Sparks Orders Up Slightly in First Quarter
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 5/30/2005
Marlton Technologies, parent company of Sparks Exhibits & Environments, reported that sales were up slightly in the first quarter.
The Philadelphia-based company generated $18.8 million in revenue, up from $18.5 million in the year-ago quarter. Net income rose to $956,000, up from $905,000 in the first quarter of 2004.
Sales of tradeshow exhibits and related services increased by 1.5 percent year-over-year as sales to new customers offset existing customers' budget reductions.
Sales of permanent displays also increased by 1.5 percent in the quarter.
The quarter also marked the publicly traded Marlton's $6.3 million acquisition of Showtime Enterprises, a Paulsboro, N.J., competitor that filed for Chapter 11 reorganization.
Marlton warned that integrating Showtime's Paulsboro headquarters into Sparks' Philadelphia office this quarter will result in a $300,000 profit hit. However, sales of tradeshow exhibits are expected to increase due to the purchase of Showtime, which generated $21 million in 2004 revenue.
Sparks is retaining Showtime CEO David Sudjian and Executive Vice President Harold Jensen, along with many of its other employees.
