Brown Group Regulatory News (BWNG)

TR-1: Notifications of Major Interests in Shares

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

N Brown Group PLC

2. Reason for notification (yes/no)

An acquisition or disposal of voting rights

Yes

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

No

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

No

An event changing the breakdown of voting rights

No

Other (please specify):___________________________

No

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

Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and its group

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

See additional information under 13.

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

08 March 2010

6. Date on which issuer notified:

09 March 2010

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

Above the threshold of 5%

B: Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financial instrument

Expiration date

Exercise/ conversion period

No. of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised/converted.

Percentage 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

No. of voting rights instrument refers to

Percentage of voting rights

Nominal

Delta

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights

Percentage of voting rights

13,968,831

5.017%

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

Ameriprise Financial, Inc., which through intermediate holding companies controls the voting rights of Threadneedle Management Luxembourg S.A. andThreadneedle Asset Management Holdings Ltd, which itself controls the voting rights of Threadneedle Asset Management Ltd, Threadneedle International Ltd and Threadneedle Pensions Ltd.

Proxy Voting:

10. Name of proxy holder:

N/A

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

N/A

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

N/A

13. Additional information:

Registered Owner

14 Contact name:

Company Secretary, Threadneedle group

15. Contact telephone name:

+44 (0)20 7464 5000

Annex: Notification of major interests in shares

A: Identity of the persons or legal entity subject to the notification obligation

Full name

(including legal form of legal entities)

Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (a company incorporated in the State of Delaware, USA) and its group

Contact address

(registered office for legal entities)

c/o Company Secretary, Threadneedle Asset Management Holdings Ltd, 60 St Mary Axe, London EC3A 8JQ, UK

Phone number & email

+44 (0)20 7464 5000

Other useful information

(at least legal representative for legal persons)

B: Identity of the notifier, if applicable

Full name

Threadneedle Asset Management Holdings Ltd

Contact address

The Company Secretary, 60 St Mary Axe, London EC3A 8JQ, UK

Phone number & email

+44 (0)20 7464 5000

Other useful information

(e.g. functional relationship with the person or legal entity subject to the notification obligation)

UK intermediate holding company of the ultimate parent company

C: Additional information

Philip Harland , Company Secretary, N Brown Group plc

0161 238 2298