Redemptorist Publications

What Redemptorist Publications does

Redemptorist Publications is a UK-registered charity limited by guarantee (Charity no. 1058879, Company no. 03261721) operating as an apostolate of the Redemptorist order (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer). Founded in the 1950s and headquartered at Wolf's Lane, Chawton, Hampshire, the organisation publishes and retails Christian books, missals, prayer books, liturgical resources, and catechetical materials serving Catholic parishes, Anglican churches, Catholic schools, and faith-forming families in the United Kingdom and selected overseas markets. Its product range spans the 'I Belong' First Holy Communion programme, the Faith in Phonics primary-school reading scheme, the Pastoral Outreach Series, church supplies (altar bread, candles, incense), eBooks, audiobooks, DVDs, icons, and devotional gifts.

The commercial model is a vertically integrated publishing-and-retail operation built around the rpbooks.co.uk e-commerce storefront, supplemented by trade accounts for retailers and parishes, distribution partnerships with Catholic Christian Outreach and Caritas, and subscription services for Parish Resources and parish bulletins. Pricing is unit-based in GBP with products ranging from £0.60 to £29.95, free UK delivery above £50, and bulk discounts of 5–10% for trade and parish-bulletin customers invoiced on 30-day terms. Digital distribution is handled via Glassboxx and Amazon Kindle, with marketing executed through email newsletters, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), paid social campaigns, catalogues, and a community-based 'Friends of RP Book Club'.

The underlying technology stack is conventional e-commerce and digital distribution infrastructure with no proprietary platform components disclosed. The organisation operates with 1–10 employees and is governed by trustees, with no external institutional investors or venture capital ownership identified. Notable scale signals include the 'Your Baby's Baptism' booklet, which has sold over three million copies worldwide across multiple languages, and the 2018 Mum's Choice Awards Gold Award received for 'The Animals' Christmas'.

Name

Redemptorist Publications

Legal name

Redemptorist Publications

Website

https://rpbooks.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Redemptorist Publications is a UK Catholic charity and publisher that produces and sells Christian books, missals, catechetical programmes, church supplies, and the Faith in Phonics reading scheme to Catholic parishes, Anglican churches, Catholic schools, and faith-forming families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides) (MPAJAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Devotional & Prayer Publishing (Devotionals, Prayer Books, Meditation Guides) (MPAJAHAB), Worship & Liturgy Publishing (Liturgical Texts, Missals, Service Books, Hymnals) (MPAJAHAE), Religious Children’s Publishing (Faith-Based Kids & YA) (MPAJAHAJ), Sacred Texts & Scripture Publishing (Bibles, Qur’ans, Vedas, Torah, Sutras) (MPAJAHAA)

Keywords

• Catholic publishing
• Christian books
• Religious education
• Liturgical resources
• Parish bulletins

Headquarters

HQ city

Chawton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Book Sales: One-time product sales of books, missals, prayer books, and religious materials directly to consumers through the company's e-commerce website.
2. Trade/Bulk Sales: Sales to approved trade customers including retailers, parishes, and schools at negotiated discounts with credit account terms.
3. Subscriptions: Subscription-based offerings including Parish Resources subscriptions and other recurring publication services.
4. Downloads: Digital product downloads including parish bulletins, eBooks, and electronic resources available through customer accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Redemptorist Publications is a Catholic and Anglican publishing house that produces and sells religious books, missals, prayer books, eBooks, audiobooks, DVDs, church supplies (altar bread, candles, incense), icons, and religious gifts. The company also offers proprietary educational and sacramental preparation programmes including the Faith in Phonics reading scheme, the I Belong First Holy Communion programme, the Freddie Freckles children's series, and the Pastoral Outreach Series for parish clergy. Products are sold through their own e-commerce website (rpbooks.co.uk), trade accounts for retailers, parish bulletin subscriptions, and digital distribution partners.

Product overview

Redemptorist Publications operates a multi-format publishing and e-commerce platform serving Catholic and Anglican traditions. The core offering is an online bookstore (rpbooks.co.uk) supplemented by proprietary educational programmes including Faith in Phonics (reading scheme for Year R and Year 1), the Freddie Freckles children's story series, and the I Belong First Holy Communion programme. Additional product lines encompass the Pastoral Outreach Series for parish support, liturgical books and missals, church supplies (altar bread, candles, incense), eBooks distributed via Glassboxx and Amazon Kindle, parish bulletins and downloadable resources, and religious gifts including icons and sacramental items. The company also publishes audiobooks, DVDs, and operates a subscription service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RP Books: The main trading name and website domain for Redemptorist Publications, a Catholic publisher serving the UK and overseas markets with religious educational materials, prayer books, and liturgical resources.

