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Watkins Media will launch a new sales and events partnership with the UK arm of US indie Chelsea Green Publishing next month.
From 1st June, Watkins will act as Chelsea Green UK’s sales agent for UK & Ireland retail sales, special sales and wholesale in the UK; and the publishers will work together to "develop an ambitious events programme including creating co-branded public-facing events, sponsoring and selling at festivals, curating back and frontlist author event programmes alongside innovative bookshop events and experiences, such as round tables, live podcast experiences, branded festivals and interactive community-building workshops".
Grantham Book Services will continue to manage warehousing and fulfilment for Chelsea Green Publishing UK. Prior to 1st June 2019, PGUK managed sales and distribution for Chelsea Green Publishing in the UK.
Matt Haslum, UK m.d. for Chelsea Green said “We knew immediately that there was a great fit with Watkins, which could be mutually beneficial. We are passionate, mission-driven publishers with complementary lists; particularly across food, health, sustainable living and politics, and we were really impressed how Watkins have grown their special sales network over the past few years in these areas. We see high street retail and special sales as big growth areas in the UK for our US titles and our emerging UK publishing programme.”
Vicky Hartley, sales and marketing director for Watkins, added: “We are truly delighted to take on Chelsea Green Publishers as our first client publisher and we are excited about a partnership between our companies that will not be limited just to sales but embraces joint enterprises in the events and marketing space too. From our first informal meeting, the potential ideas for how two publishers with such complementary lists and company ethos’s could work together was something that I knew we needed to move forward.”
Founded in 1984 in Vermont, US, Chelsea Green made the decision to open a London office at the end of 2017 following a period of "unprecedented growth", which has seen UK sales rise 167% to £583,000 in two years, the company said.