SOME GOOD NEWS FOR PUBLISHERS

Thailand's largest book shop chain Se-Ed has reported a 3.86 per cent same store sales growth for newspapers, magazines and books during the second quarter of 2009, compared to the same period last year.
In its filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand this morning the company, which has opened 49 new units so far this year, reported a second quarter revenue increase of 10.90 per cent over the same time in 2008.
I'd estimate about 98 per cent of the newspapers, magazines and books on sale in branches of Se-Ed are in Thai. The like-for-like sales growth has to be good news for publishers and, combined with the incredible number of new magazines appearing in recent months, provides further justification for increased levels of optimism in the print publishing sector.