Staples executives confirm company will soon sell Apple products in the U.S.
In January we reported that Staples appeared set to begin selling Apple products via its U.S. distribution channels. However, Staples' official comment on this (since 2011) was that Apple would not sell Staples its products for U.S. distribution.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s retail-channel strategy had already been moving beyond traditional electronics outlets: Best Buy sought broader Mac availability, while Target planned dedicated Apple shops in 25 stores. Discussions around Apple locations inside Sam’s Club pointed in the same direction, though those talks were described as early-stage.
Staples’ confirmation marks a change from the company’s earlier position that Apple would not supply it for U.S. distribution. It gives Apple another national retail route aimed at office and small-business buyers.
First-order effects
- Staples is preparing to add Apple products to its U.S. distribution channels, broadening the retailer’s hardware assortment.
- Apple gains a confirmed U.S. sales channel through Staples after the previously stated refusal to supply the chain.
Second-order effects
- Staples’ Apple offering puts it in more direct competition for workplace-device purchases with retailers already pursuing broader Mac assortments, including Best Buy’s push for more Macs in its stores.
- The addition makes Apple products a more important draw for Staples’ business and office-technology customers, rather than a category confined to consumer-electronics specialists.
Third-order effects
- The pattern points to Apple distributing hardware through a wider mix of mass retail, electronics, club-store, and office-supply formats, reducing the importance of any single third-party retail model.
- As more retailers seek Apple assortments or dedicated presentations, physical retail differentiation shifts toward merchandising, staff knowledge, and access to Apple inventory.
The trend: Apple’s U.S. retail strategy is expanding into broader national chains to meet buyers in more specialized purchasing environments.