£7.0m Profit on Sale of Land in Cheshire

Allen PLC
21 December 1999

              Allen Plc ('Allen' or 'the Group')
 (Hire Services, Housebuilding, Civil Engineering Contracting,
   Building Contracting, Property Development & Investment)
                               
                               
    ALLEN REALISES A PROFIT OF £7.0 MILLION ON SALE OF LAND
                               
Allen  announces that it has sold 12.6 acres of building  land
at  Lymm,  Cheshire.  A conditional contract on the  land  had
been  in  place  since  1989 and the land  was  acquired  with
Planning  Consent  for  73  five bedroom  detached  houses  in
September,  this year.  The profit before tax of £7.0  million
after  expenses will be treated as an exceptional item in  the
year end accounts.

Ken Fox, Allen's Chief Executive, commented:

'Expressions of interest were received from a number of  major
housebuilders   to  purchase  the  Lymm   site.    After   due
consideration, the Board decided that it would be in the  best
interest of shareholders to sell the whole site and invest the
proceeds  in  other  sectors of the business  where  we  could
achieve a higher return.

'We  are  actively managing the Group's businesses  to  ensure
that  we  maximise  the  return  to  Allen  shareholders   and
increasingly  we are focusing on services activities  provided
by our hire and utilities divisions'.


For further information:

Ken Fox (Chief Executive)                 01204 699277
Neil O'Brien (Finance Director)           01204 699277

Brian Coleman-Smith                       0171 786 9600
Binns & Co Public Relations