Misplaced Pages

#317682

59-548: Founded by Leo Kahn and Thomas G. Stemberg , the company opened its first store in Brighton, Massachusetts on May 1, 1986. By 1996, it had reached the Fortune 500 , and it later acquired the office supplies company Quill Corporation . In 2014, in the wake of increasing competition from e-commerce market, Staples began to close some of its locations. In 2015, Staples announced its intent to acquire Office Depot and OfficeMax . However,

118-570: A wholesale food distributor . Kahn graduated from Malden High School in Malden, Massachusetts . Kahn received a bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1938. He then obtained a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York City in 1939. He worked a reporter in New Bedford, Massachusetts , and practiced public relations for political campaigns until he

177-435: A "solutions partner" for the business market, and placing a stronger focus on its B2B-oriented delivery and e-commerce businesses. In May 2017, the chain began a new advertising campaign with the slogan "It's Pro Time", which largely downplayed its retail operations. In 2017, Sycamore Partners acquired Staples for $ 6.9 billion, of which $ 1.6 billion was funded as equity, with the remaining deal value raised as debt. As part of

236-552: A $ 1 billion one-time dividend for the private equity firm. A Bloomberg report on this refinancing noted that the deal allowed Sycamore to recover roughly 80% of its equity investment in Staples in less than two years, compared to the typical profit-taking exit timeframe of five to eight years for most private equity buyouts. That month, Staples also unveiled a new logo, which features an icon representing both an unused staple and an office desk. The company also announced that it would introduce

295-548: A character named "Coach Tom" to promote its "Gift it for Free" sweepstakes, in which 10,000 Staples customers won up to $ 5,000 in merchandise. In August 2002, the company started the Staples Foundation for Learning, which supports youth groups and education . It also is a partner of Boys & Girls Clubs of America , Ashoka, Earth Force, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, Hispanic Heritage Foundation and through Staples, ReadBoston. In August 2005, Staples introduced

354-774: A cyberattack that temporarily disrupted their online ordering system. The type of cyberattack is unknown, it is possible that customer information was stolen. Staples is still working to restore its systems and has not yet released a full statement on the incident. In addition to selling office supplies, business machines, and tech services, Staples also offers a copy and print center for photocopies , scans, digital printing , faxing , custom business cards , custom rubber stamps , promotional products , binding, lamination , folding, cutting and engraved products. While many products can be produced in-store, larger, more complex jobs, or jobs requiring special materials such as PVC signs are routed to production facilities in various locations through

413-457: A fictitious button with 'magical' properties, featured in their television advertisement campaign. However, when the adverts appeared, customers began contacting the company to inquire how they could buy one. The company responded by making the "Easy Button" a real product (available in English "easy", French "simple", Spanish "fácil" and German "einfach easy"). These buttons were shipped to stores in

472-414: A new brand retaining the Staples chain's red and white color scheme. In August 2018, the chain closed some of its stores under a company voluntary arrangement , and underwent a management buyout the following month. In March 2019, Office Outlet went into administration , citing that it had "recently experienced a reduction in credit from key suppliers, given the economic outlook which has severely impacted

531-467: A new grocery retailing division, which became known as Purity Supreme . The company initially opened small groceries, but then expanded to supermarkets . The Purity Supreme company also included the Heartland Foods Warehouse , which was called "the first successful deep-discount warehouse supermarket in the country" by Inc Magazine . One of Kahn's biggest rivals was Thomas G. Stemberg ,

590-428: A new line of store brands , including Tru Red, Coastwide Professional (facility supplies), NXT Technologies (technology accessories), Perk (office break room supplies), and Union & Scale (furniture), as well as a new catalog known as The Loop . With the rebranding, then CEO Sandy Douglas (who joined the company in 2018) stated that Staples was now being marketed as a "worklife fulfillment" company, which he explained

649-469: A pattern of card fraud (suggesting that several Staples office supply locations in the Northeastern United States were dealing with a data breach). At the time, Staples would say only that it was investigating "a potential issue" and had contacted law enforcement. On December 19, 2014, Staples reported that criminals had deployed malware to point-of-sale systems at 115 of their retail stores in

SECTION 10

#1733086162318

708-410: A plan to once again acquire Office Depot , which itself had recently acquired OfficeMax in a bid to compete against Staples. CEO Ron Sargent stated that this purchase would "[enable] Staples to provide more value to customers, and more effectively compete in a rapidly evolving competitive environment", and would result in at least $ 1 billion in "cost synergies" within three years. It was reported that

