# Staples **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/staples **Vertical:** retail **Subcategory:** office supplies retail **Tier:** Unknown **Website:** staples.com **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary Largest US office supplies retailer with ~916 stores. Pivoting to services (printing, shipping, passports) and in-store partnerships with Verizon and Party City. ## Company Overview Staples is the largest office supplies retailer in the United States, founded in 1986 in Brighton, Massachusetts. The company pioneered the office superstore format and built its brand on the promise of making office supply purchasing convenient and affordable for businesses and consumers alike. Staples was taken private by Sycamore Partners in 2017 and has since been undergoing a significant strategic transformation away from commodity product retail toward services-led revenue.\n\nStaples operates approximately 916 US retail stores and a large B2B commercial division serving businesses directly. The company's retail stores have evolved into multi-service destinations offering printing, shipping, passport photo services, and in-store partnerships with Verizon and Apple — making stores a hub for business services rather than just product sales. The B2B commercial division, which serves small businesses and enterprise accounts with recurring supply contracts, has become the more strategically important revenue stream as retail foot traffic has declined.\n\nStaples generates substantial revenue across its retail and commercial segments, though the company does not disclose detailed financials as a private entity. Its 2025–2026 strategy focuses on growing the services footprint in stores, expanding the B2B commercial business through direct sales and e-commerce, and differentiating from Amazon Business through the combination of physical presence, service offerings, and category expertise. The pivot to services represents a credible response to the existential challenge that e-commerce has posed to traditional office supply retail. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is Staples a public company? No, Staples has been privately held since 2017 when it was acquired by Sycamore Partners. It does not trade on any stock exchange. ### How many Staples stores are open? As of January 2026, Staples operates approximately 916 US stores, down from 929 in October 2025 as it shifts toward online and B2B sales. ### What services does Staples offer beyond office supplies? Staples now offers printing, shipping, passport services, in-store eye care (via Now Optics), Verizon device sales, and Party City party supplies. ### What is Staples' B2B business and how large is it? Staples' B2B division (Staples Business Advantage) serves millions of business customers from small companies to Fortune 500 enterprises, providing office supplies, facilities management products, breakroom supplies, and promotional products through a dedicated sales force and e-commerce platform. The B2B segment now represents the majority of Staples' revenue following retail store contraction. ### Who owns Staples now? Staples has been owned by Sycamore Partners, a private equity firm, since 2017 when it was taken private in a deal valued at approximately $6.9 billion. Sycamore subsequently sold Staples' European operations (which became STAK/Staples Europe) and focused the US business on its core retail and B2B operations. ### How has Staples adapted to Amazon competition? Staples has responded to Amazon's dominance in online office supply by doubling down on its B2B relationship model (account management, procurement integration, specialized products), diversifying store services (printing, passport photos, shipping, eye care), and focusing retail stores on services that Amazon cannot easily replicate rather than commodity supply competition. ### What printing services does Staples offer? Staples Print & Marketing Services handles business cards, banners, flyers, presentations, promotional products, signs, and custom printing — both in-store and online. Large-format printing, same-day options in stores, and design services make Staples a convenient alternative to commercial printers for many business document needs. ### Does Staples offer same-day delivery? Yes. Staples offers same-day delivery from local stores for qualifying orders in many metro markets, competing with Amazon Prime's delivery proposition for office supplies. The store network (used as fulfillment centers) is a competitive advantage for last-mile speed that pure e-commerce players struggle to match. ### What is Staples? Staples is a major office supply and business services retailer operating over 1,000 stores across the US and Canada, providing office products, print and marketing services, technology products, and business solutions to consumers and businesses. ### What is Staples' business strategy? Staples has pivoted toward serving small and medium businesses (SMBs) rather than competing with Amazon on consumer office supplies, building out its Staples Business Advantage B2B program, contract sales, and fulfillment services for workplace customers. ### What services does Staples Print & Marketing offer? Staples Print & Marketing provides business card printing, banners, flyers, signs, promotional products, and marketing collateral printing services through its stores and online, serving small businesses that need professional print services without agency markups. ### What happened with Staples after it went private? Staples was taken private by Sycamore Partners in 2017 and has since merged its business with Office Depot's B2B contract division, creating a combined enterprise focused on serving commercial and government customers rather than competing primarily as a consumer retail chain. ### What technology services does Staples offer businesses? Staples Technology Solutions provides IT hardware procurement, device management, helpdesk support, and cybersecurity services to SMBs and mid-market enterprises, building managed services capabilities to capture recurring technology services revenue beyond product sales. ### What is Staples's business model today? Staples operates as both a business-to-business (B2B) office supplies and services company (Staples Business Advantage) and a consumer retail chain. The B2B segment serves small, mid-size, and enterprise businesses with recurring supply purchasing, printing services, and technology products. The retail segment operates physical stores and e-commerce for individual consumers and small businesses. ### Who owns Staples today? Staples is owned by Sycamore Partners, a private equity firm that acquired the company from private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management in 2017. Staples was previously a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: SPLS) before its 2017 take-private transaction. Under private ownership, Staples has focused on its B2B business while managing its retail footprint. ### How has Staples competed against Amazon for office supplies? Staples has pivoted its strategy toward services and B2B relationships that Amazon cannot easily replicate—including dedicated account management, contract pricing, next-day delivery to business addresses, and services like managed print and technology setup. The B2B segment's relationship-based selling and bundled services create stickiness that pure price competition from Amazon cannot easily disrupt. ### What technology and print services does Staples offer? Staples offers in-store and online printing services through Staples Print & Marketing, tech setup and repair through Staples Tech Services, shredding services, office furniture delivery and installation, and copy and print center services for small businesses without in-house print capabilities. These services generate higher margins than commodity office supply sales. ### What is Staples' store footprint and how has it changed? Staples has significantly reduced its US store count from over 1,500 stores at peak to approximately 1,000 stores as e-commerce has reduced demand for retail office supply destinations. The remaining stores have been repositioned as service centers and print hubs rather than pure product retail locations, with floor space repurposed to showcase services rather than shelves of supplies. ## Tags b2c, retailtech --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*