Who we are
Indigo Books & Music Inc., (TSE: IDG) is a Canadian
company committed to providing a service-driven,
stress-free approach to 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).
On November 28, 2000, Trilogy Retail Enterprises L.P.
(“Trilogy”) announced its intent to purchase a
controlling interest in Chapters. These changes, which
included the offer to purchase the minority shares of
both Pegasus Wholesale Inc. (“Pegasus”) and Chapters
Online Inc. (“Chapters Online”), culminated with the
overwhelming acceptance by Chapters shareholders of
Trilogy’s offer to purchase Chapters shares at $17 cash
per share.
On February 1, 2001, Trilogy acquired 7,146,000 shares of
Chapters, or approximately 69.1% of the shares tendered
under the bid. Combined with the shares it purchased
previously, Trilogy now owns 8.787,894 Chapters shares,
representing approximately 70.5% of the company’s
outstanding shares. The remainder of the shares is
publicly owned.
On August 14, 2001, Chapters and Indigo officially and
legally merged under the corporate name Indigo Books &
Music Inc.
Brothers Carl and Jack Cole opened the first Coles
store in 1940 in Toronto. Coles expanded across Canada,
bringing an innovative style to book retailing, with
bookstores that were accessible and exciting. Coles also
created the now world-famous Coles Notes student study
guides. In 1980, Coles opened one of the original book
superstores, the 67,000 square foot World's Biggest
Bookstore, in downtown Toronto.
Under the ownership of Southam Inc., Coles continued to
expand throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, and there
are Coles stores in every province in Canada. In 1994,
Southam sold Coles to Pathfinder Capital and in April
1995, Coles and SmithBooks merged to form Chapters Inc.
SmithBooks (then called W.H. Smith) first opened in
1950 in Toronto. The bookstore chain, a division of the
venerable U.K. company, expanded across Canada, and
acquired Classic Bookshops in 1985. In 1989, the company
became Canadian-owned and the name was changed to
SmithBooks when it was purchased by Federal Industries.
In 1994, Pathfinder Capital acquired SmithBooks; in April
1995, SmithBooks and Coles merged to form Chapters Inc.
Indigo Books & Music Inc. operates
www.chapters.indigo.ca, a leading Canadian destination
for online shoppers seeking books, videos and DVDs.
Committed to providing a convenient and hassle-free
e-commerce experience, chapters.indigo.ca offers a secure
shopping environment, easy-to-use search tools and
industry leading customer service. Chapters.indigo.ca
also supports the growth of Canada's e-commerce industry
operating one of the Internet's leading affiliate
programs for website owners.
In September 1999, Chapters Online became a publicly
traded company, separate from Chapters Inc. Chapters Inc.
(TSE:CHP), (now Indigo Books & Music Inc.) retains a
majority ownership stake in Chapters Online and together
the companies operate e-commerce kiosks at all Chapters
stores across Canada.
On July 27, 2001, the Special Committee of Chapters
Online Inc. (TSE:COL), headed by Tom Stephenson of
Sequoia Capital, agreed in principle to terms under which
Indigo Books & Music Inc. would purchase all outstanding
shares of Chapters Online not already owned by Indigo
Books & Music Inc. on the basis of one Chapters common
share for every 7.14 common shares of Chapters Online.
Indigo Books & Music Inc. has a controlling interest
in the Canadian division of Barnes & Noble College
Bookstores, Inc., through Campus Bookstores. The company
has contracts to manage the Cambrian College in Sudbury
and Northern College in Timmins, and provides services to
several other college bookstores. Indigo also provides
textbooks to the Centre for Innovative Management at
Athabasca University, Canada's largest virtual
university. The company is pursuing other college
bookstore management contracts.
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Customer Loyalty Programs |
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iREWARDS is perfect for booklovers! Rewarding them for
their purchases and providing exceptional member benefits
... it pays to be an iREWARDS member.
iREWARDS also provides the ultimate flexibility in
choosing where you would like to buy your books, music,
gifts and more. iREWARDS is accepted at all of our stores
across Canada -- Chapters, Indigo, Coles, SmithBooks and
The Book Company, as well as online at chapters.indigo.ca.
Indigo rewards exceptional staff performance and has
developed a comprehensive, merit-based compensation
program which includes benefits and Dream Points.
A stock option incentive plan allows employees to share
in the improvement in company performance.
Indigo also has a Customer Service Specialist Program, a
certification program for booksellers, to recognize and
reward experienced, knowledgeable booksellers who have
chosen not to pursue a supervisory position.
Get Caught Reading
Get Caught Reading is a national campaign to promote the
joy of reading. The program launched in September 2001
from coast to coast, and Chapters/Indigo and Coles will
participate each year in the national promotion of "Get
Caught Reading" month.
ABC Canada Literacy Foundation
ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation is a national, registered
charitable organization committed to promoting literacy
to the general public and to the private sector. Indigo
is a proud supporter of International Literacy Day, Sept.
8th and Family Literacy Day, January 27th.
World Literacy of Canada
Heather Reisman, CEO of Indigo Books & Music Inc. hosts a
yearly fundraising event. As well, Indigo and Chapters
stores host events to promote literacy and, more
specifically, to promote the efforts of World Literacy of
Canada.
Scouts Canada
Scouts Canada, the country’s leading youth organization,
offers fun and exciting outdoor adventure for boys, girls
and youth aged 5-26 in communities across Canada. Indigo
is a proud sponsor of Scouts Canada through their new
national Scout Hot Chocolate fundraiser, which helps
provide funding for exciting programs for its youth
members across the country.
Regional Literary Events
In-store Events
Indigo and Chapters offers a dynamic program of in-store
events including; book readings, cooking demonstrations,
book club meetings, storytime and information sessions.
Indigo and Chapters are cultural havens for book lovers
to meet local, national and international authors and
artists. Our guest list include among others; Yann
Martel, Austin Clarke, Rudolph Giuliani, Lou Gerstner
,Oscar Peterson, Jann Arden and Jamie Oliver. Visit us
online or contact your local store for information on
upcoming events.
School Fundraising Events
Book a fundraiser with us and earn money for your school.
At Indigo and Chapters, we believe in a positive
educational experience and we want to help your school
raise money to support programs or to purchase resources
for your school library. Host your next school fundraiser
with us!
We will donate to your school 10-15%* of all purchases
made during the function by parents, staff and guests.
A great opportunity for parents and teachers to celebrate
the accomplishments of the students.
A chance to showcase your school choir, band or young
authors.
Please contact your local Chapters or Indigo store for
more information on how you can host your own fundraising
evening in our stores.
* Schools can choose either to receive 10% of purchases
as cash or 15% of purchases as Gift Certificates.
Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Listed Security
IDG Common Stock
Transfer Security
CIBC Mellon Trust Company
This area is for informational purposes only. You are urged to
seek professional advice before investing in Indigo Books
& Music Inc. Indigo makes no guarantee of the accuracy of
completeness of the information provided here, and shall
not be liable for any error or delays in the content, or
for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
