Bloomsbury acquires RGP imprint

Bloomsbury has signed a sale and purchase agreement for the acquisition of academic imprint Red Globe Press (RGP), from Macmillan Education Limited.

The imprint, which is part of the Springer Nature Group, specialises in titles for higher education students globally, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, business and management, and study skills. RGP has a backlist of more than 7,000 titles and publishes more than 100 new titles a year, with content including digital platforms, textbooks, research-driven materials and general academic publishing.

RGP’s three digital products will be migrated to Bloomsbury Digital Resources’ own platform and its content added to Bloomsbury Collections. The business will operate within the publishers Academic and Professional division.

RGP generated £9.6m of revenue in the year ending 31st December 2020, and profit before tax of £1.1m, with gross assets of approximately £0.8m. In the remaining nine months of Bloomsbury’s financial year ending 28th February 2022, RGP is expected to contribute approximately £6m of revenue and £0.4m of profit before tax, before integration and acquisition costs.

Nigel Newton, Bloomsbury c.e.o., commented: “We are delighted to acquire the Red Globe Press list. Red Globe Press aligns well with our existing academic publishing and provides a gateway to new and attractive academic publishing areas. This move is another key step in the delivery of our strategic growth strategy and continues our drive to grow our Non-Consumer business. Acquiring these complementary lists accelerates our digital growth and our significant presence in humanities and social sciences academic publishing.”

Emma Bourne, m.d. of Curriculum and Higher Education, Macmillan Education, added: “Following a strategic review of the business, we have decided to focus on our core markets of K-12 English Language Teaching and Curriculum. We are sure that Red Globe Press, its team of dedicated staff, and all its authors will flourish within Bloomsbury, where the imprint can continue to grow its excellent academic publishing.”