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Harper claims market share gains

09.08.07 Philip Jones

HarperCollins UK was the fastest growing "top" publisher in the year ending 30th June, according to its chief executive Victoria Barnsley. She said the business had an "excellent year", with an "outstanding" fourth quarter.

According to results released by parent company News Corp the worldwide business, dominated by its US unit, pushed sales up from $1.31bn to $1.34bn for the fiscal year ended 30th June. Operating income for fiscal 2007 declined by $8m to $159m.

The group does not release figures for its UK arm, but Barnsley told The Bookseller: "Revenues were well up, operating profit grew impressively and we increased our market share by a very healthy 5% (up to 8.5%). We achieved the largest organic growth in market share of any of the top publishers during this period."

In the fourth quarter, ended 30th June, the worldwide group reported revenue growth up from $256m to $295m, with fourth quarter operating income up by $21m to $27m year on year.

Barnsley said: "The fourth quarter of F07 was an outstandingly successful one for HarperCollins UK. Revenues showed excellent growth and operating profit was massively up thanks to a strong publishing programme right across the board – with number one bestsellers from JRR Tolkien to Cecelia Ahern. We increased our market share in Q4 from 8.0% to 8.7% with an increase in overall sales value of 16%, almost triple the market growth of 6%."

Barnsley said that the UK business had more number one bestsellers in fiscal 2007 than ever before, with 14 books hitting the top slot and a record breaking 61 titles in the top 10 bestseller lists. HarperCollins UK also won 16 top literary prizes, including the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction for Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche's second novel, Half A Yellow Sun.

HarperCollins Philip Jones Victoria Barnsley News Corp

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