Indigo Announces Finalists for Mini Marché, a New Shop-in-Shop to Support Local Canadian Businesses

TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2021 /CNW/ - Indigo (TSX: IDG), Canada's largest book and lifestyle retailer, is thrilled to announce the finalists for its inaugural Mini Marché program, a shop-in-shop experience dedicated to supporting Canadian small businesses. After a months-long application and review process, twelve standout brands were selected and are available now in select stores and online at Indigo.ca.

In January 2021, Indigo sent out a casting call inviting innovative brands in the kids and baby business to apply for consideration. Brands who identified under one of the following six criteria were prioritized: Canadian owned or managed; BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) owned or managed; women owned or managed; LGBTQ2+ owned or managed; environmentally friendly (organic, chemical-free, locally sourced, ethically made); and/or philanthropic and purpose driven.

The Mini Marché Finalists are:

• Zee Zee's World: Unique and creative puzzles that help parents and educators navigate challenging conversations with children through the power of play
• Go Coconut: Modular, eco-friendly and durable foam furniture for kids to lounge and play on
• The Chevron Heart: Inclusive clothing that makes a stylish statement encouraging individuality and confidence
• Zuri & Dre: High quality plushies created by Danielle Murrell Cox, author of My Hair, who was inspired to create faces that showcase people who look like her and the world around her
• Numpfer: Gentle enough for preemies, these multi-use bibs and blankets are made from ultra-absorbent organic bamboo cotton for baby's delicate skin
• Spilt Milk Baby Co.: Minimalist, multi-purpose cloths cute enough to be a baby bandana and made of soft, 100% muslin cotton
• Stash + Story: The reinvented baby book for modern families to write and display memories, events and photos with beautiful and customizable pages
• My Kindness Calendar: A fun calendar that helps parents and teachers instill kindness and confidence
• Balu Organics: An ultra-safe soft ball pit made of soy based, organic materials where little ones can develop their cognitive and problem-solving skills, strength and imagination through play
• Crooked Crown Kids: Unique, non-slip headbands born from a family photoshoot gone wrong and designed to grow with your child
• Tiny Kinfolk: Eco-friendly, gender neutral and functional and modern baby rompers featuring one-of-a-kind designs, two-way zippers and fold-over cuffs on hands and feet  
• Nudnik:  Kids apparel made entirely from pre-consumer textile waste and discarded scrapes that would otherwise pollute the planet

"We're so excited to welcome a wonderfully diverse and innovative group of Canadian brands to the Indigo family and introduce them to our customers," says Gail Banack, Vice President, IndigoKids and IndigoBaby. "Following a very rigorous selection process, we feel these founders, their stories and their brands are reflective of our values and our mission at Indigokids and Indigobaby. This collection of products was chosen thoughtfully and in keeping with our commitment to offering our customers unique, beautiful, and fun products for their kids. We're looking forward to launching even more products through Mini Marché in the future with the goal of spotlighting and supporting local and diverse businesses across the country."

As the destination for kids and baby in Canada, these brands fit seamlessly with Indigo's curated assortment of apparel, décor, toys, baby essentials, and more.

To learn more about Indigo, visit indigo.ca

About Indigo
Indigo is a publicly traded Canadian company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (IDG). Indigo is Canada's leading book and lifestyle retailer, offering a curated assortment of books, gifts, baby, kids, wellness and lifestyle products, that support their customers every day and at key life stages by simplifying their journey to live with intention. Indigo believes in real books, in living life fully and generously, in being kind to each other and that stories – big and little – connect us.

SOURCE Indigo Books & Music Inc.