Holding in Company

Smith WH PLC
14 December 2000


                  DEALINGS BY SUBSTANTIAL SHAREHOLDERS


1)   NAME OF COMPANY

     WH SMITH PLC

2)   NAME OF SHAREHOLDER HAVING A MAJOR INTEREST

     EDWARD C JOHNSON 3RD
     PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDER OF FMR CORP. AND FIDELITY INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

3)   Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of 
     holding of the Shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a 
     non-beneficial interest or in the case of an individual holder if it is a
     holding of that person's spouse or children under the age of 18

     SEE LETTER BELOW DATED 4 DECEMBER 2000

4)   Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the 
     number of shares held by each of them.

     SEE LETTER BELOW DATED 4 DECEMBER 2000

5)   Number of shares/amount of stock acquired.

     N/A

6)   ( N/A %) of issued Class

7)   Number of shares/amount of stock disposed

     N/A
    
8)   ( N/A %) of issued Class

9)   Class of security

     ORDINARY SHARES OF 55 5/9 PENCE EACH

10)  Date of transaction

     N/A

11)  Date company informed

     14 DECEMBER 2000

12)  Total holding following this notification

     12,836,448
               
13)  Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

     5.12%

14)  Any additional information



15)  Name of contact and telephone number for queries

     C A WHITE [phone]

16)  Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for 
     making this notification

     Date of Notification ...14 DECEMBER 2000......



Amendment £2


NOTIFICATIONS UNDER SECTIONS 198 TO 202 -- UK COMPANIES ACT

1. Company in which shares are held:    Smith (WH) Plc

2. Notifiable Interest:                 Ordinary Shares

     A     FMR Corp
           82 Devonshire Street
           Boston, MA 02109

           Parent holding company of Fidelity Management & Research Company 
           (FMRCO), investment manager for US mutual funds, and Fidelity        
           Management Trust Company (FMTC), a US state chartered bank which acts
           as a trustee or investment manager of various pension and trust      
           accounts. (See Schedule A for listing of Registered Shareholders 
           and their holdings.)

     B     Fidelity International Limited (FIL)
           P.O. BOX HM 670
           Hamilton HMCX, Bermuda

           Parent holding company for various direct and indirect subsidiaries,
           including Fidelity Investment Services Ltd (FISL), and Fidelity      
           Pension Management (FPM), investment managers for various non-US     
           investment companies and institutional clients. (See Schedule A for  
           listing of Registered Shareholders and their holdings).

3.     The notifiable interests also comprise the notifiable interest of:

           Mr Edward C Johnson 3d
           82 Devonshire Street
           Boston, MA 02109

           Principal shareholder of FMR Corp. and Fidelity International        
           Limited.

4.     The notifiable interests include interest held on behalf of authorized
       unit trust schemes in the U.K. notwithstanding the exemption from 
       reporting pursuant to Section 209 (1)(e) of the Companies Act 1985.

5.     These notifications of disclosable interests constitute separate
       notifications of interest in the shares and are combined solely for 
       the purposes of clarity. Nothing herein should be taken to indicate 
       that FMR Corp. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, 
       Fidelity International Limited and its direct and indirect subsidiaries
       or Mr Edward C Johnson 3d act as a group or in concert in respect of 
       the disclosed interests, or that they are required to submit these 
       notifications on a joint basis.

6.     The disclosable interests arise under section 208(4)(b) of the Act,
       namely where a person, not being the registered holder, is entitled
       to exercise a right conferred by the holding of the shares or to 
       control the exercise of such rights, or under section 203 of the Act
       respectively.

SCHEDULE A

SECURITY: Smith (WH) Plc                                      Amendment £ 2


                      SHARES HELD   MANAGEMENT   NOMINEE/REGISTERED
                                     COMPANY     NAME
(ordinary Shares)       
                        1,207,100      FMRCO     Chase Nominees Limited
                           45,100      FMRCO     State Street Nominees Limited
                           40,000      FMTC      State Street Nominees Ltd.
                          325,600      FMTC      Lloyds Bank Nominees Limited
                           50,400      FMTC      Bank of New York-Europe
                           28,602      FMTC      Nortrust Nominees
                        5,660,377      FISL      Clydesdale Bank (Head Office)  
                                                 Nominees Limited
                           42,500      FPM       Gracechurch Nominees
                           64,950      FPM       RBS Trust Bank
                           52,300      FPM       Bank of New York Europe
                           63,160      FPM       Nortrust Nominees Ltd
                           96,400      FPM       BT Globenet Nominees Ltd
                           26,300      FPM       MSS Nominees Ltd
                          108,000      FPM       Chase Nominees Ltd
                          293,500      FPM       RBS Trust Bank
                           61,190      FPM       Citibank
                           20,900      FIL       Chase Nominees Ltd
                          669,399      FIL       RBS Trust Bank
                          149,400      FIL       Clydesdale Bank (Head Office)  
                                                 Nominees Limited
                           28,600      FIL       Chase Nominees Ltd
                          232,134      FIL       Nortrust Nominees Ltd
                          136,200      FIL       Morgan Stanley
                          142,100      FIL       NAB-Australia
                          103,060      FIL       Bankers Trust
                          650,200      FIL       Northern Trust
                           73,187      FIL       Citibank
                           18,100      FIL       State Street Bank & Trust
                           13,800      FIL       Credit Suisse
                          105,700      FIL       Bank of New York Europe
                            7,100      FIL       National Australia Bank
                          271,300      FIL       MSS Nominees Ltd
                        2,049,789      FIL       HSBC, London

                     
TOTAL ORDINARY SHARES: 12,836,448

CURRENT OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGE:  5.12%

SHARES IN ISSUE:       250,851,492

CHANGE IN HOLDINGS SINCE
 LAST FILING:           +2,498,289 ordinary shares