Strong growth for small indie John Catt

Suffolk-based independent John Catt has announced a rise in turnover to £605,000 in the year ending August 31st 2018, a lift of over 150% on the prior year.

It's the second year of strong growth for the education publisher, which also saw a turnover lift of 127% in the prior year.

The results were attributed to strong book performance on the back of a year where the company had increased the quantity of new professional development books for educators and launched over 60 new titles, and increased international rights business.

Total company turnover from all publishing activities (including advertising revenue in John Catt's range of guides and magazines) increased 12% up to £1.51m.

The year to August 31st was the third full year in charge for the ownership team of Alex Sharratt, Jonathan Barnes and James Rudge.

Sharratt said: “We are so proud of these results and the trend that they continue. The results prove that a nimble and courageous company can have real success in disrupting the bigger publishers and beating them at their own game. In fact, the mischief in me takes pleasure to think that we might be a little bit nettlesome for our larger and more cumbersome cousins."

He promised that the company -  which acquired new offices in Woodbridge, Suffolk, in the summer, to house a growing team and new digital print-on-demand presses and finishing equipment - would be holding "the mother of all parties" to celebrate its 60th year in 2019.