Mercia Asset Regulatory News (MERC)

TR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARES

1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuerof existing shares to which voting rights areattached:

Merchant Securities Group 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 thenotification obligation:

Sanlam Private Investment Holdings UK Limited

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

Principal Nominees Limited

5. Date of the transaction and date onwhich the threshold is crossed orreached:

28 October 2011

6. Date on which issuer notified:

28 October 2011

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

3%

8. Notified details:

A: Voting rights attached to shares

Class/type ofshares

if possible usingthe ISIN CODE

Situation previousto the triggeringtransaction

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

NumberofShares

NumberofVotingRights

Numberof shares

Number of votingrights

% of voting rights

Direct

Direct

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

GB00B1FRQG03

0

0

5,000,000

9.69%

B: Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financialinstrument

Expirationdate

Exercise/Conversion Period

Number of votingrights that may beacquired if theinstrument isexercised/ converted.

% of votingrights

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

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financialinstrument

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

5000000

9.69%

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

Proxy Voting:

10. Name of the proxy holder:

N/A

11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will ceaseto hold:

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

13. Additional information:

Sanlam Private Investments (Pty) Limited

14. Contact name:

Daniel Kriel

15. Contact telephone number:

+2721 950 2571