Business
Annual Results-year ended 31 August 2013
Annual Results-year ended 31 August 2013.
About this update from Character Group Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \nRNS Number : 1281U Character Group PLC 28 November 2013 \n\n \n \n\n\n\n\nThursday 28 November 2013\n\n\nImmediate Release\n\n\n\n\nThe Character Group plc\n(\"Company\" \"Group\" or \"Character\")\nPreliminary Results for the year ended 31 August 2013\n \n\"Solid H2 performance sees return to profitability\"\n \n\n\n\n\nKey highlights:\n\n\n\n\nØ Group witnessed a much stronger second half performance, fully reversing the loss reported \nat the interim stage\n\n\n\n\nØ Significant growth from international sales, +25% \nØ Overall, total Group sales for the second half +19% on the comparable period \n\n\n\n\nØ 10% of Top 50 'Dream Toys' are Character products, with Teksta® named by many \nretailers in their top toys list\n\n\n\n\nØ 8 out of the Top 10 of Character's predicted 'best-selling' ranges are already in distribution \n- with the benefit of the current sales knowledge, Character confident of sales growth in 2014 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nYear ended 31 August\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2013\n\n\n2012\n\n\n\n\nØ Group sales\n\n\n£67.19m\n\n\n£74.95m\n\n\n\n\nØ Group operating profit\n\n\n£0.61m\n\n\n£7.46m\n\n\n\n\nØ Group normalised profit before tax\n\n\n£0.20m\n\n\n£7.08m\n\n\n\n\nØ Reclassification of exchange gain on discontinued foreign operation\n\n\n£0.52m\n\n\n-\n\n\n\n\nØ Group profit before tax\n\n\n£0.72m\n\n\n£7.08m\n\n\n\n\nØ Basic earnings per share\n\n\n3.05p\n\n\n25.58p\n\n\n\n\nØ Proposed dividend maintained at\n-final\n-total for the year\n\n\n \n3.30p\n6.60p\n\n\n \n3.30p\n6.60p\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\"We are pleased to report a positive result at the year end, having come through such a difficult period. The major turnaround in the second half of last year enabled the Group to make a profit for the year as a whole.\"\n\"Character's current product and license portfolio, together with further planned introductions, will provide us with one of the strongest product ranges we have had and should underpin our performance and position as one of the UK's leading toy companies.\"\n\"Our ranges this year are now firmly established, in demand and, with some of them already fully sold out for the 2013 Christmas selling season, we look forward to continued growth.\" \n\"With trading so far making solid progress both at home and abroad and building on the strong finish of la...