Bloomsbury Publishing Plc · LSE:BMY
Bloomsbury Publishing — FY2025 Earnings Presentation
38 slides from Bloomsbury Publishing's earnings presentation, May 22, 2025
Slide 1: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Results for the year ended 28 February 2025
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Results for the year ended 28 February 2025
Slide 2: Resilient results
Our strategy of diversification across consumer and academic publishing has forged a portfolio of portfolios; a resilient model for long-term success Resilient Revenue up 5% to £361m, profit £42m, margin 12% and total dividend up 5% results Trading for 2025/26 is expected to be broadly in line with
Slide 3: Bloomsbury 2030 Vision: Growth, Portfolio and People
Bloomsbury 2030 Growth: Portfolio: People: 2024/25 revenue Integration of Earned the Great Delivering the of £361m, with Rowman & Place to Work 5% growth year- Littlefield CertificationTM Bloomsbury 2030 Vision: on-year progressing well after a positive vote by staff Growth, Portfolio and People Gro
Slide 4: Financial Highlights
Financial £m 2024/25 2023/24 Growth % Growth CER3 % Highlights Revenue 361.0 342.7 5% 7% Pre-tax profit margin1 11.7% 14.2% Pre-tax profit1 42.1 48.8 (14)% (11)% Effective tax rate2 18.8% 21.0% Diluted EPS 41.45p 46.62p (11)% (8)% Net cash4 17.0 65.8 (74)% (74)% Dividend per share 15.43p 14.69p 5% N
Slide 5: Diversified Revenue Formats
Diversified £m Print 2024/25 249.7 2023/24 246.2 Growth % Revenue 1% ebooks 60.2 52.3 15% Formats Audio BDR 10.9 27.0 6.9 26.6 57% 2% Excellent growth in audio Digital 98.1 85.8 14% Total book sales 347.8 332.0 5% Rights and services 13.2 10.7 23% Total revenue 361.0 342.7 5% R&S 4% R&S 3% BDR 7% BD
Slide 6: Strong Balance Sheet
Strong £m 28 February 29 February Balance 2025 2024 Goodwill & acquired 128.5 71.4 Sheet intangibles Internally generated 8.9 8.9 Robust balance intangibles sheet to support Property, plant & equipment 2.5 2.2 future growth Tax balances: deferred & 18.7 9.9 Finished goods inventory increased by Work
Slide 7: Cashflow
2024/25 Cashflow £m Strong cash 42.1 (0.4) (16.1) generation (6.2) supporting (12.2) capital allocation (64.8) to drive growth 65.8 8.8 17.0 Net cash PBTA FX movement Tax Capex Dividends Acquisition Other Working Net cash opening of business Capital closing balance balance 28 Feb 2025 29 Feb 2024 Ke
Slide 8: Dividend Growth
Dividend Commitment to dividend growth Growth 15.43 Total dividend increases 14.69 by 5% Pence per share 11.75 10.74 Progressive dividend 8.86 9.78 8.17 7.51 7.96 6.10 6.40 6.70 5.50 5.82 5.00 5.20 3.60 3.66 4.00 4.22 4.43 3.00 0 Special dividend 29 Feb 20 ** 14 months to 29 Feb 12 28 Feb 13 28 Feb
Slide 9: Bloomsbury Investment Case
Bloomsbury Flywheel effect of successful long term strategy • Unique portfolio of Consumer and Academic publishing Investment • Success of diversified strategy: across formats, markets and territories • Investment in content driving strong demand, generating cash to fund further investment Case • 15
Slide 10: Investor Relations
Investor Increasing shareholder engagement Relations • Largest City outreach in Bloomsbury’s history in May 2024 • Launch of Bloomsbury 2030 Vision with over 100 Shareholders, analysts & teams • AGM investor event with operational management Increasing • Joined the FTSE 250 in August 2024 engagement
Slide 11: Consumer: Awards & Bestsellers
Consumer: Awards & Bestsellers £256m (↑3%) Revenue (2023/24: £249.2m) £31.4m Profit (2023/24: £37.8m) Bloomsbury Publishing | 2024/25 Results 11
Slide 12: Building Consumer Bestsellers
• Cookery: Poppy O’Toole’s successful series of Poppy Cooks continues with another in 2025/26 • Fiction: The Booker Prize 2024 shortlisted Anne Michaels’ Held and the 30th Women’s Prize has shortlisted Aria Aber’s Good Girl Building • Non-fiction: Gillian Anderson’s Want was a Sunday Times bestselle
Slide 13: Academic & Professional
