Staples invests in US Retail division

摘要

There have been question marks for some time over the plans of Staples' owner Sycamore Partners for the reseller's 1,200-strong US store network. And following Staples' 2019 US Retail Conference which took place in Dallas, Texas, in May, it seems it's not giving up on retail. The 'big' announcement at the event was the launch of a new retail concept called Staples Connect. As the name suggests, the idea is to make Staples more than just a venue to shop. 'It is a place to connect with the community, for students and business owners alike,' Mike Motz, the recently appointed CEO of Staples US Retail, told OPI. Motz's appointment came following the departure of veteran Steve Matyas at the end of 2018. Prior to joining Staples, he was COO at Canada-based retailing giant Loblaw. He has extensive senior executive experience in the retail world, including almost 15 years at Loblaw-owned Shoppers Drug Mart. The Staples Connect concept will be launched and tested in the Boston market, but some merchandising components of the new retail strategy will be incorporated into every store, Motz confirmed. 'New elements of the store will include co-working and a new community space, Spotlight, which will encourage collaboration and networking through events, workshops and guest speakers hosted in the space,' he added. The co-working areas are being branded as Staples Studio - the name that Staples Canada is also using - and they are being run in-house by Staples after its partnership with Workbar ended a few months ago. New merchandising layouts in stores will also feature some of the own brands introduced by Staples Inc, and currently TRU RED and NXT Technologies products are being sold at retail.