One in 43 homes awaiting Harry Potter delivery

One in 43 UK homes on average has pre-ordered the latest Harry Potter book, the Royal Mail said today.

Around 600,000 copies of JK Rowling’s seventh and final instalment will be delivered by Royal Mail this Saturday.

Westminster is the UK’s Harry Potter hotspot with an average one in every 15 homes in the London borough pre-ordering copies, the Royal Mail said.

It will use 180 extra trucks and an additional train service to distribute the books from retailers’ warehouses to 1,400 delivery offices across the UK on Friday evening and early Saturday morning.

Online retailer Amazon has taken 2.1 million global pre-orders of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows but couldn’t say how many of these were in the UK.

Amazon.co.uk said extra staff had been taken on at its secret distribution centre to pack the books and ensure they are secure.

Its deadline for fans wanting to ensure launch day delivery of pre-ordered copies of the Harry Potter book was midnight last night.

Royal Mail marketing director Alex Batchelor, said: “The fact that Royal Mail will be delivering one book for every 43 homes on average, really demonstrates the phenomenon of Harry Potter.”

Christopher North, head of books at Amazon.co.uk said: “Security surrounding Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the tightest there has ever been.”

The Royal Mail figures are based the number of pre-ordered copies provided by the retailers for whom it will deliver the Harry Potter books on Saturday.