Thomas
Sternberg, a Harvard M.B.A (he went to business
school after being turned down for the law
school), was working on a business plan in his home
during summer 1985. While printing spreadsheets, he
realized that his printer ribbon was broken.
Attempts to purchase a new ribbon over
the Fourth of July weekend were unsuccessful. His
local stationery store and a nearby computer store
were both closed, and the nearest BJ’s did not carry
the correct ribbon. All of a sudden, a
thought occurred to Stemberg: What the world
needed was a superstore selling nothing but
office supplies at prices.On May 1, 1986, Staples opened its first superstore in Brighton, Massachusetts. The store was so successful that about 20 competitors launched similar store formats within the next two years. Today, there are major players in this business – Staples, Office Depot, and OfficeMax – with about 2,500 superstores worldwide.
Staples appeals to three distinct market segments: small and large businesses, home offices, and final consumers. Its stores have changed the way each of these consumers purchases supplies. Let’s look at the back – to- school shopper. To increase its sales of back-to-school supplies, Staples has placed these goods in the front of stores. It has also introduced a freestanding kiosk that displays special promotions, as well as school lists. The lists state suggested purchases for each nearby school; in addition, there are generic school lists for each grade.
