18 August 2022

Shoe Zone plc

("Shoe Zone" or the "Company")

Transaction in Own Shares and Notification of Major Shareholding

Shoe Zone plc (AIM: SHOE) announces that on 17 August 2022, it purchased 25,000 ordinary shares of £0.01 each in the Company ("Ordinary Shares"), pursuant to the share buyback programme (the "Buyback Programme") that was announced on 29 July 2022 as follows (together the "Transaction") and details of which are set out below:

Following the Transaction, the issued share capital of the Company remains unchanged at 50,000,000 and the Company now holds 267,139 shares in treasury. The total voting rights in the Company's Ordinary Shares ("Voting Rights") are now 49,732,861 which may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, Shoe Zone under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

Notification of Major Shareholding

Following the Transaction and reduction in the number of Voting Rights, Shoe Zone announces that Slawston Investments Limited ("SIL"), a company connected with Anthony Smith, Shoe Zone's Chief Executive Officer, now holds 30.01% of the total Voting Rights. SIL's shareholding remains unchanged at 14,926,557 Ordinary Shares.

The Takeover Panel has confirmed that, pursuant to Note 1 of Rule 37.1 of the City Code, SIL will not incur an obligation to make a mandatory offer pursuant to Rule 9 of the Takeover Code in the event that its interest in the Company exceed 30% of the Voting Rights as a result of any share purchases conducted through the Buyback Programme. 

The Company will make further announcements in due course following the completion of any further purchases pursuant to the Buyback Programme.

In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 details of the purchase of its own ordinary shares by Shoe Zone, which were all executed through the Company's broker, Zeus Capital Limited, are set out below:

Schedule of Purchases: 

Aggregate information:

Individual transactions:

For further information please contact:

Shoe Zone PLC                                                                                        Tel: +44 (0) 116 222 3000

Anthony Smith (Chief Executive)

Terry Boot (Finance Director)    

Zeus (Nominated Adviser and Broker)                                                  Tel: +44 (0) 203 829 5000

David Foreman, James Hornigold, Guy Brinkley (Investment Banking)

Dominic King (Corporate Broking)