Chairman's AGM Statement

ALLEN PLC
28 July 1999 
                               
                           ALLEN PLC
 (Hire Services, Housebuilding, Civil Engineering Contracting,
   Building Contracting, Property Development & Investment)
                               
                    GOOD START TO THE YEAR
                               
*    Hire Services like-for-like sales up 13% in first quarter
*    Housebuilding continues to benefit from low interest
        rates and modest price increases
*    Encouraging level of tender opportunities exist in civil
        engineering and utilities
*    Ongoing concentration on margin improvement in a tight
        building contracting market
*    Group confident of another good result

Speaking  at  the Annual General Meeting in Manchester  today,
Donald Greenhalgh, the Chairman, made the following comments:

'We have had a good start to the year with the results for the
first  quarter showing profits ahead of the equivalent  period
last year.

'The  Hire  Services Division, which last year  accounted  for
over  60%  of operating profits, is continuing to show  strong
growth and compared to the first quarter of last year like-for-
like sales are up 13% and overall sales up 19%.

'Our  housebuilding companies are continuing to  benefit  from
low  interest  rates.  Completions are running  at  a  similar
level  to  those  achieved at the start of 1998,  and  we  are
starting to see increases in selling prices.  This augurs well
for another good result.

The  year has started well for our civil engineering companies
with D.J Ryan benefiting from an increased volume of work from
the utilities sector.


'We remain cautiously optimistic that our building contracting
companies will show an improvement on last year.  At  the  end
of June we had work in hand of £98 million.

'Overall  we  are  in an excellent position  to  continue  our
growth  and  I  am confident that we shall be able  to  report
another  record  result  at the end of the  current  financial
year.'


For further information contact:

Ken Fox (Chief Executive)                        01204 699277
Neil O'Brien (Finance Director)                  01204 699277
                                              (2.30 pm - 5.00 pm)

Brian Coleman-Smith                              0171-786 9600
Binns & Co Public Relations                  (12.15 pm -  6.00 pm)