Acquisition

Inchcape PLC
25 March 2008

    INCHCAPE ACQUIRES REMAINING 24.9% STAKE IN ITS ST PETERSBURG BUSINESS IN
                        CONTINUED EXPANSION INTO RUSSIA

Inchcape plc ('Inchcape' or the 'Group'), the world's leading car retailer,
today announces that is has purchased the remaining 24.9% stake in its St
Petersburg business from its joint venture partner, Olimp Group, for a total
cash consideration of $54.8 million, (£27.7 million), from existing facilities.

This follows the announcement on 4 October 2007, that Inchcape had acquired a
75.1% shareholding in the retail businesses of OOO Orgtekhstroy ('OTS'), an Audi
retail business in St Petersburg and OOO Concord ('Concord'), a Peugeot retail
business, for a total cash consideration of £19.1m from the Olimp Group. This in
turn followed the Group's initial 75.1% acquisition of Olimp Group's Toyota/
Lexus retail business announced in August 2006 for a cash consideration of
£34.5m. Together, these five retail centres sold a combined volume of 8850 new
vehicles in 2007. There are additionally plans, also announced in October 2007,
to relocate the existing Rustavelli Toyota retail centre and construct a new
flagship Lexus retail centre in St Petersburg to operate our Lexus business in 
the city.

The acquisition gives Inchcape a significant presence in St Petersburg, the
second largest city in Russia, and is in line with the Group's strategy to
develop a scale position in Russia. It is another step in the implementation of
the Group's multi-brand retail footprint with its OEM brand partners, providing
broad segment coverage of one of the fastest growing markets in the world.

Andre Lacroix, Group Chief Executive of Inchcape, commented:

'This acquisition is directly in line with our strategy of building scale in 
Russia. The foreign car market grew by 64% in 2007 and we now have 100%
ownership of one of the largest automotive retail businesses in St Petersburg.

'The Group will be progressing with the expansion of this exciting business,
including an investment in the development of two new sites in St Petersburg for
Toyota and Lexus.'


For further information, please contact:

Group Communications, Inchcape plc
[phone]

Investor Relations, Inchcape plc
[phone]

Financial Dynamics (Jonathon Brill/Billy Clegg)
[phone]


Notes to editors

Inchcape plc

Inchcape plc is the leading independent, international automotive retailer, with
scale operations in Australia, Belgium, Greece, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK.
The Group also has operations in a number of other markets, including Eastern
Europe, the Baltic's, China, Russia and South America. In addition to growing
its core businesses, Inchcape is looking to develop scale operations in new and
emerging regions. It represents leading automotive brands and operates either a
retail, or a vertically integrated retail model (i.e. exclusive distribution and
retail), depending on the market. Inchcape's current key manufacturer partners
are Toyota/Lexus, Subaru, BMW, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi and Honda.

For further information, visit us at www.inchcape.com







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