Business
Half-year Report
Half-year Report.
About this update from Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \nRNS Number : 3822U Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 24 October 2017 \n\n24 October 2017\n \nBLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING Plc \n(\"Bloomsbury\" or the \"Group\")\nUnaudited Interim Results for the six months ended 31 August 2017\n \nThe Group saw strong growth in the first half and is trading in line with the Board's expectations for the full year. Traditionally, sales of trade titles peak for Christmas and sales of academic titles at the beginning of the academic year in the autumn. We therefore expect our sales to be second-half weighted, as in past years. \n \nGroup financial highlights\n \n· Total revenues up 15% to £72.1 million (2016: £62.7 million) \n· Digital revenues up 15% to £8.9 million (2016: £7.7 million) \n· Print revenues up 16% to £60.1 million (2016: £51.7 million) \n· Adjusted* profit before tax up 74% to £2.5 million (2016: £1.5 million) \n· Profit before tax £1.7 million (2016: £0.1 million) \n· Net cash up 85% to £16.9 million (2016: £9.1 million)\n· Interim dividend up 5% to 1.15 pence per share (2016: 1.10 pence per share) \n· Adjusted* diluted earnings per share up 70% to 2.81 pence (2016: 1.65 pence) \n· Diluted earnings per share 1.87 pence (2016: 0.15 pence) \n \nConsumer division \n \n· Revenues increased 20% to £44.7 million (2016: £37.3 million), driven by Children's Trade where revenues increased 33% to £31.7 million\n· J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter titles continue to sell strongly, including the Harry Potter Box Set and the new House Editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which celebrate the 20th anniversary of the title first being published\n· Sarah J. Maas title revenues grew 47% including the publication of A Court of Wings and Ruin\n· Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders won the Man Booker prize last Tuesday. Tom Kerridge's Dopamine Diet reached number one on the Sunday Times Original Non-Fiction list simultaneously with Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology being number one on the Sunday Times Original Fiction list. Kid Normal by Greg James and Chris...