A Character-building new range

CHARACTER Group, the toy business which owns Oldham-based Toy Options and which has just been named toy supplier of the year, has unveiled a major new range of construction toys.

The business, which has its group headquarters in Surrey but its major trading business at Leesbrook Mill, Lees, has also announced that revenues are likely to be ahead by 33 per cent in the first half compared with 2010.

The group is looking for new warehousing facilities in the Oldham area to complement the existing distribution base in Lees Road.

The new Character Building range, based on licensed themes, has been developed internally and will be branded under the CB — Character Building — brand.

It will be released in time for spring and will feature unique figures and play sets from Doctor Who and the HM Armed Forces, two of the group’s leading licences.

Joint managing director Jon Diver said: “It is anticipated that the Character Building brand will become a significant factor in the continued growth of Character as a whole.

“This new project represents a major investment and we are delighted to be increasing our highly successful Doctor Who and HM Armed Forces portfolios.”

Chairman Richard King told shareholders at the annual meeting recently that, despite the bad weather, all the group’s key brands sold well and that sales to Christmas were very strong.

He added: “Our business is not without its challenges but recent history indicates that, provided we continue to bring new innovative product to the market which is manufactured to a high standard and provides good value for money, we should be able to cope with the difficulties of far eastern manufacturing and currency fluctuations.”