Holding(s) in Company

TR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARES

1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of existing shares to which voting rights are attached:

WH SMITH PLC

2 Reason for the notification (please tick the appropriate box or boxes):

An acquisition or disposal of voting rights

 X

An acquisition or disposal of qualifying financial instruments which may result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights are attached

An acquisition or disposal of instruments with similar economic effect to qualifying financial instruments

An event changing the breakdown of voting rights

Other (please specify):

3. Full name of person(s) subject to the notification obligation:

 AXA S.A., 25 Avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris and its group of companies

4. Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from 3.):

5. Date of the transaction and date on which the threshold is crossed or reached:

 12/10/2009

6. Date on which issuer notified:

 13/10/2009

7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or reached:

 DECREASE IN TOTAL HOLDINGS FROM 5.41% TO 4.82%

8. Notified details:

A: Voting rights attached to shares

Class/type of shares

if possible using the ISIN CODE

Situation previous to the triggering transaction

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Number of Shares

Number of Voting Rights

Number of shares

Number of voting rights

% of voting rights

Direct

Direct

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

 8,490,018

 8,490,018

 800,533

 800,533

 6,753,779

 0.51

4.31 

 B2PDGW1

B: Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financial instrument

Expiration date

Exercise/ Conversion Period

Number of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised/ converted.

% of voting rights

C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financial instrument

Exercise price

Expiration date

Exercise/ Conversion period

Number of voting rights instrument refers to

% of voting rights

Nominal

Delta

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights

Percentage of voting rights

7,554,312 

 4.82%

9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable:

Name of the Company / Fund Number of Shares % of issued share capital

Alliance Capital Management 490,500.00 0.31270

Direct

________________________________________________________________________

AXA 303,600.00 0.19355

Direct

________________________________________________________________________

AXA Financial, Inc 4,749,279.00 3.02770

Indirect

________________________________________________________________________

AXA IM UK 6,433.00 0.00410

Direct

________________________________________________________________________

AXA Rosenberg 2,004,500.00 1.277881305

Indirect

________________________________________________________________________

Total Direct 800,533 0.51034

Total Indirect 6,753,779 4.30558

________________________________________________________________________

TOTAL 7,554,312 4.81592

________________________________________________________________________

Proxy Voting:

10. Name of the proxy holder:

11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease to hold:

12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights:

13. Additional information:

14. Contact name:

 Kyere Tabiri

15. Contact telephone number:

 020 7003 1510