Trading Statement

Acal PLC
29 September 2003




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         29 SEPTEMBER 2003



                                    ACAL plc


(A leading pan-European, value added distributor providing specialist design-in,
sales and marketing services for international suppliers)


                                 Trading Update


In parallel with meetings with investors and analysts, we are updating the
market on trading since the last statement made in the Annual Report in June
2003.


Although the bookings remain above billings in the Electronic Components
Division, the improvement seen in the first quarter of our financial year has
not been sustained in the first two months of the second quarter, particularly
in Continental Europe where the year-on-year decline has not yet been reversed.
In the UK we are in line with our expectations.


Within the IT Products Group we have not achieved the growth we were expecting
in document management and networking products, although our Fibre Channel
products continue growth in line with expectations.


The smaller companies in IT Parts Services in France and the Netherlands
continue to have structural problems which we are addressing; elsewhere the
business remains flat year-on-year. The impact of this has been compensated for
by the successful acquisition of Computer Parts International Ltd in May this
year.


Finally, Industrial products continue to perform in line with expectations.


Gross margins continue to be strong and whilst tight control is being maintained
on overheads, they include this year higher costs relating to our new ERP system
- the benefits from which will show in future periods. Disappointingly there
have been two bad debts in the Netherlands totalling £0.5m which are well above
the level of bad debts incurred in a normal year.


Although there are some early signs of an economic recovery, overall we will not
see progress in the current financial year.


The results for the half year to 30th September 2003 will be announced on

1st December 2003.



For further information:-

Jim Virdee - Finance Director                                  01483 544500                       

Tony Laughton - Chief Executive                                01483 544500
                        
Brian Coleman-Smith - Beattie Financial                        020 7398 3300
            

Notes to Editors:-


1                    The Acal Group is a leading European, value-added
distributor providing specialist design-in, sales and marketing services for
international suppliers in the fields of Electronic Components, Information
Technology Products, IT Parts Services and Industrial Controls. Its value-added
philosophy and geographic coverage enables Acal to provide specialist knowledge
and support to customers on a pan-European basis.


2                    Design-in is the process by which Acal's sales engineers
work with customers and suppliers to procure components which meet the specific
technical and performance needs of the customers.


3                    Acal has operating companies in the UK, Netherlands,
Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Scandinavia and the USA.






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