Merchandising Agreement

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
30 November 2000

0700hrs 30th November 20000


                          Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

                     Harry Potter Merchandising Agreement


Bloomsbury Publishing Plc announces that it has acquired, from Warner Brother
Consumer Products (UK) Limited, certain publishing related merchandising
rights for the Harry Potter series and the film to the first book, Harry
Potter and the Philosophers' Stone, which is planned to be screened in
November 2001.


The rights, for the UK only, are for a two-year period and cover a wide range
of mass-market retail products including journals, diaries, notebooks,
calendars, address books and writing paper.


Bloomsbury is adopting a cautious approach to the size of the market. The
merchandising will be launched in March 2001 and print run quantities will be
restricted to initial demand. Early piloting of the merchandise in the USA
indicates that there is a very strong market for the products.


For further information contact:


Nigel Newton, Chief Executive, Bloomsbury Publishing plc     0207 494 6015

Simon Forrest, Impact Corporate Communications               0207 355 5150

(m) 0585 317746