767-501: A popular meme on the Internet , and the ad itself was parodied in a 2002 Christmas advertisement for Dell Computers, in which a robot hassles a shopper (including striking him with a candy cane ) when he attempts to purchase a PC at an unnamed office supplies retailer. Another advertisement style is used during its annual back-to-school campaign, in which the Christmas song " It's

826-432: A result, the sale was called off, and Staples was required to pay a $ 250 million breakup fee . In November 2016, it was announced that Staples had sold its 106 British stores to Hilco Capital for a "nominal" amount, as part of an effort to streamline its international operations following the failed merger. Hilco stated that it would discontinue the Staples brand in the region; the stores were rebranded as "Office Outlet",

885-450: A separate coupon, monthly, instead of the normal quarterly rewards check. Most customers are able to trade in ten per month for credit, whilst Staples Plus and Premier Rewards members are able to trade in twenty per month. As of February 28, 2013, Staples announced that in order to receive $ 2 per ink cartridge recycled, customers would be required to spend at least $ 30 at Staples in ink purchases within 180 days of recycling. A 2012 study by

944-517: A single business area was consolidated when its paper merchandising division was sold to Australia 's PaperlinX in October 2003, leaving only the office-related products business. Reflecting the new single focus, it was decided to change the name of the company to Corporate Express N.V. in April 2004. United States -based office supplies retailer Staples Inc. launched an unsolicited acquisition bid for

1003-614: A sizeable rooftop solar installation. Staples has also recently implemented power reduction strategies in all of their Copy & Print Centers, where the copiers enter sleep mode in as little as 15 minutes after use. This technique will save Staples nearly $ 1 million a year in reduced energy costs and prevent over 11 million pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. In November 2014, Staples partnered with EnergySage to give Staples giftcards to homeowners and businesses that installed solar panels. Staples accepts all used ink and toner cartridges for recycling. Prior to 2008,

1062-433: A suspected data breach at retailers served by online photo software from PNI – Staples' recent acquisition. The first reported victim was Walmart Canada, followed by CVS, Rite-Aid, Costco US, Costco Canada and Tesco UK. During the period July 13 to 28, 2015, Staples Inc share price fell from $ 15.59 to $ 13.97, a 10% fall which reflected a reduction in Staples market value of almost $ 1bn. In late 2023, Staples experienced

1121-519: A two-year campaign targeting the company, Staples adopted an environmentally friendly paper policy, in hopes of increasing the amount of post-consumer recycled paper made available for sale, phasing out products originating from endangered forests. The Hanover, Maryland fulfillment center is powered by a 1.01 megawatt solar installation covering nearly 175,000 square feet (16,300 m) of roof space. Its Savi Ranch store in Yorba Linda, California also has

1180-412: Is shown behind the cart, saying, "The song goes 'School's out for summer'. Nice try, though." The hit song then plays as supplies are shown. The tagline, "That was easy", is heard playing over the company logo, formed to resemble a stapler . During the 2008 holiday season, Staples advertising for the first time engaged Facebook , Twitter , YouTube , and other social media platforms. The company created

1239-543: The Wall Street Journal found that Staples displayed different prices to customers in different locations (distinct from shipping prices), based on proximity to competitors like OfficeMax and Office Depot . This generally resulted in higher prices for customers in more rural areas, who were on average less wealthy than customers seeing lower prices. KrebsOnSecurity reported a suspected breach at Staples on October 20, 2014, after hearing multiple banks had identified

SECTION 20

#1733086162318

1298-453: The Christmas seasons from 1995 until 2001. The Sno-Bot was a robot shaped like a snowman who refuses to let go of the inkjet printer he has fallen in love with. After the printer is wrestled from his grasp, the robot utters a monotone "Weeping. Weeping." He is consoled by a Staples employee who offers him a surge protector or a computer mouse (depending on the ad) instead. The robot's "Weeping. Weeping." catchphrase briefly became

1357-582: The "Easy Button", a novelty item for offices which is advertised as a fun way of relieving stress. The button does nothing other than say "That was easy" when pressed. The first US$ 1 million of profits each year from the Easy Button are donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. As of December 2006, it was sold for $ 4.99 to $ 6.99 in all US and Canadian stores (where profits go to Special Olympics in Canada) and on

1416-537: The Boston area, while elements of the concept will be implemented chain-wide. As part of a partnership with radio broadcaster iHeartMedia , Staples also added recording studios intended for podcasting to six of these stores, with access to recording engineers and a partnership with Spreaker to offer discounted hosting and distribution services to its customers. Throughout most of the company's history, Staples employed, in its American commercials and advertising promotions,

