Staples Business Depot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Staples Business Depot Bureau en Gros |
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| Type | Public |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Richmond Hill, Ontario |
| Products | Office and School Furniture, Office Supplies, Computer Supplies, Copy Services |
| Revenue | $13 billion US, Staples Inc. |
| Employees | 15,000+ |
| Website | http://www.staples.ca |
Staples Business Depot is a retail brand of The Business Depot, Ltd., a division of the American office supply chain Staples. In Quebec, Business Depot stores operate as Bureau en Gros (French for "Business Wholesale" or "Business, Overall"). Staples Business Depot remains one of the most profitable office supply chains in Canada, taking a large share of the market from its rival, Grand & Toy. It is the largest supplier of office supplies to small business and home office individuals.[1]
Staples Business Depot is headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
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[edit] Company History
The Business Depot was originally founded by Jack Bingleman in 1991, with Staples as a substantial investor. The American counterpart eventually acquired 100% of the Canadian company in 1994. At this point, new English stores were opened with the "Staples, The Office Superstore" label, like their US counterparts. Later, the company decided to start merging the "Business Depot" and "STAPLES, The Office Superstore" brands to "STAPLES Business Depot". Between approximately 1996 and 2000, Business Depot Ltd. was operating stores under four brands: "STAPLES Business Depot", "Business Depot", "STAPLES, The Office Superstore" and "Bureau En Gros". Around 2001, Staples streamlined their branding, leaving just the "STAPLES Business Depot" and "Bureau En Gros" brands.
[edit] Services provided
Business Depot stores maintain their own private-label brand under the name "Staples Business Depot/Bureau en Gros," which are in many circumstances repackaged Staples-branded products from the United States.
Staples Business Depot offers a wide range of office supplies, and has its departments divided into the following categories: furniture, featuring chairs, office desks, cabinets, banquet tables and accessories; copy centre, supplying photocopying, color printing, binding, shipping, and other document services; technology, featuring printers, laptop and desktop computers, projectors, and other technology products such as calculators and cash registers; and office supplies, or "aisles," encompassing pens, papers, folders, envelopes, binders and other basic office supply products (the predominant departments are furniture, aisles, computers, cash, and copy). Some of the larger stores also feature 24-hour copy centre services, and all stores feature on-site technical assistance for computers (STAPLES' Easy Tech Force).
[edit] In-Store Payment Option
The company also offers an in-store credit card called the "Enterprise" card (provided by Citibank), and an in-store customer loyalty program called "Dividends" which awards customers with quarterly coupons (if the customer spends over a certain dollar value each quarter) to spend at any Staples Business Depot retail store. Applications are not presently being accepted due to excessive overhaul and cost to the company. Initially due to be finished around February 1, 2007, the changes include stamps and computers being added to the credit in the customers Dividends account. For teachers, there is a special Dividends card called "Dividends For Education", which has always included computers and furniture products. New in 2007, a rewards Mastercard was released. This allows customers to use their credit card everywhere they want to shop, earning EasyRewards when they shop. These rewards do not expire, and can be redeemed at anytime for a gift card to be used in store. The downside to this is that the Staples EasyRewards Mastercard does not allow the purchase plans (6 months no interest no payments or 12 months no interest no payments) that the Enterprise card does.
