After the failed acquisition, Staples began to refocus its operations to downplay its brick-and-mortar outlets and place more prominence on its business-to-business (B2B) services.

Staples was founded by Leo Kahn and Thomas G. Stemberg, who were former rivals in the New England retail supermarket industry,[6][7][8] and Myra Hart.

[13] Staples argued that chains such as Walmart and Circuit City represented significant competition, but this argument did little to sway the FTC.

[15] Staples also acquired Quill Corporation, an online and catalog retailer of office supplies, for about $685 million in cash and stock.

[21] On March 6, 2014, Staples announced it would close up to 225 stores in North America by the end of 2015, in order to cut $500 million in costs annually, and focus more on e-commerce.

CEO Ron Sargent stated that this purchase would "[enable] Staples to provide more value to customers, and more effectively compete in a rapidly evolving competitive environment", and would result in at least $1 billion in "cost synergies" within three years.

[23] It was reported that the deal could face antitrust scrutiny for its monopolization of the office supply market, unless growing competition against online retailers is considered a factor as well.

[24] In December, the FTC filed a lawsuit to halt the merger, arguing that it would harm competition in the commercial office supply market.

The layoffs were seen by some analysts as a preemptive tactic in case the merger did not receive regulatory approval from the Federal Trade Commission.

[28][29] In November 2016, it was announced that Staples had sold its 106 British stores to Hilco Capital for a "nominal" amount, as part of an effort to streamline its international operations following the failed merger.

In March 2019, Office Outlet went into administration, citing that it had "recently experienced a reduction in credit from key suppliers, given the economic outlook which has severely impacted the financial position of the company.

[35] In 2022, Staples launched same-day passport photo services in over 1,000 stores and TSA PreCheck enrollment at select locations.

In May 2017, the chain began a new advertising campaign with the slogan "It's Pro Time", which largely downplayed its retail operations.

The company also announced that it would introduce a new line of store brands, including Tru Red, Coastwide Professional (facility supplies), NXT Technologies (technology accessories), Perk (office break room supplies), and Union & Scale (furniture), as well as a new catalog known as The Loop.

[46] The button has been referred to as a "Marketer's Dream", effectively turning millions of Staples customers into advertisers, resulting in greatly increased brand recognition.

catchphrase briefly became a popular meme on the Internet[citation needed], and the ad itself was parodied in a 2002 Christmas advertisement for Dell Computers, in which a robot hassles a shopper (including striking him with a candy cane) when he attempts to purchase a PC at an unnamed office supplies retailer.

[50][51] During the 2008 holiday season, Staples advertising for the first time engaged Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media platforms.

The company created a character named "Coach Tom" to promote its "Gift it for Free" sweepstakes, in which 10,000 Staples customers won up to $5,000 in merchandise.

It also is a partner of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Ashoka, Earth Force, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, Hispanic Heritage Foundation and through Staples, ReadBoston.

In August 2005, Staples introduced the "Easy Button", a novelty item for offices which is advertised as a fun way of relieving stress.

[74] The Hanover, Maryland fulfillment center is powered by a 1.01 megawatt solar installation covering nearly 175,000 square feet (16,300 m2) of roof space.

Staples has also recently implemented power reduction strategies in all of their Copy & Print Centers, where the copiers enter sleep mode in as little as 15 minutes after use.

[83] On December 19, 2014, Staples reported that criminals had deployed malware to point-of-sale systems at 115 of their retail stores in the United States.

[85] On July 14, 2015, Numerous news outlets started to report a suspected data breach at retailers[86] served by online photo software from PNI – Staples' recent acquisition.

[citation needed] In late 2023, Staples experienced a cyberattack that temporarily disrupted their online ordering system.

[88][89] In addition to selling office supplies, business machines, and tech services, Staples also offers a copy and print center for photocopies, scans, digital printing, faxing, custom business cards, custom rubber stamps, promotional products, binding, lamination, folding, cutting and engraved products.

In Canada, most web submission jobs and larger orders, including business cards, posters and books are produced in central production facility in each region.

The tests ran to promote competition with Best Buy's Geek Squad and Circuit City's Fire dog.

These technicians wore gray "Easy Tech" polo shirts to distinguish them from regular Staples workers.

Under the new guidelines all technology workers are required to have the skills necessary to perform basic services such as memory installation and PC configuration.