Apparently, I’m not the only one who noticed the television like nature of the present saga of chain-store bookselling in Canada, or at least as it relates to the relationships of its two most prominent executives: Heather Reismen (formerly CEO of Indigo, now CEO and majority owner of Chapters, Inc.) and Larry Stevenson (former CEO of Chapters, Inc.). Terence Corcoran, comments in a Financial Post article on what he dubs the latest “episode of Heather and Larry.”
The ratings aren’t in yet, but it’s a foregone conclusion that last week’s episode of Heather and Larry was the funniest sit-com to hit the Canadian business scene since, well, ever. Whoever writes their stuff is a comedy genius. Around the water cooler here they’re still talking about the one-liners.
Because Mr. Corcoran writes for a business journal the humour is inevitably just a pretty wrapper for a serious comment or report of some variety. Seriousness in this case comes in the form of a basic overview of the politics, which in some ways is its own joke, that prompted the sit-com like argument between Chapters’ chief executives present and past.
Two major decisions loom. The first is the Competition Bureau’s review of the Chapters-Indigo merger. The second, coming in the near future, is Heritage Canada’s review of an Amazon.com application to set up a call centre in Canada. The scarier Heather’s message, and the funnier, the greater the chances are that bureaucrats and politicians will rig the decisions in Heather’s favour. Given the political sensitivities of the Competition Bureau these days and the obvious political nature of anything in Heritage, it’s a good ploy on Heather’s part.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the Competition Bureau — and certainly not Canadian Heritage — will follow the Financial Post’s advice on this issue, with which I agree: leave Chapters-Indigo alone and quit trying to control the market by blocking potential competitors just because they aren’t “Canadian” enough.
[T]he arrival of some solid competition from abroad should give us a new show with a new name, and even more classic Canadian corporate comedy.
Canadian Big Box Booksellers: The Series
Apparently, I’m not the only one who noticed the television like nature of the present saga of chain-store bookselling in Canada, or at least as it relates to the relationships of its two most prominent executives: Heather Reismen (formerly CEO of Indigo, now CEO and majority owner of Chapters, Inc.) and Larry Stevenson (former CEO of Chapters, Inc.). Terence Corcoran, comments in a Financial Post article on what he dubs the latest “episode of Heather and Larry.”
Because Mr. Corcoran writes for a business journal the humour is inevitably just a pretty wrapper for a serious comment or report of some variety. Seriousness in this case comes in the form of a basic overview of the politics, which in some ways is its own joke, that prompted the sit-com like argument between Chapters’ chief executives present and past.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the Competition Bureau — and certainly not Canadian Heritage — will follow the Financial Post’s advice on this issue, with which I agree: leave Chapters-Indigo alone and quit trying to control the market by blocking potential competitors just because they aren’t “Canadian” enough.
Hat tip to National Post Headline Scan
This entry was written by the proprietor, posted on 20 March 2001 at 11:13 pm.
Filed under Commentary Unbound and tagged bookselling.
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