OfficeMax

Framingham, Mass. – The office supply retail vertical may be in for more consolidation. According to the Wall Street Journal, Staples Inc. and Office Depot Inc. are in the “advanced stages” of negotiations to combine the two biggest U.S. office supply chains.

Boca Raton, Fla. - Office Depot Inc. is obtaining a little outside assistance with integration resulting from its merger with OfficeMax. Office Depot has selected Capgemini to drive critical technology migration and finance and accounting services resulting from the merger.

If Staples fails to merge with Office Depot, activist investor and major Staples shareholder Starboard Value LP is warning the company’s share price will crater and Chairman and CEO Ron Sargent needs to go.

In a letter to Sargent, Starboard contends a combination with Office Depot, which hasn’t fully integrated with OfficeMax following a late 2013 merger, is the best way to maximize value for Staples' shareholders.

Helping small business owners and consumers achieve peak performance is the premise behind a new branding initiative at Office Depot called, “Gear Up For Great.”

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Imran Joona, executive VP of online, marketing, pricing and financial services at Sears Holding Corp., is leaving the company. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Sears said Joona resigned Dec, 17 and will leave in February 2015 to pursue a new opportunity.  

AUSTIN, Texas - Office Depot is currently utilizing a new location-based mobile marketing app, Shazom In-Store, in all of its Office Depot and OfficeMax retail store locations throughout the country. The solution combines Shazam, one of the world’s most popular apps, with proprietary technology from Mood Media.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot and OfficeMax retail stores will be open from 6-9 p.m. local time on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, and will re-open on Black Friday, Nov. 28, at 8 a.m. with doorbuster deals. Office Depot and OfficeMax will offer special deals both in stores and online, with all online Black Friday deals starting at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 27.  

Kalamazoo, Mich. -- Mid-America Real Estate Corporation’s Investment Sales team recently brokered the sale of Maple Hill Mall in Kalamazoo, Mich. The 283,551-sq.-ft. center was purchased from Kimco Realty Corp. by Whitehouse, Ohio-based Devonshire REIT.