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

Yes 

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:

Artemis Investment Management Limited 

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

Artemis Income Fund Artemis UK Special Situations Fund Artemis Capital Fund MT Income Fund City of London Cash A/c City of London Pension A/c P&O Pension Scheme Institutional Equity Income Fund Institutional Special Situations Hampstead Heath (COL) Charities Pool (COL) Pearson Prudential Staff Pension Scheme Akzo Nobel Pension Scheme L&G Barclays Income 1 L&G Barclays Income 2 BBC

Saul Barclays UK Alpha L&G (Barclays) MM Alpha Fund L&G (Barclays) Series2 MM Alpha Fund Witan Investment Trust Artemis Strategic Assets Fund

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

19 January 2010 

6. Date on which issuer notified:

20 January 2010 

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

11% 

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

GB00B2PDGW16 

16,735,905 

16,735,905 

15,396,934 

15,396,934 

10.14% 

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

15,396,934 

10.14% 

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

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:

Nicola Collins 

15. Contact telephone number:

0131 718 0429