Holding(s) in Company
TR-1 (i) NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES
1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of existing shares to which
voting rights are attached (ii):
FirstGroup plc
2. Reason for the notification State
Yes/No
An acquisition or disposal of voting rights Yes
An acquisition or disposal of financial instruments which may
result in the
acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights are
attached
An event changing the breakdown of voting rights
Other (please specify):
3. Full name of person(s) subject to the Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
notification obligation (iii): and its group
4. Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from See additional information
3.) (iv): under 13
5. Date of the transaction (and date on which the 9 March 2007
threshold is crossed
or reached if different) (v):
6. Date on which issuer notified: 12 March 2007
7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or reached: Increase above 5%
8. Notified details:
A: Voting rights attached to shares
Class/type Situation Resulting situation
of shares previous to the after the triggering
if possible Triggering transaction (vii)
using the transaction (vi)
ISIN CODE
Number Number Number Number of voting % of voting
of of of rights (ix) rights
Shares Voting shares
Rights
(viii)
Direct Direct Indirect Direct Indirect
(x) (xi)
FirstGroup 34,572,596 34,572,596 1,791,528 1,791,528 33,278,548 0.412% 7.653%
plc (ISIN
GB0003452173
B: Financial Instruments
Resulting situation after the triggering transaction (xii)
Type of Expiration Exercise/ Number of % of voting
financial date (xiii) Conversion voting rights
instrument Period/ Date rights that may
(xiv) be
acquired if the
instrument is
exercised/
converted
N/A
Total (A+B)
Number of voting rights % of voting rights
35,070,076 8.065%
9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the
financial instruments are
effectively held, if applicable (xv):
Ameriprise Financial Inc. which controls the voting rights of
Threadneedle Asset Management Holdings Ltd, which controls the voting rights of
Threadneedle Asset Management Ltd, Threadneedle International Ltd and
Threadneedle Pensions Ltd
Proxy Voting:
10. Name of the proxy holder: N/A
11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease N/A
to hold:
12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold N/A
voting rights:
13. Additional information: Registered Owner
Ameriprise Financial Inc A/c 43,000
Bank of Ireland Nominees A/c 4270483 706,000
Bank of Ireland Nominees A/c 4239914 385,000
BNY (OCS)Nominees Ltd A/c 277650 467,443
BNY (OCS)Nominees Ltd A/c 219064 178,797
BNY (OCS) Nominees Ltd A/c219720 510,705
BNY (OCS) Nominees Ltd A/c219709 435,003
Chase Nominees Ltd A/c41407 71,385
KDTC KAS Depositary
Trust Company A/c22.36.31.213 200,000
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c21688 537,267
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c7205 945,568
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c 10479 17,625
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c10488 7,071,871
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c7199 79,119
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c10496 1,230,000
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c7196 67,000
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c18667 357,771
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c10469 659,231
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c18668 67,552
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c2642 1,182,565
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c3449 1,460,000
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c2891 3,690,350
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c7198 1,273,663
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c27642 514,000
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c10478 20,000
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c10492 1,203,666
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c11121 20,000
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c7207 2,684,198
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c31348 121,532
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c30337 57,055
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c41408 25,000
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c10489 441,729
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c10495 2,945,000
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c10491 2,483,911
Littledown Nominees Ltd A/c35822 27,500
Mellon Nominees (UK) Ltd A/cWWSF0004002 585,000
Mellon Nominees (UK) Ltd A/cAVOF0003002 1,148,000
Roy Nominees A/c104450 162,657
State Street Bank & Trust, Boston A/cGPE1 100,717
The Bank of New York (Nominees) Limited
A/c961111 3,865
The Bank of New York (Nominees) Limited
A/c960011 14,440
The Bank of New York (Nominees) Limited
A/c960039 751
The Bank of New York (Nominees) Limited
A/c454362 148,312
The Bank of New York (Nominees) Limited
A/c960028 187,805
The Bank of New York (Nominees) Limited
A/c960053 52,648
The Bank of New York (Nominees) Limited
A/c960253 355,375
William & Glyns (Isle of Man) Nominees Ltd
A/c301780 130,000
14. Contact name: Company Secretary, Threadneedle Group
15. Contact telephone 0207 464 5000
number:
A: Identity of the person or legal entity subject
to the
notification obligation
Full name (including legal form for
legal entities)
Contact address (registered office for
legal entities)
Phone number
Other useful information (at least legal
representative for legal persons)
B: Identity of the notifier, if applicable (xvii)
Full name Company Secretary,
Threadneedle Group
Contact address
Phone number 0207 464 5000
Other useful information (e.g. functional
relationship
with the person or legal entity subject to the
notification
obligation)
C: Additional information
Notes
i. This form is to be sent to the issuer or underlying issuer and to be filed
with the competent authority.
ii. Either the full name of the legal entity or another method for identifying
the issuer or underlying issuer, provided it is reliable and accurate.
iii. This should be the full name of (a) the shareholder; (b) the person
acquiring, disposing of or exercising voting rights in the cases provided for
in DTR5.2.1 (b) to (h); (c) all the parties to the agreement referred to in
DTR5.2.1 (a), or (d) the direct or indirect holder of financial instruments
entitled to acquire shares already issued to which voting rights are attached,
as appropriate.
