OfficeMax , is an office supplies retailer founded in 1988 and headquartered in
Naperville, IllinoisNaperville is a city in DuPage and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, within the Chicago metropolitan area. In 2006, Money magazine listed Naperville as #2 on its annual list of America's best small cities to live in...
. It is the second-largest
office suppliesOffice supplies is the generic term that refers to all supplies regularly used in offices by businesses and other organizations, from private citizens to governments, who works with the collection, refinement, and output of information .The term includes small, expendable, daily use items such as...
retailer in the USA, behind Staples but ahead of
Office DepotOffice Depot is a supplier of office products and services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, mailing and shipping...
.
Kmart
On April 1, 1988, OfficeMax was founded in
Cleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles west of the Pennsylvania border...
, by Michael Feuer (who served as Chairman and
Chief Executive OfficerA chief executive officer or chief executive is one of the highest-ranking corporate officers or administrators in charge of total management...
) along with seven other associates. On July 5 of that year, OfficeMax opened its first retail store in the Golden Gate Shopping Center in
Mayfield Heights, OhioMayfield Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 19,386 at the 2000 census. Mayfield Heights was originally part of Mayfield Township..-Geography:Mayfield Heights is located at ....
(the location remains open today as store #1).
OfficeMax grew by acquisition, including its 1990 takeover of Office Square stores, previously owned by
KmartKmart is a chain of discount department stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation...
, in exchange for a 22% equity stake. In 1991,
KmartKmart is a chain of discount department stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation...
increased its stake in OfficeMax to 92%. The company acquired
BizMart, its largest acquisition to date, in 1992.
OW-Office Warehouse, a Virginia-based regional chain, was acquired in 1993. In 1995 OfficeMax was spun-off of Kmart and became a NYSE-(OMX)-publicly-traded corporation, based in
Shaker Heights, OhioShaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the city population was 29,405, making was the tenth-largest city in Cuyahoga County. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side.-Topography:Shaker Heights is...
.
Office Max, Inc.
For the next ten years OfficeMax and its rivals,
STAPLESStaples may refer to:*Staples , a surname occasionally used as a given name*Staples, Minnesota*Staples, Texas*Staples Inc., an office supply store chain**Staples Business Depot, the Canadian subsidiary of Staples Inc....
and
Office DepotOffice Depot is a supplier of office products and services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, mailing and shipping...
, continued to open new stores, saturating the market segment. OfficeMax developed regional
delivery centers, and investing in its super-regional
PowerMax distribution centers in Las Vegas, NV (North Las Vegas, NV), Hazleton, PA (Onida, PA), and Birmingham, AL (McCalla, AL). All the while OfficeMax had the worst money losing results of the three. In 2001-2003, OfficeMax began closing under-performing stores in some neighborhoods and in regions where it didn't have a strong presence. Staples and Office Depot considered merging, but that deal was called off. Of the three, it was OfficeMax that would be acquired; by
Boise Cascade Office Products Corporation, which had a nationwide office supply delivery operation based in Itasca, IL. Boise had no
bricks and mortar retail presence; their model used sales accounts people.
Boise Cascade, which bought OfficeMax in 2003, also owned the
Cuban Electric Co. before it was seized by the
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
n government following the 1959 revolution that brought Castro to power. OfficeMax is the largest property claimant in Cuba.
Boise Cascade
Following the 2003 acquisition by Boise, OfficeMax has undergone numerous internal changes, including rebranding its copy and
printPrinting is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing.-History:...
centers from
CopyMax to
ImPress Print & Document Services. This change was primarily to prevent customers from getting the idea that it was only a copy service. In Q4 2006 the company rolled out a new branding for their printing and finishing service after finding that OfficeMax Print & Document Services was too sterile of a name. The current name for the printing department is
OfficeMax ImPress. As part of a strategic partnership with
VistaPrintVistaprint is a large online supplier of printed and promotional materials as well as marketing services to small businesses and consumers. In the 26th annual GAM 101 listing, the company is the 40th largest and the 4th fastest growing printing company in North America...
, announced in 2007, ImPress is a white label, OfficeMax-branded web site for small business printing based on
VistaPrintVistaprint is a large online supplier of printed and promotional materials as well as marketing services to small businesses and consumers. In the 26th annual GAM 101 listing, the company is the 40th largest and the 4th fastest growing printing company in North America...
technologies.
The
furnitureFurniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
section of the retail stores is often marketed separately as
FurnitureMax, though officially only a few stores have true
FurnitureMax sections, characterized by much larger selections than normal OfficeMaxes. OfficeMax has 867 retail stores in the USA (including
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
) and 43 locations in
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(through a joint venture), in addition to an on-line retailer in the USA (OfficeMax.com). In October 2004, Boise Cascade completed its sale of its
paperPaper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
, building products, and timberland assets. It then renamed itself OfficeMax.
Safeway
In October 2008, Office Max began selling a limited selection of its products, mainly school supplies including reams of copy paper in
SafewaySafeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's third largest supermarket chain, with, as of December 29, 2007, 1743 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern Seaboard. The...
stores nation wide, replacing rival office supply retailer Staples.
