Office Depot and OfficeMax to Merge

Well, at least they don't have to change the first part of their names! The Wall Street Journal reported that OfficeMax and Office Depot are merging:

OfficeMax Inc. and Office Depot Inc. are in advanced talks to merge, people familiar with the matter said, as the retailers of pens, paper and desks try to fight off tougher competition from rivals like Staples Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.

A deal would combine two companies that have been hammered in recent years by weak economic conditions, falling sales and rising online competition. Office Depot's market value is just $1.3 billion, and OfficeMax's is about $933 million.

Still, the two chains have a substantial retail presence. Office Depot, based in Boca Raton, Fla., has 1,675 stores world-wide, annual sales of some $11.5 billion and about 39,000 employees. OfficeMax, based in Naperville, Ill., has about 900 stores in the U.S. and Mexico, roughly $7 billion in annual sales and approximately 29,000 employees. OfficeMax is scheduled to post its quarterly and annual results Thursday.

Link

What do you think we should call the new entity?


Office Despot.
I know that this is the obvious choice, but appropriate. After driving out local stationery stores, they gutted their offering of stationery and did their magic on computer stores.
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Better title, "Lost Cause". Gone are the days where you can simply pick up office equipment you need to get the job done. Every time I visit Staples, Office Max, and Office Depot, I am referred to their website for items that they used to carry in stock. Wish even among a couple stores, they could have a selection of everything they have online, so if there were an emergency I could at least drive 50-100 miles and get something I need immediately. The thing is, if you send me online, I'll order where I find greater selection and likely cheaper prices. I say, goodbye office supply stores.
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My current theory is that the post internet, bricks and mortar, retail environment will consist of boutiques (large and small) full of items that need to be handled or seen in person. Think of Claire's, 99 Cent Stores and Harbor Freight Tools. High-end stationery and such fall into that category.
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It's possible for them to transition with the times. Back in 1886, when Alex's great-great-grandfather founded Neatorama, authors distributed neat items through the telegraph wires. Riders on horseback then carried those items from telegraph stations to individual readers. Later, we switched to internet and continue to thrive.
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