Media Information - Milestones

• 2008
• 2007
• 2006
• 2005
• 2004
• 2003
• 2002
• 2001
• 2000
• 1999
• 1998
• 1997
• 1996
• 1995
• 1994
• 1993
• 1992
• 1991
• 1990
• 1989
• 1986

2008

• Acquires Corporate Express, one of the world's leading suppliers of office products to businesses and institutions.
• Ranked second largest internet retailer, after Amazon.com, in Internet Retailer Magazine's top 500 retail web sites

2007

• Opens 2000th Staples store in India
• Begins operations in India through a joint venture with Pantaloon Retail Limited
• Launches office supply industry's first online catalogue for Contract customers
• Begins selling Dell notebooks and desktop computers, printers, ink and toner. Staples is the only office superstore to offer Dell products in stores and through its Web site.
• Recognized as Retailing Today's 2007 Speciality Retailer of the Year
• Named 30 on CRO Magazine's 100 Best Corporate Citizens

2006

• Celebrates 20^th Anniversary
• Sales reach $18.2 billion
• Worldwide eCommerce sales reach $5 billion
• Begins operations in Taiwan as UB Staples® through a joint venture with UB Office Systems’ subsidiary, UB Express

2005

• Premiers the Easy ButtonSM– a new American icon is born
• Sales reach $16.1 billion
• Begins selling Staples® brand products in Stop & Shop and Giant supermarkets.
• Unveils its new corporate responsibility initiative "Staples Soul" and publishes its first Corporate Responsibility report  Learn more

2004

• Sales reach $14.4 billion
• Initiates first–ever stock dividend to shareholders
• Announces Staples Invention Quest® inaugural winner is the Staples WordLock™, a combination lock that uses letters instead of numbers
• Expands European delivery business with acquisition of Pressel Versand International GmbH, based in Vienna, Austria, and the office products division of Malling Beck A/S of Denmark
• Invests in Shanghai–based office delivery business, OA 365, to enter the Chinese marketplace
• Enters the Latin American market with the acquisition of Officenet, a Brazilian and Argentinean office products delivery business

2003

• "Staples. We make buying office products easy." is introduced as the new corporate brand promise, supported by the new tagline, "Staples. that was easy.®"
• Launches Staples Invention Quest®  in search of the next great office product
• Reaches 10% renewable energy use for its total U.S. electricity consumption

2002

• Becomes the world's largest seller of office supplies, with revenues topping $11 billion
• Launches Staples Foundation for Learning® to support organizations that "teach, train and inspire" Learn more
• Acquires Medical Arts Press, which becomes part of Quill
• Issues industry–first environmental paper procurement policy formalizing Staples' commitment to the environmentLearn more 
• Acquires Guilbert's mail order business, which becomes the foundation for Staples European Catalog

2001

• Becomes the first office supply superstore to integrate its e–commerce site into its retail locations nationwide
• Expands Staples Contract business service to multinational customers through a formal alliance with France’s the Lyreco Group

2000

• Sales top $10 billion

1999

• Opens 1000^th store in Duluth, Georgia
• Launches StaplesLink.com® for contract customers
• Expands European retail presence with the acquisitions of 15 Sigma Burowelt stores in Germany, 21 Office Centre stores in the Netherlands, and six Office Centre stores in Portugal
• Launches in–store pack and ship services

1998

• Launches staples.com®
• Named to the Standard & Poor's 500 Index
• Purchases Quill Corp. for $690 million

1997

• Announces naming rights deal for Los Angeles sports and entertainment complex; STAPLES Center is home to special events like the Grammy Awards and several professional sports franchises including the NBA’s LA Lakers

1996

• Turns 10 and becomes Fortune 500 company
• 500^th store opens in Vero Beach, Florida
• Buys out European partner Kingfisher and MAXI–Papier 
• Sales pass $3 billion. Only sixth company in history to achieve $3 billion in sales within 10 years of start–up

1995

• Restructures Staples Contract and Commercial into Staples National Advantage® and Staples Business Advantage®
• Announces aggressive store remodeling schedule for 90 stores in North America  to get new "second–generation" store format, also increases average store size from 17,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet

1994

• Acquires remaining 58% of Business Depot

1993

• Launches Contract and Commercial division to serve multisite organizations and Fortune 1000 businesses
• Increases interest in Business Depot to 42%
• Opens first store in the United Kingdom

1992

• Enters the European marketplace, investing in German office superstore, MAXI–Papier, and a few months later partners with the United Kingdom retail giant Kingfisher

1991

• Helps found Canada’s first office superstore, The Business Depot LTD. First Business Depot store opens in Concord, Ontario

1990

• Begins western U.S. expansion with acquisition of 10 HQ Office Supplies warehouses in L.A. area for $16.7 million

1989

• Raises $36 million through an IPO and launches Staples Direct, a catalog delivery service

1986

• Launches the office products superstore industry with the opening of its first store in Brighton, Massachusetts