Offer Update

Trinity Mirror PLC 28 November 2000 Not for release, publication or distribution in or into the United States, Canada, Japan or Australia Trinity Mirror plc Recommended Cash Offer for Southnews plc Offer wholly unconditional Trinity Mirror notes the announcement made by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry today, giving his consent to the transfer of Southnews' newspaper titles and related assets to Trinity Mirror. Trinity Mirror announces that all the conditions of the Offer have now been either satisfied or waived. Accordingly, the Offer has been declared wholly unconditional. The Offer will remain open for acceptance until further notice. The Loan Note Alternative will remain open for acceptance until 3.00 pm on 6 December 2000. Trinity Mirror Regionals reserves the right to close the Loan Note Alternative after such time and date without further notice. Southnews Shareholders who wish to accept the Offer and have not yet done so should despatch their completed Form of Acceptance as soon as possible, by post or by hand, to Lloyds TSB Registrars, The Causeway, Worthing, West Sussex BN99 6DA or by hand only (during normal business hours only) to Lloyds TSB Registrars, Antholin House, 71 Queen Street, London EC4N 1SL. The consideration payable or the Loan Notes to be issued, as the case may be, to accepting Southnews Shareholders will be despatched within 14 days of today's date in respect of acceptances already received which are valid and complete in all respects or within 14 days of the date of receipt of further acceptances which are valid and complete in all respects. Acceptances of the Offer and purchases during the offer period As at 3.00 pm on 27 November 2000, valid acceptances under the Offer had been received in respect of a total of 15,786,598 Southnews Shares, representing approximately 67.9 per cent. of the issued share capital of Southnews. Included in the total above are acceptances, representing in aggregate approximately 46.1 per cent. of the issued share capital of Southnews, received from: (i) Southnews Directors in accordance with the provisions of the irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer given by them in respect of their and their immediate families' and family trusts' holdings totalling 2,396,184 Southnews Shares, representing in aggregate, approximately, 10.3 per cent. of Southnews' issued share capital; and (ii) certain shareholders of Southnews in accordance with the provisions of the irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer given by them totalling 8,327,598 Southnews Shares, representing in aggregate, approximately, 35.8 per cent. of Southnews' issued share capital. Since the commencement of the offer period on 27 October 2000, Trinity Mirror Regionals has acquired 5,755,183 Southnews Shares representing approximately, 24.8 per cent. of Southnews' issued share capital. Of which, 1,735,913 were acquired from certain shareholders of Southnews who had irrevocably undertaken to accept the Offer. As a result, Trinity Mirror Regionals has now acquired or has acceptances in respect of a total of 21,541,781 Southnews Shares representing in aggregate, approximately, 92.7 per cent. of Southnews' issued share capital. Rights over Southnews Shares prior to the commencement of the offer period As at 26 October 2000 (the day prior to the commencement of the offer period), Trinity Mirror (deemed to be acting in concert with Trinity Mirror Regionals), was interested in one Southnews Share representing approximately, 0.000004 per cent. of the issued share capital of Southnews. Save as disclosed above, neither Trinity Mirror Regionals nor, as far as Trinity Mirror Regionals is aware, any person acting or deemed to be acting in concert with Trinity Mirror Regionals, owned or controlled any Southnews Shares (or rights over such shares) immediately prior to 27 October 2000 or, since that date, has acquired or agreed to acquire, any Southnews Shares (or rights over such shares) and no acceptances of the Offer have been received from such persons acting or deemed to be acting in concert with Trinity Mirror Regionals. Definitions used in the offer document dated 1 November 2000 shall, unless the context otherwise requires, apply throughout this announcement. Enquiries: Trinity Mirror 020 7293 3000 Philip Graf Margaret Ewing Greenhill & Co. 020 7440 0400 Simon Borrows Brian Cassin Finsbury 020 7251 3801 Rupert Younger James Leviton The Directors of Trinity Mirror and the Directors of Trinity Mirror Regionals accept responsibility for the information contained in this announcement. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the Directors of Trinity Mirror and the Directors of Trinity Mirror Regionals (who have taken all reasonable care to ensure that such is the case), the information contained in this announcement is in accordance with the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import of such information. Greenhill & Co., which is regulated in the United Kingdom by The Securities and Futures Authority Limited, is acting for Trinity Mirror and Trinity Mirror Regionals and for no one else in relation to the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than Trinity Mirror and Trinity Mirror Regionals for providing the protections afforded to customers of Greenhill & Co., nor for providing advice in relation to the Offer. The Offer (including the Loan Note Alternative) is not being made, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, Japan or Australia. Accordingly, copies of this announcement are not being, and must not be, mailed or otherwise distributed or sent into or from the United States, Canada, Japan or Australia. The Loan Notes will not be listed on any stock exchange and have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or under any relevant securities laws of any state of the United States and the relevant clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained from the regulatory authority of any province or territory of Canada. In addition, no prospectus in relation to the Loan Notes has been, or will be, lodged with or registered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and no steps have been, nor will be, taken to enable the Loan Notes to be offered in compliance with the applicable securities laws of Japan or any other country or jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom. The Loan Notes will not be offered, sold, resold, delivered or distributed, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, Japan or Australia or any other jurisdiction if to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant laws in such jurisdiction.

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