Staples Canada



Staples Canada ULC, operating as Staples (Bureau en Gros in Quebec), is a Canadian retail sales company owned by Sycamore Partners. Staples was founded by Leo Kahn and Thomas G. Stemberg. Since 2017, Staples Canada has operated independently from Staples' U.S. retail and U.S. business-to-business (B2B) operations.

History
The Business Depot Ltd. was founded by Jack Bingleman in 1991, with Staples as a substantial investor, opening Business Depot stores in Canada. The American counterpart acquired the Canadian company in 1994. The company later began converting locations in English-speaking markets to Staples. In 2008, Staples acquired Corporate Express. In 2017, Staples was acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $6.9 billion. Under the new owner, Staples Inc. was split into three "independently managed and capitalized" entities; Staples Canada serves as one of these entities, alongside Staples North American Delivery and Staples U.S. Retail.

ServiceOntario
In 2024, some ServiceOntario locations will be closed and replaced with kiosks inside Staples Canada. These stores will be compensated with taxpayer money for upgrades required to provide these services, at an estimated cost of 1.75 million dollars. The Ontario New Democratic Party has criticized the Ford government for this decision. A request was made to the Financial Accountability Office by the Liberal Party in regards to the deal. These kiosks are a pilot project intended to reduce wait times and increase availability of services, with further partnerships with other businesses being investigated. Two Walmart stores will also replace standalone ServiceOntario locations. Ford has compared the situation to how some Canada Post offices operate inside Shopper's Drug Mart locations.