Grand & Toy

Grand & Toy is a Canadian e-commerce office supplies chain, founded in 1882 by James Grand as a home-based stationery printing business. It is now a subsidiary of Office Depot, Inc.

Grand & Toy
FormerlyOfficeMax Grand & Toy (2013–2014)
TypeSubsidiary
Founded1882
FounderJames Grand
Headquarters
Toronto, Ontario
,
Canada
ProductsOffice and facility supplies, technology, furniture and interior services, printing and professional services
OwnerOffice Depot
Number of employees
1100
ParentOfficeMax (1996–present)
Websitegrandandtoy.com
First Store in 1883 on Leader Lane and Colborne Street, James Grand and Samuel Toy
Delivering to the Toronto Dominion Centre
A former Grand & Toy location in Toronto in 2008
Former Grand & Toy location at King Street West

History

Founded in 1882 by James Grand as a home-based stationery printing business. A year later, Grand partnered with his brother-in-law, Samuel Toy, to open their first retail store in Toronto.[1]

In 1996, Grand & Toy was purchased by Boise Office Solutions, later renamed OfficeMax Inc., a US-based international office supplies distributor, for US$104 million.[2] OfficeMax then merged with Office Depot in 2013.[3]

Historically, the company's major competitors have included Office Depot (prior to its merger with OfficeMax) and Staples Inc.'s Canadian division. In early 2015, Staples announced plans to buy the combined Office Depot / OfficeMax, pending various regulatory approvals.[4]

In the early 2000s, Grand & Toy began to close many of its retail stores, especially in Ontario and suburban malls, retaining locations in urban areas close to the company's core business customers. On 23 April 2014, OfficeMax Grand & Toy announced it would be shuttering its remaining 19 retail locations in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario to focus on its internet-based retailing service.[5][6] At the time, 3% of its sales were derived from its retail operations.[5]

In early 2013, the company rebranded as OfficeMax Grand & Toy, as part of an effort by its U.S. parent company to present a unified brand to customers across North America.[7] However, by the end of the year, OfficeMax had merged with U.S. competitor Office Depot.[3] In December 2014, the Canadian operation announced it would rebrand back to simply "Grand & Toy", explaining the reversal as an expression of "confidence in Grand & Toy's brand legacy and a strong commitment to its long-term success".[8]

Corporate social responsibility

Grand & Toy's current social responsibility efforts include waste and recycling programs,[9] green products and services,[10] thought leadership and business insights,[11] and transportation efficiency.[12]

References
  1. "Grand & Toy: Corporate History". Retrieved 2006-07-05.
  2. "Boise Cascade Corp: 10K Annual Report". Archived from the original on 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2006-07-05.
  3. Dhanya Skariachan (5 November 2013). "Office Depot closes deal to buy OfficeMax". Reuters.
  4. Lance Whitney (4 February 2015). "Staples to buy Office Depot for $6 billion". CNET. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  5. "OfficeMax Grand & Toy to close retail stores as business customers shift to growing e-commerce and direct sales channels". Canada NewsWire. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  6. "Grand & Toy To Close All 19 Retail Stores". The Huffington Post. April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  7. Laird, Kristin (2013-05-07). "GRAND & TOY JUMPS UP REPUTATION RANKINGS, REBRANDS TO THE MAX". Marketing. Retrieved 2014-12-30.
  8. Grand & Toy (2014-12-08). "Grand & Toy Renews its Brand with a Nod to its Iconic Heritage". Archived from the original on 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2014-12-30.
  9. Mike Hower (2015-01-23). "Grand & Toy, TerraCycle Launch National Office Products Recycling Program". Retrieved 2015-06-14.
  10. Harmeet Singh (2015-04-06). "Grand & Toy's new shades". Retrieved 2015-06-14.
  11. COPA (2015-04-30). "University students consider environmental track record when choosing an employer". Retrieved 2015-06-14.
  12. Grand & Toy (2015-06-14). "Transportation Efficiency". Retrieved 2015-06-14.
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