Chapters

Chapters is a Canadian big box bookstore banner owned by Indigo Books and Music. Formerly a company in its own right competing with Indigo, the combined company has continued to operate both banners since their merger in 2001. As of March 2013 it had 97 superstores and 134 small format stores.

History

Chapters Inc. was created in 1994 when founder and CEO, Lawrence Stevenson led the buyout and merger of Coles and SmithBooks, Canada's two largest book chains at the time. SmithBooks was acquired from Federal Industries and Coles was acquired from Southam Inc. Canadian General Capital and Pathfinder Capital bought these two chains with the intention of building large-format book superstores comparable to those of the American bookstore chains Barnes & Noble and Borders.

The new company was officially created in April 1995 and the first two book superstores were opened in November 1995. The original superstores were located in Burlington, Ontario and Burnaby, British Columbia.

Chapters quickly changed the face of the book selling industry in Canada. Previously, companies like Coles and Smithbooks had many small stores. Chapters built large box stores with a much larger product selection. Chapters provided chairs and couches for their customers, as well as Starbucks coffee shops, and did not discourage the reading of books inside the store. The company became the largest book retailer in Canada, with 77 superstores branded as Chapters and more than 280 mall-based stores under the names Coles, SmithBooks (formerly the Canadian branch of W H Smith), Classic Bookshops, the Book Company, and Active Minds. However, the SmithBooks, the Book Company, and Classic Bookshops names have been gradually phased and locations have been rebranded as Coles stores in recent years. Canada's first book superstore, Toronto's World's Biggest Bookstore, once part of the Coles chain, was also owned by Chapters and had continued to operate under its original name.

One Minute

"One Minute" is a song recorded by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson taken from her third studio album, My December (2007). The song served as the album's second single in Australia on September 18, 2007 through 19 Recordings and RCA Records. Clarkson originally wrote it for her second studio album, Breakaway (2004), with songwriters Kara DioGuardi, Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida; however, it did not make the final track listing. It was then reworked for My December, being produced by David Kahne, and co-produced by Jason Halbert and Jimmy Messer. "One Minute" is an alternative rock song with electropop influences, and consists of "rapid-fire give-and-take verses."

Upon its release, "One Minute" was met with positive reviews from music critics, with one considering it to be the musical highlight of My December, along with "Never Again" and "Don't Waste Your Time". Following strong radio airplay, the song debuted at number 41 in Australia, reaching its peak of number 36 a week later. No accompanying music video was recorded for the song; however, Clarkson promoted it through few live appearances, including at Daytona 500 on February 2007, and on Take 40's Live Lounge.