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From printer ribbons to PCs and laptops; discover the story of Staples.

Our history

So how did a single office supplies superstore in Boston, USA, turn into a hugely successful global business with $27bn sales? You’re about to find out. Grab a coffee. Make yourself comfy. Then use the dates on the left to uncover our meteoric rise to the top.

1986

  • Tom Stemberg opens the first Staples store in Brighton, Massachusetts (prompted by the fact he couldn’t find a printer ribbon on a public holiday) and with it, launches the office products superstore industry as we know it

1989

  • Staples raises $36 million through an Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and launches Staples Direct, a catalogue delivery service

1990

  • Staples begins its western US expansion with the acquisition of 10 HQ Office Supplies warehouses in the LA area for $16.7 million

1991

  • Co-founds Canada’s first office superstore, The Business Depot Ltd. The first store opens in Concord, Ontario

1992

  • Staples enters the European marketplace, investing in German office superstore, MAXI–Papier, and a few months later joins forces with the UK retail giant Kingfisher

1993

  • Staples opens first UK store in Swansea

1996

  • Staples turns 10 years old and becomes a Fortune 500 company
  • The 500th store opens in Vero Beach, Florida
  • Staples buys out European partners Kingfisher and MAXI–Papier
  • Sales pass $3 billion and Staples becomes the sixth company in history to achieve $3 billion in sales within 10 years of start–up

1997

  • Staples announce a naming rights deal for a major Los Angeles sports and entertainment complex. The STAPLES Center is home to special events like the Grammy Awards and several professional sports franchises including the NBA’s LA Lakers

1998

  • Launches staples.com®

1999

  • Opens 1000th store in Duluth, Georgia
  • 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

2000

  • Sales top $10 billion

2001

  • Becomes the first office supply superstore to introduce its e–commerce site into its retail locations nationwide. Making it even easier for customers to find what they’re looking for

2002

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.®”
  • Celebrates 10th anniversary of Staples UK Retail
  • Achieves 10% renewable energy use for its total U.S. electricity consumption

2004

  • Sales reach $14.4 billion
  • Staples acquires Office World in the UK
  • 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

2005

  • Premiers the Easy Button– a new American icon is born
  • Sales reach $16.1 billion
  • Unveils its new corporate responsibility initiative “Staples Soul” and publishes its first Corporate Responsibility report
  • Completes rebranding of Office World stores to become Staples UK stores

2006

  • Celebrates 20th Anniversary
  • Sales reach $18.2 billion
  • Worldwide e-commerce sales reach $5 billion
  • Starts operating in Taiwan as UB Staples® through a joint venture with UB Office Systems’ subsidiary, UB Express

2007

  • Begins operations in India through a joint venture with Pantaloon Retail Limited
  • Opens 2000th Staples store in India
  • Launches the office supply industry’s first online catalogue
  • Staples UK Retail opens its state-of-the-art Distribution Centre near Daventry, UK

2008

  • Ranked second largest internet retailer, after Amazon.com, in Internet Retailer Magazine’s top 500 retail web sites
  • Staples UK Retail opens first high street store in Deansgate, Manchester
  • Celebrates 15th anniversary of Staples UK Retail
  • Official supplier of the Beijing Olympic Games
  • Merges with Corporate Express