Hartley International Ltd Acquired for £2.55m

Sage Group PLC
6 January 2000


          THE SAGE GROUP PLC ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF
        HARTLEY INTERNATIONAL LIMITED FOR £2.55 MILLION

The   Sage  Group  plc  ('Sage'),  the  leading  supplier   of
accounting software, today announces that its subsidiary  Sage
Software  Limited  has  completed the acquisition  of  Hartley
International   Limited,  based  in  Bristol,   for   a   cash
consideration of £2.55 million.

Hartley produces statutory accounts production software, which
it  sells to over 800 professional accounting practices in the UK.

Enquiries:

The Sage Group plc               0191 255 3000
Aidan Hughes, Finance Director   
Web-site address:                
http://www.Sage.com
                                 
Financial Dynamics               0171 831 3113
Jon Earl