euro adhoc: Financial Figures/Balance Sheet / Zapf Creation Group: 2008 business performance affected by weak fourth quarter

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Preliminary financial figures 2008

27.02.2009

Roedental, February 27, 2009 - The Zapf Creation Group, Europe´s
leading manufacturer of play and functional dolls, today announced
that its sales and earnings in 2008 developed in line with the
adjusted guidance published by its Management Board in December.
According to preliminary, unaudited figures, consolidated sales came
in at EUR 104.4 million in the 2008 financial year, which is 5.5%
below the previous year's figure of EUR 110.5 million. The decline is
partly due to negative currency effects. Business performance was
increasingly affected by the strong global economic downturn. Major
markets saw severely restrained demand on the part of the company's
trading partners especially in the fourth quarter, a period that is
of great importance to the toy industry because it includes the
Christmas business.

Consolidated earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) in the
financial year just ended totaled EUR 0.9 million after EUR 5.7
million in 2007. Adjusted for restructuring and one-off items,
consolidated EBIT amounted to EUR 0.8 million (2007: EUR 6.0
million). The Group's net loss for the year was EUR 5.8 million. This
compares to a net loss of EUR 2.7 million in the previous year.

The complete conversion of subordinated shareholder loans into equity
as part of the Group's long-term financing significantly raised the
Zapf Creation Group's equity ratio to 24.5% at the end of 2008
(December 31, 2007: 12.5%). Net liabilities (including shareholder
loans) as of the balance sheet date were EUR 28.0 million, compared
to EUR 32.9 million at the end of 2007.

Given that it is currently almost impossible to predict consumer
demand in the core markets of the Zapf Creation Group, the Management
Board at this point will not make a statement regarding sales and
earnings for 2009.

Further information:
Frank Elsner
Frank Elsner Kommunikation für Unternehmen GmbH
Tel.: +49 (0) 54 04 - 91 92 0
Fax: + 49 (0) 54 04 91 92 29

end of announcement euro adhoc
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ots Originaltext: Zapf Creation AG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Katrin Kühnel

Telefon: +49 (0)9563-7251-513

E-Mail: katrin.kuehnel@zapf-creation.de

Branche: Consumer Goods
ISIN: DE0007806002
WKN: 780600
Index: MDAX, CDAX, Classic All Share
Börsen: Börse Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard
Börse Berlin / free trade
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