Executive Office
George Weston Limited
22 St. Clair Avenue East
Toronto, Canada M4T 2S7
Tel: 416.922.2500
Fax: 416.922.4395
www.weston.ca
Stock Exchange Listing and Symbols
The Company’s common and preferred shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and trade under the symbols: “WN”, “WN.PR.A”, “WN.PR.B”, “WN.PR.C”, “WN.PR.D” and “WN.PR.E”.
Common Shares
At year end 2008, there were 129,074,526 common shares outstanding, 943 registered common shareholders and 48,351,078 common shares available for public trading.
The average 2008 daily trading volume of the Company’s common shares was 187,063.
Preferred Shares
At year end 2008, there were 9,400,000 preferred shares Series I, 10,600,000 preferred shares Series II, 8,000,000 preferred shares Series III, 8,000,000 preferred shares Series IV and 8,000,000 preferred shares Series V outstanding and 87 registered preferred shareholders. All outstanding preferred shares were available for public trading.
The average 2008 daily trading volume of the Company’s preferred shares was:
| Series I: | 10,268 |
| Series II: | 13,417 |
| Series III: | 8,190 |
| Series IV: | 7,249 |
| Series V: | 9,923 |
Common Dividend Policy
The declaration and payment of common dividends and the amount thereof are at the discretion of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) which takes into account the Company’s financial results, capital requirements, available cash flow and other factors the Board considers relevant from time to time. Over the long term, the Company’s objective is for its dividend payment ratio to be in the range of 20% to 25% of the prior year’s basic net earnings per common share from continuing operations adjusted as appropriate for items which are not regarded to be reflective of ongoing operations giving consideration to the year end cash position, future cash flow requirements and investment opportunities.
Common Dividend Dates
The declaration and payment of quarterly common dividends are made subject to approval by the Board. The anticipated record and payment dates for 2009 are:
| Record Date | Payment Date |
|---|---|
| March 15 | April 1 |
| June 15 | July 1 |
| Sept. 15 | Oct. 1 |
| Dec. 15 | Jan. 1 |
Normal Course Issuer Bid
The Company has a Normal Course Issuer Bid on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Value of Common Shares
For capital gains purposes, the valuation day (December 22, 1971) cost base for the Company, adjusted for the 4 for 1 stock split (effective May 27, 1986) and the 3 for 1 stock split (effective May 8, 1998), is $1.50 per share. The value on February 22, 1994 was $13.17 per share.
Registrar and Transfer Agent
Computershare Investor Services Inc.
100 University Avenue
Toronto, Canada M5J 2Y1
Tel: 416.263.9200
Toll Free Tel: 1.800.663.9097
Fax: 416.263.9394
Toll Free Fax: 1.888.453.0330
To change your address or eliminate multiple mailings, or for other shareholder account inquiries, please contact Computershare Investor Services Inc.
Independent Auditors
KPMG LLP
Chartered Accountants
Toronto, Canada
Annual Meeting
The George Weston Limited Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. at Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building, Meeting Room 801, Toronto, Canada.
Trademarks
George Weston Limited and its subsidiaries own a number of trademarks. These trademarks are the exclusive property of George Weston Limited and its subsidiary companies. Trademarks where used in this report are in italics.
Investor Relations
Shareholders, security analysts and investment professionals should direct their requests to Mr. Geoffrey H. Wilson, Senior Vice President, Shared Services at the Company’s Executive Office or by e-mail at investor@weston.ca.
Additional financial information has been filed electronically with various securities regulators in Canada through the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR). The Company holds an analyst call shortly following the release of its quarterly results. These calls are archived in the Investor Zone section of the Company’s website.
This Annual Report includes selected information on Loblaw Companies Limited, a 62%-owned public reporting subsidiary company with shares trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Ce rapport est disponible en français.