Hasbro (HAS)

Working Capital Requirements

        Our working capital needs are primarily financed through cash generated from operations and, when necessary, short-term borrowings and proceeds from our trade accounts receivable securitization program, which generally reach peak levels during the August through November period of each year. This corresponds to the time of year when our receivables also generally reach peak levels. Our historical revenue pattern is one in which the second half of the year is more significant to our overall business than the first half and, within the second half of the year, the fourth quarter is the most prominent. The strategy of retailers has been to make a higher percentage of their purchases of toy and game products within or close to the fourth quarter holiday consumer buying season, which includes Christmas. We expect that this trend will continue.

        The toy and game business is also characterized by customer order patterns which vary from year to year largely because of differences each year in the degree of consumer acceptance of a product line, product availability, marketing strategies and inventory policies of retailers, the dates of theatrical releases of major motion pictures for which we have licenses for promotional product, and differences in overall economic conditions. As a result, comparisons of our unshipped orders on any date with those at the same date in a prior year are not necessarily indicative of our sales for that year. Also, quick response inventory management practices now being used result in fewer orders being placed significantly in advance of shipment with more orders being placed for immediate delivery. Unshipped orders at January 23, 2005 and January 25, 2004 were approximately $131,000 and $117,000, respectively. It is a general industry practice that orders are subject to amendment or cancellation by customers prior to shipment. The backlog of unshipped orders at any date in a given year can also be affected by programs that we may employ to induce customers to place orders and accept shipments early in the year. This method is a general industry practice. The programs that we plan to employ to promote sales in 2005 are substantially the same as those we employed in 2004. These are primarily fixed programs, which the customer earns based on purchases of Company products during the year.

        Historically, we commit to the majority of our inventory production and advertising and marketing expenditures for a given year prior to the peak third and fourth quarter retail selling season. Our accounts receivable increase during the third and fourth quarter as customers increase their purchases to meet expected consumer demand in the holiday season. Due to the concentrated timeframe of this selling period, payments for these accounts receivable are generally not due until the fourth quarter or early in the first quarter of the subsequent year. The timing difference between expenses paid and revenues collected makes it necessary for us to borrow varying amounts during the year. During 2004 and 2003, we utilized cash from our operations, proceeds from our accounts receivable securitization program and borrowing under our secured amended and restated revolving credit agreement to meet our cash flow requirements.