Woodland Media, an arm of the U.K.-based Woodland Group, which provides logistics and supply chain products for publishers, announced that it will open a new office in Hong Kong on June 3. The new effort, which will be headed by China logistics veteran Sabrina Au Yeung, will, according to Woodland, strengthen its ties with publishers in China.
"Despite the rise of electronic devices, the demand for English-language books, magazines, and printed matter in China is as strong as ever,” says Yeung, who was managing director at Activair Global Freight Management and Logistics for 33 years. “Opening a dedicated Woodland Media office in Hong Kong is an exciting opportunity, and I am delighted to be joining the team.”
Under its previous name, Bookbridge, Woodland has operated within the industry for 20 years. It now, according to Woodland, exports more magazines from the U.K. than any other logistics company. On the book side, it moves roughly 100,000 copies per week in and out of Hong Kong and the U.K., and 20,000 copies per week in and out of the Hong Kong and the U.S. The company expects its Hong Kong volume to significantly increase over the next few years, according to Kevan Childs, head of the media division at Woodland.
The new operation will join Woodland’s existing network of offices in Chelmsford and Heathrow in the U.K., and, in the U.S., in Atlanta, New York, and Chicago
“Hong Kong remains an important hub of international business and decision making, particularly in the publishing sector,” Childs notes. “I have no doubt Sabrina and her team will make a success of the new venture, formed in the fortunate Year of the Horse.”