Products and services

• RP Books E-commerce Platform An online bookstore offering Catholic and Anglican religious publications, including books, eBooks, audiobooks, DVDs, church supplies, and parish resources for direct purchase by consumers and trade customers.
• Faith in Phonics Reading Scheme A decodable reading scheme with a Christian faith focus for primary school children, sold as Year R and Year 1 box sets with bulk discounts available for schools.
• I Belong First Holy Communion Programme A complete sacramental preparation programme for First Holy Communion, including children's book, parent's guide, and leader's guide, for use by parishes, schools, and families.
• Freddie Freckles Children's Series A children's Christian storybook series by Fr Tim Buckley featuring the character Freddie Freckles, with stories covering adventures, altar serving, and sacramental education for young Catholic readers.
• Pastoral Outreach Series A series of practical resources for parish clergy and pastoral workers addressing ministry challenges including depression, eating disorders, bullying, loneliness, disability, and bereavement.
• Liturgical Books and Missals Sunday missals (ESV), Mass books, order of Mass cards, and liturgical resources for Catholic worship and parish use.
• Church Supplies Altar bread, candles, incense, and sacramental cards for use in Catholic churches and parishes.
• Parish Bulletins and Subscriptions Subscription-based weekly parish bulletins, bidding prayers, and downloadable resources delivered to parish customers, with customer loyalty bonuses and bulk discounts.
• eBooks and Digital Content Digital editions of Redemptorist Publications titles distributed through the Glassboxx platform and Amazon Kindle for electronic reading devices and apps.
• Icons and Religious Gifts Religious icons, crosses, crucifixes, rosaries, and other faith-based gifts for individual consumers and parishes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3 million copies sold worldwide for Your Baby's Baptism booklet
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Catholic Christian OutreachminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCatholic Christian Outreach is listed as a distribution partner for Redemptorist Publications, helping extend the reach of RP's Catholic publishing materials to a broader audience within the Catholic Christian outreach community.
• CaritasminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCaritas is a distribution partner for Redemptorist Publications, supporting distribution of Catholic charitable and educational materials through the Caritas network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Our Sunday Visitor: US Catholic publisher producing parish resources, missals, catechetical materials, and faith-formation programmes serving Catholic parishes, schools, and families — closely comparable in product mix and customer base.
• Ignatius Press: Large Catholic publisher producing catechetical, theological, and devotional titles with a global distribution footprint — directly comparable on Catholic content mix.
• Lion Hudson: UK-based Christian publisher offering trade and educational Christian titles, Bibles, and children's faith content with overlapping customer segments including schools and parishes.
• Catholic Truth Society (CTS): UK-based Catholic publisher producing missals, prayer books, catechetical materials, and devotionals — directly overlapping with Redemptorist Publications' core Catholic publishing and retail offering.
• Pauline Books & Media: Catholic publisher and retailer run by the Daughters of St Paul, producing books, missals, and media for Catholic parishes, schools, and families — a directly comparable mission-driven Catholic publishing operation.
• Ave Maria Press: Catholic publisher focused on parish programmes, sacramental preparation, and faith formation curricula — directly comparable to Redemptorist Publications' I Belong and catechetical offerings.
• SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge): Long-established UK Christian publisher with broad religious, theological, and educational catalogues serving churches, schools, and individual believers — the closest Anglican-adjacent direct peer.
• Bible Society: UK Christian organization publishing and distributing Bibles, scripture-based resources, and educational materials — overlapping on the sacred texts/scripture and educational customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• HarperCollins Christian Publishing: Large mainstream publisher with a substantial Christian imprints portfolio (Thomas Nelson, Zondervan) covering Bibles, devotionals, and Christian trade books — a broad incumbent with overlapping content categories but not specialized in Catholic liturgy.
• Hodder Faith: Imprint of Hachette publishing Christian and Catholic titles in the UK — broad incumbent publishing comparable genres (prayer, spirituality, Catholic trade) at greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/redemptorist
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/redemptoristpublications
• Facebookfacebook.com/redemptoristpublications
• Instagraminstagram.com/redemptoristpublications

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Redemptorist Publications