Wolseley Makes the Move to IP With Verizon Business

Verizon Business Private IP to Connect Wolseley’s North American Business Operations

February 28, 2006, BASKING RIDGE, N.J. -- Verizon Business today announced that Wolseley, the world’s largest trade distributor of plumbing and heating products and a leading supplier of building materials, has selected Verizon Business to transform its North American network operations to IP.

Under terms of a two-year, multi-million-dollar agreement, Verizon Business Private IP Service will provide secure, reliable connectivity for Ferguson Enterprises and Stock Building Supply, two Wolseley subsidiaries with a total of 37,000 employees in more than 1,250 locations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

“The global reach of Private IP provides a flexible platform for large multinational companies such as Wolseley to deliver advanced business applications and reduce operational expenses,” said Anthony Recine, group president for Verizon Business commercial accounts. “We’re working hand-in-hand with customers like Wolseley to transition their network operations to IP in a manner and on a schedule tailored to their needs.”

Verizon Business’ Private IP provides an ideal solution for connecting geographically dispersed company locations while centrally managing voice, video and data traffic over a seamless global network.

“Verizon Business is a valued technology partner helping us to deliver consistency, reliability and security across our expansive network operations,” said Mike Brooks, vice president of information systems and technology for Wolseley, North America. “With Private IP, we are streamlining our operations while enabling new automated business processes to provide a competitive advantage for our businesses.”

In addition to Private IP, Wolseley utilizes a wide range of Verizon Business solutions, including high-speed Internet access services such as DSL and cable, and audio and video conferencing services. Verizon Business Private IP Service is the company’s flagship MPLS-based VPN offering and fastest growing service, delivering flexible classes of service, advanced IP routing and rigorous service-level agreements to carry data, voice and video traffic simultaneously and securely.

About Wolseley
Wolseley is the world’s largest specialist trade distributor of plumbing and heating products and a leading supplier of building materials to professional contractors in North America, the UK and Continental Europe. Group sales for the year ended 31 July 2005 were approximately $20.8 billion and operating profit, before goodwill, was $1,334,489,120. Wolseley has around 63,000 employees operating in 14 countries namely: U.K., U.S.A., France, Canada, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, Luxembourg and Denmark. Wolseley is listed on the London and New York Stock Exchanges (LSE: WOS.L, NYSE: WOS) and is in the FTSE 100 index of listed companies.

About Ferguson Enterprises
Ferguson is a subsidiary of Wolseley plc (NYSE: WOS, LSE: WOS.L), an international business operating in 14 countries in Europe and North America. Wolseley is the world’s largest specialist trade distributor of plumbing and heating products, with group sales for the year ended July 31, 2005 of $20.8 billion. For more information, visit www.wolseley.com. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, Ferguson is the country’s largest wholesale distributor of plumbing supplies; pipes, valves and fittings; waterworks; building materials; and heating and air conditioning products. Ferguson has sales of $7.1 billion and 20,000 associates in over 1,000 service centers located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. For more information, visit www.ferguson.com.

About Stock Building Supply
Raleigh, NC-based Stock Building Supply, a leading supplier of building materials to professionals in the United States, operates 272 locations in 32 states, with reported sales of $4.1 billion in the fiscal year 2005, ending July 31. Stock Building Supply is a subsidiary of Wolseley plc (NYSE: WOS, LSE: WOS.L), which had worldwide sales of more than $20 billion in fiscal year 2005. For more information, visit www.stockbuildingsupply.com.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.

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Carolyn Tyler

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Verizon Communications

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