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Bloomsbury: Asda must make peace

17.07.07 Katherine Rushton

Bloomsbury is taking legal action against Asda for defamation and is threatening to make the supermarket "a Harry Potter free zone" until the matter is resolved.

The move comes after the supermarket said in a press release on Sunday that Bloomsbury was "attempting to hold children to ransom" by raising the price of Harry Potter to £17.99.

Last night Bloomsbury put a block on all of Asda's book orders--including half a million copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--claiming that the supermarket still owed £38,000 for unauthorised returns of the sixth Harry Potter book, and stressing that the move was "unrelated" to the chain's accusatory press statement.

Asda said today it has since settled the bill and assured customers it would have Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in stock at midnight on Friday. Asda claimed that if Bloomsbury withholds supply it will be in "breach of contract".

But a Bloomsbury spokesman said the legal issue over Asda's comments still posed a problem: "Unfortunately we've now had to initiate a significant libel claim against them. That matter will have to be dealt with [before their order is reinstated]. The ball is in their court. If they want their 500,000 books, they will have to come and make peace with us . . . It could be good news for all their disappointed customers, because they don't have to go to a soulless Asda shed to buy their book and they can share the magic of Harry potter at an independent or a specialist bookseller instead."

The spokesman added: "Hands off Harry Asda. He's too special for you. He has no desire to be dragged into your price wars. Please don't tarnish him with your grubby optimism and your naive publicity strategy."

The comments are just the latest in an increasingly fractious war of words between the publisher and the supermarket. Bloomsbury marketing director Minna Fry said in an interview of Radio 5 Live that she wished Potter was only sold by traditional shops and high street retailers, and not by supermarkets at all. But she would not rule out a resolution before Friday, saying: "We will look again at the situation."

Asda confirmed it had received the legal letter from Bloomsbury, but stood by its strongly-worded release and remained bullish that it would have books instore by the launch date. "There is nothing defamatory in our press release. Everything in there is factual. It's a commentary on how we see things," a spokesman said. Another spokesman added: "If they don't supply us with the books, it will have a massive implication and [it will be] a breach of contract--but I don't think they will do that."

The supermarket also disputed claims by Bloomsbury that the account block was unrelated to the Potter war. "Money is always owed between businesses at one stage or another...Bloomsbury is feeling miffed because we have lifted the smokescreen about the price of the book. They don't like what we have said about them hiking up the price of the book . . . They are trying to stop us getting the books into our stores so the children who want it can buy it for a good price." Asda claims it is itself owed £122,000 by Bloomsbury "for pulping and other book trade issues and work we have done for them".

In the original Asda press release, director of general merchandise Peter Pritchard said Bloomsbury's pricing strategy could "only be seen as blatant profiteering on their part". The sixth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was priced at £16.99, whilst the first Potter book was launched at £11.99.

But Bloomsbury has hit back at the Asda press release as hypocritical and untrue. C.e.o. Nigel Newton told The Bookseller late yesterday: "They've unleashed a very disingenuous, self-interested attack on us. This is complete nonsense and all they're doing is grandstanding as they've done on the price of asprin and bread [in previous years]. They try and turn it into a big deal as though it's a moral crusade for them, but it's nothing of the kind." He added that the £1 price hike was needed to fund the move to print the final Potter book on recycled paper.

Retail Katherine Rushton harry potter Bloomsbury children's Asda

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