9 March 2017

BENCHMARK HOLDINGS PLC
('Benchmark' or the 'Company' or the 'Group')

DIRECTOR SHARE OPTIONS AND ISSUE OF SHARES

Director share options

Benchmark Holdings plc announces that on 6 March 2017, and in accordance with the intention disclosed in its Annual Report and Accounts published on 24 January 2017, options over a total of 56,938 Ordinary Shares of 0.1 pence each ('Ordinary Shares') were granted to Mark Plampin, the Company's Chief Financial Officer under the Company Share Option Plan (CSOP) in respect of the 2016 deferred bonus. Following this grant, Mark Plampin remains interested in 536,686 Ordinary Shares and holds options over a total of 124,585 Ordinary Shares in the Company, representing approximately 0.1% and 0.02% of Benchmark's existing issued share capital respectively.

The options granted have a vesting period of three years, may be exercised up to the tenth anniversary of grant, have an exercise price of 0.1 pence per Ordinary Share and are not subject to performance criteria.

Notification and public disclosure of a transaction by a person discharging managerial responsibilities:

1

Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated

a)

Name

Mark Plampin

2

Reason for the notification

a)

Position/status

Executive Director

b)

Initial notification/Amendment

Initial

3

Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor

a)

Name

Benchmark Holdings plc

b)

LEI

n/a

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

0.1p ordinary shares

ISIN: GB00BGHPT808

b)

Nature of the transaction

Issue of share options under Company Share Option Plan (CSOP)

c)

Price(s) and volume(s)

Exercise price

Volume(s)

0.1p

56,938

d)

Aggregated information

- Aggregated volume

- Price

Volume: 56,938

Price: Nil

e)

Date of the transaction

6 March 2017

f)

Place of the transaction

AIM Market, London Stock Exchange

Issue of shares and admission to trading

In addition, the Company announces that application has been made for the admission to trading of 25,811 Ordinary Shares pursuant to the exercise of employee options under its Employee Global Share Incentive Plan (SIP).

Application has been made for these shares to be admitted to trading on AIM ('Admission'). It is expected that Admission will become effective at 8.00 a.m. on 13 March 2017 and that dealings in the shares will commence at that time.

The Company's total issued share capital following the issue of the shares pursuant to the Global SIP will consist of 522,247,168 ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each with one voting right per share. The above figure of 522,247,168 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they can determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company following Admission.

-Ends-

For further information, please contact:

Benchmark Holdings plc

Tel: 020 7920 3150

Malcolm Pye, CEO

Roland Bonney, COO

Rachel Aninakwah, Communications

Numis

Tel: 020 7260 1000

Michael Meade / Freddie Barnfield (NOMAD)

James Black (Corporate Broking)

Tavistock

Tel: 020 7920 3150

Niall Walsh / Sophie Praill

Benchmark Holdings plc published this content on 09 March 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 09 March 2017 09:00:16 UTC.

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