Notice of Major Interest

Shires Smaller Companies PLC
12 March 2004


                                  SCHEDULE 10

                   NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES

1)Name of company: Shires Smaller Companies plc

2)Name of shareholder having a major interest: Universities Superannuation
Scheme Ltd

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: as above

4)Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the number of
shares held by each of them: not disclosed

5)Number of shares/amount of stock acquired: 174,761

6)Percentage of issued class:

7)Number of shares/amount of stock disposed

8)Percentage of issued class

9)Class of security: Ordinary 50p shares

10)Date of transaction: not disclosed

11)Date company informed: 1 March 2004

12)Total holding following this notification: 800,000

13)Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification: 3.655%

14)Any additional information

15)Name of contact and telephone number for queries: Yvonne Craig - 0141 572
2700

16)Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for making this
notification: Michael A Carney


Date of notification: 12 March 2004








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