Indigo Books & Music reports $20.5M second-quarter loss and revenue drop

Advertisement

Advertise with us

TORONTO - Indigo Books & Music Inc. reported a net loss of $20.5 million for its most recent quarter as revenue declined from the comparable period last year.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/11/2019 (2527 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – Indigo Books & Music Inc. reported a net loss of $20.5 million for its most recent quarter as revenue declined from the comparable period last year.

The book retailer says its loss of 74 cents per common share compared to a net loss of $19.1 million or 70 cents per share in the same period the previous year.

Its revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 28 totalled $203.4 million — down from $216.3 million in the second quarter of the previous year.

A sign showing where Indigo plans to open a new store this fall is seen at the Mall at Short Hills in Short Hills, N.J., on July 22, 2018. Indigo Books & Music Inc. reported a net loss of $20.5 million for its most recent quarter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Craig Wong
A sign showing where Indigo plans to open a new store this fall is seen at the Mall at Short Hills in Short Hills, N.J., on July 22, 2018. Indigo Books & Music Inc. reported a net loss of $20.5 million for its most recent quarter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Craig Wong

Indigo says its revenue fell amid strong competitive pressures and its decision to reduce promotions to boost profits.

Comparable same-store sales, a key retail metric, fell eight per cent for the second quarter.

Indigo, which launched an initiative to cut $20 million to $25 million in costs at the start of this year, says it reduced expenses by $9 million in the first half of its 2020 financial year.

It says that has been partially offset by other costs, including opening new stores and one-time expenses with moving its New York office to Toronto.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2019.

Companies in this story: (TSX:IDG)

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Youth centre library cancellation baffles

Editorial 4 minute read Preview

Youth centre library cancellation baffles

Editorial 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

It’s difficult to understand why Manitoba Corrections would shut down a library program that cost taxpayers nothing, was popular with young inmates and was designed to help them learn.

But that is what happened at the Manitoba Youth Centre, where a volunteer-run pop-up library has been cancelled by the province.

The Prison Libraries Committee, part of the Manitoba Library Association, provided the program at no cost to Corrections. Once a month, volunteer librarians brought books into the youth centre, helped young people find reading material, assisted with school research and provided something that can be in short supply in a correctional institution — positive interaction with people from outside its walls.

The program became so popular that the youth centre asked for it to be offered more frequently.

Read
2:00 AM CDT

Police seize cocaine valued at $1.5M, about $750K in cash in raid on St. Vital house

Scott Billeck 5 minute read Preview

Police seize cocaine valued at $1.5M, about $750K in cash in raid on St. Vital house

Scott Billeck 5 minute read Yesterday at 3:30 PM CDT

A St. Vital homeowner and her husband were going about their business during an afternoon last month when police officers in tactical gear suddenly appeared, walking across their front lawn.

The target was a few doors down: a maroon bi-level home on a quiet stretch of Satinwood Place, within earshot of children playing outside at a nearby school.

The homeowner, who asked not to be named to protect their privacy, said the police presence caught the couple by surprise in the Southglen neighbourhood, where they weren’t accustomed to seeing that kind of activity.

“We never heard the (police) cars pull up, but there were cars blocking the entrance to the street from both sides,” said the neighbour. “They had a shield, a battering ram — everything. Just not used to seeing that.”

Read
Yesterday at 3:30 PM CDT

Mayoral candidates Klein, Vogiatzakis continue to snipe over inducement allegations

Chris Kitching and Joyanne Pursaga 6 minute read Preview

Mayoral candidates Klein, Vogiatzakis continue to snipe over inducement allegations

Chris Kitching and Joyanne Pursaga 6 minute read Monday, Oct. 5, 2026

Winnipeg mayoral candidate Mike Vogiatzakis told reporters Monday he will contact the city clerk to report his allegation that rival Kevin Klein offered him a job to drop out of the race.

Vogiatzakis and Klein both doubled down a day after accusing each other of offering the other a position at city hall, if they were victorious in the Oct. 28 election, in exchange for a withdrawal.

“Do I want to get him charged? Not really. I don’t want to destroy anybody’s life,” Vogiatzakis told reporters.

“Kevin’s a good guy. I thought he was a friend of mine, but he’s not. Kevin uses leverage to get ahead, and he tried to use me as leverage.”

Read
Monday, Oct. 5, 2026

Amazon in the weeds over damage to tall grass reserve

Eva Wasney 7 minute read Preview

Amazon in the weeds over damage to tall grass reserve

Eva Wasney 7 minute read Yesterday at 6:00 AM CDT

Patricia Dutchak was devastated when she first saw the wide swaths of crushed grass and upturned soil at Winnipeg’s Rotary Prairie Nature Park, a municipal heritage site.

“This is a very rare ecosystem, a remnant of tall grass prairie, there’s barely any left in the world, and to come here and see all this damage was heartbreaking,” Dutchak, chair of the Transcona Rotary Club’s parks committee, says.

The club is responsible for maintaining the protected green space, which was significantly damaged this summer when a fence between the park and the neighbouring Amazon distribution centre was relocated.

The 20-acre nature preserve is situated on a narrow tract of land on Regent Avenue West in the commercial heart of Transcona. The park received its municipal heritage designation in 1992 and is, today, surrounded by high-traffic streets, industrial warehouses and car dealerships.

Read
Yesterday at 6:00 AM CDT

Estate of woman who died from local anesthetic injected into blood vessel sues Morden dentist, his business, clinic

Erik Pindera 4 minute read Preview

Estate of woman who died from local anesthetic injected into blood vessel sues Morden dentist, his business, clinic

Erik Pindera 4 minute read Monday, Oct. 5, 2026

The estate of a 23-year-old woman who died after receiving a local anesthetic during a wisdom tooth extraction at a Morden dental clinic has filed a lawsuit over her death.

Virginia Blatz never returned home after she went to Boundary Trails Dental Centre to have her wisdom teeth removed on Nov. 27, 2024. An autopsy later confirmed she died from local anesthetic systemic toxicity caused by an inadvertent injection into a blood vessel, her family has previously said.

Her father, Dulaney Blatz, filed a lawsuit in the Court of King’s Bench on behalf of her estate late last month, naming Ronald David Janz — the dentist who performed the procedure — his dental corporation and the dental corporation that operates the clinic as defendants.

None of the defendants have filed statements of defence in response to the claim, which has not yet been heard in court.

Read
Monday, Oct. 5, 2026

Jets trending in right direction after picking up points in first three games

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Jets trending in right direction after picking up points in first three games

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Yesterday at 5:06 PM CDT

Welcome to a small sample size season, when sweeping observations and hot takes can quickly become outdated and — occasionally — out of touch.

With that as a cautionary backdrop, the Winnipeg Jets are off to a 2-0-1 start that has them temporarily occupying top spot in the Central Division.

“We were optimistic that we’re a better team than we showed last year,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “We want to play fast. We want to compete hard, and we want to give ourselves a chance to win every night, so I think we’ve done that.”

As the Jets welcome the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday to open a three-game homestand, they’ve gotten off to a fast start in a season that required one.

Read
Yesterday at 5:06 PM CDT