Indigo: using the metastatic approach

OK, slightly harsh, as when I used to live in Toronto there was a very nice Indigo down the street from my then-dwellings, but with today’s announcement that the superstore — which has swallowed up Chapters and looks to continue its quest for complete national domination — wants to move into hospitals, well…

Having completed a lengthy overhaul of its operations in the wake of Indigo’s 2001 takeover of Chapters Inc., chief executive officer Heather Reisman said the company plans to add at least six new stores over the next year to its network of more than 250.

While the half-dozen new locations are to be traditional storefront sites, the company is now in talks to boost its presence inside hospitals, Ms. Reisman said.

Indigo began experimenting with the concept in June with the opening of an Indigospirit store in Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. Two months into the trial, the company is now seeking additional sites.

“We wanted to test it. But we are in the process right now of talking with other hospitals,” Ms. Reisman told Indigo’s annual meeting.

“This is a concept meant for captive markets. We’ll go slowly but we think it has real potential.”

The new locations will be dubbed “Indigospirit” and want to match the growth output of Starbucks, which can now be found in gas stations, hotel lobbies, and even landfills. OK, I was kidding on the last part.

(link from Publishers Lunch)

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