Staples Argentina
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Office supplies retail |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Andy Freire, Santiago Bilinkis |
| Headquarters | Buenos Aires , Argentina |
Area served | Argentina, Brazil |
| Parent | Staples Inc. |
Staples Argentina operates as the Argentine and Brazilian branch of the American office supply retailer Staples, with its main office located in Buenos Aires. It stands as the leading office supplies provider in Argentina and ranks among the top three competitors within the Brazilian market.
The enterprise attracted global attention when Harvard Business School Professor Walter Kuemmerle incorporated it into two case studies for his International Entrepreneurship curriculum.
History
Established in 1997 by Andy Freire and Santiago Bilinkis, Officenet was initially funded by four angel investors from Argentina. The following year, in 1998, it was honored with the designation of an Endeavor Entrepreneur.
During the period from 1999 to 2000, Officenet briefly joined forces with Submarino, Inc., which enabled its entry into the Brazilian market through offices and a distribution center in São Paulo. However, by late 2000, new investment stakeholders led to the companies separating once again.
In 2004, Staples Inc. acquired Officenet's operations in both Argentina and Brazil. The inaugural Staples retail outlet in Argentina opened on May 13, 2008, followed by a second location later that year, though both initially retained the Officenet branding. The company officially adopted the Staples Argentina name in 2011.
Officenet was among the first Argentine firms to utilize corporate blogging in 2006, employing it as a tool for engaging clients, enhancing employee morale, and conducting market analysis. Despite these benefits, corporate blogs have not been widely embraced throughout Argentina. In 2009, noted usability specialist Jakob Nielsen highlighted Officenet as an example of effective social networking within internal company platforms.
Staples Argentina is frequently recognized for its distinct corporate culture. Harvard Business School featured it in case studies during 2000 and 2001. It achieved placements of #30 and #33 on Argentina’s "Great Places to Work" rankings in 2007 and 2009 respectively. Additionally, its commitment to corporate social responsibility was acknowledged by the US Embassy in 2008, and it became a finalist for the US Department of State's Award for Corporate Excellence in 2009.
After dedicating thirteen years to the business, founder Santiago Bilinkis exited in 2010.
In 2011, Staples Argentina introduced "Programa Emprendedor," a support initiative providing startups with up to two years of assistance and substantial (50%) discounts as part of its overarching "Staples Soul" program.
Continuing its focus on innovation, the company launched a "Virtual Store" employing QR code technology in 2011, inspired by a Tesco subsidiary based in Korea. The following year, Staples Argentina debuted its first domestically produced television advertisement campaign, which garnered attention from industry publications such as Ad Age and Adweek.