Penguin Group is off to a good start, parent company Pearson said in a brief trading update this morning. The best early performers are Penguin USA and Penguin UK as well as the revamped Dorling Kindersley. "We expect another good competitive performance, with a compelling publishing schedule in the second half of the year," said chief executive Marjorie Scardino, noting the demand for e-books "remains very strong."
Overall, Pearson's total sales rose 7%, to £1.08 billion. In the company's North America education operation, Scardino said its higher education and assessment and information businesses are showing good growth, and that despite continued pressure on state budgets, Pearson's U.S. school curriculum business returned to growth in the first quarter, helped by the stronger adoption opportunity.
