Acquisition

WH Smith PLC
19 March 2008


Press Release                                                     19 March 2008



 WHSmith Travel division expands with the acquisition of UNS Hospitals and the
              announcement of a franchise agreement with RoadChef


WH Smith PLC has acquired UNS Group Limited ('UNS Hospitals') for a cash
consideration of £19m. The transaction will be funded from existing cash
resources and available bank facilities and will strengthen WHSmith's presence
in hospitals across the UK. The acquisition will be earnings neutral in 2007/08
and earnings accretive in 2008/09.


UNS Hospitals trades as United News and has 72 retail units and 8 Caffe Nuovo
coffee shops in 62 hospitals throughout the UK. UNS Hospitals has developed a
leading position in the hospital sector and has a strong and experienced
management team. WHSmith currently has 8 units trading in 7 hospitals and this
acquisition significantly strengthens our presence in this growing channel.
Exceptional integration costs will be around £1m in the current financial year.


WH Smith PLC also announces a franchise agreement with RoadChef to open travel
units in all 29 RoadChef motorway service areas. This announcement follows a
successful trial at the RoadChef service area on the M1 at Watford Gap.


Kate Swann, WHSmith Group Chief Executive, said:


'The acquisition of UNS Hospitals creates further growth opportunities for our
Travel business. The hospital channel is under developed and the combination of
the experienced UNS management team and the WHSmith brand and offer will bring
benefits for customers.


'We look forward to working with RoadChef to extend our motorway service area
offer, bringing WHSmith products and services direct to the motorist.'



                                    - Ends -


Enquiries:

WH Smith PLC
Sue Barratt      Media Relations      020 7851 8850
Mark Boyle       Investor Relations   020 7851 8820

Brunswick
Tom Buchanan                          020 7404 5959
Anna Jones




NOTE TO EDITORS


WH Smith PLC is made up of 547 High Street stores, 218 Travel units at airports
and stations, 123 Travel units at motorway service area locations including
RoadChef and 8 Travel units in 7 hospitals thoughout the UK. The High Street
business sells a wide range of newspapers, magazines, stationery, books and
entertainment products, while WHSmith Travel sells a tailored range of
newspapers, magazines, books and confectionery products for people on the move.
In addition, WHSmith Direct - www.whsmith.co.uk - serves customers on the
internet 24 hours a day.


UNS Group Ltd is a leading retailer in the hospital sector. Trading as United
News, it has 72 units and 8 Caffe Nuovo coffee shops in 62 hospitals locations
across the UK. The units range in size between 150 and 2,000 sq ft. The business
has approximately 600 employees and is based in Leeds from where it will
continue to operate.



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