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RNS Number:5691F
Hot Tuna (International) plc
03 July 2006


Press Release                                                      3 July 2006


                          Hot Tuna (International) PLC

                         ("Hot Tuna" or "the Company")

                       Acquisition of Australian licensee

              Key management hires in Australia and United Kingdom

Hot Tuna (International) PLC (AIM:HTT), a lifestyle apparel brand with authentic
surf heritage, is pleased to announce the acquisition of the entire issued share
capital of Hot Tuna Holdings Pty Ltd. The purchase of Hot Tuna Holdings Pty Ltd
is part of the Company's overall strategy of acquiring all the licensing rights
in the Hot Tuna brand in its core markets.

The Company has entered into an unconditional contract to acquire the entire
issued share capital of Hot Tuna Holdings Pty Ltd from MCU Pty Ltd ("MCU").
Prior to this sale, MCU assigned to Hot Tuna Holdings Pty Ltd its exclusive
right and licence to use Hot Tuna trade marks and intellectual property in
connection with designing, manufacturing, advertising, promoting, distributing
and selling certain licensed products including apparel and accessories in
Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia and Samoa. Such
assignment also included a non-exclusive right and licence with respect to the
territories of Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand,
Malaysia, Tahiti, China, Japan and Korea.

In consideration of the purchase of Hot Tuna Holdings Pty Ltd, the Company has
agreed to allot and issue 400,000 ordinary shares (the "Consideration Shares")
in the Company to MCU (or the person it nominates). MCU has nominated Delstar
International Limited to be allotted the Consideration Shares. The Company and
MCU have also agreed to a mutual release and compromise of any sum owed pursuant
to or arising from a licence agreement between the Company and MCU by way of
settlement of their dispute concerning such sum owed. Application has been made
for the Consideration Shares to be admitted to AIM. Dealings are expected to
commence on 7 July 2006.

Commenting on the acquisition, Ranjit Murugason, Chairman of Hot Tuna, said:
"The acquisition of Hot Tuna Holdings Pty Ltd continues our strategy of gaining
direct ownership over the Hot Tuna brand in key global markets. The Company is
now in a position where it owns the brand in all its key markets. The Australian
and New Zealand markets, where Hot Tuna has a strong following, represent
excellent opportunities to further develop Hot Tuna's brand. I am confident that
our position in these markets will deliver meaningful results for shareholders
in the future."

"Hot Tuna is now in a position where we have an extremely strong operational
management team, hired from several of the world's major surf and youth fashion
brands, with a proven track record within our industry."

Key management hire in Australia

The Company is also pleased to announce that, as part of its strategy and to
strengthen its Australian operation, it has set up a new company, Hot Tuna
Australia Pty Ltd ("Hot Tuna Australia"), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
the Company. In connection with this, it has appointed Dean Harrigan as the
Chief Operating Officer of Hot Tuna Australia.

Dean Harrigan founded Liquid Culture in 1988. Liquid Culture is well known among
its peers as one of the most successful surf and street wear distributors in
Australia. Liquid Culture's biggest success was the relaunch of "Bad Boy", which
expanded so rapidly that it held onto a substantial share of the surf market for
over ten years. Other successful international label relaunches by Dean Harrigan
include "Ocean Pacific", a leading international surf brand, into Myer
Department Stores and "The Realm" into the DDS (discount) department stores.

Liquid Culture, headed by Dean Harrigan, is one of the few surf and street wear
distributors that have been successful in both specialty and discount department
stores which requires developing an infrastructure that can handle diversity as
well as supply and delivery demands and maintain margins at lower retail price
points.

The skills and experience that Dean Harrigan brings to Hot Tuna Australia will
allow Hot Tuna to reach its full potential in the Asia Pacific region.
Commenting on his appointment, Dean Harrigan said: "I am very excited about
taking on the role of Chief Operating Officer of Hot Tuna Australia. Hot Tuna is
held in high esteem in the surf community and represents a certain part of
Aussie culture. Its rich history is fused with so many elements that young
contemporary designers are excited to redesign. We have developed a very
commercial line that will be launched into the high end surf market in summer
2006. The philosophy is simple: higher margins to retailers, competitive pricing
to the major surf brands."

Commenting on the appointment, Ranjit Murugason, Chairman of Hot Tuna, said:
"The appointment of Dean Harrigan as Chief Operating Officer of Hot Tuna
Australia is another significant hire for Hot Tuna. Dean has an impressive track
record in our industry. His involvement will ensure that the Company is in the
best position to build a solid base from which to grow in the Australian market,
which is where the Hot Tuna brand was originally formed in 1969. I am confident
that our roots and heritage in this market will enable the Company to take
market share from our competitors."

Key management hire in United Kingdom

The Company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Dewbury as
Chief Operations Officer of Hot Tuna (UK) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
the Company. Chris will be responsible for re-establishing the Hot Tuna brand in
the UK and will have a key role in implementing the global business and brand
development strategy for driving sales.

Chris Dewberry is an active and passionate sportsman, full of drive and
ambition, who has nearly 20 years' experience within the extreme sports and
lifestyle industry in Europe. Chris started out as a ski instructor based in
Europe for several years, before going on to work for brands including Head,
Lange and Dynastar. Subsequently, Chris spent 8 years at Quiksilver where he was
part of the strategic management team based in the UK which drove the business
from small beginnings to such a position of strength in the surf lifestyle
market in the UK such that the UK became the number two country in Europe for
Quiksilver in terms of profitability, sales, and brand positioning.

More recently Chris was the sales director for Musto, where he headed up the
sales division for sailing and country sports and built a strong sales team
developing ranges to maximise sales and increase the brand profile.

Commenting on his appointment, Chris Dewbury said: "I am looking forward to
taking on the role of COO for the UK and re-establishing the Hot Tuna brand
which is one of the oldest and most credible surf brands."

Commenting on the appointment, Ranjit Murugason, Chairman of Hot Tuna, said:
"Chris' wealth of experience within the European extreme sports and lifestyle
industry will help accelerate Hot Tuna's development in this important market.
Chris was instrumental at Quiksilver and played a key role in developing the UK
operation into Quiksilver's second most important regional division in Europe.
With his exceptional contacts with buyers, Chris is well positioned to drive
sales in the UK and I am confident that he will make a valuable contribution to
the Company."

                                    - Ends -

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. Though the label had not been actively marketed over for the last decade,
it retained an organic cult status among core action sports enthusiasts.

In June 2005, Hot Tuna International PLC purchased the 'Hot Tuna' brand from
Frontier International (Holdings) Pty Ltd, listed 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 put in place key management drawn from the
executive ranks of Quiksilver, O'Neill and Ocean Pacific, among others.

Headquartered in the UK, Hot Tuna operates design, marketing and distribution
hubs in the USA, Australia and the UK. In its core markets, Hot Tuna sells
products, which are directly manufactured in facilities in North America, Europe
and in China

Hot Tuna offices are maintained in Sydney, Los Angeles and London.




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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