Bloomsbury reports record sales

In the UK, Bloomsbury achieved record sales of £230.1 million (A$403m)—up 24% on the previous year—in the year ending 28 February 2022, reports the Bookseller.

Profits before taxation and highlighted items were also up 40% to £26.7 million (A$46.8m).

Revenue growth was led by gains in Bloomsbury’s consumer division, which was up 25%. Adult trade revenue grew by 26% and children’s trade grew by 25%. Sales of Sarah J Maas titles grew by 86%, while Harry Potter sales were up 5%.

The non-consumer division grew by 25%, while Bloomsbury Digital Resources (BDR) was up 50% on the previous year.

Bloomsbury CEO Nigel Newton told the Bookseller: ‘Most of the good things that happened to publishing in the dark days of the pandemic have happened to Bloomsbury—not just one or two of them, but all of them, I think. The shift to digital learning accelerated a trend already present for BDR [which saw] increased subscriptions at university libraries.

‘The second phenomenon is the strength of the Bloomsbury backlist—it’s been the backlist in particular that has borne the brunt of the reading public’s increase in reading over the past two years.’

Category: International news