Holding(s) in Company

Smith WH PLC
22 October 2003


                  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 20 OCTOBER 2003

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 20 OCTOBER 2003

5)   Number of shares/amount of stock acquired.

     N/A

6)   ( %) 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

     21 OCTOBER 2003

12)  Total holding following this notification

     12,307,571
                    
13)  Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

     4.91%

14)  Any additional information



15)  Name of contact and telephone number for queries

     AMANDA LAM [phone]

16)  Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for 
     making this notification     I HOUGHTON, COMPANY SECRETARY

     Date of Notification         22 OCTOBER 2003




Letter to Smith (WH) Plc
Dated October 20, 2003


Amendment #25

NOTIFICATIONS UNDER SECTIONS 198 TO 202 -- U.K. COMPANIES ACT

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

2.     Notifiable Interest: Ordinary Shares

           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) (h) 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 and efficiency. 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 # 25


                   SHARES HELD     MANAGEMENT    NOMINEE/REGISTERED NAME
                                   COMPANY       
(Ordinary Shares)
                     
                     8,004,747     FISL          Chase Nominees Limited
                        67,129     FPM           RBS Trust Bank
                       271,000     FPM           Bank of New York Europe
                       111,759     FPM           Nortrust Nominees Ltd
                        22,700     FPM           BT Globenet Nominees Ltd
                        58,000     FPM           MSS Nominees Ltd
                       159,390     FPM           Citibank
                       498,050     FIL           RBS Trust Bank
                       351,440     FIL           Chase Nominees Ltd
                       375,628     FIL           Nortrust Nominees Ltd
                       229,029     FIL           Morgan Stanley
                        44,000     FIL           Bankers Trust
                       598,984     FIL           Northern Trust
                        33,940     FIL           Citibank
                       674,862     FIL           Bank of New York - London
                       399,010     FIL           JP Morgan
                       143,703     FIL           Chase Manhattan Bank London
                        27,300     FIL           State Street Bank & Trust
                       163,000     FIL           State Street Nominees Ltd
                        73,900     FIL           Bank of New York Brussels



TOTAL ORDINARY SHARES:                 12,307,571

CURRENT OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGE:          4.91%

SHARES IN ISSUE:                       250,515,701

CHANGE IN HOLDINGS SINCE LAST FILING:  (1,768,496) ordinary shares



Letter from Fidelity Management & Research Company



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