Holding(s) in Company

Coats PLC
09 August 2002

Coats plc (the 'Company') announces that today, 9 August 2002, it received
notification from RIT Capital Partners plc that they had sold 10,000,000
ordinary shares of 20p each on 7th August 2002 and that being a party to an
agreement under Section 204 of the Companies Act 1985, the parties listed under
the heading 'Beneficial Owner' below are, following the sale, now interested in
the shares of the Company listed below.  These shares are held through the
respective nominees listed under the heading 'Registered Holder'.

Beneficial Owner               Registered Holder        Number of Shares

RIT Capital Partners plc       The Bank of New York     16,453,845
27 St James's Place            (Nominees) Ltd
London                         One Canada Square
SW1A 1NR                       London  E14 5AQL

Lord Rothschild's family       HSBC London              16,453,845
interests & associated trusts  CREST account
c/o HSBC Republic Bank
(Guernsey) Limited
Rue du Pre
St Peter Port
Guernsey  GY1 1LU

Doder Trust Ltd as             Bank of New York         16,453,850
Trust of Jader Trust           Nominees Ltd
No. 4                          Canary Wharf
1 Rue Pedro Meylan             1 Canada Square
1208 Geneva                    London
Switzerland                    E14 5AL

A S B Knight 2002 No. 1        Roy Nominees Ltd            666,730
Settlement                     PO Box 194
C/o Royal Bank of Canada       19/21 Broad Street
Trust Company                  St Helier
(International) Limited        Jersey
PO Box 621                     JE4 8RR
Le Gallais Chambers
54 Bath Street
St Helier
Jersey  JE4 8YD

END


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