OfficeMax
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedAn American office-supplies retail brand that became part of Office Depot after their 2013 merger.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
OfficeMax is an American office-supplies retail brand whose roots date to 1988, when Bob Hurwitz and Michael Feuer established the company in Cleveland, Ohio. Its first store opened in July of that year in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. The business expanded rapidly during the 1990s, using acquisitions, store conversions and new retail concepts to build a national office-products chain. It bought or absorbed several regional businesses, including Office World, Office Square locations formerly associated with Kmart, OW Office Warehouse, Highland Superstores sites and BizMart. These transactions helped OfficeMax become one of the largest specialist office-supply retailers in the United States. The company initially developed within the Kmart corporate orbit. Kmart increased its ownership during the early 1990s, but OfficeMax was spun off in 1995 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker OMX. As an independent public corporation, it competed primarily with Staples and Office Depot. Its business combined retail stores, business delivery, contract-stationery services, office furniture, technology products, printing-related services and consumable supplies. OfficeMax also experimented with specialized formats, including FurnitureMax, BatteryMax and the smaller OfficeMax PDQ concept, while investing in regional and super-regional distribution infrastructure. Rapid store expansion eventually produced an oversupplied market. By 2001, OfficeMax operated approximately 960 stores, but it began closing underperforming locations and withdrawing from areas where its market position was weak. In 2003, Boise Cascade acquired OfficeMax for approximately $1.3 billion. The combined enterprise subsequently separated its wood-products and paper operations from the office-products business; the remaining company continued under the OfficeMax name. The retailer remained a large national operator, although its sales and store base faced pressure from market saturation, digital commerce and changing corporate procurement patterns. In February 2013, OfficeMax and Office Depot announced an all-stock combination. The transaction was intended to create the largest office-supplies retailer in the United States and was structured to exchange 2.69 Office Depot shares for each OfficeMax share. A shareholder lawsuit attempted to block the deal, but the merger closed on November 5, 2013. OfficeMax thereafter became a brand and subsidiary within Office Depot rather than an independent listed company. The post-merger organization selected Boca Raton, Florida, as its global headquarters and closed the former OfficeMax headquarters in Naperville, Illinois. Stores have since operated under a mixed-brand strategy: many retain the OfficeMax identity, while others have closed or have been renovated and converted to Office Depot. The OfficeMax name continues to be used for office supplies, paper, printer consumables, furniture, technology accessories, business services and related products sold through Office Depot's retail and online channels. The brand has also had operations outside the mainland United States. Its New Zealand business was separated from the wider organization after a 2018 acquisition by Platinum Equity, and in 2020 that business announced the closure of all 14 physical stores and a shift to online operations. The present OfficeMax identity is therefore best understood as a retail brand within the Office Depot house, rather than as a separate public company.
History
OfficeMax was created in Cleveland on April 1, 1988, by Bob Hurwitz and Michael Feuer. Hurwitz became executive chairman and chief executive, while Feuer served as president and chief operating officer. The first OfficeMax store opened on July 5, 1988, at the Golden Gate Shopping Center in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. Hurwitz left the company in 1993, after which Feuer became chairman and chief executive. The chain's early expansion relied heavily on acquisitions and relationships with larger retail organizations. In November 1990, OfficeMax acquired Office World, whose former executives and Montgomery Ward became minority shareholders. It also obtained Office Square stores from Kmart in exchange for an equity interest. Kmart later increased its ownership to 92 percent. OfficeMax added five Highland Superstores locations in the Boston area in January 1992, acquired Virginia-based OW Office Warehouse in June of that year, and purchased BizMart from Intelligent Electronics in 1993. BizMart represented the company's largest acquisition at that point, adding 104 stores. The company also acquired a minority interest in Corporate Express, a contract stationer. During the 1990s, OfficeMax tested several extensions to its core retail format. FurnitureMax introduced office furniture as a store-within-a-store concept, BatteryMax tested a specialized battery kiosk, and OfficeMax PDQ explored a smaller-format store. The company developed regional delivery centers and invested in large distribution facilities in Las Vegas, Hazleton and Birmingham. These initiatives reflected an effort to serve both walk-in consumers and business customers while supporting a growing national footprint. Kmart began reducing its ownership, and OfficeMax was spun off in 1995 as a publicly traded New York Stock Exchange company under the symbol OMX. It competed in an increasingly crowded U.S. office-supplies market alongside Staples and Office Depot. Expansion continued into the late 1990s, but market saturation eventually led the company to close weaker stores and retreat from regions where it lacked sufficient scale. By 2001, the chain had approximately 960 locations. Boise Cascade acquired OfficeMax in 2003. The combined organization later separated its wood and paper operations from the office-products business. The remaining company adopted the OfficeMax name and continued operating as an office-supplies retailer. By December 2012, the company reported 941 stores across 47 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Mexico. Its independent period ended when OfficeMax and Office Depot agreed to combine in 2013. The transaction closed on November 5, 2013, after regulatory review and litigation by a shareholder. OfficeMax became a brand within Office Depot, with some locations retaining the name and others closing or being converted to Office Depot stores. The brand's international history subsequently diverged from the U.S. business. In 2018, the New Zealand operation was purchased by Platinum Equity and separated into an independent organization. In August 2020, OfficeMax New Zealand announced that it would close all 14 physical stores and operate online. In the United States, OfficeMax remains part of the Office Depot retail and e-commerce network.
