Staple
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Marketing Report
Section 01
March 24th, 2008.
Kristen Watkin 3800042
Caroline Hoang 3850070
Kevin Jones 4175907
Andrew Welland 3793049
David Shih 3558673
Company Background
STAPLES is the world’s largest office supply retailer, with stores located in the United States, Canada, and Europe. STAPLES was created in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts by Thomas G. Stemberg, and things have only been looking up ever since. Stemberg wanted to make it easier for customers to have access to office supplies. He focused on small, medium, and large businesses, as well as the individual. By broadening his focus, he was able to attract more customers, and continues to appeal to new customers. To this day, STAPLES maintains its strong focus on quality products and services, with quality prices.
Industry Analysis
STAPLES is in the industry of office supplies and stationary. It is a retail store that not only offers office supplies, but furniture, technology, and other services as well to businesses and individuals.
STAPLES was the first of its kind to create an office supply retail store. However, within two years of creation, they had over twenty competitors in the U.S. alone. But STAPLES remained unique. Other office supply stores mimicked well-know discount retailers – Office Depot’s name was a direct copy of Home Depot. Stemberg commented on the issue of other competitors saying, “[The STAPLES name] is distinctive because everybody else is Office Something. But we are STAPLES” (Stemberg 68). Some of STAPLES’ main competitors included Office Depot (their largest competitor), OfficeMax, Office Club, BizMart, WORKplace, HQ Office Supplies Warehouse, Office World, and Office Place.
STAPLES continues to differentiate themselves, especially through their locations. STAPLES started in the East Coast, where it was a little more expensive to start up and
Marketing Report
Section 01
March 24th, 2008.
Kristen Watkin 3800042
Caroline Hoang 3850070
Kevin Jones 4175907
Andrew Welland 3793049
David Shih 3558673
Company Background
STAPLES is the world’s largest office supply retailer, with stores located in the United States, Canada, and Europe. STAPLES was created in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts by Thomas G. Stemberg, and things have only been looking up ever since. Stemberg wanted to make it easier for customers to have access to office supplies. He focused on small, medium, and large businesses, as well as the individual. By broadening his focus, he was able to attract more customers, and continues to appeal to new customers. To this day, STAPLES maintains its strong focus on quality products and services, with quality prices.
Industry Analysis
STAPLES is in the industry of office supplies and stationary. It is a retail store that not only offers office supplies, but furniture, technology, and other services as well to businesses and individuals.
STAPLES was the first of its kind to create an office supply retail store. However, within two years of creation, they had over twenty competitors in the U.S. alone. But STAPLES remained unique. Other office supply stores mimicked well-know discount retailers – Office Depot’s name was a direct copy of Home Depot. Stemberg commented on the issue of other competitors saying, “[The STAPLES name] is distinctive because everybody else is Office Something. But we are STAPLES” (Stemberg 68). Some of STAPLES’ main competitors included Office Depot (their largest competitor), OfficeMax, Office Club, BizMart, WORKplace, HQ Office Supplies Warehouse, Office World, and Office Place.
STAPLES continues to differentiate themselves, especially through their locations. STAPLES started in the East Coast, where it was a little more expensive to start up and
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