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Acquisitions
September 2, 2020

HACHETTE UK acquires Laurence King Publishing

Hachette UK has announced the acquisition of Laurence King Publishing (LKP), the UK’s leading gift publisher and one of the country’s top three art publishers. This follows the signing of an agreement between the shareholders of LKP and Hachette UK on 31st August 2020.

Established in London in 1991, LKP is recognised as one of the world’s leading publishers of books and gifts on the creative arts. It works with some of the world’s best illustrators, designers, artists and photographers to create beautifully produced books and gifts, which are acclaimed for their inventiveness, design and authoritative texts. These include Johanna Basford’s Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest adult colouring books, which have sold more than 16 million copies globally to date. In recent years, LKP has become well-known for its gift products, including the hugely successful Bird Bingo and other games. 
Following the acquisition, LKP’s gift, trade and art publishing will become an imprint of Orion Publishing Group. LKP’s student and professional publishing will become an imprint of Quercus and LKP’s children’s publishing will become part of Hachette Children’s Group.

The acquisition of LKP is part of Hachette UK’s longer-term strategy to diversify into specialist areas by acquiring publishers who are leaders in their field, including Bookouture, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Summersdale and Short Books over the last three years.