Publisher unveils new premises on World Book Day
HarperCollins was founded as Collins & Co in Glasgow 206 years ago.
An archive of items relating to writers including Agatha Christie and JRR Tolkien has been announced as part of the new offices and distribution centre of publisher HarperCollins.
The 550,000sq ft site at Robroyston, Glasgow, will employ 400 people and handle 110 million books a year, and up to three million books a week during its busiest periods.
Writers including Jeffrey Archer, Jung Chang, Nigel Slater and Adele Parks will gather with politicians and business leaders to celebrate the launch of the premises on Thursday, which is World Book Day.
Ahead of the launch, HarperCollins chief executive Charlie Redmayne highlighted the publishing sector’s £11 billion contribution to the UK economy, and called for action to tackle the “crisis” in children’s reading.
He said: “We’re currently seeing a real crisis in children’s reading – recent studies reveal that fewer than 25% of children read for pleasure frequently, and perhaps most worryingly that only 40% of pre-schoolers are read to frequently.
“This is a problem for publishers – children who don’t grow up loving reading become adults who don’t love reading – but also for the country.
“Children who read do better in life, it’s as simple as that. They are not just our future customers, they are the country’s future.”
The new site will house the HarperCollins Archive which includes rare first edition books, original artwork, correspondence and contracts relating to literary figures including Boris Pasternak, AA Milne and Paddington author Michael Bond, as well as Christie and Tolkien.
The original Paddington illustrations are among the pieces in the collection.
There is room to store and display items, which was not the case in the previous site at Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire.
The site will also be home to most of the education and reference division of Collins, which publishes dictionaries, atlases, general reference, language learning resources and children’s non-fiction, and Leckie, the education publisher for Scotland.
The publisher said it will move over fully to the new site later this year, and that its Bishopbriggs site currently remains operational.
HarperCollins was founded as Collins & Co in Glasgow 206 years ago.
Scotland’s Culture Secretary Angus Robertson, Scotland Office minister Kirsty McNeill and Glasgow Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren are among those attending the launch.
Mr Robertson said: “Built with sustainability and energy efficiency in mind, this facility is a very welcome investment that will support more than 400 local jobs, illustrating the creative industries’ indispensable contribution to Scotland’s society and our economy.
“The new archive is also testament to the major role that HarperCollins has had in educating, entertaining and employing people in Scotland over the past two centuries.
“The next chapter of that remarkable legacy now begins with the opening of HarperCollins Robroyston, and I am delighted to be able to mark that on behalf of the Scottish Government.”
To coincide with the launch, HarperCollins teamed up with Glasgow Life to donate a pack of 50 children’s books to every primary school in the city.
Ms McNeill said: “I congratulate HarperCollins and the broader publishing industry for its significant contribution to the UK economy and for its ambition and commitment to equipping pupils with literacy skills that will serve them and the country throughout their lives and careers.”
