Acquisition

De La Rue PLC
25 March 2002



                                 DE LA RUE PLC



                        DE LA RUE ACQUIRES SELF SERVICE

                          BANKING AUTOMATION BUSINESS


De La Rue, the cash to secure transactions Group has today announced it has
agreed to purchase the banking automation business of Papelaco, a leading
manufacturer of self-service banking technology based principally in Portugal
and Spain.  Cash consideration is expected to be €26m (£16m), comprising
estimated net assets of €10.5m (£6.5m) and estimated goodwill of €15.5m (£9.6m)
with a further payment of up to €10.5m (£6.5m) dependant on certain performance
criteria being met, linked to sales and margin growth.  The transaction is
expected to complete on 31 May 2002 with the transfer of operations taking place
on that date.  The closing is subject to receiving all necessary regulatory
approvals.



Papelaco's banking automation business, based in Lisbon, Portugal offers an up
to date equipment portfolio for the self-service market.  The business has a
dedicated manufacturing facility in Lisbon producing Automated Teller Machines,
Multifunction Kiosks and other self service applications.   Based on the
unaudited management accounts for the 12 months ended 31 December 2001 the
business had a turnover of €35m (£21.7m) and recorded an operating profit of
€3.5m (£2.2m).  Under the terms of the agreement, approximately 400 sales,
service and administration staff based in Portugal and Spain will be integrated
into De La Rue Cash Systems.  The costs associated with integrating the Papelaco
business, mainly concerning systems and processes integration, are not expected
to exceed €1.5m (£0.9m).



Cash Systems has acquired the business as part of its strategy to offer its
customers the complete end-to-end cash handling solution for their bank branches
and to further develop its position as the leading cash handling solutions
supplier to financial institutions.



Commenting on the acquisition, Pietro Armanini, managing director, Cash Systems
said:



'In the most developed or mature markets we are increasingly seeing a strong
trend for banks moving cash transactions activities away from the teller to a
self service area.  In the future we see self-service and the provision of
automated or electronic banking services as an essential component of our
offering to customers.  Papelaco's banking automation business provides a
natural extension to Cash Systems' own offering to our customers which further
strengthens De La Rue's position as a leading partner to financial institutions
worldwide.'



                                     -ends-



For further information please contact:



Paul Hollingworth         Finance Director               [phone]

Mark Fearon                Head of Corporate Affairs     [phone]

Stephen Breslin Brunswick                                [phone]



25 March 2002



Editors notes:



1.         De La Rue is the world's largest commercial security printer and
papermaker,involved in the production of over 150 national currencies and a wide
range of security documents such as travellers cheques and vouchers.  Employing 
over 7,000 people in 31 countries, the company is also a leading provider of 
cash handling equipment and software solutions to banks and retailers worldwide,
helping them to reduce the cost of handling cash.    Applying our core brand
values of security, integrity and trust, De La Rue is at the centre of some of
the most innovative and exciting developments in the secure products and
services market.  We are pioneering new technologies from tailored solutions to
protect the world's brands through to government identity solutions in secure
passports and identity cards.





2.         Self Service - Self-Service is the provision of services by automatic 
and electronic means without the intervention of the bank staff, where and when 
the customer needs it. In the most developed or mature banking markets there is 
a continuous strong trend for moving the cash transactions activities from the
teller to the self-service area.

- The reasons being :



-eliminate non adding value transactions,

-save cost,

-consequence of the reduction of the size of the branches,

-consequence of the move to new location for branches (eg shopping malls),

-creation of unmanned branches.



As a result, cash automation is taking a larger percentage of the investment in
the branch.











                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange