The company
An idea is born
One holiday weekend in 1985, a printer ribbon broke. A man went out to find a replacement, but couldn’t; all the local suppliers and stationery stores were closed. A common scenario, yet this time it sparked a revolution in retailing.
That man was our founder, entrepreneur Tom Stemberg. He decided there and then that the world needed a supermarket for office products. Less than a year later, on May 1st 1986, he opened Staples, the first-ever office products superstore, in Brighton, Massachusetts, USA.
Its aim was to provide small-business owners and consumers (like Tom) with a great range of products and services at competitive prices, in a convenient location, with decent opening hours.
Filling a Need
From the beginning, sceptics questioned the need for a discount office supply superstore. They wondered if anyone really cared about the price of paper clips or the cost of copier paper. The answer was most definitely yes.
Fast forward twenty years, and Staples is now the world’s largest office products company, with $27 billion in sales and nearly 1,600 stores in the U.S. and Canada and operations in 27 countries in Europe, South America, Australia and Asia, (including our latest expansion to India).
In July 2008 we acquired Corporate Express (re-branded as Staples Advantage), one of the world’s leading suppliers of office products to businesses and institutions.
As a result, in February 2009, we saw the birth of a new Region across the United Kingdom and Ireland, bringing together the three areas of our business; Staples Retail, Staples Direct and Staples Advantage.
And far from just offering simple office supplies, we now have a product range that covers everything from business cards, PCs, laptops and workstations to digital cameras, hole punches and filing cabinets.
In the future, we’ll fully incorporate vacancies for all three areas across UK & Ireland, into this site.
Still growing
Our product range isn’t the only thing that’s expanding. The Staples business as a whole continues to go from strength to strength too. Our three core business segments: North American Retail, North American Delivery and International Operations are all on the up.
At the heart of all that growth are our people. They make it ‘easy’ for customers across the world, who rely on our innovative products, quality services and cutting-edge business solutions. In return for their dedication, we’ve created a work environment where everyone has a voice, shapes their own future and has the opportunity to have a strong financial stake in our continuing success.
Why not hear from some of our current people? Or find out about our current vacancies. Whatever part of the site you decide to visit next, one thing will quickly become clear: believe in us and we’ll believe in you.
