Holding(s) in Company

Smith WH PLC
31 March 2003

                  DEALINGS BY SUBSTANTIAL SHAREHOLDERS


1)   NAME OF COMPANY

     WH SMITH PLC


2)   NAME OF SHAREHOLDER HAVING A MAJOR INTEREST

     EDWARD C JOHNSON 3RD
     PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDER OF FMR CORP. AND FIDELITY INTERNATIONAL LIMITED


3)   Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of 
     holding of the Shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a 
     non-beneficial interest or in the case of an individual holder if it is a
     holding of that person's spouse or children under the age of 18

     SEE BELOW


4)   Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the 
     number of shares held by each of them.

     SEE BELOW


5)   Number of shares/amount of stock acquired.

     N/A


6)   ( N/A %) of issued Class


7)   Number of shares/amount of stock disposed

     N/A


8)   ( N/A %) of issued Class


9)   Class of security

     ORDINARY SHARES OF 55 5/9 PENCE EACH


10)  Date of transaction

     N/A


11)  Date company informed

     28 MARCH 2003


12)  Total holding following this notification

     28,384,529

               
13)  Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

     11.36%


14)  Any additional information



15)  Name of contact and telephone number for queries

     A LAM
     01793 562489


16)  Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for 
     making this notification


     Date of Notification 31 MARCH 2003


NOTIFICATIONS UNDER SECTIONS 198 TO 202 -- UK COMPANIES ACT

1. Company in which shares are held:   SMITH (WH) PLC

2. Notifiable Interest:   ORDINARY SHARES

     A     FMR Corp
           82 Devonshire Street
           Boston, MA 02109

           Parent holding company of Fidelity Management Trust Company 
           (FMTC), a US state chartered bank which acts as a trustee or 
           investment manager of various pension and trust accounts.
           (See Schedule A for listing of Registered Shareholders and their 
           holdings.)

     B     Fidelity International Limited (FIL)
           P.O. BOX HM 670
           Hamilton HMCX, Bermuda

           Parent holding company for various direct and indirect subsidiaries,
           including Fidelity Investment Services Ltd (FISL), and Fidelity
           Pension Management (FPM), investment managers for various non-US
           investment companies and institutional clients.  
           (See Schedule A for listing of Registered Shareholders and 
           their holdings).

3.     The notifiable interests also comprise the notifiable interest of

           Mr Edward C Johnson 3d
           82 Devonshire Street
           Boston, MA 02109

           Principal shareholder of FMR Corp. and Fidelity 
           International Limited.

4.     The notifiable interests include interest held on behalf of authorized
       unit trust schemes in the U.K. notwithstanding the exemption from 
       reporting pursuant to Section 209 (1)(h) of the Companies Act 1985.

5.     These notifications of disclosable interests constitute separate
       notifications of interest in the shares and are combined solely for 
       the purposes of clarity. Nothing herein should be taken to indicate 
       that FMR Corp. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, 
       Fidelity International Limited and its direct and indirect subsidiaries
       or Mr Edward C Johnson 3d act as a group or in concert in respect of 
       the disclosed interests, or that they are required to submit these 
       notifications on a joint basis.

6.     The disclosable interests arise under section 208(4) (b) of the Act,
       namely where a person, not being the registered holder, is entitled
       to exercise a right conferred by the holding of the shares or to 
       control the exercise of such rights, or under section 203 of the Act
       respectively.

SCHEDULE A

SECURITY: (W H) PLC                                 Amendment No. 18


                      SHARES HELD   MANAGEMENT   NOMINEE/REGISTERED
                                     COMPANY     NAME

(Ordinary Shares)

                          1,500          FMTC     State Street Nominees Ltd
                         10,000          FMTC     
                      9,217,725          FISL     Chase Nominees Limited
                        492,429           FPM     RBS Trust Bank
                        344,100           FPM     Bank of New York Europe
                        156,959           FPM     Nortrust Nominees Ltd
                         63,700           FPM     BT Globenet Nominees Ltd
                         90,200           FPM     MSS Nominees Ltd
                        483,030           FPM     Chase Nominees Ltd
                        186,690           FPM     Citibank
                        812,014           FPM     Bankers Trust
                         31,895           FPM     Mellon Nominees Ltd
                        157,550           FPM     Northern Trust
                        976,932           FIL     RBS Trust Bank
                        385,600           FIL     Chase Nominees Ltd
                        619,428           FIL     Nortrust Nominees Ltd
                        229,029           FIL     Morgan Stanley
                        134,660           FIL     Bankers Trust
                        954,010           FIL     Northern Trust
                         77,340           FIL     Citibank
                      9,013,043           FIL     HSBC, London
                        132,440           FIL     BT Globenet Nominees Ltd
                      1,793,847           FIL     Bank of New York - London
                        417,743           FIL     JP Morgan
                        692,591           FIL     Chase Manhattan Bank London
                        465,174           FIL     State Street Bank & Trust
                        271,500           FIL     State Street Nominees Ltd
                        173,000           FIL     Bank of New York Brussels

                     
TOTAL ORDINARY SHARES: 28,384,529

CURRENT OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGE:  11.36%

SHARES IN ISSUE:       249,899,308

CHANGE IN HOLDINGS SINCE
 LAST FILING:           (3,369,848) ordinary shares


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange