Eastern Holdings Ltd - Our Company

ANNUAL REPORT

BRN NO: 198105390C



For 2009, Eastern Holdings Ltd (EHL) is in a solid position despite continuing difficulties in the world economy. An investment holding company based in Singapore, EHL, with its lifeblood both in property development and publishing, has managed to be on solid financial and operational footing for the past year. Continuing the projects of the past year, the Company maintains its unique niche position as a publisher of well-respected consumer magazines and trade publications as well as other ventures related to publishing, such as organising exhibitions and marketing events. In the publishing side, the Company’s magazines and trade journals continue to lead in their respective niche markets. Motherhood, the de facto flagship publication of the company, along with its Chinese counterpart Mama Baobei continue to be at the forefront of magazines dedicated to motherhood and childcare. Special spinoffs from Motherhood include Guide to Childcare, Healthy Pregnancy, and Baby Plus. Other consumer titles of the company include Frequent Traveller, Golf, Motoring, and Teens. All the magazines, except Frequent Traveller and Mama Baobei, are monthly publications. The trade publishing side includes regional trade titles that are also leaders in their respective markets. These publications are Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News, Asia Pacific Food Industry, FDM Asia, Computer Era, and Industrial Automation Asia. Exhibition and marketing activities for the year also continued apace. Eastern Directories Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of EHL, holds annual exhibitions that have become the byword within their industries. These trade fairs are IT Show and Consumer Electronics Exhibition (COMEX), which for eight and 18 years respectively, have been the country’s biggest and best computer and IT exhibitions. Meanwhile, World Food Fair and Food & Beverage Fair bring together F&B industry insiders and consumers. On the consumer side, exhibitions include the annual Motherhood Exhibition and the Teens Model Search, which has produced some of the country’s top talents. Smaller marketing drives include golf carnivals, motoring driveaways, and distribution of gift baskets to new mothers in selected hospitals. The Company’s properties division has also been very successful in the acquisition and development of residential and industrial properties, which will be discussed in the next pages.