Exhibit 99


                     Press Release of Albemarle Corporation
                                 April 16, 1999



Albemarle Increases Offer to Acquire Albright & Wilson



RICHMOND,  Va.,  April 16,  1999 --  Albemarle  Corporation  (NYSE:  ALB)  today
announced it is amending its offer to acquire the outstanding shares of Albright
& Wilson  plc,  headquartered  in London.  Based on  Albright & Wilson's  shares
outstanding,  the offer price is approximately $790 million.  The offer has been
recommended by Albright & Wilson's Board of Directors.

Albemarle  currently  holds 18.6  percent of the shares of Albright & Wilson and
has  acceptances  of another  0.69  percent,  representing  approximately  19.29
percent  of the  shares of the  company.  The  acquisition  has been  cleared by
regulatory authorities in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Albright & Wilson is a major United Kingdom specialty and fine chemicals company
with  leadership  positions in  phosphate  chemicals  used in  beverages  and as
detergent builders and in purified  phosphoric acid.  Albright & Wilson operates
in three business areas -- phosphates,  surfactants  and phosphorus  derivatives
and acrylics -- and its annual sales are approximately $1.3 billion.  Albright &
Wilson employs approximately 5,000.

Albemarle  Corporation  has indicated that the  acquisition of Albright & Wilson
will provide the combined  company with the  opportunity  to expand  product and
service  offerings to customers  in the polymer,  pharmaceutical,  agricultural,
cleaning  and  water  treatment  markets.   "The  combination  offers  scale  of
operations,  larger  global  presence  in  both  manufacturing  and  sales,  new
technological  opportunities and new customer  relationships  that will increase
value for our  shareholders,"  said Floyd D. Gottwald,  Jr.,  chairman and chief
executive officer of Albemarle.

The offer will not be made to  Albright &  Wilson's  shareholders  in the United
States, Japan, Canada or Australia.

A global supplier of specialty polymers and fine chemicals that enhance consumer
products,  Albemarle  Corporation  serves markets for polymers,  surfactants and
biocides, pharmachemicals, agricultural chemicals, photographic chemicals, water
treatment and petroleum  products.  Albemarle employs  approximately  2,700. The
company's  Web  site is  www.albemarle.com.  Albright  &  Wilson's  Web  site is
www.albright-wilson.com.

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