Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports October Sales Results

Unit sales of print books rose 7.1% in the week ended Aug. 29, 2020, over the comparable week in 2019, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Backlist titles continued to drive growth in the juvenile nonfiction category, which posted unit gains of 39.7% over the week ended Aug. 31, 2019. Big Preschool Workbook remained the top title in juvenile nonfiction, selling more than 26,000 copies. A couple of Brain Quest titles by Lisa Trumbauer had big sales jumps in the week, including Brain Quest Workbook: Kindergarten and Brain Quest Workbook: Grade 1, which landed in the fifth and sixth spots, respectively, on the category bestseller list; the two sold about 20,000 copies combined. His Truth Is Marching On by Jon Meacham was the top new release in the week, selling more than 38,000 copies. It was #1 on the adult nonfiction list and helped to drive up sales in the category by 4.3%.

Dear Industry Member: Here is immediate action you can take while ACMA works furiously to raise the resources to comprehensively attack the ridiculous new USPS rate authority that will double catalog mailers’ postal rates over the next decade. Please determine whether you (catalog merchant), your employees, suppliers or customers have constituent standing in any of the following locations where there are Members of Congress with direct connections to postal decision makers: West Virginia, Kentucky, northern Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Arizona, North Carolina, Kansas, Georgia, and Connecticut (click here for contact sheet). If you do, you have a unique ability to wield constituent pressure to cause elected officials to pressure the Postal Service Board of Governors to not institute a second unbudgeted rate hike, which could take place as soon as this summer. Click Read more below for important information.

The New York Times Company announced second-quarter 2017 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations of $.09 compared with $.00 in the same period of 2016. Adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations (defined below) was $.18 in the second quarter of 2017 compared with $.11 in the second quarter of 2016. Operating profit was $27.7 million in the second quarter of 2017 compared with $9.1 million in the same period of 2016, largely due to two special items recorded in the second quarter of 2016. Adjusted operating profit (defined below) was $67.1 million in the second quarter of 2017 compared with $54.5 million in the second quarter of 2016, principally driven by very strong digital revenues, partially offset by higher costs. Mark Thompson, president and chief executive officer, The New York Times Company, said, “We had another strong quarter in which we grew revenue and profitability and made significant changes within the organization to ensure that the acceleration of our digital business continues in the long term. Click Read More below for additional details.