- 2020
New Zealand physical-store network closes
[1]The separately operated New Zealand business announced the closure of all 14 physical locations and a move to online operations.
- 2015
Original Mayfield Heights store closes
[1]The first OfficeMax store, located in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, permanently closed on May 16.
- 2013
Merger with Office Depot closes
[1]The all-stock merger of OfficeMax and Office Depot closed on November 5, turning OfficeMax into a brand and subsidiary of the combined company.
- 2003
Boise Cascade acquires OfficeMax
[1]Boise Cascade acquired OfficeMax for approximately $1.3 billion.
- 2001
Store rationalization begins
[1]After reaching approximately 960 stores, OfficeMax began closing underperforming locations and reducing exposure in weaker regions.
- 1995
OfficeMax becomes an independent public company
[1]Kmart spun off a majority stake, and OfficeMax became a New York Stock Exchange-listed company under the symbol OMX.
- 1993
BizMart acquisition and leadership transition
[1]OfficeMax acquired 104 BizMart stores, while Michael Feuer became chairman and chief executive after Bob Hurwitz's departure.
- 1992
Regional expansion accelerates
[1]The company acquired Highland Superstores locations and the Virginia-based OW Office Warehouse chain.
- 1990
Office World acquisition
[1]OfficeMax expanded through the acquisition of Office World.
- 1988
OfficeMax is founded and opens its first store
[1]Bob Hurwitz and Michael Feuer founded OfficeMax in Cleveland, and the first store opened in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, in July.
Products and positioning
A mainstream office-products retailer serving households, schools, small businesses and larger organizational customers through stores, delivery and online commerce.
Office consumables · 1988
Office supplies
The core OfficeMax assortment includes writing instruments, binders, folders, staplers, organizers, desk accessories and other everyday supplies used by offices, schools, households and small businesses. The category formed the foundation of the chain's specialist retail identity and remains available through Office Depot's stores and digital channels.
Paper products · 1988
Paper and envelopes
OfficeMax sells copy paper, multipurpose paper, specialty stocks, notebooks, labels, forms and envelopes. These products support routine printing, filing, mailing and school use, and are sold to both individual shoppers and organizational procurement customers.
Printing consumables · 1988
Printer ink and toner
Printer cartridges, toner and related printing consumables are a major recurring-purchase category. The assortment serves common home, small-business and workplace printers and complements OfficeMax's paper and document-service offerings.
Furniture · 1994
Office furniture
OfficeMax offers desks, chairs, filing and storage products, workstations and related workplace equipment. Furniture became a more explicit part of the brand's historical retail strategy through the FurnitureMax store-within-a-store experiment in the 1990s.
Technology accessories · 1988
Technology products
The brand's technology assortment includes computer accessories, storage devices, peripherals, cables and selected hardware-related products. These items broaden the retailer beyond traditional stationery and support workplace and home-office setups.
Business services
Printing and document services
Printing, copying, finishing, document production and related services extend the brand from product retail into practical workplace support. Availability and exact service menus depend on the Office Depot location or online channel using the OfficeMax name.
Marketing campaigns
- 1998OfficeMax PDQ small-store test
United States
OfficeMax tested a smaller-format store concept in Woodmere, Ohio, in an effort to explore a more compact retail footprint.
Outcome. The source does not specify the final commercial outcome of the test.
- 1996BatteryMax test program
United States
OfficeMax tested BatteryMax kiosks in two Phoenix stores. The kiosks were operated by Batteries for Everything and represented an attempt to add a specialized, service-oriented retail offer.
Outcome. The source describes a test launch but does not establish a broader rollout.
Brand decisions
2020
New Zealand shift to online operationsStrategyBackground
The separately operated OfficeMax New Zealand business cited increasing online use and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Action taken
The business announced the closure of all 14 physical stores and a move to online operations.
Aftermath
OfficeMax New Zealand continued as an online-focused organization, separate from the U.S. Office Depot brand structure.
2013
All-stock merger with Office DepotM&ABackground
OfficeMax and Office Depot sought to combine their overlapping office-supplies businesses and create a larger competitor in a saturated market.
Action taken
The companies agreed to exchange 2.69 Office Depot shares for each OfficeMax share; the transaction closed on November 5, 2013.
Aftermath
OfficeMax ceased to be an independent listed company and continued as a brand within Office Depot. Some stores retained the OfficeMax name, while others closed or changed to Office Depot branding.
2003
Boise Cascade acquisitionM&ABackground
OfficeMax was operating in a highly competitive office-products market and was acquired by Boise Cascade.
Action taken
Boise Cascade purchased OfficeMax for approximately $1.3 billion.
Aftermath
The combined business later separated its wood and paper operations from the office-products operation, which continued under the OfficeMax name.
Acquisition value. $1.3 billion (2003)
1995
Spin-off from KmartStrategyBackground
Kmart had increased its ownership of OfficeMax during the early 1990s, but later pursued ownership reductions and a public-market separation.
Action taken
OfficeMax was spun off and became an independently traded New York Stock Exchange company.
Aftermath
The company operated independently and competed directly with Staples and Office Depot during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Recent events
Sources3 sources
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