Westchester Advises The Recruitment Business in Acquisition by Empresaria Group plc

LONDON - February 23, 2005: Westchester Associates Limited (www.westchester.co.uk) today announced that it advised The Recruitment Business Limited ("TRB") who have been acquired by Empresaria Group plc ("Empresaria" or the "Group").

TRB is made up of three separately branded divisions, MacPeople, WebPeople and CreativePeople, each supplying creative and design related staff on both a permanent and contract basis to a range of markets including the media, public and financial services sectors. The company has grown rapidly over the last two years and has a strong market presence in London and the South East.

Commenting on the acquisition, Miles Hunt, Chief Executive of Empresaria, said, "we are delighted that TRB is joining the Group. The TRB brands are well known in their respective markets and are strong additions to our existing portfolio of specialist staffing businesses."

Bernadette Sturley, the major shareholder and Managing Director of TRB added, "this gives us an excellent opportunity to develop at a much faster rate than we could do alone. The cultural fit is right, the recruitment sector is experiencing good times and Empresaria provides us with a broader platform from which to expand."

Ms. Sturley went on to add, "Westchester worked very closely with us through all stages of the sale from the identification of prospective purchasers through to negotiating the deal and making sure the due diligence process ran smoothly. Their knowledge, skill and pragmatic approach made the whole process far less stressful than it may have been in less experienced hands."

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