Book Week (5)

Chapters, Indigo and Coles are the three biggest book chains in Southern Ontario - we've got six branches within a few miles of Georgetown. Great! Well, not quite., They're all owned by the same megacorporation and the stocks of books are almost identical. The creeping expansion of Indigo's big box stores has put most of the independents out of business so, paradoxically, while the number of bookstores has grown, the choice of books has declined. Perhaps that's why the stores have been re branded as "the world's first lifestyle store for booklovers." Now some of the most prominent display area is filled with stuffed toys, ornaments, bags and scarves - so much for those pesky books . . .