1475-463: The Civil War (Wisconsin 37th Regiment), afterward went to Cleveland in 1865 with 35 cents in his pocket. There he peddled papers, and in 1871 started a printing business. His business was quite successful and was still in the family a century later. He opened his business with two small presses, a small steam engine, a hand cutter and some stationery stock. In 1890, his son, Raymond H. Barker, joined

1534-555: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year " is played while a father joyously shops for school supplies for his sullen-faced children, used for several years from 1995 until 2005. Later, Alice Cooper appeared in a back-to-school campaign from August 2004. Within the ad, a hand is seen selecting various supplies while a girl (played by Madeleine Martin ) looks on unhappily. She finally says, "I thought you said, 'School's out forever. ' " Alice

1593-604: The Northeast. In August 2006, Ahold announced the addition of the Staples section to all Tops Friendly Markets locations as well. In 2008, Staples acquired Dutch office supplies company Corporate Express , one of the largest office supply wholesalers in the world. On March 6, 2014, Staples announced it would close up to 225 stores in North America by the end of 2015, in order to cut $ 500 million in costs annually, and focus more on e-commerce. On February 4, 2015, Staples announced

1652-516: The Staples name, separating its U.S. retail operations, and Canadian retail operations, from the B2B business. Staples was founded by Leo Kahn and Thomas G. Stemberg , who were former rivals in the New England retail supermarket industry, and Myra Hart . The idea for Staples originated in 1985, while Stemberg was working on a proposal for a different business. He needed a ribbon for his printer, but

1711-511: The US Office Products (USOP) North American office products assets, including certain stand-alone furniture businesses. USOP's North American office products operations were integrated into Corporate Express, resulting in expected revenues of approximately $ 5 billion in North America. As a result, many board members of USOP gained spots on the board of Corporate Express. In 2003, Jirka Rysavy fully retired at age 48. The company's new focus on

1770-491: The United States, Canada and Germany starting in the fall of 2005. Sales of the buttons reached 1.5 million by the end of 2006. The button has been referred to as a "Marketer's Dream", effectively turning millions of Staples customers into advertisers, resulting in greatly increased brand recognition. The Staples Sno-Bot was an advertising character that appeared in the United States, in television and print advertising during

1829-438: The United States. At 113 stores, the malware may have allowed access to this data for purchases made from August 10, 2014, through September 16, 2014. At two stores, the malware may have allowed access to data from purchases made from July 20, 2014, through September 16, 2014. Overall, the company believed that approximately 1.16 million payment cards may have been affected. On July 14, 2015, Numerous news outlets started to report

Staples Inc. - Misplaced Pages Continue

1888-414: The company on 19 February 2008, offering €7.25 per share. The Corporate Express board rejected the offer, saying that the price undervalued the company. In a move widely seen as an attempt to stave off interest from Staples, the president announced a planned €1.4 billion takeover of French rival Lyreco on 21 May, only for Staples to make an increased offer of €9.15 per share on 3 June. After this too

1947-469: The company was sold to Spectrum Office Supply of Rochester, New York, and in 1994, it was sold again, to Staples, which renamed the company Staples Business Advantage. John S. Barker retired from the company in 1989, but another of Samuel Barker, Jr's. great-grandsons, James Barker, remained with the company as a vice president. Buhrmann N.V. was initially formed from KNP BT, a paper , packaging and printing industry distribution company, founded in 1993 by

2006-664: The company's board of directors for the next 15 years, helping shape their business model. In 1991, Staples founded its Canadian subsidiary, The Business Depot , and began opening stores under that name, though over a decade later, all stores were renamed as "Staples". The first store opened in Vaughan , Ontario , north of Toronto. The following year, Staples began expanding into Europe, and opened its first British store in Swansea . On September 4, 1996, Staples and Office Depot announced plans to merge. The Federal Trade Commission decided that

2065-479: The company's website. Donations also went to the Children's Fund. Staples has reportedly sold more than $ 7.5 million worth of Easy Buttons. Staples is ranked in the top 25 of EPA's Green Power Partner list. In 2006, Staples offered more than 2,900 different office products incorporating recycled content. Staples is currently trying to pursue developing Staples brand products with green raw materials. In response to

2124-477: The country. Most US locations have a limited service UPS shipping center offering air and ground services, as well as USPS labelled package dropoff service. Canadian stores offer three providers ( Canada Post , FedEx , and Purolator ), which include international shipping; whereas in US stores, this service is limited to Canada and Mexico. Leo Kahn (entrepreneur) Leo Kahn (December 31, 1916 – May 11, 2011)