OfficeMax ImPress Print and Document Services
OfficeMax also features a business services department where there is a full range of printing, copying, finishing and design services.
First named CopyMax then later renamed to OfficeMax Print and Document Services (PDS) in 2005, and to OfficeMax ImPress Print and Document Services in 2007. OfficeMax has made several improvements to OfficeMax ImPress in recent years.
This department offers printing and copying services; scanning; design services; nameplates; outdoor signs and banners; awards and plaques; checks and forms; custom rubber, pre-inked, and self-inking stamps; logo merchandise such as T-shirts, pens, cups, keychains, etc.
MaxPerks customer reward program
OfficeMax offers a customer reward program, called [MaxPerks] where customers can earn cash back for future purchases. There are two types of MaxPerks programs:
MaxPerks for Business and
MaxPerks for Teachers.
The
MaxPerks for Business program is intended for any customer. The MaxPerks for Business program allows all customers to obtain a reward card that give the customer $25 back for $500 in purchases of instore or online products. As well the new change to the rewards program also offers customer $3 in rewards for every HP, Dell, and Lexmark ink cartridge recycled through a retail location, maximum 10 per week. Also large collectors of recycleable ink cartridges can sign up to have a collection box sent to them were they receive $1 per HP or Dell Cartridge maximum 300 per month, all postage is paid by OfficeMax for the collection boxes.
The
MaxPerks for Teachers program is a reward program designed for teachers, however cardholders receive $10 for every $75 they spend. The MaxPerks for Teachers program also allows teachers to get extra school supply money by allowing them to give their MaxPerks number to their students, which allows them to receive benefits throughout the school year.
MaxAssurance
MaxAssurance is a service that OfficeMax offers on furniture, electronics under $400, electronics over $400 and computers. The only things MaxAssurance does not protect against are loss, theft, and intentional damage. The plans are also renewable and transferable.
Furniture MaxAssurance
For chairs the plan covers broken casters and wheels and normal wear and tear to the upholstery, including seam separation. For furniture the plan covers structural defects and dovetail construction, lifting, cracking, peeling or scaling of solid woods, laminated finishes and veneers, warping, cracking and the breaking of frames or legs. The plan starts 31 days from the date of purchase and is good for three years.
Electronics under $200
This plan is a replacement plan. If a product fails, contact customer service and simply return the failed product to the replacement depot using the pre-paid shipping label. Once the product is received, "NEW" will send you an OfficeMax gift card for the total purchase, plus tax if applicable. This plan covers normal wear and tear, defects in workmanship and materials, mechanical and electrical breakdowns, power surges (from day one), environmental factors, such as heat, dust and humidity and accidental damage from handling.
Recent changes
On November 9, 2008, OfficeMax altered its MaxAssurance program to offer a wider range of pricing options specific to the type of product purchased. This new program offers unique plans and pricing for printers, desktop computers, laptops, shredders, and digital cameras. All other types of electronics and products with moving parts have replacement or service plans priced at the same Item Cost to Plan Price ratios.
Aside from covering digital cameras for accidental damage from the first day of purchase, the methods of replacement and service have remained nearly identical.
Financial rebound
In Q1 2006, OfficeMax closed 110 under-performing domestic stores, and is opening 70 new stores with the new award winning "Advantage" store layout. The "Advantage" store design is supposed to be more customer friendly and includes improvements in all major departments inside an OfficeMax store. The company plans to remodel most or all of its stores to the new Advantage layout.
As of Wednesday, January 27, 2009, OfficeMax shares opened trading at $6.19 per share.
In the fall of 2009, OfficeMax shares have rebounded from their nearly $2.00 average during the first quarter of the year. As of October 14, 2009 shares are trading at $14.00 per share.
OfficeMax ink refilling kiosk
Starting in 2005 and ending early 2006, OfficeMax tested a semi-automated ink refill station in their stores in the Chicago area. Customers could bring in old HP, Lexmark, Dell, or Compaq cartridges, and have them tested and refilled for less than the cost of new cartridges. As of July 2006, OfficeMax outfitted all of their high profit stores with the ink refill machines. Due to the complexity of Canon cartridges, the OfficeMax Ink Kiosk is unable to refill them. This is mainly because Canon uses a colored dye in their cartridges, not ink. The electronic contacts are also digitally altered in such a way that the Ink Kiosk cannot read them.
OfficeMax ink recycling program
In 2005, OfficeMax began accepting any empty HP, Dell, or Lexmark inkjet or toner cartridges in exchange for a free OfficeMax brand ream of paper, with a limit of 5 per customer, per day, or an option to take $3.00 off their current purchase. (The same limit of 5 applied to the $3.00 off, with a minimum of purchase amount that matched or exceeded the coupon). This was then changed in October 2006 due to many customers abusing the program. At that time, OfficeMax only offered the $3.00 instore discount, with a limit of 5, for only HP, Lexmark, Dell and Canon. In the fall of 2007 Canon was no longer participating in the program. The cartridges must also be brand name, and cannot be previously recycled or refilled cartridges. Currently OfficeMax only accepts HP, Lexmark and Dell brand name cartridges. Off brand cartridges that are HP, Lexmark or Dell compatibles are not accepted. There is a limit of 5 cartridges per customer per day.
