BORDERS TO GIVE CANADIAN AGENCIES A HEARING
By Adnews Staff
The U.S.-based Borders Group Inc. bookstore chain is entering Canada next summer, and it may need an agency to help promote it. "We haven't discussed the matter yet, but we certainly would like to hear from Canadian agencies," Canadian partner Edward Borins told Adnews yesterday. The giant bookstore chain will deal with the matter in the new year. A war of big book retailers appears to be shaping up in Canada. Another U.S. mega-chain, Barnes & Noble, has also applied to Industry Canada to enter the Canadian market. Earlier this year Canadian-owned Chapters Inc. started operating, and now has over 400 outlets across Canada. In order for a U.S. bookseller to enter Canada it must have Canadian partners holding a majority interest in the Canadian subsidiary. In this case the northern division is called Borders Canada and it has at least two Canadian partners: Borins, founder of the small Toronto Chain Edwards Books & Art, and Heather Reisman, former president of Cott Corp. Michael Bregman, founder of The Second Cup coffee shop chain, is rumored to be a third partner. Inside Chapters stores patrons can sip coffee at cafes belonging to U.S.-based Starbucks Coffee Co. The Borders invasion is still subject to regulatory approval. The first store will in a 55,000-square-foot uptown space which Borders has been leasing for the past year while looking for Canadian partners.