Earnings release
Page 1
THE CHARACTER GROUP PLC ("Character," the "Company" or the "Group") Designers, developers, and international distributor of toys, games, and giftware Trading Update London: Friday, 16 January 2026: The Character Group (AIM: CCT) will be holding its Annual General Meeting today at 11.00am. Ahead of this, the Company provides the following trading update: As reported last month when we announced our annual results for the year ended 31 August 2025, trading conditions across all theGroup's markets remain challenging. Sales on a like-for-like basis in the four months leading up to Christmas 2025 were c.11%below the same period in 2024. Whilst the first half sales to 28 February 2026 will be lower than the comparable half last year, salesin the second half of the current year are projected to improve and result in the Group's revenue for the year as a whole to be in linewith last year's full year outcome. Despite the anticipated flat turnover for the 2026 financial year, due to the mix and enhancementswithin our product portfolio, Group profits (before tax and highlighted items) are projected to more than double. Our UK, Scandinavian and international sales teams are looking forward to the upcoming international Toy Fairs in London nextweek and Nuremberg the following week where we shall be showcasing our broad range of products including launching several newadditions and brand extensions. Character continues to enjoy a strong balance sheet, a healthy net cash position and substantial unutilised working capital facilities. The Company also announces the completion of its share buyback programme announced on 29 October 2024 (and extended andincreased as announced on 30 May 2025), pursuant to which Panmure Liberum purchased a total of 1,126,549 Ordinary Shares onbehalf of the Company for total consideration (including associated dealing costs) of £2,964,105. The Company is scheduled to publish its half-year report for the six months ending February 2026 during May 2026. Enquiries to:The Character Group plcJon Diver, Joint Managing DirectorKiran Shah, Joint Managing DirectorHamun Shah, Group Finance DirectorOffice: +44 (0) 208 329 3377Email: info@charactergroup.plc.uk Group website: www.thecharacter.comProduct ranges can also be viewed at www.character-online.com FTSE sector: leisure goods:FTSE AIM All-share: symbol: CCTCHARACTER GROUP PLC CCT Stock | London StockExchangeMarket cap: £42m Panmure Liberum (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker)Atholl Tweedie, Investment BankingRupert Dearden, Corporate BrokingTel: +44 (0) 20 7886 2500 Allenby Capital Limited(Joint Broker)Nick Athanas, Corporate FinanceAmrit Nahal/Tony Quirke, Sales & Corporate BrokingTel: +44 (0) 20 3328 5656 TooleyStreet Communications Limited(Investor and media relations)Fiona TooleyTel: +44 (0) 7785 703523Email: fiona@tooleystreet.com
Page 2
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authorityto act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this informationmay apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the informationcontained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. Forfurther information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy Policy. END