Concha Regulatory News (CHA)

17 Aug 2006 07:01

Hot Tuna (International) plc17 August 2006 Press Release 17 August 2006 Hot Tuna (International) PLC ("Hot Tuna" or "the Company") Hot Tuna Launches Spring / Summer 2007 range in the UK and sponsors the BPSA Hot Tuna (International) PLC (AIM:HTT), a lifestyle apparel brand with authenticsurf heritage, is pleased to announce that, to continue the promotion of itsSpring / Summer 2007 range, in the UK, of women's swim and men's and women'sapparel, the Company has secured exhibition space at Surf Shop and has reachedan agreement to sponsor the fifth leg of the British Pro Surf Association (BPSA)UK Tour. Hot Tuna has negotiated to take lead sponsorship of the fifth leg of the BPSA UKTour with the 2006 Hot Tuna British Challenge, to be held from 26-27 August 2006at Porthmeor Beach, St. Ives, Cornwall. The event welcomes competitors of allages and abilities with an assortment of amateur contests for both male andfemale entrants. Hot Tuna sponsored surfer, Toby Atkins, will be participatingin the event having just returned from a successful photoshoot in Iceland withWavelength, one of the UK's leading surf magazines. Toby is currently in secondplace in this year's BPSA UK Tour. The BPSA, formed in 1998, raises theprofile of British surfing across the UK, provides a platform for surfers andsponsors to raise their profile in the surfing industry and generally increasesmedia coverage for surfing. The Company is also pleased to announce it will exhibit at Surf Shop, the UK'sleading trade event for the surf, skate and boardriding industry, from 5-7September 2006 at the Westpoint Exhibition Centre in Exeter, Devon, to showcaseHot Tuna's Spring / Summer 2007 range. Surf Shop represents an idealopportunity for store owners and buyers to see future ranges. Commenting on Hot Tuna's sponsorship of the fifth leg of the BPSA UK Tour andthe participation in Surf Shop, Ranjit Murugason, Chairman of Hot Tuna, said: "Our sponsorship of a major surf event like the BPSA UK Tour is the ideal placeto re-launch the Hot Tuna brand in the UK and will increase Hot Tuna's brandrecognition and further promote the Company to potential customers. I amconfident that this sponsorship, in conjunction with our exhibition at SurfShop, will set sound foundations for the promotion of Hot Tuna's Spring / Summer2007 range in the UK." - Ends - For further information:Hot Tuna (International) PLCRanjit Murugason, Chairman Tel: +44 (0) 20 7372 9799ranjit_murugason@hottunaplc.com Seymour Pierce LimitedSarah Wharry / Parimal Kumar Tel: +44 (0) 20 7107 8000parimalkumar@seymourpierce.com www.seymourpierce.com Media enquiries:AbchurchHenry Harrison-Topham / Chris Lane Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7700henry.ht@abchurch-group.com www.abchurch-group.com Notes to Editors Hot Tuna International PLC (AIM: HTT) owns the rights to the Hot Tuna brand, aprogenitor of global youth fashion, born in Australia with a heritage ofauthentic surf culture. Hot Tuna is one of the world's most iconic names in surf lifestyle and can traceits roots back to 1969 when it was founded by a surfer and his fashion designerwife. Though the label had not been actively marketed over for the lastdecade, it retained an organic cult status among core action sports enthusiasts. In June 2005, Hot Tuna International PLC purchased the 'Hot Tuna' brand fromFrontier International (Holdings) Pty Ltd, listed on AIM in September 2005, andhas since started to aggressively market the brand and reinvigorate thebusiness. The Company now owns all intellectual property rights to its name andrelated iconography, and has put in place key management drawn from theexecutive ranks of Quiksilver, O'Neill and Ocean Pacific, among others. Headquartered in the UK, Hot Tuna operates design, marketing and distributionhubs in the USA, Australia and the UK. In its core markets, Hot Tuna sellsproducts, which are directly manufactured in facilities in North America, Europeand in China Hot Tuna offices are maintained in Sydney, Los Angeles and London. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange