Media Information

An Idea is Born

Staples' founder Tom Stemberg, a former supermarket chain executive turned entrepreneur, was working over the Fourth of July weekend on a business proposal when his printer ribbon broke. Because it was the holiday weekend, local suppliers and stationery stores were closed. After driving from store to store and not finding the correct ribbon, Tom came to a realization: The world needed a supermarket for office products. Ten months later, Staples, the first office superstore, was open for business.

Before Staples, small businesses and consumers paid a premium for office supplies, while larger companies negotiated huge discounts with supply wholesalers. Small–businesses and consumers, like Tom that Fourth of July weekend, were at the mercy of the stationery store’s schedule.

Staples was founded to make it easy for small–business owners and consumers. Stores feature convenient locations and hours, and a great selection of products and services at competitive everyday prices.

Filling a Need

From the beginning, skeptics questioned the need for a discount office supply superstore. They wondered if anyone really cared about the price of paper clips. The answer was yes. While researching Staples, Tom spoke with one small–business owner who underestimated his yearly office supply budget by a factor of five. In 1985, 10.8 million of the 11 million businesses in the U.S. were small businesses, and the total market for office supplies was $85 billion and growing.

On May 1, 1986, Staples opened the world’s very first office supply superstore in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston. Soon, Staples was such a success that some 20 competitors launched similar retail concepts over the next two years. Today, only three major retailers remain in the business.

Staples is Growing

Staples today is the world’s premier office products company. We’re committed to making it easy for our customers around the globe to buy a wide range of office products, including supplies, technology, furniture, and business services. With $23 billion in sales, Staples serves businesses of all sizes and consumers in 27 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. In July 2008, Staples acquired Corporate Express, one of the world’s leading suppliers of office products to businesses and institutions.

Staples®. that was easy®.