Office Depot/OfficeMax

It all started with Office Depot…

In 1986, Office Depot was founded by F. Patrick Sher, Stephen Doughtery, and Jack Kopkin, formerly associated with Mr. HOW Warehouse, a home improvement company. The three became  the company’s chairman and chief executive officer, the president, and executive vice president respectively.

About Office Depot/Office Max

Office Depot is an American office supply and retailing company, founded in 1986. The first retail location opened in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the company is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. With 1,361 U.S. store locations, 38,000 associates and combined annual sales of $11 billion, Office Depot is, indeed, an American success story.

On April 1, 1988, Bob Hurwitz and Michael Feuer founded OfficeMax in Cleveland, Ohio. Their first retail store was opened in July of that year at the Golden Gate Shopping Centre in Mayfield Heights Ohio.   

Office Depot/OfficeMax store map
Office Depot/OfficeMax store map

Office Depot and Office Max 1,361 U.S. Store Locations

Office Depot and Office Max merge

On November 15, 2013, Office Depot and Office Max combined in an all stock deal.
 
Sadly, in May of 2014, Office Depot announced the closure of four hundred stores, as customers migrated to on-line retailers.

In February, 2015, Staples agreed to purchase Office Depot, in a cash and stock deal worth approximately $6.3 billion, but the merger was blocked by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in December of that year.

That same year, Office Depot launched the first of a number of new websites, www.officedepot.com, which established the company as the industry’s technology leader, expanded its domestic e-commerce capabilities, and ultimately extended the range of products and services Office Depot could offer its customers.

Introducing e-commerce

In 1998, Office Depot launched www.officedepot.com, establishing the company as the industry’s technology leader. Having an e-commerce presence allowed Office Depot to offer its customers a broader range of products and services. Today, this website represents both Office Depot and Office Max.

Caring about the environment

With the health and sustainability of our world’s environment fully in mind, Office Depot built an LEED Gold certified retail store in Austin, Texas in 2008. In 2010, the Boca Raton headquarters was also awarded LEED Gold certification.
 
Sponsorship: Born this Way
 
In November 2012, Office Depot partnered with the Born This Way Foundation to sell limited edition office supplies and give 25% of earnings to the organization.
 
The Born This Way Foundation (BTWF) is an American non-profit organization founded in 2011 by singer Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta. Established at Harvard University, and named after Gaga’s second studio album, Born This Way (2011), the foundation aims to inspire youth and build better communities.
 
Gloria Sauvé
Communications and Marketing

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