Office Depot, LLC

The Federal Trade Commission is poised to block Staples Inc.’s proposed take-over of rival Office Depot, according to the New York Post.

The newspaper reported that federal regulators are "leaning against the deal and are preparing to block it."

According to the report, the FTC is mostly concerned that a merger between the two office supply retailers will result in a single nationwide giant to serve big corporate and government clients.

The FTC has until Dec. 8 to decide whether to sue to halt the deal after extending its review.

Of all the major big-box retailers, only one has a digital IQ ranking in the “genius” range.

According to the new Big Box Digital IQ Index from business intelligence firm L2 Inc., Home Depot stands along among big-box chains with a genius-level digital IQ score of 144. IQ scores measure performance in four key areas of site and e-commerce, digital marketing, social media, and mobile and tablet.

Staples says its reinvention is on track despite a disappointing financial performance in the third quarter.

For the third quarter ended Oct. 31, Staples reported a profit of $198 million. Same-store sales decreased 2%. On a per-share basis, the Framingham, Massachusetts-based company said it had profit of 31 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 35 cents per share. The results matched Wall Street expectations. Revenue was $5.59 billion, which fell short of Street forecasts.

Office Depot and Best Buy are intense competitors in many categories, but that didn’t stop the former from recognizing the latter’s sustainable purchasing practices.

Office Depot recently held its Eighth Annual Leadership in Greener Purchasing Awards ceremony in Denver alongside the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) World Workplace Conference & Expo.

Retailers can use apps for more than just driving sales, as demonstrated by Office Depot Inc.’s latest mobile move.

The Office Depot and OfficeMax parent company is re-releasing its Elf Yourself mobile app. The app, which Office Depot has offered every holiday season since 2012 and launched as an online platform in 2006, is a prime example of how retailers are using apps to build positive consumer sentiment and brand awareness.

Retailers can use apps for more than just driving sales, as demonstrated by Office Depot Inc.’s latest mobile move.

The Office Depot and OfficeMax parent company is re-releasing its Elf Yourself mobile app. The app, which Office Depot has offered every holiday season since 2012 and launched as an online platform in 2006, is a prime example of how retailers are using apps to build positive consumer sentiment and brand awareness.

Office Depot achieved impressive third quarter same-store sales growth and asserted that its merger with Staples could close as early as this year.

Spoken word is the oldest form of human communication.

It’s also one of the newest technology trends enabling omnichannel retail. Voice-based communications are having on a dramatic impact on how retailing is seamlessly executed. Here are three key areas where voice is supporting omnichannel operations across the retail enterprise.

Picking

Spoken word is the oldest form of human communication. It’s also one of the newest technology trends enabling omnichannel retail.

Voice-based communications are having on a dramatic impact on how retailing is seamlessly executed. Here are three key areas where voice is supporting omnichannel operations across the retail enterprise.

Staples is limiting the severance pay of top executives as the resolution of a deal with Office Depot draws near.

Staples announced that its board of directors has adopted a new policy stipulating that the company will not pay any severance benefits that exceed three times the sum of an executive’s base salary plus target annual cash incentive award, without seeking shareholder approval.

In addition, CEO Ron Sargent has elected to amend his severance agreement to align with the terms of the new policy.