Acquisition

Allen PLC
9 October 2000


                                     Allen Plc



FOR RELEASE                              07.00AM
  9 OCTOBER 2000



                             ALLEN PLC ('Allen')

           (Hire Services, Utility Services & Building Contracting)


ACQUISITION OF RAPID HIRE (UK) FOR £3.9 MILLION



Allen, the construction services group, through Speedy Hire Centres (Southern)
has acquired the business and the majority of assets of Rapid Hire (UK) ('
Rapid Hire') a subsidiary of Tilbury Douglas Plc ('Tilbury Douglas') for £3.9
million in cash.



The audited accounts of Rapid Hire for the twelve months to 31 December 1999
showed a profit before interest and exceptional items of £155,000 on turnover
of £3.44 million.  During 1999 Rapid Hire had acquired the hire branches of
Bandt plc which expanded their geographic coverage.  The six months ended 30
June 2000 management accounts show a turnover of £2.76 million.  At 30 June
2000 the balance sheet of the company showed that it had net assets of £3.01
million.



Tilbury Douglas has entered into a contract for a period of 39 months in
which, in return for specially discounted rates, it has agreed to spend a
minimum of £1.2 million per annum through Speedy Hire Centres.


The key features of Rapid Hire are:

*        Operates from 11 branches located throughout England
*        Newly established or refurbished branches
*        Modern and extensive equipment for hire in:
- Professional Tool Hire
- Light Access Equipment

Rapid Hire branch network



The 11 branches are situated at:



            London East (Walthamstow)

            London Central (SE15)

            London West (Hounslow)

            Basingstoke

            Bristol

            Cardiff

            Birmingham

            Nottingham

            Manchester

            Liverpool

            Leeds



Allen has acquired the business in respect of all 11 branches but has not
acquired the sites at Nottingham and Basingstoke.



Ken Fox, the Chief Executive of Allen, said:



'This acquisition is in line with our policy of focusing on our service
related activities and brings the number of Speedy Hire outlets to 194.  It
broadens the geographical spread of our branch network and brings some
excellent people into our Hire Services Division with whom we are looking
forward to working as we continue our expansion in the sector.'


For further information contact:



Ken Fox (Chief Executive)      01204 699277
                            (8.00 am - 5.00 pm)

Neil O'Brien (Finance Director)01204 699277
                            (8.00 am - 5.00 pm)

Simon Ellis / Bruce Croxford   020 7786 9600
Binns & Co Public Relations (7.00 am - 6.00 pm)

Background Information



As a result of a strategic review of its operations Tilbury Douglas decided
that Rapid Hire did not fit into its strategy and therefore decided to dispose
of it.  The company was founded in 1981, originally named Building Services
Plant Hire Ltd. (name changed to B.S.P.H. Ltd in 1996), to serve internal hire
needs of the How Group, a facilities and engineering services group operating
on a nation-wide basis.  In 1998, the How Group was acquired by Tilbury
Douglas.  Following the acquisition B.S.P.H. underwent a radical change of
image to reflect a much more dynamic and proactive approach in the
marketplace, and was renamed Rapid Hire (UK) Ltd.  In 1999 the business was
further expanded as a result of the acquisition by Tilbury Douglas of Bandt
Plc, which owned a number of branches trading under the KWIKHIRE name.  These
were also re-branded under the Rapid Hire name.  Towards the end of last year
a further branch was opened in Hounslow, West Middlesex. The company has grown
significantly since its inception and now serves a wide range of customers in
most UK industrial sectors.