RNS Number:7758L
Dairy Brands New Zealand Limited
30 May 2003


For immediate release


                                                                  30th May, 2003





    Mandatory Offer by John East & Partners Limited ("John East & Partners")

       on behalf of Dairy Brands New Zealand Limited ("Dairy Brands") for

                           Hemscott plc ("Hemscott")


                                  Offer Update



On 25th April, 2003, Dairy Brands announced the terms of a mandatory offer to be
made by John East & Partners on behalf of Dairy Brands for the whole of the
issued ordinary share capital of Hemscott not already owned by Dairy Brands or
persons acting in concert with it.


The Offer was:


15p in cash for each Hemscott Share held ("the Offer"); or


Three new Dairy Brands Shares for every five Hemscott shares held ("the Share
Alternative").


John East & Partners and Dairy Brands announce that the Offer has today been
closed.


As at 3.00pm today, Dairy Brands had received valid acceptances of the Offer in
respect of 6,028,897 Hemscott Shares, representing approximately 18.76 per cent.
of the issued share capital of Hemscott (of which holders of 2,340,113 Hemscott
Shares had elected for the Share Alternative).


In addition, Dairy Brands and persons acting in concert with it hold 11,672,380
Hemscott Shares, representing 36.32 per cent. of the issued share capital of
Hemscott.


Accordingly, Dairy Brands and persons acting in concert with it now hold
17,701,277 Hemscott Shares, representing 55.08 per cent. of the issued share
capital of Hemscott.


Terms defined in the Offer Document, dated 25th April, 2003, have the same
meaning in this announcement save where the context requires otherwise.


John East & Partners, which is regulated by The Financial Services Authority, is
acting exclusively for Dairy Brands and is acting for no one else in connection
with the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than Dairy Brands for
providing the protections afforded to customers of John East & Partners nor for
providing advice in relation to the Offer.






                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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