1st Quarter Trading Update

GUS PLC
24 July 2002

24 July 2002


                                    GUS PLC

                          FIRST QUARTER TRADING UPDATE

GUS plc, the retail and business services group, which today holds its AGM,
issues its regular update on trading in its main businesses.

John Peace, Group Chief Executive of GUS, said:

'The successful partial flotation of Burberry earlier this month was an
important further step in the strategic focusing of GUS.  All of our businesses
are on plan in the first quarter and we look forward to the rest of the year
with confidence.'

Experian

% change in sales year on year for the three months to 30 June 2002

                                                          Total        Total at constant exchange
                                                            %                   rates %

        Experian UK                                         10                     10
        Experian Rest of World                              14                     12

    Experian International                                  12                     11

    Experian North America                                  1                      4

Global Experian                                             5                      7

Experian's total worldwide sales for the first quarter increased by 5%, or 7% at
constant exchange rates.

Experian International, which accounts for nearly 40% of worldwide sales, grew
sales by 11% in the first quarter at constant exchange rates.  Excluding
acquisitions and disposals and at constant exchange rates, underlying sales for
Experian International were up by 10% in the quarter, with the UK growing by 8%
and Rest of World by 12%. This was led by strong performances in Marketing
Information, Credit Information and Credit Solutions in the UK, with
double-digit growth in Outsourcing and Credit Information in Rest of World.

In dollars, sales in Experian North America grew by 4% in the first quarter.
Excluding acquisitions, underlying sales in dollars were 4% below the same
period last year.  However, had the sales of the recently acquired
ConsumerInfo.com been included within Experian North America for the comparative
period last year, underlying sales in the first quarter of this year would have
been unchanged.  ConsumerInfo.com was acquired in April 2002 as a key part of
Experian North America's strategy to expand in the growing direct-to-consumer
market.  Its sales, which reached $20m in the first quarter, exceeded
expectations, growing by three-quarters compared to the same period last year.

Excluding acquisitions, Credit Information and Credit Solutions continued to
deliver sales well ahead of the same period last year, led by strong
performances from prescreen, risk management and direct-to-consumer.  However,
in common with other direct marketing services companies, sales in Marketing
Information, Marketing Solutions and Outsourcing were again lower year-on-year,
especially as a large automotive marketing contract, which contributed 4% to
sales in Q1 last year, was not repeated in the current year.

Cost efficiency programmes continued in the first quarter, building on last
year's $40m of annualised savings.  FARES, the real estate information joint
venture, again performed strongly in the first quarter.

Argos Retail Group

% change in sales year on year for the three months to 30 June 2002
                                                                      %


Argos*  -  total                                                      10
        -  like-for-like                                               5
UK Home Shopping#                                                     (2)

*   These figures exclude Argos Additions and jungle.com.

#  This figure excludes sales in stationery and printing activities, which were
sold last year.

UK consumer spending moderated in the first quarter, as expected, but Argos has
continued to perform ahead of the market with a programme of growth initiatives
aimed at improving choice, value and convenience. Excluding Argos Additions and
jungle.com, sales at Argos in the first quarter increased by 10% in total over
the same period last year.  Like-for-like sales grew by 5%, building on 12%
like-for-like sales growth in the same quarter last year.

In the first quarter at Argos, sales were particularly strong in furniture and
electricals.  Sales through Argos Direct, the delivery to home operation, grew
by one-third to account for 20% of sales. Gross margins were in line with last
year.

The Autumn/Winter 2002 catalogue, which is launched at the end of July, will
have 11,400 lines, an increase of 28% over the 2001 equivalent.  This will
further expand the range offered to Argos customers in areas such as furniture,
textiles, bedding and housewares.

Sales at UK Home Shopping for the first quarter were 2% lower than last year.
Within this, agency home shopping sales were again below last year, although
average spend per customer continued to increase.  Sales from direct catalogues,
including Marshall Ward and Abound, grew strongly.  Gross margins were unchanged
from those of last year.

Other initiatives in Argos Retail Group continued to progress well.  To focus
further ARG's portfolio of businesses, Family Hampers, whose sales in the year
to March 2002 were £47m, was sold in July 2002 for £5.5m, £4m in excess of its
net assets.

Burberry

% change in sales year on year for the three months to 30 June 2002
                                                                       %

Total                                                                 12
Total at constant exchange rates                                      13

Total sales at Burberry in the first quarter increased by 12% and by 5% on an
underlying basis (at constant exchange rates and excluding the impact of the
Asia acquisition in January 2002).

Total Retail sales increased by 20% with double digit growth achieved on an
underlying basis, reflecting the benefit of new store openings and sales growth
at existing stores.

As previously announced, Burberry anticipates that its Wholesale sales for the
Autumn/Winter 2002 season, the large majority of which are scheduled to be
shipped in the second quarter, will be broadly unchanged compared to the prior
year.  Wholesale sales were up by 4% in the first quarter but were slightly down
on an underlying basis due to the timing of shipments between quarters.

Total licence revenue increased by 13%, reflecting continued strong growth in
Japanese royalties.  Over the balance of the year, licence revenue will be
increasingly impacted by last year's depreciation of the Yen/Sterling exchange
rate as well as by the termination or absorption into Wholesale operations of
certain product licences.

Future announcements

GUS' First Half Trading Update will be on 15 October 2002 and it will announce
its interim results on 21 November 2002.

Enquiries

GUS
David Tyler                Finance Director                   020 7495 0070
Fay Dodds                  IR Director

Finsbury
Rollo Head                                                    020 7251 3801
Jenna Littler

GUS announcements are available on its web site www.gusplc.com.

This announcement does not constitute an invitation to underwrite, subscribe for
or otherwise acquire or dispose of any GUS plc or Burberry Group plc shares.
Past performance is not a guide to future performance and persons needing advice
should consult an independent financial adviser.

Shares in Burberry Group plc have not been and will not be registered under the
US Securities Act of 1933 and have not been and will not be offered or sold in
the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration.  No
public offering of securities is being made in the United States.

Certain statements made in this Trading Update are forward looking statements.
Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to a number of
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from any expected future results in forward looking statements.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange