Preston distributor MBL Group reveals half-year pre-tax loss

Home entertainment distributor MBL Group achieved sales growth in the six months to September 30 but, despite the increase, the firm made a loss before tax.

Preston-headquartered MBL, which distributes products such as CDs, DVDs and games, has reported making a pre-tax loss of £42k while at the same time seeing its revenue leap by 14% to around £6.65m.

The firm’s Home Entertainment business continued to be its core segment, pulling in an operating profit of £70k during the half year in comparison to its Garden & Home segment, which reported an operating profit of £19k.

With its other revenue streams, which includes the licensing of music and film rights, MBL achieved an operating profit of £12k.

MBL chairman Tony Johnson commented: “I am pleased to report that during the period the Group achieved a 14% growth in sales, driven by a good performance in both the Home Entertainment and Garden & Home divisions.”

Founded as Air Music and Media Group in 1995, MBL has grown since 2001 through a series of multi-million pound acquisitions, including Canada-based CD marketer Legacy Entertainment Inc. for $2.3m and distributor Music Box Leisure for £37.2m.

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