Bloomsbury trading mixed

Book publisher Bloomsbury has issued a mixed trading statement, with the UK and US trading well but German operations experiencing difficulties. The company said that, while UK retailers are returning more books than anticipated trading is in line with expectations. The US business is in line with budget, Bloomsbury said,However, in Germany, where the book market has cooled slightly and some titles are having difficulty achieving their sales targets, Bloomsbury is pinning its hopes on strong sales of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The book is at the top of the country's bestseller list, the firm said.The specialist publishing division, responsible for titles such as the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, is performing well, Bloomsbury said.While focusing on managing its cost base amid tough conditions, Bloomsbury said it was also aware of an increasing number of company acquisition opportunities.