Acquisition

GUS PLC
25 March 2003



25 March 2003


                                    GUS plc


      Acquisition for £70m by Experian of outstanding interests in Scorex


Experian, the global business solutions company owned by GUS plc, today
announces that it has acquired the outstanding stakes in its joint ventures with
Scorex, the credit decision solutions company.  The purchase price is £70m in
cash, of which £6.4m is deferred over three years.


The Scorex business was started in 1986.  In 1996, Experian entered into joint
venture agreements with Scorex for the global marketing of credit solutions, the
majority of which relate to credit scoring, application processing, risk
management and fraud.  These joint ventures, in which Experian generally has
just over a 50% stake, operate in many markets including the United Kingdom,
Italy, the United States, France, South Africa, Spain, and Canada.  Sales in the
year to March 2003 are expected to be about £30m.


This important acquisition gives Experian additional scale in the growing credit
decision solutions market. By combining the Scorex joint ventures with
Experian's already strong presence in many countries, the merged business will
become truly global.  It will benefit from the combined expertise of a single
management team and an integrated product range.  Experian's growth in global
credit decision solutions will be accelerated, especially in the United States,
where it will be able to offer services more effectively to major clients.


The acquisition is expected to generate a double-digit post-tax return on
capital and to be slightly accretive to earnings per share immediately.


In addition to his current role, John Saunders, Chief Executive of Experian
International, will take on worldwide responsibility for Experian's new Global
Decision Solutions business.  This will incorporate both the Scorex products and
Experian-developed risk management products, with operations in 17 countries.
Experian's annual sales of credit decision solutions products are about £150m to
clients in over 60 countries.


Commenting on the acquisition, John Saunders, Chief Executive of Experian
International, said:


'The full merger of Experian's decision solutions business with Scorex
consolidates and strengthens our already solid position in the UK, Europe and
Asia Pacific. It also gives us an excellent base on which to build our market
share in the US, the world's largest consumer market.  We have two outstanding
product ranges and by combining sales, marketing and delivery capabilities, we
will be able to bring new products more quickly to market and provide stronger,
more leading-edge solutions to a global market place.'



Enquiries:


GUS
David Tyler           Finance Director                             020 7495 0070
Fay Dodds             Director of Investor Relations


Finsbury
Rupert Younger                                                     020 7251 3801
Rollo Head



The announcement is also available on the GUS web site www.gusplc.com.



Notes to editors:



About GUS

GUS is a retail and business services group.  We provide information and
customer relationship management services through Experian, multi-channel
retailing and home delivery through Argos Retail Group and luxury goods through
a majority shareholding in Burberry Group plc.



About Experian

Experian provides strategic support to organisations around the world.  It helps
its clients target, acquire, manage and develop profitable customer
relationships.  Experian works with more than 40,000 clients across diverse
industries, including financial services, telecommunications, healthcare,
insurance, retail and catalogue, automotive, manufacturing, leisure, utilities,
property, e-commerce and government. Experian has headquarters in Nottingham,
UK, and Costa Mesa, California.  It has a 175-year history and unbroken sales
growth over the past 22 years.  Its 13,000 people support clients in more than
sixty countries. Annual sales exceed £1.1 billion, of which about two-thirds
come from Experian North America and the balance from Experian International,
mainly the United Kingdom and Continental Europe.


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