Holding(s) in Company

Smith WH PLC
18 January 2005


                           SCHEDULE 10
 
             NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES


1)   NAME OF COMPANY

     WH SMITH PLC

2)   NAME OF SHAREHOLDER HAVING A MAJOR INTEREST

     FMR CORP & 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 LETTER DATED 17 JANUARY 2005

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

      SEE BELOW LETTER DATED 17 JANUARY 2005

5)   Number of shares/amount of stock acquired.

     N/A

6)   Percentage of issued Class


7)   Number of shares/amount of stock disposed
     N/A
      
8)   Percentage of issued Class


9)   Class of security

      ORDINARY SHARES OF 2 13/81 PENCE EACH

10)  Date of transaction

     N/A

11)  Date company informed

     17 JANUARY 2005

12)  Total holding following this notification

      3,231,380
               
13)  Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

      LESS THAN 3%

14)  Any additional information



15)  Name of contact and telephone number for queries

     MISS A LAM  [phone]

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


     Date of Notification .....18 JANUARY 2005.............

Letter to Smith (WH) Plc
Dated 17 January 2005

Enclosed are closing amended notifications of disclosable interests under the
U.K. Companies Act 1985. Please note that while this information details the
disclosable interests of more than one entity, the enclosed disclosure
constitutes separate notifications of interest which have been combined solely
for purposes of clarity and efficiency. It is not intended to indicate that any
of these entities act as a group or in concert with respect to these interests.

These disclosures are made in the interest of conformity with the Companies Act.
The interest detailed herein were acquired solely for investment purposes. For
disclosure purposes, holdings should be represented as FMR Corp. and its direct
and indirect subsidiaries, and Fidelity international Limited (FIL) and its
direct and indirect subsidiaries, both being non-beneficial holders.

Letter from Fidelity Investments


Closing Amendment # 36

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 & Research Company 
           (FMRCO), investment manager for US mutual funds (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

           A 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 and efficiency.  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.

7.     Inasmuch as there is no disclosable interest of 3% or greater of the 
       share capital, FMR Corp. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, and 
       Fidelity International Limited and its direct and indirect subsidiaries 
       have no further reporting obligation under Section 198 to 202 of the UK 
       Companies Act. This statement speaks as of its date, and no inference 
       should be drawn that no change has occurred in the facts set forth herein 
       after the date hereof.


SCHEDULE A

SECURITY: Smith (WH) Plc...                              Closing Amendment # 36


                      SHARES HELD   MANAGEMENT   NOMINEE/REGISTERED
                                     COMPANY     NAME

                         200,516       FII       JP MORGAN BOURNEMOUTH Total
                       3,030,864      FISL       JP MORGAN, BOURNEMOUTH Total
                       3,231,380                 Grand Total Ordinary Shares                   



CURRENT OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGE:   1.79%

SHARES IN ISSUE:     180,449,902

CHANGE IN HOLDINGS SINCE
 LAST FILING:         (3,924,703) ordinary shares







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