Holding(s) in Company

TR-1(i): NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES

 

1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of existing shares to which voting rights are attached (ii):

DS Smith Plc

 

2. Reason for the notification:

 

An acquisition or disposal of voting rights: (  X  )

 

An acquisition or disposal of qualifying financial instruments which may result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights are attached: (   )

 

An acquisition or disposal of instruments with similar economic effect to qualifying financial instruments (    )

 

An event changing the breakdown of voting rights: (    )

 

Other (please specify): (   ) 

 

3. Full name of person(s) subject to the notification obligation (iii):

    Aviva plc & its subsidiaries    

 

4. Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from 3.)

Registered Holder:

 

Available on request                                                  31,899*

 

BNY Norwich Union Nominees Limited              1,618,006*

 

Chase (GA Group) Nominees Limited             24,293,093*

 

Chase Nominees Limited                                       278,921*

 

CUIM Nominee Limited                                           525,450*

 

State Street Nominees Limited                              606,461*

       * denotes direct interest

 

5. Date of the transaction (and date on which the threshold is crossed or reached if different) (v):

20 January 2016

 

6. Date on which issuer notified:

    22 January 2016

 

7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or reached:

<3% to >3% Change at Direct Interest Level (Box 8A&C)

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Notified details:

  

A: Voting rights attached to shares

 

Class/type of shares if possible using the ISIN CODE	Situation previous to the Triggering transaction (vi)
	Number of shares	Number of voting Rights (viii)
GB0008220112	No Previous	No Previous

 

 

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction (vii)

 

Class/type of shares if possible using the ISIN CODE	Number of shares	Number of voting rights (ix)		% of voting rights
		Direct (x)	Indirect (xi)	Direct	Indirect
	27,353,830	27,353,830	Not disclosable	2.90%	Not disclosable

 

 

B: Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction (xii)

Type of financial instrument

Expiration Date (xiii)

Exercise/Conversion Period/ Date (xiv)

Number of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised/ converted

% of voting rights

 

C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction (xii)

 

Type of financial instrument	Exercise price	Expiration date (xvii)	Exercise/ Conversion period (xviii)	Number of voting rights instrument refers to	% of voting rights (xix) (xx)
RIGHT TO RECALL LOANED SHARES	N/A	N/A	N/A	1,230,472 *   * Direct Interest	Nominal	Delta
					0.13%

 

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights	% of voting rights
28,584,302	3.03%

 

9.    Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable ^(xv):

The voting rights are managed and controlled by Aviva Investors Global Services Limited and Friends Provident International Limited, with the following chains of controlled undertakings:-

 

Aviva Investors Global Services Limited:

·    Aviva plc (Parent Company)

·    Aviva Group Holdings Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva plc)

·    Aviva Investors Holdings Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva Group Holdings Limited)

·    Aviva Investors Global Services Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva Investors Holdings Limited)

 

Friends Provident International Limited:

·    Aviva plc (Parent Company)

·    Aviva Group Holdings Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva plc)

·    Aviva Life Holdings UK Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva Group Holdings Limited)

·    Friends Life FPG Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva Life Holdings UK Limited)

·    Friends Life FPL Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Friends Life FPG Limited)

·    Friends Life Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Friends Life FPL Limited)

·    Friends Life and Pensions Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Friends Life Limited)

·    Friends Provident International Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Friends Life and Pensions Limited)

 

Proxy Voting:

 

10. Name of the proxy holder:  See Section 4

 

11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease to hold: N/A

 

12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights: N/A

 

13. Additional information:

Figures are based on the total number of voting rights of 944,700,806, as per the Company's announcement of 4 January 2016.

 

14. Contact name:
           Neil Whittaker, Aviva plc

 

15. Contact telephone number:
     01603 684420

 

Identity of the notifier, if applicable (xvii)

 

Full name:

Matthew Jowett

 

Contact address:

DS Smith Plc, 7^th Floor, 350 Euston Road, London NW1 3AX

 

Phone number:

020 7756 1800