Harry Potter publisher raises profit view as reading picks up during lockdowns

Copies of the book of the play of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child parts One and Two are displayed at a bookstore in London

(Reuters) - Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury said on Wednesday profit for fiscal year 2020 will be significantly above market expectations as a surge in reading during the lockdown continued.

"The popularity of reading during lockdown is a ray of sunshine in an otherwise very dark last year," Chief Executive Nigel Newton said, adding that February, the final month of its financial year, saw exceptional sales.

(Reporting by Chris Peters in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)