THEY have been a staple of Christmas stockings for almost 50 years. But children will no longer be able to unwrap a Blue Peter annual on Christmas morning.
The book’s publishers, Pedigree, say they will no longer produce it after years of falling sales and lack of interest from retailers.
Sales of the Blue Peter annual have fallen from 59,941 in 2007 to just 13,140 last year, according to Neilsen BookScan.
STRUGGLE
Matthew Reynolds, sales and licensing manager at publisher Pedigree, told the Radio Times: “We produced the front cover this year, presented it to the trade, but Blue Peter is fighting against up to 200 other brands that retailers select from and it wasn’t seen as being strong enough to be in the top 25% that gets the mass distribution.
“The fact is that it was starting to struggle last year, which probably influenced their decision to back away.”
Each book is made in time for Christmas and featured highlights from shows in the previous 12 months, including major guests, the Summer expedition and the resident pets.