In July 2008, OfficeMax restructured their ink recycling program. Customers will no longer receive an in store credit for cartridges returned. Customers bringing in qualifying empty ink cartridges will instead receive a three ($3) reward to their MaxPerks account for up to ten (10) cartridges and thirty ($30) dollars in rewards a week. OfficeMax is only accepting genuine HP, DELL and Lexmark cartridges. Customers can check on their rewards through the new MaxPerks website. More Information to come.
CTRL-Center web-based services
OfficeMax launched a line of web-based services in 2007. These services range from virus/spyware removal from a computer (PC Restoration) to the set-up and installation of a new computer (New PC Set-up and File Transfer).
Services offered:
PC Restoration
PC Potection
PC Protection Pro
Wireless Network Setup
Periperal Instalation
Software Instalation and Tutorial
These services are accessed through the customer's internet connection and through remote access the US based technicians are able to perform the services.
April 2007 launch release:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/officemax/27870/
A Day Made Better
On October 2, 2007 at 10am OfficeMax in partnership with Adopt-A-Classroom surprised 1,000 teachers with a box of supplies worth about $1,200. Majority of schools selected were Title 1 schools, in which 40% or more of the student body is subsidized with the free school lunch program. The teacher selected was nominated by the school's principal based on merit. The cause program has gone on to win national awards including the Peter Glen Award at the 2008 Retail Advertising & Marketing Association conference.
Back for its second year, in October 2008 OfficeMax surprised more than 1,200 teachers across the nation. Other new additions include celebrity involvement and the launch of a new website.
Controversies
In 2005, OfficeMax was investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in regards to "accounting for vendor income." According to OfficeMax , the company had falsified $3.3 million in rebate claims owed by its suppliers. Six employees were fired in connection with the issue. In early November, 2007, the Securities and Exchange Commission completed the probe and recommended no enforcement action.
In 2008 OfficeMax targeted by protesters asking it to keep a promise that was made to protect indigenous rights. Logging in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
’s Whiskey Jack Forest to supply the paper pulp industry is opposed by the Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation people.
On June 1, 2008, store employees were given word that the company would be undergoing a massive managerial restructuring. Assistant store manager positions in logistics and sales were merged into one position and all supervisor positions were eliminated. Fewer new positions were created with two key-carrying specialists, in furniture and technology, and a merchandising manager in select stores. Store management (excluding store managers and the ImPress supervisor) were to re-apply and re-interview for the new positions, often receiving lower wages, in order to remain with the company. The company announced the layoffs of 2,700 employees on June 25, 2008.
Going Green
In spring 2008 OfficeMax started to sell recycled products for a company called
TerraCycleTerraCycle is a private U.S. small business headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey, which specializes in natural plant food products.-Products:...
. OfficeMax now carries trash and recycling cans (made from computer cases), Eco binders (made from 100% recycled cardboard and paper), natural all purpose and window cleaners (made from old 1 liter soda bottles and non-toxic cleaners using a plant based formula) and pencil cases (made from
Kool-AidKool-Aid is a brand of flavored drink mix owned by the Kraft Foods Company.-Invention and production:Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins and his wife Kitty in Hastings, Nebraska, United States. All of his experiments took place in his mother's kitchen..Its predecessor was a liquid concentrate...
and
Capri SunCapri Sun is a brand of juice drink owned by the German Company WILD and sold in silver pouches. It was developed by Rudolf Wild in 1966 in Germany, where Capri Sonne has been a registered trademark since 1952. Capri Sun has been distributed in the United States since 1981. Kraft Foods is a...
pouches). The products and packaging are made entirely from waste, reducing the amount of garbage going to landfills. OfficeMax offers and stocks more than 1,700 products with recycled content.
In the ImPress department customers can upgrade from 30 percent to 100 percent post-consumer paper for a limited time at no charge. All OfficeMax ImPress self-serve copy machines have been outfitted with "Think in Green" stickers to encourage customers to take advantage of this offer.
On July 2, 2008 it was announced that OfficeMax will be getting rid of all the vending machines in the employee break rooms to help reduce their energy use, yet the company still leaves about 10% of the lights on for security purposes in all retail store overnight. This is a change from a year ago when the company left about 50% of the lights on. They will also be increasing the employee discount on soda, candy and other snack foods.
On July 4, 2008 it was announced to offset the associate discount on the candy and soda, prices would increase by 10% on the two.
On July 11, 2008 it was announced that OfficeMax will be getting rid of its large and small size checkout bags. Only medium bags are available now. Going forward OfficeMax is finalizing a new bag design that is made out of recycled content. This new design should start being seen in stores around September - early October.
External links