Chairman's Statement

Anglian Group PLC
25 July 2000


Contact:
Eddie Boss, Chief Executive         Anglian Group PLC   Tel no: 01603 787000
Robert Aitken, Finance Director
Tom Baldock                         Financial Dynamics  Tel no: 020 7831 3113

                                       
                           Chairman's AGM Statement

Speaking  at  the company's Annual General Meeting today, David Perry, 
Anglian Group's Chairman said:

Underlying  profit on trading was in line with market expectations 
immediately following  the  trading  statement on 2 February, but final 
operating  profits benefited from recoveries of £1.8m under insurance claims
primarily related  to the power supply interruption last August.

With  £44m of cash returned to shareholders in May 1999, profit before tax 
was inevitably  affected by a significant drop in interest income, though 
earnings per  share benefited from the improved capital structure.  Cash
generation  for the year was better than expected and the group closed the
year with £13.5m  of cash.

The  supply and installation issues last year created a break in our three
year record of 20% plus per annum earnings per share growth.

These  issues were overcome towards the end of the financial year, and we 
have since  improved  customer service with a greater specialist  focus  on 
product categories in consumer home improvements, with a new warehouse
facility for the new  house  build  market and a return to full capacity  for 
tendering  public sector refurbishment.

Turning  to the current year, as outlined in the Group's preliminary 
statement on  6  June 2000, we expect the trading environment for the coming
year  to  be challenging.  Cumulative order intake remains below last year's
buoyant  levels and, as we warned, cost inflation continues to have an impact.

We  continue  to drive for increased efficiency across all our activities 
with particular  emphasis on our manufacturing to achieve cost, quality and 
service improvements  and to mitigate competitive and inflationary margin 
pressure  as far  as  possible.  We remain cash generative and, with last
year's  production problems  now  firmly  behind  us, look forward to 
re-establishing  profitable growth in due course.

As part of our continuing commitment to delivering shareholder value, on 17
May we bought back for cancellation just over 7 million shares at £1.50 each,
under the mandate given to the board at the last AGM, thus reducing the share
capital to just over 64 million shares.

Finally,  I would like to thank our employees and suppliers for their
continued commitment to our company's success.