Hasbro (HAS)

The Economy and Inflation

        The Company continued to experience difficult economic environments in some parts of the world during 2004. The principal market for the Company's products is the retail sector. Revenues from the Company's top 5 customers, all retailers, accounted for approximately 50% of its consolidated net revenues in 2004, and 52% of its consolidated net revenues in 2003 and 2002. In the past two years certain customers in the retail sector have experienced economic difficulty. The Company monitors the creditworthiness of its customers and adjusts credit policies and limits as it deems appropriate.

        The Company's revenue pattern continues to show the second half of the year, and within that half, the fourth quarter, to be more significant to its overall business for the full year. The Company expects that this concentration will continue, particularly as more of its business shifts to larger customers with order patterns concentrated in the second half of the year. The concentration of sales in the second half of the year and, specifically, the fourth quarter increases the risk of (a) underproduction of popular items, (b) overproduction of less popular items, and (c) failure to achieve tight and compressed shipping schedules. The business of the Company is characterized by customer order patterns which vary from year to year largely because of differences in the degree of consumer acceptance of a product line, product availability, marketing strategies, inventory levels, policies of retailers and differences in overall economic conditions. The trend of larger retailers has been to maintain lower inventories throughout the year and purchase a greater percentage of product within or close to the fourth quarter holiday consumer selling season, which includes Christmas.

        Quick response inventory management practices now being used result in more orders being placed for immediate delivery and fewer orders being placed well in advance of shipment. To the extent that retailers do not sell as much of their year-end inventory purchases during this holiday selling season as they had anticipated, their demand for additional product earlier in the following fiscal year may be curtailed, thus negatively impacting the Company's revenues. In addition, the bankruptcy or other lack of success of one of the Company's significant retailers could negatively impact the Company's future revenues.

        The effect of inflation on the Company's operations during 2004 was not significant and the Company will continue its policy of monitoring costs and adjusting prices, accordingly.