Directors' Dealings

SMITH (W.H.) GROUP PLC
10 August 1999



WH Smith Group PLC (the 'Company')

WH Smith Employees' Share Trust 1999 (the 'Trust')

In accordance with Chapter 16 Paragraph 13 of the Listing Rules, notification is
hereby given that:

On 3 August 1999 the Trustee of the above Trust, Mourant & Co. Trustees Limited,
purchased 950,000 Ordinary Shares of 55 5/9 pence each at a price of 613 pence
per share.

As the Trust is a discretionary trust established for the purpose of satisfying
awards made under the WH Smith Group Share Award Scheme, we write to advise you
that the following executive directors of the Company, being potential
beneficiaries of the Trust, are considered to be interested in these shares:

R G Handover
K Hamill
T M Hely Hutchinson
Ms B C Hodson
L J Wigglesworth

The total shareholding in the Trust now amounts to 950,000 Ordinary Shares.