Office Depot Revolt

Back in 1996, Office Depot was the largest office superstore chain in the US with sales of around $6.1bn, while Staples was No.2 with sales of around $4bn. In 1997, Staples attempted to acquire Office Depot, but this was challenged by the FTC, and eventually Staples' bid was thwarted. Since then, Office Depot has been on something of a roller-coaster ride, which, for a while, seemed to be in safe hands when Steve Odland was appointed CEO some three years ago [arriving after some success running US auto parts retailer, AutoZone]. Now, it would seem, there are those who would like Mr Odland's head, suggesting that under his leadership, Office Depot had lost its vision and competitive standing...