Grantham Book Services to become US hub for Penguin Random House, but 90 jobs are still set to go

A book distribution centre that had looked destined for closure has now been saved – with a new deal that saves some of the jobs at the site.

Grantham Book Services, in Trent Road, will become a new operational hub for Penguin Random House US, acting as a base for its orders in Europe.

It had been announced last year that the branch could close as it was considered not “commercially viable”. The closure plan meant 200 jobs were at risk but now, with the new move, 90 people will be made redundant instead.

A spokesperson for Penguin Random House said: “Last year we announced a decision to close our third-party publishing distribution operation, following a strategic review which showed that this business is no longer viable for Penguin Random House UK.

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“This decision would result in the closure of the Grantham Book Services site on Trent Road from late 2025 and, regrettably, a number of colleagues facing redundancy.

“We are now able to confirm that we have identified a new opportunity for the Grantham site.

“We’re pleased that this change means we’ll be making significantly fewer redundancies than initially anticipated, as a number of these roles will still be required in this new hub.

“As before, our priority remains to support closely those colleagues impacted by this news, and help them navigate next steps.”

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