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A new chapter for Hachette following expansion
Published on 13 December 2024
Leading publishing group doubles its presence and shares Christmas bestseller prediction
The UK’s second largest book publishing group, Hachette UK, has announced a significant expansion of its Milton Park facilities in a move which is expected to create up to 50 local job opportunities.
A Milton Park occupier for 24 years, Hachette has announced its operations within the innovation community have almost doubled to nearly 300,000 sq ft. The addition of a new facility at 188 Park Drive will create additional storage and enable the leading publisher to expand its book distribution services across the UK and beyond.
Hachette’s presence in Oxford began in the 1980s through its predecessor Bookpoint, but the company has long been at the forefront of publishing. Its books have inspired readers for generations, with a rich heritage dating back to 1768 and a portfolio of titles including classics like The Origin of Species and Jane Eyre.
Today, it ships an astonishing 65 million copies, over 25% of its books globally, from the Milton Park facility, covering a diverse range of genres from fiction and non-fiction to children’s books and academic publications.
As a result of the expansion, Hachette is expected to increase its employee headcount by 15%, fuelled by recently winning the UK’s largest publisher distribution contract, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc in April 2025.
“We have an ambitious goal to deliver one in every two books sold in the UK,” said Matt Wright, CEO at Hachette UK Distribution.
“With the best site, technology and team behind us, the expansion at Milton Park brings us ever closer to that goal and allows us to serve a growing audience of readers who are discovering or rediscovering the joy of physical books. This reflects our core mission: to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity by ensuring that we make it easy to get more books to more readers.”
“We’ve seen a real shift back towards physical book sales. As an ideal gift, books are still great value for the entertainment they provide. As we head into Christmas, we want to keep prices down as much as possible for more cost-conscious buyers and we can do just that through driving efficiencies in our new facility. In terms of my bestseller predictions, Sir Chris Hoy’s book All That Matters will no doubt be a firm favourite on any Christmas list this year.”
Commenting on the expansion, Philip Campbell, Commercial Director at MEPC Milton Park, said: “No matter their size, we are always delighted to see our occupiers grow from strength to strength at Milton Park. It’s particularly rewarding when we can work closely with them, playing a small role in their story by providing the space and flexibility so they can write their next chapter of growth.
“Having had a Milton Park presence since 2000, Hachette is one of our largest and long-standing occupiers. They have deep-rooted partnerships with other occupiers, such as the distribution collaboration with Taylor & Francis, and as donors to the Didcot Powerhouse Fund, are also heavily involved in the local community.
“I hope the additional space and facilities help Hachette with their ambition of delivering one in every two books in the UK. In amongst the millions of books they distribute, I’ll certainly be happy if Sir Chris Hoy’s new book finds its way under my tree this Christmas!”
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