Staples Inc. sells a wide array of office products, equipment and furniture through its' 1,180 retail outlets in the United States and over 20 countries worldwide. Staples Inc. sells products and services via the Internet, catalogs, and through its' subsidiaries: Quill Corporation, Medical Arts Press, Inc. and Staples UK Limited. Staples Inc. is the leader in the office products industry and has 74,000 employees and in 2006, $18.2 billion dollars in sales. Staples Inc.

(NASDAQ (GS): SPLS) headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts, was publicly offered in 1989 and is traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Staples Inc. was created when Thomas Stemberg a grocery/ supermarket executive, decided to apply the methods used to sell groceries to selling office supplies. Stemberg, Leo Kahn, Myra Hart and Todd Krasnow, all veterans of the grocery business, opened the first office products superstore, Staples, in 1986. For the first time small business owners and entrepreneurs could find all of their business supply needs at one location at a reduced price. Customers pushed their own carts through aisles filled with technology and office supplies available at bulk rate prices. The concept of the office supply superstore was revolutionary in 1986. The team, led by Stemberg, is credited with not only revolutionizing the business of selling office supplies but creating a whole new retail marketing sector, the office supply superstore.

Competitors soon entered the market but Staples Inc. has maintained its leadership in the industry. Currently, its' three major competitors are Corporate Express, Office Depot and OfficeMax. Staples serves customers through its' 1,180 superstore retail centers, mail order catalogs and e-commerce. The companies' main customer base is small business, home based business and the average consumer. Staples Inc. also contracts with many larger businesses, including Fortune 500 companies, delivering office needs. Staples Inc. expects high growth in the delivery business, especially in Asia and South America.

Staples Inc. has a Corporate Governance Quotient (CGQ) that ranks higher than 87.9% of all retailing companies and falls within the top 2/3 of all S&P 500 companies. This rating is provided by the Institutional Shareholder Services and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of companies' Board of Directors and corporate governance practices. For more information on GCQ and a current ranking please see "Corporate Governance Quotient

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