Offer Update

Trinity Mirror PLC
04 October 2005

  THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO

                 THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN.



                RECOMMENDED CASH OFFER OF 20.25 PENCE PER SHARE



                                       BY



                              UBS INVESTMENT BANK



                                  ON BEHALF OF



                      TRINITY MIRROR ACQUISITIONS LIMITED



               (A WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF TRINITY MIRROR PLC)



                                      FOR



                                THE HOTGROUP PLC





FIRST CLOSING DATE - OFFER EXTENDED TO 18 OCTOBER 2005



1.         Level of acceptances



On 13 September 2005, UBS Investment Bank made a recommended cash offer (the
'Offer') on behalf of Trinity Mirror Acquisitions, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Trinity Mirror, to acquire the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share
capital of hotgroup for 20.25 pence per hotgroup Share in cash.



The Directors of Trinity Mirror are pleased to announce that, as at 3.00 p.m. on
4 October 2005, being the First Closing Date of the Offer, valid acceptances of
the Offer had been received in respect of a total of 185,368,845 hotgroup
Shares, representing approximately 73.90 per cent. of the existing issued share
capital of hotgroup.



Prior to the announcement of the Offer on 1 September 2005, Trinity Mirror
Acquisitions had received irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer from the
hotgroup Directors in respect of a total of 23,807,340 hotgroup Shares
representing approximately 9.49 per cent. of the existing issued share capital
of hotgroup (9.54 per cent. of the issued share capital of hotgroup immediately
prior to announcement of the Offer).  Valid acceptances have been received in
respect of all these hotgroup Shares as shown below:




Directors of hotgroup                                Number of hotgroup Shares

                                                     Irrevocably Committed
Anthony Reeves                                          8,557,468
Harvey Sinclair                                         3,025,633
Steve Wright                                              403,162
Don Hanson                                             11,505,680
John Sanderson                                            315,397





Prior to the announcement of the Offer on 1 September 2005, Trinity Mirror
Acquisitions had also received an irrevocable undertaking to accept the Offer
from Morley Fund Management in respect of a total of 24,327,796 hotgroup Shares
representing approximately 9.70 per cent. of the existing issued share capital
of hotgroup (9.75 per cent. of the issued share capital of hotgroup immediately
prior to announcement of the Offer).  In addition, it was announced on 1
September 2005 that an undertaking to accept (or procure the acceptance of) the
Offer had been received from New Star Asset Management in respect of 24,226,019
hotgroup Shares, representing 9.66 per cent. of the existing issued share
capital of hotgroup (9.71 per cent. of the issued share capital of hotgroup
immediately prior to announcement of the Offer).  As announced on 30 September
2005, Trinity Mirror has been informed by New Star Asset Management that its
holding of hotgroup Shares is 20,496,799 representing 8.17% of the existing
issued share capital of hotgroup, and that its irrevocable undertaking should
have been given in respect of this lower figure.  New Star Asset Management has
confirmed that in all other respects its irrevocable undertaking remains correct
and legally binding.  Valid acceptances have been received in respect of all
these hotgroup Shares as shown below:


Morley Fund Management                                24,327,796
New Star Asset Management                             20,496,799



On such revised basis, Trinity Mirror Acquisitions had received irrevocable
undertakings to accept (or procure the acceptance of) the Offer in respect of an
aggregate of 68,631,935 hotgroup Shares, representing approximately 27.36% of
the Company's existing issued share capital.



Save as disclosed in this announcement and in the Offer Document, neither
Trinity Mirror nor Trinity Mirror Acquisitions nor any person acting in concert
with Trinity Mirror or Trinity Mirror Acquisitions for the purposes of the Offer
held any hotgroup Shares (or rights over such shares) before 22 June 2005, the
first day of the Offer Period, nor has any such person acquired or agreed to
acquire any such shares (or rights over such shares) since the commencement of
the Offer Period.



2.         Extension of the Offer



The Offer, which remains subject to the terms and conditions set out in the
Offer Document, is being extended for 14 days and will remain open for
acceptance until the next closing date which will be 3.00 p.m. on 18 October
2005.  (Any further extensions of the Offer will be publicly announced by 8.00
a.m. on the business day following the day on which the Offer was otherwise due
to expire, or such later time or date as the Panel may agree).



hotgroup Shareholders who have not yet accepted the Offer and who hold hotgroup
Shares in certificated form are urged to complete, sign and return the Form of
Acceptance as soon as possible and, in any event, so as to be received by post
or by hand by Lloyds TSB Registrars, Princess House, 1 Suffolk Lane, London EC4R
no later than 3.00 p.m. (London time) on 18 October 2005.  If you hold your
hotgroup Shares in uncertificated form (that is, in CREST) you are urged to
accept the Offer by TTE instructions as soon as possible and, in any event, so
as to be settled not later than 3.00 p.m. on 18 October 2005.



All terms defined in the Offer Document have the same meaning in this
announcement, unless the context requires otherwise.






ENQUIRIES


Trinity Mirror

Sly Bailey                                                  [phone]
Vijay Vaghela                                               [phone]

UBS Investment Bank (financial adviser to Trinity Mirror)
Adam Joy                                                    [phone]

Jonathan Evans                                              [phone]





UBS Investment Bank is acting exclusively for Trinity Mirror and for no one else
in relation to the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than
Trinity Mirror for providing the protections afforded to clients of UBS
Investment Bank or for giving advice in relation to the Offer or any other
matter referred to in this announcement.

The distribution of this announcement in jurisdictions other than the UK may be
restricted by law and therefore any persons who are subject to the laws of any
jurisdiction other than the UK should inform themselves about, and observe, any
applicable requirements.  This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of
complying with English law and the City Code and the information disclosed may
not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement had
been prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside the UK.

The Offer is not being made, and will not be made, directly or indirectly, in or
into, or by the use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality (including,
without limitation, telephonically or electronically) of interstate or foreign
commerce or by any facilities of a national securities exchange of, the United
States of America, Canada, Australia or Japan and the Offer will not be capable
of acceptance by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility or from within
those jurisdictions. Accordingly, copies of this announcement are not being, and
must not be, mailed, transmitted or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent, in
whole or in part, in, into or from the United States of America, Canada,
Australia or Japan.  Custodians, nominees and trustees should observe these
restrictions and should not send or distribute this announcement in, into or
from the United States of America, Canada, Australia or Japan.

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an
offer to subscribe for or buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale,
issuance or transfer of the securities referred to in this announcement in any
jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law.  The Offer is made solely by
the Offer Document and the Form of Acceptance accompanying the Offer Document
(both dated and despatched on 13 September 2005), which contains the full terms
and conditions of the Offer, including details of how the Offer may be accepted.






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