company has not been, and will not be, registered under the US Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

This announcement and the information contained herein is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of South Africa, any member state of the EEA or any other jurisdiction where to do so might constitute a violation of the relevant laws or regulations of such jurisdiction.

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or issue or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for Retail Offer Shares in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of South Africa, any member state of the EEA or any other jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is or may be unlawful. No public offer of the securities referred to herein is being made in any such jurisdiction.

The distribution of this announcement may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions and persons into whose possession any document or other information referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restriction. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

RetailBook is a proprietary technology platform owned and operated by Retail Book Limited (registered address at 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1AG). Retail Book Limited is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA (FRN 994238).

The value of Ordinary Shares and the income from them is not guaranteed and can fall as well as rise due to stock market movements. When you sell your investment, you may get back less than you originally invested. Figures refer to past performance and past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Returns may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations.

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements which are based on the Company's expectations, intentions and projections regarding its future performance, anticipated events or trends and other matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements, which may use words such as "aim", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate", "expect" and words of similar meaning, include all matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the actual results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and dividend policy and the development of the industries in which the Company's businesses operate to differ materially from the impression created by the forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given those risks and uncertainties, prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this announcement and cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. The Company and RetailBook expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect actual results or any change in the assumptions, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based unless required to do so by the FCA, the London Stock Exchange or applicable law.

The information in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. None of RetailBook or any of its affiliates, accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for, or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to this announcement, including the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of the announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. RetailBook and its affiliates, accordingly disclaim all and any liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise which they might otherwise be found to have in respect of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith.

No statement in this announcement is intended to be a profit forecast and no statement in this announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings or target dividend per share of the Company for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings or dividends per share of the Company.

Neither the content of the Company's website (or any other website) nor the content of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into or forms part of this announcement. The Retail Offer Shares to be issued or sold pursuant to the Retail Offer will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the London Stock Exchange.

No other documents or materials are incorporated into, or form part of this financial promotion and RetailBook has not carried out any verification or due diligence in respect of any such other documents.

END