At Indigo Books & Music, revenue rose 1% to C$207 million ($197.8 million) in the second quarter ended September 26 and net earnings fell 31.2% to C$2.2 million ($2 million). Sales at Indigo and Chapters superstores open at least a year dropped 0.9% while comp-store sales at Coles and Indigo Spirit small stores fell 2.1%. Sales at the company's online site, chapters.indigo.ca, fell 5.2% to C$20 million ($18.7 million).
The Canadian retailer noted that comparisons were hurt by sales a year ago of the "phenomenally successful" Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.
Commenting on the quarter's results, CEO Heather Reisman said, "We are satisfied with our results through what has proven to be a very turbulent time for most retailers. It is important to note that the drop in bottom line results reflects our increased operating investment in
Shortcovers," Indigo's smartphone e-reader.
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In another North of the Border note, Wal-Mart Canada is not engaging in deep discounting in general because the company takes "a Canadian approach" to retailing based on "what is good for the Canadian market," according to a Wal-Mart Canada executive quoted by the
Toronto Star.
"We are two different countries," Andrew Pelletier, v-p of corporate affairs, said. "The U.S. approach is based on their marketplace."
The book price wars issue is somewhat moot for Wal-Mart Canada since the company doesn't sell books in Canada.
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Congratulations to
the Gathering Awareness and Book Center, Pensacola, Fla., which celebrates its 20th anniversary this Friday with "An Evening of Jazz," featuring Southern University's Jazzy Jags at Pensacola High School's Auditorium, according to the
Pensacola News Journal.
The store began in owner Georgia Blackmon's home, where she invited "both friends and strangers into her living room to browse and buy books or to mingle and meet new people." Four years later, she moved the store out of the house.
The Gathering Awareness sells "an array of Afrocentric books and a variety of gift items including figurines, artwork, greeting cards, baskets, carvings, soap and candles," the paper said. "The store also sells merchandise from Africa and the Caribbean. Much of its business is from area churches and schools."
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Congratulations, too, to Womrath's Book Store of Tenafly, N.J., which is celebrating its 60th anniversary on Saturday, November 7. From noon until 3 p.m. the Philly Liars Club, the group of Philadelphia area writers who make appearances at independents (Shelf Awareness, May 12, 2009), will be the highlight of a party at Womrath's that includes munchies, trivia games, prizes and giveaways such as signed books and book bags.
Then starting at 6 p.m., a Spoken Interludes wine reception features authors Lisa Unger, David Ebershoff and Spoken Interludes host DeLaune Michel.
Bob Kutik has owned the store for eight years. Kutik's father, Harry Kutik, founded it as Womrath's Book Store of Hackensack.
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Book trailer of the day: Notes Left Behind by Keith and Brooke Desserich (Morrow), which features many of the notes Elena Desserich wrote and hid around the house for her family to find after her death.
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A bookstore in the old downtown of Amman "is more than just a place to buy books," according to the Jordan Times,
which observed: "The three generations of the Maaitah family that have
owned and run Al Jahiz Bookshop for more than seven decades see the
business in a completely different light."
"Books are our sacred
world. A solid bond has grown between books and our family throughout
our history," said Hashem Maaitah, adding, "Our profession is not only
selling books to the public as people think. In fact, our grandfather's
craft was warraq (the old Arabic name for a librarian, calligrapher and
manuscript expert). We've been working in the book industry since
1931."