Offer Update

Trinity Mirror PLC 19 October 2005 THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN. RECOMMENDED CASH OFFER OF 20.25 PENCE PER SHARE BY UBS INVESTMENT BANK ON BEHALF OF TRINITY MIRROR ACQUISITIONS LIMITED (A WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF TRINITY MIRROR PLC) FOR THE HOTGROUP PLC OFFER EXTENDED TO 25 OCTOBER 2005 1. Level of acceptances On 13 September 2005, UBS Investment Bank made a recommended cash offer (the 'Offer') on behalf of Trinity Mirror Acquisitions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Trinity Mirror, to acquire the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of hotgroup for 20.25 pence per hotgroup Share in cash. The Directors of Trinity Mirror are pleased to announce that, as at 3.00 p.m. on 18 October 2005, being the closing date of the Offer as announced on 4 October 2005, valid acceptances of the Offer had been received in respect of a total of 220,908,736 hotgroup Shares, representing approximately 88.07 per cent. of the existing issued share capital of hotgroup. Prior to the announcement of the Offer on 1 September 2005, Trinity Mirror Acquisitions had received irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer from the hotgroup Directors in respect of a total of 23,807,340 hotgroup Shares representing approximately 9.49 per cent. of the existing issued share capital of hotgroup (9.54 per cent. of the issued share capital of hotgroup immediately prior to announcement of the Offer). Valid acceptances have been received in respect of all these hotgroup Shares as shown below: Directors of hotgroup Number of hotgroup Shares Irrevocably Committed Anthony Reeves 8,557,468 Harvey Sinclair 3,025,633 Steve Wright 403,162 Don Hanson 11,505,680 John Sanderson 315,397 Prior to the announcement of the Offer on 1 September 2005, Trinity Mirror Acquisitions had also received an irrevocable undertaking to accept the Offer from Morley Fund Management in respect of a total of 24,327,796 hotgroup Shares representing approximately 9.70 per cent. of the existing issued share capital of hotgroup (9.75 per cent. of the issued share capital of hotgroup immediately prior to announcement of the Offer). In addition, it was announced on 1 September 2005 that an undertaking to accept (or procure the acceptance of) the Offer had been received from New Star Asset Management in respect of 24,226,019 hotgroup Shares, representing 9.66 per cent. of the existing issued share capital of hotgroup (9.71 per cent. of the issued share capital of hotgroup immediately prior to announcement of the Offer). As announced on 30 September 2005, Trinity Mirror has been informed by New Star Asset Management that its holding of hotgroup Shares is 20,496,799 representing 8.17% of the existing issued share capital of hotgroup, and that its irrevocable undertaking should have been given in respect of this lower figure. New Star Asset Management has confirmed that in all other respects its irrevocable undertaking remains correct and legally binding. Valid acceptances have been received in respect of all these hotgroup Shares as shown below: Morley Fund Management 24,327,796 New Star Asset Management 20,496,799 On such revised basis, Trinity Mirror Acquisitions had received irrevocable undertakings to accept (or procure the acceptance of) the Offer in respect of an aggregate of 68,631,935 hotgroup Shares, representing approximately 27.36% of the Company's existing issued share capital. Save as disclosed in this announcement and in the Offer Document, neither Trinity Mirror nor Trinity Mirror Acquisitions nor any person acting in concert with Trinity Mirror or Trinity Mirror Acquisitions for the purposes of the Offer held any hotgroup Shares (or rights over such shares) before 22 June 2005, the first day of the Offer Period, nor has any such person acquired or agreed to acquire any such shares (or rights over such shares) since the commencement of the Offer Period. 2. Extension of the Offer The Offer, which remains subject to the terms and conditions set out in the Offer Document, is being extended for 7 days and will remain open for acceptance until the next closing date which will be 3.00 p.m. on 25 October 2005. (Any further extensions of the Offer will be publicly announced by 8.00 a.m. on the business day following the day on which the Offer was otherwise due to expire, or such later time or date as the Panel may agree). hotgroup Shareholders who have not yet accepted the Offer and who hold hotgroup Shares in certificated form are urged to complete, sign and return the Form of Acceptance as soon as possible and, in any event, so as to be received by post or by hand by Lloyds TSB Registrars, Princess House, 1 Suffolk Lane, London EC4R no later than 3.00 p.m. (London time) on 25 October 2005. If you hold your hotgroup Shares in uncertificated form (that is, in CREST) you are urged to accept the Offer by TTE instructions as soon as possible and, in any event, so as to be settled not later than 3.00 p.m. on 25 October 2005. All terms defined in the Offer Document have the same meaning in this announcement, unless the context requires otherwise. ENQUIRIES Trinity Mirror Sly Bailey +44 (0) 20 7293 3000 Vijay Vaghela +44 (0) 20 7293 3000 UBS Investment Bank (financial adviser to Trinity Mirror) Adam Joy +44 (0) 20 7567 8000 Jonathan Evans +44 (0) 20 7567 8000 UBS Investment Bank is acting exclusively for Trinity Mirror and for no one else in relation to the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than Trinity Mirror for providing the protections afforded to clients of UBS Investment Bank or for giving advice in relation to the Offer or any other matter referred to in this announcement. The distribution of this announcement in jurisdictions other than the UK may be restricted by law and therefore any persons who are subject to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the UK should inform themselves about, and observe, any applicable requirements. This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with English law and the City Code and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside the UK. The Offer is not being made, and will not be made, directly or indirectly, in or into, or by the use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality (including, without limitation, telephonically or electronically) of interstate or foreign commerce or by any facilities of a national securities exchange of, the United States of America, Canada, Australia or Japan and the Offer will not be capable of acceptance by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility or from within those jurisdictions. Accordingly, copies of this announcement are not being, and must not be, mailed, transmitted or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent, in whole or in part, in, into or from the United States of America, Canada, Australia or Japan. Custodians, nominees and trustees should observe these restrictions and should not send or distribute this announcement in, into or from the United States of America, Canada, Australia or Japan. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of the securities referred to in this announcement in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. The Offer is made solely by the Offer Document and the Form of Acceptance accompanying the Offer Document (both dated and despatched on 13 September 2005), which contains the full terms and conditions of the Offer, including details of how the Offer may be accepted. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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