Retail Market
...voice has, if you've made any
tech support calls lately. The country's emergence as a provider
of such services, however, is only one aspect of a much broader
transformation underway.With rapid economic growth and a
huge expansion in education that is fulfilling the culture's deeply
ingrained respect and thirst for knowledge, India appears to be
on course for occupying a key position in the global economy.
This is good news for Wiley. Along with China,
India is a pivotal part of our Asian strategy, and
the market there is healthier than it has ever
been; our year-to-date revenue is up 12 percent
against plan, 24 percent against prior year. "I
have never seen a market as buoyant as this,"
says Peter Booth Wiley, Chairman, recently
back from a 10-day trip timed to coincide with
the Delhi Book Fair, held every February. "It's
exciting to see such enormous vitality."
Wiley's presence in India actually dates
back to 1965, when then-President and CEO
W. Bradford Wiley, Peter's father, formed
Wiley Eastern in New Delhi. An extension
of our international publishing program, its
primary mission was the production of locally
printed paperback editions of American textbooks,
priced to market. In the face of India's
chronic political and economic volatility, the
venture has prevailed through some challenging
times. Although Wiley Eastern ceased to
At the Delhi Book Fair: Steve Miron, Vice President, Asia;
Vikas Gupta; Peter Wiley; Mark Allin; A.K. Bharti
2
function under that name in 1994, signifying
a refocusing of our efforts in the country,
continuity has been assured in our venture
there (now known as Wiley India) by the involvement
of General Manager A.K. Bharti,
a highly respected figure within the Indian
publishing industry, who has been with us
since 1976. We are currently based in five
locations in India, with the main office...
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