World Distributors

Started shortly after World War II, by brothers Sidney, John and Alfred Pemberton who had a business selling second hand books in Manchester, England.  They expanded into publishing, setting up World Distributors (Manchester) Ltd. They moved into the lucrative market for hardback annuals, published in the autumn of each year, but displaying the next years date (if any date at all) on the cover to prolong shelf-life; purchasers, often buying children's Christmas presents, and thus knowing the recipient would unwrap their gift near the end of the year, were reassured the gift would not be viewed as out-of-date, plus unsold stock could be shipped to overseas markets such as New Zealand and Australia at the start of the next year, where they would still have a current cover date despite taking months to transport.
In 1981 they renamed themselves World International, Ltd, but by the end of the decade they had ceased publishing.