Director/PDMR Shareholding

Guinness Peat Group PLC
16 March 2006


                            GUINNESS PEAT GROUP PLC


Guinness Peat Group ("GPG") announces the grant of options on 15 March 2006 in
accordance with its 2002 Executive Share Option Scheme over the ordinary 5p
shares of GPG ("GPG Shares") at an exercise price of 89.8 pence and exercisable
between 15 March 2009 and 15 March 2016 as follows:


Sir Ron Brierley                    150,000            options
Graeme Cureton                      600,000            options
Tony Gibbs                          600,000            options
Blake Nixon                         600,000            options
Gary Weiss                          600,000            options



Following this grant these directors will hold options over GPG Shares as
follows:


                                 Aggregate no. of        Exercise prices            Exercisable
                                          Options        between (pence)
                                                                                   between dates

Sir Ron Brierley                        2,729,704            27.1 - 89.8            08/05/1999 - 15/03/2016
Graeme Cureton                         11,366,951            26.2 - 89.8            11/04/1999 - 15/03/2016
Tony Gibbs                             11,509,321            27.1 - 89.8            08/05/1999 - 15/03/2016
Blake Nixon                             9,638,630            27.4 - 89.8            01/09/2000 - 15/03/2016
Gary Weiss                             10,811,405            27.4 - 89.8            08/05/1999 - 15/03/2016



These directors currently also hold the following interests in the shares of GPG
and/or its quoted subsidiary companies:



Interests in the ordinary shares of Guinness Peat Group plc


Sir Ron Brierley                                               32,211,663
Graeme Cureton                                                  1,012,294
Tony Gibbs                                                      2,737,209
Blake Nixon                                                     7,918,910
Gary Weiss                                                     10,905,699



Interests in the ordinary shares of Capral Aluminium Ltd (listed on the
Australian Stock Exchange)


Gary Weiss                                                         43,255
Graeme Cureton                                                    144,000



Interests in the ordinary shares of Turners and Growers Ltd (listed on the New
Zealand Stock Exchange)


Tony Gibbs                                                         54,569




Richard Russell
Company Secretary
Guinness Peat Group plc
Tel: [phone]
16 March 2006


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