Some types of sales work better in a brick and mortar store than they do online.
Clothes and shoes, for example, benefit from the ability to try things on. Even people who wear the same size in many brands sometimes wear a dress, sneakers, or fancy shoes and find that they don’t fit right.
The internet shines, however, on things that don’t need to be held, touched, or tried on. That made some retailers more vulnerable than others.
Office supply chains, including Office Depot and Staples, have been shrinking, little by little.
“Office retail as a sector employs approximately 60,000 people and generates $10.3 billion in revenue in the US, which is expected to decline by approximately 2% annually through 2026, according to research firm IBISWorld.
That has led Office Depot to close more than half of its stores since 2013, a trend that has continued with the chain’s recent closings.
Office Depot has been steadily declining
Office Depot merged with Office Max in 2013, with the combined chain operating approximately 1,900 US stores following the merger, according to the Dallas Morning News.
When the agreement was made, the two companies said they planned to close 400 stores. The industry is already in decline, according to FOX Business.
“Office supply stores are fighting a price war, where consumers continue to buy their paper, toner and Internet technology from Amazon.com Inc, drug stores or mass retailers. Analysts covering office supplies have long sought consolidation in what they see as a crowded sector whose sales collapsed during the last recession,” FOX reported.
The company, which is no longer public, reported in an SEC filing that it had 822 properties as of Nov. 5, 2025.
It has continued to divest since then, but no longer provides a store value since it is not required to report results as a standalone company.
Office Depot continues to shrink.Shutterstock
These Office Depot locations have been closed since Nov. 2025
High Point, NC: Office Depot closed its longtime store in the Peters Plaza IV shopping center at 274 Eastchester Drive on Dec. 20., according to High Point Enterprise.
Fresno, CA: The Office Depot on Divisadero Street closed on Feb. 21 after more than 30 years in business, with employees saying the landlord refused to renew the lease, CBS47 reported.
Ballard (Seattle), WA: OfficeMax in Ballard closed on April 11, 2026 as the building was purchased by AutoZone for $7.8 million in late 2025, according to My Ballard.
Porterville, CA: OfficeMax at 1260 W. Henderson Ave., the city’s only large office store, is closing, part of a pickup in OfficeMax’s accelerated closing of 2025, the Recorder Online reports.
Merriam, KS: The OfficeMax at Merriam Town Center near Johnson Drive and Antioch Road is closing, as a foreclosure sale continues after more than a decade at that location, according to the Johnson County Post.
The following locations appear to have closed based on social media reports, which TheStreet confirmed by using the chain’s store location tool and seeing that they are no longer listed.
Pensacola, FL: Office Depot at 4337 W. Fairfield Dr. closed in 2026.
Albuquerque, NM : The former OfficeMax at 40 Hotel Circle NE closed in 2026.
Eugene, OR: Office Depot at 2859 Chad Dr. will be closed in 2026.
Meridian, MS: Office Depot at 110 15th Place South closed in 2026, according to public tracking data; no local news coverage was identified.
Office Depot continues to close stores.
“The retailer is closing stores in Grapevine and Irving, according to signs at the stores on Tuesday[June30[It’snotclearwhenthesiteswillcloseBothhadwindowdisplayssayingtheywouldbeopenonIndependenceDay”theDallasMorningNewsreported[Juni30[AkukacaciukuthiizizazizovalwaniniZombilizazinezibonisizamawindiezithizizovulwangoSukuLokuzimela”kubikai-DallasMorningNews[June30[It’snotclearwhenthesiteswillcloseBothhadwindowdisplayssayingtheywouldbeopenonIndependenceDay”theDallasMorningNewsreported
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Amazon has taken market share
Office supplies such as printing paper, pens, notepads, and more are items that people can buy without making a dedicated trip.
“Even department stores have an office supply aisle,” IBISWorld lead analyst Brigette Thomas told Retail Dive. “But I think the biggest one is Amazon.”
Amazon has taken over office supply sales for the same reason Walmart and Target took market share from Toys “R” Us years ago. Consumers no longer make special trips to buy bulk items. Instead, they buy office supplies while already shopping elsewhere or simply add to an online order.
“Amazon has become the largest retailer in the United States in terms of the value of goods sold by 2025, surpassing Walmart, Seeking Alpha reported on Thursday (June 25), citing a report by JP Morgan.
IBISWorld data shows that the decline in office space has been steady.
“The company noted that office supplies as an industry has experienced a ‘decline in fixed income’ every year since 2005, due to competition and the digitization of the work itself. The industry has declined by an annual average of 6.7% since 2016, according to the data.
For the chain to survive, RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino believes a big change is needed.
“In most cases, there’s no reason to visit these stores to buy office supplies,” he told TheStreet. “One of the things I’ve noticed recently is that office supplies are becoming more and more in-person, event, conference spaces where you can print your signs and other deliverables.”
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This story was originally published by TheStreet on Jul 1, 2026, where it first appeared on Selling part. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
