Character Group PLC
13 September 2006
Issued by Citigate Dewe Rogerson Limited, Birmingham
Date: Wednesday 13 September 2006
Embargoed: 7.00 am
The Character Group plc
Designers, developers and distributors of toys, games and gifts
Pre-Close Trading Update
The Board of The Character Group ('the Company' or 'the Group') today provides
an update for the Company's results for the year ended 31 August 2006, ahead of
entering into the two month close period, prior to the announcement of its
preliminary results which is expected to take place at the end of November 2006.
The Directors are pleased to report that the vast majority of deliveries
scheduled to be completed at the very end of August were distributed on time
with the net impact being that trading in the final days of the financial year
ended 31 August 2006 exceeded even the very satisfactory finish to the year
anticipated by the Board and referred to in the RNS announcement made on 22
August 2006.
As a result of this strong finish to the year, the Board anticipates that the
Group will further exceed the recently revised market expectations for the
financial year to August 2006.
The current new financial year (ending 31 August 2007) has started strongly with
our order book looking healthy and our major product lines performing well at
retail. We are particularly pleased with the performance of our Dr Who, Scooby
Doo, Gr8 Gear, Peppa Pig and Robotic product ranges.
Last week the Robosapien V2, the super-intelligent robot which is the closest
thing to a real life companion, was voted Number 1 Toy in the Duracell European
Toy Survey 2006 (the only Pan-European Toy Survey that asks the users of toys -
children - to nominate their favourites from toys available in store for
Christmas 2006).
In addition, after only three weeks of the new series having been aired on GMTV,
we are encouraged by the growth in sales at retail of our Biker Mice from Mars
range.
The Board is confident that following recent changes to the Directorate at both
Main Board and subsidiary level, the Group is well positioned to continue its
development.
Enquiries:
The Character Group plc Charles Stanley Securities Citigate Dewe Rogerson Ltd
Richard King, Executive Chairman Rick Thompson Fiona Tooley
Kiran Shah, Group Finance Director Philip Davies
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8949 5898 Tel: +44 (0) 20 7149 6457 Tel: +44 (0) 121 455 8370
Mobile: +44 (0) 7836 250150(RK) Mobile:+44 (0) 7785 703523
+44 (0) 7956 278522(KS)
www.thecharacter.com
www.characteronline.com
CCT.L
Sector: Media, AIM
Notes to Editors:
About The Character Group plc
The Character Group plc designs, develops and distributes toys, games and
giftware, principally to the UK although it has an ever increasing exposure to
international markets.
Revenues are generated from a mix of product with over 50% designed and
developed in-house either under the Group's own brand or under licence with the
balance being derived from third party distribution. Notable product lines are
Dr Who, Scooby Doo, Biker Mice from Mars, Peppa Pig, GR8 Gear, Robosapien,
Roboraptor and Robopet. For a more comprehensive view of the product portfolio,
please refer to www.characteronline.com.
During the first six months of the current financial year (ending 31 August
2006), The Character Group underwent a major reorganisation with the disposal of
its Digital Business in February 2006. The structure is now designed to maximise
the strength of, and focus on, the core business of Toys, Games and Gifts.
www.thecharacter.com
CCT.L
Sector: Media, AIM
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
*A Private Investor is a recipient of the information who meets all of the conditions set out below, the recipient:
Obtains access to the information in a personal capacity;
Is not required to be regulated or supervised by a body concerned with the regulation or supervision of investment or financial services;
Is not currently registered or qualified as a professional securities trader or investment adviser with any national or state exchange, regulatory authority, professional association or recognised professional body;
Does not currently act in any capacity as an investment adviser, whether or not they have at some time been qualified to do so;
Uses the information solely in relation to the management of their personal funds and not as a trader to the public or for the investment of corporate funds;
Does not distribute, republish or otherwise provide any information or derived works to any third party in any manner or use or process information or derived works for any commercial purposes.
Please note, this site uses cookies. Some of the cookies are essential for parts of the site to operate and have already been set. You may delete and block all cookies from this site, but if you do, parts of the site may not work. To find out more about the cookies used on Investegate and how you can manage them, see our Privacy and Cookie Policy
To continue using Investegate, please confirm that you are a private investor as well as agreeing to our Privacy and Cookie Policy & Terms.