SAR - Merant plc

Schroders PLC
10 December 2001


                                                                    FORM SAR 3

Lodge with Company Announcements Office (which will publicise and copy to the
Panel). A copy must also be sent to the company the shares of which are
acquired.

Date of disclosure:     10/12/01

  DISCLOSURE UNDER RULE 3 OF THE RULES GOVERNING SUBSTANTIAL ACQUISITIONS OF
                               SHARES ('SARs')

Date of acquisition     07/12/01

Acquisition in          Merant plc

                       Number of shares If rights over shares acquired, as
    (1) Class of       over shares      opposed to the shares themselves,
    voting shares      acquired         specify nature of rights
    (e.g. ordinary
    shares)

2p ordinary shares       100,000 shares


                                  Resultant total holding of       Total
    (2)     Resultant total       rights over shares (and % of     percentage
    holding of voting shares (and total voting shares in issue)
    % of total voting shares in
    issue)

20,255,816 shares (15.01%)                                         (15.01%)
                                                                       

(3)     Party making disclosure     Schroders plc

                                              Schroders plc on behalf of
        (4)     (a)     Name of person        institutional clients on a
        acquiring shares or rights over       non-beneficial basis
        shares and, if different, beneficial
        owner

                (b)     Names of any other
        persons acting by agreement or
        understanding (see SAR 5)


Signed, for and on behalf of the party named in (3) above

(Also print name of signatory)     Alison Dunn (Regulatory Reporting Officer)

Telephone and extension number     020 7658 2959 (Direct line)

                         ___________________________

Note.     Under SAR 5, the holdings of and acquisitions by persons acting by
agreement or understanding must be aggregated and treated as a holding of or
acquisition by one person. Note 3 on SAR 5 requires persons who must aggregate
holdings to disclose certain disposals.

For full details of the SARs disclosure requirements, see Rules 3 and 5 of the
SARs. If in doubt, contact the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, Tel. No.: 020
7638 0129