Blessings Christian Marketplace
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Canadian Christian retailing evolves The big get bigger; United Church closes bookstores Tim Callaway ChristianWeek Alberta Correspondent alberta@christianweek.org EDMONTON, AB—Recent developments in Canada's Christian retailing sector raise the possibility that the Christian book, music and gift markets in this country may be headed for a consolidation similar to that introduced to the mainstream market by megastores like Indigo and Chapters. Last February, Edmonton-based Blessings Christian Marketplace announced it had acquired the four southern Ontario locations of Cameron's Christian Bookstores, an entity founded 40 years ago when a husband and wife team began selling books and Bibles from their home in Windsor, Ontario. The transaction means Blessings now has 18 stores stretching from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Langley, B.C., essentially making it Canada's first national Christian retailer. Still looking "We are still looking for new markets to expand into," the Blessings Web site declares. "Watch for us, one may pop up in your neighbourhood." Meanwhile, following a period of evaluation, the United Church of Canada (UCC) announced it is closing bookrooms in six locations across the nation due to ongoing low revenues. The move comes not long after the Anglican Church of Canada shut down its resource centre at the denomination's headquarters in Toronto in August 2000. Suggesting the Christmas 2001 and Easter 2002 sales periods were not particularly profitable to retailers in the Canadian Christian market. Larry Willard, general manager at Augsburg Fortress in Kitchener told ChristianWeek, "Our retail sales lately have been smaller than we would have liked, down by about five per cent. The crucial period continues and, although we'll survive, sales are not at all what we'd hoped." Despite these developments, the executive director of the Christian Booksellers Association of Canada (CBA) remains upbeat. "Overall, I think the industry is maintaining a steady growth—225 full members and counting," says Marlene Coghlin from CBA headquarters in Guelph, Ontario. "Our membership is increasing, not shrinking. As for the development of a trend of bigger stores taking over—I'm not convinced that will happen any time soon. Most of our stores remain independent retailers." Apart from Blessings' 18 stores, the next largest "chain" is R.G. Mitchell with four stores in the greater Toronto area. "The profile of Christian retailing in Canada needs to be raised considerably," says Coghlin. She cites statistics indicating that less than 25 per cent of North American Christians ever shop at Christian bookstores. Willard thinks even that figure may be high, but agrees lack of awareness regarding the resources available at Christian retailers is troubling. To help address this problem, CBA Canada is launching a national image campaign around the slogan "what goes into the mind, comes out in a life." At the same time, there are encouraging signs that Canadian Christians are not prepared to sit idly by and let the industry falter. According to Clair Woodbury of Edmonton, the UCC's Alberta/NWT conference has commissioned a group to look into starting another bookstore in Alberta's capital to replace the facility the denomination is closing. "We've been negotiating with our Toronto office to assume the obligations of the lease and buy the stock of the old Edmonton bookroom," he reports. "But it's beginning to look like we'll be starting from scratch. "We've established the Revelations Book and Gift Co-op to raise capital for a new store. We're selling memberships in the co-op for $50 each that will give investors a $40 credit toward their first purchase at the new store and a number of stocks that will pay a four per cent dividend. We've sent out 700 or 800 e-mails and are getting a very good response from both churches and individuals. "Edmonton doesn't have a store like Calgary's Augsburg Fortress outlet that carries resources for mainline denominations, so we're addressing a real need with this initiative." Woodbury says the Edmonton group hopes to have the new store open for business by late spring. Similarly, Augsburg Fortress is talking with Anglican and United Church groups in Winnipeg hopeful of starting "an unofficial co-op," says Willard. "We've had several denominations express interest in what we hope to do there," he explains. "We're planning to have a store open in a United church by May 1, although we won't have a grand opening until September." As for Blessings—the big kid on the block—Willard thinks there is plenty of room for a cross-country player on the Canadian scene. "I believe they'll do well," he states, "and hopefully they'll be a leader in helping us raise the profile of the Christian retail industry in this country."
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