Member Article

Oldham based toy sellers report revenue of £97.9 million

Christmas has come early for The Character Group, who have offices in Oldham.

It announced revenue of £97.9 million - an increase of 46% compared to the same period last year.

The company also reported a pre-tax profit of £7.1 million for the period up to 31st August 2014 compared to £0.2 million for 2013.

The Character Group plc works in the design, development and international distribution of toys, games and giftware.

The group attribute the success to the growth in the domestic and international markets, both have grown by over 40% this year.

It has announced two new licences to distribute ‘The Clangers’ and ‘Teletubbies’ toys to be launched in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

The group has also made this year’s DreamToys listing with a record number of products.

The official DreamToys listing is independent and viewed as the most accurate prediction of the toys that will be in most demand at Christmas.

Each year, the Toy Retailers Association, the UK’s toy retail sector’s representative body creates a list of what it considers to be the year’s DreamToys.

The Character Group has made the list with eight of its products including its Peppa Pig range, Minecraft figures and Cra-Z-loom Bracelet Maker.

Executive chairman, Richard King, said: “Our sales growth in the year under review saw an increase in our market share and reinforced our position as one of the UK’s leading toy companies.

“This new financial year has started off well, with very pleasing sales at the consumer level which in the lead up to the crucial Christmas season is building ahead of our expectations, and we look forward to further growth in the current year.”

“The revenue growth has been driven both domestically and internationally and this trend is expected to be further enhanced following the introduction of new products to be officially unveiled at The BTHA Toy Fair in London next month.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .