Staples, Inc.
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
NASDAQ: SPLS S&P 500 Component |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | May 1, 1986 Brighton, Massachusetts, United States |
| Founder |
Leo Kahn Thomas G. Stemberg |
| Headquarters | Framingham, Massachusetts, United States |
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Number of locations
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3,856 stores 125 warehouses/fulfillment centers (2010) |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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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 |
 US$ 21.059 billion (2015) |
 US$ 379 million (2015) |
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| Total assets |
US$ 10.172 billion (2015) |
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Number of employees
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79,075 (2015) |
| Divisions |
Staples Argentina Staples Canada |
| Subsidiaries | Staples Office Centre Mondoffice Staples Advantage |
| Website | staples |
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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