Coats Group Plc Regulatory News (COA)

26 February 2015

Guinness Peat Group plc ('GPG')

Change of name to Coats Group plc

The Board of Directors is pleased to confirm that GPG has changed its name to Coats Group plc ('Coats') with immediate effect.

As announced in GPG's 2014 full year preliminary results on 26 February 2014, the Directors of GPG have taken the decision to rename the Company and establish a single, combined Board of Directors. These changes establish Coats as the standalone, listed entity and signal its return to the market 125 years since its first listing on the London Stock Exchange in 1890.

The Company anticipates the following trading changes:

London Stock Exchange

Effective from commencement of trading on 6 March 2015 the dealing code will change from 'GPG' to 'COA'. The ISIN remains GB00B4YZN328.

NZX Main Board (NZSX)

Effective from commencement of trading on 6 March 2015 the dealing code will change from 'GPG' to 'COA'. The ISIN remains GB00B4YZN328.

Australian Securities Exchange

Effective from commencement of trading on 6 March 2015 the dealing code will change from 'GPG' to 'CGW'. The ISIN will change to AU000000CGW0.

This announcement is made pursuant to Listing Rule 9.6.19(1).

Stuart Morgan

Company Secretary

26 February 2015

Enquiry details

UK media Richard Mountain +44 20 3727 1374

New Zealand and Australian media Geoff Senescall +64 9 309 5659

Investors Jaideep Thatai +44 20 8210 5086

About Coats

With a rich heritage dating back to the 1750s, Coats is the world's leading industrial thread and consumer textile crafts business, at home in more than 70 countries, employing approximately 20,000 people across six continents. Revenues in 2014 were US$1.7bn.

Our well-known brands and strong relationships with customers and consumers mean our products and services meet current and future needs. Our company-wide understanding of our business partners and consumers, coupled with the deep expertise of our people, builds trust and certainty.

Coats' pioneering history and innovative culture ensure the company continues leading the way around the world: providing complementary and value added products and services to the apparel and footwear industries; extending the crafts offer into new markets and online; and applying innovative techniques to develop products in new areas such as tracer threads, aramids and fibre optics.

To find out more about Coats visit www.coats.com