Some forms of retail work better in a brick-and-mortar store than online.
Clothes and shoes, for example, benefit from the ability to try on items. Even people who wear the same size in multiple brands sometimes try on a dress, a pair of shoes, or some fancy shoes only to find they don’t fit.
However, the Internet shines on objects that don’t need to be held, touched or tried on. This has left some retailers more vulnerable than others.
Office supply chains, including Office Depot and Staples, are in a slow, steady decline.
According to the research firm, “Office supply stores as a sector employ about 60,000 people and bring in $10.3 billion in revenue in the U.S., which is expected to decline by about 2 percent annually through 2026. IBIS World.
This has led Office Depot to close more than half of its stores since 2013, a process that has continued with the chain’s recent shutdown.
Office Depot is in constant decline.
Office Depot merged with OfficeMax in 2013, with a combined chain of approximately 1,900 US stores following the merger. Dallas Morning News.
At the time of the deal, the two companies said they planned to close 400 stores. According to , the industry was already in decline. Fox Business.
“Office supply stores are fighting a battle for relevance, with shoppers increasingly buying their paper, toner and technology online from Amazon.com Inc, drugstores or mass merchants. Analysts who cover office supply stores have long called for stability in what they see as a cluttered sector that has seen sales decline in the past. Recession” Fox Reported
The company, which is no longer public, reported in a SEC Filings that as of 5 November 2025 it had 822 locations.
It has since continued to shed locations, but no longer provides store counts because it is not required to report results as a private company.
Office Depot is slowly shrinking. Shutterstock
These Office Depot locations are closed as of November 2025.
High Point, NC: Office Depot closed its longtime store at 274 East Chester Drive in the Peters Plaza IV shopping center on Dec. 20. High Point Enterprise.
Fresno, CA: The Office Depot on Divisadero Street closed Feb. 21 after more than 30 years in business after employees said the property’s owner refused to renew the lease, reports CBS 47.
Ballard (Seattle), WA: OfficeMax in Ballard closed on April 11, 2026, and the building was purchased by AutoZone in late 2025 for $7.8 million. My ballard.
Porterville, CA: 1260 W. Henderson Ave. But OfficeMax, the city’s only major office supply store, is closing, part of a pickup in OfficeMax closings that accelerate into 2025. Recorder online.
Mary, KS: OfficeMax is closing in Merriam Town Center near Johnson Drive and Antioch Road, after more than a decade at the location already undergoing a liquidation sale. Johnson County Post.
The following locations appear to be closed based on social media reports, confirmed by TheStreet via China. Store Locator Tool And seeing that they are no longer listed.
Pensacola, FL: 4337 W. Fairfield Dr. At Office Depot closed in 2026.
Albuquerque, NM : The former OfficeMax at 40 Hotel Circle NE closes in 2026.
Eugene, OR: 2859 Chad Dr’s Office Depot is scheduled to close in 2026.
meridian, MS: 110 15th-place Office Depot closings in 2026, per Community Tracking data; No local news coverage was identified.
Office Depot continues to close stores.
“The retailer is closing stores in Grapevine and Irving, Tuesday[30 جون]According to the signs of the shops. It is unclear when the sites will be closed. Both had window displays saying they would be open on Independence Day,”[June30[It’snotclearwhenthesiteswillcloseBothhadwindowdisplayssayingtheywouldbeopenonIndependenceDay”the[June30[It’snotclearwhenthesiteswillcloseBothhadwindowdisplayssayingtheywouldbeopenonIndependenceDay”theDallas Morning News Reported
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Amazon has taken market share.
Office supplies like printer paper, pens, notepads and more are items that people can buy without a long journey.
“Even supermarkets have an aisle for office supplies,” said Brigitte Thomas, lead analyst at IBIS World. Retail dives. “But I think the biggest one is definitely Amazon.”
Amazon has taken over office supply sales for the same reason that Walmart and Target did. Market share Toys “R” us years ago. Consumers no longer make frequent trips to purchase many items. Instead, they buy office supplies while they’re already shopping elsewhere or add them to an online order.
“Amazon is set to become the largest retailer in the United States by gross merchandise value sometime in 2025, surpassing Walmart.” Searching for Alpha reported Thursday (June 25), citing a report from JP Morgan.
IBISWorld data shows that the decline in office supply space has been steady.
“The firm noted that office supply stores as an industry have experienced a ‘steady revenue decline’ every year since 2005, due to both competition and the digitization of work.
For the chain to survive, Dominic Messerandino, CEO of RTM Nexus, believes a big change is needed.
“In most cases, there’s no reason to go to these stores just to buy office supplies,” he told TheStreet. “One shift I’ve been seeing lately though is that office supply stores are becoming more in-person, event, conference spaces where you can print your own signs and other deliverables.”
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