Acquisition

McBride PLC
12 February 2007

McBride plc

12 February 2007

McBride, Europe's leading provider of Private Label Household and Personal Care
products, announces the acquisition of Dasty Italia SpA

McBride plc ('McBride') today announces the acquisition of Dasty Italia SpA 
('Dasty'), a privately owned manufacturer of private label household cleaning
liquids, for a total enterprise value of approximately €29 million.

Acquisition highlights

• Creates the clear leader in Italian private label household products

• Enhances materially McBride's share in the growing Italian discount sector

• Considerable further potential for the combined business

• Dasty's latest reported annual revenue and profit before tax were
  €40.4 million and €3.6 million respectively(1)

• Expected to enhance earnings per share in the first full year of ownership(2)

McBride's strategy is to lead the development of private label household and
personal care products in Europe through a focus on organic growth supplemented
by selected acquisitions. The acquisition of Dasty is highly complementary to
McBride's existing Italian operations in terms of both products and customers.
It broadly doubles the scale of McBride's Italian business.

Information on Dasty

Dasty was founded in 1993 and is a manufacturer of private label household
cleaning liquids, mainly in categories such as degreaser, heavy and light duty
liquids, toilet cleaners and cream cleaners. Nearly 80% of its revenues are
generated in Italy with most of the remainder sold in the Netherlands, Germany
and Spain. The company has a strong focus on the hard discount sector with over
half of all revenues coming from this sector in Italy.

Its production facilities are located about 30 miles north east of Milan and a
similar distance from McBride's existing Italian operations. They include a
large modern well invested factory that commenced production in 2003. It has
around 100 employees.

In the year ended 31 December 2005, Dasty reported (in compliance with Italian
GAAP and other local reporting requirements) revenues of €40.4 million and
operating profit and profit before tax of €3.9 million and €3.6 million
respectively. At 31 December 2005, Dasty's gross assets were €25.9 million.(1)

Italian retail and household products markets

The Italian retail market is fragmented by West European standards but
concentration has accelerated in recent years with the rise of supermarkets,
discount stores and hypermarkets fuelled partly by increased international
investment. Growth in these store formats is expected to continue with many
major retailers having significant store expansion programmes.

The Italian household products market is one of the largest in Europe with a
value in 2006 of €3.4 billion at retail selling price (source: IRI). Private
label penetration of the market is amongst the lowest in Western Europe at 21%
by volume.

The consolidating retail environment, coupled with growth of larger store
formats, where private label is generally more prevalent, and the current
relatively low share of private label in household products, are supportive for
the future of private label household products. The attractive profile of the
private label market is reflected in market data for 2006 indicating that
private label outperformed the overall Italian household products market in both
volume and value terms. Growth was particularly strong in household cleaners,
the segment in which Dasty is focused.

Terms of the acquisition

The transaction is to be effected by the acquisition of the whole of the issued
share capital of Dasty from the Arizzi family. Total consideration for the
acquisition of Dasty's share capital is expected to be approximately €24
million, subject to adjustment to the extent that net debt assumed on completion
exceeds or is less than €5 million. This represents a total enterprise value for
the business of approximately €29million. The consideration for the acquisition
of Dasty's share capital shall be payable from existing Group resources, in
cash, on completion, which is expected to occur on or around 28 February 2007.

Impact of the acquisition

Italy is one of McBride's largest geographic markets in terms of revenues and
the acquisition is expected to almost double the group's revenues in Italy,
making it McBride's third largest market. The Italian market is fragmented in
terms of producers of private label household products with several participants
of similar scale to McBride and Dasty, the combination of which will create the
clear market leader.

Dasty will be integrated into McBride's existing Italian business which is part
of the group's Western Continental Europe division. Dasty's current directors,
Fabrizio and Roberto Arizzi, have agreed to remain with McBride as part of the
enlarged Italian business. Integration of the acquisition is expected to be
complete within 12 months of completion and to give rise to significant revenue
and cost synergies.

Commenting on the acquisition, McBride's chief executive Miles Roberts said:

'Italy has been a successful market for McBride in recent years and we are
delighted with the opportunity Dasty presents to build on this. Dasty is a high
quality business and the combined business creates a great platform to build
further success in the Italian market and increase our business with the growing
discount sector.'

For further information please contact:

McBride plc
Miles Roberts, Chief Executive                                     07748 180076
Bob Beveridge, Finance Director                                    07876 593182

Financial Dynamics                                                 020 7831 3113
Andrew Dowler

(1)     The financial information relating to Dasty was reviewed by its Board of
        Auditors who issued a positive opinion on such information in accordance 
        with Article 2429 of the Italian Civil Code.

(2)     The statement regarding enhancement of earnings per share is before
        synergies, integration costs associated with the acquisition and 
        amortisation of acquired intangible assets. In addition, no statement in 
        this announcement is intended to constitute a profit forecast for the 
        financial years ending 30 June 2007 or any other period, nor should any 
        statements be interpreted to mean that earnings or earnings per share 
        will necessarily be greater or less than those for the relevant 
        preceding financial periods of McBride. Rather, these
        statements should be construed as references to potential enhancements 
        to the earnings that might otherwise have been earned during the 
        relevant financial period.

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