WK Sees Gradual Electronic Growth
Jim Milliot -- 4/20/98
WK Sees Gradual Electronic GrowthIn its 1997 annual report, the Dutch professional and educational publisher Wolters Kluwer observed that while the demand for electronic products continues to grow, recent trends indicate that the growth for such materials is "no more than gradual" and that printed products, alongside and in combination with electronic products, will continue to play an important role in certain key markets.WK noted that its customers are making only limited use of the Internet, and that while usage of WK's online systems has increased, "the rate of growth is by no mean explosive." The greatest demand for electronic products has been in the legal and tax fields, but less so in the medical and scientific fields. The company, which in the past has disclosed the percentage contribution made by electronic products to its total sales, will no longer follow that practice. WK said that approach is "no longer meaningful, given the different characteristics of the individual markets." WK further noted that in many cases, electronic products come bundled with their print counterparts. In looking at sales by geographic segment, WK reported that the U.S. and Canada represented 30%, or roughly $800 million of total sales in 1997 and 36% ($223 million) of operating income. Back To News---> |
