Office Depot is set to close its Kansas City store after 30 years in business. The office supply chain announced that it will shut the doors of this location on June 8.
Kansas City Office Depot Closing Soon
According to The Kansas City Star, Whiteboard markers, swivel chairs, work desks, USB cables, and toner cartridges are on sale at the Office Depot on 4201 Main St., which is closing soon.
An employee confirmed Sunday that the midtown Kansas City store will close on June 8. Until then, items are discounted from 30% to 60%.
The store opened in 1994 as part of an effort to revitalize the Main Street corridor. In 2013, Office Depot acquired OfficeMax Inc., which had a store at 3732 Main St. The OfficeMax store was closed after the merger.
Office Depot still operates eight other locations in Kansas City, with no other closures announced.
The U.S. Sun reports that after the last supplies are sold and the building's doors are locked, Kansas City residents must find other sources for office essentials.
The next closest store is an OfficeMax in Merriam, Kansas, about a 15-minute away. Another Office Depot is 20 minutes west in Independence, Missouri, and there is also an Office Depot on the city's north side, about 20 minutes away.
There are fewer Staples locations in the area. One is north of the city, a 25-minute from the closing Office Depot.
For now, shoppers can continue visiting the Main Street location for discounts.
Nearby Options for Office Supplies After Office Depot Closure
The Office Depot on Main Street in Kansas City is closing on June 8, but other locations remain open.
Nearby Office Depot stores include those at 4023 S Noland Rd in Independence, 1624 NW Chipman Rd in Lee's Summit, 317 NE Vivion Rd in Kansas City, 8501 N Evanston Ave in Kansas City, and 10551 Metcalf Ave B in Overland Park. For OfficeMax, the nearest stores are at 5830 Antioch Rd in Merriam and 15315 W 119th St in Olathe.
Staples also has locations, such as 8450 NW Prairie View Rd in Kansas City.
More store closures have been reported. An OfficeMax in Indiana recently closed, and another Office Depot in Illinois shut down in November. Since 2020, hundreds of Office Depot stores have closed due to a company restructuring.
Staples has also shut down some locations, including one in Staten Island, New York, which closed in April. Staples recently announced changes to their delivery system.
Overview of Office Depot's Corporate Growth
Office Depot, Inc., established in 1986 in Boca Raton, Florida, ranks as the second largest retailer of office supplies in the United States, with around 870 stores nationwide.
The company emerged as a pioneer by offering discounted office supplies primarily to small and medium-sized businesses, adopting a direct-buying strategy from manufacturers to undercut conventional retail prices significantly.
This approach enabled rapid growth and profitability by the late 1980s. Office Depot went public in 1988 to facilitate further expansion.
The 1990s saw Office Depot expand through strategic mergers, notably with Office Club in 1991, boosting its market presence across the Pacific Coast. The company also ventured into international markets, establishing operations in countries such as Canada, France, and Japan, among others.
Despite a failed merger with Staples in 1996 due to antitrust concerns, Office Depot has continued to evolve, focusing on a diverse array of distribution channels including retail stores, online platforms, and direct mail.
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