Office Supplies and Stationery Stores NAICS 459410

Oct 6, 2025 - ODP Agrees to Private Equity Sale

• In September, the parent company of Office Depot and OfficeMax, ODP Corporation, agreed to be purchased by an affiliate of private equity firm Atlas Holdings for about $1 billion, according to Retail Dive. After an extensive review of operations, including a possible spinoff of its retail business, ODP announced in 2022 that it would keep itself intact, citing unfavorable economic conditions. In recent years, ODP has focused on its B2B businesses. ODP Business Services sells office supplies directly to companies, and Veyer is a provider of distribution logistics services. Office supply retail firm ODP Corporation (Office Depot and OfficeMax) recently reported second-quarter 2024 sales of $1.6 billion, down 8% compared to Q2 2024. The firm said the drop in sales was primarily due to its Office Depot consumer business, which had 60 fewer locations than during the same reporting period in 2024.
• The sluggish return to offices after the pandemic may put downward pressure on demand for office supplies. Despite many employers’ efforts to curtail remote work, average office attendance is still down compared to pre-pandemic norms, according to The Wall Street Journal. Overall, companies require 12% more time in the office than in early 2024, according to the workplace think tank Work Forward. However, Americans work from home about 25% of the time, unchanged from 2023, according to a Stanford economist who has operated a monthly survey of 10,000 US workers since 2020. Some industry watchers suggest that companies’ priorities have shifted away from in-office enforcement amid other more pressing concerns, including cooling consumer sentiment and unpredictable shifts in US trade policy.

• Total US printing-writing (P-W) paper shipments dropped 8% in July compared to the same month in 2024, according to the American Forest & Paper Association (AFPA). Sales of coated free-sheet papers (CFS), uncoated free-sheet papers (UFS), and mechanical papers (MECH) were all down in July compared to June and declined year-over-year. UFS shipment fell 8% in July compared to the prior month, and CFS sales dropped 3%. On a year-to-date basis, MECH shipments were flat.
• Despite the digitalization of everyday life, small stationery stores are thriving by offering unique tactile experiences, according to Retail Dive. While larger brands – including Papyrus and Paper Source – have struggled, local shops have built loyal followings by offering hyper-personalization, workshops, limited-edition collaborations, community engagement, and locally sourced products. Papyrus closed all its US-based stores during the pandemic but still sells online and through retail partners. Paper Source was bought out of bankruptcy by Barnes & Noble in 2021. Wellness practices that include limited time with screens – such as journaling - have helped drive sales of stationery items. However, many of the higher-quality stationery products are not available from US suppliers and recent increases in tariffs could force stores to raise prices.