Grant of Share Options

Guinness Peat Group PLC
25 October 2005

                            GUINNESS PEAT GROUP PLC

Guinness Peat Group plc ("GPG") announces the grant of options on 24 October
2005 in accordance with its 2002 Executive Share Option Scheme over the ordinary
5p shares of GPG ("GPG Shares") at an exercise price of 81.0 pence and
exercisable between 24 October 2008 and 24 October  2015 as follows:


Sir Ron Brierley                              250,000 Options

Graeme Cureton                              1,250,000 Options

Tony Gibbs                                  1,250,000 Options

Blake Nixon                                 1,250,000 Options

Gary Weiss                                  1,250,000 Options



Following this grant these directors will hold options over GPG Shares as
follows:

                           Aggregate No of     Exercise prices between     Exercisable  between dates
                           Options             (pence)

Sir Ron Brierley                     2,579,703         27.1 - 81.0         08/05/1999-24/10/2015

Graeme Cureton                      10,766,950         26.2 - 81.0         11/04/1999-24/10/2015

Tony Gibbs                          10,909,319         27.1 - 81.0         08/05/1999-24/10/2015

Blake Nixon                          9,712,283         27.1 - 81.0         08/05/1999-24/10/2015

Gary Weiss                          10,885,057         27.1 - 81.0         08/05/1999-24/10/2015



These directors currently hold the following interests in GPG Shares:



Sir Ron Brierley                                      34,211,663

Graeme Cureton                                         1,012,294

Tony Gibbs                                             2,737.209

Blake Nixon                                            7,245,156

Gary Weiss                                            10,232,045



Contact:

Alan King
Guinness Peat Group plc
Tel: [phone]

25 October 2005



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