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LONDON (Alliance News) - Toys, games and giftware designer and distributor Character Group PLC on Friday said it saw solid Christmas sales across its product line and said sales in the financial year to date have risen.
The company said it performed well over the festive period and said sales for the current financial year to the end of August are up 6.0% year-on-year. It expects its underlying performance to show progress again and said its results should meet market forecasts for the full year.
Character said its Peppa Pig, Minecraft, Fireman Sam, Teksta, Little Live Pets, and Scooby Doo lines have all shown encouraging performances and will be bringing new lines to the market in 2016, including toys based on the Teletubbies franchise.
The trading update came as the group announced a series of changes to its board. Executive Chairman Richard King will step down from his executive role from February 1, though he will remain non-executive chairman.
Kiran Shah, the finance director, and Jon Diver, marketing director, will continue in their other roles as joint managing directors, but will relinquish their other respective positions.
Mark Dowding, currently chief financial officer, will become finance director, and Jerry Healy, the marketing director of the Character Options Ltd trading subsidiary, will become marketing director of the group.
In addition, the group has appointed broadcasting veteran Clive Crouch as an independent non-executive director. Crouch was a senior member of the team that launched GMTV, the ITV morning show.
Shares in Character were up 3.5% to 494.9999 pence early Friday.
By Sam Unsted; samunsted@alliancenews.com; @SamUAtAlliance
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