2183-451: The deal could face antitrust scrutiny for its monopolization of the office supply market, unless growing competition against online retailers is considered a factor as well. In December, the FTC filed a lawsuit to halt the merger, arguing that it would harm competition in the commercial office supply market. and as of January 2016, the FTC has not changed its stance. At the end of January 2016, it

2242-424: The division was rebranded as Staples National Advantage and Staples Business Advantage in 1995. In 2008, Staples acquired Corporate Express (previously known as Buhrmann ), expanding its contract offering to a global market. In 2009, this division was rebranded as Staples Advantage. Staples Business Advantage can trace its history back to 1871. Samuel Barker, Jr., who had lied about his age so he could fight in

2301-454: The end of 1999, the company added to its product lines, customer services and geographic breadth. By January 1999, its last full year SEC filing, Corporate Express had revenues of $ 3.75B. In October 1999, Buhrmann acquired its competitor Corporate Express Corporation and combined it with BT Office Products. Corporate Express became the name of the office products arm of Buhrmann N.V.. In May 2001, Corporate Express acquired substantially all of

2360-462: The financial position of the company." In January 2021, Staples announced that it would again try to buy Office Depot. Their offer was turned down in June 2022. In 2022, Staples launched same-day passport photo services in over 1,000 stores and TSA PreCheck enrollment at select locations. Following the aborted acquisition of Office Depot, Staples began to reposition its operations by promoting itself as

2419-416: The firm. In 1911, S. Barker & Sons was incorporated, and in 1923, a grandson, Raymond M. Barker, joined the growing firm. The company became one of the leading office-supply firms in northern Ohio, and by the 1950s was also offering metal and wood office furniture. By 1986, it was known as Barker Office Supply Company, with John S. Barker (a great-grandson of Samuel Barker, Jr.) as president. In 1989,

Staples Inc. - Misplaced Pages Continue

2478-453: The interaction with his employees. Kahn married Dorothy Davidson. After 11 years of marriage, Dorothy died in 1975. He later married Emily Gantt, who survived him. From his first marriage, Kahn had a daughter, Elizabeth, and two sons, Daniel and Joseph. Joseph Kahn is a journalist and the executive editor of The New York Times . His stepdaughters were Lisa and Xandria Birk. Kahn had eight grandchildren and three step grandchildren. Leo Kahn

2537-417: The merged company would unfairly increase office supply prices despite competition from OfficeMax , because OfficeMax did not have stores in many of the local markets that the merger would affect. Staples argued that chains such as Walmart and Circuit City represented significant competition, but this argument did little to sway the FTC. Following the denial of the merger by the FTC, a rivalry formed between

2596-495: The only cartridge brands that could be recycled were HP, Kodak, and Dell, and customers were given a $ 3 coupon for the store, with the maximum number of coupons to be given, or redeemed, at any one time being 25. Since 2009, ink recycling has been a part of the Staples Rewards program. Staples now gives back two dollars (Staples.com) on all ink cartridges and toners as of July 2010. Ink recycling credit comes to Rewards members as

2655-506: The owner of a competing New England supermarket chain called First National Supermarkets. At one point, Kahn and Stemberg engaged in a price war over the lower price for Thanksgiving turkeys . Kahn sold Purity Supreme to the Supermarkets General Corporation in 1984 for $ 80 million. Through the transaction, Kahn became the chairman of Supermarket General . Privately, Kahn regretted selling Purity, saying he missed

2714-410: The purchase of Canada-based company, Claricom, from an investment group. The company was later sold to Platinum Equities and renamed NextiraOne. In 2002, Staples acquired Medical Arts Press, which became a subsidiary of Quill. In March 2005, Staples and Ahold announced a plan to include a Staples branded store-within-store section in all Stop & Shop Supermarkets and Giant Food stores throughout

2773-429: The purchase was blocked under antitrust grounds due to the consolidation that would result. After the failed acquisition, Staples began to refocus its operations to downplay its brick-and-mortar outlets and place more prominence on its business-to-business (B2B) services. In 2017, after its sale to Sycamore Partners , the company was effectively split into three "independently managed and capitalized" entities sharing

2832-482: The purchase, Sycamore implemented a major restructuring of the company, under which the chain's B2B business (Staples North American Delivery, also known as simply "Staples"), retail locations (Staples U.S. Retail), and Staples Canada would be split into three "independently managed and capitalized" entities under Sycamore. On April 9, 2019, Sycamore Partners conducted a dividend recapitalization , refinancing $ 5.4 billion in debt against its ownership of Staples, producing

