Staples (Canada)
 | |
| Trading name | Staples |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Richmond Hill, Ontario |
| Key people | Steve Matyas, President |
| Products | Technology (Computers/Business Machines/Entertainment), Furniture, Office Supplies, Copy and Print Services, Tech Services |
| Revenue | $13 billion US, Staples, Inc. |
| Employees | 15,000+ |
| Parent | Staples, Inc. |
| Website | http://www.staples.ca |
Staples Canada Inc. (also known in Quebec as Bureau en Gros; formerly known as The Business Depot and later Staples Business Depot) is a Canadian office supply retail chain, part of the United States-based office supply company Staples Inc. The Canadian operation is headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Staples remains one of the most profitable office supply chains in Canada, with larger share than its main rival Grand & Toy. It is the largest supplier of office supplies to small businesses and home office workers,[1] either in store, online or by catalogue, with over 330 stores and five delivery centres.
History
The Business Depot Ltd. was founded by Jack Bingleman in 1991, with Staples as a substantial investor, opening Business Depot stores in Ontario and later Atlantic Canada and Bureau en Gros locations in Quebec. The American counterpart acquired 100% of the Canadian company in 1994. Around this time, the company began to open stores in western Canada under the Staples: The Office Superstore label, like its U.S. counterpart.
The company later began converting locations in English-speaking markets to a combined brand, tested as Staples: The Business Depot and later rolled out as Staples Business Depot. This conversion was completed in 2001, with Quebec locations retaining Bureau en Gros.
In 2008, the company began shortening its name to "Staples" in English Canada to avoid confusion with rival Office Depot, to provide more commonality with its stores in the U.S. and overseas, and reduce costs associated with Staples brand merchandise packaging that was made specifically for Canada. In Quebec, products that were previously rebranded Bureau en Gros now remain Staples branded products. This change was "soft launched"; Staples updated the logo as the company reordered supplies to reduce costs associated with a brand change. Older locations still retain the full Staples Business Depot signage. The Business Depot Ltd. remained the legal name of the main Canadian subsidiary until 2008 when the company's name was changed to Staples Canada, Inc.[2]
In 2008, Staples, Inc. acquired Corporate Express which will be running under the banner Staples Advantage, running alongside the other Canadian business delivery units Staples Business Delivery and Staples Industrial.
Services
Staples Canada stores maintain their own private-label brand under the name "Staples."
Stores offers a wide range of office supplies and its departments are divided into the following categories:
- Office Supplies, encompassing pens, papers, folders, envelopes, binders and other basic office supply products
- Furniture, featuring chairs, office desks, filing cabinets, banquet tables and accessories
- Technology, featuring laptop, tablets, and desktop computers, printers, projectors, and other technology products such as calculators and cash registers
- EasyTech, offering repairs on both laptops and desktops, as well as installations, setups and networking
- Copy & Print Centre, offering full- and self-serve black and white and colour photocopying/printing, binding, booklet making, lamination, customer printing (business cards, letterheads, envelopes, etc.), Purolator shipping centre, and other document services
Some of the larger stores also feature 24-hour copy centre services, and all stores feature in-store and on-site technical services for computers, named EasyTech (Équipe Technique Fiable in Quebec). EasyTech also provides warranty repairs as well as in-home/office setups.
Staples also offers Extended Service Plan and Furniture Protection Plan. The Extended Service Plan is available on most electronics, offering over the counter replacement plans for non-computer items under $249.99 CAD, repair plans for items that cost $250 or over and for computers, and a one-time Accidental Damage Plan for laptops and for cameras. The Furniture Protection Plan is available on all furniture pieces; when your furniture item needs repair, a serviceman will repair your item on-site, for free. In some areas, a serviceman is not available. If that is the case, then Staples will "buy you out" and send you store credit for the amount spent on the furniture item.
Loyalty programs
Staples started subscribing to the Air Miles loyalty program, as of March 2013. Members can earn one "Air Mile" for each $40 spent in one purchase. Staples previously had their own loyalty program called Dividends which would send gift certificates to members based on how much the member had spent the previous quarter.
Credit cards
Staples offers in-store credit in partnership with Desjardins Group. Personal, small business and commercial credit cards are available. The personal card offers the features of deferred and equal payment plans. The interest rate for regular purchases is 19.9%, and any personal purchase over $299 qualifies for 6 months of no-interest and no payments. Retroactive interest is not billed through this card unlike the former Citi financial Enterprise card. Also available is a 12 month equal payment plan at a promotional rate of 13.5%. Two credit limits exist for customers with these cards, a regular financing limit and an "Accord D" financing limit, both of these combine to the total credit limit. New applications can be processed in store for a personal account within 15 minutes. Small business applicants may apply online or through an application form. Commercial accounts are done exclusively through Desjardins, and they must be contacted directly. The private label card is known as the "Staples Card". All former Citi Financial customers with the old "Enterprise" private label credit card in good standing were automatically issued new cards from Desjardins with a new account number.
Incidents
During Hurricane Sandy, a woman was killed after being struck by a piece of flying debris, reportedly a Staples Inc. sign, in the Junction neighbourhood in the west end of Toronto. [3]