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About
Chapters Children's Book and Video Store
Indigo Books & Music Inc., a 100% Canadian company,
is committed to providing a service-driven, stress-free
approach to pleasing and satisfying the booklover.
Indigo was created in 1996 by and for booklovers, and
merged with Chapters Inc. in August 2001 to become
Canada’s largest books retail chain. Indigo Books
& Music Inc. is committed to being your most
complete and trusted resource for books, music, gifts
and much more.
We said in the very beginning that we wanted to create a
true booklovers' haven -- a place to discover books,
music and more that might, in the rush of life, have
gone undiscovered. A place that reflects the best of a
small proprietor-run shop bundled with the selection of
a true emporium.
Indigo
Books & Music Inc. was created in 1996, and we
opened our first store, called Indigo Books Music &
more, in Burlington, Ontario on September 4, 1997. By
2000, the chain had expanded to 14 locations across
Canada. Indigo was the first book retail chain to add
music, gifts and licensed cafes to their distinctive
store locations, making shopping a real social event, a
leisurely experience that could comfortably and
enjoyably stretch over hours.
Chapters Inc. was formed following the merger of Coles
and SmithBooks, then Canada’s two largest bookstore
chains. In 1994, Canadian General Capital and Pathfinder
Capital purchased SmithBooks from Federal Industries,
and later that year acquired Coles from Southam Inc. The
strategy was to build a strong base company and use its
financial strength to invest in the development of large
format book superstores.
In April 1995, the merger of SmithBooks and Coles was
finalized, and in November 1995, the new company,
Chapters Inc. opened its first two book superstores and
from there grew to become the largest book retailer in
Canada, operating bookstores in all provinces, under the
names Chapters, Coles, SmithBooks, and World's Biggest
Bookstore.
Chapters is the top retail brand in Canada, ranked No. 1
overall by consumers for four consecutive years (Kubas
Major Market Retail Report 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000).
In December 1996, Chapters Inc. became a publicly traded
company, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the
symbol CHP. Chapters Inc. is included in the TSE’s top
300 companies, well as in the S&P/TSE Canadian
SmallCap Index. |
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