Sweetspot founder to launch online retail site

The woman who started Sweetspot.ca is about to launch a new venture, an online retailer and shopping destination called Dealuxe. According to a story in Marketing magazine, Joanne Track has hired the Toronto media agency Blammo to create a campaign that will start April 4, preceeding Dealuxe's official lauch May 2.A self-described “start-up junkie” who launched Sweetspot.ca in 2004 (the site was

Indigo Books & Music stores to branch out into more toys, more gifts and photography

Indigo Books & Music Inc. is a lynchpin in the single copy sale of Canadian magazines; whatever it decides to do may have a major impact on dollars and circulation. What's happening now, according to a Financial Post report is that the company intends to counter the global decline in book sales by expanding gift, toy and designer paper products and investing in new photography departments.CEO

Former Duthie's manager to open new indy bookstore in Vancouver

It's nice, for a change, to be able to report on an indie book and magazine store starting up, rather than closing. Out of the ashes of Duthie Books is arising Sitka Books & Art, setting up shop just two blocks (and $10,000 less in rent) than Duthie's old location on West 4th Avenue in Vancouver.  Ria Bleumer (right above), the former manager of Duthie Books, which closed in February after 53

New European magazine kiosks will feature preview touch screens

Pushing back against the erosion of single copy magazine sales and the closing of many newsstands in Europe, a leading shopping mall owner will be launching a new kind of  sales outlet, according to a story from  lesaffaires.com. Unibail-Rodamco, which owns a hundred shopping malls in Europe and 35 in France, is partnering wtih Mediakiosq, a company which controls some 800 newsstands in France.

McNally Robinson booksellers emerges smaller and wiser from bankruptcy protection

McNally Robinson Booksellers, one of Canada's largest magazine and book stores, has emerged from bankrupty protection with two stores instead of four and chastened by business decisions that nearly put them over the edge. The company's bookstores in Saskatoon and Winnipeg's Grant Park shopping centre are open for business and continue to employ about 250 people. Owner Paul McNally said in a story

Mapping magazine stores

Here's a good rainy day project. The magCulture blog has published a Google map of the best magazine stores in London.View London magazine stores in a larger mapMaybe a project for the next couple of months would be to do a Canada-wide map of the best magazine stores in each city. You send me the stores and their addresses, I'll compile the map.