Pre Close Statement

W.H. Ireland Group PLC 30 November 2005 WH Ireland Group plc ('the Company') Pre-close Trading Statement WH Ireland Group plc, the financial services company which is the parent company of WH Ireland Ltd, Stockbrokers and AIM corporate finance specialists, and WH Ireland Financial Services Ltd, the independent financial adviser, is issuing this trading update prior to the commencement of its close period. The Company's preliminary results for the year ending 30 November 2005 will be issued in February 2006. Once again, the Board anticipates being able to report record results for the year. The Company has continued to make good progress during the second half of the financial year, which has seen unaudited turnover for the 11 months to 31 October 2005 increase by almost one-third over the figure for the same period last year. In this period, funds under management have risen to £361 million, an increase of 24% since the previous year end. As anticipated, market conditions in the second half of the financial year have been less buoyant than in the first half, albeit still satisfactory. As a consequence, results for the full year will meet market expectations. The acquisitions that the group has made which have extended our stockbroking operations have been successfully integrated into the group. Our expanded London office has moved into newly refurbished premises in the City which provide an improved working environment, additional facilities and the capacity for further growth. In July, we purchased a 51% interest in D.J.Carmichael, a stockbroker and corporate finance adviser based in Perth, Australia. We are pleased with the performance to date of this acquisition and look forward to building a closer relationship with our new Australian colleagues. The financial services subsidiary has also had a record year and is expanding its operations. The corporate finance division has again enjoyed a very successful year, having acted as Nominated Adviser or Broker in 25 AIM admissions and undertaken 13 secondary fundraisings. Work in progress in this area remains strong. We currently act as Broker to 70 public companies and continue to hold a valuable interest in the equity of certain companies for which we have acted. Ultimate Finance Group plc, our associate company continues to make good progress and declared its maiden profit during the year. We continue to examine a number of opportunities to expand the business and have strengthened our management team to be able to take full advantage of opportunities as they arise. We remain confident that in stable market conditions the strategy we are pursuing will deliver further growth in the coming year. For further information contact: WH Ireland Group plc, Laurie Beevers Chief Executive Tel: 0161 832 6644 Biddicks Financial PR, Zoe Biddick Tel: 020 7448 1000 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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