Bloomsbury Describes “Harry Potter” as “Ray of Sunshine” During Lockdown

It has been just a little over a year since the pandemic began. And with that, March 2021 comes with a lot of retrospection. For many, a lot has changed.

While it was first reported at the beginning of the pandemic that Bloomsbury took a drastic plunge in print sales from bookshop closures due to COVID-19 restrictions, something changed in the wind. Bloomsbury has recently reported a large profit upgrade, exceeding the previously predicted £171 million in full-year revenue, with shares rising 12%.

A set of “Harry Potter” books published by Bloomsbury is pictured on display in Windsor, England.

Bloomsbury has credited Harry Potter with being one of the contributors to this success. It is no wonder, since the magical world is an escape from the outside world, especially when one needs to shelter from the outside world during a lockdown. Chief executive Nigel Newton shared the same sentiment.

The popularity of reading during lockdown is a ray of sunshine in an otherwise very dark last year. February, the final month of our financial year, saw an exceptional sales performance for Bloomsbury as the surge in reading continued.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas, Outlawed by Anna North, We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins, and Dishoom: The First Ever Cookbook from the Much-Loved Indian Restaurant by Naved Nasir, Kavi Thakrar, and Shamil Thakrar are also among popular lockdown favorites that contributed to the incline of book sales. Bloomsbury also focused on digital academic content for remote learning to help drive sales.

Bloomsbury states that it is unclear how this trend will continue once lockdown is lifted.

We do not yet know how consumer behaviour will change as academic institutions, shops and leisure activities reopen and whether this popularity will continue as restrictions are lifted.

Have you purchased any Harry Potter books to read amid the pandemic?