| For immediate release | 4 April 2025 |
Watkin Jones plc
('Watkin Jones' or the 'Company')
Director/PDMR Shareholding
Watkin Jones plc (AIM:WJG) announces that on 3 April 2025 the following nominal-cost share awards over ordinary shares of 1 penny each in the Company ("Shares") were granted under the Watkin Jones Long Term Incentive Plan 2018 to the following persons discharging managerial responsibilities ("Restricted Share Awards"):
| PDMR | Position | Number of Shares granted under the Restricted Share Award |
| Alex Pease | Chief Executive Officer | 1,041,572 |
| Simon Jones | Chief Financial Officer | 857,765 |
The Restricted Share Awards have a nominal exercise price of one penny per Share and normally become exercisable after three years from the date of grant, subject to continued employment and the Remuneration Committee's assessment of the underpin conditions. If the Remuneration Committee is not satisfied that the underpin conditions have been met it may scale back the awards (including to nil vesting). Further details of the terms of the Restricted Share Awards, including the underpin conditions that will apply in respect of vesting, will be set out in the next Directors' Remuneration Report.
The notification below, made in accordance with the requirements of the UK Market Abuse Regulation, provides further detail:
| 1 | Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated | |||||
| a) | Name | Alex Pease | ||||
| 2 | Reason for the notification | |||||
| a) | Position/status | Chief Executive Officer | ||||
| b)
| Initial notification /Amendment | Initial notification | ||||
| 3
| Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor | |||||
| a) | Name | Watkin Jones plc | ||||
| b) | LEI | 2138009X19O21NU5SG79 | ||||
| 4
| Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted | |||||
| a)
| Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument Identification code | Ordinary Shares of £0.01 each
ISIN: GB00BD6RF223 | ||||
| b) | Nature of the transaction | Grant of Restricted Share Award under the Watkin Jones Long Term Incentive Plan 2018 | ||||
| c) | Price(s) and volume(s) |
| ||||
| d) | Aggregated information - Aggregated volume - Price | Not applicable - single transaction | ||||
| e) | Date of the transaction | 3 April 2025 | ||||
| f) | Place of the transaction | Outside of a trading venue | ||||
| 1 | Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated | |||||
| a) | Name | Simon Jones | ||||
| 2 | Reason for the notification | |||||
| a) | Position/status | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
| b)
| Initial notification /Amendment | Initial notification | ||||
| 3
| Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor | |||||
| a) | Name | Watkin Jones plc | ||||
| b) | LEI | 2138009X19O21NU5SG79 | ||||
| 4
| Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted | |||||
| a)
| Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument Identification code | Ordinary Shares of £0.01 each
ISIN: GB00BD6RF223 | ||||
| b) | Nature of the transaction | Grant of Restricted Share Award under the Watkin Jones Long Term Incentive Plan 2018 | ||||
| c) | Price(s) and volume(s) |
| ||||
| d) | Aggregated information - Aggregated volume - Price | Not applicable - single transaction | ||||
| e) | Date of the transaction | 3 April 2025 | ||||
| f) | Place of the transaction | Outside of a trading venue | ||||
- Ends -
For further information:
| Watkin Jones plc |
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| Alex Pease, Chief Executive Officer | Tel: +44 (0) 20 3617 4453 |
| Simon Jones, Chief Financial Officer | www.watkinjonesplc.com |
| Adam McGhin, Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary | |
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| Peel Hunt LLP (Nominated Adviser & Joint Corporate Broker) | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7418 8900 |
| Mike Bell / Ed Allsopp | www.peelhunt.com |
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| Media enquiries: |
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| MHP Group (Watkin Jones) | Tel: +44 (0) 7770 753544 |
| Reg Hoare, Rachel Farrington, Charles Hirst | www.watkinjones@mhpgroup.com |
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Notes to Editors
Watkin Jones is the UK's leading developer and manager of residential for rent, with a focus on the build to rent, student accommodation and affordable housing sectors. The Group has strong relationships with institutional investors, and a reputation for successful, on-time-delivery of high-quality developments. Since 1999, Watkin Jones has delivered over 49,000 student beds across 147 schemes, making it a key player and leader in the UK purpose-built student accommodation market, and is increasingly expanding its operations into the build to rent sector. In addition, Fresh, the Group's specialist accommodation management business, manages over 16,800 student beds and build to rent apartments on behalf of its institutional clients. Watkin Jones has also been responsible for over 50 residential developments, ranging from starter homes to executive housing and apartments.
The Group's competitive advantage lies in its experienced management team and capital-light business model, which enables it to offer an end-to-end solution for investors, delivered entirely in-house with minimal reliance on third parties, across the entire life cycle of an asset.
Watkin Jones was admitted to trading on AIM in March 2016 with the ticker WJG.L. For additional information please visit www.watkinjonesplc.com
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