2891-451: The simultaneous merger of three companies: Koninklijke Nederlandsche Papierfabrieken (KNP), Bührmann-Tetterode and VRG-Groep. Across 1997 and 1998, the paper and packaging business areas were divested , leaving just the distribution interest, covering BT Office Products as well as graphic systems and paper merchandising businesses. KNP BT was renamed Buhrmann N.V. in July 1998. Corporate Express

2950-464: The slogan "Yeah, we've got that.", signifying their wide selection of products. This slogan was retired in 2003, to be replaced with "That was easy". Expanding on that theme, 2005 adverts featured a large red push-button marked "easy". In the United Kingdom, Staples had used the slogan "You want it. We've got it"; this changed to "That was Easy". Originally, the "Easy Button" was only intended to be

3009-528: The two companies. Staples acquired the naming rights for the Staples Center in Los Angeles shortly before construction began in 1998. Staples also acquired Quill Corporation , an online and catalog retailer of office supplies, for about $ 685 million in cash and stock. Between 1999 and 2001, unsuccessful attempts to enter the telecommunications business were made as Staples created Staples Communications after

SECTION 50

#1733086162318

3068-528: Was "about helping businesses of all sizes as they create the most dynamic and productive work environments for their teams." The following month, CEO Mike Motz (who joined the company in 2019 to head Staples U.S. Retail) unveiled a new store concept known as "Staples Connect": it is aligned with a similar store concept being trialed by Staples Canada, featuring "Staples Studio" co-working areas and an auditorium-style "Spotlight" theater (which can be rented for sessions and events). The new concept will be trialed in

3127-531: Was an American reporter and businessman. He is credited as the co-founder of Staples Inc. Kahn is also considered a pioneer of the natural and health food supermarket industry, founding the Fresh Fields and Nature's Heartland chains, which are now part of Whole Foods Market . Kahn was born in Medford, Massachusetts , as the younger of two brothers. His parents, who were Lithuanian Jewish immigrants, owned

3186-519: Was announced to employees that Staples would be laying off hundreds of workers at their headquarters location. The layoffs were seen by some analysts as a preemptive tactic in case the merger did not receive regulatory approval from the Federal Trade Commission. On May 10, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the FTC a preliminary injunction against the merger. As

3245-845: Was drafted into the U.S. military in 1941 as the U.S. entered World War II . He was stationed in North Africa , Europe and Asia as a navigator for the Army Air Forces . He and his brother, Albert Kahn, took over the family's wholesale business following the end of World War II. He became the sole owner of the business when his brother left the company to become a professor at Boston University . Kahn married his first wife, Dorothy Davidson, in 1963 and had three children. The family resided in Chelmsford, Massachusetts , until Dorothy Kahn's death in 1975. Kahn continued to operate his family's wholesale food distributor. However, he also launched

3304-485: Was founded by Jirka Rysavy, also the founder of Gaiam , in 1986 in Boulder, Colorado . Initially a regional office products retailer with 11 employees located in one small building, the company established a program of strategic procurement solutions as an industry innovation. In 1991, Corporate Express became a public company with reported revenues of $ 621 million annually. Through acquisition of approximately 200 companies by

3363-824: Was on the board of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America . Kahn died at the Springhouse care facility in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston from a series of strokes on May 11, 2011, at the age of 94. Corporate Express Staples Business Advantage is the contract division of Staples Inc. , providing a membership program for office products , technology products, facilities supplies and breakroom supplies to businesses and institutions. Established in 1993 as Staples Contract and Commercial,

3422-499: Was rejected, a final offer of €9.25 per share (valuing Corporate Express at €1.68 billion) was accepted by the board on 11 June. The proposed Lyreco acquisition was subsequently abandoned. With over 95% of its stock acquired by Staples, Corporate Express was removed from the AEX index on 4 July 2008. Shares of the company were delisted on 5 August as Staples gained full control. This Buyout of 1.68 billion Euro, Equal to 2,204,910,223.03 USD,

3481-636: Was unable to obtain one because his local dealer was closed for the Independence Day holiday. A frustration with the reliance on small stores for critical supplies combined with Stemberg's background in the grocery business led to a vision for an office supply superstore . The first store was opened in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston in 1986. Staples started with backing from private equity firms including Bain Capital ; Bain co-founder Mitt Romney served on

#317682