Indigo to resume selling books in downtown Vancouver before the end of the month

After a seven-month absence, Chapters Indigo is returning to downtown Vancouver.

Last June, the bookstore mega-chain closed its flagship location at Robson and Howe. Now, on January 29, an “Indigospirit” store is set to open its doors a stone’s throw around the corner, on Granville Street just south of Robson.

The new store has a significantly reduced footprint compared to the three-floor behemoth that stood kitty-corner to Robson Square. Indigo—which has dropped “Chapters” from its name—has said this new store format launching in Vancouver will “set the standard” for smaller outlets rolling out across Canada.

To make up for the lack of square footage, Indigo is playing up the convenience of on-site computers that consumers can use to facilitate a product’s transfer from one store to another.

“Those visiting Indigospirit will be able to shop Indigo’s entire product range through in-store kiosks, which offer free shipping of all items to store with no minimum spend, plus free returns,” reads a January 18 media release. “Customers can feel confident about finding everything they need and more at Indigospirit in downtown Vancouver.”

Indigo’s retail vice president for Western Canada, Tania Borle, is quoted there noting the chain hasn’t abandoned large-format stores and hopes to bring a bigger bookstore back to downtown Vancouver in the future.

“We are delighted to be back in downtown Vancouver and are looking forward to once again serving our wonderful customers,” she said. “We know they are going to love this new location and its warm, welcoming atmosphere as much as we do. Although this location will serve many of our customers well, we remain passionate about finding the perfect location for a large format Indigo store in downtown Vancouver.”