BTI - British American Tobacco P.l.c - Notification of major interest in shares

BTI - British American Tobacco P.l.c - Notification of major interest in shares 
British American Tobacco P.l.c.                                                 
Incorporated in England and Wales                                               
(Registration number: 03407696)                                                 
Short name: BATS                                                                
Share code: BTI                                                                 
ISIN number: GB0002875804                                                       
("British American Tobacco P.l.c." or "the Company")                            
NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARES                                        
British American Tobacco P.l.c. received the following notification on 23       
October 2009:-                                                                  
1.   Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of existing shares to which
    voting rights are attached:                                                 
    British American Tobacco P.l.c.                                             
2.   Reason for the notification (please tick the appropriate box or boxes):    
An acquisition or disposal of voting rights  (Yes)                          
    An acquisition or disposal of qualifying financial instruments which may    
    result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights   
    are attached (No)                                                           
An acquisition or disposal of instruments with similar economic effect to   
    qualifying financial instruments (No)                                       
    An event changing the breakdown of voting rights (No)                       
    Other (please specify): (No)                                                
3.   Full name of person(s) subject to the notification obligation:             
    Reinet Fund S.C.A., F.I.S. (indirect)                                       
4.   Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from 3):                         
    Reinet Jersey Holdings Limited (direct)                                     
5.   Date of the transaction and date on which the threshold is crossed or      
    reached:  19 December 2008                                                  
6.   Date on which issuer notified:   23 October 2009                           
7.   Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or reached:                               
4%                                                                          
8.   Notified details:                                                          
    A. Voting rights attached to shares                                         
 Class/ty  Situation       Resulting situation after the triggering             
pe of     previous to the transaction                                          
 shares    triggering                                                           
           transaction                                                          
 if        Number  Number  Number of   Number of voting      % of voting        
possible  of      of      shares      rights                rights             
 using     Shares  Voting                                                       
 the ISIN          Rights                                                       
 CODE                                                                           
Direct      Direct   Indirect     Direct  Indirect   

 Ordinary                  84,303,670           84,303,670                      
 shares    0       0                   0                     0       4.22       
 of 25                                                                          
pence                                                                          
 each                                                                           
 ISIN                                                                           
 GB000287                                                                       
5804                                                                           
B. Qualifying Financial Instruments                                             
Resulting situation after the triggering transaction                            
Type of      Expiration date  Exercise/   Number of voting    % of voting       
financial                     Conversio   rights that may be  rights            
instrument                    n Period    acquired if the                       
                                         instrument is                          
                                         exercised/converted                    
N/A                                                                             
C. Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial   
Instruments                                                                     
Resulting situation after the triggering transaction                            
Type of      Exercise    Expiration    Exercise  Number of      % of voting     
financial    price       date          /Convers  voting rights  rights          
instrument                             ion       instrument                     
                                      Period    refers to                       
N/A                                                             Nominal  Delta  
                                                                                
Total (A+B+C)                                                                   
Number of voting rights       Percentage of voting rights                       
84,303,670                    4.22                                          
9.   Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the
    financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable:                  
    Reinet Jersey Holdings Limited directly holds a 4.22% interest in the       
shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c..  100% of the ordinary shares     
    of Reinet Jersey Holdings Limited are held by Reinet Fund S.C.A., F.I.S.,   
    and in turn, 100% of the ordinary shares of  Reinet Fund S.C.A., F.I.S.     
    are held by Reinet Investments S.C.A..                                      
Proxy voting                                                                
10.  Name of the proxy holder:                                                  
    N/A                                                                         
11.  Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease to hold:                   
N/A                                                                         
12.  Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights:               
    N/A                                                                         
13.  Additional information:                                                    
This notification is a technical notification resulting from a change to    
    the chain of undertakings controlling Reinet Jersey Holdings Limited, the   
    holder of the direct interest in the shares of British American Tobacco     
    p.l.c.                                                                      
Reinet Jersey Holdings Limited`s direct holding of, and Reinet Investments  
    S.C.A.`s ultimate indirect holding of, the voting rights in shares of       
    British American Tobacco p.l.c. were previously notified and have not       
    changed.                                                                    
This notification notifies the indirect holding held by Reinet Fund S.C.A., 
    F.I.S. since 19 December 2008.                                              
14.  Contact name:                                                              
    Alan Grieve