In relation to the transactions referred to in points DTR5.2.1 (b) to (h), the
following list is provided as indication of the persons who should be
mentioned:
- in the circumstances foreseen in DTR5.2.1 (b), the person that acquires the
voting rights and is entitled to exercise them under the agreement and the
natural person or legal entity who is transferring temporarily for
consideration the voting rights;
- in the circumstances foreseen in DTR 5.2.1 (c), the person holding the
collateral, provided the person or entity controls the voting rights and
declares its intention of exercising them, and person lodging the collateral
under these conditions;
- in the circumstances foreseen in DTR5.2.1(d), the person who has a life
interest in shares if that person is entitled to exercise the voting rights
attached to the shares and the person who is disposing of the voting rights
when the life interest is created;
- in the circumstances foreseen in DTR5.2.1 (e), the parent undertaking and,
provided it has a notification duty at an individual level under DTR 5.1, under
DTR5.2.1 (a) to (d) or under a combination of any of those situations, the
controlled undertaking;
- in the circumstances foreseen in DTR5.2.1 (f), the deposit taker of the
shares, if he can exercise the voting rights attached to the shares deposited
with him at his discretion, and the depositor of the shares allowing the
deposit taker to exercise the voting rights at his discretion;
- in the circumstances foreseen in DTR5.2.1 (g), the person that controls the
voting rights;
- in the circumstances foreseen in DTR5.2.1 (h), the proxy holder, if he can
exercise the voting rights at his discretion, and the shareholder who has given
his proxy to the proxy holder allowing the latter to exercise the voting rights
at his discretion.
iv. Applicable in the cases provided for in DTR 5.2.1 (b) to (h). This should
be the full name of the shareholder or holder of financial instruments who is
the counterparty to the natural person or legal entity referred to in DTR5.2.
v. The date of the transaction should normally be, in the case of an on
exchange transaction, the date on which the matching of orders occurs; in the
case of an off exchange transaction, date of the entering into an agreement.
The date on which threshold is crossed should normally be the date on which the
acquisition, disposal or possibility to exercise voting rights takes effect
(see DTR 5.1.1R (3)). For passive crossings, the date when the corporate event
took effect. [DEL::DEL]
These dates will usually be the same unless the transaction is subject to a
condition beyond the control of the parties.
vi. Please refer to the situation disclosed in the previous notification, In
case the situation previous to the triggering transaction was below 3%, please
state `below 3%'.
vii. If the holding has fallen below the minimum threshold , the notifying
party should not be obliged to disclose the extent of the holding, only that
the new holding is less than 3%.
For the case provided for in DTR5.2.1(a), there should be no disclosure of
individual holdings per party to the agreement unless a party individually
crosses or reaches an Article 9 threshold. This applies upon entering into,
introducing changes to or terminating an agreement.
viii. Direct and indirect
ix In case of combined holdings of shares with voting rights attached `direct
holding' and voting rights `indirect holdings', please split the voting rights
number and percentage into the direct and indirect columns-if there is no
combined holdings, please leave the relevant box blank.
x Voting rights attached to shares in respect of which the notifying party is a
direct shareholder (DTR 5.1)
xi. Voting rights held by the notifying party as an indirect shareholder (DTR
5.2.1)
xii If the holding has fallen below the minimum threshold, the notifying party
should not be obliged to disclose the extent of the holding, only that the new
holding is below 3%.
xiii date of maturity / expiration of the finical instrument i.e. the date when
the right to acquire shares ends.
xiv If the financial instrument has such a period-please specify the period-
for example once every three months starting from the [date]
xv. The notification should include the name(s) of the controlled undertakings
through which the voting rights are held. The notification should also include
the amount of voting rights and the percentage held by each controlled
undertaking, insofar as individually the controlled undertaking holds 3% or
more, and insofar as the notification by the parent undertaking is intended to
cover the notification obligations of the controlled undertaking.
xvi. This annex is only to be filed with the competent authority.
xvii. Whenever another person makes the notification on behalf of the
shareholder or the natural person/legal entity referred to in DTR5.2 and
DTR5.3.