| |||
|
The world’s number one preschool property, Thomas & Friends, continues its phenomenal publishing success with UK book sales up 10% in 2008, its master publisher Egmont UK and rights owner HIT Entertainment announced today. First published in 1945 in a series of classic story books entitled The Railway Series, written by The Reverend W. Awdry, Thomas & Friends has sold more than 200 million books globally to date. Egmont UK has been working alongside rights owner and producer, HIT Entertainment, to spearhead this growth with an expanded range of titles and formats including classic story books, novelty books, magazines and television tie-ins. Key to this increase has also been brokering innovative promotions, such as the recent Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror reader giveaway, which offered readers 10 free classic Thomas & Friends story books over 10 days. This resulted in an estimated 1 million books being redeemed, and contributed to one of the best months yet for Thomas & Friends UK book sales, with close to 2 million books sold in January 2009. Egmont UK has also continued to drive growth in new markets with the appointment of new publishing partners in China, Thailand, Spain and Holland. Egmont UK also founded the first pan-Eastern European agreement with other members of the Egmont Group to open up 13 new markets for books and 7 new markets for magazines. David Riley, Director of Egmont Publishing UK said, “2008 was a great year for Thomas – not only because of his spectacular performance in the UK, but also because we were able to bring him to so many children in new markets – both in Europe and beyond. What a Really Useful Engine!” Thomas & Friends is the only licensed character to attract two titles in the preschool magazine category, and according to figures released in the November 2008 report from the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC report), the two titles – Play & Learn and Thomas & Friends combined – sell almost 200,000 copies per month, and as such both consistently rank in the top 10 preschool magazine titles.Since it was first published, Thomas & Friends has emerged as a global brand and is now broadcast in over 185 territories and in 35 languages, with an accompanying consumer products business which generates US$1.6 billion globally at retail each year. There are two hugely successful Thomas & Friends inspired theme parks – Thomas Land – in Japan and the UK, and an extensive global events programme that includes live touring stage shows. Thomas & Friends is the No. 1 preschool licensed property in the UK, US, Australia and Germany. Nicky Thomas, Acting Head of Publishing for HIT Entertainment commented, “Thomas & Friends continues to hold a unique place in our preschool culture. Its strong and rich heritage in children’s publishing is unparalleled, and as a brand, Thomas transcends all cultures and languages and provides young children with stories that last a lifetime and continue to be passed on from generation to generation.” Hamley’s will host a special series of Thomas & Friends weeks from 16 March 2009 in their flagship London store and in Dumfries, Ireland. |
