Director Shareholding

Smith WH PLC
22 April 2005


                                                                   22 April 2005



                                  WH Smith PLC
                                        
                                        
                      Notification of Interests of Director
                                        

Alan Stewart, Group Finance Director of WHSmith, today purchased 82,194 shares
in the Company at a price of 365.0p under the rules of the Management Investment
Plan (MIP), which was approved by shareholders on 23 September 2004. This
represents his entire shareholding in WHSmith.

Since the introduction of the MIP last year, 90% of the senior managers invited
to participate in the plan have elected to invest in shares under the plan.
Their aggregate investment represents a take-up rate of 91% of the total amount
that could have been invested by these participants in the MIP.


                                      -Ends-

Enquiries:

WH Smith PLC
Louise Evans     Head of Media Relations     020 7851 8850

Brunswick
Tom Buchanan                                 020 7404 5959
Pamela Small


Note to Editors
The MIP was approved at an EGM on 23 September 2004 and 96% of votes cast were
in favour of the plan. Immediately following shareholder approval those invited
to participate in the MIP were required to confirm their commitment within 3
weeks.

The MIP is a three-year plan that provides the executive directors and selected
members of senior management with the opportunity to demonstrate their
commitment to, and belief in, the plans for the WH Smith Group by investing
their own money to buy ordinary shares.

Under the terms of the MIP, executive directors (Group Chief Executive and Group
Finance Director) were invited to invest 100 per cent of gross salary, and other
members of senior management were invited to invest up to a maximum of 75 per
cent of gross salary.

Participants will be granted a matching award over ordinary shares, which will
be exercisable provided that certain demanding corporate performance conditions
are met, their investment is retained over a period of three years and they
continue to be employed by the Company.



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