LSL Property Services : Form 8 (OPD) - Countrywide plc (replacement)

This announcement replaces the previous RNS announcement 3504F released at 18.24 on 6 March 2020. Amendment made to section 2(a). All other information remains unchanged.

FORM 8 (OPD)

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE BY A PARTY TO AN OFFER

Rules 8.1 and 8.2 of the Takeover Code (the 'Code')

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser:	COUNTRYWIDE PLC
(b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.	N/A
(c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree	COUNTRYWIDE PLC
(d) Is the discloser the offeror or the offeree?	OFFEREE
(e) Date position held: The latest practicable date prior to the disclosure	5 MARCH 2020
(f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state 'N/A'	YES / NO / N/A If YES, specify which: LSL PROPERTY SERVICES PLC

2. POSITIONS OF THE PARTY TO THE OFFER MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates

Class of relevant security:	Ordinary shares
	Interests		Short positions
	Number	%	Number	%
(1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:	-	-	-	-
(2) Cash-settled derivatives:	-	-	-	-
(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:	-	-	-	-
TOTAL:	-	-	-	-

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

Details of any securities borrowing and lending positions or financial collateral arrangements should be disclosed on a Supplemental Form 8 (SBL).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:	-
Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:	-

3. POSITIONS OF PERSONS ACTING IN CONCERT WITH THE PARTY TO THE OFFER MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Details of any interests, short positions and rights to subscribe (including directors' and other employee options) of any person acting in concert with the party to the offer making the disclosure:

a) Interests held by the directors of Countrywide plc and their close relatives and related trusts

Name	Number of ordinary shares	Percentage of total issued share capital (excluding share options and shares held in treasury) (%)
Paul Creffield	50,386	0.1538%
Himanshu Raja	27,768	0.0848%
Peter Long	68,740	0.2098%
David Watson	2,998	0.0092%
Rupert Gavin	418	0.0013%
Natalie Ceeney	2,491	0.0076%

b) Interests held as options or awards under the share plans of Countrywide plc by the directors of Countrywide plc

Name	Share plan	Number of ordinary shares held beneficially(1)	Number of ordinary shares under option vested	Number of ordinary shares under option not vested	Vesting date (if applicable)	Exercise price per share (£)
Paul Creffield	Long Term Incentive Plan ('LTIP')	-	-	3,900	2 May 2020	Nil
		-	-	25,024	26 March 2021	Nil
		-	-	54,945	27 March 2022	Nil
Paul Creffield	Share Incentive Plan ('SIP')	34	-	-	-	-
Paul Creffield	Deferred Share Bonus Plan ('DSBP')	-	784	-	-	Nil
Himanshu Raja	LTIP	-	-	12,182	14 June 2020	Nil
		-	-	32,571	26 March 2021	Nil
		-	-	35,043	27 March 2028	Nil

⁽¹⁾Shares are held by the SIP trustee for a minimum holding period of three years from each rolling monthly award date, with legal title transferred to the beneficiary upon satisfaction of certain conditions. The SIP scheme ended in April 2018.

c) Interests held by connected advisers of Countrywide plc

Name	Ordinary shares	Percentage of total issued share capital (excluding share options and shares held in treasury) (%)
Link Market Services Trustees (Nominees) Limited, in its capacity as trustee of the Countrywide plc SIP trust	86,441	0.2638%

No interests, short positions or rights to subscribe are held by Countrywide plc's connected advisers Barclays Bank PLC and Jefferies International Limited outside of exempt principal trading accounts for the purposes of Rule 8 of the Code.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

Details of any securities borrowing and lending positions or financial collateral arrangements should be disclosed on a Supplemental Form 8 (SBL).

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the party to the offer making the disclosure or any person acting in concert with it: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state 'none'

None

(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the party to the offer making the disclosure, or any person acting in concert with it, and any other person relating to: (i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or (ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced: If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state 'none'

None

(c) Attachments

Are any Supplemental Forms attached?

Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions)	NO
Supplemental Form 8 (SBL)	NO

Date of disclosure:	6 March 2020
Contact name:	Gareth Williams, Company Secretary
Telephone number:	01245 294005

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on [phone].

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website atwww.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.