2019 OVERVIEW

2019 WAS A FINE YEAR DRIVEN BY THE MOMENTUM OF OUR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES IN FRANCE AND INTERNATIONALLY, AMPLY ILLUSTRATING THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT BUSINESS MODEL AND UNDERSCORING OUR ABILITY TO SEIZE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES.

In a global publishing market characterised by an upswing in growth in France (up 1.3%)¹ and continued expansion in the United States, the United Kingdom (up 2.4%)² and Spain (up 1.1%)1, Lagardère Publishing delivered revenue of €2,384 million (including acquisitions), an increase of 2.8% on a like-for-like basis compared with 2018, and recurring EBIT of €220 million, up 10%³.

Hachette Livre's sterling performances in France and Spain, and growth in Partworks and Mobile Games were the driving force behind the increase in our earnings.

In France, the autumn saw a slew of literary awards (Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française, Médicis prize, Femina essay prize, Giono prize, Décembre prize, etc.), while Guillaume Musso held a firm grip on the two top spots on the bestseller list. At the same time, large-scale curriculum reform simultaneously affecting two senior secondary classes was reflected in excellent results for Hatier and Hachette Éducation, which consolidated their respective market shares.

In the United States, Hachette Book Group placed 211 titles in The New York Times bestseller list, 29 of which reached first place, and its authors won an array of literary awards. Two new imprints also emerged, Voracious at Little, Brown and Company, and Hachette Go at Hachette Books. Lastly, the arrival of publisher Lonely Planet as a distribution partner will allow Hachette Book Group to distribute roughly half the travel guides sold in the United States in the first half of 2020.

Elsewhere, 108 Hachette UK titles made it into The Sunday Times bestseller list in the United Kingdom, eight of which making it to the top spot. In addition, the e-book and audio formats once again contributed significantly to the overall performance. And the new Hachette UK distribution centre in Didcot was rated "Very Good" by BREE AM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), a method for assessing the environmental performance of buildings.

In Spain, the division had a good year, with new programmes in six primary levels in Andalusia and the stellar performance of the latest Asterix album.

Partworks also experienced a fresh year of growth, with 92 new collections launched in 36 countries, thereby consolidating the division's global number one position in that market.

Lastly, while sales of e-books contracted slightly in the United States, audio books continued to enjoy spectacular growth across all geographies. The proportion of digital activities grew year on year, accounting for 11.1% of Lagardère Publishing's revenue in 2019.