The Changing Face of Office Supplies: What's Happening to Office Depot and OfficeMax?

Office Depot and OfficeMax, two big names in office supplies, are shutting down almost 100 more stores. This is not just a recent thing. It has been going on for a while. The company that owns them, ODP Corporation, has been struggling. This is because people are buying things online more often. They are not going to physical stores as much. The shift to online shopping has been a big deal. People are buying office supplies from Amazon and Walmart online. This has hurt Office Depot and OfficeMax. Also, with more people working from home or in hybrid setups, the demand for office supplies has gone down. This means less foot traffic in stores and fewer small businesses buying supplies. Financial troubles have also played a role. Falling sales have forced the company to restructure. They are also planning to be bought by Atlas Holdings. This deal might help them focus more on making the business run smoothly and cutting costs. Going private could have some benefits. It might allow ODP Corporation to make long-term investments. These investments could be in products, supply chains, marketing, or real estate. This could help strengthen the business in the long run. Since the merger in 2023, Office Depot has closed over 1, 000 stores. This is about 55% of their stores. The latest changes are building on the original merger of OfficeMax and Office Depot. This merger was supposed to help cut costs and increase purchasing power. In the second quarter of 2025, the company closed 60 more stores. In 2024, they continued to close stores quietly. As of 2024, they had around 922 stores. After the closures, the number went down to around 830 stores in 2025. All of this shows that the market for office supplies is shrinking. It's not just about Amazon. It's about changing consumer habits and the impact of remote work. The future of Office Depot and OfficeMax is uncertain, but they are trying to adapt.