Revenue Academic & Professional (A&P) revenue grew 18% to £83.3m Academic & Acquired Rowman & Littlefield broadening & deepening Bloomsbury’s offering and subject areas Budgetary pressure on UK and US institutions Professional Strategically positioned for accelerating shift from print to digital thr
Slide 14: Academic: Rowman & Littlefield
Academic: • Transformational acquisition of Rowman & Littlefield for $83m (£65m) on 28 May 2024 Rowman & • Rowman & Littlefield contributed £19.8m revenue in the nine months since acquisition Littlefield • Combined Academic business publishes c.100,000 titles, creating a platform for growth • Cement
Slide 15: Academic: Bloomsbury Digital Resources
BDR Strategy and Target Building higher margin, quality, repeatable digital revenues, accelerating growth with acquisitions Academic: BDR ambitious target of c.£41m revenue in 2027/28 reiterated Bloomsbury Future benefit from digitisation of Rowman & Littlefield content Digital BDR Revenue Profile R
Slide 16: Non Consumer: Special Interest
Non Targeted publishing strategy, with leading content brands focusing on wildlife, nautical, sport, games and military history Consumer: Special Interest £21.7m Revenue (2023/24: £23.0m) £(1.1)m Profit (2023/24: £0.5m) Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack launch; April 2025 Bloomsbury Publishing | 2024/25 R
Slide 17: Bloomsbury 2030 vision: Growth
Growth Bloomsbury Goal: Use our strong financial position to fund further acquisitions focused on Academic and opportunities with digital potential 2030 vision Achieved 2024/25: Acquisition of Rowman & Littlefield in May 2024, adding 41,000 titles and significantly strengthening our Academic publi
Slide 18: Bloomsbury 2030 vision: Portfolio
Portfolio Bloomsbury Goal: Become the most successful independent Academic publisher in Humanities and Social Sciences, focusing on digital publishing and resources 2030 vision Achieved 2024/25: Delivered £83.3m of Academic revenue with the integration of Rowman & Littlefield’s 41,000 titles, offe
Slide 19: Bloomsbury 2030 vision: People
People Goal: Be the best place to work in publishing through an industry-leading focus on Bloomsbury professional development programs, training, systems and work practices 2030 vision Achieved 2024/25: Earned the Great Place to Work CertificationTM following a survey of our employees in which Blo
Slide 20: Audio in the spotlight
Growth • Audio revenue growth of 57% to £10.9m Audio • New agreement with Spotify begun in November enhancing sales • Backlist of 1,300 titles and publishing over 500 titles per year in the • Narrators include Emilia Clarke reading The Instrumentalist, Richard Armitage reading Jonathan Strange and M
Slide 21: Powerful publishing list for 2025/26
Powerful publishing list for 2025/26 Bloomsbury Publishing | 2024/25 Results 21
Slide 22: Summary and outlook
Summary and outlook Flywheel: Portfolio of AI: Trading for portfolios: 2025/26 is Investment in Progressing expected to content driving Strategic opportunities to be broadly in strong customer expansion in monetise line with demand, Asia with office content through consensus generating cash in Singa
Slide 23: Bloomsbury Publisher of the Year 2025
Bloomsbury Publisher of the Year 2025 Bloomsbury Publishing | 2024/25 Results 23
Slide 24: Appendices
DAN JONES HENRY Appendices ASTONISHING RISE ENGLAND’S GREATEST WARRIOR KING How to Eat @ WILLIAM DALRYMPLE fal oon ants I, 24
Slide 25: Results by Publishing Division
Results by £m Consumer Non-Consumer Publishing Revenues 2024/25 256.0 105.0 Division Revenues 2023/24 249.2 93.5 Growth % 3% 12% Pre-tax profit 2024/251 31.4 11.4 Success of portfolio of portfolios Pre-tax profit 2023/241 37.8 9.8 Growth % (17)% 15% Pre-tax profit margin 2024/25 12% 11% Pre-tax prof
Slide 26: Revenue by Sub-Division
Revenue by £m 2024/25 2023/24 Change % Sub- Consumer 256.0 249.2 3% 83.3 Division Academic & Professional 70.5 18% Special Interest 21.7 23.0 (5)% Total Non-Consumer 105.0 93.5 12% Strength of Total revenue 361.0 342.7 5% Consumer frontlist and backlist Special Interest Special Interest 7% 6% A&P A&
