When Stemberg opened his first store in 1986, his goal was clear; “The world needed a supermarket for office products” (Staples: Our Story). However, his version of the customers’ needs and advancements in technology has drastically changed the shape of the office products industry since the first Staples opened its doors. While Staples, Inc. still sells the “traditional office supplies” (Staples: About Us - Company Overview) consumers would consider as essential office products including pencils, pens, and paper, Staples has expanded its product selection to include meeting the needs of people and businesses in industries including Retail, Restaurant, Education, and Healthcare by providing products from Orthopedic equipment to Garden and …show more content…
market revenues for distributors of facility “cleaning and maintenance supplies” to have earned $10 billion in revenue in 2015 (IBISWorld, Cleaning & Maintenance Supplies Distributors in the US); $41 billion for “copier and office equipment wholesalers” (IBISWorld, Copier & Office Equipment Wholesaling in the US); $12 billion in “safety equipment and supplies” (IBISWorld, Safety Equipment & Supplies Distributors in the US); and $4 billion in copying and printing (IBISWorld, Quick Printing in the US). In addition, the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) reported a market value of over $10 billion for the “U.S. Office Furniture Market” …show more content…
Technological advancements, customer preferences, competition, potential emerging markets, and cutting operating costs are all affecting how Staples, Inc. prepares to do business in the future. By understanding how these changing trends will affect its future, Staples, Inc. will be able to determine how best to adapt to meet its customer needs, what those customer needs will be, where its customers will be located, and what competitors it must contend with in the office products and service