In the wake of the largest Christian distributor in Canada recently filing for bankruptcy, Thomas Nelson has offered to distribute its products directly to Canadian Christian retailers.

Ontario-based R.G. Mitchell Family Books (RGM), which began operations in 1934 and had several bookstores in the region, unexpectedly closed Sept. 15—causing some U.S. publishers to scramble to find other sources of distribution in Canada.

Brittany Lassiter—Nelson's international marketing specialist for international sales—told Christian Retailing that the company notified Canadian bookstores via e-mail Oct. 1 regarding distributing books, videos, software and Bibles directly from the Nashville-based publisher's warehouse.

"We'd prefer not to release numbers of how many retailers have signed up," she said. "The response has been very positive and we're setting up new accounts daily. Retailers we have spoken to are pleased to be able to order directly from Nelson and are anxious to get the big new releases and critical backlist on the shelves in time for the busy Christmas selling season."

Nelson was the largest supplier in the group of U.S. publishers distributed by RGM. Lassiter declined to comment about the amount of money owed by RGM to Nelson.

"We believe that the future for Christian retailing in Canada is positive even amidst the current challenges," she said. "Other publishers will be able to find alternate forms of distribution that will effectively and efficiently serve the needs of the Canadian consumer."

Meanwhile, Tyndale House Publishers has entered into an agreement with Foundation Distributing Incorporated to be the exclusive distributor of its products in Canada.

"We apologize to our Canadian customers for the brief gap in service that occurred due to the sudden closing of our previous Canadian distributor, R.G. Mitchell," said Tyndale Director of International Publishing James Elwell.

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