Slide 27: Adjusted segmental analysis 2024/25
Adjusted segmental analysis 2024/25 £m Consumer A&P Special Interest Total Non-Consumer Group Print sales 194.1 76% 37.9 17.7 55.6 53% 249.7 69% Digital sales 53.5 21% 42.2 2.4 44.6 42% 98.1 27% Rights & services 8.4 3% 3.2 1.6 4.8 5% 13.2 4% Total revenue 256.0 100% 83.3 21.7 105.0 100% 361.0 100%
Slide 28: Adjusted segmental analysis 2023/24
Adjusted segmental analysis 2023/24 £m Consumer A&P Special Interest Total Non-Consumer Group Print sales 198.9 80% 28.5 18.8 47.3 51% 246.2 72% Digital sales 44.4 18% 38.9 2.5 41.4 44% 85.8 25% Rights & services 5.9 2% 3.1 1.7 4.8 5% 10.7 3% Total revenue 249.2 100% 70.5 23.0 93.5 100% 342.7 100% %
Slide 29: Adjusted segmental analysis 2024/25 at constant exchange rates
Adjusted segmental analysis 2024/25 at constant exchange rates £m Consumer A&P Special Interest Total Non-Consumer Group Print sales 197.6 76% 38.3 17.9 56.2 53% 253.8 69% Digital sales 54.2 21% 42.5 2.4 44.9 42% 99.1 27% Rights & services 8.5 3% 3.2 1.6 4.8 5% 13.3 4% Total revenue 260.3 100% 84.0
Slide 30: Destination
Revenue by source and destination Revenue by source 5% 1% Source 40% £m United Kingdom North America Australia India Total 54% United Kingdom 74.1 4.1 – – 78.2 North America 11.9 186.7 – – 198.6 Destination Continental Europe 31.3 2.0 – – 33.3 United Kingdom North America Australia India Australasia
Slide 31: Adjusted income statement
Adjusted income statement Change Change £m 2024/25 2023/24 % CER% Revenue 361.0 342.7 5% 7% Gross profit 203.9 194.6 5% Gross profit margin % 56.5% 56.8% Marketing and distribution costs (54.6) (49.8) 10% Marketing and distribution costs as % revenue 15.1% 14.5% Administrative expenses2 (106.4) (96.
Slide 32: Highlighted items £9.6m
Highlighted 2024/25 items Total Amortisation Legal and other professional of acquired costs relating to ongoing and intangible assets completed acquisitions, integration and restructuring costs £9.6m £8.4m £1.2m 2023/24 Amortisation Legal and other professional Total of acquired costs relating to on
Slide 33: Bloomsbury Digital Resources
Bloomsbury Digital Business Psychology Drama and Performance Law and Tax Fashion Philosophy Resources Key verticals: expanding in Business and Psychology Video Art, Design & Film, Music Theology & History Student Architecture and Media Religion Learning Bloomsbury Publishing | 2024/25 Results 33
Slide 34: Leveraging our acquisitions
Leveraging our acquisitions Acquisition Year Contributing to the following Bloomsbury Digital Resources Rowman & Littlefield 2024 Bloomsbury Collections, Drama Online, History, Business and Psychology ABC-CLIO 2021 ABC-CLIO school and academic databases Red Globe Press 2021 Bloomsbury Collections, C
Slide 35: Other notes
Other notes All metrics and commentary in this presentation are at reported foreign exchange rates and include adjusting items unless stated otherwise The amortisation of acquired intangible assets has been highlighted in the financial results for the year ended 28 February 2025 Adjusting items are
Slide 36: Investor Relations Contacts
Investor Tamsin Garrity | Head of Investor Relations Relations 50 Bedford Square www.bloomsbury.com Contacts London WC1B 3DP /bloomsburypublishing tamsin.garrity@bloomsbury.com /bloomsburypublishing Dan de Belder Hattie Dreyfus /bloomsburybooks Emily Brooker Hudson Sandler 25 Charterhouse Square /bl
Slide 37: Founder & Chief Executive
Founder & Nigel Newton CBE is the founder of Bloomsbury Publishing. He was born and raised in Chief San Francisco. He read English at Selwyn College, Cambridge and after working at Macmillan Publishers, he joined Sidgwick & Jackson. He left Sidgwick in 1986 to start Executive Bloomsbury Publishing.
Slide 38: Disclaimer
Disclaimer The information in this presentation has not been audited or otherwise independently verified and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information or opinions conta