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Staples, Inc.

Staples, Inc.
Public
Traded as NASDAQSPLS
S&P 500 Component
Industry Retail
Founded May 1, 1986; 30 years ago (1986-05-01)
Brighton, Massachusetts, United States
Founder Leo Kahn
Thomas G. Stemberg
Headquarters Framingham, Massachusetts, United States
Number of locations
3,856 stores
125 warehouses/fulfillment centers (2010)
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Shira Goodman
(Chairman & CEO)
Joseph G. Doody
(Vice Chairman)
Christine Komola
(CFO)
Faisal Masud
(CTO)
Products Office Supplies
Facility & Janitorial Supplies
Office Furnishing
IT Consulting
Office and Data Center Technology Hardware Sourcing
Industry-specific supplies
Health and Beauty
Electronics
Furniture
Snacks
Revenue DecreaseUS$ 21.059 billion (2015)
IncreaseUS$ 379 million (2015)
Total assets DecreaseUS$ 10.172 billion (2015)
Number of employees
79,075 (2015)
Divisions Staples Argentina
Staples Canada
Subsidiaries Staples Office Centre
Mondoffice
Staples Advantage
Website staples.com

Staples, Inc. is an American multinational office supply retailing corporation, with over 1,500 stores in North America. Headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts, Staples also does business extensively with enterprises in the United States and Canada, and as Staples Business Advantage.

Staples sells supplies which include staples, office machines, promotional products, technology, and business services both in stores and online. The company opened its first store in Brighton, Massachusetts on May 1, 1986.

Staples was co-founded by Leo Kahn and Thomas G. Stemberg, who were former rivals in the New England retail supermarket industry.

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 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 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, Canada north of Toronto. The following year, Staples began expanding into Europe, and opened its first store in Swansea, United Kingdom.


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