Hot Tuna Launches Spring / Summer 2007 range in the UK and sponsors the BPSA
17 August 2006
Hot Tuna (International) PLC (AIM:HTT), a lifestyle apparel brand with authentic surf heritage, is pleased to announce that, to continue the promotion of its Spring / Summer 2007 range, in the UK, of women’s swim and men’s and women’s apparel, the Company has secured exhibition space at Surf Shop and has reached an 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 UK Tour with the 2006 Hot Tuna British Challenge, to be held from 26-27 August 2006 at Porthmeor Beach, St. Ives, Cornwall. The event welcomes competitors of all ages and abilities with an assortment of amateur contests for both male and female entrants. Hot Tuna sponsored surfer, Toby Atkins, will be participating in the event having just returned from a successful photoshoot in Iceland with Wavelength, one of the UK’s leading surf magazines. Toby is currently in second place in this year’s BPSA UK Tour. The BPSA, formed in 1998, raises the profile of British surfing across the UK, provides a platform for surfers and sponsors to raise their profile in the surfing industry and generally increases media coverage for surfing.
The Company is also pleased to announce it will exhibit at Surf Shop, the UK’s leading trade event for the surf, skate and boardriding industry, from 5-7 September 2006 at the Westpoint Exhibition Centre in Exeter, Devon, to showcase Hot Tuna’s Spring / Summer 2007 range. Surf Shop represents an ideal opportunity for store owners and buyers to see future ranges.
Commenting on Hot Tuna’s sponsorship of the fifth leg of the BPSA UK Tour and the 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 place to re-launch the Hot Tuna brand in the UK and will increase Hot Tuna’s brand recognition and further promote the Company to potential customers. I am confident that this sponsorship, in conjunction with our exhibition at Surf Shop, will set sound foundations for the promotion of Hot Tuna’s Spring / Summer 2007 range in the UK.”
For further information:
| Hot Tuna (International) PLC | |
| Ranjit Murugason, Chairman | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7372 9799 |
| ranjit_murugason@hottunaplc.com | |
| Seymour Pierce Limited | |
| Sarah Wharry / Parimal Kumar | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7107 8000 |
| parimalkumar@seymourpierce.com | www.seymourpierce.com |
Media Enquiries:
| Abchurch | |
| Henry Harrison-Topham / Chris Lane | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7700 |
| henry.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, a progenitor of global youth fashion, born in Australia with a heritage of authentic surf culture.
Hot Tuna is one of the world’s most iconic names in surf lifestyle and can trace its roots back to 1969 when it was founded by a surfer and his fashion designer wife. The label has not been actively marketed over for the last decade, but has maintained an organic cult status among the core surf and sports enthusiasts.
In June 2005, Hot Tuna (International) PLC purchased the ‘Hot Tuna’ brand from a consortium of investors, listed it on AIM in September 2005, and has since started to aggressively market the brand and reinvigorate the business. The Company now owns all intellectual property rights to its name and related iconography, and has in place key management drawn from the executive ranks of Quiksilver, O’Neill and Ocean Pacific, among others.
While headquartered in the UK, Hot Tuna operates its design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution hub in the USA. Hot Tuna sells product, which it directly manufactures in facilities in the USA, the European Union and in China.
Hot Tuna maintains offices in Sydney, Los Angeles and London.