Harry Potter and the row with Asda

Updated 22.22 Tue Jul 17 2007

Keywords: Bloomsbury, Asda, Harry Potter

Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury has agreed to supply Asda with 500,000 copies of the latest book after a row over cash was resolved.

The two companies had becone involved in a spat which Asda initially said was sparked by its decision to sell the book at £8.87.

Bloomsbury said it was cancelling delivery of the order over an unpaid bill but the supermarket giant has now sent money to the publisher in a bid to settle the row

Bloomsbury said it was cancelling delivery of the order over an unpaid bill but the supermarket giant has now sent money to the publisher in a bid to settle the row.

An Asda spokeswoman said the debt had now been settled and added: "We have an agreement with Bloomsbury to supply us with books to sell on Saturday morning.

"We plan to be home for Britain's best value copy of the book; now the invoicing issue has been resolved we're looking forward to being just that.

"We've not revealed the price of the book yet - that's a closely guarded secret - but we have committed to selling it at a price that was affordable for ordinary kids."

Earlier Asda sought to reassure customers that they will be able to buy the book.

Shoppers who have pre-ordered on its website or hoped to buy a copy in its stores faced disappointed if the order failed to arrive.